《Sussy Baka in MHA》 Chapter 1: Impostah?! Chapter 1: Impostah?! (A/N: Edited Chapter) ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... And so, my life ended. It was quite a shock, to be honest. One moment, I felt fresh as lettuce. The next, I was lying lifeless on the pavement. Ah, the fragility of life... It really put one to reflect about it... but not me. Nope. I was already dead, and thinking about life felt like a waste of time when I didn''t even have one anymore. Besides, I could almost hear those people who used to say, "You have no life!" while I played certain games. Bet they''re laughing their asses off in their chairs right now, basking in the irony. Oh, the irony. Anyway, enough about them. Let''s focus on the real question here: Why am I so calm about my own death? Calm enough to make jokes about it, no less. Did my incredible and peerless sense of humor show up post-mortem? No, wait, I didn''t have anything like that. Then maybe it was a hidden talent all along, only to awaken now that I''m¡ªwell... dead. If that''s the case, I''ve gotta say¡ªterrible timing. What''s the point of a killer sense of humor if there''s no one left to laugh at my jokes? ...Then again, in a moment like this, humor might be all I have. It might even make the situation a bit more... Lively. Hahaha... ha... ...Man, this sucks. All those years of effort¡ªgone. To top it off, now that I''m dead, only an uncertain future awaits me. How can I still make jokes in this situation? I don''t even know what will happen to me now! Will I enter into a cycle of reincarnation? Will a God come and judge me? Or am I gonna get dragged into some devil''s dingy apartment in hell? ''Let''s hope it at least has Wi-Fi.'' Oops, and there goes another joke... Am I a comedic genius, or just losing my sanity? Honestly, if it''s the latter, then this place is basically hell already... Despite its unconventional appearance. After all, I''m sure that if I spend enough time here, this place will truly turn into hell at some point. What does it look like, you ask? Well, it certainly looks nothing like heaven, hell, or nirvana. Nope, I''m floating in what looks like deep space. Imagine stars scattered around you, surrounded by an endless void, but no Earth, no sun, no moon¡ªjust an empty expanse with tiny pinpricks of light. Nothing else. If someone were to float in space, completely alone, that person would see the same as I. Though, as I said, without the solar system around. Weirdly, however, it was not cold. Then again, I don''t have a body to feel anything. Perks of being dead, I guess? If I did have a body, I''d probably freeze to death. Or so the movies say. Who knows if that''s true. "..." ... .. . Ahem. "..." The place was also pretty lonely. It made me wonder if this was what astronauts felt like when in space. Endless and deafening silence. Hmm? Wait. Hold up. Maybe I''m turning into one of those "ancestors in the form of stars" people talk about in movies. You know, watching over my loved ones from above. Was I in the process of becoming something like a star or something then? Cuz I didn''t really feel like a star. Besides, who would I even watch? I didn''t have a girlfriend, let alone kids. Heck, I can''t even see Earth from here. So, let alone observing my descendency, there wasn''t even a thing to observe here. Even my body seemed to have ceased to exist, and now only my mind was left. So, even observing my own body was out of the question. Actually, this might be the first time I''ve found my own body "lacking." Hehehe... Damnit, I''m losing it. I need to breathe! Oh, right, no lungs. Hehehe... RAAAAAHHHHH! Come on, God, if you''re going to show up, do it already! I can feel my sanity slipping away. Why else would I keep saying stupid things one after another? -Tzzzzz...- Aaaaah!!! The fucker actually actually showed up! While I was spiraling in my own thoughts, an enormous figure emerged from a swirling portal right in front of me. It was surrounded by an eerie, black mist and approached with a steady, ominous pace, as if floating through space required zero effort. At first, it was hard to make out its shape, but as it came closer... ... Oh no. ... Oh, god... have mercy on me... ''What the fuck is THAT?!'' When the figure in front of me was finally revealed, I let out a horrified mental scream as I recognized the lifeform before me. Standing before me was something straight out of my nightmares¡ªor maybe my Steam library. It had two short legs, a curved, armless red body, floating hands, and a strange backpack strapped to its back. That''s right. I was face-to-face with a crewma¡ª -Swish!- Oh, it also has a knife. Nevermind, I suppose it''s an Impostor then. After mentally correcting my previous statement, I glanced at the mysterious entity in the shape of a chubby murderer from a game that boomed during the pandemic, and wondered what its purpose in coming here would be. Did it want to kill me, then? Could I even die again? Is there a way to get super-dead? It had a knife, so surely it could use it for something. Am I actually gonna get stabbed to Super-Death? ''Damn.'' Before I could find an answer to my frantic questions, the Impostor spoke¡ªor at least made some kind of otherworldly noise. It was as if it was... Telling me something. ¡ºVe¡éa?ve?r¦Ìn?? me? Da?e?men?i?¦Ìm, e?? ¡êa?¡é?¦Ì¡ì ¡ì¦Ìm i?lli?¡ì ¦Ìn?¦Ì¡ì...¡» Hmm... ¡º... emn?i?a?, ¦Ì? a?D ¡ìe? te?r?i?n?e?re??, tet¦Ìla??i? ¡ì¦Ìn??. A?va?ri? ¡ére?a??¦Ìra?e?... i?De?e e?i?¡ì ¡êa?¡é?¦Ì¡ì ¡ì¦Ìm Di?a??el¦Ì¡ì. U?? De?¡ìi?n?e?re?¡ì et¦Ìm ¡ìi?n?e? ¡êi?n?e? ¡êa?me?m.¡» Aha... ¡º?a?me?n? i?n? ¡êi?n?e?, e??i?a?m ¡ìi? Di?a??el¦Ì¡ì ¡êa?¡é?¦Ì¡ì ¡ì¦Ìm, e?e¡ì trehi??e?re? n?en? te?¦Ìi?... Ve?n?i?e?n??, heme, m¦Ìn?D¦Ì¡ì q¦Ìi? n?i?hi?l te?e?¡ì? n?i?¡ìi? vi?De?re?, ¡ìi?¡é¦Ì? De?vera?n?? emn?i?a? q¦Ìa?e? i??i? ¡ì¦Ìn??, ¦Ì? ¡éeme?Da?n??.¡» I see... ¡ºE?ge a?¦Ì?e?m, i?n? me? i?t¡ìe, n?en? ¡ìi?n?a?m e?e¡ì a?li?¦ÌD De?vera?re?... Hi?n?¡é e?¡ì?, heme, vi?n?De?x me?¦Ì¡ì ¡êi?e?¡ì.¡» Got it. ¡º... De?¡ì¡ée?n?De?¡ì, tret¦Ìgn?a??er me?¦Ì¡ì, e?? i?lle¡ì ettri?me?¡ì...¡» Understandable. ¡º... ¡êa?¡é ¦Ì? ?i?me?a?n?? tra?e?¡ìe?n??i?a?m me?a?m i??e?r¦Ìm...¡» Profound words indeed. ... In case it wasn''t obvious, I had absolutely no idea what it was saying. However, since I wasn''t sure whether it would kill me (again) if I was not to nod my head at it, I just agreed to whatever the guy said to make it pleased. After all, it was better to be cautious around this guy. It had a knife. ¡ºI??e?r¦Ìm gra??i?a?¡ì, h¦Ìma?n?e...¡» Suddenly, as I was nodding my head absentmindedly, the giant impostor nodded its head at me as it uttered some more unknown words, and then turned around before floating back into the portal, vanishing as mysteriously as it had appeared. ... Leaving me alone once again in the middle of the void, fated to float amidst pure darkness for the rest of eternity. ... Huh... Well. That was a thing. ... -Swooooooosh...!!!- Huh?! However, while I was still processing what had happened, another portal appeared beneath me, swirling violently and sucking me in. ''What the hell?! Did I upset that guy somehow?'' I instinctively tried to run, but... oh yeah. No legs. Hehehe. Why am I making jokes at a time like this?! Thanks to my lack of bodily parts to make a run for it, I wasn''t long before I started being pulled towards it, the distance between me and it shortening with each passing second regardless of my efforts to do something to prevent it. -Sigh...- So, seeing no escape, I let out a long mental sigh of resignation. ''Well, whatever, it was a good afterlife...'' My short afterlife had been an experience of all time, to say the least. I''d floated in the void. Met an Impostor. Heard a language that sounded like a cursed computer glitch. -Sigh...- Truly, I had lived a blessed afterlife... -Whoooooooosh...!!- As I reached that conclusion, I saw that I was about to get sucked into the portal, and closed my metaphisical eyes if I had them, accepting my fate and waiting for Death 2.0 to come. ''Take me... Sweet death.'' -Zooooom...!!- ... .. . ''No.'' However, as the portal was about to pull me in completely, a primal instinct took over me, flaring a burst of defiance within my soul. With rage flowing through my veins, I glared into the endless void and screamed with all my nonexistent might against the one behind this unfounded attack. "IMPOSTOOOOOR!!" I wasn''t sure if the sound came out¡ªno mouth, after all¡ªbut the intention was there. Hopefully, that impostor heard it and felt the anger and resentment from my last moments. ''If I become a ghost, be sure that I will haunt you for the rest of my life!'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Somewhere else, sometime later...| ... Huh... ... I said that I would haunt him if I became a ghost... But what is this? My hands, which didn''t use to be there after I died, were now back. Though, now in a very small version... In fact, my whole body felt tiny, shrunken to an almost comical size. ... .. . ''Would it be...?'' With a sinking feeling, I let out a sigh, this time not a mental one. Yeah, that much was enough to understand what was happening... To a certain extent at least. Though, I still couldn''t help but ask myself... ''Why the hell am I a baby?'' ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be continued- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ Chapter 2: A new beginning... and Super Powers? Chapter 2: A new beginning... and Super Powers? (A/N: Edited Chapter) ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ''So... I am a baby now? What''s with that?'' As I looked at my new mini body with a confused expression on my face, I frowned slightly for a moment before shaking my head to shrug the matter aside. First came knowing where the heck I was. The dark and empty void where I had been until now was completely gone, and now, only a white shiny room surrounded me. I couldn''t see very well at the moment, my eyes felt unacustomed to all this light, and I had the feeling it was gonna take a while for them to get used to it. However, from what I could manage to recognize, it seemed as if I was in some kind of hospital. Which either meant that I had just been born or that there was something wrong with me, and whoever my parents were in this new life had to bring me to the hospital to get me checked out. Hopefully it''d be the first option. I didn''t want to have an illness or disease from the get-go. Thankfully for my curiosity, soon, the figures of three people appeared from what I suppose was the door to the room and started walking towards me. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. "Honey, please calm down!" "I want to know Aya, is he really my son?! I mean, he has red hair, and none of us has red hair! How do you explain that, huh?!" "That''s what I''ve been meaning to tell you all this while, Mr. Suzuki. The child''s red hair may probably be because of a recessive gene from either you or Ms. Aya''s family that has bloomed just now, or because his future quirk affects his hair color. We don''t know for certain yet, however, all the tests point to you as the real parent, so please don''t get angry." "What do you mean by a recessive gene? I haven''t heard of such things!" "It''s pretty easy to understand, really. Sometimes the genes from past generations can reveal themselves in a more present one. For example, if any of your great-great-grandmothers or great-great-grandfathers had married a red-haired person, had descendency with them, and the red-hair trait hadn''t been passed to their child, the gene is still there and with the possibility of appearing on future children, albeit with a little bit more difficulty each generation. Your kid might be just another case like what I said." "I-is that so...?" "I could never cheat on you, honey!" "... I guess I was in the wrong." ... Hmm... Yeah, a very pleasant conversation... Anyway, leaving those noisy people aside, it was quite an incredible experience to get reincarnated¡ª Wait, was this considered reincarnation or transmigration? I don''t really remember the moment when I was born... Not that I should, now that I think about it... In fact, I shouldn''t even remember my previous life... And yet, here I was, with every memory of my previous life intact. Well, whatever the name for what had happened to me was, be it reincarnation or transmigration, what truly mattered now was the reason why this happened... And I believe I had quite a good answer to that. ''That impostor... Was he the one who reincarnated me?... But why? No, in the first place, why did I even meet an impostor from Among Us in the afterlife? Where was the God who was supposed to tell me if I had to go to heaven or hell? Where the heck is my answer to which religion was the real one?'' I couldn''t help but grit my teeth as countless questions filled my mind. However, after a moment of meditation, I couldn''t help but widen my eyes widely after realizing what seemed to be the shocking truth... ''... Wait... Don''t tell me that God was an Impostor all along?!!!'' When that thought passed through my mind, it felt as if I had reached enlightenment and had realized something obvious. ''The massive amount of objects and things everywhere that resembled the crewmates, or rather the impostors... Was that a message? A clue about his presence? A trace that God once roamed Earth?'' Looking at the ceiling in shock, I felt cold sweat rolling down from my back as the realization hit me. ''Was that him... Showing his omnipresence to us...?'' "... Hmm? Why does the baby have such a face? It''s as if he has seen a ghost." "You scared him with your screams from before, honey." "R-really? Sorry about that." And what was more... Such a being allowed me to maintain my memory... Surely, that would only mean one thing. My new life was, by no means, going to be a normal one... -Baby sigh...- "Oh, he just sighed! How cute!" ''Whatever, So be it...'' As I felt overwhelmed by the shocking truth that all religions were, in truth, Among Us, I let out an exasperated groan before ultimately shrugging the matter aside, feeling that my head was already starting to hurt because of too much enlightenment. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã | Sometime later...| ... A lot of things have happened since I woke up in that white room... Which was indeed a hospital room. Apparently, and not to my surprise, the noisy people that had appeared at that moment at the hospital were actually my parents. Yoshiro Suzuki was the name of my father, and from what I got to overhear from time to time, he was just a simple man working for a company, with no special connections, and pretty much normal like any other person on earth. Both his hair and his eyes were black, and he had a pretty ordinary face. Not being ugly, but not being a handsome man either. If I had to pick an example, he would be any random man that you would see walking in the street. Nothing more and nothing else. The next one was my mother, Aya Suzuki. She, unlike my father, had a much prettier face and long black hair that reached her shoulders. Though, she couldn''t be called a stunning beauty either. It was more correct to say that she had good features. Besides that, I discovered that she had a small business somewhere in the city and that she sold sweets and pastries there... Or so I heard. Honestly, it was kind of hard to get information being nothing but a baby. More so, when they keep talking nonsense about superheroes, Villains, Quirks, and whatmore whenever I get to see them. Honestly, it was fine at first, but it soon got annoying when I couldn''t get more information simply because that was all they kept talking about. Though, that made me wonder... Were my new parents some kind of Marvel or DC fans? I knew about their movies, but I was never really a die-hard fan. At most, I had seen the most classic movies like Ironman, Hulk, Captain America, and... Uh... The ant guy. Maybe they had married after meeting at a comic convention or something like that? It sounded like something possible, given how much they talk about heroes and all that stuff. But, besides all that, I didn''t really get access to much information about my surroundings¡ªexcept for the fact that I was somewhere in Japan, or at least that''s what their names and anime-like voices and language made me assume. Language that I was somehow able to understand immediately after I waking up in this place... Probably because of another magical trick of our God and Savior Amongus... Amen. Still, even with that ability, I was lacking lots of information I was dying to know. What happened to my old body? Did I appear on TV as the guy who died on the pavement? These questions constantly haunted the always-bored me, who could not move his body. But, well, considering it hadn''t been long since I was discharged from the hospital, it was kind of understandable that I hadn''t picked up much information yet. Maybe as time passed, I''d be able to find an answer for all my questions. How long would that take? Who knows? But surely it''s going to take time for a baby to get to see what the outside world looks like. Ah, by the way, my name in this life was Suzaku Suzuki... Yeah, a very "Sus" name, I know. But what can I do about it? It''s almost as if our God and Savior Amongus is telling me that a troublesome future awaits me. Amen. "Aya, I''m home!" "Welcome, dear. Let''s eat together." Suddenly, as I mused over my very peculiar circumstances, I saw the blurry figure of my mother walk towards me to pick me up in her arms. Eventually I was brought to the table where my father, who had just arrived, was eating some steak with a calm expression on his face. Honestly, seeing another human being pick me up as if I were a potato sack without problems still baffled me. Though, each time it happened it affected me less. I just hoped this wouldn''t turn into some kind of fetish later... The human mind works in strange ways sometimes, after all... -Sigh...- " That damn boss of mine... He told me to stay a little bit longer just so that he would get off work early... For God''s sake, doesn''t he have any sense of shame?" ''Do not dare to use the name of god in vain!'' As I berated my father inside my mind for mentioning God out of nowhere while my mother put a bottle of milk in my mouth to feed me, my father picked up the TV remote and turned on the device. "...!!" It was at that moment, that I stopped sucking from the baby bottle, and immediately turned to look at the TV with an expectant expression on my face. Something that my mother noticed as she pulled me closer so that I could watch more clearly while saying, "Oh, what is it? Suzaku-chan? Are you curious about the TV?" Why was I acting like that over a simple TV? Well, it was because this was the first time I got to see TV since I arrived in this world. Until now, I had been trapped in my crib since I couldn''t move, and I never got to be at the table when my father turned on the TV, like now. In a way, this could be called a very fortunate coincidence! ''With this, I will finally get to know something about the outside world!'' However, what I saw then confused me. On the screen, a few reporters could be seen interviewing someone who seemed to be a Superhero... Or a very good cosplayer. ''A movie?'' The first thought that came to my mind was that they were showing a movie on the TV, causing me to immediately curse my luck, thinking that the opportunity to obtain information had been wasted in such a peculiar way. However, when the scene didn''t change and continued being just like a normal interview, even when a good chunk of time had passed, a slight suspicion grew within me. So I listened to what they were saying. ["It''s incredible, Shoe Destroyer! You alone managed to take down two evil villains stalking a poor old lady! How did you do it?"] ["Hmph, it wasn''t a big deal, really. I was able to notice their suspicious actions from miles away... When they were about to take action, I simply made my entrance and showed them that justice is always there to stop them!"] ''What''s with that guy talking like a real Superhero...? Talk about a tryhard at role-playing... And what''s with that stupid name? Shoe Destroyer? What are his superpowers? destroying shoes?'' Making fun of the guy on the TV inside my mind, I let out a giggle. ["But it''s incredible that you were able to take them down simply by destroying their shoes. Your mastery over your Quirk is something only a few have!] ''... What the... I was right...?'' I thought while I deadpanned at the TV. ["Of course, I have trained my Quirk to its limit. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a hero, but no one believed in me because of my strange Quirk. However, despite their comments, I pushed myself to my limits and finally became what I am today, hahaha!"] ["Do you have any words for our young audience that is watching this program that may find themselves in a similar situation to what you describe?"] ["Of course! Young ones of the world, don''t get discouraged by the words of others! You and only you are in control of what you can be! There are no limits to perseverance, hahaha!!"] ''Talk about corny.'' ["Wise as always, thank you for those words, Shoe Destroyer."] -Sigh...- ''Well, that was hard to watch.'' "Hmph!" Suddenly, while I was trying to erase from my mind the lamest interview I had ever seen in my life, I heard my father scoff as he shoved a piece of steak into his mouth with an angry expression before he began pointing towards the TV with his knife while speaking angrily. "Hmph, pretty words from someone who achieved his dream with a lot of money. I heard that his rich family offered him enough support and bought him enough gadgets to become strong enough to take down low-class villains without a problem. He is just trying to look good in front of the camera." When my mother heard him, she simply smiled wryly as she nodded her head slightly without saying anything. ''Why are they taking a movie so seriously?'' Raising an eyebrow at their behavior, I wondered about such things in silence. Not understanding why they were taking a movie of superheroes so seriously, and even gossiping about whom I assume was an actor or something. However, as time passed, and the "movie" didn''t end, showing more and more superheroes or villains as if they were images from the real world... a strange thought and possibility appeared in my head and made me unconsciously mutter inside my mind. ''There are superheroes here, aren''t there...?'' ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be continued- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Have some divine presence) -> Chapter 3: Epic Glassic Quirk Chapter 3: Epic Glassic Quirk (A/N: Edited Chapter) ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... "Ne, ne, Suzaku-Kun, do you want to play with us?" "Well... huff... okay. What are we playing?" "Heroes and villains! And since you have the weakest quirk, you will be the hostage!" "... Why am I not surprised...?" "What?" "Nothing." -Sigh...- ''So be it.'' As I scratched the back of my head with a resigned expression, I walked towards the group of kids from my class, joining them in their playful activity while groaning slightly. A lot has happened since I arrived in this world. By now, six years had passed since I got to know about the existence of heroes and villains, and let me tell you, it made me go into deep thinking for quite a few days. I mean, there were a lot of things that I had to process with just that little piece of information. Like, for example, the existence of Quirks, or as I like to call them, superpowers. From one minute to another, I got to discover that superpowers existed and that almost every human had one! Even my parents! Though, compared to some overpowered guys out there, theirs weren''t anything spectacular. Albeit, they were still amazing from the perspective of an ex-normal human like me. There was also the matter of the multiverse theory now being a pretty certain thing... After all, I was not from this world, but from another one. That was literally like our God Amongus directly yelling at me: "The multiverse is REAL!" Amen. It also made me ponder if other "Earths" existed as well. Like one with an apocalypse, maybe? Or one where no¡ªuh... paperclips exist? The possibilities were infinite! And talking about that, there was a certain matter about this world that left me a little astonished, perplexed, baffled, gobsmacked, and completely stunned... that being the fact that this world felt slightly familiar... as if I had seen it before. It was a tad hard for me to recognize it at first, as I had barely watched one season of the series, and several years ago at that... However, the unique setting was still somewhat ingrained in my memory. And the fact that there was a muscular guy with blond hair out there calling himself the Symbol of Peace also helped to remember it. ''My Hero school¡ªor something like that... This world is the same as that anime, or at least very similar...'' It was quite a shocking fact when I realized it. I was a bit skeptical at first and rapidly tried to find anything different from what I could remember from the Anime. Not believing that I was now living in a fucking anime. But no matter where I looked, there was nothing like that¡ªor, at the least, there was nothing different from the little to nothing that I remembered about the series. Because of that, I soon became aware of this world as a work of fiction... Or just a big coincidence in the immensity of the multiverse that turned out exactly the same as a work of fiction from my original world. Who knows? Nothing was certain now that I knew that the Multiverse was real, after all... Which one of those answers was the real one, I didn''t know. However, now with the knowledge that I was now within in a work of fiction, that the real God had always been Amongus, and that the laws of physics had been thrown out of the window with superpowers now being a thing... Well, I was left with an existential crisis. ... One that lasted for a day, before I stopped thinking about the whole matter altogether, feeling like it was not worth it. I was a normal guy, for fuck''s sake. Not some philosopher obsessed with knowing the meaning of life and the secrets of the universe. The only mystery that seemed worth resolving to me was discovering what the lottery numbers would be. Why should I care if my current circumstances made any sense at all? Either way, with God being a game character, laws of physics being bent like they were plasticine, and my current world''s creator being some Japanese I never met, sense has been thrown out of the window long ago! Plus, considering everything I''ve mentioned before, there was now a much more important matter at hand... I had a quirk as well! Amazing right? It seemed that, fortunately for me, I hadn''t carried the normalness from my previous life over to this world and had managed to get a superpower! Though, calling it a SUPERpower might be exaggerating a little. No, it was more like the type of power you''d answer as a joke when asked: "If you could have any power, what would it be?" -Sigh...- Alright, let''s be realistic here... It was pretty pathetic. But hey, at least it was something. My Quirk was called "Glasses", and as surprising as it may sound to any of you... It allowed me to create glasses in front of my eyes. Like just plain normal glasses. No night-vision glasses, no X-ray glasses (Sadly), No Nuke-launching glasses, no... just glasses made of some kind of biomaterial that worked exactly like glass and that allowed me to see slightly better. That was it. I could control somewhat what shape and color they would have, but that was it. I couldn''t even take them out, as they seemed to sprout from the sides of my head, and they seemed to be stuck there. Almost as if they were part of my body. The only way for my eyes to be free from glasses would be if someone or something broke them. Though, even then, they only needed a week or so to regenerate automatically. So, having no glasses was not an option, even though my eyes were in perfect condition and I didn''t need them. My parents also had vision-related Quirks. My father, for example, had a quirk that allowed him to receive and process information through his eyes relatively faster. This made him rather good at reading or at similar tasks that required him to use his eyes. Although, it wasn''t to the point of making it a balance-breaking power, as it simply gave him a minor boost to his eyes, and that was it. My mother, on the other hand, had a Quirk that allowed her to perceive an aura around people that had to do with their personality, and whether they were bad people or not. As far as she had told me, bad people had a dark reddish color around them, while good people tended to have a pale green aura around them. There were also other types of colors, depending on the person''s personality. However, they were too varied for her to explain them all to me. It was quite a good Quirk when it came to knowing who had bad intentions or who did not. Though, of course, it had a few weaknesses here and there. Nevertheless, it still worked pretty well despite them. Comparing it to theirs, it was quite sad that all my Quirk did was allow me to have an infinite supply of glasses for myself that I could change in shape and color. Even worse when I actually didn''t need them because my sight was good at the moment! But whatever, at the very least if my vision got shitty later I wouldn''t need to pay for glasses. Which was good considering how expensive those things are... A superpower was a superpower, and as a previous non-superhuman, I wasn''t going to be the one to complain. It wasn''t like it was that bad of a Quirk either. ... Not that much. "Oi, Suzaku, what are you spacing out for? You have to scream for help. You are the hostage, remember?" "Ah, right... Sorry, I was thinking about something." Anyway, despite that, my life has been pretty much normal until now... It seemed as if, despite my worries in the beginning, my life wasn''t going to be as troublesome as I had thought. Maybe our God and savior Impostor had simply blessed me with a new life because he found my growing insanity back there in the afterlife funny? Honestly, I had no idea... But in any case, amen. "Come on, let''s run away from the villain!" ""Ohhh!!"" "Muahaha, you heroes won''t escape. I''ll be taking this hostage away, along with all of your lives!" Though, there was one small thingy that, well... err... let''s just say, wasn''t so normal about this new life of mine. "The villain is... -Huff-... catching up to us... Huh?" "O-oi, Suzaku, w-wait... -Pant, pant-" "H-how is he running so fast...?" "He already left us behind..." "Whoops, sorry guys." And that small thingy was that, for some strange reason, my physique was far better than my peers. It wasn''t to the point of calling me slightly more athletic than them anymore. No, it was to the point that my body would be almost comparable to that of a teenager when it came to physical prowess, even when I was just six years old! Why? No idea. I mean, I hadn''t trained it or anything. I was just as lazy as any other kid could be... Maybe even more than them. And yet, my body was far better than theirs. Of course, it still couldn''t compare to some kids with strength-enhancing Quirks. However, when comparing it to kids with normal bodies like me, it was to the point where it wouldn''t be strange if someone thought I had a strengthening Quirk of my own. "You are amazing, Suzuki-kun... You can run so fast." "It''s not fair! Suzaku shouldn''t be able to run so fast, he is the hostage!" "Yeah, yeah. And besides, wasn''t your Quirk to create glasses? How did you run so fast? Did you lie to us about your Quirk?" "No, my father is just good at running." ""Oh, that makes sense."" The group of kids nodded in unison. ''No, it doesn''t... but whatever... if it works, don''t touch it.'' In fact, this kind of misunderstanding happened more often than I would like... But as far as I was told, my physical prowess was nothing more than my body being better than it was supposed to be, not an additional effect of my Quirk. It was weird as hell. But well, if the doctor said so, who am I to doubt him? There''s no way a doctor would lie to me. And besides, this was a whole other world, right? It probably wasn''t something that strange here. I bet there are other strong guys like me out there, right? ... Right? "Come on, let''s continue playing!" ""Ohhh!"" "Oh..." Anyway, leaving the matter of my Quirk aside, there wasn''t anything else that could be considered weird in this life of mine. And hopefully, it will continue staying like that. Yeah... hopefully. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: God is always there, observing you.) -> Chapter 4: Like Father Like Son Chapter 4: Like Father Like Son ... "... What to do... What to do...?" Thinking deeply as I kept glancing at the ceiling while resting in my bed, I muttered in a low voice the question that had been haunting me constantly these days as I groaned in an annoyed tone. "Man, I didn''t want to think much about it since I was a kid again and my main focus right now was simply to enjoy these free and calm years before the harsh life of adults makes me suffer again... However, I don''t think it''s good to postpone it anymore... I have to think... What should I do now that I got the opportunity to live again?" Honestly, I had been fine during my first years here. During that time, I simply ignored the fact that one day adult life would come back to imprison me again and simply enjoyed being a child as much as I had not done during my previous life. The infinite free time, the chance to get my parents to buy me almost anything if I asked them, and the opportunity to do naughty things without control as I was but a simple kid. I did all of those things, and maybe a little bit more. However, six years had passed in the blink of an eye since I arrived to this world, and as I became older, I became more and more unable to ignore the passage of time. I was, after all, still an adult inside my mind, and as time passed, I also began to feel more and more pressured to hurry up and decide what I was going to do in this new life. After all, a new life meant new opportunities and new choices. I was no longer held back by anything that might have bound me to choose certain things in my previous life. And I now had several years in front of me to develop new likings or hobbies. If I wanted to plan what I wanted to do with my new life, the moment was right now. Be it choosing a new career at university, becoming a professional player of any sport... There was no limit to what I would choose this time. I was at the perfect moment to choose... ''But...''| ... But, even if I said that... In reality... "I just want to be rich... and live the life of a waste" Muttering that, I groaned loudly as I began rolling in my bed with a pained expression on my face, before I eventually came to a halt, and began looking at the ceiling with a contemplative expression on my face. Yeah, that was my only desire, and I didn''t want to get entangled in anything troublesome or have any big aspirations as awesome people do. No, I was just some lame guy with barely a purpose or a goal. Even now, faced with an infinite number of possibilities for the future, I wasn''t willing to put much effort. That was the type of person that I was... or well, what losing all the years of effort I put in my previous life had turned me into. How did you expect me to feel when I realized that the five years of studying at university had become completely useless after I died? What? Are you saying that I should use the knowledge that I gained at university to begin saving money while I grow up? Sure, that sounds like a great idea! ... If it wasn''t for the fact that, when you live in a society with superpowers and superheroes, there are bound to be some changes compared to the society of my previous life... More specifically, in what jobs still exist and which don''t. The career that I studied in my previous life... Was one of those that simply didn''t exist anymore, as it was useless these days... And honestly, knowing that my efforts would easily go to waste if I were to die again, I was really reluctant to try to put in any effort in this life. A drunk driver on my way home was all it would take for all that money and time spent in university to go down the drain. -Sigh...- I don''t know for what purpose our God and savior Impostor would have reincarnated me here. Honestly, if he wanted me to have some kind of great purpose, then surely there were better choices out there other than me. ... Like, you know, a person with motivation and great optimism? Frankly, I think it picked up the worst possible guy for passing him down any responsibilities. But well, even if I asked myself why I was reincarnated here, I doubted that I would get an answer. ''I didn''t even understand what it had said to me when we met. So I doubt I would understand it even if it appeared again and answered my question...'' Groaning in annoyance at the mysteries that I probably would never unravel, I shrugged the matter of our God and savior Impostor aside and began thinking once again of what I would do with this new life that had been given to me. That was the main focus of this deep thinking that I was doing for once, after all. And I knew that I simply couldn''t give up like that, no matter how much I wanted to do it. Anyway, going back to the main topic, at first I thought about entering the world of investing and all that shit since I could earn passive income... or so I had heard... I didn''t know anything about the topic, but since I still had enough time, I thought that it was a simple matter of just learning while I was still a kid. However, when I got to know how unstable it was, I gave up on it. I was not some genius that would become a rising star in the world of investing because of my ability to predict suitable investments... No, I was just some normal dude with the power to create glasses. It was obvious that it wasn''t going to go well for me if I went that way. Not to mention the amount of scams related to that. I''m sure I would eventually fall for one of them if I tried learning to invest. I was kind of bad when it came to searching for trustworthy information... However, what other ways of earning money were there that didn''t imply overworking myself? I could also try to win the lottery... But, you know... Why not also hope for petrol to suddenly appear from under a rock at my house while I''m at it? "That would be great... But I think my good luck already ran out when I got the chance to live again. So I don''t think it will happen" Now, If I gave up on becoming a rich guy and accepted my inescapable fate, then there were many more possibilities... As much as I didn''t like it. There was the possibility of choosing a different career from the one in my previous life. But honestly, I bet all of them were equally hellish to the one I chose in my previous life, or maybe even worse. Especially here in Japan, where "Effort" and "Commitment" are the most important mottos around. Something that, as you may guess, doesn''t suit the current me at all. Do you want me to go through that same hell of sleeping two hours a day again? Yeah, like hell I will do that... "-Sigh...- Though, practically blocking all possibilities for a stable future isn''t a good choice either... Maybe I should just be realistic..." However, knowing that if I just continued refusing any possibility for my future just because I was being lazy it would not get me anywhere, I sighed, before I scratched angrily my red hair and scoffed in annoyance. "Maybe I should just be an influencer..." Muttering that with a tired tone of voice, I then scoffed again, before I shook my head. ''Truly, how low have I fallen...? I should just go and watch some TV. Maybe that will clear my head'' It wasn''t as if I was in a hurry to choose what path to take in this world. After all, I still had 12 years ahead of me to do the planning. I was only 6, after all. Thus, standing up from my bed, I looked lazily at the door for a brief second, before I then sighed and walked towards it. Leaving the room soon after. -Noise...- "...?" As I walked towards the living room, I started hearing the sound of the TV playing something and frowned in disappointment. Knowing that it was probably my father, who had already taken his place as the king of the TV for the rest of the day. ''Well, might as well watch what he is watching. We are both adults, after all... That''s what I''d like to say, but with every day that I spend in this childish body, playing with other kids, the more I feel my mental age regressing...'' Then, shaking my head to shrug off my worries, I walked towards the living room and sat on one of the couches as soon as I arrived. There, I saw my father watching the TV, as I had expected. He was seeing the news about what had happened in a nearby city. In it, some burly guy with a shark costume was smiling widely at the camera as the person next to him asked him several things. Probably about some robbery that the guy had stopped. ''Let me guess... his name is Sharkman...'' ["Woah Sharkman, those were some deep words there. Let''s hope for more heroes as you appear in our country later!"] ["You flatter me"] ''Wow, very creative'' At first, it was exciting to guess what the names of the heroes that appeared on TV would be. It was surreal for me to see superheroes exist in real life, after all. However, now it was just lame and predictable. These guys had the imagination of a little kid. ''Even I can come up with a better name than them'' As I was scoffing in my mind, suddenly I looked at my father to see what kind of expression he was making and raised an eyebrow when I saw him looking at the TV with a strange expression on his face. Almost as if he longed for something. ''Could it be...?'' Seeing that, I couldn''t contain my curiosity and asked what was on my mind. "Dad, did you want to be a hero?" "... Hmm?" Hearing my question, my father looked at me confusedly for a moment, before a soft smile appeared as he let out a long sigh. "Yeah, your old man once wanted to become a hero. However, my Quirk was not good enough to get me into that path. So I just decided to work at a company instead" Hearing him, I rolled my eyes and muttered in a low voice. "What''s so good about being a hero?" Honestly, the concept of a hero was great, cool even if I had to say it. However, when considering the fact that the same people you would save would then criticize you because of a small mistake, and that no matter how much you exhausted yourself, the people around would only see it as something normal and to be expected from a hero, I couldn''t help but think that becoming a hero was something that only nutjobs, or people who would get blinded by the ideal image of a hero, would do. The very concept of a hero in this world was, after all, a honey trap. It was ingrained very early into the minds of every kid that the heroes were "cool" and something that only great people did. However, they were never told or shown the real annoyance of being a real-life hero. Even I had yet to see the actual bad side of being a hero that I''m talking about. The only reason it was easy for me to see the reality of being a hero was that I knew that, despite being the great symbols of justice and good that they were, heroes were still humans in the end. Greed, anger, laziness, envy, lust, gluttony, pride... No human wouldn''t have at least a few of them. So let alone them being perfect beings capable of just ignoring the critics of others and just focusing on saving the day, I was sure that deep within them it annoyed them to no end and that at least a few of them were tired of that shit. However, since they had already fallen into the trap of becoming a hero, they couldn''t just decide to leave and do something else. They had already wasted several years just to become a hero, and there was no way they would just throw everything away just because of a few critics. Thus, I was sure that most of them just swallowed anything they had to say and just did the best they could to not gather any negative attention. In a way, they were just like influencers or celebrities in my previous life, but with the constant risk of dying while fighting villains, and still getting criticized for not doing it perfectly. In summary, a total pain in the ass. "What''s so good about being a hero, you say? Heh..." ''Hmm? He heard me?'' Suddenly while I was still scoffing at the thought of becoming a hero, I noticed that my father overheard my muttering and was now looking at me curiously as if he was seeing something strange, before he then laughed and looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. Seeing that, I rapidly imagined what was going to happen. ''Ugh... Here comes the cliche? speech about how great heroes are... I bet he will say something like that heroes are cool and that they are the noblest profession in the world....'' Scoffing slightly, I closed my eyes and waited for the answer. Expecting my father to be just another fanboy of the heroes. However, what he said then, shook me to my very core. "... Of course, It''s that they gain a lot of money and that the girls are crazy for them!! What else?!" "...!!" ... What did he just say?! Hearing that, I felt as if something had struck me at that very moment. When I heard my father''s words, my mind felt as if it had achieved enlightenment. For once in many months of worrying constantly, it felt as if a powerful light had cleared the darkness that overwhelmed my mind until then. The answer that I had been looking for, and that I had completely missed until now, had finally appeared. "Hero... That''s it" A malicious smile appeared on my face at that moment. ... -To be continued...- (A/N: Edited the Chapter, and there were indeed too many sighs. Sorry about that) Chapter 5: Karate Sus Chapter 5: Karate Sus ... "Hah!" ""Hah!!"" "Hah!" ""Hah!!"" "Hah!" ""Hah!!"" "Huff... Alright, that''s enough for now kids. Rest for a bit" ""Yes, Sensei!"" ''Already?'' Hearing those words, I stopped punching the air and sat on a nearby pile of mats to rest a little bit. While I did that, I looked at the kids around and scoffed slightly when I saw that most of them were already out of breath. ''My body sure has some good genes... They are already hella tired and I barely feel like I have done some light exercise... I wonder who I inherited this from. None of my parents are good at sports or anything...'' Losing myself in my thoughts, I scratched the back of my head in confusion, before soon a loud sigh escaped from my mouth when I noticed that I couldn''t find the answer. ''Well, so be it. I''m not going to question the only good quality that I have...'' Shaking my head to shrug my questions aside, I stood up, before then I walked toward the center of the room, and began stretching my limbs a little bit. Much to the surprise of some kids around. A lot has happened since I got enlightened by my father''s words a few months ago. First of all, I finally got to understand what my new path in this new world was going to be. To become a motherfucking superhero! Unlike all the other possible careers and paths that I had thought about before, this one was by far the easiest and simplest of them all. After all, most of the other options involved either wasting several years of my life learning several types of knowledge, only to use a tiny part of them in the actual job, or employing thinking and calculating abilities worthy of geniuses that I, unfortunately, did not possess. Being a hero, however, only required me to beat up bad guys and save innocent people! What was more simple than that?! So what if the people around me are constantly watching over me, expecting to see even the slightest mistake? I just need to enjoy my fortune and I will not care in the slightest about them or their opinion of me! So what if the job of a hero is a very dangerous one? I only need to aim for weak villains, and the problem of safety will be solved in an instant. So what if I have to act like a good guy most of the time to maintain my image as a hero? All I need to do is copy some lines from the superheroes of the movies in my previous world, and I will be all set! ''I can do this all day, with great power comes great responsibility... And uh... I''m inevitable? No, that one was from a villain... Uhh... well, I will come up with something later...'' In summary, the path of a superhero was the perfect one for becoming a rich guy, HAHAHA!!! Of course, I wasn''t foolish enough to think that I could actually become rich and popular by just becoming a hero as my father had thought. No, I knew that riches and fame were only reserved for the top-tier heroes amongst the hundreds that existed nowadays and that my Glasses Quirk wasn''t exactly something that would allow me to reach a level remotely close to that of All Might. However, top-tier heroes didn''t only include crazy strong people... No, they also included famous and acclaimed heroes... And that, my friend, was the key for me to become rich. When you become famous and liked by the masses, you can use your image as a product. And as a result, acquire lots of money! My plan was not to become someone like All Might. Who fought with the biggest threats to society. No, I planned to become a very liked and famous hero, and then sell my image to the TV or the internet and amass hundreds of riches. That was the plan that I had managed to come up with after a lot of effort by my poor brain. Of course, there were a few aspects here and there that still lacked some polish. However, since I still had time, I was not worried. Eventually, I would solve them all, and form a perfect plan! Time was now something that I had plenty of, after all. For the time being, however, I had to take care of a few things to be ready to take the path of a hero... And the first one of them was... Strength! Even if I was not going to be as strong as All Might, I was still gonna need to be at least a little bit strong. Otherwise, building a reputation was going to be near impossible. How would I become a famous hero if I wasn''t even capable of taking care of thug A or Robber B? Becoming at least capable of dealing with some guys like that was going to be a must if I wanted my plan to work. Thankfully, I had a certain quality that was going to help me with that, and that made me consider this plan of becoming a hero as plausible enough for me to take it. My unusually strong body! Even if my quirk was as shitty as it would be, my unusual strength would surely be enough for taking care of some weak villains with ease if I trained and developed it further. And all I needed now, was to know how to use it properly. As such, after a bit of thinking I arrived at the conclusion that I needed something that would help me develop my strength, and also help me gain mastery over it. Which in the end led me to the path of martial arts! And since the only martial art that I knew of was karate (because of Karate Kid), I decided to join the class of someone who claimed to be the best karate teacher in the whole city! As for how my parents reacted to this whole thing... Well, both of them were pretty supportive of my new goal. Though, more my father than my mother. She, unlike him, kinda looked at me like saying "Ah, he is at that age...". Though, even then, both of them seemed pleased with me learning karate. I guess learning Self Defense at a young age is a good thing even in this world. My father, on the other hand, hugged me while crying with a moved expression on his face, as he muttered things like "I know you will do it, Suzaku!" or "You will be the biggest hero, I know it!". He was quite the weird old man. Since then, 2 months have gone by since I started learning Karate... ... However, I have yet to see any progress. I didn''t know if I had actually learned something and I had simply not noticed, or if I was simply too dumb to learn anything in the first place. The teacher in this place barely allowed us to fight between ourselves, and when he did, I was simply too strong physically for the kids around me to display their movements properly. Because of that, I had been unable to see if I had been able to progress. However, it wasn''t as if I could do anything about it. I had also heard that martial arts take a long time to learn properly, so it was probably going to take me a while to see any evident results. ''Let''s just hope I''m not untalented, and that''s why I haven''t been able to feel any change so far...'' Sighing at my uneasy thoughts, I stopped stretching and looked all around me while I waited for the teacher to start again the lesson. Watching what the other kids were doing was the only thing I could do for the time being, after all. "Hmm?" However, it was at that moment that I noticed a certain old man looking at us creepily through the window of the dojo, and frowned in bewilderment at the weird sight. He had a white bushy beard, his hair was greasy, and most of the clothes he was wearing seemed to be worn out and dirty to the point where you wondered if he had a fight or something. All in all, he looked much like the typical image of a beggar you would find on the internet. Though I had to say, he had a strange feeling around him. Maybe it was because of his clothes? They resembled slightly what Chinese people wore in martial arts movies a little bit... You know, the typical... Er... martial uniform that those guys wear. But well, I couldn''t really tell because of how worn out and dirty his clothes were. So there was no point in trying to know. ''What''s with that creepy old man? Don''t tell me has some illegal plans with the children here...?'' Frowning slightly as I raised an eyebrow, I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed him before I wondered whether I should call the cops or not. After all, he was not doing anything bad...Yet. However, when I remembered my actual age, I sighed and shook my head slightly. ''I don''t have a phone though, my parents say that I''m still too young for one... Maybe I should just tell the teacher and get done with it... If he plans something bad, having the teacher talk with him will probably dissuade him from doing anything bad for the time being... Unless he has some kind of monstrous Quirk...'' Looking at our teacher''s office, where he had probably gone off to during the little break that we had, I raised an eyebrow and prepared to go and tell him about the old guy watching us from afar. However, when I was about to do it, our teacher left his office and walked toward us to tell us to resume our training once again. Making me just leave the matter of the old man for later. Also, by the time I looked out the window again, the old man had disappeared. Which frightened me. ''I didn''t just see a ghost... right?'' Hugging my shoulders as I looked around suspiciously, I walked towards the mat where all the kids were, and began punching the air just like before. Setting my worries aside for the time being. ''Hopefully, it was just some old guy wanting to learn karate...'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... "Alright, kids. That concludes today''s lesson. Remember to tell your parents to pay this month''s fee, as there are still a few that haven''t paid. That''s all, you can go now" Sighing slightly as I heard our teacher end the lesson, I left the training mat and looked outside the window. More specifically, towards the sky. ''It''s pretty late... I wonder if my dad will come to pick me up this time...'' Looking at the hour in a nearby clock that they had on one of the walls, I scratched the back of my head with a troublesome expression, before then I walked towards a chair that they had at the entrance of the dojo and sat there to wait for my parents to come and pick me up. However, as I waited patiently for them to come, I suddenly looked at my hands with a complex expression before a certain idea passed through my mind. ''I can just ask... Can''t I? There''s no need to be so reserved when my future as a rich guy is at stake...'' Humming in contemplation, I smiled a little bit while nodding my head before I then stood up and began walking toward the teacher''s office. My objective was to ask his opinion on how I was progressing and to see if it was normal for me to still not see any progress, even after two months of training. I had not asked until now since I believed that eventually, I would get to notice my growth. However, since two months had already passed and I had yet to feel myself getting stronger, I thought that it would be better to simply ask him and make sure. It wasn''t as if he could refuse to answer me. My parents were paying him to teach me, so of course he had to answer my question. Yeah, I''m entitled, so what? ''Hopefully, it will be a completely normal thing that it''s taking me time to learn, and the reason I feel I''m taking way too long it''s simply because I''m too impatient...'' Taking a deep breath and waiting for the best, I opened the door of the teacher''s office and moved my eyes across the room looking for the guy. However, before I had the chance to raise my voice to ask him if he was there, the sound of someone speaking suddenly reached my ears and made me turn around and stare blankly at who had spoken. "Alright, alright. I will pay you next week, alright? Surely the remaining parents of the little brats will have paid me by then... I have just reminded them, after all" ''Well, that''s quite the demeaning way of referring to us... But whatever, it isn''t as if I''m any better when talking inside my mind... Surely, he has had a rough week'' Widening slightly my eyes at the unexpected sight of my teacher badmouthing us while talking to someone on his phone, I shook my head in disappointment, before I made myself comfortable and waited for him to finish his call. When we first met, he looked like a nice guy. You know, smiling at all times and all that. He also often spoke with a very soft tone, which gave him the appearance of someone very amiable. So, seeing him speak so harshly out of nowhere really surprised me. But well, everyone in this false society wears a mask to hide their true nature... Or so did say an image with the picture of the Joker that I saw on Reddit. However, as soon as I was beginning to accept this new side of the teacher who had seemed like a good guy during these two months, he opened his mouth once again and made me stare at his back speechlessly. "What? You are really surprised that this shit worked? Of course it worked, those kids and their parents don''t know shit about karate, so of course they would believe the first guy who moves his body a little bit as a Kung fu master does, and think: ''''Ah, this guy is good...''''. Hahaha, you should have seen them, I almost burst out laughing when I saw them performing a movie stunt so seriously, thinking that it was real karate!" ''This motherfucker...'' Feeling my head get hot because of anger as I heard his words, I clenched my fists and glared at him with a murderous gaze. Sure, I had said that I had time to spare. However, that didn''t mean that I was willing to lose two fucking months of my life doing something completely pointless. ''And yet... This motherfucker came and made me do it...!!'' Gnashing my teeth against each other because of the anger, I glanced at his unprotected back and squinted my eyes as a certain yet horrifying idea came to my mind. Something that I never expected I could have to commit... Not in this new life. A sin that only a few truly evil villains were willing to do... ''... I''m sorry everyone, I must break the unspoken promise...'' Apologizing to every man in the world (Except the one in front of me) for the taboo that I was about to commit, I shook my head as I shrugged off my hesitation before I stealthily approached him from behind and prepared to act. ''You brought this upon yourself...'' Then, after using those words to encourage myself, I launched a kick directly toward his nuts and returned to him the damage that he had caused me by fooling me into taking his classes for two entire months. -Bam!!!- "AAAAAAAAHHH...!!!!" -Thud- ''I saw Karate kid, you filthy casual'' Sneering in disdain at his shameful appearance as he fell down on his knees while grabbing his crotch, I flicked my hair to the side before a frown appeared on my face... Then, sighing deeply in shame at what I had done, I immediately turned around and slowly began walking away from his sorry figure without looking back. ''You took two months from my life... But I took every year of life from your descendants'' lives... With this, the debt is paid...'' -Slam...!- Closing the door behind me while looking at the horizon with a sorrowful expression, I sighed yet again, as I lamented what I had become. ''The wind is cryi¡ª'' "YOU BRAT!!!!" However, before I could reflect on myself any longer, the office door opened again, and the furious figure of my teacher emerged from behind it. His face looked at me with murderous intentions. ''Shit, he recovered so fast!'' Not thinking any longer, I put my legs to good use and ran away as fast as possible. All the while I heard the furious steps of my teacher running after me. ''Why did I not think this thorough?!'' ... -To be continued- (A/N: Everywhere) --> Chapter 6: Convenient Twist Chapter 6: Convenient Twist ... "Come here you little shit!" ''Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, he is catching up!'' Currently, a few minutes had passed since I erased any possibility of my karate teacher having descendants in the future. And even after all that time, he had not calmed down. If anything, he looked even angrier than before. With actual foam coming out of his mouth as he ran after me with his fists bulging in anger. It seemed that behind his good guy charade, a very irascible guy was hiding! "I will chop you up and send all of your body parts to your parents once I''m done with you, little bastaaaard!!!" Correction, it seemed that behind his good guy charade, a psychopath was hiding!!! ''COME ON, WHERE ARE THE FUCKING HEROES WHEN A CHILD OF NO MORE THAN SIX YEARS OLD IS BEING PURSUED BY A FUCKING MANIAC!!'' Screaming inside my mind in panic, I continued to run wherever my instinct led me to, as I hoped that the guy would not catch up to me any time soon. And if he did, hopefully, a hero would appear before he could do anything to me... Thus, just letting my instincts kick off, I ran without any real destination for a few minutes. While on the way, I tried my best to shake him off. However, I still failed miserably because of his obstinacy in not letting me get away. Thankfully, my body was superior to that of my peers. Otherwise, I would have been caught by him long ago. Such was the difference in physique between an adult and a kid, after all. However, even if my body was currently as good, or even slightly superior to his, he seemed like someone who exercised from time to time. So even at the moment, it was unclear to me whose stamina would deplete first. His, or mine. The stamina of a slightly trained adult, or that of a kid with an incredibly good physique. Honestly, It was a gamble that I wasn''t sure about winning... But well, kicking his balls without thinking of the consequences had also been a gamble. So I didn''t have the right to doubt it now. Though, if I''m being honest, I think that the only thing that had prevented him from catching up with me by now, was the fact that his balls had been turned into ground meat earlier by me, and the pain probably didn''t let him run as fast as he usually could. Too bad though, he should have worn some protection down there if he didn''t want that to happen! Hmm? "... Shit!" Suddenly, as I was still running with everything I had, my eyes caught sight of a wall in front of me and widened in horror at the realization of what such a thing meant. ''A dead end... Fuck!'' "HAHAHA I CAUGHT YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Stopping in my tracks as I glanced at the horrifying wall in front of me with a desperate face, I gradually turned around and saw my teacher approach me slowly with a terrifying grin on his face. ''Surely, he was just trying to scare me when he said that he would chop me up earlier, right?'' As I was smiling nervously at my teacher, wondering if he would forgive me if I did the legendary Japanese 90 degrees bow, suddenly I saw how he slowly pulled out a fucking pocket knife from his pocket and pointed it at me, and almost shat on my pants. ''Holy sheet!'' Gulping in nervousness as I saw his menacing figure slowly approach me, I looked to the sky and imagined that All Might suddenly appeared from above and landed right in front of me, stopping my evil teacher from making sushi out of me. Unfortunately, that was just my imagination. And nothing happened. ''Shit, isn''t this the moment when a hero does his appearance?! Where the fuck are they when needed?!'' Looking all around me frantically with a hopeless face, I tried to see if any hero was nearby before I frowned when I noticed that there was no one nearby. ''You gotta be kidding me...!'' Gritting my teeth in frustration, I glanced at the guy in front of me once again, who still had a victorious look in his eyes, and frowned slightly. At that moment, cornered into a dead end, and with almost no options left... I rapidly understood what I had to do. At that moment... my only option left was to fight for my life. Clenching my fists and tensing my muscles, I took a deep breath and prepared to lung at him. It was needless to say, I was scared shitless at that moment. However, I have not been learning karate for two months straight only for this guy to simply come and trample over me as if I was some kind of a newbie. Even if what he taught us was all bullshit, I was going to use everything that I had to fight him. Surely, among all of the useless movements that he had taught me, there should have been at least one foundation for real karate, right? Maybe unknowingly, I had learned it without noticing. Shaking my head brusquely to shrug off my doubts, I then clenched my fists even tighter, as my body slowly started preparing for the action. Taking a deep breath as I glanced at his approach, I closed my eyes for a brief second and immediately cleared my mind from any lingering fear that I might have had. Nervousness was useless in this kind of situation, after all. ''This was something that was going to happen eventually on my road to becoming a hero... Nothing wrong with starting a little earlier than planned...'' Thinking that deep inside my mind and opening my eyes with resolution filling my mind, I took a step forward with a set mind and prepared to defeat the first thug in my history as a hero. Maybe, if one day I accomplished my dream of becoming a rich guy, I would tell this story to the media... It would certainly make for an interesting anecdote. However, for the time being, I had to survive first. ''So be it... For the money and the riches!!!!'' -Bam!!- Thus, without hesitating anymore, I kicked the floor below me and lunged at him, ready to fight to my fullest. "Hyaaaaa¡ª!" -Thud!- "¡ªaaaaah..?" However, just as I was about to deliver my first punch, a tall figure appeared in front of me and blocked my path. Making me bump my head into it and stumble on my feet a little. ''Who...?'' "Hohoho, isn''t this quite an awful scene? I wonder, why is an adult like you bullying such a small child?" ''... A hero?'' Hearing the voice of the mysterious person that had appeared, I frowned slightly in bewilderment before I glanced at the figure in front of me more carefully and widened my eyes when I recognized who he was. There, standing in front of me, was the creepy old man from a few hours ago who had been watching us through the window. ''Why is this guy here?!'' "Who are you, old man? Mind your own business!" As he looked at the old man with a dangerous look in his eyes, my teacher pointed his pocket knife at him and started waving it around, seemingly trying to scare him off. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, I was about to ask him that same question. However, before I was able to, the old man disappeared from my sight and reappeared right in front of my karate teacher in the blink of an eye. Making both me and my karate teacher widen our eyes in shock. ''So fast!'' -Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta!- -Bam!!!- Then, not letting my teacher even speak, the old man punched his body multiple times like a fucking machine gun before he then sent him flying away with a vicious kick right toward his stomach. Making my poor teacher utter a dumbfounded "What?" during the whole beating as if he couldn''t process what was happening before being sent flying away by the last kick. -Thud!- Watching as my teacher''s unconscious body fell harshly to the floor in such an unexpected way, I gasped in disbelief, before then I turned to look at the old man and blinked in confusion at the strangeness of the whole situation. "What has just happened...?" Muttering that, I then let out a short laugh of disbelief, as the old man started stretching out of nowhere while saying things like "Ouch, it''s been quite a while since I have moved so brusquely" or "I''m already too old for this kind of thing..." Surely, this was the most surreal thing that had happened to me so far... Aside from reincarnating in a world with superpowers, and discovering that God was a serial killer inside a videogame that is... "Hmm... Now, what should I do about you...?" Then, suddenly turning to look at me, the old man raised an eyebrow as he brushed his long beard in contemplation, only to then take a step forward and appear right in front of me in the blink of an eye. As if he had teleported. ''What the¡ª?!'' Not fazed by my notorious shock, the old man then kneeled and looked at me with a curious expression. As if he was seeing something interesting. Seeing that, I couldn''t help but blurt out a curse inside my mind. ''Fuck, don''t tell me he is "that" kind of old man? What should I do if he tries to do something? This guy beat up my teacher in the blink of an eye, I don''t stand a chance against him...'' Imagining the worst, I couldn''t help but take a step back in caution and prepare for another imminent fight for my safety. However, before I had the chance to overthink anything more, soon he stood up again, and a smile appeared on his face. Making me relax slightly seeing that he probably didn''t plan anything bad. "I saw you in that "Dojo" from before. I wonder, what did you do to your teacher for him to become so enraged at you?" Looking from the corner of his eyes at my teacher¡ªwho was now lying unconscious on the ground¡ªas he muttered that, the old man looked back at me with a raised eyebrow, before he sighed and shook his head out of nowhere. "Well, either way, that surely wasn''t a proper behavior from an adult. I will have him deal with the police later" Hearing him say that, I sighed in relief, before then I decided to let him know why my teacher had been so angry at me. That way, surely that guy would pay for fooling me for two months straight. I didn''t know anything about laws, but there was probably a law out there for scammers like him. And the police would make sure to enforce that law later. For now, all I had to do, was to give my testimony. "I overheard him talking with someone on the phone, saying that what he had been teaching us for two months straight had not been actual karate, but simply flashy moves that he had seen in movies!" "Hoh?... And he attacked you when he discovered that you were overhearing him, right?" Nodding his head as if believing he understood everything, the old man started muttering things like "Hmm, scammers these days are becoming more and more creative" or "Such a violent reaction against a child... He could have just swindled him with some money instead of trying to kill him". Thinking that that had been what happened. However, before he continued muttering more things like that, I shook my head and told him what had really happened. Being honest was something my grandma always used to tell me to do. "No, he became that angry because I kicked him in the nuts after hearing all that" Though, she also said not to be violent. But well, you can''t have everything. "...?" Stopping his muttering, the old man glanced at me with a raised eyebrow before he then glared towards the man''s crotch with a pitiful gaze, and did a small praying motion. "May you rest in peace" Saying that the old man then looked at me as a slight smile appeared on his face, as if he didn''t care anymore about the unconscious man that he had beaten up earlier, and started caressing his long beard as if he was interested in something. "Leaving that aside. Tell me, kid, are you interested in learning martial arts?" "What?" Hearing him mention martial arts out of nowhere, I raised an eyebrow in confusion, before then I remembered his movements from earlier and widened my eyes in surprise. ''That''s right, this guy looked like an actual martial arts master earlier... Don''t tell me...?'' Beginning to get my hopes up, I looked at him with an expectant gaze as I answered his question. "Y-yeah, I wanted to learn... But this guy scammed me and in the end, I never got to learn anything..." Nodding his head at my words, the old man grinned slightly, before he then stopped caressing his beard and placed both of his hands on his waist while puffing up his chest. "Then tell me, do you want to become my disciple?" ''He actually said it!'' Fist-pumping mentally after hearing that, I cleared my throat to not appear desperate and crossed my arms proudly in front of me. "Well, if you insist" Don''t mind my fast response. I was just that desperate. My dream depended on this, after all. However, as I finished saying those words, I remembered that this guy had been watching us from outside the window earlier, and found it strange that he would suddenly offer me to become his disciple without any proper reason. It seemed a little suspicious to be honest. We had just met a few minutes after this... And yet, he was already telling me to become his disciple? Was his dojo on the verge of disappearing because of the lack of students? Or did he have any hideous purpose behind this seemingly attractive proposal? I wasn''t sure. So I tried asking him without sounding too suspicious of him... If he dodged the question, then surely his purpose was nothing good. "Though, why do you suddenly want me to become your disciple?" "Hmm? Why?" Hearing my question, the old man raised an eyebrow in surprise, before he then nodded his head with a satisfied expression, as if he was seeing something really good. "You are actually better than I thought, kid. Caution is something good... Anyway, answering your question, I saw you performing some exercises in that dojo before, and I noticed a certain peculiarity about you... More specifically about your body" ''My body?'' Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I looked down in contemplation, before then my expression lit up when I thought of something. "Surely you have noticed it already..." Smiling as if he knew what I was thinking, the old man laughed in a low voice, before he then pointed at his arms and did a flexing motion. Seeing that, I confirmed my doubts. "Is it my strength? I do have more than the other kids..." Looking at my hand with a curious expression, I then turned to look at the old man with a questioning gaze, before then I saw him kneel once again. After that, he suddenly tapped my chest with a serious look in his eyes. "It''s not only your strength, kid... I noticed that that entire body of yours is amazing in terms of physical performance... Be it stamina, reflexes, strength, flexibility, etc... All of those characteristics in your body are almost twice as good when comparing it to other kids... Is this your Quirk, maybe?" ''That much?'' Hearing that, I couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. Although I knew that I had a good physique, I never expected it to be that high. Mostly because although I knew that it was higher than that of the kids around me, it also felt similar to my previous physique from when I was an adult... To which I was already accustomed. However, when I think about it... It''s really strange for a six-year-old kid to be as strong as an adult... Right? No... What''s actually strange is for a human being to be born with a body two times stronger than average... That doesn''t sound biologically possible. ''Is this the work of God Impostor?'' I couldn''t help but wonder. Amen. Thinking deeply, I glanced at the old man, who was looking at me with a curious expression on his face, before I shook my head and pointed at my glasses. "No, my Quirk is to create Glasses in my eyes and control their shape and color to my will... Something like this" Saying that, I then placed my finger on the glasses that I was wearing, before then I started changing their shape into different types of glasses. Be it into nerdy ones, cool ones that resembled sunglasses, Harry Potter-like glasses, and many other types. Making the old man look at me with a strange gaze in his eyes. Normally, I just had them look like blue shield sunglasses that hid my eyes since I kinda liked the look that they gave me. However, that didn''t mean that I couldn''t change it into other types. Even having them cover my entire face was a possibility. Though, doing it was a tad hard to do. I was kind of proud of how much I had discovered about my Quirk during the past three years since I had awakened it. After all, at first, I only could create a pair of glasses and nothing more. Now, being able to control their shape and color, I couldn''t help but feel like I was a super genius who had brought his quirk to a new level! "You say it''s not your quirk? Then why do you have such a good physique?" Suddenly, as I was giving myself some pats on the back, the old man raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked me something. To which I just answered with a shrug. "No idea. The doctors said that it was just a rare case of my body being born stronger than most" "... What?" Looking at me with a dubious gaze, as if he couldn''t understand what he had just heard, the old man then sighed in defeat seeing that I was probably telling the truth, before he signaled me to follow him. "Well, whatever. Hey, let''s go, I''ll bring you back to that Dojo for now. We can talk during the way" "Ah, that''s right... My dad is probably dead scared right now..." Thus, without saying anything more, I nodded and followed him. Hopefully, Dad wouldn''t be too angry... ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã¡ã¡ã (A/N: Here is what Suzaku currently looks like) -> Also) Chapter 7: Getting a Sensei Chapter 7: Getting a Sensei ... After the incident with the psychopath passed, I continued to walk for a bit with the old man while he dragged the unconscious body of my teacher through the ground without a problem. Planning to hand him over to the police later on. As we walked, he told me a few things about his identity, and what he did for a living. Although, he was a bit ambiguous while talking about it. He said that his name was Sawaya Tatsuo and that he had been a Martial Arts master for quite a long time by now. However, he retired a while ago after he stopped getting students in his dojo, and because of that, he decided to go on some kind of self-discovery trip that I didn''t completely understand. It seemed that he was still traveling when he entered this city, and while he looked for somewhere to eat, he casually stumbled upon that scammer''s dojo and decided to give it a look since he was curious about how we did our training. Which led to this situation, with him saving me, and now with both of us walking back toward the Dojo. Honestly, it seemed like a badly written script because of how coincidental it was. However, knowing that coincidences were not impressive in the slightest when comparing them to the other things that I had seen so far, I just accepted it. It has already happened. What''s the point of thinking about it? "You did well in managing to run away from him, kid. Who knows what he would have done if he managed to catch you" "I think kicking him in the nuts was a good idea, then. He ran a lot slower because of that..." "Hahaha..." As he continued to talk with me while we walked next to each other, suddenly some of the words he had said when he saved me passed through my mind and made me look at the old man with a curious expression. It was something that at first I didn''t think too much about since I was busy worrying about my life among other things. However, now that the danger had passed, and I could think about it a bit more calmly, I couldn''t help but feel curious. So I asked him. "By the way, how did you notice that my body was stronger than others? I don''t think I did anything extraordinary for you to have noticed it" Hearing me, the old man Tatsuo raised an eyebrow in surprise before he closed his eyes as if reminiscing something. Then, opening his eyes again, he turned to look at me and made a punching motion to the front as he talked. "Hmm? That? I watched you while you trained at the dojo. You know, punching the air and all that... Your movements caught my attention at first, so I decided to watch a little longer after you began doing the exercises since something seemed off in them. However, what truly gave away your abnormal physique was when this guy began chasing you" "At that time? Why?" "Because I was able to see clearly how fast you could run despite how short your legs were, which for a normal person would require a big amount of strength and resistance in the leg''s muscles, as well as good flexibility... Something that you as a child, should not have... At least not to that extent" He scratched his beard for a second, before looking at me with squinted eyes. "Not to mention the amount of time you were able to run continuously. That amount of stamina was comparable even to that of an adult" Hearing him, I raised an eyebrow for a moment, before then I squinted my eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "... Hey, say... For how long were you watching while I was running away from him...?" "Ahem... Don''t mind the smaller details!" ''This guy...'' Feeling my eyebrows twitch faintly while looking at the old man after I got to know that he had been probably watching for a long time how my teacher chased me up, I shook my head and sighed in defeat seeing that he wasn''t willing to continue talking about that topic any longer. ''Well, he saved me in the end. So I guess it''s alright...'' Thinking that, I then looked at the old man once again, and this time I began checking his appearance more carefully. The last time I had only given it a quick look since he was kind of far, so it was a good opportunity to see more carefully what a strange old man like him would look like. Appearances were, after all, a way of knowing a lot about other people just by looking at them... or so I had read on the internet. ''Hmm... Maybe I should stop believing everything that is on the internet... One day it will be my downfall'' Anyway, leaving that aside, by looking at the old man I was able to notice that he was indeed wearing something like a martial arts uniform like I had thought when I saw him from afar at the dojo. However, it was completely ragged and dirty, as if he had been surviving in the jungle or something like that. ''Did he fight a pack of wolves, or what?'' His beard was very bushy as well. So much that it made me wonder just how much time had passed since the last time he had shaved. As for his hair, he had it tied into a long ponytail that extended through most of his back and reached his waist. However, it was dirty and slightly grassy, as if he had not cleaned it in a lot of time. Fortunately, he was not smelly. I guess he at least kept that aspect in check. All in all, his appearance had nothing to do with the strong guy I had seen earlier. He looked more like a beggar than the martial arts master that he supposedly was. Though, if one paid attention, I guess he indeed had a little bit of the appearance of your cliche? martial arts master that appeared in every martial arts movie. Though, as I said, you had to pay a lot of attention to notice that. "Hey kid" Suddenly, as I was still glancing at his figure and gathering information from it, the old man glanced at me and raised an eyebrow as if he was curious about something. "Yeah?" I answered. "I''ve been wondering for a bit... But why do you talk so... formally? Did your parents teach you to talk like that?" "Eh? No, I''ve always spoken like this..." "Really? I guess you are very mature then..." Smiling slightly at his compliment, I puffed up my chest and glared at the front with a proud expression. However, because of that, I missed how he muttered in a low voice. "... I feel like I''m talking to an adult... What a creepy kid" It took us a few minutes more to finally arrive back at the Dojo. I had run quite a long distance while escaping, after all. However, eventually, we managed to get back. As soon as we arrived there, I saw my father looking around frantically while talking to the parents of the other kids with an extremely worried expression on his face. It seemed like he was asking them about me, or if they had seen me. Some of the adults talked to their kids and inquired them about me, and after hearing what had happened from their mouths, most of them widened their eyes with horrified expressions and seemingly told everything to my father. Something that did not alleviate the stressed expression on his face. However, it was when he began to look around to see if he could guess in which way I had run away, that he suddenly saw me, and rushed toward me. -Rustle- However, unlike the angry words that I expected, what came was a tight hug as my father suddenly pulled me into an embrace. "You little brat. I thought something bad had happened to you!" "..." Watching as my father hugged me with a slightly awkward face, I looked at the old man who was a little bit away from us and saw how he waited patiently for us to stop hugging. He had a smile on his face while he did that though... ''What are you looking at, you damn old geezer...'' Maybe it was because I was kinda embarrassed to be hugged by my father out of nowhere, but I wanted to punch the old man''s face a little bit. As I continued to let my thoughts run, suddenly my father sighed in relief, and then let go of me as he stood up while looking at me with a wry expression. "Seriously brat, I almost died of a heart attack there... Are you hurt anywhere? Where is that asshole of your teacher? I will make sure to teach him some manners myself...!" Tightening his fists as a pissed-off expression appeared on his face, my father began looking around frantically, before he suddenly noticed the old man dragging my teacher''s unconscious body, and let out a confused "Huh?" Seeing that, I knew that it was time to introduce them to each other. "Dad, this old- Ahem, this grandpa here saved me from my teacher earlier when he cornered me into a dead end..." "Huh?" "Nice to meet you, I''m Sawaya Tatsuo. I was passing by and decided to help your son once I noticed that he seemed to be in trouble... As for this troublemaker..." Lifting my teacher in the air with only one of his arms, old man Takeo... Ahem¡ªold man Tatsuo then pointed with his head in a certain direction as he spoke. "... I need you and your son to give a testimony about everything that happened here. This guy has to learn a few lessons in prison, and your testimony will be really grateful to achieve that" "O-oh" Nodding his head with a serious expression, my father then looked at me with a curious expression for a moment before he sighed and told me to follow as he and the old man began walking forward. ''Well, this ended better than I expected...'' Sighing in relief as everything had ended in a good way, I started following them without saying anything. After that, we walked up to the police station a few streets away from where we were and began telling them all that had happened. We were there for quite a few hours. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few hours later...| ... "Be careful next time~!" ""Hmm"" As the three of us left the police station while a police officer waved at us, my father immediately turned to look at the old man, and began bowing to him while expressing his gratitude repeatedly. "I''m really grateful sir. If not for you, who knows what would have happened to this little brat... If there''s anything I can do for you to pay for your kindness, just tell me" Thanks to the interrogation that we went through, my father had gotten a gist of what had happened with my teacher. It was left to say, he got pretty angry when he heard that I kicked him in the balls. Though, he almost laughed out loud at first when he heard it. It was only when the police and the old man looked at him with a deadpan gaze that his mood changed and he began scolding me pretty harshly. ''Such a bipolar man... -Sigh...-'' "I don''t like the way you are looking at me brat! Come on, bow your head too! It''s your life that was saved back then" "Urgh... Alright. Thank you, Tatsuo-san" Having my head pushed down by my father as I thanked the old man, suddenly an embarrassed cough came from the latter before he began talking. "Ahem. It''s alright. I just did what I had to do... As for what you can do for me... Well, there''s one tiny thing. Though I don''t know if it should be called a favor, as it''s more like a proposal" "Tell me, I will do anything I can!" Yelling excitedly at the chance of repaying the savior of my life, my father lifted his head and took a step forward while opening his arms as if trying to reassure the old man. His face changed completely when he heard what the old man wanted to say, though. "I want your son to become my disciple" "Huh?" ... -To be continued...- (A/N: You know the rules, and so do I) Chapter 8: A Day in The Life of a Sus Chapter 8: A Day in The Life of a Sus ... "Hey, Suzaku, did you watch the news yesterday?" "About the villain that robbed a store near here? Yeah, I saw it on the TV. He got beaten up pretty badly by that hero" "It was really cool!" "Hmm? Oh yeah... Very cool" "What''s with that lack of reaction...? Well, whatever. It''s just like you to act like that" "What do you mean it''s just like me? I am the most expressive person you can find" "Yeah, sure. Says the guy who has not changed his expression even once during the entire evening aside from your usual yawnings in class" "Give me a break. It''s not my fault that math is the most boring thing that can exist in the world" "Says the guy who always gets full marks in the math tests..." "Hmph, that''s just because I''m awesome. Still, that doesn''t make math any better" "Well, I can''t help but agree with you on that" ''Finally, someone gets it...'' Nodding my head as a slight smile appeared on my face, I turned to look at the clock on one of the walls, before my eyebrows furrowed slightly upon seeing the hour. "Oh come on... The break is already over? Does this school want us to die from exhaustion?" I clicked my tongue. Tired already of being at school, even though this was still just the second period. "Stop exaggerating... Besides, now we have the Quirk Counseling class, it''s the best!" "For you, it may be, for me, it''s the 2nd most boring class..." I planted my face on the table, dejected at being subjected to this torture. "How can you say¡ª" "Everyone, go back to your seats" As my friend was about to say something, suddenly the teacher appeared at the classroom entrance and told us to sit. Fortunately, I was already on my seat, so I didn''t have to do anything. It took a minute or so before every one of my classmates went back to their seats. After that, our teacher left his things on his desk and immediately began writing something on the blackboard as he talked to us. "Very well, we will start from where we left it in the previous class... So, tell me. What was the last thing we saw... Err... Suzaku?" ''Oh, come on!'' Cursing mentally as a wry expression appeared on my face, I stood up from my seat and began telling the teacher what we had done during the previous class. ... Or at least, what I remembered of it. ... "We, uh, we saw something about the reasons why using our Quirks to harm other people is bad... Probably" Obviously, I muttered that last word. "Yes. Now, can someone tell me the reasons why using our Quirks at our convenience is wrong?" As the teacher began asking the typical questions of this class, I just closed my eyes and made sure to give my glasses a slightly darker color so he couldn''t notice that I was going to sleep. Why did I find this class so boring, you may ask? Well, it''s mostly because I just couldn''t give a damn about the indoctrination that they were trying to do with the kids here. I wasn''t saying they were brainwashing the kids or anything like that. Rather, I thought that this class was pretty good for preventing at least a few future villains from popping up in the future. Also, it gave the young children a pretty good view of what is good and bad, which may come in handy depending on the environment in which the child is growing. However, for me, an adult who has already come to terms with my own values and principles, this class had no point. I guess the only reason why the kids like my friend liked this class in the first place, was because the teacher often made us draw ourselves as superheroes, or think of cool phrases that a cool and righteous superhero would use. Making us slowly but surely hope and imagine a future in which we would become good people. In fact, that was exactly what he was going to do now. "Alright, everyone. Why don''t you draw yourselves doing something good as heroes?" ''Here he goes again... Well, it''s better than math, at the very least...'' Scratching the back of my head with an annoyed expression on my face as the teacher told us to draw something again, I groaned in a low voice before soon shaking my head as a helpless expression appeared on my face. ''Whatever, let''s just draw anything...'' Thinking that, I picked up a pencil and immediately began drawing whatever came to my mind. It took me a minute or so to complete my masterpiece. Which, not to the surprise of my classmates, was pretty well drawn. I might be a kid now, but during my previous life, I had some pretty decent skills at drawing... However, they weren''t anything extraordinary either. And knowing that, most of the kids immediately came to see what I had drawn. This was not the first time that the teacher asked us to draw something, after all. And they were accustomed to a certain extent to my drawings being pretty good. "Woah, hey Suzuki-kun, what''s that?" "That little thing looks cute, what is it?" "I like how he is punching a bad guy despite being so small" What I had drawn was a picture of a crewmate from Among Us punching your stereotypical image of a thief. You know, a man with stripped clothes, and carrying a bag of money on his shoulder. I had made it without minding too much the details, but it looked pretty comical to see a crewmate punching a thief without apparent context. Of course, none of my classmates had a clue of what the crewmate was. ''Heretic fools, don''t you know that what you are seeing is an image of God?!... Though, now that I think about it, God is actually an impostor, not a crewmate... Well, either way, amen.'' "What did you draw Suzaku?" ''Hmm?'' Hearing the commotion that my classmates were making as they glanced at my drawing with curious eyes, the teacher soon walked up to my seat and eyed my drawing with an interested expression in his eyes. So, knowing that he was expectant of what I had drawn this time, I answered him with what he had asked. "I drew myself as a hero stopping a thief..." After answering that without thinking too much about it, soon I heard my teacher mutter in a low voice "That''s you as a hero...?", before eventually seeing him look at me weirdly for a second. However, after that, he simply nodded and went back to his seat. Probably not wanting to deal with the complicated imagination of a kid. ''Ah, benevolent Impostor, thank you once again for allowing me to rest on another class. Please bless my food, and let me live a good new life, Amen...'' Doing a small prayer inside my mind at the drawing while no one watched, I smiled slightly, before then I leaned back on my chair and went back to trying to sleep. Now that I knew that the Impostor was the True God, it was obvious that if I was going to use his image I had to at least offer a prayer. Who knew what he would do to me otherwise? "..." -Chatter- -Sigh...- After that, I kept trying to sleep for quite a few minutes. Hoping that the class would end rapidly. However, with all the noise that the kids were making as they talked excitedly about what heroes they would become, it eventually became hard for me to fall asleep. Thus, knowing that sleeping was probably not going to work this time around, I passed on to the next activity that was surely gonna keep me occupied during the next hour or so. ''Hmm... If that lamp were to fall... Who would die?'' I began thinking about which one of my classmates would die first if the LED lamp hanging above us were to fall. It was a trick that always worked when one wanted to while the time away. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... "Finally... I was so bored that I thought of every possible way for that lamp to fall on each of us... Who would have thought that a lamp would be so dangerous" Stepping out of my classroom as a relieved expression appeared on my face, I glanced around the hallway with both of my eyes squinting slightly, before then I decided to go and eat something at the outer part of the school. Where my classmates would not see me. Today I brought a snack with me. So if I wanted to enjoy it, I had to stay away from those hungry harpies in the form of children. So, after sneaking away successfully while my classmates continued chattering among themselves inside the classroom, I somehow made it to the outer part of the school after a few minutes and sat on a bench that was still unoccupied. After that, I looked carefully at my surroundings, fearing that any of my classmates might have followed me here, before I sighed relieved when I noticed that none of them were around. ''Good, let''s eat'' Thus, seeing no obstacle in my way, I rapidly took out a bag of chips from my backpack and began opening it. -Schrkrkrk...- As I opened the bag, a lot of crackling noises came from it as I looked for a chip. Fortunately, it didn''t take long before I found one that looked good, and took a bite with a satisfied expression on my face. -Crunch...- ''Finally a relaxing mome¡ª'' However, my joy was pretty short-lived. "Hey Suzuki, what''s that?" "Suzuki-kun, can you give me some?" "Give me some chips, plebeian" "The teacher said that sharing is a very good thing... Don''t you think so, Suzuki-kun?" "Oh, I know those chips. They are very good! It would be great if someone would share some of them with me..." ''... Greedy little goblins, I bet they can sniff the snacks from kilometers away...'' Groaning inside my mind as most of my classmates suddenly spawned out of nowhere, I let out a curse inside my mind, before I proceeded to move the bag of chips away from me and place it on the bench where I was sitting earlier. Of course, not without taking a handful of chips for myself before that. After I did that, all of the greedy bastards threw themselves at the bag of chips like hungry beasts and began arguing with each other about who should take more and who should not take any. I, of course, just watched from the sidelines with a haughty expression on my face. ''Watch as gluttony consumes you all, mindless beasts... This is what your filthy desire brings to you all...'' Scoffing at them inside my mind, suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw a boy of my age with slimy black hair looking at me with a grin on his face. "Your expression is too obvious Suzaku" "I don''t know what you are talking about" The kid in question was called Morikawa Arata... Or just Arata if it was too annoying for you to remember his whole name. One of the few kids I actually considered a friend and someone who seemed to be as lazy as me when it came to school matters. (Which was why we got along so well) Though, his laziness was innate. While mine, I only developed it after I died. Well... Maybe I was a bit lazy before that, but it definitely got worse after I died. Anyway, back to what I was talking about. His Quirk was called "Dynamic hair", and it allowed him to control his hair to a certain extent as if he was moving another limb, and be able to make it harder, turn it into liquid, or make it adopt a gaseous state as well. He was also able to extend the length of his hair a little bit, but not too much. Only to about a meter or so... Aside from that, his quirk also made it so that whenever he was not controlling or altering its state, his hair would be in a slimy state, just like right now. It was a pretty cool Quirk, in my opinion. However, when considering that every Quirk seemed amazing in my eyes, as a previously quirkless human, I didn''t know if my opinion was worth anything. He was also the kid who I was talking to earlier in the class. And as you may have noticed from our conversation earlier, despite his disliking for school, he still seemed to find heroes cool. "Come on, let''s leave while they are busy fighting each other" "Oh" Nodding my head as I ignored the heated discussion of my classmates, soon he and I began walking away as I handed him some of the chips that I had taken for myself earlier. Something he accepted with an excited expression on his face. Both of us became friends as soon as we entered the school. During the first day, this kid was groaning out loud about how annoying school was, unlike what his parents had told him, so I also began complaining along with him. Things developed pretty quickly after that. Having a common enemy really did make it easier for us to get along. However, the reason he disliked school was very different from mine, as he was what you would call a genius, and because of that, it seemed like school was a tad boring for him. Really, this kid learned most of the things that the teachers taught pretty quickly as if his brain was some kind of sponge. Though, it wasn''t perfect, as he still made mistakes from time to time. On the other hand, I disliked school because I was just repeating the same process all over again, without the real need to do so. But despite these differences, we got along pretty well. He at least made school somewhat more bearable. "Hey, Suzaku, wanna go play at the arcade after classes? I heard they put a new game there" "Really? What is it called?" Though, honestly, being his friend was making me strangely paranoid. Why? Because I found it strange that I was able to become friends with a six-year-old. Was it because the children in this world were smarter than in my previous world? Or was I slowly becoming more and more childish as I passed time among them? I didn''t know the answer... But hopefully, it would be the first option... Otherwise, that would mean that I was immersing myself too much in my role as a child. Which was something that sounded terrifying. "... I think it was called "Jumping Heroes". In there, you have to jump on top of villains in order to defeat them, and there''s some kind of final boss with a Dinosaur transformation quirk after a few levels that is pretty hard to defeat. It has gotten pretty famous after people started competing with each other for the best high score" "Sounds like Super Mario..." "Supah Mario? Who''s that?" "No one, I was just talking to myself... As for going to the arcade, I can''t. I have something to do after classes" "Well, that''s new. What do you have to do?" "I have to¡ª" -Noise- ""Hmm?"" Suddenly, as me and Arata were talking, the sound of some voices laughing creepily and mocking someone reached our ears and made us look around with confused faces. "Where is that coming from?" Muttering that with a confused expression on my face, I then turned to look toward the back of the school, which was a few meters away from where we were walking, and began moving there with a suspicious expression on my face. Seeing that, Arata just followed me as well without saying anything. Seemingly curious about what the ruckus was as well. ''Surely, it will not be some horny teens that are taking advantage of the few people that come to this zone of the school so that they can perform the sinful deed, right?'' Hoping that the teens in this place had at least a bit of integrity and a sense of shame, I shook my head for a brief moment, before I glanced sneakily at Arata. ''Well, I can just cover this kid''s eyes if it really turns out to be "that". Can''t have him develop some kind of trauma, or become a closet pervert because of something stupid like this...'' After developing a small plan of action, I arrived at the place where the voices were coming from and furrowed my eyebrows as I saw how three kids at least four years older than me were beating up a kid of that same age. Probably a classmate of theirs. ''Huh, so that was it'' I was a bit impressed by the view. After all, this was the first time I saw such blatant bullying here in this school. Normally, the bullying that I had seen (As in this world it seemed to be pretty common) had just been something more about downplaying others because of their quirks, rather than getting physical with them. But well, I guess those types of cases still existed, even if I had not noticed them before. ''Talk about old school... Well, anyway, the mystery is solved. Let''s leave and tell a teacher'' After making up my mind, I turned around and prepared to leave. Sure, I could try to intervene and help the poor kid. However, knowing that I didn''t know how to handle kids with enough emotional problems that they had to bully another kid, and that most probably if I tried to reason with them they would get violent with me instead, I simply thought that it was better to tell the teachers about it and get done with it. That way, they would later call those kids'' parents, and tell them all about what their children did. And believe me, there''s nothing more fearsome for children than seeing their parents angry. However, as I was about to leave, suddenly I noticed that Arata was not beside me as he had been earlier, and furrowed my eyebrows as a bad feeling struck me. ''That kid... Don''t tell me...'' Turning to look back at where the group of kids was, I saw Arata running toward them with an upset expression on his face while he yelled at them to stop. ''For being such a genius, he is pretty dumb sometimes...'' Facepalming after seeing him run toward them, I groaned in annoyance, as I knew that things were not gonna end well. But knowing that I just couldn''t leave him alone, I walked after him. -Sigh...- ''... Alright, let''s just try to solve everything peacefully. I mean, I''m an adult. Handling a bunch of brats that like to bully others can''t be that difficult, right?'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... "Listen, madam, I called you here today to tell you that today, during lunchtime, your son got into a quarrel with some students, and beat up all of them until they were left crying" "Suzaku, what do you have to say for yourself?" "They started" ... -To be Continued- ¡ã¡ã¡ã (A/N: Omnipresence in its fullest meaning) Chapter 9: A Real Master Chapter 9: A Real Master ... "-Sigh...- You are lucky that the kid those children were bullying talked nicely about you. Otherwise, I would have taken your video games away if the principal suspended you" "Are you a demon?" "... How can you be so cheeky...? -Sigh...- Your father''s antics are brushing on you. I think I will talk with him later" "Sure, you do that" A few minutes passed after my mother was called by the principal because I beat up the three kids who were bullying that other kid during lunchtime. I know I said that I would try to resolve things peacefully... But damn, those brats really got on my nerves. Who knew that kids could be so annoying? They were really asking for a beating. However, I was not a brute. So even if they were annoying, I held back, and I just whacked their head a few times so that they would learn the lesson. Though, while I was doing that, I forgot that I had the strength of an adolescent, and by the time I finished disciplining them they were already in tears and screeching in pain like little pigs about to be killed. But we can ignore that part. Arata, on the other hand, was hit a little bit in the face by the brats because he meddled with them before I was able to whack them. However, after I left them crying, Arata looked at me with stars in his eyes as he muttered "bro..." or something in a low voice. Honestly, I hope he doesn''t turn into a delinquent because of this... Like, you know, calling me Aniki, and using my name to get into fights left and right. I''ve seen some guys like that in this school, and I certainly didn''t want to become one of them just because I had beaten up three kids four years older than me. Now, as for how the whole matter was resolved... Fortunately, the kid that we helped came and spoke with the principal while my mother was already interrogating me and threatening to ground me. That somehow got me off the hook and allowed me to get away with a simple warning to not do it again. After that, my mom and I left the school right away. However, we didn''t go home, as most people would have done. No, instead, we took a slight detour. We walked for a few minutes, and it was only when we entered an area that was in the middle of a small forest by the side of the city, that we finally came to a stop. "...A-are you sure this is the address, Suzaku...?" There, In front of us, was a dojo... I think. The entire building looked like it was about to collapse. The stairs of the entrance were all broken down and the windows were completely shattered aside from also being completely covered in spider webs. All in all, it looked as if human hands had not touched the building for over a decade. ''But well, I remember he said that he had left for a self-discovery trip a long time ago. So I guess it''s natural for time to have done its job on this poor dojo through all these years...'' Nodding my head with a satisfied smile as I theorized why the Dojo was in this state, suddenly a voice came from inside it, and made my eyebrow twitch slightly after hearing it. "Ahhhh, seriously, how nostalgic! It''s been a decade since I have been here, and it looks the same as when I left!" ''... It looked like this before?'' As I was processing what the voice''s words meant, a figure suddenly emerged from inside the haunted ruin and made my mother widen her eyes in surprise. I already knew who the person that had appeared was, though. "Ah, little Suzaku, you arrived!" Sawaya Tatsuo, the old man who had offered me to become his disciple a few days ago, was now standing at the entrance of the run-down dojo looking at both my mother and me with a warm smile on his face. Oblivious to the strange impression that he had left on my mother. Yes, as you might have guessed, my parents had agreed to let him teach me! However, it took a little bit for them to accept the proposal of me becoming his disciple. After all, my first teacher ended up being some kind of psycho. It''s not easy to believe just anyone right after that... Even I, despite how excited I might have been inside for learning from a real master, was a bit skeptical at how coincidental his appearance had been, or what his intentions were. However, after a private talk that he had with both my mom and dad where he had been carrying some sort of papers, both of them agreed quickly and even seemed pushy about me becoming his disciple. My father more than my mother. He actually seemed set on me becoming his disciple. The look on his face was almost maniacal as he yelled at me "YOU MUST BECOME HIS DISCIPLE, SUZAKU!" that day. Maybe he had shown them his credentials as a Martial arts master? Who knows. And well, I had no more doubts about him after that. After all, my mother was the best person for judging others. And if she saw no problem with him even after using her Quirk, then there was no reason for me to doubt him anymore. I only needed to focus on becoming strong! "Ahem... Good evening, Sawaya-san" "Hmm? Oh, you are here as well madam! Good evening to you as well" As I was steeling my determination by imagining the bright and bountiful future that awaited me in my path as a hero, soon, my mother and the old man greeted each other before they began discussing some matters. "I brought Suzaku as we had accorded, but... Is this place really where you will train him...?" "Hmm? Ah, don''t worry about the exterior of the Dojo. This unsightly appearance is part of the tradition that has been going on ever since it was founded. I myself trained in it when I was still a young man, and it still had the same appearance as it has now, as none of my masters wanted to repair it to maintain the tradition" "I-is that so...?" ''What a weird tradition...'' "Despite that, the insides are maintained properly, and we have everything that we may need for the training. Don''t worry" Hearing him, my mother heaved a relieved sigh, before she then nodded her head and bowed slightly in understanding. Then, turning around in my direction, soon she knelt in front of me and gave me a little kiss on the forehead. Making me groan slightly. "Alright Suzaku, I''ll come back for you in three hours more" Nodding my head in agreement as I looked at her, soon she smiled as she patted my head before she bowed her head at the old man and said "Then, I''ll leave him under your care". Leaving soon after that, and leaving only the old man Tatsuo and me at the Dojo. It was only after my mother had finally left, that the old man turned to look at me as he began summarizing what we were gonna do today. "Well, Suzaku. To begin with our training, I will first tell you where the martial art that I''m about to teach you originated from, and how it came to become what it is today" Walking while closing his eyes as he raised his index finger, soon, the old man pointed toward a pretty sturdy log embedded into the ground that had several marks on it as if someone had hit it with something hard repeatedly before he then began to explain something very interesting. "... My master, the original creator of this martial art, was a man who always loved Martial Arts as a whole. His love for them was so big, in fact, that he devoted most of his life to learning the several Martial arts styles that he came across during his life, and then fusing them into what he made sure to be the most complete and effective martial arts style ever..." Looking with a bit of nostalgia at the sky for a brief moment, the old man then continued talking as he approached the log without minding my curious expression. "However, it was also during his time alive that Quirks came to be. Which, although unknown by many people, also meant the disappearance of several martial arts schools due to Quirks being something that rendered most martial arts useless, which sadly, considering the worries of the people of those times, also rendered the learning of martial arts as something not worth the time in the public eye..." Heaving a sigh, old man Tatsuo continued. "... People were too busy adapting to the changes in society that Quirks were bringing at those times... I don''t know if they are teaching this nowadays to kids of your age or not, but that was the way it was when Quirks began to arise... People had no time to waste learning how to fight with their bodies when there were evil people out there that would kill them with just a flick of their finger... They were more focused on survival rather than anything..." Then finally arriving in front of the log, soon, the old man looked at it with a slightly sad expression, before he shook his head and continued explaining. "... In front of the uprising appearance of Quirks, even my teacher found his long-cultivated and developed martial art to be almost useless when faced with a really powerful Quirk... After all, no matter how good you are at dodging kicks or punches, as soon as someone who can shoot an enormous destruction ray from their eyes appears, you are pretty much done for..." I nodded my head in understanding. Until now, I have been lucky that my physical strength was enough to deal with the few people that I''ve confronted. That psycho teacher that I kicked in the balls, for example, had a Quirk that allowed him to separate his fingers from his hand. Something that hadn''t helped him in the slightest to catch me. There were also the kids that were bullying another kid during lunch at school. Although their Quirks wouldn''t be said to be bad, it wasn''t as if they were dangerous Quirks that could put my life in danger. What would have happened if that psycho teacher of mine had a really powerful Quirk that could make him run at high speed? Even with my great physique, I doubt I could have been able to run away from him. What would have happened if any of those kids had a really dangerous Quirk that would have put not only my life but the lives of all the other kids in danger? Surely, even with my great physique, I wouldn''t have been able to do much. It made sense that no matter how good he had become at dealing with humans thanks to his martial arts, as soon as the said humans got a non-human factor, in this case, the Quirks, his martial art became useless as he had not trained to deal with them. However, just as I was acknowledging the story that he had told me, suddenly the old man let out a sneer, before he then looked at the log in front of him with a serious look in his eyes, and hit it fiercely with his bare fist. -Bam!!!- -Crack...- The impact had been so powerful that the part where he had hit had been peeled off slightly, and a large crack had spread across the log. ''Does he have a strengthening Quirk?'' Was the question that rose within me once I saw that. The log was pretty thick, after all. For someone without a Quirk to be able to do that, I don''t think it was possible... ... At least, not in my old world. However, before I had the chance to ask, he suddenly spoke up again. "... However, I said that it became ALMOST useless, not that it became completely useless. For people with weak quirks or Quirkless people, the Martial Art that he developed was still one of the very few ways in which they could be able to subdue a person with a powerful Quirk, even if unlikely..." Smirking slightly as he walked towards a nearby rock, soon he sat down on it and groaned slightly before he began speaking again. "... And be it because fate decided it that way, or simply because it was a coincidence, but when my master began thinking of getting himself some disciples to pass down his martial art to future generations, Vigilantism also began causing an uproar in society... An era in which people wanted justice, and in which they would deliver it to those that deserved it, even if meant to do it by their own hands..." Confused, I tilted my head for a moment, before then I remembered something about the history of this world that my teachers at school had taught me, and imagined what he was going to say next. "You mean¡ª?" However, I was rapidly interrupted when the old man laughed slightly and shook his head. "I know what you are thinking... No, he didn''t train Vigilantes... He was far too old to do that. However, he did indeed train some children who had wanted to learn from him... And one of those kids was me" Then, standing up from the rock, the old man suddenly puffed up his chest as he pointed toward himself with his thumb, before then a smug expression appeared on his face as he continued telling me the story. "... After several years of training under him, and some more years perfecting and developing the martial art that he had created, I finally became his successor and inherited the dojo... However, I decided to not stop there as I saw potential in the fighting style that he had created, and as such, I began researching and developing ways to deal with people with Quirks. After all, that was the reason why my master had reached a wall in the first place..." Then, tightening one of his hands into a fist, the old man soon grinned viciously, as if he was some third-rate villain who had gotten away with his evil plan. "... And what better way to do that, than to fight with the bad guys that were ruining our beautiful country at that time? HOHOHOHOHO, thanks to them, I quickly became able to bring the martial art that my master had created to a whole another level!" Laughing creepily with arrogance obvious in his tone, soon, he pointed towards the dojo with a proud expression on his face, as he delivered the final point of his story. "That''s the point of the fighting style that I''m about to teach you, Suzaku... The perfect fighting style, created with the sole purpose of opposing those that have dangerous Quirks!" Hearing him, I felt dazed. At that moment, the old man seemed like a fiery sun brightening my face with his energy. Hearing his words, I felt as if I had struck the lottery without having even noticed!... After all, my original purpose was to simply learn some Karate to be able to deal with Thug B or Robber A, taking advantage of my great physical prowess to overwhelm them... ... However, hearing him now... Could it be that if I learned from him I would eventually become able to deal with way more than that? Such expectations suddenly began rising from within me, as excitement began boiling inside my heart. ''Did I actually get myself an amazing master...?!'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes after that...| ... "FUCKING OLD MAN, HOW THE HECK IS THIS NOT CHILD ABUSE!" "You are quite insolent for a six-year-old... Come on, continue hitting that log!" "GIVE ME SOME GLOVES AT THE VERY LEAST" "Gloves? That''s for sissies..." "Old bastaaaard...!!" ... I think I may have spoken ahead of time. ... -To be continued...- (A/N: If we manage to reach 100 powerstones within this same day, I''ll provide you with the next Chapter. Take it or leave it. Also, say it with me... Amen) -> Chapter 10: The Results of the Training Chapter 10: The Results of the Training |Some months later...| ... -Thud!- -Thud!- -Thud!- "Harder!" "That''s what your mom said..." "What did you say...?!" "Nothing, nothing..." "Annoying brat, it seems like now you show your true colors..." As I punched repeatedly the log in front of me with a pained and suffering face, the old man Tatsuo muttered a few things in discontent as he glanced at me with squinted eyes. A few months have gone by since my training with him started. Since then, both of us somehow dropped the appearances and revealed our real selves to each other as we continued to argue with each training that he made me do. His original facade as a kind old man who had offered me to become his disciple with a warm smile was nothing but a blatant lie... And instead of that, he was but a crazed and senile old man that seemed to be obsessed with training and becoming stronger. Often saying things like "Surpass your limits!" or "No pain no gain!" while punching a rock with a straight face. Sometimes I wondered if I had become the disciple of an old man with dementia because of that. Aside from that, he was also an incredibly arrogant bastard, who, aside from thinking of himself as the best martial artist ever, also thought that his fighting style was the best of all and that every other martial art was for amateurs. Often demeaning other famous styles like Karate, Judo, and many others in the process, saying that they were styles that only newbies would think of learning and that he could crush every single of them easily with his style. Really, he often got on my nerves every time he laughed haughtily when I mentioned a martial art that I saw on the internet. His arrogance knew no bounds. Though, as much as I hate to admit it, his arrogance was a little bit justified, though, just a little bit... During these few months of training, I have grown a lot and at an incredible rate. One that simply couldn''t be compared to the one I had when I was learning under that fake psycho teacher. I still wasn''t completely sure about how strong I was compared to other people, but I could easily feel how my movements seemed more and more fluid and fast with each day that passed. If not for the infernal training that this old man made me go through, I would even feel grateful to him for teaching me so much. However, the torn muscles, the peeled-off knuckles and fingers, the gruesomely broken fingernails, the heavy concussions in my head, and the verbal abuse that would come with even the slightest hesitation or groan often made any shred of gratefulness disappear immediately from my mind. It wasn''t to the point of calling it "hard" training anymore... No, I''m sure not even people in the military were treated this harshly when it came to training. Well, maybe I exaggerated a bit there. But with this old man, who knows if that will be a truth in the future when the training becomes more difficult? After all, I suspected that he was holding back because I was still six years old... Which in turn meant that once I became old enough, surely his training would become even more hellish than it was now. It made me shudder to just think about it... His training mainly consisted of several types of exercises that he made me do every day repeatedly. Punching a very thick log with my bare fist for a few minutes straight, stabbing a pot full of sand with my hands until they started to bleed, walking down incredibly long stairs by using my hands, maintaining unholy poses for hellish amounts of time while carrying heavy objects either on my shoulders or in my head, and sparring against the violent old man who seemed completely clueless about the concept of child abuse. Those were most of the training that he made me do during these few months, and although some of them sounded plain and not difficult, they had a hidden difficulty that would make any inexperienced guy cry in pain after trying. The hardest of all was the one that consisted of walking down the stairs using the hands instead of the feet. It might seem simple at first, and so I had thought the first time he had told me to do it. But in reality, walking down the stairs using your hands was actually an extremely extenuating training for your whole body. (A/N: Not in a Might Guy-like manner, but in-all-fours, and with the hands at the front. Like a dog, for example) The old man had told me that it was because it was actually one of the few exercises that could make use of most of the body''s muscles at once... And considering how tired I would end up after doing it, I don''t think he was lying. And although it may not be such a hard thing to do at first, since it wasn''t a hard task to do with a body full of energy, when facing the terrifyingly long stair that the old man had selected for me to walk down, no matter how energetic you were at the beginning, you would surely end up exhausted by the time you reached the end of the stairs. For me, every second that I passed doing that exercise felt like mental torture and made me wish at all times that it was over so that I could rest. Besides, having the constant feeling that you would fall down the stairs if you failed to perform the exercise well certainly didn''t make it any better. In fact, I fell down the stairs a few times because I lost concentration when thinking about that. Though, fortunately, the old man always stopped my fall before my injuries and bruises turned too serious, which at some point made me numb to falling down the stairs, as I understood that the old man would stop me anyway and the worst that would happen after the fall would be a few bruises and scratches. Though, that didn''t take away how extenuating it was for my still-young body. Now, the second hardest training, on the other hand, was annoying and difficult in a different way... While the first one was a little bit unnerving and extremely exhausting, the second one was... Irritating and painful. What was the training? Of course, it was sparring against the old man himself. And let me tell you, he barely knew the concept of holding back. If I were to fail on even a single step while doing a movement that he had taught me, he would immediately block it and hit me instead with no reservations whatsoever. Heck, he didn''t seem to care in the slightest about the fact that I was a damn child of no more than six! After each training session, it was usual for me to have at least both of my eyes purple, or my nose bleeding severely. It reminded me of those tales that my parents from the past life would tell me every once in a while, where their teachers would hit them with a stick if they were to make a mistake or behave incorrectly. Though in my case it was a punch rather than a stick, and with not an ounce of holding back... And well, it also seemed to have an actual purpose behind it, rather than just imprinting pain in my mind so that I would not fail again. No, the real purpose of hitting me after each fail, was to improve my reflexes to react better in case of possible counter-attacks... Or so the old man said. I honestly didn''t believe him that much... But well, my reflexes had indeed improved as I would sometimes block his punches whenever I failed. So, who was I to question a martial arts professional, as arrogant as he may be? Those were the exercises that I considered the hardest among all of those that I have to do nowadays. However, that didn''t mean that the others were easy either. Stabbing a pot full of sand with my hands was just incredibly painful for my hands. It peeled off my skin, broke my nails to the point in which I wondered if they were going to fall off, and made my hands feel incredibly numb by the time each training finished. There was even a time when I thought my fingers had been broken because I was not able to move them after the training. To my ease, though, I was able to move them a few hours later... Supposedly, it was to make each of my fingers incredibly strong and firm. So that even if I were to stab someone with them, the person would receive more damage than my fingers. However, for now, I hadn''t noticed much of a change, just that the pain was slightly less because my skin had become more resistant and rough. Probably because of callouses or something. The old man, on the other hand, had pierced a wall of the dojo with his hand as if it had been a simple matter... Comparing that to my weak hands, which would surely break if I were to try and pierce a wall, it made me feel like I had a long way ahead. Though, It also really made me curious about what would happen if he were to point that hand at a human being... Damn monstrous old man! As for the training of maintaining poses while carrying heavy objects on my shoulders or head... Well, what can I say about it? It was the typical exercise that you could see in martial arts movies of someone carrying either buckets or balancing plates on their heads or shoulders. Heck, I think even Kung-fu Panda depicted a similar exercise in the movie... Though, I might be wrong. Needless to say, it was painful as well, but at least I had managed to improve a lot my balance thanks to the effectiveness of this training. All in all, despite how hellish the training was being, I could vividly feel the results of it in my body! "Alright, that''s enough for now" "-Huff...- Seriously, how is it possible that my hands end up like this every day...?" "Stop being a sissy. That''s only the proof that your hands are gonna become as hard as a rock later on" "You say that because yours don''t bleed even when you punch a rock with all of your strength..." "All I hear are excuses. Anyway, leaving that aside... Come, it''s time to elongate. The last thing I want is your parents asking me why their son suddenly got a torn muscle " "My hands are covered in my own blood, and the only thing that worries you is that they will ask you about a torn muscle?" "There are priorities kid. And besides, they haven''t said anything about your bloodied knuckles even after these few months, right? Why would they come now of all times?" "Hmm..." Groaning as I followed behind the old man, I looked at my bloodied knuckles, which had their skin peeled off, and let out an exhausted sigh as I grumbled mentally. ''Of course, it''s because I asked them to not do it...'' To be honest, there were a lot of times during these few months that I thought about giving up. And when I say a lot, I mean a LOT. For someone like me, who had lived a relatively peaceful life in my previous world, and now a life of a child, experiencing something this hard was really a huge shock for my mind. Fortunately, I managed to endure it. ... Well, more than enduring it, it would be more correct to say that I just forced myself to simply not tell my parents that I wanted to stop. That way, I was forced to keep going, and therefore, I became forced to simply accept the training and adapt to it. It was also because of that, that I told them not to worry about my bloodied knuckles and fingers, or my bruises, or my bleeding nose. I knew that was the only way for me to do something so foreign to me as training. After all, if I had the choice of stopping and instead just staying at home, then I''m sure that I would have chosen to do it right away. Forcing myself to not be able to stop was the only way for me to actually continue with the training, as I was never the type to create a routine, to be honest. Only when I''m put into a situation where I have no choice but to do what I''m required to do, is that I''m able to put actual effort into it. That is the type of guy I was, even if I am not too proud to admit it. But fortunately, even with my personality, I managed to survive these months by just not allowing myself to quit. And thanks to that, now I was already accustomed to the training!... Ahem...To a certain extent... "Elongate correctly brat! You are doing it all wrong!" "How am I doing it wrong? I''m doing the same as you!" "Move your damn arm higher, with your current pose you are barely giving your arm a slight stretch" "Ouch, ouch, I got a cramp...!" "Stupid brat!" All in all, I was satisfied, even if I was still suffering from time to time thanks to this old man. There were still a few years to come before I would have to apply for a hero school and judging from how fast I was growing, it didn''t seem like becoming a hero was going to be that hard of a task. My parents were kinda supportive of my goal as well, which somehow felt slightly weird to me, as I was not accustomed to people supporting the objective of becoming a hero. But well, surely, I would get accustomed to it sooner or later. Humans are adaptative creatures, after all. And I''m one hundred percent a human! ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Inside a hospital...| ... Sitting on a pair of chairs in the middle of a corridor, two men with white coats could be seen having a conversation about various things. One of them was much more enthusiastic about their conversation than the other. Their conversation continued like that for a few minutes, discussing various topics about what would be said to be medicine or general science. However, it was suddenly when the enthusiastic man started talking about a certain topic related to a child, that the other man''s expression changed to that of interest. "... And I tell you, it was one of the weirdest things I''ve seen in my career as a doctor! I mean, with Quirks nowadays, nothing is really impossible. However, considering that in this case, Quirks weren''t involved with making his body so strong, it really made me wonder whether that child was human or not!" "Hoh... Such an interesting case... You said that kid''s name was Suzaku Suzuki, right?" "Yes, and that''s not all! I even did a blood test on him, and guess what? That child had a type of blood I had never seen before! It was similar to the Blood type A, but it was slightly different..." "... Different, you say?" "Yes, I didn''t have that much time to analyze it since I was busy trying to understand the reason for his abnormally strong body, but considering the many differences that there were, despite its slight resemblance with the type A, it wouldn''t be wrong to call it a new type of blood!" "Hoh... Interesting... And how did you name it?" "Pardon?" "His type of blood. If it really was a new type of blood, then you would have surely given it a name, right?" "Ah, yes. I named it Blood type ?. For some reason, it sounded good in my head when I thought about it..." "... ?? That''s a strange name there... Very curious... Anyway, that was an interesting story, Osawa-san, I hope you will tell me more interesting stories the next time, but it seems I must leave now" "Uh, ah. Okay, it was a pleasure meeting such a prominent figure as you... Dr. Ujiko" "Hmm... it was very pleasant for me as well..." Saying that with a smile on his face, the short and bald figure of one of the men stood up from his chair and began walking away as a shadow was cast on his face. And as he did so, he muttered something with a weird smile creeping up his face. "... Very pleasant indeed..." ... -To be continued- ¡ã¡ã¡ã (A/N: I made the training based on how Shaolin Monks train... Those guys are real try-hards when it comes to training... As for the Suzaku''s blood type revelation... I don''t really know that much about those topics, that''s why I gave a vague explanation. I just thought it would be funny if his blood type was ? instead of a normal one. Also... It is time we have the talk that many of you dread... Yes, it is time for me to plug my Patreon, which is 10 Chapters ahead (It will have a few more in the next few days). Of course, I will continue uploading Chapters here, but the Chapter release will probably begin slowing down in a few Chapters from now on since I will start running out of stocked-up Chapters. Most likely to two per week which is what I''ve seen I''m doing nowadays without getting burned out. So, if you feel like helping me get by the month without starving to death and as a plus get more Chapters, go and check it out: /TheSynonym Also) -> Chapter 11: Two years later… Chapter 11: Two years later... (A/N: It seems like you guys weren''t up to the challenge on Sunday. But fortunately for you, I''m very magnanimous and decided to grant you with another Chapter for reaching 100 power stones. Enjoy.) ¡ã -Ta!- -Ta, ta, ta!- -Ta, ta!!- "Take this old man! Super deadly punch!" "Haven''t I already told you like a hundred times that you shouldn''t scream out loud your next move, brat?!" -Bam!!- "H-huh...?" "Yes you have, but that was just part of my plan!" "Uh... Urgh... Impossible... It was actually a kick..." "Hahaha, take that you old man! You can''t comprehend my prodigious mind anymore!" "Argh, shut it brat!" -Bam!!- "... Just because you hit me once doesn''t mean anything! You are still too green to be proud of yourself!" "You damn old man... Uuuurgh..." "Hmph, that''s what you get for your arrogance. Alright, enough for now. Let''s end the spar here" "... You could have ended the spar before you hit me..." "It''s necessary to discipline you brat. You are growing too overbearing" "Fuck you..." "Hmph, that tongue of yours keeps getting sharper and sharper each day, doesn''t it? I wonder if I should tell your parents how you speak to your elders" "A-and I wonder if I should tell them how much you beat me up every day... I bet none of this is legal..." "Ahem... Don''t mind the small details... Now, stop complaining and get on your feet already. I need to tell you something, and I don''t like it when my students are not looking into my eyes..." "-Hup-... Urgh... Give me a second..." "Tsk" Doing my best to stand up despite the pain that was enveloping my whole body, I coughed a little bit to let the stuck air escape from my throat, before I started breathing heavily and closed my eyes in exhaustion. My throat was dry and it burned slightly to breathe. However, I really didn''t mind that feeling, as I had long grown accustomed to it during the time that I had been training with the old man. -Huff... Puff...- Two years had passed since I became the student of this brutal old man. Now, I was already eight years old, and my body had matured a little bit. I had grown a little bit taller, maybe around ten centimeters taller than when I was six years old... but that was it. There wasn''t that much of a change between being six years old and eight years old. At most, the biggest change that happened was that I had muscles all over my body because of all the training that I did during these 2 years. Unfortunately, though, unless I flexed my body, they were not visible to the naked eye. Probably because of my still youthful body. I guess I would have to wait until puberty hit me if I wanted to have a six-pack. Though, I can''t say that I was looking forward to going through puberty again. After all, my teens were the darkest times in my life. I didn''t want to go through that phase again. But what would I do? This was the price of reincarnation... The price of the life I was given... I could only hope that my experienced and very mature adult mind would let me pass through puberty without much problem. -Cough, cough- Leaving the matter of puberty aside, during these two years, nothing much had changed in my daily life aside from maybe the intensity of my training here with old man Tatsuo. I continued being friends with Arata at school, and my grades didn''t get any worse as I was still in elementary and my intellect was still able to handle the classes there. However, I can''t say that that will be the case when I get into junior high school... My memory of the contents that I saw in school during my previous life was minimal, after all. There was a tiny thing though... And that was that, for some reason, most of the kids in my class started following me around every recess after the incident with the three bullies, calling me their boss or something. Most of the kids outside my class also started glancing at me with odd glances every time I went outside the classroom to eat something. As if they were seeing some kind of imposing being whenever I passed right next to them. Often muttering things behind my back with fearful eyes. I didn''t understand what all that was about... But since they were kids, I just went with the flow. After all, I was more concerned about my training rather than about their perceptions of me. There was no need to bother with kids and their antics! And besides, surely it wasn''t anything bad, right? I''m sure they were just playing around or something. "Ahem!" "...!" Suddenly, as I was immersed in my own thoughts about how these past two years had been, I heard the old man let out a fake cough as if hurrying me up and I let out a tired sigh at his antics. ''He doesn''t even let me catch a breath...'' -Pat, pat- Then, after patting my clothes, which were covered in dust and dirt due to the spar from just now, I cleared my throat and corrected my posture. Looking straight into the eyes of the old man as I did so. Seeing that I had recovered somewhat, the old man sneered, before he then asked me with a raised eyebrow: "Are you done?", as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Huff... Yes, what is it?" "Well, today you have proven yourself by being able to hit me... Even if by using a cheap trick..." Shooting me a displeased glare, the old man continued. "... However, normally, even cheap tricks don''t work against the great me. So I have to give you that... What I wanted to tell you is that, now that you have proven to have at least enough skill in using my martial style so that you can hit me, I consider that you have reached the limit on what I can teach you" "...What?" Smiling slightly at my confused expression, the old man pointed at my body and spoke as his eyes turned serious all of a sudden. "What you have learned until now was only the foundation of the fighting style that I created... The next part of your training will depend solely on you" "... I... don''t think I understand" Scratching the back of my head while I frowned slightly, I glanced at the old man with a confused gaze, as he scratched his beard with a nonchalant expression on his face. "Hmm... Well, I think I know why... Let me show you why I can''t teach you any further" Saying that, the old man suddenly took a fighting pose, to which I took a fighting stance as well in reflex expecting him to dash at me at any moment. However, before I was even able to react, suddenly I saw his figure disappear from his previous spot and reappear right in front of me, with his fist sightly touching my nose. "What...?!" Perplexed, I jolted in surprise at a movement that I had never seen before and fell on my buttocks. -Thud!- After that, I stood up and began rubbing my nose in confusion while I glanced at the amused smirk of the old man glancing at me with annoyance. "HAHAHAHA, what''s wrong kiddo? Surprised?" "What the heck was that?" Looking at him with a perplexed expression as the old man rubbed under his nose in arrogance, I soon shot him an inquisitive glance. Making him look at me with a grin. "What you saw just now was the next step of my fighting style... Adding one''s quirk, or talent, into the fighting style, and developing it into a path that suits you" "...?" Seeing me look at him confused, the old man sneered for a moment, before he then turned to look to the side. Then, out of nowhere, he disappeared from his spot and reappeared a few meters in front of him. "Just like most people nowadays, I was also born with a Quirk. Mine is called "Blink" and it allows me to teleport a short distance in front of me. Not to the sides, not behind me, not above me... Just to the front. And even doing that, still requires me to consider a lot of factors at the same time before doing it. Like the distance, the position of my body, or any obstacles in my way" Scratching his beard with a troubled expression, the old man then pointed at his fist, as he began explaining. "My fighting style used to be the same as yours. A fighting style that relied solely on the body to deal with your opponents. However, in a world like this, it is foolish to not use everything that you are born with to its maximum. So, I developed my fighting style to suit my Quirk and use it to its maximum potential... Which is also what you will do" "You mean to say that I have to adapt my fighting style... to my Glasses Quirk...?" Raising an eyebrow as I touched my glasses with a bewildered look in my eyes, soon, the old man shrugged his shoulders, as he continued. "Who knows? It depends on you... You can develop your fighting style to suit those glasses of yours, or you can develop it around that abnormal body of yours. The path you take from here is only something you can do, and at most, I can only offer you some advice from time to time, or help you practice it and master it" Raising both of my eyebrows in surprise at his words, I glanced down at my body and began thinking. ''Well, having a body two times better than a normal person''s does give me a little bit of room for development... But I can''t say that I''m exactly someone fit for developing a fighting style... The closest thing to making a plan that I have ever done in my entire life was when I thought about how to beat the enemy jungler in farm inside that game... and it didn''t even wor¡ªHmm? Hold up'' Suddenly recalling something as I was still immersed in my thoughts, I glanced at the old man, who was calmly watching me think, and asked him what was in my mind. "... Just out of curiosity... I can still spar with you and all that, right?" Hearing me, old man Tatsuo raised an eyebrow for a moment before he then smiled and pointed at our surroundings, where everything we had used to train these two years laid ready for me to use. "Sure, you can come and train the same way you have been doing until now. However, that will depend on you. If you find another type of training that fits you better, you can do that instead. I will not stop you" "Huh..." Looking at me with a strange look in his eyes, the old man suddenly shook his head, before he then made a "shoo" gesture with his hand and spoke at me with a tired tone of voice. "Alright alright, enough for today little prick. You can leave. I have other matters to attend to" "Tsk. What would an old man like you have to do? Meet another old man to play chess?" Muttering that with a dissatisfied expression in my eyes, I went to pick up my things, before I then started to walk away. Not minding the pissed-off expression that the old man Tatsuo was shooting me as I left. After a few minutes, I entered once again the urban area of the city and began walking in the direction of my home. Hoping to lay in bed for the rest of the day to take a nap. However, as laziness was filling my body when I thought about taking a nap, suddenly I recalled what the old man had told me earlier, and frowned slightly as I looked at my hands. ''So now I have to train on my own...? Damn, let''s just hope I won''t lose the habit of training because of this...'' Caressing my forehead with a troubled expression, soon, I glanced at the sky and let out a melancholic sigh as I began considering taking a tragic yet necessary measure for the dark times to come. ''I guess I will have to store the Quirkstation away for the time being... Otherwise, who knows how much time I will waste procrastinating on it?'' -Sigh...- As I made up my mind, the wind caressed my face, making my hair sway gently as the sunset illuminated my face. ''This is truly not a gamer moment... The fuck am I saying...?'' Cursing in my mind as I realized how dramatic I was being, I shook my head to shrug off my stupid thoughts and continued walking. ''Maybe the hit from the old man earlier messed up my head without me noticing...'' Thinking that, I stopped minding the words that the old man had said and just walked back home without any worry. ''The problems of the future are for the Future Suzaku to deal with them. For now, the present Suzaku is gonna take his nap as soon as he arrives home, and he is going to enjoy it!'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Somewhere, in a nearby building...| ... "Alright, I see a kid... Red hair, and some big weird glasses on his eyes, right? Alright, that''s our objective this time... Make sure to register every detail about his everyday life. That way we can "borrow" him in the most silent way possible during the next few days before handing him to our contractor" "Be more discrete than last time though. We almost got toasted up by Endeavor at that time because you were too obvious... There isn''t any great hero like him in this city, but it''s better to make sure anyway" "Yeah, yeah. No need to remember me of that day... Though, I wonder what our contractor wants with a kid like him? Is he some kind of rich kid or something?" "Who cares, as long as we are getting our money, it doesn''t matter" "Right" "We will begin moving from 2 days from now on... Be sure to be prepared to act when we get our chance..." ""Yes boss!!"" ... -To be Continued- (A/N: Let us all pray) -> Chapter 12: Strongest Under The School’s Ceiling Chapter 12: Strongest Under The School''s Ceiling (A/N: If you want to read 12 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym We are already entering UA over there if you want to maybe check it out. You know you want -Wink, wink-. ... Well, whatever. Enjoy) ¡ã¡ã¡ã |A day later...| ... -Yawn...- Scratching my chin with a bored expression plastered all over my face as I yawned, I watched as my teacher continued explaining math problems to the class while doing his best so that everyone could understand. "... And, in this part, children, you first count this number and then add this one to the..." However, most of the boys in the class seemed to be having the same expression as me right now, and none of them were paying attention to his words anymore. Probably feeling bored from doing math all morning. Math was a tortuous class, after all. However, I couldn''t sympathize with them. Children should pay attention when the teacher puts so much effort into teaching them properly. ''Cheeky brats. You should pay attention...'' Looking at them with disappointment in my eyes, soon, I shook my head as I leaned backward in my chair. ''... -Sigh...- But well, what can one expect from children? They can be disrespectful to adults sometimes... Our teacher must feel very sad seeing that all the boys in the class aren''t paying attention to him... -Sigh...- What has become of our youth?'' Looking at our teacher with pity, I sighed. ''Truly pitiful... Well, I''m taking a nap'' With that idea in mind, I darkened the color of my glasses so that my eyes wouldn''t be visible, and closed my eyes so that I could begin hibernating until the end of class. -Ding, dong- However, before I had the chance, the school bell suddenly marked the end of the class and made me snap my eyes open immediately. ''Finally...'' Understanding that this torture of a class was finally ending, I began to stand up. However, my teacher''s voice stopped me before I even could separate myself from my desk. "...Alright children. That''s all for today''s class. However, I want all of you to resolve the ten exercises that are on pages 101 and 102 for tomorrow, alright?" ''Huh...?'' "... Consider it homework!" Hearing his words, I felt my mind boiling in anger. ''... Homework again...?! Homework this, homework that, can''t they just leave us one day without homework? Stupid Japan and its annoying educational system... Just wait until I join the hero course, there I won''t have to do homework anymore!'' -Creaaak- -Tap- "Hmm?" While I was grumbling inside my mind as I stood up from my seat to go and eat something, suddenly I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned around only to see Arata looking at me while holding his Quirktendo Switch. "Hey Suzaku, wanna play some Jumping Heroes Kart 8?" Hearing him say that as he flashed his eyebrows at me, I sweatdropped a bit as a deadpan formed on my face. "Shouldn''t we go and eat first...? It''s lunchtime¡ª" "Oh, come on. Eating is for weaklings! So, what do you say? Hmm??? Don''t you want to play with me again? Or are you scared that this time you won''t be so lucky?!" -Grab!- As he said that while grabbing my collar, I couldn''t help but let out a sigh with a resigned expression. "-Sigh...- Quite the stubborn guy you are, huh?" "Shut up! Come on, I want a rematch! Last time you were just lucky!" Seeing him like that, I couldn''t help but shake my head with a disappointed expression. According to what he told me, his parents gave him that Quirktendo Switch (Yes, it is what you think it is) during Christmas because his grades were very good, just like I was given a Quirkstation 8 because of my grades as well. And because of that, one day this guy decided to bring it to school to play with me some half-assed copycat version of Mario Ka¡ª "So?! Are you playing or not?!" "Wait a moment, I''m still not done thinking" "What.....?" Ahem. As I was saying, this guy one day brought his console to play "Jumping Heroes Kart 8", probably thinking that he would be like some kind of master that would teach me how to play the game. However, unlike what he expected, as soon as we started the game, I utterly destroyed his ass. Why? Because I do not hold back when it comes to games. After all, like a very wise and great guy once said: "Video games are serious business, and deserve to be treated with respect" I wonder what became of that guy. But well, leaving that aside, I had also played my fair share of Mario Ka¡ªAhem, of a similar game back then in my past life. Because of that, I was already experienced in the type of game that "Jumping Heroes Kart 8" was, and as such, I had enough mastery over it so that a newbie such as Arata would not be able to defeat me. However, unlike what I had expected, he was quite a stubborn guy. And since that day, he kept asking me for a rematch every lunch break. Thinking that eventually, he would win. ... I guess you already know... He didn''t. And neither would he today. "... Alright, I''m done thinking" Nodding my head as I finished collecting my thoughts, I turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow as he bounced enthusiastically with his Quirktendo switch in his hands. "I don''t understand what you mean by that, but sure. So? Are you up for a rematch?!" I snorted. "Bring it on" I said while I swept my hair epically as a disdainful smirk rose on my face while glancing at him. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... "Good thing my mother made some lunch for me today... I would be hungry otherwise" "..." "Hoho, look at that! There''s even meat in here! It seems like today''s my lucky day!" "..." "Come on, are you still angry at how I left you in 13th place while I took 1st?" "You have played before, haven''t you?! You damn... cheater!" "Now, now... That''s something that only no-skill players say... Are you a no-skill, Arata?" "You..." "Come on, stop being a crybaby, and give me some of your lunch. You promised to give me some if I won, right?" "-Sigh...- Where did the bro I admired so much go to...?" "Stop complaining" As Arata handed me some of his lunch with a sulking face, I smirked slightly before I began gulping down everything I had brought as lunch today. For some reason, in this life, I was able to enjoy food much more than in my previous one. Whether it was because I had different taste buds, or because my strong body required more nutrition than my old body, I didn''t know, and honestly, I didn''t care. I was gonna be a rich hero anyway. So me having to eat a lot was surely not going to be a problem. If anything, it was gonna be a blessing for the future me, who was going to enjoy all types of delicacies with his fortune. However, to achieve that, I still had a long way ahead... And one of the obstacles that currently blocked my way was my training. A day had passed since old man Tatsuo had told me to train by myself. And honestly, since then, I''ve been completely lost on how to progress. What did he mean by saying "Adapt your strong body to your own fighting style"? I mean, isn''t it already adapted since I, like, practiced it with my strength and all? And, if I went with the other option, how do I even adapt something like my quirk to the fighting style? Should I use the fact that my glasses can reflect light to blind my enemies? For that, I can just use a lantern! Godamnit old man, I only know how to follow instructions... most of the time. You can''t just leave me on my own! I''m no martial arts genius! Or... -Gasp- Could it be...? Maybe I am, and the old man just made me train alone so that I could discover this amazing talent of mine?! Suzaku Suzuki, A martial arts talent in one trillion. That sounds good. I should check it later, just in case... "Huh...?! So this is the little brat that is so famous these days?" Suddenly, as I was still lost in my fantasies, a sharp and irritatingly high voice reached my ears and made me turn my head to look at a nearby group of people approaching. There, three teenagers with funny-looking hairstyles, similar to how Johnny Bravo combed his hair, were walking towards our table with not-so-friendly expressions on their faces. Two of them had a normal appearance, aside from their ridiculous hairstyle that is. However, the third one, who was the one of the voice from earlier, had the head of a bull, with horns and everything, and had an unbelievably big body that could compete with that of a bodybuilder. If not for the uniform that he was wearing, I would have doubted he was even a student. However, when living in a society full of weirdly-looking people, you tend to be more understanding of such cases. ''Who are these weirdos?'' Raising an eyebrow in confusion, I watched as the three approached us. "Yeah, that''s him. The one with red hair!" "Tsk, he doesn''t look that strong to me... I bet you guys are just too weak, and that''s why he beat you!" "N-no, it''s him that it''s too strong, Aniki! He seems to have some kind of strengthening Quirk!" "Hmph, we will see about that" As the bull-headed guy arrived in front of us after saying that, he crossed both of his arms and looked down on both Arata and me. All while huffing a large chunk of air from his nostrils. "I heard you are the King of this school, is that right?" "..." Hearing him, I turned around and saw that, besides Arata, who was for some reason nodding his head with a proud expression on his face as he looked at me, there was no one else near us to whom he would be talking to. Thus, not understanding what the hell this kid was talking about, I raised an eyebrow and brought a piece of meat to my mouth as I replied to him. "Are you talking about -Munch, munch-... me?" "Yes, you" "-Munch, munch-... I don''t think so?" As I was frowning while tilting my head in a weirded-out manner, suddenly one of the kids that were beside the bull-headed guy raised his voice as he pointed at me with a trembling finger. Making me squint my eyes slightly as I glanced at him, trying to remember his face. "Liar! you managed to beat us, the Twin Fist Brothers Duo when we challenged you! That day, you won the title of the strongest in this school... Don''t tell me you don''t remember it?!" "Twig First Brothers Dual? What''s that...? Oh..." Then, it came back to me. ''Ah, that happened, didn''t it? These guys came looking for trouble one day when I was just minding my business. Saying things like that they had heard that I was some kind of boss from my class or something, and asked me for a challenge... I didn''t really understand what they were on about, but since I am such a mature person, I disciplined them with the fist of love and then went back home...'' The kid on the left side of the Bull guy had a Quirk that allowed him to harden his knuckles to the point that they became as hard as iron, while the other kid on the right side of the Bull guy had a Quirk that made him able to produce some kind of energy from his fists that repelled anyone he hit. Both of them started a fight with me one day without any reason and used their Quirks against me without even asking me my opinion about fighting with them. Though, that didn''t stop me from beating them up. Despite them being already in their teens and even having fairly powerful Quirks, it wasn''t a hard task to deal with them with the fighting style that I''ve been learning through these two years with old man Tatsuo. I beat them up fairly easily after a minute or so of struggle. Luckily, no teacher discovered it was me who beat them up at that time. So I was not called to detention later that day. But, it still surprised me how brazen and violent the teenagers in this superhero society were. Why the hell were they challenging an eight-year-old kid like me to a fight? Maybe it was simply a secondary effect of young kids getting human-killing superpowers at such a young age. However, seeing at that time that thinking about it was probably not going to answer my question, I just decided to ignore it and went back to my normal life. ''What do these guys want now? And what do they mean by the strongest guy in school? I''m a pacifist!'' Frowning at their behavior, I asked them with an annoyed tone of voice. "I don''t think I''m catching up with this conversation... But I remember you guys... So? What do you want?" Scratching my cheek with a confused expression, I glanced at them and raised an eyebrow as suddenly they started to frown while becoming red like a tomato because of anger. "We are here to challenge you to a battle in exchange for the title of the strongest of this school!" ... Hearing that, I couldn''t help but fall silent for a second. However, I recovered fairly quickly from the daze and immediately denied their claims. "Me? Strongest in this school? What in the world are you guys even talking about...? Aren''t you a little old to be playing fighting games and putting nicknames on an eight-year-old? Go and study or something" ""You!!"" As I looked at them with a pitiful gaze in my eyes while bringing some meat to my mouth, I began eating calmly the rest of my lunch as they started fuming in anger at my comment. -Bam!!!- However, before I was able to finish, suddenly something hit heavily the table which had my lunch on and sent it flying into the air. Making me panic for a moment as I had still not finished it. -Splat- And, as if wanting to ruin my day, soon my food fell down the table and splattered all over the floor, making my eyes lifeless as I watched a perfectly full box of delicious lunch get wasted like that. As my soul left my body while watching such a terrible scene, a voice called me out and made me turn around to see the perpetrator of such a horrific act. Behind me, with his fist tightened to the point that veins were bulging on his arm, the Bull guy was breathing on my neck with eyes full of anger. "Listen here, pipsqueak, my name is Datte Kenta. I''m the most notorious delinquent in this city because of my great thirst for battle... I have been expelled from 10 schools already, since in all of them I beat up the guy with the strongest Quirk there to the point where they bled and cried for mercy, all for the sake of being at the top of the hierarchy... And now that I have arrived at this school, it''s your turn to hand me over your throne... Will you fight me like a man, or will you hide like a coward?" "... Heh" Hearing him say that, I couldn''t help but scoff a little. Especially knowing that the enormous guy in front of me was a teenager. It seemed that he had some anger management issues. And considering that I was an adult, I knew that I had to act maturely in this situation and act as a guide for this poor lamb that had lost its way. Because I''m a very mature guy! ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... "That''s it, Suzaku, hit him with the chair!!" -Clang, clang, clang!!- "-Moo!!!- Get off meee!!" -Clang, clang, clang!!- "GET OFF MEEEE!! -Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!!- ... Ahem. I''m not hitting him violently with a chair if that''s what you are wondering. I''m rehabilitating him through physical therapy. Otherwise, he might become a bad guy later on. I''m just doing my job as a responsible citizen of this beautiful country. Hurray Japan! Hurray! -Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!!- -Mooo!!- ... -To be continued...- (A/N: It is time) -> Chapter 13: The Susnapping Chapter 13: The Susnapping If you want to read 13 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "Hey... How do we deal with this?" "I don''t know... For one part I''m happy that the new student received what he deserved, for the other I''m scared... I never thought that the always calm Suzaku would be so scary when angry..." "Yeah... Who would have believed that such a young child would deal with that wild teenager so easily?... Some of the students that saw it happen in the cafeteria even said it was a one-sided beating... Apparently, he hit that delinquent with a chair repeatedly until he got on his knees and begged for mercy... Huff... I can''t even imagine it" "Yeah, it''s unbelievable... But in all seriousness... What should we do? Do we reprimand him? That new student has been causing trouble ever since he arrived, so I''m not entirely sure if we should speak with Suzaku, or just turn a blind eye just this time..." "My rational side is telling me to just turn a blind eye, but my teacher side is telling me to reprimand Suzaku, otherwise, he might grow as troublesome as that other student..." "Such a troublesome situation... And just when I had managed to get a date with Mizuki-sensei..." "What?! I didn''t know about this! You lucky bastard..." -{I am here!}- "Hmm, you heard that?" As the two teachers were talking in a corner of the room, a few meters away from Suzaku and the Bull-headed student who were sitting on a chair waiting for the teachers to stop talking, suddenly the sound of a phone reached both teachers'' ears, and made them turn around in confusion. When they turned around, they saw Suzaku watching what appeared to be a video of All Might saving the day on his phone with a nonchalant expression on his face, as if he cared neither about the teachers'' conversation nor about the enormous bull-headed student sitting next to him with a scared expression on his face. Seeing that, both teachers deadpanned at the sight. ''What''s wrong with this kid...?'' Was what both of them thought at the same time. ... ¡ã |Suzaku''s POV:| ... ''Sheesh... This guy literally solves disasters and catastrophes in mere seconds... This is like cheating in real life...'' Looking with a grim expression at the video of All Might saving the day once again, I couldn''t help but feel like my path ahead was going to be a harsh one. I hadn''t paid attention to him that much before since I was more focused on my training. However, now that I was seeing his powers more clearly, I have to say... I never really expected him to be on such a broken level. Every other time I saw him in action the guy just defeated some low-level villains and got done with it. Because of that, there was never a chance to see what the guy could do if he got serious. However, the video I was watching now had occurred just a few hours ago, and in it, thirty villains had planted bombs on several buildings as they terrorized the civilians on the street. They wanted to divide the heroes'' attention between the bombs and them. However, All Might arrived, and in less than 15 seconds he evacuated every civilian, beat up the villains, and collected the bombs. Throwing them soon into the sky where they wouldn''t damage anyone. Yes, in less than 15 seconds. How is that even physically possible?! And from what I could see from his calm expression, the guy still had a lot of power he was hiding. "Goddamnit..." Scratching the back of my head with a troublesome expression, I soon let out a troubled sigh when I began feeling that maybe my plan for becoming a famous hero would be harder than I expected. The other heroes at the top were okay, I could reach them in terms of feats and fame... probably... But this guy was like a level 10,000 among level 100''s. And I was level 10 currently. ''How absurd...'' However, as I felt my conviction waver for a second, I immediately reminded myself of the riches that awaited me once I achieved my goal and steeled my determination even further. ''Even if I''m not gonna be the most famous, I''m gonna be the richest. Believe it!'' As I was watching the video with a more determined look in my eyes, suddenly the teachers that had been talking about something since a while ago came back and sat in front of me and the bull-guy with curious expressions on their faces. Their eyes darting between me and the video on my phone as they sat. Then, suddenly, one of them looked at the other with a raised eyebrow, before he then turned to look at me and asked while glaring at the video on my phone, "I see you are watching a video of All Might, Suzaku... Tell me, do you want to be a hero?" "Yeah" Hearing his question, I answered nonchalantly. Not understanding where this question was coming from, but answering them nevertheless since it seemed to be a normal question. "...!" "...!" After hearing my reply, both of the teachers looked at each other with smiles on their faces, before they then turned to look at me with calm expressions on their faces. "Listen Suzaku, you have to be careful from injuring others" Hearing them, I nodded and waited for them to continue lecturing me. "..." "..." "..." However, unlike what I expected, they didn''t say anything else. ''What? Where is the long and extensive talk about using our Quirks responsibly...?'' Raising an eyebrow as I looked at their calm expressions with confusion, I glanced at the bull-headed guy beside me for a second, before then I looked back at the teachers and asked them "Is that all?". To which they simply nodded their heads with pleased smiles. "Yes. You can leave now" ''Huh... Well, that was the quickest lecture in my life'' Not caring much about the reasons they had for lecturing me so little, I nodded my head and rapidly picked up my things before walking away from the teacher''s room. Now, all I needed was to arrive home, and my busy day would be finally over! ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, 3rd Person POV...| ... -Yawn...- "I wonder if I should take a nap... I kinda don''t want to exercise today..." Scratching his head with a sleepy expression spreading all over his face, Suzaku looked absentmindedly at the sky and hummed in deep thought about his words. However, at the next second, he frowned and shook his head, before he then slapped both of his cheeks to wake himself up. "Damnit... Not even two days have passed, and I''m already wanting to slack off..." Cursing in a low voice as he muttered that, Suzaku let out a huff before he glanced to the side and stopped walking for a moment. "I wonder if I should just go to the dojo instead of home... That way, I can practice a little, and then go back home" Scratching his cheek as he thought deeply, Suzaku let out a long sigh, before he shook his head and turned around with a slightly displeased expression. "All for the sake of my future fortune..." Saying that, Suzaku then glanced up with determination brimming in his gaze towards the other way, before he began walking in that direction. His new destination now being the Dojo. ... A few minutes passed after that, and Suzaku, who was walking calmly amidst the street towards the end of the city (Which was where the Dojo was located), was lost deep in thought, thinking profusely over the predicament that currently haunted his training. ''How do I progress with my fighting style...?'' As far as he knew, he had two advantages that could be considered possible ways for developing his fighting style. His strong body, or his Quirk. Or at least, those were the only two things he could think of. He didn''t know if he had any other hidden talents besides that. Playing games was one. However, he doubted it would help him much with defeating bad guys when he became a hero, or with improving his fighting style. If anything, it would make him lazier to leave the house and do his job as a hero. Getting out of options, Suzaku groaned in annoyance. ''Do I have to use one of those two other options then...? If so... I guess my strong body is the only trait that I see being usable for combat...'' Scratching his head with a troubled expression, Suzaku then continued, ''Though, that doesn''t mean it makes it any easier to think of a way to adapt it to become part of my fighting style... Heck, I don''t even know what that even means...'' -Sigh...- Letting out a sigh, Suzaku looked to the sky with a hopeless expression, before he then closed his eyes in resignation. "I guess I''m just not fit for this kind of thing... Hmm?" It was then, however, when Suzaku''s thoughts came to a halt as he noticed a certain oddness in the air. "...?" At first, he couldn''t pinpoint what exactly it was. However, after a few seconds of looking around, he noticed that the street was quiet... abnormally quiet at that, and frowned slightly as a result. It was normal for there to be at least a few noises here and there from the people who lived in the nearby houses. However, for some reason, now there was not a single sound reaching his ears. Heck, now that he noticed it, not even the sounds of birds could be heard. "Huh... Well, that''s weird" Keeping a frown, Suzaku glanced around, before he stopped walking and began glaring slowly at his surroundings, having a bad feeling all of a sudden. -Clank!- Then, suddenly, the sound of a metallic object falling to the ground from behind him reached his ears and surprised him. As a result, he immediately turned around to see what the source of it was. "...?" However, to his surprise, when he turned around, he saw a man covered in dark clothes standing several meters away from him, and staring at him in silence without moving a single muscle. "Hey you¡ª!" "Shhh... Sleep" Weirded out, Suzaku was about to call out to him. However, all of a sudden, a hand appeared from behind him and placed what seemed to be a handkerchief over his mouth. Which soon caused Suzaku to fall to the ground without even having the chance to struggle. ''What the...?'' Feeling himself losing consciousness, Suzaku glanced behind him while he continued to fall before he soon noticed that someone had been standing behind him all along and that he had probably been the one to put him to sleep with whatever was in that handkerchief. ''What the fuck is happening¡ª?'' Letting those words run through his brain as he fell roughly to the ground, Suzaku''s eyes closed, before his consciousness drifted away. "It''s done" After that, the man that was holding the handkerchief spoke aloud, before suddenly several men started appearing from nearby and began approaching the scene. Even the man in black clothes who had been standing meters away walked towards Suzaku''s body once the man with the handkerchief spoke. -Rustle...- Once everyone was reunited, the man with the handkerchief pulled down the mask that he was wearing, before he picked up a cigarette and lit it up. Then, looking a Suzaku''s limp body as he began puffing a big chunk of smoke, he began giving orders to the group of men. "Alright, squad B, you pick him up and bring him to the car. As for team A, keep a watch over the area just in case any hero coincidentally decides to make their patrol across this area. We can''t have anyone see this, otherwise, it will make it hard for our customer" "Yes!!" Saluting the man, soon half of the men dispersed into several directions, while the other half began picking up Suzaku''s body and dragging him away, towards a nearby car. "..." As he watched, the man frowned slightly, before he muttered something in an apologetic voice. "Nothing personal kid. But a job is a job" Saying that, the man then began walking behind the group carrying Suzaku''s body, as he picked up his phone and began calling someone. What happened after that, no one knew. But that day, Suzaku never returned home. ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: Erm... What the sigma?) -> Chapter 14: Experiment Chapter 14: Experiment If you want to read 13 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |An unknown amount of time later, Suzaku''s POV:| ... I opened my eyes in an unknown place. "... Where¡ªUgh?" When I noticed the oddness of my current circumstances, I tried to let out some words out of confusion. However, I was rapidly forced to stop when a mild headache that made me feel nauseous for a second assaulted my head. "... Urgh... Shit" Cursing under my breath as I did my best to not vomit, I glanced around ignoring the small tears that were coming out of my eyes, before I recognized that this place was some kind of laboratory. And I, specifically, was trapped inside some kind of iron cell without exit. "What the fuck?" Noticing how fucked up my situation seemed to be, I let out a curse out of sheer confusion. However, not wanting to get discouraged so soon, I rapidly tried to remember clearly what happened before I woke up in this place. Needing more information about why I was here, and what this place was. Then, it came to me. ''I was kidnapped... Shit'' Widening my eyes at the realization, I couldn''t help but let out another curse as I glanced at my own hands in confusion. ''Why me? Did I do something to make them kidnap me specifically, or was I just the first unlucky bastard that they came across?'' Frowning as the situation was too unbelievable for me to process properly, I glanced around me to look for clues, before I stopped when I suddenly noticed a certain fact that seemed a little strange in this whole mess. "...?" And that was the appearance of this place. As I said before, this place looked like some kind of laboratory. Which, now that I noticed it, did not go much in accord with the usual hideouts that kidnappers used. I mean, I have never experienced being kidnapped (Except for this time), and neither am I an expert on the topic. However, isn''t it a little bit strange that I was brought into some kind of lab by presumptuous kidnappers? Couldn''t it have been easier for them to just leave me in an abandoned building or something? If they were just people who wanted to extort money from my parents, then why and how the heck had they brought me into a place like this? The more I thought about it, the more I felt that there was something else happening behind my current predicament. "Why do I have to go through this shit...?" -Sha!- "...!" However, before I was even able to delve further into whatever was happening there, a door suddenly opened from the other end of the room and startled me. Immediately making me turn around to see what was happening. Then, I saw someone emerging from behind the door. A dark figure enveloped in darkness was looking straight at me from the distance through what seemed to be some big glasses that shone brightly after reflecting the little light that was coming from outside the room. "...Who...?" Seeing that person, I couldn''t help but frown. Knowing that probably the one who was behind my current predicament had appeared. "..." However, I didn''t have the time to ponder about his identity, as soon, after looking at me for a few seconds, he passed through the door and began walking towards me at a steady pace. -Tap, tap, tap- With the light coming from outside the door it was a bit hard to discern the appearance of the person approaching, as the light illuminated brightly its back while leaving the person''s front completely darkened. There was also the fact that the room I was in had been pretty dark before the door opened. Which made me slightly dizzy when so much light burst into the room all of a sudden. However, eventually, as he continued to approach, my eyes grew somewhat accustomed to the amount of light, and I eventually managed to see more clearly his appearance. Making me widen my eyes in surprise once his appearance was revealed. ''A doctor?'' To my surprise, the person who had kidnapped me, rather than looking like some weird drug addict or thug, looked instead like a random doctor you would find in any hospital. A bald head, a bushy mustache, big eyeglasses that covered his eyes, and a long white lab coat. He looked completely like a normal doctor. However, when I saw him, I couldn''t help but have a bad feeling all of a sudden. After all, if I had been kidnapped for either human trafficking or for some bad guy to extort money from my family, his appearance couldn''t have been very surprising. Maybe at most, the typical appearance of a thug. However, when I saw that the person who had probably kidnapped me and imprisoned me in an iron cell was a doctor, I rapidly had the feeling that something even worse was happening here. Something that was even more macabre than the previously mentioned options. ''It''s human experimentation... Isn''t it?'' Reaching that conclusion, it wasn''t long before I let out a curse inside my mind as I continued to glance with caution at the presumptuous doctor''s approach. I had only lived in this world for eight years by now. However, as a person that once lived in a world without superpowers, I couldn''t help but wonder at some point if some shit like this happened somewhere in this world. After all, in my previous world, it was almost certain that it happened. Even if it was not known, or divulged. We were constantly advancing as a race. There was no way there couldn''t be at least a few human experiments going on in my world for the sake of science. However, in this world, besides science... There was quirks. A thing such as superpowers that vary from person to person, how could it make sense for there to not be a place that experiments with them? I might not be the brightest. But that doesn''t mean I''m clueless. Quirks seem to have endless ways of developing, unlike the people from my old world, who were bound to human limits. There''s no way that no one in the entire globe has been interested in investigating quirks until now. Surely, there were at least a few weird mad scientists who were interested in this fact and had decided to try and experiment with them. Maybe to do some weird thing like modifying quirks, or taking them away from the body. And considering my current circumstances, it wasn''t crazy to assume that I seemed to have gotten involved directly with one of those nutjobs. ''But why?'' However, I couldn''t pinpoint a reason to pick me instead of all the other kids around the city, or the country. I was just a random kid with a lame quirk who was learning martial arts. What the hell would be so interesting about me that they would go all the way to kidnap me specifically? No matter how I thought about it at that moment, I couldn''t think of anything. Though, maybe that was because my heart was in turmoil currently. Making me unable to think clearly. Being kidnapped usually doesn''t mean anything good after all. And, I must admit, I was scared shitless. The only reason I wasn''t peeing my pants right now was due to the training that I had carried out for two years by now. The constant pain and thrill made me more resistant and coolheaded. Though, not entirely. Which was exactly why I was still feeling scared shitless. What were they gonna do to me? Just what kind of inhuman experience was I gonna go through? When seeing myself trapped in this iron cell and with a psychopath in potency approaching me little by little, I couldn''t help but ask myself these questions. Which soon caused me to curse under my breath after not finding any other way of venting these swirling emotions of mine. "Fricking hell..." However, I didn''t have any more time to try and figure more things out on my own, as soon the doctor arrived in front of me, and then began glancing at me with a curious gaze in his eyes. One that I didn''t like at all. "I came here as soon as I heard that you had woken up... And I have to say... I really can''t see anything extraordinary about you" Saying that, the creepy doctor stroked his chin as his eyes narrowed from behind his glasses. Seemingly analyzing every single part of my body with his gaze, and making me extremely uncomfortable. However, fortunately, that didn''t last very long, and soon, he walked past me and began moving towards another part of the room. Unfortunately, though, things didn''t end there. While he walked past me, he continued talking. And his next words made me widen my eyes when I realized what they probably implied. "However, that mere ordinary appearance of yours is already extraordinary... How could a body like yours seem so normal, and yet have such a wide gap in abilities compared to a normal human? It''s very intriguing..." ''... So that''s it...'' Frowning a little, I couldn''t help but glance at my body with a bewildered gaze, as the bad feeling that I had been having since earlier became worse. However, I didn''t even have the time to question what kind of business he had with my body, since soon he turned on what seemed to be the lights of this lab, and made me stare in shock at my surroundings. -Paf!- "Holy...shit!" Seeing what was there, surrounding me, I involuntarily let out a curse in horror. There, floating inside some kind of capsules, there were several huma¡ªOr rather humanoid beings of grotesque appearance with their brains completely exposed. All of them were submerged in some kind of pale green liquid. Their eyes lacked life, and they weren''t moving a single muscle... However, they were alive. How did I know? Because one of them suddenly looked at me when I was staring at them in horror. Making me flinch slightly. "...!" "Hohoho... That''s quite a nice reaction" As soon as he saw me flinch, the doctor let out a chuckle in entertainment. Seemingly enjoying my shocked expression. However, I wasn''t in the mood to mind his mockery, as I was more worried about what those beings were, and what they could mean for the future me. And, as I was desiring, soon the doctor began giving me an explanation of what they were... Much to my dread. "These are the Nomus. They are a project on development that I have been investigating for quite a while... A project that will revolutionize humanity as a whole...!" Spreading his arms wide as he admired his creation, the doctor smiled creepily, before he then turned to look back at me while fixing his glasses as he continued: "In short, they are human corpses that I have carefully modified through several experiments to make them able to hold more than one quirk..." Then, clenching his fist as he looked at them with a saddened expression, the creepy doctor let out a long sigh, before he then continued explaining. "... Since human bodies are too weak to hold more than one, I have been investigating a way to strengthen them so that multiple quirks can inhabit one body... And these creatures are the result of that... Powerful beings capable of wielding more than one Quirk in just a single body" Then, clicking his tongue as a grim look appeared on his face, the doctor shook his head in disappointment as he spoke. "... Though, unfortunately, while until now I have been able to make them carry more than one quirk, I have been unable to make them able to resist the damage that such powers create within the body... More specifically, within the brain. Which rapidly renders them braindead and unable to think for themselves once the Quirks settle in their body... Although, at least they do pretty well as loyal soldiers since they don''t have free will." Letting out a sigh as he passed through several capsules while touching the glass in them with his hand, the doctor then suddenly came to a stop, before his previous gloomy expression turned into a happy one all of a sudden. His face gained a smile that went from ear to ear... And he began looking at me. "However, as if by miracle, I have gained just the perfect subject to create a new type of Nomu... One that will surpass all the previous ones. Even Kurogiri..." Saying that with a creepy smile on his face, the man then suddenly began walking towards my cell, before he stopped and grabbed the bars that separated him from me with a crazy expression on his face. -Clang!- "A body that it''s almost twice as strong as a normal human body...! It is like a blessing bestowed by the heavens..." Laughing maniacally as he glared at my body with greed, the doctor squinted his eyes as he continued speaking. "... A blessing gifted to me... so that I could create the Ultimate Nomu. Hehehe... I am dying to see just how many quirks a body like yours will be able to bear without losing your entire mind!" Glaring at me with a crazed smile spreading on his face, the doctor laughed maniacally for a few seconds more, before he eventually calmed down slightly, and whispered something in a gentle yet eerie voice. "I''m looking forward to seeing how you will evolve... My new Nomu...Hohohoho..." After that, he turned around and began walking towards the exit. Seemingly being done with talking to me. However, just as he was about to close the door once again and leave me once again in the darkness, he glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and whispered something with a sadistic grin etching across his face. "... I will start with your transformation in just a few minutes... I hope you are as excited as I am... Suzaku-kun" -Bam!- Leaving those words behind, the man then closed the door with a bang. Leaving me alone once again in the darkness watching the air with a blank look on my face. Not knowing what I was going to do. "Shit..." Eventually, a curse was all that left my mouth. It was the only thing I could say after hearing all that. The only thing I could think to do. Then, gritting my teeth as anger suddenly began coursing through my veins, I stood up, before then I ran towards the bars of the cell, and began punching and kicking them with all I had. "Don''t joke with me!" -Clang!- -Clang!- -Clang!- All in a struggle to free myself from this hellhole. A fruitless struggle. ... -To be continued...- (A/N: Like last week, here''s a Power Stones goal in exchange for one extra free-Chapter. 100 Power Stones, take it or leave it) Chapter 15: Destiny Chapter 15: Destiny If you want to read 13 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Old man Tatsuo''s POV:| ... "What do you mean Suzaku is missing?" Frowning heavily after hearing those words from my pupil''s father, I couldn''t help but ask him to repeat his words to make sure that I hadn''t heard wrong. "I asked you if you knew where he was! After he went to school yesterday, he never came back! My wife and I are so worried... So we thought that maybe he was with you but had forgotten to tell us" Hearing him, I became speechless for a moment. ''The brat is missing?'' I couldn''t help but feel bewildered by those words. After all, just a few days ago, he and I had been training together, and I had told him that he would have to progress his training on his own from then on. But now, he was suddenly missing? Widening my eyes at that, I involuntarily frowned before I began massaging my temple out of frustration and worry. "No, sorry Mr. Suzuki... I haven''t seen him since two days ago. The other day he entered a training phase where he had to figure things out on his own, and since then, I haven''t seen him... Did you report this matter to the police already?" "We did, but they say that they haven''t found any clues yet..." He said while wearing a downcast expression. Hearing him, I nodded my head while exhaling heavily from my nose. However, I tried asking him one more thing. "Then, when was the last time that he was seen?" Hearing my question, the man looked surprised for a second, but soon shook his head while a sad expression settled on his face. "As far as the police have managed to discover, he was last seen at his school in the teacher''s room after he had gotten into some trouble with a new student... However, the teachers said that after their lecture Suzaku went straight home. So it seems more likely that he disappeared after leaving the school rather than when being inside it" "..." Listening to him, I nodded my head with a contemplative look in my eyes. ''So he disappeared after leaving school, huh?'' I repeated the father''s words in my mind. With the few clues that were at my disposal, some possibilities came to my mind about what may have happened to Suzaku. However, one of them in particular stood out from the others. ''There aren''t many things that would make him disappear during the traject between his school and his home... The only thing that seems more likely... is a kidnapping'' Squinting my eyes at such thoughts, I caressed my bushy beard with a slight doubt evident on my face. ''Only such a thing would cause him to disappear... Albeit unlikely... That brat, if it had been just a normal kidnapping, then he would have easily beaten up the thugs attempting to kidnap him, and he wouldn''t have dissapeared. However, seeing that he is not here... Then, am I really wrong here?'' Closing my eyes in frustration as I couldn''t reach a proper conclusion, I let out a long sigh, before then I looked at Suzaku''s father and patted him on the shoulder. Forcing a calm smile to form on my face while I did that. "It''s alright Mr. Suzuki. Wherever Suzaku might be, I assure you that he is okay" "...!" Hearing my words, the man widened his eyes as he glanced at me with a questioning gaze. "W-why do you say so?" At his words, I crossed my arms and smiled confidently. "Because I trained him myself. I assure you that with what he has learned, he will be able to protect himself well enough..." I wasn''t saying this only to console the poor man. No, I was sure that Suzaku could very well protect himself. This was also why I had thought that while a kidnapping was the most possible option, it was also unlikely. After all, with all the time I had spent with that kid, I had gotten to know his strength very well. He alone could easily take down a few thugs on his own with the strength that he had acquired over the two years that we had been together. Even while being just eight years old. The only situation in which I don''t think he would have been able to fight back was if he had been kidnapped by some kind of dangerous individual or taken by surprise. But I couldn''t think of any way for him to attract the attention of such a person. Aside from his unusual strength, he was a rather normal kid with normal parents and with a normal life. I doubted very much that he would have gotten himself into trouble with some dangerous guy. I would understand if he had been some kind of hero. However, he was just some snotty brat who lived a few streets away from my dojo. Why would someone dangerous gain interest in him? It just didn''t make any sense to me. So, in this case, I guess it was safe to assume that he had probably been taken by surprise by whoever had kidnapped him. Otherwise, it couldn''t make sense for him to have disappeared so suddenly. However, even if that was the case, I wasn''t worried. The kid knew how to defend himself. Even if he was taken by surprise and was in problems right now, I knew that he would eventually solve everything on his own. He was quite a clever kid... In some aspects. I had gotten to understand that through our years of training together. So, wherever he was. I was sure that he was okay. He was my disciple. And as such, he was destined for great things. If he were to die just because of a little kidnapping, it would be a disgrace to my martial arts school. I had trained him to become the best that there would be in terms of physical combat. I knew that even if he got to face some punks with good quirks, he would somehow figure something out in the end. He had at least shown that much talent during our training, even if he didn''t notice it. "Though, if he was run over by a car, then I guess there''s nothing my martial arts will help him with" "What? A car?!" ''Huh? Did I mutter that out loud?'' Widening my eyes as I noticed that I may have muttered that last part out loud, I then glanced to where Suzaku''s dad was, before I saw him looking at the floor with a lifeless look while he kept muttering "A car..." in a low voice repeatedly. ''Oh goddamnit...'' Shaking my head in resignation, I glanced at the sky and let out a long sigh. ''Suzaku brat, you better hurry up and come back. Your old man right here is about to have a stroke..'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Back to the laboratory, 3rd person POV:| ... "Huff... Huff..." Panting heavily as he kneeled on the ground powerlessly, Suzaku could be seen with both of his fists sprayed on the ground, both bruised and slightly bloodied. His back was arched, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and he seemed extremely exhausted. The cause of his current state was evident. Extending from his fists, a trail of blood ran all over the ground straight toward the cell bars that currently separated him from the outside. All of them with huge dents on them, and some were even slightly cracked. However, unfortunately, none of them were broken. After being left alone by the doctor, Suzaku did his best to free himself using the fists and legs that he had trained so much through the years with the Tatsuo Old man. However, no matter how much he punched or kicked them, they didn''t break. They received damage, sure. However, his fists and feet received as much damage as they inflicted on the bars, if not even more. Because of it, In the end, Suzaku was forced to stop. Otherwise, the first things to break wouldn''t have been the bars. And now, lying defeated on the ground, Suzaku was doing his best to think of another way to get out of there. However, truthfully, he was out of options. He had nothing with him that would help him to escape. The doctor that had kidnapped him had taken away his backpack, along with most of his clothes. Right now, he was only wearing a hospital gown. As such, the only thing that he could use to escape was his own body. However, his fists'' bones were already on the verge of breaking. And his feet and legs weren''t in a better condition either. He was utterly hopeless at the moment. The only thing he could do at the moment was curse to vent out his frustrations. However, to make matters worse, he had limited time. The creepy doctor had said that he would begin with Suzaku''s "transformation" in just a few minutes. However, since then, Suzaku had lost count of time after relentlessly hitting the iron bars with all he had. As such, despite knowing that he had very little time, he didn''t know how much "very little" was. Something that unnerved him to no end. ''I have to get up... There''s no time...'' If anything, he felt that at least five minutes had passed since then. However, considering how upset he was feeling at that moment, with adrenaline aggressively pumping through his whole body, it would have been very well more than that amount of time. Which meant that the doctor would come for him just any minute now. "Shit... Get up... There must be a way" Feeling anxious, Suzaku tried to get up with all his might. However, due to his relentless onslaught against the iron bars earlier, his legs were faintly injured. Which, as a result, soon caused him to fall to the floor dryly after feeling a sharp pain pass through his legs once he tried to walk. -Thud!- "Ugh!" Grunting loudly after hitting dryly the floor, Suzaku panted heavily for a moment as his vision turned slightly blurry for a second. "...Ghk" However, not letting the dizziness of the fall affect him, Suzaku forced himself to stand up. After that, he began walking towards the cell bars once again. Although, this time, with more carefulness in his steps -Clang!- Then, grabbing tightly the cold and sturdy iron bars with his hands, Suzaku closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, seemingly taking a moment to regain his energy, before he then opened them again and took a step back. "Please..." Then, tightening his pained fist, Suzaku glared at the iron bars with a focused expression, before he pulled his arm back while wearing an expression of anxiousness all over his face. One that seemed to express just how desperate he was at that moment. "... Just open!!" Yelling with all his might those words, Suzaku jumped towards the bars using the little strength that his feet still had. And, making use of his momentum and speed, Suzaku launched his fist toward the iron bars... One final time. -Clang!- However... -Crack...- ... Unfortunately for Suzaku, what broke after the collision wasn''t the bars. "Aaaarghh...ghk...!!" -Thud!- Suppressing his scream as he felt something crack within his hand, Suzaku fell on his knees while he grabbed tightly his bloodied fist with his other hand. Breathing heavily as he did his best to not let out a pained yelp. "Haaah... Haaah..." After that, he stayed in that position for a while. Resisting the pain that his hand was going through, and waiting for it to recede slightly over time. Fortunately, after a while, the pain calmed down. However, it quickly surfaced again if Suzaku moved his hand even a little. Which forced him to stay still in his position, unable to do anything as his doom approached with each second that passed. Because of that, eventually, he became lost in thought. "Why was I brought here...?" Suzaku asked no one in particular. He wasn''t talking about the laboratory. No, he was talking about the world he lived in now. A world that was once just part of a work of fiction. A world that, somehow, had become his new reality. ''What was that Impostor thinking...? Why did he reincarnate me here? Did he not know that I would end up like this?'' Glancing at his injured hand, Suzaku frowned as his mouth trembled a little. ''Why did he make me get born in a body of such strength, if I was gonna end like this...? Did he think nothing bad would happen to me because of it?'' Did he think this was a blessing?'' Laughing dryly, Suzaku glared at the dents on the iron bars and scoffed in dejection. ''What a blessing... In the end, against something so simple as iron bars, it becomes useless. Not to mention that it was because of it that I ended up in this situation...'' Putting his hand down while ignoring the pain, Suzaku then glanced towards the ceiling hanging above his head and sighed. His face wearing a despondent expression while he did so. ''I said it at those times because I was half-joking... However, if that Impostor is God... Then...'' "Please help me..." Letting out those words as he glared emptily at the air, Suzaku stayed silent for a few seconds as if waiting for something to happen. "..." However, after a few seconds passed, he looked down and eventually let out a sneer while his face became adorned with a wry smile. "To think that I would one day pray for an Impostor to save me... I don''t even know how to feel about that" Shaking his head with the wry smile still adorning his face, Suzaku suddenly paused, before he then turned his eyes to look at the door where the doctor had disappeared a while ago, and had a certain word pass through his mind. "Heroes, huh?" Remembering the profession from which he had started hearing about constantly after arriving in this world, Suzaku wondered if some hero was looking for him now. They were supposed to be the ones that saved the day, after all. Would a hero save him today? Suzaku wondered. And as he did so, he saw the image of a hero piercing through the door of the lab. Soon running towards him, and freeing him from his cell. An image, that while full of hope... Was nothing but illusory. No one was coming to save him today. -Sha!- And, as if confirming that fact, soon the door of the lab opened. However, instead of revealing the gallant figure of a hero about to save him, what was behind the door was instead a group of several men wearing lab coats similar to that of the doctor who had come to see him earlier. And, from what he could see, none of them looked like a Pro-hero. Laughing dryly, Suzaku closed his eyes in discouragement before he shook his head and thought dejectedly ''I guess this is it...''. Finally giving up, and accepting what seemed to be his fate. Soon, the men moved in unison toward him. Arriving right next to his cell shortly after. Once they arrived, the one who seemed to be the head of the group pointed at another member with his finger, before he ordered him to anesthetize Suzaku. Hearing his leader, the man rapidly moved towards a certain panel that was in a wall before he began pressing some buttons. Then, once he finished, a mechanical arm suddenly emerged from one of the walls that encompassed Suzaku''s cell, before it moved violently toward Suzaku and ultimately pierced his body with a needle filled with a yellow liquid. "Kgh..." With the last fighting spirit that he had in his body, Suzaku squirmed a bit. However, due to how injured he was, he was not able to shake the needle off. -Thud- And as a result, Suzaku soon fell unconscious after a few seconds passed. Causing him to plummet to the ground. Seeing him fall, the head of the group soon spoke up. Making everyone around him start to move. "Take him to the surgery room" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... Suzaku was lying on a small bed, tied tightly to it by several iron belts that restringed his movement. The room in which he was now, in contrast with the lab, was filled with lights all around. Leaving no room for shadows, and bathing Suzaku''s unconscious body completely in light. However, he was not alone. Around him, the group of men from earlier were now standing by the side of his bed. All of them now wearing face masks to cover their mouths, along with latex gloves wrapping their hands. All in all, they all looked like proper medics. If it wasn''t for the actual implications of what was about to happen, the scene would just seem like a normal surgery about to be performed by completely normal surgeons. But unfortunately, it wasn''t. "..." Looking at Suzaku for a second from the corner of his eyes as he walked past him, the leader of the group squinted his eyes briefly at the sight of the red-haired kid unconscious on the bed, before he then shook his head and turned around to speak aloud. Gathering the attention of everyone in the room on the process. "Listen, everyone. Dr. Ujiko said that something urgent had come up just now. So he ordered us to perform the first part of the surgery while he was not here. After he is done with what he has to do, he will take over what comes after this... Do you all remember what the procedure is in this case, right?" "Yes sir!" Hearing their leader, the rest of them nodded their heads as they voiced their affirmation with confidence. Making the head of the group nod his head with a pleased look in his eyes. After this, the group rapidly dispersed and started moving across the room. With all of them soon taking their respective positions, and leaving only the head of the group to be standing right next to the bed where Suzaku rested. After seeing everyone ready, he nodded his head and picked up what seemed to be a pen from a nearby metal table. Then, looking at Suzaku, who was still asleep, the man leaned forward, before he began drawing a horizontal line all over Suzaku''s forehead using the pen. All the while he kept speaking to the group. "... Remember, if we make even a single mistake, Dr. Ujiko will have our heads. So no mistakes are allowed while the operation is in progress. The one that makes a mistake, I will kill him myself on the spot... And I will make sure to make his death the most painful one possible" ""Yes sir!"" "Good" Nodding his head after hearing his companions voice their agreement while he also finished marking Suzaku''s forehead, the man then gestured towards his companions to get ready. To which all of them began picking up tools from nearby and started preparing to hand them out to the man whenever it was needed. While they did that, a cold chuckle escaped the man''s lips as he retrieved a gleaming object from the ground... a circular saw. -Vrrrrrrrr...!- He activated the saw, feeling the raw power coursing through his grasp. However, it was also a dangerous tool that would unfold doom on them all if he failed to do a precise cut on the forehead. So once he got a hold of it, he couldn''t help but feel a bead of sweat run down from his forehead. One wrong movement and Dr. Ujiko would kill them for ruining what seemed to be his most important subject so far. Knowing that fact, the man ordered a pair of men who were on standby to grab Suzaku. "Get a tight hold on him!" "Yes sir!" -Rustle...!- Once they heard his order, the men moved rapidly. And after a few seconds, they secured Suzaku''s body to prevent any mishap during the delicate operation. Grabbing him tightly from both his shoulders and his head to immobilize him as much as possible, as well as tightening the iron belts that tied his body down to the bed so that the body wouldn''t be able to move either. Once he made sure that Suzaku was being firmly held, the man muttered "Good" before he bobbed his head at his companions as a way of signaling that he was about to begin, and approached the bed where Suzaku was resting. Soon bringing the circular saw closer to his forehead, and positioning the blade precisely over the line he had drawn earlier. -Vrrrrrrrrrr...!- After that, the deafening whir of the saw filled the room. Creating an eerie air around the room for the grim task that they were about to carry out. "Heh..." Acknowledging his situation, the man enjoyed the moment. A twisted pleasure slowly bloomed in his heart while he brought the saw closer and closer to Suzaku''s forehead. ''God, how I love my job'' -Vrrrrrrrrrr...!- Having these thoughts in mind, a sinister grin spread through his face from behind the facemask while the circular saw began brushing Suzaku''s forehead. Soon creating a small cut on it, and provoking a small gush of blood to come out. ''Good'' Seeing the blood run down through Suzaku''s nose bridge, the man squinted his eyes pleasedly, before he then began putting more pressure into the circular saw. Causing Suzaku''s head to tremble a little in recoil at the saw''s ferocious rotation. ''Time to open the¡ª huh?'' "..." However, just as he was about to dig the saw deeper into his head, he noticed that Suzaku''s eyes were now open. And they were staring at him. "Wha¡ª" When he realized that, time seemed to slow down for him, as a cold shiver suddenly ran down his spine. "...!" He didn''t know what it was, however, the moment Suzaku''s eyes locked onto him, he became unable to move the saw in his hands any further. He tried to proceed with the surgery. However, no matter how much he pushed his body, he just remained static. His eyes seemingly stuck onto Suzaku''s bright red eyes, which were now uncovered after the group had broken the glasses that covered them for more precision during the surgery. "What¡ªWhat is...?" Feeling the abnormality of the situation, the man tried to utter a few words. Seeing if he could get the other men to help him. However, the moment those words left his mouth, all of his bodily hair stood up, before his heart began beating with a speed it had never reached before. Creating a deafening sound that made him gulp a good chunk of saliva inside of his mouth. He didn''t know exactly why. However, every instinct in his body was begging him to stop what he was doing and get away from there. It was as if something terrifying was watching over him. Something that had somehow activated every primal survival instinct that may have been dormant inside him during all his life. And, feeling like that, he couldn''t stop his body from eventually standing up and letting go of the circular saw in his hand. -Thud!- However, it didn''t end there, since as soon as he did that, he turned around and tried to run from there. Anywhere else was fine. He just wanted to get out of there. Away from the boy with red hair. His body was pleading for him to do so. ''I have to¡ª'' However, unfortunately for him. He wasn''t able to. And neither were the other people in the room. -Crash!- Before anyone would notice it, everything went black. And only the screams of panic and gruesome sounds filled the obscure room after that. All, while a pair of red eyes gleamed and moved swiftly amidst the shadows. ... -To be Continued- (A/N: You made it, so you get it) Chapter 16: The Impostor Awakens Chapter 16: The Impostor Awakens If you want to read 13 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Suzaku''s POV:| ... A deep and eerie silence filled the room currently. And I, who stood still in the middle of it, contributed to the silence by not uttering a single word. Not because I wanted to, but rather because I couldn''t. I was not in a proper state for doing so... At least, not mentally. "..." Right now, my back was drenched in a cold sweat. Making my clothes stick to my skin, and instilling a deep feeling of discomfort in me. My breathing was also heavy. I repeatedly tried breathing calmly, but my body just couldn''t regulate its pace. However, what was in the worst condition right now was my mind. I felt dizzy. Almost nauseous even. But the sense of discomfort didn''t originate from my stomach or anything like that. It was coming straight from my head. And it was all because of what I was currently seeing. What I had caused, to be more precise. And it had all happened in just a moment. The people who had tried to kill me... Were now lying on the ground as mere corpses, devoid of any life that may have lingered within them until just a few moments ago. All while I, who had been restrained without being able to move until a few seconds ago, was now standing amidst all of them, with my body covered in blood¡ª...their blood. Some of them had their stomach pierced, other ones had their necks bent in strange ways, and some others seemed to have been either stabbed to death multiple times or shot precisely in the head. It was a complete massacre... ... And it had all been caused by me. ''...'' However, even if you asked me how I did it, I couldn''t be able to answer you. As I said, everything happened in just a moment. Before I knew it, all this massacre had already happened, and I, who was supposed to be restrained under some iron belts that tied me to the bed that was in a corner of the room, was now standing completely unharmed in the middle of the room as if I had never been in that bed, to begin with. However, why was I so sure that it was me who caused all of this? Because I saw it. I saw how, when my eyes caught a glimpse of the saw in the man''s hand about to cut my head, my body suddenly appeared behind him and snapped his neck as if it was made of paper. I saw how, when all the other men in the room were about to pull guns and knives out of their lab coats after watching horrified how I killed who I imagined was their leader, my body appeared behind them and started killing all of them one by one in mere seconds. I saw how it all had been done by me. Even if I, myself, didn''t know how. "..." At one time, my hand sprouted a knife-looking bone from my palm and used it to stab multiple times one of the men in the room. Not letting him react in the slightest as his life left his body in between my multiple stabs. On another, it created from my bones what seemed to be a gun, and used it to shoot another of the men in the head with extreme precision. With another of the men, I saw how my stomach opened apart like a fucking mouth and shot what seemed to be an enormous and sharp tongue from inside it. Piercing the body of another of the men in just a split second, before then returning to my insides as if nothing had happened, and leaving no traces of my stomach having opened just a second ago at all, aside from the hole in my clothes after the tongue had shot out. And all of that had happened as if I had been in some kind of automatic pilot. No, it rather felt like something akin to a survival instinct. One that had forced my body to move while I was still in a daze, and that had made me kill all of these men before they even had the chance to defend themselves. Even though I didn''t know how. "Shit" Eventually, I couldn''t help but let out a curse upon feeling my discomfort becoming too much for me to bear. I felt sick. I felt confused. I could feel my stomach churn and my heart beating abnormally fast as I glanced at my surroundings with squinted eyes. Not knowing if I should close my eyes or not. After all, I was already an adult. I was not some little kid who would become traumatized due to seeing some blood and people die. However, even then, I felt my insides revolve whenever I recalled my murder spree from a few seconds ago. Perhaps it was the fact that I was seeing a dead human for the first time. Or maybe it was the fact that it had been me who had killed them. Something that I had never thought I would do, even though I now lived in a chaotic world, and I was planning to work as a hero in the future. Maybe it was simply both of those factors, combined with the deep iron/fish-like stench that was currently flooding the room. But honestly, I just couldn''t put my head to identify what the source of my discomfort was. I just couldn''t Not here. Not now. Not while I was still in danger. "Huff... Huff..." So, shaking my head fiercely to shake away the deep sense of discomfort that was enveloping me, I glanced towards one of the doors of this place and walked towards it. Doing my best to ignore the splashing and squishy sounds that echoed across the room whenever I took a step forward. -Creeaaack...- When I opened the door, I found myself staring at the insides of the laboratory where I had been trapped before. Apparently, the surgery room had been right next to the lab. The cell where I had been trapped earlier was on one of the corners of the room, now open and empty. The strange beings that I had seen in the capsules were also still there. Staring emptily at the void without even flinching after receiving the light coming from the room where I was, despite the lab being pretty dark. "... There''s no exit here..." However, after a glance around the room, I concluded that it was a dead end, and simply closed the door before going back inside the surgery room. This time aiming to look at the other door that was on the opposite side of the room. However, once I stepped out of the room once again, this time through the other door, I found myself facing a long and dark corridor dimly illuminated by a few LED lights that were scattered at intervals. Making it hard to see what was beyond a certain distance. The corridor was incredibly long, and since it was hard to see what was past a certain distance, I wasn''t sure whether to walk through it to see if there was an exit somewhere along it, or if I should check the surgery room again to see if there was any other door that I would try out. -Sigh...- However, knowing that I was just feeling apprehensive about going into this corridor and that I was just making up excuses to not continue going this way, I took a deep breath and began walking across it. Ignoring the feelings of distress as I did so. Hopefully, at the end of it, I would find the exit of this place and leave for good. I just wanted to go back home. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |3rd Person POV:| ... After that. Suzaku continued walking through the corridor for a few minutes. The corridor was so immensely long that at some point Suzaku started pondering if he was walking in circles. No matter how much he squinted his eyes to look at the end of the corridor, he couldn''t see any end at all. So, it was normal for him to think that maybe he had entered into some kind of corridor in the shape of a roundabout. It was as if the place where he was had no end. However, he quickly discarded that possibility when he noticed that he never came across the door from where he had come from. And, unless this place somehow moved on its own, it seemed like this corridor was just horrendously long. So, swallowing his frustration, Suzaku just continued walking. Hoping that soon he would find an exit. Unfortunately for him, things didn''t seem that they were going to be as easy as he expected. -Riiiiiiing!!- Suddenly, while Suzaku was walking amidst the dark corridor, the lights on the ceiling acquired an eerie red color, and, out of nowhere, a loud and ominous ring bell began filling the entire surroundings. Making Suzaku, who was lost in his thoughts until then, jump in surprise and look around with a shocked expression on his face. "...?!" But the situation didn''t stop there. Soon a voice echoed throughout the area and caused Suzaku''s eyes to widen and his back to be soaked in a cold sweat upon hearing its words. [Attention all agents on standby. This is an urgent alert. Subject UN-1 has escaped containment and is currently active in the main corridor. Immediate mobilization to sector 12 is required for apprehension. I repeat, lethal force is strictly prohibited. Ensure incapacitation without causing harm.] "Shit!" In the end, a curse was all he was able to utter before he began running with all his might through the corridor. Ignoring completely the sharp pain that ran through his legs whenever he took a step forward. "Huff... Huff..." He needed to get out of wherever he was, and fast. Otherwise, whoever was looking for him now would eventually catch up to him. And he was honestly having none of that. "Huh?" Unfortunately, he wasn''t exactly in a place where he could hide or avoid encounters. "There he is!" While he was continuing to run without a specific destination, suddenly a loud voice echoed from several meters in front of him and made him stop in his tracks immediately. Soon noticing a few figures in guard-like suits sprinting toward him while carrying guns in their arms. "...!" Unable to say a word, Suzaku''s body froze for a moment. However, at the next second, Suzaku suddenly boldly jumped from his spot and began running towards the people who had appeared. His face for some reason still frozen in a shocked expression as he did so. ""...!!"" Seeing Suzaku suddenly sprinting towards them, the men halted their steps and immediately pointed their guns at him while yelling "Stop, or we will shoot!" However, even after hearing that, Suzaku didn''t stop. Rather, he increased his speed when he saw the men point their guns at him. "Fire!!" Eventually, seeing that Suzaku wasn''t stopping, the men pointed their guns at his body and shot. -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- However, much to their shock, by the time the projectiles had arrived where Suzaku had been, he had already disappeared from his previous spot and was now instead leaning on one of the walls of the corridor, as he continued glaring at them without flinching in the slightest at the fact that they had just shot him. "...?!" When seeing that, the men were instantly surprised when they noticed how fast Suzaku''s reaction towards their guns had been. Letting out a few surprised grunts for a short moment as they all glared at the boy. However, being the trained men that they were, they recovered fairly quickly from their stupor, and rapidly began to point their guns at him once again. "Shoot¡ª" -Crack!- However, before they had even the chance to shoot again, Suzaku''s body completely disappeared from one moment to another, before then a cracking sound echoed amidst the corridor and made all of the men freeze in their spot. "..." After that, a second of silence filled the corridor. And, during that small second, none of the men were able to move. As if they had been petrified upon hearing the strange sound from earlier. Eventually, though, they all regained their mobility and immediately turned to look at what had caused such a gruesome sound. Alert and cautious of any danger as they did so. "...?!" However, upon turning around, their cautiousness instead turned into a deep deep fear. One that, despite having learned to ignore a long time ago through harsh training, had now resurfaced, and stronger than ever. A fear that, somehow, was making their entire body feel as if they were freezing. And, how couldn''t they? There, standing in the same position as he had been until a few seconds ago, the man who was their leader and the one in charge of giving out the orders, now had his head looking in a completely different direction from the way his body was facing, and, from his nose and mouth, a long trail of blood could be seen coming out. His neck had been snapped, and to worsen things, it had been before any of them could even react or notice what had happened. In the blink of an eye, his life had been swept away like a candle having its flame extinguished by a small gush of air without warning. "...?!!" However, despite their confusion, and chaotic minds at that moment, they all knew who the culprit behind that death had been. And how couldn''t they? The culprit was standing right behind the lifeless body of their leader. Looking at them with a cold and terrifying gaze that seemed to stare right into their soul. "You... What in hell are you...?!" Eventually, and amidst countless stutters, one of the men managed to let out a few words of incredulity. His voice tinged with terror and horror as he spoke to the one they thought had been just a boy until just a few seconds ago. However, he wasn''t granted a response. And, instead, what he received after that, was pure darkness. -Bang!- Somehow, at that moment, the lights in the corridor turned off as if a blackout had occurred, and left the entire corridor submerged in total and complete darkness. A darkness that, like a horror movie, was only interrupted by two glowing red eyes staring at them impassively. "Kill that thing!!!" Eventually, after their bodies'' most intrinsic survival instincts kicked in, the men were able to escape their petrification, and in less than a second, began shooting the figure of the kid with the red eyes standing a few meters away from them. -Bang!!- -Bang!!- -Bang!!- -Bang!!- However, just like before, the result was the same. By the time they finally spent all their bullets, they noticed that the boy who had been right in front of them was nowhere to be seen. Though, that didn''t last very long, since soon they got to know where he was in the hard way. "Aaaargh!!" After the deafening silence that came after the bullet hell they had unleashed, a chilling scream reached their ears and made them all turn around hurriedly. "...!!" There, the child with red hair and red eyes was standing right beside the corpse of one of their companions, which had several stab wounds covering all its back. Upon seeing that, they raised their weapons once more. Ready to do anything to survive. However, it was futile. None of them was leaving this place alive. ... A while after that, several screams and grotesque sounds filled the entire corridor, which, along with the darkness that currently enveloped it thanks to the light''s malfunction, made everything in it resemble a horror movie. It wasn''t until a few minutes passed, that an eerie silence finally began taking over the corridor. Interrupted only by the faint breathing sounds of what seemed to be an exhausted kid. However, that silence didn''t last very long, as the sound of more people approaching the scene suddenly emerged once again. Filling the corridor with the clamoring echoes of their steps. However, they rapidly came to a halt when the same grotesque sounds and horrified screams from earlier filled the entire place for the minutes to come. And the cycle only repeated again and again. -Bang!!- -Bang!!- -Bang!!- -Bang!!- "Aaaargh!!" "Save meeee!!!" Silence, and then violent sounds. "Stay away!!!" "Kill him, kill hiiiim!!!!" -Bang!!- -Bang!!- -Bang!!- Screams of horror, and then silence. ... ... ... Until finally, no sound was left, and only two red eyes remained in the darkness. ... -To be Continued...- Chapter 17: Freedom Chapter 17: Freedom ... "Hey, squad 17, answer me! Where is subject UN-1?! Answer me! Goddamnit!" "Send more personnel, we can''t afford to let that one escape. Dr. Ujiko will kill us if he does!" "What more personnel?! We already sent everyone available!" "What did you say?!" "Shit... Just what in the world is happening...?!" In a small room packed with screens everywhere, a lot of people could be seen panicking and yelling in anger at what seemed to be the lack of images on the screens. Some even hitting the desks in front of them because of the feeling of powerlessness that they were going through. And their emotions were understandable. After all, their most important subject was escaping, and despite them having sent everyone capable enough to stop him before he fled, all of their units ceased all communication the moment they made contact with the brat. What''s more, this was happening repeatedly with everyone they sent to capture him... It didn''t matter if they sent a pair of squads, or if they sent all the seventy present squads at once. The moment they arrived at the zone where the subject supposedly was, their devices ceased all communication. It was as if the subject had... "... No, it''s not possible... While that kid possesses a higher level of body capabilities, he is facing countless trained soldiers equipped with tranquilizing weapons... Not to mention that many of them possess very dangerous Quirks that could quickly subdue him if necessary... It''s simply not possible for him to have..." While scratching his head in frustration, one of the several men in the room pondered deeply about the current situation as he felt something was not right. After all, the subject was but a little kid of no more than 8 years old. Even if he had a powerful body, how could that even compare to what hundreds of soldiers armed with weapons were capable of? It simply didn''t make sense to consider the possibility of the subject being the one to have taken down the soldiers as something plausible. "..." However, even if he¡ª...even everyone in the room thought like that... the fact that the soldiers had indeed dissapeared after making contact with the kid and that he was still roaming free through the base was something none of them could deny. ... However, if he was wrong, and the kid had been indeed the one to take care of the soldiers they sent... then how had he done it? ''Shit'' He simply couldn''t figure out an answer to that. "What the fuck is that?!" "Huh?" Suddenly, while the man continued racking his brain off to think of the answer to his question, the voice of one of his companions startled him and made him turn to look at him with a confused expression. "Hey, what''s¡ª...Huh?!" However, just as he was about to ask the reason for such a shrieking scream, his eyes caught sight of something in one of the screens at the corner of the room, and his entire body froze in its spot at that instant. It appeared like one of the body cameras installed in the armor of the soldiers had safely recovered its connection with one of the screens in the room, and was finally projecting them an image of what the long corridor where they had sent the soldiers looked like. ''This... This can''t be...'' Unfortunately, none of the people present had the time to cheer up about that fact, since right there on the screen, the sight of one of the previously mentioned soldiers now lying on the floor with its head facing a completely wrong direction and with a long trail of blood coming from his nostrils and mouth could be seen. It was a brutal sight. Something that none of them had expected to see so abruptly. "..." In the end, none of the people there were able to muster a word after seeing such a sight. Of course, not because this was a traumatizing sight for them. None of the people present in that room were innocent, and all of them had seen their fair share of macabre stuff. No. The real reason they acted like that, was because of how bizarre and incomprehensible what was in front of their eyes was. The identity of the soldier''s corpse there, with his neck twisted like a wrung-out sponge, was not a common one. According to the data that they had about him, he was the leader of Squad number 2, one of the top squads in the facility, and he, in particular, possessed a very powerful Quirk that made him stand out from all his peers by a lot. "Steel-muscles..." They all remembered the Quirk''s name clearly. It granted him muscles that would harden to the point of resembling steel whenever he desired it or when his body received too much of a shock in a short amount of time. Just like non-newtonian fluid worked, but with muscles instead of liquid. In summary, it granted him an almost invulnerable body which even guns would do no damage at all, and a humongous strength since his muscles wouldn''t get torn even if he surpassed the common human limits of strength by several folds. For him, lifting a ton was not something out of the ordinary, and that, coupled with his almost invulnerable body made him a powerhouse on his own. Considering all that, for him to be the one lying dead on the ground... and with his neck twisted of all things! It didn''t make sense. Couldn''t his Quirk have prevented such an event from happening? ... And the fact that the one who did this was supposedly a kid who simply had a slightly better physique than normal people... It made even less sense. It was as if the whole situation was just some sort of sick joke. However, none of them had the time to laugh about the absurdness of the situation, since soon, seeing that not even a capable soldier like him had been able to stop the kid, and realizing that at this rate he would escape, the men in the room began to panic. "... This... This can''t be..." "Fuck... At this rate won''t we be killed for failing to keep that brat from escaping?!" "Should we go try ourselves to stop him? It''s our only option if we don''t want to face Dr. Ujiko''s wrath..." "Ahhh... Why did I even think it was a good idea to sell my soul to this place...?" However, despite the great chaos that enveloped the entire room, not everyone was feeling as urged and confused as it may have seemed. "Heh" Suddenly, while most of the people there were racking their brains about what to do, or trying to decipher what in the world was happening, a carefree laugh reached their ears and made all of them turn to look at the author of that sneer with perplexed expressions. There, sitting on a chair with a calm and triumphant smile on his face, one of their companions was looking at them while gesturing them reassuringly with his hand to calm down. "Everyone, don''t worry... I''ve just sent "That guy" to take a look at the problem" Hearing his words, the entire room went into a frenzy. "What?!" "You sent "him"?! But he is only supposed to guard the door and kill whoever enters this place without authorization!" "Are you nuts? What will you do if he breaks important scientific material while he is dealing with the subject?!" "Not to mention that Dr. Ujiko wants that subject to stay alive. It is very unlikely that such a brute will be able to handle a kid without killing him in the process!" However, the man didn''t flinch in front of all the angry complaints directed at him, and instead, he simply scoffed and pointed angrily at the screen where the corpse of one of their best soldiers could be seen with its neck broken. "Well, it''s either that, or us being killed mercilessly by Dr. Ujiko when Subject UN-1 escapes! Whether or not he kills that kid in the process, it is a risk I''m willing to take... And besides, do you see the way such a powerful Quirk user died? It doesn''t matter if the kid is the one to have done it or not. The fact that there''s something out there that killed the leader of Squad 2 in such a horrid way is the truth... And I''m going to take it down, be it with the kid in the process, or not" Shaking his head in displeasure, the man snorted before he gained a helpless expression as he talked. "... And, even if you all don''t like it, I''ve already issued the order... Now, all we can do is wait for that brute to come back here to report to us what the results are" ""...!!"" Hearing the man, the people in the room looked at him with an astonished expression, before they all gritted their teeth and bit their lower lips in frustration. However, in the end, they all stayed silent. Being unable to berate the man in front of them due to how confused and chaotic their minds were at the moment. All, except for one. At one moment, one of the present people looked threateningly at the man from earlier, before he growled "...This better work properly, or we will make sure to kill you by our own hands before Dr. Ujiko comes back...". Soon gaining the nods of all the others, and making the man from earlier visibly shiver for a moment. After that, the time passed. Five minutes passed, then ten minutes, and finally twenty minutes. The clock continued ticking as the men were biting their nails in anxiety. The wait to know how the problem had concluded was killing them. They all wanted to go out there and discover with their own eyes what was happening. However, considering that none of them was armed, and neither were they trained to fight or had a good Quirk to defend themselves, they felt reluctant to do so. After all, the soldiers they had sent had died. What would powerless people with weak quirks like them do? In this situation, all that was left was to wait. Wait for the man they had sent to deal with the subject to call at the door... And tell them that he had taken care of the kid. -Knock, knock, knock- And, just like the sound of angels ringing bells in the sky, soon the sound of someone knocking at a door reached their ears and freed them from the unending torture that was waiting. As soon as they heard the door, they all turned to look at the screen that was connected to the camera installed on the other side of the door, and there, they saw the man who would tell them whether or not they would die today. "It''s him!" "Did he do it?" "Where is the kid? I don''t see him" "Shit, he is covered in blood... He didn''t do what I think he did, right?" "He better have held back at least so that the kid doesn''t die..." Seeing that the man they were expecting had arrived, even though without the subject beside him, they hurried to open the door to see what he had to say. -Click...- And soon, the door opened. Revealing the imposing figure of a man filled with bulking muscles and a stoic face that seemed to have gone through countless hardships across his life. A man that everyone across the room knew very well. Maki Kenta, the bearer of the Quirk "Full Gravity". A Quirk that granted him the ability to create a designated zone around him that could possess up to a hundred times more gravity than normal. He had become the guardian dog of the secret facility where they were situated right now, and he was the one designated to kill anyone who entered without permission. Be it someone who accidentally discovered the place, or a hero trying to meddle where no one called him. The number of heroes he had taken down was easily in the hundreds, and the destruction he left whenever he entered in combat was not something to scoff at. This was also why he was kept at the entrance by Dr. Ujiko, since there, the zone was reinforced by several folds to withstand his abilities so that he wouldn''t need to go to other zones within the facility, where he would destroy important materials while fighting foes. "Oi, Kenta... Did you do what I asked you to?" Seeing him enter the room, the man who had issued him the order soon stood up, and asked him in a hurried tone. Gaining the attention of all the other men, who wanted to desperately know the answer to that as well. "..." However, much to the man''s confusion, Kenta did not answer him, and instead, he simply stared back at him with an impassive face while staying completely silent. Seeing that, and feeling his nervousness and impatience for knowing what happened skyrocket, the man frowned angrily, before he stomped his way towards Kenta. "Hey you brute, I asked you something!" "..." Once in front of him, the man grabbed the collar of the big guy, before he readied to yell at him in anger. He, and everyone in the room, wanted to know what had happened. Their lives were on the line depending on what the man who had just arrived would answer, after all. -Shlck!- However, before he could utter a single word, a sharp pain stabbed into the heart of the man who was grabbing Kenta''s collar, and caused a torrent of blood to gush from his mouth. Making, at that very moment, the entire room to freeze. ""...!!"" Feeling the sharp pain in his heart, the man gasped in suffering, before he slowly and faintly managed to lower his head to look at the source of his torment. And once he saw it, his eyes widened to the point he felt they were on the verge of bleeding. Down there, right where his own heart was supposed to be, what seemed to be a vicious tongue could be seen piercing deeply into his body as if he was made out of butter. A tongue that, somehow, came straight out from the stomach of the man named Kenta, who was now opened apart and had several sharp teeth around the severed part, just like a big and monstrous mouth in the middle of his body. It was an unnatural sight that could make anyone shiver in discomfort. Something that shouldn''t exist. Something unnatural. Something not human. "K¨Centa¡ª... No, you.... Ugh... W-What the fuck are you...?" Seeing the unnatural sight in front of him, the man managed to utter those words as he felt his life slipping away from him. However, as if those words had used all the energy he had left, his body went limp like a lifeless doll in just mere seconds after that, before his eyes lost all light within them. -Tschk!- -Thud!- Once dead, the tongue coming from Kenta''s stomach rapidly retracted, leaving the man''s dead body to fall to the ground helplessly, before his body reattached itself again to look just like a normal human. As if the demon''s mouth that had been right in the middle of his body had never actually existed in the first place. However, things didn''t end there, since soon, as if to make more fun of the men''s confused and chaotic minds, the appearance of the man named Kenta began dissolving like a candle being burnt by a flame and made everyone around the room exclaim in horror. Some even began vomiting on the spot. The sight was grotesque. Seeing what was once a human being get dissolved like mere liquid was something disturbing for anyone, no matter how accustomed they were to horrible things. However, completely in contrast with what the sight had been until then, when the body of Kenta finally dissolved completely, all that was left was the appearance of a naked boy standing right there, with his bright red eyes looking impassively at the group of people in front of him. A boy that everyone there remembered clearly. The one who had caused them to fall into such a mess in the first place. The one whose fault was that their lives were at risk of being taken away by their boss. The one who they had thought had been just one more of the subjects that Dr. Ujiko brought to his laboratory to experiment with. Suzaku Suzuki. Subject UN-1. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |At Jaku General Hospital, sometime later...| ... In Jaku General Hospital, the day seemed like any other. People were being treated or diagnosed, and the doctors and nurses moved at frantic paces all around the hospital. Not unoccupied enough to slow down for even a minute. Even then, that was but a normal day for everyone there, and most likely, for any hospital in the world. With Quirks arriving in society, the number of injured skyrocketed every day. As such, having incommensurable amounts of hurt people every day became the norm for any health center. Fortunately, the arrival of Quirks also helped a bit in modern medicine to ease a little bit the weight that it put on medics'' shoulders the sudden increase in wounded people. However, even then, the increase in patients continued to be a thing. Though, to the relief of the staff of the hospital, today wasn''t a hectic day. Just a normal one. Otherwise, none of them would even have the time to catch their breath every once and then. As such, the staff of the hospital continued doing their jobs without complaining. Thinking that with enough luck the day would end without complications if they didn''t falter. And, indeed, there weren''t any complications... That is until a certain incident happened out of the blue. Just when the sun was beginning to put for the day, inside one of the corridors of the hospital, a certain nurse could be seen roaming around while reading a few files in front of her with a serious expression on her face. Currently, she was registering the number of medical tools and medicines that they had in stock in the hospital. A while ago, the chief doctor had asked her to do so, as it was an important task since they couldn''t afford to lack anything at any moment when the lives of people were at stake. And since things seemed manageable for the time being, she took a break from treating patients and went to do what the doctor had asked instead. After that, she checked various rooms. From the storage, to bathrooms, to patient rooms, to the security room. She traveled all across the hospital and spared no room from her vigilance. And in the end, seeing that in most of them, the number of medicines and medical equipment seemed to be in a good quantity, she felt satisfied. It seemed that no unforeseen problems would arise from that aspect during the next few weeks. "Hmm?" However, just as she was finishing with the list of rooms left to check, at one moment she came across an almost unnoticeable door by one of the sides of the wall of a hallway and stopped right in her tracks. The door was painted the same color as the wall, and, coupled with the fact that the door almost had no separation from the wall aside from a small gap of a few millimeters, it made it hard to notice it at first glance. In fact, she almost missed it while she was passing by this area. However, the thing that gave it away for her was a small sign on top of the almost unnoticeable door that said "Janitor''s storage room". When she saw it, she finally noticed the fact that there was a door right below it. Which made her surprised when she realized it. "Huh... That''s weird" After that, she decided to check on the list of rooms that were left to inspect to see if she had missed it. However, after a few seconds of checking it again and again, she noticed that the room in front of her seemed to be missing from the list. Feeling surprised by this, the nurse raised an eyebrow in amusement, before she then decided to enter it to check if everything in there was in proper condition. After all, having good hygiene all across the hospital was a must. She had to make sure there wouldn''t be any problems with the chemicals used to clean surfaces, or with the tools used to take away the waste of the patients. Otherwise, who knew what kind of infectious or viral problems would arise in the future because she had decided not to check today? -Click...- "Let''s see, a janitor''s room huh...? Well, in this case, the first thing in the list to check is¨CHmm?" However, the moment she entered, she noticed something weird about the room. Despite the small sign outside that said that this room was a janitor''s storage room, the place was empty. As if it had never been used in the first place. Seeing that, the nurse couldn''t help but wonder if that room had been left unused ever since it was built. Otherwise, why would there be a room without purpose inside a hospital, where space was the most vital thing possible? However, in the end, she didn''t think much of it. Maybe they had simply not noticed the room during all this time. After all, she had barely noticed it by coincidence when she had been passing by. So, it wouldn''t be a big surprise if no one had noticed it during all this time considering that most of the personnel of this hospital always were in a hurry, and it was likely they wouldn''t notice a place like this. That, or they noticed it, but didn''t care. Why would someone even care for a Janitor''s storage room if they aren''t a janitor, in the first place? So, thinking that it made sense, the nurse scoffed in annoyance at having wasted her time and prepared to leave the room so that she could continue checking the rest of the hospital''s inventory. She could just report about this room later to Dr. Ujiko, who was the head of the hospital, and they would put it to good use later on after knowing of its existence. Thus, having no more matters to attend here, the nurse opened the door once again, before she prepared to close it and leave for good. -Thud!- However, just as she was about to leave, a loud sound coming from one of the walls of the room reached her ears and made her stop completely for a second. "Huh?" Thinking that she had heard wrong, the nurse frowned slightly as she glanced at the wall where the sound had come from, wondering if the wall was connected to another part of the hospital, before she shrugged her shoulders and started closing the door once again. Not thinking much of it. -Thud!!- However, when she heard the same loud sound from before appear again, and even more booming at that, she couldn''t help but stop where she was and glance with worried eyes at the wall where that sound was coming from. Wondering if someone was trying to break into the hospital without anyone noticing it, or something along those lines. -Silence...- "What is...¡ª?" However, before her imagination would become wilder, something shocking happened. -Bang!!!- Out of nowhere, just when the silence was beginning to settle after the two first loud sounds had passed, what had seemed a completely normal wall until then suddenly opened violently with a bang like a door, and collided with the wall that was on its side due to the force behind the impact that opened it. Causing a deafening sound in the process that forced the nurse to flinch slightly as she covered her ears. After that, a small dust cloud covered the entire room. Causing the nurse to squint her eyes as she coughed a little bit while observing the situation. ''Is it a villain?'' Naturally, such a thought was the first to come to her mind. After all, who else would cause such a violent incident inside a hospital filled with people who need peace? She could only think of the author behind this as an evildoer. However, just as she was preparing to go and call for a hero who was nearby just in case she was right, the dust cloud settled, and a shocking sight was revealed. There, right behind what was once a wall, was a long and dark corridor that seemed to extend for who knows how long. Something that should by no means exist inside of a hospital. However, despite the shockingness of the discovery, there was something else in front of her that picked her attention much more and made her regard the secret passage in front of her as something secondary. "A kid...?" There, completely naked and with bruises all over his body, a child with red hair and red eyes could be seen standing right in front of the long corridor that had appeared. A kid that, for some reason, despite the bizarreness of the situation, simply stepped out of the dust cloud with an impassive expression on his face, before then turning to look at her with squinted eyes when he noticed her. As if he was seeing a threat. "..." When she saw him, the nurse felt a bit lost for a second. However, soon after, she recovered from her stupor, and ran toward the kid while yelling "Are you okay?!". Feeling shocked after seeing a child in such conditions, and wondering just what was behind that long corridor for a kid like him to have emerged from there. However, just as her hand was about to reach the kid, a certain feeling of dread filled her mind and made her freeze instantly. "...!!!" After that, she began to take several steps back away from the kid in a hurried way as if he was a dangerous predator that was threatening her life. "..." However, that feeling lasted only a second or so. It was so short, in fact, that by the time she recovered, it felt as if it had simply been a product of her imagination. ''What was that?'' Naturally, that question passed through her mind after experiencing that feeling. After all, that feeling had appeared out of nowhere, and it had seemingly come from the kid in front of her. It was normal to question her own mind. "Where am I?" However, before she had the chance to question herself more about what she had just felt, the voice of the kid reached her ears, and made her turn to look at him with a surprised expression. He, after all, looked rather calm, despite his exhausted and damaged appearance. Nevertheless, she still answered his question. "We are in Jaku General Hospital" To which the kid simply answered with a short "I see...", before falling into a deep silence as he looked all around the room. Seeing him act so brazen despite his alarming appearance, the nurse felt that something was wrong with the kid in front of her. However, just as she was about to tell him that he currently needed medical assistance with urgency and ask him about his parents, the kid turned to look her straight in the eyes and asked her for something. "Miss, I need you to call the police" ... -To be continued- (A/N: Edgy arc finished, I can post amogus images again) -> Chapter 18: Bedridden Chapter 18: Bedridden If you want to read 12 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Susaku''s POV:| ... -Splat- "Ugh, this is horrible... Just how many are there?" "Judging by how many we have passed by now? more than a hundred for sure" "Shit... That kid said some weird masked guy did this, right? Was he sure that it was not some kind of monster instead?... Ugh, this is not something that could have been done by a human" "Hey, focus. Just ignore the corpses... They will be checked later by another squad. For now, we just need to find clues about that guy''s whereabouts, as well as more information about this place, and report it later to the headquarters" "We know sir. It''s just... it''s an unbelievable sight... Not once during my ten years of service at the police have I seen something even remotely similar" "I know. I am shocked too. However, even if I''m curious right now, we still need to collect information about that excuse of a doctor, as well as where that mysterious guy went after doing this massacre" "-Sigh...- That doctor... Who would have thought that such a famous and respected person would be running something so shady right below a damn hospital?" "It''s probably because a hospital is one of the last places where one would expect something like this to exist that he did it here... and because it is the best place to make people disappear by simply writing them off as dead as well..." "... Eesh, it gives me goosebumps just to imagine how many people may be like that without us even knowing..." "That is what scares you? I''m more worried that some psychopath capable of killing hundreds of armed soldiers all alone is somewhere outside wandering freely, without a care in the world, walking among u¡ª" "Hey you two, I told you to focus" ""Sorry sir"" "-Sigh...- Never mind that, look there. It seems like there''s a room over there. Let''s check what''s inside" ""Yes sir!"" -Click...- -Creeeaaak...- "Oh god" "Here too? Fuck, that guy didn''t spare a single one" "... And they didn''t seem to have died at peace... Urp! I think I''m going to throw up..." "Hmm... The suspect most likely held a grudge against the yet unknown organization operating below the hospital... Alright, noted. Let''s just hope this helps the higher-ups a little to figure out the identity of whoever did this... Hmm?" "What''s wrong sir?" "Did you find any evidence?" "No, you two... Did neither of you notice that we are currently in a security room?" "What?!" "Woah, it''s true! There are at least a hundred surveillance screens here... And these people, they must have been the ones who used to monitor everything occurring in this facility!... Huh? Wait, does that mean...?" "Yes, officer, if we wanted to find evidence, then this was the best place that we could have come across" ""...!!"" "Alright, you two, enough of being surprised. Begin gathering intel through the videos recorded of this place, and maybe if you do well we will be able to leave this place earlier than anticipated" ""Aye Sir!"" -Sound of chairs being moved- -Tack, tack, tack, tack tack!- "With this, we might be able to figure out who our mysterious genocider is..." -Tack, tack, tack, tack tack!- "... Though, I would like to find that doctor first. To think that he would be experimenting with human lives right below a hospital... It makes me sick to just think about it..." -Tack, tack, tack, tack, tack...- "Uh... Sir?" "Yeah? Did you discover anything worth reporting?" "No... There seems to be a problem" "What?" "All the data and recordings of the day of the incident do not exist. As if coincidentally all the cameras that day stopped functioning" "... Come again?" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Susaku''s POV:| ... -Snore...- "..." -Snoooore...- "..." -Snooooooooore!- -Sigh...- I woke up to the sound of someone snoring loudly right next to my ear. Slowly, I turned my head to look at the culprit and saw my father sitting right next to my bed, in an uncomfortable hospital chair while having a big drop of saliva falling from his mouth as he slept soundly. "..." Once I saw him, I blinked blankly for a second, stunned after seeing him all of a sudden, before I turned to look to the front and stared at the ceiling hovering above me impassively. "..." Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stared at nowhere in particular in silence for a few minutes. Thoughts like what occurred down there in that place, what my future was going to be from now on, or the things that I had to investigate now that I was finally free. However, in the end, after several minutes of quiet pondering, they all culminated in a single phrase that escaped my lips. "What a week, huh?" Once those words left my mouth, I felt way lighter. As if I had just taken a great load out of my chest. "... Ugh, damn it" Unfortunately, my joy lasted only until I turned to look to my right, and noticed that a calendar over there showed that it was still Wednesday. Somehow, after reading that, I felt tired all of a sudden. "Hm¡ªhmm... Huh?" However, unlike me, someone else seemed to have recovered their energy at that moment. -Yawn...- After hearing my muttering, my father woke up from his nap, before he turned to look at me while scratching his eye lazily as he asked me with a still-dazed tone, "Huh?... Son? You are awake?" To which I answered nonchalantly. "No, I''m just talking asleep" "Haha... Feeling funny, aren''t we? Ugh... You should have woken me up if you were awake... Sitting here isn''t good for my back, you know?" He said while stretching his back with a pained expression on his face. His body wasn''t feeling so joyful about sleeping on a hospital chair for who knows how long. Upon seeing his pained expression, I scratched the back of my head, before I shrugged my shoulders as I explained myself. "I woke up just now and was looking around the room when you woke up too" Hearing that, Dad shook his head with a helpless expression, before he began standing up from the chair as he let out small yelps of discomfort every time his adult body complained to him. "Is that so? Then I guess there''s no helping it... Ouchie, ouchie... Damn, your old man is becoming an old man" While he tried to stand up, I looked around in curiosity as I noticed that despite my father being here, my mother was nowhere to be found. So, feeling curious, I asked him. "Where''s mom?" "Your mother? She couldn''t come today as she had to take care of her store. Though, she told me to tell you she would visit later at night... Ah! And talking about visits, Mr. Tatsuo called me and told me that he would visit you today as well. Though, he didn''t tell me at what hour..." He said while scratching his chin. Hearing that, I couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. That old man had not visited me once since I became hospitalized. Three days had already passed since the day I escaped from that creepy laboratory and was then sent to urgencies, mind you! One would have thought that he would hurry to see how his one and only disciple was after such a traumatic event. ...And yet, he was nowhere to be found. So, it was obvious to see me surprised after hearing that today he was finally showing his horrible face here. ''Tsk... What a great sensei I have...'' Scoffing lightly in disdain as I remembered that old fossil, I turned to look back at my father and became surprised when I noticed that he was leaving the room. "Where are you going, dad?" "I''m gonna go get something for both of us to drink. Sleeping in a stiff chair dehydrated me more than I expected" ''I don''t think that makes sense...?'' Not finding any logic in that comment but still not bothering to correct him, I nodded my head and watched as he left while saying "I will get you some juice". After that, I was left alone in the room. Recognizing that fact, I leaned back on my bed and turned to look once again at the ceiling above me without any expression in particular. Letting my thoughts run wild as I recalled the events of three days ago. That day, after I managed to escape from that creepy laboratory, I came across a nurse from the hospital that was built right above it. At first, I almost killed her because I thought she was part of that group of psychos. However, fortunately for both of us, I managed to stop myself right before I could do it when I noticed that she seemed to be clueless about me, unlike all the guys who had tried to prevent me from leaving. This was also why, after confirming that she didn''t have anything to do with the fucked up things that were going down in that laboratory, I asked her to call the cops. There was nothing good in keeping a fucked up place like that in secret. Even more considering the bizarre things that were down there... Those weird and unsettling monsters with their brain exposed especially. They were something that would be better exposed to whoever the authorities were in this country. Anyway, in the end, and thanks to the nurse doing as I asked, the authorities arrived later that day and turned the entire hospital upside down. Transferring all the patients present there that day to other hospitals while an investigation on the laboratory below the hospital ran down, and bringing along several Pro-heroes to take a look at what was down there just in case things became dangerous. Thanks to that, a whole commotion shook the entire country that day... Or so did the internet say. I mean, after that day, I was also transferred to a hospital due to the injuries that I was carrying after escaping from that laboratory. So, being bedridden, it became a tad hard to keep up with what was happening outside. But, as far as I managed to discover from the several news that I watched and read these past days, it turned out that that psycho doctor that I met while I was still imprisoned in that laboratory had been some kind of big shot in the world of medicine who was known for being benevolent and kind. Who would have thought that under all that appearance of a goody-two-shoes, a psychopath of higher caliber would be hiding? Thanks to that, from now on I will have trust issues for my whole life. You know what I mean. For example, when I see a granny crossing the street, I will probably imagine that she is an evil and old mafia leader planning on destroying the whole city as vengeance for their grandsons being captured or somethin''. Or, you know, when I go to the grocery store, I will probably imagine that the owner is in reality an evil scientist/inventor who has implanted nanomachines in the vegetables that will allow him to control anyone who eats them once he so desires it. Man, I gotta receive therapy after this. Unless the therapist is also the mastermind behind something shady... "Damn, you can''t trust anyone..." I muttered under my breath as I pressed my hand into my hair in anxiety. Fortunately, during the small questioning that the cops did to me after I was transferred here, I sneaked in a small lie to drift the attention away from me. When they asked me who had been the one behind all the murders down there, I made up the story that some mysterious masked guy who called himself a vigilante infiltrated the facility and started killing everyone in there with no mercy. As for me, I just happened to be rescued by him after he saw me trapped in jail. Once I told them that, they believed me pretty easily. And I don''t blame them. Imagining that a kid of no more than 8 years old would have been the one to do all of that was not easy. Even less with the Quirk that was registered under my name. An eight-year-old kid with the power to alter the shape and color of the glasses on his head killed more than a hundred people? Sure pal. The story about that mysterious guy was much more believable. Thanks to it, I managed to pass as just the kid who was kidnapped by some evil guy, instead of the monstrous kid who killed more than a hundred armed people all alone. And, considering that now I knew that any seemingly kind guy could perfectly be an evil mastermind who did all kinds of shady stuff behind the back of others, hiding the truth would surely help me to not get the attention of people like that. If some psycho was already interested in the slightly higher physique that I possess, who knew how many more guys like that would target me if the truth about what happened down there went out? Surely, not a likable amount. Though, now that they had seen me get kidnapped, some of them will probably get curious about it... "... -Sigh...- What a mess..." Sighing in exasperation at how dire the current situation looked right now, I blinked tiredly as I stared blankly at the air in front of me, before I suddenly lifted my hand and started staring at it with a piercing gaze. It looked human. As did my entire body. However, from it, a knife and a gun made from my bones had sprouted and killed the people down there. Not only that, but at another time, a giant mouth had appeared in the middle of where my belly was and shot a tongue that pierced the hearts of others like arrows to an apple. Moreover, after killing a big guy who had claimed would squish me like a bug, it didn''t take me a second to acquire his entire appearance, including stature, constitution, and voice when I desired it. Recalling all those moments, and seeing some strands of my red hair falling in front of my eyes, I felt a certain sense of familiarity. One that could be simplified in a single word. "Impostor" Once I muttered that word, I fell silent for a few seconds. "..." Those... Were the abilities of an impostor, right? The kill animations were there. The knife, the gun, the tongue appearing from a mouth in the middle of the belly, the neck twisting... ... The ability to change my appearance. "... Hah" It was simply too much of a coincidence. And my appearance, while human, had a certain resemblance to a crewmate. Not because I was round or something like that. I was actually quite handsome in my incredibly humble opinion. Rather, it was because my red hair and my glasses created the perfect combination of red and light blue that usually reminded one of a crewmate. Though, in my case, it was an impostor. "Fuuuh..." Noticing the absurdity of my thoughts and circumstances, I couldn''t help but puff out a huge chunk of air from my lungs. ''Look at me, lying down in a hospital bed, remembering the killing spree I did a few days ago, and wondering if I have become some sort of impostor alien...'' It was a surreal situation. Though, this new life was filled with those. So I endured it somehow. On the other hand, there was another thing that was gnawing at me from inside, and that seemed way more important at the moment. "Just why the heck did you even send me here?" And that was the question, why was I sent to this world and with this set of abilities on top of that? Considering how I fought down there, these powers were the perfect ones for assassination. Taking other people''s appearances, instant killing moves, a strong body above normal... Why had that Impostor given me something like this? Was it boredom? Did it want me to kill something or someone in specific in this world? ... I just couldn''t figure it out. ... However, I wasn''t the type of person to worry too much about something. "Whatever pal" So like any reasonable person, I just decided to ignore it. In the end, I wasn''t going to get an answer, even if I asked. And even if I got an answer, I would probably still not understand it. That omnipotent impostor spoke alien language, after all. What''s more, with all these new abilities, my path to becoming a hero had become way more easy! This was a moment to celebrate! Now, even 10 thugs would stand no chance against me. Hahahahaha! ...Haha... ...Ha... ... ''A hero, huh?'' Suddenly, I couldn''t help but stop smiling and ask that question inside my head. The memories of what happened in that laboratory repeated inside my mind. Like a recording, from beginning to end. "Quite the hero I will be" And, involuntarily, I ended up blurting those words out. "Want to be a hero brat? I bet you will suck at it" However, before I was able to continue pondering over all that, a certain annoying voice came from the door, and made me grin slightly in response. "I didn''t think you were so blind already... Old age starting to catch up, huh?" "Stinky brat, how would I not be blind if your stupidity is so bright that it blinds me?" "As I said, that''s just old age acting up" "It seems like there''s still some discipline needed..." Smiling faintly as I bantered with the voice with my eyes closed, soon I opened them again and turned to look at the person standing at the entrance of the room. "Took you long enough to visit me, old man" "Call me master, damn it!" Sawaya Tatsuo had arrived, and his mouth was as foul as ever. ... -To be continued- ¡ã (A/N: You know how this goes, I set a power stone goal for you guys, and if you make it I release the next Chapter in line. This time, the challenge shall be to reach 200. Nothing too crazy... I think Let''s see if you can make it) -> Chapter 19: I am here! Chapter 19: I am here! If you want to read 11 Chapters in advance and while at it help me get by the month, then check my Patreon: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "So, what''s all this about being a hero?" Tatsuo asked, looking amused at the bedridden Suzaku, who sighed once he heard the question. Suzaku shrugged his shoulders, looking at his teacher with a challenging look. "I''m just planning to become a hero in the future. Got any problem with that?" Tatsuo scoffed as a faint frown found his way into his face. "I just never took you for a brat who cared about justice and the like" "...I''m doing it for the money" Suzaku answered instantly. Hearing that, Tatsuo grinned as if he had expected that answer. "Haha... Of course, that''s the brat I know" Shaking his head while chuckling a little bit, Tatsuo then squinted his eyes as his voice turned a little bit icier. "Either way, if your goal is to become a hero, then I hope you are not planning to become some mere third-rate hero. As my disciple, if you try to aim for anything lower than first place, you will be dishonoring the martial art that I so proudly perfected and benevolently taught you! However, all Suzaku could do was deadpan at his teacher''s expectations. "Hey, aren''t you asking for too much? Haven''t you seen those All Might videos? Even if our martial arts are good, guys like him are on a whole another level" "All I hear is a loser complaining... Though, you''re not exactly wrong..." Scratching his beard with a frustrated expression, Tatsuo groaned as he suspiciously glanced behind him at the room door, before turning towards Suzaku with a discontent expression and flashing a peace-sign-like hand pose. "Then, I''ll allow you to become a pathetic second place. Feel grateful!" "You''re becoming more and more senile as the days pass..." Sighing with a smile, Suzaku rolled his eyes as he nodded faintly. "Alright, alright. Second place will be" However, after he said that, an unknown voice suddenly came outside the door, startling Suzaku. "Hoho! Those are some really ambitious goals!" The startle only lasted a second or so, however. After that, Suzaku glanced at the door with curiosity, feeling a certain feeling of familiarity with the stranger''s voice. ''That voice, it sounds familiar...'' Though, he couldn''t pinpoint exactly where. -Creeeaaack...- However, the need to guess never came, since before he could even try to recall, the door opened, and the person''s identity was revealed while he entered with some difficulty to the room. "I am here...!" He even announced himself as well. ''All Might?!'' All Might, the hero number one of all Japan, and the so-called Symbol of Peace, had arrived at his hospital room and was standing right in front of him. Seeing that, Suzaku couldn''t help but be stunned for a second. After all, someone Suzaku had only seen in the anime, and through some videos on the internet in this life, was now standing before him in the very flesh. And so out of the blue at that! Couldn''t he have told him he would visit him? Suzaku felt like it was a surreal situation. Especially because this was the first time he came across someone from the main cast of the anime. Well, by now, 8 years after dying and who knows how many more since he watched the show''s first season, he no longer could recall who the side characters of the show were, so there was the possibility he might have come across others without knowing. But, as far as his memory would recall, he hadn''t. He remembered the main character, that teacher with eyebags... And uh, well, the blonde brat with anger issues. ''My memory is trash...'' Suzaku lamented as he realized he barely remembered anything worth noting. Nevertheless, he had long come to accept that fact. So he simply shrugged off the issue of his bad memory and instead focused on the matter at hand. All Motherfucking Might was in front of him. He wasn''t exactly a fanboy of his, but being in front of the biggest superhero of Japan¡ªand maybe even Earth¡ªwas of course something that made him feel a tad nervous. Specially because the man was the closest thing to a Demigod on Earth. He could probably send him flying kilometers with just one punch, and that subconscious thought unnerved Suzaku a bit. And his build didn''t help to ease Suzaku either. ''He seems bigger than I imagined'' Seeing him up close, Suzaku also finally realized how much of a mountain he seemed in comparison with a normal kid like himself. Heck, even Tatsuo seemed like a toddler in front of him, and that old man was not lacking in musculature despite being old enough to be senile. His appearances on TV didn''t do him justice. He was like fucking Hercules doing cosplay. Seeing such a guy, Suzaku wondered if those muscles were the result of some perilous training or the side-effect of his Quirk. Maybe it was both. ''But why is this guy here?'' Seeing the most famous person in all of Japan¡ªaside from the president¡ªstanding right in front of him, Suzaku felt curious about what he would want from a kid like him. Of course, the usual intrusive thoughts imagined a few reasons for his visit. ''Let''s just hope that this isn''t the equivalent in this world of seeing Spider-man or the Avengers appear in your hospital room...'' Involuntarily upon having those thoughts, Suzaku touched his hair. Still, he didn''t voice his worries. He would appear weird if he did so. However, while Suzaku''s mind was busy imagining worst-case scenarios, All Might started ranting about the principles or values of a hero whatsoever. Apparently, he had heard Suzaku''s goal declaration earlier. "... Becoming the second-best hero in Japan is not an easy goal, even if you have a really good Quirk!" All Might beamed as he put his fist on his chest like certain Titan-fighting soldiers often did. "... While strength is important, you also need bravery to afront the heinous acts of the villains you fight. Not to mention the courage and determination to prevail in the most perilous situations!" He looked solemnly at the air, completely ignorant of the deadpan that Tatsuo was shooting at him from the side while he continued with his speech. ".... However, the most important attribute a hero must have¡ªIs the ability to bring hope to people" He said as he looked absentmindedly at the air, before then turning to look at the speechless Suzaku. "We heroes are the only light that shines within the endless darkness that is evil. Sometimes, people get swallowed by that darkness, unable to even struggle. Which is why we are the only ones who can illuminate the path in front of them, and help them escape from the darkness..." Saying so, All Might then looked at Suzaku with a wry smile. "Money is an important part of life, young Suzaku, I understand that. However, the joy one gets in helping others is beyond that. If you can have that in mind, I''m sure you will become one of the best heroes in no time!" All Might laughed loudly as he finished speaking before he shot a thumbs-up at Suzaku. Something that gained him a wry look from the kid, and a roll of eyes from Tatsuo. ''Damn, he heard me when I told my real intentions to the old man?'' Suzaku felt kind of embarrassed when he realized that he had shown part of his ugly side to the most famous hero in Japan. Still, he had vowed not to care about the opinion of others a long time ago, so he forced himself to ignore that feeling. It was an essential part of his decision to walk the path of a hero in this new world. Otherwise, who knew how stressed he would become once the critics began raining upon him for small mistakes? -Nod...- So, in the end, he simply limited himself to not saying anything and simply nodded his head at All Might''s words dishonestly. While he did that, All Might glanced at Tatsuo who was standing a bit behind him, and shot him an apologetic look. Something that the martial arts master only responded with a faint nod. "...!" Seeing his agreement to whatever he agreed to, All Might turned to look back at Suzaku and began explaining the reason for his unforeseen visit. "Now to the main point, young Suzaku, I''ve come to ask you a few questions!" He said while maintaining his characteristic wide smile. ''So he just wanted to ask questions... Phew...'' Something that eased Suzaku a lot, causing him to ooze a sigh of relief as soon as he heard him. All Might, however, only tilted his head slightly when he saw Suzaku''s unusual action. Tatsuo, on the other hand, laughed as if he knew what the brat thinking. He didn''t say anything, however. He simply observed from the sidelines in silence. -Creack- Not minding Suzaku''s reaction, All Might approached the bed where Suzaku was lying and sat down on the chair where his father had been sleeping not too long ago. "I know it must be hard for you to recall those scary memories... However, I need your help!" All Might''s fist tightened, glancing at the floor with a dejected expression. "There''s a bad guy out there, someone who has caused pain to a lot of people... And with your help, I believe I can capture him!" That caused Suzaku to raise an eyebrow, before then simply nodding his head as he continued listening to All Might in silence. "... I have a reason to believe that the doctor who kidnapped you was a subordinate of that bad guy I mentioned... Which is why I need your help! Only you can tell me what evil scheme they were trying to accomplish by kidnapping you" "...!" At that moment, Suzaku''s expression visibly hardened, as if All Might had touched a delicate matter. "...Hmm" Seeing his reaction, All Might frowned slightly. Feeling guilty about having reminded Suzaku of the painful memories he must have had in that laboratory. However, he was currently desperate for answers, so all he could do was apologize to the young kid. "Sorry if I''m asking for too much, young Suzaku... In reality, though, he was simply misunderstanding Suzaku a little. The reincarnator was simply contemplating if telling him about his body''s peculiarity was a good idea. ''Damn... This topic again. Should I tell him? I mean, he is not a bad guy... and seeing how he was a good guy in the anime, I doubt he is actually some late plot twist villain who is acting like a hero...'' ... ''Or is he...?'' His intrusive thoughts acted a little bit in the end, though. Nevertheless, Suzaku ultimately ignored them and decided to tell him. After all, if this monster of a hero was the one in charge of hunting down that asshole of a doctor, and whoever was his backer, then he would gladly tell him everything (Except for the killing spree he caused down there). The guy would solve terrorist acts in just a few seconds, and his strength was enough to crush entire mountains with a few punches. With a guy like that being the one on the lookout for the whereabouts of his kidnapper, he couldn''t ask for more. Hmm... Well, maybe kicking that doctor in the balls before they sent him to prison would make him happy too. He wasn''t asking for much. Though, he didn''t mention those last thoughts. So, heaving a sigh, Suzaku began explaining. "... While I was imprisoned, that doctor said that the reason he kidnapped me was to turn me into one of those monsters with exposed brains. He said that due to my body being stronger than usual, he wanted to create an even stronger version of them..." Then, stopping for a second, Suzaku tried remembering if that psycho had said something else. And sure enough, a certain part of that doctor''s monologue soon crossed his mind. "... He said that since my body was stronger than normal, I would be able to hold onto more Quirks than those creatures. Though, I''m not sure what that exactly means" "...!!" The instant All Might heard those words, his eyes widened as an expression of shock emerged. A tiny hint of rage was also visible for a second. However, he quickly hid it, and instead, simply grabbed his chin and began thinking in silence. He didn''t let Suzaku wait much, though, since soon, another question emerged. "Would you tell me what your Quirk is, young Suzaku?" He asked, maintaining his serious expression. Something that Suzaku didn''t hesitate to answer. After all, his Quirk was funnily the most normal thing about him. A reincarnator with an abnormally powerful body, and impostor powers bestowed by an unknown deity of impostor-like appearance. A glasses-controlling Quirk was pretty chill compared to all that. So, without minding the worried expression on All Might''s face, he began explaining. "I can control the shape of these glasses" Suzaku pointed at the glasses stuck to his face. "I can also alter their color, their thickness, and even how much of my face they can cover all at once..." However, when he finished explaining, he noticed that All Might seemed to be waiting for something, so he added "... That''s it", just to make sure he understood that those were all the perks of his Quirk. Something that quickly erased All Might''s serious expression and made him look at Suzaku with a strange gaze. Nevertheless, he didn''t say anything and simply nodded his head as he continued to be lost in thought. In the end, though, he stood up from the chair and smiled reassuringly at Suzaku. "That was a lot of help, young Suzaku. This was exactly what I needed to continue with the investigation. I promise you that those who hurt you this time will be brought to justice! You have my thanks" "Oh..." Suzaku nodded, not knowing what to say at such a declaration. He wanted to ask All Might to let him kick the doctor in the balls if he managed to capture him, but remembering the whole hero speech from before, he restrained himself. He was already a money-hungry child in the eyes of All Might, what good would do him if he also saw him as a ball-kicking avenger? No good, that''s for sure. "Ahem!" After finishing his questioning, All Might turned around and faced Tatsuo, who was looking at him with his arms crossed, before bowing slightly in evident gratitude as he spoke the next words. "Thanks a lot for letting me talk to him, Tatsuo-san. It helped me a lot. I promise I will repay you" Something that was answered cheekily by Tatsuo, who first thought in silence for a moment as if reminiscing something, before then smiling wickedly as he spoke. "Repay me? If you want to repay me then get me a date with that hot model that debuted recently... hmm, I think her name was Ige Aika, at a 5-star restaurant as well... Oh, and if you would also pay for the motel, it would be great" "T-Tatsuo-san..." Hearing him, All Might eyebrow twitched as his gaze darted between Tatsuo and the innocent eight-year-old Suzaku. Seemingly implying "There''s kids present!" However, Tatsuo''s answer to that did not appease his mind in the least. Rather, it just made him feel worse. "I''m just joking... I can get that date whenever I want. I don''t need a virgin like you to help me score" "..." All Might looked downcast. ''This old man...'' Hearing his teacher mess with the hero number one of Japan, Suzaku couldn''t help but see him in a new light. He wasn''t just an old man with enough age to be senile, he was actually senile already! "Tsk" Suddenly, while Suzaku was wondering just where an old man like him had come from, Tatsuo clicked his tongue, before he began shooing All Might with his hands. "Alright, if you finished your business here, then leave already. I still have to beat up this student of mine who couldn''t avoid getting kidnapped even after all I taught him" "T-Tatsuo-san..." Hearing him loudly declare he would beat up a hospitalized kid, All Might couldn''t help but look at Suzaku with a hesitant expression. Was it okay to leave such a kid with someone like Tatsuo? He doubted it. However, in the end, All Might nodded his head and began leaving. After all, he knew that although violent, arrogant, impatient, bad-mannered, rude, and sadistic to a degree , Tatsuo was by no means someone who would hurt a kid heavily. ... At least not to his knowledge. ''... Huh...'' Of course, all this exchange between the two did not escape Suzaku''s eyes, who, seeing All Might obediently leave and the whole interaction between the two during all this time, wondered how that old man knew the famous Symbol of Peace. Of course, he would just ask the old man for an answer. However, he could already imagine his haughty face and arrogant laugh the moment he dared to ask. So he kept his curiosity to himself. Either way, he was sure the answer wouldn''t be anything grandiose. After all, with how many years that old bag of bones had lived, it wouldn''t surprise him if he had somehow managed to get acquaintanced with the hero at some point. Deluding himself to believe that, Suzaku nodded his head, before he noticed that All Might was already at the door, bidding him farewell. "I hope to hear of the hero you plan to become in the next few years, young Suzaku. Remember my advice, being a hero is much more than fortune and fame¡ª" "Ahem!" However, a clearing of throat coming from Tatsuo was all it took to stop him mid-lecture and understand that he should leave right away. "Ah, yes. Ahem, goodbye¡ª!" -Click- However, just when he was about to leave, the door opened once again, and someone else entered the room. ".... Hey, son, there were only cans of Dr.Chili in the vending machine. Do you like them? I bought one in case you liked them, if not then I can just drink it myself¡ªhuh?" Suzaku''s dad had come back, and needless to say, the scene he came across when he entered made him speechless. "All Might?!" At that moment, Suzaku felt like the rest of the day was gonna be tiring. ... -To be continued...- (A/N: Sorry for the wait, I was napping) -> Chapter 20: The Return of the Sus Chapter 20: The Return of the Sus |There''s an image of the older Suzaku on my Patreon already, if you want to go and check it out. It''s public. And while at it, you should... you know... -wink, wink- /TheSynonym<----- ¡ã¡ã¡ã |A week later...| ... -Yawn...- I wanna go home. "... Hey, was it scary inside that laboratory, Suzaku?" "...Huh? Oh, nah. Rather, it was the kidnappers who were pissing their pants after I told them I would kick their ass the moment I escaped..." "Woah, that''s awesome!" ''...Did he seriously believe that?'' Glancing amusedly at the excited Arata with an incredulous smile on my face, I shook my head and let out a long sigh. The kid trusted my words too much, didn''t he? Just when did he start putting so much trust in me? I thought for sure he would say something like "You''re just bluffing. I''m sure your pants were all brown down there" ...That''s what I would say, at least. ... Actually, should I say that to a kid who has just gone through a most likely traumatic experience? ... Never mind, this kid is at least better than me in that regard. "Ugh..." While I was berating myself for my behavior in a hypothetical situation, I glanced at the clock on the classroom wall, and couldn''t help but frown when I noticed that there were still 45 minutes until the end of the class. ''I''m dying here... How come only 45 minutes have passed since this class began?!'' I thought while I plummeted my face against the desk. Feeling helpless in front of the slow passage of time. For some reason, when I felt like 20 minutes had passed, in reality only 5 had gone by. It irritated me to no end. "Aaaand... This part here of your textbooks... refers to that quoted phrase on page 114... which you have to reference in the next question on page 116..." And our teacher didn''t make the wait any better. She talked just like some of the teachers at university in my past life. Fast like a snail, and energetic like a rock. I swore those fuckers were paid to talk like that so that it would be harder for the students to pass the subject. This woman seemed to innately like that, though. -Sigh...- In my boredom, I even glanced at the LED lamp that hung above us. However, my expression only scrunched in regret when I noticed that I had already thought of every possible scenario of it falling upon us. After two long boring years of school, it seemed like the lamp had reached its limit when it came to how much it could entertain me. So, with no other option at hand to while the time away, I simply decided to go for my last resort. "Time for a nap" "Suzaku..." Arata''s eyebrow twitched when he heard me mutter my plans so openly after leaning back in my seat. However, I didn''t pay attention to him and simply darkened my glasses'' color. I was going to the world of dreams, and no one was gonna stop me. "Suzaku, I know what you are doing. Undarken those glasses of yours and pay attention to the class" -Giggles...- "Tsk..." Well, except for my teacher. It seemed like the woman had seen through my plans right away when she saw me lean back in my seat. But well, it was to be expected to a certain extent. I''ve been doing it for two years straight, so it was obvious that at some point she would end up noticing my schemes. So, grumbling annoyed as I straightened in my seat and undarkened the color of my glasses, I proceeded to support my head with my palm as I leaned on my desk, before looking at our teacher continue with her class. "Very well, children, in this exercise you must use multiplication... Do have in mind that, depending on the brackets, some operations may be resolved first or second..." However, after about five seconds of listening to her, my mind simply wandered away. ''Sorry miss, I really would have liked to pay attention, but my mind is a free spirit... You cannot maintain it chained for too long...'' So, after apologizing half-heartedly, I closed my eyes from behind my glasses, and let my thoughts run wild. I thought about many things. Like... what I would eat today, how much time I would nap after I got home, if I should buy a soda or something after this class ended, etc... Things like that. My thoughts were simply everywhere else but in the class going on in front of me. However, after letting my thoughts wander free for a bit, I eventually ended up looking at my classmates. Remembering a certain thing that had happened earlier this morning. At the moment, most of them were focused on the class. Others, however, were lost in thought just like me. There was even one who was picking his nose. Yuck. However, when I remembered how they all reacted this morning when I came back to school after all that incident in the hospital, I couldn''t help but feel a bit of amusement, letting out a faint sneer from my nose as I reminisced those moments. After the day when All Might visited me, I was forced to spend another whole week at the hospital to recover from my injuries. The hospital personnel said that, as long as my injuries were not treated, I would not go back to school. To which I was mildly grateful. After all, thanks to them, I managed to skip a whole week of school, and therefore, tons and tons of homework. Homework that I could solve in a matter of seconds, but homework nevertheless. Thus, all I could see here were wins. Though, unfortunately for me, my injuries were not everlasting, and as a result, I eventually ended up having to come back to school when I got discharged for good. And today, the day when I finally took my first step into the classroom after everything that had happened, all my classmates swarmed me with questions and worried expressions. They all touched on the matter of my kidnapping, unable to keep their curiosity under control. Cliche questions like: Were you scared? Or, did you meet a villain? rained upon me the second I entered the classroom. Fortunately, none of them touched sensible matters like the amount of dead people discovered that day or the horrible human experimentation that was being run down at that place. I wouldn''t have known what to say about those, except maybe lying through my teeth as I came up with an answer. The kids were at least that sensible. They knew that what I had gone through was not something a normal kid should experience. And as such, they asked only the necessary. ... Or maybe they simply didn''t even think of asking about those details. Who knows... Anyway. After that, however, came an awkward silence. And I knew the cause of it. ''How do we treat him from now on?'' That was probably what most of them were wondering. Should they have a special consideration with me considering what I went through? Or should they just act like nothing happened at all? And indeed, in front of a normal kid who has gone through such traumatic events, it was a normal reaction to have. Even I could have problems dealing with such a situation. But fortunately for them, I was not a normal kid. As such, I immediately came up with a solution to dissipate the intense air of awkwardness that engulfed our classroom. I acted like the whole ordeal had been nothing especially scary, and that it had been more exciting than anything. And to make sure, I also told them that what had been shown on the news was simply exaggerated and blown up out of proportion. With that, the whole awkwardness in the class was blown away, and all of them immediately became at ease with me, teachers included. It became like the whole incident had never actually happened. ''I''m such a genius, aren''t I? As such, I found it funny to see them all act so uncaring now, despite how they all had been acting that morning. It was a big contrast. "Hey... psst... Suzaku! ... Tell me, what did those villains look like? Were they big and intimidating?" However, I have to say... the solution may have produced some unintended consequences in the process. "... I read a bit of an article about the incident, and a very notorious villain who suddenly disappeared from the public eye in the past was mentioned to have been there too! Did you meet him?" -Sigh...- As a result of showing the whole class that I wasn''t that affected by the whole incident, I may have caused Arata to get a bit too comfortable with asking me all the questions that popped into his head. And honestly, I was getting annoyed by it. "... That villain had gravitational-altering powers, and he had defeated many heroes in the past. Because of that, he became a very dangerous villain in the public eye and was feared by many heroes. However, one day he disappeared¡ª" "Dude... pay attention to the Japanese class" "We are in math" "... Huh, no wonder I was feeling so lost" Scratching my hair with a troubled expression as I glanced at my teacher, who gave me the stink eye after having heard that last line, I heaved a sigh and decided to try and focus a bit more. After all, despite how carefree I might seem, I still couldn''t risk having Arata beat me in grades, as I was still an adult in my mind. Losing to a child in a subject I had already gone through once would be a disgrace. So, symbolically adjusting my glasses with my finger (They were stuck in one place, so they didn''t need that adjustment), I steeled my determination and prepared to confront the challenge in front of me. ''Whatever, there''s just 40 minutes left... Nothing I can''t handle...'' I was gonna pay attention to this class, and no one would stop me! ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, Suzaku''s teacher POV:| ... -Snore...!- ... -Snore....!- ... -Snooooore...!!!- ... This kid slept in the middle of my class again... ... -To be continued...- (A/N: The Sus is in All of SUs) -> Chapter 21: An Impostor Among Us Chapter 21: An Impostor Among Us There are 11 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym< ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Later that day, after school had come to an end...| ... "Thank you!" After thanking the driver, Suzaku stepped out of the bus and arrived at a dirt road a few meters away from the entrance to a very lush forest. "..." The entire place was deserted, with not a single soul in sight. Though, it wasn''t exactly a mystery as to why that was the case. The place where Suzaku had arrived was a few kilometers away from the city, in the middle of nowhere. If anything, it would be weird to see someone there. The only people whom Suzaku imagined had a certain chance of appearing in such a place were those who lived in rural areas, or people with shady businesses in such places... most likely looking for a good place to bury certain "stuff". As to why Suzaku was in such a place? The answer was rather simple, actually. He was planning to solve an issue that had been pending ever since he escaped from the laboratory of that psycho-doctor. "This place will do..." And the only place where he could do so was in a deserted place like the forest before him... A place where no one could see him. So, adjusting his backpack to walk more comfortably, Suzaku took a deep breath before walking into the forest without looking back. His tension growing with each step he took into the woods. And like that, quite a few minutes passed. At some point, Suzaku got so deep into the forest that all vestiges of civilization ceased to appear. Leaving only hundreds of trees filling the surroundings, and no man-made path in sight... except for the one Suzaku was leaving behind as he progressed through the tall grass. Which was actually a signal that Suzaku had arrived at the kind of place he was looking for. A place completely devoid of any human vestige, and with no existence in sight. However, simply because he wanted to make sure, Suzaku shook his head wryly and continued walking a bit further. After all, what he was going to do now was something that no one could know. Not even his parents. Otherwise, the true culprit behind the hundreds of murders performed down in that laboratory would become evident. And to be honest, Suzaku was not gonna let the label of being a serial murderer stick to him. And neither was he gonna have another kidnapping happen to him again. Even though he was certain that if it were to happen again, the one in danger wouldn''t be him. The motive for his trip today was also for that reason. To make sure that such a thing would never happen again... ... No matter what. "Alright. Here is good" Letting out a short sigh as he stopped at what seemed to be a small open area in the seemingly infinite forest, Suzaku took off his backpack before he put it beside a tree. Not wanting it to get in the way while he got into business. After that, he began stretching a little, all the while, between the exercises, taking off his school sweater and T-shirt, and putting instead an old shirt that he had brought with him. In the process, he also changed his pants to some old sweatpants he had packed before going to school. Since all of those clothes were old, he wasn''t particularly comfortable wearing them. However, it wasn''t anything he couldn''t ignore. After all, there was a reason as to why he was changing in the middle of a forest in the first place. And that was that he didn''t want his normal clothes to be ripped apart by what was about to happen. He knew that his mother wouldn''t like that... So, if he didn''t want to come up with excuses or get grounded because of it later on, changing was a must. -Rustle- "Huff... Aaaaaaalrrrright..." In the end, it took him a few more minutes to finish changing and elongating. And, after he was done, he swallowed his saliva in nervousness, before he let out a good chunk of air out of his lungs to calm himself down. "..." Truth be told, he was feeling kind of uneasy about what was going to happen, so he couldn''t help but feel apprehensive about continuing with his actions. Certain thoughts like if he should just ignore the issue and continue living a normal human life, or if he had just been hallucinating at that time, and none of those events ever happened, ran down his head constantly as he stood there, unmoving. "Let''s do this" However, he hadn''t come to this deserted place for nothing. So, taking a deep breath with a frown on his face, Suzaku raised his hand, before he squinted his eyes at it from behind his glasses. Focusing more specifically on his wrist. Then, he dived deep into his memories. He looked for it, remembered the feeling he had down there, and how it changed him forever. He recalled his survival instinct flaring up. How it sent a jolt through his body when he saw how his head was about to be opened apart. How every single fiber of his body tensed up like steel coils the moment they felt danger, and how, in the last millisecond, a certain part of him moved. Similar to... a hidden muscle inside his body. "...!" Then, it dawned on him. -Swish...- And, as the realization struck, something sprouted from his wrist, similar to a flower emerging from the earth. Unfortunately, what he had there was nothing like a cute flower. Like a bone sticking out of the skin because of a fracture, but without the blood or pain, a blade created from his very skeleton emerged from under his skin and laid on his hand gently, ready to be swung. "... Huh..." Seeing it, Suzaku couldn''t help but feel disturbed by its eerie appearance. It looked grotesque, even though it had neither blood nor meat on it, and seemed to be simply made out of his bones. Maybe it was because Suzaku knew it had come from under his skin, or maybe it was simply disturbing to see something akin to a knife be created by his own body. The bone-weapon also gave Suzaku a dangerous feeling. Of course, not because he felt threatened by it, but instead because he instinctively felt cautious about having it so close to him. Similar to how one feels when seeing a long long needle be anywhere near them. However, neither of those reasons were the true origin of Suzaku''s unease in front of his knife-like bone. "... Shit" The real reason was that, despite having expected to a certain extent that such an ability existed, that still didn''t take away the foreign and ominous feeling that it oozed when he looked at it. It felt alien, somewhat unnatural... As if it shouldn''t biologically exist. Rather, it shouldn''t exist at all. -Gulp- Nevertheless, he forced himself to ignore that feeling, and, after getting a hold once again of the mysterious muscle-like feeling, he retracted the blade back into his skin and stared at the spot where it disappeared for a few seconds in silence. Lost deep in his thoughts. However, after a few moments, Suzaku took a deep breath, before he started the process all over again. And sure enough, something happened again, and in less time than before. However, this time, it wasn''t a blade that sprouted from his wrist. Instead, it was a bone-like mechanism that resembled greatly a gun. The only difference was that it didn''t have a trigger to activate, or a compartment to put the bullets. No, instead, Suzaku felt that the only thing he needed to do was stimulate that "muscle" in a certain way, and the "gun" would shoot. So he tried it. -Bang!!- ... And sure enough, the second he stimulated that "muscle", something was shot from the bone-gun right after. Eventually piercing a tree right on its trunk. Seeing that, Suzaku exclaimed faintly in surprise. After all, he was shocked to have a literal gun hiding right under his skin. However, Suzaku had no time to be surprised about such a minor thing, since immediately after that, his eyes caught sight of something that shocked him to his very core. -Creaaaaaaak...!- Out of nowhere, a second or so after the bullet pierced the tree, this one began emitting cracking sounds all over it, as if the wood was screaming in pain, before then all of its leaves began falling to the ground one by one. "What the...?!" Suzaku''s eyes couldn''t help but widen. -Creaaaaaaak...!- However, his shock was rapidly interrupted by the horrifying sound of the tree roots losing their grip on the earth, and the tree falling right on top of him. "Oh shit...!" -Boooom!!- Bewildered by the sudden event, Suzaku rapidly lunged away from the impact zone, and luckily for him, he managed to avoid being flattened like a pancake by the tree by a hair''s breadth in the end. "... Huff... Fuck me... What the heck was that?" After making sure he was safe from being crushed, Suzaku turned around to look at the dead fallen tree, which was now lying on the ground completely uprooted and surrounded by the pile of leaves it had shed earlier. As he glanced at it, his mind became engulfed in a torrent of disarray and his eyes began trembling from the disbelief. Eventually, his sight moved from the tree to the gun in his hand. ''It can''t be... Right?'' Feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face, Suzaku closed his eyes for a second, before then the gun returned to his insides and was rapidly replaced by the bone knife. After that, Suzaku moved towards another tree in the surrounding area, before positioning himself on the contrary side to where the tree was inclined just to make sure it wouldn''t fall on him this time. -Tack...!- And soon enough, without a second thought, Suzaku stabbed the tree with the knife in his hand. The ease with which the knife pierced the tree surprised Suzaku. He had put in a lot of strength to make sure the knife would enter. However, to his surprise, he ended up stumbling a bit because the wood of the trunk had barely offered any resistance against the blade. Nevertheless, he didn''t let that thought bother him so much and instead focused his gaze on the tree in front of him. His eyes glued to it with anticipation evident in them. -Creaaaaaaak...!!- And sure enough, a second after being stabbed, the tree began dying just like the other, before collapsing completely as its roots lost all strength. -Booom!- While Suzaku backed up to avoid being caught up in the impact after the tree fell, his eyes couldn''t help but fall on the knife in his hand. ''It kills anything it cuts...'' Then, Suzaku raised his other hand and called out the gun. ''...And this one kills anything it shoots'' When he had been down in that laboratory, he had thought those people had died because of the injuries these weapons had left in them. ... However, after what had just happened, Suzaku realized the truth. Now it made sense how every single one of those hundred people in that laboratory died, even if sometimes he didn''t injure them fatally. They were instakill attacks. After internalizing that fact, Suzaku had the sensation of being inside of a game. After all, where else would such a stupid ability exist? ''No'' However, his rational mind rapidly overruled that feeling. After all, while he had killed dozens of people in the laboratory, and one-shotted two trees, Suzaku didn''t know if such a broken attack had a limit on its killing potential. Thinking that it could kill anything no matter what was a bit far-fetched. Like, what would happen if he attacked All Might with them? Would he die as the trees had, or would he survive? The guy was a monster in human skin, physically talking. Would these abilities truly be able to kill such a man in one hit? Suzaku didn''t know what to think. However, he didn''t let that doubt stop him for much longer. Immediately after, Suzaku turned to face another tree, and stimulated the "muscle". -Swoosh!- Then, an enormous mouth with sharp teeth appeared on his belly and opened wide to let out a sharp tongue that sprang towards the tree, piercing it like a knife to butter, before retreating and disappearing along with the mouth in his stomach. And just like before, the tree fell. "..." Suzaku didn''t say anything when he saw that, but instead, walked towards another tree and put both of his hands on its trunk. Then, he repeated the action, but slightly differently. -Craaaaack!- And suddenly, his arms moved, and twisted the tree''s thick and sturdy trunk as if it was a simple paper sheet. Unsurprisingly, the tree fell soon after. "Holy shit..." Suzaku cursed. Having nothing else to say. Of course, his mind was anything but silent at that moment. ''The first time I used them subconsciously to survive, so I didn''t pay them too much attention... but seeing them now, and their killing capabilities... Damn'' Suzaku glanced at the weapons on both of his hands, and at his stomach, not knowing if to feel elated at the fact that he had become a killing machine, or worried that he had lost part of his humanity here. At least that was what it seemed. With such abilities, could he consider himself human anymore? In the end, though, he encouraged himself with the thought that, as long as he kept his morals and didn''t cross any line with certain crimes, he would be human enough. ''I could also transform into other people... Right?'' After leaving the thought of his humanity aside, Suzaku recalled when he had transformed into the big guy who had threatened to kill him with his gravitational powers. At that time, after killing him, he got enveloped in a cocoon of sorts before transforming and acquiring his same appearance, even though the man probably had like three to four times more mass than him. ''Do I need to kill others to gain their appearance...?'' Looking at his body, Suzaku frowned faintly for a moment, before he closed his eyes and recalled how he had stimulated his "impostor muscle" after his battle with the villain. Then, he recalled his father''s face. -Gwosh!- "...?!" Immediately after that, from his feet, countless tentacles emerged, before then his entire body began being enveloped in them. Not soon after, the tentacles expanded, and a red egg-like cocoon enclosed Suzaku. Similar to a capsule. -Bang!- -Pssssss...- However, it didn''t take more than five seconds before the cocoon exploded, releasing a huge cloud of steam from inside, from which Suzaku stepped out. Now, though, he looked nothing like Suzaku, but rather, he looked exactly like his father. He even had copied the clothes he had imagined him with. Seeing that, Suzaku felt amazed as he glanced at his new body. ''... This thing completely ignores the difference in muscular mass, bone structure, and age...'' At the next second, Suzaku closed his eyes again, before the cocoon enclosed him once again. -Bang- -Psssss...- Once he stepped out from it, his appearance was no longer that of his father, but instead, that of All Might. And sure enough, he looked exactly like him. His characteristic hair, his enormous stature and muscles, and even his characteristic superhero suit. "I am¡ªAhem¡ª I, uh... I am her¡ªUgh, whatever" Even his voice sounded the same. Though, his manner of speech was a tad different. However, that was more a Suzaku problem than a defect in the ability. ''...Even with such a huge physical difference, I can still shapeshift into this guy... This thing is broken... Though I don''t feel like I have superhuman strength, so I guess other Quirks are out of bounds....'' As Suzaku flexed the enormous muscles with a bewildered face, his gaze eventually turned to his superhero suit. His hand grabbed the fabrics and began stretching them away from his body. At first, they separated from his body without problem, as if they were actual clothes. However, at some point somewhere along his chest, the fabrics fused with his own skin and stopped Suzaku from being able to pull them any further. Seeing that, Suzaku caressed his chin in wonder. ''Even the clothes seem to be made biologically by this ability...'' At that moment, Suzaku recalled what he had thought when he was hospitalized. {Considering how I fought down there, these powers were the perfect ones for assassination.} He had been right. His powers were perfect for assassination. Being able to disguise as anyone, and being capable of (hypothetically) killing anyone in one strike... What else could be deadlier than that? -Gwosh!- As he continued to ponder about everything he had discovered, Suzaku deactivated his transformation and became enclosed in the cocoon before going back to his normal appearance. -Tsssss...- However, once he stepped out of it, he was received with a great surprise. "Why the heck am I naked?" His clothes had disappeared. Seeing himself in such a vulnerable state, with his great shlong freed from his shackles, Suzaku hurried up to pick the clothes with which he had arrived. After all, while he knew that he was currently alone, he didn''t want to risk someone appearing out of nowhere and seeing his body in all its glory. -Rustle- Once he dressed up all over again, Suzaku couldn''t help but glance at his hand with hesitation. Now that he had gotten a grasp of his "Impostor muscle", Suzaku could clearly feel that he still hadn''t used it to its fullest potential. If Suzaku were to describe this "muscle" as an arm, then the use of all of his abilities until now would be interpreted as having moved his arm up and down. However, he still felt like he could move it left and right, and maybe even diagonally. Which meant that there were still some abilities left. However... ''This set of clothes is the only ones I have left... I can''t risk having them disappear like before...'' In the worst situation, he would have to go back home completely nude. And honestly, he didn''t want to face his mother''s wrath. So, after a lot of hesitation, Suzaku managed to convince himself to try the rest of his abilities another day, and stood up to leave the place. His gaze couldn''t help but move through his surroundings for a moment, though. ''I left quite a mess... Let''s just hope no one finds this place... And if they do, let''s just hope they don''t find anything weird with it...'' Shaking his head in reprimand at himself for having destroyed such a big part of the forest, Suzaku sighed, before he picked up his backpack and began walking away, following the path he had left when he entered. He was going home for today. So many shocking things had happened that day, so he was feeling kind of tired. ''Though...'' However, just as his mind was set on going home to rest, he remembered a certain matter, and couldn''t help but narrow his eyes as an idea sprouted on his mind. ''... Let''s make a quick visit to the old man'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Later that day...| ... "So, let me get this straight, brat... you want me to help you train in a style that hypothetically incorporates a killing move with a hundred percent chance of killing, be it from close up or from far away?" "Yeah, and don''t forget the hypothetical part" "Seriously, just what is going through your mind, I wonder" "Is that a yes or no?" "It''s a fine. However, let me make this clear, whatever the purpose of this fighting style is, you better not be planning to practice it because you are being delusional enough to think that humans can die with a few hits. I''d rather not teach you something useless" "It will be useful, believe me... Of course, hypothetically talking" "I''m going to hypothetically kick your face... Alright, whatever. Come at me, let''s begin right away" "What? I thought I told you I only came to tell you my idea, not to practice. I''m dead tired right now and want to go home!" "Enough excuses, guard up!" "Crazy old man!" As Tatsuo lunged violently at the bewildered Suzaku, the sounds of punches and kicks clashing began echoing through the forest. Like a rhythmic song that conveyed a conversation between two people. And as the two talkers continued their conversation, the seasons began to pass again and again. Winter, Autumn, Spring, and Summer. Eventually, in the blink of an eye, 6 years passed. ... -To be continued...- (A/N: And so, the canon begins... Well, not quite, but yes quite... PS goal today for the extra chap: 200 again. Chapter 22: Blood-Haired Punk Chapter 22: Blood-Haired Punk There are 10 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "Come on, hit that brat!!" "How the fuck aren''t you hitting him?! He is half your age!" "Hey pipsqueak, stop dodging and fight like a man!" "Damn it, that little shit is going to win again..." "Hahahahaha sucks for you, I betted on him!" On an octagonal ring, two figures could be seen exchanging blows and moving swiftly through the arena without stopping for even a second. One of the fighters, and the biggest one of them, was a buff man of around 6.2 feet, with tattoos all over his body that depicted nuclear explosion clouds, and a buzz cut that added to the intimidating appearance that he carried. He was a renowned fighter in underground fighting clubs known as Nuclear Fist. Someone who, with his powerful Quirk that allowed him to gather kinetic energy on his fist and then release it into an enormous shockwave, through the span of a year or so rapidly managed to climb ranks and stand among the best fighters in such illegal places. Of course, it is not to say he didn''t put any effort and his Quirk had been the one to do all the work. Nuclear Fist, or rather, Hiroshi Takamura, had trained his Quirk exhaustingly and managed to unlock many other abilities that bloomed from its initial function of storing energy and releasing it. For example, due to his necessity of prolonging fights to store more energy, he came up with a technique that allowed him to block his opponent''s attack with his fists, and create small shockwaves during such clashes that would help reduce the momentum of their punches, and as such, the damage that he would receive. He had also developed a fighting style where he would use his fists as propellers to move swiftly through the arena and hit any blind spots the opponent might have before they could even react. Due to these skills, and the powerful nature of his Quirk where the longer the battle lasted the more powerful his punches would become, he rapidly became one of the favorites among the professional betters. However, surprisingly, for once in many months, Nuclear Fist was having his ass kicked. Though, it would be a lie to say the spectators hadn''t expected it to some extent. After all, his opponent had risen even faster than him through the ranks of best fighters in underground clubs and even had the infamy of having remained undefeated ever since he debuted until this very moment. However, that was not the most shocking fact about this fighter. His most baffling quality was his age. He was barely a teenager! "...Come on, I''m barely trying here. Weren''t you Nuclear Fist? Come try and nuke me" "AAAAARGH!" Suzaku Suzuki, otherwise known as the infamous Blood-haired punk, stood opposite Nuclear Fist, who screamed in desperation after failing again to hit the unruly brat before him. The fight had been going for more than ten minutes by now, and not only once had he managed to land a hit on the kid. His punches were already charged at their maximum. Only one punch was all he needed to win. However, no matter how much he tried, the kid seemed to know his every move, as he always failed to hit him no matter how much he tried. Normally, in such a small arena, it would be impossible to fail every single hit. After all, eventually, one would corner the other and thus gain enough room to land at least a hit. Of course, whether that hit was blocked or not, was another matter. However, the brat in front of him was actually managing to dodge everything coming his way, and with a cocky smile on his face on top of that! It was like he was fighting a ghost! "Hey Suzaku brat, I didn''t teach you to play around with your food. Hurry the fuck up so that we can leave!" Suddenly, while Nuclear Fist was raining down punches on the elusive figure of Suzaku, he heard an old voice raise from inside the crowd and call out at the kid in front of him. At first, he didn''t pay much attention. However, it was when he noticed the annoyed expression on the kid''s face after he had apparently heard those words that he understood that he was fucked. "Seriously, that old bag of bones can''t just let me enjoy one thing. Sorry dude, down you go" In the next instant, the kid''s figure disappeared, and soon enough, everything went dark. -Blam!- ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, outside of the underground club| ... "Seriously, what is the need to ruin my fun, old man?" Suzaku asked as he groaned annoyedly, giving the stinky eye to Tatsuo who was walking by his side. "Shut up! Haven''t I taught you to never play with your opponent, and simply end the fight as soon as you can?" Tatsuo yelled in frustration, glaring at Suzaku in anger. Something that the kid answered by moving to the front, and then moving left and right swiftly, as if imitating his movements from earlier in the fight. "You most certainly did. But dodging every single hit is fun as heck, you know? In a way, it''s like I''m doing a no-hit run" "Fun until you get distracted and your bones break for underestimating your opponent" Tatsuo spat in disdain. "True on that. But hey, I didn''t get hit" Suzaku said as he shrugged. "That''s not the point" "I think you are simply projecting your weakness onto me. Just because you would get hit doesn''t mean I would" Suzaku said while he nudged Tatsuo''s shoulder with a wide smile on his face. "Annoying brat I''m going to kill you!" "You can try, senile old man!" After delivering those words, Suzaku began running away while Tatsuo followed from behind with a furious face. 6 years had passed since the kidnapping incident, and since then, Suzaku had grown to become a tall and strong young man. His muscles had finally developed as he had hoped so many years ago when they had been still hidden behind his child''s body, and he had grown to a height of around 5''11''''. (180 cm according to Google) He wasn''t exceptionally tall, but he was at least taller than most of his peers. ... Or at least, taller than the normal-looking ones. Needless to say, with Quirks, there were guys out there that were humongous compared to him. Of course, he was only 14 years old right now, so there was still a ton of time for him to become even taller than a few of them. Unless he stagnated, that is. ... Which he hoped he wouldn''t. Either way, a lot of things happened through the years. For a start, All Might had received his characteristic serious injury against... Uh, whoever he was supposed to receive it from. It hadn''t been announced on TV, and Suzaku was sure almost no one knew, but he had noticed that after a certain incident that involved villains, All Might disappeared from the public eye for a few months, before then reappearing but with a much shorter schedule for performing heroic acts. This, coupled with his while vague still useful memory of the show, resulted in him eventually managing to remember and then conclude that All Might must have received the injury that caused him to choose the green-haired guy as his successor in the show. As to who caused the injury, he didn''t know... But honestly, who cared? It was probably a villain that was dead already. No one worth worrying about. As for what else happened during the past 6 years, well, you would sum everything up in the word "Training". For starters, Suzaku trained in using all of his Impostor abilities¡ªOr, as he liked to call them, Sus powers¡ªand adapted them to a fighting style that focused only on fighting as efficiently as possible and killing the opponent as swiftly as he could. Of course, there were still a few things to adjust here and there, but it was mostly completed. Now, he was sure that if someone were to try and kidnap him again it wouldn''t end well for them. As for what the rest of his Sus powers were... Let''s not ruin the surprise, shall we? Other than that, Suzaku also trained his "0,001% percent of my true strength" fighting style, which in summary was the fighting style he would use when not in need of using his Sus powers. In other words, it was his fighting style as a "normal guy with just a normal Quirk". Which was going to be what he was going to use most of the time when fighting non-lethally. Why? For starters, to not get linked with the killing spree he had committed a few years ago, and secondly, to avoid having people collect information about his abilities and develop countermeasures against them. Sure, he had the power to kill anyone in an instant if he were to decide to do so. However, that wouldn''t be of much help if his enemies knew that they only needed to fight him from afar, where he couldn''t see them. Not to mention the fact that, while strong and above normal humans when physically talking, he wasn''t exactly an invulnerable wall capable of resisting any attack. No, rather, even a gun would do the job of killing him if it shot through any important area. He was a glass-canon in all its meaning. Showing his Sus powers to grow his reputation as a hero? Are you crazy? Then his powers would be all over the internet! Considering he would be fighting villains in the future, he would most certainly not like to have his powers and weaknesses spread all over for everyone to see them. So, he had decided to make use of his Sus powers only and only in cases of extreme emergency. ... Well, at least most of them. There was one that was simply too good to not be used every now and then. His killing abilities were banned though. However, there was also one more reason as to why he had decided to not use his powers flamboyantly left and right. And that was his concern for how having the ability to kill anyone in one hit would affect his views and morals. He was no judge, and neither was he an omnipotent being capable of knowing whether a person deserves death or not. If he were to start killing every criminal in sight as a certain brown-haired potato-eating youth had done once, then it was inevitable that at some point he would kill someone who didn''t deserve so... Or at least, not entirely. Information could be easily traversed, and so would the true stories of how criminals came to commit crimes. Sure, some did it simply out of malice. However, he had no way of knowing which among hundreds of criminals had done it out of pure enjoyment rather than necessity. So, he decided that if he were to kill somebody, it would be those who were beyond salvaging and were better off dead rather than imprisoned. Like the Joker. If that guy were in this world, he would surely twist his neck with his Sus powers the moment they were face to face. Or, on the other hand, those that posed a threat to his life. Can''t worry about whether they are good or bad if they are trying to kill him. He had to worry about himself first. As for cases in which a decision would be hard to make, it would be as easy as crippling them with a good beating. It might sound a bit hypocritical of him to be thinking like that after having already killed a hundred people, but for Suzaku that had already passed. 6 Years had been enough to understand that. The past was the past, he had done what he could to survive. And if surviving had meant he had to take a hundred people''s lives at that moment, then so be it. What truly mattered was how he was gonna use the powers that God had given him from now on. ''Amen'' "Huff... Huff... That''s more like it, brat... You better pray to your God, because when I catch you¡ª!" "I was asking him to give you a few more years to live since you already seem like you are on your deathbed" "Damn brat!" Of course, Suzaku would be happy to say that all that had been his training these past 6 years. However, things didn''t end there. A year or so ago, on a day he arrived at the dojo to train a bit more in his "0,001% percent of my true strength" style, the old man Tatsuo suddenly appeared before him and began dragging him away to the city without any explanation whatsoever. Things got even more confusing when the old man suddenly dragged him to a dark alley once they ventured into the center of the city. Suzaku had thought at that moment that the old man had finally revealed his true colors. However, a few minutes after that he discovered that he had been brought to an underground fighting club so that he could practice his martial arts against real Quirk users. Basically, the old man was telling him to demonstrate all he had learned in his training. And so he did. During his first fight, Suzaku had been a tad nervous. After all, he was gonna fight against "professionals" who knew their way with both fights and their Quirks. They were nothing like that bull-headed student he had beaten up years ago. Shockingly for him, though, he absolutely decimated his opponent. And his streak didn''t end there. After his first battle, Suzaku continued winning again and again. Suzaku had even lost count after the twentieth fight or so. Winning so much obviously causes one to lose interest in numbers pretty quickly. Of course, not all fights were a walk in the park. In some, he truly had to put what he learned from Tatsuo to work. Quirks like having dozens of arms hitting him constantly, super speed that even with his enhanced reflexes he couldn''t react to, bodies so enormous that even with his agility he couldn''t dodge their attacks, etc... Fortunately, since it was an underground fighting club, most Quirks had been related to fighting in close quarters so he managed to hold his ground against them. However, thanks to that, he also came to lack experience against Quirk users who could fight from afar or simply had huge AOE attacks because of their Quirks. Like Endeavor, the second-best hero. That guy could make him roasted-Suzaku from far away, and with how huge his attacks were, Suzaku would find it very hard to dodge any of his attacks in time if he fought him in close range. Of course, Tatsuo''s martial arts also had a way to deal with that kind of Quirk users. However, like most teachings in Tatsuo''s martial arts, it wasn''t all failproof. Since strong Quirks put their users so far above common people, and were so variable, it was only normal that Tatsuo''s martial arts only detailed the most probable way of defeating them rather than a definitive way. The rest of the factors that would decide the victor would be determined by the Quirk user being fought, the environment, the number of enemies, Suzaku himself, and his state of mind during the fight, among other external factors... Nevertheless, knowing such a fighting style was still a lot of help. Had he not met the old man, Suzaku didn''t know if he would be even half as strong as he was now. Of course, his Sus powers would still be there to help him overpower any foe. However, he could not be able to use them as effectively as he could now, that''s for sure. If he had not met Tatsuo, Suzaku was not even sure he would have been able to put as much effort as he had put in during these past years. Looking at himself now, Suzaku held great pride in what he had managed to become, with or without his impostor powers. It was such a big... difference from what he was in his past life, that Suzaku couldn''t help but feel baffled. Of course, he attributed all that to the existence of heroes as a feasible job in this world, to his unwillingness to repeat the same path he took in his past life, and to his meeting with the old man. Had either of these factors been lacking, he didn''t know what would have become of his life by now. But honestly, it didn''t matter. He was gonna become a hero. That was decided. What would have been was no longer important. And now that his training was mostly all done, he was ready to begin with that path. In one more year, the exams to enter a hero school would begin. And with all the power and knowledge of martial arts he had gathered, there was nothing to fear anymore. He was prepared. As for which school he decided on? Heh... He had decided to enter the best hero school in all of Japan... Or at least the one best-ranked by the internet. UA High... or something like that. He didn''t know in which school the protagonist of the series had enrolled in the show. He didn''t pay that much attention to such details when he watched the anime. However, he didn''t care. Were he to coincidentally enroll in his same school, he had decided that he would just stay away from whatever shonen-anime stuff happened to that guy during his time at that school. ''I mean, how big of a mess can a protagonist like him get involved in? I''m sure it won''t be anything too bad'' Suzaku thought while nodding his head with a smile. However, his smile vanished when he remembered that the guy was supposed to become the successor of the so-called Symbol of Peace. A guy like that... Was bound to get involved in pretty serious stuff... Right? At least, if he looked at it from the perspective of a typical shonen... Then, yes... That guy was most likely gonna get involved in world-ending stuff. ''Heroes and villains world, I kind of tend to forget that such tropes often come with world-ending threats...'' As Suzaku let out a sigh, feeling pressured by the uncertain future, suddenly he shook his head with a smile. ''Hahaha... What am I saying? I doubt anything grand will happen during his years in high school'' Suzaku felt the urge to laugh at his paranoia. ''I mean, would the author of the show be so dumb as to make a student fight world-ending threats while being under 18? Nah, I really doubt it. The author most likely gave him a time skip in the later parts of the show that I didn''t watch, during which he was able to become a proper hero capable of facing world-ending threats'' As Suzaku was coping, suddenly he stopped running and began laughing out loud, much to the bewilderment of his master who was following behind him. "I was worried for nothing, HAHAHA! Let those exams come then, I will beat them in no time!" As Suzaku continued laughing victoriously, the old man caught up to him and looked at him as if he was crazy. "Hey, what are you talking about, brat?" Tatsuo asked with bewilderment in his voice, causing Suzaku to shoot him a confused glare. "I mean the UA hero exam of course. With all the training I''ve done these past years, I will sweep through that exam easily!" Hearing him, Tatsuo sneered, before he nodded his head. "So it''s just that. Of course you will pass it easily. With all the training I''ve put you through, some puny hero exams won''t be much of a challenge to you... Though, I can''t help you with the written exam. You will have to figure out that part yourself" ... Hearing that, Suzaku slowly turned his head to Tatsuo like a rusted robot. "The written what...?" ... -To be Continued- (A/N: My man Suzaku forgetting about tests just like me) -> Chapter 23: The Brain and the Muscle Chapter 23: The Brain and the Muscle (A/N: Accidentally uploaded this Chapter too early... So, if there was a lucky bastard that managed to open it during the 5 seconds that it was available... Good for you. And as per usual, the self-promotion: 11 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it, and also beginning to write a One Piece FF about an immortal guy) /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "Very well, students, the time has passed. I will now be taking your printouts on what life course you have decided for your life" In a classroom, a teacher began passing by each of his student''s seats taking with him the sheets where each of them had written what their planned career for the future was. There were at least thirty students, so it took him a bit of time to collect all of them. However, finally, after a few minutes, the teacher returned to his desk and checked every paper on his hands. Taking his time, and looking from time to time at the chattering students while he did so. In the end, after ten minutes or so passed, the teacher finished reading all of the papers and stood up. Gathering the attention of all the students, who were curious about what careers their classmates had chosen. To no one surprise, though, the teacher''s announcement that came next was something that happened almost too often nowadays. "... Seriously kids, all of you want to become heroes? And here I thought some of you would want to follow my steps as a teacher..." The man said as he let out a chuckle. "No way teacher!" A student at the bottom yelled, causing most of the classroom to giggle. "Very funny Hideo..." The teacher smiled while squinting his eyes at the student who laughed carefreely, thinking of maybe leaving him to clean the classroom after class. However, at the next second, he hit his palm with his fist as if he had just remembered something before he picked up the papers again and began speaking out loud. "Though I have to say, two of your papers surprised me quite a lot. Suzaku and Arata, both of you are actually trying to get into UA?" "Eh? UA?!" "The top hero school?!" "I heard it was in the top 0,2% this year. They are actually trying to enroll there?!" "But they accept so few people every year!" In the middle of the classroom, the two previously mentioned students nodded their heads among their bustling classmates. Arata, though, could be seen squirming a little bit in his seat. Uncomfortable... or maybe enjoying the attention? Who knows. Suzaku, on the other hand, symbolically adjusted his glasses as he turned them black so that they would look like sunglasses before he smirked and exclaimed out loud "It will be a piece of cake". Though, his teacher raised an eyebrow when he heard him say that. "Really Suzaku? I saw your results on the mock exam. You got a C" Something that caused Suzaku to stiffen for a second as if he had remembered an unpleasant memory. He recovered pretty quickly, though, as in the next second he crossed his arms before grumbling "That''s because I''ve yet to get truly serious". "Well, if you have made up your mind, then make sure to study as much as you can before the exam begins in one year. As for you Arata... Well, you already have that part covered up, right? You got an A after all..." Arata nodded his head at his teacher''s words, before smiling smugly at Suzaku, whose eyebrow twitched at his friend''s behavior. "Well, I will support both of you. Just make sure to prepare well enough. UA isn''t one of the top Hero Schools in Japan and the world for nothing" Their teacher said, pointing at them with his chalk. "Yes, sensei" Both teenagers said in unison. After that, the class continued as usual, until eventually the bell rang and declared the end of the school day. Causing many students to cheer in happiness. "Well, you are all dismissed..." After hearing the bell, the teacher said while turning around to clean the blackboard. However, as he moved his hands to begin cleaning, he remembered something and yelled over his shoulder. "Oh, and don''t forget to do the homework I gave you" "Tsk" "I heard that Suzaku" "Whoops" "Oh, and Hideo, today you are on cleaning duty" "Eeeeeeeh?!" After that, both Suzaku and Arata picked up their backpacks and left the classroom. Soon after reaching the school gate, and thus deciding to walk back home together while they were at it. On the way, Arata looked at the red-haired kid with a raised eyebrow, before asking him "So you are planning to enter UA as well, eh Suzaku?" Something that was answered by his friend with a confused gaze of his own. "That''s what I should ask you. I thought you would write something about becoming a doctor or uh... Whatever geniuses like you plan to become" "Well, I''ve always wanted to become a hero. Didn''t you notice?" At that, Suzaku massaged his chin for a moment, before he began muttering. "Huh... Now that you mention it, you were pretty obvious about it..." Digging through his memory, Suzaku could recall a lot of times that Arata had jumped up to help in unjust situations, trying to be the hero. Most of the time, he had to clean up after his mess. Nevertheless, that didn''t take away the heroic character of the kid. On top of that, the kid would often yap at him about heroes nonstop every single day, like he paid attention to anything related to heroes on the news or the internet. He was the typical aspiring hero stereotype! ''Damn, it was darn obvious...'' Suzaku felt the urge to facepalm himself. "Hey..." However, while he was still lost in his thoughts, Arata nudged him from the side and shot him a confused glare once again. "... But seriously Suzaku, a C? I remember that when I met you you were almost as good as me at school. How come your grades began falling as we grew older?" "Hmph" Suzaku sneered in response, looking at Arata with disdain. "I''m just holding back for now so that you can have your moment of glory. I will beat your ass in the exam, though" "Suuure..." Arata said in a low voice while grinning at Suzaku as if not believing him at all. "... Want me to hit you?" Suzaku raised his fist. "By the way Suzaku, how are you gonna deal with the practical exam? I suppose that since we will be applying for the hero course, we will have to fight with something or someone" Ignoring Suzaku''s pissed-off expression, Arata asked him curiously. After all, his friend didn''t exactly have a Quirk suited for combat. Neither did he, but that was beside the point. "Huh? Oh, don''t worry. These babies will deal with it" Said Suzaku as he rose both of his fists and began kissing their knuckles. Causing Arata to deadpan as he looked at his friend. ''This guy is actually serious?'' Nevertheless, he accepted that answer. After all, his friend hadn''t remained unbeaten in their school for nothing. While his Quirk wasn''t one that could be used for combat, he sure had proven he could take on anyone with only his fists and feet. No matter how dangerous of a Quirk his opponents had. In a way, he had come to admire him for that. "Your fists, huh...?" As he muttered that, Arata stared silently at the air. Seemingly thinking of something. However, he was quickly interrupted by Suzaku, who glared at him with doubt. "What about you? I don''t think you will fight using that hair of yours, right? I mean, it looks like a pretty useful Quirk, but I don''t think it excels very much in the offensive department" "Huh? Oh, I will be using some tools that I created in the garage of my home" Arata said while wearing an innocent expression. "...Tools?" Hearing that, Suzaku asked dumbfounded. Seeing his baffled expression, Arata smirked, before he then began digging through his backpack. Then, finally, after a few seconds, he brought out what seemed to be some kind of baton. "I call this... Thunder Staff!" He said while lifting it as if showing it to the heavens. "Thunder Staff...?" Suzaku asked with a deadpan. Not too keen on the name. Ignoring Suzaku''s glare, Arata smiled confidently before he began explaining. "Yes, Thunder Staff. A creation of mine that I came up with a few years ago to have a chance in the practical exam. In summary, it''s a small baton that can produce electricity around its upper part, and that can be used to shock my opponents if needed" "... You made this thing yourself?" Upon hearing that, Suzaku asked as he examined the "tool". Giving Arata an impressed glance not long after. Not only was he good at school, but now this guy was even crafting his own devices to fight? Man was he a genius. Suzaku even couldn''t help but think that maybe he should have thought about doing that as well. ''Nah, I''m dumb as hell'' He quickly shot down that idea, though. While Suzaku was doing that, Arata continued with his explanation. "Well, the truth is that I noticed a long time ago that if I wanted to join UA my Quirk wouldn''t cut it. So, after a lot of deliberation, I chose this weapon since it allowed me to neutralize opponents rather easily, and because I could use multiple of these with my hair functioning as additional limbs to grab and swing them" He let a strand of his hard suddenly grab the baton, before it then began moving just like another arm, causing Suzaku to stare speechlessly. "Amazing" In the end, that was all his red haired friend was able to say. At least for a second, before he looked at Arata dubiously while darting his glare between his friend and the "Thunder Staff". "Hey, but isn''t this just a Stun baton?" "Tsk" At that moment, Arata clicked his tongue and stuffed his legendary weapon back into his backpack before resuming his walking. Leaving behind the dumbfounded Suzaku, who could only stare speechlessly at his departing friend. "..." "This guy..." In the end, Suzaku shook his head before walking after Arata, patting his back with a wide grin on his face once he caught up to him. "Don''t sweat the small stuff. I think it''s pretty useful" "Really?" Arata''s face brightened at the compliment. However, with Suzaku next to him, it was only a matter of time before that ended. "Do they allow us to bring stuff like that to the exam, though?" Suzaku asked with a raised eyebrow. After all, if they did, then he would gladly bring with him a metal bat or another blunt weapon to use rather than his fists. Who knew what he would be fighting in that exam, after all? "...!" Hearing that, Arata''s face paled up, before he grabbed his slimy hair with his hands and screamed while falling on his knees. "Noooooo!" After that, Suzaku let out a sigh and simply patted the kid''s back with a pitiful gaze. It seemed like he did not consider that. ''Poor bastard'' Suzaku shook his head. A few minutes after that, both of them resumed their walk, all while Suzaku smiled wryly at the still-sulking Arata who seemed to be lost in deep thought. -Thud- Then, out of nowhere, he hit his shoulder. Making the kid squeal in pain before turning to look at his friend with a bewildered gaze. "What the heck was that for?!" At that, Suzaku smiled, before he raised his fist at him, asking for a fist bump. "Stop sulking like a sissy. There''s still a whole year before the exam begins... You''ll figure something out by then" "..." Arata blinked. However, after a second he smiled wryly before he returned the fist bump. "You''re right. Why am I even so worried about it?" Then, he swung his fist at Suzaku''s shoulder. Aiming to return the punch from earlier. Unfortunately, his fist only met the air, since his friend dodged him effortlessly. "Ugh... Ahem" After that, Arata acted as if he had been just stretching out, trying to suppress his embarrassment for failing to hit someone who was standing right next to him. Causing Suzaku to chuckle, and Arata to grit his teeth in frustration And like that, the pair of aspiring heroes continued their walk back home. Arguing with each other from time to time, or simply talking about what their hero names would be or what their hero suits would look like. Needless to say, neither of them had good ideas. ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Goal for extra Chapter 120 Power Stones, seeing that you were struggling with the 200 last week. What a benevolent Author I am. Also) -> Chapter 24: The path forward Chapter 24: The path forward There are 10 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã |A year later...| ... "My time has come..." "Hey Suzaku, what are you saying over there?" "Uh... Nothing. By the way, you didn''t have to accompany me until here, you know that? I can take care of myself" "What are you saying you brat? And miss the very moment when my son succeeds in his dream of becoming a hero? No way!" "Not a hero, dad. I''m still a student" "Who cares about minor things?" "..." "Don''t worry Suzaku, your father and I have no problem in accompanying you on this important day. Rather, it has been a long time since we visited the big city, so this might be an opportunity to do some tourism while we are at it. Right, dear?" "Huh? Ah, yeah" "What about your job, Dad?" "Oh, that? I just asked for a vacation of a few days" "...And you mom?" "I put a sign on the door that said "Closed for a few days to accompany my heroic son to the UA exam" "... Seriously" Facepalming as he faced his parents'' tenacious desire to accompany him to the exam, Suzaku sighed before he shook his head and muttered "Whatever". Currently, he was standing right outside of the so-called Best Hero School in the whole country. UA. He was waiting for them to open the doors, since, apparently, he had arrived too early and the school would only open its door to the examinees in about 10 minutes. He could only blame the training regime the old man made him go through during these past few months. To make sure he had fully mastered his fighting styles, the old man had made him come to train with him every single day at 6:00 AM. And since they kept at it for around three months, it became natural for Suzaku to wake up early, much to his dread. He was the type that loved waking up at 2:00 PM, after all. Today he ended up waking up too early as a result of that as well. Which caused him in the end to arrive a bit too early at the practical exam. Though, it might have been due to nervousness as well. Although Suzaku was often carefree and didn''t get nervous about many things, he had to admit that the night before he may have been feeling a tad nervous about the incoming exam. It was the final step to entering into the career of a hero like he had been planning for the last 9 years, after all. It was normal to be feeling nervous. Though, not as much as he did during the written exam a few days ago... He was sweating buckets that day. Fortunately, though, he felt that he had done well enough in the exam. And he better have done so. After all, for the past year, he studied like he had never done before just to make sure he would pass it. Even his time at university during his past life paled in comparison to the devotion he had to put to his studies this year or so. It was quite a shock when the old man Tatsuo revealed to him that the UA exam not only consisted of a practical exam, but of a written one as well. Honestly, he didn''t know how he hadn''t thought about that before. Maybe it was because he thought heroes didn''t need to be mathematic geniuses, or maybe because he simply had forgotten, but honestly, considering UA was still considered a school, it made sense that they had a written exam. ''It was hard as hell, though'' Suzaku thought as he grabbed his face after remembering how stressful that day was. He studied for the whole past year like a madman, and even then, he had problems remembering every single topic that the test inquired him about. He was tested about every single thing, and nothing was left out. Even now, he could vividly remember the urge he felt to yell at the teachers who had been observing them the day of the exam "Why the heck does a hero need to know all this?!" He got really frustrated that day, and even remembering was making him feel a bit angry. It was no wonder the acceptance rate was so low. Nevertheless, he quickly recovered his composure after remembering that such a stressful day had passed and that now the main obstacle in his way was the practical exam. ''Focus Suzaku, focus. You came here to clap cheeks. The main boss "Written exam" is defeated, now, only a weak-ass mid-boss is awaiting you, this should be easy'' "Hey" As Suzaku was squinting his eyes at the giant school before him and the challenge that was to come, he felt someone touch his shoulder out of a sudden. Out of reflex, he turned around and almost punched the guy''s face to oblivion. However, he managed to refrain from doing that when he noticed who it was. Stopping his fist just a few centimeters from the person''s face. It was Arata. "Woah man, what the hell?!" The kid in question jumped back after noticing Suzaku had almost punched him. Looking at him with a shocked expression soon after making some distance. In response, Suzaku only stared at him for a few seconds speechlessly, before blowing some air on his fist as if it was a gun. "Oh, it was only you, Arata. Sorry, I was just ready and alert to punch any villain that might cross my path. After all, since I''m going to become a hero and all that, I''ve got to prepare the mindset... You get me?" Hearing that, Arata deadpanned, before he approached Suzaku once more as he shook his head. "Seriously, you scared the hell out of me" Arata scratched the back of his head. "Oh my, is that you Morikawa-kun?" Suddenly, Suzaku''s parents'' voice sounded from the side, making both youths look at them. "Oh, it''s you, Auntie and Uncle" Seeing them, Arata raised his eyebrows for a second, before he approached the pair to greet them. He had been to Suzaku''s house a lot of times when they were kids. Most of the time to play some games. So, it was normal for him to already know them. As Arata shook hands with both of them, Suzaku walked up to him and slapped his back, making his friend yelp in pain before trying to hit him back but failing anyway. "This guy wants to become a hero as well" As Suzaku snickered at his friend''s failed attempt at getting revenge, he revealed Arata''s reason for being here. Surprising his parents, who looked at the kid in shock. Seeing that, Arata could only scratch the back of his head while letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, I''m giving it a try as well. Though, since they didn''t allow me to bring any weapons, I think I will have to conform with simply doing my best with my Quirk, even if it isn''t exactly hero material" "Oh, don''t say that! I bet that if you try enough, you will be able to pass. Just like our son managed somehow to pass the written exam." Suzaku''s mother, Aya, said as she giggled. "Hey, I can hear you" "Eh? Suzaku passed?" Arata exclaimed as he turned to look at Suzaku in shock. Something that annoyed the latter, but that he still dignified with a response. "I mean, I feel like I passed since I answered most things with a bit of confidence, but we will see how it truly went after they give the results" "Unbelievable" Arata mumbled in a low voice, still surprised by the news. "I''ll seriously beat you up" "Come on, it''s just a joke" Arata laughed as he patted Suzaku''s back. -Bam!- "Ahem" Suddenly, as both youths were bickering with each other, the doors of the school gate opened, and a guy with long black hair and an unshaved beard appeared from behind it before yelling at the crowd of people who had gathered outside of the school gates, Suzaku and Arata included. "Let''s see... All the examinees who are here for the practical exam please enter the school and go directly towards the auditorium. There will be teachers who will guide you, so don''t worry about getting lost... That''s all" After that, the man went back inside before disappearing into the school. Leaving the group of teenagers speechless for a moment, before some decided to enter. Seeing that it was already time to enter, Suzaku smiled, before he turned towards his parents and hugged them. Something that the pair reciprocated, before patting his back. "We will be doing some tourism in the city while you are busy passing the exam. Call us when you are finished" Aya said, smiling warmly at her son as she did so. "Sure Mom" Suzaku nodded. "Good luck son. Succeed where I failed, and become the greatest hero of all!" Suzaku''s father, Yoshiro, pumped up his fist as he put his other hand on Suzaku''s shoulder. Looking at him with shiny eyes. At that, Suzaku sneered, before shaking his head. "Wish the exam luck, Dad. For it will need it more than me" He said, causing his father''s eyebrow to twitch. Once the farewells were done, Suzaku and Arata separated from the pair of adults¡ªOf course, not without waving at them one final time¡ªbefore beginning to enter the school gate. Both of their steps confident and ready to take on the challenge. Or well, at least until halfway. "I''m feeling kind of nervous all of a sudden..." Arata said, gulping a good chunk of saliva while trying to stop his legs from shivering. Seeing his friend''s state, Suzaku raised an eyebrow, before he slapped his back once more and laughed out loud. -Plaf!- "Hahahaha!" "Aaaargh, you son of a¡ª!" "Come on, Arata, you didn''t train with me for a whole month only to chicken out at the last minute, did you? Let''s do this until the end!" Suzaku exclaimed out loud, remembering how his friend had asked him to teach him how to fight a month ago. Although the training had not transformed him into a legendary warrior, at least Arata now knew how to defend himself more properly. "Urgh... It''s easy for you to say... What happens if I fail?" The kid shook his head in negation. "If you fail, you fail, my little grasshopper. That''s all" Suzaku sagely caressed his metaphorical beard as he answered Arata. Then, as he lifted his index finger, Suzaku stated "... As the saying goes, whoever is scared to die might as well not die" "I think you got it wron¡ª" Arata tried to say something. However, he was quickly shushed by Suzaku. "Do not question the ancient wisdom my friend, now, stop being a sissy and come on. We gotta become the best heroes that there are, right?" After saying that, Suzaku put up his fist right before Arata, who looked at it for a few seconds in bafflement before smirking and fist-bumping it. "Yeah, let''s become the best heroes that there are, together" "No homo" "What?" ... -To be continued- ¡ã (A/N: And so, the practical exam arc begins... Just a heads up, I might extended it for a bit too long... Let''s just hope it isn''t boring for you guys) -> Chapter 25: To Sus or Not to Sus Chapter 25: To Sus or Not to Sus There are 10 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... After a long walk through the whole school, both Arata and Suzaku managed to arrive at the auditorium thanks to the indications of the teachers stationed along the way to help students not get lost. Once there, both of them began looking for their seats. However, it didn''t prove to be much of a challenge. They had seats assigned by letters and numbers, so by just following the row of seats with the same letter, they ended up arriving rather quickly at theirs. Which ended up being on the lower rows of the auditorium, right in front of the scenery. Once there, both teenagers saw a teacher with a¡ªUh, really particular appearance¡ªgo up the scenery and announce to the crowd of present examinees that, in order to wait for those examinees that had yet to arrive, the explanations for the practical exam would begin in 20 more minutes. Which meant that both of them would have to wait a little more, again. "Ugh, really?!" Hearing the announcement, Arata groaned loudly while grabbing his hair in dismay. He was already nervous enough... But they suddenly declared that he would need to keep being nervous for the next 20 minutes to come? He wanted to die. Suzaku, on the other hand, simply let out a sigh once he heard that before looking around unbothered as if he had expected it to a certain extent. Even in the cinema, he had to wait for the trailers to pass before the movie began, so there wasn''t much of a difference here. As such, he lifted his gaze and began glancing at the numerous teenagers seated across the auditorium with curiosity. ''Man, this looks like a convention of freaks...'' One thing that surprised him was the amount of mutation-type Quirk users that were there. Of course, he had seen his fair share of them during his time at school, but maybe because this was the top hero school in Japan, their bizarreness seemed to be at a higher level than he expected. In his school, it was normal to see a few guys with the appearance of animals or mutated parts in their bodies. However, here in the auditorium, he could see people with full-body mutations that simply didn''t seem to resemble any particular animal or living being. He didn''t exactly know how to describe them, but if he were to pick a word to do that, then he would use "extreme". Nothing that caused him to say "What the fuck?", but still enough to make him say "Huh...?" Nevertheless, Suzaku didn''t feel very threatened by them. His attention was instead on the seemingly normal-looking examinees with nothing noteworthy at first glance. After all, according to Suzaku''s learnings over the years, those guys were usually amongst the ones he had to be the most cautious around. As for why? Because with mutation-type Quirks he could easily infer the Quirk''s uses by using the holder''s appearance as a guideline. Like, for example, a guy with a bull''s head, most likely had the strength of a bull and well... the ability to do whatever a bull is supposedly capable of. With Quirks that also caused small mutations like antennas, horns, or weird-shaped limbs, he could also infer to some extent the holder''s abilities. However, it was better to still be cautious around them as sometimes the mutations didn''t really have anything to do with the power that the Quirk bestowed. However, people with no apparent mutations were the most dangerous on Suzaku''s danger scale, as one could expect anything to come from them. From being Quirkless to being capable of blowing up an entire city with a swing of their hand. Aight, maybe he was exaggerating a tiny bit. But his point still stood. He had no way of knowing what they were capable of, and as such, they had the element of surprise in their favor. Of course, that was only until they revealed their skills on their own, or until he managed to get his hand on prior information about their Quirks to know what he was facing. That may sound a bit sneaky or cowardly, and he had thought so too when he began learning the art of clapping the cheeks of powerful Quirk users. However, through the years of training under Tatsuo, he came to learn that if he wanted to fight against powerful Quirk users with nothing but his body, information was crucial in closing the gaps in power. That was the way Tatsuo''s martial art against Quirks worked, and he was unashamed of it. How did it work exactly, you ask? Suzaku would gladly explain it to you. He had nothing else to do for the time being, after all. The old man''s martial arts against Quirks consisted of performing three important steps before fighting. First, gather information about the opponent. Be it by either forcing them to draw out their Quirk or by getting the information out of their own mouth after making them speak unintentionally. In this way, one could know what to expect before the fight begins. Then came identifying and analyzing the adversary''s Quirk. Spotting possible weaknesses or advantages that they may have over him that may make the power gap too big, or that may prove fatal without caution. And finally, choosing what type of combat or strategy he should adopt to overcome the gap in strength. This final step made use of all the stuff that the old man Tatsuo had taught him. From learning parkour, acrobatics, and athletics to possess great agility and speed in case of needing it; almost all kinds of armed combat in case he needs a higher output of damage than what his fist and legs can muster; handling guns, long-ranged weapons, and how to throw stuff in the case that he is overpowered in close-quarters and needs to fight from afar; what points of the human body are the most vulnerable or useful to strike during a fight; holds that can incapacitate dangerous opponents without the need to lengthen the fight by damaging each other; to using every single thing in his surroundings to his advantage or as a weapon. He had literally learned a lot of everything so that he could respond to any possible Quirk in the most optimal way. Tatsuo had deemed Quirks as chaotic and with endless possibilities. As such, he created a martial art that was just as chaotic and with endless possibilities. That was all that Tatsuo''s Ultimate Anti-Quirk Martial Arts was about. Fighting chaos with chaos. Because of it, while the examinees without anything weird about them were on the top ranks of Suzaku''s list of being cautious against, that didn''t mean he was hopeless against them. Not to mention that, in a way, Suzaku was one of them as well. Aside from his red hair, he was just a dude with glasses on his face. And while he was fit, so were a lot of the teenagers that had attended this exam. There was nothing that screamed huge strength, or extreme lethal capabilities about him. Which meant that he also had the surprise element by his side. ... At least a little bit. "Hey, Suzaku, stop daydreaming and pay attention, the exam is about to start" Suddenly, Arata shook him. Startling him, and causing him to look around in surprise. "H-Huh? Oh, what the heck, I dissociated for a second there..." Suzaku grabbed his head. "A second? Dude, you were literally staring at the air blankly for 20 minutes while muttering "Hehehe... The magnanimous Suzaku will gladly explain it to you..." or something like that" Arata said, staring at Suzaku with an indescribable expression. "You must be imagining things" Suzaku sneered before he crossed his arms and stared at the scenery. Waiting for the exam to begin. "I am not¡ª" "Shhh, dude, the exam is about to start, stop yapping" Suzaku shushed Arata, causing his friend to grit his teeth in anger and even pop up a vein on his forehead. "I swear I''m gonna punch you one of these days" "Sure you will do, my slowski friend" "You¡ª...!" {"For all of you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today...!"} Suddenly, as Arata was about to try his luck once again with hitting Suzaku, a loud voice startled both of them and made them turn towards the scenery in surprise. There, they saw a blonde guy with a... very particular hairstyle, dressed in what seemed to be Rock-star-like fashion. Upon seeing him, Suzaku raised an eyebrow, while on the other hand, Arata gaped and mumbled with a trembling voice "It''s the motherfucking Present Mic!" "Who?" Suzaku asked. Hearing him, Arata was about to start yapping again, angry that he was oblivious to the great individual standing in front of them. But Suzaku fortunately shut him up with a "Shhh" before he could begin explaining. "I swear one of these days¡ª" {"Everybody say hey!"} Arata was about to swing his fist at Suzaku, but before he could do so, the loud voice of Present Mic stopped him and made him turn to look at the hero with a weird look. And not only him. The whole Auditorium shot him the same look, not even considering going along with the... Exotic performance of the hero. ... Well, except for one guy, who was coincidentally sitting next to Arata. "Hey!" Out of nowhere, Suzaku yelled unenthusiastically as he raised his fist in the air. Gathering the attention of the entire auditorium, who looked at him weirdly. "..." After that, an awkward silence permeated the air for a few seconds, with no one saying anything. Fortunately, that silence was quickly interrupted by Present Mic. Who yelled enthusiastically as if he had been waiting for that "hey" throughout his whole life. {"That''s the response I wanted to hear! Now, are you guys ready to begin with the practical exam?!"} "Yeah!" Again, the only voice that rose up from the public was that of a certain red-haired guy. {"Then, I''ll quickly present to you the rundown on the Practical Exam!"} Present Mic yelled before he began explaining in detail how the practical exam would go. While that went down, Suzaku noticed Arata hanging his head low while covering his face with both of his hands. "What''s up pal?" Curious, he asked him while nudging him a little. However, Arata slapped his elbow away as he cried in a little voice. "Why are you like this Suzaku...?" To which the red-haired teenager chuckled, saying with a big grin "You simply can''t handle the Suzaku style", before turning to look back at the the hero with both of his arms crossed. Ignoring any further suffering cries from his friend. And like that, both youths began to listen deeply to the explanation of the professional hero. Thus, eventually understanding that they would have to fight against robots fabricated by the school, and stack up lots of points by defeating them if they wanted to enroll. During the explanation, there was also a bit of a ruckus in some seats above them. Apparently, some guy was complaining about stuff in the printout they were handed that detailed some parts of the exam, and about another guy who had been making too much noise. However, Suzaku didn''t really pay them much attention. He was thinking of much more important stuff at that moment. Thus, after the explanation ended, both youths began readying their minds for what was to come, thinking of complex strategies to rank among the best in the exam. ''I''ll just hit those robots until they malfunction... Heh, sounds like a plan'' Well, not so complex. "Alright!" Suddenly, as if making up his mind, Suzaku stood up from his seat and prepared to follow the group of examinees that moved toward the battle center assigned to him. However, just as he was about to start walking away, Arata grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him. "Wait a second Suzaku. I''ve got something for you" "...?" Hearing that, Suzaku turned to look at his friend and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. After all, Arata wasn''t exactly the type to give presents. However, his surprise only increased when he saw Arata take out of nowhere a pair of black gloves out from his pockets, before handing them to him. "Remember a year ago when you told me you would use your fists to fight in this exam? Well, I''ve been working on these gloves for the past year. In summary, they lessen the backlash you receive on your hands whenever you punch something" Arata scratched the back of his head. Then, as Suzaku began to put them on, he continued explaining. "They work pretty much like boxing gloves do, but without the weakening of your punches that comes as a side effect of that type of gloves, and they are even better at reducing the backlash than them... Ahem. And well, since this doesn''t increase your strength, I thought that it shouldn''t be a problem for you to use it in the exxam" Arata finalized, glancing with anticipation as Suzaku opened and closed his hands after putting on the invention. Then, as Arata was about to ask him what he thought, Suzaku slammed both of his fists against each other. Causing a loud Bang to echo across the entire auditorium. Attracting a few curious and surprised glances in the process. "This is great" Was all Suzaku said. That, however, was enough for Arata. "Well, consider it a thank you for helping me train for the past month" The kid said, before showing his fist to Suzaku. Offering a fist bump. Suzaku, however, slapped his fist away, before shooting him a deadpan. "Hey, I feel like we have been doing too many fist bumps lately" "Really?" Arata tilted his head. "Or am I just imagining it?" Seeing his friend not know what he was talking about, Suzaku couldn''t help but squint his eyes slightly. Nevertheless, he didn''t mind it too much. "Well, let''s do a handshake" Suzaku offered his hand. "Sure" Nodding, Arata grabbed it, before proceeding to shake it. The hold didn''t last very long though. "Yeah, this is weird" "Yup" ... "... Well, whatever. I''ll see you later. Good luck" In the end, Suzaku turned around and bid farewell to Arata. Something that the latter just answered with a nod, before standing up and going on his way. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, Battle Center D...| ... ''So I''m finally here, huh?'' Suzaku thought, glancing at the enormous metal door that kept the group of examinees outside of the battle center, where the practical test was about to take place. It had taken him 15 long years... Well, 9 years since that''s when he set his mind to becoming a hero. It was a long wait. A lot of things happened during that time. He prepared way more than he had anticipated when he started. He was way stronger than he thought he would be by this point. He went through a traumatic event and came out as a super powerful Impostor human. He saved up a lot of money after fighting in the arena. And all for this moment. Today was the day he became a hero... Or at least, one in training. And no matter how broken the Quirks of his peers standing right next to him were, he would make sure that he would enroll, no matter what. The legend of Suzaku begins today! ... Or well, considering that it would take a bit for the results of both exams to come out... Ahem. ¡ªThe legend of Suzaku begins... In a few days from now on. Now though, let the exam begin! ... -To be Continued- (A/N: And thus, the metal smacking test begins...) -> Chapter 26: Dissapointing Foe Chapter 26: Dissapointing Foe There are 10 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... Now though, let the exam begin! ... "..." ... Ahem. Let the exam begin¡ªwhen the metal door opens. "Darn, how much time are they gonna have us wait?" Tapping his foot on the floor, Suzaku grumbled in a low voice as he looked around. Impatient after having already waited 10 minutes since he got to the front of the metal door. Currently, he was standing in the middle of the group of examinees that had been assigned to his same battle center. There were around 30 people, and from what he could see, they all looked like weirdos. But well, with this being an exam where only the most outrageous Quirks would be capable of passing the exam, it was to be expected to some extent. ''That girl seems normal, though'' However, while he was inspecting the other examinees, he quickly noticed that amidst the crowd of weirdos stood a seemingly normal orange-haired girl a few meters away from him. From what he could see, she didn''t seem to have any big mutations in her body, and neither did she have any trait that indicated the functionality of her Quirk...If she even had one, to begin with. However, Suzaku quickly shot down that possibility. After all, what kind of utter psycho would come to the exam of the best hero school in all of Japan without a proper Quirk? ... Ahem. No need to answer that question. ''I''ll have to look out for her... Who knows what Quirk she has'' Suzaku thought while squinting his eyes a little bit behind his glasses, which he had turned black so that he would look cooler while beating up the robots of the exam. However, just as he was about to turn around to continue looking at his competitors, he noticed that the girl''s gaze met his. ... No, actually, not only her. Almost everyone around turned to look at him from one moment to another. ''What? Did they perceive my great power?'' Suzaku raised an eyebrow. However, he quickly noticed that most looks were ones that had curiosity and a bit of contempt mixed in them. Of course, this was not the case for everyone around him. Some had simply curiosity in their gaze, while others were simply looking attentively at the metal door, uninterested in his presence. In the end, though, Suzaku only sneered for a moment, before turning to look around him once again. Not minding the weird looks that some were shooting him. After all, whatever the reason for their strange gazes was, it would be something that he would unravel later. "Hey, isn''t that the weirdo that yelled at the auditorium?" ¡ªOr, on the other hand, right now. ''Tsk... Let''s just ignore them, they just can''t handle the Suzaku style'' As he told himself those words, Suzaku began inspecting his surroundings once more. As far as he could see, there were no teachers nearby. Making him wonder, were they gonna open the huge ass door in front of them from afar, or was someone gonna come open it for them and then officially give start to the exam? He had no real way to know. However, upon thinking of the slight possibility that the bastards were gonna start the exam without telling them beforehand, he decided that stretching a little bit now that he still had the chance would be a good idea. So, after making up his mind, he moved towards a spot with fewer people and began doing some light stretching. Much to the surprise of the other guys who were watching him, who, upon seeing him begin elongating, rapidly began doing exercises of their own, realizing that it wasn''t the moment to pay attention to others. ''As always, others can''t help but copy the great me... Whatever shall I do? I''m just too much of a role model'' Suzaku thought as he swept his hair while glancing stoically at the sky. However, his expression rapidly contorted at the next second. As if he had just stepped on a Lego piece. ''I just noticed, but did the old man''s stuck-up personality rub off on me?'' -Click...- As Suzaku was just about to begin questioning his existence, he heard a small click in the direction of the door and turned to look with a raised eyebrow. "...?" However, his expression changed to one of surprise when he noticed the huge metal door was opening very very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that somehow it was not making any sound while opening. Causing only the ones that were facing the door to notice its aperture, and the more absent to miss it completely. When he saw that, Suzaku half expected a teacher to appear from behind the door and begin a countdown or another explanation of the exam. However, when he saw no one there and just a long open road into the battle center that screamed "You are on your own", he understood what he had to do. -Woooosh!- "Huh?" "What the¡ª?" "Hey¡ª!" In a second, he slipped past all the other examinees and began running into the battle center. Leaving many of his competitors who saw him sprint at full speed flabbergasted for a moment, before they snapped out of their daze and began running as well. And like that, without even a warning, the exam began. "Hehehe..." Upon noticing that he was at the head of the group, Suzaku couldn''t help but smile sinisterly. After all, since he had a head start, one of the main issues that had been bothering him ever since the explanation of the exam at the auditorium had left the equation. That being how he was gonna secure a robot for himself to fight, and how he was gonna manage his time. After all, Suzaku knew that fighting physically against a robot was gonna take quite a good chunk of the exam''s limited time. Thus, he planned to first make a good analysis of the weak points of the robots and what patterns/attacks they had, taking whatever time was needed to collect enough information, before then finally starting to stomp robots left and right, using the gained knowledge to fight as efficiently as possible against them. However, in the case he had started behind others, finding himself a robot that wasn''t being battled already would have been a problem that would have led him to lose a lot of time. A time that he had managed to save by being the first to enter the exam, and which he could now spend more calmly on analyzing the robots. "Alright, let''s do this!" After realizing that everything was going his way, Suzaku yelled in enthusiasm and caused many of the examinees running behind him to look at him weirdly. However, he didn''t mind them, and instead, he increased his pace and slipped away from their view by making a turn on one of the many alleyways of the city-like battle center. Then, after making many turns here and there, he managed to arrive at a new area where apparently no one had arrived yet. Or at least, that was what it looked like to him. And fortunately for him, upon arriving in the new area, it didn''t take long before he found one of the robots he was supposed to beat the crap out of. "[Beep]" "A three points one, huh? I guess today it''s my lucky day" Upon catching a glimpse of the giant in front of him, Suzaku smiled. Feeling elated that his test subject was going to be the supposed strongest robot of the three that existed in the exam... Of course, that was without considering the robot of 0 points, which was something best avoided than confronted. After all, if he managed to get enough information from this guy, the other ones which were supposedly weaker would be a piece of cake to defeat later on. Again, that was not considering the one that gave 0 points. What stood in front of him was a monstrosity of a machine. Almost quintupling him in size, and that, according to him, resembled what he would describe as the fusion between a turtle and a tank. It was a mystery how he was gonna make it fall using nothing but his fists, but he was gonna do it. That there was no doubt about. "Hup¡ª!" So, without hesitating any longer, Suzaku leaped into the air, and delivered a powerful flying kick at what he supposed was the robot''s head. -Blam!- The impact shook the robot a bit. However, even though the kick had bent its carcass, it hadn''t done enough damage. "[Target acquired, beginning with the process of extermination]" Once the robot noticed him, it let out a robotic voice as its mechanical eyes began shining in a bright red. Making Suzaku leap back and begin observing what it planned to do. And in no time, he got to discover it. "[Dieeee!!!]" From one moment to another, the robot rushed fast in his direction and swung its long arms at him. Aiming to hit his sides by the look of it, However, Suzaku was quick to react and didn''t even allow the robot to land a hit on him. The moment the huge mechanical arms moved in his direction, Suzaku ran towards his foe, before sliding through the ground like a professional. Passing under the robot''s swing, and managing to close the distance in less than a second. Ending face-to-face as a result. "Excuse me" -Thud!- Once in front of it, Suzaku used its head as a step to propel himself upwards, before he then landed on the huge back of the robot and sat on it. Riding it as if it was one of those mechanical bulls. However, despite that, he didn''t let down his guard. When he stabilized himself, he rapidly prepared to dodge any attack that might come his way. After all, he doubted the robot would allow him to stay much longer on top of it. ... Though much to his surprise, he was wrong. The attack he was expecting never came. "Huh?" Instead of that, the villain bot began turning left and right repeatedly, as if searching for Suzaku within its limited field of vision. Apparently, it didn''t know where Suzaku had gone. Even though he had shaken it quite violently when he landed on its back. When he realized that, Suzaku became speechless. "That''s it?" Somehow, he had made it to the most vulnerable point of the robot. A zone that the robot should be the most cautious of or have the most protection of all. And yet, once he landed on top of it, it had just lost him? Just like that? "What the heck? I was hoping for an epic fight... This guy is lame" Scoffing, Suzaku sat on top of the robot, before banging on its back, trying to see if it had any reaction. -Bang, bang, bang!- "[Target escaped, resuming search for examinees]" But all Suzaku got was an even bigger disappointment. "Damn..." In the end, that was all Suzaku was able to say before he let out a sigh as he shook his head. This was all the so-called strongest opponent he could face in the exam was capable of doing, huh? Nevertheless, he blamed himself for getting his hopes up. While this was a test for entering the best hero school in Japan, those who were being tested were still kids with no combat experience. It was obvious that they weren''t gonna put them to fight seriously dangerous guys, as he had secretly hoped. Not to mention that considering that the exam was all about stacking up points by defeating these metal cans, it was normal for the robots to be built to be quick to defeat so that the examinees could move fast from one to another. Though, it still disappointed him. "Well, whatever. This is good enough" In the end, though, Suzaku only shook his head, before standing up. Then, cracking his knuckles, Suzaku smiled viciously, before he began tearing apart the robot''s back with his sheer strength. Not bothering anymore with his search for information. The exchange between the two might have been brief, but Suzaku had gotten a lot out of it, unexpectedly. More specifically, he had gotten just what he needed to know. -Creeeeaaaaak- Thus, in no time he began grabbing the metal plates that covered the metal guy and began pulling them out, one by one. Sometimes, he would also kick the metal carcass to bend it and make it easier to open. The robot was no better than a tin can waiting to be opened by our red-haired protagonist. "[Sensing abnormalities]" The robot let out some cries of confusion during the process of being dismantled. However, they didn''t last very long, since after a minute or so, Suzaku managed to get to the circuits-filled interior of the robot. "Very well, let''s see what we have here" Once the weak point of his opponent was exposed to him, Suzaku began analyzing the robot''s internal mechanism. ... Though, as it was to be expected, he didn''t understand what he saw at that moment. So, not minding it too much, he simply grabbed all the visible cables and ripped them all out violently. Cutting completely the energy of the robot, and making it stop functioning for good. Once that was done, Suzaku jumped off from the defeated automat and pulled his hand up to begin recounting the information he had gotten out of that fight. "Alright, let''s see... First of all, their metal carcass is rather thin and lacks a lot of hardness when compared to real iron or steel. I guess they didn''t want to make these robots too tanky... Which makes sense when considering that not every Quirk may have the firepower to damage such materials... Second of all, err...they have a lack of perception of its surroundings. It seemed like they had a lot of blind spots from where they could be attacked without being noticed... And lastly, once I pull out the cables inside them, they die. Alright, good enough" Smirking, Suzaku moved toward the robot, before he began inspecting it from a little bit closer. "It also seems to have guns implemented... However, it didn''t seem to use them actively, as it preferred to attack me in close quarters rather than from afar" He mused. As he caressed his chin, Suzaku then turned to look towards the far-away part of the city/battle center and squinted his eyes when he saw a bit of smoke rising from that zone. "I better hurry up. Or I''ll be left without robots to dismantle" As he finished saying that, Suzaku sprinted towards a nearby building that seemed to be slightly damaged (probably for esthetical purposes, with the battle center being an abandoned city and all that) before he picked up some of the debris that was lying on the floor and that seemed to have an iron bar embedded into it. -Crack!- Without hesitation, Suzaku swung the piece of concrete attached to the bar as if it were a hammer before he struck it towards the ground. Shattering the rocky material, and leaving only the metal pipe in his hand. "This will do for a weapon for now" After he said that, Suzaku smiled before he began running in the direction of where the chaos seemed to be brewing. This time, ready to cause some robot-genocide. ... -To be Continued- (A/N: UA is in tutorial mode for Suzaku Also, the power stone goal for the extra Chapter this week will be 150 Good luck) -> Chapter 27: Good as Quirkless Chapter 27: Good as Quirkless There are 10 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã |At the exam''s surveillance room| ... In the middle of a dark room, a bunch of people illuminated by the faint light coming from the screens in front of them could be seen staring intently at the monitors. While doing so, some jotted notes in small notebooks while others chatted with their seat neighbors about the content displayed on the screens. They were of course the UA teachers, who, as instructed by Director Nezu, were currently checking and evaluating each student who appeared on the monitors assigned to them. Two among the group of teachers, in particular, could be said to be chatting rather enthusiastically with each other. "Hoh... Candidates this year are really amazing" One of them, a tall and burly silver-haired man clad in a dark red skin-tight suit, said while squinting his eyes at the monitor in front of him. His mouth twisting into an interested grin the more he watched. He was the famous hero, Vlad King, otherwise known as the Blood Hero since his Quirk "Blood Control" allowed him to control fucking toothpaste. ... You get it? It was a joke. ... Nevermind. The other man, sitting right next to Vlad King, was the hero Cementoss. A man who, despite being human, looked more like a block of cement shaped into a humanoid form as a result of his Quirk, which allowed him to manipulate any cement-based material he touched and give it shape or move it according to his will. Hearing Vlad King''s comment, Cementoss nodded his head for a moment, before letting out a sad sigh as he squinted his eyes at the screen. "Hmm... They have very powerful Quirks. It''s a shame that only a limited amount of them can pass the exam, and the rest of them will fail" "Even so, they can still enter the Department of General Education, and if they excel enough, they may be granted the chance to join the Hero Department later on" Vlad King countered. Only for Cementoss to shoot him a doubtful look. "Yeah, but how many truly accomplish that?" Hearing the question, Vlad King looked at the ceiling for a moment in contemplation, before he sweatdropped a bit as he said "... Well, you have a point". After that, Cementoss turned to look back at the monitor and shook his head with regret. "Look at most of them. They are splendid. And yet, they pale in comparison to the group of examinees from previous Battle Centers. I''m afraid only a few from this group will be able to enter the Hero Department" "That Explosion kid was on another level" Vlad King commented, remembering how a certain student with spiky blond hair had performed during Battle Center A''s exam. Cementoss nodded. Being aware of how much that kid had excelled among his peers. Despite not gaining any of the secret rescue points during the entire exam, that kid made up for them solely with the points he gained for decimating the villain bots. Managing even to attain first place among all the examinees as a result of it. Though, he had a bit of a problematic personality. "Well, at least not everyone in this Battle Center will fail... Unlike in Battle Center C..." Vlad King said while smiling wryly. Cementoss nodded in agreement before he grabbed the monitor''s control and pressed a button. Changing the image on his screen to that of an orange-haired girl enlarging her fist and punching out of existence a 1-point villain bot. "You''re right on that. Let''s see. Itsuka Kendo... How commendable, while she is lacking in villain points compared to some of her competitors, she is ranking pretty high thanks to the rescue points she has gotten so far... It seems she is helping whoever seems to need a hand, despite not needing to do so" "She will do for a great hero" Vlad King nodded with a stoic face. "Hmm..." Cementoss nodded, before continuing. "Next we have Yosetsu Awase... He is leading the top position of this battle center in regards to Villain points, as he seems to have defeated quite a bunch of villain bots with his Quirk..." After hearing his coworker, Vlad King picked up a few papers that were lying by his side and began reading the info of the student that had been just mentioned. "Fusing objects to an atomic level... What a great potential" Upon finishing analyzing the kid, Vlad King''s eyebrow rose and his eyes gleamed with anticipation as to what a student like him could accomplish with enough training. Cementoss on the other hand simply nodded his head like before, not saying anything, and pressed the button once again, However, once he did, his eyebrows furrowed a little when he caught a glimpse of the image being projected by his monitor. Something that didn''t go unnoticed by his fellow hero, who looked at him weirdly and waited for him to continue listing the promising students of this battle center. "Suzaku Suzuki... He is a little below Yosetsu Awase in terms of villain points, but he is quickly catching up at a surprising speed¡ª" "Isn''t he the kid who started ahead of the others when we opened the door?" Upon hearing that name the Blood Hero looked at his neighbor''s screen, before he gained the same frown once he noticed what was going on in the screen. "Hmm" Cementoss nodded, but his eyes remained glued to the monitor. Their focus on the screen eventually caused both of them to fall into a deep silence, as they observed quietly what was transcurring on the screen. ... "What the heck?" However, in the end, the one to break the silence was Vlad King, as he rapidly began looking for the kid''s information among the documents he had. And sure enough, he quickly found them. Though, it didn''t end up being what he expected. "His Quirk is... Glasses?" "What?" Hearing his neighbor''s confused muttering, Cementoss rapidly began looking for his information as well. And sure enough, he gained the same confused expression as Vlad''s once he read the contents of the papers in front of him. "... Documented usage for this Quirk: Causes glass-like biomaterial to emerge above the individual''s ears, taking on the shape of eyeglasses that help adjust the light for better vision. Additionally, the user can change the shape and color of these glasses to some extent... Huh?" "How does that even make sense... Then what the heck are we watching?" Vlad King uttered in bewilderment. "I... Don''t know" Confused, both heroes looked at each other for a few seconds not knowing what to think, before both of them hurriedly turned to stare attentively at their screens. There, a red-haired teenager could be seen running with a smile on his face. Sometimes slamming his fists against 1-star villain bots and sending their heads flying in one swoop, while other times engaging in fierce yet short battles against 2-star and 3-star villain bots, beating them with overwhelming agility and surprising strength. In most cases, ripping their innards with his bare hands. However, what surprised them wasn''t his efficiency in destroying the robots as they had seen plenty of amazing performances so far during the day, but rather the way the kid was doing it, and with what unbelievable ease! In the Hero exam, it was common to see powerful Quirks or proficient Quirk users who made up for their Quirk''s lackings with pure technique. However, the kid in front of them was none of them. He was using martial arts. Of course, they weren''t foreign to such ways of combat. There were always a bunch of examinees every year that used them to supply for their Quirk''s lack of firepower, because of their lack of close-combat capabilities, or in the best of cases, it enhanced them during combat thanks to their Quirk''s nature. Heck, they themselves had trained in them to some extent to perform better during battles. However, such techniques often had a limit on how much they could help their users to pass the exam. The number of examinees that had used them as their main way of combat instead of their Quirks and that had managed to pass had been minimal. However, the kid in front of them was nothing like the ones before. While he was indeed using martial arts as his main way of fighting, he was destroying every robot in his path with terrifying efficiency. Not to mention the fact that his attacks seemed to carry enormous strength behind them. At first, they had thought he had some sort of enhancing Quirk, which was why his Martial Arts were so effective. However, turns out his Quirk had nothing to do with it. Considering that it did nothing but give him glasses, it wasn''t wrong to say he was as good as Quirkless when it came to fighting. And yet, he was battering up the villain bots as if they were mere training dummies! "It''s something wrong, you two?" Suddenly, while both of them watched attentively their respective screens, awaiting to see what the odd examinee would do next, a voice came from behind them and managed to wake them up from their daze. "All Might!" From behind them, the giant muscled hero appeared and beamed at them while saying "I''m here!" He was about to ask them why they were so agitated. However, before he had the chance to do so, he caught a glance at their screens, and a surprised look couldn''t help but appear on his face. "Young Suzaku?" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Suzaku''s POV:| ... -Bam!- "Well, this turned monotone quite fast" I muttered as I stepped on the robot''s severed head. Crushing it easily under my weight. I mean, it was fun at first, but now not so much. Could you blame me, though? These guys were all the same. There was no unpredictability, just simple and repetitive patterns. Like I was fighting a... well, a robot. The three-point villain bots, for example, tended to swing their arms sideways to attack, as well as perform every once in a while a charge, intending to crush me under them. But that was it, a slide or jump to avoid any of those attacks, and they were good as dead. Not to mention how easy it was to attack them by surprise. With the iron bar, I could easily pierce through their carcasses and attack their core before they could notice me. Though, more than once I received a bit of a shock because of that. I guess using a metal object to destroy electrical-powered robots wasn''t a great idea. But hey, a few punches and kicks could do the job as well. So it wasn''t much of a problem in the end. The same went for the 2-point robots. They were like the 3-points robots, but smaller, weaker, and maybe a bit more agile. Though, not nearly enough to cause me a problem. The only difference they had besides the two previously mentioned attacks, was that they had a tail they could use as well. But that was it. As for the 1-point robots... Pfft, they were like twigs compared to the previous two, despite being made of the same metallic alloy. A good kick, punch, or swing of the iron bar on a vulnerable zone, and they were goners. They were fast, sure, but so was I. And during an exchange of blows between me and them, I won every time. The only attack of the three robots that wasn''t tutorial-level was when they used their guns. However, I suppose that as to not make the exam something deadly for the examinees, they barely used them, and when they did, they fired only for an instant before engaging in close combat again. Thanks to that, my fights had been easy so far... so much that by now I have destroyed... Err... I don''t know, thirty-something robots so far? Among them were quite a lot of 1-point robots, and a some 2 and 3-point ones. I don''t know how high in the rankings that puts me, but hopefully, it will be good enough to pass this exam. Still, all that doesn''t take away the fact that this is turning boring. However, even if I say that, I don''t think I will risk whether I pass or not simply because I want to have a fun time. I''m not that dumb. ... Alright, maybe I am. But I won''t do it. Not this time, at least. So, I plan to continue hunting down the robots relentlessly, at least until the time remaining en¡ª "[Target Acquired!]" "What now?" Hearing a familiar inorganic voice, I turned around and saw a 1-point robot standing several meters away from me, looking straight into my eyes... I think. Honestly, with its big red eye, it was kind of hard to know where it was looking. But since its head was facing in my direction, I guess it was safe to assume it was looking at me. "[I''ll kill you!!]" And sure enough, as soon as it recognized me as an examinee, it roared in pre-recorded anger and charged at me. So, feeling tired of dealing with these guys, I didn''t even bother to run at it and I simply waited for it to come at me. That way I would deliver the final blow without even needing to move. ''Yeah... Just a little more¡ª'' -Bam!- However, just as I was readying to blow its head away with one kick, something enormous appeared out of nowhere and blew the small robot away. Sending it crashing to who knows where. "...?" Seeing that, I blinked confusedly for a moment, before I turned to look at what had destroyed the robot, and saw a humongous fist around my size right where the robot had been until a second ago. However, it didn''t take more than a second before the fist began shrinking down. And once it did, I was able to see the perpetrator behind the kill-steal that had just gone down. It was the orange-haired girl I saw before the exam started. ''So, a body enlarging Quirk, huh? Does it only apply to her fists or¡ª?'' "Are you okay?" As my mind was wandering over strange topics, the girl asked me something with a slightly concerned face. Causing me to snap out of my daze, and look at her with a raised eyebrow. Then, turning to look at the wrecked robot that had been embedded into a nearby building, I couldn''t help but let out a sigh and look at her with a faint frown. "Hey, I know that there was no explicit rule that said "no kill steals allowed", but¡ª" However, upon hearing me mention kill stealing, she quickly panicked and began moving her hands around frantically. "Eh?! Wait, I just thought you were not able to move since you stood still when that robot was rushing at you! Were you not in any danger?" Seeing her act so panicky at my words, my frown lessened a bit. It seemed like she had done it because she had thought I needed help. Which, honestly, wasn''t all that unbelievable. I vaguely remember that the protagonist had frozen up because of fear during his exam. So, having someone believe I had frozen up like him was not impossible. Not to mention that this is a place for becoming heroes. It''s not unbelievable that the kids who apply for this exam are more heroic than common people. ... That, or she was really good at acting. But eh... whatever. It was just a one-point robot anyway. I could kill any of those in just a matter of seconds... As far as I could find one, that is. And I got to know what her Quirk was. So, I guess I still won something in the end... Kinda. "I just thought it was a bother to approach it, so I waited for it to come at me instead" I said, giving a wry look at the poor robot that looked like a trampled can after she hit it. "I-is that so?" The girl looked surprised for a moment before an expression of shame sprang onto her face as she apologized, bowing faintly as she did so. "I''m sorry about that. I swear I didn''t do it with bad intentions". So, in response, I simply shrugged the matter off. "Well, what''s done it''s done. It was just a one-point robot anyway, so don''t sweat it" I said while gesturing for her to calm down. To which she lifted her head to look at me with an unsure expression. As if she still felt guilty of having KS''ed me. Which she should be, don''t get me wrong. Ks is the lowest of acts, after all. But well, she was quite pretty, and I was a sucker for things like that. Not so much as to forgive everything she does tho. I''m not such a pushover. Maybe a bit in the past, but now, I was a reformed Suzaku. All my training had taught me that first came becoming a millionaire and then getting girls. In other words, goals first, then romance. Otherwise, you could see me imagining a future with every 24/7 store or McDonald''s cashier who is a bit pretty, instead of focusing on becoming a hero. Plus, she seemed to be genuinely sorry. So I wasn''t going to pursue the matter. Oh, and also, I was not in a place where I could afford to continue wasting time talking. So, nodding my head at her, I said "Sure", before I pointed back with my thumb and told her "But hey, we shouldn''t waste more time. Who knows when the exam will end". Causing her to widen her eyes, and mutter "Y-you''re right", before turning around to look for any nearby robots. When I saw her go back to do her own thing, I prepared to run off on my own to continue my search for points. -Rumble!- However, before I was able to, suddenly the ground shook like an earthquake and stopped me momentarily. ''The heck?'' Confused by the sudden event, I gazed around me and suddenly caught a glimpse of a huge dust cloud rising in the distance. ... And from within it, an enormous robot that dwarfed even buildings emerged. "The 0-pointer, huh?" Seems like the big baddie has appeared. ... -To be Continued- (A/N: I decided to add the new impostor power that Innersloth announced a week ago, since it came in handy in a recent Chapter I wrote where Suzaku goes on a killing spree. It''s called vanish, and you can go check its details out on the auxiliary Chapter, but in summary it makes him invisible for a few seconds. Also) -> Chapter 28: Improvised Rescue Chapter 28: Improvised Rescue There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "The 0-pointer, huh?" Seeing the giant robot in the distance, Suzaku couldn''t help but grin excitedly. Judging from its size, Suzaku imagined it would take simply a step from it to flatten him like a pancake. Not to mention what a punch from it would be like. Saying "destructive" would be an understatement. Compared to its fellow robots so far, this one looked like it was gonna be a real challenge to defeat. As Suzaku watched the metal monstrosity move through the distance, his blood boiled, and his fists tightened. At that moment, just a single thought occupied Suzaku''s mind. "Time to run away" Thus, without wasting a second, Suzaku began running in the opposite direction to where the giant robot was moving, aiming to get out of its way, and never cross paths with it if possible. What? Fight it? Are you crazy? What could his fists do to it? Tickle it to death? And besides, there was nothing to gain from fighting it. Its name explained it fairly well. 0-pointer, or in other words, no points to gain by defeating it. The rock-star teacher had said it as well, it was not a wall meant to be surpassed, but one to avoid. Thus, being the not-fighting junkie that he was, Suzaku didn''t hesitate a second to avoid this fight and instead prepared to look for the remaining villain-bots. After all, some time remained, and he wasn''t going to waste it on a meaningless fight. Especially when he wasn''t exactly sure how the points he had gotten so far would fare against the other examinees. "... Tsk" Though, he had to admit, running away didn''t suit well with him. He didn''t think it looked very heroic. "Huh?" However, a few seconds after initiating his tactical retreat, he stopped in his tracks. A certain phrase repeating in his mind over and over again. "I don''t look very heroic...?" He muttered, turning to look at the giant robot in the distance with a frown on his face. "This is an exam to become a hero, though? How come they are making us run away like civilians in distress?" It didn''t make much sense, now that he thought about it. Of course, he knew that fighting a losing battle was nothing but foolish. But still, was this school truly asking them to run away the moment a strong villain appeared? He was confused. Shouldn''t there be some kind of secret teaching like... if fighting alone isn''t enough, fight with teamwork? And now that he thought about it... if the supposed heroes ran away like headless chickens the moment a strong villain appeared, who was supposed to save the civilians who were trapped within the dangerous areas? Were they supposed to let them die simply because they stood no chance against the villains? At that thought, Suzaku frowned even more. No. That didn''t make any sense... At least not for a school that was supposed to be the best in all of Japan. But, if making the students learn to not fight lost battles was not their true purpose, then which one would it be? As Suzaku pondered that, he noticed that the girl from earlier had also seen the huge robot. However, much to his bafflement, the moment the girl saw it, she stood still for a few seconds as if contemplating what to do before deciding to run towards it, instead of away from it. When he saw that, Suzaku was taken aback. ''The heck¡ª?'' However, in the next second, a realization came to him. Causing both of his eyes to widen in shock. "Could it be that... the true purpose of that robot is to see who is gutsy or strong enough to fight it?... That girl sure is perceptive!" Needless to say, he was wrong. However, he didn''t know that. So, having realized the true(not) objective of the exam, Suzaku changed directions and began running towards the metal giant. Following behind the girl who, once she noticed him, looked at him weirdly for a few seconds, before turning to look up front again. As for why he had decided to run towards the giant robot? Of course, it was to beat it and ensure that he got enrolled in the school. After all, if he beat the robot, he would prove himself good enough for this school, regardless of how many points he has accumulated until now. As for how was he gonna do that? He had no idea. Well, maybe he had an idea. However, he still needed to check whether or not it was viable by observing the robot from up close. Otherwise, he would not even think of fighting that guy. Of course, not because he was scared of it or anything. If he truly wanted, he could make the robot collapse in an instant simply by being close to it. However, he wasn''t about to reveal one of the cards up his sleeve just because he wanted to pass a mere exam. And besides, if what he was planning to do succeeded, it would very well work as practice for when facing giant villains in the future. Feeling optimistic all of a sudden, Suzaku grinned, before he raised his fist into the air and yelled enthusiastically. "Alright! Time to make that robot my bitch!" While he did that, he felt a confused gaze come from in front of him. Nevertheless, he ignored it and simply focused on getting to where the robot was. And, in less than a minute or so, he finally arrived. The entire zone was covered in a thick dust cloud as a result of the destruction the robot caused just by moving. Causing Suzaku to reshape his glasses a little bit so that they would cover his eyes completely. Several buildings around him were also crumbling the moment the robot came in contact with them, unable to hold their ground against the metallic monstrosity. "Alright, I admit he looks bigger from up close" Once Suzaku glanced at his towering opponent, he couldn''t help but smile wryly. He really hoped that his plan would work. "Hmm?" However, just as Suzaku was about to begin with his ultimate strategy, he noticed a few small figures right below the 0-pointer. ''Examinees?'' There, just a few meters away from the 0-pointer''s feet, three students could be seen trying their best to run away from the robot but being unable to. Two guys, and one girl. From what he could see, all of them were injured. Causing them to not be able to run fast enough to leave the giant behind. "Well, damn" Seeing that, Suzaku knew that he had to save them. Why? Because he was in a damn exam to become a hero! He would look nothing like a hero if he were to abandon them to be flattened like a... uh, a pizza? "Let''s hope I don''t get trampled on because of this" Thus, making up his mind, Suzaku grumbled in displeasure, before he sprinted towards the small group of examinees. Since the robot was so close to catching them, he didn''t waste any time explaining anything to them, and once he arrived next to the group, he simply grabbed the two closest to him and put them above his shoulders, all while also running away from the robot on the process. "Kya!" "Woah!" Both teenagers exclaimed in surprise when they became something more akin to potato-sacks once Suzaku carried both of them on each shoulder. Something that Suzaku ignored, before looking at the third examinee who had been left to run on his own. ''Damn, why did I have to be born with only two hands?'' In a hurry, he slowed down and approached the third, before yelling at him. "Hey, jump on my back!" "What...?!" The teenager asked, baffled by the fact that Suzaku actually intended to carry three people and run away from a giant robot as well. However, seeing that it was only a matter of time before the 0-pointer caught up to him, the teenager reluctantly nodded, before he prepared to jump with all he had and grab onto Suzaku. Unfortunately, he never had that chance, since out of nowhere, an enormous piece of debris fell on the spot where Suzaku had been running and made him jump away to dodge it. Causing him to get too far away from the examinee to let him jump onto his back. Immediately, Suzaku tried to get close again. However, it seemed like the rubble from earlier had been only the first one of many. Since, immediately after, several pieces of debris began falling from above. Looking up, Suzaku noticed that the 0-pointer was passing by some nearby buildings, and destroying them along his path. "Damn it!" Seeing the situation complicate out of nowhere, Suzaku let out a curse under his breath. However, just as he was about to try and get the third guy again, a giant part of the building began falling upon him. "Oh, shit!" Seeing that the third examinee was about to become squished under the collapsing building, he immediately thought of throwing the two teenagers on his shoulders away from the 0-pointer''s path with all he had, so that he could free his hands and jump to save the last one. -Bam!!- However, before he could even put his plan to the test, out of nowhere, a giant hand blasted the rubble falling onto the examinee and grabbed him. Thus, covering and shielding him from the remaining falling debris. "Woah!" Surprised by the sudden help, Suzaku''s eyebrows rose. However, his face quickly changed once he recognized whose Quirk that was. "Nice one, ginger girl!" He yelled enthusiastically. Pumping up his fist into the air as he looked at the orange-haired girl, who was now running by his side while carrying the third examinee in her gigantic hand. "My name is Itsuka Kendo" She said, apparently not liking the nickname. Though, Suzaku simply ignored it and grinned. "Enough talking about you, let''s get these guys out of here" He said as he signaled with his head at a nearby alleyway from where they could escape. In response, the girl called Itsuka nodded, albeit with a faintly twitching eyebrow. After that, they both eventually managed to escape from the 0-pointer''s walking path and left the trio of examinees in a safe spot a few streets away from the chaotic zone. Once done, Itsuka let out a sigh of relief, before she turned to look at Suzaku, who was massaging his chin as he observed the still-moving 0-pointer in the distance. "You think there are more people who need help?" She asked. Raising an eyebrow after noticing how focused the red-haired boy seemed in the giant robot. "What? Uh, oh, yeah, I was totally thinking of that..." Startled, Suzaku replied with a bit of an awkward tone. Causing the girl to look at him with a confused expression. However, Suzaku didn''t bother to clarify what his real thoughts were, and instead, he gave her a faint nod before bidding her farewell. "Well, unknown girl, thanks for the help, but I''ll take it from here" He said as he turned around and prepared to run at the 0-pointer once again. However, he was quickly pulled back before he could even take a step further. "Wait, I''m going to go and help too" Itsuka stated, looking at him weirdly before explaining her plan. "Let''s look for more examinees together in case we need to carry too many people at once, or in case we face any problem there" "Huh?" Hearing that, Suzaku''s mouth turned into an O shape as he let out a confused grunt. ''So this girl came here to help examinees in trouble and not to beat up the 0-pointer? Damn...'' Suzaku scratched his cheek in awkwardness after realizing he had judged her wrong earlier when she ran towards the 0-pointer. Nevertheless, he quickly covered up his discomfort and laughed merrily. "HAHAHA...haha...ha... Ahem. Ah, yes, helping others, my one and only objective here..." Suzaku muttered in a fake heroic tone while caressing his chin, before putting a hand on her shoulder and pointing at the distant figure of the titanic robot with his thumb "...But hey, I was planning more on helping those in danger by eliminating the source of all this mess in the first place" Hearing his words, Itsuka stayed silent for a few seconds, glancing back and forth between the robot and Suzaku, before widening her eyes and pointing at the giant in the distance. "You want to take THAT down?!" "Precisely" Suzaku nodded, shooting her a thumbs up along with a confident grin. "...!" Upon seeing Suzaku''s confidence, Itsuka raised both of her eyebrows. However, assuming that the red-haired boy in front of him should have a very powerful Quirk to have such confidence in defeating such an enormous robot, she quickly nodded and let go of his clothes. Of course, not without leaving an "I''ll help you in what I can, then". To which Suzaku responded with a simple nod, before sprinting towards the metal monstrosity with all he had. He had to hurry up, as the time remaining was not so much. He didn''t know exactly how much time was left as he had been a tad absentminded when the rock-star-like hero had voiced the time remaining a few minutes ago. However, according to his calculations, the time remaining should be around 10¡ª {"5 minutes remaining!"} ¡ªUh, yeah, that. ''I''m running short on time'' Suzaku frowned. Feeling that maybe he wouldn''t be able to take down the robot in time. However, that feeling didn''t stop him. Instead, it pushed him to increase his pace and leave Itsuka behind. Ignoring any surprised or confused expression that may have appeared on the aforementioned''s face. He had to take down a giant robot that dwarfed even buildings in less than 5 minutes. Surely, it wasn''t going to be much of a problem, right? ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: As I say, Impostors cannot be sussers) -> Chapter 29: The Legend of Viruzaku Chapter 29: The Legend of Viruzaku There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym<- ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... Less than a minute later, Suzaku arrived at the zone where the 0-pointer currently was. Frowning faintly once he saw it. It was moving fast, despite its enormous size. And as it moved, it left behind a path of destruction that made Suzaku sweatdrop a little bit. Wondering how the heck the school could afford to destroy so many buildings like they were free stuff. -Bang!- Nevertheless, he didn''t let those thoughts wander too much in his head, and, not even bothering to go over his plan one more time to make sure it was flawless, he kicked open the door of one of the several buildings around and began going up the stairs until he arrived at the rooftop. Once there, Suzaku looked at an adjacent building that was around the same height as the one where he was right now and immediately began sprinting with all he had. Crossing the distance between the two buildings with just one jump, similar to how a certain guy with spider powers had done in a movie scene. He didn''t stop there, however, as he repeated the process several times until he was finally able to close the distance between the giant robot and himself to around 15 meters. "If I fall, I''ll probably break something... So, all I have to do is not fall..." Once there, Suzaku muttered in an unsure tone, glancing down the building where he was and laughing a little at the huge distance between himself and the floor. However, he quickly shrugged his hesitation aside with a shake of his head and grinned confidently. "It''s just jumping 15 meters... Should be easy enough" So, having determined himself, Suzaku took a deep breath and took several steps backward, before he began sprinting at full speed towards the giant. -Bang!- Then, once he was at the border of the building, his feet fiercely kicked the concrete like a shotgun and propelled him swiftly into the air. For a moment, Suzaku thought he wouldn''t be able to make it. Since his speed seemed to be insufficient. However, he was quickly relieved when he saw himself getting closer and closer to the 0-pointer. All until¡ª -Clang!- "Oof!" ¡ªhe ended up crashing rather painfully with it. Fortunately, despite the rather forceful landing, Suzaku still managed to grab onto it. And, once he stabilized himself, he didn''t hesitate for a second and rapidly took out the iron bar he had and began using it as leverage to open apart the thick metal carcass covering the robot. Making the metallic alloy of the giant metaphorically scream in pain. -Creeeeaaak!- "What... an annoyingly thick guy!" Suzaku said under heavy gasps. Using a lot of his strength to bend the metal open. The carcass resisted thoroughly, apparently being a lot thicker than the ones from the smaller robots. However, after a minute or so of constant struggle, it finally yielded under Suzaku''s strength. {"2 minutes remaining!"} And, as if urging him to hurry up, immediately after he managed to make a fissure on the robot, the voice of the rockstar teacher announced the incoming ending of the exam and made Suzaku erase any idea about thinking this through. "Alright, it''s Virusaku-time" Suzaku grinned. Thus, not wasting any more time, Suzaku squeezed through the fissure he had created on the metal carcass of the 0-pointer and got inside it. Aiming to destroy the robot from the inside. -Thud!- "Well, damn" However, upon reaching its interior, he noticed that the robot was filled with metal pipes and several other machinery that obstructed his way. Making it so that reaching the vital part of the robot would be harder than he expected. "I''m gonna destress a lot here..." Though, that wasn''t going to stop him. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Outside of the 0-pointer| ... Itsuka Kendo could be seen running hurriedly away from the giant 0-pointer, all while carrying a bunch of examinees on each of her gigantified hands. Sweat ran through her forehead, feeling tired of carrying so many people at once while running away from the giant robot. Her Quirk facilitated her to perform such rescue actions. However, the amount of people she was carrying was still considerably heavy for her at the moment. Fortunately, despite the weight, she was still fast enough to outrun the 0-pointer... Or at least, to make enough distance until the exam ended, which was about to happen. "Huff..." While she continued to escape, she gave a quick glance at the robot they were supposed to avoid according to what the hero Present Mic had advised, remembering what the red-haired boy had said about taking it down. After he disappeared while running in its direction, she didn''t see him anymore. She wondered if he had run away, which would explain his strange reactions when she had mentioned coming to help others. Still, she didn''t let that thought bother her much. She was not in a situation where she could worry about other things. Her focus was all on keeping the examinees on her hands safe and dodging any falling rubble that the 0-pointer may drop on them during its advance. It was already a stroke of luck that the giant had not noticed her when she had arrived at the scene. After all, from what she had seen earlier when she had been at a prudent distance, the 0-pointer would launch catastrophic punches whenever it detected a group of examinees in the vicinity. This was what was leading her to not get too far away from its wheels at the moment despite the danger of being crushed under it, as she figured out that the 0-pointer seemed to be unable to detect her and others while being in the area below it. Her plan for the moment was to continue moving along the robot while being in its blind spot. That way, she would reach the end of the exam without becoming its target. ''Less than a minute...'' She estimated the time that had passed since the previous announcement, letting out a brief sigh of relief once the end seemed to be around the corner. Not much seemed to be left before she would finally be able to rest. However, just as Itsuka was thinking that everything would go smoothly, she noticed that something seemed to be strange. And she quickly realized what it was. ''Why¡ªwhy don''t I hear the 0-pointer moving behind me?!'' When she hurriedly turned around, Itsuka saw the robot standing several meters away from her. It seemed that as a result of being too engrossed in her thoughts, she failed to realize that the 0-pointer had stopped moving a few moments ago. And now that she had gotten too far away from it, she was also no longer in its blind spot. "Darn it" Confused and startled, Itsuka stood still for a moment, not knowing what to do in such a situation. However, just as she was about to ignore it and continue running regardless, she saw the 0-pointer raise its metallic fist and prepare to launch one of its devastating punches at her. "...!" As such, once the gravity of her situation dawned on her, she immediately dropped all the examinees to the ground and swiftly moved her giant hands to the front to protect all of them from the incoming impact. -Bzzzt!- However, just as she was gritting her teeth while expecting the attack to arrive, her eyes caught sight of the 0-pointer''s arm unexpectedly falling powerlessly to its side. As if it had lost all strength all of a sudden. Things didn''t end there, though, since soon its other arm also fell, followed by an enormous amount of smoke that began to leak from its insides. -Tsssssss...!- Seeing that, Itsuka frowned in confusion. However, her bewilderment only grew bigger when the robot suddenly hunched forward, as if its body had also begun malfunctioning. "What in the world¡ª?" It was only when she saw its characteristic glowing red eye abruptly lose its light, that she understood the 0-pointer was losing its energy. "Wha¡ª?!" She didn''t have much time to ponder about the reason for such an event, though, since as a result of the 0-pointer suddenly losing its power, it began collapsing down on her. Prompting her to grab all the examinees in a hurry and do her best to get out of the way. "Ah!" -Booom!!- Fortunately for her, she managed to escape by a hair''s breadth from being crushed. Though, she along with the rest of the injured teenagers still ended up having to roll through the ground as a result of the impact that such a heavy robot caused upon collapsing. Still, some scratches were better than being flattened. So that was that. Once the enormous dust cloud that rose from the impact subsided, Itsuka, who was lying on the ground confused, looked up at the robot. Wondering why it had suddenly malfunctioned. {"Time''s... Up!!"} However, the voice of Present Mic announcing the end of the exam ultimately snapped her out of her daze. Causing her to widen her eyes as she realized everything had finally ended. As relief invaded her mind, she turned to look at the collapsed robot. ''Did a teacher turn it off since the exam ended?'' Naturally, such a thought crossed her mind. Otherwise, why else would it have malfunctioned so suddenly, and right before the exam ended? However, not having anyone to confirm it, she quickly shook her head and shrugged the matter aside. After all, with the end of the exam, another problem began bothering her. "I wasted too much time... I don''t think I got enough points" She muttered while tightening one of her fists, which had come back to its normal size. Feeling slightly regretful of having been swayed by her emotions after deciding to help others instead of focusing on defeating more villain-bots. As a result of that, she did not get nearly as many villain points as others had done. Now, as a result of her naivety, her failure on the exam was almost guaranteed. She would not become a hero. "Okay, good work everyone¡ª... Well, would you look at this? I wonder who managed to take it down... Was it you, girl?" However, just as Itsuka was beginning to look sad, a certain feminine voice sounded from a few meters away and startled her. "...?" When she turned around, she saw a small granny in a nurse-like suit walking towards her, looking with a faint surprise at the giant 0-pointer lying next to Itsuka. "No... It wasn''t me" She denied, looking with confusion at the sudden appearance of whoever the granny was. "Mua" However, she was quickly surprised when the granny leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "What are you¡ª?" She was about to ask her what she was doing, but before she could do so, Itsuka noticed her injuries and fatigue going away right away after the kiss. Making her let out a surprised gasp. After healing her, the granny turned towards the other examinees and began kissing them as well. Healing their injuries and rendering them finally able to walk. Once that was done, she approached Itsuka once again and glanced curiously at the collapsed robot in front of her. "Well, what a strange event. Normally, after the exam ends the 0-pointer should automatically stop moving. However, it shouldn''t have collapsed like this..." Then, as she caressed her chin in contemplation, she turned to look at Itsuka, wondering if she had any idea of why this happened. However, she quickly noticed her faintly sad expression. Prompting her to ask her "What''s wrong girl?". "I wasted too much time helping others instead of fighting robots. I don''t think I passed the exam" Itsuka answered, hanging her head down. However, she suddenly received a pat on the shoulder from the granny, making her look at her with confusion. "I wouldn''t worry too much about that if I were you... While collecting villain points was important, other aspects were put into consideration during the exam" Hearing that, Itsuka''s eyes widened as a faint light of hope appeared within them. -Bang!- However, before she had the chance to ask what the granny had meant by that, a loud noise startled her, and everyone else around. It had come from the 0-pointer''s big red eye. -Bang!- When everyone turned to look in worry, the noise repeated. -BANG!!- -Tssssssss...- And, just as some were beginning to prepare for a possible incoming fight, the eye exploded. Letting out an enormous amount of smoke from inside. -Cough, cough- However, surprisingly, what came from inside the robot, aside from the smoke, was a red-haired teenager, whose face had some faint burns in it and who was coughing violently with a look of displeasure on his face. Once he was out, the young man grunted in annoyance, before he glanced at the robot below his feet, and let out a wry laugh. "0-pointer? More like, uh... 0 chances against Suzaku¡ªNo, that''s not it... Ahem. You should have installed an antiviru¡ª...No, that''s lame as well... Uhm, Argh! Whatever, I''m not good with this" After yelling in frustration, the young man jumped from the robot and landed in front of Itsuka and the granny. And, once he noticed both, he smirked. "Well, well, well, it seems like Suzaku saves the day once aga¡ª" -Thud!- He fell face to the ground before he could even finish speaking, however. "..." "..." After seeing his weird entrance, both of them stayed silent in bafflement as they glanced at the fallen Suzaku. The granny even poked his unconscious body with her walking stick. However, in the end, she muttered something with an amused face. "It seems he inhaled too much smoke while inside the 0-pointer. He should be fine in a few minutes" "Huh..." That was all Itsuka was able to say, looking at the red-haired boy in front of her with curiosity. It seemed like, just as he had stated a few minutes ago, he actually managed to take down the 0-pointer on his own. ''Just who is he?'' ... -To be continued...- (A/N: And thus, the practical exam ends... For the most part. Some among us wisdom: As the proverb says, the susser they are, the harder they are ejected) -> Chapter 30: Results Chapter 30: Results There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... "I''m never doing that shit again" Suzaku vowed in a displeased tone after opening his eyes, feeling dizzy and with a light pain in his chest when breathing. Fortunately, it wasn''t anything he couldn''t ignore. Though, of course, that didn''t change the fact that he would never try to do such a stupid thing again. "At least not without a gas mask..." Suzaku muttered as he massaged his chin. Once he finished recalling the events previous to losing consciousness, he sat and began looking at his surroundings. Curious as to where he was. "An infirmary?" He asked no one in particular. Noticing a faint resemblance to his old school''s infirmary room, with the only difference being that this one seemed to be much better equipped in what nursing respected. "Indeed, you collapsed after the exam ended, so I brought you here to let you rest properly" Someone answered, causing Suzaku to turn his head, and notice that someone seemed to be behind a curtain right next to his bed. -Shhhhk- As he moved the curtain aside, he noticed that the person who had answered him was none other than the old woman he had seen along with the orange-haired gir¡ªErr, Itsuka¡ª before collapsing. He didn''t have enough time to notice it at the time he got out of the robot... Since, you know, he fell unconscious a few seconds right after. However, now he realized that the granny in front of him was wearing some kind of nurse-themed hero suit. Making her actual identity rather obvious. She was UA''s nurse. And as such... "Am I in UA''s infirmary?" He asked, looking around and understanding his situation a bit more once the granny nodded her head. However, his admiration of the surroundings didn''t last very long. After a few seconds of being lost in thought, he recalled that he was supposed to have called his parents the moment the exam ended. Something he kinda missed while being in the lands of dreams. So, feeling worried that he might have slept for too long, Suzaku asked "How long was I asleep?" to the nurse, as he began looking through his pockets for his phone. However, to his surprise, upon hearing that question the old woman''s expression visibly darkened. "You have been asleep for 2 days" She said after a deep silence. Causing Suzaku''s eyes to widen like platters. "What?!" "Hohoho... I''m joking. It has only been like half an hour" She snickered. "..." Then, as Suzaku was massaging his face after the little scare he had gotten, the old woman grabbed something from a nearby desk and passed it to him. It was his phone. "You almost gave me a heart attack there, lady" Suzaku sighed as he grabbed it and checked the hour. Confirming that indeed only some minutes seemed to have passed since the exam ended. -Cough, cough...!- However, at the next second, he let out a violent round of coughs. Frowning slightly as he massaged his chest and muttered "I really need a gas mask..." And, as Suzaku was lamenting his recklessness, he failed to notice the old granny suddenly getting closer to him. When he finally became aware of her approach, he tried to ask her what she was doing. However, he was quickly shut up by her when she planted a long kiss on his cheek. "...?" At first, Suzaku frowned with a weirded-out expression after receiving the kiss from the elderly woman. However, when suddenly the feeling of pain in his chest began to disappear, he realized what had happened and a certain memory began resurfacing on his mind. ''Ah, yeah. Now I remember her!... She was the one who healed the green-haired guy when he broke his arm after the exam... Regeneration Girl, or something like that'' He thought, looking at her with a weird expression. Before he could realize it, he had made contact with yet another character of the show. Though he had to say, his memories of her were rather vague. He didn''t know if it was because she didn''t appear much in the anime, or simply because his memory was shit. Maybe it was both. But eh. It wasn''t important. "Thank you, lady" Cutting his train of thought before he got lost in it, Suzaku bowed faintly in gratitude as he sat on the border of his bed. Now, he wouldn''t need to worry about coughing like a smoke addict for the next few days. "Don''t mind it, lad. It is simply my job" The nurse said as she patted amiably Suzaku''s shoulder. Once she said that Suzaku nodded before he began to stand up. Not wanting to leave his parents waiting any longer. "Then, I''ll be leaving... I''ve got to make a ca¡ª" "Just one last thing" However, just as Suzaku was about to begin walking towards the exit, he was stopped by the nurse. "Before you leave, tell me... The 0-pointer... Was it you who took it down?" "Eh? Ah, yeah" Suzaku nodded. Not thinking much of the question. Seeing him nod so nonchalantly, the nurse mused a little bit, lost in her thoughts, before smiling at him. "Hmm... I see. Well, that was all. You''re free to go" "...?" Confused by her reaction, Suzaku raised an eyebrow. However, not wanting to bother asking what she was thinking, Suzaku gave her a little nod as a farewell, before opening the door and leaving the infirmary. "Examinees this year are very interesting..." As he left, a small voice sounded from behind him. Nevertheless, Suzaku ignored it. After that, it took him a while before he was able to find the school''s exit. Fortunately, there were still some teachers around on standby to whom he was able to ask for directions. -Sigh...- And, once he was finally out, he took his phone out and began making a call. {Beep... Beep... Beep} The ring went on for quite a few seconds until someone finally answered. {"How did it go, son?! Are you a hero already?!!"} "No idea Dad. Anyway, the exam is finished, can you come pick me up?" {"Hello sweetie! Did you pass the exam?"} "No idea Mom... Did Dad hear what I asked him? I''m already finished here. Come pick me up" {"Don''t worry son, I know you must have passed. No need to feel nervous!"} "Dad..." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few hours later, inside a room in UA| ... "The cumulative results for the practical exam are out!" A person in a suit announced, pointing at the enormous screen behind him that listed and rated all the students who had applied for the hero course and taken the exam today. At the announcement, several gasps and interested hums ran through the room, making the until-then-silent space into a bustling one for a few moments. The people present in the room were all the UA teachers, who, despite having already observed the examinees and their performances during the day, were curious to see how the rankings had turned out now that the practical exam was finally over. Two teachers, in particular, stood out from the rest. As they were seated at the front, and were separated from the rest of the teachers. One of them, you already knew him. The Blood hero, Vlad King. A hero of imposing build and very recognizable silver hair. The other one, on the other hand, was a man with long black hair, a thin unshaven beard, and reddened eyes that certainly looked like they could use some humidity. It was none other than Eraser Head, otherwise known by his coworkers as Aizawa Shota. As for why the two of them were sitting at the front, away from the rest of the teachers¡ª "You two are probably excited to know who will be your students this year, right?" A voice sounded from behind the two. Prompting both to turn around on their seats and look at the newly arrived person... Or animal. "Indeed principal. The examinees this year are all amazing. I can''t wait to become their homeroom teacher!" Vlad Kind answered enthusiastically, looking at the... mouse-bear-dog. To which Nezu, the principal of UA, nodded. Pleased with his response. "What about you, Aizawa-kun?" He turned to the tired-looking teacher, who just rolled his eyes once it was his turn to answer. "I don''t care who ends up being my student. If they are not up to the task, they are getting out of my class" "How harsh" The principal laughed before he took out a small control from his pocket and pressed a button. Changing the image on the screen, and causing all the teachers in the room to pay attention. "Well, let''s see if they fit your criteria" He said as he looked at Aizawa with amusement. As the image changed, the person in a suit who had given the announcement earlier stepped up. "The Practical Exam''s first place of this year, with 59 villain points, and 42 rescue points, scoring a total of 101 points ... Suzaku Suzuki!" ""Oh!"" Several gasps echoed across the room as the image of the red-haired youth appeared on the screen jumping through buildings, approaching slowly the 0-pointer. Upon seeing the image, Vlad King smirked as he nodded in approval. "That kid surprised me... To think he would be able to take down the 0-pointer..." Aizawa, on the other hand, squinted his eyes at the image. Watching carefully the movements of the youth on the screen. "What is his Quirk?" After a minute, he asked in a serious voice. Causing Vlad King''s expression to stiffen for a moment. "His Quirk? Let me see..." Principal Nezu muttered as he grabbed a tablet from a nearby table and began looking for his information. "Here it is!... His Quirk is called Glasses. It seems to allow him to control the shape and color of the glasses on his head to a certain extent... How intriguing" "...!" -Gasps- Upon hearing Nezu''s explanation, several teachers let out surprised and confused gaps. Aizawa, on the other hand, frowned. As if he didn''t like what he was listening to. Vlad King was observing Aizawa''s countenance from his side with a wry expression. As if he had expected him to react like that. And, as Aizawa continued observing the red-haired youth on the screen, Nezu approached him and patted him on the shoulder. "By the way, Aizawa-kun. He will be in your class" "Nooo..." Hearing that, Vlad King screamed in an almost imperceptible voice with a regretful expression. However, to his surprise, the answer of his fellow teacher hadn''t been what he expected. "I refuse." Aizawa said, looking firm on his decision despite facing the very principal of UA. Something that caused many teachers around to look wide-eyed at him. "May I know why that is?" Nezu asked with no change in his expression. "I admit he did well in the exam... However, if that''s all his Quirk can do, then he has no potential for being a hero. Muscles can only take you so far... I refuse to train a student like that" "Aizawa you...!" Vlad King stood up from his seat and yelled angrily at his coworker. However, he was quickly stopped by Nezu, who simply smiled. "I see... But still, he is already in your class. If you don''t want to teach him. You can expel him during the first test... Like you did with the first years of last year" "Nothing I can do then..." Aizawa clicked his tongue. "Wait please!" However, as the matter was about to die down, Vlad King raised his voice, startling both of them. "If Aizawa doesn''t want to take him in, I will!" He offered himself. "But Vlad-King, your 18 students have already been decided" Nezu pointed out. Making Vlad King take a step back in surprise after remembering that the principal was right. Nevertheless, he didn''t let that discourage him. "I don''t mind teaching one more student" He said, putting his hand on his chest as he looked with unwavering eyes at the Principal. Seeing Vlad King''s resolution, Nezu massaged his chin in deep thought for a moment, before he let out a small sigh and said "Very well, I approve of it. However, as the teacher who was supposed to teach him originally, do you have any objection, Aizawa-kun?" "I¡ª" The long-haired hero was about to say something. However, upon seeing the puppy eyes that Vlad-King was shooting him, he simply ended up shaking his head with a displeased expression. "It''s settled then. Suzaku Suzuki will be transferred to class 1-B" Nezu declared. "Alright!!!!" Once the matter was decided, Vlad King pumped up his fist in victory as he yelled enthusiastically to the skies. "Alright, alright. I get that you are happy, Vlad King. But we must continue checking the rest of the students" Nezu reminded him. Causing the blood hero to bow as he scratched embarrassedly the back of his head. "Oh, sorry" After that, more teenagers continued appearing on the screen. From ones capable of producing explosions from their hands to others, others who could make whatever they touched defy gravity, to others who could punch out of existence the 0-pointer in one go... Albeit, with the side-effect of breaking all their limbs after the punch. The observation and check of who would become the new students of UA this year continued for quite a while. With many diverse Quirks that stood out one more than the other. In the end, the final list of students in each class was decided. Now, all that was left was to wait for the classes to start. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A week later, Suzaku''s new home| ... "Damn, I forgot how annoying becoming independent was..." Suzaku, who was frying some eggs in a pan, said as he clicked his tongue. Then, as Suzaku was busy making sure the eggs wouldn''t get burnt while doing his best to not crush the wooden spoon on his hand out of frustration after his glasses fogged up for the 30th time, he heard something squeezing under the door of the apartment. -Schhhhk- "Hmm?" In curiosity, Suzaku turned down the flame and went to check what had caused such a sound. Then, as he glanced at the door, he noticed a small paper right below the door. "A letter?" He asked under his breath, before eventually kneeling and picking it up to realize it had come from UA. Thus, understanding immediately that it was the results of the exam he had been awaiting so eagerly. Not saying anything, Suzaku opened the letter and took out a strange disk that, after placing it on a nearby table, began projecting a small video of All Might telling him his results. At first, he was a bit confused by his sudden appearance. Not understanding the reason for his presence in what was supposed to be his results on the exams. However, he quickly remembered that the guy in the show had become a teacher as well. Thus accepting the fact pretty quickly and moving on. The video lasted for a few minutes after that. Apparently, he had managed to do fairly well on the written exam, even though he had already forgotten everything he studied by now. On the other hand, in the practical exam... "First place, huh...?" Suzaku muttered, slightly dazed after realizing he had gone a bit overboard on the test. He had been worried that his points might have not been enough to ensure his enrollment. However, it turned out he had beaten the second place by a difference of 30 damn points! He had points to spare. "... So there were points for saving others, no wonder I got so many" He muttered as All Might explained the secret feature of the exam that they had not been told of. It was obvious by now that his assumption of the 0-pointer being there to test the guts of the examinees had been wrong... somewhat. Rescuing others at the exam still had required a lot of guts, after all. Nevertheless, Suzaku didn''t care much about his mistake. "Mission failed successfully, I say" He muttered as he smirked. Then, as the video ended by telling him everything he needed to know, like what his class would be, or what procedures he had to complete before the classes began in a few more weeks, Suzaku smelt that something was burning. "Oh shit my lunch!" Needless to say, by the time Suzaku got to the pan, all that remained of the eggs was some unrecognizable dark matter. Leaving him without lunch for the rest of the day. "Curse you UA!" ... -To be continued...- (A/N: My internet connection is shit at the moment, and I my notebook''s keyboard has some keys malfunctioning, I''m living in suffering Give me some powerstones to heal the pain ;)))) Also ---> Chapter 31: An Impostor Among Heroes Chapter 31: An Impostor Among Heroes |A month later...| ... -Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep- As the sound of a rather irritating alarm began filling the room, Suzaku''s eyes snapped open while a pissed-off expression found its way to his face. "Curse you, creator of alarms..." As he muttered that, he sat on his bed and began massaging his face, letting out a long groan as he did so. He felt like shit. But that was a thing of every morning. So, he didn''t mind it too much. "... So today is the day, huh?" He asked under his breath. Finally realizing after waking up that today the classes started. In other words, today was his first day of school at UA. ''Can''t say I feel like going'''' He thought, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of his beautiful king-sized bed. Nevertheless, after staring at the air for several minutes while contemplating what to do, he stood up and went to prepare himself for his first day of school. Ignoring the voices in his head that said ''skip it'' again and again. After putting on his uniform, and splashing his face with some water to clean it, Suzaku went to the kitchen to prepare himself a good breakfast to face the long day of school that awaited him. A good cup of coffee and an omelet were what he felt like having... Or rather, those were the only things he could think of at the moment. Truthfully, Suzaku was never much of a cook. -Yawn...- As he waited for the water to finish boiling while turning the omelet whenever it was necessary, Suzaku observed his new home, getting lost in his thoughts as he did so. ''To think that I would become independent at such an early age... I admit it has its downsides, but it''s still a relief to have a house to call my own...'' He thought, glancing at his living room, and the several pieces of furniture that now adorned what used to be a faintly empty room a month ago. Why was he living alone all of a sudden, you ask? The reason came from his enrollment at UA. He and his family had lived in a city too far away from Musutafu, which was where UA was located. As such, if Suzaku wanted to study there, having a residency in the aforementioned city became a necessity. However, since his parents couldn''t leave their original house abandoned, initially they thought of having only one of them move with Suzaku to accompany him while the other stayed to take care of their house. Other options like taking turns between each other to visit Suzaku every week were also considered. However, it was when the old man Tatsuo intervened, vouching for Suzaku''s capacity to take care of himself, that his parents actually ended up agreeing with the idea of him becoming independent. That, and the fact that both wanted Suzaku to learn to live alone since it was only a matter of time before he would become independent for one or another reason. He wasn''t going to live with them forever, after all. Thus, it was better for him to learn the difficulties of living alone now, when he was still a kid and they were still able to support him in case of any difficulties so that he could prepare for when he grew up. Of course, the fact that Suzaku also had a lot of money saved up to pay for rent helped greatly with cementing their decision. As for where that money came from? Well, like many illegal businesses, underground fighting was pretty profitable for those involved, and since Suzaku was fighting there constantly for an entire year, winning every single fight while having his money withheld by Tastuo to avoid having Suzaku waste too much of it, he ended up saving up quite a lot by the time the moment to find a new residency came. Of course, not enough to live like a waste for the rest of his life. Otherwise, he wouldn''t even consider going to UA in the first place. Still, it had allowed him to pay the rent quite a lot of months in advance, along with buying furniture for the place, and to buy his precious king-sized bed. Since then, he began living alone in his new apartment. This one''s proximity to UA was one of the reasons he had chosen it among the rest. And while he admitted that being independent was slightly lonely, the constant calls from his parents every day along with the periodical visits of his master helped ease that feeling quite a lot. Too much, if he was honest. "Alright, looks good enough" Once his omelet was ready, and his cup of coffee filled, Suzaku nodded his head before he walked to the sofa to begin digging in. Because, like the degenerate that he was, of course he couldn''t eat on a table like a normal person. -Burp- A few minutes later, he was finally done. Letting out a burp, and going to the bathroom to clean his teeth after eating, as it should be done and not the other way around. After he was done with that, he picked up his backpack and opened his door to leave the apartment. Ready to face his first day at school like a champion. "I''m off!" On the way out, however, he noticed that one of his neighbors was also leaving their apartment at the moment. A young teenager who seemed to be around the same age with green messy hair, and some freckles on his face. Causing Suzaku to look at him for a second, before realizing he had been spotted as well. "Eh, a new neighbor?" When the teen noticed him, he asked confusedly upon realizing that Suzaku was coming from the apartment next to them. And why wouldn''t he? Suzaku hadn''t been exactly one to leave his apartment very much during his month living there. Thus, he barely interacted with his neighbors during all that time. And with the apartment where the teenager was living even less. So, it wasn''t a surprise that his young neighbor didn''t even know he had moved in. It could be more surprising that he knew. "Yo, I''m Suzaku" Our dear protagonist said as he closed the door behind him. Waving at his neighbor with a friendly smile. To which the young man responded with a nervous wave of his own. However, his expression quickly changed when he noticed Suzaku''s uniform. "Eh?! You''re an UA student too?!" The teenager asked with widened eyes, seemingly baffled by the coincidence of meeting another student right on his first day, and immediately after leaving his house. Suzaku was quite surprised too. However, he wasn''t one to stay shocked for much time, and as such he simply nodded, before saying "Yeah, I''m on the hero course. You?" The answer visibly startled the youth, who after a few seconds of visibly stuttering, offered a handshake with a rather stiff posture. "I¨CI''m Midoriya. I''m on the hero course as well!" Suzaku simply nodded as he approached the kid to respond to his handshake. However, his steps visibly slowed when the name of the kid began repeating in his mind. Midoriya, Midoriya, Midoriya, Midoriya, Midoriya... ''Well, I''ll be damned... The fucking protagonist is my neighbor'' Suzaku thought, feeling a headache come all of a sudden. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later, gate of UA| ... ''I suspected that I was in his same school since that granny and All Might were staff here.... However, I still can''t believe I was actually right'' Suzaku scratched the back of his head as he looked at the endless sky with a troubled expression. After seeing the one who was supposed to be the protagonist of this world, and realizing that he was his fucking neighbor, Suzaku''s mind got sucked into a big turmoil. His plan in the case both of them had been in the same school was to stay away from him as much as he could, so in that way, he wouldn''t get dragged into the trouble that the protagonist''s aura would attract. However, now that he knew he was neighbors with him, his plan had gone to shit. He had been dragged into the plot in such a stupid way! -Sigh...- Of course, he doubted that being his neighbor would automatically attract him trouble. That sounded too anime-like for it to happen now that this was real life. However, it was better to be safe than sorry. Fortunately for his troubled mind, though, the kid had been in a hurry to get to the school since he was seemingly late, so after a small talk full of awkwardness between two people who met for the first time, Midoriya bid him farewell and left Suzaku behind. Much to the latter''s relief. Eh? If Suzaku was late as well? Of course he was. That didn''t make him go any faster, though. He wasn''t exactly the kind of person who liked to hurry his walk just because he was a little late to someplace. Of course, if he was super late¡ªlike, half an hour kind of late¡ªhe would maybe start to run or something. However, according to his phone, he was simply 10 minutes late, which meant that there was nothing to worry about. At most, he would miss the introductions between students. Which he didn''t really mind missing, to be honest. "Huh?" Just as Suzaku was about to enter the school while still lost in his own world, his eyes caught sight of a certain teenager changing his shoes at the entrance, as it was custom in Japan, and widened faintly upon recognizing him. It was Arata. "Hey!" He quickly waved at him, trying to get his attention. And he got it. However, instead of the usual excited kid that he was used to seeing, the one who responded was but a depressed and empty shell of what used to be a human being. -Nod- Instead of an answer, all he got was a nod of acknowledgment, before Arata began walking away with a slightly hurried step. Probably because he was also late to his class. "Poor guy. He hasn''t been himself ever since the results got announced" Suzaku muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he let out a sigh. A month ago, after a small talk over chat, Suzaku had discovered that Arata hadn''t managed to get into the Hero Department. Of course, being the genius that he was, Arata had other options prepared in case such an event were to happen. After the practical exam, he also applied for the Support department, where students learned to develop hero tech like gadgets, equipment, and such, which he was good at. However, that still hadn''t changed the fact that failing to get into the Hero Department had left him completely depressed for the entire month they had before classes began. He even offered Arata to visit his apartment and play with him on his Quirkstation a bit to cheer him up. However, Arata had simply refused, saying that he was not feeling like it. And, after seeing him today, with a face that resembled more a zombie than the kid who used to be his friend, Suzaku had confirmed his fairly evident suspicions that failing the exam had left the kid devastated. Still, as his friend, he would try to cheer him up during the months to come, and hopefully, the kid would eventually grow to find his actual department entertaining enough to forget about his failed attempt. ''Should I let him win on Jumping Heroes Kart...? Yeah no, that''s too much¡ªHmm?'' As Suzaku was musing over what to do to cheer his friend up¡ªCompletely forgetting how distressed he was after his fiasco with the protagonist a minute or so ago¡ªhe noticed that he had actually arrived at his classroom before even knowing. Class 1-B. As he read the sign, and sweatdropped a bit at how huge the entrance door to the classroom was, he shook his head to dispel his random thoughts and opened the door. -Stares...- Once he entered, though, he was barraged with dozens of stares at the same time from his new classmates. He was not one to panic at crowds though. So, he simply said "Sup" as he gave them a small nod before he began walking towards his seat. ... Where was his seat again? "Ahem!" As Suzaku was staring bewildered around the classroom looking for the empty seat he had thought would be there waiting for his ass to sit on it, he heard someone let out a fake cough from behind him. "...?" When he turned around, he saw who he supposed was his teacher¡ªjudging from how old he seemed in comparison to the rest of the individuals inside the classroom¡ªstaring at him impassively while having his arms crossed. A burly silver-haired man wearing a red suit. "You''re late." The man said, staring at him with squinted eyes. "That I am" Suzaku nodded. Not finding any fault in his logic. That response seemed to annoy his teacher. However, the man simply let out a sigh before he pointed at a locker located at the back of the classroom. "Since the amount of students for this class ended up being bigger than what was scheduled, we did not manage to get an extra desk on time. However, there should still be a chair in that locker so you can use it until your new desk arrives tomorrow" Nodding, Suzaku walked to the locker and took out the chair before putting it on an empty spot, which coincidentally ended up being right behind a familiar-looking orange-haired girl, who, like most of the classroom, was looking at him with curiosity. After all, none of them had missed the fact that their teacher said that the number of students had been bigger than what was scheduled. Normally, each class consisted of 20 students. However, suddenly there were 21. This of course picked their curiosity. Unfortunately, their teacher didn''t give a damn about their questions. "Very well, now that everyone''s here, we will begin with the Quirk assessment test!" ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: I''m out of wise sus phrases Also, here''s another illustration of Suzaku that I made a while ago when I was bored -> And of course, the tradition continues) -> Chapter 32: Quirk Assessment Test Chapter 32: Quirk Assessment Test There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |A few minutes later, Suzaku''s POV:| ... ''This place is huge'' I couldn''t help but comment inside my mind as I glanced at my surroundings with an interested gaze. Currently, the entire class was following our homeroom teacher¡ªwhose name I still didn''t know¡ªin the direction of the UA''s field to run some Quirk assessment thingy. And, as we walked through the whole school, I couldn''t help but feel awed at the sheer size of the building. If I was honest, I didn''t think I would be able to memorize its layout properly for at least the next few months of classes. That was just how large it was. In fact, I had only managed to find my classroom earlier because I had asked a teacher who had been on standby to guide students like me who hadn''t read properly the maps they had sent us via Mail. But I mean, come on, who checks those things anyway? And more importantly, who understands those things anyway? Seriously, no matter how often I saw them, they never made any sense to me. Be it now, or at university. I guess I wasn''t made for reading maps. Though, there was at least one place whose location I was able to learn before I gave up on trying to understand the location of everything else. The lunch rush cafeteria. That was the only place I managed to imprint into my mind. As for why? Well, there were several forums online that mentioned that UA''s cafeteria served gourmet food for free to the students. When I learned that, I immediately made an effort to read those incomprehensible maps to understand where it was, and while it took me a little bit, I eventually managed. Free food is free food baby! My enthusiasm for trying their food was such, that after this class ended I planned to go straight to the cafeteria to check out their delicacies. While my stomach wasn''t feeling hungry right now due to having eaten my very professionally cooked breakfast not too long ago, I expected to go hungry pretty soon anyway. Especially because this body of mine went hungry pretty fast compared to my previous life. Maybe it hadn''t been so noticeable when I was a kid. However, after becoming a teenager the difference became obvious. This damn strong body of mine had one hell of a metabolism. But well, it wasn''t to the point where me and my family couldn''t handle it. So it''s fine. Either way, that whole matter of the cafeteria was going to have to wait for the time being. For now, it was better to focus on doing this Quirk assessment thing that our teacher had mentioned. ''Seriously, should I ask his name or wait until someone mentions it?'' I thought, squinting my eyes as I looked at my teacher''s back whose name remained shrouded in mystery. Maybe I should have arrived earlier to avoid being entangled in this enigma. But what can I do? I just don''t like hurrying up. Still, not knowing the name of my homeroom teacher is a bit... ''Well, it''s not like asking is that big of a deal, at most, he will feel a bit offen¡ª'' "It seems like you made it into the school" Suddenly, while I was considering my options regarding the teacher''s name, I heard a familiar voice come from my side. Making me turn my head to look at the perpetrator who had dared to disturb my train of thought. "...?" However, when I turned to look at this certain individual, I couldn''t help but become surprised when I noticed that it was the orange-haired girl from the exam¡ªShizuka, I think?¡ªlooking at me with a smile from the side. So, in response, I simply nodded my head before smiling back at her. "You too. It seems like helping others was worth it" I said, referencing the fact that Rescue points had been a thing during the exam. As I said that, however, Shizuka laughed wryly as she shook her head. "At that time I didn''t think the exam would have a feature like that. When it ended I even thought I had failed the exam for a moment" She said, sighing as if her relief from that moment had resurfaced. Then, as I was praising her in my mind for actually being such a nice girl when compared to me who simply wanted to beat up the big robot, she shot me a curious look. "What about you? You were helping others as well. Did you know the exam had rescue points?" She asked, making me scratch the back of my head not knowing what to answer. In the end, though, I just decided that being honest was the best course of action. "Uh, yeah, I totally did" I said confidently, laughing lightly as I puffed up my chest. "..." She raised an eyebrow at my completely honest response. Still,in the end, she didn''t say anything and simply nodded her head. Then, just as I thought the conversation had ended, she raised her eyebrows as if she had remembered something. "Oh yeah, we didn''t introduce ourselves properly before, right? I''m Kendo Itsuka" She said, offering a handshake which I gladly took. ''Right, it was Itsuka'' I thought, maintaining a poker face as I made a mental note to properly remember the names of the people who were gonna be my classmates for the three years to come from now on. But I mean, a month had already passed since I saw her. It was normal for me to forget what her name was, right? And I mean, I hadn''t gotten it completely wrong. The uka part of her name had been correct. Just not the Shiz part... "Itsuka, got it... I''m Suzaku" Nodding my head, I told her my name while hoping I wouldn''t forget her name again or that would be embarrassing. As I introduced myself, I noticed her eyebrows rise for a moment, as if something had surprised her. However, she didn''t stay like that for much, as soon she nodded and said "Alright" as if nothing had happened. Leaving me faintly confused. But thinking that if she hadn''t said anything then it hadn''t been important, I simply shrugged it off and continued walking without minding the strange gaze that she was shooting me discretely. Now, onto more important matters... "... Hey, by the way... Do you happen to know what the teacher''s na¡ª" "Hey there, I''m Tetsutetsu!!!!" ''What in the damned son of a gun¡ª?! That almost blew my ear off!'' I thought as I almost jumped back in fright from the loud shout that had suddenly come from my left. When I turned to look at the loud motherfucker, I saw a burly guy with messy shoulder-length gray hair, and some weird-looking eyelashes, looking at me with an innocent smile on his face as if he hadn''t just earraped me with his voice a second ago. Did he have some kind of voice-amplifying Quirk? I couldn''t help but ask myself that. Otherwise, it didn''t make sense how loud the guy had been. Still, not wanting to let the offense that had just transpired go unpunished, I prepared to give the guy a taste of his own medicine. ''Activate, Super Impostor Ultimate Mega technique, vocal cords modification!'' "TETSUTETSU, EH? I''M SUZAKU!!!!!!!" I yelled, offering him my hand for a handshake. "What the heck?!" "Kya!" "Uwah, that scared me...!" Upon opening my mouth, my voice reverberated through the whole area. Causing many of my still unnamed classmates to let out yelps of surprise just like I had almost done when this guy yelled in my ear. Nevertheless, I didn''t pay attention to them, and instead, glared at the guy, waiting to see how my melodious voice had suited him. Unfortunately for my retaliation attempt, the guy was hardly affected, as he simply shook my hand while standing there with a pleased smile on his face. "I see, nice to meet you!!!" He yelled, causing me to wince a little. ''This guy...'' However, upon seeing his hand shaking mine all amiably, I couldn''t help but think that maybe I had judged him wrong and that he was just a tad weird and loud. Thus, after considering it for a few seconds, I mentally let out a sigh and decided to leave my pettiness aside. Who knows? Maybe this guy might turn out to become a good friend in the future. "NICE TO MEET YOU TOO!!!" "Oh!!!" "I WAS TALKING WITH ITSUKA HERE ABOUT THE PRACTICAL EXAM, TELL ME, HOW DID YOU DO ON IT?!!!" "..." (Itsuka) "I ended up 9th, what about you?!!!!!" "HAH, WELL I¡ª!!!" "You two, shut up!!" Our teacher suddenly yelled at us. Causing me to click my tongue and revert my vocal cords to normal. "Sorry" "Sorry!!!!" Godamnit. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After a while, we finally arrived at the field. Once there, we went to the nearby locker room to change into our gym uniforms. When we were all done and returned to the field, our teacher began explaining what this Quirk assessment thing was all about. "Very well, I imagine some of you might be confused as to why we are doing another test even though you already passed the practical exam" He said as he glanced at our group, to which many of my classmates nodded their heads in agreement. Thus, upon seeing their confusion, he continued explaining. "The truth is that the practical exam is not completely exact when judging the Quirks of its examinees. While it does determine to some extent your Quirk''s firepower or incapacitation capability, we can''t determine other aspects of it where it would maybe excel more or be more helpful, like in rescue and other heroic activities that don''t involve combat" Saying so, he turned to look at me and pointed at an area a few meters away from our group that was filled with tape all over the ground. A throwing range. "Suzuki, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?" He asked, causing many of my classmates to turn to look at me. "Yeah" I nodded. "What was your record for baseball throw in Junior High?" He inquired again, making me put a finger on my head as I recalled one of the many fitness tests that they conducted a few years ago at my school. After a bit of thought, I answered him. "... Around 210 meters..." However, once I did, some gasps came from the group around me, along with some "He must be lying..." or phrases along those lines from time to time. Even the teacher seemed to be surprised at my answer. However, he didn''t let it bother him much, as soon he gestured to me with his head to go over the throwing area. "Then, I want you to try doing it with your Qui¡ª" He was about to say something. However, he quickly stopped all of a sudden, seemingly getting lost in his thoughts for a moment, before eventually letting out a sigh and saying "Well, I want you to try doing it with all you can. If your Quirk can help you in any way, then I want you to use it as well" When he said those last words, I heard many excited voices from my classmates rise from within the group. "Eh?! We are using our Quirk this time?" "That sounds fun!" "As expected of UA!" "He said he did 210 meters... But he must have meant while using his Quirk, right?" As I ignored their cheerful cries, I simply nodded at my teacher, before walking over to the area for baseball throwing. Once there, and after being handed out the ball that I was supposed to throw, I touched my glasses with one finger and turned them black. ''Gotta look cool while doing this stuff'' After I was done, I cracked my neck, before I put myself into a good posture. When I did this test years ago, I only used my brute strength to throw it as far as I could. However, after going through some specialized training with the old man, I learned a few things about throwing stuff at high speeds at my opponents. And while I wasn''t versed on what the most efficient motion and posture for doing something like this might be, I think if I apply some things of what I learned from the old man on the matter I can get a much higher record than the last time. Plus, I have become stronger since then. "Hup¡ª!" So, after twisting my body as much as it could, I tightened the muscles on my back, arms, legs, and feet, before returning to my original stance as my arm whipped the air while letting go of the baseball. Making it fly through the air at a blurring speed. -Swoosh!- While my classmates exclaimed excitedly after seeing the ball fly far away, the numbers on the device that was supposed to measure how far the ball went began changing repeatedly. -Beep, beep, beep- And in the end, after a few seconds, it settled at 312 meters. Making me raise my eyebrows as I let out a satisfied whistle. However, my attention was quickly snatched away when our teacher resumed his explanation after I finished throwing the ball. "Although that wasn''t exactly an accurate example of what I meant, in any case, what I want you all to do in this test is to do all the same exercises that you did semi-annually at your school, but using your Quirks to perform as good as you can" Once he finished saying that, many excited shouts came from my classmates. However, they died down when suddenly one hand rose from amidst the crowd. It was from a girl with vines for hair. "Excuse me, teacher, but what will happen with the opening ceremony? Aren''t we supposed to attend it?" She asked with a worried tone. Causing the teacher to simply shake his head. "UA doesn''t care much about such school traditions or anything on the matter, so we are pretty unrestricted in regards to that. Besides, this is also what most teachers do during the first day so that they can get a proper grasp of our student''s Quirks before they begin with classes" He said as he crossed his arms. When she heard that, the girl nodded her head in understanding before she did a deep bow in the teacher''s direction. "I see, I''m thankful for the answer" "O-oh..." Our teacher nodded, not knowing how to answer that. Nevertheless, he didn''t let that bother him so much, since soon he regained his spirit, and shouted at the group of students enthusiastically. "In any case, let''s get to work everyone!" He said as he raised his fist in the air and pumped up the more lively students who shouted in enthusiasm. ""Oh!!"" After that, the group began moving to the area where the first test out of the five that were left would take place. The 50-meter dash test. As the group walked away to get done with it, I watched from the sidelines with a wide grin on my face. "Heh, I guess being in the first place has its perks" I muttered as I brushed my hair cooly. Basking in the fact that as the one in first place, a spot only the most amazing guys managed to reach, I wouldn''t need to perform the tests this time. "You too, Suzuki" Nevermind. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few hours later...| ... "Well, that was good for morning exercise" Suzaku muttered as he left the classroom, not even considering chatting a bit more with his new classmates and getting to know them now that the class had ended. And why would he? His focus wasn''t on them at the moment. No, his objective was another much more important matter. The cafeteria. Or in other words, free food! And besides, those classmates of his would be there tomorrow as well. So, there was no need to hurry in trying to get to know them. There was plenty of time for that. Three years, to be more specific. His stomach, on the other hand, wouldn''t wait for him. "Gourmet food, I wonder how it tastes" Suzaku muttered as he wondered what kind of food he would pick once he was there. Something with meat, maybe. He had been lacking some of it on his diet lately. But who could blame him? That stuff was expensive as hell! So, it was only normal for him to crave some now that he was gonna eat like a pig at the cafeteria. ''I deserve a reward for my efforts today...'' He thought, letting out a long sigh as he recalled today''s class. More specifically, how the Quirk assessment thing had gone. He had performed fine, very good even. However, as someone without a Quirk fit for such exercises, and only being able to depend on his reliable muscles, he didn''t manage to ace every test. Only 3 out of 5. Utterly pathetic. On the 50-meter dash, he managed to beat all of his classmates pretty easily. Scoring a time of 3.52 seconds. Being only rivaled by a guy with a speech bubble for a face who could surprisingly create special effects out of the onomatopeias he voiced. The guy said something like "Swoooosh!", and was propelled forward like a bullet (metaphorically speaking). Getting a time of around 4~5 seconds in the end. There was also a guy with ink-like black skin and white hair who dived into a nearby shadow and crossed a great distance in the blink of an eye. However, the shadow was cut short by around halfway, and for the rest of the distance, he was forced to cross it on foot. Making him end up with a time of 5 and something seconds. On the standing long jump test, he also did pretty well. There was not much to say about this test. He reached the end of the obstacle pretty easily with his jump. Still, a guy with fur all over his body kicked his ass in that regard. The guy jumped like a real version of Hulk and flew through the obstacle with little difficulty. In the grip strength test, he was also surpassed by the same guy... Suzaku scored a grip strength of 320 kg, while the furry guy managed to get around 800 kg. The Tetsutetsu guy also managed to get close to him. However, Suzaku still prevailed in the end. Fortunately, on the side steps test, he outmatched everyone. Managing to complete 125 cycles before the minute ended. And on the baseball throw, he managed to also keep the first place. However, the comic guy, the furry guy, Itsuka, and the girl with vines got pretty close to his mark of 312 meters. Had it not been for his glorious strength and unmatched technique, he would have undoubtedly been left behind. But well, that was the downside of having a meh Quirk. It did make him look cool, though. "Hey, where did you go all of a sudden?" Suddenly, while Suzaku was still lost in his thoughts, someone called out to him and grabbed his shoulder. After turning around, Suzaku saw both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu standing behind him. Both looking at him with a curious gaze. "I''m just gonna go check the cafeteria. I''ve heard they serve gourmet food for free there¡ª" He told them, pointing behind him with his thumb. However, he was cut short by Itsuka''s next words. "The cafeteria is on the opposite side, though" She said. Causing the three to fall silent for a moment. "..." "..." "..." In the end, though, Suzaku simply laughed as he turned around and began walking in the other direction. "Haha, yeah, I already knew that..." He said as he passed by them. "..." "..." Then, as he tried to divert their attention from his error of earlier, Suzaku looked at them and asked "Well, are you guys coming?" At that, both turned to look at each other for a moment, before they nodded. "The tests from earlier left me hungry. I guess a snack wouldn''t hurt anyone" Itsuka said, turning around as well and following after Suzaku. Tetsutetsu on the other hand simply let out a loud laugh, before he followed after the two as he said "I didn''t get breakfast before class because I woke up late, so this works wonders for me!" "So you can speak in normal volume too, huh?" Suzaku suddenly asked. Causing Tetsutetsu to look at him with a confused expression. "What?!!!" "Nevermind" ... -To be continued...- ¡ã (A/N: First exam of UA done. Now, onto the next one which luckily for you guys, has combat in it. So, it will be finally time for some good action. Also, imagine my surprise when I saw recently that there were more exercises in this Quirk assessment thing than what I described in the Chapter. However, it was already written, and I''m too lazy to change it. So, I apologize, but I''m going to use the secret technique of most Authors in cases like this. It''s an AU. And that applies to any other continuity error I may commit later on :))) Smell ya later) -> Chapter 33: Team Battle Chapter 33: Team Battle There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |The next day...| ... -Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep- -Bang!!- ... "... And there goes my alarm clock. Good thing I didn''t put the alarm on my phone" Opening his eyes as he moved his fist away from the broken junk that used to be a perfectly working alarm clock until a few seconds ago, Suzaku let out a loud groan as his body finally started waking up alongside him, before he eventually ended up sighing tiredly when the realization that he had to go to school again dawned on him. Like a routine, Suzaku stared at the ceiling above him for quite a while. Contemplating over his life choices, and wondering if one day a distant relative of his would pity him and give him an inheritance of millions. However, after a few minutes, he woke up from his delusional state and let out a loud groan as he pushed himself up. "All for the riches" Suzaku muttered, eventually springing from his bed, and going to prepare for the second day of school that awaited him. After taking a quick bath and eating his breakfast, which today ended up being an omelet with coffee again, Suzaku picked up his backpack and left the apartment. -Click- "Hoh?" Then, as he closed the door behind him, Suzaku looked at his phone and raised an eyebrow in surprise. ''I left 20 minutes earlier than yesterday, huh?'' He smiled at the sight. It seemed like today he wouldn''t need to hurry his pace just to arrive at an acceptable hour. "Nice" Suzaku grinned, before eventually resuming his walk to school. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later, 1-B classroom...| ... "You''re late..." Present Mic said, looking speechlessly at the red-haired teenager who had just entered the classroom and said "sup" to everyone present as if he hadn''t arrived 20 minutes late. "That I am" The red-haired kid didn''t refute his claim, instead he simply bowed his head faintly as a way of apologizing before he moved swiftly towards his new desk. Ignoring the once again curious and in some cases amused gazes of his classmates. "Kids these days..." Present Mic muttered in a broken English accent before he regained his vigor and yelled enthusiastically at the air "Everybody heads up!" Then, as he continued going on with his class, Suzaku finally arrived at his desk. After putting down his bag and taking out a pencil and an eraser along with a small notebook to take notes, Suzaku looked around the classroom, before he eventually leaned forward and poked at Itsuka''s back. "Hey" "...!" Startled by the sudden touch, the ginger turned swiftly and shot him a confused expression. "What?" "What class are we on?" Suzaku asked in a whisper. Causing Itsuka to look at him with a deadpan. "Didn''t you read the curriculum that Vlad-sensei left for us yesterday?" "Well, you know... I was busy doing hero stuff" Suzaku excused himself, shrugging his shoulders as he smiled innocently. "We aren''t heroes yet though?" Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "That''s the thing, Itsuka. I don''t let others tell me what to do" Suzaku smirked as he leaned back on his chair with his arms crossed. However, he was quickly startled when the voice of Present Mic addressed him and Itsuka. "Hey, both of you, stay silent. You guys are being even louder than me, OH YEAH!" "Yes, teach" Suzaku straightened his back and nodded softly at his teacher''s complaint, making Itsuka, who for a moment looked surprised by their teacher''s shout, let out a giggle all of a sudden. "You don''t let others tell you what to do, huh?" "..." Suzaku frowned faintly. He was about to say something. However, before he could even utter a single word he was interrupted by Present Mic. "And Suzuki, we are at the English class, so... GET READY!" In the end, Suzaku stayed silent for a few seconds, before he sighed and nodded his head. "... Thanks teach" "That''s the spirit, HELL YEAH!" "...?" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... After a brief break following the English class, the students awaited the arrival of their next professor. Of course, such waits often carried with them a boredom that gave way to socialization among the students in the face of nothing else better to do. An example of this was the group of male classmates that had formed in the center of the classroom, all of whom were getting to know each other while they waited for the next period to start. "So, why did you guys decide to become heroes?" Aibara Sen, a young man with dark brown hair, and one of Suzaku''s classmates, asked the group with a curious expression. In response, most of them looked at each other as if waiting to see who would answer first, before one of them raised his hand and laughed faintly as he answered. "I just thought it was really cool" Tsuburaba Kosei, a youth of spiky orange hair, said. Causing some of the nearby students next to him to nod their heads in agreement. "... Me too" "Me three" "I did as well" "It''s because it''s the manliest of jobs!" Suddenly, Tetsutetsu, who was around as well, yelled in enthusiasm as he pumped up his fist and cleared some small tears that were coming out from the corner of his eyes. Some of the guys next to him winced at his loud voice. However, others simply laughed faintly at his comment. Agreeing with Tetsutetsu''s comment. Then, unexpectedly, everyone''s gazes turned towards the red-haired student whose eyes were hidden behind his shiny cool-looking shield glasses. "What about you, Suzuki?" Sen asked. "...?" Being the center of attention all of a sudden, Suzaku raised an eyebrow in surprise. Not expecting the attention to shift towards him all of a sudden. Nevertheless, after pondering about it for a few seconds, he answered. "Uh... Because I love justice?" "What''s with that half-assed response?" Sen deadpanned. Suzaku simply shrugged at him. "I am as just as I am humble" "..." With that, Suzaku thought that the questioning had ended there. However, to his surprise, the lingering gazes never moved away from him. "What?" He asked, looking back at the group with a weirded-out face. "You were first place in the practical exam, right?" Togaru Kamakiri, a guy with green hair and a face resemblant to an insect, suddenly asked as he leaned forward. Suzaku simply nodded, not quite getting the point they were trying to make. "Well, we wondered what kind of Quirk you had. Seeing that you beat all of us by so many points on the leaderboards" Togaru said, causing everyone else to nod their heads and give Suzaku a deep stare. Even some of the girls who were close by approached when they heard the question. Being curious about the practical exam''s top scorer Quirk. "Yeah, I wonder what Mr. First-Place''s Quirk is" Setsuna, a girl with long dark green hair, asked from a few seats afar from the group as she shot a wide grin to Suzaku. Occasioning any student who hadn''t been attentive to what the group had been discussing to look at the red-haired teenager with curious gazes. "... Good grief" In the end, seeing that everyone around him was so curious, Suzaku let out a sigh as he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you all know All Might, right?" He suddenly asked. Prompting everyone in the classroom to nod their heads unconsciously. "Then, you know how he has an enormous strength, right?" Suzaku asked again, making everyone nod their heads again, as expectation filled their beings. "Then, you should also know how he can almost fly by kicking the air with his legs, right?" He launched another question. At that point, everyone was nodding their heads as if they were at a heavy metal concert, extremely curious about where Suzaku was going with his questions. "Alright. My Quirk is¡ª" ""...?!"" "¡ªNothing like All Might''s" "You son of a¡ª" "I AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" Fortunately, before any of his classmates could jump at him, the door opened and All Might emerged from behind it while loudly announcing his arrival and startling everyone there. "..." ""..."" However, upon entering, All Might couldn''t help but become speechless when he saw a bunch of the students about to pounce on the calm Suzaku, who was grinning smugly in his seat. "..." ""..."" In the end, though, after both parties stared at each other for a few seconds, the students of class 1-B went back to their seats, most of them ashamed of having been seen in such a strange state by whom was the hero of most of them since childhood. Fortunately for them, All Might decided to ignore what he saw, and instead, he simply walked to the podium and started giving out his pre-learned speech. "... Ahem. Good morning, everyone! I''m in charge of teaching you all basic hero training. Basically, it is a subject where each of you will train in different ways to learn the basics of what being a hero means" After saying so, All Might posed epically, before he began looking for something inside his suit as he maintained his heroic pose. "I''m sure each of you is itching to have some action after going through a normal class like English, right? Well, you are in luck, because in today''s class, we are having Combat Training!" The hero shouted eagerly as he took out a card that said "Battle". At that, the entire classroom went into an uproar. With each student looking forward to finally having a hero-like class after entering into UA. "Though, before that, you will need these!" However, their surprise didn''t end there, since immediately after that, All Might pointed at the classroom''s wall with his finger and somehow caused some type of hidden compartments to emerge from within it. In each compartment, several boxes enumerated from 1-20 could be seen. Something that widened the eyes of the students who were quick enough to notice what the boxes contained. "These are costumes based on your Quirk and the requests for its design that you sent before the school started" All Might explained, before tossing each of them to their respective owner and saying "After each of you change, I want all of you to gather at Ground Beta" Once everyone received their costume, they began to leave the classroom. Everyone except Suzaku. "Teach, where''s mine?" Hearing Suzaku''s question, All Might eyebrows rose for a moment as if he had remembered something before he looked for something under the teacher''s desk, and took out another box like the ones from before. "Since there were more students than expected, in this class we had to store yours under the desk, young Suzaku" All Might said with a wry smile as he handed it to Suzaku, who simply nodded his head and said "It''s fine" as he left the classroom. As he did, however, All Might did not notice a faint smirk plastered all over Suzaku''s face. ''Time to establish the pecking order'' The teenager thought as he walked away, ready to swing his fists for once in many weeks. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... At Ground Beta, a training center with several fake buildings set for special exercises, All Might could be seen waiting patiently for Class 1-B. As he did, he couldn''t help but shake his head faintly as he reminisced about the appearance of the red-haired teenager. "Young Suzaku... was it me, or his attitude reassembled that of his master a little bit?" As he scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression on his face, remembering how hard it was to deal with that elderly man years ago, All Might noticed that the entrance to the Ground Beta suddenly opened, and from behind it, a big group of students fully equipped with their hero suits emerged. When he saw that, All Might cleared his throat before smiling brightly at the group of students. "Ahem, they say the clothes make the man, young men, and ladies... be fully aware that from now on... You are heroes!" As class 1-B arrived, they all gave each other a good. Looking at each other''s costumes and accessories. All Might also admired the students'' hero suits, having a faint feeling of melancholy after seeing the new generation of heroes, along with Class 1-A that had this class earlier. "You all look cool" He complimented, giving each of them a look before his eyes landed on a certain individual. Covered in a red suit that looked more like armor than the usual textile hero suit, and with a cool helmet that gave a feeling of agility and sturdiness at the same time, Suzaku could be seen standing among his peers nodding his head slowly as he checked himself out, evidently satisfied with how his suit had turned out. His suit stood out from the rest. Be it because it was the only full-body armor present there, or because of the eye-catching red color that covered it almost completely, except for his bright blue visor¡ªwhich was actually his glasses attached to his helmet¡ªand from a few parts of the suit that required more flexibility and thus were made of other materials. ''It''s a good suit'' All Might commented in his mind. However, upon remembering that he had a class to give, he let out a fake cough, before he looked at the group of students in front of him, and began giving instructions. "Now it''s time for combat training!" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... "Ibara-san, huh? She is a tough nut to crack" Itsuka muttered as she watched the opposing team walk away. "Don''t worry, we''ll do fine" Suzaku patted her on the shoulder and said with a reassuring tone. Hearing Suzaku, Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a plan?" She asked, wondering if that was where his confidence was coming from. At that, Suzaku smirked from behind his helmet. "Yeah, first step, we beat them up, second step, we stop the bomb or whatever" "This guy..." Itsuka face-palmed. It seemed like things weren''t gonna be easy... Then, as Itsuka was making up a plan with the little time remaining they had, All Might''s voice echoed across the building they were in. {"Combat training: Itsuka Kendo and Suzaku Suzuki VS Ibara Shiozaki and Sen Kaibara... Start!"} ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: Cliffhanger for you guys Also, here''s an image of Suzaku''s hero suit, or at least an idea that I picked up from Pinterest. -> Yeah, it''s a Power Ranger suit instead of a space suit, but what can I do? It looks cool. I can change it later on anyway. Tell me, what do you guys think? Maybe a more space-themed suit like Thirteen''s would fit him better. Also) -> Chapter 34: Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Ass-whooper Chapter 34: Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Ass-whooper There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã As Suzaku and Itsuka walked through the maze-like insides of the building where the test was being run down, doing their best to find the stairs to the upper floor, Suzaku glanced at Itsuka with a curious look. "So... you have a plan?" He asked, occasioning Itsuka to freeze for a moment as if that question had taken her by surprise. Their team had been selected as the Heroes team, and as such, their objective was to arrive at the bomb room where the opposite team was, and "deactivate" the explosive device planted there, which as a rule, they could do by simply touching it. The objective of the other team, the Villains, was to prevent them from deactivating the bomb before the time ended or to capture them. It was a simple dynamic, but seeing how worried Itsuka looked, Suzaku thought it might be more challenging than he thought. "... Not really" Itsuka shook her head as she let out a distressed sigh. Then, after she gave a glance at the ceiling, she turned to look at Suzaku with a troubled expression. "The problem is Ibara-san, her Quirk gives her enormous defensive and offensive capabilities, making it hard for us to even approach the bomb. If both of them decide to play it smart, then they will most likely take advantage of that fact and wait for us to come at them to the bomb room, instead of them coming here to look for us" Crossing her arms while closing her eyes for a moment after finishing her explanation, Itsuka then turned to look at Suzaku with anticipation dwelling in her eyes. "My Quirk, Big Fist, might help us brute-force our way to the bomb for a bit by covering us from their attacks, but it''s still pretty risky. So... If you don''t mind asking, what is your Quirk?" She locked eyes with Suzaku¡ªor with where she thought his eyes were. His glasses did a good job reflecting light and hiding his eyes behind them, after all. "..." At that, Suzaku fell silent, not knowing how to tell her that his Quirk wasn''t exactly what you could call a last resort skill. However, his silence was misinterpreted by Itsuka, who thought he simply felt apprehensive about sharing details about its functionality. "Depending on what Quirk you have, the possibilities of us managing to make our way to the bomb might increase, so..." She mumbled with a pout, causing Suzaku to let out a sigh of resignation. "I can change the shape of these" He said dryly, as his hand moved to touch his glasses and prompt them to expand and cover completely his helmet in the bio-glass. Causing him to look like he had an astronaut helmet for a moment. "...?" Witnessing that, Itsuka tilted her head for a moment, thinking that Suzaku''s explanation could have more to it... Like most people did when Suzaku explained his Quirk. However, her expectations were rapidly shattered when Suzaku touched his glasses again and reverted them to their previous shape of visors for his helmet as he said "That''s it" In response, Itsuka stopped walking and stared at him speechlessly for a few seconds. "That''s it?" She felt the need to make sure that was truly everything. "Oh, there''s one more thing" Suzaku suddenly said as raised his index finger. "Really?!" Itsuka asked in an excited tone, thinking that maybe there was still hope. "I can change their color. Check this out" Suzaku placed his finger on his glasses and began changing their color. Making them look like some kind of RGB glasses, before then reverting to the usual light blue. "Pretty cool, right?" "..." Itsuka didn''t know what to say. Though, eventually, after caressing her temples, she voiced her confusion. "How did you even beat the 0-pointer?" Suzaku simply shrugged as a grin found its place on his face. "I just got inside of it, and began wrecking everything I found" "... We might be doomed" Itsuka facepalmed. "Hey hey, no need to despair. You said that Ibara girl was the problem, right?" "Yeah?" Itsuka nodded while frowning a little, confused as to why of the question. However, her eyebrows lifted pretty highly when she saw Suzaku taking out a retractable staff from his back as he shrugged confidently. "Then just leave her to me. I got a gist of what her Quirk was from yesterday''s fitness test, I should be able to take her on... Oh, and that Sen guy too, he shouldn''t be much of a problem either" "..." Itsuka glared at him in doubt. Seeing the look in Itsuka''s eyes, Suzaku shook his head. "Hey, my Quirk might not be a planet-destroying power, but that doesn''t mean I am a pushover... And besides, what other option do we have? Either we continue planning here until the time remaining ends and we lose by default, or we go to them and give our little plan a chance" "It''s still too risky..." Itsuka mumbled with a hesitant look in her eyes. However, her distress was quickly interrupted by Suzaku when he reassured her with a pat on the head. "Like I say all the time, whoever is scared to die might as well not die" He said with confidence evident in his voice. "I don''t think that''s how it wen¡ª" "Shhh..." Suzaku placed a finger on her lips and shook his head. "Don''t question the wisdom, just accept it" Itsuka looked at his finger for a few seconds, before she pushed his hand away, and shook her head as a long sigh escaped her mouth. "Very well, it''s do or die" "That''s the spirit!" Suzaku laughed loudly into the air. After concluding the matter, both of them nodded their heads at each other and began walking forward once again. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, at the building''s upper floor...| (A/N: Bang Ost from One Punch Man might be good to hear during this part... Though, put it on loop because otherwise the song might end midway through the fight) ... -Bang!- The door of the room opened abruptly, startling both Ibara and Sen, who had been patiently waiting for their opponents to arrive until then. "The great Suzaku has arrived, who is going to fight me first?" Suzaku asked as he entered the room with a confident pace, looking with a smirk at both students, who were bewildered by his flamboyant attitude despite having entered enemy territory completely alone. "Ibara-san!" Nevertheless, they didn''t stay confused for much, as immediately after, Sen shouted and made the righteous girl snap out of her daze. "Yes!" Once she regained her focus, the vines on her head shot rapidly toward the red-haired boy, aiming to bind him and thus immobilize him for the rest of the test. However, they never got a hold of their objective. -Bang!- Without wasting a single second, Suzaku kicked the ground beneath him and soared high into the air, dodging the vines'' attempt at getting a hold of him, and approaching the bomb in the process. "Not so fast!" Unfortunately, his path to the bomb was quickly intercepted by Sen, who, immediately after seeing him avoid Ibara''s initial attack, jumped to block his advance aiming his drill-like arms at the still-airborne Suzaku. "Yes so fast!!" -Swooosh!- Sen''s attack, sadly, did not do much to Suzaku, who rapidly took out his staff and used it to redirect Sen''s attack to the side, before using his momentum to shoot a flying kick at the guy''s face. Knocking him a few meters away from just the impact alone. "... I avoided hitting the nose, so, you should be fine" Suzaku muttered with a hint of pity in his voice, before his eyes immediately locked onto Ibara, whose vines were already on their way to bind him. -Swish!- With a swift motion, Suzaku spun his staff around before swinging it at the vines and cutting them like butter. Then, without wasting a single second, he spun his staff once more, before he threw it at Ibara like a javelin, who, despite being startled by the sudden long-range attack, created a wall of vines in less than a second and intercepted the staff midway before it could hit her. "What a wicked attack, if I had not reacted on time, that staff would have hit me... How sinful!" She voiced aloud for Suzaku to hear. However, once her wall of vines receded and she retrieved Suzaku''s staff, she noticed that the red-haired teenager was nowhere to be seen. -Bang!- "Where¡ª" Ibara''s question was interrupted when suddenly she heard a long sound from the wall a few meters away from her. "To your right!" A voice said from her left side. When she turned her head, she saw Suzaku swinging a fist at her. "Super deadly punch to the face!" He yelled, causing the girl to widen her eyes and turn her head in a hurry to use the vines to shield her face. -Thud!- However, the impact on the face never came, and instead, a painful sensation on her legs along with a loss of balance was all she was able to feel. "Wha¡ª" She asked in a confused tone, however, her words were cut short when her face met the floor, having just been sweep-kicked by Suzaku. When she regained her focus and turned to look at her opponent, she saw Suzaku retrieving his staff, and about to swing it at her. "...!" -Clang!- However, fortunately for her, before Suzaku could move, Sen reappeared from the side and blocked Suzaku''s swing with his drill-like arms. Using that small time frame, Ibara''s hair moved, and immediately tried to grab Suzaku''s feet. -Thud!- However, the red-haired youth simply kicked the ground and escaped from the vine''s grasp, eventually making some distance between himself and the two. Once both parties were at a certain distance, neither of them moved. Reaching a stalemate and waiting for the other to make the first move first. "This guy is like a ninja" Sen muttered, using his fist to clean the drop of blood that was flowing down his nose. "He said he was gonna punch me in the face but attacked my feet instead, oh what a sinful act... I must whip him" Ibara looked sadly at the ground as she prayed silently on her spot, gaining a strange look from both his companion and Suzaku. "You two fight better than I expected" The sus youth said, swinging his staff around as he locked eyes with both Ibara and Sen. "Your Quirks sure are a pain in the ass to deal with..." "How are you so agile, man?" Sen asked aloud, bewildered by the speed that Suzaku was demonstrating while he fought both of them. In response, Suzaku simply shrugged as a mocking tone came from inside his helmet. "Skill issue, I guess" "You¡ª" Sen was about to say something to him. -Bang!- However, his words were cut short when Suzaku slammed his staff on the floor and caused a loud sound to reverberate across the room. "Enough of playing games... It''s time to get serious" He said in an icy tone. Causing both Ibara and Sen to tense up and ready themselves for what was to come. -Swish!- In an instant, Suzaku''s finger moved towards his glasses, before he yelled out loud with a serious tone. "Lethal move: Eye-beam of Doom!" Once those words left his mouth, his glasses began acquiring a mixture of yellow and red color, as if they were heating up. ""...!!"" When they saw that, both Sen and Ibara tensed up, feeling danger from the incoming attack. Thus, in a hurry, Ibara erected a thick wall of vines that covered both her and Sen. "..." However, no attack came. "Eh?" Once they realized they had been bamboozled, the wall of vines receded and both of them saw Suzaku running towards the bomb while laughing loudly into the air. "Gyahahaha, Suzaku the master of deceit has done it once again!" "That guy¡ª!" Frustrated, Sen ran towards the red-haired youth as both of his arms began to spin once again. Ibara on the other hand, knelt on one knee and did a prying motion. "Oh lord, please grant forgiveness to this sinner!" She voiced, soon shooting her vines through the floor, and making them move towards Suzaku stealthily from below. "Victory is mine!" Suzaku yelled, just a meter away from touching the bomb. "I don''t think so" However, Sen managed to block his path once more. Then, as Suzaku was about to swing his staff at him, a vine sprouted from the floor and grabbed Suzaku''s ankle, startling him, and stopping his attack. "You''re done!" Making use of the gap in his defense, Sen swung his drill-like arm at Suzaku, who, after the vines began crawling up his leg, became capable of only blocking. -Clang, clang, clang!- Being in a troublesome situation, Suzaku started to parry all of Sen''s attacks with the staff while he struggled to free his feet from the vine''s grasp. However, to his fortune, the vines suddenly began lifting him in the air. While others would consider being lifted into the air while having their feet tied up by vines a disadvantage, to Suzaku it was the perfect opportunity to escape. -Clang!- -Thud!- "Argh¡ªNot the face again!" Thus, after counter-attacking and hitting Sen in the face again, Suzaku made use of the small time frame he created to swing his staff at the vines to escape from their grasp. Cutting them as a result, and landing on the ground away from the grasp of both. "Accept your punishment!" Seeing Suzaku escape once again, Ibara gritted her teeth as she controlled her vines to chase after Suzaku. However, she was forced to stop when she saw Suzaku throw his staff at her again, shifting her focus to shield herself from the projectile. Like before, Ibara managed to catch the staff. However, expecting an attack to come immediately after just like earlier, she took the wall of vines down and rapidly scanned her surroundings. "...?" Surprisingly, however, Suzaku had not moved from his previous spot. When she saw that, she dared not make a move. Uncertain of whether Suzaku was waiting for that so he could create an opportunity. As both she and Suzaku stared at each other, Sen returned to the fight and approached Suzaku''s side. Leaving the red-haired teenager trapped in a corner by Sen and Ibara. "It seems like it''s check-mate" Sen said with a hint of irritation in his voice. Apparently being done with Suzaku playing with them. The red-haired youth, however, simply shook his head. "You are right, I guess I have no more option but to use my secret technique" Suzaku said in a helpless tone. Hearing that, Sen sneered. "You think we will fall for that again?" "This time I''m not fooling you guys, this technique is really lethal" Suzaku warned from behind his helmet. His tone carried a glimpse of worry for them as if he was telling the truth about his next move being dangerous. "Enough, Ibara-san, let''s finish this!" However, not bothering to listen to Suzaku, Sen shouted, gaining a nod from his companion. An instant later, both of them began launching their attacks at Suzaku. However, before they could reach him, Suzaku pointed behind them and yelled out loud. "Look, an alien!" "..." "..." When they heard that, both of them froze on their spot. ''Is this guy serious?'' Was what both of them thought at that moment. However, just when they were about to continue their attack, a voice coming from the speakers stopped them. {"HERO TEAM... WINS!!!"} When they heard that, both Ibara and Sen widened their eyes, turning to look at the bomb in shock. And once they did, they saw it. There, Itsuka was touching gently the bomb as a sigh escaped from her mouth. ""...!!"" Still in shock, both turned to look back at Suzaku, who had already taken his helmet off and was shrugging his shoulders as he shot them a smirk. "Well, it wasn''t exactly an alien, but I warned you" "You¡ªyou''ve got to be kidding me" Was all Sen was able to say before he fell on his knees powerlessly. Ibara on the other hand, simply stared at the air blankly. As if not believing what had just happened. "I can''t believe our plan actually worked" As both grieved over their loss in different ways, Itsuka approached the three, looking speechlessly at both Ibara and Sen. Then, as she glanced at Suzaku, she found him smiling fondly at her. "Well, it wasn''t so hard now, was it?" He asked while shooting her a smirk. "... You say that as if you didn''t do almost everything yourself" Itsuka sweatdropped. The guy had taken both of them on alone, and actually managed to drive them to focus solely on him, allowing her to sneak her way to the bomb without issues. In truth, she hadn''t done much. "Well, they did corner me a bit at the end, so it''s thanks to you that we won in the end" Suzaku said, before he pointed at the timer of the bomb. "...And besides there were only 30 seconds left, had you not been there, I could have lost regardless of whether I beat their asses up in the end" Hearing that, Itsuka blinked her eyes for a moment, before she darted her eyes aside as an embarrassed expression appeared on her face. "Well, if you say so..." "No need to be modest!" Suzaku laughed loudly as he glanced at the cameras from where All Might and the rest of his classmates were watching "We destroyed them!" Itsuka glanced at the defeated Ibara and Sen, sending a wry expression at Suzaku "Shouldn''t you be a bit more modest?" In response, Suzaku turned to look at her with a weirded-out expression. "Modest? That''s something only sissies¡ª" He stopped midsentence, as a frown formed on his face. Then, as he looked at the defeated Ibara and Sen, Suzaku clicked his tongue. "The damn old man''s antics are rubbing off me..." ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Tatsuo''s art of trash-talking is slowly being passed down to Suzaku, he just doesn''t know it yet. Also, how was the action-filled Chapter? Was it boring, or was it good? It might have come out a bit too goofy, but since Suzaku isn''t fighting to the death, I thought why not goof around while he fights? Anyway, I hope you liked the Chapter) -> Chapter 35: Distaste During Lunch Chapter 35: Distaste During Lunch There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã ... A few minutes after the test ended, All Might appeared in the room and guided everyone back to the surveillance room so that they could review the results of the round. Once there, both teams stood side by side and waited for All Might to begin giving his verdict. "Very well, everyone, could you tell me who you think the MVP of this round was?" The hero asked as he looked at the students of class 1-B standing beside him with a testing gaze. "Was it Suzuki-kun?" Setsuna guessed with a smile, receiving a lot of nods from the classmates beside her. "That is¡ª" In response, All Might looked like he was about to say no. However, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, and ended up letting out a fake cough before then continuing "¡ªcorrect..." And, as the class glanced at the hero confusedly due to his sudden change in tone, All Might began explaining. "MVPs are the ones that act in the most efficient way possible and make the best choices during the test, regardless of whether they win or lose at the end. This is why most students also usually guess incorrectly about who the MVPs are, thinking mistakenly that the MVPs can only be part of the winning team... But I suppose this case is a bit of an exception" As he finished his explanation, he turned to face Suzaku as he crossed his arms. "Young Suzaku here took the lead in the battle and forced both students on the villain''s team to adjust to his rhythm. Focusing all their attention solely on him, and on top of that, strategically guiding them to a corner where they couldn''t notice young Itsuka deactivating the bomb..." As All Might explained, the opposing team and Itsuka turned to look at Suzaku with surprised expressions. However, their awe only lasted until they noticed Suzaku also looking surprised at All Might. They swore they even heard him mutter "I did all that?" as he scratched the back of his head. Nevertheless, they didn''t have time to worry about him, as All Might''s focus suddenly turned to them instead. "... As for the villain team, you two got too engrossed in trying to beat and capture Young Suzaku, completely forgetting the fact that this was a 2v2 battle and that young Itsuka was still variable in the test" All Might shook his head in disapproval, before pointing his finger at them and advising "... Had you focused on simply protecting the bomb instead of acknowledging young Suzaku''s presence, you could have maybe stalled for long enough so that the time remaining ended, and thus have won by default" At that, both Ibara and Sen nodded their heads a bit ashamed. As a result of Suzaku''s flamboyant attitude, and the fact that he had fought them completely alone, both of them got carried away at some point in the battle and became completely focused on trying to capture him. Not wanting to end up losing to a single guy. Their pride got the worst of them. However, All Might quickly upped their moods after giving each a pat on the shoulder. "... But well, that''s why you are here. To learn and improve, so don''t beat yourselves too much young ones. Your teamwork during the fight was splendid, and you did a good job choosing to stay in the room instead of going to look for them directly" Then, finally, he turned to look at Itsuka. However, as his mouth was about to open, All Might''s gaze turned to Suzaku for a moment. "Young Suzaku, may I ask why you chose to go along with young Itsuka''s plan instead of proposing one of your own?" He asked, causing Itsuka to look at him with a questioning gaze of her own as well. "She is a smart girl," Suzaku said with a shrug, before adding "I''m not so much about doing plans, so I figured it would be best if I heard her out" "...!" Itsuka''s eyebrows rose faintly upon hearing that. "I see, being capable of cooperating with others and accepting one own shortcomings is a good thing" The hero nodded his head as he gave Suzaku a small pat on the shoulder. After that, he went back to the podium of the room and began giving instructions for the next teams in line to prepare. As the group of students began to move, Suzaku looked at Itsuka and noticed her looking toward the ground with a fidgety look on her face. "What, did you like my compliment?" He asked with a smirk. "Shut up" Itsuka gritted her teeth. In response, Suzaku simply raised his hands as if claiming innocence. However, their conversation was cut short when suddenly a loud voice appeared from Suzaku''s side. "Oi Suzaku, that was amazing!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed as he looked at Suzaku with glistening eyes. "Well, I am known for being amazing" Suzaku massaged his chin as he nodded in agreement. He was indeed amazing. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" The silver-haired teenager suddenly asked, making Suzaku raise an eyebrow for a moment, before looking to the ceiling as if he were reminiscing the old days. "It''s a rather long story" He warned. However, Tetsutetsu didn''t look like he cared about that, as his eyes simply gained more enthusiasm the moment he heard that. "Good grief" Seeing that, Suzaku shook his head with a wry smile, before he cleared his throat and began retelling his long long long story of how he became the strongest human being in all the universe. "One day I met an old man with dementia who was passing by my city and, after a little talk with him, he started teaching me how to fight," Suzaku said, crossing his arms as he nodded in satisfaction. "... That''s all?" In response, Tetsutetsu couldn''t help but ask him with a bewildered expression, evidently having been expecting a much longer and more detailed tale than that. However, Suzaku simply shrugged and said "Yep" with a popping sound at the end, not willing to go into further details. "What''s with that story?" As Tetsutetsu was having his eyebrows twitch, Itsuka spoke up from Suzaku''s side. Making the latter let out a shrug as a smile formed on his face. "Well, it''s the truthful truth, if you don''t want to believe it, that''s on you" "Come on, tell us mo¡ª" However, just as Tetsutetsu was about to try getting Suzaku to speak more, All Might''s voice suddenly called out to them and told them that the next fight would begin. Prompting the three to leave their chatter for later, and walk towards the rest of their classmates to watch how the round this time was gonna go. And like that, the time began passing. Each by each, Suzaku''s classmates began having their turns to participate, with each team having different ways of approaching their respective objectives. As the minutes passed, Suzaku, in particular, made sure to make mental notes about how each of his classmates'' quirks worked during every round that passed. That would come in handy later. That was for sure. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |The next day...| ... The next morning, Suzaku managed to arrive at school while being only 10 minutes late, and while he had been rather proud of managing to be 10 minutes faster than the Suzaku from yesterday, the small feat didn''t seem to have mattered to his teacher, who berated him quite deeply once he arrived at the class. After he got reprimanded, his teacher also commented on the combat training from yesterday, telling him that he shouldn''t fool around so much during a serious fight, but that he had done pretty well regardless. Once that was done, his teacher gave way to the next activity that they would be doing for the rest of the class. Choosing the class representatives. There was quite the chaos in the entire classroom once the teacher announced that, with everyone in the classroom trying to convince him that they were the best option and blah blah blah. The only exception was Suzaku, who simply leaned back on his chair and prepared to take a nap for the rest of the class, not being interested in the position. Unfortunately for him, though, his teacher ended up suggesting everyone to hold an election so that it would be more fair that way, causing Suzaku to end up canceling his plans to nap since he needed to stay awake to give his vote, much to his frustration. In the end, Itsuka was the one who ended up becoming the class representative, having received Suzaku''s vote during the elections, and also being a pretty popular girl in the whole class. The vice-representative, on the other hand, ended up being a chubby pale-blue-haired dude whose name was Shoda Nirengeki, who, according to what Suzaku had seen, was an organized and formal dude who fitted the position. To Suzaku''s surprise though, he himself had almost gotten elected for vice-representative when the votes began being counted, only losing to the guy from earlier by a single vote. Which made even less sense when you considered the fact that he hadn''t even offered himself for the position. The whole matter surprised him so much that, at that moment, he began glancing around the classroom wondering who could have possibly thought that voting for him was a good idea. However, the identities of his secret fans ended up being pretty clear when he saw Tetsutetsu, along with some other guys whom he had talked to earlier shooting him a thumbs up. Fortunately, he still lost, so he avoided having the responsibilities of being the class representative shoved on him. Whatever they may be. Sure, he could have gotten more attention later on when he became a hero if he had become the class representative, along with supposedly practicing what being the leader of a hero team was like, but honestly, Suzaku preferred the way things ended. If he just needed to stand out from the rest, there were many ways of achieving that, not only by being the class representative. As for practicing the role of a leader... Well, he was more of a lone wolf. And besides, he wasn''t sure he was fit for the role. If anything, instead of organizing and taking care of his classmates like a representative should do, his personality was more fit for being the one that caused a ruckus. So, in a way, those classmates of his avoided a bullet by not selecting him as a representative. They just didn''t know it. "I wonder what kind of food there will be?" Anyway, that''s how the matters regarding the selection of class representatives ended. As of now, Suzaku was walking to the cafeteria to finally try the so-called gourmet food that they served there. Eh? You ask what happened the first day when he, Itsuka, and Tetsutetsu went to the cafeteria to do that same thing? Well, turns out, because it was the first day and they only had one class during the entire day, the cafeteria did not open. Causing everyone to ultimately go back home hungry. Yesterday was the same as well, as it seemed that they were still organizing everything before allowing students to enter. Today, however, that had supposedly changed. According to his homeroom teacher, Kan Sekijiro¡ªwhose name he finally learned after he got the opportunity to ask Itsuka¡ªor Vlad sensei as his classmates liked to call him, the cafeteria should be open this time around since all the preparations had been finished. This meant that today he would finally skip the process of making lunch himself and have a taste of the godly food that they supposedly served here. As for what he would be picking... "Who cares, I only want to eat meat..." Suzaku muttered as he increased his pace to the cafeteria, and began smirking greedily. "You went out on your own again" "Hey man, why didn''t you wait for us?!" However, his momentum was stopped when suddenly someone called out to him from behind. "...?" Turning around, Suzaku saw both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu just barely coming out of the classroom and sprinting at him. "Sorry, I was hungry" Once they arrived next to him, he scratched the back of his head and apologized. "Still, you should have waited for us" Itsuka looked at him with a pout. "Well, like my dad says, a man should listen to his stomach!" Tetsutetsu, on the other hand, simply laughed it off. "A wise father you have" Suzaku said, before pointing in the direction of the cafeteria with his head as he asked, "Well, let''s go?", gaining nods from both of them. With that, the three resumed their way to the cafeteria. Once they arrived, they noticed that it was bustling to the brim with other students. "I guess we are not the only hungry ones" Suzaku muttered as he and his friends moved toward the huge food line. They were there for quite a few minutes. However, despite the line''s large size, it wasn''t that long before their turn came since the hero in charge of serving food seemed to be a very efficient one. Once his turn arrived, Suzaku picked up a large piece of fillet with seasoned rice and went to look for a seat with a satisfied expression while Itsuka and Tetsutetsu made their choice. "...?" Along the way, however, Suzaku recognized a certain slimy head looking for some seats like him and raised both of his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, if it isn''t the good old Arata¡ª" He called out to him immediately, expecting the kid to still be in a sad mood, and thinking of trying to cheer him up by sharing a meal or something. However, to his surprise, the kid looked anything but sad. "Oh, Suzaku, what''s up bro?" Arata turned to look at him with a surprised smile. Seeing that, Suzaku couldn''t help but frown out of pure bafflement. "What''s with you?" "What are you on about?" Arata raised an eyebrow, as if not understanding what Suzaku was talking about. "Are you serious?" Suzaku''s mouth twitched. The guy had gone from super depressed to super normal. Just what did he mean by what he was on about? "...?" However, just as Suzaku was about to begin using his interrogation tactics on him, he noticed that on a nearby table, where Arata had been looking before he had called out to him, a certain girl with pink hair styled in dreadlocks could be seen calmly eating her food. "I see" When he saw that, Suzaku nodded sagely as he shot Arata a knowing look, making this one raise an eyebrow in confusion. "What?" "Little Arata has a crush, huh?" Suzaku smirked while patting his friend''s shoulder. Causing the latter to panic all of a sudden and begin looking back and forth between Suzaku and the girl. "You son of a¡ª" "Don''t worry, my friend, I know all about women" Suzaku suddenly said as he pointed at himself with his thumb, causing Arata to raise both of his eyebrows. "Really?!" "No, not really" Suzaku shrugged, before patting his friend''s shoulder once again and turning around to leave "But I won''t bother you with what you were doing. Carry on" Arata didn''t say anything to his leaving friend but simply stared at his departing back with a pissed-off expression as he muttered, "That guy..." before turning around and gulping in nervousness. Back to Suzaku, after he left Arata to continue with his mission of conquering a maiden''s heart, he found out that both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu had already found a seat, and were waiting for him. So, without wasting a second, he walked in their direction. "Oh, Suzaku-kun" "...?" However, as if today was the day of meeting people before eating, Suzaku was suddenly faced with yet another familiar face on his way. It was the infamous protagonist of this world. "Sup Midoriya" Seeing him all of a sudden, Suzaku nodded at the boy, who was walking along some frie¡ªActually, Suzaku remembered them, they were the gravity girl and the running guy from the show. They sure looked different from what he remembered, or rather, from the little he remembered. Being in real life truly made it hard to recognize characters like them. If it wasn''t because they had certain features he still remembered, or because of some obvious details like the turbines on the guy''s leg, he wasn''t sure he could have been able to realize it was them. "Hm" The timid boy returned the nod, before falling silent. Then, just as Suzaku was about to walk away thinking that their conversation had ended, the girl beside him asked in a loud voice "You know him, Deku-kun?" Facing the sudden question, the boy was conflicted about what to answer. Despite being neighbors, they hadn''t shared more than a few greetings ever since they met two days ago. So, saying that he knew him... Fortunately for him, though, Suzaku answered first. "We are neighbors. I''m on Class 1-B, nice to meet you" Suzaku offered a handshake. "Oh, a fellow hero!" The running guy said, before taking his hand and presenting himself in a real formal tone "I''m Tenya Ida" The next one to take his hand was the girl "I''m Ochako Uraraka, we are from Class 1-A" "Suzaku Suzuki" He introduced himself, and then, just as he thought that this time the conversation had ended for good this time, the girl gasped and clapped her hands as if she knew about him. "You''re the one that ranked first on the practical exam?!" She asked aloud, causing many of the people who were eating nearby to stop and turn to look at him with surprised gazes. Midoriya and Ida were not an exception either, since as soon as they heard Uraraka''s question, both turned to look at Suzaku with confused expressions before their eyes widened as if they had just remembered that they saw his name on the ranking''s first place. "It was you?!" Ida asked in shock as he adjusted his glasses. "You were the first place?!" Midoriya also asked, bewildered by the fact that his neighbor had been the first place in the exam and he hadn''t noticed. Suzaku simply shrugged as he said "Somehow it happe¡ª" "So you were the bastard?!" However, a loud and enraged shout interrupted him mid-sentence. When he turned around, he saw a teenager with spiky blond hair walking towards him with a furious expression. Immediately, he recognized him as well. ''The guy with anger issues'' He squinted his eyes, recalling this annoying character of the show that he thought of beating up many times while he watched the Anime. Now that he had him in front of him, though? Beating him up was no longer a fantasy. At that instant, Suzaku''s fist tightened, wondering how punching his angry face would feel like. However, a second after that, he calmed himself. -Sigh...- He barely knew the guy, and right now they weren''t in an anime where people could be one-dimensional. Besides, who knew? Maybe in real life he was actually a nice guy, and there was no reason to punch¡ª "You damn side-character... You dared steal away first place from me?!" ¡ªAlright, that was enough reason. "Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Suzaku walked up to the guy, looking down at him with a smirk on his face, as he was a tad taller than him. Though he wasn''t one to often seek conflict on his own, this time he felt different. He recalled the guy''s behavior from the show, and if the brat in front of him was any similar to what he remembered, this guy seriously needed a beating to get his attitude in order. He didn''t know if it got any better later on, but no one could blame him if he gave the little runt some character development earlier than expected. No, judging by his classmates'' reaction, they would surely thank him. "You...!" The response seemed to fuel the anger of the teenager, who grew a vein on his forehead as he stared straight into Suzaku''s face. "You damn bastard, acting all tough... You were probably only lucky on the exam" The blond hissed, narrowing his eyes as his blood began boiling. "Sounds like a skill issue to me" The red-haired shrugged with a taunting smile on his face. Adding fuel to the conflict. "You bastard, you only surpassed me because of that Rescue-points bullshit!" The blonde spat, his frustration visibly building up. "... had that not been there, you wouldn''t have even touched my shadow...!" "Yeah, I didn''t tryhard it as much as you did... Which makes it even more sad for you to have lost to me" He gave a small pat on the guy''s shoulder, awaiting at any second for the guy to burst and begin throwing hands¡ªOr rather explosions. However, just as the blonde seemed to be on the verge of attacking him, Ida got between them and stopped the conflict. "You two, stop it!" "Move away you damn four-eyes!" The guy yelled at him, trying to reach Suzaku but being held back by his classmate who struggled to calm him. "Suzaku, you picked up a fight?" Then, suddenly Itsuka''s voice came from behind Suzaku and caused him to shrug as he shot her an innocent smile. "Hey, he started" "What''s with this guy? Does he want to fight?" Tetsutetsu also appeared from behind him and shot the blond guy a hostile look. Preparing to help his new friend in case things got violent. However, a calm pat from the red-haired teenager on the shoulder was enough to calm him down. "Chill, the matter''s already over. Let''s go eat, my food is freezing" Suzaku pointed at the table with his thumb, gaining a nod from Tetsutetsu, who scoffed at the explosive teenager, before turning around and walking towards the table along with Suzaku. Itsuka followed behind them, but not before muttering some apologies to Uraraka, Ida, and Midoriya, who by the way was looking at Suzaku with shocked eyes as he muttered "He taunted Kacchan..!" Ignoring certain shouts that said "Don''t run away you damn bastard!" or something along those lines, coupled with several piercing gazes from the students that had been enjoying a peaceful meal until then, it wasn''t long before the three of them arrived at their table and began to dig in. It took the hall a few minutes to calm down, and while the blond guy still looked like he wanted to throw hands, the arrival of certain teachers who had been called after their little stunt deterred him from trying anything further. However, the piercing gaze that he shot Suzaku for the rest of lunch didn''t pass unnoticed by either of them. "What a guy" Suzaku muttered as he let out a sigh. Lunch went like that for a while, with the three talking about classes, commenting on the taste of the food, Tetsutetsu trying to know more about Suzaku''s backstory, talking about yesterday''s combat test, villain attacks on nearby cities, etc... In a world with superpowers, there were quite a lot of topics to talk about. When the school bell finally marked the start of a new class, they began leaving the cafeteria and went to their next class. However, as both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu talked with each other, Suzaku couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. He felt a tad weird. Similar to having a bad feeling, but not quite there. It was, in a way, similar to when you prepared profusely for something, but at the last minute felt like you forgot to do something. It wasn''t exactly like that, but very similar... "How weird" Suzaku muttered, giving the cafeteria in the distance a weird glance and squinting his eyes before shrugging his shoulders and continuing his way to class. If he didn''t know what it was, then it probably didn''t matter. Thinking so, Suzaku shrugged the matter off and followed after his friends. Ready to face yet another boring class he had thought heroes wouldn''t have to do in this school. ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Another Chapter is completed, and Suzaku finally meets the official cast, aside from the infamous protagonist, that is. Let''s see if you bunch can figure out what made Suzaku feel weird at the end of the Chapter Also, MHA ended... Quite a moment I picked to make this ff, huh?) -> Chapter 36: Diferent from Last Time Chapter 36: Diferent from Last Time ... Days after the incident at the cafeteria, Suzaku completed yet another day of classes and left the school. Itsuka and Tetsutetsu offered to walk together to the subway, to which he accepted. During the way, the three talked over the homework All Might had given them a few days ago during the Hero Basic Training class. Unlike the first class where they had a whole dynamic of heroes vs villains to follow, the rest of the classes after that were more about learning important aspects of heroism and society, like the current crime rate, the most probable causes for villains to surge among the common population, some laws that regulate heroism, etc... The homework they were given was to analyze the information about a hypothetical uprising villain and give their opinion on what they thought the best possible course of action would be in case the villain decided to rob a bank. Due to the homework being highly objective of the person''s beliefs and opinions, it caused a lot of discussion among the students in 1-B... Or at least, among those who cared. Suzaku hadn''t really given it much thought. For him, the less time he spent doing homework, the better. Though, unfortunately for him, Itsuka seemed interested in what kind of answers either of them wrote, as such, it became the topic of their talk for the rest of the walk until they boarded the subway. Tetsutetsu, for his part, wrote a rather simplistic and straightforward answer, forgetting completely the fundamental aspects of rescue such as avoiding causing damage to the infrastructure, or not scaring the innocent people involved in the incident. Suzaku, on the other hand, gave more clever answers on how to handle the situation, being rather sneaky and crafty. However, much like Tetsutetsu, he didn''t give a crap about the mental state of the victims. When Itsuka reminded him of what All Might had said, Suzaku simply rolled his eyes. Evidently feeling like that aspect was more of a bother than anything. And like that, the three talked over the matter for quite a while, eventually ending the discussion when each of them began leaving at different subway stations. Suzaku, in particular, was the last to leave the subway. And you might ask, why did he even take the subway, when his apartment is supposedly close to UA? The truth was that Suzaku''s destination today was not home, at least not yet. No, his real objective at the moment was another place. PizzaQuirkhut (A/N: Sorry it''s 4:00 AM, and my brain isn''t capable of coming up with something better than this) A chain of pizza restaurants popular around the world, and the particular destination of Suzaku today. As for why he was going there? Well, as a way to commemorate the day he finally managed to arrive only 5 minutes late to class, Suzaku decided to go to the nearby mall to treat himself to some pizza. And why pizza specifically? Just because. He was also kind of hungry, as he picked up a portion of food during lunch that was too small to satiate his appetite, and since the lunch break ended sooner than he had expected, he didn''t have the chance to get a repeat. He could have gone to some 24/7 store to buy a snack and get done with it, but Suzaku felt like eating pizza today. ... And he was not one to refuse his stomach''s desires. As such, after arriving at the correct station, it wasn''t long before he arrived at the mall. Fortunately, because it was rather small when compared to another mall that existed in the city which was renowned for being the one with the most stores in all the prefecture, and because it wasn''t peak time, the place was not bustling with people, making the wait for his pizza when he arrived at the restaurant much shorter. It only took ten minutes at most, and after he tipped the cashier, he picked up his pizza and walked swiftly back to the subway. Wanting to arrive quickly at his home so that he could enjoy the delicacy he was carrying in the privacy and commodity of his domain. "Hmm..." As the sound of his steps echoed in the mildly empty street back to the subway, Suzaku couldn''t help but get lost in thought. More specifically, about the matter that concerned him the most these days. The protagonist, and the shonen anime-like stuff that would probably happen to him eventually. He had only watched the show''s first season, and a long time ago at that. However, he still could recall the event that marked the season''s end and caught his attention the most when he had been watching the series. Although he couldn''t remember all of its details. A very important event that nowadays made him on edge whenever they had Hero Basic Training classes. And that event was none other than the villains'' attack, where All Might fought a muscular bird-kind-of guy with the brain exposed. In the anime, he didn''t remember how much time passed between the start of school and that event in the show. However, considering that it happened at the end of the first season, Suzaku assumed it must have been during the first semester of school for sure. Maybe it had happened during some kind of final exam for the semester as he recalled it happened inside a stadium of some sort, but he doubted it, as he could still remember that in the anime they spent like 5 or 6 Chapters showing Midoriya''s journey to entering UA, not in being a student. As such, he doubted that they summed a whole semester of school in just the 6 Chapters they had left. The other option, however, while much more likely, was not one he liked. Considering that the show''s first season had only around 12 Chapters and that 5 or 6 of them were spent on the training arc of the guy while he tried to enter UA, it made sense that the event had actually happened just some days after school had initiated. As a result, this also meant that it was possible that the villains would launch an attack on UA any day from now. It would be tomorrow, past tomorrow, next week, or¡ª ''... But wait, I''m in class 1-B!'' Suzaku''s eyes suddenly widened, as a smirk found its way to his face. Midoriya was in class 1-A, and thus, he wouldn''t be having class with him any time soon. And now that he recalled, he also didn''t remember seeing any of his current classmates in the show. Maybe they appeared later, but as far as he could remember from the first season, neither of them had appeared. Which meant that he wouldn''t need to fight villains any time soon! ''Whew... I almost got worried for a second there'' Suzaku sighed in relief as he cleaned the symbolic sweat from his forehead. It seemed that, as far as getting involved in the protagonist''s tribulations for becoming a hero regarded, he wouldn''t be doing so... at least until they started having classes together or something. Suzaku smiled happily. ''I guess I can just watch safely from the sidelines, then'' Turning his head to the sky a relieved sigh escaped from his mouth not long after. However, his smile vanished at the next second. "...?" In the next instant, Suzaku lowered his head and began glancing at his surroundings, narrowing his eyes little by little when he noticed that there was nobody around him and that everything seemed to be strangely... silent. A silence that almost seemed too similar to Suzaku. "...What''s this, a Deja Vu?" Suzaku eyebrows rose, showing a clueless face. -Clang!- Then, as he inspected his surroundings, a loud sound came from in front of him, causing Suzaku to almost jump in his place from the startle, before exclaiming "What was that?!" as a terrified expression emerged on his face. However, immediately after that, he turned around and swung his fist at the empty air. -Bam!- "Argh!" Only to then surprisingly hit something that yelped in pain when Suzaku''s fist made contact. -Thud!- After that, the loud sound of someone falling to the ground echoed in Suzaku''s ears, before then right where the sound had appeared, a person began to materialize from thin air. ''An invisibility quirk, huh?'' Seeing the stranger appear out of nowhere, Suzaku raised an eyebrow before he began to approach him. However, his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed a handkerchief embedded with some kind of liquid lying on the man''s hand. "..." When he saw that, Suzaku stopped his walk. "Pfft" However, a second later, a small chuckle escaped from Suzaku''s mouth. Only for the cheerful air around him to disappear in an instant when he knelt beside the man and pulled up his head by his hair, making him stare directly into his red eyes covered by his glasses. "Did you really think that strategy of yours would work a second time?" Suzaku scoffed, putting a bit more strength into his grip, and making the man in dark clothes let out a pained groan. However, surprisingly, the man stayed silent. "What? Are you not gonna say anything even though we are finally seeing each other after what¨C6 years since you guys kidnapped me?" Seeing him keep his mouth shut, Suzaku raised an eyebrow and stared at the man in silence for a few seconds. However, seeing that he wouldn''t be getting answers, eventually, he tossed the man''s head away and stood up. "Well, not that it matters. I don''t need to hear what a dead man has to say" Saying so, he placed his hands on the man''s neck and prepared to twist it. "...!" -Bam!- "Uck¡ª!" However, before he could do so, Suzaku noticed the man''s pupils looking behind him, and, in a swift motion, turned around and launched a rapid kick, knocking away another man in dark clothes who got hit on the lungs, and who in his hand had been carrying another handkerchief with the same liquid from earlier. "Of course, I doubted you would be alone" Having dealt with the sudden threat, Suzaku began cracking his knuckles as he glared intently at the man who he had just knocked down. However, his eyes didn''t stay on the man''s pained figure for much, since soon, several other figures clad in black clothing began to emerge from the nearby alleyways, making Suzaku narrow his eyes as he let out a scoff. "And of course you had to bring a whole squad just for me," He said, glancing with ridicule at the dozen men who had suddenly appeared, and who seemed to all be carrying different kinds of blunt weapons. However, as if their numbers posed no threat to him, Suzaku''s focus didn''t stay on them for much, instead, it focused on the area above him. More specifically, on the light posts that filled the street where he was. On top of them, several cameras could be seen. However, the red dot that usually indicated their functioning was not present, as if they were... turned off. "So you cut off the camera''s energy supply, huh?" Seeing that, Suzaku whistled as a faint chuckle escaped from his mouth. "You prepared quite thoroughly for this" However, as if that laugh had been nothing but an act, it didn''t even take a second before his smile turned into a cold expression. And, as if at that moment the air around the place had turned colder, the men surrounding Suzaku couldn''t help but shudder when he delivered his next words. "... Though you didn''t need to bother, I could have done it myself" -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- Once those words left his mouth, suddenly all the lights in the vicinity began going off, as if a blackout had struck the neighborhood. -Shatter!- And, as the men watched in shock at everything that was happening around them, the sudden sound of glass breaking caught back their attention and made them all turn to see how Suzaku crushed his glasses with his hand and tossed the remains away. "They were in the way" As they watched baffled by his action, Suzaku simply shrugged his shoulders. And once those final words were delivered, Suzaku smirked, before vanishing completely from his spot. ""...?!" Confused, the men''s eyes quickly began darting back and forth, looking for the red-haired youth''s location. -Crack!- However, they all conveyed in one place when the sound of something cracking came from behind them. ""...!!"" When they turned around, they saw one of their own collapsing on the ground with his head facing the wrong direction and a mouthful of blood escaping from his nose and mouth. Once they caught sight of that, surprised gasps or curses were about to escape from their mouths. However, neither of them had that chance, since immediately after, another horrific sound came from behind them. -Schk!- In a hurry, the men turned around and prepared their weapons for combat. However, to their unease, the only thing they saw once they faced the origin of the sound was another one of their companions falling to the ground lifeless, this time with a deep stab wound on his back. -Thud!- When the wet sound of the corpse collapsing on the ground snapped them all from their daze, the one who seemed to be their leader immediately began yelling out loud in a desperate manner. "Squadron B, forget the plan, shoot immediately!" -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- Upon his command, suddenly several dozens of tranquilizing darts began raining right behind where the men were standing. When all of them realized what had happened and turned around, they saw the red-haired youth jumping away from them to avoid the darts, having just been about to kill another of them without being noticed. However, just as the darts began catching up with the slippery youth, this one vanished into thin air once again, making the men in charge of close combat widen their eyes in disbelief, and the men in charge of firing the tranquilizing darts¡ªwho were all hidden in a nearby alleyway¡ªto cease their fire. "Damn, where did he go?" Seeing their objective disappear right under their noses, one of the men from Squadron B cursed under his breath as he continued pointing his weapon at where Suzaku had been before disappearing. Making sure while he was at it to carefully watch over the group on the street to make sure none of them would be targeted. "I wonder that as well" However, his heart sank when a voice suddenly came from behind him, one that he had never heard before. -Crack!- In horror, the man tried to turn around immediately and point his weapon at whoever had said that. However, before he could even stand up, his head spun in its place like a spinning top. "...?!" Hearing the sound of somebody dying, the men of Squadron B immediately turned around and began firing at where the murder had just gone down, not hesitating in the slightest after witnessing him kill several men earlier on. -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- -Bang!- Due to their panic, they wasted more time firing than they should have. -Crack!- -Schk!- And, as a result of the loud noise their guns were making, they were unable to hear the dying sound of some of their companions at the back. It was only when they stopped firing after noticing that their objective was no longer there, that an unknown voice coming once again from behind snapped them out of their shock. "Did you guys get him?" In a hurry, all the men turned around, however, the only thing they were able to see was two of their companions collapsing on the ground and no one else. "What the¡ª?!" Confused and scared by the scene, some of the men began panicking, evidently not having been prepared for this. And, as some turned around immediately after reminiscing that the teenager seemed to tend to attack them from behind, they saw two deep red eyes suddenly emerge from the ground, and lunge at them before they could even react. ""...?!"" No one had even the chance to scream, as some seconds later a massacre began. Tainting the entire alleyway in a red color. Back to the men on the street, they were all currently running hurriedly to go and help Squadron B. The sounds of multiple rifle shots earlier had alerted them, and as such, allowed them to know that their objective had most likely intercepted those in charge of firing from the alleyway. "This...?!" Unfortunately, by the time they all arrived, everyone was already dead. Twenty men, all equipped with dart rifles, and even some real guns just in case things got dangerous, all dead on the ground. What was more, from the way some of the corpses'' hands were grabbing tightly the real guns in their pockets, it seemed evident that they were not even able to use them before their death. Upon seeing that, all the men there had but one question in their minds. Just what was that kid, to be capable of doing something like this? This was nothing like that crazy doctor had told them, this was not a simple case! "Damn it!" Cursing under his breath, the leader turned around and instructed each of his men to be on edge and cover all sides, just so that the red-haired kid wouldn''t be able to ambush them again. -Cough...!- However, just as he was giving orders while making sure not to get ambushed again, he noticed a certain figure in the alleyway moving. More specifically, the one who moved was one whom they had thought had been a corpse until then, coughing a mouthful of blood as he groaned in pain. ""...!"" In shock after realizing there had been a survivor, the men rapidly approached the still-barely alive man, wanting to get answers on how to beat that kid before all of them got taken down without being able to do anything. "That... damn monster!" However, as the men approached, they heard the dying man yelling in an angry and raspy voice as his eyes faltered, barely able to keep his conscience due to all the blood he seemed to be losing. Seeing him on his last breath, the leader quickly knelt and pressed him for answers. "What happened here?! How did that boy do this?!" However, the man simply spat out a chunk of blood at the ground, before his head began hanging low as his eyes lost their light. Not answering a single question of his leader before leaving this earth for good. Realizing that his only chance of formulating a plan for taking down Suzaku had died so quickly, the leader punched the ground out of frustration. "Damn it, this is nothing like last time... This is not what we were paid for... We must retreat, immediately!" And, seeing that at this rate they would either all die or lose a lot of men, he quickly decided to leave. It didn''t matter how much they were paid, it was their lives which were at stake at the moment! However, just as he and the rest of his men were about to begin moving away from the scene, one of their own asked a question that made their blood run cold. "Hey boss, how come Ken just died, when his corpse is over there?" As soon as that question popped up, the leader''s eyes quickly turned to look at where his subordinate was pointing. And indeed, there he was, the same man he had tried asking for answers earlier... However, in a different position, and with a bullet hole right on his forehead. When he saw that, the leader''s eyes widened in horror. And, as his body froze in its place, knowing what their discovery just now meant, a voice came from the spot where the dying man had been just a few seconds ago, causing each of the men to widen their eyes and swallow their saliva in terror. "Seems like I was caught" The only thing they saw after that, was a humongous mouth opening in front of them, and a sharp tongue shooting in all of their directions. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A minute later...| ... Suzaku came out of the alleyway with a calm step, dragging his feet on the ground as he tried to shake the crimson liquid off his shoes. And, not saying anything, he approached the place on the street where he was ambushed earlier. "..." There, he saw both of the men who had tried to knock him out earlier with what he supposed was chloroform, lying on the ground. The one who had received Suzaku''s full-powered kick was unconscious at the moment, apparently having been unable to keep his consciousness after receiving Suzaku''s kick directly in his solar plexus. The other whom he had punched in the face, however, was still awake, and intently trying to stand up to go and help his companions. "Come on... Stand up!" Though, it seemed like he was not being able to. "Sorry about that, it seems like I gave you a concussion" Suzaku suddenly called out to him, startling him and making him fall to the ground once again. -Thud!- "Ack!" Once the man realized what his presence here meant, a deep frown covered his face as he pointed at Suzaku with a trembling finger. "Y-you... W-what did you do to the others?!" "What do you think?" Suzaku scoffed at his question. And as the man looked at Suzaku with disbelief, this one ignored his gaze and approached his still-unconscious partner. "Well, I just need one of you alive" Suzaku muttered to himself, before delivering a swift stab with his bone knife at his back and making the man snap awake in pain. "Aaaargh¡ª" Only to then fall dead to the ground in less than a second. "You¡ª!" Seeing his companion die so quickly, the man''s eyes widened in shock, as fear slowly began sipping into him. Just what was the kid in front of him? The last time he and his companions kidnapped him years ago he didn''t fight back much. How come he had become so dangerous?! Was the kid in front of him really... a human? The man had countless questions. However, facing an uncontrollable fear, he wasn''t able to muster the courage to ask any of them, and simply watched in horror as the teenager kicked his partner''s corpse aside and began approaching him. "Now..." Suzaku muttered, kneeling beside the man, before whispering to him "I''ll make this easy for you to understand, whether you answer or not, I will kill you" As he said that to him, a bone in the form of a pistol suddenly grew from the teenager''s wrist and placed itself on his hand, only to then be pointed directly at the man''s forehead. "...!!" Sensing the gun, and hearing that no matter what he did he would die either way, the man''s eyes widened like platters, as small tears began leaving the corners of his eyes. However, Suzaku ignored it and simply threw the question at him "Where is that doctor who asked you to kidnap me?" "..." When he heard that question, the man''s expression twitched for a moment. As if he hadn''t been expecting that question. However, immediately after, a frown appeared on his face as he began glancing at Suzaku with hate in his eyes. Seeing his expression, Suzaku scoffed. "Hey, I might have killed all of you, but he was the one who sent you here, remember? Why don''t you rat him out before you die?" Suzaku pushed the gun onto the man''s forehead. However, instead of relenting to his pressure, the man tilted his head away from him, evidently refusing to answer despite how much his body was trembling at the moment. "Fair enough" When Suzaku understood that, he let out a long sigh in disappointment before he bid the man farewell. "Bye bye" -Bang!- And, as the man''s head got a hole in it and fell brusquely to the sound, Suzaku''s eyes stayed on his lifeless figure for quite a few minutes. Having lots of thoughts passing through his mind, and sometimes even glancing at the gun resting in his hand with an undecipherable expression. "..." However, eventually, he stood up and went to pick up the pizza that he had thrown away when the fight began so that it wouldn''t get in the way while he dealt with the men. -Beep, beep, beep!- But before his fingers could even touch the box containing his meal, Suzaku felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket. ''Who is calling at a moment like this?'' Stopping his movement and glancing at his pocket with a slight frown, Suzaku stayed still for a moment, before he took out his phone and answered the call, putting it on his ear a second later. "Yeah?" Suzaku asked. However, to his surprise, the caller was none other than the senile old man who called himself his master. "Hey, brat. I need you to come see me at the new dojo" He heard his voice command him, making Suzaku frown for a moment. "..." He stayed silent for a few seconds, wondering if, considering the attack of just now, the one on the other side would be someone trying to tend him a trap using the old man''s voice. So, making use of his interrogation skills, he threw a question that would allow him to deduce whether the one calling him was the real one or fake. "First tell me something only the real old man would say" "Wanna die?" "Alright, I''m coming" Suzaku nodded, hanging up and putting his phone back in his pocket. And, as he went to pick up his pizza again, Suzaku suddenly began hearing the sound of people approaching the scene, as strange as it was that they hadn''t approached earlier, with all the noise that the men''s guns had made. However, not bothering to ponder as to why that was, Suzaku simply shook his head as he sighed, before he suddenly sunk into the ground as if it had been liquid. Disappearing completely from the crime scene, and leaving behind a massacre that would make the city of Musutafu sink in fear for the next few days to come. ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: And so, the impostor goes wild once again. I felt like we needed some Chapters with Suzaku using his powers for quite a while now, as he has been fighting like a normal guy so far, and since this story is about a guy with impostor powers, we can''t have him fight like a non-sus guy for the entire story, do we? Also, I hope I wrote it well, I kind of feel like something is off with this Chapter. But maybe it''s just good old schizophrenia acting again.) -> Chapter 37: I tripped and they broke Chapter 37: I tripped and they broke There are 8 advanced Chapters on Patreon if you are feeling like spending a bit of money to support the creation and read ahead while at it. /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Amidst the bustling streets of Musutafu, Suzaku''s POV:| ... I did it again, huh? After 6 years of living a peaceful life only interrupted by the senseless violence of that old man during our spars, I finally snapped and killed people again. If I''m honest, I was actually wondering when it would happen again. I never really thought that the kidnapping incident would be the first and last time I would kill someone. I thought I would find myself doing it again if I got involved in one of the protagonist''s problems and saw a villain that needed a shutdown, or maybe after I became a professional hero and got fed up with a psychopathic villain. But surprisingly, it happened during my first week of studying at UA. Don''t get me wrong, even now that the adrenaline had worn off, I knew I would do it again without hesitation. I didn''t care about the guys from before, rather, I was glad I finally met them after they successfully kidnapped me 6 years ago. With this, I finally made sure they wouldn''t come back, or try something funny with someone else. But still, the fact that, unlike in my first life, murder was changing from something foreign to something that happened from time to time, was disturbing. And what was most disturbing for me, was that just tomorrow I would be going to classes normally, as if today''s incident hadn''t happened at all. Even now, I was walking in the middle of the street while carrying my pizza, just like a completely normal teenager, and just some minutes ago, I had been killing ruthlessly dozens of armed men. The fact that I could get away with it, and no one would even suspect me... felt wrong. The fact that none of my kills so far have had any repercussions... felt wrong. And the fact that, after everything I did, I would just go to school tomorrow and act as if nothing happened so that I could continue my hero training... Also felt wrong. ... But, well, who knows? Maybe I''m like this simply because I''m going through some post-nut clarity version of murder, and once enough time passes these annoying feelings will disappear as well. They did 6 years ago¡ªthough it took them a while¡ªand they will most likely do so again. But I don''t know man, I''m no psychologist. -Sigh...- As I shrugged my complicated thoughts aside, I suddenly stopped walking and glanced to my side. There, a small building with a lot of people coming and going could be seen. However, the most interesting fact about this place was that the people coming and going in particular, were all wearing eye-catching suits like they were... heroes. "Am I in the wrong direction?" I asked to myself, frowning faintly as I picked up my phone from my pocket and looked up for the location that the old man had sent me. And surprisingly, it was indeed here... "H?h?" I exclaimed, much like a certain YouTuber I used to watch in my past life did. And, after checking the address on my phone like four times and making sure I was actually there, I gave up and put my phone back in my pocket. If it was here, then it was here. If not, then I only needed to ask for directions or something like that. ''Though, what would the old man be doing in a place such as this?'' I couldn''t help but wonder. That old guy was nothing like a hero, after all. So, once I made up my mind, I entered the building, raising an eyebrow as I read the entrance sign that said "Gunhead''s hero agency". "Who?" I muttered, nevertheless, I didn''t let that slow me down and simply opened the doors to the building. "Woah, woah, stop there little one. Sorry, but this is a hero agency, you can''t just enter here like that" However, to my surprise, I was immediately stopped by a tall and burly guy in a hero suit who looked more like a villain than a hero. Not in the bad meaning, of course. I just meant that his suit was rather intimidating to be a hero. Like, if I were to imagine a bank robbery or any other cliche? criminal activity, this guy most certainly looked like he could be part of it. Though maybe it was just his mask, it looked kind of weird if I''m honest. As I analyzed him, the guy scratched the back of his head while heaving a troubled sigh. "I know you might want an autograph from one of your favorite heroes, but currently everyone here is busy saving the day, so we can''t help you with that..." However, as he was finishing speaking, suddenly he hit the palm of his hand as if he had an idea. "Hey, tell you what, little one, how about I give you my autograph instead, will you be satisfied with tha¡ª?" "Who are you?" "Eh?!" The moment he heard me question his identity, he took a step back in surprise. ''Should I know him?'' I wondered, after all, besides All Might and... Uh... Ah, yeah, Endeavor, I didn''t know much about the other heroes that were in the rankings. Maybe this guy in front of me was a big shot, and I didn''t know i¡ª "I''m Gunhead!" "No idea pal" Nevermind, I had no idea who this guy was. "It can''t be..." "..." As I watched him dejectedly hang his head low, I began glancing around, looking for the figure of the old man. Though, that proved to be useless. He was nowhere to be seen. The only thing around was a bunch of heroes walking around hurriedly. So, wanting to get done with this quickly, I turned towards the guy¡ªUh, Gunhead, and told him the motive for my visit. "... Have you seen a rather temperamental old man around here? He told me to come see him at his new dojo, and the address he sent me seemed to be this place..." "Huh?" "Huh?" "You''re Tatsuo-san''s disciple?!" He suddenly asked with shock in his voice, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Seeing that he had an idea of who I was talking about, I looked around again, thinking that maybe I had missed him out, before asking him. "Uh, yeah. Is he here?" Gunhead nodded as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, he came in a few minutes ago, he should be waiting for you at the dojo I rented him" Well, at least I''m not at the wrong place. As I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that I hadn''t mistaken the location, the hero massaged his neck embarassedly before he began apologizing. "Sorry about earlier, I just didn''t think you would be his disciple... Or that he could have one in the first place. I thought he had just said that to spite me" "Spite you?" I asked back, confused about his sudden comment. At that, he laughed faintly, before pointing at himself with his thumb. "Oh, I used to be his disciple too... A long time ago, though, and I honestly didn''t last more than a month with him before I decided to leave. His training was too much" "Yeah, I do agree with you on that" I nodded, suddenly having the urge to beat the old man up as I remembered his lack of restraint during my early years under his tutelage. "How long have you been under him? Even though I was his disciple, he never referred to me that way, so I''m curious to know how much you have trained under him to have made him acknowledge you as such" In front of the question, I scratched my head as I tried to make remember. "Eh... I don''t know, 9 years maybe?" However, my answer seemed to have unexpected results on the hero in front of me. "9 years?! H-how?!" I shrugged. "I don''t know, I just did" "Y-you''re crazy kid, that man is a brute" "Yeah, but it got better after the brutality became mutual" I said as I smirked. Yeah, after I became skilled enough, let''s just say that the one getting beaten up during our spars wasn''t only me. "Haha" Hearing my answer, he laughed but certainly not in an amused way. Rather, I could feel his gaze on me looking at me like I was some kind of freak. However, before any of us could say anything else, a certain voice called out to me. "So you arrived already damn brat! You should have come to the dojo straight away if you were already here" From our side, suddenly the subject of our talk presented himself before us. And, before I could get to reply him, he grabbed my arm and began dragging me away. "Come on, don''t get close to that guy, who knows if his sissiness is contagious" "..." "Hey..." At the totally gratuitous insult, the hero looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply swallowed it and let me go. After that, the old man dragged me to the elevator, where we went to the 3rd floor, and entered what seemed to be some traditional-looking dojo. "Now, this looks like a real dojo" I muttered, gaining a sharp look from the old man. "This looks like a place for weaklings. A real dojo should have stains of blood, cracks, dust, and uh..." "Spiderwebs?" "Yeah, to demonstrate its long history" "Seriously..." I sighed as I shook my head. Then, I walked to a nearby table in the corner of the room, and put my pizza there, picking a piece as I gestured to the old man to pick one as well. He did it without reservations, and soon enough, we both went to sit on the mats of the dojo. "So, what''s up?" I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eyes as I raised my eyebrow. "Remember the incident where you were kidnapped?" He suddenly asked, making me twitch out of surprise after being asked that. However, I quickly calmed myself and nodded my head. Causing the old man who was watching my reaction to nod as well and begin explaining. "After that incident, I started investigating who were the punks behind it, all while collaborating with the police. However, the bastards turned out to be more slippery than we expected. While I raided some of their bases and captured some of their goons, the runts turned out to be good at moving without being noticed" I listened silently to that. "... Two years ago we lost their track completely, so we gave up on continue looking for them for a while. However, we recently caught sight of them again, and discovered that a few days ago they hired the same team of bastards who kidnapped you the last time... I called you here to warn you about them. Be careful when you are alone on the street, or even in your own home, they might strike when you least expect it" "I''ll have that in mind" I said without much emotion, causing the old man to raise an eyebrow at my expression before he began clicking his tongue as he shook his head. "What, you think you can take them all on because of what I taught you? Well, while I do admit my martial arts are godly, I doubt with your skills you will be able to take all of them at the same time. They are known for being rather sneaky and crafty when performing kidnapping, having several plans to back up the other in case they fail" As he said that, he picked up some papers from the table, and began reading them. "Just to make sure, I will tell you some of their quirks which we have managed to document from recent investigations. One of them, and a key member of their team, has an invisibility quirk that allows him to manipulate light to make himself or others invisible, however, it seems to have a distance limit. Another key member of their team has the quirk to create a determined area where all sounds are muted" Then, he squinted his eyes as he gained an annoyed tone. "The last one to worry about, much like the previous one, can designate an area with a special effect. This one, however, makes whoever comes into contact with the barrier that encompasses this area, lose their sense of direction and walk away from the barrier" "So they can isolate their targets almost perfectly, and then jump on them using invisibility" I deduced, making the old man nod at me. Well, it sounds pretty similar to their approach to kidnapping me six years ago and in their attempt from earlier. No wonder no one helped me or at least witnessed what was happening. As I recalled the events from minutes ago, the old man continued. This time, flipping through the documents quickly as he spoke. "The other members of their team, on the other hand, have all sorts of quirks, from enhancing ones, to healing quirks, to more miscellaneous ones that might come in handy in very specific situations, etc... They covered all sorts of weaknesses to stay strong in front of any enemy..." And, as he reached the last page, he squinted his eyes at the picture of a certain man. "And their leader, in particular, seems to have a powerful resistance-type quirk that, from what I can see here, might render normal attacks useless. So, unless you have a gun or something like that hidden in your new apartment, I suggest you not to try dealing with them and just run away if they decide to act" "Sure" I said, not really showing much worry. Something that, apparently, pissed off the old man, who, upon seeing me act all nonchalantly with his advice, stood up and walked to the center of the dojo. Once he got there, he turned to look at me and smirked wickedly. "That was just the first reason I invited you here, the second one, however, is to make sure you aren''t becoming rusty after hanging out with newbies like your classmates" I shot him an annoyed look. "I didn''t" "Then come and show me" He taunted, gesturing me with his hand to come at him. "..." Staying silent in response, I took a final bite from the pizza in my hand, before I put it back at the box. And, once that was done, I stood up from the mat and started walking towards him. "A''ight, bet" With those final words, I smirked as well, and jumped at him, ready to carve my fist on his wrinkled face. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Some minutes later, 3rd Person POV...| ... "Huff... Puff..." "Fuuuuh..." After the spar, both Suzaku and Tatsuo collapsed on the mats from earlier. Each of them tired to the bone, and breathing haggardly as they stared silently at the ceiling. However, the silence was eventually interrupted by Suzaku, who, after catching his breath for a bit, looked at the tired Tatsuo from the corner of his eyes. "You''re already so old... stop trying so much and let me win at least once" Suzaku hissed amidst heavy gasps of air, gaining a loud laugh from Tatsuo. "Are you begging me to let you win? I believe I didn''t teach you to be so pathetic" Suzaku scoffed, before turning to look back at the ceiling. "Forget it" Then, after catching his breath a bit more, Suzaku stood up and went to pick up his pizza, all while ignoring the lingering gaze of his still lying-down master. "I''m leaving" Suzaku said, walking towards the elevator outside of the room. However, some last words from his master stopped him before he could leave the room. "Remember what I told you" "..." Suzaku glared at him impassively, seemingly lost in his own thoughts for some seconds, before he eventually let out a faint snort as a small smile found its way to his face. "Alright" After that, he turned around and began walking out of the room. However, he was stopped once more by Tatsuo, who shot him a weird look. "By the way, what happened to those glasses of yours?" Hearing that, Suzaku almost stumbled from the surprise, before he began touching his uncovered eyes with a wry expression. "I tripped and they broke" Suzaku lied, making Tatsuo shoot him a deadpan, before snorting and saying "Don''t let the door hit you on the way out" as he turned to look back at the ceiling. "As if" Leaving out those words, Suzaku nodded at his master, before he got onto the elevator and left for good. ... Once alone, Tatsuo continued staring at the ceiling with a pensive countenance. Seemingly lost in his world as he rested his tired body while lying down on the mat. He continued like that for quite a few minutes after Suzaku left. However, as he was about to stand up once he had caught his breath for long enough, his phone began ringing. -Beep, beep, beep!- Taking out the phone from his pockets, Tatsuo put it on his ear and asked "Hello?" as he raised an eyebrow. Wondering who would be calling him now. However, his expression turned into a faintly relaxed one when he heard the voice that came from the other side. {"Tasuo-san, it''s me!"} "So it''s you dog-head, what do you want?" Tatsuo asked with a light-hearted tone as he pushed himself up from the ground. {"It''s the team of kidnappers that we''ve been investigating-woof!"} Hearing that, Tatsuo''s eyes widened as he stood up brusquely. "You found them?!" {"Well, you could call it that..."} The voice on the other side spoke with an amused tone, making Tatsuo squint his eyes in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?!" He asked in an exasperated tone, almost yelling at the phone. {"Don''t scream at me... They were all found dead in a zone relatively close to where you are right now. Some of them had stab and bullet wounds, while others had their necks entirely twisted-woof..."} Hearing that, Tatsuo''s eyes widened in shock. "How close?" {"Huh? Well, around two or three subway stations away from your location, why?"} The voice behind the phone asked. However, Tatsuo stayed silent, glancing with visibly shocked eyes at the elevator out of the room. "..." {"Tatsuo-san?"} In the end, though, Tatsuo shrugged his worries aside and answered the person on the line. "Nevermind, I was just curious" {"Huh... Well, I''m sure you''ll also be interested to know that the injuries found on each of the corpses coincide pretty much with the ones that the vigilante that rescued your disciple years ago inflicted on the people from the laboratory..."} Tatsuo''s eyes squinted. "Is that so?" {"Yes-woof. We are still investigating the crime scene, but I can at least tell you that, judging from the specialized equipment they were carrying, and the way they were scattered away from each other, it seemed like these guys were trying to ambush this mysterious vigilante and knock him out instead of outright killing him... Though, it doesn''t seem like it ended well for them-woof"} "..." {"With this, I guess it''s safe to assume that we were wrong about your disciple being their objective this time"} "Yeah, I guess we were" Tatsuo replied plainly. Making the person behind the phone confused. {"Tatsuo-san?"} "Sorry, dog-head, I''ve got to think for a bit" Tatsuo suddenly said, not allowing the other person to respond before he hung up. And, as he put his phone back in his pocket, Tatsuo threw himself backward to the mat, staring once again at the ceiling with an indecipherable expression. "He tripped and they broke, huh?" ... -Cough..- ... -To be Continued...-} ¡ã (A/N: No amongus wisdom this week) -> Chapter 38: The Villain Attack is Here...? Chapter 38: The Villain Attack is Here...? ... The next day, a few minutes after UA opened their gate and gave start to a new day of classes, the students of class 1-B began entering the classroom one by one. It was still faintly early, but thanks to the fact that most of the students in class 1-B were quite the early risers and always arrived at least 5 minutes before the class began, it didn''t take long before the classroom began bustling with all the students that were supposed to attend. ... Except for one student, of course. Regardless, thanks to that, and the fact that Vlad-king had yet to arrive, it didn''t pass much before the students began chatting among themselves to pass the time until he arrived. More specifically, they talked about a certain incident that had struck the city yesterday, and that shocked most of the city''s population. "Hey, did you see the news today?" "Yeah, what the hell man? Thirty people dead in the middle of the street!" "Scary" "How did no hero notice thirty people being killed out in the open?" "Dunno, they didn''t say much in the news... Maybe it''s still being investigated?" "What about cameras? Was there no footage of the scene?" "Oh, I read about that! Apparently, a blackout coincidentally struck that neighborhood during the time of the crime, which deactivated the cameras" "What the hell? How is that coincidental?! Whoever did it obviously has a quirk that¡ª" -Sssap!- However, they were all forced to stop their chat when the sound of the class door being slid open echoed in everyone''s ears, and caused them to turn their heads to look there with a smile, believing that it was their teacher who had arrived. ""...?!"" However, all of the student''s eyes widened in unison when they realized that the person standing on the door frame wasn''t actually their teacher, but instead¡ª "Sup" ¡ªSuzaku. "... Eeeeeeh?!" "... It''s a lie!" "... It can''t be!" "... Is the world ending?!" When they saw him, the entire classroom fell into chaos as everyone around began exclaiming in disbelief at the unnatural event that they had just witnessed. Suzaku arriving early, that couldn''t be! ''What a bunch of weirdos'' As he arrived at his seat, Suzaku deadpanned, feeling like they were exaggerating a bit. "So you can arrive early, huh Suzaku?" Suddenly, someone spoke to him from his neighboring seat. When he turned around, Suzaku saw a blond kid with blue eyes staring at him with a smug grin. Neito Monoma, the quirk stealer of class 1-B, or as Suzaku liked to call him¡ªIn his head, at least¡ªthe nut job of the class. "I can do a lot of things, arriving early is just one of them" Suzaku scoffed as he turned to look towards his seat neighbor with crossed arms. "You don''t do it that often, though" Neito looked at him strangely. Suzaku shrugged. "I could conquer the world if I wanted, but you don''t see me doing it, do you?" "Huh?" "Exactly" As Suzaku turned to look back at the front again, ignoring the confused Neito at his side, he noticed Itsuka staring at him blankly, seemingly lost in whatever thoughts she was having. When he saw that, Suzaku raised an eyebrow and looked at her confusedly. "What? Are my eyes pretty?" "...!" She immediately snapped out of her daze upon hearing that question, averting his eyes the next instant. Once she recovered her composure, however, she turned to look back at Suzaku and let out a fake cough. "... Ahem, what happened to your glasses?" "... My glasses?" Suzaku puzzledly moved his hand toward his eyes and opened his mouth in an o-shape when he realized the cold touch of his bioglass wasn''t there. "Oh, right" He muttered to himself, before he cleared his throat, and began explaining the truth of the situation. "Nothing much... I just headbutted a bear yesterday after class but forgot that my glasses were there, so they ended up breaking" "Uh huh..." Itsuka stared at him with a questioning gaze. "There''s no bears in Tokyo..." Suzaku''s eyes widened in shock when he heard that. "Wait... really?!" Then, after acting like he was letting that fact sink in, Suzaku squinted his eyes and began massaging his chin in a suspicious manner. "I wonder how it got there then? What a mystery" Seeing him act like that, Itsuka felt her mouth twitch. -Sssap!- However, just as Itsuka was about to say something, the door of the class slid open once again, and this time their teacher arrived for real, making all the students including Itsuka and Suzaku turn and look at him. "Good morning everyone" As he entered the classroom, Vlad King greeted everyone while reading a few papers he had in his hand, arriving at his desk not long after, and letting out a sigh. When they saw him, most students looked at him strangely. "Sensei, weren''t we supposed to have classes with All Might right now?" "Yeah, isn''t this the basic hero training class?" Hearing the questions, Vlad King nodded his head before he put down the papers he was carrying. Then, he sighed. "That would usually be the case, but since we are having a special class today, things have changed" ""...!!"" When hearing that, the entire classroom started getting excited "Are we finally having a fun class like the first one?!" "What are we doing today, Vlad-sensei?" "Are we having battle training again?" "Finally, I was tired of the theoretical classes!" In front of the questions, Vlad King began looking through his pockets, before taking out a card that had written the word [rescue] and showing it to the students. "No, today we are having... Rescue training!" He shouted with emotion, causing the already excited students to turn even more lively. The only exception was a certain red-haired teenager who looked at his teacher strangely. ''Was it necessary to take out the card?'' Seeing his students'' excited expressions, Vlad King nodded his head, before he continued explaining. "Since it will be a special class, we will be having three instructors today, All Might, me, and another person. However, since the training this time will be more complex than in the battle training, we will be taking the bus to move towards a special location off-campus that has everything we require for this class" As he said that, Vlad King grabbed a remote control from under the desk, and pointed it at the walls. Making the student''s costumes emerge. "One last thing, for this class you can choose whether to use your hero suits or not, as I know that some of you might have found them not to your taste during the last exercise, or not helpful at all" Once he finished explaining, he put down the control and frowned faintly. "Now, I would like to tell you to get ready so we can begin boarding the bus... But I guess we will have to wait for Suzuki to arrive first" "I''m already here, though," Suzaku said as he raised his hand, gaining the attention of his teacher, who upon seeing him fell silent for a few seconds. ... ¡ªOnly for his eyes to widen like platters at the next second. "Impossible!" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Half an hour later...| ... After a fairly short bus ride, Suzaku and the others arrived at the location Vlad King had mentioned. When Suzaku saw it, he stared at it quite surprised. "Damn..." Saying that it was big was an understatement. It was a gigantic dome that, in his very modest and incredibly humble opinion, dwarfed even the most enormous constructions such as soccer stadiums, or¡ªWell, he couldn''t think of anything else. But it was giant, so his point stood. His classmates also seemed to be surprised by the colossal building in front of them, as some of them were glaring at it completely dazed and agape. The only one who seemed to be unaffected was their teacher, who was looking at them with an amused expression, probably because this was not the first time he had watched students reacting to this place. -Click...- However, the focus of everyone on the dome''s size changed to the entrance when, out of nowhere the doors of the dome opened, and from behind them, a mysterious person appeared. Wearing a puffy jacket instead of an actual suit, and a black helmet with white eyes that hid their appearance completely, the whole person''s outfit reassembled in great part that of an astronaut, with the only difference being the strange device on their neck part and the pair of yellow boots they were wearing. "It''s...!" "It''s her!" "She is in UA as well?!" When they saw the person, some of the students seemed to recognize her as excited cries began echoing amongst the crowd. Suzaku was one of the surprised students. However, his reasons for being surprised were completely different from those of his classmates. The instant Suzaku saw the unknown person, his eyes widened enormously and he fell on his knees from the shock. ''G-God?!'' Fortunately for Suzaku''s reputation, however, he was quick to notice the non-divinity of the individual in front of him. When he realized he had made a mistake, he hurriedly stood up and acted as if nothing had happened. Sadly, Itsuka had been next to him since the beginning and had thus seen all of his weird actions, but out of consideration for him, she decided to not say anything, much to Suzaku''s gratefulness. Although, she did send him a weird look. As Suzaku was wondering who in hell was this sinner who dared to copy God''s image for their suit, his classmates did the honors of presenting whoever the hero was to him. "It''s the hero thirteen!" "I can''t believe she is in UA too! Her Quirk black hole is amazing!" "I''ve seen videos of her using her Quirk to save hundreds of people during disasters!" ''... So it was a hero'' Hearing his classmates, Suzaku eyebrow''s narrowed as he shot the woman a dissatisfied look. ''It''s this how Ibara feels when she sees us?'' He shook his head. ''How sinful'' However, he secretly made some mental notes about what stuff to add to his hero suit later on. ''Maybe a space helmet would look good...'' As he was thinking of different characteristics of her suit to add to his own, Suzaku''s eyes suddenly widened as a certain memory passed through his mind. ''Wait... I remember her now!'' Suzaku turned to look at the giant dome behind her. ''... She appeared in the villain''s attack incident!'' When he realized that, his mind immediately fell into a disarray of emotions. It seemed like the event he so-dreaded was just about to happen! ''What to do? At this rate, the villains will attack and¡ªNo wait, that should only happen to class 1-A...'' Suzaku grabbed his mouth as he got into deep thought. ''... But what if it doesn''t? I watched the anime so long ago that I don''t remember if they mentioned at any moment if class 1-B was attacked as well... I assumed not since it didn''t make much sense for the villains to waste their time and energy on this class since their objective was killing All Might... but what if my class was fodder who in the second season were detailed to have died off-screen, as a way of showcasing the danger that the protagonist faced at the end of the first season?!'' As he considered the worst-case scenarios, Suzaku turned to look at his classmates with a grave expression. ''If the villains truly attack us... What should I do? Should I just wait until everything passes hoping that they are not aiming to kill us, or should I just¡ª?'' However, just as Suzaku''s thoughts were turning dark, a shout coming from the female hero forced him to shift his attention away from the apparent incoming threat. "Everyone, I''ve been waiting for you!" She said as she pointed to the dome behind her. "Let''s go inside without delay, I will explain everything you will be doing today once we are inside" After that, the class followed through, and soon enough, they all entered the giant dome. Upon entering, Suzaku''s classmates immediately began exclaiming in surprise and shock at the sight. The dome was divided into five areas where different types of disasters were simulated, from shipwrecks, landslides, fires, windstorms, etc. Giving it a very eye-catching and fantastical appearance that amazed everyone instantly. However, Suzaku, on the other hand, did not even bat an eye in front of the training ground. Instead, he simply stared blankly at the air, lost in his thoughts. ''Should I tell them about the attack? But how could I justify knowing about it? Besides, there''s the possibility that it won''t even happen to us, but only to class 1-A... Though, not saying anything is a bit...'' He then glanced at the scenario in front of him. ''It''s real villains and psychopaths who will attack this place. If even a single thing doesn''t go as smoothly as it went in the anime, someone would actually die today... Then, should I say something? Maybe that way I can avoid such an event'' He frowned faintly as he thought like that. However, the next instant, his eyes widened as a certain possibility crossed his mind. ''... But, what if my interference is what triggers the shift in how things turn out, and causes the death of someone? I don''t care about bad guys, but having someone innocent die because of me isn''t something I''d want...'' As he reached a conclusion, Suzaku clicked his tongue. Then, in the middle of Thirteen''s explanation of the dome''s purpose and what activity they would be doing for the rest of the class, Suzaku raised his hand, catching the attention of the heroine. "Yeah, the red-haired student over there, what is it?" "Uh, it''s a bit of an unrelated question," Suzaku said in an apologetic tone as his expression turned faintly tense. "... But when will class 1-A do this training?" Thirteen raised an eyebrow in confusion at the unexpected question. However, thinking that maybe a friend of Suzaku was in class 1-A and he was curious about when they would do it, she answered nevertheless. "Oh, they already did it," She said as she waved her hand at him and laughed faintly. "Yes?" Suzaku asked bewildered. "They had this class two hours ago, and I have to say, they performed pretty well for being first years, so I''m expecting the same from you guys," Thirteen said as she looked over at Suzaku''s classmates, gaining some chuckles from the group. Suzaku, however, was the only one who didn''t laugh. ''They already did it?'' He thought, that set of words for some reason not connecting properly with his brain. As Suzaku was doing his best to process what he had just heard, Thirteen addressed him again. "Was that everything?" Snapping out of his daze, Suzaku pondered for a bit, before he launched his last question. "Did... uh, nothing peculiar happen during their training?" "Peculiar?" Thirteen looked at the dome''s ceiling in thought for a moment "No, not really... Aside from a few students who excelled from the others, there wasn''t anything special that happened" Suzaku nodded his head absentmindedly. "I see... That was all, thank you for answering" Bowing faintly in gratefulness as he occupied his thoughts with something else while doing so. ''So... They had the training and nothing happened?'' Suzaku repeated in his head, assimilating the strange phrase. And, as Thirteen and his class resumed their walk into the dome while she continued to explain more profoundly what the training this time would consist of, Suzaku looked at the center of the building with an uncertain gaze. ''Is the villain attack supposed to happen at a future class in this dome... Or was I wrong about it happening in this place altogether?'' Maybe he had miscalculated the timing, or maybe something had changed from the anime and he hadn''t noticed. Regardless, that didn''t take away the fact that Suzaku didn''t seem to be finding an answer for the moment. "Well, whatever..." Nevertheless, in the end, after giving the entire place a quick glance and seeing that no villains were appearing to try and attack UA, Suzaku shrugged the matter off. ''Maybe I simply remembered wrong, and nothing truly happened at this place'' Once that thought passed through his mind, his face relaxed and he let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I was worrying for nothing..." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Somewhere else...| ... "Are you sure we shouldn''t have attacked today, master? The Nomu is ready, and it would have been the perfect opportunity to attack that sick symbol of peace while he''s not in his best state" A youth with strange hands on his face and gray hair said as he played with a bottle while sitting on a stool at a bar. Then, from a black screen behind him, a deep voice chuckled faintly at his comment. {"Hahaha... It''s fine Tomura, while this would have been a good moment to strike, I think a much better opportunity is just around the corner"} "...?" The youth looked at the screen with a confused expression. {"The sports festival"} The voice said, causing the youth to widen his eyes before the voice continued. {"A beautiful event where the entire country gathers to watch the talents of heroes'' new generations that will protect them for the years to come... And an event where we can easily get hundreds of hostages, dispose of some heroes... And what''s best of all, eliminate the seeds of the future generations before they sprout into something... Troublesome"} "Do you think the villains we''ve gathered will want to enter a place so infested with heroes?" The youth asked as he let out a small laugh. {"Whether they want to or not, that depends on you, Tomura. Convince them, guide them, gather the elite of villains, prepare for the attack... After the incident at Garaki''s laboratory, All Might and the authorities have been chasing after us quite thoroughly, which is why we cannot move too freely... But with this attack, it is your opportunity, Shigaraki Tomura, to show the world that we are to be feared!"} "Yes... Master" ... -To be Continued- (A/N: Visited my parents on another city, because my friend group wanted to have a sleepover. We had burgers, played UNO, then some Monopoly, and uh... We then went to look for my friend''s dog who disappeared for the whole day, only to find him scoring with some street dog lady at the end. If only I could score as easily as that dog.) -> Chapter 39: Sports What? Chapter 39: Sports What? ... After a very exhausting and long class where all the students learned the art of rescuing civilians in extreme situations, class 1-B took the bus back to UA, and after some extra classes in the evening, the day ended and they all went back home. The next morning, a new day of classes for the UA students began. A peaceful, and cheerful day for every¡ª "Come on Monoma, you can do it!" "Plus ultra, remember? Plus Ultra!!!" "Show Suzaku that he''s just a frog in a well!" "Hrngh...! S¨Cshut up and let me focus!" -Yawn...- "Come on man, I''m barely putting any strength here..." "What an annoying guy you are! Alright, you want to see me get serious?! Then let''s see what secrets your Quirk has in¡ª" -Plop!- "Oh, you have glasses too now? Nice" "What the heck...? So you were telling the truth about your Quirk?! Then where the heck does this ridiculous strength of yours come from?!" "I work out" "I work out too but I''m barely moving you!" "-Sigh...- I guess God simply doesn''t make all of us equal" "Hngh...! What, are you religious or something?" "Indeed, and in his name, I declare this match over" -Tap!- "Argh, goddamnit!" ... Alright, maybe it was not so much of a peaceful day, but it was a new one nonetheless. Currently, a wrestling match between most of the male students in class 1-B could be seen going down while they waited for Vlad King to arrive. The one to suggest it had been Tetsutetsu, who due to being bored out of his mind while waiting for the class to start decided to nag most of the class to do it, which, after some cocky remarks from a certain red-haired student whose glasses were still in the process of regenerating, ignited most of the guys'' fighting spirit and got them to accept. The only ones who didn''t join their little game were the vice-president of the class Shoda, and the guy who could transform into a large beast-man, Jurota. Both of whom simply said they preferred to study instead. By now, a lot of matches had already concluded, and Suzaku was undefeated at the moment, with Monoma being his victim just now. As a result of that, and his very non-humble attitude upon winning, he became the main enemy to defeat by the students of class 1-B. Unfortunately, no matter how much they tried, no one managed to bring him down during their matches with him, and now, with Monoma defeated, Class 1-B only had one last hope left. "Suzaku, let''s do our best!" Tetsutetsu himself. Seeing his friend appear from the crowd of classmates and sit down in front of him, Suzaku let out a sigh before he shook his head in helplessness. "I guess I''ll have to actually try this time..." "Screw you!" "We can hear you!" His classmates didn''t seem to like his comment. However, Suzaku didn''t mind them. The envious could bark all they wanted, he had a match to win. So, preparing for his final match, Suzaku pulled his sleeves up, showcasing his sturdy arm, before putting his elbow on the table and offering his hand with a smirk. "Come on~" "Alright!" In response, Tetsutetsu smacked his fist against his palm, before pulling up his sleeve as well and grabbing his opponent''s hand. Once both of them were in position, Sen emerged from the crowd and acted as the referee. "I don''t want any kind of dirty play like kicking the opponent, or grabbing the table with your free hand" He then grabbed both of their hands. "Ready...?" ... Only to free them and give a start to the match. "Go!" -Bang!- The moment those words left Sen''s mouth, a shockwave and lightning bolts sprouted from the clash between Suzaku and Tetsutetsu. (In the imagination of those watching) "Oraaaaa...!!!!!" The metal teenager shouted loudly as he did his best to push Suzaku''s hand down. However, much to his shock, no matter how much strength he put in, Suzaku''s hand did not move an inch from the center. "N-nani?!" When he saw that, Tetsutetsu''s eyes widened upon realizing the difference in their strength. The redhead smirked after seeing his struggle, before taunting him like the trash-talker he was. "Is that all, pal?" "Suzaku..." Tetsutetsu screamed in determination. "I''M JUST BEGINNING!!!" After saying that, he turned into metal, and the intensity of the fight between the two shot up in the blink of an eye. The careless expression that Suzaku had until then vanished, and instead, a pained and struggling expression replaced it. "Kgh!" When they saw that, his classmates shouted excitedly, relieved that a ray of hope in defeating Suzaku had finally appeared. "Go, Tetsutetsu!" "You''re done Suzaku!" "Your reign of terror is over!" However, upon hearing that last line, a vein sprouted on Suzaku''s face, before he squinted his eyes and shouted loudly at the air. "NEVEEEEER!!!!" After releasing that primal scream, Suzaku''s arm muscles bulged, before a burst of power struck Tetsutetsu, almost making his hand touch the table. However, even in the face of imminent defeat, Tetsutetsu didn''t back down, instead, a vein also sprouted on his face, before then letting out a shout of his own. "ORYAAAAAAA!!" Managing as a result to push Suzaku''s hand back to the center and regain his ground. "Ohhh!!" The classmates observing the duel shouted in excitement at the grueling confrontation, all of them were surprised by the unyielding will of both contestants. The clash between the two continued like that for around a minute, until out of nowhere, strange sounds started coming from the desk they were using as the table for their arm wrestling. -Crack... Creeaaak...- However, neither of them cared. Despite the strange sound, they continued pushing with all of their might against the other''s hand. This was a battle to the deat¡ª -Bonk- -Bonk- Suddenly, a huge figure appeared from their side and punched both of them on the head. "You''re breaking the desk, you idiots!" Thanks to that intervention, however, Suzaku''s hand ended up pushing Tetsutetsu''s onto the table, deciding the match. -Tap- "That''s what I''m talking about!" Ignoring the pain in his head, Suzaku stood up and laughed loudly in disdain of all his shocked classmates. "Suzaku stands at the top once aga¡ª!" -Thud!- Only to be punched in the head again before he could finish. In anger after having his celebration interrupted, Suzaku frowned, before he turned to look at the audacious individual who had dared to hit him, the strongest being in the universe. "Ouch, what the hell? Who was the fu¡ª" However, when he turned his head, he wa met with the annoyed expression of Vlad King looking at him straight in the eyes. Causing him to blink his eyes for a second in bewilderment, before coughing and fixing his phrasing. "Ahem, who was the distinguished person who hurt my head? Oh, but if it isn''t Vlad sensei, what are you doing here?" He asked innocently. However, his teacher didn''t bother to answer his question, and instead, he simply squinted his eyes at him, making Suzaku let out a sigh before walking back to his desk at the back of the classroom. Then, Vlad King shot a gaze at all the others, prompting the group to disperse and return to their seats not long after. As Suzaku walked back to his seat, Itsuka turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. The show from earlier had been quite loud, after all. Suzaku simply shrugged at her gaze with a wry smile. And, once he sat down, Vlad King''s voice gathered their attention. "Today, I have a very big announcement to make" He said with a serious face as he walked up to the teacher''s podium. That caught the attention of everyone present in the class, wondering what could make Vlad sensei make a face like that. They got their answer pretty quickly, though. "In two weeks more... It will be the UA''s Sports Festival" When Vlad announced that, the class went into an uproar. "The sports festival is coming?!" "I can''t believe that I''ll live it in my own flesh!" "Will we appear on TV?!" "Oh my, I''ve only seen them from America so far, so seeing them from up close will be amazing" (Broken english) "Sports what?" ""...?!"" The whole room froze at that last question. Then, everyone including Vlad King turned to look at Suzaku, the culprit behind that last question, with a bewildered expression. "What did you say?" Vlad asked. "I asked what you''re talking about" Suzaku clarified, looking faintly confused upon seeing all the attention center on him. Itsuka turned to look back at him and shot him a dumbfounded expression. "You don''t know about UA''s sports festival?" "Should I?" Suzaku asked with a raised eyebrow. Monoma, his seat neighbor laughed in a loud voice at that. "Gyahahaha, what? Have you been living under a rock or something? What a dumb¡ªGah!" Unfortunately, his mocking was cut short when a chalk flew at his face. "Silence Monoma" Vlad said, before turning to look back at Suzaku. "UA''s sports festival is one of Japan''s biggest events... In a way, they are like the Olympics of the modern era. The whole country is crazy about them" "Heeeh...?" Suzaku said unimpressed. Vlad looked at Suzaku with a deadpan. "Suzuki, have you truly never seen them on TV?" Suzaku looked at the ceiling as if trying to remember. Then, his eyes widened as if he had recalled something. "I think I remember seeing my parents reunite to watch something like that every year on the TV... So it was a festival from this school, huh?" The entire classroom deadpanned at Suzaku. He, however, was not done showcasing his ignorance in hero matters. "Well, it doesn''t sound that appealing, to be honest" Suzaku said while rolling his eyes. Causing Vlad King''s eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. -Swooosh!- Immediately after that, a chalk was sent flying in Suzaku''s direction. However, the teenager dodged it pretty easily before it could hit him. Regardless of his attack being dodged, Vlad King explained angrily to Suzaku the purpose of the sports festival. "Top heroes from all around the country will be watching for scouting purposes, for an aspiring hero like you and your classmates, this is a tremendous opportunity!" He pointed at Suzaku with his finger "So, erase that unamused look from your face!" "Scouting, huh?" The redhead''s eyebrows rose at that word before a small smirk appeared on his face. "..." Ignoring the sinister smile appearing on his student''s face, Vlad turned to look at the rest and went on with his explanation. "If you guys manage to get the attention of one of the big hero agencies during one of the sports festivals in the three years that you have ahead of you in this school, you could get scouted, and thus make it easier to gain experience and fame when you become a professional hero!" Vlad then smiled at his students. "If you expect to achieve success as a hero, this event is the one that will pave the way to the top for you!" The student''s eyes glistened at Vlad''s words. The only exception, much like always, was Suzaku, who was sunk into his thoughts at the moment. ''Wait... When did this happen?'' He frowned. He didn''t recall an event such as this happening in the first season of the show. Did it happen in the second season, then? ''... But the villain attack that marked the end of the first season has yet to happen'' Suzaku scratched his cheek with a troubled expression. ''I''m confused...'' However, that lost look in his eyes didn''t last long. "Whatever..." He muttered. Answering things that would get eventually answered on their own wasn''t something Suzaku usually did. So, after shrugging the matter to a corner of his mind, his focus went back to the matter of the sports festival. "As I said earlier, in two weeks from now, the sports festival will be held... However, keep in mind that this won''t be only a competition between each of you... But one between classes. Including class 1-A, and the rest of the departments in UA!" The students gasped at that, suddenly feeling like the chances of winning were becoming slimmer. "Have that in mind, and during these two weeks ahead, prepare the best you can for the challenge that is approaching you... That''s all, class dismissed!" Once that was done, Vlad King walked out of the classroom and left the students to talk about what they had just been told. "I can''t wait to participate! Can you imagine an agency like Endeavor''s scouting us?!" "I''d prefer to get scouted by Gang Orca. That guy is so cool!" "Eeeeh...? Whatever you say, pal" Suzaku, however, stayed in his seat in silence and pondered what the teacher had just said. ''It sounds like a good opportunity to gain attention and make my name known amongst the commoners...'' Suzaku massaged his chin in thought. ''But too much attention is never good... Should I aim for something like third or second place?'' In the end, however, he simply shrugged and leaned back on his chair. "Well, whatever. I''ll see what I do once that begins. I mean... how hard can it be?" ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: Sorry for the wait, I was busy finishing the semester and making sure not to fail any subject) -> Chapter 40: Interlude 1 Chapter 40: Interlude 1 |The next day...|... It was a good day for Little John''s grocery store. Clients were coming in and out much more than usual, and while the owner, John¡ªa foreign man who migrated to Japan to support his son''s career as a hero from up close¡ª, didn''t mind getting a peaceful day with few clients, seeing his little business prosper still brought a smile to him. After all, the more people that bought at his grocery store, the more that he could be able to help his son. The poor lad had failed to get into UA, and as a result, had to get into a much less impressive hero school. So, John wanted to show his son that, even if he hadn''t managed to get into his dream school, his father would be there for him. Be it economically, or emotionally. -Cling, cling- Unfortunately, the world wasn''t a fair place where happy endings were the norm for everyone. Suddenly, while John was checking out his phone as he waited for the next customer to appear, the doorbell sounded, and a figure dressed in black entered the store. Realizing that he had work to do, John put his phone down and shouted with a gentle smile at the newcomer. "Welcome!" However, the only answer he received was a hand with a huge and gruesome hole in the middle of its palm pointed at him. "This is a robbery old man, give me everything you have if you don''t want a hole to be blasted into your face!" When he realized what was going on, panic struck John. While he had been one of the many lucky ones born with a Quirk, unfortunately, his wasn''t groundbreaking or too powerful, as it only allowed him to nurture and fix the imperfections of plants by touching them. Thus, when it came to defending himself, he was just as harmless as any other normal person. "Y¡ªyes!" So, seeing his life at stake at the moment, he moved in a hurry and tried his best to open the cash register to give the man what he wanted. Unfortunately, his sudden and hurried actions seemed to be taken in the wrong way by the thief, who believed he was grabbing a weapon, or calling the police. "You, what are you trying to do?! Nevermind, I''ll get the money myself!" And, without thinking it for a moment, he pointed at the man''s head. -Phew!- The next second, a very intense but small laser shot from the hole in his hand. "Uwah!" Fortunately for John, when he saw the man about to shoot him, he rapidly ducked away. Dodging the laser by just a few centimeters, which blasted a hole through a watermelon at the back of the store once it hit. Sadly, that was as far as John''s luck got, since immediately after, the thief walked up to him and lifted him by the collar. Thus, immobilizing him, and giving him no chance to dodge anymore. When he had John at point blank, he smirked in delight and placed his hand on John''s face. "Let''s see how you dodge this" Then, the hole in his hand began glowing, as if it was about to shoot. When he saw that, John''s life passed by his eyes. His childhood when he was bullied in school for his lame Quirk, his teenage years when he began thinking of what to do with that stupid life of his, and lastly, his adult years when he met the love of his life and had a son, only to later lose her to a disaster that struck their neighborhood, and leaving him to take care of their son alone. He had lived a common life, he didn''t know if good or bad, but it was one he cherished deeply now that he was reliving it. And, as his love for his life and those who still depended on him dawned on his mind, John began struggling with the man''s grip, trying to punch him or kick him. Unfortunately, in the short time frame he had before the man shot, it was not possible to dodge the incoming laser. And, seeing his death incoming, John closed his eyes and gave up. ''I''m sorry, John Jr... It seems like this is as far as I get. I hope you become a hero like you wanted, and that my death won''t weigh too much on¡ª'' Unfortunately, he never got to finish his final words, since out of nowhere, the startling noise of glass shattering reached his ears and snapped him out of his trance, along with the thief as well. And, unfortunately for the evildoer, his slow reflexes were the cause of his downfall. By the time the thief turned around, the only thing he was able to see before falling unconscious was a boot sole about to hit his face. -Thud!- -Crash!- After that, his body was sent flying across the store and he crashed with a bunch of cabbages on a corner, causing quite a mess upon landing. "...?!" When John snapped out of his daze and realized what had happened, he gasped quite profoundly as relief started filling every part of his body when the feeling of finally being safe began sinking in. Almost falling on his knees even. However, when the realization that someone had saved him struck him, he quickly stood up and turned to look towards the mysterious person who had saved him. When he saw him, however, his eyes couldn''t help but widen. There, standing calmly in what seemed to be a blue tracksuit, a tall black-haired man with no particular distinguishable features aside from his brown eyes, could be seen looking at the fallen thief with an annoyed expression on his face. "Why are you even robbing a grocery store, crazy bastard..." The man scoffed, before turning to look towards John and scratching the back of his head as he apologized. "Sorry about the window, I just thought that entering through the door like normal would alert the guy" The man pointed at the fallen thief. John simply nodded at the man''s words, muttering, "Don''t worry about it..." as he stared dazed at the man who had saved his life. To his surprise, though, the man then looked down at his products and began massaging his chin in thought. "Well, since I''m at it... Can you give me ten carrots and four lemons? I think they will do for a nice salad today" "What?" John asked, not quite getting what was happening. The man pointed below the counter, where boxes containing different kinds of vegetables and fruits could be seen. "This is a grocery store, right?" He asked, looking at John with a confused expression. When he heard that, John''s brain finally stopped spacing out, and he nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes...!" Then, John knelt down and picked up what the man had asked for. Once John was done and handed him the two bags with carrots and lemons respectively, the unknown man took out his wallet and was about to pull out some bills from there. However, John stopped him before he could. "Wait, sir, please take these as a gift! It may not be much but given that you just saved my life, it''s the least I can do for you!" John pushed the bags into the man''s arms, not taking a no for an answer. And, as the man got handed the two bags without being able to refuse them, he glared back and forth between these and John, before he let out a sigh and nodded in gratitude. "Thanks" After that, he walked out of the store and left without saying anything else. Leaving John alone, who simply kept staring at the door for a while after the man left. "I forgot to ask his name" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Suzaku''s apartment, half an hour or so later...| ... At that moment, everything was in silence, except the fridge''s sound which interrupted the stillness of the room every now and then. Not a single soul was in sight, and Suzaku, the owner of the apartment, was nowhere to be seen. Had it not been for the still-hot and smoking boiler in the kitchen, indicating that someone had been here not long ago, it would have seemed like Suzaku had been long gone from there. "Ugh..." However, the silence and desolation of the apartment were suddenly cut off when, out of nowhere, in the middle of the bathroom a person suddenly emerged from the floor, and pushed himself up from the solid material easily as if he was simply getting out of a pool. Similar to how a certain blond young hero with the ability to phase through everything would look after walking out from the ground. "So much for a simple trip to buy food" As he got out of the floor, the person muttered while he shook his head with an annoyed expression on his face. It was the same man who saved John earlier. He cracked his neck, looking at the two bags full of veggies that he was carrying with a raised eyebrow. "But well, at least I got things for free" Shrugging after that, and leaving the two bags on a table. Once he did that, the man walked to the bathroom and began cleaning his hands. When he was done, he picked up a towel and was about to dry his hands with it. However, his eyes coincidentally met with his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he was about to do it. "Ah, I forgot about undoing this" When he saw himself there, he let out a small chuckle as if he had seen something funny, only for his eyes to close not long after. Then, he was suddenly enveloped in a red egg-like cocoon, which opened after a few seconds and revealed from inside it the juvenile figure of Suzaku with his little impostor hanging out in the open. "Being able to change my appearance to my liking is pretty good, I admit... But it would be much better if I didn''t have to go around technically naked while transformed..." He let out a sigh as he glanced down with a frown, before walking back to his room and putting on some clothes that he had left spread on the floor. After he did that, he threw himself on his bed and, seeing that he had done enough for the day with that little outing to buy food among other things, he decided to watch some videos on Quirktok. Two days had passed since Vlad King had announced that the Sports Festival would be in two weeks more, and right now, Suzaku was enjoying his weekend spending the day in bed and being incredibly lazy while he still could. His teacher had told them to train, but Suzaku preferred to stay in bed. He was already the strongest in the universe, why would he need to train? To his annoyance, however, an hour or so ago, when he had been a tad hungry and decided to prepare himself a good salad to snack on, he discovered that he was out of lemons and... well, everything else. The only thing he had left was some sugar, a box of fried chicken he had left to eat for another day, and... A piece of halfway-eaten bread, which by the way, was already hard like iron and had some moss on it. He had forgotten how annoying it was to keep track of the food when you live alone. Thus, after cursing at his carelessness, he decided to go out and restock his fridge with more things to eat. However, since today was Saturday, and therefore weekend, Suzaku was in battery-saving mode, which, coupled with the fact that the supermarket was a bit far from his apartment, made Suzaku decide to just teleport close to there out of laziness. And yes, you heard well. Teleport. Or well, in this case, it technically wasn''t teleportation per se. If there was a term that explained it better, it would be... "Venting" Like the impostor in the game, who could jump onto vents spread through the map and teleport between them as he pleased, Suzaku''s ability was similar. However, he, on the other hand, could create his own vents and place them on whatever surface he wanted... Though, not on walls or ceilings, just floor-type surfaces. The distance limit that could exist between two vents before Suzaku could no longer teleport between them was, according to his calculations using Quirkgle Maps, around 500 meters, or one-third of a mile. It wasn''t a crazily powerful ability, but it was very convenient in the day-to-day. Plus, if he used it cleverly, it also worked wonders in combat. However, its use in that aspect was a bit more complex, and it often made Suzaku dizzy when he tried it out in training. Thankfully for his head, though, so far, the only combat in which he had gotten the chance to use it was on his killing spree from a few days ago, during which, along with his other Sus power, invisibility, he had made sure to make his location confusing as hell for that bunch of kidnappers. And yes, he could also become invisible. That was another of the skills that came with the Impostor ability pack. Which meant that he could teleport, shapeshift, kill, and become invisible. At this point, Suzaku was wondering why he wasn''t working as an assassin rather than a hero. ''Well, being a hero makes more money... If you''re not fodder, of course...'' He caressed his chin thoughtfully. Plus, it was better for his already twisted mind to work saving others instead of killing others. Being someone whose body count was already in the hundreds already gave him enough trouble when trying to sleep at night. But eh, who cares about those matters for sissies. Back to the matter of his venting ability, he had to say that it still needed some improvement here and there in its use. After all, as practical as it was for traveling large distances in small amounts of time and for confusing his enemies, it was also incredibly disorienting for him. He had to be aware of both where to put the vents and the surroundings of wherever he would teleport to. Walls, stairs, unevenness in the terrain, he had to be prepared and remember each of those possible annoyances when coming out from a vent. He had learned that the hard way long ago... His nose paid the price for a week. Another problem that this ability had was the limit of how many vents he could maintain at the same time. At the moment, he had around 10 vents lying in different places around the city to make traveling much smoother, much like the one he had used to get close to the supermarket earlier. That was his current limit, which, when considering that it used to be 5 vents max six years ago when he discovered these abilities, he thought was pretty good. After all, the more vents he had, the larger the distance he could travel using his teleportation would become, and therefore, the easier and more swift his travels around the city would become. He dreamed of the day when traveling to the other side of the city would take him a minute or so at most. For now, though, he had to conform with the small area of Tokyo that his vents encompassed. That said, teleporting around the city was also not something he did that often. Just when he felt extremely lazy like today. Why? Because if people saw him teleport, surely someone thirsting for a power like that would either try to employ him or take it for themselves. And he wanted to avoid dealing with such annoyances. ''I mean, there has to be a Quirk that allows to steal other Quirks, right? It''s like the most cliche thing ever'' Suzaku thought, glaring at the ceiling and hoping to never meet them. Those with stealer-type powers were always the most broken. Back to the matter of him teleporting solely when feeling lazy, there was also the fact that, whenever he did it, he would also transform into someone else to avoid having that skill connected to him. Just like he had done earlier, with that tall black-haired man appearance he took to go buy groceries. That way, if he ever made a mistake and someone saw him teleporting¡ªEven though he had placed the vents in empty places like abandoned buildings, or infrequented alleyways¡ªIf someone crazy got a word of it, they would start looking for the black-haired man instead of him. By the way, he had gotten the man''s face from a site on the internet that generated images of people who didn''t truly exist. So no one was actually getting their identity stolen by him. Anyway, that was the gist of those abilities, there were still a few more that had yet to be mentioned, but he didn''t use them that often as they weren''t especially useful in anything else other than combat... Or very specific situations. Back to Suzaku, the lazy fucker was still lying on his bed, even though it was already time for lunch and his stomach was rumbling in discontent. Not that Suzaku cared, though. Nobody was moving him away from his bed, not even his stomach. "The brain rot is taking over this world as well..." As he lay calmly on his bed, Suzaku squinted his eyes at a weird video that appeared on his phone. It was All Might''s head coming out of a toilet, and singing some weird song called "Quirkibity Toilet". "What the hell?" He quickly scrolled down, not wanting to see more of that weird video. His eyes, however, gained an interested glow when he saw what the next video was about. {"How do telescopes work? Stay and find out!"} He raised an eyebrow and continued watching. After all, who knew when an apocalypse would strike, and cause the entire human race to lose all their accumulated knowledge? Better be safe than sorry. In summary, the video explained how the most basic of telescopes worked using convex lenses to converge the light they received into a much smaller point, which in turn, made the image visible through the other side of the telescope look enhanced. It made Suzaku a bit confused for a while, but a visual representation was shown in the video, so he eventually got the hang of it. He wasn''t a genius, but he wasn''t a dumbass either. ... Not entirely. The video also explained how the more complex and modern telescopes worked. However, Suzaku''s brain wasn''t having any of that. So, after having sated his curiosity, Suzaku scrolled down and continued watching some videos. ... Until a minute or so later, when an idea popped up in his mind. "Wait a second... Lenses?" Suzaku touched his glasses, which by this point had already regenerated completely. He altered their shape, making his plain and straight glasses suddenly start bulging slightly. The image he was seeing suddenly got distorted, and although he got a bit dizzy for a second, he recovered fairly quickly and immediately continued with his experiment. He bulged his glasses even more, causing him to look almost comical, like those cartoons where the eyes of the characters would bulge after seeing something pretty good. When he did that, however, the image got inverted. "Huh?" When he saw that, Suzaku frowned. Not quite getting how that had happened. Eventually, however, he remembered a small detail that the video had mentioned during its explanation and found the problem. So, he altered the inner side of his glasses and voila?. He now had Zoom incorporated into his glasses. "Huh... Well, that would have been good to discover earlier..." He muttered, feeling a bit annoyed that, after almost 15 fucking years of living in this world with a superpower, only now had he discovered that he could do this with it. Though, his regret did not last much, since soon the excitement of discovering a new feature for a Quirk he had thought had reached almost its fullest potential filled his body. And soon enough, several ideas began filling his mind. After all, humanity had a long history with glass. There were bound to be multiple functionalities for his Quirk he could find if he investigated enough. Maybe making his glasses act like armored glass, making them work like a microscope, and... Uh, well, that was as far as his ideas reached. But he was sure he would come up with new ones if he investigated the topic further. -Beep!- Unfortunately, just as he was opening Quirkgle to look into the topic, a notification from Quirksapp popped up. [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Hey Suzaku, wanna go out and grab something to eat today?] When he saw a message pop up at the upper part of his phone, Suzaku raised an eyebrow and opened the app. And sure enough, it was Arata. [You: Sure, I could use something to eat right now] [You: Why now tho?] It didn''t take a second for a reply to come. [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: I want to talk about something with you.] [You: If it is about that girl you were checking out at the school, ask someone else] [You: While my popularity with girls is nothing to scoff at, I do lack experience in the romantic aspect] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: It''s not that. Did your teacher tell you guys about the upcoming Sports festival?] [You: Ye] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Well, what do you think about forming an alliance?] [You: I''m listening] ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: Somehow my sleep schedule has become twisted beyond what''s healthy. It''s currently 8:23 AM, and no, I''m not waking up, if that''s what you thought... I''m actually going to sleep just now) -> Chapter 41: Interlude 2 Chapter 41: Interlude 2 |Arata''s apartment, a few hours later...| ... "Phew... You''ve got quite the place, huh? -Nom-" Suzaku said as he bit onto his burger, looking around the place and raising an eyebrow at the huge amount of tools and technological stuff he couldn''t quite understand. Arata scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes embarrassedly. "Well, I may have let my creativity a little bit too loose during the past month or so... You know, with my failure in entering the hero department and all that..." Suzaku shot his friend a bewildered gaze. "You sure cope with failure in strange ways, huh?" Arata simply smiled wryly. "I already got over it, though" "Yeah, I guess love is a wonderful thing" Suzaku nodded sagely at his friend''s comment, taking another bite of his burger as he ignored Arata''s annoyed gaze. In the end, Arata simply rolled his eyes and walked away towards a table with tons of devices and tools, leaving Suzaku behind, who shrugged at the camera with a smile on his face before following behind his friend. As to why both of them were at Arata''s apartment right now, the reason goes back to a few hours ago. After their small talk on Quirksapp, the pair met at the closest mall around and went to grab something to eat. The redhead, as mentioned earlier, decided to make a burger his meal for the day and was eating it right now, while Arata had gone for something more healthy... a burrito. After picking up their food, they decided to crash out at Arata''s place to talk more about their "alliance" in the upcoming sports festival while they ate. Arata wanted to show some of his newer inventions to Suzaku, who gladly obliged seeing how good the gloves that Arata had given him during the practical exam were. Thus, after a quick travel through the subway, they got to Arata''s apartment. Which, by the way, the little freak was paying by himself... Imagine the surprise Suzaku had when he discovered it. Sure, he was paying for his apartment too, but the only reason he was capable of doing it in the first place was because the old man had introduced him to the lucrative yet illegal business of underground fighting. Had it not been for that, his parents most likely would have been the ones to pay for it. Arata, on the other hand, was making some money by selling technological stuff online. Though, nothing weaponish like the stun batons he showed Suzaku the last time, just cool stuff that collectors out there were interested in buying. Like replicas of technologies from movies or series, or simply nerdy stuff like fake swords with hologram projectors installed on them to give them cool effects like fire or electricity around their dull blades. With it, he was making enough money to pay for his apartment, and for sustaining his business as well. Of course, if you added the fact that the guy also had to go to school during most days of the week, it became even more surprising he was managing to make money while dealing with his duties as a student. Suzaku couldn''t help but wonder where the hell was his friend finding time for doing all that. Nevertheless, he had already accepted that the kid was a bit of a freak long ago, so he didn''t question it for much. With that big brain of his, it was likely that even UA wasn''t that hard for him. "Here" "Hmm?" Suddenly, as Suzaku was lost in his thoughts, Arata approached him and handed him a strange metallic orb. Snapping the redhead from his daze, and making him look strangely at the device in his hands. "What''s this?" He asked, shooting his slimy-haired friend an odd look. As if he had been waiting for that, Arata smiled, before he cleared his throat. "That, my friend, is the incredible never-seen-before Stun-Net-Grenade Prototype 10.5. Basically, you throw it at someone or something, and after the implemented IA recognizes the target, it explodes and shoots a wide net to capture the objective, releasing a powerful stunning charge of electricity upon contact" After explaining, he grabbed the orb and threw it at a nearby chair. Less than a second later, a large net emerged from the orb and tightened around the chair, only to then release a powerful charge of electricity that caused a bit of smoke to come up. However, it didn''t catch fire, as Arata suddenly grabbed a fire extinguisher from under the table, and filled the chair with its contents before things got out of hand. Suzaku did look at him weirdly when he saw him getting a fire extinguisher out of nowhere. However, the slimy-haired kid simply shrugged it off with a, "It has happened before" only to then put the extinguisher away and look at Suzaku with an expectant look in his eyes. "So, what do you think?" "Aren''t you too young to be making stuff the police would actually make use of?" Suzaku sweatdropped a bit as he looked at the entangled, slightly burned, and now covered in fire extinguishing chemicals, chair lying some meters away from him. Nevertheless, Arata ignored his weird gaze and nodded with a proud look on his face, "Yes, yes I am" before he then grabbed another object from the table and handed it to him. Suzaku gave the new device a look. "And this, what is it?" From what his eyes were able to discern, it looked like a small backpack... But maybe he was mistaken. As Suzaku pondered over the device on his hands, Arata smiled cleverly as he got to explain. "That''s the incredible Spider Harness 3.0. It possesses four robotic arms stored inside that are controlled by an advanced IA, which, depending on what activity you are performing¡ªin this case, I have only programmed it to function during combat, and during my work hours¡ªit will deploy its four arms and help you in holding or using stuff depending on what commands you give it ... Ahem, also, its fingers are coated in a conductive metal that has stun capabilities in case of entering into close combat" "Why are you so obsessed with stunning others?" Suzaku asked with confusion. At this point, he was wondering if his friend had a fetish for tasers or something. Arata laughed shyly at that. "The truth is that I''ve always wanted a Quirk related to electricity... So maybe that got passed onto my creations unknowingly" "No wonder..." Suzaku nodded before he turned to look at the devices Arata had shown him and raised an eyebrow all of a sudden as if he had noticed something strange. ''Hold on...'' He then gave the harness in his hands a strange look. ''This thing gives him four extra arms, and his Quirk already allowed him to move the strands of his hair as if they were extra limbs... doesn''t that give him, like, a dozen extra limbs in total?'' Suzaku then imagined Arata going around with his harness, holding several stun batons with some of his extra arms, and then throwing a lot of stun-net-grenades around using his hair as additional limbs. He shivered a bit at that thought. The guy would be like a super heavily-armed doctor octopus. Eventually, though, a small chuckle emerged from Suzaku''s mouth as this one shook his head. ''It seems like those classmates of mine are gonna have problems at the festival...'' After that thought passed through his mind, Suzaku put the harness on an empty spot in the room, before deciding to sit on a nearby chair to eat his burger more comfortably while they chatted. "Looks like you prepared quite a lot for the incoming festival" "Yeah, well, when I heard that the school was going to allow everyone in our department to use their creations to participate in equal conditions with the hero department, I immediately put my head to work and started preparing a lot of stuff to show off as much as possible when the time comes..." Arata smiled sinisterly as he caressed his creations. Suzaku chuckled again at that comment before he shrugged it off and turned to look at Arata with an interested smile "Anyway, tell me more about this alliance that you were proposing" "Ah, that" Arata''s eyebrows rose as he too sat on a nearby chair. "Our teacher told us that in this event, very important people would be watching us and our creations to scout us later on if we show potential. Was it similar in your case?" Suzaku nodded with an absentminded look. "Yeah, hero agencies and all that" Arata nodded, before continuing. "Well, since this is such an important event, I thought it would be good if we helped each other during it" "Isn''t it a competition? I don''t know if teaming up is allowed..." Suzaku looked at Arata with a skeptical expression, to which the slimy-haired teenager answered with a shake of his head. "It depends" "How so?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "Have you never watched a¡ªno, never mind. I don''t even know why I ask..." Arata let out an annoyed sigh before he proceeded to explain. "The sports festival is usually composed of three events that are chosen at random, and among the many types of events that can be chosen, some require the participants to team up with others... So..." "I see" Suzaku nodded as he caressed his chin wisely. "So you want to team up during those events if they get chosen?" Arata nodded with a grin. "Yeah, plus, according to my teacher, we are allowed to share our inventions with others in those types of events, so..." Arata then took out a notebook from a nearby table. "In the case that we were to team up, what kind of equipment would you like?" Suzaku gave the notebook in his friend''s hands a look for a few seconds before he turned to look at the ceiling as if in deep thought. "Well, I''d love something that could boost my mobility... Although I''m fast, there are things I can''t dodge by simply running in one direction" Arata nodded as he wrote in the notebook. "I see, what do you think about... Uhm, I don''t know... Rocket boots?" Suzaku pondered for a bit, before eventually shaking his head. "I don''t think so... Something more omnidirectional would be good... Like a grappling hook, for example" "A grappling hook, huh?" Arata scratched what he had written before, and added the idea. "What else?" "A long-ranged weapon... I was already given a staff along with my hero suit, but I don''t think it''s as long as I would have liked... Maybe something like an extensible staff?" "With stun capabilities?" Arata added. Suzaku just waved him off as he smiled amused. "Sure pal... Just make it optional in case that is not allowed by the school" "Alrighty!" Arata giggled like a degenerate as he added in that idea as well. "Anything else?" Suzaku pondered for a few seconds before he shook his head. "Nah. I''m fine with just that" "Great, I''ll ask my teacher to see how feasible these are, or if they break any rule" Arata nodded for a moment, and then showed his fist at Suzaku. "Anyway, so I take it that you are interested in this alliance?" Suzaku chuckled as he fist-bumped his friend in return. "Sure why not? Let''s help each other" "Alright!" Arata pumped up his fist, before letting out a fake cough and continuing. "Ahem, well, since we are gonna be helping each other out, we also shouldn''t target each other during the individual events" Suzaku simply nodded as he took another bite of his burger. Seeing that, Arata smiled satisfiedly, before he put the notebook away and leaned back on his chair as he looked dreamily at the ceiling. "Anyway, in case we somehow get to the top, what hero agency would you like to get noticed by?" Suzaku stopped eating and frowned a bit. "I don''t know... Is it really important? Since I plan to work alone when I get my hero license, I don''t think there''s anyone I wanna impress" Arata looked strangely at Suzaku. "You do know that you''ll still have to do internships before getting your license, right?" "Eh?" Arata shot Suzaku a deadpan. "Yeah, and you''ll have to choose from one of the agencies interested in you or the ones with a partnership with UA" "Damn," Suzaku clicked his tongue. "Then I guess I''ll have to aim for third or second place..." "Not first?" Arata asked confusedly. Suzaku shook his head. "If what I want is to be noticed, simply getting 3rd or 2nd place will do the job. Plus, achieving first place is too much of a hassle" Arata looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "I see that you''re as carefree as always" "Don''t worry, I''ll still do my best to help you get noticed by those big companies" Suzaku said as he took a final bite from his burger. His eyes were directed at the still-untouched burrito that Arata had bought. "By the way, are you going to eat that...?" "..." Arata looked at Suzaku with a baffled expression after seeing how relaxed he seemed in front of the sports festival, and how simple he was making getting to 3rd or 2nd place sound. Nevertheless, being his friend for almost an entire decade, he was already accustomed to it to a certain extent. So, in the end, he just shrugged it off and tossed the burrito at Suzaku, who caught it with ease and looked at it with a greedy look in his eyes once it was in his hands. "Neat" ... -To be Continued...- (A/N: Slept fairly early today, let''s hope this is the beginning of an era where I have a proper sleep schedule) -> Chapter 42: Interlude 3 Chapter 42: Interlude 3 ... |A week later, Ground Beta...| ... "Oryaaaaa!!" -Boom!- "Alright!" Only a week remained before the sports festival officially began. As such, the entire U.A. was preparing the best they could for the upcoming event, from students of all classes to even the teachers and the staff of the school. Class 1-B, of course, was not an exception to this grand event. At the moment, all class 1-B students were scattered across Ground Beta¡ªthe special training ground of the U.A. that resembled an abandoned city, and where students could use their Quirks freely without worrying about injuring others or destroying public property¡ª, training the best they could before the grand event. As consideration for the students, the U.A. staff allowed them to use the hours of Hero Training classes that All Might had been teaching so far, so the students could use the training ground to practice and prepare for the sports festival instead. Of course, the same went for class 1-A, but since they had classes at different hours, there weren''t any problems regarding the usage of the zone. Back to class 1-B, as of now, every single one of the students spread across the training ground was busy improving themselves by using different approaches to their unique Quirks. Some trained their Quirk''s capacities like their reach, strength, precision, or versatility, while others simply did their best to improve their level of decision-making during stressful situations, knowing full well that they would be nervous when the sports festival arrived. Being Heroes in training, they still had a lot to improve on. Many of them had also watched the sports festival before, so they had an idea of what some of the events that they would have to go through could be like, which gave them ideas of what aspects of their quirks or themselves they could improve during the time they had left. Of course, not all of them were being so thoughtful with their training at the moment... Among them, one in particular was carrying out a rather... Blunt kind of training. "Soryaaaaa!" -Bang!- "Haha, yeah!" Tetsutetsu, who didn''t really know all that much about analyzing his weaknesses and strengths, simply chose the most straightforward method that had always worked for him. Punching buildings while turning his body into steel with his Quirk. It certainly wasn''t one of the most effective methods, but it had gotten him to where he was now, so he wasn''t going to be one to change it now... Nor that he could, as even if he had wanted to take on a more efficient path, he had no idea of how to do it. So, with no other choice available, he got to punch every building in sight. "Take that!" -Boom!- "And that!" -Crack!- "And another one of those!" -Crumble...- "Huff... It''s not enough, I need to put more strength into it..." As he watched the building he had just punched relentlessly crumble down after striking its supports, Tetsutetsu stared at his fists and frowned. Not satisfied with his speed in taking down the edifications. He could harden his body, and by extension, strengthen his attacks on the process. However, he could still feel that there was an untapped potential behind his punches that he had yet to reach. Was it the way he threw the punches? Or was it simply that his steel was still not sturdy enough to give him that extra level of strength? Tetsutetsu clicked his tongue and scratched exasperatedly his hair. "Argh, why is it so complicated?!" -Rustle...- Unfortunately for him, he was forced to put a stop to his tantrum, when, from the remains of the building he had just thrown down, the sound of rubble moving reached his ears, and snapped him out of his daze. "Wha¡ª?" His surprise turned even greater, however, when a voice suddenly came from under the debris as several pieces of concrete began moving. "Man... What did this building do to you?" Then, he saw it. A certain red-headed figure pushed the big pieces of concrete aside and emerged from under the wreckage, shooting Tetsutetsu an annoyed look. It was none other than Suzaku, who was now completely covered in dust after being buried under an entire building. Tetsutetsu''s eyes widened as he recognized his figure. "Eh, Suzaku?! What the hell were you doing there?!" "I was taking a nap..." Suzaku said as he patted his clothes and got out of the collapsed building while letting out small coughs every now and then, approaching Tetsutetsu as he did so. "...Though, it appears that I made a mistake when choosing my resting spot" "You were taking a nap?!" Tetsutetsu looked at Suzaku baffled. "Now? In the middle of the hour the teachers gave us for training?!" "Yup" "Why?! The sports festival is just around the corner, we must prepare the best we can while we still have time!" Suzaku shook his head with a grieving face as he shrugged his shoulders. "I''d like to, but since I''m already perfect, there''s nothing for me to train on Hearing Suzaku''s answer, Tetsutetsu sweatdropped as he felt his eyebrow twitch. "Hmph" When he saw his reaction, Suzaku snorted in amusement before he continued explaining. "...Though, on a more serious note, there''s simply nothing I can train here. Most of my training equipment is at home, or on the dojo where I go every once in a while, so..." "Eh? But aren''t you a close-combat-oriented fighter?" Tetsutetsu crossed his arms and looked at Suzaku with a raised eyebrow. "You fought both Ibara and Sen with a staff during the first Hero Training class if I remember correctly" "Well, it''s what I specialize at..." Suzaku nodded, although sounding a bit vague as he answered. "Then how about sparring with someone? That way you can train your combat skills" Tetsutetsu suggested. Thinking about what classmates would like to maybe spar with his red-headed friend. Maybe Sen would like a rematch with the redhead, or maybe Togaru, with his sharp blades, surely would appreciate a good opponent to practice his abilities in close combat. However, he never got to mention any name, as upon hearing his suggestion, Suzaku sneered and looked at the sky boringly. "Listen, I don''t mean to be rude, but there''s not a single person in this place that can give me a good fight when it comes to hand-to-hand combat..." He then pointed at Tetsutetsu with his finger. "...You included" Then, Suzaku put both of his hands behind his head in a carefree manner. "Sparring with any of you guys would only benefit the other party in terms of training, not me" "Hah?!" However, that didn''t seem to have sat well with the silver-haired youth, who upon hearing that, felt a vein pop up on his forehead. As a close-oriented fighter, Tetsutetsu obviously felt insulted by Suzaku''s boisterous claim. He was no amateur when it came to fighting in close quarters, even if he wasn''t a master, he still had experience using some fighting styles to boost his performance while using his Quirk. So hearing Suzaku say that sparring with him wouldn''t even count as training struck a nerve in him. And, being the rather heated-up teenager that he was, he was quick to look to solve the conflict using their fists, instead of words. "You sure like to put on some airs, huh? If you are so strong as you say, then come prove it!" Suzaku raised an eyebrow when he saw that reaction. However, after looking to the side and realizing that he had nothing else to do until the end of the class, he shrugged and nodded. "Sure" After that, he walked towards the opposite side of Tetsutetsu and put on some distance between them. "Whenever you are ready..." Suzaku said as he took a flimsy fighting stance and waved his fingers back and forth as if taunting Tetsutetsu to come at him. "You''re on!" And apparently, it worked wonders. "Raaaaah!" Immediately after, Tetsutetsu activated his Quirk, and roared into the air as he sprinted madly towards Suzaku. His heavy metallic steps resembled the charge of a car against the sus teenager. And, with the ferocity of a bull, Tetsutetsu was the first to throw an attack as he charged. "Oryaaaaaa!!" He swung his fist, ready to teach his haughty friend a lesson of humility. Though, he was not dumb. He had seen how Suzaku moved during their first test, he was like a ninja, swift and precise. As such, he didn''t expect Suzaku to simply stand there and take his punch. From the very moment he swung his fist, he had expected the redhead to dodge and counterattack. What Suzaku didn''t know, was that he would counterattack his counterattack! -Swoosh!- Or that was what he thought. However, to Tetsutetsu''s surprise, Suzaku didn''t dodge. He just stood there, even as his fist was just centimeters about to hit. ¡ªOr that''s what it might have looked like at first. ''W-what?!'' For a moment, Tetsutetsu thought that his punch was about to hit, which erased the possibility of Suzaku dodging from his mind, and instead of preparing for a counter, he pressed on, foolishly believing that he wouldn''t miss. That''s where he made a mistake. A punch he thought was sure to hit, suddenly failed to connect as its objective vanished in the blink of an eye, throwing Tetsutetsu out of balance as the energy behind his punch struck simply the empty air. "...?!" The surprise and confusion lasted for a second or so, until Tetsutetsu snapped out of it, and quickly tried to look for Suzaku with his gaze as he tried to regain his balance. However, before he could even react, something struck his feet. -Twack!- And, before he could even know what had hit him, his world turned upside down. -Thud!- By the time he snapped out of his confusion, he found himself lying on the ground, staring at the sky with a blank face, and with Suzaku kneeling next to him while shaking his finger left and right as he smirked. "Tututut... If you wish to defeat me, train for another one hundred years" "What happened?" Tetsutetsu asked, still not quite getting how he had ended up upside down if he had been standing completely fine a few seconds later. "Your stance was too weak, little grasshopper," The young impostor said while imitating an old person. -Bam!- "...!" In a hurry, Tetsutetsu sprang from the ground and distanced himself from Suzaku with a single jump, visibly confused by how everything had turned out. However, he didn''t get the chance to resolve his confusion, since before he could even process the fact that the fight was still on, Suzaku appeared in front of him wide smile on his face. "My turn" The next second, a punch was thrown in Tetsutetsu''s direction. "Oh no, you don''t...!" The metallic teenager was quick to react to it, and in just an instant he crossed his arms and prepared to block the fist with confidence. However, to his surprise, Suzaku''s fist suddenly slowed down severely, almost as if it were in slow motion. The change in speed startled Tetsutetsu, who couldn''t understand why Suzaku would do something like that. However, he didn''t even have the time to ponder about it, as out of nowhere the punch changed directions and aimed at his head instead, snapping Tetsutetsu out of his daze, and making him hurriedly lift his block to protect his face. -Clang!- "Kuh¡ª!" Unfortunately, instantly after his change in guard, something heavy struck his solar plexus, making Tetsutetsu widen his eyes as his face contorted in pain. "Oof!" Air then escaped from his mouth, and his guard got lowered unintentionally when his hands instinctively tried to grab the pained zone. That, however, proved to be the last mistake that cemented Tetsutetsu''s defeat. -Bang!- Before he could know what had hit him, Suzaku delivered one last blow to Tetsutetsu using a powerful spinning kick, hitting him straight on the temple, and sending Tetsutetsu straight onto the ground as his head vibrated due to the strong hit. -Thud!- As he fell dryly to the ground, his head still ringed like a bell, most likely due to being in his metallic state. Because of that, Tetsutetsu instinctively deactivated his Quirk, and as soon as he turned back to normal, the ringing diminished, allowing Tetsutetsu to finally recover a little bit. "What...?" He asked in confusion, shaking his head as he tried to take away the remaining dizziness, before looking next to him, and seeing Suzaku standing there caressing his chin like some wise master. "I made a mistake in my assessment, if you wish to defeat me, train for another two hundred years..." This time, Tetsutetsu didn''t stand up anymore. Once he finally recovered fully, Tetsutetsu looked baffled at Suzaku. "Damn" "What, you give up?" The redhead asked with a raised eyebrow. "I think I understand why you said that sparring with us wouldn''t help you" Tetsutetsu suddenly said as he caressed the side of his face where he had been hit. "You are amazing" Tetsutetsu half expected Suzaku to brag again. However, unexpectedly his friend simply looked at him strangely for a moment, before he scratched his cheek with a small smile. "Well, thanks" Tetsutetsu then stood up, glaring at Suzaku as a smile appeared on his face. "How did you get so good at fighting man?! I took a few kickboxing classes before, but I still couldn''t get to hit you once!" Suzaku simply smiled as he looked to the side with a faint annoyed look in his eyes. "I just got the movements hammered into my head until I learned them, quite literally" "Huh?" "Don''t mind it" Suzaku shook his head, before crossing his arms and looking at Tetsutetsu with a calm look. "You weren''t half bad, but you''re just a bit too obvious with your intentions when attacking" "Huh?" Tetsutetsu tilted his head, confused. "I mean like this" -Bang!- From one moment to the other, Suzaku swung his fist at Tetsutetsu, making a wide arc similar to a hook. However, although with a bit of difficulty, the metallic teenager was capable of blocking it. "This is how you swing, while it''s good for building up momentum and weight behind the strike, there are better ways to do it," Suzaku said as he went back to his normal posture. Then, he took a step backward. "It should be better if you do it this way," The redhead said as he retracted his fist. In the next instant, he took a step forward and shot his first straight towards Tetsutetsu''s face. The attack resembled a jab, but it was a bit wider and looked like it carried more strength behind it. Tetsutetsu watched as the attack approached his face, unable to even raise his guard before the fist stopped right in front of his nose. It had been incredibly fast, and yet, judging from the breeze that it blew on his face, it looked like it carried the same weight and strength of a normal punch... No, maybe even more. Suzaku then took a step back and rested his hands on his waist. "You saw it?" Tetsutetsu nodded, and after a bit, he tried copying the movement. It didn''t end up looking exactly like Suzaku''s. However, Tetsutetsu still felt the difference. "You do that for attacking opponents, and you can use your usual hooks for attacks that look to destroy stuff, or when your opponents can''t dodge. Do try to practice it while in movement, though, otherwise, it isn''t that useful" "Woah" Tetsutetsu smirked as he repeated the movement, this time with a bit more fluidity. He then looked at Suzaku with glistening eyes. "You''re awesome man!" Suzaku smirked in response. "Yeah, I''m known for that" He then turned to look to the side, at some of the distant buildings of the training ground. "Anyhow, now that you know that for me a spar with anyone here is not worth much, I''ll go look for another napping spot where Vlad-sensei can''t find me. Otherwise, I''m sure he will try to force me to train" Suddenly, a voice came from behind Suzaku. "Oh my, am I that predictable?" The red-headed youth turned to look behind in a robotic manner And there he was, his homeroom teacher, Vlad King, looking straight at him with squinted eyes. "Vlad-sensei! We were just talking about how wonderful of a teacher you are, I was even proposing we nominated you to teacher of the millennium" Suzaku said with a wry smile. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to have fooled his teacher, as immediately after, he grabbed Suzaku by the collar and began dragging him away. "Continue as you were Tetsutetsu, I''ll take care of this good for nothing," Vlad said without looking back. Tetsutetsu just stood there looking at the situation innocently, nodding at his teacher''s words, before going back to practicing the punch Suzaku had just taught him. "Hahaha, with this I''ll score high on the festival!" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... Suzaku at some point stopped struggling and simply crossed his arms as he let Vlad King drag him through the entire school, wondering where his teacher was taking him. He thought of asking, but remembering his teacher''s annoyed expression, he simply decided to wait to see. It''s not like he was taking him somewhere bad, right? ''Or is he...?'' Suzaku looked at his teacher with suspicion from the corner of his eyes. In the end, however, he simply shook his head as he reprimanded himself for letting his paranoia come out again. ''Come on, how could there be some kind of villain spy in this school? Even All Might is here, there''s no way they are so brazen'' "We are here" As Suzaku was lost in thought, his teacher''s voice snapped him out of his daze, and made him turn to look where they were. He raised an eyebrow, however, when he noticed that they were right in front of the 1-A Classroom. "Are you disposing of me, teacher?" Vlad King ignored his question. "You said there was no one worth sparring with here, right?" Suzaku nodded, not quite getting the connection behind his words and their reason for being there. "Well, I have just the perfect guy to prove you wrong, Suzuki" His teacher shot him a smirk. Then, without waiting for Suzaku''s answer, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer. "Come on in" A bored voice came from inside. Vlad King then opened the door and stepped inside while still dragging Suzaku behind him. Not that the redhead cared, it was pretty comfortable to move around while not using his feet. His clothes were getting a bit dirty tho. "What do you want, Kan, don''t you see I''m in the middle of a class?" A hobo-looking guy said as he shot the blood hero and the young impostor an annoyed look. Suzaku''s teacher, however, didn''t mind the look, and instead simply lifted Suzaku and showed him to the man. "Aizawa, I require some help with this punk" Aizawa shot Suzaku a glare, squinting his reddened eyes for a moment, before looking back at Vlad King. "I believe you said you would take care of him" ''Take care of me?'' Suzaku raised an eyebrow at Aizawa''s words but didn''t say anything ultimately. Vlad nodded with a serious look. "... And I plan to continue doing so. However, as the best hand-to-hand combat specialist that I know, you might be the only one capable of helping this kid train for the upcoming festival" When he heard that, Aizawa fell silent. And, as both teachers stared at each other, Suzaku turned to look to the side, at where all the students of Class 1-A were. Most were looking at him with a strange gaze, as he was being lifted in the air by his teacher while not opposing any resistance. There was one blonde brat fuming in anger as he glared at him, but Suzaku simply ignored him. There was also Midoriya and his friends, all of whom were also looking at him strangely. Not that he could blame them. Eventually though, after he got bored of trying to recognize the faces of every teenager there, Suzaku gave the entire class a curt nod and opened his mouth to greet them. "Sup" ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: What is but an amon, without a gus?) -> Chapter 43: Interlude 4: Sus vs Hobo Chapter 43: Interlude 4: Sus vs Hobo |An hour later...| ... After the sudden visit to class 1-A, Vlad King told Suzaku to stay at school for a while more and wait for Aizawa outside of the class, as he apparently had just been issued a sparring match with class 1-A''s homeroom teacher. Suzaku took a bit to remember the man''s identity, as his unkemptness didn''t translate that well to real life and made it hard for him to recognize him at first. However, after hearing Vlad-sensei mention his name, and associating it with being in class 1-A, Suzaku eventually understood that the hobo-looking teacher was none other than the guy from the show with the power to block Quirks with his eyes. When he recalled that, he also remembered that the guy had great expertise in hand-to-hand combat, as it was his only asset to take down villains aside from his Quirk-deactivating eyes. When that fact dawned on him, Suzaku felt a bit of curiosity arise from within him. He couldn''t help but wonder how strong would the class 1-A teacher be when compared to that senile old man who called himself his master. As such, he ultimately followed Vlad King''s instructions to stay for a while more at school, wanting to know how strong a hero so focused on martial arts such as Aizawa would be. Besides, aside from taking naps and maybe visiting underground fighting clubs to make money every now and then, there wasn''t anything else Suzaku had to do after leaving school. ... Well, maybe studying, but that could wait. -Sssap!- Suddenly, as Suzaku was getting lost in thought, the sound of the class door opening reached his ears and broke him out of his thoughts. "Alright, I''ll see you all at Ground Beta" A voice came from inside, and immediately after that, Aizawa stepped out while wearing a tired expression. "...?" However, the moment he stepped out, he noticed Suzaku. Shooting the sus teenager a raised eyebrow in confusion, before deadpanning as he muttered "Oh" as if he had remembered why he was there. "Right, you were here... Do you have your hero costume with you?" Suzaku nodded as he lifted a bag with the number 21 on it, which had his costume inside. "Great, put it on and meet me at Ground Beta," Aizawa gave Suzaku a curt nod, before turning around and leaving, not bothering to say anything else on the matter or give any instructions. Suzaku simply looked at his departing back with a raised eyebrow. ''Talk about going straight to the point'' Still, he didn''t think much about it and immediately began walking in the direction of the training ground once again. However, he didn''t get too far, as a certain voice called out to him not long after. "Suzuki-kun!" "...?" When Suzaku turned around, he saw the running guy¡ªIda, sprinting out of his classroom to meet him. And, as soon as he approached, the guy offered him a strangely formal handshake. "It''s good to see you again" "Uh, yeah" Suzaku accepted the handshake, a bit confused by being greeted so suddenly, but still accepting it out of politeness. "May I ask why you are visiting our classroom? You see, I am the class representative, so I must be aware of everything that happens in my class in order to provide a good level of care and administration to my classmates" Ida said as he adjusted his glasses with two fingers. "That so?" Suzaku asked, not very impressed. "I''m just gonna be sparring with your teacher for a bit, that''s all" "Sparring?" Ida asked, a bit confused by such a term appearing in a hero school. "Well, since he is apparently good at fighting hand to hand, my homeroom teacher thought he would be a good opponent for me to practice a bit... You know, for the sports festival thingy" "Aizawa-sensei?" Ida asked more to himself than Suzaku as he grabbed his chin in deep thought. "I haven''t seen him fight, so I don''t know what to tell you. The only thing I know is that his Quirk lets him deactivate others by looking at them" "Yeah, I figured as much" Suzaku said, rolling his eyes from behind his glasses. "Though, I doubt he will be able to deactivate mine" "What do you¡ª" Before Ida could ask further, another voice came from a little bit away from them, catching their attention. "Oh, so you were here Ida, and you are also here Suzuki-kun!" "That''s me..." Suzaku said out of reflex, before turning to look at the owner of the voice and seeing the gravity¡ªuh, Uraraka approaching them with a smile, together with Midoriya who was walking by her side with a nervous smile. Once the two approached, Uraraka shot a curious gaze at Suzaku as she put her finger on her lips. "I saw you were being dragged by your teacher earlier during class, what was all that about?" "My teacher asked yours to spar with me" Suzaku replied nonchalantly. Uraraka tilted her head, evidently confused as Ida had been earlier about the term. "Spar?" Midoriya, on the other hand, looked more surprised than anything. "You want to take Aizawa-sensei in a fight?!" Suzaku shrugged. "Can''t I?" "Wait, we are talking about Aizawa-sensei here! His Quirk Erasure not only will block your usage to your Quirk, but he is also an expert martial artist¡ª" Suzaku interrupted Midoriya midsentence. "Yeah, I know that already, that''s why I came here in the first place" "Eh?" Midoriya exclaimed perplexed. Suzaku smiled while he crossed his arms, "You know, I''m somewhat of a martial artist myself..." before then looking in the direction where Aizawa had left. "...And it seems like the only person in this school who has enough skill to spar with me is your teacher" Midoriya fell silent at that. The confidence that Suzaku was radiating overwhelmed him a bit. In a way, he was similar to his "friend" Kacchan, who ever since he was a kid was also brimming with confidence in his every action and future. However, Suzaku''s confidence seemed a bit different, being just a little bit away from the thin line that would turn it into arrogance. Or at least, that''s what it seemed to the green-haired kid. After all, the redhead was planning to take on a teacher, and professional hero¡ªsomeone who constantly fought with their life on the line¡ªof all things, all while still being but a simple teenager. If that wasn''t arrogance, then he didn''t know what it was. Still, the fact that Suzaku was the one who ranked first on the practical exam kept him from saying anything. He didn''t know his Quirk either, so that was another factor that would affect the result of a fight between him and Aizawa. Nevertheless, he didn''t think it was very probable he would be able to defeat Aizawa. After all, for Midoriya, pro heroes were still a faraway existence from what he and his classmates were at the moment. And to think that Suzaku, a seemingly normal teenager like himself would be able to reach that level while still being his same age, was not something Midoriya wanted to even consider. And he didn''t, as Suzaku, oblivious to the shy teenager''s thoughts, cut his train of thought immediately after. "Well, enough chitchat, let''s go to the training grounds. I still have to change into my hero suit" Suzaku said as he showed them the box with his costume. At that, the three of them gave the box a small glance, curious about how the costume of someone from the opposite class would look like, before they noticed the rest of their class leaving for the training ground, and nodded at Suzaku, all of them leaving not long after. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, at the boys changing room...| ... "Woah man, you''re shredded!" As Suzaku was changing into his hero costume, someone near him spoke up, causing him to turn around to see who had talked. "...?" When he did, he was met with a muscular teenager with red spiky hair staring at him with awed eyes. ''Who was this guy again?'' Suzaku raised an eyebrow. After arriving at Ground Beta, he entered the changing room together with the rest of the guys from class 1-A, who were there to train for the sports festival like his classmates had done earlier. And, knowing that this was the protagonist''s class, Suzaku knew that everyone there was a regular character from the show. Unfortunately, after fifteen years of living in this world, plus however many years passed after watching the anime before he died, it was a tad hard for Suzaku to remember those who hadn''t left a deep enough impression on him. Such as the guy in front of him, for example. He seemed familiar, but Suzaku couldn''t quite remember his name, nor what power he had. Fortunately, the stranger was quick to introduce himself. Seeing Suzaku look at him strangely, the teenager perked up as he remembered he had not introduced himself, before offering a handshake. "Oh, I''m Kirishima Eijiro, by the way. You can call me Kirishima if you want" Suzaku returned the handshake "Suzaku Suzuki, you can just call me Suzaku though" "You''re from class 1-B, right?" Kirishima asked, turning to look at Izuku as he did so. "Midoriya told me" Suzaku nodded, it wasn''t supposed to be a secret anyway. Then, someone else stepped up. It was a blond guy with a black lightning bolt-like mark on his hair. "Is it true that you''re fighting Aizawa-sensei, then?!" Suzaku nodded again. "Yeah, as training for the sports festival" Putting on a piece of his hero costume as he talked. "You do know that he can deactivate Quirks, right?" The same guy asked, looking at Suzaku with a bit of disbelief. "Whatever Quirk you have, you''ll be done the moment he puts his eyes on you" Suzaku simply nodded, before looking at the guy and pointing at his glasses. "I don''t know if he will be able to deactivate mine, though" "Huh?" Both the guy and Kirishima blurted, confused by his gesture. Ida, who was also in the same room but a bit away from them, also turned to look at the young impostor when he heard that, curious as he remembered he had said something similar earlier. Their confusion, however, was solved instantly when Suzaku started morphing his glasses into their zoom mode, bulging the lenses forward. "Uwah, what the hell?!" Kirishima was startled by the strange ability. "What kind of Quirk is that?!" The blond guy asked, astonished by what he had thought were simple eyeglasses until then. Suzaku lifted up the hair above his ears, showing them the part of his glasses that connected to his head with a smile. "I doubt he will be able to erase this" "Oh, it''s like Jiro''s..." The blond guy looked at the glasses curiously as he massaged his chin. "Do they have a special ability of sorts?" "Who knows?" Suzaku didn''t say much, it was better to preserve the element of surprise while he still could, especially when considering that these guys were gonna be his opponents in the sports festival. Though, if he had wanted to preserve the element of surprise, maybe he shouldn''t have told them his Quirk had something to do with his glasses in the first place. ''Well, whatever... I already spilled the beans. Besides, it''s not that bad of an issue, I can just mislead them later into thinking that my glasses are my main offensive point, just like I did with Ibara and Sen'' Suzaku thought as he smiled deviously. After he was done planning how to bamboozle the guys from class 1-A¡ªand the rest of his classmates while he was at it¡ªSuzaku finished putting on his armor and left only his helmet on the box, planning to fight Aizawa without it this time, as he needed his vision to be fully clear considering that Aizawa seemed to be the agile type. Then, just as he was about to leave the room, a violent voice called out to him. "Oi, red-haired bastard!" "...?" Upon hearing the voice, Suzaku sweatdropped as he glanced behind him with a deadpan. ''This guy again...?'' And sure enough, not long after, the familiar face of the explosive kid with anger issues appeared from the other side of the room and approached him with heavy steps. "What?" Suzaku asked with an annoyed face as he watched Bakugo approach. "You said you''re training for the sports festival, right?!" The blonde asked, a vein visibly sprouting on the side of his forehead as he looked at Suzaku. "Yeah, what about it?" Bakugo smirked sinisterly once he arrived in front of Suzaku. "Last time at the cafeteria you got away because teachers were watching us... However, at the sports festival, it will be different... Since it''s a competition, no one will be there to help you next time!" In front of the threat, Suzaku rolled his eyes and lifted his hand to Bakugo''s face level, opening and closing it as if imitating a mouth with it. "Too much yapping, if you are so confident, shut it and prove it with actions" That seemed to have triggered Bakugo, who angrily grabbed Suzaku''s collar and pointed his finger at him. "I''ll destroy you!" Fortunately, before a fight started, his classmates pulled the blonde away from the redhead. "Why are you so angry, Bakugo?!" Kirishima said perplexed as he tried his best to hold the irascible teenager back. "Hands off me, you damn side character! I must teach this cocky guy lesson!" "Woah, Bakugo is acting more rabid than usual... What did the guy from the other class do to him?" A black-haired guy with tape dispenser-like organs on his elbows said as he looked at the pair with a wry smile from the other side of the room. His expression, however, changed pretty quickly when Ida, who was just a few meters away from him, answered his question. "Bakugo-san is angered at Suzuki-kun because he took the first place from him" When he finished speaking, the whole room fell into silence for a moment. Only for the entire room to get engulfed in turmoil after that. "Eeeeeh!?" "He is the first place?!" "He?!" "You are lying!" "...!" Kirishima almost let Bakugo go when he heard that, due to the surprise. "He is?!" Immediately after that, the entire room''s eyes fell on the sus teenager, with everyone having their own thoughts about the information they had just received. "Shut up, you damn four-eyes!!!" Bakugo, on the other hand, seemed to become even more furious when Ida revealed why he was so hostile towards Suzaku. Suzaku, however, didn''t care much about the whole class''s shock. "Well, if that''s all, I''m leaving" After saying that, he nodded at the bunch, and sent a cocky smile towards Bakugo, before opening the door and leaving not long after. -Clang!- As the door closed behind him, however, he didn''t notice a certain student with half-red and half-white hair looking at him with squinted eyes. ''So he is the first place, huh...? It will be useful to see how he fights against the teacher'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After leaving the changing room, Suzaku walked to the entrance of Ground Beta and began looking around for the worn-out-looking teacher who had told him to find him there. Fortunately, it didn''t take him much to find him, as once he arrived at the zone, he was immediately able to recognize the man''s tired figure in the distance. ''There he is...'' Suzaku thought before he began walking towards the man at a calm pace. When the teacher finally noticed Suzaku''s approaching figure, he turned to look at him with a blank expression before scoffing slightly. "Finally here, huh? You sure took your sweet time" "You didn''t specify much about the time, plus your students were quite chatty," Suzaku said without any particular expression as he stopped a few meters from Aizawa. "Is that so? I guess that''s my fault then, I''ll have to teach them not to waste their time when they should be training" Aizawa said, as he put on his visors, and got into a fighting stance. "Now, get ready, I don''t have all day" Suzaku nodded and took his stance as well. This time, though, it looked much more firm when compared to the one that he showed Tetsutetsu. It was evident that this time Suzaku was going serious. As both took their fighting stances, Suzaku''s eyes quickly began analyzing his opponent. ''My memory is finally doing its job'' Suzaku thought as a smile appeared on his face. The first thing that caught his attention was the strange scarf-like bandages that enveloped Aizawa''s neck. At first, he thought they were just part of his hero suit and held no special purpose during combat. However, when he saw them start moving as if they had a life of their own, faint memories of Aizawa using them began emerging in his brain. Both from when he used them to restrain the students, and when he used them in his fight against villains. ''It might as well be called a Quirk on its own...'' Suzaku''s eyes squinted faintly as he glared at the binding cloth and assessed all of its possible uses from his memories and what he was seeing at the moment. Restraining enemies, grabbing objects from afar, or acting as a long-ranged weapon, plus its functionality as a grappling hook by pulling oneself in whichever direction one wanted as long as there was something to grab... Its uses were so diverse that Suzaku almost started to want one for himself. ''I wonder if I should ask for one...'' Suzaku massaged his chin in silence. However, he was broken out of his thoughts when, after a while of staring at each other and not moving, Aizawa frowned and spoke with annoyance in his voice. "If you are going to stand there doing nothing all day, then we should just call this spar off... I only accepted because Kan looked like he needed my help, but if this is as far as your skill goes, I''m not wasting my time" Suzaku frowned a little at that. For some reason, he felt like Aizawa had something against him. Still, he remembered that the guy was pretty moody in the show, so he just shrugged it off as his imagination. "Sorry, I was checking up on a few things..." Suzaku said, before taking out his staff from the compartment on the back of his suit, and spinning it around as if preparing for combat. "I''ll be starting now" "..." Aizawa didn''t say anything, but simply stiffened, as if waiting for the attack to come soon. And come it did. -Bam!- The next second, Suzaku kicked the ground and shot rapidly toward the teacher, his figure being barely visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, Aizawa''s eyes were everything but untrained. Before Suzaku could get too close, Aizawa''s binding cloth shot quickly in Suzaku''s direction, attempting to grab onto his ankle. "...!" Suzaku, fortunately, was fast to react, and in a hurry twisted his body to dodge the bandages'' grip, evading the capturing weapon by just a mere hair''s breadth, and continuing with his sprint as soon as he found himself out of danger. The binding cloth, however, was not a weapon that would become useless after simply missing its objective once. Like a snake, the bandages recoiled, before changing directions and shooting straight towards Suzaku''s running figure like a bullet, following closely from behind. "How the heck does it move like that?" When he saw Aizawa''s weapon catching up fast with him, Suzaku clicked his tongue and kicked the ground, changing his direction brusquely. The shift in directions caused the bandages to lose some speed once they tried the same, thus allowing Suzaku to resume his charge against Aizawa, who upon seeing that close combat was unavoidable, retracted his binding cloth and adopted his fighting stance again, ready to engage the teenager. However, what ended up coming was completely out of Aizawa''s expectations. -Swoosh!- Once within range, Suzaku''s muscles tightened, and swung his staff violently at Aizawa''s figure, creating a sharp and highly acute sound after cutting the air with it. ''What speed...!'' The speed of the attack was such, that Aizawa''s eyes widened and he in a hurry twisted his own body while jumping away, dodging the powerful swing by some miracle, even though it had scratched slightly his cheek. "...!" The surprised expression on Aizawa''s face remained, even after he made some distance from Suzaku. Although he had seen Suzaku fight with the robots during the practical exam, being on the receiving end of his powerful and swift attacks was a completely different experience than seeing them through a screen. Not only were his eyes barely even able to catch up, but the strength that could be felt purely through the breeze that his attacks created made Aizawa understand that not only was the redhead fast like him, but also incredibly strong. He dared to say, that not many villains had this level of skill and power. -Bam!- ''This kid...!'' Unfortunately, he had no time to analyze Suzaku''s abilities any further, since his opponent had already shortened the distance between the two and was swinging his staff at him yet again. -Swoosh!- In a swift movement, Aizawa threw his head back and dodged the swing, although his chin and nose were grazed slightly by the weapon in the process. Still, the pain in his reddened chin and the itch in the tip of his nose didn''t matter to Aizawa, as that small dodge had opened a gap in Suzaku''s offense. -Swoosh!- Making use of that small opening, Aizawa''s fingers controlled the binding cloth and caused it to rapidly shoot in the direction of Suzaku''s staff, twisting around it for a small moment, before then tightening in less than a second and putting it completely under Aizawa''s control. Suzaku, who was too close to Aizawa to dodge, tried his best to pull the staff away the moment he saw it being bound by Aizawa''s weapon. However, before he could even try, Aizawa controlled the bandages and in a swift motion threw the staff far away, disarming Suzaku. "Tsk..." Seeing that now his only means of attacking from afar had been taken away, Suzaku clicked his tongue and readied his fists. If he pulled back now, Aizawa would gain the distance advantage with his binding cloth. Therefore, if he wanted to do some damage, he had no more option but to fight from as close as he could, all while avoiding both the bandages and Aizawa''s attacks. "Let''s see how you are in hand-to-hand combat, kid" As Suzaku prepared, Aizawa threw a sudden punch towards the teenager. Normally, a teenager as young as Suzaku would have panicked after having his weapon taken away, and then being attacked. However, to Aizawa''s enthusiasm, not only did Suzaku dodge with ease his attack, but he also immediately counter-attacked with a punch of his own¡ªNo, it was actually a kick! Barely reacting to the feint, Aizawa jumped away and avoided being kicked in the stomach. However, Suzaku wasn''t planning on letting Aizawa take even a break, as immediately after the teacher made some distance between them with his jump, the youth shot in the teacher''s direction once again and began throwing quick and deceiving attacks that seemed to confuse Aizawa''s faintly, causing his blocks or dodges to become a little slower. -Thud!- -Bam!- -Whack!- -Swoosh!- "Gotcha...!" "...?!" Then, as Aizawa dodged what seemed to be a punch by mere inches, Suzaku''s free hand suddenly grabbed the teacher''s binding cloth while he was distracted, before pulling it away from his neck. ''What?!'' The unexpected attack surprised Aizawa, who was not even able to grab his weapon, before Suzaku pulled it away completely, and threw it into the distance, leaving Aizawa disarmed much like himself. Still, the erasure hero did not panic, and in a quick movement, Aizawa shot a fast kick toward Suzaku''s face, one that was unfortunately dodged nevertheless. However, his objective was not to hit him but rather to have the youth dodge. The moment the redhead pulled his head away to dodge the kick, Aizawa made use of that opportunity and jumped away to make some distance. This time, however, Suzaku didn''t pursue him, as Aizawa had lost the binding weapon, and thus wouldn''t have the distance advantage. Instead, after seeing Aizawa retreat, he simply began walking around him, like a hunter circling around its prey. Aizawa, however, did not feel scared, instead, a wide smile could be seen on his face as he stared at the redhead. ''This kid... Has potential...!'' ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Since you looked quite pitiful in the last Chapter, I decided to give you guys another one, feel grateful) -> Chapter 44: Interlude 5 Chapter 44: Interlude 5 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ¡ã |Back at the changing room...| ... After Suzaku left, the boys from class 1-A spent a few more minutes in the changing room, wasting some time chatting with each other or simply lost in their thoughts as they changed into their UA gym uniforms, before eventually everyone came out. The same went for the girls, who came out at almost the same time as the boys and reunited with them on the way to the training ground, walking together from then on as a group, and talking about what aspects they would train in today or asking for advice to their classmates as they walked. The only exceptions to the rule were Todoroki, Bakugo, and Midoriya. The first two because they had left for Ground Beta first without waiting for anyone, and Midoriya because he just stayed silent most of the way, only breaking his silence when someone asked him for advice in their training, which the youth answered eagerly using his vast knowledge of Quirks. ¡ªMaybe a bit too eagerly though, since his overly detailed and long pieces of advice most of the time overwhelmed those who asked him, which ultimately led to them stopping doing so after a while, leaving Midoriya to have only his thoughts to entertain himself for the rest of the walk. The class continued like that for a few minutes, walking peacefully while chattering among each other, until they finally found themselves at the training ground. The moment they stepped inside Ground Beta, everyone immediately began mentalizing themselves and preparing to begin yet another wonderful day full of training. However, those thoughts ceased altogether when they all saw what awaited them at the entrance. Even Bakugo and Todoroki, who had left for the training ground way before the group, were also there standing at the entrance, simply watching the spectacle with focused eyes. -Whack!- -Swoosh!- -Bam!- -Plaf!- And how could they not? There, somewhere a bit far away from them, their homeroom teacher, Aizawa-sensei, was hurriedly dodging the barrage of hits coming his way while barely managing to accomplish so. However, what surprised them more about the situation, was the fact that the one putting their teacher in such a perilous situation was actually just a student like them. More specifically, the same red-haired student who had entered their classroom earlier while being carried by his teacher. Suzaku Suzuki. "What is going on?" A girl with her black hair tied into a spiky ponytail asked with a worried face after seeing that their teacher was being attacked by someone unknown. As the girl looked confusedly at the situation, another girl walked up front next to her and looked at the battle with an excited gaze. "What is happening? It looks fun!" She had pink hair and skin, and her eyes were tainted with a black color. Then, as the girl looked excitedly at the combat, the blond youth with the bolt on his hair that had talked to Suzaku at the changing room, or in this case, Kaminari Denki, eyed the fight while smirking in bewilderment at the sight. "He actually went and did it..." "Oi Kaminari, what is going on?" Suddenly, after hearing the blonde''s comment, a black-haired girl with earphone cables for earlobes asked him as her eyes remained glued to the battle going on. "Huh?" Denki looked at her confused for a second, before he pointed at Suzaku with his finger. "Oh, that guy, he said that he was gonna spar with Aizawa-sensei, but I didn''t think he was being serious!" "Spar with Aizawa-sensei?" The girl asked as she gained a strange expression. The same went for most of the girls who heard Kaminari''s words and hadn''t been there when Suzaku declared his intentions in the changing room, being confused by the fact that the teacher was actually sparring with someone. Normally, their teacher would just tell them to train on their own, or in the most exceptional of cases, tell them to train with each other. However, he himself never offered to train with them, at most, he only gave them a few pointers while looking over everyone''s training. And yet, now he was actually fighting against a student? And in a spar, of all things? ''Well, with that level of skill, it isn''t that crazy...'' Mashirao Ojiro, a blond guy with a huge tail behind him thought after hearing Kaminari, his eyes staring at the ongoing duel with an awed glow in them. He himself had thought of asking Aizawa for a spar before, as being a melee combatant and a martial arts practitioner it was normal for him to want to improve his abilities in a real fight. However, he had long understood that his teacher''s proficiency in close combat was something way beyond him at the moment. Thus, it was normal for him to be in shock after seeing another student like himself not only fighting on par with his teacher but somehow also overwhelming him during their fight. ''They are on a whole another level... -Sigh...- I think I still have a long way to go'' Ojiro shook his head as he heaved a sigh. Then, suddenly some floating clothes appeared next to him, and a feminine voice coming from their direction asked in a cheerful tone. "Are you also capable of fighting like that, Ojiro-kun?!" Ojiro glanced in the invisible person''s direction with a wry smile. "N-no, I don''t think I would be able to, Hagakure-san..." And, as the entire class talked and watched amazed at the duel, the two boys who had left earlier than everyone and were now standing at the front started having their own thoughts about the whole situation. ''What is his Quirk?'' Todoroki squinted his eyes at the blurry figure of Suzaku running after Aizawa. ''... Is Aizawa-sensei blocking it so that he can force that guy to fight in close quarters only? It doesn''t seem to be working very well...'' Then, he glanced at his right hand. ''Although I should be able to easily take care of him with my ice, in case he were to fight me from up close, would I be able to defend myself...?'' Todoroki''s eyebrows furrowed at that thought. No, he didn''t think so. He was confident in his abilities to take down anyone in his way, but if he allowed Suzaku to get close to him, he didn''t doubt that the redhead would overwhelm him in a matter of seconds with those quick movements of his. Whether he would be quick enough to escape from such a situation if that ever got to happen in the future, Todoroki wasn''t going to wait to find out. ''I should prepare against him, just in case...'' He thought as he put his mind to work. As Todoroki was busy imagining strategies to deal with Suzaku during the festival, a certain explosive blonde next to him was staring at the fight with serious eyes, his usual furious demeanor gone completely. ''That bastard, he is good...'' Bakugo thought as his fist tightened in frustration. ''...Fighting him from up close will be dangerous, even with my Quirk at my disposal... should try to maintain my distance at all times if we get to fight? I still don''t know what his damn Quirk is though, depending on it, maybe even being at a distance will be dangerous'' A troubled countenance filled his face at that moment. However, with a quick shake of the head, Bakugo replaced his somber expression with a grin filled with fighting spirit. ''It doesn''t matter, I''ll show that bastard his place when the time comes'' It was apparent by then that the two main contenders for the winner''s spot in the sports festival were paying close attention to whom they considered the biggest threat at the moment, aside from each other. Not only because he had ranked first place in the practical exam, but also because they knew nothing about him and how he had managed to score such a high rank in the first place. As far as they were concerned, Suzaku was at the moment the most unknown variable in their road to becoming the winner. Of course, not everyone was focusing on that particular matter. "He is overwhelming Aizawa-sensei?" Midoriya asked in disbelief as he stared at the two figures moving through the distance like ninjas. Ida, who was next to him, massaged his chin as he stared amazed at the fight. "His fighting abilities are top-notch... Although I thought he was being overconfident at first, it seems he was not wrong when he said Aizawa-sensei was the only one with the skill to fight him..." "Woah, he is going all swish swish, and then pow pow" Uraraka said plainly while staring at the fight with a bit of a lost face. Ida sweatdropped a bit while pushing his glasses up. "That is an interesting way to describe it" Midoriya, however, didn''t listen to what they said, as he was lost in his own world at that moment. ''So this is what the first place is capable of?'' He glanced at his own fist, the same fist he had used to punch the 0-pointer. ''Despite all the power that All Might gave me, I''m still so far behind... Was it really right for him to choose me?'' An unsure expression appeared on his face. He had been given the power of the strongest hero of all time, and yet, he was still lagging behind his peers like Bakugo, Todoroki, or in this case Suzaku. It was normal for him to start doubting his capabilities. Still, it didn''t last for much, as a nervous but determined glow emerged in his eyes not long after. ''No, All Might trusted me... In this sports festival, I must show him he didn''t make a mistake when choosing me!'' Midoriya thought as he clenched his fist in eagerness to prove himself. And, as Midoriya was making a motivational speech for himself inside his head, the battle between the sus teenager and the hobo hero continued while under the watch of all class 1-A. Fists and kicks rained upon the tired man, each single one of them fast like a whip, and barely visible to the naked eye as they shot in the teacher''s direction. However, it seemed the erasure hero was way more agile and perceptive than he appeared with that tired expression of his. Although he looked like he was struggling somewhat to react to Suzaku''s attacks, he was still being able to dodge every single one of them, which evidenced the good reflexes that he had. Especially when considering that Suzaku''s fighting style centered on being as confusing and deceiving as possible so that the opponents could have the least time possible to react to his attacks. -Swoosh!- -Swish!- "Come on, man, stay still!" Suzaku muttered under his breath as he threw two punches in Aizawa''s direction, only to be met with the air as the teacher somehow managed to dodge them on time once again. "..." Hearing Suzaku, Aizawa simply frowned faintly, not having the luxury of even speaking, as even the smallest loss of focus would make him fail to dodge. Now, normally, any other student would have lost their cool after fighting for so long without managing to land a single hit. However, Suzaku knew better than to get angry simply because his opponent was rather slippery. Although he was not landing a single hit, that didn''t mean much, as he was still pressuring Aizawa to be completely on the defensive. Something that, coupled with the fact that the teacher''s sole focus was to dodge his attacks, gave Suzaku the perfect way of breaking through Aizawa''s evasion streak. ''I guess I''ll have to step up the level a bit...'' Suzaku thought, as his eyes behind the glasses gleamed with amusement. As to how he was gonna break through Aizawa''s defense? It was rather simple, actually. Unbeknown to Aizawa, his incredible focus was gonna turn out to be his downfall in the end, as slowly but surely, Suzaku was making sure the teacher unknowingly adapted to his fighting style, that way, the moment there was a slight change in the way he moved, the erasure hero wouldn''t be able to react on time. Of course, changing styles mid-fight was easier said than done, as it was a move that required skill, adaptability, and swiftness, all while simultaneously focusing on the battle going on to assure not to give the opponent any opportunity to attack. ... Something that Suzaku had trained exhaustingly during the past 9 years under the tutelage of Tatsuo to do. As for what style he was gonna change to, it was a simple choice. Although he had learned several types of fighting styles in order to counter any other that his opponent may use, there was still one that, in a way, could be considered Tatsuo''s main fighting style. The one Suzaku was using at the moment. It mainly consisted of using highly deceiving moves like kicks that turned into punches, punches that turned into kicks, headbutts that turned into knee strikes, etc... All the while mixing them with normal attacks so that the opponents wouldn''t know if to expect feints or not. Basically, it was a fighting style built upon every feint possible in existence, and whose main focus was to play with the mind of the opponent and use that very same confusion to strike blows whenever possible. Still, if Suzaku was already using it, how come he was supposedly going to change into it now? The answer was that, although Suzaku was using it, he was not using it in its entirety. Besides the feints hidden behind each blow, there was another stage for Tatsuo''s fighting style that Suzaku had yet to use against the teacher. Tatsuo called it the "Cherry on Top", as in a way, it complemented further the already deceiving and misleading nature of the style. In summary, by slowing down the movements at crucial points during attacks, one becomes able to confuse their opponent and cause them to dodge or block when they shouldn''t, thus allowing for the user to attack them in that vulnerable state. On the other hand, the slowing also made the opponents unable to dodge, as the attack''s slowness gave the user a much wider time frame to redirect their attacks in case the opponent tried to avoid them. Of course, slowing down meant losing power and momentum, while also leaving oneself vulnerable to counterattacks. However, Tatsuo''s fighting style also contemplated using this type of slow strike to prompt the opponent to attack, and thus create an opportunity for a counter when the opponent expected it the least. As for the matter of the attacks losing power due to slowing down and thus losing momentum, while it was true for the most part, Suzaku and Tatsuo had both trained their bodies to become able to exert as much power as spontaneously as they could, and in the shortest distance possible. Similar to Bruce Lee''s one-inch punch, except they applied it to almost all kinds of attacks that meant using their bodies. So, although their fists may turn slow, that didn''t mean they couldn''t be devastating. And this second part of Tatsuo''s martial arts was what Suzaku was planning to use. As for whether Aizawa would be able to successfully get out unscathed from it or not, that was yet to be seen. "... Let''s see how you handle this" As he continued barraging the homeroom teacher with kicks and punches, Suzaku smirked, before he threw one more punch, one that seemed to contain more power behind it. Aizawa was planning to dodge it, however, the moment he thought the fist was about to shoot at him, Suzaku''s movements slowed down. When he saw that, an expression of bewilderment crept up to the erasure hero''s face. However, not being one to waste an opportunity for counterattacking, he rapidly tried to throw a swift punch at the seemingly vulnerable Suzaku. Knowing that if he didn''t make use of this, he probably was never gonna get out of the teenager''s punch and kicks prison. -Swoosh!- "...!" However, to the teacher''s surprise, despite seeming to be in a really compromising state, Suzaku still managed to dodge the fist by a hair''s breadth. And the moment he saw his punch hit the empty air, Aizawa knew he had screwed up. -Bam!- The next instant, Suzaku''s body twisted unnaturally from his dodging position, and threw another much more powerful punch straight into the teacher''s stomach, causing him to widen his eyes as the air escaped from his mouth. "Ugh¡ª!" Aizawa''s grabbed his belly as he took several steps back. Still, he didn''t go down, and after recomposing himself an instant later and seeing Suzaku following after him, he quickly threw a kick toward Suzaku''s legs, aiming to force the redhead to avoid the hit so that he could create a bit of distance between each other. -Tack!- Unfortunately for him, Suzaku didn''t dodge. Instead, he shot his foot toward Aizawa''s, and in a violent motion, kicked harshly Aizawa''s very kick. Thus, not only blocking it but even knocking his leg back. Clearly overpowering Aizawa''s strength. When he realized his kick had failed, Aizawa hurriedly tried retreating, however, the moment he did that, another punch from Suzaku was directed at his stomach. Aizawa immediately tried blocking it, but the attack suddenly shifted and shot straight towards his chin. ''So damn tricky!'' The teacher cursed in his mind as he moved hurriedly to avoid the hit. Knowing that getting hit on the chin would mean a certain defeat, Aizawa squeezed his reflexes to their utmost potential and painstakingly threw his head backward. -Swooosh!- ... And, fortunately, with that movement, he managed to avoid the attack. However, a second later a sharp pain came from his nose not long after. ''He broke my nose...'' Aizawa''s eyes squinted at the realization, as he felt a liquid flow down from his nostrils. Unfortunately, he didn''t even get the chance to process the damage, as immediately after dodging the fist, another blow came towards his chest. In a hurry, he moved his hands to block it. Although this time, readily expecting the attack to change directions at any moment. -Crack!- However, the attack didn''t change trajectories, instead, it fully hit the tired teacher''s block, causing his arms'' bones to scream in protest. ''What strength...!'' Aizawa gritted his teeth as the pain assaulted his arms. Still, not everything was lost. In the next instant, a small smile appeared on Aizawa''s face, and the next moment, he threw himself to the ground, quickly rolling away. Then, he grabbed something from the ground. "Pay more attention to your environment," The teacher said with a tutoring tone, as he picked up the bandages-like weapon and stood up. Suzaku''s eyebrows rose in surprise at the sight. ''This guy, he guided me all the way here to grab his weapon while I was beating him up...?'' He then scoffed faintly. ''What an annoying guy, not even the old man was this annoying during our spars'' However, knowing that it wouldn''t be advantageous for him to remain at a distance from Aizawa now that he had his weapon, he didn''t doubt for a second and immediately kicked the ground. Shooting straight toward the erasure hero like a bullet. However, that proved to be a mistake. "Got you now, kid" Knowing that Suzaku would look to shorten the distance now that he had gotten a hold of his capturing weapon, Aizawa quickly controlled the binding cloth and sent it to block Suzaku''s way, like a net ready to trap him the moment he touched it. And that it did. "Crap!" -Whip!- Unable to control his body mid-air, Suzaku ended up falling onto the weapon, which immediately tightened around his body the moment he touched it and thus caused Suzaku to end up looking almost like a mummy from one moment to another. -Sigh...- The moment he saw Suzaku become immobile, Aizawa grinned and cleaned his bleeding nose while heaving a tired sigh. "Kid, you sure did a number on me..." He muttered, breathing haggardly as the words left his mouth, evidently being way more tired and injured than the redhead was. As Suzaku looked at his bound body, he raised an eyebrow. "Damn... I''ll tell Arata to make me something to move mid-air, otherwise, I''m gonna get cooked in the festival" While Suzaku talked to himself, Aizawa approached the youth, being confident in his win. However, he flinched a bit when he saw Suzaku trying to free himself and making his weapon tremble in front of the pressure he was exerting. ''This kid sure is something...'' Aizawa thought as he sweatdropped. However, knowing that his weapon had restricted opponents way stronger than Suzaku was, he didn''t hesitate for much longer and eventually walked toward the bound teenager, stopping just a meter or so away from him. "You were too hasty at the end" Aizawa commented with a serious look, making Suzaku turn to look back at him with a frown. "What? I couldn''t hear you from all the way there. Come closer" Suzaku said, shooting the tired teacher a confused look. Aizawa frowned in response, wondering if the teenager wanted to surprise attack him the moment he tried getting closer. It was such an obvious tactic, that Aizawa almost chuckled at that. However, he had made sure to bind the teenager tightly. Even if he somehow managed to move a little, he wasn''t going to be able to reach him. So, disregarding Suzaku''s request, he simply spoke louder. "I said that you were too hasty at the end" Suzaku, however, simply shook his head and looked at Aizawa with a clueless expression. "Whaaaat...? Man, come closer, I can''t hear you from there!" That annoyed the teacher, who saw that Suzaku wasn''t going to stop until he yielded. ''Whatever, let''s humor him a bit...'' Aizawa thought. However, he didn''t step closer, as he knew the young man would immediately try something if he did that, instead, he simply leaned forward before shouting at Suzaku. "I said you were too has¡ª!" "You fell for it!" However, he was forced to stop when he saw Suzaku trying to headbutt him. Aizawa mentally scoffed. ''From this distance he won''t¡ª'' -Bonk!- -Shatter!- Unfortunately, he never got to finish his thoughts, as the next second, Suzaku''s glasses bulged up and struck violently Aizawa''s face, knocking him to the ground, and getting shattered in the process. "Hah!" Using that opportunity, Suzaku escaped from the binding cloth''s grip, and landed right in front of Aizawa, before kneeling next to him as he grabbed his collar and pointed his fist at the teacher''s face. "For a hero who can block others'' Quirk, you sure forgot I had a Quirk in the first place, huh?" Aizawa didn''t say anything at that, and instead, he simply stared at the sus teenager with a blank expression. ''I got beaten by a student... Let''s just hope Nezu won''t lower my salary because of this...'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... After beating Aizawa, Suzaku spent a little more time with class 1-A , getting to know a bit more about those who had once been simply fiction for him, while the teacher went to visit Recovery Girl to heal his injuries. Most of the teenagers came to talk to Suzaku after he was done with the spar, asking the usual stuff about where he learned to move like that, or commenting on how similar he was to ninjas, for some reason. Kirishima, in special, was very enthusiastic after he saw him beat their teacher. The guy asked him about his training regime, which he regretted once he heard what Tatsuo had put him through. Although the spiky redhead wanted to get more muscles, there was a line he wouldn''t cross. During the talk, Suzaku also noticed four people in particular staring at him with an intensity that almost caused them to start shooting lasers at him. The first one was from the prickly brat Bakugo. However, Suzaku simply ignored it, being faintly accustomed to it by that point. The second one was from Midoriya. Although he didn''t know why the green-haired kid was looking at him that way, Suzaku didn''t care much either. He was probably just having some shonen-protagonist-like thoughts. You know, those types of thoughts like "I must become stronger!" or something along those lines. The third one was from a white-and-red-haired guy with a burn scar on his face. He didn''t know him, nor did he remember him from the show, so he didn''t pay that much attention to his gaze. And finally, there was the French guy who could shoot a laser from a belt he had on his waist... He didn''t totally like his gaze for some reason, it felt annoying. However, not knowing why he disliked it, he just ignored it... Much like all the others. It was apparent by then that he wasn''t that concerned about how or why others looked at him. Instead, he just kept talking with Kirishima, as he was a cool dude, much like Tetsutetsu was. Even their Quirks were similar. Still, not being especially friends with him, after a while he eventually left the training ground and went to change back into his UA uniform. The process didn''t take him much, and after picking up his stuff and leaving his hero costume back at his classroom, Suzaku left the school for good. -Sigh...- A while later, as he walked through the streets of Musutafu in the direction of his apartment, Suzaku let out a long sigh as he looked dreamily at the sky, longing for the moment he arrived home to take a nap. As he imagined the fluffiness of his king-sized bed, Suzaku frowned faintly before he began massaging his neck with a pained expression. "Talk about doing enough exercise for a day" His tone of voice oozed exhaustion and annoyance. And it was normal for him to feel like that, after all, today had been a rather hectic day for him. First, he woke up too early and ended up arriving at class on time. Then, he had to show Tetsutetsu what the pecking order was, only for his teacher to hear him boasting out loud after he had been done with his friend, and issue him another fight, though this time with a pro hero instead. One that he almost lost because of his lack of mobility. ''I should ask him for one of those...'' Suzaku noted mentally as he remembered the great versatility that Aizawa''s weapon had. Still, that was a matter to think about on another day. As of now, he wanted nothing more but to arrive home and fall unconscious on his bed until tomorrow. -Beep, beep, beep!- Unfortunately, it seemed like fate had its own set of plans for him. "Who is it now?" Suzaku asked as he pulled his phone out with an annoyed expression to see who was calling him now of all times. However, his expression visibly eased up when he saw the words "Old man with dementia" on the screen. "What does he want now?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow in curiosity, before picking up the call and putting the phone on his left ear. {"Oi, brat!"} "Sup old man" {"Don''t sup me, I need you to come to the dojo"} "Again?" Suzaku pursed his lips in laziness, wanting to simply go back home. {"It''s an important matter, so stop being a lazy fuck and get over here"} -Beep- Unfortunately, the old man left no chance for refusal on his tone, and without even waiting for Suzaku to answer, he hung up, leaving the redhead to let out an annoyed sigh as he put the phone back in his pocket. "Whatever..." ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: I should be uploading the next one within three days, hopefully. Also, I went to see the new movie. In my personal opinion, a 7/10 at best. But well, I liked Kungfu Panda 4, so my opinion isn''t valid. Anyway I hope you liked the Chapter) -> Chapter 45: To be Number One Chapter 45: To be Number One Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Suzaku''s POV:| ... While receiving the old man''s call to go meet him at the dojo might have ruined my plans to take the rest of the day off, that still didn''t stop me from making a quick stop at my apartment before heading there. I planned to leave all my school stuff there before leaving for the dojo, as I didn''t want to bother carrying it all while moving through Tokyo. I mean, my backpack wasn''t light, you know? It was pretty heavy to carry with all the books the UA gave us. My old and frail body needed a bit of rest. While I was at it, I also changed into more comfortable clothes before heading out, as going around with the UA uniform was bound to get too much attention from the people around. The outfit I ended up going with was pretty simple. A red T-shirt, some black jogging pants, and a pair of black tennis with white soles. It was nothing crazy since I didn''t want to overshadow the other men when I got to the streets. After all, being a bit humble from time to time is never a bad thing. Anyway, once that was done, I picked up my keys and phone, and left the apartment for good, making my way to the subway before then taking the line that led me to where that Gun-something hero''s agency was located. The trip lasted no more than half an hour. However, it was still a painful half an hour that I spent squeezed in between the many people boarding the subway at that hour. It was getting late, and people were getting off work at this hour. So yeah, it was to be expected. ''Damn old man, couldn''t he call me at a better hour?'' Obviating the several times during my journey that I had the urge to just use a Vent and teleport directly to the building instead of enduring the public transport for any longer, eventually, I got to the station I needed and left the subway, making the rest of the traject on foot as it was pretty close anyway, arriving just a few minutes later. "Let''s see what he wants now" As I stood in front of the building, I scratched the back of my head, meditating deep in my mind about what possible reason the old man would have to call me so out of the blue. After all, we weren''t training that much anymore since I had long gone past the level of being taught stuff. The only thing we did anymore was sparring against each other, although even that was only once in a while, considering that I was busy going to school now. We also went to underground fighting clubs to earn some money sometimes. But lately, we have lowered our visits there, as that old man seems to be busy with something. Thus, I was curious as to why he had called me now. "It better not be something stupid, or I''ll be kicking his ass" I muttered to myself before I began heading inside. -Zoom- And, as the automatic doors opened for a moment to give me entrance, only to then close behind me after I passed by them, I was quickly greeted by the same bustling amount of heroes walking around the building frantically, looking like they hadn''t had a rest in a while, just like last time. ''I''ll make sure not to choose this agency when the time for the internship arrives...'' I thought, looking with pity at the bunch. It seems like working alone as I planned wasn''t that bad of an idea, huh? "Oh, Suzaku-kun!" "...?" Suddenly, as I was praying for the poor souls of the haggard-looking heroes, someone called out to me. When I turned to look at who it was, I saw the Gun-something hero approaching as he waved at me. "Hey," I greeted him with a nod. "It''s good to see you are doing well kid! What do I owe your visit to our humble agency to, Tatsuo-san stuff, or villain stuff?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips as he arrived in front of me. "Old man stuff" I answered plainly. "Hahaha... It seems like that old guy sure puts you to work, but well, the less villain stuff there''s the better I guess" I nodded without much thought, wondering if I was free to go already, as I was impatient to end whatever I was supposed to be doing here and go back home Unfortunately, today didn''t seem to be my lucky day. "By the way, I heard that UA is having the sports festival soon, is that right?" The guy asked, shooting me what I assumed was an interested gaze from behind his weird-looking mask. I nodded again. "In a week, yeah" When he heard me, Gun-something snapped his fingers before then pointing at me stylishly. "Well, I was thinking that, if you perform well, I might consider offering you a spot for an internship in my agency when the time comes. What do you think, kid?" I forced my mouth to form a smile. "Nope" "EEEEEH?! WHY?!" Upon hearing my refusal, Gun-something yelled in a shocked tone and suddenly began grabbing my shoulders, shaking me back and forth. "This is a great opportunity! Don''t you know how hard it is to receive offers for internships even if you perform fairly well in the sports festival? Why would you refuse such a¡ª!" "Tatsuo stuff," I said while shrugging, causing the hero to take a step back as if that answer had dissuaded him from trying anything further. "Ugh¡ªThat damn geezer... Why is he so petty?" As I fixed my clothes from the good wrinkle the hero had given them, he started muttering something under his breath with a dark look. ''There''s no way I''m joining this place...'' Needless to say, the old man hadn''t truly said anything about joining this guy''s agency aside from calling this guy a sissy. I don''t even think he would care about it if I did, aside from maybe clicking his tongue and saying that this guy''s sissyness would stick to me. But well, I didn''t want to be exploited, so I used him as an excuse. I don''t think he will mind, though. -Grumble...- As I was thinking that this time the conversation had ended for good, Gunsomething looked like he was about to say something else. However, before he had the chance to even open his mouth, I decided to end the conversation there. "Ahem! Well, that old man must be becoming older by the minute, so I should hurry up" When he heard me, he snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, before giving me a thumbs up. "Oh, yeah. Good luck with the sports festival, kid!" "Hm," I nodded in thankfulness before I turned around and went to the elevator. As I approached the device, I gave one last glance at the hectic place that was a hero agency. "Agencies sure look like they are a pain in the ass... Will I really have to do my internship at a place like this eventually...?" I shook my head to shrug off my worries, as I clicked the up button on the elevator and waited for it to open. For a moment, I wondered if taking an internship under a solo-working hero would be possible. That would help me learn how to work solo, and it probably wouldn''t be as annoying as working at a place like this. However, eventually, I shrugged the matter off, realizing that I would just discover it tomorrow by asking my teacher. Also, the elevator arrived, so I had no more time to entertain my curious and prodigious mind. -Ding!- After getting on and going up a few floors, the doors opened and I arrived at the dojo. And sure enough, there he was, sitting on a chair with sunglasses, and enjoying a damn beer while at it. ''He sure looks like he is enjoying himself for someone who interrupts other people''s days...'' "Took you long enough," The old man said as he pushed his sunglasses down and gave me an annoyed look. I simply shrugged it off as I walked closer. "Better late than never" "Better early than late..." The old man refuted with a prickly tone, before he then shot an odd look at my face. "What happened to your glasses this time?" I frowned for a moment as I reached my hand to touch my face before I realized what he meant. "Oh, this? I broke them on the face of a teacher a few hours ago" "HAHA! Good" The old man smacked his leg as he laughed out loud. I ignored him, and instead, went straight to the point. "So, why am I here?" However, he didn''t outright answer my question, instead, he reached into his pocket and tossed me something. "First, take this" "Hmm?" After I caught it, I realized they were bandages. I knew their purpose, so I began wrapping them around my hands without questioning why. And while doing that, I raised an eyebrow at the old guy. "Are we sparring? Why so out of the blue?" "Because I said so, now hurry up" I pursed my lips in dissatisfaction at his curt answer but complied nevertheless. Finishing getting my hands wrapped in the bandages after a minute or so. After getting done with it, I walked to the opposite side of the mat and looked at the old man, who was now jumping on his spot as if warming up. "I''m done here," I told him, causing him to nod his head with a serious expression. "Good, I''ll be warning you though, this time I''ll be going all out" I squinted my eyes at that. Those words would have sounded cocky or delusional if they had come from anyone else, but from the old man, I knew that it meant he was gonna use everything at his disposal to win. Including his Quirk. ''Damn, and I just busted mine in my fight against Aizawa'' I thought while clicking my tongue. Still, I didn''t despair. While it would have been good to use it as a surprise attack like I did with Aizawa, it was very unlikely that it would hit the old man. He was as careful as he was senile. Anyway, as the old man began taking his fighting stance, I took a deep breath and readied myself to fight seriously from the very beginning. After all, if he said he was going all out, it meant he also wanted me to do the same. And I wouldn''t refuse such a request. So, without hesitating, I began cracking my neck as I opened and closed my fists to loose them up. And, the next second, I took my fighting stance. "Ready when you are..." I said, gesturing for him to come at me with my hand. The old man smirked at that. "Good, then¡ª" -Bang!- "¡ªDon''t blink!" And without waiting any longer, he shot straight towards me. The instant I saw him move, I quickly dodged to the side even though he had yet to reach the distance to hit me. -Swoosh!- And that proved to be wise, as the next instant he disappeared from where he was, and reappeared right in front of me, throwing a punch that I managed to dodge in time thanks to my early judgment. Though, it seemed like he had predicted that as well, as the moment he saw me move, he shifted faintly the direction he was facing, and immediately teleported to my side, swinging his elbow straight towards the side of my head after that. "...!" -Swish- Fortunately, in a swift move, I leaned backward and managed to avoid his elbow by mere centimeters. Then, using my lower position, I quickly threw an uppercut straight toward his ugly face. "Hmph!" Sadly, the old man simply tilted his head a bit and evaded the hit. Making my fist simply strike the empty air. Thanks to that, I got into what I would call a precarious position. And as a result, I didn''t have the time nor was I in a position to escape from his next attack. -Bam!- The next instant, he interlocked his arms with mine, and in a forceful motion, sent me straight to the ground. The collision with the floor didn''t do much to me, as there was a mat below us and my body was more resistant than that of a normal person to hits. However, it did allow for the old man to immediately follow up with a quick knee strike straight towards my face. ''Shoot!'' Hurriedly, I escaped from his lock and pushed myself away from him. Dodging the attack, but not stopping him from trying to have my face stomped one way or another, causing him to send stomp after stomp, trying to catch my face with his feet. Fortunately, I had more strength than him, so during one of his kicks, I sent one of my own from the floor, and just like with the hobo teacher, overpowered it and knocked him back. Making him immediately opt for retreat upon having his leg get knocked away, and using that small gap between us to spin on the ground, and get back onto my feet with a single push after that. As I watched him retreat into a safe distance, however, I didn''t go after him, since I knew he was not an opponent I could pursue. His Quirk "Blink" made it necessary for me to stay alert at all moments, as rushing at him would leave gaps in my defense that he could exploit by teleporting around to disorient me. I needed to stay in place and wait for him to teleport if I wanted to avoid getting hit stupidly. And that proved to be the correct answer, as immediately after he got into a safe distance, he teleported again and appeared right in front of me once again. His fist shooting straight in my direction. Or that''s what it would have looked like for an amateur. However, the truth to that attack was... -Bang!- -Crack!- ...That it was an elbow strike! Knowing so, I immediately sent my elbow to clash with his, making a crude sound emerge when both met. "Hngh!" The old man winced at the impact between our attacks, as mine obviously contained a lot more power. However, that didn''t stop him in the slightest from immediately kicking me in the chest and using the impact to propel himself backward, doing a backflip after using my body as a foothold. However, he never touched the ground, as the moment his body reached its peak in the air, he teleported to the ceiling above him, and kicked it, shooting straight back at me with his knees pointing directly at me. Unfortunately, the old man couldn''t fool my prodigious mind. That double knee strike was gonna turn into a double kick, that I was sure of. So, smiling faintly, I took my stance and prepared to dodge the attack at the last second. ''Here it come¡ª'' -Bam!- "Oof!" Unfortunately, it seemed like the knee strike was indeed a knee strike. The attack hit me cleanly on the chest, making me wince a little as I took several steps back due to the force behind the impact, Ultimately, though, I managed to regain my balance and immediately took my stance again to prepare for any further attack from the geezer. However, when my eyes landed on his figure, I noticed that he wasn''t coming at me anymore. He just stayed where he was, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "You''ve gotten faintly worse at reacting," He said with a sneer. "And you''ve gotten uglier... Wait, my fault, your face was already that ugly" I refuted while shooting him a smirk. The old man scowled. "You sure enjoy acting like a brat sometimes" "Jealous of the young?" "Like hell I would be jealous of you" After that small bickering with each other, we both fell silent and resumed our fight. He and I both began circling each other, like two predators preparing to pounce upon each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. However, if there was one thing this master of mine lacked, was patience. Eventually, he got impatient after none of us made a move, and was the first to strike. -Swoosh!- The next instant he teleported again and threw a quick punch towards me, but I was already prepared for it. Or so I thought. However, it became apparent that this old guy was smarter than he looked, as the moment both of our punches made contact, his lost all strength and, like a snake, began swirling around my arm until it entangled it completely. Then, like an anaconda, it constricted on it, attempting to break it. ''This guy...'' Unfortunately for him, if there was something I was confident in, was my strength. The moment he tried bending my arm in the opposite direction, my muscles flexed with all their strength and overpowered his attempt at bending it to his will. -Thud!- -Bam- -Plaf!- -Smack!- And, as both of us got entangled with each other, several punches and kicks began raining on the body of the other, some missing, others being blocked, and some actually hitting. Unfortunately for the old man, at this moment my physical superiority shone once more, as he became the first one to relent in the exchange of hits against each other, kicking the ground and jumping away from me. "Damn monstrous brat..." He muttered with a pained expression as he rubbed the sore spots where he had been hit. "What''s up, old man, the years catching up to you already?" I smiled as I put both of my hands behind my head in leisure. That might have been a mistake, though. "You talk too much" -Swoosh!- -Thud!- The moment I did that, he teleported once again in front of me and made a low sweeping kick. Almost throwing me to the ground, if not for the quick reflexes that allowed me to roll backward and get back on my feet in a matter of seconds. "Damn old man..." I clicked my tongue as I stared at him with squinted eyes. He let out a scoff at seeing my expression. "I believe I told you to not get overconfident during fights" "Well, what can I do if I''m the best there is? I can''t help but get a bit too confident from time to time" "Seriously brat, where did you learn to act like that?"The old man shook his head with a disappointed expression. "I always taught you to be as humble as possible... Like me, for example" ''Seriously...'' I felt my eyebrow twitch due to the sheer astonishment I was feeling after hearing his words. Still, after a while, I shook my head and focused on the fight again. Who knew if this old guy was trying to mess with my head by saying those absurd statements earlier, after all? "Hmm?" However, to my surprise, no matter how much I waited, he no longer came to attack. He just stood there, with both hands behind his back. So, confused, I raised an eyebrow and relaxed faintly my posture. "What''s up, aren''t you coming?" At my question, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I believe I told you I was going all out, right?" I nodded. "Yeah" "Then, why are you not doing the same?" I frowned in confusion at his words. "But I am, though?" His eyes opened and shot me a serious look. "No, you''re not... Show me all you have" I looked at him weirdly. ''What else is there to show? My quirk is unusable for now, and I am already beating him up with my enhanced strength...'' However, his next words surprised me. "... Including that hypothetical 100% lethal style of yours..." "..." I stopped moving when I heard that. "What are you talking about, old man? It''s a hypothetical style because it won''t work¡ª" "Cut the crap" He interrupted me. I stared at him bewildered. Then, he shot me an amused look, pointing at me with his finger as he took a more relaxed stance. "You killed that group of kidnappers, right?" "..." Immediately upon hearing that, I felt my chest tighten as the realization that I might have been discovered dawned on me. My powers, and therefore, the connection I had to the hundreds of murders I committed in that laboratory... "No, I¡ª" Out of sheer nervousness, I immediately tried to feign ignorance. However, his next words stopped me from doing so. "Suzaku, this will be our last class together... all I want it you to show me what you''re truly capable of before we end this" "... What?" I frowned at that, this was the first time he had called me Suzaku. And what did he mean by that this would be our last class? Unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn''t be answering any of that for now. The old man smirked at my perplexed expression. "If you want to know what I meant, you''ll first have to finish this spar" "..." When I heard that, I fell silent, with my mind falling into disarray. ''What to do...?'' He was asking me to reveal the secret that I didn''t want anyone to know, and that I would prefer to take with me to the grave instead of revealing. And for what, a spar? There''s no way I was gonna humor him. ... Still, the fact that he had said this was gonna be our last class echoed in my mind. What did he mean by that? Not only that, he also seemed to be aware somewhat of the fact that I had been the one behind the killing spree I committed a week ago. And therefore, it wouldn''t be stupid to assume that he could also make the connection between that incident, and the one from years ago in the laboratory. Then, why hadn''t he reported it to the police? Although I don''t know if I would be held accountable for it, considering I was a minor for the moment, and that I had done it in self-defense, wouldn''t it make sense to tell something of this magnitude as soon as possible to the authorities...? ... No, not this guy. This old man was anything but righteous... Otherwise, he wouldn''t have introduced me to the business of underground fighting in the first place. If he hadn''t reported me yet, it was for something. Did he want something from me...? Was he looking for something specific...? And if so, what was it? What would he gain from confirming that I had been the one behind that murder days ago? ... The more I thought about it, the less it made sense. And, as the absurdity of the situation reached a certain level, my mind began getting tired of considering this any longer. As a result, a certain fleeting thought crossed my mind ''Should I¡ª?'' ''¡ªNo, shut the fuck up'' I dismissed it as soon as it came, however. Erasing it completely from my mind after that. However, that left me with two options. To continue acting like I didn''t know what he was talking about. Or to show him. ... And eventually, I gave up choosing. Thinking this much made my head hurt. I was gonna get my answers once this spar was over anyway, so, there was nothing else to consider. "... Alright" The cat was already out of the bag, so who cares anymore? ''If he wants to see me going all out, then I''m going all out'' I thought, before I cracked my knuckles, and began walking across the dojo, circling around the old man, who stood at the center with a calm expression, simply watching over me. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused by my sudden actions. I didn''t say anything and just continued walking around him And, once I finished making a full circle, I smiled faintly. "You said you wanted me to go all out, right?" "...?" "Then let''s see how your old ass can handle this" -Bang!- Once I let out those words, I kicked the mat below me and shot straight towards him with my fist raised in the air, aiming a punch directly at his solar plexus. In response, he calmly rose his guard up, expecting one of the usual feints, or an actual punch. However, his expression froze when, midway through my sprint towards him, I sunk into the ground in one swoop as if I had submerged into some kind of liquid. ¡ªOnly to then emerge from right behind him. "...?!" Somehow, he managed to catch onto my emergence behind him. Still, due to the abruptness of my movement, he failed to hold a proper block and received a painful kick right on his ribs. "Ugh¡ª!" He didn''t go down with just that though. The moment he recovered his balance, he teleported next to me and threw a punch with all his strength. Unfortunately for him, I dodged it with faint ease, and the moment his attack missed, I used my footwork to swiftly move behind him. He quickly caught on to my plan, and turned around hurriedly... Only to find nothing. "What...?" Or what looked like nothing. -Bam!- "Uck¡ª!" The next moment, a punch hit him straight in the gut, causing him to take steps back in pain as he held his stomach tightly. After delivering my blow, my invisibility vanished, causing him to widen his eyes as he caught sight of me. "You..." I didn''t let him say anything, as I sunk into the ground once again and resurfaced again just a meter or so away from him. This time, he reacted more swiftly to my attack and immediately raised his guard. However, as I was about to hit him, I sunk into the ground once again. Then, I appeared on the other side of the dojo, looking at him with a smirk. Visibly confused, he tried to take the offensive, however, before he could even take a step forward, I vanished. "Wha¡ª?!" He looked around frantically, overwhelmed in confusion. Then, I reappeared back to the spot where I had sunk earlier, ending up right in front of him, much to his shock. -Smack!- -Thud!- He didn''t have time to react, as I swiftly bent down and sent a kick to his legs, throwing him off balance and causing him to fall dryly to the floor. However, being the master that he was, he quickly prepared to receive an attack. Expecting me to strike now that he was on the ground, and readying a counter for anything I would try¡ªExcept for the attack that came. "...!" His eyes widened like platters the moment a blade emerged from my wrist and stopped just a few centimeters away from his eye. Thus, ending the fight. "Satisfied?" I asked, retracting the blade. In response, he just stared at me baffled. Evidently, not having been expecting that much. What can I say, I''m not one to disappoint. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A little bit later...| ... -Sip- -Sip- After the fight both of us sat next to each other on a folded mat, enjoying the beers the old man had brought. "..." "..." None of us said anything, the only sound present on the dojo was the faint sipping sound that came from us from time to time. Be it because after showing my true abilities the air became awkward, or simply because none of us had anything to say to the other, I didn''t know. Eventually, though, the old man was the first to interrupt that silence when, after glancing at the ceiling, more specifically, at a camera hanging in the opposite corner of the room, he noticed that the usual red light that indicated its functioning was... coincidentally not working. "... Is that also your doing?" He asked, looking at me with squinted eyes from the side. I avoided his gaze as I took a sip of my beer. "Maybe..." At that, he felt silent, before face-palming as he said. "Of course you can also do that... No wonder there was never footage when you were involved in those incidents" "Well, in the incident from a few days ago, it was those guys who cut off the electricity so that there wouldn''t be footage..." -Stare...- "... Though, if they hadn''t done that, I would have erased on my own anyways..." "..." We both fell silent again after that, looking in front of us with pensive expressions. Eventually, though, I remembered what the old man had said earlier during our spar, and asked him about it. "So, what did you mean by that this class was gonna be the last one?" When he heard me, he let out a sigh and put down his beer, before leaning down on the mat and staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. "Exactly that, I''ll be retiring from teaching from now on" I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Why so suddenly?" "Suddenly? I''m above 90, brat. If anything, I should have retired a long time ago" "You''re way more of a fossil than I expected..." I commented, gaining a glare from him. Though, eventually, he shook his head and went back to staring at the ceiling. "Consider this your official graduation from being my student to becoming a master. You''ve earned it" Hearing that, I scratched my cheek while staring at the floor. "Thanks" Then, I turned to look back at him. "Though, if I''m not going to be your student any longer, what will you be doing from now on?" His eyebrows narrowed after hearing my question. "Why does that sound as if I don''t have a life aside from being your damn master?" "You do?" His eyes squinted at that last comment. "You''re seriously earning a beating, brat" I simply shrugged. Seeing me act so nonchalantly, he sighed, before turning to the ceiling again and smiling faintly. "I think I''ll be taking a good rest from all the martial arts stuff. It''s something I''ve been doing all my life, after all" Then, his smile widened as he looked at the boring wooden ceiling while caressing his beard with a foolish expression. "Maybe I will even visit the Caribbean for some good-earned vacations...You know, dancing the Ula-Ula with some pretty girls, eating the best food there can be, and spending my nights at 5-star hotels with all the alcohol I could ever want" "You sure got it good, huh?" I snorted. He shot me a cocky smirk. "Jealous brat?" "Pff" I scoffed. "Why should I be jealous of you?" ... I feel so jealous right now. He pushed himself up and pointed at me with a mocking expression. "HAHAHAHA, I can see your teeth grinding brat!" "Shut it," I said as I clicked my tongue. Sadly, despite my complaints, the old man continued laughing at me for a while. Eventually, though, I had enough of having the life I''ve wanted since I was a kid get scrubbed all over my face and stood up to leave. -Pat, Pat- "Well, if that was all, I''ll be going" The old man nodded at my comment, not saying anything about it. Then, as I went to pick up my phone which I had left on a nearby table so that it wouldn''t be damaged during the spar from earlier, I turned to look at the old man one last time. "..." "Hmm?" Sensing my gaze, the old man raised an eyebrow, before he scoffed and waved me off. "If you''re worried that I''ll talk about those absurd powers of yours, then don''t. I don''t really care about what they are, or what you did to those men using them... In my times, that type of stuff, although unusual, was nothing crazy" "..." I winced at that information, wondering just how horrible the lawless times in this world had been during the years that society was acclimating to Quirks. The old man smirked at my reaction before he shrugged his shoulders as he took a sip from his beer. "Besides, I''m already 93 years old, I have no reason to be getting involved in whatever mess you cause" I laughed faintly at that. "Fair enough" Then, after putting my phone back into my pocket, I smiled faintly and gave the old man one last bow. "Although I don''t like doing this... Thank you for all these years of being my master, old man" Since I was bowing, I couldn''t see what expression he made. However, I''m sure I heard a satisfied hum escape from his mouth. After finishing my bow, I turned around and waved at him. "I''ll be leaving now. Enjoy that retirement of yours" Then, I began walking towards the elevator. "Wait." However, to my surprise, just as my hand was about to reach the button of the elevator, the old man''s voice stopped me. "...?" When I turned to look back at him, I saw him staring at me with a serious expression. "What¡ª" "Before you leave, listen closely..." He interrupted me, shooting me a deep look. I simply nodded without saying anything, knowing that whatever he wanted to say, it wasn''t time to be making jokes. When he saw me listening attentively, he nodded in satisfaction and proceeded to speak. "Listen, Suzaku... Hero or not, my martial arts school has given you the strength to back you up in whatever path you decide to take in the future..." Then, squishing the beer can under the hold of his hand, he scoffed in disdain. "Good or bad... Justice or evil... Order or chaos, I don''t give a damn about what you choose in the end. When you get to live as long as I''ve done, you understand that such concepts are often two sides of the same lame and disgusting coin" He then proceeded to point at me, his eyes squinting in an almost threatening gaze. "However, let me make this clear... Whatever it is you desire to become, whatever is it you desire to achieve... You better do it intending to reach the top. Neither third or second place are goals worthy of a disciple of my school..." -Screech- As he said that, he squished the beer can even further, making it into a small shiny ball overflowing with a bit of liquid. "If something blocks your path, you must surpass it. If someone gets in your way, you beat them up. If the darn world opposes you, then you oppose the damn world!" He then threw the beer can away. "I know that such a path is filled with obstacles that might seem impossible to surpass..." He squinted his eyes. "But that''s exactly why you must not hesitate, ever... The moment you hesitate, it''s the moment you lose. Those that stand at the top never hesitate, get that into that small brain of yours" I nodded without saying much. Seeing me nod, he shot me a satisfied smile. "Good. Always remember that second place is for sissies... And I didn''t train you to be a sissy, did I?" I shook my head. He snorted in response. "I thought as much... Now go, affront that life of yours with your head high, and punch those obstacles in the face, maybe that way, the next time you step into my dojo, you''ll be a winner... Like me" "Really humble, huh?" "Yeah, you better be taking notes... Now get the hell out of here" I nodded and clicked the elevator button. Immediately after, the door opened, and I got inside, giving the old man a military salute as farewell, before the door closed and my view got cut off. After that, I clicked the button to the first floor and waited for the elevator to do its magic. It didn''t take more than 10 seconds for it to eventually drop me where I wanted, and after walking for a bit and reaching the reception hall, I waved at the Gun-something hero who seemed a bit busy but still returned the wave, and left the building. ''King-sized bed, here I come'' Finally going back home after a long and tiresome day. ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: +6k words, definitely the longest Chapter to date Also, here''s an illustration I made of Tatsuo a while ago that I didn''t finish since it didn''t completely convince me, as it resembled the character I took as an inspiration when designing him a bit too much. -> I lost the original archive, so the quality it''s not the best, but it''s what it is...) -> Chapter 46: The End and the Beginning. Chapter 46: The End and the Beginning. |A week later, Underground Fighting Club "The Vermillion Bird"| ... {And Spinning Tornado manages to dodge the Blood-haired punk''s fist!} -Cheers!- {But wait! It was all a ruse! Spinning Tornado fell for a feint and has been thrown to the ground! Now, a barrage of fists is coming his way!} -Boo!- {And here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the end of the match!} -Boo!!- {Oh, but wait, Spinning Tornado is standing up!} -Cheers!- {...Never mind folks, he just got shut down before he could even stand up... The victor this time is the Blood-haired Punk!} "Oh, goddamnit!" "Not again!" "How does he always manage to win?! He doesn''t even seem to have that good of a Quirk!" "It''s all because of his technique, my friend. Haven''t you seen how he moves? Those are the moves of a master" "Pfft, what master? There''s no way a brat like him is a master of martial arts or whatever, he probably just has a quirk that allows him to move like that" "Well, quirk or not, you have to admit that it is effective" "Hmph" {... Damnit, I bet it all on the Spinning Tornado, how will I face my family when they discover where the kid''s funds for college went...?} {Hey, partner, you left the microphone on} {Huh? Oh¡ªAhem, sorry for that folks, forget what you heard} -Beep- ''What''s with those commentators...?'' At the arena, Suzaku, whose entire face was covered by using his glasses as a mask, shook his head as he glanced at the commentators'' cabin. He then glanced at his defeated opponent on the ground. The guy was lying sprawled on the floor, and his entire face was covered with blood and held several bruises in most places. It seemed like he had gone a bit overboard. ''But well, even after I beat him into submission this guy still tried standing up, so yeah, not my fault'' Suzaku shook his head, not understanding why this guy had tried winning to such an extent. However, when he considered that he was one of the top contenders in this city, it made sense that he wouldn''t want to lose... And especially not to a teenager like him. ''Well, too bad'' Suzaku shook his head, and after giving the guy one last look of pity, he left the arena and went to cash out his prize for winning. The process didn''t take much. After a bit of waiting in line with other fighters who wanted to cash their money as well, his turn finally arrived, and he faced a foreign-looking man who, strangely, resembled a particular character from a certain superhero movie about a young man with spider powers. The moment he saw him, Suzaku almost expected him to say "I miss the part where that''s my problem". Fortunately, his worries turned out to be unwarranted as he received his money without problems. After that was done, and seeing that if he continued staying there he would probably get ganged up by those who had bet on his opponent on today''s match, Suzaku decided to call it a day and went back home. The trip, fortunately, was pretty uneventful, something that Suzaku appreciated as lately there had been too many trips back home when something occurred. Be it getting attacked by a bunch of kidnappers, or being told by Tatsuo to come spar with him at his dojo only to then get promoted from disciple to master. Honestly, he preferred things to stay calm for once. That way, he could enjoy the stillness of the trip and simply focus on his thoughts through the journey. Like right now, for example. ''Tomorrow is the grand day, huh?...'' Suzaku thought as he stared at the sunset with a small smile. A week had passed since his meeting with Tatsuo where he revealed his powers to him and the old man announced his retirement. Since then, an entire week had gone by with no event worth noting. That, however, didn''t feel quite right in Suzaku''s mind. Although he didn''t think the old man would rat him out to the police, part of him had expected something to change after he revealed his secret. But no, his days continued to be the same. He spent his days in school sparring with Aizawa whenever the teacher was not busy, studied at the last minute for tests that he had to do the next day, and just spent his days chilling at home. The normality of his days felt odd when he considered he had revealed his most important secret just a week ago. Still, Suzaku wasn''t one to dwell on complicated feelings for too long. Although he would look at his situation with a weird gaze every once in a while, eventually he would just shrug it off and go on with his day. Like today, the last day before the Sports Festival began. Excepting his fight at the fighting club just a few minutes ago, today had been a pretty relaxed day. He was barely even paying attention to the fact that tomorrow he would appear on TV, and get broadcasted to the entire Japan. And honestly, why would he care? He had already been on TV once. However, his appearance was brief, and he was only detailed to be one of the many victims of the crazy doctor who abducted him once. Still, he had appeared on TV, and that was a fact. As such, Suzaku considered himself a pro when it came to appearing on TV. Therefore, he didn''t have anything to fear. "Should I make my glasses more stylish for tomorrow? I gotta look good for the media" Suzaku mused as he caressed his chin in thought. His leisure attitude was the complete opposite of how his classmates had been feeling the last few days. Suzaku could swear that with each day that passed, the more nervous they seemed whenever they met at school. ''I wonder what they are doing right now...'' Suzaku thought, before remembering that they had a Quirksapp group with everyone in the class. As such, Suzaku took out his phone and opened the app, curious about what those guys would be talking about now that the event they were awaiting so much was only a day away. "Ugh..." He, however, winced a bit as he saw two hundred unread messages from the class group. And, in a fit of laziness, he just scrolled all the way down. Not bothering to read whatever they had discussed before. He could just read it later when he felt like it. ... If he remembered to, that is... ¡ã -[Class 1-B rules]- ... [Class Representative dude: Has everyone finished preparing for tomorrow''s grand event?] [Begins with Its instead of Shiz: Remember that we''ll be on live TV for the entire country. So, make sure you look the best you can!] [Tetsux4: Do we have to bring formal clothing? I have none] [Class Representative dude: The teacher didn''t mention it, so we''ll most likely use our uniforms] [Spin me right round: I don''t remember seeing any student using formal clothing during the Sports Festival transmissions] [Scary quirk girl: x2] [Scary quirk girl mushroom version: x3] [Furry Guy: UA students have always used their gym uniforms during the festival] [Tetsux4: Nice] [Class Representative dude: On the topic of bringing something specific to the festival, anyone who requires special equipment for assisting their Quirk, remember to inform the teachers about it before the Sports Festival] [Begins with Its instead of Shiz: @IamSuzakuTheGreat, did you remember to write a speech since you''ll be the students'' representative?] ... ''Shit...'' Suzaku cursed upon reaching the last message. He had done nothing so far. He had forgotten he had to do such a thing in the first place. The teacher told him a week ago, but unfortunately, his mind only retained that information for half an hour, before he then forgot completely. Now, he had to prepare an entire speech for tomorrow. ''If I had known this, I wouldn''t have striven for first place in the practical exam...'' He then scratched the back of his head, annoyed that he would have to spend the rest of what had been supposed to be a free day writing a damn speech. Eventually, though, he just shook his head. ''Whatever, how hard can it be? I bet I''ll finish it in just a few minutes when I arrive home'' After shrugging his concerns aside, he picked up his phone again and began typing. ¡ã ... [Begins with Its instead of Shiz: @IamSuzakuTheGreat, did you remember to write a speech since you''ll be the students'' representative?] [You: Ye] [Crazy guy: ...That doesn''t look very convincing] [Begins with Its instead of Shiz: I''m sure @SuzakuTheGreat already did it] [You: Ye ????] [Crazy guy: ...Say something other than ye] ¡ã Ignoring that last message, Suzaku put his phone back in his pocket and got to brainstorm about what his speech would be while he continued walking home. ''Hmm, well, for starters, I must be humble, nothing good will come from looking like an arrogant prick, which I ain''t. Secondly, since I''m the student representative, I should sound respectable and amiable... That way, I can have everyone love me from the start, and make my rise as a hero in the future smoother'' He grabbed his chin and smiled satisfiedly upon imagining himself on the podium giving a speech worthy of a hero of the masses. As he smirked at that image in his head, he put his hands behind his head and said in a relaxed tone. "This will be so easy" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Some hours later...| ... While sitting on his bed and playing with his QuirkStation, Suzaku''s eyes widened upon catching sight of the hour on his phone''s screen by accident. "Damn, what do you mean it''s already 10 PM?! I haven''t done anything!" After staring at his phone a few more times, as if to make sure he was seeing right, he massaged his temples in annoyance, cursing at himself for procrastinating so much, before he shook his head and stood up to turn off his Quirkstation. "Damn console, thanks to you I wasted all day doing nothing" As he pressed the power button, he shot the device a mean look. Only to then turn around, and walk towards his desk. "Alright, let''s see... What should I begin with?" He picked up a pencil and tapped it on his chin, entering into deep thought. He was like that for a while, thousands of ideas going through his mind every second, until a minute or so later, when he finally came up with something. "This should be good" After he said that, he pressed the pencil against the paper, and got to write like a madman. His speed and style while doing it were only rivaled by a certain supernatural notebook owner who liked to eat potato chips. He stayed like that for a good while, fixing errors, coming up with new stuff, erasing unnecessary stuff, and perfecting the drafts again and again, until after ten minutes passed, he finally finished writing the first part of his speech. Proud after going through so much effort, Suzaku cleaned the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and picked up the paper to read its contents out loud, almost as if practicing for his speech tomorrow. "Ahem... Sup everyone, let''s do well together in this sports festival" He then put the paper down, smiling proudly at what he had just created... -Rip!- ...Only to tear it apart the next second with a pissed-off expression. "What the heck was that trash?!" After throwing the papers away out of sheer frustration, he slouched over his desk and supported his head with both of his hands on his forehead. "Why am I so bad at doing this?" He asked in a low voice, looking lost after discovering another thing he sucked at. Eventually, though, he shook his head and stood up, looking in front of him with a serious and determined gaze. "I must be lacking energy for my brain... Yeah, that must be it, let''s go grab something to munch on then" Thus, without wasting any more time, he turned around and left the room, going to look for something to eat in his fridge. After a bit of looking, he found half of a pizza that he had ordered yesterday and slapped his head in realization. "Right, there was this!" So, after picking it up and putting it in the oven, he went to sit on his sofa and picked up his phone again to make time until his pizza was ready. First, he watched some videos, nothing special. Just scrolling down again and again, waiting for his food to be ready. However, after the 10th video showcasing heroes being assholes or outright fighting with pedestrians, a notification popped up and caught his attention. [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Hey bro, ready for tomorrow?] It was Arata. He clicked the notification and got to reply. [You: Sure I''m just having some trouble writing the speech I must give] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Right, I forgot you were the students'' representative] [You: I''m horrible at this stuff] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Really? Just ask QuirkGPT to write a speech for you then] [You: Bro...] Suzaku cleaned the tears from the corner of his eyes. [You: You''re a true one] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Just don''t make it too obvious that you used it] [You:????] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Btw, I worked on the stuff you asked, what do you think?] Suzaku raised an eyebrow as he saw Arata send various pictures of what appeared to be a red small backpack and a red staff. They looked pretty cool, as it seemed Arata wasn''t one to disregard the visual aspect of his creations. He then sent a video, showcasing how they worked. The backpack, in summary, was very similar to the one Arata had made for himself. The only difference was that this one was small and that it could shoot a metallic arm to push or pull oneself in whichever direction was desired. The speed at which it did it was pretty good as well, it certainly made for enhancing one''s mobility. The staff was much simpler. Although it had the length of a normal staff, much like the one he had received along with his hero suit, this one could extend to what seemed to be three times its original length. Something that Suzaku couldn''t help but look forward to using. "I''m going to mess with their minds so much.... Hehehe" The redhead said as he rubbed his hands against each other maliciously. Imagining his future opponents not being able to assess properly the real length of the staff, and getting wacked in the face as a result. With that, a lot of issues he had at the moment while fighting were solved. The only thing that remained, was waiting for the Sports Festival, and then, he would get his hands on the staff... As for the backpack... Unfortunately, he had talked with Vlad King about both the projects that Arata was developing, and he had only permitted him to use the extensible staff during the competition, not the grappling hook that in this case ended up being the backpack that Arata had come up with. Still, not everything was lost. Vlad King had mentioned that whoever the teacher in charge of observing the events from up close was, they would permit him to use the backpack depending if they saw it fair or interesting for the Sports Festival. So there was still a chance he would be able to use it. It would just depend on the decision of whoever that teacher was. That, or as Arata had said, if an event that required forming teams was chosen, he would become able to share his equipment with Suzaku without restrictions. Hopefully, one of those options would come to pass. As he prayed inside his mind at his God, Suzaku began typing on his phone again. [You: They look epic] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: A little warning though, the staff ended up being pretty heavy] [You: Dont chu worry, these hands were made for grabbing long metal rods] ... [You: That came up weird] [Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Yeah, a little] -Ding!- Suzaku sighed as he exited the conversation on his phone, and glanced at the oven. His pizza was ready it seemed. He stood up and began serving it on a plate. When he was done, he brought it with him to the couch and began digging in. Of course, not without turning on the TV first, so that he could have something to watch as he ate. He could have used his phone to watch something, but since he was going to eat something oily, he didn''t want to dirty the screen. {... And now, let''s take a look at tomorrow''s weather! Expect a bright and sunny day to shine down on the rising stars of the UA Sports Festival. Clear skies will provide the perfect backdrop for these talented heroes as they compete, with temperatures...} Upon turning on the TV, the first channel that came up was a news channel currently showcasing the weather report for tomorrow. Suzaku was lazy and didn''t bother changing it, deciding that it would do the job of distracting him while he ate. Though he had to admit, he got a bit annoyed when he saw that even in the weather report they were amping up the incoming Sports Festival. ''They sure love to watch it, huh?'' Suzaku scoffed as he took another bite of his pizza. Though, internally, a bit of nervousness began slowly sprouting. The importance that this event had was slowly dawning on him, and therefore, the impact that his behavior during it could have on his future as a hero. At first, he had seen it as a simple show for a mildly large amount of people from Japan who were interested in the show. However, he had to admit it now. He was wrong. The entire Japan was crazy about it, and they were all talking about it left and right. Even at the Underground Fighting Club, he overheard some people talking about it. What was about to happen tomorrow, was truly important. In the end, however, he shrugged off those feelings with a shake of his head. Not wanting to get overwhelmed by such a nasty feeling as nervousness was. ''Why am I overthinking it so much? I just need to give the damn speech, and then whoop the ass of everyone until I make my way to the third or second place, easy peasy lemon squeezy'' With that thought, he gave one last and decisive bite of his pizza, almost as if taking out his frustration on it. However, then a certain memory came to his mind. {"Whatever it is you desire to become, whatever is it you desire to achieve... You better do it intending to reach the top. Neither third nor second place are goals worthy of a disciple of my school..."} The words from the old man in their last meeting replayed in his head, almost like a nagging from him. Suzaku scoffed. He was just being strategic. He could achieve first place if he wanted, but he preferred not to be in the spotlight. And besides, even if the old man had said that, how was he actually supposed to beat All Might at being a hero? The dude was simply too much for him to surpass, Impostor powers or not. Sure, beating him in a fight was possible, although he wasn''t sure, he assumed his killing ability would be able to one-shot All Might. However, outperforming him as a hero was another thing. The dude was just on a whole another level, both physically, and mentally. From what he had seen, the dude not only was a pro at solving crimes in a record time that could make all the other heroes look like snails, but he had also focused his entire life on fighting crime. He was not called the Symbol of Peace for nothing. Suzaku, on the other hand, didn''t plan on going to such an extent. He just wanted money for god''s sake, and for that, he just needed to stand out among the other heroes, not be the best one. As such, believing he could become the number one hero was but a pipe dream, and Suzaku knew it. ''Though, now that I think about it, the dude is looking to retire, isn''t he?'' That was right, he had supposedly received a pretty bad injury during a fight years ago, and as a result, he had chosen Midoriya to be his successor. Passing him down his powers, which the greenhead would have to train to be able to use them effectively. Upon realizing that fact, Suzaku considered for a moment the possibility of reaching the top. However, after a few seconds, he discarded that thought. Eventually, Midoriya would probably reach the same level of power that All Might had shown in his prime, and as a result, even if he tried, it would be impossible to surpass the crime-fighting level that Midoriya would develop in the future. ''Yeah, what was I thinking, I should just stick to¡ª'' {Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We interrupt our regular programming to bring you an urgent, last-minute notice from the police department} "Huh?" Suzaku''s train of thought was abruptly interrupted by the sudden sound of the news program announcing some breaking news. "..." He leaned forward and listened attentively, this type of news was usually pretty serious, so he wanted to see what had happened. {... It has just been revealed that earlier this afternoon, police forces, alongside several professional heroes and affiliates, successfully carried out a raid on a dangerous villain den, capturing nearly 50 individuals in the process. However, authorities have issued a warning, as some villains managed to escape with the aid of external assistance. The police are urging citizens to remain vigilant, as the escapees are believed to be planning a major attack. If you have any information, please contact the authorities at the number provided right now...} "Damn" Suzaku eyed the TV with a surprised expression. Images of several villains walking out of a shady-looking building could be seen playing on the screen, the amount and huge concentration of individuals who alone were capable of terrifying a huge number of people was scary. ''Just what were those guys planning, having gathered in such an amount?'' They said they captured around fifty villains, but there were still some that managed to escape. Which meant that the amount of villains they were gathering was even higher than what was visible on the TV. "Sheesh, what a crazy bunch," Suzaku said with a serious look. Even he would have some trouble dealing with such large groups. Especially when taking into consideration how varied their Quirks would turn out to be. For the police and the heroes to have managed to subdue them, Suzaku felt a lot of respect for them. Still, his interest in the news was pretty short-lived. He continued watching for a while, observing the images of the villains being thrown into police cars or the interviews that the reporters did with some passersby who had been close to the scene. However, eventually, he grew bored of it and turned the TV off. "What a chaotic world," The redhead commented as he stared at the black screen of his turned-off TV, stretching a bit while still sitting on the couch before he then turned around to look at the door that led to his room with a serious gaze. "... But enough of losing time, I should go to sleep soon, so let''s get done with this damn speech" After saying that, he stood up and walked back to his room. After sitting down at his desk and picking up a paper and a pencil, Suzaku cracked his neck and took out his phone. As Arata had suggested, he was going to QuirkGPT to speed up the creation of his speech. Otherwise, Suzaku could already see himself staying up all night just to make something acceptable. And that was not an option, considering that tomorrow he should be in his best condition. -Beep, beep, beep, beep...- "Hmm?" However, just as he was opening the app, something popped up on his screen and stopped him. "The hell?" His parents were calling. Confused by the suddenness of their call, Suzaku tilted his head and stared at his screen for a few seconds. Not getting why they would be calling at an hour like this. However, In the end, he assumed the motive of their call was due to tomorrow''s event. They had been watching the UA Sports Festival ever since he woke up in this new life. It was understandable that they would be hyped up to call their son, knowing he would appear at the event. Therefore, Suzaku let out a sigh and answered the call. Not wanting to keep them waiting any longer. "Hey Mom and Dad" Suzaku spoke with a bit of a lazy tone. Expecting both of his parents to shout at him excited about the news. {"Suzaku..."} However, to his surprise, it was only his father who answered back, and what puzzled him more, his tone was incredibly somber. "What''s wrong?" Suzaku asked with a worried tone. Wondering just what would make his father talk like this when he thought he would be jumping in happiness. His father''s next words, however, were enough to make him understand. "Tatsuo-san... he... passed away" ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Gotta go fast so no commentary this Chapter) -> Chapter 47: Try not to bore me Chapter 47: Try not to bore me Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ... ¡ã |The day after...| ... The day of the Sports Festival finally arrived. People from all over the country, and even from outside had come to observe the greatest talents of what could be considered the best hero school in all of Japan compete against each other. Similar to previous years, the public eye was centered mostly on the 3rd years'' stage, as they were students who had already honed their skills and could be considered full-fledged heroes. However, surprisingly, this year it wasn''t only the 3rd years that were in the spotlight, but the 1st years as well. As to why... "Did you hear? Endeavor''s son will be there!" "The kid that almost got eaten by that sludge villain will be there too!" "This is something the friend of a friend told me, but it seems Ingenium''s little brother will also be there" "Really?!" "The first years this time are looking pretty entertaining!" ... The were a lot of individuals in the first year that caught the eye of the masses. And although their stage wasn''t as popular as it would have been if a certain villain attack had happened, that still didn''t take away the curiosity that the people had after knowing the appearance of these individuals inside the Sports Festival. Unfortunately for their curiosity, however, they would have to wait for a bit, as the events of the Sports Festival were yet to begin. Luckily for them, hundreds of food stands were lined up outside of the stadium to make the wait more enjoyable. Thanks to that, and the growing excitement in everyone present as the time for the grand event to begin approached, the air around the entire campus was as cheerful as it could be. However, not everything was colors and rainbows for everyone. In the class 1-B''s waiting room, the mood was heavy. Everyone was nervous to the brim, and the fact that they knew they would have to go out at any moment now wasn''t making things easier. "Uhu~! I''m getting pumped up! I will win this thing!!" -Bang- Of course, not everyone was like that. Tetsutetsu, for example, was grinning widely as he struck his fists against each other, awaiting the moment Nirengeki (The class representative) entered the room and announced their entrance. Ibara was another one who didn''t look very nervous at the moment. However, taking into account that she usually didn''t show much emotion and that she was currently praying in her seat, it was unknown whether she was truly calm or not at the moment. "Fuuh~ Damn, I can''t stop my knees from trembling..." "Tetsutetsu, let me copy your¡ªNo, wait, Togaru, I think yours is¡ªNo, hold on, wouldn''t Jurota''s be better...?" "Darkness is with me, I won''t lose, I''m the invincible shadow of night..." "I think I''m going to cough up blood..." ... As for the rest, well, they certainly weren''t fine. They were all dealing with their nervousness on their own way. Although, whether they were being successful or not, was another whole matter. "Kinoko-chan, did you do well with your training?" "I don''t know, I did my best but... I don''t think my Quirk will be that useful during the events" "Come on, don''t say that" "Did you do well on it, Kendo-san?" "W-well..." Itsuka, on the other hand, was doing her best to calm all of her nervous classmates with some small talk, or giving some cheering words to them, trying to alleviate a bit of the heavy air around the room. However, she wasn''t looking all that good either, as a result, her tries to help her classmates weren''t being very effective. The only exception to the rule was but one teenager. (Aside from Tetsutetsu and Ibara) A teenager who was sitting around a table along with others, and who was simply staring down with a blank expression while keeping his arms crossed. Suzaku. However, something was strange about him at the moment. His expression, which usually tended to be nonchalant or almost uncaring about everything around him, was deadly serious at the moment, his eyes behind his glasses glued to the table as if lost in his thoughts. The sight had confused a few of his classmates. Although Suzaku wasn''t exactly a chatterbox, he also wasn''t such a silent person. So, why was he like that? Tetsutetsu, who had just finished pumping himself up, turned to look at him with a puzzled face, having expected him to say something Suzaku-like at his loud winning declaration from earlier. And after watching him for a bit, and realizing that he was not as energetic as he used to be, he approached and tapped his shoulder. -Tap- "Hey, Suzaku, you okay man?" "Huh?" Startled over being called out of nowhere, Suzaku lifted his head and turned to look at the metallic teenager with a confused expression for a moment, before he then nodded his head right away. "Ah yeah, I''m fine... Why do you ask?" "You seem kinda out of it, are you nervous?" Tetsutetsu asked with a concerned face. That comment caught the attention of everyone in the room, including those who had been focused on calming their nerves until now. "..." Suzaku fell silent for a second, not knowing what to say in response to those words, before he eventually scoffed while a faint smile emerged on his face "Me? Nervous? Don''t be delusional. I was just thinking about what I''m going to eat today after this sports thingy passes... you know, something nice like a cheeseburger, or some pizza" "You sure are carefree" Tetsutetsu smirked. "There''s no point in having someone as great as me be nervous about an event as trivial as this one," Suzaku shrugged, before his eyes then caught sight of his worried classmates around the room. "...-Sigh...-" Upon seeing them like that, he sighed almost in an exasperated manner, before he turned his body to face them all as he spoke. "... Nor should anyone of you. It''s not like we are going to die if we fail this time. There are still three years ahead, and therefore three more opportunities to hone and perfect our skills so that we can show the entire country the good heroes that we are. Besides, it''s been less than a month since we got into this school, and from here on, we are only going to get better and better, so don''t fear making mistakes, it''s part of getting good" -Paf!- "Argh, what the hell man?!" He then slapped Tetsutetsu''s back, making the metallic teenager stumble forward as he groaned in pain. Immediately after doing that, Suzaku smirked and looked at his classmates with a calm smile. "As of now, let''s just do our best until this thing is over!" When those words echoed around the room, everyone turned to look at Suzaku with faint smiles on their faces, having just calmed down a little with his words. The pained expression on Tetsutetsu also made them laugh a little. Although their nervousness hadn''t faded away completely, at least now they were feeling a bit better. They were now feeling a bit more prepared for what was about to happen. Unfortunately, everyone''s smiles faded away instantly the moment Suzaku opened his mouth again. "Though, have in mind that when I said to not fear making mistakes, I was only talking about you bunch, as for me, I don''t make mistakes, I''m perfect" "You were doing so well, Suzaku... Why did you have to say that?" Sen asked as he looked at Suzaku with a deadpan. In response to Sen''s question, everyone nodded their heads as well. -Tsk- Seeing them act like that, Suzaku clicked his tongue. "What an ungrateful bunch you are" After that, the air around the room got a bit lighter. The students, who until then had been too busy calming and mentalizing themselves for the festival, started chatting with each other and even joking around as if the matter that had worried everyone until then no longer existed. As they did, however, Suzaku''s smile slowly dissipated while he went back to staring at the air. Returning after a while to the same blank expression that he had earlier before encouraging his classmates. He put his hands in his pockets, and after closing his eyes for a moment, his face lifted to look at the ceiling. -Sigh...- From then on, the voices and laughter of his classmates, plus the other noises like chairs moving or people doing mini-exercises to warm up before the event, all turned into background noise to him. The only thing that prevailed and remained on his ears, was his beating heart, which the more Suzaku heard it, the more it reassembled a ticking clock measuring the passage of time to him. -Badump- -Badump- -Badump- Then, amidst that constant beating, a small muttering escaped his mouth. "To go for it, or to not go for it, that''s the question..." -Bang!- Immediately after saying that, the door of the room burst open, and Narengeki appeared from behind it with an alarmed expression. "Everyone, are you ready? It''s time!" Upon receiving the announcement, the faces of everyone present immediately turned to look at their class representative with seriousness plastered all over them. It was finally time. Upon repeating those words in their minds, everyone nodded their heads and stood up. Suzaku, who had been staring at the ceiling until then, snapped out of his thoughts and shot the class representative a lazy stare before ultimately nodding his head and standing up like the rest. Then, as his entire class left the waiting room and began walking through the long passageway that led to the center of the stadium, he joined them from behind and began walking among them. As he did, however, his complicated thoughts continued running. ''Why am I still considering it? Hadn''t I already made a list of reasons why I shouldn''t go for it?'' His eyes slowly were directed to the ground, getting lost on a single point without moving. ''Then, why the heck am I thinking about this now? The plan is already completely laid out, all I need to do is follow it, and I''ll be set'' His eyes then turned to look at his walking classmates in front of him. ''Besides, what is there to gain if I do that? Recognition from my peers and those so-called heroes that''ll be watching?'' He almost snorted at that thought. ''Yeah sure, even if I did win the first place in this thing, with my Quirk I bet no one worth noting would have a real interest in me... The only ones who may be interested are the public, but aside from maybe securing some fame for the future me, is it really worth it to stand in the spotlight, just for some minor convenience in my future hero career?'' He remembered the face of that psycho doctor. ''Who knows how many more crazed bastards like him will appear... Maybe I''m just being paranoic, but even when I was a no-name kid from a random neighborhood in a random ass city, that old psycho still managed to find me, so I don''t want to think what would happen if I became the first place in an event that all of Japan is watching'' He then eyed his wrist, more specifically, the spot from where usually his bone-knife would sprout. ''Although I don''t doubt my capacity to kill all of them in the end, there''s still no reason to invite trouble to come my way'' His fist then squeezed as his eyes began narrowing a little. ''So, there''s really no reason for me to strive for the first place...'' Yeah, there was truly no reason. But then... Why was something inside him screaming at him to shut up and just go for it? It was uncomfortable, suffocating, frustrating. The more Suzaku felt that way, the more he began getting irritated. -Tap- "...?" Fortunately, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at who it was and saw a familiar orange-haired girl standing next to him. "Are you okay Suzaku? You were looking a bit angry just now" Itsuka asked as she stared at him with a worried expression. Suzaku''s frown softened as he nodded. "Ah, I''m fine, just thinking about some stuff" Shortly after, Tojiro, the mantis-like guy, walked up to them and crossed his arms as he spoke. "I''ve been feeling you a little low today, though, I''m not completely sure if it''s my imagination or not" Monoma, who was a bit away from them, then also commented on the matter "Yeah, you aren''t being as haughty as usual" Sen who was a bit ahead of them, turned his head around. "Nor as annoying" "You guys want to get beaten up, huh?" Suzaku''s eyebrows furrowed. That shut both Sen and Monoma up. After dealing with the pair, Suzaku turned towards Tojiro and Itsuka. "I just have a few things to think about it, don''t worry" The two nodded at his words, although looking faintly unconvinced. However, neither of them had the luxury of worrying about it any longer, since soon, the sunlight coming from the end of the pathway blinded them, and the roaring cheers of the crowd alerted them of what lay ahead. It was time. Upon having that thought, the class gulped nervously in unison and walked forward. Slowly stepping into the sunlight, and squinting their eyes faintly as the deafening roars of the crowd began getting closer and closer. And, as if announcing their entrance, soon the voice of a certain teacher echoed around the stadium. {"Another class full of talent, and not inferior in any way to the previous one... Hero course, Class 1-B!!"} With that presentation, they finally stepped into the field and entered the watchful eye of the huge crowd around them. Some stared nervously around them when they realized the huge number of people that would be watching them from then on, others, however, just continued walking without minding the crowd, simply focusing on getting to the center of the field as they smiled confidently. Their smiles, however, wavered faintly when they noticed who was there already. Class 1-A. The moment they saw them, a glint of rivalry sparkled within the eyes of the entire class 1-B. (Except Suzaku) Although they didn''t have any beef with them, as the opposite class of the hero course, they were still their main rivals in this festival, at least in their eyes. As such, the moment they saw them standing there, their competing spirit was ignited. Now, it wasn''t only about winning, but also about showing which class was the best! {"Next up, general studies, classes C, D, and E!"} As they made their way there, other classes also emerged from their gates, getting presented by Present Mic the moment they stepped into view, and then making their stride toward the center of the stadium like everyone else. {"Support course, classes F, G, and H are here too!"} {"And finally, business course, classes I, J and K!"} After who knows how many more presentations from the rockstar-like hero, the mass of students from different classes eventually all reunited in front of the stage, forming a single big group. -Whispers...- Unfortunately, although they were standing in a united manner, the air around the group was anything but united. While they waited for a teacher to begin with the whole thing, intense gazes began being shot left and right. Be it raw hostility, competitiveness, fear, or disregard, there was a mix of everything in the amalgam of classes. It was evident by then, that none of the classes had any intentions of making friends at this event. "Hmm?" As he scratched the back of his head, ignoring some intense gazes that were being shot at him, Suzaku caught sight of someone amidst one of the other classes and raised an eyebrow. It was Arata. "...!" His friend also seemed to notice him at that moment, and the next second he smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Something that Suzaku just replied with a short nod of his head. -Plaf!- They, unfortunately, were not able to continue communicating with each other, as suddenly, the sharp sound of a whip hitting the air came from the stage in front of them, and caught the attention of everyone, making them turn their heads to look at its origin. There, they saw a certain busty black-haired woman in tight white clothes that were better off in other types of jobs, rather than in the one of a hero. Most of the people who saw her immediately recognized her, as she was in a way, an infamous heroine who had caused quite a controversy back in the day due to her... "Low-coverage" themed hero suit. Midnight, the R-rated Hero. Now, though, she was here only as a UA teacher, and more importantly, as the one in charge of observing the events. "Damn, what are those clothes?" "Is it appropriate for her to be dressed like that right now?" "Zamn!" Once she saw that everyone''s attention was on her, although not exactly on her face, she smiled satisfiedly and spoke aloud. "Time for the player''s pledge!" Midnight said, as she then lifted her whip, staring at a certain redhead among the students. "Representing the students is... Suzaku Suzuki, from class 1-B!" The moment his name was called up, Suzaku lifted his head and gave a lazy nod. Making then his way to the stage with slow steps. ""..."" His slow pace irritated some students of the other classes, who were feeling rather impatient at the moment. However, with him being the student''s representative, no one dared to say anything. -Rustle- As Suzaku finally got up the stage and approached the microphone, he took out a crumpled paper sheet from his pocket, and opened it just a bit below his eye level, planning to read it while he spoke through the microphone. "Seriously?" "Did he not have the decency of learning it?" "He doesn''t look like he is taking this seriously" Some comments began being heard by the students once they saw Suzaku nonchalantly take out the paper. However, as soon as Midnight struck the air with her whip again, their complaints died down. Suzaku hadn''t really cared though. He just wanted to get done with whatever he was supposed to do here and go back down with the others. Something that should be pretty simple, as long as he read the piece of paper in his hands. The speech he had to give, or in this case, the player''s pledge, simply required him to speak in the representation of everyone participating in the event, saying they would commit to fair play, maintain their integrity, and have good sportsmanship throughout the event. With that, he was good to go. The paper in his hand had a basic speech he had copied and pasted from QuirkGPT, and although it wasn''t the most inspirational speech in the world, it did the job of what he had to do. As such, after tapping the microphone for a second, he cleared his throat and began to read, his tone monotone, almost as if he didn''t want to be there. "Sensei, as a representative of all competitors, I pledge that we will approach this festival with honor and integrity. We commit to giving our best efforts, respecting our fellow participants, and upholding the values of fairness and sportsmanship. In the spirit of friendly competition, we will strive to improve ourselves and push our limits, not just for victory, but for the growth of our abilities as heroes-in-training..." He then stopped. His eyes landed on the last line within the paper. May the best among us rise through hard work, determination, and respect. His mouth tried reading that last line out loud. However, something within him stopped him. ''Why am I doubting?'' A frown covered his face immediately upon hesitating to say that last line. It was but a simple line, why was he hesitating to say it? The moment he asked himself that, his eyes landed on a certain part of that line. {May the best among us rise...} The moment he read that, he realized what was happening, letting a low groan that only he heard. ''Why am I thinking of this again...? Didn''t I make it very clear for myself? Striving for first place will only bring me trouble...'' He then turned to stare at the last line in the paper again. ''It''s as easy as reading this line and then going down... So, come on, mouth, do your fucking job!'' He frowned and tried pushing his voice to come out. However, the moment he felt his voice about to escape his mouth, he closed it in a hurry. Causing Suzaku to frown, as his eyes closed in contemplation. ''Why am I doubting so much about a decision I thought I had already accepted? Why me, of all people, is having second thoughts about not trying to get first place?'' He looked at the crowd, where several Pro-heroes could be seen seated observing the spectacle. ''Do I want to impress those guys so much?! Do I care so much about how I will look to them?! Do I care so much about securing my internships?! No, that''s not it, I wouldn''t care less about that... Then, why¡ª?'' The moment he made himself that question, the face of a certain someone emerged briefly in his mind. Making Suzaku widen his eyes for a second, only for his frown to then deepen. ''Ah, right... It''s because of that bastard...'' Irritation began surfacing on Suzaku''s face. His hands, which were holding the paper delicately until then, suddenly crumpled it in one swoop. ''It''s because of his damn words, that I don''t feel comfortable with my decision anymore....'' His teeth ground against each other. ''... It''s because of his damn last words, that not trying feels wrong...'' As that realization dawned on him, he turned to stare at the bright blue sky, his frown now completely adorning his face. ''Second place is for sissies... That''s what that fucker said... Hah, yeah, he sure liked to run his mouth a lot... What is wrong with third or second places? Why did that old piece of shit have to say something like that, just on the last time we would see each other?!'' His gaze then fell to the microphone in front of him. ''... Fucking old man, why did you have to die?'' The moment that thought crossed his mind, his angry expression faded, and was instead replaced with an empty look. Suzaku just stared at the air without expression, letting his thoughts run wild. Eventually, however, he put an end to everything. ''Whatever'' The next second, he grabbed the microphone and turned around to face the giant group of students. "Everyone... Do your best and..." His eyes then landed on several of the class 1-A. "... Try not to bore me too much" ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: My man Suzaku angering everyone) -> Chapter 48: Race Chapter 48: Race Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã "...Try not to bore me too much" ... .. . The moment Suzaku let out those words through the microphone, the entire stadium fell into a deadly silence, as if someone had pushed the mute button on everyone present at the moment. It was not only the baffled students before Suzaku who had fallen silent but also the people sitting in the stands. And how could they not? The students'' representative, someone whose duty was to uphold good sportsmanship, had taunted everyone at the very moment of his speech. What was more, he had done it during a live transmission that was being watched by the majority of Japan on all things. Neither of the previous students'' representatives had dared to do such a thing. "Thank you for your attention" In the end, though, the silence only lasted for half a second, until Suzaku put an end to his speech and placed the microphone back in its support before walking away. "Screw you!" "What the hell does that mean?!" "The guys from the hero course think they are hot shit, huh?!" "Asshole!" "I''ll incinerate you, damn bastard!" Immediately after the speech ended, the group of students outside of class 1-B immediately began getting rowdy and looking at Suzaku and his classmates with fiery anger in their eyes. Causing the poor 1-B class to cover their faces in shame and try their best to look like they didn''t know Suzaku in the slightest. Meanwhile, in the stands, several pro heroes were laughing faintly at the show Suzaku had put on. "Haha, what a quirky student" "To say something like that in front of the entire Japan, that kid''s got guts" "... I''m not sure if that was very smart though. Look at all the others, they are fuming in anger, he''ll surely get targeted the moment the events begin" "Well, if he is as skilled as he made it sound, he should be able to face the consequences of his words" "Hah, you''re right. Let''s hope he has what it takes to back that confidence up" In the world of heroes, being confident means that one has trust in their abilities, so of course their interest was picked up. What kind of abilities would the one who ranked first among most students have to be so confident in himself? Every single one of the heroes looking for potential talents was asking themselves this same question. His attitude was something that could be fixed in due time, talent, however, was not. They were eager to see what Suzaku would have in store for them. As for whether his confidence would turn out to be baseless arrogance in the end or not, that was about to be seen. Back to the group of students... "You damn psycho, why did you do that?!" Monoma said, shaking Suzaku back and forth comically. Suzaku shrugged as he continued to be shaken. "Just because" Then, Sen screamed from among the group of students. "You''re not right in the head!" Gaining a nod from some of his classmates, who were looking a little concerned by the hostile gazes sent to them. Hearing that last comment, Suzaku scoffed, before he pushed Monoma''s hands away from his collar, and put his hands back into his pockets. "If they are so angry at my words, then they just have to prove me wrong... However, whether they will be able to, we''ll see" "You..." As Monoma was gritting his teeth, Testutetsu walked up to them and flashed a toothy smile as he patted Monoma''s shoulder. "Well, calm down Monoma. Although he could have said it more nicely, Suzaku is right... If they don''t have the skill to prove Suzaku''s words wrong, then that''s their problem" "There''s a thing called being civil," Monoma said with a deadpan, however, he was ignored by both. "By the way Tetsutetsu" Suzaku turned to look at the metallic teenager. "... You were included in what I said" "WHAT?! YOU COCKY BASTA¡ª!!" -Whip!- "Attention!" Unfortunately, Tetsutetsu was never able to finish his words, as soon Midnight snapped her whip in the air, and spoke aloud for everyone to hear. "Now then, since we are done with that, let''s get started immediately with the FIRST EVENT of this year''s sports festival!" Suddenly, a huge screen was deployed behind Midnight, with a roulette-like animation playing in the background, catching the attention of all the students who knew what it meant. It was time for the first event''s selection. Midnight licked her lips with a sadistic smile upon seeing their nervous countenance, before going on with the presentation. "I''m sure everyone''s already dying to know, so I''ll not prolong it further... The oh-so-fateful and dream-destroying first event of this year is..." Midnight spoke with a tone of anticipation in her voice, before snapping her whip once more as the animation stopped playing, and the picture of a stick figure in a running posture appeared. "An obstacle race!!!" -Cheers!- The instant the event was announced, the crowd exploded into cheers. Enthusiasm for seeing how such a competition would develop overflowed from everyone in the stands. The students, however, nervously gulped at the sight of their soon-to-be challenge. Some even began crying, as their Quirks wouldn''t be able to excel much at a competition like that. Suzaku, however, retained his poker face, simply giving some of his nervous classmates a few glances and a pitying look to the poor Arata in the distance who was glooming over having his physical aspect tested once again. ''Well, I helped him train for a bit a while ago, so he shouldn''t screw up so bad... probably...'' As Suzaku was pondering if he should aid his ally a bit during the event, Midnight then proceeded to explain its contents to avoid any possible confusion among the students. In summary, everyone would have to complete a four-kilometer course that circled the entire outer part of the stadium, where different sets of obstacles would be placed to make the competency more "Entertaining". She didn''t delve into what they would be, but none of the present ones felt like they were gonna be easy. However, that was not the part that interested the students the most, but the next one. "One more thing" Midnight smiled deviously. "If there''s a thing our school values a lot, it''s freedom! As such, as long as you stay on the course... Anything is allowed" ""...!"" That announcement, although it didn''t cause any visible change in the nervous students, caused a shift in the mood that was felt by many. -Stares...- Suddenly, several eyes were directed at Suzaku''s nonchalant figure, and from the expressions of their owners, it was evident that no one of them held good intentions. The redhead of course noticed it, but he didn''t mind it much. He had taunted everyone for a reason. If there wasn''t a challenge, then what was the point of achieving first place? He was gonna wipe the floor with everyone, regardless of how many they were. -Whip!- "That''s all, now everyone go to your positions!" After finishing the explanations, Midnight whipped the air one last time and dismissed the students, who began moving towards the starting line at one of the stadium''s gates. "Hey, let me through, I must start first!" "Get out of the way!" "Stay in your place!" "Hey, first come first served!" "I said it move it, asshole!" However, the moment everyone got there, quarrels to secure the best spot from where to begin running started happening left and right. The number of students was such, that those who would end up in the last rows would inevitably have a great disadvantage when the race began. Therefore, it was understandable why everyone was so focused on securing a good spot. Even Suzaku''s classmates and Arata had gone off to fight for good spots in the race. The redhead, however, did not even bother. By the time their preparation time ended, Suzaku ended up standing among the last row of students, where the lazy, uninterested, or simply shy students who couldn''t bring themselves or bother to fight for better positions were. Plus, as the festival''s number one enemy right now, he didn''t think he would be given much way into the front rows either. ''Not that I''ll need it'' Suzaku thought as his eyes squinted faintly. As the time of starting approached, many of his classmates shot him confused or almost concerned looks upon seeing him so at the back. However, after seeing his carefree expression, most of them shrugged their worries aside, feeling like he was gonna be fine. In the end, after around 5 minutes passed and everyone got a good hold of their positions, Midnight''s voice echoed loudly in the stadium and put everyone on high alert. "Everyone, get ready!" After that, right above the starting line, three green lights were turned on, acting as the countdown. The eyes of every single student immediately became glued on them, and as if to respond to their fervent anxiousness, soon enough, one by one the light in them began disappearing. [3] [2] [1] Until none were left. The next instant, Midnight raised her arm into the air and shouted the word that everyone was waiting for. "Start!" The moment her voice resounded through the field, everyone began to get on the move, running in unison to the gate like a furious stampede. And, as the huge mass of students ran with all their might ahead, the voice of Present Mic suddenly reached the ears of everyone around. {"Well, here''s the play-by-play! Are you ready to do the commentary, Eraser-head?"} Aizawa''s voice came after his. {"You forced me to come"} {"Ahem, let''s not pay attention to that, Eraser. First of all, what do you think we should pay attention to during these early stages of the competition?"} {"This part right now"} The next second, a huge problem occurred. The starting line, which consisted of a tunnel that led to the outside, was not wide enough to fit all the furiously running students. As a result, the moment they began entering it, the tunnel started getting cramped, slowing the anxious students down, until at one point no one could move anymore. "Hey, move it!" "Come on, why aren''t you guys at the front moving?!" "Hurry up!" "Hey, watch out!" "Stop pushing, we can''t move either!" The heated-up students, whose adrenaline reserves were at full power after Midnight had given start to the competition, were quick to get frustrated when they found themselves in such a stupid situation when they were in one of the most important moments in their lives. Some elbowed others, trying to give themselves some room to breathe, while others pushed those in front of them with all their might, hoping to continue with the race as soon as possible albeit not very successful. However, things were about to change. -Swoosh!- The next second, a huge wave of cold washed over everyone inside the tunnel, freezing the floor in the process, and causing confusion among everyone. Then, from the other side of the tunnel, on the outer part of the stadium, a figure emerged from the cold mist that had been created. "Sorry about this..." Todoroki said with a fake-apologetic tone, as he began running ahead. Leaving behind the huge crowd of students, who glanced at his back with shock. Immediately, they tried chasing after him upon seeing him take the lead so casually. However, they soon realized a problem. "W-what is this¡ª?!" "I can''t¡ª!" "It''s freezing over¡ª!" The huge wave of cold had not only made way for Todoroki to pass, but it had also frozen the feet of many unprepared teenagers, who got stuck to the floor and couldn''t move anymore. That wasn''t the case for everyone, however. -Boom!- -Flash!- In the next second, four figures also made their way through the group and quickly began following after Todoroki. Bakugo, Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, and Kirishima all used their Quirks to spring out of the crowded tunnel, evading Todoroki''s floor-freezing move. However, they were not the only ones to do that. Soon after, Ibara, Tetsutetsu, and Fukidashi (The manga-face guy) all used their Quirks in their own way and sprang out of the crowd as well. Following after those ahead immediately. After that, more students followed their example, from many of the hero course, to students from other departments. Everyone began using their Quirks to their advantage and to level things up a bit. As for where a certain red-headed youth was during all this... "Hey, what the fuck?!" "Ouch, who did¡ª?!" "Ack!" "Watch it!" Suddenly, amidst the still-trapped crowd of students, Suzaku figure emerged like an expert gymnast and began using the heads and shoulders of everyone who was still trapped in the ice as step holds to move through the tunnel. Many eyed him with anger on annoyance upon feeling his weight fall upon them for a second, but Suzaku just ignored them all until he got to the end of the tunnel. Landing then on the floor once again, and immediately starting to run after everyone who had gotten ahead without looking back at the troubled students whom he had stepped on. His speed caught the eyes of many competitors, who from one moment to another began seeing Suzaku pass by their side as if they were snails in comparison to him. He even ran past Midoriya, who had also managed to get out of the crowd. "Suzuki-kun?!" The green-headed teenager looked at him shocked upon seeing his fast figure run past him in less than a second, and soon leave him behind. Suzaku however, did not pay him attention, and just continued sprinting at full speed, moving through the positions like a bullet, until ultimately, he began approaching those who were at the front. The first one he met was Bakugo, who upon catching sight of Suzaku running past him, had a vein sprout on his forehead and yelled at him furiously. "Red-haired bastard!" "Brat-who-won''t-shut-up" Suzaku addressed him as well as he gave Bakugo a small nod while running past him, making the blonde even more angry. "You¡ª!" Bakugo looked like he wanted to do something at that moment. However, before he had the chance, Suzaku''s speed increased and he began leaving him behind, even though the blonde was using explosions to propel himself forward. "Wait, you bastard!!!" As Suzaku''s figure got further and further, Bakugo shouted in frustration as he tried grabbing him. Suzaku, unfortunately, just ignored him, and went on with his full-speed sprint, soon leaving the blonde to bite the dust, and passing by a surprised Momo, who eyed him with shock, and an awed Kirishima who shot him a thumbs up upon seeing his speed. By the time everyone else had finally left the tunnel, Suzaku was already in second place just a bit behind Todoroki, who despite his initial advantage, was quickly being caught up by Suzaku. Until, after a while, the gap between them turned to nothing as Suzaku finally caught up with the red and white-haired teenager, and gave him a curt nod as he passed by his side. "Sup" "...?" Todoroki didn''t say anything. However, a frustrated expression still surged on his face when he realized Suzaku had somehow still caught up. His frown deepened even further when he noticed that with Suzaku''s speed, it was only a matter of time before he started being left behind as well. ''So his fighting skill was not the only thing he excelled at...'' Todoroki squinted his eyes, and for a brief moment, considered making a move against Suzaku. After all, Midnight had implied that anything was allowed during the race, so fighting other competitors should be as well. However, before he had the chance to decide whether to do it or not, Todoroki''s eyes caught sight of a quickly approaching object, and he dodged in a hurry. -Bang!- "What...?" The next second after jumping away, he caught sight of what had almost hit him, widening his eyes upon seeing a huge tank-like robot with the number 3 printed on its carcass, striking the same spot where he had been standing just a second ago. ''A robot?'' As Todoroki pondered the reason for a robot to be here, Suzaku''s voice reached his ears. "The villain bots from the practical exam, huh?" Having entered through recommendation, Todoroki didn''t get to fight them as he never took the practical exam, and as such, he also never got to see them. Having only heard his classmates mention them from time to time during the short time they had been together. ''So this is what they fought in the practical exam?'' Todoroki eyed the metallic entity with curiosity. However, his focus on the robot in front of him shifted pretty quickly when he saw what lay in the distance, waiting for them. -Broooom!!- There, lined up horizontally like a wall, several titanic robots could be seen awaiting patiently the moment someone would try to pass by them. Ready to squash any student in sight with their colossal size. It was the 0-pointers. The moment his eyes landed on them, Present Mic''s voice began echoing around the stands of the stadium, narrating what was happening. {"Obstacles have shown up already in front of our leading participants! Starting with the first barrier... Robo Inferno!!!"} Their sheer size and numbers surprised Todoroki a bit. However, despite his initial surprise, there was not a hint of worry in his eyes. He was confident in taking them on if it came to that. His Quirk did allow for that. However, he wasn''t the only one who seemed to be full of confidence at the moment. "They went a bit overboard with their number... But well, it isn''t like we have to fight them, is it?" Suzaku muttered, before he looked behind him, and saw the hundreds of students still in the race quickly catching up to them. "... Better get on the move" After saying so, Suzaku kicked the ground and started running straight towards the group of giants. Ignoring Todoroki''s surprised face on the process, and some angry shouts directed at them from a certain blonde. "W¡ªwhat is that guy doing?!" "Is he stupid?!" As the rest of the participants arrived at the scene, many stared with awe as Suzaku approached the giant robots without a hint of fear. Awe that turned pretty quickly into dread once they saw one of the 0-pointers look at Suzaku, and ready one of its devastating punches. "H-hey, watch out!" Even as the enemy number one at the moment, many still weren''t at the level of wanting to see Suzaku turn into meat paste. Their worries, however, were unfounded. -Booom!- As the punch struck the floor, destroying a huge chunk of the ground and raising a huge dust cloud in the process, Suzaku''s swift figure moved through the field with incredible speed and easily evaded the terrifying punch with relative ease. Causing many of the competitors to go agape in front of the sight After that, a few more 0-pointers tried attacking Suzaku''s slippery figure. However, by the time he reached the end of the obstacle, neither of them had managed to touch him. {"Suzaku Suzuki from Class 1-B! He managed to evade all the attacks from the 0-pointers and even made it seem easy! How amazing, he has become the first one to get through!"} After Present Mic spoke with shock and awe as he continued narrating the event, many of the competitors who had seen what Suzaku had done reconsidered their notions about the redhead. "Damn... So that''s why he was so cocky" "No wonder he got first place" "I don''t think I would be able to dodge those attacks as easily..." "Hey, it''s turning towards us!" Suddenly, as many students admired Suzaku''s agility, someone noticed that, after failing to catch Suzaku, some of the 0-pointers were turning towards them instead. "Oh shit, they are coming!" "Tsk..." Seeing the 0-pointers start targeting him and the others out of nowhere, Todoroki clicked his tongue and took a step forward. "I don''t know exactly how strong these guys are, but if they were gonna go through all this trouble to prepare something on this level..." His eyes squinted as the temperature around him suddenly dropped drastically. "... I wish they would have prepared something better, especially since my stupid old man is watching" Upon saying those words, Todoroki made a slight wave with his hands, and from it, created a huge wave of cold that washed over the colossal robots, and covered them all in tons of ice, therefore, immobilizing them. "Fuuh~" After that, Todoroki took a deep breath, and without further ado, began running past the frozen robots, going after the already-gone Suzaku as if he hadn''t just frozen several colossal robots with but a wave of his hand. "Look, we can get through in between their legs!" After that, many students pointed at him as they saw him running past the robots with ease. Following after him, thinking of taking advantage of the fact that the robots were frozen. However, they all stopped when Todoroki''s voice reached them. "I''d advise you against it. I froze them while they were unbalanced... They''ll fall" And as if responding to his words, after Todoroki passed by the robots, these began collapsing upon the rest of the competitors, who hurriedly ran away and managed to evade the collapsing metal machines from falling upon them. Todoroki simply continued running, ignoring completely the huge dust explosion occurring on his back. He had to catch a certain red-haired dude. ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: First part of the race completed, now only three remain, how will our overly suspicious protagonist get past them? Will he get first place in this event, or will broccoli-man make an incredible comeback like in the anime? Discover it in the next episode of Sussy Baka in MHA) -> Chapter 49: Race 2 Chapter 49: Race 2 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ¡ã¡ã¡ã |Suzaku''s POV:| ... I let out a sigh as I continued running and left the so-called Robo Inferno and everyone in the race behind. ''Well, that was disappointing...'' In all honestly, I had expected more from the obstacles of this race since that teacher with very little sense of shame made it seem like it was gonna be the greatest challenge of all time. Although the bunch of giant-ass robots and the army of smaller ones had been a bit intimidating at first sight, they were probably only dangerous if you directly faced them, since you could get ganged up on. However, as long as you did like I, simply evading the colossal punches from those 0-pointers, or any of the small robots that might try to engage in combat with you, passing the obstacle would be but a breeze. ...Although, now that I think about it, I only avoided the punches or getting surrounded by the robots because I was pretty fast and passed through the whole obstacle in just a few seconds. If it was someone else, they might not be able to avoid getting jumped on. ... But well, I could do nothing about being built up differently. -Boom!- ''They sure are making a lot of ruckus back there'' As I got further and further away from the army of robots, ignoring the sound of explosions and screams from my competitors due to what I imagined was them having trouble in the Robo Inferno, I gave the sky an annoyed gaze and scratched the back of my head. "The second obstacle should be a bit more difficult, I hope" If this ended up being a walk in the park, then there would be no merit in storming all my way to first place. Maybe I was getting my hopes a bit too up, though. The practical exam also lacked in the difficulty aspect, after all. "Huff... Huff..." "Hmm?" Suddenly, as I ran while sinking into my thoughts, I heard someone running behind me, although the sound was still far from where I was. However, whoever it was, they were slowly shortening the distance between us. Curious about who this mysterious individual might be, I turned my head and saw the ice-making guy from class 1-A running like a madman in my direction, with ice quickly following after him, leaving a path of frost behind him. "This guy again?" What was his name again? I don''t remember him doing much in the anime, at least in the first season, I don''t know if he may have gotten more protagonism during the second one. "Well, it doesn''t matter." Without caring about delving more into his identity, I shook my head and sped up a bit, widening the distance between us. "... Damn it" I think I heard him curse after I did that, but it might have been my imagination. I continued running for a bit more after that, going at a relatively normal speed, as I didn''t want to exhaust myself when it was still not a crucial moment where to use my full speed. And eventually, I was able to see the next obstacle. "Damn" The reason I exclaimed was more out of surprise rather than worry. After all, what lay ahead was pretty impressive. I mean, the robots were impressive as well, but this was more visually shocking. ''How the heck did they make this...?'' Right at the front, awaiting for me and the rest of the students, was a humongous fissure several meters deep, with multiple stone pillars in the middle, all connected by tightropes which I suppose we would have to use as bridges to go from pillar to pillar until we got to the other side of the fissure to continue with the race. This was the last thing I expected them to prepare for us. I mean, it was very fitting for an "obstacle" race. However, I didn''t expect them to go all the way and terraform such a huge terrain just for this race. The events tended to change every year, after all. This was something they would only use one time, and then that was it. But well, for the so-called best hero school in all of Japan, this scale of waste was maybe something normal for them. They did have a giant fake city for students and robots to destroy every year during the practical exam, after all. However, what made me more curious was, was there a hero who could manipulate the ground that helped build this place? Or had they done it with pure manual labor? Whatever the answer was, It was pretty amazing, looks-wise. However, when viewing it as an obstacle... not so much. ''If I was afraid of heights, this would be way more challenging than the first obstacle... Sadly, I''m not'' Snorting faintly, I resumed my run after a small pause to look at the scenery and began moving straight into the challenge. However, as I took a step into the tightrope, I slowed down a bit, as despite having trained in having a good equilibrium, running at full speed while on a tightrope would still cause me a bit of trouble, but the slowing was not to such a high degree, just enough so that I could keep myself from falling. Eventually, though, I remembered that someone had been supposed to be a bit behind me, and turned around to see if they were still there. And indeed, the moment I glanced behind, I saw the red-white guy approaching at a high speed somehow using the ice he could create to propel himself through the ropes. ''How does that even work?'' I eyed him with confusion. Then, I caught sight of a huge crowd behind him, staring at us from the starting side of the fissure, probably shocked about this obstacle''s appearance, as I had been. I could see many familiar faces, but none whose name I could remember, aside from maybe some of my classmates. Immediately after, the loud teacher''s voice echoed around us, going on with his commentary. {"Hey hey, it seems like the first obstacle was but a piece of cake for our dear students. However, what about the second obstacle? If you are to slip, you''re out! It''s... The FALL!"} ''The fall...? Come on'' I almost tripped when hearing that name. It was like calling a punching competition "The Punch". "... Whatever" In the end, I shook my head and shrugged the matter off. Now it was not the time to think about it, if I lost balance while in the middle of one of the ropes, I would be out. As such, I disregarded everything and focused only on progressing through the obstacle. Although it was way simpler than the Robo Inferno, the size of this fissure was massive, so the total time it would take me to reach the other side was gonna be longer. And I was right. In the end, I went at it for quite a while, crossing three-fourths of the entire race, until I paused to take a small break. There were only a few more pillars to cross and I would reach the other side. "Fuuh~" As I replenished my body with oxygen, I turned around curious about how others were doing. The first sight that caught my attention was a crazy girl swinging around the pillars using what seemed to be some type of tool on her back. Wait, wasn''t she good old Arata''s little crush? Ah, talking about the devil... "Hahahaha, what''s wrong, hero course? Can''t keep up the pace with my incredible Spider Harness 5.0?! Don''t worry, I''ll make sure not to embarrass you guys too much after I win this thing!" The dude was just a bit behind the girl, using his spidersomething''s arms to help him move through the obstacle with an ease that surprised even me, all while trash-talking some of my classmates and guys from class 1-A as he passed by their side. I guess even love didn''t make him forget his frustrated dream of becoming a hero. "Well, with that technology of his, it wouldn''t surprise me if he was allowed to become one in the future" I muttered, as I observed his new and upgraded spiderthing. In contrast with the early design of the tool I saw when I visited him for our alliance, the arms were now sturdier and seemed to be able to extend several times their original size, allowing Arata to skip from pillar to pillar without the need to walk through the tightropes. Making him progress through the obstacle incredibly fast. "Though, I wish he would give my classmates an easier time" Just a bit behind him, I could see a troubled Tetsutetsu on all fours, doing his best to cross a tightrope without falling. And yeah, it was faintly to be expected, he wasn''t exactly the most steady guy during our fight. He might excel in strength and durability, but with his Quirk making him heavier, I assume it also made it harder for him to learn to keep his balance in check. But well, he seems to be hanging on, so I guess he will make it in the end. I also saw Itsuka some pillars ahead of him, evidently having a much easier time with the tightropes, although not exactly being outstanding at crossing them. From time to time, she would strike the pillars with her giant hands to propel herself through the air and jump from one pillar to another, but since there tended to be some students resting at some of them, she only did it a few times, and the rest of them crossed the tightropes normally while trying not to fall. ''Well, she seems to be doing fine despite that'' I thought as I scratched my chin. I then gave the rest of my classmates and some of the guys from class 1-A a glance, and shrugged. Everyone seemed to be doing fine. ''Alright, time to¡ª'' As I turned to look ahead, I froze when a certain figure appeared in the corner of my eye, moving swiftly and leaving me behind. "That guy" It was the red-white guy. He was on the opposite side of where I was, so I didn''t notice him passing me. What a sneaky guy. "A man can''t even catch a break" Knowing that I couldn''t afford to stay idle any more, I clicked my tongue, and after taking one last breath I kicked the ground and went back to running. The guy was going pretty fast with his Elsa powers, so it took me a bit until I finally was able to catch up with him. And by the time I did, we both ended up reaching the other side at the same time, giving each other a look, before disregarding one another and continuing to run with all we had. {"Suzaku Suzuki and Shoto Todoroki are once again in the lead, both reached the end of the 2nd obstacle at the same time! What a fierce battle this is, GODAMN!"} Ignoring the loud voice of our teacher as I ran, I started speeding up. I was no hare to be passed just because I took a small break. "Tsk..." And it seemed the guy noticed it, as soon I heard him click his tongue once he saw me getting past him in a matter of seconds. ''Damn'' Fortunately for him, however, the distance until the last obstacle ended up being the shortest one, making me unable to give myself a substantial advantage by the time we reached the next challenge, where we both ended up stopping our rush to glance at it. It was a fucking minefield. "What the hell...?" I gave the long road ahead a confused gaze. Although I expected UA to amp the difficulty from what would have been expected in a competition in my old world... Wasn''t using mines a bit too much, even for super-powered children? I mean, maybe there would be a few who would shrug them off as if they were nothing, but I''m not sure about the others. Fortunately, my doubts were soon resolved. {"And now, our participants have arrived at the final obstacle! The reality here is... That it''s a minefield!!!"} ''...You don''t say?'' {"The mines have been set up so that they can be spotted if you look carefully, so you better put those eyes to good use, and by the way, these mines are specially made for these events, so they are not as powerful as real mines. Though, they are powerful and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!!"} {"...That depends on the person"} The hobo-teacher voice came after his. Ignoring the further commentary, I focused on the minefield in front of us. ''So they are not so powerful, huh?'' That much was enough for me. Without wasting a second, I kicked the ground and began running through the minefield. My reflexes and balance were both incredibly trained, so moving fairly fast while avoiding the mines was a pretty easy task, as long as I didn''t go full speed. And that soon proved to be true, as I began diving into the minefield at a surprising speed, avoiding each and all mines while maintaining a quick pace that swiftly left everyone behind, including the red-white guy. I heard him follow after me immediately after I jumped into this obstacle, but judging from how the sound of his steps seemed to get further and further the deeper I went into the minefield, I assumed he was not able to keep up with me. Then, as my eyes darted to the front, I was able to see the finishing line in the distance. It was still slightly far, but with how things were going, it was only a matter of time for me to win this thing. ''I guess that''s it for this competition, huh?'' That''s when I heard a loud shout. "Damn it, don''t get ahead of yourself, you red-haired bastard!!!" Normally, I would have ignored it like always, however, this time, I could clearly feel that despite its distance, the annoying source was approaching at a huge speed. Confused, I turned to look at the brat, and widened my eyes when I saw him flying over the mines, using the explosions to keep himself in the air and move swiftly in my direction. "Oh shit" At the rate he was going, it was only gonna be a matter of time before he overtook me. So, not wanting to risk it with this being the last part of the race, I took a deep breath and amped up my speed. My eyes became fixated on the floor as they tried their best to keep up with my new speed and avoid all the mines at the same time. However, as was to be expected, at some point it became tiresome for my eyes, as they began to burn a little bit due to the lack of blinking. And to worsen things, at a certain moment, I was also able to hear the red-white guy joining the explosive kid in their race for overtaking me, using what I think was his ice powers, judging from how they sounded. As to how they were helping him to go so fast despite there still being hundreds of mines around us, I didn''t know. I didn''t have the time to turn around and discover it, as my eyes were still glued to the ground, unblinking and swiftly darting left and right, looking for spots where I could step on safely as I kept my speed. Fortunately, playing unnecessarily hard games where this burning sensation in my eyes was but a common occurrence was allowing me to not fall into the temptation of blinking. Due to that, I was able to avoid getting overtaken. However, they were still able to stay at a relatively close distance, which caused me to not be able to take a break. Still, not everything was bad. If everything continued as it was, I would end up in first place as planned. And the minefield''s end was in sight, so I just needed to continue running for a bit more, and I would be able to finally blink. Things only needed to remain as they were. ... But today was not my day. -Boooooom!!!!- Suddenly, I heard a huge explosion coming from far behind, and although I ignored it at first, the sound of something flying through the air in our direction alerted me. Unfortunately, I couldn''t look at it, as I was still busy dodging the mines on the floor. Fortunately, our teacher''s commentary soon answered my question. {"Class 1-A Midoriya, is in hot pursuit with that blast!!!"} I didn''t have time to ponder about what he had done, or how he was coming at us at such high speed, so I just kept going as fast as I could. There were only a few more meters ahead of me, and the minefield would be over. However, it was then, that I saw Midoriya''s shadow appear on the ground. ''Above?'' Confused, I slowed down momentarily and gave a quick glance to the sky, where I saw the guy above some sort of metal plate, shooting through the air at a huge speed, getting ahead of me in just a matter of seconds. I didn''t worry, however, and simply went back to focusing on the ground. After all, in the air, he can''t keep a constant speed. Eventually, he is going to fall and slow down. And that it did. Eventually, his advance slowed down, and he began plummeting to the ground. With my speed, it only took a second or so until I took the lead once again. And, as I left the still-falling Midoriya behind, smiling as the minefield end was just a few steps ahead, the sound of another explosion coming from right behind me startled me slightly. ''What?'' It was then that I saw Midoriya flying past me, this time without the metal plate in his hands. Due to the impulse, he ended up rolling through the ground a few times but managed to get ahold of himself in the end, starting to run with all he had as the three of us ran after him. And to worsen things, the stadium, which was where the finishing line lay, was just a bit ahead. Normally, it would have been difficult for anyone to overtake him with how little track there was left of the race. ''Nu-uh'' Unfortunately, that was not the case for me. And even if he had been the protagonist of the anime, this wasn''t his show anymore. ''There''s no last-second comeback for you'' As I finally took a step into the clear and empty ground, devoid of any further mines, I smiled deviously and tensed my muscles. With my eyes now free and able to rest, I began to put my body to work. My tendons tensed momentarily, and I took a deep breath to fill my lungs with air. Then, I began to run. Run faster than ever before. Even faster than when that Karate teacher had been trying to kill me. I hit my peak speed. As such, it only took a few seconds before I was able to catch up with the desperately-running Midoriya in front of me. And, the moment he saw me, I saw his face visibly contort in frustration as he groaned in surprise. "Huh?!" Immediately after, he tried running faster, but it was to no avail. In the end, I passed by him. And, as both of us entered the tunnel leading to the finishing line, I also began hearing the other two entering behind us. The sound of ice and explosions quickly closing in the more we approached the finishing line. Unfortunately for them, they had already lost their chance. After a few seconds passed, the rays of the sun shone on my face once again as I left the tunnel, and I was able to hear the deafening sound of the crowd again. My feet slowed down, and I finally stopped running. I had won. {"Suzaku Suzuki''s done it! He is the first one to arrive! Could it be that his taunt from earlier was not unfounded?!"} That''s one. Now, only two more events remain. ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Plot armor isn''t here for Izuku anymore, let''s see how he will handle the rest of the events from now on) -> Chapter 50: The Alliance Chapter 50: The Alliance ... -Sigh...- After finishing the race and being announced as the winner of the first event, Suzaku heaved a long sigh filled with relief and exhaustion. "... Maybe I should take things a bit more seriously I don''t like how close that got to me losing" He turned around and squinted his eyes as Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo reached the finish line just a few seconds after him. Although he had taken first place, he might have also done so by a much larger margin if he had not bothered to pay attention to those behind him during the second obstacle. ''Hah, whatever...'' However, what was done was done. He still won, so everything would be fine as long as he took things more seriously in the next event. So, after shrugging his worries aside, Suzaku walked towards the border of the stadium and sat on the grass while leaning his back on a wall, from then on catching his breath as he watched the rest of the participants arrive. The race went on for a while longer after that. Sometimes it would be one of Suzaku''s classmates who would reach the finish line, and sometimes someone from 1-A. However, as the competition progressed, and its end neared, Suzaku noticed something in particular. Very few students from other classes had reached the finish line, and when saying very few, he meant very few. Of all the people who had crossed the finish line by the time the race was approaching its end, only three had been from other classes. Good old Arata, who had managed to place 9th by the time he got to the end, looking mighty proud as he laughed loudly while his robotic arms flailed in the air in victory, and the pink-haired girl who had infatuated his friend, who scored 10th place and arrived just a few seconds after Arata. Suzaku smiled faintly when he saw Arata getting such a nice position and celebrating his victory as if it were the most joyous moment in his life. However, to say he hadn''t expected it to a certain extent would be a lie. After all, with how careful in his preparations his friend was, he found it hard to believe he would flop on simply a race with a few tweaks here and there. As for the girl, Suzaku didn''t know her, but judging from how advanced her tools had looked when she had been crossing the second obstacle, Suzaku assumed she was another big-brained individual, much like his big-brained friend. The third one, however, was one who stood out immediately the moment he saw him cross the finish line. It was a guy with messy purple hair and a tired face that rivaled Suzaku''s every morning when he realized that he had to go to school. Although the guy had not scored an impressive place, only attaining the 26th place, what made Suzaku raise an eyebrow in confusion was when he saw him being carried by several other students as if he were a king, some of his carriers being even Suzaku''s classmates. ''Did he coarse them or something?'' Suzaku thought with a frown. After all, he didn''t think this was an event where anyone could afford to offer such unnecessary charity work. And even in the unlikely case where his classmates were friends with the guy, carrying him to the finish line was a bit too much for a simple friendship, wasn''t it? He also considered the fact that the guy might be invalid or something, and the four who were carrying him were supporting their friend to reach the end of the race in a beautiful act of empathy. However, when he saw him walking nonchalantly after crossing the finish line, he dismissed that thought. ''... Well, who cares'' Eventually, though, Suzaku lost interest and shifted his focus back to the students who were finishing the race. After all, whatever that guy had used to make them do his bidding, Suzaku didn''t think it would be very useful in the next events, where everyone would have to start faring for themselves. So, after shrugging the strange dude''s matter aside, he continued watching from the sidelines as people kept appearing, cheering every now and then whenever it was one of his classmates that crossed the line. In the end, when the 42nd student reached the finishing line, this being the invisible girl from 1-A, the rest of the competitors who had not yet reached the finishing line were disqualified and the race was put to an end for good. ''That took a while...'' Suzaku thought as he gave the bunch from 1-A and some of his classmates a look. The results showed that both classes had similar results, with none of the classes having more people occupying the first places than the other, everyone was spread pretty evenly. Albeit, Suzaku took first place, so maybe that counted as a victory for class 1-B. Sadly, both classes ended up with one of their members being disqualified, with Class A losing Aoyama, and Class B losing Fukidashi. (The manga-looking guy) Fortunately, though, according to Midnight''s announcement once the race ended, it seemed they weren''t gonna just be shrugged off now that they had lost, as the school had prepared other activities for them to shine. After making that clear, Midnight whipped the air and spoke a few words more before walking away. "You have 5 minutes to rest, we will begin with the next event after that" Words that made many students sigh in relief, and plummet to the ground in exhaustion immediately after, being exhausted after the whole race. Of course, others couldn''t care less about resting, like a certain explosive blond brat, who was looking like he would butcher anyone who dared to utter a single word near him. ''What a sore loser... reminds me of Arata somehow'' When he caught sight of him brooding over having lost, Suzaku sneered. His eyes then went to Todoroki, who was simply resting while still on his feet, taking deep breaths to recover as fast as possible. "That guy, was he more relevant in the show than I thought...?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow as he muttered his thoughts under his breath. Todoroki had put on a really good fight during the race, so Suzaku didn''t think he was as side-character as his memory made him think at first. Not to mention that he had that whole serious emo aura that some important characters tend to have. ''Yeah, like that guy in Avatar! Uh... What was his name again?'' Suzaku scratched the back of his head with furrowed eyebrows for a moment, before squinting his eyes as he looked at Todoroki''s face. ''He even has the scar and everything, there''s no way he was some background-filling character in the show'' Then, Suzaku recalled Todoroki''s actions during the race. ''He has ice powers... Honestly, it doesn''t sound that powerful... But maybe I''m missing something here...'' As Suzaku was reevaluating Todoroki''s danger level inside his head, a certain voice called out to him from his side. "Suzaku, you got first place eh? You really went all out!" Suzaku smiled as he turned his head, looking at Tetsutetsu who was approaching with a wide grin on his face. "There was a bit of opposition, but nothing I couldn''t handle" Tetsutetsu nodded, looking all excited as he looked at Suzaku with sparkling eyes. "Man, you were running like a bullet when I saw you passing by my side! Just what kind of training did you go through to go that fast?!" "Just a little training in this and that..." Suzaku replied vaguely, before pointing at his friend with a smirk on his face. "On the other hand, you looked like you were having a bad time on that tightrope" Tetsutetsu''s face irked instantly upon hearing Suzaku mention the second obstacle. "Don''t remind me of that... Because of that obstacle I almost ended up being left out like Fukidashi. Luckily I managed to make a comeback during the minefield obstacle, although I can''t say I liked that one either, being careful and having patience is not my fort" Suzaku sneered. "Can''t say it''s mine either" "You didn''t look like you were having a bad time with the third obstacle though. You even ended up getting to the end first" Suddenly, a voice responded to Suzaku''s claim from his side, making the redhead turn his head with a raised eyebrow, and see then Itsuka, who was approaching them with a smile on her face, although looking as exhausted as everyone else. He let out a sigh at her comment and shook his head with a wry look. "That''s because I completed it as fast as I could. However, it was certainly one hell of a task" Upon hearing his words, both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu raised an eyebrow, making Suzaku smile faintly. He then proceeded to touch his glasses, shaping them in a way so one of his eyes could become visible. "Damn" Tetsutetsu squinted his eyes a bit at the sight. Itsuka flinched faintly. "How did you end up like that?" The eye behind the glass was very irritated, having a noticeable red tone on its borders, resembling the eyes of a certain hobo teacher who was said to have dry eyes. After reverting the glass to its original shape of cool glasses, Suzaku smirked. "I didn''t blink" Then, it made sense for both of them. "You didn''t blink so you could react to all the mines as you ran?" Itsuka asked, just to make sure she wasn''t misunderstanding, something that Suzaku responded with a simple nod of his head. "Talk about good reflexes... No wonder you got first place" Tetsutetsu sweatdropped a bit in front of such information. However, his eyes then turned to look at the other side of the stadium, where Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya were. "... Still, the other class wasn''t so bad either. I was confident in myself, but they might be a tough nut to crack..." Suzaku didn''t say anything, he just gave the three stars from 1-A a small glance, before shaking his head. He was fairly confident in taking them on. Midoriya was still in his weak shonen protagonist stage, so his level of threat wouldn''t be something to worry about, except for maybe that powerful punch Suzaku recalled the green-head had used against the 0-pointer. Bakugo was an easily tauntable guy, and although his Quirk was something to consider as a potential danger, he was confident in playing with his mind and using that to stomp him when they had to clash. As for Todoroki... ''Well, he shouldn''t be so different from those two... Right?'' Suzaku thought while scratching his cheek in faint worry. As he was doing that, once again, a voice came from somewhere away, calling out to him. Suzaku instantly recognized the crazed voice of its owner. "Hahahaha! What''s wrong Suzaku, why are you on the floor? Don''t tell me you are already tired?! Oh, how disappointing, even though I didn''t go all out in this event, you are already this spent? And here I thought you could pose a challenge, even if small...!" Suzaku smiled wryly as he turned towards the owner of the voice. "It seems you managed somehow Monoma" His classmate smiled slyly. "Of course! Unlike a certain someone who went for the first place like a horse with a carrot waving in front of his face, I stayed at the back, calmly observing my competitors and preserving my energy for later, ensuring my chances of victory eventually" Suzaku smiled faintly. "Yeah... I don''t know about that" That seemed to trigger Monoma, who gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep a straight face. "You cocky bastard...!" Before he continued with his provocations, however, Itsuka appeared beside him and delivered a karate chop that somehow sent Monoma unconscious. ''How does that even work...?'' Suzaku wondered as he glanced at Monoma''s limp body with a funny look. -Schk, schk, schk- It was then, that Suzaku heard someone''s steps on the grass approaching. Suzaku raised an eyebrow at having yet another person come to him. ''Who is it now? I know I am extremely charismatic, but come on¡ª'' His thoughts, however, stopped when he turned to look at who was approaching. It was Todoroki. "...?" Confused, Suzaku tilted his head slightly, frowning slightly at the arrival of one of his main opponents in this festival thingy. Still, it wasn''t like they were sworn enemies, so Suzaku just waited to see what the emo guy had to say. "You..." After getting to where Suzaku and company were, and receiving everyone''s save Monoma''s gaze, Todoroki spoke for a moment before falling silent, seemingly thinking about what he was about to say next, before going on. "... Don''t think things will go the same in the next events" It was a simple and maybe even a bit ambiguous provocation. However, it did the job. The moment Suzaku heard it, he raised both his eyebrows in surprise. ''... For being a character whom I can''t remember, he sure is competitive. Yeah, there''s no way he was a background character'' Suzaku''s eyes squinted as he glanced at the red and white teenager. Now he was sure, this guy would surely be a problem later in the competition. Problems were exactly what he was looking for though. The harder it became, the sweeter victory was gonna be later on. After a few seconds, he sneered and shot Todoroki a smirk. "We''ll see about that" "..." Todoroki merely squinted his eyes at that response. -Whip!- However, before he could say anything about it, the familiar sound of a whip striking the air interrupted him, gathering the attention of all of them, and making them turn to look at the stage at the center of the stadium, where Midnight was looking at them with a playful smile. It seemed resting time was over. Immediately after everyone realized that, Todoroki began walking back to his class, however, not without shooting Suzaku a challenging look first, which the redhead just shrugged off with a small smile. As Todoroki left, Tetsutetsu scratched the back of his head confusedly. "What was he on about?" Suzaku just shrugged with a clueless face. "I don''t know, there''s all sorts of weirdos" Itsuka shot them a scolding look for being rude, before gesturing them to move with her head. "Let''s go, everyone''s is gathering" All while carrying Monoma over her shoulder, of course. After that, the two classes, plus Arata and the pink-haired girl, started to reunite in front of the stage to wait for Midnight''s next instructions. When everyone was finally gathered, she started with her speech. "Now that the 42 of you have made it into the next round, the real competition is about to start. You all, have in mind that you are in the eye of the entire Japan right now, so give it your all!" After delivering her words of motivation to the students and snapping her whip into the air once more, the screen behind her began displaying the animation of the roulette which held the so-dreaded name of the next event, causing many to gulp nervously. Seeing their faces, Midnight grinned sadistically and she licked her lips. "Now then, onto the next event. I''m sure you all are dying to know. As for me? I already know what it is... But what could it be? What could it be?" In front of her teasing, the tension around the students spiked. Fortunately, she didn''t keep them waiting for long. Not long after, the animation stopped, and the next game was revealed. "The next event is... A Cavalry Battle!" The moment those words left her mouth, the reactions of the students exploded. Some were in low spirits, as the thought of carrying people didn''t seem pleasing to them, others were curious about how that would work, as they didn''t think UA would settle for something as simple as that. Others... Were excited about having some skinship with the girls. But we ignore those guys. After the big revelation, Midnight nodded her head and proceeded to explain everything related to the new competition ahead. First, participants had to form teams of two to four members, and the team leader would wear a headband that displayed the team''s points. The points depended on how much each member had earned during the race. The goal was to collect points by stealing other teams'' headbands, while also protecting their own. Each time a headband was taken, the points went with it. The event would last 15 minutes. To prevent the competition from turning into a fight, any team that attacked others to knock them out of their formation would get a red card, encouraging students to focus on taking headbands rather than attacking. That was the gist of it. By the time Midnight finished explaining, the students from both classes went into an uproar. The competitiveness between classes and even between classmates that had built up during the first event and even from before was now being put to the test, in a competition where each of them would get to contend directly against one another. It was no wonder they were all excited beyond recognition. It was a chance to prove themselves beyond a simple race, where many were limited in the uses of their Quirks. It was the time for those overshadowed so far to prove their worth! "Oh right, one more thing!" However, the students'' rowdy chattering died down when Midnight let out the last piece of information that she had casually forgotten to mention during her entire explanation. "I almost forgot to mention this..." Midnight slapped her forehead in a comedic manner before her eyes landed directly on Suzaku''s nonchalant figure, who flinched faintly when he saw the teacher''s attention fixated on him. ''What...?'' "We added a little something to make this competition more interesting. Those who stand at the top are bound to suffer more, this is something that you all will hear a lot from now on as you attend UA... This is what "Plus Ultra" means!" She then snapped her whip at the air and pointed it directly at Suzaku. "... So, in honor of this beautiful remark, Suzaku Suzuki, who placed 1st in the last event, will be worth 10 million points in this competition!!" "..." ... .. . -Stares...- The instant those words were dropped, every single one of the students gathered there, even Suzaku''s very classmates, turned to look at him with a thirsty look in their eyes, and not in a sexy way. ''Damn...'' Suzaku laughed wryly when he noticed the forty-something gazes land on him from one moment to another. He knew that look. He had seen it many times throughout his life in the mirror. It was greed. ''I know I said I wanted this to be hard... But this is a bit too much'' Before, although he had gained the dislike of many students with his speech, and even made some outright hostile against him, many of those present still had better things to do than try and mess with him. They were in an event being watched by the entire Japan and those who would maybe one day be their bosses. As such, it was understandable that many were more worried about performing nicely in such an event rather than teaching him a lesson. As a result, the opposition Suzaku ended up facing in the last event was pretty small, and it came mostly from those with no hopes of winning, and who simply wanted to screw with him before being eliminated. Trying to drag him down with them. Now, however, it was a completely different situation. Everyone was looking at Suzaku with eyes that clearly conveyed their desire to take him on... Or at least, his headband. Suzaku was now the public enemy, even if for something as measly as his value in points. However, the redhead wasn''t someone to back out in front of a challenge... At least not in this case. If it came to fighting a world-destroying threat, he may back out a little. ''No matter, I''ll manage somehow'' After shaking off his worries, Suzaku glanced back at Midnight, who was watching him with a satisfied smile as if she was enjoying his predicament. In response, he returned to his usual nonchalant expression, which caused her to hug herself in a rather suspicious manner, muttering something about "youth", before she quickly covered it with a fake cough and started dismissing the students for the time being. "Well then, with all that done, you have 10 minutes to build up your teams. Start!" Immediately after she yelled that, everyone began getting busy talking with their classmates, trying to form strong teams that could assure them the victory. Suzaku, however, simply turned to look in one direction. ''A team competition, huh? We did well in planning beforehand'' He thought pleasantly, as his eyes landed on a certain big-brained kid. The kid also seemed to be looking at him with a smile, probably thinking the same. The instant both connected gazes, they walked to each other until they found themselves face to face, their confident smirks never leaving their faces as they did so. "It seems our chance to team up has finally come," Suzaku said with a dramatic tone, before he retracted his hand, ready to dap up his friend. The kid, however, did not move an inch and simply looked at him with a confused expression. "I don''t know what you are talking about, who are you?" ... "Cheeky little bastard" A vein sprouted on Suzaku''s forehead. Arata''s gaze darted away from Suzaku. "Listen mister 10-million-target, I don''t know what you are selling, but I ain''t buying" "You dare dip out the alliance?" Arata shrugged. "What alliance are you talking about man? I think you are making things up" "You¡ª" Suzaku was about to say something, but suddenly, he felt a hand tap his shoulder. "As expected, you are standing out a lot..." Already irritated by the unexpected betrayal of his close friend, Suzaku turned around with an exasperated look. "Who the hell¡ª?" However, his words stopped when he saw who was there. It was Arata''s little crush. "Team up with me, person in first place!" The girl jumped at him, her voice holding a persuasion similar to that of an annoyingly insistent salesperson. Suzaku didn''t know where that impression had come from, but he could vividly feel it as her words echoed in his head. But leaving the matter of the impression the chick gave him, Suzaku had another bigger question in his head at the moment. How come Arata''s love was offering to team up with him? Aside from knowing what she looked like, he had never met her before, much less talked to her. So, it made literally zero sense for her to suddenly want to join his team. Even less with the 10-million target strapped to his head. ''Something is weird about this...'' Suzaku couldn''t help but think like that. However, just when he was about to answer the girl, he felt another tap on his shoulder. It was Arata. "Suzaku, did you really think I was being serious? Of course I didn''t forget our unbreakable alliance!" Suzaku smiled amiably. "Who are you again?" ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: The team composition is up! Since in the original Mei went to Midoriya because he was the one with the ten million points, I thought it wouldn''t make sense for her to go at him again if it was Suzaku who had the points this time. I also made a few changes with other teams, you''ll see in the next chap) -> Chapter 51: Cavalry Battle 1 Chapter 51: Cavalry Battle 1 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... After integrating the pink-haired girl into the team, or rather Hatsume Mei as she introduced herself, the three of them proceeded to begin planning their strategy for the upcoming event. With Suzaku being the main target, all of them knew that they would get swarmed by the other teams the moment the event started, and although Suzaku usually wasn''t very fond of planning things out too much, preferring to go with the flow most of the time, he agreed quite readily when the two offered to create a plan. Probably because he knew that, as amazing as he was, getting ganged on by everyone would be a bit too much even for him unless he prepared thoroughly while he still had time. As such, the three didn''t waste any time and quickly began assessing their own strengths and weaknesses, with both Arata and Mei explaining the items they had made, and thinking of how they were gonna be using them. Suzaku was the main focus of their discussion due to being the one who was gonna be carrying the headband, and therefore, the main objective of everyone''s attacks. Since their team was already worth 10 million points from the get-go, they only needed to avoid getting their headband stolen and they would maintain 1st place without problem. That was easier said than done, sadly. Considering the opposition they were gonna face, with everyone in the competition most likely aiming to take their headband, escaping successfully was gonna be a troublesome matter. Mei had a big stash of support items that were mobility-oriented, and so did Arata, who had designed a few like those in case he ever needed them, although they weren''t as advanced as those items he had focused on like his spider-harness and some of Suzaku''s request. So, although they were in a disadvantageous position, it wasn''t like they were feeling helpless. However, even if they could move swiftly through the battlefield and avoid most opposing teams, if they were to get surrounded with nowhere to run, the matter of how to protect Suzaku became more important than ever. Mei had a jetpack, which could have helped them escape into the air if such a situation ever arose, but since it couldn''t carry more than one person, it wasn''t an option for them. They were truly in a pinch. Suzaku, however, put an end to their dilemma when, confident as ever, he assured them that he would be in charge of protecting the headband. As to how... he just said he was gonna start throwing hands if the situation got serious. He still asked Arata for his spider-harness though, as it would give him more arms to defend himself with. Although, whether the mechanical hands would be able to keep up with his peerless skill, Suzaku had his doubts. But still, it was better than nothing. After they were finished with their preparations, the three of them began waiting patiently for things to start while getting to know each other... And by saying "getting to know each other" it meant Suzaku getting to know Mei, as Arata being her classmate already knew her. She... was a peculiar character, at least in Suzaku''s eyes. She was particularly obsessed with being in the spotlight, even if it meant going through hell and back, to catch the attention of the big companies that were watching the festival. Hoping they would notice her genius and sponsor her. She also seemed to feel a deep affection for her creations, calling them "babies" as if they were her offspring, and boasting constantly about them like an overly doting parent. All in all, a complete nutjob in Suzaku''s opinion. But nowadays, who wasn''t? So it didn''t particularly bother Suzaku. -Whip!- Their talk was interrupted midway when Midnight appeared once again with her whip and warned them that only 3 minutes were remaining. Since the three were already prepared, they didn''t react much to the warning, aside from becoming a little more tense. However, the remainder of the time depleting reminded Suzaku of something, causing him to give his surroundings a look with a raised eyebrow. Aside from Mei and her opportunistic nature, no one else had tried joining his team after the time to form teams began. Still, Suzaku had expected it somewhat. He had put himself in a difficult position as he desired to make his win over the first place more meaningful. However, he didn''t expect others to do the same as him. He didn''t expect it, nor did he want to. He was the type that preferred to either triumph alone or go down alone. Although, with Arata and Mei by his side, and this competition being a team battle, such a view no longer mattered. Still, because of that he didn''t blame any of his classmates for not offering to team up with him. Even those whom he was friends with. Though, one thing that caught his attention was that Tetsutetsu did not even spare him a glance. He didn''t think his friend would ask to join him, he was too competitive for that. However, because of that exact trait of his, Suzaku had anticipated Tetsutetsu to declare his intentions of beating him or at least do something Tetsutetsu-like. However, weirdly, the rowdy metallic teenager was completely silent and still at the moment, simply standing in the distance by his team with a calm expression. At first, he just thought the dude may just be focused or something. But when he saw him being on the same team as the weird purple-haired guy from the Department of General Education, he had a faint suspicion that something else might be happening. Still, seeing that none of the teachers were doing anything about it, Suzaku decided to discover it later. Whatever the guy was doing, it shouldn''t be too horrible if they weren''t doing anything. And if it was, then he would simply take care of teaching the guy a few lessons after the festival ended, much like in his old days of glory back at school. Plus, the event was about to begin, and since he was about to get jumped on by everyone, he wasn''t exactly in a position to get distracted. "One minute remaining!" ... Now more than ever. As Midnight announced the remaining time, Suzaku nodded at his team members, who smiled in response. After that, the three of them began gearing up. Arata and Mei began putting on different items to boost their mobility, while Suzaku was handed the spider-harness and given a brief explanation of its uses by Arata. The AI of the harness had been upgraded since the last time, and as a result, Suzaku was surprised to learn that the thing could actually learn his movement pattern to a certain extent. With that new functionality, Arata advised Suzaku to teach it a few movements with the time they had remaining so that it could perform better in helping him defend the headband, to which the redhead agreed without problem. Although, with one minute remaining, there wasn''t much he could teach it. But still, it was better than nothing. Suzaku would have also liked to have with him the extensible staff that Arata had made for him, as it would allow for much better defense, and also could be used for the offensive with its long reach. Sadly, since it would be Arata and Mei the ones carrying him on their shoulders, he decided not to, as its weight added to his own could be a bit too much for them to bear for the entire duration of the event. His friend wasn''t exactly the most athletic one either. The more chances he wouldn''t collapse mid-game, the better. ''A''ight, I think I got the hang of it'' As Suzaku played a bit with the spider harness, teaching it the important stuff so it wouldn''t be useless when it mattered most, his eyes unintentionally landed on the huge screen that had the countdown displayed on it. Only twenty seconds remained. When seeing that, Suzaku''s body tensed, as if ready for the action. And, as if following his readiness, his eyes then darted to his surroundings, looking at all his competitors to get a gist of what he would be up against. The first thing he noticed was that most teams seemed to be composed of classmates, as no one wanted to team up with people from other classes. Be it because of rivalry, or simply because they didn''t know about the others'' Quirks. The only exceptions were his team and the purple-haired guy''s, which had Tetsutetsu in it, and a burly guy from class 1-A whom his brain couldn''t bother to remember. As for everyone else, including Itsuka, they had just stuck with their friends, or with those whom they had a good synergy with. However, his focus didn''t remain on them for much, as his eyes set on a specific bunch for the next remaining seconds. The three who seemed to be his main competitors for this festival. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki. Bakugo had teamed up with Kirishima, surprising Suzaku, who hadn''t expected them to team up. It wasn''t like he knew much about them though, so his surprise only lasted for a second before he shrugged it off. Next was Todoroki. He had gathered quite a colorful bunch composed of Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, and Ida... the latter being the only one whose name Suzaku actually remembered. As he glanced at the team, he thought a little bit about their Quirks and how troublesome they would be to fight. However, with his memory screwing him over once more, Suzaku shrugged the matter off and just decided to make a plan for dealing with them as the event went on. And finally, his gaze went to the protagonist of the show, Midoriya. He had made a team with Uraraka, Ojiro (the tail guy), and Tokoyami (the crow/raven-looking guy) The team composition didn''t surprise Suzaku much, as he had a gist of what the Quirk of the two first ones did and he didn''t feel very threatened by them, the only one whose Quirk Suzaku couldn''t remember was Tokoyami''s, but being a bird-looking guy he just assumed he had some Quirk related to flying and shrugged it off. Although he still made sure to put them on his list of people whom to be cautious of, as being the team of a protagonist from a shonen, he was sure that the less impressive they seemed, the more chances there would be of them making some kind of underdog comeback with the help of Midoriya''s shounen protagonist aura. -Hoooonk!- Unfortunately, that was as far as Suzaku was able to observe others, since soon the countdown reached the dreaded number, and Midnight began instructing the students. "Now then, it''s about time to get started... students, form your groups and take your positions!" With those instructions given, everyone began to get on the move. This time, each team had been given a spot from where to begin, so there was no need fight for them like in the previous event. Thanks to that, it didn''t take long for everyone to get ready. In less than a minute the preparations were done, and now the only thing left was to wait for the game to begin. As the crowd bellowed in anticipation, Present Mic''s and Aizawa''s recurrent narration resounded once more through the stadium. ["Come on, wake up Eraser!"] ["... I am awake"] ["After ten minutes to form teams and plan strategies, twelve cavalry teams are lined up in the field!"] ["I can see that... There are some very interesting teams out there"] ["Right? I knew you had it in you Eraser! Now, raise those battle cries dear crowd, it''s time for UA''s bloody battle!"] In response, the shouts from the crowd turned even wilder. ["That''s what I like to see... As for our dear participants, you''ve made your teams, right? I''m not gonna ask if you are ready or not!"] Immediately after Present Mic said those words, the giant screen above them all began displaying a countdown of only three seconds, making each student''s eyes immediately become glued to it. ["Now, without further ado, let''s begin with the countdown for this brutal battle royale!"] ["Three..."] As the countdown began, Suzaku got on top of Arata and Mei, who carried him by interlocking their hands to lessen the burden. At the sudden skin contact, Arata smiled a little bit, although, his face crumbled instantly at the next second. "Suzaku... You are heavy...!" ["Two"] "Good grief, I guess I''m just too swole for you guys" Suzaku shook his head while looking melancholically at the sky, passing a hand through his hair dramatically. "This is my gift, my curse..." ["One..."] Mei smiled faintly at the two''s antics, speaking enthusiastically as he glanced at the items she had given Arata and that she was carrying herself. "Don''t worry you two, my babies can handle this weight... Probably" "What do you mean probably?" "I mean¡ª" -Whip!- -Hooooonk!- Unfortunately, they didn''t have any more time for idle chat, as the next second, the event began. "Start!" The moment Midnight''s words reached everyone''s ears, the rumbling sound of dozens of people running in a single direction began being heard all around the vicinity. And Suzaku knew where they were headed. How could he not? He could see the fuckers running straight towards his team. Even his trusted classmates were looking at him with greedy looks. "Anti-Suzaku-Squad... CHARGEEEE, AHAHAHAHAHA!!" Monoma and his team seemed to be enjoying the whole situation. Suzaku didn''t mind them much, however. "Alright, get on the move!" He shouted, making Arata and Mei immediately begin running in the opposite direction to avoid getting swarmed by the stampede of students. As they ran, they activated their items, and using the pair of boots Arata had made in his spare time, they increased their speed and successfully managed to escape the encirclement they were about to be trapped into. However, they did not relax just yet. After escaping, Suzaku''s eyes moved swiftly through their surroundings, looking for any particular danger near them, and more specifically looking at those he had made sure to pinpoint as the biggest threats in this event. His main focus at the moment was his classmate Juzo, who could soften the floor and make it similar to quick-sand with his Quirk. If they got trapped under his Quirk, then there would be almost no chance of escaping anymore. They would probably get surrounded the instant they became immobilized. And Suzaku did well on paying attention to him, as it didn''t take him long to spot the guy and his team following after them fervently like a pack of dogs after a cat. Fortunately, they either seemed to be too fast for Juzo to aim properly his Quirk, or were out of his reach, so they weren''t being attacked for now. Sadly, that''s as far as their luck went. The next second, three teams appeared in front of them, blocking their escape. One was a guy with multiple limbs from 1-A who seemed to be carrying his midget classmate and the frog girl, covering them with his huge bat-like wings made purely out of limbs that sprouted from more limbs. It was a weird Quirk, but cool nonetheless. The other was a team composed of Yui, a silent girl from his class, and Kojiro Bondo... Another silent guy from his class. ''I wonder how they even teamed up'' Suzaku sneered at the thought of both classmates nodding at each other without words. The other team was another batch of his classmates. This time, it was Togaru the mantis-like guy, and Pony the English girl who could shoot the horns on top of her head and control them remotely. Although they certainly weren''t on his list of potentially threatening guys, he was still quick to react. "Dodge!" Suzaku shouted, making his teammates startled for a moment before they jumped away from the spot where they were. Thanks to that they managed to avoid a barrage of purple balls plus a shower of glue that fell on where they had been standing. Kojiro''s and the most likely the midget''s Quirk, Suzaku noted. Still, he knew better than to relax just then. The next instant, a pair of horns and a long tongue were sent in his direction, which Suzaku dodged calmly by tilting his head slightly, before grabbing the horns and tossing them away while making sure the tongue wouldn''t approach his headband. That was just the beginning, however, so he didn''t waste any time and quickly instructed his teammates to move. However, just when they were about to get on the move again, an almost invisible barrier materialized in front of them and blocked their way, almost causing them to stomp onto it, if not for Suzaku''s quick reflexes, having already seen the Quirk in action before and noting in his mind to be careful around it, as it was a Quirk hard to notice. ''Air barrier, huh?'' Suzaku immediately clicked his tongue once he realized whose Quirk that was. He turned his head slightly, and soon saw Monoma and his team just a few meters away from them smiling slyly as they approached, along with many other teams who had their eyes set on Suzaku''s headband as well. The barrier was a byproduct of Kosei''s Quirk, another of Suzaku''s classmates, and someone who could solidify the air he breathed out and shape it in whatever form he wanted, be it platforms to walk through the air, or barriers/walls like just now. However, whether it had been him or Monoma after stealing his Quirk who had created the barrier, Suzaku didn''t know. He didn''t plan on discovering it either. "Hey, let''s use that thing!" Suzaku looked behind him and shouted at Mei, who nodded with a wide smile on her face. "Alright, help us escape my baby!" Mei shouted enthusiastically, and the next second, two metal pipe-like extensions were shot from a backpack she was wearing, sending her along with Suzaku and Arata high into the air, and helping them escape once again successfully. Unfortunately, even in the air, the group couldn''t afford to relax. Suddenly, as Suzaku was quickly deciding on how to proceed while he and his team descended at high speed, his eyes caught sight of yet another bother coming in search of his headband. "Don''t get ahead of yourself!" "Not this guy again..." Suzaku cursed with a deadpan as he saw Bakugo''s distant figure swiftly approach through the air, using his explosions to stay airborne. His hand was stretched out, and judging from his crazed grin, it was obvious that the guy was looking for a fight rather than aiming for his headband. Or maybe he was aiming for both, but Suzaku had no way of knowing with that psychotic grin etched on the brat''s face. He had his reasons to have his doubts as well. They were still high in the air, falling, and any sufficiently strong attack could easily turn them over and cause their team''s cavalry formation to collapse the moment they reached the ground, thus disqualifying them. In Suzaku''s head, this was the perfect opportunity for that kid to get at him for all the taunting he had done before and take him out of the competition. "DIEEE!!!" His maddened cries didn''t help to think otherwise either. So, he prepared for the worst. And thank Sus he did, as the moment Bakugo got within reach, he retracted his hand back for a moment, before swinging it at Suzaku and company, evidently planning on releasing an explosion that would inevitably throw them all off. Suzaku wasn''t having any of that, however. "Nuh-uh" Without batting an eye, he stood up as much as he could while still being carried by his classmates, and with a swiftness that was barely visible to the naked eye, caught Bakugo''s arm just a second before it would release the explosion, and redirected his arm along with the explosion so that it wouldn''t hit them. -Boom!!- "T-this guy...?!" The moment Bakugo realized his attack had missed, his expression turned to one of shock. Suzaku didn''t plan on letting him go just like that, however. With great dexterity, he used Bakugo''s still remaining momentum to his advantage and spun him forcefully in the air as the irascible teenager continued to fly past his team without having achieved anything. The violent motion disoriented Bakugo, making it difficult for him to maneuver mid-air using his explosions to come at them a second time, or to stay airborne, causing him to immediately begin plummeting to the ground, where he would be disqualified if he were to touch it. Of course, Suzaku didn''t forget to take his headband during the whole process as well. If he had come to take Suzaku''s headband, then it was only fair Suzaku would take his as payback. "Damn it..." As Bakugo fell, he gave Suzaku one last look of anger, realizing he had utterly failed in his attack, to which the redhead responded with a mocking grin. Fortunately for him, however, soon a tape-like fabric caught him in mid-air, and returned him to his team, avoiding his disqualification. It had come from one of Bakugo''s teammates, the guy who could create tape from his elbows. As Bakugo somehow avoided disqualification, Present Mic''s commentary addressed the situation. ["Hey, he got separated from his horses! Is that allowed?!"] "It is..." Midnight, who was watching the event unfold from the sidelines nodded while giving a thumbs up. "... He would have only been disqualified if he touched the ground" ["... It''s that so?"] ["Didn''t you say you had read the rules before all this?"] Aizawa''s voice spoke accusingly to his friend. ["... O-oh, look at team Suzuki, they are falling!"] As Bakugo returned to his team, Suzaku and his team fell back to the ground, enduring a rather forceful landing, but managing to stay in position in the end. -Thud...!- However, not everyone on the team was having a good time. "Fuck, Suzaku, why don''t you slim down a little...?" Arata cursed in a low voice that only his good friend was able to hear. "Can''t do mate" Suzaku grinned and patted his friend''s shoulder, making this one look at him begrudgingly. Sadly, their conversation had to be cut short, as they began getting on the move immediately after. The other teams were already on their way to them, if they allowed themselves to rest, it would be a matter of time before they would find themselves surrounded by others. As such, after a second or so, the Spectacular Team Suzaku began getting on track again, doing their best to avoid any other teams that would try to engage with them, and doing their best to preserve the headbands. As they continued running away from the swarm of teams that were still looking for Suzaku''s headband, Arata''s voice emerged amidst his tired breaths. "Huff... Hey Suzaku, what if we give up the million headband, but take theirs instead...? We should still be able to get a good place with all of them... There''s no need to maintain this target on us, don''t you think?" "No can do, Arata, we didn''t come here to be losers, did we?" Suzaku shook his head, before smiling mischievously and speaking loud enough for a certain pink-haired girl behind him to listen. "... Besides, what would the sponsors think if we dropped to second or lesser places?" "Indeed Morikawa-kun, we can''t let the sponsors down!" Mei seemed to perk up at hearing Suzaku mention the venerated sponsors, causing her to address his classmate with a wide smile that discouraged the big-brained kid from trying to take the easy path. "Hrgh..." In the end, he let out a groan of dissatisfaction and just continued running without looking back, hoping that the competition wouldn''t have many minutes remaining. They continued like that for a bit longer. Avoiding most teams, and seeing satisfied as some teams gave up on them and began targeting others so that they could achieve at least second place or similar. However, as their team continued on their endless escape, at one moment Suzaku noticed something. "Fuck" "What''s up?" Hearing him curse out of nowhere, Arata looked at him a worried look. Mei also looked at him confusedly. However, Suzaku''s next instructions baffled them even more. "Stop" "What are you on about now?" Arata raised an eyebrow. Although they were confused by Suzaku''s instructions, they still stopped in their tracks. So far, hearing him had only saved them from being trapped, so they didn''t hesitate to act accordingly. Still, the moment they stopped running, they shot him weird looks... Only for their eyes to widen when they saw what happened next. -Shhhhhaaaa!- The next second, a huge wall of ice too high to go over it appeared in front of them and blocked their path. The wall didn''t stop there, however, as it continued advancing until Suzaku and company were trapped in some sort of ice circle with only one exit. An exit... From where their next opponent emerged. When he saw him, Suzaku smiled wryly. ''Well, I was wondering where this guy was all along... I suppose he was waiting patiently to capture us when we least expected it...'' It was Todoroki. The instant both teams met face to face, they stood still for a bit, almost as if enjoying while they could the calm before the storm. Suzaku grinned faintly as he and Todoroki stared off while atop their teams. "Don''t you have to go sing Let it go or something...?" Todoroki''s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don''t know what you are talking about" "I suppose you are still not exiled from your kingdom... Was that how the movie went?" Suzaku scratched the back of his head with a troubled look. Todoroki squinted his eyes but didn''t say anything. "..." That was as far as the conversation went, since after that, Todoroki''s hand got covered in an icy mist, and both teams seemed ready to go. -Crash!- -Booom!- However, just as the tension in the air was about to reach its peak, with both teams being just a single second away from lunging at each other, one of the ice walls was suddenly destroyed and took their attention from one another. "...?" "...?" "Thank you Tokoyami-kun!" As the ice mist cleared up a bit, a familiar green-haired figure along with his teammates soon entered the ice circle and joined the battle, locking gazes with both Todoroki and Suzaku. "Everyone, let''s take that headband!" ""Oh!"" His team cheered in response. However, just when the tension was reaching its peak once again, and the three of them were about to begin with the most intense clash so far, yet another explosion stopped them on their spot. -BOOOOOM!- "You red-haired bastard, I swear I''ll kill you!!!" Now, it was Bakugo who joined the party. "Huh?!" As he entered the circle and saw the three teams facing each other, Bakugo let out an angry groan of confusion when he saw the three teams facing each other. His eyes set more specifically on the three whom he considered the biggest pebbles on his way at the moment. "Deku..." "Kacchan...!" "Half-and-half bastard..." "Bakugo..." "Red-haired bastard..." "Who were you again...?" "I''ll kill you!!!" After that, the four teams stared at each other, ready to go at any moment. They assessed the others'' movements, waiting for anyone to make the first move so that they could respond accordingly. Due to that, no one moved, having reached a stalemate. However, they all knew it was only a matter of time before they clashed. And, as the four teams'' eyes nervously darted left and right, similar to a certain cowboy movie standoff scene, Suzaku''s annoyingly loud sigh and words soon cut the tense atmosphere in half. "Being popular sure has its demerits..." ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: The cavalry battle event finally begins! To be honest, this was quite an annoying event to write considering I had to think constantly of what other teams would do, and how Suzaku would deal with being ganged up by all the teams. By the time I finished it in the Patreon, there ended up being a lot of teams left aside. But well, there''s nothing I can do about it. I''m not about to write an action scene for every one of them. Also, you may or may not have noticed it, but Monoma''s obsession has moved from class 1-A to Suzaku. What do you think about it? I think it makes sense, considering there''s no reason for him to hate them anymore. Anyway, that''s it for this Chapter, maybe I''ll upload one more mid-week, or maybe next Sunday as always, I''ll see what I can do, seeing that I have pending to do a university project. Bye bye) -> Chapter 52: Cavalry Battle 2 Chapter 52: Cavalry Battle 2 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ "Being popular sure has its demerits" ""..."" After hearing his friend''s comment, Arata almost tripped. He turned to look at Suzaku with a deadpan. "What are you saying at a moment like this...?" "What? Can''t I complain?" Suzaku replied indignantly, before pointing accusatorily towards the three teams standing around them. "Look at these guys, ganging up on us like that, they have no shame at all!" ""...!"" In front of Suzaku''s accusations, many looked away in slight shame, feeling guilty for "ganging up" on him as he said. In this case, Midoriya and Kirishima were the most notable ones to react like this. Bakugo and Todoroki were not part of them, of course. "With that attitude of yours, you sow what you reap," Todoroki said calmly from atop his team. Bakugo, on the other hand, scoffed and looked at Suzaku threateningly, before slamming his fist against his palm as it released a small explosion. -Boom!- "You sure are blabbering out a lot for a dead guy!" -Sighhhh...- In response, Suzaku shook his head and sighed long and exasperatedly. "As expected of shameless guys like you bunch... All talk and no skills" "You¡ª!" As if Suzaku''s words had been the final push the stalemate needed to end, the next second, Bakugo felt something snap inside him, and he shouted at his teammates while a huge vein popped on his forehead. "All of you, get your asses moving!! We are going to take the 10 million points from that bastard!" ""Oh!"" The instant he gave the instructions, his team kicked the ground and began dashing towards Suzaku. Of course, the two other teams did not stand still, as soon as they saw Bakugo''s team make their move, they responded accordingly and also began charging against Suzaku''s team, not planning on being left behind. "Uh..." With now three teams coming at them from all sides, Arata panicked and looked at Suzaku with shaky eyes. "Hey, Suzaku, why the heck did you provoke them?! Now how are we supposed to get out of this?!" Surprisingly, however, his friend looked at him with a calm smile. "Come on pal, didn''t you have that?" Suzaku asked as he gestured towards the small pouch hanging on his friend''s shoulder, which contained various miscellaneous tools Arata had made. The instant Suzaku reminded him of it, all worry seemed to vanish from the face of the kid with slimy hair. A smirk appeared on his face, and Arata replied while letting out a faint snort. "... Right" After that, a strand of his hair quickly moved into the pouch, and after rummaging in it for a bit, it took out three gray-colored metal orbs. Following that, Suzaku grinned, before he pointed forward as he shouted with decisiveness to his friend. "Now, throw the Annihilation Bombs!" Something that the slimy-haired kid responded with a wicked shout of his own. "Prepare to die!!!" ""...?!!"" The instant they heard the pair, the three groups stopped their charge and looked ahead warily, preparing for the worst. -Bang!- -Tssssss...- Only for all their eyes to widen when, instead of throwing the "Annihilation Bombs" at them, Arata threw them at his own feet, causing a huge cloud of smoke to suddenly arise and envelop Suzaku''s team, hiding them from prying eyes. The smoke continued to expand after that, turning the small battlefield that Todoroki had created with the ice walls into a land of fog... or in this case, smoke. "-Cough, cough...!- A smoke bomb...?!" Midoriya yelled dumbfounded as he and his team stared baffled at their smoke-covered surroundings. The smoke was incredibly thick, and thanks to that, seeing more than one meter ahead proved to be an impossible task. On team Todoroki''s side, the icy teenager was trying to resolve their situation along with a certain rich girl in his group. "Yaoyorozu, could you make something to clear out this fog?" She sweatdropped a bit at the sudden request but shook her head nevertheless. "I could try and make something to blow it away... but judging from the amount of smoke there is, it would take me too much time to do it" "Forget it then," Todoroki said as his gaze moved elsewhere, considering their other options. However, fortunately for them, a solution to their problem came not long after. "This is useless!!" -Booom!!- Out of nowhere, a loud explosion echoed not too far away from them and blew away a good chunk of the smoke, allowing Team Todoroki to regain a bit of vision of their surroundings. However, the first thing they saw, to their dismay, was a certain explosive blonde and his team looking around with energetic gazes. "Half-and-Half-bastard?!" Noticing Team Todoroki too, Bakugo yelled surprised for a moment, before clicking his tongue and looking around him with a pissed-off expression. "That bastard, where did he hide?!" Todoroki did not do or say anything. Bakugo''s aim seemed to be only Suzaku, thus, they had no reason to engage in a fight with him... yet. And if Bakugo wanted to clear the smoke for them, then they weren''t gonna stop him. "Looking for me?" "Huh?!" Suddenly, as Bakugo was looking around, Suzaku''s voice came from somewhere behind him inside the remaining smoke. The blonde was quick to react, and in a violent motion, he swung his hand in the direction of where the voice had come from, blowing away another good chunk of the smoke. "There you are you bastard!" -Boom!- His eyes widened, however, when he saw that instead of the redhead''s annoyingly smug face, the only thing he saw after blowing the smoke away was Midoriya''s shocked face upon having his surroundings cleared. "... Deku?!" "K-kacchan?!" The greed-headed teenager shouted as he almost fell backward from the startle. However, despite their sudden meeting, the explosive kid simply clicked his tongue and proceeded to ignore All Might''s successor. Finding the annoying redhead who had dared to mess with him was a priority for the moment. Bakugo squinted his eyes, looking around frantically like a hunter having just lost its prey, and after seeing that his target remained behind nowhere to be seen, he soon reached the limits of his patience. "Sneaky bastard... STOP HIDING LIKE A PUSSY AND COME FIGHT ME!" Bakugo roared as he continued looking around, hopeful that his challenge would be answered. ... .. . However, despite his angry shout, Suzaku and his team remained missing from the battlefield, causing the explosive kid''s eye to twitch in exasperation. "Damn it..." Just as Bakugo was starting to consider releasing more explosions to blow away the remaining smoke and get Suzaku out of his hideout, a certain teacher''s voice echoed in the air, making him, and the other three teams from 1-A widen their eyes in shock. ["Three minutes remaining!"] The instant the three teams were reminded of the time''s countdown, their eyes inevitably darted toward one another. Very little time remained, and with Suzaku''s team missing at the moment, it was doubtful whether they would be able to take his headband before the time ended. Aside from Team Bakugo, who had their headband stolen earlier in the competition by Suzaku, the other two teams had already collected a bunch of them while all the other teams had been focused on trying to take Suzaku''s 10 million headband, as a result, they had already gotten a good amount of points that could make it very unlikely for them to get disqualified after this event. However, even if they didn''t get disqualified, that didn''t mean they would be scoring a high place in the event. If they couldn''t get Suzaku''s headband on time, then nothing assured them it would be them who would end up in 2nd place, and not 4th place. The only way of securing a high place was by taking the headbands off each other. In Bakugo''s case, since he didn''t have any headband at all, his situation was even more desperate. It was either to keep trying to take Suzaku''s, or change his strategy and try to take the headbands of either Team Midoriya or Team Todoroki. If he failed in any of that, he would be disqualified. Thus, with three minutes remaining, the three teams that had originally been on the hunt for Suzaku now started to turn on each other. "..." "..." "..." As the three teams exchanged gazes between each other, the air around the area became more tense. None were making the first move, hesitant of whether to begin yet another conflict when Suzaku was still roaming somewhere around them, hidden amidst the remaining smoke. The fact that this new conflict had a probability of also being part of Suzaku''s plans also played a part in making the leaders of each team hesitant to fight each other. Not wanting to play by Suzaku''s plan. However, with the little time that remained, they would need to make a decision soon. And Todoroki was the first to take that decision. "Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, get ready for¡ª" -Swoosh!- However, just as he was beginning to give out instructions, the smoke near them moved, and from one moment to another, a red blur passed by Todoroki''s side. -Snap!- "¡ªWhat...?!" By the time Todoroki realized what had happened, he touched his forehead and neck, realizing that in just the blink of a second, all of his headbands had been taken. The moment he realized the predicament he was in, he turned around to see who had been the one to take all his points away. "Bastard...!" Only to see a smug-looking Suzaku being carried by two mechanical arms that held him in the air, avoiding the floor and the disqualification touching it would mean, and two other arms that were returning him to his team slowly but surely. The instant he saw that, Todoroki pointed forward and shouted angrily. "Don''t let him get away!" And he was not the only one to take action. "Hand over that!" The instant he saw Suzaku, Bakugo was quick to jump off his team and shoot himself like a rocket in his direction to try and intercept the redhead while he was still mid-air. "Dark Shadow!" Midoriya''s team also had the same line of thought, and in no time, a huge raven-shaped shadow sprung forward from Tokoyami and flew in Suzaku''s direction. "...Damn" Still on his way back to his team, Suzaku found himself in a predicament once two troublesome opponents began quickly approaching him while he was still not on solid ground... Or this case, back on the carry of his trusty teammates. Still, not being one to overly panic in the face of such problems, Suzaku quickly put the headbands he had taken away on his neck, and prepared for the fight. "I''ll be taking those!!" Dark Shadow was the first one to arrive, its towering figure looming over the retreating Suzaku as it aimed to take his headbands off him. Suzaku attempted to fend it off using his martial arts. However, not having a solid ground to stand on, there was a limit to how much he could do. Plus, the thing didn''t seem to feel pain from his attacks, so he could only dodge it as much as he could until he was back on his teammates'' shoulders. Fortunately, his saving grace arrived not long after. "DIEEEEE!!!" "... My hero" Suzaku smiled sarcastically as a certain blonde approached him from the side with murderous intentions. Still, it was exactly what he needed at the moment. The moment Bakugo tried catching Suzaku by surprise, even though he had dismissed the surprise factor by screaming like a psychotic banshee, Suzaku dodged his flimsy attempt at attacking him and skillfully proceeded to redirect Bakugo''s strike toward Dark Shadow. -Boom!- "Aaaargh!!" The next instant, an explosion was set off from the blonde''s palm, making Dark Shadow get swallowed by the explosion. The power of the blast made Dark Shadow recede momentarily, but Suzaku was not done yet. -Thud- "Oof!" After using Bakugo''s Quirk to ward off Dark Shadow, Suzaku used his strength and swung the irascible teenager away, sending him to crash with Dark Shadow. Then, after leaving Bakugo to his luck in the embrace of the Quirk''s manifestation, Suzaku turned around and smiled as he began approaching his team, who were looking at him with differing expressions. "Nice one there, Suzaku-kun!" Mei said with a hearty laugh as he shot him a thumbs up. "Why the heck did you do that, Suzaku? We don''t need more headbands!" Arata on the other hand gritted his teeth angrily as Suzaku''s figure slowly landed on top of them again. "Come on, where''s the fun in that?" The redhead smirked as he adjusted himself in their hold. Arata shook his head and let out a sigh. "You are crazy" "Come on, no need to insult me like that, look at what I did for you!" Suzaku pointed at the stands as his glasses bulged up to make zoom. "Those sponsors sure are looking thirsty for your items" "Really?" Arata''s eyes brightened, before he cleared his throat. "Ahem, that''s why I said you should have done that earlier" Suzaku let out a small laugh. "Sure pal" "I see them too, they are talking about us!" Mei said as she used her Quirk to observe the sponsors from afar, her smile widening the more she saw their heated discussion. "My babies are being recognized!" However, the pair of inventors had to put an end to their celebration when Suzaku patted both on the shoulder. "Good for you guys, but focus. Here they come" When they turned to look back forward, they saw Midoriya and Todoroki''s teams coming at them. Bakugo, on the other hand, was being pulled back by his teammate with tape powers. "Any ideas?" Seeing they didn''t have any more smoke bombs to run away, Arata looked with uncertainty at Suzaku. Suzaku smiled confidently. "Not really" Arata ignored Suzaku''s answer and turned to look at Mei. "Hatsume-san... Any idea of how to get out of this?" "No!" She replied with a wide smile. "Geh..." In the end, Arata''s head dropped, not having been expecting that neither of them would have any ideas. To his ease, however, Suzaku patted him on the shoulder not long after. He looked at Suzaku with hopeful eyes... Only to deadpan the next second. "... We''ll just handle them as they come, nothing too hard really," Suzaku said as he slammed his fist against his palm, which the spider harness'' four mechanical arms replicated. Hearing Suzaku''s solution to the problem at hand, Arata groaned and made a strand of his hair act as a hand to facepalm his forehead. "Of course that''s your strategy..." However, despite his hopes hanging low, Arata still readied himself, and so did the two behind him. Midoriya and Todoroki''s teams were already drawing close, after all. -Bam!- And thus, without waiting any longer, Team Suzaku kicked the ground and began charging toward the two enemy teams, not planning on waiting idly for them to come. ""...?"" Upon seeing their objective suddenly come at them on his own accord, both Midoriya and Todoroki were stunned for a moment. However, only for a moment. "Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, now!" Immediately after seeing Suzaku and company approach, Todoroki shouted at his two teammates, who nodded their heads decisively. "Yes" "You don''t have to tell me!" -Clang!- The next second, Team Todoroki came to a full halt, and after activating her Quirk, Yaoyorozu struck the ground with a metal nail that sprouted from her arm, embedding it into it. After that, Yaoyorozu pulled out a white insulating cloth that she had created using her Quirk, and used it to cover most of the team, save for Kaminari, who was left out of it. Once the preparations were done, Todoroki shot Kaminari a small nod, causing the latter to smirk. "Alright!" The electric teenager shouted in excitement once he knew that it was his time to shine. The next second, the smile on his face widened, and electricity began dangerously jolting around him. Suzaku''s eyes squinted from behind his glasses upon seeing that. ''What the hell is¡ª?'' Sadly, it was too late for him to react. "1.3 Million¡ªVolts!!!" As soon as Kaminari let out those words, the electricity around him exploded and shot in all directions, and team Midoriya, who was not too far away from them, was the first to be reached by the attack. -Crackle!- "Huh?!" -Zap!- In the blink of an eye, Midoriya, Uraraka, Ojiro, and Tokoyami were all soon struck with a discharge that paralyzed them, causing them to come to a halt in an instant. Dark Shadow, who was still around, was the most affected by it as the light produced by the electricity was its kryptonite. "Aaaaargh!" "D-dark Shadow!" Even while being shocked, Tokoyami shouted at his Quirk''s manifestation in worry. Midoriya also looked like he wanted to do something, but with the electricity running through his body, he was only able to watch. On Team Suzaku''s side, the electricity discharge did not take too long to reach them as well. -Zap!- As soon as they were struck, both Mei and Arata were forced to come to a stop and even dropped to one knee, the electricity shocking them being too much for them to stay on their feet. Fortunately, through sheer will, they managed to keep Suzaku atop them, who had also been struck by the electricity, and was suffering its aftereffects. He had felt something was off when Todoroki and company stopped their charge and Yaoyorozu had begun doing strange stuff. However, despite that, he failed to react on time and warn his teammates. As a result, he too was shocked by the discharge, and although he wasn''t looking as affected as his teammates below him were, he still was far from being able to shrug off the electricity running through his body like it was nothing. He was amazing, but not that amazing. -Tzzz...- In the end, the attack lasted for about 5 to 10 seconds, and by the time the two teams were finally released from the pain of being shocked, both teams lay down tired on the ground, lost, and still suffering from the aftereffects. -Shhhhaaa!- "Huh?!" "Wha-what is this?!" "Not this again!" And sadly, that was exactly what Todoroki''s team needed, as in the next second, a wave of frost washed over both Midoriya and Suzaku''s team, and froze the feet of those acting as horses, trapping them in place. Which was all Team Todoroki needed to begin charging towards Suzaku again. ["Two minutes remaining!"] While they approached, Present Mic''s announcement in the background only served as further encouragement for Todoroki and company. "Ugh..." Suzaku, who until then had been still a bit affected by the attack, finally regained his bearings, and upon seeing Todoroki Team approaching at a rapid pace, he clicked his tongue. Both his teammates were still recovering, and thus, he was gonna need to handle this alone until his teammates became able to get them on the move again. ''Good thing I asked Arata for his Dr. Octopus-knock-of-invention...'' Suzaku thought while a wry smile rose on his face. As he thought like that, the edgy teen with ice powers and his team arrived in no time. "I''ll be taking that" Todoroki was the first to move, his other team members being too busy carrying him to do anything to Suzaku for now. However, the moment Todoroki tried stretching to hold onto the headbands Suzaku was carrying, his hand was slapped away. "Where do you think you are going?" Suzaku said with a ridiculing smirk. He didn''t think it was gonna be that easy, did he? "You sure are a persistent guy," Todoroki clicked his tongue annoyed, having been expecting Suzaku to be out cold like his teammates were right now. However, now that he knew that there was gonna be retaliation if he didn''t take this seriously, Todoroki got to work. The next second, an icy mist spread across Todoroki''s arm, and after setting his sight on Suzaku''s ten million headband, he attacked. This time, it was a swift movement aiming to grab the headband on Suzaku''s forehead and retreat as quickly as possible. However, as it was to be expected, such an attack was not difficult for Suzaku to block. The twist came when, after swatting Todoroki''s hand away once more, Suzaku felt a rush of cold creep up his arm. "...?" Immediately, he turned to see what had happened and stared in disbelief at his now ice-covered arm. "Damn" Todoroki didn''t let him dwell on it for much, however, as immediately after, he shouted something to Kaminari that caught Suzaku''s attention. "Do it again Kaminari!" ''Again?'' Still, he didn''t have much time to think about it, as the next second the blonde smiled nervously at the instruction, and began readying up "Geez... You sure are making me go all out!" The instant electricity began circling around him once more, Yaoyorozu struck the floor with a metal nail sprouting from her elbow once again and took out the same white insulating cloth she had used to protect her team last time. The plan was to use it to protect the team from the discharge like earlier. Sadly, not everything goes as planned in this world. "Share it with me, will you?" The moment Yaoyorozu tried covering everyone with it, something held onto the cloth and stopped Yaoyorozu''s actions. "Wha...?" When she turned to look at what had interrupted her, she saw Suzaku smiling deviously in her way, while a hand of his tightly gripped onto the cloth... Only to then, in one swoop, snatch it away from her grasp, leaving Yaoyorozu only capable of staring baffled as their only protective means got stolen away. "1.3 Million¡ª" "Kaminari¡ª!" Realizing what had happened, Todoroki tried stopping Kaminari from going on with the plan. However, by then it was too late. "¡ªVolt!!!" -Cackle!!- -Zap!!- The next instant, another huge discharge was shot, and this time, the only ones affected were the rest of Todoroki''s team. "Hehehe" Having stolen the white cloth, Suzaku giggled maliciously as he covered himself and his team with it, hiding safely away from the attack''s reach. And as the attack electrocuted their opponents, both Arata and Mei finally began regaining their bearings. "Ugh... That sure hurt" Arata groaned as he shook his head, looking relieved to be finally able to move. "Babies...!" Mei, on the other hand, immediately began checking her stuff, worried as the electricity might have damaged some of her items Fortunately, or unfortunately, only a few had been damaged by it. -Cackle...- "Ueehehe~" By the time Kaminari''s attack finally ended, the young electricity user stood with a dull smile on his face as he shot thumbs up to the air, as if proud for committing friendly fire. Something that Team Suzaku enjoyed watching, as the feeling of electricity shocking them certainly hadn''t been pleasant. Sadly, they didn''t have much time to rest. "Now, Ojiro-kun!" "You got it!" -Plaf!- As they were observing Todoroki and the rest of his team handling the after-effects of receiving Kaminari''s attack, the three heard the voice of Midoriya nearby and turned around in a hurry, preparing for yet another attack. What they saw upon turning around, however, was Ojiro slamming his tail against the ground and somehow launching both his team and himself into the air like a soaring rocket. Suzaku immediately recognized that Uraraka had a hand in this, as it was impossible Ojiro could have been able to shoot them that high in the air by simply slamming his tail on the ground. There was no time to think about it further, however, as the next second, Team Midoriya began plummeting upon them. "Why can''t we take a break...?" Arata cursed under his breath once he saw that yet another attack was coming their way. Suzaku on the other hand didn''t panic. As soon as he saw them approaching, he turned to Mei. "Use your thingy" "Oh!" She nodded, and upon saying so, from her backpack two metal pipes struck the ground where they were standing, breaking the ice keeping them stuck to the floor, and pushing her along with the team to the side, allowing for them to dodge the incoming attack in but an instant. They did not stop there, however. As soon as Midoriya and company landed after failing their ambush, Mei controlled the tool, and activated it once again, shooting them back to where they had come from. -Clank!- As that happened, however, one of the cylinders bent, most likely due to the weight of moving three people at once in such spontaneous moments. "Baby...! There''s room for improvement!" Mei eyed with sadness as her item malfunctioned. Suzaku, however, just stared ahead. There was a reason they were going back to where they had been a second ago, after all. "Where did they¡ª?!" By the time Mirdoriya turned to look for them, it was too late. Suzaku''s hand was already grabbing his headbands. "Salutations, and farewell" "...!!" In a quick reaction, Midoriya activated the One for All and tried swatting Suzaku''s hand away. And he did, only his headbands had already been taken away by that point. "No!" After that, Suzaku''s team flew past Team Midoriya, managing to stop only after they continued for a few more meters. By then, Suzaku''s neck was filled with headbands all over it, plus the 10 million one on his forehead. ["One Minute Remaining!!"] The look on Midoriya''s face tensed, as now, he had been left in the same situation as Bakugo and Todoroki. They had no headbands left as Suzaku had taken them all, and what was worse of all, they had only one minute to take their headbands back, or they would be disqualified. As countless plans began taking place in Midoriya''s head, a certain team walked to his side. "Midoriya..." "Todoroki-kun?!" Midoriya almost jumped off from the surprise, however, he calmed down when he saw that Todoroki was looking at Suzaku instead of him. "At this rate, we will all get disqualified... Let''s take him at the same time" Midoriya''s eyes widened. Although before they all had been taking on Suzaku''s team at the same time, or "ganging up on him" as the redhead had described it, it all had been because they were all looking for Suzaku''s 10 million points. In other words, they had been rivals who were after the same thing, but who didn''t cooperate with each other. Now, however, Todoroki was offering him to go beyond that. He was asking to team up. "I..." Midoriya didn''t know what to say. Right now, they were not in a situation where they could afford to care about their appearance. Only seconds remained, and if they didn''t act soon, this was as far in the competition as any of them was gonna make it. If he failed, not only would he be disappointing All Might, but he would also disappoint his teammates. He needed to get past this round. However, shamelessly teaming up to take on a single team was something that Midoriya couldn''t feel comfortable doing. That was not what a hero would do. "...?!" However, as he was debating what to answer, his eyes involuntarily caught sight of Team Bakugo approaching the two of them slowly and silently, unlike usual. The leader, Bakugo was sitting calmly on top of his team, not rushing ahead like before. It appeared he had learned that such an approach would not work. Still, his gaze was as furious as usual, if not even more. ''....?'' As Midoriya was wondering what had made Bakugo act like that, his eyes coincidentally met with the explosive kid. "...!" And at that moment, he understood. Right now, they were all in the same bag. Despite Bakugo''s explosive personality and competitiveness, he could feel it. His friend was out of ideas, to the point that he looked like would not oppose a team-up. With only one minute remaining, doubts of whether he could be able to pass the round were visible in his eyes. Todoroki was the same. Kaminari''s brain had gotten fried and wouldn''t recover for a good while, and Yaoyorozu was in low spirits after having Suzaku steal the cloth. As for himself, his team was in a better condition, except for Dark Shadow who looked a little weak after being electrocuted earlier. However, with no headband in his possession, he too was destined to get disqualified if he didn''t do anything about it. They were all in the same situation. They all had one enemy in common. "Come on~" "Hey, Suzaku, don''t provoke them further...!" As much as they didn''t like to do it, or admit it, if the three didn''t want to get disqualified... they had to team up. When he understood that, Midoriya''s eyes widened before he ultimately made his decision. "Alright, Todoroki-kun, let''s take him together" The instant Midoriya accepted, Todoroki nodded his head. "...." Bakugo, who was close enough to hear them, simply gave the two a glance before returning his gaze to Suzaku. He didn''t need to say anything, with the look he had sent Deku, he had said enough. He too was gonna be part of this, even if he disliked it. Todoroki waved his hand upwards. "At my signal... Three... two... one¡ª" However, just as he was about to give the signal for them to start dashing towards Suzaku, Ida whispered something to him. "Todoroki-kun... I still have my doubts on whether we will be able to catch Suzuki-kun on time if we team up... So, I''ll do what I can... After this, I won''t be able to run anymore, so please catch the 10 million headband" "Ida?" Todoroki asked confused at his words. "Hang on tight!" Sadly for Todoroki''s confusion, Ida ignored him, and as everyone tightened their hold on each other out of instinct after hearing his warning, Ida took a running position and squinted his eyes at Suzaku, who smiled amusedly after seeing that. "Oh, you are coming at me?" Suzaku asked as he readied for combat. He knew the guy was fast, so he expected him to close their distance in a matter of seconds. However, what he didn''t expect... was what happened next. "Torque-Over... Recipro Burst!!!" -Boooom!- "...?!" When Suzaku realized what was happening, he barely had any time to react. By the time his body moved and tried to do something about it, many of the headbands he had were gone, and Team Todoroki, who had been a few meters ahead of him until then, had dissapeared. When Suzaku turned his head, he was able to spot them. However, they were now far away. Ida''s rush seemed to have moved them quite a distance before they came to a stop. "Talk about fast..." Suzaku smiled incredulously. Quirks sure were something amazing. Suzaku could have loved to take his time to process what had happened, however, Todoroki was not the only one after his headbands. "Now, kacchan!" "Don''t order me around!" Immediately after Team Todoroki did their part, the two other teams began getting on the move as well. With the time remaining being mere seconds, the clash of teams immediately became a full-out war the moment Suzaku''s team was intercepted. It was not only Midoriya and Bakugo who tried engaging in a fight with Suzaku, but those acting as horses as well. The time remaining demanded them to do so if they didn''t want their team to get disqualified However, neither Arata nor Mei were gonna let them do as they pleased. As such, it eventually turned into a fight where Arata and Mei did their best to hold the horses of the other teams for butting in, all while Suzaku handled Midoriya and Bakugo at the same time. Of course, not even the two pair of geniuses were capable of holding the attacks of all the horses from the two teams, so some attacks did eventually shoot towards Suzaku. However, in those cases, the spider harness Arata had created could intercept and protect him, allowing Suzaku to solely concentrate on the two team leaders. -Booom!- "Stop moving you bastard!" "W-watch out Kacchan!" "It''s your fault for being in the way!" With his heightened reflexes, dexterity, and strength, Suzaku was capable of dealing with the two of them with relative ease. Even if they had more firepower than him, it was useless if it was aimed at each other instead of Suzaku. Which was exactly the type of approach Suzaku was giving this fight. He was deflecting each of their attacks, and redirecting them against one another, difficulting successful cooperation between the two, and allowing for Suzaku to remain in control. Bakugo and Midoriya felt as if Suzaku could predict their movement, given how easily he was tossing them around and dodging each attack. As Midoriya continued his relentless assault, he couldn''t help but grit his teeth at the overwhelming superiority Suzaku was showing. ''Damn it, we can''t land a solid hit... If only there was even a tiny gap...!'' However, as if his prayers had been answered, the next second, when Present Mic''s voice echoed around, something happened. ["15 Seconds remaining!"] "Gotcha!" Sero, the tape guy, managed to grab onto the spider-harness with his tape, restricting its movement. And with that protective layer out of the way, it was not long before a certain Quirk joined the fight for the headbands "Oryaaaaa!" Dark Shadow was back in the game, and more fervent than ever. The sudden appearance of yet another contestant to take care of threw Suzaku a bit off balance. Two versus one might have been doable, three versus one? That was a bit harder. As a result, although Suzaku was able to defend himself for a few seconds more after that, at one moment Bakugo managed to evade Suzaku''s grasp. "You are done!!!" With that shout, he swung his hand violently, and although Suzaku did his best to dodge, Bakugo still managed to rip off many of the headbands that had been hanging on Suzaku''s neck. Thus, getting back into the game. After that, only two headbands remained. "...!" When he saw that most of the headbands had been taken away already, Midoriya''s eyes immediately darted to the big screen atop the stadium that documented the points held by each team, and when he found the name he was looking for, his eyes brightened. [Suzaku Team: 10,000,885] The 10 million headband was still on his neck... Which meant that there was still a chance to get first place. When he realized that, a fervent fire spread within him. "Everyone, let''s go!" Midoriya shouted, to which all his teammates nodded enthusiastically. ["9!"] With the end nearing, Midoriya''s Team dashed with all they had to intercept Suzaku again after his team had moved away. ["8!"] The pursuit did not last long as Suzaku''s team hadn''t been able to make much distance. As such, it was but a second before another fight ensued between teams, this time though, it was only Suzaku vs Midoriya. ["7!"] "Dark Shadow!" "Right away¡ªAck, this thing again?!" With the spider harness free from Sero''s jail of tape, Dark Shadow was no longer able to approach, as the hands took care of holding it off while both protagonists faced each other off. -Wack!- -Thud!- "Argh!" ["6!"] Suzaku superiority was once more shown, as despite his efforts, Midoriya could not find a single opening to grab the headbands. Suzaku''s defense was simply too fierce. Midoriya didn''t want to imagine how it would be if he was also focused on the offense. ["5!"] The countdown in the background only made Midoriya more nervous. He was not gonna be able to do it. Suzaku''s defense seemed impenetrable. Attack he threw, attack Suzaku deflected with ease as if he was swatting a fly away. Not once had he gotten close to grabbing any of the headbands. ["4!"] As such, and seeing their impending disqualification, Midoriya''s state of mind reached its limit. If he didn''t want to lose and drag his teammates with him, he had to use that. ["3!"] The next second, Midoriya''s fingers curled up and he aimed his hand at Suzaku as if he was about to flicker the air in his direction. Suzaku knew what that was, however. "Shit!" The redhead cursed, and in a hurry, tried diverting the attack elsewhere. However, Midoriya never aimed at him to begin with. -Swooooosh!- In a quick movement, Midoriya turned to aim down, and with a swift flicker of his finger, a violent gust of wind struck the ground, knocking both teams back. ["2!"] With the two teams now thrown out of balance, Midoriya knew this was his only opportunity. As such, he jumped off his team and lunged at Suzaku. His hand stretching as if he was trying to grasp the very sun. Without a stable ground to hold himself, Suzaku tried to dodge. However, in the end, Midoriya managed to reach him. ["1!"] And using all the strength left in his arm, Midoriya grabbed the first thing he got a hold of. Grabbing... but a single headband. And just in time. ["Stoooooop!"] -Thud!- "Ouch" "What the hell Midoriya?" Immediately after, both teams collapsed and everyone fell to the ground. Midoriya however, did not mind them, and instead, his eyes turned to look at the headband he had taken for himself. Had he done it...? His breath stopped for a second once he asked himself this. "...!" No, he hadn''t. Midoriya''s eyes widened once he saw the number 500 written on the headband, his fist tightening in frustration. ... "Damn it" He had failed yet again to reach first place. As Midoriya cursed at himself, Suzaku stood up and patted his clothes. A smirk emerged on his face as he looked at the stands. "One event remains" ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: 2nd event finished, and holy it was annoying to have to write many things happening at once. Hopefully, the tournament will be easier to write... But before that...) -> Chapter 53: Respecting Other’s Privacy Chapter 53: Respecting Other''s Privacy Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Suzaku''s POV:| ... "One more event remains." -Snap!- As I let out those words, I ripped off the headband left on my neck and gave it a look. As expected, it was the headband of the 10 million. "I am simply too good for this world." I smiled in satisfaction the instant I saw it. During the last minute of the competition, while the three musketeers of 1-A jumped our team, I ensured that even if they retrieved some of the headbands I had taken from them they wouldn''t get their hands on the truly important one. For that, I hid it slightly under others so they wouldn''t aim for it, all while constantly paying attention to its location so that I could always dodge their attacks in ways their hands wouldn''t come close it, guiding them to the less important ones instead. Which, annoyingly, despite my efforts still almost happened during that last-second face-off with Miroriya. However, in the end, I still managed to misguide him as he pounced on me. Making him grab onto the headband with fewer points. It was a bit risky, but like all my master plans, it worked perfectly thanks to my unmatchable skill. And now, after achieving first place yet again, only one event remained before I could finish all this festival thingy. -Sigh...- -Thud- Glancing satisfied at this event''s final results on the giant screen above us, I smirked faintly before then letting myself fall back to the grassy ground. Turns out, being targeted by everyone constantly for 15 minutes can be a bit exhausting. Who could have guessed? -Wheeze...- As I took a deep breath and let my body relax for a bit, an exhausted cry came from my side, prompting me to snort in amusement as I turned my head slightly, looking at my good friend who lay down spread on the ground, looking like he might die at any moment. "You okay?" I asked with a sneer, something that the nerdy kid responded by looking at me venomously. "...What...-HUFF-... do you think...?" "I think you need more training." "Screw...-WHEEZE-...you" He flipped me off. I laughed at his annoyed face and turned to look at our other teammate. Unlike Arata who looked like he was dying as he lay on the grass catching his breath, Mei was using a screwdriver she had taken from who-knows-where to repair the backpack with the pipes we used for emergency escapes. It had broken midway during our last confrontation, so she looked really engrossed in fixing it. "Hey, Mei was it? You aren''t tired, are you?" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm? I''m fine. My babies require immediate attention, so I don''t have time to rest." After hearing her nonchalant response, I gave Arata a smirk, to which he clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. However, he still pushed himself up from the ground and began trying to look like he wasn''t tired at all, scanning his items as well for any damage or issues. ''This kid.'' I shook my head with a wry smile. As my teammates got to do their own thing, I turned to look at my competitors. More specifically, towards those with whom I would be competing in the next event. The first to catch my gaze was Mr. Let It Go... And it seemed he was onto the same thing I was, as the next second I noticed he too was looking at me. Unlike me, however, he was looking pretty frustrated. But I guess that''s what being in lame second place does to people. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Ahem. While I was trying to hold my grin from becoming a full-on laughter, Mr. Red-&-White seemed to have gotten fed up with my mocking expression, and the next second turned around and began walking away, leaving behind those of his team who were still resting. As he was passing by Midoriya''s team, however, he stopped for some reason. He then walked up to the guy and said something to him. What exactly? No idea, but Broccoli-man looked quite surprised after hearing it. However, when the ice-controlling kid began walking away after speaking to Midoriya, I lost interest and directed my gaze elsewhere. Whether those two were having some heartfelt discussion as classmates or were planning how to take me down, they were free to do as they pleased. As for the brat with anger issues... Huh, he had already left. When I noticed his absence, I gave his team a funny gaze knowing the guy most likely left them because he was too frustrated. However, ultimately, I shook my head and began looking elsewhere. It was better this way, otherwise, I don''t know if I would have been able to hold myself from laughing at him. ''Maybe I should tone down my mocking a bit...'' While I was berating my toxic self inside my mind, the teachers'' commentary resumed. ["Now, let''s take a look at the top four teams right away!"] The image on the big screen suddenly changed, and after that, the camera was aimed at us. ["In first place, Team Suzuki!"] "H-huh?" The instant the three of us appeared on the huge screen, Arata panicked and began looking around frantically, probably not knowing what to do. Mei, on the other hand, just gave the screen a look, before she continued fixing her backpack. It was apparent that her babies took priority over appearing on a big ass screen. As for me? I simply put my glasses on RGB mode and crossed my arms smugly. ["In second place, Team Todoroki!"] Next, the camera was pointed at the ice guy''s team. However, since he was already gone, only his teammates appeared on the screen, who were looking quite dissatisfied with the result themselves. The same went for the next team. ["In third place, Team Bakugo!"] Since the explosive brat hadn''t been able to handle my Suzaku style, his teammates were the only ones left on the field to appear on the screen. The disappearances of both team leaders seemed to have caused a bit of confusion amidst the stands. However, despite the voices of bafflement, the teacher''s narration went on. ["... And finally, in fourth place, Team Midoriya!"] Lastly, the image was set on the only team of four members that remained on the field, who were looking faintly embarrassed about appearing on the screen. Midoriya more than anyone. Once the rankings for this event were made clear, our teacher got onto the most important part of this festival, making me crack a grin in satisfaction. ["Now, we''ll take an hour''s break for lunch before we start the afternoon activities, and finalize for today with the last game of this festival... See ya!"] As he delivered those words, I stood up and began walking away. "Time to get serious," I said as I cracked my knuckles. My stomach wasn''t gonna feed itself. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, third person POV:| ... After going back to the class 1-B waiting room to retrieve his phone and a few other things, Suzaku stepped out of the room and began walking in the cafeteria''s direction, ready to eat a well-earned meal. He could have invited Arata and Mei to join him. They had been his comrades while all the other teams were targeting them, so asking them to share a meal and chat a bit longer felt appropriate. However, after thinking about it for a bit, Suzaku figured it was better to leave those two to chat among themselves. He knew better than to interfere with his friend''s quest for love. -Step, step, step...- "I wonder if they serve pizza? I could seriously eat some right now" As Suzaku walked across one of the stadium''s narrow hallways, he patted his stomach and gave the ceiling a hungry look, looking forward to lunch. However, as he walked forward, he came across a strange sight. "...What is this guy doing?" Some meters ahead of him, Bakugo was leaning against a wall with a serious expression, looking at nothing in particular. Seeing him there, Suzaku''s eyebrows furrowed a bit. ''He didn''t come here just to pick a fight with me during lunch break, did he?'' With how volatile the kid was, Suzaku had his suspicions. However, after a bit of thinking he discarded that possibility. After all, there was no way Bakugo could know he would be walking specifically through this hallway at this exact moment... Right? ... Just in case, Suzaku''s fist tightened as he prepared to give the brat a beating if he tried anything funny. However, as he neared the explosive kid, his pace slowed. Amidst the hundreds of muffled voices from people all over the stadium, Suzaku began hearing a particular conversation not too far away, coming coincidentally from the direction where Bakugo was. The voices involved sounded like Todoroki''s and Midoriya''s. At first, Suzaku couldn''t see them, but after approaching a bit more, he was able to notice that right next to Bakugo there was a turn on the hallway that led to the outside of the stadium. Suzaku figured the two teenagers were having some conversation of sorts there. As for Bakugo, he seemed to be eavesdropping by hiding behind the wall. Suzaku let out a disappointed sigh. ''Kids these days don''t respect privacy...'' As he thought that, however, his ear twitched as it caught bits of the conversation, and he began slowing his pace little by little as he neared the scene, so much that even Bakugo didn''t notice him creeping closer. Then, a certain question reached his ears. "Midoriya, are you... All Might''s secret love child or something?" ''The hell did I stumble onto...?'' Suzaku almost tripped upon catching that last line. There was a bit of silence after that, interrupted only when Todoroki prompted Midoriya to answer. "Well, are you?" "T-that''s not it...!" Midoriya answered in a hurry, before he began to stutter in nervousness "I mean, even if I was, I wouldn''t admit it, so I don''t think you will believe me, but anyway, that''s not how it is! In the first place, why did you think that was the ca¡ª?" "Since you said "that''s not how it is", that means there is a connection between you and All Might that you can''t talk about, right?" Todoroki interrupted him, causing the green-headed young man to not talk anymore, evidently at a loss of words in front of Todoroki''s logic. Seeing Midoriya fall silent once again, Todoroki snorted faintly, before letting out a bomb of his own. "Endeavor is my old man." ''Who''s endeavor again¡ªAh right, the second place guy'' Todoroki continued, unaware of Suzaku''s thoughts. "I''m sure you already know that he''s been stuck as the number two hero for forever..." ''Good work there, memory.'' "... My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world, so as a hero, he won a name for himself using his crushing power, and exactly because of that, when All Might¡ªa wall he couldn''t cross with his talent nor efforts¡ªappeared, it became a great eyesore to him, so he moved on to his next plan." Todoroki said as his countenance turned darker. "... What are you saying Todoroki-kun?" Todoroki ignored Midoriya''s question and continued speaking. "... Do you know about Quirk marriages? That thing that became a problem during the second and third generations after superpowers appeared, where choosing a spouse was based solely on strengthening your Quirk and passing it to your children..." "..." "... My old man is someone with both accomplishments and money, so he won over my mother''s relatives with ease, and as a result got a hold of her Quirk, intending to raise an offspring that was to become a hero even greater than All Might... All simply because of that desire of his." ''Damn, no wonder he is in second place, the guy is a piece of shit'' After clicking his tongue, Todoroki''s voice became calmer and he addressed Midoriya again. "... That''s why I picked a fight with you at the beginning of this festival, as someone who seems to hold a relation of sorts with All Might, I wanted to show that piece of shit what I could do using only my mother''s Quirk..." After saying those words, Todoroki fell silent for a bit, before continuing as his voice turned raspier. "... But I changed my mind. I''ll reject him completely by winning first place using only my mother''s Quirk." -Growl...- ''Alright, I got bored'' As Todoroki''s declaration echoed in the air, Suzaku''s stomach rumbled, and he got out of his eavesdropping position. Although overhearing someone else''s drama was fun, his stomach wasn''t gonna have whatever yapping those two had left. He had a lunch to devour. So, without bothering to listen more, he stepped closer to Bakugo and tapped his shoulder. "Crazy isn''t it?" "¡ªArgh, where the fuck did you come from?!!" The blond teenager jumped when Suzaku suddenly appeared beside him, letting out a shout that startled both Midoriya and Todoroki, who thought no one else had been around. Suzaku, however, didn''t mind that at all and revealed his figure to the two, giving them a curt nod as he stepped into view. "Sup." "Suzuki-kun...?" Midoriya frowned faintly when he saw him appear from behind the wall. Todoroki squinted his eyes. "You were overhearing our conversation?" "Me?" Suzaku pointed at himself innocently, before grabbing Bakugo and pulling him to his side, showing him to the two 1-A teenagers. "Nah, I was just passing by and saw Mr. Explosive here hiding behind this wall and tapped his shoulder, I don''t know why he screamed like that though." "So Bakugo was listening..." Todoroki''s gaze moved to the spiky-haired kid, who was looking like he wanted to take a swing at Suzaku. "Kids these days don''t even respect the privacy of others'' conversations, am I right?" Suzaku suddenly said as he shook his head with a disappointed expression. The three of class 1-A looked at him with skepticism. Although Suzaku had said he had just arrived, they had the feeling he had been hearing from the beginning just like Bakugo. However, the redhead didn''t let them accuse him of anything as he immediately began walking away. "Anyway, I''m off to eat something. You guys try your best in the next round." Neither of the three stopped him, they simply stared at his departing back with strange gazes, except for one of the three who was looking pretty pissed off. Still, their gazes didn''t linger on Suzaku for much, as the spiky blonde was the next subject of two of their gazes. Todoroki crossed his arms and shook his head, while Midoriya gave Bakugo a disappointed look. "Eavesdropping on other people''s conversations is impolite, Kacchan." "Shut up!" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... After lunch, Suzaku and Itsuka found themselves walking back to the stadium to join the others so that the next part of the festival could go on. Behind them, many students from the other classes were walking in the same direction. "So you ate pizza... Really, Suzaku?" Itsuka looked at him wryly. "What?" The redhead looked at her strangely. "With this being the last round of the festival, one would think you would have tried to eat something more nutritious to be full of energy." Suzaku looked at her with a serious face. "Pizza is the most nutritious food." "..." "... At least for me" "Seriously..." In the end, Itsuka relented and simply let out a sigh. As she did so, Suzaku nudged her with his elbow, looking around with a raised eyebrow. "By the way, did you see Tetsutetsu? I haven''t seen him since the last event" Itsuka looked around after hearing his question. "I left for the cafeteria before him, so I didn''t get to see where he went after the second event... I just figured he would be with you after that, but now that you mention it..." "That''s unusual of him..." Suzaku scratched his head for a moment, before eventually shrugging. "... But who knows, maybe he was just trapped in the bathroom or something, we will probably see him once we reunite with the rest of the students" "..." Itsuka sent him a funny gaze. "By the way, are you okay right now?" Suzaku asked as he glanced at her. Itsuka tilted her head confused. "What do you mean?" "You didn''t pass onto the next round, you don''t seem very upset but..." Itsuka shook her head with a wry smile. "No, I didn''t have very high expectations from the beginning, so I am not that disappointed, there are others who deserve it more than me anyway." Suzaku shook his head with a displeased expression at her response. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Itsuka, you need to be a bit more self-centered. Although I may not give off that impression, you can take me as an example to follow." Itsuka simply rolled her eyes while keeping a small smile on her face. "I don''t know about you not giving that impression, but I''ll think about it" As she gave her answer, both finally entered the field, being greeted with the sunshine on their faces and the ovations of the spectators. Soon, after admiring the view for a few seconds, they walked towards the center of the stadium where the rest of the students were waiting for the festival to resume and joined them in their wait. They were like that for around 10 minutes, waiting patiently as more students joined the group and the stands were filled once again with the spectators. Eventually, everyone was reunited, and as if he had been waiting for that, Present Mic''s voice soon echoed around the stadium once again, making any participant who may have been distracted until then immediately tense up. ["Alright everyone, it seems our competitors are ready to begin with the next part of this festival! First, we will get to see the recreational games where every participant who didn''t make it to the final event will get a chance to shine!"] When Present Mic mentioned that, many among the students let out sighs of relief, having feared that after the second game, they wouldn''t get more chances to show off their Quirks. Their worries were unfounded, it seemed. ["When that''s over, the top 16 participants from the previous round will duke it out tournament style one-on-one, and decide for once and for all who will be the victor of this year''s Sports Festival!"] The crowd cheered at that last announcement. Suzaku on the other hand, simply massaged his nose while immersing in his thoughts. ''So it will be a competition of hand-throwing, huh?... Good, I was getting a bit tired of not being able to punch peopl¡ª'' However, his thoughts were forced to come to a halt when Present Mic revealed a small piece of information that surprised everyone around. ["Before that, however, since the four teams that passed onto this round only make 15 participants in total, we will have to ask Team Shinso, who ended up in fifth place, to choose who amongst its members will take the place of the 16th participant"] The instant that was announced, the cameras were pointed at Team Shinso. However, surprisingly, there was not even a meeting or word between the team members before Shinso stepped up and smiled at the camera. "I''ll do it." The instant they saw him walk up front shamelessly without asking any of his teammates'' opinions on the matter, many expected there to be objections or even a fight to brew up within the team. However, to everyone''s bafflement, not a single voice of complaint from his teammates came. "...?" Suzaku''s eyes specifically set on Tetsutetsu, who was standing amidst the crowd wearing an empty expression. ''So that''s where he was... Why is he not saying anything though?'' Suzaku expected Tetsutetsu to complain or do something about having the 16th place in the tournament taken away from him like that... But nothing, he just stood there quietly, even as dozens of eyes set on him. Even Present Mic was confused. ["I-is that so?"] However, seeing that neither Tetsutetsu nor the other guy from 1-A was saying anything about Shinso''s claim, Present Mic had no other option but to relent. ["Very well, then Shinso will be the last participant of this Festival''s last event."] There were a few voices of complaint who felt like something was weird, but in the end, the event just proceeded as intended. Soon enough, Midnight stepped onto the stage while holding a cage. "Now let''s draw lots to determine the bracket of the tournament. Once this is done, we will have the recreational games, and then we will give start to the tournament!" Her eyes then landed on all the students who had passed. "Those who managed to pass to the last round can choose whether to participate or not in the recreation. I suppose some of you would prefer to save up your energies for later." Upon hearing her words, Suzaku cleaned the symbolic sweat on his forehead. ''Phew...'' With the declarations done, Midnight began calling the teams and their members one by one, gradually deciding the matches that would amaze the nation during the next hours. In the end, it all ended up looking something like this. 1st Fight: Uraraka vs Sero. 2nd Fight: Bakugo vs Arata. 3rd Fight Mina vs Tokoyami. 4th Fight: Kirishima vs Ojiro. 5fth Fight: Mei vs Midoriya 6th Fight Shinso vs Suzaku 7th Fight: Kaminari vs Yaoyorozu 8th Fight: Todoroki vs Ida. The winner of each match would go on to face the winner of the next, continuing this way until only one final match remained to decide the champion of this year''s festival. -Sigh...- As the order for the fight was decided, Suzaku looked at his name on the screen and let out a sigh. ''The 6th combat, huh? It will take a while before it''s my turn then... Who''s my opponent again?'' His eyes landed on Shinso, whom he recognized as the one who had made a ruckus earlier by one-sidedly choosing himself as the one to participate in this event. ''Right, it was that guy...'' Suzaku smacked his head as the name finally clicked in. ''I guess I''ll finally discover what kind of Quirk allowed him to make it this far.'' Once he learned who his opponent was gonna be and got a gist of how long he had before his turn to fight came, Suzaku began walking away since the recreational games were about to begin and he didn''t plan on participating. As he did, however, he passed by Tetsutetsu''s side, tapping his shoulder to talk to him. "Hey, Tetsutetsu." "..." However, to his surprise, there was no response, causing Suzaku to frown faintly. "Hey, wake up!" -Wack!- So, without reservations, he retracted his hand and heavily smacked Tetsutetsu''s head, almost making him fall due to the force behind that slap. "Huh?! What the... Suzaku? What happened?!" The instant that hit landed, Tetsutetsu jumped on his spot as if he had just woken up late for school, and glanced around in confusion before setting on his friend who was looking at him with a funny gaze. "What do you mean what happened? You just let that purple-haired guy take the 16th place in the last event." A dumbfounded expression appeared on Tetsutetsu''s face after hearing that. "Last event? Weren''t we just starting the second event...?!" Suzaku looked at him as if he was asking the obvious. "Uh, no... You teamed up with him, and ended up in fifth place, not making it onto the last game... However, there ended up being one more space in the event, and they allowed your team to choose who amongst you guys was gonna take that last spot... but since neither you nor the other guy from 1-A said anything, that purple-haired guy ended up taking it" Tetsutetsu took a step back as if he couldn''t believe what Suzaku had said, grabbing his head as a distressed expression rose on his face. "Why... Why can''t I remember anything?" Suzaku''s frown deepened upon seeing Tetsutetsu''s affliction. As a result, he turned to look at Shinso, squinting his eyes when the guy returned the gaze and sent Suzaku a smirk. ''That guy... I don''t like this one bit...'' The next second, the purple-haired guy looked like he was about to approach to say something to him, but Suzaku ignored him and turned around, giving Tetsutetsu one last pat on the shoulder, before walking away. "...?" Seeing his friend leaving so suddenly, Tetsutetsu looked at him with confusion despite still wearing a bit of distress in his gaze. "Where are you going Suzaku?" Suzaku didn''t turn around and simply waved at him as he left the place "I think I''ll pass on the recreational games. You try to enjoy them though, it would be a good chance to show off a bit too" "Uh, alright" Tetsutetsu answered, giving his surroundings a confused gaze, before he looked at his friend again. "Why are you passing on them though?" "My fight is on the 6th round, so until then I''ll be taking a dump" Tetsutetsu almost tripped when he heard Suzaku''s answer. "Oh, well, good luck" "Thanks, this one''s big, I''ll need it" "..." Turns out, eating that whole pizza might not have been a good idea. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... As Suzaku was walking in search of a bathroom, his mind calmly assessed the time he had left before he would have to go back and start throwing hands with the purple guy. Taking that quick visit to the bathroom shouldn''t take that much, so he probably would be able to do his business there and go back on time. However, after a bit of thinking, Suzaku decided to try and hurry up a bit, as Arata''s fight was on the second round, and maybe if he pushed with all he had, he would be able to make it in time to see his friend get his ass handed. As he walked, Suzaku glanced at the ceiling, picturing the image of his nerdy friend fighting that blonde with anger issues. ''So he will be fighting the explosive kid, huh? I hope the items he has yet to use will be able to do something to that guy...'' From what he remembered, Arata still had the batons, the stun grenades... And other stuff the kid didn''t mention to Suzaku in case they were to fight in the mandatory 1v1 event of every year, which ended up being a tournament this time. However, Suzaku had serious doubts about whether that would be enough to handle that volatile guy. Although he had yet to take him in a serious fight, he had gotten a gist of the guy''s level during the last event when he tried taking Suzaku''s headband. And if Arata didn''t overwhelm him with his tools from the get-go, Suzaku didn''t doubt the nerdy kid would have a huge problem at hand from then on. So, Suzaku could only hope for a miracle. ''Talking about the incoming matches...'' His focus went once again to the guy who would be his opponent in just a few minutes, and therefore, to his friend Tetsutetsu, and what happened to him. ''He looked like his brain had been messed with... Could it be mind control?'' Tetsutetsu had acted like a typical mind-controlled dude after being freed from it... He even lacked a memory of what had happened during the second event... which coincidentally was when Suzaku had felt he was acting out of character by being silent. If that was not mind control, then what was it? However, when he considered that the purple-haired guy seemed to be in the department of general education, he felt a bit doubtful about that conjecture. After all, what would a person with mind control be doing in that department, and not in the heroes one? Heck, there was that girl with invisibility in 1-A, Suzaku didn''t have anything against her, but between invisibility and mind control... Suzaku felt one outweighed the other in utility by a lot. It literally made zero sense for him to have been put in that department by the teacher''s choice, except in the case the guy had voluntarily joined that department. ''So, it''s not mind control? Then what the heck is it? Tetsutetsu even seemed to wake up thanks to the smack I gave him. Typical of Mind-control stuff to wake up after getting hit or something...'' In the end, though, Suzaku couldn''t arrive at a proper conclusion. He could only speculate. His eyes landed on his hand, and he squinted his gaze from behind his glasses. "I guess I''ll have to be careful of him then... I wouldn''t want to lose pathetically in my first fight, would I?" No, of course not. Not when he was one event away from achieving first place. That demand from the old man... He was gonna make sure it was fulfilled, even if it was in something as lame as this festival. However, just as he was thinking like that, a muffled voice reached his ears. "Young master, the security is at its laxest, and we have determined All Might''s location, the bombs have also been placed... The only thing left for us to do is to make our move." A raspy yet youthful voice came after that. "Good, once we make contact, you bunch will make sure to hold off the heroes, while using the crowd as hostages. With that, me and Kurokiri will make sure to give the Symbol of Peace a taste of our ultimate weapons without any minions getting in the way... We will begin moving as soon as the combats between the brats begin." As Suzaku heard those words, a vein sprouted on his forehead, and his eyes squinted dangerously. Turning to look at the door from where those voices had come from. "... Hah." With that small laugh devoid of any joy escaping his mouth, Suzaku shook his head, before he let out a long sigh and looked at the ceiling with a bleak gaze. ''And here I was hoping I wouldn''t need to do something like this so soon... '' The instant that thought crossed his mind, a bright red cocoon enveloped him from head to toe, and Suzaku''s appearance began changing. ''Too bad I can''t let them get in the way of me achieving first place.'' ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Sorry for the delay in uploading this, I was busy dealing with university stuff like always. Anyway, what do you think? I even went my way to change the orders of the matches from the canon. They were made completely at random, by the way, so I was pretty surprised when Suzaku ended up paired with Shinso. But well, if fate wants me to make Suzaku deal with the troublesome guy, then perfect, I had already thought of that scenario, so it works wonders for me. In other news, Shigaraki doesn''t know he is about to fight the secret boss, and while completely under-leveled and under-equipped while at it. Also merry Christmas, though maybe it''s a bit late for that. Double also: Tomorrow there''ll be another Chapter, cuz I''m amazing like that) -> Chapter 54: You Just Happened To Be In My Way Chapter 54: You Just Happened To Be In My Way Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Tomura Shigaraki POV:| ... Everything was going perfectly¡ªalmost too perfectly. Apart from a few unlucky nobodies who caught a glimpse of us infiltrating and had to be taken care of, there wasn''t a single problem with the operation. It was as if the heroes were putting no effort into protecting the very people they claim to serve, the ease which with we infiltrated this place was laughable. Even as some of our group went to plant bombs throughout the stadium, blending in with the crowd, there was no interference. It was like taking candy from a baby Normally, I would have thought that everything going so smoothly could only mean that something troublesome was about to happen, after all, there is always this uncertainty about things going well for too long. Reality is cruel, much like the RNG in many games. It''s always wise to doubt when things are going too well. However, this time I knew that the ease we were experiencing was merely the result of the heroes'' carelessness... a carelessness product of their complacency and trust in what they believe is a perfect and permanent peace. A peace that, unfortunately for them, can be snuffed out as easily as blowing a bit of air on a small flame... One that they left unattended, believing it undying. These heroes, so proud and complacent, had failed at the very thing they swore to do. Protect the people. Without even realizing it, they had allowed us in, letting me tighten my grip on this game piece by piece. Soon, every single person in this stadium would be at my mercy... and, eventually, so would every hero in this place. "Heh..." I smirked, savoring the ease with which things were falling into place. Although we suffered a major setback a few days ago when the heroes, police, and that damn strange old man struck our base, wiping out a good chunk of the villains I had gathered, I had still managed to flip the game around and now had them at my mercy... And they were still unaware of it. It was hilarious. "..." I glanced at the group of villains that filled our temporary hideout. Fifty villains, all with different sets of abilities that would either support our infiltration to this place or would help as firepower against the heroes once those bugs tried butting in my fight with All Might. As I said earlier, there had been a larger number originally... But thanks to that damned old man and the police who appeared out of nowhere, our original team got cut in half before the rest of us managed to escape thanks to Kurogiri''s Quirk. I don''t know how they got a gist of our location at that time, but it didn''t matter anymore. I was still in control, and my complete superiority concerning the control of this raid only reassured that statement. They may have attacked us by surprise the last time, but now... Now it was my turn. All that remained, now, was to wait for everything to be ready, and we all would begin¡ª "Young master, the security has been confirmed to be at its laxest, and we have determined All Might''s location, the bombs have also been placed... The only thing left for us to do is make our move." Kurogiri''s voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing a satisfied grin to my face. Instead of answering him back, I glanced at the group of villains, who looked at me too after hearing Kurogiri''s words. "Good, once we make contact, you bunch will make sure to hold the heroes while using the crowd as hostages," I pointed at them, before giving Kurogiri a side glance. "With that, Kurogiri and I will make sure to give the Symbol of Peace a taste of our ultimate weapons without any annoying pests getting in the way..." I then took out my phone, showing them the festival''s live broadcast for a brief moment, before I continued, "We will begin moving as soon as the combats between the brats start" All of them nodded at my words, some with disgusting grins, while others just remained serious, probably having their own set of plans or grudges to solve with the heroes installed here as guards. What they all thought at the moment, however, was irrelevant to me. They were mostly pawns¡ªbarely worth remembering after this¡ªbut for now, they were useful. Master had said it, after all... Today wasn''t just the day All Might fell before the eyes of all Japan... But it was also the day the entirety of Japan¡ªNo, the entirety of the world, learned my name! These no-name guys would be soon left forgotten once I rose as a symbol of fear. I focused back on my phone, watching a couple of UA brats step into the arena to show off their Quirks, attempting to dazzle the masses with dreams of becoming heroes. "Sadly, this is as far as these brats are getting as heroes" I muttered as my hand reflexively went to scratch my neck. Getting rid of this generation before they sprouted into something troublesome was what my teacher had said... So, unfortunately for these brats, I would have no more option but to get rid of them too. But All Might... he was the real prize. For him, I''d prepared two special gifts. My eyes squinted in delight as I glanced at the two beings behind me. Behind me, two hulking Nomus stood silently, engineered for one purpose: destroying All Might. Had we attacked UA a few weeks ago, we''d have been in possession of only one All-Might-countering Nomu. But since our attack was postponed to today, Garaki managed to create one more Nomu, although not as impressive as the last one. Still, the set of Quirks implanted in its body was thought specifically for dealing with All Might, much like the first one, so it didn''t matter much if it was slightly less powerful than the first. As long as the two worked together, I was sure not even that so-called Symbol of Peace could be able to win. Ah, I couldn''t wait to see All Might''s face when he realizes how powerless he really is, and how the entire nation had seen him fall. "Ah..." As I was filled with ecstasy, I chuckled as I noticed the UA brats on the screen began their fight. That was the signal. "Time to move, all of you!" I spoke up, making all the villains get out of their resting positions and start getting on the move. We were currently settled in a storage room of sorts, hidden within the very same stadium. It was hilarious that those heroes didn''t know that a whole group of villains was hidden right below them. A few days ago, a few of our group came to register the coordinates of this place so that Kurogiri could teleport all of us when the time came, some of the villains I picked this time around also had Quirks that could jam surveillance, so security here was basically nonexistent. By the time the heroes even tried to act, everything would be already under my control. Thinking of the great advantage I had at the moment, I smirked and began walking to leave the room, ready to begin with this Raid against the Final Boss. Could this be considered a speedrun of turning society upside down? Hahaha... "Huh?" However, as I reached for the door''s handle and pushed the door open, I came across a strange sight. Standing there, blocking the exit, was a black-haired guy in a suit, his face blank as he stared me down. Who was this guy? Another dumbass who wandered where he shouldn''t? Whatever, I had no time for this now. I raised my hand. "Nomu, kill him." The next second, my new Nomu lunged at my command, looking like a blur with his speed, and causing my long hair to flutter as he passed by my side. I snorted at the sight before I began walking away, not bothering to look back. -Thunk!- ... But I stopped short when I heard an unsettling, heavy thud. It sounded like something massive had hit the floor. Unless that man had a Quirk that made him heavier, he couldn''t possibly have caused a sound like this... The only thing that could have was... "What?" I asked incredulously as I turned my head. ... The Nomu that moved at my order. Now... Lying on the ground, dead. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Third Person POV:| ... Every villain''s eyes were fixed on the sight of the Nomu¡ªtheir supposed secret weapon¡ªlying lifeless on the ground. Just a moment ago, it had been standing mightily, a monstrous creation of stacked Quirks designed for one purpose: to fight the powerhouse that was All Might. Yet now, it lay there, unmoving, defeated in an instant. There was no struggle, no sign of a fight, not even a scratch to show it had resisted. It looked like nothing more than discarded trash. Such realization brought a shiver to everyone present. Whatever had killed the Nomu had done so without breaking a sweat, and as the fear seeped into them, all eyes turned to the man standing by the body. His appearance unremarkable, yet something about him was clearly wrong. Kneeling beside the Nomu, the unknown man inspected the corpse, a look of curiosity spread on his face. "This... Looks pretty similar to the monsters of that time..." He muttered as he caressed his chin, before glancing up at Tomura and the remaining Nomu. His gaze pierced into them, and his mouth twisted into a smile. "And you two... you two look familiar." Tomura took a shaky step back, a feeling of dread clawing at him. In game terms, as Tomura liked to put things, he had managed to add two overpowered endgame characters into his party to deal with the final boss, hitching a plan that was almost sure to work and grant him the victory that he so deserved. However, at the moment of beginning the raid, he came across a mob monster that, while unremarkable in appearance, had somehow one-shotted one of his cheat-like party members as if it had been but a low-level character. A mob that, by no means should exist, nor have that kind of power. He had encountered an unknown variable... ... A "glitch". Tomura''s hand trembled as he pointed toward the stranger. "Attack!" Recognizing the serious threat that such a variable represented, Tomura immediately decided to not skimp on expenses and commanded all the villains to attack. Whatever or whoever the man was, he couldn''t allow him to continue existing. A mob that could one-shot his strongest party members, he had to get rid of him whatever the means! However, The villains hesitated, glancing at one another uneasily. The image of the fallen Nomu haunted them, but with strength in their numbers and diverse Quirks, they pushed their fear aside. After all, even if this man was powerful, there was no way he could survive an assault from all fifty of them at once. Thus, with newfound vigor, the fifty villains got into action. And they were not the only ones. Following Tomura''s command, the remaining Nomu was about to take a step forward and charge against the man. But in the end, Tomura held the Nomu back, unwilling to risk his last trump card against this unpredictable glitch. "Huh?!" "Where did he¡ª?!" "An invisibility Quirk?!" And that was a fine decision. As the horde of villains charged, the stranger suddenly vanished. No smoke, no transition¡ªjust gone, as if he''d never been there. And yet, his presence remained. -Step, step, step- The soft sound of footsteps echoed through the room. The villains readied themselves, eyes darting around the dimly lit space. Some conjured armor from bone, others transformed into corrosive liquids, while others grew lethal needles or expanded plants around them. They were all ready to strike. Meanwhile, Kurogiri edged closer to Tomura, preparing to warp them both away if things took a turn for the worse. -Step, step, step- The footsteps continued to circle the room, deliberate and slow, growing louder and more unsettling with each step. Why wasn''t he attacking? They were his enemies¡ªwasn''t he supposed to engage them? The villains were confused for a moment, but¡ª -Bang!- ¡ªA gunshot suddenly rang out and one of the villains dropped to the ground, dead before he even knew what hit him, aswering their questions. The man was just taking his time. The murder drew every eye to the stranger, who now materialized from thin air before their eyes, holding a gun white in color, smoke curling from the barrel. Tomura''s eyes widened at the sight. ''Is that what killed the Nomu? Poisoned bullets, maybe?'' But he dismissed the thought almost immediately. ''No, even if they were poisoned, there''s no way they''d pierce the Nomu''s skin... so how?'' While Tomura was lost in thought, the villains sprang into action. One of them, whose hands could change into Gatling guns, unleashed a storm of bullets at the stranger as soon as he could. -Tatatatatatatatata...!!!- Another villain launched a thick, sticky substance in an attempt to trap him, but as the bullets closed in, the man sank into the floor, disappearing as if he''d melted into the ground, leaving both attacks to miss the mark completely. Then, within a second, he reappeared behind them, swift and silent as he slashed at one of the villains. The target¡ªa man who could produce fire from his fingertips¡ªmanaged to dodge, but not entirely. A shallow cut appeared on his cheek after avoiding the attack, seemingly harmless. Relief washed over him for a moment. He''d avoided a fatal blow. ... Or had he? -Thud!- The man fell dead without warning the next second, slumping to the ground as the rest of the villains looked on, horrified. "You bastard...!" One villain snapped fairly quickly from the fleeting state of panic, and his arms quickly transformed into a wave of tentacles swirling with electricity, ready to stun the stranger at all costs. However, the man dodged the tentacles with fair ease, and using the knife in his hand, scratched one of the tentacles, sending the villain straight dead to the ground. "Damn it... It''s those weapons, don''t let those weapons touch you in the slightest!" One of the villains vociferated as he stared in shock at how their numbers dwindled quickly. The rest of the villains nodded, having already noticed what the source of inevitable death was. "Smart ones, aren''t you." The man commented, however, his stoic expression betrayed his annoyed tone, he most likely couldn''t care less they had discovered the source of his power. In the next moment, every villain who could attack from a distance unleashed a barrage on him, flooding his position with a torrent of energy blasts, acid, fire, lightning bolts, sonic booms, and sharp projectiles. The ground shook with the impact, sending tremors through the stadium. As the relentless attacks continued, Kurogiri leaned in close to Tomura. "Young master... at this rate, even if we manage to deal with this man, the heroes will arrive soon. We''re drawing too much attention with all this noise and destruction." Tomura''s expression darkened. "I know... but did you see how he dealt with the Nomu in an instant? With him around, killing All Might as planned will be nearly impossible." His hand scratched more furiously at his neck, the irritation building with every word. His gaze froze, however, when the man suddenly reappeared, emerging silently from the ground just behind a group of villains. With a single swing of his knife, he cut through three of them, each one collapsing after the slightest touch. Noticing the stranger taking down three of them in one swoop, the surrounding villains immediately tried counterattacking. However, before any of them could respond, he vanished into the ground, reappearing several meters away in an instant, evading their desperate attempts to get back at him. Tomura''s eyes widened as he saw that. "Teleportation, invisibility, one-shotting... Why does it feel like we''re up against some kind of secret boss?" He hissed, his frustration growing. Kurogiri''s tone was as grim as his own. "I don''t know, young master... none of Dr. Garaki''s research suggests the existence of such an individual. Either someone else has perfected a Nomu-like being, or these abilities are all part of a single Quirk." Tomura''s hand clawed at his neck, now reddened from the furious scratching. "This is bullshit..." As villain after villain fell, the chaos shifted. The man reappeared in their midst, but this time, one of the villains held up a device, pointing it squarely at him. "Stop right now!" he barked. "If you don''t, I''ll tell our other members to activate the bombs we''ve planted all over this place. You don''t want everyone in this stadium to die, do you?" "..." A tense silence followed. The villains began to smirk as they watched the man halt, seemingly considering the threat. -Bang!- Only to then, without hesitation, blow the head of one of their own with his gun, as if he had not given a shit about the man''s warning. "Y-You..." The villain holding the device gnashed his teeth, then turned back to the device, frantically trying to connect with those in charge of triggering the bombs. Only for his eyes to widen in shock the next instant. The device wasn''t responding. "Why... why isn''t it working?!" he muttered in horror, clicking uselessly the device. Then, the man''s blade flashed again, slicing through the villain''s neck, dropping him to the ground with a thud. The stranger snorted, a hint of amusement in his voice evident as he watched the man fall. "There''s all kinds of faulty devices on the market nowadays, am I right?" "Damn it... continue attacking!" Tomura snarled, eyes flashing with rage as the villains heeded his commands. He then turned to look at the device in his hand. "I can''t contact them either... A Quirk that can interfere with connections as well?!" "Young master, I think the best option would be to retreat for now. We still don''t know if those are his only abilities, or if he has more in store... His attacks prove lethal even at the slightest contact. With the villains that remain, the difficulty of this operation has risen exponentially. It''s better if we retreat right now," Kurogiri urged. Tomura''s hand stopped scratching his neck. "No." "..." Kurogiri fell silent as Tomura spoke with conviction. "I''ll make sure to get rid of this anomaly, right here." With that, he moved, and the Nomu moved in tandem. Only half the villains remained by now, the rest sprawled lifelessly across the ground. Despite their varied Quirks, they were being overwhelmed, rendered helpless against the man''s ruthless efficiency. "Damn it... DAMN IT, I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Suddenly, one of the villains shouted, his body swelling up like a balloon, the temperature rising dangerously as he lost control. "Hey, stop it, you''ll kill us too!" another villain yelled in panic. "I don''t care!" the inflating villain yelled back, his grin maniacal. "You think you can kill me? The instant you dare injure my body, I''ll explode and take this whole area with me! Let''s see you walk away from this unscathed!" The other villains scrambled away from him in fear, and the stranger merely watched with an unblinking gaze. Then, without hesitation, he pointed his pistol at him. "Hey, what did I just sa¡ª!" -Bang!- A bullet lodged itself in the villain''s forehead, and his body shrank back, the heat dissipating. Whatever plan he had, it had failed in an instant. "What''s with those weapons?!" One of the villains cried, panic rising. But the man allowed them no rest. The next second, he was in their midst again, teleporting and attacking with the efficiency of a predator in a flock of prey. Villains fell around him like grass under a scythe. -Swoosh!- Then, something happened. Suddenly, a shadow dashed through the room. Just as the man prepared to bring his knife down on another villain, two bulky arms reached out, locking around him and immobilizing him. The Nomu had caught him, lifting him off the ground to prevent him from phasing away. The instant the villains saw the man get apprehended, they let out sighs of relief and stared at the now-approaching Tomura as if he were their God. "As expected... While your damage is off the charts, even you are unable to react to Nomu''s crazy speed," Tomura said as he stepped forward, his eyes on the man''s feet. "Nomu, don''t let him touch the ground. I don''t quite get the details, but this bastard seems to need to sink into the ground to teleport." The Nomu complied, holding the man a few inches above the floor. Kurogiri followed closely behind Tomura, ready to teleport them if needed. "Haaah~... I guess my luck is shit today. Who would have thought I''d run into a bugged character like you? Today was the day, and you ruined it!" His irritation flared, then faded into a smug smile. "But it doesn''t matter. I can always try again. As for you, I''m getting rid of you right now." "This bastard dared to kill Seashock!" "Now that you''re stuck, you''re not so tough, huh?!" "Let me put a hole through his head!" In the next instant, the remaining villains shook off their fear and closed in on the trapped man, sadistic smiles spreading across their faces. However, just as they started to move closer, Tomura raised his hand, halting them instantly. The villains glanced at him in confusion, but he paid them no mind. As he approached, he stopped at about 3 meters from the Nomu and the stranger, the murderous intent behind his eyes changed to ones full of curiosity. His gaze landed on the man''s wrist-sprouting weapons¡ªa gun and a knife. "Heh~?" He first caught onto the detail that, judging from the fact that both weapons seemed to sprout from inside his wrist, it was likely they were made directly from his bones. "So it is a Quirk, not some magical weapon..." His eyes then redirected to his restricted arms under Nomu''s lock. "Too bad you can''t kill anything if you can''t swing them around or point them at others" But before Tomura could say more, the man''s voice interrupted him. "So, it wasn''t a Mandela Effect... it really was you." Tomura''s hand on his own neck fell, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the man in surprise. "You know me? "You could say that," The man said, smiling for once in all the confrontation. Looking at the Nomu, and then at Kurogiri. "I know you three... It was a bit muddy, but my memories are fairly clear right now... The question is... Why are you guys here at this moment?" "What the hell are you talking about...?" Tomura asked, feeling a flicker of doubt. This man knew them? The stranger snorted. "I was dying of worry last week, waiting for you guys to show up with your little villain team at UA... but you never did." Tomura''s eyes widened. "How did you know we planned an attack last week?" "I saw it in an anime," The man replied with a smirk. Tomura''s irritation surged. "I guess I expected too much when I asked you to confess..." Tomura didn''t associate with anyone outside the world of villains, and the Nomu was a top-secret asset. Yet somehow, this man knew not only about the Nomu and himself but also about their recent attack plan against All Might¡ªthe one they''d postponed at the last minute. None of it made any sense. Without hesitating, Tomura gave the Nomu behind the man a short glance, before he flashed a sadistic grin at his prisoner. "Want to play a game of how long you can keep that information to yourself?" ".." The man looked unperturbed by the threat, almost dismissive. His attitude was such, that instead of responding to Tomura, he instead began blabbering on his own, looking straight into Tomura''s eyes as he did so. "Since you and this bird-faced guy are connected, I''m assuming that psycho doctor works for you..." A smile spread across the man''s unremarkable face. "Good. I was wondering where he went after he slipped out of the public eye. At least now I''ll know where to find him when I feel like cutting him off." The mention of Garaki caught Tomura off guard. The nonchalant look in the man''s eyes also made him realize. He wasn''t gonna answer anything of what he was asking. Realizing he wouldn''t get a clear answer to his question, he pivoted to a new line of inquiry, one that had more chances of being answered. "What does a bugged character like you gain from interfering with us?" Tomura demanded, hoping for a straightforward answer. "...Now? Nothing in particular." The man answered with a soft smile before his expression turned impassive. "You just happened to be in my way." Tomura''s eyes narrowed. He''d had enough. Whoever this man was or wherever he came from, he''d find out later. For now, he was going to end this. "Nomu¡ª" -Crack!- But before Tomura could finish the command, a loud crack pierced the air. His heart skipped as he registered the sight before him: the man had already teleported behind the Nomu, and in one swift motion, he gripped its powerful neck with his bare hands and snapped it with ease, as if it were no more than a twig. -Thud!- Then, the Nomu fell, lifeless, crashing to the ground. A beast who should have been able to go toe to toe with All Might... Had died like a weakling. Quirks that made him almost invulnerable and a regeneration that should have kept him alive, even after getting his neck snapped... And yet, there he was, lying on the floor with not a sign of life. Tomura''s mind went into disarray at the impossibility of it all. His supposedly indestructible weapon had been neutralized in an instant before it could even lift a hand. But he didn''t have time to process it. The man''s gaze shifted to him, and in the next moment, the stranger lunged forward. "...!!!" The instant Tomura saw the man''s figure approaching, a premonition of death fell upon him. Fortunately for him, his time was yet to arrive. "Young master!" Kurogiri reacted without hesitation, opening a dark portal to pull Tomura to safety. In a flash, they vanished from the battlefield, leaving the stranger standing alone right where they had been just a second ago. The man watched them disappear, an amused glint flickering in his eyes. "Didn''t even get to tell them to send that psycho doctor my regards... Ah well, I''m not good with sounding intimidating either." Turning his gaze to the panicked villains left behind, he casually pulled out his phone, checking the time. "Got another appointment soon, so let''s wrap this up quickly." His weapons flashed as he stepped forward, zeroing in on the remaining villains with deadly intent. "Do me a favor," he said, an edge in his voice. "... And cooperate." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Kamino, Yokohama, in an abandoned bar...| ... Out of nowhere, a black, smoke-like portal opened mid-air, spilling two figures onto the bar''s clean floor. -Swosh- -Thud!- It was Tomura and the ever-gassy Kurogiri. As they landed, Tomura gasped for air, his heart pounding so loudly that it drowned out his servant''s concerned voice. "Young master!" "Haa... haa... damn it." Cold sweat ran down Tomura''s back. He''d never felt so close to death. Kurogiri, worried, leaned closer, trying to see if his young master was hurt, perhaps wounded by an unseen strike from that dangerous individual. But Tomura raised a hand, stopping him. "I''m fine, Kurogiri," he managed, rising to his feet after a few deep breaths. "But we failed... even with two powerful Nomus capable of facing All Might, we failed before we were even able to start the attack." His brows furrowed in frustration. "What will I say to master...?!" Kurogiri interjected. "No, Young Master... this was beyond anything we could have foreseen. I''m sure Master will understand. Besides, this man who stopped us... Someone with multiple abilities, be it because of multiple Quirks or just a very powerful one¡ªMaster will surely find this news... intriguing." But Tomura barely heard him. "Damn it... damn it! Next time, I swear, I''ll gouge his eyes out myself!" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Some minutes later, in Nezu''s office...| ... Even on UA''s most important day of the year, Principal Nezu remained at his desk, tirelessly working while watching the festival unfold on the TV. Multitasking came naturally to him. He smiled as he watched the lively combats. On screen, young Bakugo was racing after a competitor from the support department, his furious gaze matching his hair, now wilder than ever after seemingly suffering multiple electric attacks. Nezu chuckled at the sight. This new generation was full of energy. The first and prime example of that which came to his mind was young Suzaku. Brazen enough to make a scene on national television, yet still holding the top spot in the festival. If he wasn''t an energetic youth, then he didn''t know who was, The media would certainly have a field day uncovering his Quirk, he mused. -Knock, knock...- Just as he reached for his papers, a knock sounded on the door. He didn''t mind it and looked up, smiling. "Come in." As the door opened, his eyebrow gave the faintest twitch. Standing there was a black-haired man in a suit¡ªone flecked with spots of blood. It wasn''t much, but it was enough to raise concern. Still, Nezu was not one to panic. "And who might you be?" he asked, eyeing the man with curiosity. The stranger stepped forward, unfazed. "Just here to deliver some information you might find useful." Nezu arched an eyebrow. "Go on." The man''s tone was flat as he delivered the bomb. "I just took out about fifty villains hiding in one of your storage rooms at the stadium, so you''ll have to clean that up. Also, it seems that some of their members hidden as part of the crowd planted a few bombs here and there, though, so you might want to check." A long silence followed after that. However, Nezu''s smile didn''t waver. "You must be quite a bold man to admit to so many murders to me, the head of a hero academy." The man merely shrugged. "I just thought you''d want to handle it quietly, to avoid a scene at your precious festival." Nezu held his gaze, unresponsive, until the man turned to leave. "I''ll be going now if you don''t mind." "The law isn''t so permissive, leaving like that won''t be¡ª" Nezu stopped mid-sentence as the man sank into the floor, disappearing without a trace. ... .. . Silence settled in the office until Nezu sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose he can." ... -To be Continued...- ¡ã (A/N: Tomura''s attack ended before it could even begin, and Nezu has quite a lot of cleanup to do. Will Suzaku make it in time to see his friend get his ass handed to him by Bakugo, or will he miss it because his trip to the bathroom got interrupted? Most likely the latter. Still, discover if what I''m saying is true in the next Chapter.) Chapter 55: Tournament Start Chapter 55: Tournament Start Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Suzaku''s POV:| ... It happened yet again. -Sigh...- I don''t even know what to say about it. Another massacre. Another round of bodies piling up around me. It''s not even shocking at this point, it''s almost becoming a routine. For six years, I managed to live a rather calm life without villain stuff involving me directly. Six years without anything like this happening since the lab incident. And then, I enroll in a hero school, and it''s like fate decided to start screwing me over by forcing me to do non-hero things. And let''s be real¡ªhow many people have I killed by now? Counting this latest spree? A hundred and eighty? No, more like one ninety now. Maybe even higher. I''ve lost track, and that''s not a comforting thought. Damn... just looking at the number it feels like I''m a super serial killer or something ...A serial killer of bad guys... At least I hope they were. Some of them probably had their sob stories. Probably had reasons for doing what they did. But I didn''t stop to ask. I didn''t stop to care. And why? Because they were in my way. Because they were going to interrupt the festival. Because their existence threatened my chance of getting first place in this stupid competition. Killing fifty people for such a petty reason... It''s laughable, really. ... But it is what it is. Normally, I''d sit here, drowning in my own thoughts, agonizing over the lives I''ve taken, wondering what kind of monster I''m turning into. But honestly? It''s getting harder to care. The more this happens, the less I feel... The more numb I grow to killing. I used to question what the number of corpses in my hands said about who or what I was. Now? I''m just tired of thinking about it. My brain isn''t made for this sort of philosophical question. Regardless of whatever sad story any of those villains might have had, today they were obstacles. ... And now they''re not. It''s as simple as that. "I''m sounding edgier and edgier the more I think about this..." I shook my head, trying to shake off the thought. So I moved on to the next matter at hand. More specifically, my attention shifted to the trio I faced earlier: Hand Fetish Guy, Foggy Guy, and Muscular Bird-Headed Guy. Yeah, those three. The villains from the anime''s first season''s last arc. Or at least, two of them now. I killed the Nomu. Or whatever they called it. But this wasn''t supposed to happen here. My memory might not be the greatest, but one thing I was sure of was that in the anime they didn''t attack at a festival like this one. So, why now? And why here? At first, I thought maybe I had misremembered things. Maybe they weren''t supposed to attack us back at the USJ and would attack us much further into the future. But no, according to Hand Fetish Guy, they were planning to attack back then. And yet they didn''t. So, what had sprouted this change? Why had they attacked now instead of back at the USJ, which is where I think they attacked originally in the anime? The moment I asked myself that question, my mind instantly went back to him. That psycho doctor. At first, I thought he was just some crazy background villain doing his own thing. But now, looking back to those moments when I had been trapped, I remember seeing many of those "Nomus" in glass tanks around the laboratory. At first, I didn''t think much of them. The guy was crazy so seeing weird shit in there was to be expected to an extent, and their appearances weren''t exactly the same as the big one with the beak-like thing, the only similarity was that all of them had their brains exposed. But when I saw that the hands-fetish guy had brought two of those "Nomus", and one of them had appeared originally in the anime, I realized that the psycho-doctor was not some no-name villain as I had thought. Both probably had a connection of sorts, both in this world and in the anime. With led me to the next point... The incident at his laboratory. When I destroyed his lab and made it public, I thought I was just shutting down the hideout of some random maniac. But now, seeing that both villains seem to be connected somehow, I''m starting to think I disrupted something bigger. Maybe that''s why the attack timeline shifted. Maybe I''m the reason all of this is happening now instead of earlier. ... Or maybe I''m just overestimating my importance in the grand scheme of things. Either way, it doesn''t matter anymore. I''ve already changed the story. I can''t go back and "fix" it even if I wanted to. Plus, I barely remember the plot of season one of the anime, so it''s not like I could keep things canon beyond that anyway. As such, the only thing I could do from now on, was to not give a fuck anymore... ... Which is pretty much what I''ve been doing until now. Carve my own path in this world, regardless of what the canon might have been. And if things go to shit because of it? Then I just have to shut down whoever ends up being the big bad¡ªor big baddies in case there''s more than one. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as that. "My plan for becoming a millionaire will not be stopped because of some lame villain with world-conquering aspirations" With those words, I stood up and pulled up my pants. Leaving the bathroom stall not long after. My fight with the insomniac-looking purple-haired guy was coming up soon, and I couldn''t afford to lose focus now. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later, 3rd Person POV:| ... As Suzaku walked back to the field, scrolling through his phone to check if he hadn''t been disqualified for being absent too long, his expression lit up when he saw a familiar face emerge from the hallway ahead. It was Arata. The moment they were close enough, Suzaku casually dapped him up and tilted his head. "How''d it go?" Arata sighed deeply, a mixture of frustration and resignation. "...I got my ass handed to me." Suzaku couldn''t help but chuckle wryly. Arata had gone up against Bakugo, and frankly, the outcome was no surprise. That guy had the attitude of a psycho but at least had enough skill to back it up¡ªmost of the time. As Suzaku considered how to console his friend, Arata''s expression shifted entirely. A sly grin spread across his face as he burst into laughter. "Still, I made that explosive punk my bitch for the first few minutes! You should''ve seen his face, running away from my stun grenades. He couldn''t even get close because of my spider harness shielding me!" He rubbed his hands together, his grin widening. "I bet there are tons of companies lining up to sponsor me after that performance." "Heh." Suzaku''s smile grew, genuinely pleased Arata had managed to give Bakugo a hard time. "How''d he manage to win, then?" Arata''s triumphant look immediately dimmed. "Ran out of stun grenades. That bastard didn''t waste a second. As soon as my rhythm broke, he went off. He was so pissed, I thought he was gonna blow me to bits, so I forfeited before he actually could." Suzaku chuckled lightly. "Yeah, that sounds about right for him." Then, he tilted his head. "What round are they on now? I didn''t get disqualified for taking my time in the bathroom, did I?" Arata raised an eyebrow. "No, but you sure took your sweet time in there. They''re in the fifth round now. Mei-san is fighting the green-haired guy who ganged up on us in the previous event." "Right before my match, huh?" Suzaku grinned, relieved. "Guess I''ll head out then. Wouldn''t want to get disqualified for not being there. When I get to fight that explosive guy, I''ll give him a beating for you." "Yeah, you do that." Arata laughed before wincing as he grabbed his ribs. "I''ll head to Recovery Girl to heal these injuries, that guy sure did a number on me before I was able to forfeit..." With that, both friends went their separate ways. A while after that, Suzaku arrived at the field. However, before he could enter it, a teacher stopped him and told him to reunite with his classmates on the seats reserved for his class. Apparently, they would be spectating the fights from above, just like the rest of the public. So after getting some indications, Suzaku climbed into the spectator seats and began looking for his group. However, such a task proved to be more troublesome than he thought, as he somehow ended up stumbling onto the 1-A section instead of his own, causing an awkward atmosphere when the group saw him there, in a section he shouldn''t be. Some even thought he was there to pick a fight. However, when they heard him asking for directions, their waryness turned to speechlessness. In the end, Suzaku discovered that his section was right on the other side of a wall that divided both classes, so after bidding farewell to some of the guys he was on good terms with, he jumped the wall with ease, and finally reached his section. Once there, it didn''t take long for his classmates to spot him. "Where have you been?" Itsuka asked, a mixture of irritation and curiosity in her tone after seeing Suzaku nonchalantly sitting on his spot as if he hadn''t disappeared for quite a good while. "Saving the world," Suzaku replied without missing a beat, leaning back in his seat like it was the most obvious answer. Itsuka''s eyebrows twitched, but before she could fire back, Tetsutetsu chimed in with a knowing grin. "Oh yeah? Must''ve been one hell of a villain if it kept you this long." Suzaku smirked. "Oh, it was a massive one." Tetsutetsu stifled a laugh, while Itsuka glanced between them, visibly confused. "What are you two even talking about...?" Neither of them answered, leaving her to stew as Suzaku shifted his attention to the match unfolding below. It was a rather... pitiful sight. Mei Hatsume was thoroughly destroying Midoriya¡ªnot in the conventional sense, but by making him the unwitting star of her product demonstration. The poor guy was being tossed around the arena, unable to do much but play the role of a test dummy for her gadgets against his will, all while Mei enthusiastically narrated the features of each invention over the stadium''s speakers. Suzaku raised an eyebrow at the bizarre scene. "What the hell am I watching?" "Apparently, that poor boy was fooled by the girl before they started their duel" Itsuka explained, sighing. "From the explanation the boy did before it all went downhill for him, it seems he was told the gadgets and items the girl gave him were to help level the playing field... However, it turned out she just wanted to show off her tech to potential sponsors." "Poor sucker." Suzaku shook his head. He couldn''t help but feel a twinge of pity for the kid. However, upon seeing that the item-showcase play looked like it was gonna go on for a long while, Suzaku''s care for the duel soon diminished. As a result, his mind began to drift onto another more pressing matter. His eyes scanned the crowd, subtly looking for signs of the villains who''d infiltrated the crowd and planted bombs everywhere. He''d done his part by warning Principal Nezu, and although he could have helped, he certainly didn''t have high hopes for himself to handle things quietly. So he could only hope that, whichever heroes were under the service of the school right now, they''d be handling it quietly, without disrupting the event. Though, if they needed to stop the festival at one point... Then there was nothing he could do. His mind was set on winning first place, but not to the extent of getting angry in the case the heroes decided to evacuate the public due to the danger of explosions. He was not so cold-hearted. At least not yet. As Suzaku was immersed in his thoughts, Present Mic''s voice soon snapped him back to reality. ["Hatsume Mei forfeits, the winner of this round is Izuku Midoriya!"] -Cheers!- When the match ended with Mei surrendering¡ªapparently satisfied with the amount of attention her inventions had garnered,¡ªSuzaku stood up and stretched, readying himself for his own battle. Once he was done with that, he cracked his neck and began walking away. "Good luck, Suzaku!" Itsuka called after him. "Show everyone what class 1-B can do!" Tetsutetsu roared. Suzaku didn''t look back, simply raising a hand in acknowledgment as he made his way toward the waiting area. After a while, he arrived at the waiting zone for the participants. The place was empty, and it only had a bench for the participants to wait for a teacher to call them. So, without thinking about it much, Suzaku shrugged and went to sit there. Leaning his chin on his palm as he waited for his name to be called. A minute or so later, Midoriya stumbled into the room, looking utterly defeated despite having technically won his fight. "S-Suzuki-kun," he stammered upon seeing the redhead. "It''s your turn next, right?" "Hm." Suzaku nodded without saying much. "..." Midoriya fidgeted awkwardly for a moment at the lack of response. However, after both looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, Midoriya ended up finally blurting out his shonen-protagonist thoughts, "Suzuki-kun... you''re amazing, until now you''ve managed to keep first place in all regards, and even in the last event, I had to team up with others to have a chance against you... However, now that we are in a tournament... I¡ªI''ll defeat you!" Suzaku blinked, then let out a small laugh. "You''re not in an anime, dude." Midoriya flushed red, mortified by the callout of his cringe war declaration. Fortunately for his hurt pride though, Suzaku added a few more words to his previous comment soon after. "But hey, feel free to try when it''s our turn." Midoriya seemed to brighten at the acknowledgment. "I wi¡ª" -Click- "Your turn Suzuki." "A''ight." However, before Broccoli Man was able to say anything else, a teacher entered the room and called out to Suzaku. After that, the redhead stood up and left as the teacher escorted him to the arena, giving Midoriya a tap on the shoulder before ultimately leaving for good. Soon, the stadium erupted into cheers and jeers as Suzaku stepped onto the field. And, as soon as he got onto the platform, he eyed his opponent carefully. ''What was his name again?'' Suzaku thought with his eyebrows furrowed. ["Thanks for waiting, dear public! Let''s get the energy back up for our next match!"] The screen situated high in the stadium lit up, displaying the profiles of the two competitors. [Hitoshi Shinso vs Suzaku Suzuki] ''Right, Shinso.'' Suzaku nodded to himself after remembering for the second or third time today his rival''s name. Then, he recalled the bits of information he''d pieced together about Shinso''s Quirk earlier before his trip to the bathroom. ''It''s mind control, no doubt. But how does he trigger it? Mystical brain powers? Eye contact? Something else?'' "...?" Shinso raised an eyebrow at being faced with Suzaku''s prolonged stare. As the sus teenager was planning his approach to such an unknown threat, Present Mic began with his strange presentations. ["This is match number seven. On one hand, we have... uh, I''m sorry, he hasn''t done anything outstanding yet... Ahem, from the General Education department, Hitoshi Shinso!!!"] A wave of cheers erupted, mostly from the General Education students, though the public in general seemed quieter for this introduction. Suzaku watched Shinso raise a hand in acknowledgment, his expression remaining cool and collected. ["And on the other side..."] Present Mic continued, his voice rising in excitement, ["...we''ve got the guy who''s been stirring the pot all festival long and a student of mine who doesn''t pay attention to my classes! You''ve seen him taunt his way through every challenge so far, from the Hero course, Suzaku Suzuki!!"] The noise this time was far more chaotic, a mix of fervent cheers and harsh boos. Suzaku smirked at the divided reaction, raising his fist slightly in acknowledgment before crossing his arms. From his spot in the stands, Tetsutetsu roared Suzaku''s name, while Itsuka accompanied him in his cheering, albeit a bit more tamely. As the introductions ended, the countdown began. ["Alright, folks!" Present Mic''s voice rang out again. "With all that hype out of the way... are you ready?"] The crowd roared in unison. ["Ready... set..."] Suzaku and Shinso on the other hand, locked eyes, each waiting for the other to make the first move. ... .. . ["Go!!"] ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Fricking webnovel decided to exit my account while I was editing the ch. I had to re-edit the changes again thanks to the fact I had not saved it yet. Anyway, here'' the usually on-time Sunday Chapter I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you''re ready for the beating that comes in the next Chapter. Also, happy new year in advance, I missed wishing you merry Christmas, so I''m doing this one in advance.) -> Chapter 56: Shinso Vs Suzaku Chapter 56: Shinso Vs Suzaku Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ["Go!"] With the round finally starting, Suzaku tightened his fists and began walking slowly toward Shinso. His expression remained indifferent as he closed the distance with deliberate steps. "...!" Seeing Suzaku approach, Shinso smirked mockingly, though a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "For all that bragging you did earlier, you don''t look that impressive!" "..." Suzaku didn''t reply. He didn''t feel the need to. If it had been anyone else, Suzaku might have answered¡ªhe was after all quite the trash-talker. But after observing Shinso''s apparent lack of combat skills beyond what he assumed was some kind of mind control, Suzaku decided he wasn''t worth the effort. He planned to simply give him a good beating and then knock him out of the ring. If Shinso wanted to try his Quirk on him, he could go ahead. Suzaku wasn''t going to waste any time on this fight. Thus, ignoring Shinso''s taunts, Suzaku picked up his pace, his steady approach turning into a brisk stride. "...!" Seeing this, Shinso instinctively stepped back, a flicker of tension crossing his face as the distance closed. "Tsk..." He clicked his tongue, his mocking expression faltering slightly. "What? Did I hit a sore spot? Say something!" he shouted, his voice tinged with desperation. But once again, Suzaku remained silent. Then, in a matter of seconds, he was in front of Shinso, and without giving the purple-haired teen a moment to react, Suzaku threw a punch. -Bam!- "Uck¡ª!" Shinso barely managed to lift his arms in an attempt to block, but Suzaku''s punch shifted mid-air, landing squarely on his solar plexus. The force sent Shinso stumbling back, clutching his chest and gasping for air. -Cough, cough!- Suzaku paused, raising an eyebrow as he stared at Shinso''s pitiful state. He glanced at his own fist with a perplexed expression. ''What''s with him? Why isn''t he trying to mind-control me?'' Suzaku had expected some kind of trick or counter before his attack landed, but Shinso had barely mustered an easy-to-handle guard that was rendered useless pretty quickly. The ease with which he''d struck him felt... strange. ''Is this some sort of illusion?'' The thought crossed his mind, and he briefly pinched his arm, testing for any signs of a Genjutsu-style trap. When nothing happened, Suzaku shook his head and dismissed the idea. "If this is an illusion, I''ll figure it out later," Suzaku muttered to himself. "For now, I''ll just beat the guy in front of me, real or not." So, without giving Shinso any more time to recover, Suzaku closed in again. -Thud!- Without hesitation, Suzaku delivered a kick, sending Shinso sprawling before pinning him in place with a knee to the chest. From there, Suzaku unleashed a flurry of punches. -Smack!- -Wack!- -Bam!- ["What is this? Suzuki is unleashing a barrage of punches upon Shinso! Will he be able to escape before it''s too late?!"] "A-argh..." Shinso did his best to defend himself, but Suzaku''s blows connected with brutal efficiency. Blood dripped from Shinso''s nose, bruises forming rapidly on his face as Suzaku''s unrelenting onslaught continued. Even the crowd winced at the brutal beatdown unfolding before them. This was not the duel of Quirks they had anticipated, but the most basic and primal form of conflict¡ªa fistfight. While such clashes could be enthralling under the right circumstances, that appeal only held when the combatants were evenly matched, pouring their soul into overpowering the other. What they were witnessing right now, however, was nothing more than a one-sided beating. -Thunk!- -Thwack!- -Crack!- "Urgh..." "..." After a while, Suzaku slowed, his punches losing some of their force. He frowned, noticing Shinso''s increasingly pitiful state. ''This feels more like bullying than a fight,'' he thought, watching Shinso''s panicked expression. So, deciding that enough was enough, Suzaku grabbed Shinso by the collar and began dragging him toward the edge of the platform. His plan was simple: toss him out of bounds and end this farce. ["W-what is this?! Participant Suzuki is dragging Shinso out of the arena, and he is unable to do anything about it!"] Present Mic exclaimed, his voice echoing through the stadium with fervent astonishment. The crowd gasped in collective disbelief. The sight of Suzaku effortlessly dragging Shinso was like watching an adult disciplining a child. On the Class 1-B side, Tetsutetsu grimaced. "That''s the guy who took my place? This is sad to watch." Itsuka, meanwhile, gave a wry smile. "That Suzaku, he really doesn''t hold back, does he?" As Suzaku reached the edge of the platform, Shinso finally snapped out of his daze. Panic set in as he glanced between Suzaku and the arena''s boundary. "So you''re just gonna throw me out like trash?" Shinso shouted, his voice rising. "You must think you''re so great, huh? Blessed since birth, looking down on everyone else!" "..." Suzaku remained silent, his expression unchanging, although inside he felt a bit amused by the guy''s words. Shinso''s words hit closer to the truth than he realized. Suzaku had been blessed. With his Impostor abilities, he could face even monstrous opponents like the Nomus without fear. But Shinso didn''t know that. Heck, he didn''t even know Suzaku''s real Quirk wasn''t actually that great. So, not feeling offended by Shinso''s last taunt, Suzaku prepared to toss him out of bounds. However, just as the redhead was about to take a step forward, Shinso took his last attempt at trying to get a response out of Suzaku. "You''re just angry I took your friend''s place! What''s there to be angry about?! That loud idiot didn''t deserve to be here anyway!" This time, Suzaku''s scowl deepened. He tightened his grip on Shinso''s shirt, the insult to his friend having gotten a bit under his skin. "You sure don''t know when to shut the¡ª" "Heh." However, as soon as Suzaku opened his mouth to retort, his eyes suddenly went blank. His grip on Shinso''s collar slackened, and his entire body froze in place, leaving Shinso suspended mid-air for a moment before he dropped to the ground with a thud. "Fuuuh~ I got scared there for a minute..." Shinso muttered, clutching his stomach as he glanced over the edge of the arena. He had been mere seconds away from being tossed out. Relief soon flooded his face, accompanied by a wide grin as he looked at Suzaku, who now stood motionless in front of him, an empty expression plastered on his face. ["Eeeeeh?! Suzuki suddenly stopped walking and freed Shinso! Now he is unmoving, did Shinso do something?!"] Present Mic''s voice boomed across the stadium, his excitement mixed with confusion as the audience erupted into chatter. Unbothered by the commotion, Shinso brushed himself off and pointed a trembling finger¡ªa result of the beating he had gotten earlier¡ªtoward the edge of the arena, ready to give the command that would secure his victory. "Walk out on your¡ªUrgh!" But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, something strange happened. -Gasp!- "...!" In an instant, Suzaku''s eyes regained their clarity. His once blank expression twisted into a frown as he clutched his head, confusion evident in his movements. He looked between Shinso and himself repeatedly, trying to piece together what had just occurred. ["Eeeeh? Suzuki is back to moving! What in the world is happening in this fight?!"] Present Mic''s exclamation boomed across the arena, capturing the bewilderment spreading through the audience after the unexpected development. "What the heck?" Suzaku muttered to himself. The feeling of being controlled left him bewildered. It was as if he had been trapped in someone else''s body, unable to do anything. But now, he was free once again, back in control. But why? When he had been under Shinso''s Quirk influence, he had been unable to free himself no matter what he did. But out of nowhere, he had been freed and was back on his bearings. However, what could have caused such a fortunate thing? "Could it be...?" Suzaku quickly realized that the only thing capable of freeing him was Shinso himself. "What did you¡ª?" The next second, Suzaku looked at Shinso questioningly. However, the moment he saw Shinso''s face, Suzaku''s expression twitched. Shinso was frozen in place, staring at Suzaku with wide, terrified eyes. His face had gone pale, and beads of sweat trickled down his temples as he took a shaky step back, being just a centimeter away from the arena''s border. "... You okay, man?" Suzaku asked once he saw Shinso''s weird state, raising an eyebrow at the sheer panic etched on his opponent''s face But Shinso didn''t respond. Instead, his gaze fell to his own trembling hands. ''I freed him from my control... Why?'' The question reverberated in Shinso''s mind. He recalled the moment he tried to issue Suzaku the command to walk out of bounds. Instinctively, he had withdrawn the control he had over his mind, an overwhelming sense of dread stopping him in his tracks the moment the words were about to come out of his mouth. Like a person reaching for what he thought was a harmless object, only to realize that it was the jaws of a hidden predator and immediately retract their hand. When he was about to issue the command, he felt like his Quirk had been about to touch something that shouldn''t be touched, and as a result, he retracted his control over Suzaku''s mind without even being able to process why. However, whatever this sensation was, Shinso knew one thing for certain: issuing a command to Suzaku was something he by no means should do. "..." Suzaku tilted his head, watching Shinso''s mute terror with mild amusement. He thought back to the moment his body went numb. Maybe the guy''s mind control required him to answer or acknowledge his words. Either way, he wasn''t about to test it again. Shrugging, he walked up to Shinso once more and grabbed him by the collar. "Wait¡ª!" Before Shinso could protest further, Suzaku swung him like a sack of potatoes, the motion effortless despite Shinso''s frantic struggle. And then, with a final toss, Suzaku hurled Shinso out of the arena, sending him skidding across the grass. -Thud!- The purple-haired boy landed with a heavy thump, his face still twisted in an expression of sheer disbelief. With that, the victor was decided. ["Out! Shinso is out of bounds! The winner of this round is Suzaku Suzuki!"] As Present Mic''s voice echoed through the arena, the crowd erupted into cheers and murmurs, though many remained baffled by what had just transpired. The fight had certainly... something. Suzaku, meanwhile, dusted off his hands, sparing Shinso one last glance as he walked away from the platform. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy," he muttered to himself, a faint smirk playing on his lips. Although the fight turned slightly dangerous at one point, he still managed to win. So there was no need to worry too much. However, as Suzaku was leaving the arena, he overheard Shinso''s frustrated voice. "Damn it...!" He turned to see Shinso lying flat on the ground, his expression calmer but still tinged with frustration. Noticing Suzaku''s gaze, Shinso shot him an annoyed look. With the blood and bruises on his face, he looked pitiful. "What are you looking at? Do you find it funny?" he asked begrudgingly, expecting Suzaku to laugh at him. Suzaku hesitated for a moment. He had already deduced that Shinso''s brainwashing worked through speech¡ªhence the constant taunts during their fight. But knowing that the fight was already over, he shrugged "I was just wondering¡ªwhy is a guy like you not in the hero course? Mind control is a pretty busted ability," Suzaku asked curiously, his tone almost casual. Shinso scoffed, a wry grin forming on his battered face. "Why? Because mind control doesn''t work on robots, that''s why. Unlike you, someone with a good Quirk, I never stood a chance in that stupid test." Then, lifting his fist while still lying in the grass, Shinso stared at it regretfully. "This was my only chance to get into the hero course. And I didn''t even manage to land a single hit on you... There''s no way they''re letting me in now." His tone somber and dispirited as he spoke. Suzaku observed Shinso''s regretful expression in silence for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh. He looked away briefly, as if recalling something. "You know, an old man I used to know would''ve told you that you''re just making excuses. That if your Quirk isn''t enough, you''ve got to make up for it with your own body." Touching his glasses, Suzaku smiled as the lenses flickered with RGB-like colors. "Let''s just say my Quirk wasn''t much help against the robots either." Shinso blinked in surprise at the sudden revelation but soon frowned, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, you don''t get it. My Quirk is different from yours. Mind-control¡ªeveryone who finds out I have it always sees me as some kind of potential villain... Even though I want to be a hero. You''ve never experienced what it''s like to be judged that way your entire life, so stop talking as if you understood me!" Shinso yelled, frustration accumulating with each word that escaped his mouth. "Mate, I didn''t ask for your life story," Suzaku said, his mouth twitching in annoyance at the sudden lash-out. However, he then let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "Mind-control, huh? Yeah, it''s definitely got a villainous vibe. If I had it, I''d probably do some questionable stuff myself." Suzaku caressed his chin in deep thinking. "You¡ª!" Shinso''s brow furrowed, anger flickering across his face. But Suzaku didn''t let him continue. "Still," he added, his voice turning serious, "you''ve got it easy... compared to someone else I know, at least you''re not beyond salvaging." Shinso flinched under Suzaku''s indifferent gaze. "What?" Shinso asked, confused by the cryptic remark. Suzaku didn''t elaborate. Instead, he shook his head and began walking away. As he reached the edge of the arena, he glanced back one last time. "By the way, I wouldn''t be so sure about not making it into the hero course." Suzaku then looked above, towards the stands filled with people. "...?" Following Suzaku''s gaze, Shinso noticed several pro heroes in the stands talking animatedly about his Quirk. Among the crowd, Shinso''s classmates were also cheering loudly, praising him for his performance and how far he had come in the festival, even going up against someone as formidable as Suzaku, who had scored first place in everything until now. Shinso''s eyes widened when he saw that. Realizing what Suzaku had implied, Shinso''s fist clenched. He stared at the redhead''s retreating figure, a storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. Somehow, when talking directly to him, Suzaku didn''t seem like such an asshole as he had seemed during the first part of the festival... At least, not as much. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After finishing his fight, Suzaku returned to his class''s section, heading straight for his seat before collapsing into it with an exaggerated sigh. The exhaustion wasn''t physical¡ªit was more mental than anything. Mind control and all that. "Oh, good job there, Suzaku!" Tetsutetsu greeted him with his usual wide smile. Itsuka gave him a wry smile. "You sure did a number on that boy. Though it looked like he gave you some trouble near the end." Suzaku scoffed, waving her comment away. "Trouble? I don''t know what you''re talking about. I barely even tried. In fact, it was so easy, I''m feeling sleepy now." He sank further into his seat lazily, his jowl showing as he slouched. The two laughed at his antics. "Ah, I forgot to ask earlier, but how did the previous fights go?" Suzaku suddenly asked, tilting his head in curiosity. Itsuka tapped her chin thoughtfully before recounting the earlier matches. "Well, the girl with the gravity Quirk managed to beat the boy with the tape Quirk. It was a pretty even match for most of the fight, but she won in the end by erasing the boy''s gravity and using his own tape to swing him out of bounds." Itsuka then smiled wryly as he recalled the second fight. "... The fight between that teammate of yours from the cavalry battle and the angry guy from Class A¡ª" "Ah, I already know how that one went. My friend filled me in," Suzaku interrupted with a dismissive wave. "You know him?" Itsuka asked, surprised. She''d assumed that the guy and the eccentric girl had only teamed up with Suzaku because he had the most points and would win by default if they succeeded in defending his headband. "He''s a bro from school. We agreed to team up in case a group event came up," Suzaku explained casually. "And that girl¡ªMei, right? Were you friends with her too?" "Nah, she just wanted to mooch off my points. Not that I minded, though; she was a big help during the event," Suzaku admitted with a chuckle. Itsuka sweatdropped. Turns out, she hadn''t been too far off in her assumption after all. "... Well, leaving that fight aside, in the next round, the girl with the acid Quirk went up against the boy with the raven head. That match didn''t last long. She was pushed out of bounds by his Quirk in a matter of seconds," Itsuka continued. "That guy did look tough," Suzaku muttered thoughtfully, recalling how the shadow monster that sprouted from him had been quite the annoyance. "And then there was the fight between the boy who can harden his skin and the one with the tail, their fight¡ª" "It was a manly fight!" Tetsutetsu suddenly burst out, tears of passion streaming down his face. Suzaku couldn''t help but grin at his friend''s reaction. "I can imagine." Itsuka, trying not to laugh, shook her head at Tetsutetsu''s emotional outburst. "Their fight was intense. Both went back and forth for quite a while. Though, in the end, the boy with the hardening Quirk outlasted the other in endurance and resilience and won." "Heeeh?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow as he took in the summary, his gaze shifting down to the arena. "Who''s up next, then?" Tetsutetsu scratched the back of his head, thinking. "I think it''s some dude called Kaminari Denki and a girl named Yaoyorozu Momo." "Never heard of them," Suzaku said bluntly, earning wry looks from both his friends. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After a fierce fight, Yaoyorozu stood in the center of the arena, patting her chest as she heaved a long sigh of relief. She shrugged off the insulating mantle that had been draped over her shoulders during the match, letting it fall to her side. Her gaze shifted to her defeated opponent, Kaminari, who stood outside the bounds with a goofy thumbs-up aimed at the sky. From above, Suzaku leaned on his fist, his face filled with boredom as he gazed at both contestants. "Well, that was a bit disappointing." "I think it was pretty good," Tetsutetsu replied, raising an eyebrow at Suzaku. "Well, it was fine... until the guy turned braindead after firing off one attack." Suzaku pointed toward Kaminari, who was still looking dazed and out of it. Tetsutetsu sweatdropped as he glanced at Kaminari. "Now that you mention it..." "I think they did pretty well regardless," Itsuka interjected. "Nobody asked," Suzaku shot back, earning a fierce glare from Itsuka. He chuckled and waved her off. "I''m just joking." Shifting his attention back to the arena, Suzaku''s brow furrowed as he mentally counted how many matches were left until it was his turn again. Four? Maybe five? He groaned inwardly at the thought. "Who''s up next?" he asked, watching Yaoyorozu and Kaminari exit the field. Tetsutetsu checked his phone. "It''s some guy named Todoroki Shoto and another dude called Tenya Iida." "Todoroki? Isn''t that Endeavor''s son?" Juzo, seated nearby, joined the conversation. Tetsutetsu shrugged. "No idea, but I think I overheard people saying that earlier, so probably." "Endeavor, huh?" Itsuka tilted her head, intrigued. "I wonder if he has a fire Quirk?" Suzaku answered matter-of-factly, "He''s the guy with the ice Quirk." "Him?" Itsuka''s eyebrows shot up in surprise, mirrored by the others. Suzaku sat up straighter, his eyes narrowing as he refocused on the arena. Todoroki was one of the competitors he was most cautious about. This was his chance to see exactly what he''d be up against. "Is he adopted?" Tetsutetsu asked, puzzled by the mismatch between father and son. Itsuka barely managed to stifle her laughter, while Suzaku and Juzo cracked amused grins. As the four shared a laugh, the arena quieted as Todoroki and Iida entered the field. They took their positions on opposite sides of the arena. Present Mic''s enthusiastic commentary boomed through the stadium. ["And now, the last fight of the first round of the tournament! After this, the winners of each match will move on to face one another!"] The crowd roared, their excitement mounting as the tournament promised increasingly intense battles judging by the performances of the winners so far. ["Let''s introduce our contestants! On one side, the fastest runner of his year, from Class 1-A, Tenya Iida!"] The camera zoomed in on Iida, whose rigid posture betrayed his nervousness. ["And on the other side, a fierce competitor who''s been battling for the top spot with incredible determination, also from Class 1-A, Todoroki Shoto!"] The crowd''s cheers reached a fever pitch as the announcer hyped up the clash between two elite students from prominent hero families. Iida looked tense, his gaze darting to the roaring stands. Todoroki, however, seemed entirely unfazed, his focus locked on something else entirely. ["Alright, let''s begin the eighth and final match of the preliminaries!"] Suzaku leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to absorb every detail of what was about to unfold. ["Ready... set..."] The entire stadium fell silent as the tension between the two competitors rose. Both waited, muscles coiled, for Present Mic''s signal to begin. ... .. . However, what happened next was beyond anyone''s expectations. ["Go!"] The instant Present Mic''s voice marked the start of the fight, Todoroki glanced at Iida with a mixture of pity and a simmering, hidden anger. Then, he calmly waved his hand. "Sorry, Iida." -Tssss...!!- Iida, though fast, had no chance to react. -BROOOM!!- The arena rumbled violently as a wave of icy cold air burst forth. ["W¡ªwhat the hell?"] Present Mic stammered, stunned by what he was witnessing. A massive column of ice erupted from Todoroki''s attack, engulfing Iida and covering nearly the entire arena. The ice stretched dangerously close to the stands, its overwhelming size silencing the crowd in awe. The fight had ended in an instant. Suzaku, who had been watching intently, sweatdropped, a wry smile creeping onto his face as his gaze fell on the massive ice structure that stopped mere meters from where he was sitting. "Well... I might have to take this more seriously from now on..." ["Winner... Todoroki Shoto!!"] ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Just discovered Iida''s surname was not Ida as I wrote it in previous Chapters... But well, such is life, sometimes you get names wrong. In other news, this was one shitty start to the year. An old dog of mine disappeared for three days during the new year, before reappearing injured later. We brought him to the vet to see if we could do something, I was hopeful they''d tell us that he''d be fine after some operations, but it seemed someone had run him over, so we had to put him down right there and then. He had one leg completely shattered, liquid (probably blood) in his lungs, and some other shit that we couldn''t afford to pay. Let''s hope the whole year is better. Anyway, I hope you liked the Chapter, see you next time.) -> Chapter 57: Gravity Girl vs Guy With a Constipated Look Chapter 57: Gravity Girl vs Guy With a Constipated Look Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... As the arena robots carried the frozen Iida away, the audience sat in stunned silence. The fight had ended so abruptly that even Present Mic, known for his constant chatter, seemed at a loss for words. All eyes followed the trembling Iida as he was escorted out, shivering from the icy onslaught he''d faced. "I lost control..." Todoroki, now calm and composed, watched his opponent being carted off with a faint trace of regret on his face. The fury that had driven him moments ago was now subdued, replaced by a reflective demeanor. However, as Iida disappeared from view, being brought to Recovery Girl to get treatment, Todoroki''s focus shifted. His gaze lifted to the stands, locking onto a muscular figure cloaked in controlled flames. The man stood still amidst the crowd, his narrowed eyes burning with silent intensity directed at the red-and-white-haired teenager. "..." Todoroki''s lips tightened as he sent a deliberate, challenging stare the man''s way. That seemed to have gotten a reaction out of the man, whose frown deepened after catching Todoroki''s angry gaze. Satisfied his message had been conveyed, Todoroki''s gaze wandered again, this time landing on a red-haired student with stylish glasses. "..." "..." The student too was glaring at him with a wry smirk that seemed to carry its own weight of meaning. The two exchanged glances briefly before Todoroki snorted, turning on his heel to leave the arena. It wasn''t until both combatants had completely left the stage that the silence finally broke. Or rather, it was broken by Aizawa snapping Present Mic out of his daze. "What are you doing? Snap out of it," Aizawa deadpanned. "A-ah...? Right, yeah!" Present Mic quickly straightened up, coughing into his fist to recover his usual vigor. ["Ahem! Anyway, folks, with that, the first set of rounds for this tournament is officially complete! We''ll take a short break, and then it''ll be time for the second set. Stay tuned!"] As the announcement settled in, the arena came alive again with chatter. Spectators speculated about the matches they''d just witnessed, while others simply filled the pause with small talk. Amidst the noise, Tetsutetsu''s booming voice cut through like a hammer striking steel. He clapped a hand on his friend''s shoulder. "Don''t sweat it, Suzaku! At least you gave it your all!" Suzaku''s eyebrow twitched. "Real encouraging, eh?" A few seats over, Juzo crossed his arms, his gaze lingering on the arena where Todoroki''s giant ice formation had once stood. "Can you blame him, though? You''re a great fighter and all, but how do you even deal with something like that?" "It''s not impossible... Probably..." Suzaku muttered, his tone wavering ever so slightly at the end. In theory, he could think of several ways to counteract such a wide-reaching Quirk. All hypothetical, of course, but plausible. He just had to... Not get hit. Nothing too hard. "You''ve got nothing left to prove, Suzaku," Tetsutetsu said, gripping his shoulder tightly. Tears welled in his eyes as he sniffled dramatically. "You''ve already shown us how amazing you are!" "Seriously." Suzaku sighed, suppressing the urge to give his friend a taste of the infamous Suzaku-Kick. -Giggle...- Unfortunately, his annoyance deepened when he caught a faint snicker coming from nearby. "You..." Turning sharply, he found Itsuka hastily pretending to look elsewhere. -Sigh...- In the end, though, he let the matter drop. After that, Suzaku pulled out his phone to check the updated match roster. As he scrolled through, his gaze lingered on the upcoming fights. The next match: Ochako Uraraka vs. Katsuki Bakugo. "Gravity Girl versus Explodo-Boy," Suzaku muttered under his breath, smirking at the mental image. It seemed the incoming round was bound to have a lot of angry shouts. Following that, Eijiro Kirishima vs. Fumikage Tokoyami. "Tanky guy vs. Shadow Bird guy," Suzaku mused. "Bet that one''s gonna be quite the fight." Considering one could tank every attack with unyielding determination, and the other 2v1 you, it was no wonder Suzaku thought like that. Then, his eyes landed on the fight scheduled after that. Izuku Midoriya vs. Suzaku Suzuki. Suzaku raised an eyebrow. So that was why Midoriya had given him that intense, destined-rival chatter earlier. "No wonder," he muttered. At this rate, after the two first fights, he''d be going head-to-head with this world''s main protagonist. ... And assuming he won that match, his next opponent would likely be Todoroki. Suzaku''s lips quirked into a resigned smile. "Looks like I''m up against 1-A heavy-hitters for the rest of the tournament..." "All okay man?" Tetsutetsu asked, noticing his friend''s contemplative expression. "Yeah, I guess I''ll just have to use a little more of my true power," Suzaku said as he leaned back in his seat, opening QuirkTok to kill time. Minutes later, the speakers crackled to life once again. ["The wait is over, dear spectators! It''s time to kick off the second round of the tournament!"] The giant screen above the arena lit up, showing the next two combatants. A petite girl with short brown hair stood on one side, looking calm but focused. On the other side, a blonde boy with¡ªas Suzaku would call it¡ªa constipated look, sparks of anger already flying from his palms. ["On one side of the arena, a rising star who''s fought her way here with ingenuity and guts, and the one I''m personally rooting for in this fight¡ª] ["Oi, don''t pick sides."] ["¡ªOchako Uraraka!"] The crowd erupted into cheers, though Uraraka kept her gaze locked on her opponent, clearly trying not to back off in front of his murderous glare. ["And on the other side, the... uh, most passionate student of his entire class! He should also work on his expression, or else he''ll scare even those he saves... Katsuki Bakugo!"] "Che!" Bakugo scoffed at the introduction. From above, Suzaku leaned forward in his seat, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the arena below. Ever since they met, Suzaku had sized up Bakugo''s fiery temper and tendency to act like an overconfident chihuahua¡ªall bark and no bite. What was more, until now, their interactions had been limited to brief skirmishes, never a full-fledged combat where the goal was to tear each other apart. And in those fleeting encounters, Bakugo hadn''t managed to leave much of an impression. While Suzaku could make educated guesses about the explosive kid''s abilities based on what he''d seen, assumptions alone weren''t enough to gauge Bakugo''s true danger level. But now, with the blond hothead stepping into the arena, Suzaku finally had the chance to find out whether Bakugo''s arrogance was unfounded¡ªor if there was substance beneath all that blabbering. ["With the introductions out of the way, let''s get to the action. Combatants, get ready!"] Both fighters stiffened at Present Mic''s booming declaration. Uraraka''s shoulders were visibly tense, while Bakugo stood loose, a frown hanging over his already angry face. The odds were clear just by seeing the contestants'' contrasting attitudes. ["Ready, set..."] ... .. . ["Go!"] -Bam!- The fight began with a burst of motion. Uraraka kicked the ground and dashed forward, her eyebrows knitted in fierce determination. She knew her only chance at victory lay in getting close enough to touch Bakugo and activate her Quirk. But Bakugo wasn''t about to make it easy. Even if he couldn''t remember her name, he still could remember her Quirk. "Die!" he bellowed, swinging his arm forward. -Boom!- "Ack¡ª!" An explosion erupted from his palm, sending a shockwave barreling toward Uraraka. Though she tried to dodge, the sheer force knocked her backward, making her tumble across the concrete arena helplessly. However, even as she hit the ground, scraping her arms and legs against the rough surface, she grit her teeth and stood back up. Without hesitation, she charged again, sprinting directly at Bakugo. -Boom!- -Boom!- -Boom!- Nevertheless, the result didn''t change much. Time and time again, Bakugo repelled her with bursts of fiery explosions, keeping her at bay with ease. Each blast sent her flying, and yet, she always got back up. "Oi, stop bullying her and end it already!" "Some hero you are!" The crowd began murmuring discontentedly, some even booing at Bakugo''s seemingly merciless attacks. Suzaku, on the other hand, watched with detached interest, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ''That shockwave range is annoying, but it should be manageable if I just redirect it somewhere else, maybe even back at him. But leaving that aside... His swings are full of openings... there''s plenty of chances to smack some humility into him with my Suzaku-kicks.'' As Uraraka stumbled and charged repeatedly, Suzaku couldn''t help but picture himself in her position, crafting counter-strategies in his mind, or groaning frustratingly when Uraraka didn''t take advantage of a good opportunity and got sent flying away instead. Unfortunately, her lack of combat experience was painfully obvious. Her movements lacked efficiency, and her reflexes were no match for Bakugo''s explosive speed in keeping her at bay. Yet, just as Suzaku began feeling pity for the battered girl, something shifted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed small pieces of debris slowly floating upward, slipping through the thick dust cloud that lingered over the arena. A grin tugged at his lips once he saw that. ''Would you look at that? She isn''t charging blindly as I thought.'' And it didn''t take long for others to notice as well. ["Oi, Bakugo stop messi¡ªOof!"] Present Mic, seemingly ready to join the crowd in criticizing Bakugo, was abruptly silenced when Aizawa hit him on the ribs with his elbow. ["Shut up. I expected better from pro heroes, but if you can''t see what''s happening here, you''re even more hopeless than I thought. You included."] ["E-eh?"] Present Mic''s baffled groan echoed through the speakers. ["Bakugo isn''t holding back. He''s fighting with everything he''s got. And Uraraka... she''s not as defenseless as you guys are thinking."] His words seemed to have marked a crucial point in the fight, as in the next moment, Uraraka, now visibly worn down, pressed her fingertips together and looked ahead with a fierce expression. "Release!!" "...!" The next instant, the debris floating high above the arena began to rain down in a chaotic cascade. What had started as a few harmless chunks had now grown into a hailstorm of rubble. Bakugo''s eyes narrowed, but Uraraka''s determination burned brighter than ever. Right after her last desperate tactic was set in motion, Uraraka kicked the ground once more and began sprinting at full speed towards the still startled Bakugo, planning on using this as a distraction to finally get a chance to touch him and entrap him in her Quirk. ¡ªUnfortunately for her, she had failed to account for one thing. "Useless..." -BOOOOM!!!- That being Bakugo''s absurd firepower that grew the more the fight progressed due to him producing more sweat with time. With a single massive explosion pointed upwards, Bakugo cleared the falling debris from the sky, rendering Uraraka''s distraction technique useless in one movement. "It can''t be..." Uraraka''s eyes widened in horror as her plan was completely dismantled in but one move. Even so, she refused to give up. Pushing through the pain in her battered body, she forced herself forward, determined to make one last attempt. But her body gave out before she could take more than a step. -Thud!- The next moment, she crumpled to the ground, her strength completely spent. ["What is this?! Participant Uraraka has fallen to the ground!"] Present Mic''s voice echoed through the stunned arena. Bakugo stared at her fallen figure, his sharp eyes unwavering as if waiting for her to make another move. Only when it became clear that she couldn''t continue, Midnight stepped forward, raising her whip. "Ochako Uraraka is unable to fight. The winner: Katsuki Bakugo!" The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into scattered applause. They cheered for both fighters¡ªUraraka''s grit and Bakugo''s raw power deserving recognition. The Pro Heroes that had booed Bakugo previously were now also clapping, feeling a bit bad for having misunderstood the kid''s intentions. "Well, that''s one fight less before I get my turn." As the match concluded, Suzaku leaned back in his chair, turning his attention back to his phone as if the fight had been little more than a passing curiosity. He had quite a few thoughts about the fight, like a small disagreement he had with Aizawa''s comment about Bakugo fighting with everything he had. If he had been in the irascible teen''s shoes, he would have just barraged the girl in explosions until she got knocked off the arena, leaving her no chance to fight back at all. However, Suzaku, someone who fought constantly in underground clubs, certainly wasn''t someone who cared about style or fair fights, so after thinking about it for a second, he decided to give Bakugo the benefit of the doubt. After all, they were in a very important event the entire country was watching. Maybe Bakugo had wanted to save her some face by letting her fight back a bit, or maybe the kid simply hadn''t considered such a brutal option of fighting, and Suzaku was the only weirdo who couldn''t care to embarrass someone like that on live television¡ªExcept for Todoroki, of course. That guy had one-shotted his classmate without a care in the world. Either way, he wasn''t about to start changing his ways though, if they wouldn''t handle a little rough play, who knew what these kids would do when they fought a real villain? "Next up should be Kirishima versus Bird-head, right?" he muttered, checking the tournament bracket on the UA livestream. Suzaku couldn''t help but feel a bit underwhelmed. Save for Todoroki''s overwhelming display earlier, none of the fights had truly impressed him. While he respected the effort on display, the lack of refined skill and combat instinct left him feeling a tad bored. The only exception was Arata, since he had trained the runt by himself, Suzaku assumed the big-brained kid must have given Bakugo quite the trouble during their fight. Sadly, Suzaku wasn''t there to watch it at that time. "Well, at least I''ll get my turn to fight soon..." He muttered, a grin tugging at his lips. Fortunately, it seemed that if things continued as they were, the rest of the combats would be quite interesting. Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo... It was good they were participating. Otherwise, winning this whole thing would have felt pretty hollow. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later...| ... The fight following Bakugo and Uraraka''s emotional clash featured Kirishima versus Tokoyami, a battle defined by guts and strategy. Tokoyami unleashed Dark Shadow in an unrelenting barrage, keeping Kirishima on the defensive, dodging and weaving to avoid being overwhelmed. On the other side, Kirishima''s goal was solely one during the entire fight: get close enough to Tokoyami and beat him up until he surrendered or got out of bounds. What started as a tactical standoff soon escalated into a long, grueling match. Both fighters displayed incredible endurance, but it was Tokoyami''s one moment of miscalculation¡ªturning directly into Kirishima¡ªthat decided the bout. The red-haired fighter capitalized on the mistake, slamming into Tokoyami with all his might, forcing him out of bounds. Though victorious, Kirishima was visibly battered, his hardened body showing cracks and bruises from the effort. Dark Shadow had made quite a number on him. But the audience didn''t have long to dwell on the match. The tournament pressed forward, and the next bout promised an interesting match. A clash of two students who had dominated the rankings from the festival''s outset. A showdown between two protagonists¡ªthough only you readers are privy to that fact. -Step- Suzaku took a step toward the stage, rolling his shoulders with a confident smirk. "Let''s see what the protagonist of this world is made of," he muttered, tilting his head to crack his neck on both sides. His eyes locked onto Izuku Midoriya, who had just stepped onto the platform The green-haired boy moved hesitantly, his posture uncertain, but as his eyes landed on Suzaku, his nervousness was replaced with steely determination. ["Alright, folks! Next up, we''ve got yet another thrilling battle of the tournament!"] Present Mic''s enthusiastic voice echoed across the arena. ["On one side, we have the brash and bold contender who''s claimed first place in nearly every challenge so far¡ªSuzaku Suzuki, from Class 1-B!"] ["And on the other side, a competitor who''s quietly climbed the ranks with raw skill and heart¡ªIzuku Midoriya, from Class 1-A!"] The crowd erupted in cheers and anticipation as both fighters took their positions at opposite ends of the arena, their eyes locked on each other. Suzaku smirked, an air of casual confidence surrounding him, while Izuku''s face remained serious, his jaw tight with focus. Among the audience, students from both Class 1-A and 1-B leaned forward in their seats, eagerly awaiting the first true clash between the two classes in this tournament. ["Combatants, ready?"] Suzaku loosened his shoulders, his grin widening. Izuku bent his knees slightly, his fists clenched tightly by his sides. Both were ready indeed. ["Set...!"] ... .. . ["Go!"] ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ [ To Be Continued... ] ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Finally got done with university stuff. So if I manage to lock in, I should be able to bring you guys another Chapter midweek. Pray. On another note, I made an illustration for this Chapter! Let me know what you think of it; I personally think it turned out pretty well. Here it is: ¡ªNow, the usual image of God''s presence here on Earth.) -> Chapter 58: Battle of Protagonists 1 Chapter 58: Battle of Protagonists 1 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ["Go!"] Present Mic''s booming voice rang out, the sound reverberating across the concrete arena like the bell of a boxing ring. The moment the match began, both contestants started walking toward each other with deliberate slowness, their gazes locked. Each step seemed calculated as if they were trying to decipher the other''s intentions. Midoriya''s eyes narrowed as he assessed his opponent, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead once nervousness began sipping in. ''I have to be careful. Even to this point in the festival, Suzuki-kun hasn''t revealed his Quirk at all. It''s highly likely he''s saving it as a last resort... Maybe because of how dangerous it is, or maybe it''s a stamina-taxing ability. Either way, the fact that he didn''t use it even when Todoroki-kun, Kacchan, and I attacked him simultaneously during the last event''s final minute means it''s something significant.'' Midoriya''s mind raced, trying to piece together what little information he had collected from his encounters with the red-haired teenager. ''During his fight with Aizawa-sensei, he manipulated his glasses to lengthen their reach and hit Sensei with them. And with Shinso, he altered their color... Could it be that his Quirk has something to do with generating or manipulating glass? If so, why hasn''t he used it more? During all fights until now, he has been fighting purely with his body¡ªand occasionally, a staff.'' Midoriya''s gaze briefly scanned Suzaku''s muscular frame beneath the loose folds of his gym uniform. Memories of Suzaku''s match against Aizawa came to mind. Aizawa, or rather Eraser Head¡ªa Pro Hero and an expert in hand-to-hand combat¡ªhad been utterly dominated by Suzaku in the field. A bead of sweat trickled down Midoriya''s temple as he gulped. ''Getting into close combat with him it''s also something I should be wary about. The moment he catches me in his rhythm like he did with Aizawa-sensei, it will be difficult for me to escape.'' His fists clenched at his sides as Suzaku steadily continued approaching. ''If that''s the case, my best chance is to attack from a distance using One For All. But can I control the power? What if I go too far¡ª'' "You''re thinking too much," Suzaku interrupted. Midoriya''s heart skipped a beat. By the time he processed the words, Suzaku had already breached the distance between them, his fist flying toward Midoriya''s face with blinding speed. -Bam!!- The punch landed cleanly, snapping Midoriya''s head to the side and sending blood and saliva flying. His vision blurred as he stumbled back, struggling to regain his footing. But Suzaku didn''t let up. -Thud!- A heavy punch slammed into Midoriya''s stomach, nearly folding him in half. His arms instinctively wrapped around his abdomen as pain shot through him like lightning. "Kgh!" Midoriya staggered but managed to force himself upright, raising his arms to block as Suzaku closed in again. This time, when the red-haired boy''s fist came flying, Midoriya countered, swinging his own punch toward Suzaku''s face. Unfortunately, the blow barely grazed Suzaku''s cheek as he tilted his head lazily to dodge the blow. ''Wha¡ª?'' -Blam!- "Uhp¡ª!" Before Midoriya could follow through, a sharp kick struck his chest, sending him tumbling across the arena floor. He rolled several meters before skidding to a stop, gasping for air. ''I can''t react at all to his attacks! I must make my distance now or else¡ª'' However, Suzaku wasn''t quite done yet. Midoriya barely had time to scramble to his feet before Suzaku was on him again, throwing another barrage of punches and kicks. -Thwack!- -Bam!- -Smack!- Blow after blow rained down on Midoriya. He blocked what he could, but Suzaku''s attacks were relentless, unpredictable, and merciless. Blood and sweat splattered onto the concrete with each strike, the sound echoing in the silent awe of the spectators. Amidst the brutal beatdown, Midoriya gritted his teeth, his sharp and logical mind racing to find a solution. ''There has to be a pattern. Everyone has a pattern, just like Kacchan. If I can find it, I can counter¡ª'' -Bam!- ''Argh¡ª! Damn it!'' Suzaku, on the other hand... ''Random bullshit, go!'' His thoughts were much less calculated: The red-haired boy fought with chaotic precision, a style drilled into his mind by Tatsuo and that also happened to counter thinkers like Midoriya, as he didn''t rely on a rigid strategy nor had any pattern in his fighting that the green-haired teenager could take advantage of. He let the fight guide him, flowing unpredictably and keeping his opponent guessing. And Midoriya was starting to realize just how at a disadvantage he was. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |All Might''s POV:| ... "Ouch." I winced as I watched young Midoriya take another punch to the face. This fight was going far worse than I had anticipated. However, in hindsight, I should''ve seen this coming. Young Suzaku was not just any student¡ªhe was Tatsuo-san''s disciple. Though I only met the man a few times during my long career as a hero, I''ve always been aware of the kind of person he was, his history, and the impact he had on shaping the heroes of today. Gran Torino every once in a while shared stories about Tatsuo-san''s early years as a vigilante¡ªa man with a brutal reputation for subduing villains. He was relentless, known for beating down his opponents until not a single tooth was left in their mouths, whether he was aiming for their teeth or not. But that was just the surface of his reputation. Tatsuo-san wasn''t merely a brutal fighter; he was a pivotal figure. His efforts laid the foundation for the martial arts techniques that pro heroes depend on nowadays. Back then, he didn''t take on any official disciples, but he still taught the fundamentals to any hero who needed guidance. Many went on to develop their own styles from what he shared. And now, his first true disciple stands in the ring, facing young Midoriya. For young Suzaku to have trained under someone like that, and actually have been acknowledged as his disciple... I should have realized his combat skill would be on a whole other level. During the mock test between the hero and villain teams, Suzaku showcased incredible talent¡ªnatural fighting instincts honed to perfection, even though he was not completely aware of it. His skill alone compensated for whatever limitations his Quirk might have had. Young Midoriya, on the other hand... He''s only had a year to prepare his body for One for All¡ªa monumental task in itself. And while his progress has been impressive, I never trained him to fight properly. Watching this, I can''t help but see that glaring gap. But even if I had tried to teach him, would it have made a difference? Young Suzaku''s sheer skill was... overwhelming. Young Midoriya had proven his analytical abilities before. During his match against young Bakugo, he was able to predict his movements, even if only briefly. But now, whatever advantage he''d had in that fight seemed utterly ineffective for whatever reason. He was being completely dominated, and although it pained me to say this as his teacher, no amount of thinking or luck would bridge the gap in skill at this moment. If this kept up, there were only two outcomes for young Midoriya: getting knocked unconscious or getting knocked out of bounds. The only chance Young Midoriya had of turning the tables of this fight... was to unleash One for All. But that was where the real problem lay. Young Midoriya hadn''t yet had enough time to train with One for All¡ªto truly understand it, to control it. He had merely become a worthy vessel of it with the training he underwent. If he used it recklessly, he could seriously injure himself¡ªor worse, his opponent. ["Oof, and Suzuki lands another heavy hit! Midoriya looks like he can barely stand! Will he be able to withstand this fierce beatdown?"] My fist tightened as young Midoriya''s shaky figure staggered across the arena after receiving yet another blow. ''Come on, young Midoriya... You can do this. Go beyond¡ªGo Plus Ultra!'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Back to the arena...| ... The battle continued, as did the relentless beating. By now, Midoriya''s face was a mosaic of bruises, and the damage beneath his gym uniform was likely far worse. Despite his desperate attempts to fight back, he was entirely outmatched. It felt as though no matter what he did, Suzaku always anticipated his moves, countering with strikes that hit every weak spot. What made it worse was the sheer unpredictability of Suzaku''s attacks. There were no discernible patterns¡ªjust chaos. One moment, it was a precise kick; the next, a wild punch, an eye poke, or even a brutal headbutt. It was as if Suzaku was improvising on the spot, and somehow, it was working flawlessly. "Ack¡ª!" Midoriya grunted as another punch slammed into his ribs, forcing him to stumble back, desperate to create some distance. Then, amidst the blurring pain, he saw Suzaku''s leg arc through the air, aiming for his head. ''I need to block that!'' Panicked, Midoriya raised both arms to block. -Blam!- -Crack!- "Urgh!" The moment the kick connected, pain shot through Midoriya''s arms. His eyes widened as he gritted his teeth to endure the sharp, jarring sensation. But Suzaku wasn''t done. As Midoriya reeled from the impact, the leg recoiled for an instant¡ªthen slipped through his weakened guard like a serpent. ''Wha¡ª?'' -BAM!!!- The kick snapped upward, striking his chin like a thunderous uppercut. The force lifted him off the ground momentarily before he collapsed to the floor. ["Oh, Midoriya is down! Will this be the end of this short battle?!"] Midnight leaned forward, watching closely from the sidelines. Midoriya lay motionless, and for a moment, it seemed the match might be over. Suzaku stood over him, his expression calm but curious as if waiting to see what Midoriya would do next. "Ugh...I won''t¡ªlose like this...!" Then, against all odds, Midoriya began to move. Trembling, battered, and in obvious agony, he pushed himself to his feet. The crowd erupted into cheers as he stood once more, a testament to his unyielding resolve. Midnight exhaled in relief as the fight continued. But Suzaku, showing no interest in granting a moment of respite to his opponent, immediately resumed his relentless assault. -Bang!- "Uck¡ª!" -Crack!- "Argh¡ª!" Just like before, Suzaku''s punches and kicks landed one after another, each strike driving Midoriya closer to defeat. The green-haired boy attempted flimsy counters when he could, but they rarely found their mark. Even when they did, Suzaku brushed them off with ease. ''I can''t¡ª'' Midoriya struggled to keep up, his vision blurring as Suzaku''s movements seemed faster and more erratic with each passing second. -Blam!- "Oof¡ª!" Then, with a powerful kick, Suzaku sent Midoriya sprawling across the floor. When Midoriya stopped rolling, he realized with horror how close he was to the edge of the arena. One more push, and he would lose by ring-out. ''There''s no other way... If I don''t use it now, I''ll lose!'' Desperation gripped him. He had only one choice left. If he didn''t use One for All, the match was over. As Suzaku lunged again, Midoriya gathered what little strength he had and aimed a finger flick. ''Control it, control it, CONTROL IT!!!'' he screamed inwardly, every ounce of his focus honed on the attack. "Smash!" The instant he shouted, Suzaku reacted instinctively, crossing his arms to brace himself. "Uck¡ª!" -BOOOM!- A powerful shockwave exploded outward, sending Suzaku skidding backward. Despite the force, he managed to stay on his feet, though his forearms took the brunt of the blow. "Huuh~ That was close," Suzaku muttered, glancing back to see that he had stopped just short of the boundary. Both contestants now stood at opposite ends of the arena, the battlefield reset. "So, you''re finally using your Quirk, huh?" Suzaku remarked, smirking as he patted his forearms. Even without a direct hit, the sheer power of the attack had been enough to send him flying. Truly absurd, Suzaku thought, but then again, it was fitting for the protagonist. Midoriya glanced at his broken finger, swallowing his nerves as he steeled his resolve. His battered face shone with determination. "Suzuki-kun, I''ll be going all out now!" "Is that so? Then, me too." "Eh?" Midoriya''s face froze. "What?" Suzaku tilted his head, looking at Midoriya weirdly. "You didn''t think I was just hitting random spots for no reason, did you? If I''d wanted to knock you out, I would''ve aimed for your head and ended this a while ago." "I-Is that so?" Midoriya stammered, the realization sinking in that he''d been close to losing the entire fight without even knowing it... Or well, closer than he thought he was. "Well, don''t sweat the details," Suzaku said with a casual wave. "Just do your best to show off to get a nice internship!" Midoriya blinked, dumbfounded. In Suzaku''s eyes, it seemed, all he could do now was impress the watching pro heroes¡ªnot win. Still, Midoriya swallowed his frustration and nodded. There was no point arguing now. "Here I go, Suzuki-kun!" "Don''t narrate what you do, dude. Just come." "R-Right..." ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: The first part of the fight is done! Now, after receiving a beat-up, Midoriya is getting serious and planning to use OFA, how will Suzaku handle this powerful ability, discover it in the next Chapter of Sussy Baka in MHA! Also, since I failed to write an extra Chapter mid-week, I''ll be uploading the next one tonight to make up for it. So look forward to it) -> Chapter 59: Battle of Protagonists 2 Chapter 59: Battle of Protagonists 2 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... With the fight entering its climax, Midoriya was the first one to attack. He dashed toward Suzaku, closing the distance swiftly before raising his arm to unleash another finger-flick shockwave. "Smash!!!" -Booom!- The shout accompanied a burst of air that roared like a cannon, hurtling toward Suzaku. "...!" Suzaku reacted immediately, throwing himself to the ground and rolling out of the attack''s range. The shockwave obliterated the arena floor behind him, leaving Suzaku to glance back at the destruction with a wry smile. "Seriously, this level of firepower just by flicking fingers... It''s a bit absurd." Without wasting a moment, Suzaku stood and sprinted toward Midoriya. The green-haired boy''s eyes widened as Suzaku closed the gap at alarming speed, seemingly twice as fast as before. ''This is bad, I can''t let him get close!'' Panicked, Midoriya raised his hand to aim another shockwave but faltered as Suzaku''s unpredictable movement patterns made it nearly impossible to target him. ''I¡ªI Can''t aim at him like this...!'' Desperate for avoiding engaging in close combat with Suzaku again, Midoriya pointed his hand downward and released his attack. -Booom!- "Tsk!" Suzaku skidded to a halt, shielding his face as the shockwave blasted the ground. The force sent both contestants flying¡ªSuzaku slid back across the arena while Midoriya was launched into the air. "Kgh!" After that, Midoriya landed with a pained grunt, his legs buckling under the impact. Sadly, before he could even try to catch his breath, Suzaku was already upon him, launching a fearsome kick that sliced through the air. ''This is bad!'' Upon seeing the incoming attack that would most certainly be a devastating one if connected, Midoriya reacted on instinct and channeled One for All through his arm. Then, with an almost gentle wave as if to parry the kick, but never touching it, an equally gentle but powerful gust of wind was generated and redirected Suzaku''s attack midair. "...!" Suzaku''s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing that. ''I did it!'' Midoriya''s lips curled into a frantic, nervous smile as he raised his other hand, ready to unleash a decisive finger-flick at Suzaku that would certainly send him out of bounds once it connected. ''Sma¡ª!'' But before he could act, Suzaku twisted midair, using the very wind that had destabilized him to rotate and launch a second kick with his other leg. -Smack!- "Argh¡ª!" -Booom!- The kick connected with Midoriya''s raised hand, jerking it upward and causing his finger-flick to misfire harmlessly into the sky. Midoriya winced as pain shot through his hand, another finger broken from the strain of his Quirk, and on top of that, his hand had received a direct kick from Suzaku. However, knowing he could waste no time, he stumbled back while clutching his pained hand, trying to put distance between himself and the redhead. But Suzaku was relentless. After kicking his opponent''s hand in an almost impossible mid-air maneuver and landing gracefully, he dashed forward again, leaving Midoriya no time to recover. ''He''s too fast!'' Midoriya''s thoughts raced as he pointed another finger-flick in Suzaku''s direction, hoping to slow him down. However, Suzaku dodged effortlessly, shifting directions with ease to avoid the shockwave. ''He dodged again!'' Midoriya''s frustration mounted as he glanced at his purple, swollen hand. ''That''s four fingers down... At this rate, I''ll be defenseless¡ªor I''ll have to risk using my entire arm!'' Midoriya wasn''t a fan of turning his fingers into what resembled purple, flaccid sausages, but with Suzaku closing in once more, he had no choice. If he wanted even a moment to come up with a proper plan, he needed to create some distance between himself and Suzaku. So, he raised his hand for another attack. -Booom!- And just like before, Suzaku leaped aside again, evading the devastating shockwave with agility that seemed almost superhuman. "Kgh¡ª!" Midoriya gritted his teeth as another finger broke, the pain nearly unbearable. Yet the temporary reprieve allowed him to think. ''¡ªHe is simply too fast, faster than I can react, so landing a hit is out of the question. My only chance is to force Suzuki-kun out of bounds. But how...?'' Scanning the arena, Midoriya''s eyes darted from Suzaku''s movements to the boundaries of the ring. Calculations began forming in his mind, but his planning was cut short as Suzaku surged forward once more. ''Stay back¡ª!'' Midoriya screamed internally as he prepared yet another finger-flick. But just as he was about to fire, Suzaku veered off course, forcing Midoriya to adjust his aim. That slight hesitation was all Suzaku needed. In the blink of an eye, Suzaku closed the gap, appearing right in front of the retreating Midoriya. Desperation took over, and seeing no other way to get the red-head away from him, Midoriya unleashed his attack, forgetting completely about the consequences that landing such a powerful attack point-blank could have. -Booom!- -Swoosh!- "Huh?" To Midoriya''s shock, however, by the time he came back to his senses and realized what he had done, Suzaku had disappeared from the path of his fingerflick. ''Where did he¡ª?'' The shockwave of his own attack still echoed in Midoriya''s ears when his eyes caught a fleeting shadow above him. Suzaku had leaped over it. ''No!'' Panic surged through him as he tried to turn and ready himself for the inevitable counter, but Suzaku was simply too fast. "Clench your teeth." That was all the warning he got before Suzaku''s fist connected with his face. -Bang!!!- The impact rang in his head like a deafening gong. Pain exploded across his skull as his senses spun into chaos. Blood and saliva flew from his mouth as his vision blurred. For a fleeting moment, he felt weightless. ''I''m... flying?'' Indeed, he was airborne, but not for long. -Thud!- His body slammed into the concrete, the unforgiving ground sending waves of agony rippling through him. Dizzy and disoriented, Midoriya lay sprawled on the floor, his head ringing and his vision swimming. He struggled to piece together what had just happened. ''I was fighting... Suzuki-kun punched me... Is that why I''m on the floor?'' ["Midoriya''s down!!! Could this be the end of the fight?! That was one nasty punch to the face!"] Present Mic''s voice broke through the haze, muffled but urgent, dragging Midoriya''s focus back to the present. ''That''s right... I have to get up.'' His gaze shifted to the distant crowd, searching for a familiar face, but due to his blurry vision and the distance, he was not able to find it. Still, he could feel his gaze... Among the teachers watching from their seats, All Might was most likely there¡ªwatching. ''I can''t afford to disappoint him. Not like this.'' Those words became his mantra, sparking a jolt of energy in his battered body. His muscles trembled as he willed himself to move. ''I¡ªI can''t lose like this!'' Teeth gritted to the point of cracking and eyes wide with determination, Midoriya pushed himself up, first to one knee. His breathing was labored, each inhale scraping like sandpaper in his throat, but he refused to give in. Meanwhile, Suzaku approached with measured, unhurried steps. The calmness of his stride was almost taunting, as if he already knew the outcome. The sound of Suzaku''s footsteps echoed across the arena floor, growing louder with each step toward Midoriya. ''I''m running out of time.'' Despite the unbearable pain coursing through his body, Midoriya''s mind remained quick. He forced himself to think, to analyze, to strategize. His eyes scanned the arena, taking in every detail he could while he still had time. Then he saw it. ''The edge of the arena...'' His breath caught. He was perilously close to the boundary. ''This is it.'' There would be no second chances. This spot would decide everything¡ªwhether he triumphed or fell. Running away was no longer an option. His body was at its limit, and even if it weren''t, there was nowhere to go. But that was fine. This was exactly where he needed to be. His gaze sharpened as his mind raced, sifting through every memory of Suzaku''s movements, every clue to predict his next action. Seconds stretched into eternity as a plan began to take shape ''I''ve got one shot... and it''s all or nothing.'' Midoriya''s determination solidified, his resolve as tough as stale bread left out for days¡ªunbreakable. As Suzaku finally arrived in front of Midoriya, both locked eyes. Midoriya knelt on one knee, his face battered and his breaths shallow. Dizziness clouded his vision, but his resolve burned brighter than ever. Suzaku, on the other hand, looked almost untouched, his breathing steady and his movements sharp. At first glance, the victor seemed obvious. But Suzaku knew better. Midoriya might have looked like he was on the verge of unconsciousness, but Suzaku could tell the moment their eyes met¡ªMidoriya still had something up his sleeve. Still, Suzaku wasn''t a mind reader. Deciding not to dwell on it, he shrugged off the feeling and dashed forward, ready to land the decisive blow¡ªa kick strong enough to knock Midoriya out or send him out of bounds. Or both¡ªboth worked. However, the moment Suzaku sprang into action, Midoriya moved as well. ''Now!'' As Suzaku lunged, Midoriya''s arm surged with One for All. He swung it forward, releasing a blast of air. -Swoosh!- The shockwave threw Suzaku off balance. But, just as before, Suzaku adjusted mid-motion and launched another kick, his agility unwavering. However, that was all within Midoriya''s plans. -Boom!- Before Suzaku''s kick could connect, Midoriya''s tired legs began glowing faintly with One for All''s energy. With a burst of power, he shot into the air, narrowly evading the attack. Suzaku''s sharp eyes followed him immediately. As he tracked Midoriya''s ascent, his gaze narrowed upon seeing the green-haired boy preparing a punch mid-air. "Uh... That''s not good." Meanwhile, in the sky, Midoriya gritted his teeth, ignoring the screaming pain in his body as he reached the peak of his leap. He clenched his fist tightly, memories of the practical exam flashing through his mind¡ªthe giant robot, the desperate punch he had prepared to break his fall at the last second, and Uraraka saving him with her Quirk before he could attempt it. ''I didn''t get to find out if it would''ve worked back then... But now, I don''t have a choice.'' He calculated everything: the trajectory, the impact, the sheer force needed. If his punch created a shockwave powerful enough, it could clear the arena and push Suzaku out of bounds, all while breaking his fall and stopping him from becoming Izuku Splatdoriya. ''No time for doubts.'' Steeling his resolve, Midoriya took a deep breath and braced himself. With a shout that echoed across the stadium, his fist shot downward, aiming for the arena. "Smaaaaaaaash!!!" -BOOOOM!!- The impact that came after was catastrophic. The arena shattered under the force of the punch, debris flying in all directions as a deafening shockwave tore through the battlefield. Dust and smoke enveloped the scene, and the ground trembled violently under the sheer force of the attack. The audience gasped in awe and shock, the sheer power of the move leaving everyone on edge. Midoriya hovered for a moment, the force of his punch halting his descent just enough to avoid a fatal crash. Relief flickered across his face as he remained suspended in the air for a fleeting second. "I did it!" But then he felt it. A tug on his collar. "What?!" Midoriya''s eyes widened in disbelief as Suzaku emerged from the dissipating dust cloud, gripping his shirt tightly. "I''m not going anywhere, bud," Suzaku said, his voice calm but unyielding. Midoriya was still five to seven meters above the ground. How had Suzaku reached him?! And more importantly, how had he withstood the shockwave?! Midoriya''s mind raced for answers, but his battered body couldn''t keep up. With his legs, arm, and fingers all out of commission, he had no way to resist. Suzaku''s smirk widened as his grip tightened. "Let''s wrap this up, shall we?" With fluid precision, Suzaku spun mid-air, using Midoriya''s momentum as leverage. Like a javelin, he hurled the green-haired boy straight toward the ground. -Bam!- "Ack¡ª!" Midoriya slammed into the shattered arena with a painful thud, his back arching on impact. -Thud!- After that, Suzaku landed a few steps away with practiced ease. Without missing a beat, he grabbed Midoriya''s legs, spinning him again and again. The crowd watched in stunned silence, the ruthless motion almost surreal. "Heave-ho," and with a final twirl, Suzaku let Midoriya go. The green-haired boy flew through the air, landing unceremoniously on the grass outside the arena not long after. -Thud!- As he lay motionless on the grass, his battered body finally succumbing to exhaustion, Midoriya''s vision blurred, but through the haze, he caught a glimpse of Suzaku standing tall. A faint, bittersweet smile crossed Midoriya''s lips. "So I lost, huh?" he whispered. His thoughts drifted to All Might as his eyelids grew heavy. He had been beaten beyond recognition in this fight, and even during his final struggle, he had failed to overcome Suzaku. Would his hero be disappointed? He didn''t know, and his mind wouldn''t figure it out either. He was simply too tired. "I''m sorry... All Might..." With those final words, Midoriya''s eyes began closing, and soon, he slipped into unconsciousness. Back in the arena, Suzaku wiped the sweat from his brow, finally letting out a deep breath. A single droplet of blood rolled down his cheek, but he paid it no mind. "Light work," he muttered, a tired grin spreading across his face. "Ahem" Midnight suddenly emerged from the rubble, snapping her whip with a dramatic flourish. "Midoriya is out of bounds! The winner is Suzaku Suzuki!" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Protagonist vs Protagonist... Guess who won?¡ªthe protagonist, HAHAHA! What a funny guy I am. Next in Sussy Baka In Mha - Todoroki one-shotting Yaoyorozu, and the semi-finals finally starting! Look forward to it) -> Chapter 60: Mr. Freeze Does It Once Again Chapter 60: Mr. Freeze Does It Once Again Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ''Phew... That was closer than I''d have liked...'' Suzaku thought as he eyed Midoriya''s unconscious figure in the grass. His eyes then swept through the arena, if it could still be called that. After Midoriya''s last desperate attack, there wasn''t much of the arena left, just a few huge chunks of concrete that lay scattered everywhere, with one of them being the floor he was standing on. The rest had all been sent flying away or turned to dust product of Midoriya''s punch. "...Seriously..." Suzaku sweatdropped at the sheer destruction caused by one simple punch. At this rate, if Midoriya followed the classic Shonen protagonist path, it wouldn''t be long before he gained full control of that insane power. After pondering about it for a few seconds, Suzaku calculated it would most likely take him about three years to reach his peak¡ªjust in time for graduation. It made sense: the anime''s title, "My Hero School"¡ªor something along those lines¡ªalluded to UA, and the hero course was supposed to last three years. Probably, Midoriya would face a few arcs of minor issues while still at school, learn to control his quirk during the first year, and then¡ªbam¡ªa time skip to the world-ending battles. ''Yeah, I can totally picture that happening,'' Suzaku mused, nodding to himself for a second, only for his eyes to gain a nervous glance the next second. ''Though, I stopped watching after season one, so who knows how the story actually developed after that...'' Glancing at Midoriya again, Suzaku massaged his chin anxiously. ''Let''s hope the author didn''t rush things like some other shows... The later the world-ending stuff starts, the better for me...'' As Suzaku was dreading the future, suddenly, he felt something wet on his cheek. Thinking it was sweat, Suzaku wiped it away, only to find blood on his thumb. "...?" Frowning, he traced the source to a small sting on his temple. ''Huh... Guess some debris hit me during Midoriya''s attack.'' Suzaku thought, looking at the blood on his fingers with a raised eyebrow. The wound wasn''t serious... At least not to his standards. He used to get way worse injuries when training with the old man. He recalled how it might''ve happened. When Midoriya unleashed his cataclysmic punch, Suzaku had sprinted straight toward him, leaping with all his strength to escape the shockwave. While he''d managed to grab Midoriya mid-air, the debris flying around had clearly reached his head at some point. ''Adrenaline really numbs everything,'' Suzaku thought, wincing as he poked at the wound. It wasn''t deep, just a scratch, but still annoying. By now, the school staff had whisked Midoriya away to Recovery Girl. With a sigh of relief, Suzaku turned to leave the arena, letting the next contenders take their place. On his way out, he pulled out his phone to check the tournament brackets. He already had a good idea of who his next opponent would be, but it didn''t hurt to confirm. As he passed the waiting room, however, he froze. ''Well, speak of the devil...'' Standing there was none other than Todoroki. The situation mirrored his earlier encounter with Midoriya, except this time, Suzaku wasn''t gonna challenge him like they were destined rivals as Midoriya had done with him. So, in the end, he gave Todoroki a silent glance, one the red-and-white-haired teen reciprocated with his own. "..." "..." Their gazes spoke volumes. Todoroki''s was challenging, practically daring Suzaku to beat him in the next round. Suzaku''s? More awkward curiosity than anything else. Amidst the endless silence, he debated saying something but decided against it. Taunting Todoroki after watching his earlier fight didn''t feel like the right thing to do, not when the guy had actually proven how much of a threat compared to everyone else he was. And besides, now they were one match from fighting each other... If there was anything Suzaku had to say, he could say it at the arena. After all, actions spoke louder than words¡ªor in this case, punches did. So after snorting a little at how awkward their silent standoff was being, Suzaku shook his head and began walking away. Todoroki stayed silent as he passed by his side. Though, in the end, Suzaku couldn''t suppress his inner sass. "Try not to lose to that girl in your class," he quipped, smirking. "Unlike everyone else until now¡ªsave for Midoriya¡ªbeating you up might be worth some effort." "You¡ª" Todoroki started, but Suzaku was already too far away to hear the comeback. Not one to shout, Todoroki simply snorted and took a seat, waiting for his match to be called. With that weird meeting done, Suzaku climbed back into the stands, plopping down in his seat with a heavy sigh. His classmates smirked at how drained he looked, though Suzaku ignored them, too busy recovering from the chaotic match. "That was amazing, Suzaku!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed as Suzaku relaxed cozily in his seat. "Like I always am," Suzaku replied casually, hands in his pockets. "But me aside, which part did you mean, though?" "The whole fight! I didn''t even know Class 1-A had such guys! Destroying an arena with one punch¡ªthat''s insane!" Itsuka, leaning forward, joined the conversation. "Yeah, but it looked like that boy''s Quirk damaged his own body. So it''s not like it''s flawless." "Eh? I didn''t notice," Tetsutetsu said, scratching his head. "Still, that guy''s Quirk packs a real punch! And you still managed to win, Suzaku!" "It was lightwork," Suzaku shrugged. As he said this, Itsuka tilted her head, noticing a faint red mark on his forehead, standing out even against his crimson hair. "You''re hurt?" she asked, leaning closer for a better look. "It''s nothing," Suzaku said with a dismissive wave. "Just some stray pebble. Don''t worry." Unconvinced, and after hesitating for a second, Itsuka brushed his hair aside to inspect the wound. It was still bleeding, though shallow. After a small huff of disapproval at Suzaku''s indifference, she rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a small pack of tissues. "Press this on it," she said, gently placing a tissue over the wound. Suzaku reluctantly held it in place, glancing at her with a mix of awkwardness and gratitude. "You worry too much," he said, before cracking a small smile. "But thanks either way." Itsuka smiled back and turned her attention to the arena as Present Mic''s voice boomed over the speakers. ["Thanks for your patience, dear audience! The arena has been reconstructed, and the tournament will now resume!"] The giant stadium screen flickered to display the next contenders: Shoto Todoroki vs. Momo Yaoyorozu. ["For the last match before the semifinals we have..."] Suzaku leaned back, letting his mind wander as the match''s presentations began. He checked the brackets again. The next and first fight of the semi-finals was... Eijiro Kirishima vs. Katsuki Bakugo. It seemed the tanky guy who stole his hair color would be fighting Mr. Bombastic. Suzaku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The explosive brat would likely win. While Kirishima''s endurance was impressive, it didn''t mean much against the laws of physics¡ªor whatever weird rules governed this world. Even if Kirishima tanked Bakugo''s explosions, the recoil would still send him flying. A single misstep and Kirishima would be out of bounds. Even though a scenario where Kirishima won wasn''t impossible, Suzaku couldn''t picture it happening... At least not judging from the way the spiky redhead had performed in the fight against Tokoyami. After coming to that conclusion, his thoughts shifted to his own path ahead. First, he''d face Todoroki, and if his hunch was right, Bakugo would be his final opponent. Only after beating both of them could he claim first place and go home satisfied. It seemed like he had quite a challenging path ahead. As the match below progressed, Suzaku glanced at the arena. Yaoyorozu was struggling to keep up. Todoroki''s relentless ice overwhelmed her before she could create anything helpful enough to get rid of the ice. ''Yep, as expected.'' Seeing his predictions coming true, Suzaku sighed and leaned his head on his fist, letting his thoughts drift elsewhere. For a moment, he considered issuing a celebration today if he won this festival. After all, when winning a country-wide¡ªor even world-wide¡ªknown event, usually you''d deserve a good celebration. However, he remembered the appointment he had tomorrow and frowned slightly. This wasn''t exactly a time to be celebrating stuff. ''Do I even own anything black? Maybe I should go shopping after this.'' A nudge snapped him out of his thoughts. "Suzaku, you''re not covering your wound," Itsuka said, arms crossed. Glancing down, Suzaku realized the tissue had slipped from his forehead to his knee. He snorted faintly and put it back in place without a word, though a corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. Just then, Present Mic''s voice boomed again. ["Momo Yaoyorozu is unable to fight anymore! The winner is Shoto Todoroki!"] Suzaku looked at the arena just in time to see Yaoyorozu trapped in ice. She held a frozen flamethrower in one hand, with a cannon encased in ice nearby. "What did I miss?" Suzaku muttered, sweatdropping as his mouth twitched in bafflement. It seemed he had underestimated the girl''s danger levels... But hey, would you blame him? He had only seen her pull out an insulating mantle, and that was pretty much it. Who would''ve thought she could also bust out a flamethrower and a cannon? As the staff carried Momo off the field once Todoroki finished melting all the ice surrounding her, Suzaku squinted at the frosty wasteland that was now the arena. Ice spires stretched across the battlefield¡ªnot as massive as the ones Todoroki used against Iida, but still daunting. ''This is certainly gonna be a pain,'' Suzaku thought, eyes narrowing at the thought of having to deal with that much firepower¡ªor icepower, in this case. ''What to do?'' Suzaku pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. So far, he''d considered several ways to counter Todoroki''s ice attacks, but most of them carried some level of risk. If only there was a way to extend his attack range, thus minimizing the time he''d be exposed to those relentless waves of frost, or even to leap over the incoming ice walls. "...!" His eyes lit up as an idea struck him. ''That''s right¡ªthe new extensible staff Arata made for me!'' With it, he could reduce the distance to Todoroki while staying safer and even use it as a pole vault to clear any particularly high ice formations. His legs alone could already launch him 7¨C8 meters into the air, but conserving energy would be crucial for the fight, considering he would be fighting a guy who could create glaciers with a wave of his hands. Still, Suzaku frowned, his hand drifting back to his chin. ''Vlad-sensei said it was fine to use in the festival... but now that we''re in the tournament finals, I''d better double-check.'' Decision made, he rose from his seat. "Hmm? Where are you going, Suzaku?" Tetsutetsu asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Your match isn''t for a while." "I''m getting my new staff." "New staff?" Itsuka echoed, narrowing her eyes. "How''d you get one so fast? Doesn''t new equipment take months to request and process?" "It''s a gift from a friend." "Oh!" A lightbulb lit in Itsuka''s mind. "Your support department friend?" "The one and only," Suzaku confirmed with a nod. "He made me a new one, and if I''m up against Mr. Do-you-want-to-build-a-snowman, now''s the perfect time to use it." "What''s with that nickname?" Itsuka smiled wryly, only for her expression to then turn pensive. Given Suzaku''s Quirk wasn''t offensively inclined, it wouldn''t be surprising if the school allowed him to use the staff. After all, he had already gotten one that was part of his hero gear. That said, considering the way Suzaku had demolished his opponents using nothing but his hands and raw combat skills, she wasn''t entirely sure they would allow it for this tournament¡ªthey might just consider it to be overkill. "Well, I''ll be off," Suzaku said as he turned to leave. "Wait!" Itsuka called after him. "Stop by the infirmary first and patch up that wound!" "Alright, alright, Miss Nagging," Suzaku teased with a grin, waving her off as he walked away. She huffed in mock irritation but couldn''t help smiling as he disappeared into the crowd. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After a quick stop at the stadium''s infirmary, where the school staff applied a patch to his forehead, Suzaku went to find Vlad King. It didn''t take long; he simply approached the observation deck where the teachers were gathered, and after asking some teachers to call him, Vlad King stepped out to meet him, listening to Suzaku''s request with a furrowed brow. "Hmm," Vlad said, crossing his arms. "I don''t see an issue, but it''s not my call. You''ll have to ask Midnight¡ªshe''s the referee in this tournament." Suzaku nodded, though he wasn''t thrilled about the timing. Midnight was busy officiating the matches, so there wouldn''t be a chance to ask her until right before his fight. "Tell you what," Vlad added after some thought. "Grab your staff now. When it''s your turn, check with her. If she says no, you can leave it in the waiting room and fetch it yourself once the match is done, or have someone fetch it for you later if, uh..." He cleared his throat. "...if things don''t go your way." Suzaku smiled annoyed. Even his teacher doubted him it seemed. In the end, though, Suzaku agreed to his teacher''s idea and then waved him off with an unworried face as he left. After all, losing wasn''t on his agenda¡ªwhether against the Puberty-version Ice King or Explosion Maniac Kid. With the plan set, Suzaku pulled out his phone and navigated the stadium''s map, heading toward one of the support classes'' waiting rooms. That was where Arata said he''d be waiting to give him the staff after he''d called him. However, as he was walking through one of the stadium''s hallways, about to reach his destination, a deep voice called out from behind him. "Ah, there you are." Suzaku paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he turned to face the speaker. "...?" The moment he saw who was standing there, Suzaku''s eyebrows rose in surprise. Standing behind him, was none other than Endeavor¡ªMr. Eternal-Second-Place. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: The tournament enters its semifinals! Now, only three combats remain. Will Suzaku manage to overcome the humongous ice wall that Todoroki represents, or will he succumb to the limits of his not-so-human body in front of the overwhelming Quirk difference? Also, it seems a talk with the Number Two Hero is in order. What will he tell him, and most importantly, will Suzaku be able to ward off his mouth in front of someone so important (No.) Discover it in the next episode of Sussy Baka in MHA!) -> Chapter 61: The Ultimate Sissy Chapter 61: The Ultimate Sissy Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... As Suzaku turned to look at Endeavor with slight surprise, a silence, heavier and longer than it should have been, filled the air between them. Suzaku didn''t bother saying anything and simply raised an eyebrow, as if prompting Endeavor to say whatever he had to say, while Endeavor just stood there, waiting for the kind of reaction that usually came from showing his presence among the common folk¡ªa spark of recognition, a question, a request for an autograph, a surprised gasp... anything really. "..." "..." However, it seemed evident by then that, aside from his earlier faint rise of eyebrows, he wasn''t going to get anything else out of the red-haired student. So, after realizing that, Endeavor cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Ahem, I watched your match with that green-haired kid. Your fighting skills are impressive. On par¡ªor better even than that of some Pro Heroes." "..." Suzaku raised an eyebrow, though his expression remained the same aside from that. Endeavor pressed on, his tone even but probing. "Some of your techniques seemed familiar. Were you trained by a famous Hero?" Suzaku shook his head casually. "No, just a very senile old man." Endeavor''s eye twitched at the weird response, but he let it go. "I see. Well, whoever he is, he did an exceptional job. Your skills alone allowed you to compete and even defeat that green-haired kid, whose Quirk possessed remarkable firepower. His Quirk..." Endeavor''s voice faltered briefly, his eyes narrowing. "...almost reminded me of All Might''s." His sharp gaze returned to Suzaku, crossing his arms as he glanced at him evaluatingly. "I was told your Quirk revolves around manipulating your glasses¡ªchanging their shape and form. Do they also enhance your vision or reflexes?" Suzaku tilted his head, his glasses bulging briefly before returning to their usual look. "Nah, that''s pretty much it." "Really? That''s disappointing." Endeavor frowned, his expression hardening. "If only you had been born with a stronger Quirk, you could have been an incredible force¡ªa rival worthy of pushing Shoto to his limits. Maybe even the one to snap him out of his childish tantrums." Suzaku''s eyebrow twitched at the remark, his gaze sharpening. "... And what''s that supposed to mean?" Endeavor''s impassive expression didn''t waver, though a faint condescension flickered in his eyes. "It means you lack the strength to challenge Shoto, my greatest creation. Without a proper Quirk, you can''t stand on equal footing with him, let alone help him realize the futility of his rebellion." His tone softened slightly, almost pitying. "Still, with your skillset, you might put up a decent fight before the inevitable happens. If you show enough promise, I might even consider offering you a¡ª" "For someone stuck in second place, you sure like to run your mouth," Suzaku interrupted, his voice calm but cutting. "...!" Endeavor''s stern demeanor stiffened, his eyes narrowing. Suzaku stepped closer, unflinching despite the towering figure of the second-best hero standing in front of him. The light glinting off his glasses obscured his eyes, but Endeavor could feel Suzaku''s gaze¡ªa piercing, unwavering look of disdain. "I figured you''d be some sort of stuck-up prick from what I heard a while ago, but what a surprise, it turns out you''re also a wimp," Suzaku said, his voice quiet but ridiculing. "Boy, you better watch your mouth," Endeavor growled, but Suzaku pressed on, undeterred. "Not only did you fail to take the number one spot yourself, but you were such a sissy that when you became unable to face your failure like a real man, you simply dumped your goal on your kid. If you ask me, that''s pretty embarrassing coming from a guy who stands amongst the strongest in our country." Endeavor''s face twitched in anger, and the flames around him intensified to the point of getting painful to stand before them. However, Suzaku remained unaffected, shrugging as a mocking smile passed by his face. "But hey, it''s not all bad! When that guy, Shoko¡ªor whatever he is called¡ªfinally beats a washed-up All Might, worn out by time and countless years of putting his life on the line to become someone worthy of being called the symbol of peace, something you clearly didn''t do, putting the responsibility on your kid instead, you''re gonna be able to pretend it was your victory! Isn''t that something to look forward to?!" "You..." As he continued to ignore the flaring flames around Endeavor, and the evident anger oozing from him, Suzaku stepped past him and patted him dismissively on the shoulder. "Anyway, it was a good talk. Unfortunately, although I''d love to continue talking with a spineless bastard like you who can''t even be man enough to fight for the first place himself, I have somewhere else to be right now." With those words, Suzaku began walking away. However, Endeavor''s patience had long snapped. As soon as Suzaku began leaving, the hero''s hand shot out, grabbing the youth''s shoulder in a tight grip. -Tap- "Where do you think you are goi¡ªhngh?!" But the moment Suzaku turned to look back at him, a chill shot down Endeavor''s spine, freezing him in place. His grip loosened as a wave of primal fear surged through him. "..." Suzaku said nothing, his red pupils locking with Endeavor''s behind the glasses for a brief, tense moment. In the end, though, he turned back and continued walking, as if ignoring what had just happened, disappearing into the maze of hallways without a backward glance not long after. As the redhead disappeared, Endeavor stood rooted to the spot, his rage extinguished, replaced by lingering unease. For the first time in years, the second-best Hero felt a close encounter with death... And he couldn''t figure out why or how it had come from a simple student. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Back to Suzaku| ... -Phew...- Suzaku walked down the hallway, rubbing his temple as he scrolled through his phone, trying to find the Support Department''s waiting room. He let out a long, tired sigh. "That guy annoyed me way more than I expected," he muttered. "Almost snapped his neck when he grabbed my shoulder... Good thing I managed to stop myself." He glanced down at his hand, his irritation fading slightly. Normally, Suzaku wasn''t one to let trash talk or snide remarks get under his skin. No, he was usually the one who trash-talked in the first place. But something about Endeavor had hit differently. Sure, he could forgive the guy for being stuck in second place. With All Might holding the top spot, it was understandable. But when Suzaku found out about the whole "Quirk Marriage" thing after overhearing Todoroki, he began feeling a pang of disdain for the so-called second-best hero. Tatsuo had drilled into his head that being second place was for sissies only, something Suzaku didn''t entirely agree with. Sometimes, people hit their natural limits¡ªit was just how things worked, and even more evidently in a world where Quirks defined everything. So, being second place wasn''t a horrible capital sin punishable by death as Tatsuo used to say. With All Might around, Suzaku doubted there was much the guy¡ªor anyone else for that matter¡ªcould do to rival the Symbol of Peace. But Endeavor? He didn''t just stop at losing. He ran from the prospect of failing, putting his own failure on his kid''s shoulders instead of facing it himself and using it to improve. If Tatsuo had been around, he''d have called it the most pathetic thing imaginable. However, that alone wouldn''t annoy Suzaku as much as it did back there. It wasn''t just the guy''s pathetic way of dealing with failure that bugged Suzaku. What really pissed him off was Endeavor acting like some kind of role model while talking down to him¡ªlike Suzaku was just a stepping stone for Todoroki to learn a life lesson, and that he was being generous by even acknowledging his fighting skills. In Endeavor''s words, the martial arts that Tatsuo had passed onto Suzaku were not enough to even dare challenge his kid. That kind of arrogance, coming from a spineless wimp like him? Yeah, that had pissed off Suzaku more than he had expected. That, plus the fact that he wasn''t exactly in a stable humor today. Leaving the festival aside, which hadn''t been a problem so far, too much had happened since yesterday, and Suzaku hadn''t been in the mood for dealing with Endeavor. But he was over it now¡ªor so he told himself. As he rounded a corner, Suzaku took a deep breath and rubbed his face, easing himself back into his usual easygoing attitude. Good thing, too, because he finally spotted Arata waiting for him outside one of the Support Department''s rooms, leaning against a wall beside a long, wrapped-up in bandages staff. "Yo," Suzaku greeted, his eyes flicking to the staff with interest. "You look less battered up. Did Restorative Chick patch you up?" "It''s Recovery Girl," Arata corrected with a sigh. "And yeah, I''m good... except for the fact that I feel like I might pass out any second from exhaustion." Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t she heal you?" "She did," Arata said flatly. "But her Quirk burns stamina to speed up healing. So now I''m healed but dead tired." "Huh." Suzaku frowned. "Weird. When she healed me, I barely felt anything." Arata gave him a long, suspicious look before shrugging. "Figures. Anyway, I brought your staff. Dragging it out of the room was a nightmare¡ªit''s heavy as hell. And with how wiped I am, even using my Quirk for extra hands didn''t help much. Are you sure you''ll even be able to use it with how heavy it is?" Suzaku smiled faintly and picked up the staff without much effort¡ªthough his face twitched slightly as he adjusted to the weight. "Yeah, it''s way heavier than the one that came with my hero suit... but I think I can manage." "You''re certainly one freak of nature," Arata said, shaking his head in disbelief. Suzaku chuckled, giving the staff a light swing. "Besides, its weight isn''t necessarily a bad thing... The heavier it is, the harder it hits." Arata winced, imagining what getting hit with that would feel like. "Uh... Just try not to kill anyone... One wrong hit with that, and I doubt anyone without a defensive Quirk will make it out alive. I don''t want something I made to get branded as a homicidal weapon." "Relax," Suzaku replied, smirking. "I usually avoid aiming for the head or other potentially fatal spots" He paused, glancing at the staff. "Though, I haven''t tested this one yet, so... no promises." -Swish!- With a sharp movement, Suzaku thrust the staff forward. The end extended, revealing a thinner, longer section inside. He repeated the motion, extending it further. The weight shifted heavily toward the tip, making it harder to hold steady, but Suzaku managed. After a few test swings, he retracted the extensions with another smooth motion, returning the staff to its original size. "Yeah... With this, I should have an easier time against Mr. Daddy Issues," Suzaku muttered, though his face fell slightly. "If Midnight lets me use it. If not, I guess I''ll have to face massive waves of freezing ice with my fists." "I''d say that would be interesting to watch," Arata joked, though his grin faltered when Suzaku shot him a sharp look. "Well, either way, thanks for the upgrade." Suzaku smiled faintly, giving the staff another glance before turning to leave. "Things would''ve been way more annoying without it. You should head back to the infirmary, though. Get some rest until you''ve recovered your stamina." Arata nodded, the idea of lying down and napping the entire day enticing him enormously. However, as Suzaku started walking away¡ªhurrying since the fight between Kirishima and the blond explosion guy was probably wrapping up¡ªArata''s voice stopped him. "Hey, before you go... didn''t you say weeks ago that second or third place would be enough for you? You even said first place was too much of a hassle." Arata tilted his head, his gaze flicking to the staff in Suzaku''s hand. "But even if you were to lose now, third place is already yours, and yet here you are asking for that thing... So, what made Mr. I-Don''t-Care-About-The-Festival change his mind?" Suzaku stayed silent for a second, before casting an exasperated look at the ceiling. "... I''d say I got guilt-tripped." "Guilt-tripped?" Arata repeated, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Don''t mind it..." Suzaku waved him off. "I just decided last minute that I''d kick everyone''s ass this time around. But don''t get used to it¡ªit''s probably a one-time thing. No promises for future competitions." "Well, when you take first place, make sure to promote my items to the sponsors," Arata smirked, pulling out his phone to check the live stream of the tournament. Bakugo had just won his match. "¡ªAnd while you''re at it, give that spiky blond a beating for me, will you?" Suzaku chuckled. "Sure thing. I''ll make it extra satisfying." With their chat done, they fist-bumped, and with that, Suzaku headed off, his staff resting horizontally across the back of his shoulders and both arms hanging loosely over it. It was time to beat up teenage Sub-Zero. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later, at the arena...| ... "What, you want to use that thing in your next fight?" "Yep." Midnight eyed the staff slung over Suzaku''s shoulders, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized the weapon. "I don''t know... Letting you use a weapon at this stage in the tournament might come off as special treatment. If you wanted to use it, you should''ve requested it from the start¡ª" "But sensei!" Suzaku suddenly stepped forward, his voice brimming with determination. "How could this fight mean anything if we''re not both at our best? You''ve seen me use a staff with my hero suit before. How could either of us¡ªat such a pivotal moment in our lives¡ªbe forced to fight handicapped?" He clenched his fist, holding it up for emphasis. "I want to give my all in this festival. I want to show the world what I''m made of. I want both me and Tokodori-kun¡ª" "Todoroki." "Yeah, that! I want both of us to be able to go all out without reservations... Isn''t that what youth is all about?!" At the mention of youth, Midnight visibly trembled, nearly collapsing to her knees. "Ahem." However, after a moment to recompose herself, she straightened up, squinting at Suzaku. Then, after a small pause, her whip cracked loudly in the air. "I''ll allow it!" ["There she goes again..."] ["Why do we even have rules?"] The voices of the two commentator teachers echoed across the stadium, accompanied by a wave of collective deadpan expressions from the audience. Suzaku, being Suzaku, didn''t seem to care in the slightest. Snickering under his breath while he returned to his spot in the arena, carrying his staff with satisfaction. Meanwhile, Todoroki stood on the opposite end, staring at him with an exasperated expression. "This guy..." ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ Imma be honest here... The reason I took so much to upload was because I got hyper-addicted to Skyrim. It all started as an innocent thought, a friend of mine had bought it, and since we are in the same family steam group, I thought why not try it? After all, I had already finished all the games I had in my library and was itching to try something new while in my free time. Turns out, that was a bad idea. The damn game sure caught me before I could even moderate the way I played it. Each time I went on a mission, another three were added, fueling my mind to think, "Alright, I finish these small missions (Which in the end were not small.) and I''m getting out of here to be productive." Only to end up having spent the whole day in the game. Plus I ended up choosing to play survival mode in my first playthrough, so everything is 10 times slower than I think it is in normal mode. It should be better now though. I''ve completed some heavy quest lines, achieved level 100 in one of the skills, got kids, two bugs, and got married, so I think my addicted ass got its fill of playing, which means I can moderate myself properly from now on.) -> Chapter 62: Ice-Zuko vs Suzaku Chapter 62: Ice-Zuko vs Suzaku Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... After getting permission to bring the extensible staff to the fight, Suzaku returned to his spot in the arena while dragging his staff along the ground, its tip scraping with an eerie screech as he moved. Once both contestants were in their positions, Present Mic''s usual introduction didn''t take long to follow. ["Very well folks, obviating Suzuki''s obvious manipulation of our gullible referee, it''s time for the final match of the semifinals!"] The crowd erupted in cheers, their excitement peaking as they watched the tournament''s top two contenders face off. Suzaku stood with his usual arrogant smirk, lazily twirling his staff, while Todoroki radiated focused determination, a faint mist of frost swirling around his right hand like waiting to be unleashed. ["The stakes couldn''t be higher! The winner of this round will advance to face Bakugo in the finals to contend for the winning spot! Will it be Todoroki, someone whose Quirk has been leaving us awestruck from the start? Or will it be Suzuki, the top-ranking student in nearly every category¡ªexcept academics, where he''s too busy napping in my class to bother¡ª"] ["Stick to the match."] ["Right, right... Ladies and gentlemen, are you READYYY?!"] The crowd roared, their anticipation palpable as Present Mic began the countdown with his usual broken English. ["Three..."] ["Two..."] ["One..."] ... The tension hit its peak, the arena falling into an almost deafening silence for a split second as everyone leaned forward in excitement. Then, as the wait turned almost eternal, Present Mic finally delivered the word that everyone was waiting for. ["GO!!!"] -Hooonk!- The instant the round began, Suzaku exploded into motion, kicking off the ground with such speed that his figure became a blur. In an instant, he was barreling toward Todoroki, his staff ready to begin with the beat-up. Todoroki''s sharp eyes tracked Suzaku''s movement, his icy aura intensifying as his voice turned raspier. "You''ve been annoying me since the beginning of this festival... This ends now." -Swooosh!- With a decisive motion, Todoroki swept his arm forward, releasing a massive surge of ice that grew bigger the more it advanced. The crowd gasped as the jagged spires erupted from the ground, racing toward Suzaku with terrifying speed. It was the same move that had crushed Iida in seconds. But just as it seemed Suzaku would meet the same fate, the ice being just a few meters from reaching him¡ª "Hah!" -Clang!- ¡ªhe vaulted into the air with his staff, clearing the ice and landing gracefully atop the spires as they continued their relentless advance behind him, stopping only a few meters from the crowd. ["What are my ears are seeing?! Suzuki dodged it!"] With Present Mic''s shocked voice in the background, Suzaku balanced effortlessly on the icy surface and leaned into the slide, using the slick terrain to propel himself toward Todoroki. Todoroki''s eyes followed Suzaku''s movements, his expression darkening as the realization that he had somehow missed struck. ''That staff he brought... did he foresee I would start with that attack and bring it just to counter it?'' Frustration flickered across Todoroki''s face as he proceeded to slam his foot down, summoning a tall and wide wall of ice to block Suzaku''s relentless approach. -Swooosh!- -Clang!- However, once again, Suzaku used his staff to vault over the rising wall, landing behind Todoroki with grace. "...!" Sensing the danger, Todoroki spun around and launched another attack in a hurry, but Suzaku was already prepared. -Shatter!- With a powerful swing of his staff, he shattered another incoming ice attack, leaving Todoroki wide open. Suzaku wasted no time. Spinning with the momentum of his weapon, he swung his staff again, aiming to deliver a strike that could crush his opponent if it landed cleanly. ''No, you won''t!'' In alarm, Todoroki reacted quickly, summoning an icy barrier just in time. A faint smile of confidence tugged at his lips as he anticipated the defense holding firm. -Crack!- ''What?!'' That confidence shattered alongside the barrier. The ice wall absorbed some of the impact but ultimately cracked apart as the staff powered through, continuing its relentless path. With only milliseconds to act, Todoroki raised his arms to block the blow. -Bam!!- "Hngh...!" As a result, the staff connected with his forearms, and even though the ice barrier had cushioned some of the strike''s force, the sheer power behind it still sent him stumbling backward. He gritted his teeth, clutching his arm in pain as the throbbing impact threatened to overwhelm him. ''I need to make distance now, he overpowers me in close comba¡ª'' -Thud- ''What?!'' Todoroki''s line of thoughts was cut short as his back hit something, stopping his struggling retreat. As he turned his head in a hurry, he realized what it was. It was the same wall he had created earlier to block Suzaku''s approach. Only now, it was he who was being blocked. ''Damnit!'' As he realized the danger of his situation, Todoroki turned back to look at his opponent, knowing that he couldn''t lose concentration at any second, or it wouldn''t be long before he got knocked out. Suzaku, of course, gave him no room to breathe. Soon, he stepped in, aiming the tip of his staff with precision and stabbing like a spear. For a moment, Todoroki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Suzaku was too far, and there was no way his staff would reach¡ª -Bam!- "Guh¡ª!" Todoroki''s breath hitched as the staff extended, slamming into his solar plexus with pinpoint accuracy. He doubled over, gasping as saliva involuntarily escaped his mouth due to the impact. "Kgh!" However, even in pain, Todoroki''s instincts kicked in. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the extended staff with both hands. ''You''re not getting away!'' Soon, ice began creeping along the staff, racing toward Suzaku like a living thing. However, in an instant, the staff retracted from Todoroki''s grasp, halting the creeping ice midway. "...!" "...!" Once the distance between the two returned to what it was, neither gave the other any room to breathe. Todoroki immediately summoned another wave of frost, aiming to force Suzaku into retreat. -Swooosh!- But Suzaku wasn''t one to back down. The moment Todoroki moved, Suzaku swung his staff¡ªnow encased in ice and resembling a crude ice-mace. -Crash!- With a powerful strike, he shattered the incoming ice wave, the force of the blow also freeing his weapon from its ice coating it. Then, not giving Todoroki a chance to recover, Suzaku shifted his weight and swung the staff low. This time, Todoroki was unable to react on time. -Crack!- "Argh!" The strike connected with Todoroki''s legs along a bone-creaking sound, the combination of the staff''s weight and Suzaku''s raw strength forcing the prodigy of Class 1-A to his knees, clutching his leg in pain. Following that, Suzaku wasted no time and raised his staff again, aiming a controlled blow at Todoroki''s head¡ªa strike that, hopefully, would not leave him paraplegic. "I hope you''ve got a thick skull." However, the pain seemed to ignite something in Todoroki. "You...!" With a fierce glare, he waved his hand just as Suzaku''s attack came down, causing the redhead''s eyes to widen in shock. "Shit...!" -Swooosh!- As a result, in the next instant, a massive ice spire shot upward, engulfing Suzaku before he could react. As his figure disappeared along with the sudden rise of the ice formation, Present Mic exclaimed in shock. ["Suzuki got swallowed by Todoroki''s overwhelming ice attack, would this be the end of the fight?!"] "Hmph..." From the stands, Endeavor snorted dismissively. "Aw, damn it. There''s no way he dodged that..." Tetsutetsu muttered from Class 1-B''s section, narrowing his eyes at the towering spire as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "It''s a shame. He almost had him," Juzo added with a disappointed sigh, the hopes he had for Suzaku to end the fight before something like this happened shattering as the ice spire continued rising into the sky. "So this is Class 1-A''s power..." "That guy''s already more powerful than a lot of pro heroes... What kind of unfair competition is this...?" "We had no chance from the beginning..." The sheer scale of the attack left the Class 1-B students awestruck. However, amidst the chaos, one person remained silent. "..." Itsuka stared at the arena, her gaze looking for something on the towering spire of ice as if she couldn''t believe Suzaku would lose in such a sudden manner. And her intuition proved correct when... ["How unfortunate, folks! It seems this is all for this round¡ª"] ["Idiot, look closely."] ["Huh?"] In response to Aizawa''s berating voice, all eyes turned to the rising spire, where a faint figure could be seen clinging to its top. Suzaku. Riding the ice like a surfer on a rocket, he had somehow avoided being frozen solid. ["Whaaaaaat?!"] "...?!" Endeavor''s stoic expression cracked as his eyes widened. "Haha! Suzaku''s still in the fight!" Tetsutetsu shouted, standing up in excitement. "Hmph, as expected, that guy''s as persistent as a cockroach, there was no way such an attack would have been enough to beat him." Monoma scoffed from his seat, but even then, he couldn''t help a small smile from tugging on his lips. "..." Itsuka as well couldn''t help but smile widely as she caught sight of the still-standing Suzaku. The crowd around gasped in surprise as they caught onto his small figure in the sky. By the time the ice stopped rising, Suzaku had reached the highest point of the arena, giving him a panoramic view. "Whew~... I should be more careful, almost threw the match there..." Balancing on the icy peak, he took a moment to survey the scenery. "I think I can see my apartment from here... Nope, never mind. Looks similar, though." Shaking off the distraction, he turned his attention downward, where Todoroki stood, clutching his injured leg and staring in disbelief. "Good thing I reacted in time," Suzaku muttered, a wry smile playing on his lips. "And even better that I figured out how to ride that attack before I got swallowed by it... Good God, I am so good even I can''t believe it." Todoroki''s ice attacks were, in a way, like a flood or an avalanche. If you oppose them, you get swallowed. However, if you move along it (Preferably at the same speed they advance) you''ll be able to move with their flow, and if you''re lucky enough, you''ll even begin getting pushed by them instead of getting swallowed. That''s what happened now. As the ice surged, Suzaku had leaped to the top and allowed its force to carry him skyward, avoiding the lower parts where ice was constantly being generated and where he''d likely get encased in ice in an instant. "Now though... how the heck do I get down?" Suzaku scratched his head, glancing at the steep descent. "Better get back down quick, otherwise, who knows what kind of rules they have for being this kind of high?" Not wanting to risk disqualification for being "out of bounds" or something, Suzaku didn''t dwell much on the "how", and simply he began his descent without much thought. Jumping between stable points of ice and occasionally using his staff to slow himself, making steady progress downward. Though, as he was descending, he came across another problem. As he descended, his eyes narrowed at Todoroki, who was clearly preparing for another strike. "When I get down, that guy''s going to be ready to attack again," Suzaku muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He closed his eyes, reviewing the weaknesses he''d noticed in Todoroki''s technique. ''Let''s see...'' First was his inability to erase the ice he created... Or at least, he wasn''t able to do it quickly, seeing how it had taken a few seconds to melt the ice around those he had beaten at the end of their match. The fact that he couldn''t erase the ice he created in an instant, allowed for Suzaku to misguide Todoroki during their fight, and use the ice he left on the arena to his convenience, either to trap him or block his escape paths, much like he had earlier when he cornered Todoroki against his own ice wall. The second weakness... ''All his ice attacks come from the right side.'' Suzaku had noticed it early in their battle¡ªevery ice attack Todoroki launched originated from his right side. As for the left... Suzaku''s eyes narrowed, studying Todoroki''s left side, where his white colored hair gave way to a crimson red, much like his own, and where a faint burn scar could be seen covering his left eye. ''I didn''t think much of it until now... But being the son of that guy, wouldn''t it be possible for him to have fire powers too...?'' Ice on one side, fire on the other¡ªit fitted his appearance perfectly. ''Then why isn''t he using¡ª?'' Suzaku''s thoughts were cut short as his eyes flicked toward the stands, catching sight of Endeavor, his face twisted with a mix of frustration and anger. ''Ah, right... He said something earlier about only using his mother''s Quirk to win.'' Arriving at the conclusion, Suzaku smirked faintly. If there were any additional weaknesses, they either eluded him or lurked in his subconscious, waiting to be exploited instinctively by his body rather than by his mind. With his thoughts now organized, Suzaku dropped down to another steppable ledge on the towering ice spire. Descending further, he finally positioned himself a few meters above the arena floor. Below, Todoroki''s stance was ready¡ªhe''d attack the moment Suzaku landed, taking advantage of the limited mobility in midair. ''Very well. If that''s how you want to play this...'' Suzaku''s lips curled into a confident smirk. ''...I hope you don''t mind if I take advantage of that.'' If Todoroki wanted to win while holding back, Suzaku was determined to show him it wouldn''t be so simple. From here on¡ª "Hup!" ["Suzuki jumped down! The fight is back on!"] ¡ªhe was going to turn this into a one-sided beatdown. "This is the end!" Todoroki shouted, stomping the ground with force. A powerful wave of ice surged upward the moment he did that, barreling toward Suzaku as he fell. -Swoosh!- At his current speed, Suzaku was certain to collide with the icy wave, and this time, it was highly unlikely he''d be able to maneuver himself out of it like earlier. The audience leaned forward, eyes widened as they expected the match was about to end any second now. But Suzaku had other plans. -Swish!- -Crack!- With a sharp swing, his staff struck the ice spire he had just leapt from, piercing its surface and slowing his descent. The change in speed caused Todoroki''s attack to miss, slamming into the ice spire instead. "You won''t get away so easily!" Immediately upon realizing his failure, Todoroki wasted no time. He launched another ice attack toward Suzaku, who now dangled from his staff with one hand. But Suzaku was ready. Twisting his body around the staff, he kicked off the ice spire, dislodging his weapon and sending himself flying through the air. -Swoosh!- The second attack missed entirely as Suzaku vaulted over Todoroki, landing right behind him. And just like before, Todoroki found himself cornered, his retreat blocked by the towering ice formations around them. ''Damnit!'' Todoroki cursed internally his eyes caught sight of Suzaku swinging his staff once again at him. In a desperate measure, he opted for creating a much thicker ice wall. One that surrounded him completely, blocking attacks from all directions. -Smash!- And thankfully, the wall did its job¡ªbarely. It held against the first strike but was just one attack away from crumbling apart. But before Suzaku could deliver the final blow, Todoroki moved in the only direction left: up. Ice began forming under one foot, propelling him skyward until he landed atop one of the massive ice formations surrounding the arena. From this new vantage point, Todoroki smirked faintly, believing he could bombard Suzaku with waves of ice before he had the chance to close the distance. However, he had underestimated Suzaku''s sheer athleticism. By the time Todoroki turned to check on his opponent, all he caught was a blur in motion. Suzaku was already leaping from one spire to another, performing fluid, acrobatic pirouettes through the air like a professional gymnastic. As a result, before Todoroki could react, Suzaku landed directly a flying kick, his momentum driving his foot onto Todoroki''s chest, and pushing him to the ground in a forceful manner. "Ack¡ª!" Then, as Todoroki hit the icy floor hard, gasping from the impact, Suzaku didn''t give him a second to recover. Before Todoroki could even think what had hit him, the staff came down hard on his left leg. -Bam!- "Aaaaargh!" As the staff hit, Todoroki let out a guttural scream. His body jerked instinctively, trying to clutch at his injured leg, but Suzaku''s foot kept him pinned to the ground. Desperate, Todoroki reached out with his right hand, hoping to summon another ice attack to keep Suzaku away, but the moment his palm touched the floor, his body betrayed him and only some icy mist left his hand. When he turned to look shocked at what was happening, he noticed his body was trembling uncontrollably. Not only that, a layer of frost had formed on his skin, and even his movements lacked fluidity. The temperature drop was taking its toll, his body and Quirk were nearing their limit. Unless he used his fire, there was no way to balance the cold. ''No, I won''t... I won''t use it!'' Despite his body''s desperate cries for warmth, Todoroki gritted his teeth and tried to push his body to shoot another wave of ice toward Suzaku, regardless of how affected his body was at the moment. -Blam!- "Argh¡ª!" And he almost did it. However, The moment the attack began materializing, Suzaku slammed his staff onto Todoroki''s hand, pinning it to the ground. "Where do you think you''re going?" Suzaku said, smiling mockingly as Todoroki writhed in pain. Keeping his foot pressed firmly on Todoroki''s chest, Suzaku leaned down and patted his opponent on the shoulder. "Stand proud¡ªwait, you can''t do that right now. Uh... lie down proud, I guess. You''re strong. If I wasn''t as good as I am, you might''ve actually had a chance." Todoroki glared at him, teeth grinding in frustration. "This is not over!" "It has been for a while now," Suzaku replied, pressing down his foot harder on Todoroki''s chest. "The moment you decided to half-ass this, you lost by default." "Urgh¡ªHalf-ass...?" Todoroki repeated, his voice a mix of pain and confusion. "Yup, you didn''t really think you could beat me by holding back, right? That''s quite insulting... Pathetic even I''d say." Todoroki''s eyes burned with anger. "You¡ªwhat the hell are you saying?!" "What do you think I''m saying?" Suzaku replied with a smirk. "The moment you decided to do something so arrogant as holding back half your Quirk, thinking that''d be enough to win, is the moment you lost." Todoroki scowled, his teeth grinding. "What, did my shitty old man buy you off?! You don''t know what you''re talking about! You don''t understand anything! I won''t use his Quirk¡ªI won''t give him the satisfaction of¡ª" "Ah yes, your daddy," Suzaku cut in. "Quite the annoying piece of shit. I almost made him take a nice, long nap on the floor during our chat earlier because of how annoying he was. But, now that I think about it, you two aren''t that different." "...What?" Todoroki''s eyes widened. "Think about it. He doesn''t think I''m good enough to teach his rebellious son a lesson, claiming my skills are far from enough. And you? You think you can half-ass your fight and still win. See the similarities?" "I''m nothing like him! I''m¡ª" "An arrogant prick." "Shut up! You don''t know anything! I''ll never use his Quirk¡ªnever!" Suzaku rolled his eyes. "But it''s not his Quirk, though." "What...?" "Come on, man. I get where you''re coming from, but your Quirk isn''t the same as his. Yours is half ice and half fire, the two in one. His Quirk is pure fire, nothing else. Yours is totally different. And, let''s be real, fire isn''t evil. You''re just throwing a tantrum over nothing." "You¡ª" "But whatever," Suzaku interrupted, lifting his staff high. "I don''t even know why I''m bothering with giving you a motivational speech. I''m not even good at them." He shifted his stance, preparing to strike. "Even if you try to shoot ice right now, you won''t stop me from knocking you out. So... it''s your choice." Todoroki tried to summon ice again, but Suzaku slammed down the staff on his hand again, using the pain to hold Todoroki. "You either use your fire and fight me properly, or you keep to your promise and lose here. Either way, you''re the one getting smacked." "I¡ª" Todoroki tried to speak, but Suzaku had already made up his mind. The staff swung down, aimed directly at Todoroki''s head. Todoroki''s eyes widened in panic, indecision paralyzing him, until... his body made the choice he couldn''t. -Fwoom!- A pillar of flames erupted around him, fierce and blinding. At that instant, Suzaku landed several meters away, having jumped away just at the exact moment. Although, his nose was singed, and a few strands of his hair were now crispy and smoking. "Fucker, I actually didn''t think he was gonna do it..." Suzaku muttered, brushing at his charred bangs. However, despite the annoyance in his tone, a faint smile crossed his face. He looked toward Todoroki, who was struggling to his feet. His movements were shaky, his legs still battered from Suzaku''s earlier strikes. But now, fire blazed from his left side, balancing the icy mist on his right. "What did I¡ª?" Todoroki stared at the flames in disbelief, his expression a mix of horror, confusion, and anger. "So," Suzaku said, placing his staff over his shoulder, "you''re finally fighting for real?" "No¡ªI said I wouldn''t¡ªI¡ª" Todoroki stammered, glaring at the fire surrounding him. -Clang!- A sharp slam of the staff into the ice napped his focus back to Suzaku. "What are you, a kid?" Suzaku sneered. "Why are you even blaming your fire for Mr. Second-Place being an ass of a dad? Seems to me like you''re just misplacing your anger." "You don''t know me! You don''t know¡ª" "Enough with the excuses!" Suzaku barked, his voice harsh. "If you''re gonna use your fire, then do it. If not, I''m breaking every limb you''ve got before knocking you out. And don''t think your ice will save you¡ªit hasn''t so far, has it?" "...!" Todoroki froze, Suzaku''s words cutting deep. His gaze shifted again to the flames surrounding him, then to Endeavor in the stands, where fire swirled around the hero''s suit. That fire he abhorred... But the fire surrounding him now¡ªhis flames¡ªfelt different after hearing Suzaku. His opponent''s voice echoed in his mind. Was he wrong in calling the fire part of his Quirk as his father''s? Was he just misdirecting his anger? Todoroki gritted his teeth, his mind racing. Finally, he shook his head and took a deep breath. "Fine," he said. The fire around him flared brighter, merging with the icy mist to form a perfect, balanced harmony. Now, Todoroki''s danger level had spiked. As for whether Suzaku was right or not... That would have to wait until after the match. Right now, Todoroki needed to survive the psychotic redhead who had just threatened to break all his limbs with a straight face. Suzaku smirked, spinning his staff effortlessly. "Took you long enough to turn on the heat. My balls were freezing over here." "..." Somehow, there couldn''t be a single serious moment around Suzaku. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: I liked how the first half of the fight turned out, though I''m not so sure about that whole conversation with Todoroki, I tried to keep Suzaku in character, but maybe I slipped somewhere, idk. Anyways, I hope you liked it. There''s a small chance I might upload another Chapter midweek, but don''t get too excited, I''m going on a small trip with my pals, so I may find it hard to write at where we''re going. Who knows, though.) -> Chapter 63: Ice-Zuko vs Suzaku 2 Chapter 63: Ice-Zuko vs Suzaku 2 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... As the heat intensified on the stage, with both contestants glaring at each other with fierce determination, Cementoss spoke to Midnight from the other side of the field, using his earpiece as he glanced at her. "Hey, don''t you think things are getting a bit out of hand...? Todoroki''s attacks were already plenty devastating with only ice. If he starts to use fire, won''t it be too much for Suzuki? Even if he''s good at martial arts, there''s a limit to what a human body can handle..." Midnight nodded, her gaze wary. "We''ll need to be ready to intervene if things go too far." Back in the arena, Todoroki squinted as Suzaku''s posture shifted. What had been a relaxed stance now transformed into a focused, disciplined form as he gripped his staff with both hands, the air of a martial master radiating from him. As the two stood in a face-off, Todoroki stole a glance at his own right arm. The ice forming there was already melting, ceasing his earlier shivering and finally letting him harness his ice powers without a problem. With both sides of his Quirk now balancing each other, Todoroki could finally go all out without worrying about overusing one. He was finally letting go. "..." Without realizing it, a small smile appeared on his face. A smile that represented the excitement he felt about finally getting to fight without holding himself back due to grudges, traumas, or hatred... to finally fight for the thrill of it. Even if he himself didn''t realize it. However, as his heart was drifting apart from the mess of his family life, focusing only on his opponent and finally enjoying the thrill of the battle ahead, the voice of the man he so-dreaded snapped him out of his daze. "SHOTOOOOOO!!!" ["Eh?"] Even Present Mic seemed taken aback by the sheer force of the yell. All eyes snapped to Endeavor, who was striding to the edge of the stands, his face lit with a manic grin. "Have you finally accepted yourself?! Good, that''s it! From here on, your true path begins! With my blood, you''ll surpass me!... YOU WILL FULFILL MY DES¡ª" -Swooosh!- -Bang!- "¡ªAgh!" But before Endeavor could finish his dramatic declaration, a chunk of ice the size of a fitness ball shot from the arena, slamming into his face with incredible speed and sending him staggering backward. However, Endeavor managed to hold his footing, the ice melted almost instantly, revealing a face twisted with fury. Without missing a beat, he stormed back to the edge of the stands, searching for the culprit. His eyes locked on Suzaku, who was grinning unapologetically¡ªno, smugly¡ªas he waved with faux innocence. "Oops! Sorry, sorry! The arena''s so full of ice, I thought I''d clean up a bit. I''ll be more careful next time!" "You!!!" ["Mr. Endeavor, please refrain from interrupting in the match."] Aizawa''s stern voice echoed from the speakers, forcing Endeavor to grind his teeth as he returned to his seat, fuming. ["And you, Suzuki, no throwing things at the stands."] "Sorry, sorry! I promise it was completely unintentional!" Suzaku laughed as he scratched the back of his head. Though, the smug look on his face showed that it certainly hadn''t been unintentional at all. As Suzaku refocused on the fight, he caught Todoroki staring at him in surprise. However, instead of saying anything, Suzaku simply shrugged and chuckled, slipping back into his stance. Todoroki tensed immediately, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Right, this isn''t the time to worry about my shitty old man," he thought wryly as flames flared on his left side and ice began spreading from his right. "First, I have to be careful of this guy!" Wasting no time, Todoroki bent forward and pressed his palm to the ground, his injured legs too weak to generate the needed ice. -Swooosh!- As a result, a massive surge of ice, as large as the opening attack he''d unleashed at the start of the match, surged toward Suzaku¡ªthis time even more potent with his newfound balance of temperature. "Hah!" Faced with the incoming ice calamity, Suzaku sprang into motion, darting across the arena with remarkable speed. Then, just as the ice was meters from reaching him, he jammed his staff into the ground, extending it to launch himself sideways just in time to avoid the rushing glacier, as it was too tall to simply vault over. -Fwoooosh!- But Todoroki was ready. The moment Suzaku landed in a seeming safety, a torrent of flames roared in his direction. -Bang!- However, once again Suzaku''s staff saved him, using its extending function to propel himself out of harm''s way, narrowly escaping the searing heat as he flew sideways through the air. -Tap- Then, mid-flight, he landed atop the ice formation, using it as a foothold to kick off and launch himself toward Todoroki. The boy reacted instantly, conjuring a towering ice wall to halt Suzaku''s advance. Not planning on letting him get close like last time. -Swish!- -Bam!- However, Suzaku wasn''t so easily shaken off. As soon as the ice wall emerged, he swung his staff and embedded it firmly into the icy surface. "Hup¡ª!" Then, with a practiced twirl, he used the leverage to vault over the wall, propelling himself higher than before. Once he reached the peak of his jump, staff still in hand, Suzaku began his descent, aiming for Todoroki with a focused, almost gleeful intensity. The staff whistled through the air, ready to deliver a punishing strike. Thanks to the ice wall obscuring his view, it took Todoroki a moment to realize the impending danger ''Crap!'' He only noticed Suzaku when the redhead was already mid-swing, reacting purely on instinct. With a burst of ice beneath him, Todoroki propelled himself out of harm''s way. ¡ªClang!!!¡ª The next second, Suzaku''s staff smashed into the ice he had stood on just moments before, shattering it into a dozen fragments. The blow narrowly missed Todoroki, who stared at the shards with a nervous grin, fully aware that could''ve been him. "Ack¡ª!" But the escape wasn''t clean. Unable to rely on his legs, Todoroki tumbled across the ground, coming to an unceremonious stop after conjuring a small ice wall to halt his momentum. As soon as he recovered, he turned his attention back to Suzaku¡ªwho was already charging at him with blinding speed. With no time to think, Todoroki launched a wave of fire in Suzaku''s direction. The flames forced Suzaku to halt his advance, who deftly dodged to avoid being consumed by the inferno, using his staff to propel himself again, and barely escaping the roaring fire. However, he didn''t escape unscathed. Due to the proximity between the two, the attack left his clothes singed and his arm slightly burned. But whether the pain affected him or not, Suzaku showed no sign of it. Without hesitation or mind for his injuries, he resumed his attack. The lingering smoke and blinding light product of his own flames made Todoroki lose track of Suzaku for a moment, allowing for a moment of carelessness that Suzaku didn''t waste. ''Shit!'' By the time Suzaku reemerged from the haze, his staff was already swinging toward Todoroki''s left side¡ªtoo fast for him to try and block using his ice from his other side. In a desperate measure, Todoroki tried using his fire as an opposing force to at least slow down the attack. -Bam!- However, whether it worked or not, he wasn''t sure, as the next second the staff connected with his arm with a ferocious force, sending a jolt of shattering pain through his body. "Aaaargh!" Todoroki cried out. However, pain was a good motivator. Desperate, and with adrenaline running through his body, Todoroki immediately swept his uninjured arm in Suzaku''s direction, unleashing a wave of frost that forced the redhead to retreat momentarily. "Hngh." As Todoroki gained a brief moment of respite¡ªalbeit at the cost of his arm¡ªhe turned to assess the damage, attempting to move the injured limb, wincing sharply the moment he tried. The arm was indeed heavily injured. With both legs rendered useless and one arm teetering on the verge of the same, Todoroki squinted, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. His chances of victory seemed slim. If he had gone all out from the start... Would his current situation have been different? ''Probably,'' Todoroki sneered at the thought. Despite his newfound balance between fire and ice vastly boosting greatly his attack power, Suzaku had already taken away his mobility by the time he reached that point. That disadvantage, combined with Suzaku''s sheer agility and uncanny ability to evade everything, left Todoroki at a severe disadvantage. He couldn''t run, and also had it really hard preventing Suzaku from getting close. Even now... even after using ice to push him away several meters, Suzaku was already rushing at him at an annoying speed. If he didn''t act before the redhead closed the distance, he was certain to be struck down again... Maybe for the last time. "..." Todoroki stared at his injured hand in silence. It could still move, but the pain was excruciating. However, despite that, he needed to use it Using his ice alone wouldn''t be enough to keep Suzaku at bay for long, the guy was too slippery to use only one type of attack. He needed both arms. However, with his right arm so damaged, he couldn''t imagine himself being able to force it to move through the pain more than one time. So simply keeping Suzaku at bay was out of the question. He needed to end the fight in one go. Todoroki gritted his teeth. His only chance lay in combining his fire and ice into one devastating, all-out attack. One that was to end the match in a single move. But could Suzaku endure it? That was the question. If it had been someone like Midoriya, whose Quirk offered immense firepower and resilience, he might have stood a chance against such an attack. But Suzaku, for all his extraordinary martial skill, didn''t seem to possess a Quirk or any particular ability that could withstand it. Todoroki''s mind turned to Recovery Girl. She was the safety net for students who sustained severe injuries, but even her Quirk had its limits. What if she couldn''t heal Suzaku in time? Worse, what if Suzaku didn''t survive the attack at all? He didn''t even want to consider it. However, the reality was undeniable¡ªif he didn''t use everything he had in one go, there was no way he could keep fending off Suzaku with just his ice. It came down to a single choice. Risk delivering an attack that could cause serious harm¡ªor keep fighting a futile battle using only his ice. Todoroki''s mind churned in turmoil, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. However, before he could think any further, Suzaku was upon him, forcing him back into action. Snapping out of his thoughts, Todoroki unleashed a powerful wave of frost in a single swing of his hand, an expansive surge that swept outward in all directions. The towering wave of ice loomed high, designed to block Suzaku from vaulting over it. -Swooosh!- But as the icy wave surged forward, Todoroki''s sharp eyes caught Suzaku''s reaction. "...!" With barely human agility, Suzaku leaped onto one of the ice formations from earlier, balancing precariously as he waited for the attack to pass beneath him in safety. Seeing Suzaku''s inhuman agility, and remembering all the crazy stunts he had been pulling since earlier, Todoroki gritted his teeth as he had a realization. He realized Suzaku had probably been playing with him until now. Despite the overwhelming power of his Quirk, that damn old man of his had never neglected his training in other areas¡ªmartial arts, strategy, and discipline. He had made sure to prepare Todoroki thoroughly and not just rely on his son''s Quirk to guide him to the top. And a very important lesson in combat that he had been taught during spars with Endeavor, was to always protect the vital points. Suzaku had struck him hard, targeting his arms, legs, and solar plexus. Yet, he''d never gone for Todoroki''s head, even when he''d had ample opportunity. It was as if he was methodically wearing Todoroki down, weakening him without truly finishing the fight. "... You." The prick had actually dared to lecture him about holding back when he himself had not gone all out. And what annoyed him more of those thoughts, was the question of what''d happen if he allowed Suzaku to close in once again. Would he continue hitting him in non-vital places, or would he put an end to this match in one single blow? Suzaku had more than enough strength to do so. Todoroki was caught between the sword and the wall. "Damnit..." his eyebrows furrowed, only for his eyes to widen slightly at the next second. It hit him then, just how foolish he''d been to hold back earlier. Suzaku had given him a chance¡ªa chance to fight freely, to embrace both sides of himself without caring for all the family stuff that had been weighing him down until now. As the realization hit him, he looked at his right hand, trembling from the pain in his arm. Could he allow himself to hold back again? No. Not if he wanted to win this. "Hey," Todoroki called out, his voice sharp and clear, causing Suzaku to stop mid-rush. "Would you say you''re resistant?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow for a moment, before smirking. "Yeah." "Is that so?" Todoroki let out a short, almost amused laugh, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. "Then I hope you can survive this..." -Fwooosh!!!- With those words, the fire and ice around him surged to unprecedented levels. Ice spread rapidly across the floor from his left side, while flames roared to life on his right, blazing like a blowtorch around his kneeling figure. "Oh shit." Suzaku''s smirk faded faintly, and he took a step back. ¡ªSWOOOSH!!!¡ª The next moment, a colossal mass of ice erupted from Todoroki''s left, twice the size of his previous attacks, hurtling toward Suzaku with terrifying force. "Damn!" With his reflexes working at full power, Suzaku leaped to the side just in time by using his staff like other times, narrowly evading the oncoming wall of ice. However, even then, it grazed him, swallowing his staff and frostbiting his hand as he rolled across the ground. But Suzaku barely flinched. The instant he regained his footing, his focus snapped to Todoroki, who now radiated a blistering heat that scorched the air itself. "If you don''t think you can survive this... then dodge it," Todoroki said, his voice steady despite the pain wracking his body. Slowly, he raised his hand, flames spiraling around it. His lips curled into a faint, bittersweet smile. "And... thank you." The next second, an eruption of fire surged forth, roaring like a rocket engine as it consumed everything in its path. "Midnight!" Cementoss shouted in panic, his hands slamming into the ground as thick concrete barriers shot up in Suzaku''s defense. "Shit!" Midnight cried, tearing part of her costume to unleash her sleep-inducing pheromones into the air. ¡ªBOOOOM!!!¡ª Then, with a deafening explosion, the firestorm consumed the barriers Cementoss had raised. The first wall shattered instantly, sending chunks of molten concrete flying cross all around the stadium. The second and third barriers followed in quick succession, disintegrating under the relentless firestorm. Each collision sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, shaking the ground beneath the spectators''. Each wall crumbled as if it were paper before the overwhelming force of Todoroki''s flames. The inferno carved a path of destruction, its heat scorching everything in its wake. The metallic scent of superheated air mixed with the acrid stench of burning debris made it difficult to breathe. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the arena, rattling the stands and forcing spectators to shield their eyes. Dust and smoke rose in a suffocating plume, swallowing the entire stage in an impenetrable haze. "..." ... .. . For a long, agonizing moment, silence reigned. The crowd stared in stunned disbelief at the cloud of smoke, their eyes wide and unable to draw a breath. "Did he...?" someone whispered, unable to finish the thought. On the commentator''s cabin, Present Mic leaned closer to Aizawa, his normally exuberant voice subdued. "Oi, Aizawa... Do you think...?" Aizawa didn''t respond. His sharp gaze was locked on the battlefield, his jaw tight. The expression of worry on the face of someone usually so laid back showed the seriousness of the situation. "Haaah... Haaah... Haaah..." Inside the smoke, Todoroki knelt on the scorched ground, his breaths shallow and haggard. Half of his uniform was burned away, his exposed skin slightly red and sweaty due to the heat. His trembling eyes remained fixed on the spot where Suzaku had stood. "Did he somehow get away... or did that finish him off?" Todoroki muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the fading crackle of flames. Cementoss'' barriers had blocked his view, leaving him uncertain of the outcome. ... .. . "..." The longer the silence stretched, the heavier it weighed on him. The darkness that came with the smoke that shrouded the battlefield seemed to seep into his thoughts, amplifying the gnawing guilt that began to creep in. "Did I...?" he whispered again, his voice cracking. The possibility that he might have gone too far began to claw at him, tightening his chest. He lowered his gaze to his trembling right hand. The overwhelming intensity of the fight had pushed him to act on raw emotion rather than logic. And now, the thought struck him like a hammer: Maybe my fire really is something that shouldn''t be used. "Dammit..." Todoroki cursed under his breath, glaring at his right half as if it were the source of his shame. However¡ª "Why are you cursing out of nowhere? That should be my line." "...!?" Todoroki''s head snapped up, his eyes widening at the unexpected voice that seemed to come from behind him. In a rush, he turned around, and for the briefest moment, his breath caught. Through the swirling smoke, Todoroki could swear he saw Suzaku''s feet rising off the ground, almost as if he were emerging from a liquid pool rather than standing on solid earth. But Todoroki didn''t have time to process the surreal image. ¡ªBAM!!!¡ª "Ugh¡ª!" The next second, a heavy punch drove into his gut, forcing the air from his lungs and sending him staggering backward. His vision blurred, and his mind went into disarray. Then, just as his eyes began focusing on his opponent one last time, the last thing he saw was a footsole. -Bang!- After that, everything went dark for him. And, as if cued by his collapse, the dense smoke began to dissipate, slowly revealing the battlefield to the onlookers. There, standing over Todoroki''s unconscious form, was Suzaku. His frostbitten hand trembled slightly, his burns glowed an angry red against his skin, and his gym uniform hung in tattered ruins. Shattered remnants of his glasses barely clung to his face. Yet, despite his battered appearance, Suzaku stood tall, his expression calm but victorious. The crowd erupted into murmurs and gasps, the air thick with disbelief. Then, with deliberate effort, Suzaku turned to face the crowd. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he raised his fist high into the air. ["I can''t believe it!"] Suzaku had won. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: And Todoroki has been defeated. Now, only one opponent stands in Suzaku''s way to get first place. What kind of epic battle will unfold? See you in the next Chapter!) -> Chapter 64: The Final Chapter 64: The Final Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ["Suzaku Suzuki wins!"] -Woooo!!!- Present Mic''s declaration echoed throughout the stadium, sparking an eruption of cheers and excited chatter from the stands. "What the heck was that?!" "How in the world did that kid survive that last attack?!" "Endeavor''s son got defeated? This is totally making it to the headlines!" "Quick, take a photo, take a photo!" "Man, I couldn''t see a thing with all that smoke. What the hell happened in there?" "Yeah, how in the world did he manage to dodge that and reach his opponent while at it in such a short time?" "Hey, speaking of which... what''s that kid''s Quirk anyway? Hasn''t he been fighting old-school until now?, I don''t think he has done anything crazy so far... Could it be he used his Quirk to escape?" "Hmm... maybe it''s something that boosts his physical abilities, and that''s why he is fighting hand to hand? After all, no normal human moves like that unless they''ve got some serious enhancing Quirk powering them up." "It''d make sense, but let''s see... Uh... According to the participants sheet, his Quirk is called... Glasses?" "Huh? What does that even mean?" "Hell if I know." "The fuck?" As the crowd''s chatter intensified, dozens and dozens of eyes locking on Suzaku''s strong and victorious figure by the second, Present Mic''s lively commentary continued. ["With that, the semi-finals are finally over! Participant Suzuki now moves on to the finals, where he''ll face none other than Participant Bakugo in a last and epic battle for the top spot!"] The audience''s excitement grew, filling the stadium with so many voices that, if not near them, it was hard to make sense of what any of them were saying. ["Now, while I''d love to jump straight into the finals, it''s obvious that Participant Suzuki isn''t in any condition to fight right now. So we''ll be taking a short break while our amazing school nurse, Recovery Girl, patches up Suzuki. Then, we''ll be back to finish this festival with a BANG! Look forward to it!"] As Present Mic wrapped up his announcement, many spectators stood up, heading off to grab snacks or take bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, staff members carrying stretchers entered the field. Todoroki, who was too injured to walk, was carefully placed on a stretcher and carried off straight towards Recovery Girl. Suzaku, although still capable of walking, didn''t refuse the opportunity to chill for a bit. As soon as he was offered the opportunity, he climbed onto his stretcher and folded his hands behind his head as he lay down, enjoying the chance to relax as he was carried away. While he got carried away, the amazed gazes of the audience followed behind him, as did the astonished eyes of both hero classes. On class B''s side, Tetsutetsu stood up and exclaimed loudly as he clenched his fist in admiration. Still baffled by the fight he had just witnessed. "Haha, that guy actually won! He actually beat that guy!" Next to him, Itsuka leaned back in her seat, letting out a relieved sigh accompanied by a wry smile. "That guy, why does he have to scare us like that?" Tetsutetsu snickered. "Yeah, for a second there I thought he had gotten himself roasted or something." Itsuka nodded with a relieved smile as she too glanced at the departing figure of Suzaku. "Still, he should''ve been more careful," Itsuka muttered, her gaze focusing on the injuries Suzaku had sustained from Todoroki''s powerful flames and freezing ice. Tetsutetsu looked at her strangely before glancing at the unconscious Todoroki being carried away. "Uh, I think the other guy got it worse, though¡ªtwo broken legs, a broken arm, and probably a whole lot of bruises. I think that''s quite a lot worse compared to Suzaku." Itsuka''s smile twitched. "Now that you mention it..." Maybe it was a bit inappropriate to worry about Suzaku when his opponent had been left in such a state. But well, Recovery Girl would most likely end up healing both right away, so Itsuka sneered as she realized she was overreacting. However, her gaze lingered on Suzaku''s injuries. The worry in her heart was still not settled... ... At least until she caught sight of Suzaku''s smug and carefree expression as he was carried away like a king by the school''s staff. Shaking her head and sneering as she realized he''d be fine. ''Nevermind.'' Meanwhile, a few seats away from them, Juzo glanced between the wrecked arena and Suzaku''s retreating figure. His mouth, lacking lips, turned into a baffled toothy smile. "Sheesh, that guy actually pulled it off." He couldn''t wrap his head around how Suzaku had managed to win against such a powerful opponent with just a staff and his bare hands. It felt surreal. He knew he was agile and quite strong from his fight against Ibara and Sen. But this had been a completely new sight for him. And not only for him but for his classmates too. They had finally seen a glimpse of a truly serious Suzaku. "Hieeeh~ Suzuki really knows how to move!" Setsuna smiled as she crossed her arms, not having been expecting this level of performance from her 1st ranked classmate. "He is like a ninja!" Beside her, Pony exclaimed in a broken Japanese accent. "..." Yui, always the chatterbox, nodded with an impassive expression. Seated nearby, Monoma looked at the three girls for a moment before he leaned back, crossing his arms as he eyed Suzaku with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. Sitting next to him, Kosei grinned as he looked at Monoma, nudging him with his elbow. "It seems the Anti-Suzaku Squad takes another loss, eh Monoma?" The blonde rolled his eyes with a discontent expression. "Well, at least he didn''t embarrass us. The last thing I''d want is for our class to be considered weaker than the other." Sen, who was sitting on the contrary side, sweat-dropped a bit as he smiled self-depreciatingly. "Isn''t it our fault for not qualifying like him, though?" "Shut up." Monoma frowned in frustration, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at Suzaku as he was carried away. "Freaking monster," he muttered bitterly, though a small smile still found its way to his face. Of course, Class 1-B wasn''t the only one impressed and baffled by the fight that had just unfolded. On the other side of the wall separating the two classes, Class 1-A was having its own set of conversations about what had just happened. "I can''t believe it... Todoroki actually lost?" Kaminari said, staring wide-eyed at the destruction spread across the arena. The terrifying explosion Todoroki''s Quirk had unleashed moments ago still echoed in his mind, making it even harder to believe that someone like that had lost. And what was more disconcerting¡ªhe lost in such a weird way! One moment, Todoroki had been launching a massive, incinerating beam of doom with almost no way for his opponent to dodge, and the next, he was lying on the concrete with said opponent standing over him, smugly. And Kaminari wasn''t the only one who was perplexed by the sudden turn of events. "What the heck? I was sure he had it in the bag when he launched that final attack. How the heck did he end up flat on the ground?" Sero asked, scratching the back of his head with a confused expression. "Even Todoroki couldn''t avoid getting trashed. I guess it''s a good thing I didn''t get to the last event." Mineta muttered with a panicked expression, glancing with wary eyes at his defeated classmate. "That guy..." In a corner of the class, Kirishima could be seen with his head lowered, his body trembling frenetically. He stayed like that for a while, even prompting some of his classmates to glance at him with worry. Some wondered if Todoroki''s defeat affected him that much. They weren''t aware he had such a deep friendship with him. However, their worry turned into deadpan the instant his head snapped back up, showing his tear and snot-filled face. "To win with only a staff, his fists and feet against such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent... That was the manliest thing I''ve ever seen!" Near him, the girls of Class 1-A exchanged puzzled glances at Kirishima''s emotional outburst, not quite getting his excitement. However, even though they couldn''t understand it, it didn''t mean they didn''t have their own conflicting thoughts about the match they had just witnessed. "Not even Todoroki could take him down. This isn''t looking good for our class..." Jiro muttered with a wry expression. Her eyes flicked toward Bakugo, seated a few spots away. He was the one who''d be facing Suzaku next, but honestly... She couldn''t picture him winning. Not after this fight. ''Fight on, Bakugo...'' She silently prayed inside her mind. Next to her, Yaoyorozu let out an overly dramatic sigh as she put a hand on her cheek. "Suzuki-san is amazing... Even though he''s only used hand-to-hand combat so far, he''s still managed to outshine everyone. Even in the previous events, where raw fighting skill wasn''t as prominent as now, he managed to keep the top spot." She swallowed nervously as her eyes landed on Suzaku. His outstanding performance and incredible combat prowess made her feel a twinge of inadequacy, reminding her of just how much she still lacked in actual combat experience, and how that had come to light during the first fights of this tournament. Although she felt she improved a little during her match with Todoroki, she still felt quite lacking¡ªat least when comparing herself to someone like Suzaku, who acted like this was just another casual Monday. "Well, Suzuki-kun did beat Aizawa-sensei, so I guess it makes sense that he''s that strong¡ªgero," Asui suddenly added, recalling the shocking sight of their teacher getting knocked out by Suzaku''s headbutt. "It''s true..." The mention of that incident calmed Yaoyorozu''s insecure heart a little. Although she still felt lacking, a student who could already beat a Pro couldn''t be measured by conventional means, right? As the girls continued their conversation, at a corner of the group, a certain someone''s bulging eyes were glued to the arena, countless and endless mutterings escaping his mouth as he stared at the two contenders leaving the arena. From his seat, Midoriya¡ªbandaged up like a mummy after his earlier fight with Suzaku¡ªhad his trusty notebook already pulled out and was scribbling furiously on it. "The distance between the two was quite significant at the moment of the explosion... For Suzuki-kun to have reached Todoroki so quickly, he would''ve needed a speed comparable to Iida''s, if not even more. And that''s not even considering the speed required to avoid being caught in that enormous explosion... Just what is his Quirk? So far, from what I''ve managed to pick, it seems to be tied to his glasses, but judging by how he moves, it''s likely some sort of physical enhancement Quirk. Maybe the glasses are a support function, or perhaps they''re a secondary ability?¡ªsimilar to how Todoroki-kun can produce fire with one hand and ice with the other¡ª" "Shut up, you damn nerd!" Suddenly, Bakugo barked at him, cutting off Midoriya''s rambling with an annoyed glare. "S-sorry!" Midoriya quickly bowed his head, lowering his voice, though his mental analysis continued unperturbed, although this time in silence. From his seat, Bakugo didn''t dwell on Midoriya''s annoyingness for long. Immediately after reprimanding Izuku, his gaze snapped back to the arena, focusing on the aftermath of the battle¡ªthe craters, the scorch marks, and the sheer devastation left behind by Todoroki''s final attack. "Damn it..." He growled under his breath. Up until now, Bakugo had firmly refused to acknowledge the superiority of others over him. He always told himself that as long as he put in the effort, he''d be able to defeat anyone. He was just that much of a prodigy. But after seeing Todoroki''s overwhelming power firsthand in this fight, doubt crept into his mind. The sheer level of destruction Todoroki had unleashed rivaled what Bakugo could achieve only when using his hero suit, which was specifically designed to store and release large amounts of his explosive sweat. Without it, Bakugo knew there was a limit to how much power he could generate from his palms. Todoroki, on the other hand, had reached¡ªor possibly exceeded¡ªthat level of destructive force entirely on his own, without any support gear. The bastard was a true monster. And yet, even that same monster had been defeated... and by that irritating guy with glasses nonetheless. Even after unleashing all of that overwhelming power... even after turning the arena into a mess... even after shooting such a powerful attack that Bakugo himself wasn''t sure he''d be able to block or dodge... Todoroki had still somehow lost. So... would the same thing happen to him when he and the redhead clashed? Would he, too, end up flat on the ground after having all his techniques and strategies turned ineffective? "No..." Bakugo muttered, his eyes narrowing as his expression hardened into one of fierce determination. He wasn''t going to let that happen. He was going to prove, without a doubt, that he was cut above the rest. And when he faced that smug, redheaded bastard, he was going to make sure that all of Japan could see who was the real top spot. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later, Stadium''s infirmary...| ... "You youngsters don''t know the meaning of taking things easy, do you?" Recovery Girl said in a displeased tone as she examined Suzaku''s injuries. "He started," Suzaku said, pointing at Todoroki, who lay in an infirmary bed a few meters away. Todoroki shot him a deadpan look. "It was a match." However, despite his answer, Suzaku simply shrugged with an innocent expression. "Yeah, but you threw the first attack, so my retaliation was completely valid." "..." Todoroki became speechless in front of such infallible logic. "Hmph... Well, at least one of you sustained less serious injuries," As the two bickered silently, Recovery Girl muttered something as she inspected Suzaku''s slightly charred arm, frostbitten hand, and other minor burns. "Most of these are superficial, so my Quirk shouldn''t take too much out of you." She said, massaging her chin as she finished examining Suzaku. From his bed, Todoroki closed his eyes upon hearing her evaluation, a faint frown forming on his face. Suzaku had walked away from their fight with minor injuries, while he had suffered broken bones and bruises all over. It felt a bit unfair. Sadly, this world is filled with injustice. "Heh." Suzaku smiled smugly from his seat. -Chu- However, his smile faltered slightly as Recovery Girl kissed him on the cheek, and he immediately felt a chunk of his stamina drain. Not too much¡ªjust about an eighth of it. As the small feeling of exhaustion sat in, Suzaku grabbed his head with a bit of a displeased face, feeling slightly dizzy after experiencing that energy loss for the first time. "So that''s how it feels, huh?" Recovery Girl held out a candy. "Eat this." She said with a straight face. "Sure." Suzaku didn''t question it and simply grabbed the candy without hesitation before popping it into his mouth. As he savored the sweetness, Recovery Girl gave him a slightly concerned look. "How are you feeling? If you''re too tired, you can rest for a bit before your next fight." Suzaku tilted his head at her question for a moment before he smiled as he understood the reason for her worry. "Don''t worry granny, I''m fine. Your Quirk didn''t take much." "It didn''t?" Recovery Girl raised an eyebrow and gave him a scrutinizing look. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprise. Unlike most people after receiving treatment, Suzaku showed no signs of exhaustion aside from his initial daze. "Well, aren''t you quite the energetic kid?" she said with a smile before standing up. "If that''s the case, then you can leave whenever you want. For now, I''ve got other patients to look after, so don''t mind me and leave whenever you feel like it." With that, she turned around and began walking to other infirmary beds where other patients lay. Getting the permission he needed, and having healed already, Suzaku didn''t hesitate to stand up immediately, ready to head for the door. He wanted to put an end to this festival as soon as he could, so the less time he wasted, the better. However, just when he was about to leave, someone called out to him. "Wait." "...?" Turning around, Suzaku faced Todoroki, who was still lying in bed. Raising an eyebrow as he wondered what the guy had to say. "What''s up? If you have any complaints about how badly I beat you up, then take them with someone else. I don''t care¡ª" "It''s not that," Todoroki cut him off, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "You said I was an arrogant prick for holding back part of my Quirk during our fight... but you held back too, didn''t you?" Suzaku stayed silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating the question. However, ultimately a small smile crept across his face and he crossed his arms with a proud demeanor. "Yeah, but the arrogant prick part doesn''t apply to me." Todoroki''s eyebrow twitched. "You''re quite the hypocrite." "Proudly so." Suzaku smirked with his eyes closed, almost as if he was indeed proud of that. Seeing his blatant and uncaring attitude, Todoroki couldn''t hold a sigh from escaping his mouth. After a few seconds of silence, however, he turned to look back at Suzaku, his expression serious this time. "Why did you hold back? You could have ended the fight a few times during our close confrontations... but you didn''t." Suzaku shot him a nasty grin. "Do you want the pleasant answer or the unpleasant answer?" Todoroki squinted at Suzaku, sweatdropping a bit. "What do you mean by¡ªno, never mind that... Tell me the pleasant first." Suzaku chuckled, before caressing his chin while his eyes darted to the ceiling as if reminiscing memories. "Well, after overhearing that conversation you had with Midoriya¡ª" "...So you were eavesdropping." "¡ªAhem, yes, indeed. Anyway, that, plus a brief and... let''s call it interesting encounter with your dad that left me quite annoyed, caused me to feel quite frustrated when I saw you misdirecting all that anger, so as we fought, I figured I''d pressure you into going all out." "...?" Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "Like I said, if you''re gonna hate the guy or¡ªI don''t know¡ªstand up to him somehow, don''t take it out on your Quirk. That''s like hating your own feet because they share the same genes as your ass of a father." "..." "Well, that''s the gist of it. Your attitude just annoyed me." "I see..." Todoroki nodded, his gaze lost as he processed Suzaku''s words. He understood the analogy well enough. His Quirk wasn''t merely Endeavor''s fire passed down; it was a unique blend¡ªhis mother''s aspect of ice and his father''s aspect of fire, both turned into a single concept that encompassed both, and in truth didn''t belong to either of his parents, but to him only. At least, that''s what he thought Suzaku had been trying to tell him. But for a long time, he had been treating his left side as a curse, an extension of the man he despised most. So, even if he could now see things a bit more clearly, he wasn''t sure he''d be able to change his views so quickly. He had only used his fire against Suzaku because he had gotten caught in the heat of their battle. However, in any other future fight, he wasn''t sure he''d be able to do so again without hesitation. ''I guess only time will tell.'' Todoroki closed his eyes, reaching a quiet resolution. Unlike before, he now saw how his perspective might not have been entirely current. Maybe, given enough time, he could get to accept his fire as part of himself¡ªsomething that belonged to him and no one else. But that''d take time. A faint smile crossed his face as he reached that conclusion. With that done, he turned to look at Suzaku again, curiosity in his tone as he asked. "... And the unpleasant reason?" Suzaku grinned smugly. "Of course, to make myself look way cooler after winning. Beating a guy who can only use ice is cool and all, but taking down someone who can wield both ice and fire on a ridiculous scale? That''s way more impressive to see on live TV." "..." Todoroki was speechless. Suzaku patted him on the shoulder, his expression softening into a gentle and grateful look. "You served your purpose. Thanks for that." "..." After that, Suzaku straightened up and turned to face the door with a confident smile. "... And now, it''s your explosive classmate''s turn to make me shine. However, I''m debating whether I should give him the same chance I gave you or just jump straight into the beat-up part. Honestly, I''m itching to wrap this whole festival up." Todoroki said nothing, watching Suzaku with an unreadable expression as he talked about beating up Bakugo so casually. In the end, though, Suzaku simply shook his head and did an uncaring shrug. "Well, whatever it is I decide in the end, pray that Baguko doesn''t die in the process." "Bakugo," Todoroki corrected him. "That''s what I said," Suzaku said matter-of-factly before he strode again toward the door. However, just before he left the room, he gave Todoroki a last wave without looking back. "Later, Elsa." -Click...- With that, he closed the door behind him and left a speechless Todoroki looking at the door with an exasperated gaze. "Elsa...?" Todoroki repeated. Suzaku called him yet another bizarre name. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A few minutes later...| ... After informing Present Mic that he was ready, allowing the guy to make the announcement about the festival''s resume so that all the people who had left during the small break could return to the stadium, Suzaku made his way to the waiting room. Once there, he sat on the bench of the room, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, letting out a long breath. "It sure took a while..." he muttered, reaching back to massage his sore muscles with one hand, his eyes momentarily closed in brief relaxation. His mind drifted through everything that had happened so far¡ªthe race, the cavalry battle, the brutal matches leading up to this point. To say he was mentally drained would be an understatement. This whole thing had been a grind. He wasn''t used to pushing himself so hard for something he didn''t care about. First place in this festival? To him, it wasn''t worth this level of effort. It felt unnecessary, even pointless. All he really wanted was to go home, sink into his ridiculously comfortable king-sized bed, and take the best nap of his life. But, as always, that nagging voice in the back of his head wouldn''t let him stop. It urged him forward, reminding him why he couldn''t just back down now. Opening his eyes, Suzaku straightened up, his gaze sharpening with determination. "All that''s left is to beat the kid with anger issues and first place will be mine." His eyes shifted to his staff, resting against the wall nearby. After his fight with Todoroki, a few teachers retrieved it from the ice and returned it to him once he was cleared to fight. He appreciated the gesture, but... "I don''t need it for this," Suzaku said quietly, setting the staff aside. "If I can''t beat that punk without using a weapon, I don''t deserve first place." With that thought, he stood up, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his arms. -Click- "It''s time, Suzuki." Coincidentally, a teacher opened the door just as Suzaku was preparing himself, motioning for him to head to the arena. "A''ight." Suzaku nodded, though as he prepared to head to the door leading to the field, he stopped, noticing a small smile on his face that felt quite odd considering his desire to simply go back home. As he noticed it, a grin spread across Suzaku''s face. Despite the mental exhaustion and constant urge to quit, he found himself oddly excited. And he knew why. All the pent-up frustration from this festival, all the irritation for having to go along with the nagging voice''s desire, all could finally be vented in the best way possible¡ªby punching the daylights out of a certain spiky blond with anger issues. "Alright, time to wrap things up." With those words, Suzaku finally stepped out of the room, his strides calm but confident. As he entered the field, sunlight poured down on him, highlighting his figure as he made his way onto the platform. -Cheers- Reaching his designated side of the platform, Suzaku stopped, hands in his pockets. His eyes locked directly on Bakugo. "..." Bakugo scowled fiercely, his hands already twitching, itching to let loose an explosion. In contrast, Suzaku remained relaxed, that smug grin plastered on his face as if he was unfazed by the pressure of the final match. The atmosphere in the stadium grew heavy. Even the audience, who had been lively moments ago, fell unusually silent. All eyes were glued to the two figures on the field¡ªthe culmination of the festival was here. Present Mic''s booming voice broke through the thick silence. ["Well, well! It''s finally time for the last match of the U.A. Sports Festival!"] The massive screen overhead displayed an aerial shot of both contestants standing still, facing each other like two predators ready to pounce on each other the instant the signal was made. ["This is it, folks! The top of the first-year students will be decided with this one final match!"] The camera zoomed in on Bakugo, his fierce glare sharp enough to make many in the stands flinch. ["From the hero course¡ªKatsuki Bakugo!!!"] After that, the camera shifted to Suzaku, whose calm, almost bored expression made for a stark contrast to the intensity of his rival. ["Also from the hero course¡ªSuzaku Suzuki!!!"] The brief introductions ended, and with that done, Present Mic delivered the word that put everyone on edge instantly. ["Ready~?!"] For a moment, silence reigned once more. The tension was nearly unbearable. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion of action. Bakugo''s muscles tensed. Sparks like small fireworks began to flicker at the edge of his palms, faint popping noises crackling through the air. He was ready to explode forward the instant the signal was given. -Swooosh...- The wind stirred lightly, ruffling Suzaku''s hair. Time seemed to stretch, seconds feeling like minutes as the final match hung on the edge of a knife. "..." "..." Until finally, Present Mic''s voice rang out, slicing through the moment. ["START!!!"] ¡ªHOOONK!!!¡ª -Boom!- The next instant, the sound of an explosion rang out. "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Bakugo wasted no time. The moment the signal blared, he rocketed forward with a deafening yell, explosions propelling him at blistering speed. His right hand was already raised, ready to blow Suzaku away in a single, decisive strike. Unlike Suzaku''s previous contenders, he wasn''t planning on giving Suzaku even the slightest chance to do anything or react. He would end this in one movement! "...?" But just as he was within striking distance, his brain already sending signals to release the explosion that''d decide the match upon Suzaku, something interrupted his vision. It was so sudden and fast that his brain struggled to process it. Then he realized¡ª It was fist. "Huh¡ª?!" ¡ªBANG!¡ª The next second, Bakugo was smashed to the ground with a thunderous impact. Dust scattered across the field as the sound of the blow echoed throughout the stadium. Lying sprawled on the ground, Bakugo''s rolled-out eyes expressed his lack of consciousness, the imprint of Suzaku''s fist clearly visible on his right cheek, slightly red and swollen. Meanwhile, Suzaku stood calmly beside him, his fist still slightly raised, not a single trace of tension on his face. "Tone down your yells," Suzaku said, scratching his ear with an annoyed tone. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Bakugo got sent to sleep with just one punch. Will he be able to recover from that? Probably. Will he able to recover from the humiliation? Probably not.) -> Chapter 65: Humbling Beatdown Chapter 65: Humbling Beatdown Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... ["I-I can''t believe it, Bakugo is down!!!"] ""...Eh?"" Present Mic''s shocked narration brought the stunned crowd back to reality. The unexpected turn of events was hard to process. Bakugo, who had charged in with the intent to overwhelm Suzaku in one blow, had instead been knocked flat with a single punch, and a nasty one at that. The sound of the impact echoed through the whole stadium, sending shivers down the spines of those watching and making many involuntarily wince as the blow landed. Now, all eyes were locked on Bakugo''s unmoving form, wondering if he''d be able to get up from that or if this would be the end of this tournament. "Uh... do we end the fight, Midnight?" Cementoss spoke through his earpiece, unsure about what to do in this situation. In Todoroki and Iida''s match, the result had been fairly obvious¡ªTodoroki''s ice had immobilized his opponent. But now? One punch wasn''t the kind of definitive end anyone had expected, and there was still a slim chance Bakugo could recover. From her post, Midnight sighed, sweatdropping as she pressed her finger to her earpiece. "Let''s... wait a few more seconds. If he doesn''t respond, we''ll call it. As anti-climactic as it might be for the final match of the festival..." "Hm." Cementoss gave a quiet nod, his gaze never leaving Bakugo''s limp figure. Meanwhile, in the arena, Suzaku stared down at his fallen opponent, a sneer curling his lips. "If you had been a little bit less loud, I might have considered letting you fight for a bit more. Even I''m not heartless enough to consider humiliating you right off the bat when the whole country''s watching." After a shake of the head, Suzaku couldn''t suppress a snort from coming out, kneeling, and then patting the guy''s limp body on the shoulder. "Too bad you couldn''t fight with your mouth shut." With that, he began to stand up, ready to walk away once he was announced as the victor. "...!!" However, in the next instant, something shocking happened. "Hngh¡ª!" Before Suzaku could stand fully, Bakugo''s eyes snapped open, fury igniting behind his still-dazed gaze. Without hesitation, he swung his arm at the seemingly unaware Suzaku as a blast began forming on the surface of his palm. -Tap- -Booom!- But Suzaku was not as unaware as he might have seemed. Just before the explosion was released, he deflected Bakugo''s arm with just enough force to send the explosion harmlessly into empty air. The crowd gasped as the fight resumed out of nowhere, some teachers heaving relieved sighs seeing that this festival wouldn''t end in such an anticlimactic manner. Back to the fight, as the smoke from the deflected blast dissipated, the hand Suzaku had used to deflect the attack suddenly tightened its grip on Bakugo''s arm and began twisting it behind his back to shove him to the ground again. -Thunk!- "Kgh¡ª!" Once Bakugo''s face met the concrete again, Suzaku grinned faintly as he kept him pinned to the floor. "You''re more persistent than I expected." However, Bakugo wasn''t that quick to subdue. -Boom!- Using his still free hand, Bakugo set off an explosion on the floor, the recoil of it opposing Suzaku''s downward force and allowing him to sit upright for a second. "Hngh!" With his face off the ground, Bakugo quickly moved his hand and aimed his palm over his shoulder, where Suzaku was sure to be hit if he didn''t release his hold over Bakugo''s arm. "Hah." So, with no more option but to retreat in the face of Bakugo''s sudden maneuver, Suzaku laughed momentarily before jumping away. -Boom!- The next instant, an explosion tore through the spot where Suzaku had just stood, but by that time, he was already several meters away, watching the spiky blonde with a carefree smile. "Haah...Haah..." Now free, Bakugo scrambled to his feet while breathing haggardly, his face contorted in pain and frustration. After recovering his balance, he quickly took a defensive stance, expecting Suzaku to rush him right away. But to his confusion, the redhead simply stood there, chill and relaxed, showing no intention of attacking. While confusion flooded Bakugo''s mind, Suzaku simply tilted his head as if genuinely impressed. "You actually got up, huh?" And it wasn''t without reason Suzaku had asked that. That punch of his had been a serious one. Unlike in previous fights, this time, he had struck with all his strength, and in a spot that should have sent Bakugo to sleep for a while. Yet, Bakugo had managed to regain consciousness and fight back. Suzaku couldn''t help but acknowledge his tenacity. "..." Sadly, Bakugo didn''t reply to Suzaku''s remark. He couldn''t. He wasn''t in the condition to afford talking mid-fight. His vision was still blurry, and the throbbing pain in his jaw made it hard to focus. The punch had left him reeling, and even now, his legs felt unsteady beneath him. If he lost focus, he''d be knocked out any second now. But worse than the physical pain was the blow to his pride. He had been taken down in a single strike. All the confidence he''d carried into this fight over the past few weeks¡ªno, over his entire life ever since he received his Quirk¡ªit all had crumbled in an instant. It was like facing the sludge villain all over again, all that helplessness resurfacing in him¡ªonly this time, he didn''t have the consolation that his opponent was a vicious and dangerous villain who could put the lives of even the Pros at risk. This time, it was a fellow student, someone who by all means should have been an opponent he could defeat. Someone who should have been on a similar level to him. And yet, it was that same someone who had almost knocked him out with a single punch. What was worse, it had taken a huge load of willpower and luck out of him to wake up, and even though he had managed to do so, it didn''t come without consequences. Right now he was in no state to fight, not after taking that punch, and it didn''t take a genius to know that if Suzaku wanted to finish what he had started, all he had to do was rush at him again and give him a good smack. However, the redhead was instead standing there, wasting time instead of coming to finish him off. It was as if he didn''t care about using all the advantage he had right now to win. It was as if he didn''t consider Bakugo a threat. "Dammit..." The spiky blonde muttered under his breath, pushing through the pain in his face just to say that, frustration burned fiercely in his chest. However, if there was one thing he was good at, it was maintaining his bravado. So, shaking his head, Bakugo shrugged his insecurity aside and sent a glare full of anger and provocation. Almost inviting Suzaku to come at him. Suzaku''s smirk widened as he saw the look in Bakugo''s eyes. "Alright, since you''re so eager, I suppose I''ll give you a proper fight," he said, raising his fists into a relaxed boxing stance. "Though, don''t regret later that this didn''t end in that one last strike." With those words, Suzaku began approaching with steady and confident steps, sending Bakugo into a tense stance as he carefully began measuring the distance between the two, alert and ready to attack the moment Suzaku got near. -Bam!- Then, without warning, Suzaku kicked off the ground, lunging toward Bakugo with startling speed. "...!" Reacting instinctively, Bakugo thrust his palm forward, preparing to unleash an explosion to halt Suzaku''s advance. But he was too slow. -Whack!- -Boom!- "...?!" Before the blast could fully form, Suzaku closed the distance and swatted his hand aside with a swift motion, leaving Bakugo wide open. "...!" By the time the blond kid realized the threat, it was too late. Although he tried to retaliate by sending an explosion with his other hand, by that time Suzaku had already slipped behind him in a blur. -Bam!- "Gh¡ª!" The next second, a solid strike to the ribs stole Bakugo''s breath, pain radiating through his side and making him stagger for a moment. "Hrngh... You¡ª!" Gritting his teeth, he tried to whip around and blast Suzaku away, but once again¡ª -Smack!- -Thud!- "¡ªUhp...!" Suzaku intercepted his attack effortlessly, swatting his hand aside like it was merely a bug, before following with a clean punch to Bakugo''s gut, forcing the blonde back several steps while his eyes widened in pain. -Bam!- Sadly for him, Suzaku didn''t give him a moment to recover. Closing in once more, he delivered a high kick aimed directly at Bakugo''s chin, snapping his head back and forcing him to stagger even further. Despite the brutal blow, however, Bakugo managed to stay on his feet, swaying slightly as he forced his head down, his pupils glaring ahead through blurred vision. But just as his eyes refocused, he saw Suzaku rushing in again. ''Shit...'' What came after was the same story as with Midoriya. Blow after blow rained down on Bakugo, a relentless onslaught that left him battered and breathless. He tried to retaliate with explosions, but Suzaku either deflected them with precision or used their force to maneuver and deliver yet another punishing strike, almost like he was using Bakugo''s Quirk as his own. His ribs, his face, his gut¡ªSuzaku''s attacks landed everywhere; there was no part spared from the brutal beatdown. But what was worse was that Bakugo could feel Suzaku holding his punches. The punch that had almost knocked him out proved it; Suzaku was not hitting as hard as he could. That way, he was allowing Bakugo to continue staying on foot, to continue trying to muster a defense against his relentless onslaught; it was all to extend the fight. Even when he could end it right there. "Damn." A voice rose amidst the crowd. In the stands, the tension among the spectators was palpable. "Not this again..." someone muttered. "I thought the final would be epic, but it''s just another one-sided beatdown." "At this rate, that match between the red-headed kid and Endeavor''s son might as well have been the real final," another added, shaking their head in slight disappointment. "This is sad to watch." "Just what kind of Quirk does that kid have to overwhelm his peers like that?" The arena buzzed with countless comments as the fight dragged on. Uneasy glances were exchanged among the pro heroes in attendance. Suzaku''s relentless barrage wasn''t just brutal¡ªit was excessive. His lack of finesse and restraint made many reconsider whether offering him an internship after the festival was a good idea. It was hard to think of him as a proper hero when he was beating his opponent into a bloody pulp. Even Midnight and Cementoss exchanged hesitant glances, silently debating whether they should intervene despite Bakugo still standing. Prolonging this would be simply allowing for this beating to continue. And Bakugo knew it. "Damn it..." he hissed under his breath, his eyes darting back and forth, desperately trying to predict where Suzaku''s next strike would come from. -Bam!- -Crack- A blow landed on his ribs, making him wince in pain. He instinctively sent an explosion toward Suzaku, but like before, Suzaku deflected his arm effortlessly and countered with another punishing strike. -Thud!- "Kgh¡ª!" Bakugo staggered, his breath labored, every muscle in his body screaming from the repeated hits. Through the haze of pain, his gaze momentarily flicked to the stands. "...!" Then, he saw them¡ªthe faces of pity. People looking at him not as a hero, not as a prodigy, but as someone who needed saving. That look¡ªIzuku had given him that same look once, and it had enraged him beyond belief. Now, those people¡ªthose extras who should have been admiring him, looking up to him¡ªwere looking down on him. ''Damn it... Damn it!!'' The realization snapped something within Bakugo. "Here comes the plane, open wid¡ªOh?" Suzaku''s mocking tone was cut short as he noticed something unusual. As a result, he quickly leaped back just as¡ª -BOOOM!- ¡ªAn explosion erupted from the ground around Bakugo, sending a tremor to the entire arena. A second later, Suzaku landed at a safe distance away, watching with a wry smile as a smoke cloud covered the area after the explosion. "Crazy guy." Then, from within the smoke, a figure shot upward, propelled high into the air by the force of his own explosion. It was Bakugo. He had risked injuring himself with his blast just to create distance from Suzaku. Soaring into the only place Suzaku couldn''t reach him. The sky. At the peak of his ascent, Bakugo twisted in midair, aiming his palms downward. With a deafening -Boom!-, he blasted the air, propelling himself sideways. -Boom!- -Boom!- -Boom!- Again and again, Bakugo ricocheted through the sky, moving at blinding speeds. His figure became a blur, darting unpredictably in every direction. Then, without warning, he shot straight toward Suzaku. "Dieeeee!!!" Bakugo roared. Suzaku tensed, bracing for impact. -Boom!- But just before reaching him, Bakugo shifted his angle, blasting himself away in another direction. Then, he continued zigzagging around Suzaku, his erratic pattern making it nearly impossible to predict his next move. -Boom!- -Boom!- -Boom!- Sometimes, he passed by Suzaku; other times, he appeared directly in front of him, only to retreat again in an instant. His movements were chaotic yet controlled, keeping Suzaku in constant alert, not knowing when Bakugo would strike for real. However, despite the whirlwind of explosions and the seemingly random attacks, Suzaku remained calm, his sharp eyes tracking Bakugo''s blurred figure through his glasses. Then, it happened. An explosion struck Suzaku''s back, forcing him a step forward. He winced as the force rocked him, but before he could fully recover, another explosion hit him from the side. Suzaku raised his forearm to shield himself, but the damage was visible. "Pretty good." He smiled, unfazed by the pain. For the first time, Bakugo was fighting back¡ªand it was working. Each explosion was carefully aimed, either landing direct hits or creating openings to exploit. Bakugo had turned the tide, using his aerial mobility to keep Suzaku on the defensive. "Haha... This guy is actually learning to fight better." Suzaku''s smirk widened as he observed Bakugo''s strategy. "Good. I didn''t want to go through the cliche? of coaching my opponent mid-fight. If he couldn''t figure it out himself, he wouldn''t have been worth much." As he spoke, Suzaku''s demeanor changed. His hand tightened into a wide position, as if ready to grab something at any second. "Too bad he''s still such an amateur. This could''ve been more interesting otherwise." Just then, another explosion hit Suzaku''s side. -Boom!- Smoke billowed around him, momentarily obscuring his figure. Bakugo, preparing to launch himself away again, narrowed his eyes in anticipation. But before he could react¡ª -Tack!- "What¡ª?!" A hand shot out from the smoke, faster than Bakugo could process. In an instant, Suzaku''s iron grip closed around his throat. "Really too bad." Thus, with Bakugo in his clutch once again, Suzaku began his movement. The next instant, Bakugo was slammed into the ground with a bone-jarring impact. -Bang!- "Oof¡ª!" Bakugo gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. Nevertheless, pain was just that, pain. Once he managed to snap out of it, he tried to use his explosions again to push Suzaku away. Sadly, before he could, Suzaku effortlessly swatted his arms aside. -Bam!!!- "Ack¡ª!" Then, without hesitation, Suzaku drove his knee into Bakugo''s solar plexus, folding him in half from the sheer force. Suzaku''s knee didn''t budge after striking Bakugo¡ªit stayed firmly pressed against him, pinning him to the ground and making it difficult for him to breathe. Bakugo gritted his teeth, raising his hands to aim at Suzaku despite the dizziness clouding his vision. But before he could fire, a heavy punch connected with his face. -Bam!- The impact rang in his head like a bell, leaving his vision spinning and his senses dulled. The world tilted, and for a moment, Bakugo felt the inevitable creeping in. This time, he could feel it¡ªhis body wasn''t holding out. Any second now, he''d be knocked out. "You...!" With sheer rage and determination driving him forward, Bakugo raised both arms. Even though his eyes could barely focus on Suzaku''s figure, he aimed blindly at where he thought Suzaku was. "Die!!" -Boom!!!- As a result, explosions erupted from his palms, and for a fleeting moment, relief washed over him. He saw Suzaku take the blast head-on. Maybe... maybe this time, he had done enough. But as the smoke cleared, that brief glimmer of hope turned to despair. Suzaku stood there, damaged but unshaken, his expression as calm as ever. Before Bakugo could process what had happened, Suzaku''s remaining free hand grabbed and twisted one of Bakugo''s wrists, before pinning the other hand to the ground with brutal force. "Aaargh!" Bakugo cried out in pain. "Funny guy," Suzaku said, brushing some dust off his face, his tone mocking yet amused. "That actually hurt a little." He glanced down at Bakugo''s twisted hand, his sneer growing. "Sadly, it looks like this is as far as you go." Bakugo panted heavily. Despite the great amount of physical force he had been exerting so far, there was no sweat left on his palms; all of it had most likely evaporated due to his own Quirk. That last attack had been the last drops of sweat he had left, and even those hadn''t been able to create enough firepower to damage Suzaku seriously. "...!" As that fact dawned on Bakugo, his eyes widened in realization. He was completely spent. His Quirk was out of fuel. His body was failing. Suzaku had him pinned, barely allowing him to breathe. This was defeat. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn''t win. But even so, Bakugo refused to accept it just like that. Despite his hand having gotten twisted in a nasty way, he pushed through the pain and threw a punch with it. It was weak¡ªbarely enough to push Suzaku''s cheek¡ªbut it connected. Suzaku blinked, surprised for a moment before a grin slowly spread across his face. "Well, they say you really get to know someone by beating the crap out of him..." He chuckled softly, keeping his gaze locked on Bakugo''s defiant eyes. "I guess I misjudged you¡ªjust a little." Suzaku leaned back slightly, still smiling. Bakugo''s trembling fist remained pressed weakly against his face. "Next time, I hope you''ll have improved a bit. Maybe then you''ll learn to shut the hell up and just fight." With those words, Suzaku tightened his fist to its absolute limit, pulling it back for one final strike. "See you around, loudmouth." Once those last words left Suzaku''s mouth, the match was decided. ¡ªBam!¡ª The sound of a gruesome punch echoed across the arena. Blood, spit, and even a few teeth flew through the air as Bakugo''s head snapped to the side. The fiery determination in his eyes flickered one last time before finally going out. His body went limp, and his hand fell weakly to the ground. Bakugo had fainted. "Whew..." With that over, Suzaku exhaled, finally standing up and dusting off his clothes. Then, without sparing another glance at Bakugo''s unconscious body, he turned and began walking away. For a moment, the arena was silent, stunned by the sheer brutality of the match. Then, the long-awaited announcement finally came. ["Bakugo can''t fight anymore... The winner of this match, and the 1st year stage of the Sports Festival, Suzaku Suzuki!!!"] ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: My family got a new dog, and it''s quite the horny bastard. The guy can''t stop bothering my female dogs... Even though one could easily rip his head out, let''s just hope she will not. But well, he''s gotta learn one way or another. On other news, I''m going back to the city, so the wifi should be better, and I should have access to my precious chair, which means I can finally stop writing from the bed. My back hurts. As the last pieces of news, University is resuming in a week or so, so let''s hope I don''t screw up this year.) -> Chapter 66: Festival’s End Chapter 66: Festival¡¯s End Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... Midnight stood before the gathered first-year students of U.A., her voice echoing across the stadium as she struck a stylish pose. "All events for this year''s Sports Festival have been completed... Now, we begin the award ceremony!" Fireworks erupted in sync with her words, their dazzling colors painting the sky as the crowd gasped in amazement. -Bang!- As everyone admired the display, a sudden explosion of confetti burst beside Midnight, snapping all attention back to the field. From within the swirling paper rain, three concrete platforms slowly rose from the grass, each carrying a finalist. But as the platforms fully ascended, revealing the top three of the Sports Festival, the crowd erupted into cheers¡ªonly to collectively pause in confusion. "Suzaku..." From the student group, Itsuka facepalmed. "That guy..." Tetsutetsu''s smile twitched. The entirety of Class 1-B stared at their classmate in bafflement, and they weren''t the only ones. Across the field, students from every class exchanged confused glances. Standing stiffly on the third-place podium was Todoroki, his usual stoic expression tinged with mild discomfort. In the second place, Bakugo practically vibrated with rage, arms crossed and foot tapping furiously against the stone. And then... there was Suzaku. Unlike his competitors, who at least attempted to maintain some dignity, Suzaku was different. Rather than standing like the others, he lounged on the first-place podium, striking a relaxed, almost sultry pose¡ªlike he was modeling for a questionable magazine cover. One arm propped up his head, while the other lazily waved toward the crowd, his smirk radiating pure smug satisfaction. Midnight sweatdropped at the sight, but keeping her professionalism, she coughed into her fist before turning back to the audience. "There you have it, everyone¡ªour three finalists!" The crowd clapped, though many uncertain gazes lingered on Suzaku. As the chatter settled, Midnight raised a hand, smiling. "Now, it''s time to award the medals! Of course, there''s only one person worthy of distributing them..." "HAHAHAHA!" A booming laugh echoed through the stadium, instantly making the audience perk up. "All Might is here!" "I heard he was a U.A. teacher now! Is it really true?!" "We''re actually gonna see All Might?!" "There! Look up there!" All eyes turned toward a shadowy figure standing atop the stadium. But just as the audience locked onto it, the figure launched into the air, a loud voice ringing out mid-flight¡ªcoincidentally overlapping perfectly with Midnight''s announcement. "Citizens, I am here with the medals!" "All Might, the Number One Hero!!!" -BOOM!- The moment he landed, a brief silence hung in the air. Then, Midnight''s bashful voice chimed in. "...I talked over you. Sorry." All Might just shook his head with a sigh, accepting that all the effort he had put into that landing had gone to waste. Maybe he should talk louder next time. Rising to his feet, he walked toward Midnight, who held up a tray with the three medals. "N-Now then, All Might," she said, regaining her composure. "Please present the medals, starting with third place." All Might nodded, taking the tray and stepping toward the podiums. The first one he approached was Todoroki. "Young Todoroki... Congratulations." All Might placed the medal around his neck, eyeing the youth''s face as he did so. "I sense that your mind is clearer than when we started the festival... Did something happen?" Todoroki''s expression remained impassive even in front of the Number One hero, his voice calm as he spoke. "Though the process was a bit painful, I think I was able to see things through another perspective," Todoroki said as a small wry smile surged on his face, looking straight at the imposing hero''s eyes. "There are still some things to settle, but I think my path to becoming a hero like you is a bit clearer now." All Might nodded, offering him a reassuring hug. "I won''t pry young Todoroki, but I''m sure you''ll be able to settle whatever it is." "Yes." With a firm pat on Todoroki''s back, All Might stepped away and moved toward second place. Bakugo. "Now then, young Bakugo. Good job securing second place," All Might raised a finger in a matter-of-factly manner. "It''s a position not many can reach in their first year in U.A. You ought to be proud of yourself!" "Tsk." Bakugo clicked his tongue as he averted his gaze, his frustration obvious. "What''s there to be proud about being second place? I lost, as simple as that. There''s nothing to be proud about." All Might patted Bakugo''s shoulder before pulling him into a brief hug, despite the clear resistance. "Pushing yourself higher is good, young Bakugo. That drive will take you far. But it''s also important to acknowledge how much you''ve accomplished¡ªeven if it isn''t first place." "Tsk." Another tongue click was all that came. Accepting the response, All Might moved on to the final podium. Suzaku. ... A long silence filled the air as All Might stopped in front of the first-place winner. "..." "..." Suzaku remained sprawled on the podium, looking up at All Might with lazy indifference. "... Erm, young Suzaku?" "Alright, alright..." Suzaku rolled his eyes and finally stood up, his posture casual as ever. With him now standing, All Might patted his shoulder and spoke. "I saw what you did, young Suzaku. You helped those you fought against. Despite what the public might think, I know you didn''t just beat them down¡ªyou helped them grow. That''s the heart of a true hero." "...I did that?" All Might hesitated for a second before clearing his throat. "...Y-yes." Without lingering on Suzaku''s response, All Might pulled him into a hug. "Just... maybe tone down the confidence a little. It might rub people the wrong way." "Sure, sure." Suzaku waved him off. Satisfied, All Might turned to walk back toward Midnight in order to end the award ceremony. But before he could, Suzaku tapped his shoulder. "...?" When All Might looked back, he saw Suzaku pointing at the small earpiece connected to the stadium speakers. "Can I say a few words?" All Might raised an eyebrow. However, figuring this was Suzaku''s way of making amends for his earlier taunt during the player''s pledge after his advice of being more considerate, All Might felt a tang of pride in the boy. So, wanting to see the growth in him, All Might nodded with a smile and brought the earpiece closer to Suzaku''s mouth, letting him begin his speech. ["Ahem... GG ez, y''all didn''t even stand a chance. Bunch of walking Ls, straight bots for real¡ªyou got outplayed, outclassed, outsmarted, folded, and straight-up clapped. There was literally zero challenge for me at this festival. No sweat at all, just lightwork. Next time, remember I''m way out of your league. Anyway, stay mad, stay losing, get gud scrubs, and maybe show up ready to play instead of ready to lose¡ª"] ["H-HAHAHA, WHAT A FUNNY JOKE, YOUNG SUZAKU!!!"] All Might''s voice boomed through the mic as he yanked the earpiece away at lightning speed. But the damage was already done. The entire stadium was dead silent, staring at Suzaku in utter disbelief. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Later, class 1-B...| ... Now changed into their normal uniforms, the entire class remained in their seats, attentively listening to Vlad King conclude the school day. "Good job, everyone. Although not all of you made it to the finals, I''m sure plenty of heroes will be interested in offering you internship spots after this festival," Vlad King said with a smile, setting down a stack of papers. "But you don''t need to worry about that for now. Tomorrow and the day after, there won''t be any school. We''ll address the internship matter when you get back. Until then, make sure to rest well and look forward to it." "Yes, sir!" the class responded in unison. Satisfied with their response, Vlad King nodded before clapping loudly. "Good. You''re all dismissed." With that, the students began leaving, exhaustion evident in their slouched backs, worn expressions, or relieved sighs that the festival was finally over. Suzaku was the last to leave, taking his sweet time packing up and occasionally checking something on his phone. "Suzuki." "...?" Just as he was about to exit, Vlad King called out to him. Suzaku turned, wondering what he wanted, only to see his teacher giving him a thumbs-up and a wide grin. "Good job out there!" Suzaku smirked and returned the gesture before adjusting his backpack and heading out. "You sure took a while." "Let''s go!" As he stepped into the hallway, Itsuka and Tetsutetsu approached him, deciding to walk together. Along the way, Tetsutetsu let out a troubled sigh, scratching the back of his head. "I hope I''ll get some internship offers. I barely got a chance to shine in the first and second events." Itsuka glanced at him wryly. "At least your Quirk is flashy. In my case, I don''t even know if I''ll get any offers. My Quirk isn''t exactly the most attractive." She then turned to Suzaku, speaking with a teasing tone. "Mr. First Place here, on the other hand, will probably get a bunch." Suzaku snorted with a small smile but kept his gaze ahead. "I wouldn''t be so sure." He pointed at his glasses. "These aren''t exactly hero material¡ªexcept for the cool factor, of course." Tetsutetsu nudged him with his elbow. "You still got first place, though. That''s gotta count for something, right?" "Maybe. Maybe not." Suzaku shrugged. "Who knows how Pro Heroes decide who to offer internships to?" Itsuka tilted her head. "By the way, is there any hero or agency you guys would like to get an offer from?" Tetsutetsu grinned, flexing his arm. "Of course! Any tough, manly hero works for me! Crimson Riot, Yoroi Musha, Gunhead, Crust¡ªI''d be honored if any of them gave me a shot!" "I know, like... none of those guys," Suzaku said with a grin. Tetsutetsu''s eyes widened as his voice grew louder. "What?! How can you not know them?! That''s impossible!" "I just don''t." "But they are¡ªlike¡ªthe manliest heroes in history! It''s physically impossible not to know¡ª!" Tetsutetsu looked like he was about to punch Suzaku, but Itsuka intervened, patting him on the shoulder to calm him down. As Tetsutetsu settled, Suzaku gave Itsuka a side glance. "What about you?" "Me?" Itsuka paused, looking up in thought before answering. "I don''t know. Ryukyu would be great, but honestly, I''d be happy if any high-ranked hero offered me an internship." Suzaku recalled the practical exam, remembering how he and Itsuka had saved a bunch of injured students, and how she had used her Quirk to carry many at once. "Well, your Quirk is pretty useful for rescue operations, and it packs enough of a punch. I''m sure some heroes will be interested." As Suzaku said that, he noticed both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu staring at him intently, evidently wanting him to answer the question too, causing him to sigh and turn lazily to the sky. "In my case... dunno. If possible, one that works solo." "Why solo?" Tetsutetsu asked as he tired his head confused. Suzaku shrugged. "... Well, working at an agency seems like a pain. Whether you''re working for one or running one, so if I get an offer from a solo hero, that''d be perfect practice for working like that in the future." "Any hero in mind?" Itsuka asked from the side. "Hmm..." Suzaku closed his eyes, rubbing his chin in deep thought. An air of seriousness surrounded him as he seemed to carefully consider his answer. "..." "..." Both Itsuka and Tetsutetsu stared at him curiously, wondering what was making him take so long. Then, after a few more seconds, he finally spoke. "No idea. Besides All Might, Endeavor, and our teachers, I don''t know any other heroes." Tetsutetsu and Itsuka nearly tripped at his answer. "Right... I forgot you were completely unpassionate about hero stuff," Itsuka muttered with a wry smile. Tetsutetsu let out a small laugh. "Come on, man... don''t you know at least one besides those?" "Nope." "Damn." Tetsutetsu stared blankly at Suzaku. Itsuka gave him a puzzled look. "How did you even decide to become a hero if you barely care about them?" Suzaku stared stoically into the sunset, dramatically swiping his hair back. "Justice simply called upon my name, so I answered." "Uh-huh," Itsuka deadpanned. The three continued their conversation as they walked through the city, their topics shifting from the sports festival to schoolwork and then to the latest hero gossip¡ªwhich, in this era, often outshined celebrity drama. Eventually, they reached Suzaku''s destination, a subway station different from theirs. As such, the moment of separation came. "Guess this is where we part ways, my friends," Suzaku said, adjusting his backpack. Itsuka gave a small wave. "Yeah, see you on Thursday." "See you Suzaku!!" Tetsutetsu, ever energetic, couldn''t control his volume and ended up shouting. Suzaku smirked but said nothing as he descended the stairs, blending into the sea of commuters below. Several stops later, Suzaku emerged from the subway and was immediately met with the overwhelming sight of a massive shopping district. A colossal mall stretched before him, its glass walls reflecting the late afternoon sun, while crowds of people flooded in and out of its many entrances. "The Sports Festival must have caused sales to explode today... Damn Japan and their passion for heroes." Suzaku scratched the back of his head, before shaking it in resignation and diving right into the crowd. As he traversed the mass of people, the smell of freshly baked pastries and sizzling street food tempted the senses, but Suzaku paid them no mind. Normally, he might have stopped for a quick bite, but today, his focus was elsewhere. His gaze flickered between the many stores around and the glowing screen of his phone. "There it is." After a bit more of pushing his way through the people, Suzaku finally arrived at his destination. A clothing store stood ahead, its display window showcasing mannequins dressed in formal wear¡ªsuits, coats, and high-quality dress shoes arranged neatly. It wasn''t an upscale, luxury boutique, but it was far from a budget second-hand shop either. ''Seems good enough.'' -Cling- Pushing open the glass door, a soft chime rang overhead as he stepped inside. Suzaku scanned the store before he spotted an employee¡ªa young woman in a navy uniform, adjusting a row of ties near the checkout counter. Without hesitation, he approached. "Excuse me, where can I buy a black suit?" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: I''m sleepy right now, so no afterwords. Hasta la vista.) -> Chapter 67: Last Gift Chapter 67 - Last Gift ... Suzaku sat next to his parents, surrounded by many others. Some were familiar faces¡ªheroes, detectives, high-ranking police officers, while others were unknown, people you could see anywhere. All of them, however, were focused on a single place¡ªa podium, where the framed photo of a familiar face was displayed among white flowers. In front of the photo, a man with the head of a dog stood before the microphone, addressing the gathered crowd. He was Kenji Tsuragamae, chief of the police force. "Tatsuo-san... he was a great man. Although he never cared much for the fame or recognition that came with his deeds, the impact he left on the world we live in today is undeniable." He stepped aside, revealing the picture of a younger Tatsuo. Unlike the older man Suzaku had known, this version had blond hair, fewer wrinkles, and a much fiercer look¡ªbefitting his more active years as a vigilante. The difference was striking, yet he was still unmistakably Tatsuo. "He was..." The dog-headed man chuckled. "Hah, he was a fierce man in every sense. Competitive, reckless, sharp-tongued, and maybe just a little too violent-woof." His laughter carried through the speakers before his tone softened. "But he was also my friend, an old pal whom I fought side by side during more dark times. And I know that, to each of you, he was also something else¡ªan old partner, a rival, maybe even a lover... or perhaps someone you owe a lot to." For a brief moment, his gaze landed on Suzaku. "Or maybe... a mentor." His voice grew solemn again. "No matter what he was to you, I doubt anyone here can sum him up in just a few words. Tatsuo wasn''t just a name or a memory¡ªhe was a part of our lives-woof. And even though he''s gone now, the way he shaped us, the way he changed our lives, and the lessons he left behind will always remain. So, in a way... he''s still with us." He straightened the tie on his collar, and while looking at everyone with a serious gaze, he leaned forward on the podium. "While I know that this is a sad event, I hope most of you will know not to be sad because it''s over, and instead be happy because you met him in the first place... That''s all¡ªwoof." With a deep bow, Kenji stepped away from the microphone and descended from the podium, going back to his seat amidst the group. A quiet moment passed before the next person stood up¡ªSuzaku. A dozen eyes followed him as he made his way forward. He stopped at the microphone, taking a deep breath. His mouth opened slightly, but then he hesitated. For a brief second, he wasn''t sure what to say. He didn''t have anything written, and he wasn''t exactly a master of speeches. But then, his eyes landed on the image of the younger Tatsuo, and as if it was some sort of motivator, Suzaku shook his head for a moment, before opening his mouth. No longer hesitating. "I don''t have much to say," he admitted. "The old man and I... well, we weren''t exactly affectionate with each other. In fact, I don''t think we ever had a conversation that didn''t involve insults or a fight." A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he scratched the back of his head. "He used to beat the crap out of me when I was a kid. And it wasn''t until I started catching up with him that the fights actually started becoming two-sided..." His smirk faded into something more thoughtful. "But despite all that... I don''t think we ever had a bad relationship." For a moment, Suzaku looked down at his hands, tracing the callouses on his palms and knuckles. Then, he turned to glance at his parents, who watched him with quiet smiles. Just yesterday, he had won the Sports Festival¡ªan event people claimed was as prestigious as the Olympics had been in its time. His body, his skill, his fighting ability¡ªthey had reached levels he never imagined possible. And if things kept going the way they were... one day, he''d probably become a Hero. That was crazy to think about. But he knew the truth. Reincarnating hadn''t come without consequences. When he was still a kid, he was resentful and frustrated about dying and having to start over from scratch. Thus, choosing the Hero Course hadn''t been some grand ambition¡ªit had just seemed like the easiest way to make good money for his uncaring and frustrated past self. And yet, so far the path had been anything but easy. He had worked harder than he ever thought possible. And the only reason he had been able to do that... was because of Tatsuo. If he hadn''t met that old man the day he blew a guy''s balls off, maybe he wouldn''t be here today. Maybe he would''ve given up halfway in all this of being a hero. Maybe he would''ve ended up at some other school, in some other life, on a completely different path. Tatsuo had changed him, through the years of training, he had grown into a different version of himself. Even if he was still slightly frustrated, and was not that passionate about hero stuff, that didn''t change the fact that this path wasn''t one he could have taken without the old man to shape him into a proper fighter, and maybe even a better version of himself. "I''ve gotten quite a few injuries from him... some pretty serious ones." Suzaku let out a short breath. "But in a way, every single one of them helped me grow. Without those fights, without those beatings¡ªwithout Tatsuo¡ªI don''t think I would''ve made it this far." His gaze drifted to the framed photo once more. "I owe him the person I am now. And like someone said earlier... even if he''s gone, the impact he left on me, the lessons he taught me, and the memories I have of him... those will stay with me forever." With that, Suzaku gave a faint bow before stepping down from the podium. After him, more people came forward. Several heroes spoke about how Tatsuo had taught them a thing or two. Civilians who had once been saved by him shared their gratitude. Members of the police recounted their experiences working alongside him. Even a few people stepped up claiming to have been his lovers or friends at some point. For someone who always seemed like a loner, Tatsuo had never really been alone, had he? Suzaku smiled a little bit at the realization. The speeches continued for a while after that, until, eventually, it was time for the burial. The coffin was slowly lowered into the grave. As a final farewell, everyone took a handful of soil and tossed it over the casket. Suzaku watched silently, his expression unreadable. Even after two days to process everything, the whole thing still felt... surreal. He had seen death before. In his past life. In this life¡ªa lot in this life. He was not unfamiliar with it. He had even died himself. And ever since reincarnating, he had caused the deaths of hundreds. But this... This felt different. Maybe because it was the first time since his own death that he had to watch someone close to him die. His eyes stayed glued to the coffin as a thought drifted through his mind. ''What really lies beyond this?'' Suzaku had been reincarnated because of that Impostor God. But what about Tatsuo? His own reincarnation had felt like a one-time thing, so he really doubted the old man¡ªor anyone else for that matter¡ªwould be getting reincarnated like him. So what really lay after death? Where was Tatsuo now? Where were the people he had killed? And when his time to die came again... what would await him? Would the Impostor God reincarnate him yet again? Or would that be the end? Would there be a hell waiting for him? or would there be a heaven waiting for him? "Hmph." Suzaku snorted. Yeah, the last one didn''t seem likely. Not with all the people he had killed so far. Villains or not. His eyes drifted over the group surrounding the grave, narrowing slightly as a question crossed his mind. ''Did the villains or any of the others I killed have a funeral?'' They had been working for a bad guy, so maybe not. But some of them must''ve had someone who mourned for them, right? Family, friends, maybe even lovers? Just like the people here were mourning Tatsuo. ''What about mine?'' Would he get the funeral of a big-shot hero, like he hoped to achieve? Or would all the lives he''d taken away come to light, and he''d go down as a criminal or maybe even a villain? His abilities did fit that label, after all. Even now, the title of Hero he was hoping to obtain in the future contrasted a bit too much with the way he''d been leading his life. And not even the future he could imagine for himself seemed to fit with that of becoming a hero, not with those abilities of his leading his life. So, what would await him? Would people mourn him? Or would they celebrate his death? {"Whatever it is you desire to become, whatever is it you desire to achieve... You better do it with the intention of achieving the top."} Tatsuo''s words echoed in his mind. Right. His master never gave a damn about things like justice or morality. Whatever fate had in store for him, Tatsuo had only asked for one thing¡ª To be the best at it. And Suzaku felt the same way. Whatever path his destiny took him down, however his funeral would play out in the end¡ªif he even got one¡ªit didn''t matter. He just had to try his best. With that thought, Suzaku closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. Then, he opened them again, watching as the last bits of dirt were thrown over the coffin. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... After the funeral ended, Suzaku spoke with his parents for a bit. There wasn''t much to talk about¡ªjust the usual questions about how he was doing now that he had his own apartment, how school was going, and a few comments about the funeral. Suzaku kept his answers short and to the point, sharing only a few details and assuring them he was fine. It was clear his mind was still elsewhere, still processing everything. His parents might have wanted to talk about the Sports Festival, but they seemed to realize this wasn''t the right time. So, after a bit more conversation, they bid him farewell, assuring him they''d talk again later. For now, they had to get back to work¡ªthey had squeezed some time out of their schedules to attend the funeral. And with that, Suzaku was left alone. Sitting on a park bench nearby, he let his thoughts drift. Hoping the calmness of the place would let his mind process properly all that had gone down in such a short time. But before he could get too lost in his thoughts, a figure approached, snapping him out of his daze. It was the dog-headed policeman that had given a speech earlier. "I hope I''m not bothering you, lad," the man said, taking a seat beside him. Suzaku didn''t respond immediately, simply giving him an inquisitive look, waiting to see what he wanted. "I saw your performance at the Sports Festival," Kenji started. "I have to say, I''m impressed. It''s no wonder Tatsuo-san called you his disciple." "Technically, I graduated in our last meeting. I''m a master now." "Haha, is that so?" The dog-man laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Well, you certainly deserve it¡ªwoof." Suzaku gave him a strange look at that last part but ultimately shrugged it off. Some people had odd verbal tics due to their Quirks, so it wasn''t anything out of the ordinary. As Suzaku''s mind began to wander away from the conversation, Kenji pulled out a stack of folded papers from his pocket and handed them to him. "Take this." Suzaku took them without a word and unfolded them. "What''s this?" "They''re reports on a group of villains we''ve been tracking. They were found dead a day or so ago. We believe they were connected to the people who arranged your kidnapping." Suzaku raised an eyebrow as he skimmed through the images¡ªall of them were of the villains he had killed at the festival. "By arranged my kidnapping, you mean that psycho doctor?" "Daruma Ujiko¡ªor by his real name, Kyudai Garaki, yeah. Him and others we have yet to identify." Kenji let out a tired sigh. "A few days ago, we got a lead that they were planning something. So, together with Tatsuo-san, we raided their base. Caught a lot of villains, but not the ones at the top." "The old man?" Suzaku''s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn''t known Tatsuo had been part of that raid¡ªthe same one where 50 villains had been captured. Then, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened for a second before a faint frown formed on his face. "Tell me... How did the old man die?" Kenji looked at Suzaku silently for a moment. The longer the silence stretched, the more Suzaku felt a strange unease growing inside him. But then, the policeman suddenly laughed, breaking the tension. "Don''t worry, young man. Tatsuo-san didn''t die in battle, nor did he suffer any grave injuries there." "Then...?" Kenji hummed. "Have you heard of the medical term Terminal Lucidity?" Suzaku nodded. It was when a dying person experienced a sudden burst of energy and clarity before their final moments. He had read that it was the body''s last desperate attempt to recover, burning up every last resource it had. Then, his eyes widened again¡ªthis time in realization. Kenji smiled faintly and continued. "He had been bedridden for the past week. His health worsened with each passing day. Then, on the day he experienced Terminal Lucidity , we all advised him to spend it enjoying himself¡ªto make the most of the time he had left." The dog-headed officer shook his head with a wry smile. "But he refused. He wanted to use the last of his strength fighting. So, we went ahead with a raid we had been planning for weeks." Kenji looked up at the sky with a small, nostalgic smile. "He fought like never before. It reminded me of how he used to fight when he was younger¡ªreckless, completely unconcerned about his own body, and merciless on the villains. By the time the raid ended, not a single villain had managed to land a hit on him. Not one." With that, Kenji stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets. "He passed away the next day, in his sleep. Not at the hands of anyone." Suzaku remained silent, momentarily speechless at the revelation. Then, for the first time that day¡ªhe laughed. A genuine, unrestrained laugh. A smile stretched across his face, one filled with relief and amusement. "Is that so? Hahaha... I guess that''s a fitting way to go." To think that Tatsuo had gone out like that... In a way, there was no more appropriate end for him than to do what he had always done¡ªfight. As Suzaku chuckled to himself, Kenji simply watched with a smile of his own, finding the reaction amusing. It wasn''t until Suzaku''s laughter faded that Kenji finally spoke again. "Anyway, that''s pretty much why I came to talk to you, kid. The people who targeted you are still out there. If you notice anything unusual or get the feeling they''re after you again, don''t hesitate to call me. We''ll move immediately." He handed Suzaku a small card with his number and other contact details. Suzaku nodded, eyeing the card with a curious look. But just as Kenji turned to leave, he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something. "Oh, that''s right. When you return to Musutafu, expect a lawyer to contact you." "Huh?" Suzaku frowned. "What for?" Had his words after winning the festival gotten him into legal trouble? He had just said them because he thought it''d be fun. Kenji chuckled. "Don''t worry. It''s because of a gift Tatsuo left for you before he passed. He told me it was meant to be your final test as his disciple. I don''t know what it is, but knowing him, it''s probably one last way to make things difficult for you." Suzaku let out a wry smile. Tatsuo had always believed that hardship made people stronger, so this didn''t come as a surprise. "Alright... Thanks for the heads-up" "Don''t mention it, kid... Well then, I''ll be going now. I hope the next time we meet, you''ll be a full-fledged hero." Suzaku shrugged, slipping the card into his pocket. "I''ll do what I can." With that, Kenji nodded and walked away, leaving Suzaku alone to his thoughts. "What the hell did that old man leave me?" He could only sigh, dreading whatever Tatsuo had left him. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |A day later, back at Suzaku''s apartment| ... A sharply dressed man in a suit stood before Suzaku, holding a briefcase outside of his apartment with a poker face so expressionless that many gambling addicts would kill for it, giving no sign of whether his presence there was a good or bad thing. Fortunately, his next words did help make that clear for Suzaku. "I am here to formally inform you that the late Sawaya Tatsuo has bequeathed to you the entirety of his estate, which includes all financial assets, real estate holdings, and material possessions." ... Suzaku blinked in confusion. "...Come again?" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Sorry for the wait, more information about why I took so long in the next Chapter. Officially, the arc of the Festival is completely finished. Now, comes the arc of actually working as a hero, choosing a hero name, and getting some further character development for Suzaku¡ªaka the Hero Killer arc. To be honest, when I began writing this fanfiction¡ªwhich was long ago¡ªI only planned on humiliating Stain and letting Suzaku show off, but I think his character and values will work just fine for the path that Suzaku will take from here on. I also plan to maybe start making Suzaku explore his limits and expand his abilities, as I know reading MCs grow stronger is always something fun to read, and Suzaku has been stale for quite enough time now. Anyway, that''s all, see you in the next Chapter.) -> Chapter 68: Just Another Day in the Life of the Sussy Baka Chapter 68 - Just Another Day in the Life of the Sussy Baka Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: /TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... The day U.A. resumed its activities, Suzaku could be seen in his school uniform, walking to school with his bag slung over his shoulder. His expression was totally impassive¡ªnot a single hint of turmoil showing on his face. But even though he looked like that, the truth couldn''t be any different from that. ''Holy shit, I''m a millionaire now...'' Right now, he was utterly baffled, confused, startled, dumbfounded, and brain-fried. And he''d been like that since yesterday, ever since a suited-up guy showed up at his apartment and gave him the news about everything Tatsuo had left him after his passing. He always figured that if something like this ever happened, he''d be jumping in the air with happiness¡ªmaybe even running around the streets naked just to emphasize the point. But right now? His brain simply wasn''t braining. The only thing running through his mind were the same words he''d thought of just now: ''Holy shit, I''m a millionaire now...'' It was like he couldn''t think of anything else. "Hey, isn''t that the kid who won the Sports Festival?" "Yeah... Should we ask for an autograph? If he hits it big as a hero, it''ll be priceless." "You crazy? Did you see how he beat up his classmates? There''s no way I''m getting close to him. What if we annoy him? We''ll get beat up too!" "True that. Guess we''ll just leave him alone." Not even the constant chatter around him as he walked through the streets¡ªpeople pointing at him and talking about the Sports Festival¡ªcould divert his thoughts. On any other day, he might''ve smirked at that, but most certainly not today. Not even his hatred for waking up early managed to sway him. That annoyance had been completely overlapped by the shock the moment his eyes snapped open, his expression remaining blank throughout all morning. He just couldn''t wrap his head around it. All he had worked for, his main objective since arriving in this world¡ªthe only reason he''d even taken this path¡ªall of it was suddenly accomplished, out of the blue, and without even a warning. Tatsuo had left him enough money to live a life of leisure and luxury, only falling a bit short if he made it to, like, 100 years old or something. He''d expected to achieve that goal years from now, after a long grind of being a really REALLY popular hero. But for it to just happen one day out of nowhere? Yeah, his brain was not equipped to process that. Not even normal thoughts like what to buy now that he was a rich kid, or how to use that money crossed his mind. He was just trying to assimilate what had happened yesterday. And so, with that same lost state of mind, he made his way to school, passing by countless people starting their day¡ªjust like him. Sometimes he received glares for being the trending winner of the Sports Festival; other times, people didn''t even acknowledge him, too focused on their own lives. After what felt like hours of walking for his troubled head, he finally reached the school grounds, heading straight for his classroom. -Shaaa- The moment he slid the door open, all eyes landed on him. Though, even then, Suzaku''s mind remained elsewhere. "..." He ignored the glances from his classmates, walked straight to his seat, plopped down, and leaned back, staring at the ceiling once he got comfortable. ''Holy shit, I''m a millionaire now...'' Needless to say, his body was running on autopilot. Which was the only reason he had made it to school. As Suzaku remained trapped in his trance, Tetsutetsu approached, raising a hand in greeting. "Oh, Suzaku!" "..." Suzaku''s eyes slowly shifted toward him. After a brief silence, he opened his mouth. "Who are you?" Tetsutetsu''s face twisted in mild annoyance. "...What are you talking about, man?" But when Suzaku''s blank expression didn''t change, a hint of worry crept in, making him take a step forward and shake Suzaku back and forth, his expression pale with shock. "It''s me, Tetsutetsu!" Suzaku''s eyes drooped shut. "No, you''re not." Tetsutetsu''s frantic shake stopped, and his mouth twitched. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" "Hell if I know," Suzaku muttered, opening his eyes again to stare bleakly at Tetsutetsu. His gaze was distant as he mumbled, "I don''t know anything anymore... This world doesn''t make sense... Everything is upside down." As Suzaku rambled on with his nonsensical blabbering, Itsuka walked into the classroom, setting her things down before noticing the redhead''s bizarre state and Tetsutetsu''s worried face. "What''s with him?" she asked, sitting on her seat as she stared at Suzaku like he was some kind of broken vending machine. "I don''t know. He''s been like this since he got here," Tetsutetsu replied with a wry tone, crossing his arms in frustration. Suzaku, oblivious to their concern, continued, "What is the world but the scenery in which we live? And what am I without the scenery? Am I real? What even is the definition of real?" Itsuka sweatdropped. What was he even talking about? Leaning forward, she snapped her fingers right in front of Suzaku''s face. His eyes darted to her. "..." "..." For a moment, both locked eyes... "...Real should be what I consider real... But if I don''t consider myself real... am I? What about lies? They''re not real... are they?" ... Only for Suzaku to resume his blabbering the next instant. Itsuka sighed, her sweatdrop practically permanent at this point. "What in the world got into him?" Tetsutetsu shrugged, equally at a loss. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã | An hour or so later... | ... After a weird class where even Vlad King looked as confused as everyone else about Suzaku''s state, and even prompted him to go to get a check out from Recovery Girl¡ªadvice that entered one of Suzaku''s ears, and left by the other¡ªthe redhead walked out of the room, driven by nothing more than muscle memory as he headed to find something to eat. His mind? Still fried. "Amongus... Impostor... Emergency call... Sus..." No, it was getting worse. Fortunately for him, though, salvation was just around the corner. -Thud- Suddenly, someone bumped shoulders with Suzaku, snapping him out of his ramblings, and making him turn to see who the "aggressor" was. "Watch where you''re going, damn red-headed bastard!" ...Bakugo. The instant Suzaku heard Bakugo''s complaint, a brief flare of anger surged within him. "What did you¡ª" But that anger was snuffed out just as quickly by a sudden, overpowering thought. One that, at last, erased the confusion from his mind. "¡ªwait a second... I''m a millionaire! HAHAHA!" With a booming laugh, Suzaku spun around, turning his back on Bakugo and walking away with a grin stretching from ear to ear. Bakugo stood frozen, blinking in sheer disbelief. "...The hell''s wrong with that guy?" ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |After lunch| ... Once recess ended, the students of 1-B returned to their classroom for their last class of the day, and probably, the most important one. As there, they''d finally talk about the matter of the internships, and something else... However, upon entering, they were all met with an unexpected sight. With his feet kicked up on his desk, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face, and an aura of smugness so thick it was practically visible, Suzaku could be seen sitting back, lazily staring at the front board like a king surveying his kingdom. The moment he spotted his classmates, he turned to greet them. "Salutations, peasants." Itsuka deadpanned. "Yep. He''s already lost it." Tetsutetsu shook his head solemnly. "Suzaku is gone..." The entire class stared at him with flat expressions before collectively deciding it wasn''t worth the effort. With a synchronized lack of interest, they simply ignored him and went back to their seats. As Itsuka sat down, she glanced at Suzaku. "Vlad-sensei''s about to get here. You should put your feet down." Suzaku scoffed. "And why should I? Someone of my status couldn''t care less about some¡ª" ¡ªClick. "Listen to her, Suzuki." A voice came from the door of the class as it opened. "Yessir." The moment he heard it, Suzaku snapped into a proper sitting position so fast it was almost instinctual. However, after a second of processing what he had done, he softly hit the table with his fist and cursed under his breath. "...Dang." As Suzaku silently lamented the lingering commoner instincts messing with his behavior, Vlad King decided to ignore him entirely and got straight to the lesson. "Alright, everyone. As I mentioned during the Festival, today''s Special Hero Informatics class will focus on the upcoming internships you''ll be taking on soon. More importantly..." He let the words hang for a moment. "We''ll be reviewing who received offers¡ªand who didn''t." A collective gulp echoed through the classroom. Nervous energy spread like wildfire as students braced themselves for the results. Letting them stew for a moment, Vlad King continued. "Normally, internships like these are reserved for second and third-year students, once they''ve gained enough experience to actually assist Pro Heroes in meaningful ways. But since offers have been extended to you all as well, that should tell you something about the expectations being placed on your future potential." His eyes swept over the room, his tone serious as he made sure they understood the weight of the situation. Once the tension in the room had settled in just enough, he smirked. "And just so you know, these offers aren''t set in stone. If the Pros lose interest in you before graduation, they can and will revoke them." "So we''ll have to prove we''re worth it while working with them..." Itsuka muttered under her breath, brows furrowing in thought. Vlad King nodded. "Exactly. And for those of you who didn''t receive any offers, don''t get discouraged. You still have two more years to make a name for yourselves. Don''t get impatient." With that, he grabbed a remote from his desk and aimed it at the board. "Now, let''s see the numbers for those lucky enough to receive offers." -click- Right away, the board lit up like a screen, and soon, all eyes were glued to the displayed rankings¡ªsave for one student in the back, who remained in his own world. ¡¤ ¡¤ ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ¡¤¡¤ ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ¡¤ ¡¤ [Class B No. of Offers] Suzaku Suzuki: 505 Ibara Shiozaki: 283 Juzo Honenuki: 211 Itsuka Kendo: 128 Kojiro Bondo: 74 Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu: 68 Manga Fukidashi: 34 ¡¤ ¡¤ ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ¡¤¡¤ ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ¡¤ ¡¤ "Damn," Sen was the first to mutter from his seat, disappointed he hadn''t gotten any. And much like him, many disappointed sighs filled the room as reality settled in for those who didn''t receive offers. Of course, not everyone took the news the same way. "Let''s fricking go!" Tetsutetsu shot up from his seat, flexing his bicep and pumping his fist in celebration. "Tetsutetsu, sit down." "¡ªAh, sorry, sensei." With Vlad''s stern reminder, he awkwardly lowered himself back into his seat. But that didn''t stop him from grinning like an idiot, now pumping his fist under the desk in silent victory. Others, like Manga, simply tapped happily on their desks, dancing to the happy tunes playing inside their heads. Some let out relieved sighs, glad they weren''t at the bottom, while others side-eyed their more successful classmates with faint envy. Most of those jealous stares naturally landed on Suzaku. Not that he noticed. Rather than worrying about where he''d be interning after this, Suzaku looked like his only concern was what he''d eat once class ended. Once the students had enough time to process their results, Vlad King resumed his talk. "Like I said before, those without offers will still be able to choose from the agencies affiliated with U.A., so don''t stress over it." His gaze swept across the class, ensuring the message sank in before his lips curled into a slight smirk. "Now that we''re done with that, it''s time for the next part of the lesson." A heavy sense of dread filled the room. The serious tone of the class made it obvious that whatever came next wouldn''t be easy. Then¡ª Smack! Vlad King''s palm struck his desk as he made his announcement. "Code Names!" In an instant, the gloomy atmosphere shattered, replaced by pure excitement. "For real?!" "We finally get our hero names?!" "Oh, that makes sense, since we''re about to start internships we gotta get our Hero names!" -Snore...- Vlad King''s eye twitched. "Suzuki, wake up." Suzaku jolted upright. "Huh? Ah, yessir¡ªAw dang it." Vlad King shook his head before addressing the class again. "Yes. Most heroes choose their names during their internships and stick with them all the way until they go pro. Of course, there are cases where that changes, but that''s usually due to the public''s reaction not being ideal. That''s something you''ll have to consider during your internships. So take this seriously and don''t joke around, otherwise¡ª" -Shaaaaa- The door slid open abruptly. "Otherwise, you''ll have hell to pay later!" With a dramatic entrance, the ever-scantily dressed Midnight strolled into the classroom. Some students looked at her with surprise. Others, though, had less innocent thoughts. She swayed her hips as she walked up to the podium. "Because a lot of hero names students pick end up sticking with them for their whole careers!" Vlad King crossed his arms. "I already explained that." "...Eh?" Midnight''s sultry pose froze mid-motion, and she turned to Vlad with an indignant expression. "Wait... but we practiced this!" Vlad rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Yeah... I kinda rambled and forgot you were waiting outside the whole time..." "Alright, alright, stop!" She cut him off before he embarrassed her further, then cleared her throat and turned back to the class. "Well, children, as I was saying, today you''ll be choosing your hero names. I''ll be overseeing them to make sure they''re appropriate and giving advice if needed." She crossed her arms, taking on a more serious tone. "These names will shape your image and reflect what kind of hero you want to become. So choose wisely." As Midnight spoke, Vlad walked down the aisles, handing out small whiteboards. "Take one and pass the rest back." He said to the people at the front, watching as they began distributing the boards. Once everyone had one, the class fell into total silence. All the students were too focused, determined to craft the perfect name¡ªone that would make them stand out as heroes. Well... almost all of them. ''A hero name, huh? Can''t say I''ve given it much thought until now, despite it being pretty important.'' Suzaku scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression, before letting out an annoyed groan. ''A millionaire like me shouldn''t have to stress over something like this. Let''s just not put too much thought into it... Tapping his pen on his lips a few times, Suzaku lazily brainstormed the first thing that came to mind. A few moments later, his lips curled into a smirk. He confidently scribbled down his answer, then leaned back to admire his masterpiece, barely holding back laughter. Some of his classmates glanced at him, but quickly dismissed it as typical Suzaku behavior before returning to their own work. After about ten minutes, Vlad King spoke up. "Alright, does everyone have their hero names?" The class nodded, and Midnight gestured toward the podium with an encouraging smile. "Great! Now, let''s hear them." A few groans were heard at the realization that they had to present their names in front of everyone. But it was an obvious outcome, so no one complained for long. The first to step up was Kamakiri, the mantis-like student with blade arms. He stood at the podium, lifted his board with a serious expression, and declared¡ª "Jack Mantis." Midnight gave him a thumbs-up. "Intimidating, and it fits your style!" The class applauded, fired up by the sense that they were really stepping into their hero roles. Encouraged by the energy in the room, more students stepped up. Setsuna went by "Lizardy." Shoda, the class rep, went with "Mines." Sen very creatively chose the name "Spiral." Not the most original, but it was better than "The Drill." or something like that. One by one, students presented their hero names, receiving nods of approval and cheers from their classmates. Then, it was Suzaku''s turn. Vlad King sighed. "Suzuki, your turn." Suzaku, who had been zoning out again, blinked before casually strolling up to the podium. For the first time since class started, his face was completely serious. Like he was about to reveal a secret that entailed the survivance of the whole human race. -Tap- The moment he reached the front, he placed his board down, facing the class. A faint rustling sound spread across the room as students leaned forward to read what was written, and when they did, they became speechless. Then, in a deep, solemn voice¡ªSuzaku spoke. "Sussy Baka." -Silence...- After enough time for everyone to process it had passed, Midnight blinked perplexedly and asked. "Sussy what?" "Sussy Baka." Suzaku repeated, his face not showing a single emotion while doing so, showing he was completely serious about it. Or at least, he seemed so. Midnight smiled wryly, evidently at a loss here. "Excuse me... could you please explain it? I''m not entirely sure what it means." Suzaku paused, his expression freezing for a moment. However, after a few seconds, he smiled confidently. "It''s because of my whole name. Suzaku Suzuki, I thought the Sus part would make good for a name, hence Sussy. As for the Baka... Uh... Because it''ll make kids laugh?" Midnight got all pensive, massaging his chin as she observed the words. After what felt like an eternity, she smiled, giving Suzaku a thumbs up. "Alright, I approve it! I look forward to your achievements in the future, Sussy Baka!" "Pfft." "Did you laugh?" "No, sorry, that was a sneeze. I''ll be going to my seat now." Trying to avoid having his face seen by either of the two teachers, Suzaku walked swiftly to his seat at the back. As he sat, though, Itsuka gave him a look. "What?" Suzaku asked, looking falsely innocent. She squinted her eyes. "You''re barely being able to hold that smirk from showing on your face, what does it really mean?" Suzaku shrugged. "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Itsuka grumbled discontently, but ultimately, gave up on uncovering the truth as soon, as it was her turn. She went up the podium and showed the board to everyone, where the name "Battle Fist" was written, gaining claps from everyone before she got down the podium. As she returned to her seat, Suzaku muttered something under her breath. "At least your hero name is more creative than your Quirk''s." "What did you say?" She shot Suzaku a look, but he quickly looked away, causing her to scoff in annoyance. "Like yours is any better, Mr. Glasses." Suzaku simply turned to look back at her and made his glasses go RBG mode, leaving Itsuka speechless. After her, the rest of the class continued showcasing the hero names they had come up with. Tetsutetsu chose the name Real Steel, to which Suzaku muttered something about it being a great movie. No one got the reference. Other names like Gevaudan, Phantom Thief, Long Weizi, Rule, Comicman, etc... also came up. By the last part of the class, everyone had already chosen their name, and with that done, Vlad King clapped his hands. "Alright, that''s settled. Now, about internships¡ª" He grabbed a massive stack of papers. "They''ll last about a week. If you got offers, you''ll have a list of agencies to pick from. If you didn''t, you''ll have to choose from one of forty agencies that accept interns from our school." He handed the stacks out, including one to Suzaku. Suzaku took one glance at his pile of papers and frowned. There were at least 500 pages there. And his frown only deepened when Vlad King added a few more words. "I expect you all to turn in your decision before the weekend." With that, the two teachers left, leaving the students to start looking through their choices or discussing enthusiastically with their classmates. Suzaku, on the other hand, was just staring at his stack with a dead look. "Yeah, screw this." Without a second thought, he flipped straight to the last pages, ignoring 99% of the other offers, and focusing only on the best heroes that had offered him chances to intern under them. Of course, what he was looking for was a Solo-working type hero, so if there was not one amongst those top heroes, he''d just begin looking at the other pages. But for now, he preferred to avoid all that work. Suddenly, his eyes gained a surprised glint. He had found it¡ªan offer from a solo hero. A Top 10 hero, even. However, when he saw the name of the hero, he tilted his head in confusion. "Mirko? What kinda name is that?" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Second Chapter?! Woah, you''re so generous Synonym! Yeah, yeah, I know my dead readers. I know. It''s not like I owed you one or anything... Cough. As to why I took two weeks to upload, well, poor ol'' Willie was on its death bed, screeching like every single second of his life was pure agony, so I had to get him some treatment (I''m talking about my laptop.) So after an entire week of letting the poor guy rest and get some maintenance, and lots of suffering for me, I finally have it back. Now, it''s back to sounding silent like it should, so that''s one worry less. It cost me a pretty penny, though. I''m never recovering from this monetary loss. Unless you want to support me and get to read some Chapters ahead -wink, wink- """patreon.com/TheSynonym""" Real subtle, eh?) -> Chapter 69: Not a Good Start Chapter 69 - Not a Good Start |Many days later| ... Class 1-B stood in the middle of the train station, gathered around Vlad King as he gave them a final talk before they left for their respective internships. "Alright, everyone remembered to bring their costumes, right?" "Yes!" The class replied enthusiastically as they lifted their briefcases, showing where their costumes were packed. Vlad King nodded, satisfied as he inspected everyone and made sure they had everything. "Good. Now, remember that from now on you''ll be going into a formal workplace, so be sure to mind your manners. This won''t be school anymore." His eyes landed on a certain student who certainly lacked manners and, even now, was minding his own business rather than paying attention. "I''m talking to you, Suzuki." Suzaku rolled his eyes. "Come on, teach, I''m the most mannered person you can find!" "Bad-mannered, not well-mannered." "There''s a yang for a yin, a yin for a yang." "That doesn''t make sense, Suzuki." "I tried, at least." Sighing, Vlad King shook his head. "Well, at least the one you''re interning under doesn''t care much about such things..." With that, Vlad King turned back to the class and clapped his hands. "Well, since we''re all set, I won''t keep you here any longer. You''re all dismissed!" "Yes, sensei!" The class spoke in unison, and soon, everyone started splitting up, heading toward different platforms. Suzaku, Itsuka, and Tetsutetsu stuck together for a while, at least until their trains arrived, since each of them was headed to a different location¡ªsome closer, others further away. Suzaku, in particular, seemed to be traveling the farthest. As they waited, sitting on some nearby seats, Tetsutetsu nudged Suzaku. "Hey, I heard you picked a solo hero! What''s up with that?" Suzaku shrugged. "Dunno, just thought it fit me best and wanted to experience it. So I picked the highest-ranked solo hero who sent me an offer and called it a day." Itsuka tilted her head. "Which one?" "No clue." The two deadpanned. Somehow, they weren''t even surprised. Thankfully, Suzaku at least had some vague memory. "I think her name was Quirko or something? Already forgot, honestly." "Oh, Mirko?" Itsuka''s eyes lit up. Tetsutetsu''s reaction was much stronger. His eyes went wide. "WHAT?! Mirko?! DUDE, SHE''S MANLY!" Suzaku looked at him weirdly. "...What?" Tetsutetsu pumped his fists. "I''ve seen her fight villains, man. She''s brutal! In a way, she''s like an underdog¡ªher Quirk is supposed to give her bunny powers, but even then she fights like an absolute beast! And to top it off, she made it to the Top 10 all on her own! If that isn''t manly, I don''t know what is." "Huh..." Suzaku blinked, a bit surprised by the description of this Mirko woman. "I figured she was a rescue hero or something. I mean... what do bunny powers even do? Super jumps?" "Super kicks, dude. Her kicks are scary!" Suzaku scratched the back of his head. "...Oh." In hindsight, bunny powers giving enhanced leg strength did make sense. He didn''t know why he had just narrowed it to jumps. For a martial artist, that kind of Quirk would be amazing. Of course, planet-busting superhuman strength would be even better, but that was a bit like hitting the lottery, so bunny powers looked pretty great too. ''Kinda makes me wish for some too. Stupid glasses, didn''t even come with X-rays or something.'' As Suzaku cursed his Quirk, Tetsutetsu pulled out his phone. "Here, I''ll show you a video¡ª" Suzaku held up a hand. "I''m not that curious. I''ll just see it when I meet her." "Huh? Well, if that''s what you want..." Tetsutetsu shrugged, but as he glanced back at his phone, his eyes widened. "Oh crap, my train''s already here! See you guys after all this internship stuff!" With that, he waved and rushed toward his train, leaving Suzaku and Itsuka alone to wait for theirs. As they continued waiting, Suzaku glanced at her. "So, where are you interning?" Itsuka sighed, smiling wryly. "Turns out Uwabami actually sent me an offer. So I''m going there." Suzaku stared blankly. "Who?" She pulled out her phone and showed him some videos and photos. A blonde chick with three snakes on top of her head. It wasn''t even a Medusa-type thing¡ªshe just had three snakes sitting up there, like some sort of crown. What did they even do? What''s more, Itsuka was only showing him commercials or interviews of her, nothing about how her Quirk worked. "Don''t you, uh... have a video of her doing hero work?" he asked, a bit confused. Itsuka let out another sigh. "There are, but they''re kinda hard to find. She is a rescue-type hero, but most of her appearances are collaborations with brands." Suzaku hummed. "So she''s more of a celebrity than a hero." Though, internally, he was rubbing his chin in thought. ''...Maybe I should''ve interned under her... Not that I know if she even sent me an offer.'' Itsuka groaned. "I just hope she actually brings me around to learn hero work and not just photoshoots or something. The more I looked into her, the worse I felt about this." Suzaku nudged her with his elbow. "C''mon, it can''t be that bad..." A deep silence followed his words, making Suzaku''s smile twitch. "...But if it is, I''ll just teach you whatever I learn when we get back." Itsuka smiled softly. "I''ll hold you to that." Right then, her phone buzzed. Her train had arrived. She stood up, eyeing the train with dread as she turned to Suzaku. "Well, good luck with your internship. Hopefully, you chose right." Suzaku nodded at her. "You too." With that, she waved at Suzaku before walking off, leaving him as the last one waiting. After a minute or so, his phone buzzed. For a moment, Suzaku thought his train had arrived too, but when he checked, he saw a message instead. {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Hey dude, I heard you''re on your way to your internship.} {You: Waiting for the train right now. Apparently, I''m going pretty far away.} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Which hero did you decide to intern for? I don''t remember any who were that far from Tokyo. Most of the top ones stay close.} {You: She was called Mirko or smth.} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: HOLY SHIT} Suzaku winced as Arata immediately started typing out a whole paragraph about why Mirko was so great¡ªbreaking down her fighting style, work habits, and coming up with an explanation about why she was so far away. Most of it went over Suzaku''s head, but what did stick was that Mirko moved around a lot between cities. So the reason he had to travel so far was simply because she happened to be far away right now. {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: I heard she might even climb into the Top 5 soon! How the heck did you land an internship with her?!} {You: wdym? I beat everyone at the festival. What else could I have done?} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Yeah, but she''s a solo hero, and one pretty focused on fighting alone too, so she''s never taken any interns before. You''re literally an unprecedented case.} {You: I''ve been unprecedented since I was born.} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Sure, sure.} A second later, Arata sent a sticker of a cartoonish All Might rolling his eyes. Suzaku sneered at Arata''s dismissal. Even though he said it to brag, he was indeed kind of an unprecedented case... Or at least he hadn''t heard of any desmemorizedn''t reincarnated individuals given power by a mysterious divine entity in the form of an amorph game character. At least until now, who knew what would happen in the future?... {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: By the way, I heard you guys got your hero names a few days ago.} {You: ye.} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair: Now that I think about it, you never told me if you had one in mind. So, what did you come up with?} {You: Sussy Baka.} {Nerdy kid of the weird hair : Sussy what?} {You: Baka.} Suzaku chuckled like an idiot as he stared at his phone. Arata continued spamming texts, demanding an explanation Suzaku wasn''t going to bother to give. However, just as he was considering coming up with another made-up origin for that name, a notification popped up on his screen¡ªhis train had arrived. "Well, let''s see what this Mirko woman is all about." With that, he slung the briefcase carrying his hero costume over his shoulder, and got on his way. Moments later, he boarded the train, leaning comfortably on his seat, and looking through the window as it began to move. Curious as to what would await him in this internship. "Hopefully, nothing too troublesome." And with those words leaving his mouth as he watched the train moving, leaving Tokyo behind, he departed to his new adventure¡ªwhich was most certainly going to be troublesome. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Many hours later...| ... "Damn, I hate long trips," Suzaku muttered as he stepped off the train with his hero costume slung over his shoulder, and the rest of his things on his backpack, stretching his stiff body after spending quite a few hours seated. While at it, he began eyeing the new place where he''d be doing his internship. ''It looks... Train-stationish.'' He was still in the station so there wasn''t much to see. However, after actually leaving the station and hitting the streets, he began taking in the city that would be his base of operations for the next week. "It looks... city-ish." After that clever observation, Suzaku sighed and pulled out his phone. "Well, let''s see where this Mirko''s agency is at. Sightseeing can come later, for now, I just want to unpack this stuff." -Swoosh- However, just as he was about to tap on Quirkgle Maps, a shadow blurred past, and the next second, his phone was gone. Suzaku blinked, a bit confused, before turning to look in the direction the shadow had gone, spotting a thief running away with his phone in hand. The guy had reptilian legs, like those of a Velociraptor¡ªif the movies he''d seen were accurate¡ªand with them, he was swiftly disappearing into the distance. He stayed like that for a few seconds, processing what had just happened. Then, he let out a sigh. "This certainly isn''t a good start." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later...| ... -Weee wooo weee wooo- A team of paramedics loaded a badly injured and bruised man into an ambulance. His reptilian legs were broken, his teeth were missing, and both eyes were puffy and purple. As the ambulance drove off, Suzaku stood nearby, surrounded by two police officers. "Tell us exactly what happened, kid." One of the officers asked, notebook in hand. "Well, I got here after a long trip and pulled out my phone to check where someone I''m supposed to meet was." "Uh-huh." "Then this guy swoops in and yoinks my phone. So, like a proper and distinguished citizen, I couldn''t just let that slide. I caught up to him pretty easily and began imparting some good manners on him." "You beat him up." "It''s a tough manner of learning." The officer writing sighed, scratching his head with a troubled expression. "Listen, kid, I hate to be this guy, but using your Quirk in public like that is against the law. Even if the guy was a thief, you should have waited for a hero and¡ª" "But I didn''t," Suzaku said plainly, crossing his arms. "Eh?" "I imparted my lesson with my good ol'' fists. No Quirks involved." "Kid." "Yes, respected officer?" "How old are you?" "Fifteen winters, dear officer." "You want me to believe that a fifteen-year-old beat a fully grown man so badly he''s probably gonna be in a coma for a few days¡ªand without using a Quirk?" "Indeed." "..." "..." "... Well, I don''t¡ª" "... Hold up, Tsubasa." The other policeman grabbed his shoulder. "What now, Tanaka?" He pointed at Suzaku, some excitement and nervousness sipping into his stoic police act. "I recognize him! He''s the U.A. Sports Festival winner!" "This kid?" The officer called Tsubasa turned to Suzaku in shock. The redhead shrugged in response. "Yeah! You said you couldn''t see it at that time, right? Well, this kid was the winner!" Officer Tsubasa frowned and turned back to his partner. "And what''s his Quirk?" "That... I don''t know." Officer Tanaka scratched the back of his head before turning to Suzaku with a questioning look. Only to see Suzaku''s glasses shifting like waves, and changing colors like they were RGB. ""Oh."" After that, Suzaku was made to board the patrol car so they could drive him to Mirko''s agency¡ªand discuss with her what he''d done while at it. She was, after all, the adult responsible for him during this internship period. As he drove, officer Tsubasa shot Suzaku a look through the mirror. "Listen, kid, even if you didn''t use a Quirk to beat up that thief, you should''ve waited for a hero to take care of it." "And risk losing my phone forever?" The officer sweatdropped. "Well, what if that thief had a dangerous Quirk? You could''ve gotten seriously injured." "Some random-ass thief? If he had a Quirk like that, he''d be doing something else instead of stealing my phone. Besides, haven''t you heard? I won the Sports Festival. I''m simply a cut above the rest. Some lame thief isn''t my opponent, dangerous Quirk or not." Tsubasa deadpanned and turned to his partner. "Quite the attitude the winner has." Tanaka laughed nervously. "He kinda acted the same in the festival..." Tsubasa sighed before looking back at Suzaku through the mirror. "What I''m trying to say, kid, is that you''re still a kid. You shouldn''t be handling things like this on your own. You can rely on us adults. Hah, maybe we can even find a peaceful solution without anyone getting hurt!" His partner suddenly patted his shoulder. "Hey, captain, Mirko-san''s current residency should be here." Suzaku perked up and turned to look out the window, ready to see what the so-called Bunny Hero Mirko''s base of operations looked like. "Huh?" Though, the only thing he saw outside was a bunch of thug-looking guys lying on the pavement while a slightly dark-skinned woman kicked them relentlessly. "Come on, that was barely a fight! Get up!" "Please stop! We surrender!" "Tsk, bunch of weaklings." After making sure none of them would be fighting back, Mirko finally relaxed and began paying attention to her surroundings¡ªonly to spot the patrol car approaching. For a moment she raised an eyebrow, not expecting the police to have gotten there so quickly. But when Suzaku and the officers stepped out, she got a gist of the situation, turning to look at Suzaku with a curious expression. Due to that, a small silence settled between both sides. Like they were waiting for the other to speak first. Until Suzaku did. "Find a peaceful solution, huh?" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Sussy Baka meets Mirko, what could go wrong with this pair working together? Surely this will only be a normal and instructive week for Sussy Baka to learn the ropes of being a solo-working hero and improve further.) -> Chapter 70: The Rabbit With Rabbies Chapter 70 - The Rabbit With Rabbies Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |An hour later, at BurgerQuirk...| ... -Munch, munch...- "You know, not to complain, but I kinda expected a Pro Hero to bring me somewhere more classy." Mirko lifted her head, giving Suzaku a confused look. "Why? You don''t like BurgerQuirk?" Suzaku scratched his cheek awkwardly. "It''s not that, but... you know. I always imagined Pro Heroes eating at fancy restaurants, having their own chef waiting for them after work, or following some super strict diet to stay swole and shiny for the cameras." Mirko waved him off. "That''s too much trouble. Good ol'' BurgerQuirk always does the job after beating someone up." "Well, we can agree on that." Suzaku nodded, taking a bite off his burger with a satisfied face. As he did, Mirko gave him and his burger a weird look. "You say that, kid, but you casually picked the most expensive one on the menu... Are you a rich kid or something?" Suzaku sighed melancholically, running a hand through his hair. "Sadly, no. I''m merely someone who has ascended above the common folk." "...Well, you sound like one, at least." Mirko raised an eyebrow upon seeing his attitude, but ultimately shrugged it off and kept eating. While Suzaku was in the process of taking another bite, he remembered what he was really here for, and went to the point. "So, I''m kinda new to this whole internship thing... What am I supposed to do for the next week?" "Beats me." Mirko shrugged, eyes still on her burger. The redhead''s mouth twitched in disbelief. "What?" "Honestly, I only offered you an internship because the HPSC wouldn''t stop pestering me about it. Figured if I had to pick someone this year or the next, might as well be the only kid with guts and skill I''ve seen in a while." She scratched the back of her head, looking vaguely annoyed. "But honestly? No clue what I''m supposed to do with you for the next week." Suzaku took another bite, almost finishing his burger. "Well, our teacher said something about getting experience and all that stuff. So maybe that." Mirko leaned back, grabbing her chin in thought. "Right... When I had to do my internships, they made me stay at the back and watch while they beat up villains... Though, most of the time, I didn''t stay back and joined the beating too." Suzaku sweatdropped at her words but chose not to say anything. In the end, Mirko just grinned and shrugged. "Well, I''ll figure out what to do with you once we get to work. For now, let me get my energy back up¡ª" With that, she began devouring her burger. Suzaku did the same, not minding his manners at all. But as he was about to take another bite, Mirko threw a question his way. "-Munch...- But honestly, I really didn''t think you''d pick me. You probably had, what, 5,000 offers?" "Only 500." Mirko looked at him confusedly. "Really? I thought first-rankers usually got offers in the thousands. How come you got the cold shoulder?" "Beats me." Suzaku shrugged, finally taking the last bite of his burger. "Maybe they just couldn''t handle my style." Mirko nodded faintly, looking displeased as she glanced to the side. "Well, there are definitely a lot of heroes out there who could use some guts." Then, she turned back to Suzaku, her curiosity still not sated. "Still, why the heck did you pick me out of all those other offers? I could certainly have been doing fine without having to be a babysitter." "Just ''cause you were the highest-ranked solo hero who sent me one," Suzaku replied nonchalantly as he sucked his fingertips, enjoying the leftover flavor of the burger on them. Mirko sneered, looking at Suzaku like he was some kind of amusing spectacle. "What''s with that? You want to go solo?" Suzaku shrugged. "Sounds like the least troublesome way to work as a hero. Plus, I prefer to depend and be responsible only for myself." "Huh, and here I thought you were gonna take the coward''s way like the others and join a team. Guess I underestimated you, kid." Suzaku crossed his arms and smiled. "People tend to not be able to see all my greatness right away, so don''t sweat it." "You''re kinda annoying, though." "Just one more person who can''t handle my¡ª" ... + + + |The next day...| ... After a day of showing Suzaku around¡ªexplaining things like the usual schedule for hero work and free time, where they''d be staying while in this city, and when they''d be moving to the next¡ªMirko finally took him out for patrol the next morning, giving him a chance to wear his hero suit for the first time in a while. They walked through the city streets, on the lookout for potential dangers or muggers in need of a good kick. Though, after barely five minutes of walking, Mirko''s patience seemed to reach its limit. "Ugh... This''d be way faster if we moved at my usual speed." Suzaku looked at her strangely as he walked beside her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "And why aren''t we?" Mirko rolled her eyes. "Because you wouldn''t be able to keep up, obviously. And since I''m supposed to be showing you the ropes, I can''t just leave you behind." Suzaku yawned, waving her off. "I think I''d be fine." For a moment, Mirko shot him a serious look, both of them stopping as an unspoken challenge passed between them. Then, a devilish grin spread across Mirko''s face. "Let''s see that, then." With those words, she kicked off the ground with ferocious power, shooting forward like a cannonball and leaving a slightly startled Suzaku behind. "...Never mind. This might be more of a challenge than I thought." Despite his words, it wasn''t long before he kicked off the ground as well, launching himself after her. Their speed was similar¡ªthough Suzaku was a bit slower. However, he easily made up for it with his agility, weaving through the crowded and uneven cityscape like it was his personal playground. Meanwhile, Mirko surged ahead with raw speed, bulldozing through obstacles without hesitation. Thanks to that change in pace, it wasn''t long before they finally came across a situation that required a hero''s touch. On the sidewalk, two men were confronting a salaryman. One of them had a tight grip on the man''s collar, shaking him aggressively. "Hey, you think you can just break my arm and walk away?!" The salaryman winced but held his ground. "What the hell, dude? I barely bumped into you." The thug staggered back, flailing his arm dramatically. "Ow, ow, it''s broken! Look at what you did! Now you''re gonna have to pay up!" The salaryman''s patience ran out. "What? Fuck off!" Hearing him snap, the two thugs exchanged glances and grinned. "So you don''t wanna pay, huh?" one of them sneered. "Then don''t blame us for teaching you a lesson." With those words, their bodies began to change. One transformed into a hulking, green, aquatic-looking monster. The other''s muscles swelled unnaturally, his skin turning a faint shade of pink as steam hissed from his mouth. The salaryman took a step back, his confidence quickly crumbling. The thugs smirked. "Oh no, you''re not running away now." However, just as the pink-skinned thug lunged forward to grab him¡ª ¡ªTHUD! A figure dropped between them, blocking their path. "Who the hell¡ª?" The thug blinked in confusion¡ªthen his face drained of color. "Oh shit." His partner, despite his green skin, somehow managed to look even paler. "... It''s Mirko." The Rabbit Hero grinned savagely. "I remember you two. Didn''t I put you behind bars last month? Don''t tell me those kicks weren''t enough." "Y-you..." The two thugs instinctively took several steps back, panic flashing in their eyes. But after exchanging another glance, their fear twisted into anger. "We''re not going back to prison, you bitch!" "That''s what I''m talking about!" Mirko''s grin widened. The moment they charged, she launched herself forward to meet them head-on. The fight erupted in a brutal clash. Even though they weren''t All Might-level threats, the thugs'' Quirks packed a punch¡ªat least when they worked together. Cars flipped through the air, concrete cracked under their blows, and the three figures blurred across what had quickly turned into a battlefield. And while chaos unfolded... Suzaku stood off to the side, casually ordering a smoothie from a street vendor who hadn''t left the scene. "Yes, raspberry, please." The sounds of battle raged behind him as he waited. After a moment, he received his smoothie, took a sip, and strolled over to a nice spot to sit down¡ªwatching the fight unfold like it was just another morning entertainment. From time to time, one or two chunks of rubble¡ªmoving fast enough to send any normal person to the hospital¡ªflew in Suzaku''s direction while he enjoyed his treat. Though, ultimately he always dodged them effortlessly, barely needing to move from his spot. ¡ªAt least, until Mirko noticed him sitting on the sidelines, enjoying himself. Midway through finishing his smoothie, a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him. "...?" Startled, Suzaku glanced up¡ªhis eyes widening as the straw slipped from his mouth. "¡ªthe fuck?!" One of the thugs was plummeting straight toward him. With barely any time to react, Suzaku rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being flattened. The thug crashed into the ground where he had just been sitting, sending dust and debris flying. Pushing himself up from his roll, Suzaku turned to Mirko with an indignant glare¡ªonly to find her smirking savagely. "You didn''t think you''d be doing nothing while under my care, did you, kid?!" Suzaku stared at her, speechless. Then, with a sigh, he glanced at the thug beside him, who was already groaning and pushing himself upright. Mirko cracked her knuckles. "Since I''m supposed to show you the ropes of being a hero, why not get you some experience fighting villains while we''re at it?!" The thug, now fully standing, noticed Suzaku nearby and suddenly grinned. "A hostage!" Suzaku exhaled sharply. "Why did you have to say that...?" Resigned, he popped the lid off his smoothie and downed the rest in one gulp before tossing the empty cup away. ¡ªIt landed cleanly on a nearby trashcan by the way. Don''t litter, kids. With his hands now free for business, Suzaku took a ready stance, his eyes locking onto the thug. "Alright," he muttered. "I guess this is why I''m here." And without another word, he lunged forward. The thug blinked in surprise. His hostage¡ªhis supposed hostage¡ªwas charging straight at him. For a moment, he was overjoyed, the kid was making it easier for him! However, when he noticed Suzaku''s hero suit, the joy turned into bafflement. ''Wait... is he actually¡ª?'' -BAM!- His thoughts were cut short as Suzaku''s fist smashed squarely into the bridge of his nose, snapping his head back. Saliva and blood flew through the air, and the thug''s head ringed like he had been hit with a metal pole. ''What the¡ª?'' Sadly, he didn''t even have time to process that blow, before another one came right after. -BAM!- A foot slammed into his face, knocking him back even further. The thug stumbled, stunned by the sudden onslaught. But his Quirk wasn''t just for show. Even though Suzaku''s strikes hurt, they weren''t enough to take him down yet. With a growl, he forced himself to stand upright. Steam hissed from his mouth, his muscles bulging even further as he finally got serious. "So you were that bitch''s sidekick, huh? Then DIE!" With a ferocious roar, the thug threw a powerful punch, stirring the air around it. But Suzaku had been expecting it. He simply ducked, then launched a brutal and clean uppercut. His fist slammed into the man''s chin with a nasty crack. The thug''s brain rattled in his skull, but despite that he still fought through the daze, his eyes quickly searching for Suzaku¡ªonly to see a hand stabbing straight toward his throat. "Arghk¡ª!" Muscled up or not, buffed up or not, the throat was one of the weakest spots in the body. The layers of muscle and skin were too thin to cushion the impact. Even with his enhanced physique, the thug couldn''t just shrug off that kind of hit. But what really sent a chill down his spine was Suzaku''s muttering as he retracted his hand. "Almost cut right through it... I should be more careful." "You¡ªAck...! A damn kid won''t beat me!" Fueled by rage, the thug forced himself through the pain and lunged, cracking the concrete beneath him. But just like before, Suzaku danced around him. Using the man''s own momentum against him, he hooked his foot under the thug''s ankle and sent him crashing to the ground with a well-timed throw. As the man groaned, struggling to rise, Suzaku took out his staff, wincing a little. "Sorry about this, but you ain''t a kid for me to be holding back." And without hesitation¡ª ¨CCLANG! ¡ªdelivered a swing right to the lower back of the man''s head, sending him straight into the land of dreams. The metallic impact rang out across the street, sharp and jarring. Any spectators dumb enough to linger despite the danger winced at the sound, some instinctively clutching their heads. And just like that, one of the thugs was no more. Unconscious. Not dead... Fortunately. "Well, that was easy." Suzaku sighed as he patted his hands clean, turning to check on Mirko¡ªonly to find her already glancing at him while sitting atop the thug she had just knocked out. Noticing that Suzaku had finished as well, Mirko hopped off her opponent and landed right in front of him. "You''re pretty good, kid. Thought you''d take a lot longer than this, but you already move like an expert." Suzaku crossed his arms, looking completely unfazed. "Well, I''ve had my fair share of fights against ruthless guys like these." "Huh? Aren''t you just a kid? Where the hell could you have fought guys like these?" Suzaku opened his mouth to answer¡ªbut immediately shut it. Yeah, uh... It was probably best not to mention the fighting clubs. The ones he had been making money at weren''t exactly... legal. And neither was the fact that he was way underage to be in them. So, instead, he quickly backpedaled. "Nevermind, that was my first time fighting. I was so scared~" Mirko deadpanned. "Seriously kid?" Suzaku shrugged. It was worth a shot. Mirko sighed and shook her head, but didn''t press further. Just from what he had said, and the way he fought, she had a pretty solid guess already of where he might have acquired experience. After all, back when she was younger, she used to beat people up in those same types of places for fun. These days? She had all the fights she could ever want and got paid for them too. No need to hit up underground rings anymore. ...Still, it did make her a little nostalgic. ''Maybe I should drop by one again...?'' As Mirko reminisced about the good old days, neither of them noticed the growing number of people gathering around them. "Kyaaa! It''s Mirko!" "I can''t believe I ran into her on my way to work!" "Did you see how she handled those guys? That''s a real hero right there!" "Mirko, sit on my fa¡ª" The excited crowd was getting louder, but one voice stood out above the rest. "Mirko! Mirko! Can we get a word?" A reporter, microphone in hand, pushed through the gathering spectators, a cameraman following closely behind. Mirko clicked her tongue and turned to glare at the source of the voice. "Tsk... Press is already here?" Ignoring the obvious annoyance on her face, the reporter immediately began firing off questions. "Was this a villain takedown? Do you think crime is increasing in this area?" Rolling her eyes, Mirko prepared to jump away¡ªshe wasn''t about to waste her time with interviews when there were still villains out there waiting patiently for their regular ration of kicks. However, just as she was about to leap, she heard the reporter''s attention shift. "Hmm? And who''s this? Another hero?" The camera panned to Suzaku, who wasn''t wearing his helmet today, so his face was in full display. "Wait a minute... Aren''t you the Sports Festival winner?!" A few people in the crowd gasped at the realization. Suzaku, ever the showman, simply gave the camera a thumbs-up. Seizing the opportunity, the reporter immediately turned their full attention to him. Within seconds, a microphone was shoved in Suzaku''s face. "Can you tell us why you''re here with Mirko?" Suzaku looked mildly annoyed but ultimately decided to answer truthfully. "Cause I had to." "And why did you have to?" "Cause I was told to." "By whom?" "The school." The reporter blinked before their eyes widened in realization. "Aha! That means you''re interning under her?!" Another thumbs-up from Suzaku. The camera quickly zoomed in on the unconscious thug at Suzaku''s feet, then panned to his bloodied knuckles. "I see that you took care of one of the villains..." the reporter commented with a grin. Suzaku nodded. The reporter''s grin slowly morphed into a smirk. "That''s strange... Isn''t it illegal for anyone without a hero license to use their Quirk in combat or similar hero work? Is Mirko-san perhaps breaking the law? How shocking!" Gasps spread through the crowd, and all eyes turned to Mirko. She scowled, looking about two seconds away from kicking the reporter in the face. But before she could act, Suzaku spoke up. "Uh, I didn''t use a Quirk." He raised his fists, flexing his fingers. "Just good ol'' self-defense." The reporter''s smirk faltered. "...You say you beat this villain with only your fists?" "Well, it was a mix of fists, legs, and fingers, but yeah. Just an old-fashioned beatdown." The camera turned to the thugs once again, capturing their terrifying size, and then focusing on Suzaku, who certainly looked like a little kid compared to them. "...If you don''t mind me asking, what is your Quirk?" Suzaku smirked slightly and flicked his fingers against his glasses. As a result, the lenses quickly went all RGB. The reporter went silent. "...Well. That''s certainly... something." He scratched the back of their head before quickly shifting topics as he cleared his throat. "Ahem. Well, if that''s the case then it''s fine. Tell me, since you''re interning, can you tell us your planned hero name?" Suzaku''s face turned serious, his expression tightening as if he were about to reveal an ancient secret. Though, if one paid close attention, the corner of his mouth was twitching faintly, barely holding back from turning into a full-on smirk. "You can call me... Sussy Baka." ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: The university is clapping me hard, there would have been a Chapter mid-week otherwise. Also, in case you''re bored, I began uploading Chapters of another fanfic I''m making, called "Fairy Tail: My Edgy System." Basically, a dude dies and wakes up in Fairy Tail with a system, the only detail is that the system acts like an edgy teenager, and constantly clashes with our protagonist, who is way more laid back. Yes, it''s a talking-system fanfic, you''ve been warned. Back to the Chapter, I figured that it''d be in Mirko''s character to make Suzaku fight too, unlike most the other heroes did in the anime with the main cast, making them not participate actively in the fighting. With this Suzaku can show off properly to the public, while also showing what Suzaku can do when he is not holding back from hitting the weak spots of most people. Of course, he could have offed his opponent with his Sus abilities, but where''s the fun in that? Let''s leave that for the real menaces.) Chapter 71: New Moves Chapter 71 - New Moves Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |The third day of internships...| ... -Yawn...- "You''re yawning?!" "Man, it''s like seven in the morning. What did you expect?" "You''ve been this close to dying at least five times during our fight! How can you yawn despite that?!" "Bruh, it''s seven in the morning. Didn''t I just say that?" ¡ªBAM!!! "¡ªUgh!" "Besides, the only time I''ve been close to dying today was from the headache I got after waking up so early. So don''t flatter yourse¡ª" -Thud- "...What? You''re down already?" "..." "Come on man, that was just one hit to the stomach. How can you get knocked out from that?" "..." "... Never mind. Guess you can." Sighing at the lack of a proper warm-up, Suzaku let out an even bigger yawn, scratching the back of his head. As the momentary drowsiness faded, he looked up at the faintly orange morning sky with a pensive expression, shivering slightly as the cold air brushed against his skin. "Maybe I should be like Batman and only work at night. That way, I can sleep in as much as I want." "What are you mumbling about over there?" As Suzaku contemplated his future career choices, Mirko appeared beside him, dragging two guys in black ski masks by their collars. Suzaku shook his head and responded in a tone dripping with intellectualism. "I was merely conducting a profound analysis of the underlying societal conditions that compel certain individuals toward criminality, seeking to identify and conceptualize an effective framework for addressing such systemic issues at their root." Mirko stared at him blankly. "...Pretty sure I heard something about wanting to wake up late." Suzaku nodded without a hint of shame. "Yes. That too." As Mirko snorted in amusement, Suzaku picked up the unconscious guy he had beaten earlier and began walking away with Mirko, who carried the other two. Soon after, the police arrived to take over, and while Mirko gave a brief report, Suzaku stood on the sidelines, watching what would likely be his job in the future. ''Hopefully, heroes don''t have to do taxes...'' Once that was done, they were free to leave and continued their patrol. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... Despite what TV and the internet might suggest, the life of a hero wasn''t nearly as exciting as it seemed. "100th alleyway ... No suspicious activity detected," Suzaku muttered in an unimpressed tone, his gaze shifting lazily between a few trash containers and piles of garbage bags inside the alleyway. Epic battles against terrifying villains? Yeah, no, that wasn''t happening any time soon. The fights from the first day and earlier this morning, among others off-camera, had actually been rare occurrences. Something he and Mirko only came across every now and then. Of course, crime did exist¡ªit''s just that they weren''t the only heroes around. More often than not, by the time they stumbled upon something, another hero was already dealing with it. What about the epic battles of Evil vs Good, you ask? Most of the time, being a hero meant handling hooligans and thugs who didn''t like the fact that they weren''t allowed to use their Quirks whenever they pleased, helping grannies to cross the road, or doing community work. Facing city-level threats? That was a one-in-a-million chance. Finding them casually in the middle of the street? Even less. As such, most days passed without anything interesting happening. And when something did happen, it was usually just dealing with some punks causing disturbances or some petty thieves. "...101st alleyway..." Honestly, though? It could''ve been way worse. If he had chosen a different hero to intern under, his days would''ve been even more boring. At least Mirko was one hyperactive rabbit, making him run through the whole city again and again, only taking rests every once in a while. But even she couldn''t make twelve hours of wandering the city with nothing happening feel exciting. -Yawn...- "What''s up, kid? You''re lagging behind," Mirko called out as she ran, glancing back just in time to see Suzaku let out yet another yawn. "Waking up early is my kryptonite, so I''m nerfed." "Well, you''re gonna have to unnerf yourself, or I''m leaving you behind." With those words, Mirko kicked off the ground even harder and rocketed ahead, leaving a slightly annoyed Suzaku in the dust. ''She sure talks big for someone with a Quirk that lets her run faster... If I had her physiology, keeping up wouldn''t be a problem either¡ªpause.'' Suzaku''s expression suddenly turned pensive. His transformation ability basically allowed him to copy-paste someone''s appearance onto himself. He could Ctrl+C a person''s looks¡ªstoring them as long as his memory allowed¡ªand then Ctrl+V them onto himself whenever he wanted. He could also copy specific body parts instead of the whole appearance. It was just a tad harder, as it required more steps than just pressing Ctrl+V... Metaphorically speaking. And among the things he could copy were physical traits product of people''s Quirks, be it horns, heightened musculature, or other similar physical changes brought by their Quirk. However, that didn''t mean he could copy their whole Quirk. If someone, say, All Might, had a Quirk that granted him super strength, even if Suzaku copied his appearance, along with his musculature and all, he only gained the strength proportional to someone of that appearance, not the cataclysmic strength that the real All Might flaunted. The same went for people with like horns that shoot lasers, only copying the horns but not the lasers, people with big noses that shot super snot, where he''d copy only their big nose and not the super snot, etc... However, for someone like Mirko, whose Quirk changed her physiology, if he copied her appearance, gaining her leg strength shouldn''t be a pipe dream. Unless that strength of hers was magically augmented, of course, like All Might. "Well, now I''m curious..." Suzaku muttered, glancing down at his own legs and squinting behind his glasses. Until now, besides the basic function of copying someone''s appearance, he hadn''t actively tried many new things with his transformation ability. All he had done apart from that was alter faintly his vocal cords to sound like others, or to make himself louder. He hadn''t gone beyond that as he always preferred to lay low, and never explored much his divine gifted abilities as a result. That, and the fact that with a literal one-shotting ability in his arsenal, it wasn''t like he felt pressured to become stronger. Plus, he was lazy. "..." Falling silent, Suzaku became lost in thought as Mirko widened the gap between them. Then¡ª -THUD!- ¡ªSuzaku faceplanted onto the pavement. Mirko skidded to a stop, turning back with a bewildered look. She hadn''t expected him to just collapse like that¡ªat least not so ungracefully. He looked like an athletic guy, after all. However, seeing him stand up without much problem after that proved that he wasn''t actually hurt, making her let out a sigh of relief. Still, it wouldn''t hurt to ask. "You good, kid?" Suzaku nodded stoically, wiping the dirt off his face with his wrist. "I merely wanted to check on the floor. It was very floor-ish, as expected." "..." Baffled by his answer, Mirko stared at him for a moment before snorting in amusement. Without another word, she turned and shot ahead again. She was already getting accustomed to Suzaku spewing nonsense. As she moved away, Suzaku glanced down at his legs. "...Well, maybe I shouldn''t do that while I''m mid-running." Since they were under the hero suit, it was hard to notice, but in reality, he had modified them, shifting their structure to mimic Mirko''s. It wasn''t a perfect copy¡ªsome of his original traits remained due to this being the first time he was attempting this¡ªbut the changes closely resembled the physiological enhancements granted by her Bunny Quirk. Giving him a feeling of untapped strength in his modified legs. So, taking a few cautious steps, then testing some small hops, he adjusted to the new legs. Then¡ª -BANG!- ¡ªSuzaku shot forward like a cannon, closing the distance with Mirko in the blink of an eye. "...?!" Sensing the change and hearing the loud sound Suzaku''s acceleration had caused, Mirko turned to look back at the rapidly approaching Suzaku with shock. "Kid, how did you¡ª?!" Suzaku took out his phone before she could finish her question and showed it to her mid-sprint. "It''s, uh... 8:31, which means morning ended and I am now unnerfed." She deadpanned. "You weren''t this fast before, despite not being morning." Suzaku snorted. "I was merely using a fraction of my power back then, now I''ve added another fraction, making it two fractions." "..." Mirko''s mouth twitched. Still, it wasn''t long before her mouth turned into a full-on grin. "Is that so? Then let''s see what your new fraction can do!" Without waiting a second, she kicked the ground, accelerating even further. She wasn''t the type to pry into others'' business, but when it came to a challenge, she was all in! "I suppose we are doing this now..." In front of her competitive taunt, Suzaku smiled wryly, but didn''t hesitate to begin accelerating as well. At first, the difference in speed was obvious. Suzaku wasn''t accustomed to the new legs completely, and they weren''t exactly a carbon copy of Mirko''s, so they lacked a bit when comparing them to hers. But as they moved more and more through the city, it wasn''t long before Suzaku began getting the hang of them, making his traverse through the city much smoother and quicker. However, before the competition could escalate, both of them had to come to a halt¡ªstopping right a square away from a perimeter surrounded by police cars. "Seems we ran right into the fun." Mirko smirked as her ears twitched along with the faraway sounds of a battle. She turned to Suzaku after. "Come on, kid. We''ve got work to do." Suzaku didn''t say anything and simply nodded, his mind still partially on his new discovery and the possible applications of his transformation ability. "AAAAARGH!!!" As they sprinted onto the crime scene, they finally saw the culprit of all this chaos¡ªa gigantic woman with lava-like veins spreading across her entire body as she roared into the air; whether from pain or fury, it was unknown. "Well, at least this time it isn''t a guy that stole an old woman''s purse..." Suzaku muttered, sweatdropping a bit as he observed the destruction the woman was causing. As both Suzaku and Mirko assessed the situation, a policeman approached Mirko. "Mirko-san, thank god you''re here!" "What''s with the big-ass woman?" The bunny hero pointed at the rampaging woman with a raised eyebrow. The officer quickly glanced at his notepad before reporting. "Suspect has been identified as Saeki Amaya, 35 years old. Works as a secretary at a nearby company. Her Quirk should only allow her to raise the temperature of her blood, but based on the extreme increase in body mass and power output, we suspect she may have taken a Quirk-enhancing substance. Likely one of the variants of Trigger." Mirko scratched the back of her head with a complex expression. "That stuff was a huge problem years ago... Thought they had cleaned it up by now." The officer sighed. "Mostly, but cases like this still pop up from time to time. Some of these variants are still circulating underground." Mirko clicked her tongue, looking at the giant woman with clear annoyance. She had been hoping for a proper fight¡ªnot to put down a crazed office worker who''d messed with dangerous drugs. "Well, work is work." Mirko let out a disappointed sigh, but her smirk quickly returned as she slammed a fist against her palm. "Alright, let''s get this over with!" She bent her knees, ready to kick off the ground and launch herself at the woman¡ªonly to pause mid-movement. Blinking as if she had just remembered something, she turned to Suzaku. "Oh, right. Kid, you''re staying put. This one''s not your average thug, so I''ll handle it." Suzaku gave her a thumbs-up. If he had to sit this one out, there wasn''t much he could do about it. "What a tragedy," he muttered before leaning against a police car and pulling out his phone. "Tsk." Mirko clicked her tongue at the sight of him immediately slacking off. "Shouldn''t you at least help evacuate any remaining civilians?" Suzaku glanced around. Aside from the police officers, there was no one else in sight. "If anyone''s still hanging around despite the giant woman setting everything on fire... I''d call that natural selection." Mirko shot him a sharp look. "...But I guess I can check if anyone''s trapped." "Good." With a nod, she turned away and finally launched herself forward, kicking off the ground like a bullet aimed straight at the giant woman. The battle erupted in an instant. The lava woman swung wildly, her massive hands clawing at Mirko while waves of heat radiated from her body, melting the ground beneath her. But Mirko was too fast, leaping left and right, striking once before retreating, repeating the process over and over in an attempt to wear the woman down. Meanwhile, Suzaku hopped off the police car and made his way toward the ruined buildings, surveying the wreckage left in the giant woman''s wake. "Hello? Anyone here? If you need help, just say pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis." Silence. He sighed. "Or, y''know... "Help" works too." No response. "Guess there''s no one here." He scanned the area with a lazy gaze¡ªthen suddenly stiffened. His eyes widened slightly. He looked around. The police were too busy securing the perimeter. No one was paying attention to him. "...Well, no reason not to." Suddenly, his ears began to shift, stretching upward and morphing into a pair of rabbit-like ears identical to Mirko''s. He reached up, brushing his fingers over one of them and chuckling. "Man, I really hope no one sees me like this..." He turned his attention back to the rubble, his new ears twitching. "Help..." It was barely a whisper, muffled beneath layers of collapsed concrete. "Damn." Suzaku didn''t waste a second. He jumped to the wreckage, tearing through it piece by piece, tossing aside debris with precise movements. He worked quickly, clearing a path until, finally, figures came into view. A woman. And a child. The woman''s back was covered in deep gashes, blood staining her clothes and pooling beneath her. She must have shielded the child from the falling debris at her own expense. "Thank God..." she whispered upon seeing Suzaku''s face¡ªthen, just as quickly, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Blood poured from her wounds. The child was unconscious too, their small body still and unmoving. Lack of oxygen? Panic? Maybe both. She wasn''t dead, though. Suzaku winced but didn''t hesitate. He crouched, carefully lifting them in the proper rescue carry he had learned at school. With both in his arms, he made his way toward safety, already thinking about how to get medical help. As he stepped out of the building, he muttered under his breath, wearing a slightly awkward expression. "...Now I feel bad for almost checking my phone and cracking jokes." As soon as Suzaku stepped out of the ruined building, a few police officers spotted him and immediately called for medical assistance. Paramedics who had been on standby rushed in, carefully taking the injured woman and child from his arms. Suzaku watched in silence as they were carried away, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he turned and headed toward the next damaged building. At first, he found nothing¡ªjust empty rooms and dust-covered halls. But as he pushed deeper into the wreckage, venturing into collapsing structures and even ones still burning, more and more survivors began emerging from the debris. For a while, he was the only one pulling people out. Then, more heroes arrived, joining the rescue efforts. The operation took around ten minutes in total, the tense atmosphere finally breaking when a loud rumble shook the ground. Everyone turned toward the source of the noise. Mirko stood over the unconscious form of the giant woman, now significantly smaller as her boiling blood finally cooled. The fight was over. As the police and paramedics moved in to secure and transport the subdued villain, Mirko walked toward Suzaku. He was sitting nearby, leaning against a piece of rubble, catching his breath after the last building had been cleared. "You look like you went through hell, kid." She smirked, eyeing his dust-covered, slightly singed state. "It wasn''t exactly pleasant," Suzaku muttered, his gaze drifting to the injured civilians being treated and loaded into ambulances. "Yeah, well, this job ain''t all glory and fame. It gets ugly too. You just gotta deal with it." She gave him a firm slap on the back before jerking her head toward the street. "C''mon, let''s take a break. We''ll pick up patrol later." Suzaku gave a quiet nod, pushing himself up and following her. As they walked away from the scene¡ªbefore the press could swarm in¡ªSuzaku glanced down at his hands, still stained with traces of blood. The remnants of those he had pulled from the rubble. It was almost funny. Just days ago, he had been taking lives like it was nothing. Cutting people down as easily as pulling weeds. And now? Now he had been struggling to do the opposite. He''d barely avoided missing people who needed help just because he had been distracted or didn''t take things seriously. And even then, all he had done was pull them out. Whether they lived or not... that was up to someone else. He had no abilities that could heal. No way to stop people from bleeding out. No way to save them. He could kill as easily as breathing. But when it came to doing the opposite... he struggled. "Hah." Suzaku let out a quiet snort. He wasn''t exactly laughing, but the irony of it all was just absurd enough to amuse him. At least a little. Still, this was probably just another one of those moral dilemmas he had every now and then. He''d probably forget about it before the day was over. "Yeah..." With a faint nod, Suzaku pushed aside his lingering thoughts, shifting his focus to something else¡ªlike what kind of super gaming PC he''d buy once the internships were over and he was back in Tokyo, for example. After a few more hours of patrolling and nothing crazy happening, Mirko and Suzaku made a quick stop at the hotel where both were staying to change clothes. Their lunch break had arrived, and both wanted to wear comfortable clothes during it. Before long, they arrived at BurgerQuirk, picking a table and ordering the exact same meals they had on the day they first met. As they ate, Mirko''s ears suddenly twitched. She perked up slightly, as if remembering something important. "Ah, right. I forgot to tell you¡ªwe''re leaving the city soon." "Huh? When?" Suzaku blinked, caught off guard by the sudden announcement. "Tonight." Suzaku nearly tripped¡ªdespite still being seated. He took a slow, deliberate bite of his burger, chewing with obvious resentment. "A heads-up would''ve been nice." "This is a heads-up," Mirko smirked. Suzaku exhaled through his nose, deciding it wasn''t worth the argument. "So? Where are we going now?" "Hosu City." Mirko replied casually, still focused on her food. Suzaku nodded with an understanding expression. "I see." He had no idea where that was. He wasn''t exactly a geography expert, but it probably didn''t matter. ''Tonight, huh? Guess I''ll have to pack my stuff...'' He glanced down at his clothes before deadpanning. His hero suit was still a mess. ''Can I even get it cleaned in time?'' "I take bids for using the washing machine!" Mirko suddenly declared. Suzaku''s deadpan intensified. So much for that. "Seriously, this day just keeps getting worse..." He sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, his expression vaguely melancholic. ''Please let Hosu or whatever be better.'' It wasn''t going to be better. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: What did you think of the Chapter? I finally made Suzaku progress a bit. His progress had been stale for quite a while, so I figured it was time to let him improve a bit, even if not in combat skill. Of course, this progress ain''t stopping here, he''ll be checking a few more things during this arc, especially at the end, where... let''s just say he''ll be shocking most of Japan. Of course, before that, Suzaku has to meet Stain and give him some nice physical therapy. Otherwise this wouldn''t be the Hero Killer Arc. How will this sociopathic individual react when he sees Suzaku and his not-really heroic reasons for being a hero? And more importantly... How will he fare against him? Discover it in the next episode of Sussy Baka in MHA!) -> Chapter 72: The Hosu Incident Chapter 72 - The Hosu Incident Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Kamino, Yokohama, in an abandoned bar...| ... A man in a battle-worn combat suit, clad in dark, tattered armor, stood before Shigaraki and Kurogiri. Two katanas hung on his back, their hilts wrapped in faded cloth. His face, partially obscured by a mask-like covering, revealed piercing, bloodshot eyes that burned with an unwavering conviction. "I only came because I was wondering what kind of madmen would contact me so brazenly, and you say you want me to join your... what did you call it... League of Villains?" "Yeah, come on. You''ve got a whole lot of experience as a villain, sir." Shigaraki unenthusiastically said, not even moving from his seat. That didn''t seem to bother the man, however. Instead, he simply squinted his eyes, locking his gaze onto Shigaraki with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey. "What are you after?" "Hmm?" Shigaraki tilted his head lazily, not quite getting the question. Stain''s eyes narrowed further, his grip tightening on the handles of his blades. "What is your purpose? Your conviction?" Shigaraki rolled his eyes. "Conviction? I don''t know... For now, I just want to kill All Might..." His eyes then gained a faintly murderous light. "...and a certain someone." For a moment, Stain''s gaze turned disappointed, clear disdain flashing in his expression. His fingers twitched, shifting slightly toward the hilts of his weapons as though ready to strike¡ªbefore he stopped just short of drawing them. "A certain someone?" "Hm..." Shigaraki nodded, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "A damn glitch that popped out of nowhere and ruined my ascent into fame a few days ago... He alone took on two pretty powerful guys that had been made for the sole purpose of killing All Might, and took down all the 50 so-called villains I had recruited for that operation without as much as a scratch..." Stain stiffened slightly at that. Although he had no reason to take Shigaraki''s words at face value, the mere possibility of someone that powerful existing was... interesting. Regardless of his response, Shigaraki continued. "That''s why we talked to you. I don''t need more fodder that can''t deal with just one guy, and seeing how you''ve killed many heroes, I bet you''ve got enough experience to know how to deal with guys like this... Stain-senpai." Stain, the Hero Killer, closed his eyes for a moment, as though processing the conversation. Then¡ª -Shing!- ¡ªIn an instant, he unsheathed both long knives at his waist and lunged at Kurogiri. The villainous bartender barely managed to react, phasing just in time to avoid a deep cut¡ªbut not quickly enough to prevent a shallow graze on his arm. Then, as if that cut had been enough, Stain proceeded to redirect his momentum and lunged at a stunned Shigaraki. -Thud!- -Schk!- Less than a second later, he had him pinned to the ground. One knife embedded straight into Shigaraki''s shoulder, while the other hovered near his lips as Stain flicked his tongue across its bloodstained edge. "Kgh¡ª!" Kurogiri attempted to assist, but the moment he moved, his body froze. His limbs locked up, refusing to obey his will. His eyes widened in realization. ''This is¡ª?!'' Stain glared down at the pinned-up Shigaraki, who writhed beneath him, pain twisting his features. "I was foolish to even consider coming here... You''re the type of person I hate the most." With a sneer, he twisted the knife slightly, earning a fresh groan from Shigaraki. "You want me to go along with your childish tantrum? What meaning is there even in killing without conviction?" "Kurogiri, take him away." Shigaraki groaned, annoyance creeping through the pain in his voice. "I¡ªI can''t move." Kurogiri struggled, but his body remained paralyzed. "This must be product of his Quirk!" Stain barely acknowledged their conversation, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism. "In a world where fake heroes wander around and are publicly acclaimed, and where criminals flaunt their power uncaringly, it is my duty to purge them all... You included." His gaze darkened as he moved his second blade toward Shigaraki''s face, intent on removing the hand covering it. "No, not that hand." "...!" However, just as the blade was about to graze the hand, Shigaraki''s own palm snapped upward, catching the steel between his palm. Blood flowed down his wrist, but his grip remained firm on the blade. His eyes locked onto Stain''s with a hatred that seemed to boil over. "I''ll kill you." The moment those words left his mouth, the knife in his grasp began crumbling apart, dissolving into dust as if eroded by time itself. Stain''s eyes widened in surprise. "You sure like to blabber on your own a lot... Conviction? I don''t have anything grand like that..." A grin spread across Shigaraki''s face, stretching behind the hand covering it. His voice grew darker, more venomous with every word. "If I had to name one, yeah, killing All Might¡ªno, crushing this whole society where trash like that gets worshipped... That''s my conviction!" "...!" As he finished speaking, his hand shot toward Stain, forcing the Hero Killer to leap back before it could reach him. "I thought I was going to die..." With the distance between the two made, Shigaraki stood up, annoyance being way more noticeable in his voice rather than pain. "This wound will take an eternity to heal... How will you take responsibility?" His eyes gained a dangerous light; Shigaraki was ready to fight Stain. However, just as it seemed a clash between the two villains would ensue, Stain''s voice broke the tension between them. "So that''s who you truly are..." "Huh?" Stain grinned. "Our goals oppose each other, but we agree on one thing¡ªdestroying this society." Sadly for him, Shigaraki was way beyond reconciliation right now. "Don''t joke with me. You said it yourself, didn''t you? I''m the type of person you hate the most. Go kill yourself or something, just get out of here." Stain scoffed. "I was merely testing you. People only show their true colors when faced with death." Then, he smiled faintly, as if excited about something. "While not exactly what I would call a purpose, you do have a twisted sprout of a conviction surging within you, one that makes me wonder... How will it bud?" Shigaraki''s eyes squinted in anger. But the Hero Hunter didn''t care. "I think I can bother to follow you around until I get to see that. After that, I can just dispose of you." "Dispose of me?" Shigaraki''s face twisted in disbelief; the Hero Killer sure was straightforward, revealing his traitorous intentions from minute 0. He scoffed. "Kurogiri, get this lunatic out of here. I don''t want someone this bad in the head to join my party." Kurogiri, who was just beginning to be able to move, spoke softly. "Young master, he will be of great assistance if he joins us. With a Quirk like that in our arsenal, plus some of the new projects Garaki has been working on, if we were to clash again with that mysterious individual, we''d have a chance." Shigaraki frowned in displeasure but didn''t say anything. It seemed that even he recognized the usefulness that Quirk would represent if they were to fight that "Glitch" again. Ignoring the displeased Shigaraki, Stain turned to Kurogiri. "If we are done here, return me to Hosu..." He demanded, before his eyes turned murderous, and his long tongue grotesquely licked his lips. "I still have unfinished business there." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Meanwhile, aboard a train passing just by Hosu...| ... Midoriya sat by the window, his gaze shifting between the passing nightscape and the glowing screen of his phone. A group chat with his closest friends was open, but one message stood out¡ªa text he had sent just minutes ago: [You: I''ll be passing by Hosu!! How are things going with you, Iida?] It was a casual message, something he could have sent any day. And yet, something about it worried him to no end. A small, innocuous detail right beneath his message... (Read.) Iida had seen the message. But he hadn''t replied. That alone was strange. Iida wasn''t the type to leave messages on read. If anything, he was the most thorough person Midoriya knew¡ªalways responding quickly, always considerate. For him to ignore a message, even for just a few minutes... it was unsettling. Midoriya''s fingers hovered over his phone as his thoughts churned. ''Is he still upset about his brother?'' That was the most logical explanation. Ingenium''s injury had shaken him to his core, so maybe Iida just wasn''t in the mood to talk. ''Or has something happened?'' His stomach twisted at the thought. Midoriya turned back to the window, his reflection barely visible against the darkened city. The lights of Hosu flickered outside, illuminating the streets in eerie yellow. His mind whispered warnings, but he tried to shake them off. ''Maybe I''m just being paranoid. He''ll answer soon. We''re all busy with internships, after all.'' A weak smile formed on his lips¡ªforced, uncertain. He took a deep breath, trying to dismiss his unease. ''Hopefully, everything is alright.'' Outside, the city remained eerily still. No explosions. No rampaging villains. No sudden disaster that would force him to leave the stillness of the train. Just a quiet night. And as the train rolled past Hosu Station, Midoriya and Gran Torino continued toward their next destination¡ªleaving behind what seemed to be a peaceful city. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |At Hosu...| ... Just like the nights before, Iida and Manual patrolled the city, weaving through the streets and keeping an eye out for trouble. The people greeted them warmly, waving as they passed. Manual responded with a smile and a friendly nod, while Iida¡ªthough he acknowledged them¡ªremained distant, his mind elsewhere. He couldn''t stop seeing it. The image of his brother, lying on a hospital bed. Motionless. Helpless. Stripped of everything he had worked for. Tensei, the hero he had admired for so long... would never walk again. Iida''s fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening beneath his helmet. But after a moment, he exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down. He had to focus on the present. Yet, his eyes betrayed him. Every alleyway, every dimly lit corner¡ªhis gaze flickered toward them, searching. Hoping. For him. Stain. He saw the hero killer''s shadow in every corner of his mind. His bloodshot eyes, his wicked grin, the bloodstained blades that had ruined his brother''s life. Every time Iida blinked, he could see him. Feel him. The thirst for vengeance burned through his veins like fire. The hero Manual had figured out his intentions of why he had chosen this city and him as the place and hero to intern under and warned him, telling him not to fall into the trap of revenge. But how could he not? He wanted to kill him. He needed to. He wouldn''t be able to rest until he did it. "Tenya, a purse theft was reported a few streets away. Let''s go!" "...!" Manual''s voice snapped him back to reality. Iida stiffened, blinking as his mentor rushed ahead. Forcing himself to shake off his thoughts, he exhaled and prepared to follow¡ª But then he saw it. A flash of movement in a dark alley. A shadow chasing a hero. The gleam of sharp weapons catching the dim light. And this time, it wasn''t an illusion, nor a mirage. His heart stopped. "Ah...!" For a split second, his mind screamed at him to turn back, to tell Manual¡ª But his body had already moved. "Stain...!" Without hesitation, Iida bolted toward the alley, leaving Manual behind, who failed to notice his intern taking a different path. His engines roared to life, fire furiously blasting from his calves. His speed increased, turning him into a blur as he shot straight into the alleyway, his posture shifting into a powerful kick aimed at the man pinning a wounded hero against the wall, a sword pointed at his throat. "RAAAAGH!" With a guttural roar, Iida swung his leg. -Clang!- "¡ªAck!" Sadly, the Hero Killer wasn''t infamous for nothing. At the last second, his figure vanished, ducking just in time before slamming the hilt of his katana against Iida''s face, causing him to plummet to the ground. Additionally, Iida''s hero mask went flying, clattering to the ground and leaving his face exposed for Stain to see. "A kid?" Stain''s eyes narrowed as he took in the details of Iida''s hero suit. However, despite the realization, he locked eyes with him again, an almost imperceptible reluctance creeping in. "Go away. This is no place for children." "You''re Stain, aren''t you?!" Iida ignored him completely, meeting his gaze head-on with bloodshot eyes. "I''ve been looking for you. Who could''ve thought I''d find you this soon? I''m¡ª" His words were cut short as the tip of a katana suddenly fell right before his eyes, stopping mere centimeters from stabbing him. "Those eyes..." Stain''s voice dropped to something colder, more dangerous. "You''re here for vengeance, aren''t you?" His grip on the sword tightened. "Watch your next words, kid. Depending on what you say, even a brat like you can become my target." Despite the initial shock of nearly being impaled, Iida''s blood soon began boiling again. "You''re saying I don''t even qualify as a target right now...?" His teeth gritted as he slowly stood up, fists clenching. "... Then listen well, scum. I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked¡ªan excellent hero who didn''t deserve that. And I''ve come to stop you in his place!" Flames burst to life once again from Iida''s calves, his fighting spirit igniting just as fiercely as his thirst for blood. "You''d better remember my name for what remains of your life... Ingenium¡ªthat''s the name of the hero who will defeat you!" Then, without waiting for a response, he launched forward with the fastest kick he had ever mustered. "Recipro Bu¡ªwhat?!!" But before his leg could even reach halfway, Stain disappeared. As a result, Iida''s foot tore through empty air, his heart sinking. Then, a voice whispered from behind him. "Is that so? Then you can die." -Bam!- "Argh¡ª!" A spiked boot slammed into the back of his shoulder, sending sharp pain through his body. But it didn''t end there. Before he could react, Stain''s knee smashed into the back of his head, sending him crashing to the ground, vision blurring. "Kgh, I won''t¡ª" Still, despite the pain and dizziness, Iida struggled to rise, trying to make distance desperately. -Bam!- -Crack- However, before he could even attempt to push himself up, A heavy boot stomped his head against the pavement. ''Shit...'' His skull rang like a bell, warm blood trickling down from somewhere it shouldn''t. And unfortunately for him, that was just the appetizer. "You''re weak... You and your brother." Stain spoke with disdain in his voice. -Swish!- -Tshck!- "AAARGH!" Without hesitation, Stain drove his katana into Iida''s shoulder, tearing a guttural scream from him. The young hero''s body jolted in agony, but he was still pinned to the ground, unable to escape. "Do you know why you''re weak?" Stain''s voice remained cold, almost casual. "Because you''re fakes." "SHUT UP!" Iida''s furious shout echoed through the alleyway. Despite the pain, his rage burned hotter. "My brother was a great hero! And despite that, you almost killed him! You... I''ll kill you!" Stain''s eyes narrowed, then a smirk crept onto his face. He casually gestured toward the hero he had pinned earlier¡ªNative, who remained frozen in place. "Before that, shouldn''t you try saving that guy first? You let your hatred consume you and forgot what a hero''s duty is. That is the farthest thing from what a real hero should be." With chilling amusement, he yanked the katana from Iida''s shoulder, licking the blood from its blade with his grotesque tongue. "And for that, you will die like the rest." The moment the blood touched Stain''s tongue, Iida felt his entire body lock up. His arms, his legs¡ªhe couldn''t move. ''M-My body¡ª?!'' His breath hitched as his limbs refused to respond. Seeing his prey now defenseless, Stain removed his boot from Iida''s head and raised his katana high. "Be grateful. You''ll be an offering for a just world." With death looming, Iida''s eyes widened, but his fury surged beyond all limits. "SHUT UP! NO MATTER WHAT CRAP YOU SAY, YOU''RE JUST A PSYCHO WHO HURT MY BROTHER!!!" Stain decided to end it there. "Die." The katana descended. Everything seemed about to end¡ª "Hey, mister, did you know that pointing weapons at children is illegal?!" "...?!" Stain''s eyes widened, his instincts sending alarms, and in an instant, he shifted his blade upward to block. -Splat- ...Only to be met with an unexpected impact. "A burger?" Stain muttered, tossing a piece of cheese from his face. His gaze snapped to the end of the alleyway, where a red-haired teenager in a hero suit stood, frowning at him. "I''m pretty sure hurting heroes is illegal too." The kid sighed, glancing at Native with a raised eyebrow, before his eyes shifted toward Stain''s katana. "And I could''ve sworn it was mentioned at some point in class that you need a permit for weapons and all that..." Stain blinked. Did this brat have zero situational awareness? The redhead let out a dramatic sigh, pulling a staff from his back before assuming a combat stance. A smirk tugged at his lips. "It seems I''m gonna have to put you behind bars. What a shame, isn''t it?" ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: A Chapter with little Suzaku presence, although he still appears at the end. It was basically a condensation of what already happened in the actual show, but with some minor changes that should¡ªif I plan things correctly¡ªspiral into bigger changes in due time. Among them is the fact that Midoriya isn''t going to come to the rescue of Iida, and hence, neither is Todoroki. So, this will truly be a one on one fight between the sussy teenager and the licking assassin. On other news, university sucks. I should have simply gone the Izuku route, and applied for minimum wage. Maybe putting the fries in the bag is my true profession.) -> Chapter 73: Hero Killer vs Sussy Baka 1 Chapter 73 - Hero Killer vs Sussy Baka 1 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... "Another kid?" Stain squinted, tightening his grip on his weapon as he stared at the newly arrived Suzaku standing at the end of the alleyway. Iida, too, noticed the redhead, his eyes widening like platters. "Suzuki-kun?! Why are you here?!" "The one and only." Suzaku grinned, stepping into the alleyway with deliberate strides. "I was passing by. The hero I''m interning with suddenly sped up and went to do hero stuff somewhere else. I was about to follow after her, but then I saw this mess and decided to stop by..." Iida gritted his teeth. "Get out of here! This doesn''t concern you!" Suzaku blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Huh?" He scanned the scene again, sweatdropping slightly as he took in the sight before him¡ªa pretty intimidating-looking guy pinning Iida under his foot, a bloodstained katana in hand, and a hero he didn''t recognize slumped against the wall, covered in injuries. "...This looks exactly like the kind of stuff I have to deal with, though." "What? No¡ª" Iida shot a glance around, realizing Suzaku was kinda right. He sweatdropped himself. "N-nevermind that! You need to get out of here! This is the Hero Killer!" Suzaku locked eyes with Iida, his expression turning serious. Then, he turned to Stain. "Who?" A small silence settled over the alleyway. For a moment, no one said anything. Iida opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn''t about to explain the entire backstory of the guy who had nearly killed his brother. Fortunately, it seemed he didn''t need to. "You don''t know who I am?" Stain asked, his voice carrying a faint trace of anger. "I guess my message still hasn''t spread as much as I''d have liked... Pay attention, kid, I am the one who judges those who falsely claim to be heroes. I cleanse this society of the cancer that is money-grubbing frauds who dare call themselves protectors." Suzaku nodded. "So you''ve got mental problems." A vein popped on Stain''s forehead, and his grip on the katana tightened. "Watch your words, kid... Just like this one down here, I won''t hesitate to cut you down if necessary." "Wiitch yiir wiirds, kiid," Suzaku mocked, mimicking Stain''s tone before pointing his staff at him with a sneer. "I ain''t no psychiatrist, but tell you what¡ªI''ll treat you to some physical therapy for free." That was enough for Stain. "Very well." With those words, he sheathed his katana and instead pulled out the two knives holstered at his waist. "You''ll serve as a sacrifice for the new world too, then." In an instant, he moved like a bullet, his figure a blur to the untrained eye. But, of course, not to Suzaku. ¡ªClang! A sharp metallic sound echoed in the alleyway as one of Stain''s knives struck Suzaku''s staff, which had risen just in time to block the attack. Despite his first strike being deflected, Stain didn''t hesitate¡ªhis second knife shot forward, aiming straight for Suzaku''s gut. Fortunately, a swift knee strike knocked the attack aside before it could land a nasty wound. Then, using that same leg, Suzaku sent a powerful kick toward Stain''s stomach. The assassin dodged, leaping back to create distance. "You..." Stain narrowed his eyes. "It seems you''re not all talk." "Yeah, I''m awesome, handsome, strong, and rich. My glibness is just a bonus." Suzaku smirked. During their short standoff, Iida lifted his head and shouted a warning. "Watch out, Suzuki-kun! I think if he so much as grazes you, you''ll get paralyzed! It must be his Quirk!" Suzaku''s gaze flickered toward Iida and the hero, Native. Both had blood dripping from fresh wounds¡ªproof they''d been struck, which explained why they weren''t helping. "And here I thought you two were just being lazy." Suzaku snorted, grinning as he readied his staff again. "Guess this''ll have to be a no-hit run, then." "No-hit?" Stain echoed, his tone unreadable. "Let''s see if you can back that up¡ªor if that''s your limit." "You''re free to try." Suzaku gestured for him to come with a taunting wave of his palm. The next second, Stain kicked off the ground, his speed just as sharp as before, blurring through the darkness of the alley. ¡ªClang! Just like last time, his initial strike was blocked by Suzaku''s staff. ¡ªKachin! ¡ªClang! ¡ªThung! This time, however, he slipped past Suzaku''s guard, launching rapid slashes that Suzaku deflected with precise movements. Then, once behind him, Stain jumped back slightly, creating space before flicking his wrist. Three swift objects shot toward Suzaku. ¡ªClang, clang! Two were swatted away with a quick swing of his staff. The third¡ªSuzaku caught it between his fingers before it could hit him. A dagger. He examined it for a second before smirking and waving it around. "Did you see that? I caught it with my fingers! Bet you haven''t seen that before¡ª" "Focus on the fight." Stain grumbled, his irritation evident as he lunged forward, drawing the katana from his back. "Chill, man. It was cinematic, so I got excited. Let me have my moment, will you?" ¡ªClang! Another knife strike, blocked. Immediately, Stain swung his katana, its deadly blade leaving a silver arc as it slashed toward Suzaku¡ªwho still had one hand busy blocking the knife. ''Damn!'' Realizing his precarious position, Suzaku quickly redirected the pressure Stain had on the knife, shifting it to the side. The sudden movement freed him enough to dodge the katana''s cut, dropping into a low crouch. Then, before Stain could press the attack, Suzaku rolled forward, locking Stain''s legs in a tight grip and attempting to twist them. However, the Hero Killer was just as quick to react, leaping away just as Suzaku''s legs began curling around him. -Clink, clang, cling!- As soon as he created enough distance, Stain sent another wave of daggers toward Suzaku. This time, however, Suzaku deflected them effortlessly using the very same dagger he had caught earlier, causing him to shoot Stain a smug smirk. Stain''s frown deepened. ''This kid is treating this like a game.'' Up until now, Suzaku had only been on the defensive. Normally, Stain would attribute that to an opponent lacking the skill to turn the tide of battle, but from what he had seen so far, Suzaku was simply not taking this seriously. His eyes studied the redhead from head to toe, scrutinizing his stance¡ªone that told him plenty about the level Suzaku was truly at. For a moment, Stain squinted. Then, he smirked. "One of the qualities of the perfect hero is strength. Without strength, values and conviction are meaningless... You''ve got strength, kid, but what about the other qualities?" His eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he spoke. Then, without even allowing Suzaku to respond, Stain suddenly lunged toward Native, his katana swinging in a wide arc toward the hero''s neck. "...!" Suzaku didn''t flinch. In an instant, he jumped in to intercept the strike. ¡ªCLANG!!! A deafening metallic clash echoed through the alleyway, making the immobilized heroes wince. Even though his initial attack had been blocked, Stain refused to back down. With his free hand, he swiftly pulled out three more daggers, positioning them between his fingers, ready to throw, his eyes already aiming at the fallen Iida. -Thud!- "¡ªKgh!" Suzaku caught on immediately. Without a moment''s hesitation, he sent a sharp kick toward Stain''s hand, knocking the daggers away. "Playing hostage isn''t so fun anymore." Suzaku snorted before pushing against Stain''s katana with his staff, finally letting his overwhelming strength show. "If that''s how you''re playing, I''m done letting you have your turn." Without hesitation, he made a decisive push, throwing Stain off balance before delivering a brutal punch straight to his face. -Bam!- The impact snapped Stain''s head to the side. Suzaku felt something crack beneath his fist, but before he could even enjoy the moment, Stain''s head turned back unnaturally fast, his bloodshot eyes filled with unrelenting will. Then, without even attempting to counterattack, Stain did something strange¡ªhe suddenly threw his katana high into the air. ''The hell?'' For a brief moment, Suzaku hesitated, confused as to why Stain was discarding his weapon so suddenly. That moment was all Stain needed. Slipping past Suzaku in an instant, he drew his two knives again, his murderous gaze locking onto Iida and Native¡ªboth of whom were still paralyzed, helpless to defend themselves. Unfortunately for Stain, Suzaku wasn''t a novice when it came to dirty tricks. -Thud!- "¡ªAck!" Before Stain could get past him completely, a hand clamped down on his head, stopping him in his tracks and slamming him face-first into the ground. "Where do you think you''re going? I said no more playing hostages." Suzaku said with a displeased tone while his other hand shot to grab the katana just as it was about to fall on him. Then, without an ounce of hesitation or mercy¡ª ¡ªSLAM!!! Suzaku raised his free hand and delivered a brutal palm strike to Stain''s head, slamming him into the ground once more, though this time with even more force, even going as far as cracking the concrete below. Thanks to the brutal strike, blood spurted Stain''s mouth as his head raised from the recoil for a moment, his eyes rolled faintly back. After that, his head hit the ground once again, only to not move anymore, his eyes evidencing his current unconscious state. "Good night," Suzaku murmured jokingly, before redirecting his eyes to all the weapons the guy was carrying around. From his spot, Iida watched amazed as Suzaku seemingly finished off the villain that had completely toyed with him earlier. Though, inside him a bit of regret lingered, regret it hadn''t been him who had finished him. But at least, it was finished¡ª "...!" Iida''s eyes widened as he saw Stain''s eyes suddenly roll back in place, before staring directly at him. Suzaku was busy taking away all of Stain''s weapons during that moment. He had tossed away quite the arsenal the guy had been carrying by now. Swords, throwing axes, daggers, knives, the guy was a living weapon. As such, he didn''t pay enough attention to notice that Stain had regained consciousness already. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he didn''t stay in the dark about that fact for long. Just as his hand was about to pick the last of Stain''s weapons, a bunch of hidden daggers under his scarf, a hand was quicker than his. "Time for you to decide." In the blink of an eye, Stain''s hands grabbed the remaining daggers he had, and in a quick movement, swung them in Iida''s direction. "Son of a¡ª!" Clicking his tongue, Suzaku''s legs instantly shifted into their Mirko mode, propelling him forward like a bullet with a powerful kick to the ground. -Swoosh!- Thanks to that, he managed to reach the fast hero in training in but an instant, barely a second before the daggers reached him. However, with no time to catch them like before and no staff to block with, Suzaku did the only thing he could¡ª -Tshk!- The crude sound of metal piercing flesh echoed through the alley as the daggers embedded themselves into Suzaku''s arm. Iida''s eyes went wide. "Suzuki-kun..." Suzaku sighed and held a hand in front of Iida''s face. "Don''t start." He then yanked the daggers out with ease. For a moment, Iida thought this was it. If the daggers had pierced him, Stain would soon paralyze him. But then, he noticed something odd. The daggers... had no blood on them. "H-How? They went through your suit...!" Suzaku smirked, flexing his arm. "These muscles aren''t just for show. Some measly daggers aren''t gonna pierce them." Of course, that was complete bullshit. Those daggers were sharp enough to slice through him without issue. However, just before they had struck, Suzaku had tried something new. He remembered that guy from the Fantastic Four¡ªthe stone dude. Although his memory was a bit fuzzy about the guy, the important fact stuck, stone skin...or whatever that guy was supposed to have for skin. He had no idea if he had replicated it exactly, but whatever he had done, it worked. A protective layer of something similar to rock had formed over his arms, and when combined with his hero suit, it had completely blocked the daggers. Suzaku examined his arm, letting out a satisfied huff. ''This ability is even more busted than I thought... as long as I have something to cover up the changes I make to my body.'' He then retracted the stone skin. Although it protected him, the hero suit hadn''t been built considering an extra layer of stone skin into his body, so it restricted his movements a bit. With that done, his gaze turned to Stain once more. The Hero Killer was struggling to stand up, clutching his head with one hand, and grabbing his katana with the other. Once he was fully upright, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Suzaku. "You have the strength and courage of a hero..." Stain said, his voice heavy and leaving no room for jokes. "... But tell me, what is your conviction?" "... This guy is still at it? He sure is devoted to his mission," The redhead muttered, pulling out his phone to check if Mirko had noticed his absence yet. He had sent her his location earlier, so she could head over when she was free. But judging from the fact that there were no new messages, and his location message didn''t even have a read receipt, it didn''t seem like she''d be coming anytime soon. "I guess I''ll have to finish things here on my own... This would''ve been way easier with that woman here," Suzaku sighed, cracking his neck. "Answer me!" Stain suddenly roared, his frustration boiling over. "Dunno, man." Suzaku shrugged as he began strolling toward the Hero Killer, fists ready. "Money and fame, I guess. That''s the only reason I decided to become a hero." "What?" Stain''s eyes widened. "Money and fame." Suzaku made a money gesture with his fingers. "Though, preferably money. Fame isn''t always good¡ªno, never mind, only money. Fame seems like a pain in the ass. Though, will money come without fame? Maybe I actually do need¡ª" "So you were a fake too..." Stain muttered, his face twisting with frustration. His grip on his katana tightened to the limit, and his eyes burned with newfound fury. "Then, I''ll have to get rid of you... all three of you." Suzaku laughed. "Oh, is that so?" Despite being without his staff, Suzaku showed no signs of nervousness in front of the threat. Instead, he grabbed both Iida and Native by their collars and, with one forceful motion, hurled them several meters away. -Thud!- Both grunted in pain as they hit the ground, their landing anything but graceful. However, Suzaku paid them no mind. His focus remained solely on his opponent. With no more hostages in the way, he smirked and raised his fists, ready for a fight. "Come on, I don''t have all day." Stain remained silent, his expression darkening. Slowly, he began walking forward, his katana scraping against the ground, the sound growing sharper as his pace quickened. Suzaku, in turn, began moving as well. Step by step, they accelerated. Until finally¡ª They clashed. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Watched the Devil May Cry Netflix show. I haven''t played the games, but I think it was good. Not crazy good, but watchable. The demon hunter girl had a ton of plot armor, tho. Most of her friends got ripped in half with normal attacks, while she took bigger ones head on, and from the stronger demons at that, and still looked fine by the end. Let''s just say her chest piece of armor somehow tanked all that. Also, Dante the GOAT. I wanna be like him when I grow up. Unemployed.) -> Chapter 74: Hero Killer vs Sussy Baka 2 Chapter 74 - Hero Killer vs Sussy Baka 2 Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ... -Clang!- -Thud!- -Bam!- The sounds of battle echoed through the alleyway. Two figures clashed relentlessly, lunging at each other like beasts before retreating, only to charge in again. One wielded a katana, swinging with deadly and restless precision, each strike aimed to end his opponent''s life. The other relied solely on his fists, seizing every opening to land a blow. When dodging wasn''t an option, he blocked with his forearms, his attacks leaving more and more bruises on his opponent as the fight dragged on. ''How could a mere brat... a sprout of a fake hero, beat me?!!!'' Stain''s teeth ground together, his frustration mounting as he struck again and again. His opponent, though slightly winded, was nowhere near as battered as he was. -Clang!- He didn''t want to admit it, but the brat in front of him was far more skilled in close combat. Every time he swung his katana, the attack was deflected. At best, he managed to leave shallow cuts on the suit, but never deep enough to reach skin¡ªnever enough to draw blood. That, or something else was blocking his katana''s strikes under the brat''s suit. He simply couldn''t feel his blade hitting flesh. -BAM!- "Khg¡ª!" A fist crashed into Stain''s ribs, and he felt them crack under the impact. He managed to hold himself together, aware that any show of weakness would mean his defeat. However, the pain was enough to awaken Stain into a realization. At this rate, if things continue as they were, he was going to lose. Rapidly, his gaze flickered toward the ones he had tried to kill earlier, the other brat and the fake hero. They were still paralyzed, but what did it matter when they were too far away to be used as bait? He wanted to go and finish them off, but he couldn''t, not when Suzaku was dictating the flow of battle, forcing him to react rather than attack. Trying to get close to the paralyzed heroes was out of the question¡ªhe could barely even hold his ground! His gaze flickered to the countless weapons Suzaku had stripped from him earlier. Some were scattered across the ground, just within reach... yet he knew that if he even dared to go for one, Suzaku would land a strike he wouldn''t be able to recover from. If only... if only he could draw blood from this brat and lick it, all this trouble would be over. -Bam!- "Argh¡ª!" Another blow connected¡ªthis time to his face, snapping his head back violently. If he had a proper nose, it would have surely caved in from the force of that punch alone. For a brief moment, his consciousness wavered, his vision blurring as his body nearly gave in. But¡ª "RAAAAGH!" With a guttural roar, Stain forced himself back to reality, returning to the combat in an instant. However, that last hit had made things clear to him, he couldn''t continue like this. He had to draw blood from Suzaku... One way or another. -Swoosh!- Thus, with his spirit recovered, and maybe even flaring even more fiercely, he swung his katana in a wide arc, aiming to take one of Suzaku''s arms. -Clang!- Much like before, Suzaku deflected it with ease, and with Stain wide open for a counter, he began winding up for another punch. However, this time, instead of the usual wary and somewhat panicked expression expected from Stain after having his guard open, only a murderous light remained in his eyes. "Aargh!" Just as Suzaku pulled his arm back, Stain lunged¡ªhis mouth wide open, teeth bared like a rabid animal. Without a shred of hesitation, he aimed to bite Suzaku''s ear clean off. "...!" The redhead barely managed to dodge, jerking his head to the side at the last second. "This crazy fuck¡ª!" Sadly, he didn''t even have time to finish his curse before Stain swung his katana again, completely indifferent to whether the bite had landed or not. Suzaku, still off-balance from dodging the bite, barely managed to evade the slash. It came from an angle his guard was weak against, forcing him into an awkward retreat. Yet Stain wasn''t done. In an instant, the lunatic lunged again, jaws snapping toward any exposed flesh he could sink his teeth into. "Cut it out, you damn psycho!" With a roar, Suzaku''s hands shot forward¡ªone clamping onto Stain''s wrist, stopping his katana mid-swing, while the other grabbed Stain''s face and shoved it back. Yet even then, Stain thrashed wildly, snapping his teeth like a rabid dog, trying to bite anything¡ªSuzaku''s hand, arm, whatever came close enough. Thus, Suzaku had enough. ¡ªBAM!!! "Uck¡ª!" Despite his berserk state, Stain couldn''t ignore the brutal knee slamming into his gut, forcing the air out of his lungs all at once. -Crack!- "Aaargh!" Suzaku used the brief moment of weakness to tighten his grip, twisting Stain''s wrist sharply. The katana slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground. With Stain now disarmed, Suzaku didn''t waste a second. He twisted his body, winding up for an elbow strike. Then¡ª -Slam!- -Crack!- With all his strength, he drove his elbow into the side of Stain''s head. The force sent the bloodthirsty lunatic stumbling, then tumbling to the ground in an uncontrolled roll. The moment there was distance between them, Suzaku acted fast. He picked up Stain''s katana and flung it far, ensuring it was well out of reach. Then, without pause, he moved to clear the battlefield. Weapons scattered around the alley were kicked away, sent skidding across the ground. Some he picked up and hurled even farther, making sure Stain had no means of reclaiming them. Even his own staff¡ªhe put it back to its compartment on his suit. By the time Stain managed to push himself up, all the weapons were gone. Now, only two fighters remained. No blades, no tricks¡ªjust fists. "Huff... Huff..." Stain''s breathing was ragged. His stance wavered, his body swaying slightly¡ªwhatever was keeping him standing wouldn''t last much longer. And yet... That fire in his eyes remained. ''Years of preparation, of training, of becoming stronger... I sacrificed so much, just to be worthy of carrying this duty¡ªto cleanse this society... And yet... yet, this damn brat, this future money-chasing fake... he dares stand in my way!'' He took a step forward. ''I will not go down, not from this pest... I have a duty... and some filthy, greedy fake won''t be the one to bring me down!'' He took another step. Then another. His speed increased. ''The only one who will bring me down, and put an end to my duty...'' He ran. ''Is All Might!!!'' And so did Suzaku. "Die!!!" They clashed¡ªno weapons, no tricks. Just raw, unfiltered combat. Suzaku unleashed a relentless barrage of punches and kicks, each one calculated, each one honed by years of martial mastery. He targeted the most vulnerable points with ruthless efficiency, aiming to break Stain down piece by piece. And yet, despite the battering, the Hero Killer lived up to his name. Through sheer instinct, technique, or something far more primal, he kept up. He clawed, bit, and lashed out with his spiked boots¡ªfighting like a rabid beast, doing anything to draw blood. Blow after blow landed against his battered body. He dodged some, blocked others, but he couldn''t stop them all. And yet... He refused to fall. Driven by sheer will, by a purpose greater than himself, his broken body moved, each step fueled by the singular goal of killing Suzaku. Then, in a flash, he lunged¡ªboth hands shooting forward, claws ready to rake against Suzaku''s skin. But before they could reach¡ª Suzaku''s hands shot forward as well, locking onto Stain''s hands, their fingers interlocking like a lovely couple¡ªonly, this was far from being a cute situation like that For a moment, they were caught in a deadlock. A moment that lasted barely a second, as Stain still had one weapon left. "Raaagh!" His teeth. With Suzaku''s grip keeping his hands in place, he didn''t hesitate¡ªlunging in to bite whatever he could reach. Suzaku barely managed to dodge, twisting his head away from the snapping jaws. But in doing so, he lost ground, their locked hands shifting as Stain pushed forward. It was a battle of strength, and Suzaku could feel the Hero Killer pressing down on him, closing in inch by inch. That was... until Suzaku decided to put an end to the Hero Killer''s munching addiction. As Stain lunged in again, his teeth bared¡ª Suzaku''s head shot forward. ¡ªBAM! ¡ªCRACK! And with a vicious headbutt, slammed into Stain''s skull, sending his head snapping back. The force alone made him falter, giving Suzaku the upper hand in the struggle. But Suzaku was far from done. With his grip still firm on Stain''s hands, he yanked the villain straight back towards him. ¡ªCRACK! And with a merciless grin, delivered another headbutt. The force sent Stain''s head back again, blood dripping from his forehead, eyes rolled out And yet, before he could get too far away, Suzaku pulled him back once more. Then¡ª ¡ªCRACK! ¡ªCRACK! ¡ªCRACK! Again. And again. And again. A relentless headbutting onslaught began. ¡ªCRACK! ¡ªCRACK! ¡ªCRACK! By the time Suzaku finally released him, Stain stumbled back¡ªhis face a bloody mess, his skull undoubtedly fractured. His knees buckled. Then, at last¡ª -Thud- He collapsed. His body had given in, no longer able to move. But Stain''s will remained. His teeth clenched so hard they might crack. ''This¡ªthis can''t be happening...'' He tried to move. ''Move. Move! This can''t end like this...!'' But his body refused. Instead, all he could do was stare at the ground, at the dark puddle of blood forming beneath him¡ªhis vision blurry and unfocused. Then¡ª -Tap. Tap. Tap.- He heard them. Footsteps. Growing closer. A slow, steady rhythm, like an echo in his ringing ears. With effort, Stain forced his eyes upward, barely able to see past the haze of pain. And there, standing over him¡ª Was Suzaku. A faint smirk on his lips. "You..." Stain forced his voice out, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Suzaku''s¡ªor at least where he assumed they''d be beneath those glasses. "Me..." Suzaku responded ominously, mimicking Stain''s tone with an amused tilt of his head. "You... you''re supposed to be a fake." Stain''s hands curled into fists, his knuckles whitening from the pressure. "How could you overpower me?" His voice trembled with rage, disbelief twisting his expression. "How is it possible that scum like you was able to beat me, when your motivation is nothing more than disgusting money?" His glare intensified, eyes wild, seeking answers that refused to come. "It''s your Quirk, isn''t it?" His breath quickened. "It''s only thanks to your Quirk that you were able to defeat me..." A bitter, hollow laugh escaped him. His gaze dropped to the ground, despair creeping into his voice. "How unfair... for fortune to favor the fakes... for this cancer to society to be blessed constantly... for the truly just to have all the odds stacked against them¡ª" ¡ªBAM! A sharp kick to the chin cut his monologue short, snapping his head upward with a violent jolt. "You never stop monologuing, huh?" Before his head could slump back down, a hand grabbed his hair and yanked it up, forcing him to stay upright. Suzaku knelt, bringing his face level with Stain''s, his grip firm yet effortless. "You lost because you simply weren''t good enough, amigo." His voice was casual, but his gaze anything but friendly. "My Quirk didn''t do much besides stopping your blood from getting in my eyes." Stain''s eyes twitched. His gaze drifted toward Suzaku''s glasses¡ªno frames, just an unnatural sprouting of glass from the sides of his head. It clicked. "...How is that possible...?" His voice was barely a whisper. "How could I lose then...? How is it possible you were able to defeat me...?" Suzaku let go, allowing Stain''s body to collapse onto the floor. His muscles failed to catch him, his limbs refusing to obey anymore, causing him to slam onto the floor. The redhead shrugged as he stood up. "How? Good genes, some faith in God, and good luck, I guess." He smirked slightly. "All that, and a good master." Stain''s fingers scraped against the concrete. Anger boiled within him, bubbling over into a violent tremor. "You... you''re a fake..." His nails dug in harder, his body twitching. "I can''t go down because of some dirty fake who just had luck. I can''t. I mustn''t!" Suzaku watched, eyes narrowing as Stain... began to rise. Slowly. Painfully. Every movement was accompanied by the sickening crack of bones grinding and snapping out of place. Yet he stood. Despite the agony. Despite the limits his body had long since reached. His bloodshot gaze burned with hatred, locked onto Suzaku with terrifying intensity. "Even if luck... no, even if fate itself is on your side..." His voice dripped with venom. "I will not go down like this..." He took a step forward. -SNAP- The sound of bones breaking rang out, yet Stain''s face didn''t flinch. His resolve overpowered his body''s screams. "Even if I have to die..." Another step. -Cough!- Blood splattered onto the ground. A rib had punctured something inside him. He felt it¡ªand yet, he kept moving. "I will drag you down with me... even if it''s just to make this world a little cleaner...!!" His hands trembled, fingers curling into claws, ready to rip into Suzaku even if it meant tearing off his own nails. His eyes stretched wide, the whites overtaking his irises¡ª A last, desperate, maddened pounce. "You... DAMN IMPOSTO¡ª!!!" ¡ªBAM!!!¡ª Suzaku''s fist met his face before he could even finish his scream. A sickening crunch echoed as Suzaku''s knuckles sank into Stain''s face. Stain''s body flew back, limbs flailing uselessly in the air, a spray of blood and loose teeth trailing in his wake¡ªbefore slamming onto the ground. -Thud!- This time, he didn''t get up. His eyes completely rolled out, and not even a twitch was present in his body. If it wasn''t for the barely audible breathing coming out of him, one might have thought he had actually died. Looking down at the defeated Hero Killer, Suzaku exhaled through his nose. "Yeah..." he muttered, voice low and indifferent. "I guess you''re kinda right on that one." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later...| ... Suzaku sat beside Iida and Native, the three of them waiting for the police to arrive. They leaned against the least dirty part of the alleyway wall, the cold ground beneath them. The paralysis was already gone, and so Iida and Native could move again. A few feet away, Stain lay unconscious, tied up in his own bandages, scarf, and eyefold. A poodle of drool forming bellow his opened mouth, which now lacked several teeth. All in all, quite the peculiar scene. "So, uh... how''s the internship going?" Suzaku nudged Iida. "Hmm? Oh, I''d say it''s going well." Iida answered wryly, but his expression darkened as his gaze landed on Stain. "Though, after this, I''m not so sure..." "Huh? Why? ''Cause of your injuries?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow. Iida looked down at his shoulder wound, still dripping blood. He''d probably spend a few days in the hospital after this. "I suppose that''s part of it..." He smiled wryly before his expression turned grim. "But mostly, it''s because I slipped away from the hero I was interning under just to face the Hero Killer." Suzaku pointed at the hero Native, sitting beside them. "Aren''t you interning under this dude?" "This dude...?" Native''s face twitched. "Suzuki-kun, that''s no way to refer to a Pro Hero!" Iida straightened up instantly, making a chopping motion with his hand¡ªonly to slow down after a second. "¡ªbut no, I''m interning under the hero Manual. He went off to deal with some trouble, and when I saw the Hero Killer... my body moved on its own. I ended up slipping away just to fight him." "Heeeh...~?" Suzaku nodded, letting out a long but unimpressed exhale. "How heroic of you." Iida laughed deprecatingly. "On the contrary. I only moved because I wanted vengeance... He injured my brother, so I forgot my own principles and chased after him like a mindless beast... I... failed as a hero." Hearing Iida''s story, Suzaku was about to reference a meme about a scarred guy obsessed with honor, but figured that might be insensitive, so he shut up. Instead, he gave the unconscious Stain a kick. "Feel better?" Iida sweatdropped, glancing at Stain. Honestly, he''d gotten his fill of violence midway through the fight. Now, it just felt excessive. As much as he had been filled with anger before, he was still just a teenager. After hearing Stain''s bones crack for the tenth time, his rage had started to subside. Now, the guy was in just as bad¡ªif not worse¡ªshape than his brother. He still hated him, but his stomach couldn''t handle seeing more of such a gruesome beatdown. ''Suzuki-kun sure is ruthless... No wonder he won the Sports Festival.'' Iida sweatdropped, heaving a sigh. ''I just hope he won''t get in trouble for going this far.'' Before he could say anything though, the sound of approaching police sirens caught their attention, interrupting their chat. They turned their heads toward the alley''s exit. -Thud- Only for a sudden impact to sound behind them, making them spin around again. "The hell, you brat?! Where the hell did you run off to when I wasn''t looking?!" It was Mirko. Suzaku stood up and gave the unconscious Stain another merciless kick. "I found this guy and beat him up. He''s supposed to be called the Hero... Unaliver or something." "Hah?" Mirko''s face twisted in confusion, but as her eyes landed on the villain, her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, you meant the Hero Killer... Wait¡ªwhat?!" She turned to Suzaku, dumbfounded, only to see him shrugging with a dumb look on his face. Scratching the back of her head, she let out a groan, looking at Stain like he was the biggest mess she''d ever seen. "I take my eyes off you for one second, and you go and capture a serial killer... Great. Let''s just hope I won''t get into any trouble cause of this..." Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "He''s a what¡ª? No, never mind. That was a stupid question." As he debated whether to kick the guy again, in honor of whoever he had killed, the police sirens grew louder, making Mirko wince slightly. Moments later, several police cars parked outside the alley, and from them, several officers began approaching the crime scene. "Well, hopefully, this won''t turn into a pain in the ass," Mirko muttered before walking toward the approaching officers. After a briefing on the situation by the bunny hero, the police quickly began loading the Hero Killer into a car while others stood by, questioning those involved. Several officers raised an eyebrow when Suzaku casually explained that he was the one who beat Stain to that state. But after some clarification from the two Pro Heroes present and a few officers recognizing Suzaku as the Sports Festival''s top spot, the matter was settled. One of them tipped his hat and gave Mirko a serious look. "The chief will have a word with you tomorrow, Mirko-san." "Of course he will..." Mirko groaned, facepalming. Maybe not entirely settled, but close enough. Soon after, Native and Iida were taken to the hospital, leaving only Mirko and Suzaku behind, watching in silence as the unconscious Hero Killer was carried away in a police car. ''Fake hero, huh...?'' Suzaku suddenly glanced up at the night sky peeking through the alleyway, his gaze distant. He hadn''t really thought about it before since his life had kinda stayed the same so far, but... why was he still doing this? Why was he still trying to become a hero? Originally, his main goal was to make money. But now that goal was fulfilled. He had money thanks to Tatsuo, so what use was there in remaining a hero? ''Dad said that heroes were rich, and that girls were crazy for them.'' Suzaku weighed the second option, only to shake his head as he discarded it as a possible substitute motivation from now on. After all, with how awesome he was, girls were already crazy for him. Who exactly? Well, it was kinda hard to pinpoint. There were simply too many... "Ahem." So, if he had money, and he was already popular with girls... What was left? What was keeping him on the path of a hero? Not like he was gonna become a villain if he didn''t take this path, but what exactly was keeping him here, as a student of U.A. in the middle of an internship? He could be doing anything else, enjoying his riches and living a life of waste as he had once dreamed. What was holding him from doing so? ... Nothing. -Whack!- A sharp slap to the head snapped him out of his thoughts. "Why the hell are you looking all gloomy over there? I''m the one who has to deal with your mess." Before Suzaku could respond, Mirko nudged him and started jogging away. "Come on, serial killer or not, we still have a patrol to finish." With that, she kicked off the ground and leaped into the night. Suzaku stood there for a moment, rubbing the spot where she''d smacked him. He was pretty sure he heard a faint "You better not slip away again!" before she disappeared. Letting out a sigh, he let out a faint snort. "I guess I could do it for the sake of balancing my karma or whatever. This body count isn''t just gonna disappear, after all." He shifted his legs to their Mirko mode, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Besides, it''s often said those who win the lottery get depressed, so who knows? This might make a fun hobby to distract myself... To be a hero." With that, he kicked off the ground and dashed after Mirko¡ªoff to go spread some Suzaku-ish justice. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: And so the hero killer is no more... Or is he? No sus image this week, cause I didn''t put one in the patreon. You can put ones yourself if you want tho) -> Chapter 75: Heart of a Hero Chapter 75 - Heart of a Hero Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |The next day...| ... A man with the head of a dog sat on the other side of a metal table, his eyes locked onto the red-haired kid in front of him. Occasionally, his gaze flicked to the famous bunny hero beside the kid, who looked increasingly annoyed. Kenji Tsuragamae, chief of police¡ªsomeone Suzaku had already met before. "We meet again, young Suzaku," Kenji said, his wrinkled canine face betraying no expression. "Sup." Suzaku gave him a nod. Mirko glanced between the two, raising an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. With the greetings out of the way, Kenji leaned forward, his posture serious. "Lad, do you understand that what you did was incredibly dangerous-woof?" Suzaku looked away. "I mean, I''m not the one who ended up with all his bones broken..." Kenji sighed. "That''s not the point. You fought a highly armed psychopath with a history of killing and severely injuring multiple Pro Heroes. You don''t have your Hero License yet, don''t you think that was reckless?" Suzaku scratched the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Well... when I ran into the guy, I just thought he was some psychotic hobo. I didn''t exactly know his full record." Silence hung in the room for a few moments before Kenji let out a tired sigh. "Seriously, you''re just like Tatsuo¡ªwoof." He shook his head before turning his attention to Mirko, who tensed slightly under his gaze. "What?" she asked, scowling. "I believe this young man is your intern, correct?" Mirko clicked her tongue. "Yeah..." "Then, if you don''t mind me asking, why did you let him wander off and fight a serial killer?" Mirko''s scowl deepened. "Look, the brat scurried off before I even noticed! How was I supposed to know where or who he was fighting? I was busy dealing with villain shit!" Kenji turned to Suzaku, who just shrugged. "I dunno. I stopped for a second when I saw some weird stuff in an alley, and the next thing I knew, she was gone." The chief''s gaze shifted back to Mirko. "Well, not my fault he''s too slow..." she muttered. "Mirko-san..." "Alright, alright, my bad." She crossed her arms, clicking her tongue. Kenji sighed, looking between the two problematic heroes in front of him. "Normally, we''d have to ask young Suzaku whether he wants this incident to be made public or keep it anonymous. After all, the Hero Killer has been a major threat to society, and this case would normally be considered closed. However..." His voice grew heavier. "During the transportation of the Hero Killer, two of our officers were killed, and the Hero Killer got taken away." "What?!" Mirko shot up from her chair, anger flashing across her face. Suzaku, on the other hand, barely reacted, save for the small frown forming on his face. Kenji pulled out a tablet and placed it on the table. "Here. Watch this." The screen played a grainy CCTV video of a dimly lit road. Suddenly, a dark mist swirled into existence, and two figures emerged from the portal, accompanied by a monstrous creature with an exposed brain. The creature lunged at the police car like a wild beast, stopping it in an instant. Before the officers could react, they were killed on the spot. The unconscious body of the Hero Killer was retrieved and dragged into the dark portal along with the assailants. The video ended there. By the time it finished, both Suzaku and Mirko were frowning. ''Those two...'' "Who the hell are these punks?" Mirko was the first to break the silence. Kenji shook his head. "We don''t have their exact identities, but..." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "We recently intercepted a large-scale villain operation before it could go into action. However, some of the criminals managed to escape during the raid¡ªusing that same mist-warping Quirk. We suspect these two are the ringleaders of a larger villain organization." "The same raid the old man was involved with?" Suzaku asked, his eyes narrowing faintly behind his glasses. Kenji was silent for a beat before giving a slow nod. "Yes." Suzaku silently mulled over the situation, his gaze lingering on the frozen image of the two fallen officers. His eyes narrowed slightly. If he had just killed Stain right then and there, would those two officers still be alive? If the Hero Killer had died on the spot, then the hand-fetish creep and the smoky guy wouldn''t have come for him¡ªmeaning those police officers wouldn''t have died in the crossfire. Of course, with Iida and Native watching, if he''d done that he could have risked exposing his secret. Hence why he didn''t do it. But was his secret really worth that much? If he had just thrown it all away, if he had ended Stain on the spot regardless of who was watching, two men might still be breathing. Suzaku clicked his tongue¡ªinternally, at least. His face remained unreadable. His eyes flicked back to the tablet. The image of Shigaraki and Kurogiri was frozen on the screen. ''If I get to see them again, then that''ll be the last. Important to canon as they might or not be.'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Hours later...| ... After what felt like an eternity of legal talk about the proper response to homicidal hobos appearing out of nowhere, Suzaku and Mirko were finally released. Both looked equally tired and fed up. "Seriously, kid, next time, tell me before you decide to go fight a damn serial killer," Mirko grumbled, shooting him a pointed look. "I''ll try." Suzaku shrugged. She scowled but ultimately just rolled her eyes. With that, they both kicked off the ground and sprang into action. After all, they still had work to do¡ªonly taking this little detour because the law demanded it. As they moved swiftly through the city, Mirko occasionally threw glares at Suzaku, who followed just behind her. ''Talk about holding a grudge.'' Suzaku smirked to himself but kept his eyes scanning the surroundings. Just in case. Fortunately, no extra murderous hobo seemed to be lurking about, so their patrol continued uninterrupted. ¡ªAt least, until work called. "A robbery!" "Watch out, there are villains inside the bank!" "Heroes! The heroes are here!" As soon as Mirko and Suzaku landed at the scene, they were met with a crowd gathered at a distance, watching as a group of armed figures lurked inside the bank. Mirko smirked, excitement flashing in her eyes as she cracked her knuckles. "Now this looks like a good fight. Just when I needed to vent a little." Before rushing in, she turned to Suzaku. "You make sure none of these idiots get hurt and try to get them out of here." Suzaku glanced at the bystanders still standing around, some holding up their phones to record the event. He gave Mirko a nod. She jabbed a finger at him, eyes narrowing. "And don''t go wandering off." "I''ll think about it." Mirko clicked her tongue but didn''t bother arguing. Then, with one powerful leap, she crashed through the bank''s window, throwing the entire scene into chaos. Suzaku stood behind, watching the scene unfold with a wry smile. Then, turning to the crowd still glued to the scene, Suzaku let out a sigh. "Why can''t people have a tiny bit of self-preservation?" Without waiting any longer, he moved toward the mass of bystanders, urging them to leave or at least step further back. Most complied. Some, however, stubbornly remained, phones raised, more interested in capturing the action than their own safety. Unfortunately for them, Suzaku wasn''t exactly the most patient guy around. ¡ªClang!¡ª He slammed his staff against the ground, the sharp sound cutting through the murmurs. "I ain''t asking again." A few onlookers exchanged glances, some looking mildly annoyed¡ªuntil whispers spread among them. "Wait, isn''t that the guy from the Sports Festival?" "You mean the one who wrecked his classmates?" "Yeah... Uh, maybe we should step back." And just like that, hesitation turned into retreat. Suzaku watched as the stragglers finally got the memo and began dispersing. Satisfied, he let out a huff, storing his staff back in its compartment. But just as he turned to check how the fight was going¡ª -Swoosh!- ¡ªA massive shadow came flying straight at him. "...Again?" With a resigned groan, he ducked. A woman with multiple eyes sailed over his head, landing a few meters away with a rough thud. Suzaku turned toward the bank to see what the hell Mirko was doing in there¡ªonly to find her grinning at him, casually lifting a dazed robber by the collar. "Since you''re done over there, take care of this one for me too!" she called out. "You handled that guy yesterday, right? This one shouldn''t be much trouble either." Suzaku''s eyebrow twitched. ''She''s still at it?'' But rather than argue, he simply turned to face his new opponent. The woman groaned as she pushed herself up, wincing as she wiped a bit of blood from her face. "That damn rabbit... I think she broke one of my ribs," she muttered before glancing at Suzaku. The moment her gaze landed on him, her expression twisted in disbelief. "A brat?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "A hag?" "I''m still in my thirties, you little shit!" "Whatever you say." Suzaku shrugged, pulling his staff out once again. "Anyway, let''s get to it." The woman scoffed. "Get lost, kid. Although I''d prefer not to injure children, I will if you keep getting in my way." Without waiting for his response, she turned to bolt back toward the bank¡ª ¡ªOnly to flinch as a pebble whizzed past her cheek, leaving a shallow cut. She froze. Bringing a hand to her face, she touched the stinging wound and looked down at her fingers, now smeared with a faint trace of blood. Slowly, she turned back to Suzaku. The redhead was smiling faintly. "That''s funny," he mused. "Someone told me the exact same thing yesterday... and he ended up with no teeth, a caved-in skull, and lying in a pool of his own blood." The woman''s expression stiffened. Suzaku twirled his staff lazily before pointing it at her. His stance remained relaxed, but there was something in his gaze that made it clear he wasn''t joking. "Maybe it''s just a coincidence," he said lightly. "But hey, wanna see if there''s a pattern here?" The woman scowled, her gaze falling on Suzaku''s red suit. Her eyes widened. "I see, so you''re a damn Hero... In that case, don''t blame me for killing you!!!" In an instant, several long, sharp legs sprouted from her waist and back, lifting her several meters into the air. "I don''t know why a brat is working as a hero, but lament over the fact that you met Arach¡ª!" "Don''t care." "...Lament over the fact that you m¡ª" "Don''t care." "Lament ove¡ª" "I said I don''t care. Take a hint." The woman''s face turned red with anger. Then¡ª "Raaaagh!" She lunged at Suzaku. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Minutes later...| ... "Once again, history repeats itself¡ªexcept this time, no teeth scattered around, no caved-in skull, and no pool of blood. So be grateful I went a bit easier on you." "U¡ªugh..." "I''ll take that as a ''thanks.''" Suzaku sat on top of the defeated woman, storing his staff back in its compartment with a sigh. He traced a finger to his chin, where one of her legs had scratched him earlier during their brief fight, leaving a small cut. He glanced down at her. "Hey, uh, you don''t happen to have poison in those legs of yours, do you?" "U...Uh..." Suzaku pursed his lips, staring blankly ahead. "I''ll assume that was a no." With that, he turned toward where Mirko was still fighting. "They''re still at it, huh?" He raised an eyebrow, watching the shadows of people getting flung around. With nothing else to do, he pulled out his phone and started playing some Quirkfruit Ninja to pass the time. At least, until¡ª "HELP!" ''Of course.'' Annoyed, he shut off his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. His gaze shifted to the source of the commotion. A giant man covered in green scales was barreling in this direction some streets away, several police cars trailing behind. Upon spotting the crowd still gathered outside the bank, the man scowled and sped up. Roaring like an oncoming truck. "Get out of my way!!!" It was clear he had no intention of stopping, even if it meant trampling people in the process. "Oh, come on." Suzaku clicked his tongue before quickly getting to his feet and pulling out his staff again. ''Can''t even catch a break.'' Then, activating Mirko Mode on his legs, he gritted his teeth, kicked off the ground, and shot straight toward the giant''s head like a speeding bullet. The man didn''t even register Suzaku''s approach¡ªhe just kept running. Until it was too late. With all his speed and enhanced strength, Suzaku swung his staff, straight to the man''s head. Delivering a strike that, added with the speed he gained using Mirko''s mode, made it one of the heaviest hits he had ever mustered. ¡ªCLANG!!!¡ª The impact shattered the man''s scales instantly, sending him crashing into the ground. He skidded across the concrete, only stopping about a meter from the crowd. Sadly, his scales weren''t the only thing that broke. "Dang, really, man?" As Suzaku landed back on the ground, he let out a dry laugh¡ªbecause if he didn''t, he might actually cry. His staff had snapped in half. One piece was still in his hand, while the other had been sent flying who knows where. Running a hand down his face, he let out an annoyed sigh before tossing the broken half away. -Cling!- By sheer coincidence, it landed perfectly inside a recycling bin labeled "Broken Staffs Only." No littering here. "At least it wasn''t Arata''s. That would''ve sucked... Though, would it have even broken in the first place?" Suzaku scratched the back of his head, shrugged, and turned toward the crowd¡ªwho, for some reason, still hadn''t left. "Hey, you people suicidal or something? You got your fill of watching, how about moving somewhere that isn''t dangerous?" That finally snapped some of them out of their trance, especially those who had nearly gotten flattened. Many quickly muttered their thanks before leaving. Of course, some still lingered, wearing stubborn expressions as they avoided Suzaku''s annoyed gaze. ''How I wish hitting these kinds of people was legal...'' Suzaku sighed and turned toward the approaching police cars who had been following the giant guy previously. But just as he did¡ª A giant hand moved. Not toward him, but toward one of the men in the crowd. "What¡ªah!" A middle-aged man barely had time to react before he was grabbed and hoisted into the air. Suzaku spun around, eyes narrowing. The giant had managed to stand up. His forehead was bleeding, and he looked dazed, but he was very much awake. "You damn brat... You actually dared to hit me!" His furious gaze flickered between Suzaku and the police, who had just stepped out of their cars. Then, the man let out a booming threat. "Back off, all of you, or this guy turns into paste!" The officers immediately froze, hands hesitating near their holsters. Suzaku groaned. "Why couldn''t you just stay down after one hit?" His fingers twitched, instinctively reaching for his staff¡ªonly to remember he no longer had one. The giant sneered. "I don''t know how a brat managed to hit me that hard... But you know as well as I do, if you get close, this guy dies." ''Ugh, hostages.'' Suzaku clicked his tongue in irritation. He hated situations like this. They completely flipped the tides just because people had morals. And, annoyingly, it worked. The giant grinned, sensing his advantage. With some effort, he started backing away, never turning his back on Suzaku or the police. At least, until someone began running at him. The giant''s expression flickered with brief concern. He quickly glanced to the side, worried about an ambush from behind¡ªonly to realize the one charging at him was just a kid. "Leave my dad alone!" The boy ran up and started punching the giant''s leg. His tiny fists barely made a sound against the thick scales. "Ken, get the heck out of here!" the salaryman shouted, his voice laced with panic. But his plea fell on deaf ears. The kid kept hitting, determined to protect his father. The giant raised an eyebrow. Then, after a second, his lips curled into a wicked grin. Without a shred of hesitation, he grabbed the kid as well, enclosing him in his massive fist just like his father. Because what was better than one hostage? Two. Grinning, he turned back to Suzaku and the police. "You know the drill. Don''t follow me, don''t think of me, don''t even look at me. Or else, this guy and his kid will be tomorrow''s top story¡ªas corpses." ¡ªCrack¡ª "AAARGH!" The giant squeezed his grip around the father. A sickening, guttural groan of pain escaped the man''s lips before the giant finally loosened his hold, letting him gasp for air. "I hope that proved I''m serious." Suzaku''s frown deepened, fists clenching by his sides. But then¡ª The giant lifted the kid higher. Holding him up like a prize for everyone to see. He flashed a toothy grin. "If not, I can always put on a little show with this runt instead." Something snapped inside Suzaku. ''That''s enough.'' His crimson eyes locked onto the giant, his decision made. Some lingering regret for Stain''s situation might have affected his decision-making at that moment, but he made up his mind. Guys like these didn''t deserve a second chance. Without hesitation, a gun made of bone sprouted from Suzaku''s wrist, fitting perfectly into his grasp. He lifted it, ready to end this. But then¡ª "Hahaha, well, later sucke¡ª" ¡ªBAM!!!¡ª A blur dropped from the sky. A brutal kick crashed down onto the giant''s skull, followed by a loud crack. His grip instantly failed as his body plummeted like a broken puppet. As a result, the next second, the hostages began falling. But the figure moved fast, looking like a white blur barely perceptible to the untrained eye. With effortless agility, it snatched both the father and son mid-air before they hit the ground, landing safely. Suzaku''s frown lifted as his eyes sat on the figure, and the bone gun retracted as if it had never been there. Mirko was back. Quickly, the police retrieved the man and his son away from Mirko''s arms and moved them to safety, away from the giant, surrounding the villain right after to ensure he wouldn''t get up again. As the officers handled the situation, Mirko made her way toward Suzaku, smirking. "You looked like you were in trouble there, kiddo." Suzaku stared at her for a moment before snorting. "Yeah, I suppose so... Hostage plays are pretty tricky to deal with." Mirko snickered, then jerked her thumb toward the bank. "Good thing you and the cops distracted him long enough for me to sneak behind him." Suzaku glanced over. Inside, a pile of unconscious villains lay scattered on the floor while police officers moved in to secure the scene. Turning his attention back to the kid and his father¡ªnow clinging to each other, sobbing¡ªSuzaku exhaled through his nose. "How do heroes usually deal with that kind of trick?" "Usually, more heroes get called in to handle it while the villain''s distracted." Mirko cracked her knuckles. "Or, you know, you can just be like me¡ªtoo damn fast for them to react." Suzaku chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." Before long, a police officer approached, notebook in hand, ready to take their statements. After recounting their sides of the story, every now and then sparing shocked glances at Suzaku, they were free to go. Mirko wasted no time. She signaled for Suzaku to follow and immediately broke into a sprint. "Come on, we still got hours of patrol left. We''re not stopping just ''cause of some bank robbery and a big guy with scales." Suzaku groaned. "I''m starting to regret this." "Quit whining and¡ªpick up the pace!" Mirko accelerated. Suzaku scoffed, but a small smile tugged at his lips as he started running after her. Yet, as he picked up speed, his gaze flickered to his wrist. A hole now remained in his suit where the bone gun had sprouted, a contemplative look surging in his eyes as he bore his gaze on that spot. "..." Whatever he was thinking at that moment, no one knew. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: Sorry for the wait, I was busy with university projects. I''m on recess week now though, so I''ll probably upload another Chapter in not too long. Back to the story, what did you think of the Chapter? There wasn''t much canon stuff going on, but it was important nevertheless. There might be one or two Chapters of the internships left, before passing to the next arc. Let''s hope I can build everything properly from here on until the climax of Suzaku''s evolution, so everything feels natural.) -> Chapter 76: The Last Card Under The Sleeve Chapter 76 - The Last Card Under The Sleeve Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Two days later...| ... A man with a mohawk for hair struggled to stand up, his legs almost buckling beneath him. His eyes set on the figure standing completely nonchalantly before him, causing his teeth to grind against each with fury. "Ugh, damnit... DAMNIT!! A brat won''t be the one to beat me!!!" "Mimimi, ''I brit win''t bit mi''." The figure mocked, arms crossed. "Y-you... SHUT UP YOU FUCKING¡ª!!!" -Whack!- With a quick uppercut, the figure¡ªor rather, Suzaku, who was now wearing his full suit with helmet included¡ªshut the annoying man in one go, sending the guy to count sheep on the cold concrete of the road as his body crashed crudely with it. "Huff..." With his foe down, Suzaku exhaled and massaged the wrist of the hand he''d just used to put the guy to sleep, glancing down at the gloves he was wearing with a faint smile. ''These gloves Arata made for me sure have been useful. I barely felt the recoil on that one. Good thing I brought them with me, considering I''m out of staffs to hit people with for now.'' Letting out a satisfied sigh after he moved his wrist a little more, he proceeded to turn to Mirko, who had just delivered one last kick to the one who looked like the leader of the gang they had just intercepted and beat up, sending him flying like a ragdoll across the air. This bunch weren''t villains like the ones they''d been fighting so far, but criminals they were. Before she and he got here, they had been extorting people and threatening everyone they came across like they hadn''t been taught any better. Suzaku scoffed faintly as he glanced at the many thugs lying near him, then at the other pile near Mirko. ''Seriously, if you''re gonna act like an asshole, at least have the strength or ability to back it up. This is sad.'' They had been acting like they were Yakuzas or something, but their Quirks were barely anything noteworthy. Just some minor enhancement Quirks, some Quirks that looked more scary than they truly were, etc, etc... And unlike Suzaku, this bunch didn''t have an enhanced body to at least make up for their normalness, so that was that. With a snort, Suzaku shook his head and walked toward Mirko, who was already calling the authorities to come clean up after them. After a short wait, during which Mirko proceeded to describe the scene with minimal detail to the police, probably because she was fed up, she finally turned to him and flashed him a thumbs up. "Alright, kid. Time for our lunch break." "Finally." Suzaku groaned, stretching his back as his body went into chillaxing mode right away after hearing her words. Beating up people was good for stress, he had to admit. But after doing it six days straight, it was starting to get more annoying than fun. Especially because some of them were his kin¡ªnatural trash-talkers¡ªand they constantly yapped throughout the fight. Unlike him, though, they didn''t have the strength to back their words up, so most ended up with a punch or a knee lodged in their gut, getting real silent afterward. Suzaku shook his head mid-stretch. ''The art of trash talking isn''t for the faint of heart... or gut.'' As he finished stretching, Mirko shot him a smile. "Since today''s your last day, this is my treat. Where do you want to eat?" ''Last day?'' Suzaku raised an eyebrow and quickly checked the date on his phone, a faint look of surprise flashing across his face. ''Huh. A week actually passed already.'' Still, the surprise only lasted for about a second before something more important came to mind. Food. "Your treat, huh?" Suzaku massaged his chin with a pensive face. "Then... how about a 5-star restaurant?" "Don''t get ahead of yourself, brat." Suzaku laughed, shooting her a cheeky grin. "Pizza, then." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Some time later...| ... Suzaku and Mirko sat on opposite sides of a table, waiting patiently for their pizza¡ªwith extra carrots on one side. In the meantime, Mirko was on a call with a friend of hers, someone called Ryukyu or something. Suzaku hadn''t really paid attention, nor did the name ring any bells. He, on the other hand, was scrolling through his phone, killing time watching whatever shorts came to his for-you page. He was having a good time, watching memes that came up now and then¡ªuntil a particular video popped up. "Hmm?" It was a clip of him, caught mid-fight, beating down a group of goons. Mirko could be seen in the background kicking someone into next week. The caption read: The Sports Festival''s winner is going crazy out in the streets! "Another one?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow and opened the comments. [Hide98: Bro ran out of classmates to beat up.] [Allmightfan156: Today''s a bad day for being a villain.] [Allmightsucks2: Isn''t that hero brutality?] [ExplosionGodDynamight: Lame.] [Stickforarms: Dude punched all his school and is now moving to the big leagues.] [Glowingeyeskeleton: Dude is the most violent person I''ve seen and he chooses Sussy Baka as his Hero name.] [Batdoctor: It''s Sussy Baking Time!] His smile twitched a bit at the chaos in the comments, but honestly, what could he even do? At least no one was trying to cancel him. His popularity had spiked after the news about the Hero Killer came out. He wasn''t the center of attention, though. The spotlight mainly had gone to the mysterious villain group that broke the guy out. Still, since the police mentioned he had "helped" in the capture, and with the fact that he was the Sports Festival''s winner¡ªof the first year at least¡ªhis name started floating around... including his hero name. [SkibidiMight: What kind of name is even Sussy Baka?] Suzaku smirked faintly as he saw it plastered all over the comment section. Sure, he would''ve loved to be properly recognized as the one who beat the Hero Killer to a pulp. The clout that''d have given him would have been unmatched. But between being unlicensed and underage, he ultimately had to settle for the "assistant" role in the official reports. "Damn law," Suzaku muttered, clicking his tongue as he scrolled down, having seen enough of his own brilliant performance beating down thugs. Unfortunately for his bored self though, the videos after that were just annoying guys staring at the camera while clips of All Might fighting villains played above them. It didn''t take long for his patience to run out, and he shut the app with an irritated sigh. Though, he turned his phone back on for a second¡ªjust to check the time¡ªthen turned it off for real. ''An hour left before we go back to patrol.'' He sighed, glancing around the surrounding tables with a fed-up look. Truthfully, it was a tiring job. Sure, there were way more exhausting ones out there¡ªsome required heavy physical labor, others were mentally draining¡ªbut that didn''t make this one any easier in its own way. Constant walking all over the city, always staying alert for trouble, and the constant tension of potentially running into someone incredibly dangerous... or into an emergency where people''s lives were on the line. ''Medics probably have it like this... if not worse.'' He huffed, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. At least Quirks helped sometimes in that regard, speeding up or simplifying the treatments people received. However, in other cases where they changed the physiology of the patients, they just made everything more complicated. ''Damn, poor medics in this world, they are probably on the verge of dying themselves from overwork.'' Suzaku grimaced. And for what? So some lunatic on the corner of the city could blow up a street and dump even more chaos on their plate? Suzaku shook his head, clicking his tongue in frustration. ''I should stop thinking about this crap. It''s just making me want to punch someone...'' After a second of processing that line of thought, he snorted. ''Well... at least I''m in the right line of work for that.'' Just then, their pizza arrived. The waiter set it down in the middle of the table. Mirko instantly perked up and ended the call abruptly, licking her lips as she rotated the pizza so the side with extra carrots faced her. As they each took a slice, Suzaku glanced at her. "So, uh... is it always this busy being a hero?" She didn''t even look up, already munching happily on her slice. "Depends on the city. Some places are hell. Others are boring as hell. Either ''cause of the crime rates, or just ''cause there are too many heroes stationed there." Suzaku nodded and took a bite of his own slice. "What about vacations? Do you get any or..." Mirko shook her head casually, still chewing. "Depends if you''re solo or in an agency. I''m solo, so I decide when to take a break. But since we get paid depending on how many messes we handle, no work means no pay." "Damn," Suzaku muttered. ''There goes having paid vacations.'' Mirko smirked. "But well, at least in this line of work it never gets boring." Suzaku let out a wry laugh. He couldn''t tell if he liked the idea of constantly fighting maniacs and rescuing people from collapsing buildings every day. While he enjoyed a good fight, he would always prefer lying down on his king-sized bed all day. Something that, sadly, he hadn''t been able to do due to being in another city. ''Well, at least it''s my last day.'' He thought, enjoying the flavor of his pizza. ''All I gotta do is resist until tomorrow morning, and me and my bed will be reunited.'' As he ate, already imagining the commodity he''d feel once he threw himself at his bed, he snorted, amused at the thought of some catastrophe striking during these last few hours. ''I mean, how likely is it to happen?'' ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Two hours later...| (A/N: Recommend you put on some epic music. If it is ominous, better.) ... ''Why did I have to go and jinx it?'' Suzaku stood frozen, staring at the enormous fire raging out of control before him, devouring an entire district. The light from the furious flames glared off the visor of his helmet. Heroes darted in every direction¡ªsome carrying victims covered in burns, others rushing to collapsing zones, trying to support ongoing rescue efforts. "Move move, they need people at the east side!" "The fire is expanding, they already contacted fire-containing specialized heroes, but they''ll take a while to arrive!" "Group of injured people incoming, make way!" Mirko had already dashed off to help elsewhere, telling him to stay put and assist whenever a hero needed help moving the injured. So now, he stood there, mostly useless, offering a hand when needed... and watching it all unfold. As he stood idly by the side, he clicked his tongue ''So much for a peaceful night. There''s gotta be some God out there screwing me over... An enemy of the Impostor God? A Crewmate God, maybe?'' Even with chaos all around, his humor clung on¡ªbarely. ''Okay, maybe not the best time for jokes...'' Right then, a man in his forties was rushed toward him by a hurried hero, half his face covered in painful burns. Suzaku took him without hesitation and carried him to the designated safe zone, away from the inferno. There were at least four dozen people reunited upon one spot, showing just the sheer disaster that had struck from one moment to another. For a moment, Suzaku wondered if the problem was starting to die down. With the whole mass of people the heroes had already rescued, surely they would be almost done with the rescuing, right? But the moment he returned to his spot, chaos hit again. "We need someone over here! The fire''s spreading!" "Where the hell are the heroes with water Quirks?!" "That side''s collapsing¡ªwatch out!" -CRACKLE!- ¡ªBOOM!!!¡ª A massive explosion ripped through the air. Half a building came crashing down, sealing off one of the main entrances. Panic struck immediately. "Shit! There were still people inside!" "The heat''s spiking! Anyone going in now is gonna get cooked alive!" "Anyone got a fire-resistance Quirk?!" "Call backup¡ªnow!" "I''m trying! But even if someone''s free, they''ll take five minutes to get here. The people inside don''t have five minutes!" "Damn it!" The heroes stood frozen. No one could do anything. They stared at the ruined building, at each other... powerless. At least, until someone moved. -Swoosh- Suddenly, a figure in red passed by the group of heroes and slipped through a narrow opening, pushing the debris that blocked it aside with sheer strength and squeezing into the collapsed zone¡ªstraight into the flame-covered ruins. "Who was that?!" "Wait¡ªwasn''t that Mirko''s intern?!" "Is he insane?!" The heroes glanced at each other, frozen. Unknowing what to do with Suzaku having just entered the inferno that had become the building. Meanwhile, inside the burning structure, Suzaku gritted his teeth, a pained breath escaping his lips. The heat was already seeping through his suit, every second making it harder to breathe. Still, it kept the fire off his skin. Barely. "Damnit, why couldn''t God add the ability to be invulnerable to fire in my ability kit?" Suzaku cursed, as a bead of sweat¡ªrather, many¡ªrolled down his forehead. Flames crackled all around him, and more than once he had to pass straight through the burning tongues just to reach the next corridor. As he traversed the place¡ªsometimes breaking apart debris, other times shielding himself with his arms as the fire intensified¡ªhis ears morphed beneath the helmet, shifting into Mirko''s. Immediately, enhanced hearing kicked in, filtering what he needed from the chaos around. Then he heard them. At least ten people. Scattered. Trapped in their own apartments. ''Of course it wouldn''t be a manageable amount.'' Suzaku winced. ''I hate this already...'' But he didn''t slow down. His legs pushed on, ignoring the heat and pain, until he reached a door where panicked, ragged breathing leaked through the cracks. ¡ªBang!¡ª A sharp kick shattered it open, and Suzaku charged inside. Squinting past the smoke, he caught sight of his targets. A kid¡ªand what looked like his parents¡ªhuddled in the only part of the room that wasn''t a full-blown inferno yet. But from the look on their faces, the smoke was already doing enough damage. "Don''t worry, for I am here and all that shit. Follow me if you want to live." There was no hesitation. As soon as the words reached them, the parents nodded. Their gazes were hazy, and they looked ready to collapse, but they grabbed their child regardless and started moving, pushing their dizziness away with sheer will. Suzaku didn''t miss a beat. On the way out, he spotted a cotton rug that hadn''t caught fire yet. With a few swift hits, he put out the small flames licking at the edges, then tossed it to them. "Use that to shield yourselves," he barked, then led the way out as the family covered themselves. From there, he moved fast. Kicking down door after door, calling out to the trapped, tossing rugs, or dragging people out himself when needed. Some were children. Others adults. Some a mix in between. It didn''t matter. Suzaku just kept moving, pushing through flames, trying to end this mess before things got even worse. In less than three minutes, he''d pulled the ten people from their homes. He heaved a sigh, his whole body soaked in sweat beneath the suit. His eyes quickly began darting around, looking for a window. ''Done. Now all that''s left is¡ª'' ¡ªCrack...¡ª His ears twitched. ''Aw fuck...'' That sound wasn''t good. "Get down, now!" he shouted, his message getting across quickly, and making everyone duck right away. And just at the right moment. The next instant, the ceiling groaned¡ªthen, not even a second later, it gave out, coming down on them like a death sentence. ¡ªBOOM!!!¡ª Chunks of flaming debris rained from above. Without hesitation, Suzaku surged forward, arms spread wide, throwing himself over the group beneath the rug, shielding them from the collapse. "AAAARGH, damn son of a¡ª!" Pain exploded through him as the rubble slammed down, crushing onto his back and shoulders. But he didn''t let go. Not even a little. He held. Even as his muscles burned from the strain¡ªand the fire... mostly the fire. His damn suit was already starting to melt. ''Shit, this is what I get for rushing straight in without a plan. This ain''t no anime¡ªthis building on fire isn''t gonna conveniently collapse in the spots I don''t care about!'' Gritting his teeth, Suzaku dug deep, trying to force the crushing weight off of him. Whatever fell had to be a huge chunk of the place¡ªceiling, walls, who knew? What mattered to him was that it hurt like hell. "Huff, huff, huff..." He sucked in air through clenched teeth, then¡ª "Alright, here we go!!!©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤shit, never mind, it''s not budging even a little." His voice cracked, and he gave up halfway through the attempt. No use pretending¡ªhe was completely pinned. Trapped under what had to be literal tons of flaming debris, Suzaku''s eyes darted, searching for anything¡ªa crack, an opening, a miracle, something to at least get the people to escape on their own... ... Nothing. -Cough, cough...- ''Shit.'' Suzaku then noticed the people beneath him were beginning to lose consciousness, the smoke and heat getting to them. That took the option of them escaping on their own off the table. Which meant their lives, and his, depended solely on him. Sadly, with him being pinned and unable to move if he didn''t want to get buried in fiery debris, it wasn''t looking very likely he''d be able to do much. Suzaku swallowed hard, closing one of his eyes as a bead of sweat rolled by it. ''Am I dying like this? In some random-ass fire?'' His pulse quickened, teeth clenched. There were no vents nearby, so placing one now wouldn''t help, as it wouldn''t connect to anything. Invisibility? Useless. Kill? Fire wasn''t alive, nor were the debris on top of him Shapeshifting? Maybe. If he copied someone stronger than him, he might buy a few more seconds. But against this weight and fire, it''d only delay the inevitable. He''d only be getting more time to get crispy. ¡ªBOOOM!¡ª Suzaku''s eyes widened as the sound of the building collapsing further reached his ears. Instantly, the weight pressing down on him grew heavier. Whatever had come down just now¡ªit made everything worse. ¡ªCrack...! ¡ª "Argh, fucking¡ª!" he growled, twitching as his bones creaked. The rubble shifted again, pressing down harder. His back bent under the pressure. He gritted his teeth. ''Fuck, fuck, fuck... There ain''t no way I''m dying in a damn fire!'' He glanced down¡ªmost of the people beneath him were already unconscious. Was there truly no way out? Veins bulged on his neck and forehead as he closed his eyes. Was this it? After everything? His mind flickered through his life¡ªall the effort, all the time, every person he''d met along the way. All the pain. All the survival. And it was all about to disappear again? Just like that? Was he about to lose his life again? ''Aw hell no!'' His eyes flew open wide¡ªand that''s when it came to him. There was one ability that might get him out of this. One he had tested once... and canceled almost immediately, as it nearly exposed everything when he tried it at home years ago¡ªhis biggest secret. That there had never been a vigilante who saved him. That it had always been him. That he had been the one who killed dozens, hundreds. The truth he''d hidden for so long¡ªit almost got revealed at that time... and it would most likely happen this time too if he used it right now. Heroes were still outside, and so were bystanders... Hence, tons of Cameras. Phones as well. If he used that now, everyone would see it. If he used it, he''d¡ª "Fuck it. I''m not caring about that right now!" Suzaku roared, his voice strained, his spine on the verge of snapping. He had maybe five seconds left before turning into crispy meat paste. So he made his decision. Then¡ª ... ¡ªBadump¡ª ... It began with a single heartbeat. Loud. Like a gong echoing through his chest. "Hngh¡ª!" Suzaku gritted his teeth, eyes wide. Then, his pulse surged. A heat rose¡ªnot from the flames, but from deep within. Hotter than the blaze around him. But it didn''t burn. This heat was his. And along with it... came the anger. Sudden. Furious. Alive. His muscles tensed and bulged, ballooning beneath the molten wreck of his suit. ¡ªRIP!¡ª Soon enough, the sturdy suit tore like wet paper as his body expanded¡ªtwice its size. Then three. Four. Five. His skin turned a deep crimson, and his frame shifted, almost in an inhuman way, as if bones were ceasing to exist inside him. Then, the wreckage groaned. And for the first time... it moved. The ceiling debris trembled under the pressure. Cracks spidered outward as the sheer force of his transformation pushed back against the crushing weight threatening to bury him alive. All, until the one holding it all up was no longer the young hero clad in red armor... No, it was something else. A hulking crimson figure now stood there, its form constantly shifting¡ªalmost as if it were made of gas, of living goo, or some kind of liquid flesh. Uncertain. Unstable. At the top of its body¡ªor what seemed like its head¡ªwas a single, massive, pupil-less eye, pale blue and unblinking, staring down at the dozen unconscious people below. Flames danced across its form, but they did nothing. Snuffed out immediately¡ªabsorbed or smothered by whatever strange substance this being was made of. And on its stomach... a gaping maw lined with countless needle-sharp teeth twitched and moved, alive and restless, snapping at the air as if desperate to devour anything it could reach. It stood there, unmoving¡ªlike a statue carved from living muscle and hate, holding the debris upon its shoulders like a pillar¡ªuntil its single eye shifted. Then, its head twitched. ¡ªGrowl...¡ª It began low. Guttural. The sound of a beast waking from a deep, violent slumber. Then, its whole body jerked upright, pushing the debris with ease, its single eye widening to its limit as a red glow generated at its center. The gaping mouth on its stomach stretched wide, and a long, razor-sharp tongue flailed out, thrashing like a dying serpent. Then... It spoke. ¡ªROAAAAAAAR!!!¡ª The howl tore through the burning building. Through the streets. Through the chaos. Every hero who heard it froze. Every bystander felt a chill run down their spine. They all had the same feeling. That howl hadn''t been just a sound. It was a warning. The sound of judgment. As if death itself had descended. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: The final and most overpowered ability of our MC has finally made its debut. What did you think about it? With appropiate music I think it should have looked pretty good. Personally, I listened to a cover of the Hide and Seek theme from Among Us while writing this part, since that''s literally the inspiration behind this transformation. It''s the Unleashed Impostor, one that no longer cares about deception or subtlety. Just pure rampage.) -> Chapter 77: Escape Chapter 77 - Escape Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Suzaku''s POV:| ... ''So this is the last of my Impostor abilities, huh?'' I knew this was a dangerous ability to use... The last time I was able to feel it for a moment¡ªthat something wasn''t right¡ªbut since I canceled it before it could fully complete and never used it again, I was never able to know what. But this... this was more than I expected. Right now, I could feel myself brimming with strength. Power beyond anything I''ve had in all my life. I felt like I could erase buildings with a single punch. Like not even a missile could damage me. Even the dozens of tons of flaming debris resting on my shoulders felt no different than carrying a little piece of cardboard on my back... and it only felt lighter as seconds went by. Like I was growing stronger. I felt... invincible. ¡ªGrowl...¡ª I glanced down at the nearly dozen people lying unconscious on the floor beneath me, surrounded by raging flames. With each second that passed and I did nothing, their deaths grew nearer. Children, adults, teenagers, all of them could cease right in this moment. All these feeble lives... I could kill every single one of them. It wouldn''t even take a second. And besides, would it really matter if I killed them myself? They were about to die from the flames anyway. At least under my hand, it''d be an instant and painless death. ''Hah.'' My body shifted, and suddenly, dozens of tendrils extended from me, pointing at the group. Then, blades began sprouting from them¡ªtips just centimeters away from touching them... From killing them the instant they punctured them, just like everyone I''ve killed until now. But just as I was about to finish the job¡ª ''Hold on, why am I¡ª?'' The tendrils froze, and my head tilted, not in horror, but in mere puzzlement about what I was doing. ''Why the hell am I trying to kill them?'' After all, I''d been trying to save them until I transformed, so why was I suddenly considering killing them as an option? It would betray the only reason I risked my hide by entering this hellhole. It didn''t make any sense. Well, I mean, it kinda made sense¡ª ...did it? No. Wait. I swear it made sense a second ago. ''Huh?'' The next instant, the tendrils retracted, and so did the blades, returning to my body as if they had never been there. Thus, stopping me from killing innocent people for no reason at all. But as I looked at their still-breathing figures¡ªas I heard their still-beating hearts¡ªthe feeling remained. Unsatisfied. Like I was leaving something undone. Something unchecked. Something that needed to be... fixed. And with it came the anger. Anger at what? I didn''t know. But I could feel it. Intense. Consuming. Blinding rage¡ªdirected at something. Perhaps at not ending them right here, perhaps at the people outside, perhaps at something else. Perhaps at nothing. Maybe I had just gained some kind of super psychotic autism, and killing them was like my new way of making things feel okay. I squinted my eye, trying to know what it was. Then, it came to me as I stared at my new blood-like body, constantly shifting, no longer human-looking in any form. ''Of course this comes with the classical side-effect.'' I almost laughed, except I didn''t feel like I could nor need to do so in this form. It was like the typical edgy protagonist ass-pull when things got rough. More power, in exchange for becoming some sort of unconscious monster thirsty for blood. Except, in this case, there was no monster. Only me. Not a voice whispering in my ear, no secret demon resting within me awaiting to be unleashed. No. Only me. I was still thinking, still controlling myself. The strength and power were all mine to wield. The only difference was the instinctual response I now had to seeing alive people. A kind of instinct that made me crave to kill the same way it made anyone crave junk food, or shopping, or punching someone who deserves it. A completely innocent urge, born not from malice nor hate, but simply... Well, I don''t know where it came from, but it certainly wasn''t something evil controlling me. The anger only made it harder to ignore. But, unfortunately for it, I was still me. The great Suzaku. And some random temptation and primal urges weren''t nearly enough to convince me to kill people just ''cause. ''Even though those necks of theirs are looking mighty fine... for slicing, I mean.'' Still, regardless of what I thought, I had a job to do. ¡ªGrowl...¡ª As a low groan escaped from my giant mouth, I got to work. My size¡ªalready ten times my original¡ªstarted increasing even more uncontrolled. Almost unlimited. The debris began sliding off me, pushed back as my form expanded monstrously. Soon, I started outgrowing the building itself. The wreckage resting on my back got crushed against the ceiling¡ªuntil the ceiling too gave up and collapsed entirely. The change spread like a ripple through the structure. Cracks raced along the walls, and within seconds, the whole thing began to fall apart. And yet, as the whole building came down, I remained there, unmoved by the tons of debris hitting my body and crashing down around my feet, which prevented the unconscious people from getting buried in the process. Then, as the cloud of dust dissipated, and the disaster came to an end, the smoke and heat finally started to dissipate, The crumbling walls and collapsing beams buried some of the worst flames, and the smoke was swept upward into the air. Letting the people bellow me finally able to breathe properly, even if still unconscious. However, as I looked down at them, I noticed something else in the corner of my sight. I wasn''t alone anymore. My single eye glanced around. Several heroes stood there, surrounding the building¡ªeach one staring at me in shock. And it wasn''t just them. Dozens of people had gathered at a distance, recording with their phones¡ªwell, the ones who still had the strength to lift their hands, anyway¡ªthe rest looked like they were about to fall to their knees or pee on themselves. They looked terrified. For a moment, I wondered why that might be. But then I followed their gazes. All of them... locked onto me. ''Do I look that scary...?'' I looked down at myself¡ª And paused. Right in the center of my torso was a gaping, tooth-lined mouth. A massive, writhing, serpentine tongue slithered out of it, razor-sharp and swaying wildly in the air. Combined with my size and my... disturbing color palette... Yeah. They didn''t make for a very calming appearance, I guess. Fortunately, they didn''t seem to be planning on attacking me for now, despite the fact that I looked pretty much like a classic villain right now. Which was for the better, honestly. Wouldn''t want to kill one of them... At least my logical side did not. Although I could control myself right now, I did feel like I might slip unconsciously at some point if I were to engage in combat. The urge to kill still remained within me, after all. One moment of frustration or annoyance during a fight, and I might just hit them too hard. Villains and stuff is fine, but adding a hero to my list of corpses? I''d prefer to avoid that. ''Hmm?'' As I scanned the area, mentally noting how many heroes surrounded the scene¡ªand estimating how many I''d have to fight if things did go south¡ªI saw a figure approaching in the distance. Mirko. Her expression was urgent, but as she caught sight of me, she slowed down, her eyes widening in terror like everyone else. For a moment, I thought she might recklessly jump at me. She did seem like she''d consider this a proper fight or some nonsense like that. Luckily, I was wrong. She just looked repeatedly between me, the unconscious bunch at my feet, the collapsed building, and the countless people around the area, but never jumped at me. What she was thinking, I had no idea, nor did I care. I had a more pressing concern at the moment: Getting the hell out of here. Whatever the hero protocol was for dealing with a giant, monstrous guy with a mouth in his stomach, I definitely wasn''t interested in finding out. So, I moved. ¡ªBOOM!¡ª My steps made the ground quake. The instant I began moving, all the heroes flinched, faces turning pale. But I simply ignored them. I just kept walking, my massive feet crushing debris beneath me¡ªuntil I began shrinking. If I wanted to escape, being a giant monster wasn''t exactly ideal for a stealthy exit, so I eventually reverted back to a more manageable size. However, as I stepped off the rubble and onto solid concrete, someone moved to block my way, causing me to stop my advance, and glance curiously at who was making this harder than it should be. Mirko, again. If I could sigh, I''d have done it right now. She stood there, cracking her knuckles, clearly preparing for a fight. However, her cocky and challenging grin didn''t quite hide the sweat pouring down her forehead... Or the way her face had lost color. I could feel it, she was just as scared as everyone else. Though, whether that made her more excited or not, I didn''t know. I wasn''t exactly versed in Battle Junkie Bunny Hero psychology. As I continued with my sarcastic comments inside my mind, she spoke up, squinting her eyes at my still figure. "... I don''t know where you came from, or if you have anything to do with all this mess... But I can''t just let you leave like nothing, there''s a protocol for this kind of stuff." I didn''t reply. For a moment, I considered going invisible, it''d save me the trouble of getting chased, or followed, but as soon as I tried, I felt it¡ªnothing. Same with most of my other powers. They were just gone... or blocked maybe. My ability to place vents was gone, my shapeshifting had been reduced to just altering my current shape, not taking the appearance of others. The only ability that I could still feel whole and fully functional was Kill. Which meant that there was no stealthy way out of this. As that fact dawned on me, I felt the urge to sigh. ''Hah, I guess I''ll have to make my way through.'' My single eye scanned the surrounding area. Despite Mirko stepping up, the other heroes were still frozen in place¡ªparalyzed by fear. That made things easier. So, I returned my gaze to Mirko, who readied herself for a fight the instant she sensed my gaze, flinching at every movement I made. ''Hah.'' Seeing her so enthusiastic, I began to prepare too. To not kill her on accident. ¡ªBOOM!¡ª After that, it all passed in a flash¡ªfaster than I had ever been. My feet kicked the floor beneath me, and I moved so fast the concrete only cracked apart once I was already standing in front of Mirko, who, like the ground, only realized I had moved once I was standing before her, staring at her down, as I was now a head or two taller than her. "Y-you...!" Her eyes widened, and acting almost instinctively, she sent a kick toward me¡ªone aimed directly at my neck. ¡ªBAM!¡ª But my palm shot up faster than her leg and caught it mid-swing, so easily it almost felt like catching a paper ball. It felt so weak that, for a moment, I squeezed my grip. Wondering whether I was just imagining it. -Crack!- Then, I felt the bones in her leg snap. Immediately, I released her, something she instantly used to jump back, her face contorted in pain¡ªbut her gaze never left me. I blinked, glancing at her purple-turning leg, then at my hand. I didn''t feel regret, or even sorry for it. Just... astounded at how fragile everything had become. Someone who could''ve likely matched me, maybe even overwhelmed me with her fighting skills in my normal state, was now so frail I broke her leg without even intending to. One of the best heroes in the country¡ªand all it took was a tightened grip. My eye returned to her. Pity filled my gaze. She was so frail. They all were. I could end them all in an instant. With this speed and strength, I didn''t even need to use Kill. I could snap their necks in a blink. ''Then again, I should not.'' I shook my head, brushing off the strange urges crawling up from within me. Then, I moved again. This time, Mirko was at least able to predict I was coming. She had already started to block by the time I appeared in front of her. -Swoosh!- "...!" Her eyes widened as she registered my presence¡ªbut by then, it was too late. Keeping the thought of killing tucked at the back of my mind, I flicked my hand at her, keeping my posture relaxed, and evidently barely trying. ¡ªBang!¡ª Instants later, she was sent flying away like a blur, crashing straight into a building and creating a small explosion. -Boom!- ''Did I hold back enough...?'' As the sound of the explosion settling down reached my ears¡ªor whatever I was using to hear now¡ªI tilted my head in her direction with curiosity¡ªmaybe even a bit of anticipation. Anticipation of seeing her dead. Sadly¡ªor rather, luckily¡ªonce the dust settled, I saw her sitting in the middle of a mountain of rubble, coughing blood, but still alive. ''Good.'' I thought, half relieved, half disappointed. In that state, even if she tried to chase me, she wouldn''t be able to keep up. So, disregarding her now that she was no longer a threat¡ªor rather, an annoyance¡ªI turned to the rest of the heroes, wondering who would be the brave one to take a step forward now. ''...'' But it seemed I worried needlessly. They all still stood frozen in fear. Some looked frustrated, glancing at themselves, punching their calves, biting their lips¡ªbut none moved. I guess I didn''t need to worry about them. So, with no one left to stand in my way, I turned my head to where I had been heading originally, prepared to run off¡ªsomewhere I could hide until I undid this transformation and returned to normal. But just as I was about to take off, someone blocked my path again. Mirko. Bloodied, bones clearly broken, and barely standing¡ªyet there she made her way to block me as she limped, grinning wide. "Going somewhere?" ''Damn woman. Just stay down.'' Annoyance creeping in, my hand shot out, grabbing her neck at blinding speed. "Ack¡ª" She didn''t even have time to react before I lifted her a few centimeters off the ground. My hand held her still, and whatever I was made of now¡ªmuscles, steel, or something else¡ªtrembled in anticipation. Like an itch screaming to be scratched. Like a primal urge. Twist. Snap. That''s all it would take. And my mind whispered it to me, over and over. Urging me. Pleading me. Like some twisted puberty, this transformation was giving me some sort of killing fetish. And I was drowning in it. With just the slightest twitch, her life would be gone. With just a flick, she''d stop getting up and I wouldn''t waste more time here. ''... I''m really going psycho with this thing.'' With a sharp shake of my head, I let go. She dropped to her knees, gasping for the air like there was no tomorrow. I watched her for a second... then remembered my training with Tatsuo. I needed to stop her from getting up again¡ªbut without killing her. Things like knocking someone out with a karate chop to the neck were mostly fiction. Still, there were other options. Like a strike to the head with controlled force¡ªbut given how bad my control was right now, that didn''t seem wise. Her head would most likely explode like a watermelon if failed to hold back enough. So, I went for the safer route. The liver. It wouldn''t knock her unconscious, but it''d definitely take her out of the fight. So, without even thinking it twice¡ª ¡ªBam!¡ª "Uck¡ª!" A swift, tightly controlled jab slammed into her liver. Her eyes went wide from the pain before she collapsed to the ground, clutching her side. I gave her felled body a satisfied glance. ''That should do.'' Now that she was finally down for real, I turned to leave. Though, just before that... I glanced at the civilians watching and recording from a distance. With one burst of speed, I snatched every phone and crushed them in my grip. Then, reappearing where I started, I casually dusted off my hands from the technological remains and looked back at the crowd. Only then did they realize what had happened. They turned toward me with expressions twisted by a mix of fear and defiance¡ª ¡ªHOOOOOWWWL!!!¡ª But before any could protest, I opened my mouth wide and let out a deep, monstrous roar. The sound echoed across the entire area. The next instant, most of them dropped to their knees on the spot. A few even pissed themselves. Not even the heroes remained indifferent. Their legs buckled, and their bodies shook uncontrollably. If I could have sneered at that moment, I''d have done it. ''Just wanted to scare them a bit... Maybe I went a little overboard.'' Amused by the sight, I kicked the ground and vanished in a blink, taking turns every now and then to make sure no one would be able to follow me. And while I did that, I began thinking up a plan to fix this whole mess, and to make sure this form wouldn''t be associated with my normal self. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Half an hour later...| ... After the fire was put out, the entire zone descended into chaos. Press and police swarmed the area, demanding answers and collecting testimonies from anyone who had been present. It wasn''t easy. Most of the witnesses were in shock¡ªmuttering incoherently or too terrified to speak properly. The only ones who could offer a clear explanation were the heroes, though even they looked shaken and out of sorts. Still, when the news spread about some mysterious individual¡ªor creature¡ªthat had emerged from the burning building and saved over a dozen people, the media went wild, prowling the area like vultures in search of scraps. Meanwhile, the heroes had to deal with the aftermath. Multiple squads were mobilized to search for survivors¡ªespecially anyone buried under the rubble. One squad in particular had a very specific person as its primary objective. Mirko stood nearby, silently watching them dig. "Miss Mirko, you should receive medical treatment right away. Your injuries are too severe to ignore," a policeman said, approaching her as she observed the team work. "I''m fine," she replied curtly, eyes narrowing as she scanned the disaster site. "That kid was supposed to be under my supervision. I''m not leaving while he''s still missing." "The hero squad is doing everything they can. You''ll be notified the moment he''s found¡ª" "I said no," she snapped, shooting him an irritated glance. "...Understood," the policeman muttered, falling silent as he turned to watch the hero squad like she was. After a few seconds, Mirko spoke again. "What about the people that were beside that thing when it came out? Have they woken up yet?" The policeman shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. They''re still unconscious, and it''s likely they''ll stay that way for at least another day or two." Mirko clicked her tongue in frustration and tapped her one good leg against the ground, the rhythmic sound echoing softly as she stared at the rubble. Eventually, she stopped tapping and began limping toward the search team. Her patience had run dry. "These punks are too slow. At this rate, the kid''s gonna die before they even find him." The policeman immediately moved to stop her. But just as he reached out¡ª "We found him!" The hero squad called out the good news. Without hesitation, Mirko quickened her pace, pushing past everyone as she made her way to the scene. There, she saw the heroes working quickly, clearing away chunks of debris. And finally¡ªbeneath it all¡ªthey uncovered a seemingly unconscious Suzaku. His skin showed visible signs of burning, and parts of his suit were melted. Despite her condition being far from ideal for that kind of work, Mirko immediately began helping push away the remaining chunks of concrete. As a result, soon enough, Suzaku was freed and carried to a nearby rescue zone. As he was placed on a stretcher and medical personnel began preparing to examine him, his eyes slowly fluttered open. Mirko rushed to his side, her face tense with worry. "Damn kid, I told you to stay put¡ªnot throw yourself into certain death!" Suzaku blinked a few times and slowly pushed himself up, wincing. He gave her a wry smile. "Sorry." -Clang!- Mirko promptly smacked him on the head, making Suzaku flinch and grab at the sore spot. He shot her an indignant glare. "Damn woman! What did you expect me to do?!" "What did I expect?" she snapped. "Stay. Put." Suzaku clicked his tongue, still rubbing his head. "Not my fault the rest of the heroes acted like pussies just because the building started collapsing a bit." Mirko raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the nearby heroes who had been stationed in the same area as Suzaku. They quickly looked away¡ªscratching their heads or rubbing the backs of their necks in shame. When none of them denied it, Mirko clicked her tongue and turned back to Suzaku, sighing as she massaged her temples in frustration. "I''m never offering internships again..." A few seconds of silence passed before she spoke again, her gaze softening¡ªif only slightly. "So? What happened inside? How did you end up buried under all that rubble?" Seeing she had calmed down, Suzaku let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, like he was replaying the moment in his head. "Well, I was being a hero¡ªsaving people left and right¡ªwhen the ceiling decided to drop on us. So, like the valiant and incredible hero I am, I jumped in and stopped it from crushing the folks that were following me." Mirko instantly knew who he meant¡ªthe people who had been at the monster''s feet when the building collapsed. Her eyes narrowed. "Continue." "Since I''m so damn strong and fit, the weight wasn''t much to handle at first. But when the rest of the building started collapsing, even my mighty strength wasn''t enough." "Stop the self-glazing already." "I was already finishing," he shot back with a frown, before wrapping up. "After that, I remember holding on a few more seconds before blacking out. No clue what happened after. Did someone finally grow a pair and come help?" Mirko squinted slightly, her mind connecting dots. The monster had saved the same people Suzaku had been protecting before he passed out¡ªalbeit whether intentionally or not, that remained a mystery. And it had emerged pretty close to the location where they found Suzaku buried. So that begged the question, did the red-haired kid have something to do with the monster? Mirko frowned. She''d assumed as such¡ªif it wasn''t for the fact that the creature had vanished into the distance before anyone could catch it. And Suzaku had just been pulled from the rubble. So unless he had some weird teleportation or cloning Quirk, it seemed unlikely that he was the monster. Maybe someone he saved had turned into it? "How many people did you save?" she asked. "Hmm, about ten." ''Same number. So it''s unlikely it was any of them.'' Of course, with how versatile Quirks were, the creature could''ve been a summon or some kind of artificial creation. Still, for now, she preferred to believe it was someone real. At least, her instincts told her so. Something so dangerous¡ªto the point her own bunny instincts went in alarm as if she was facing some kind of personified death¡ªcouldn''t simply be the product of a creation Quirk. It was on a whole another level from anything she''d have fought before. It wasn''t a matter of a gap in strength anymore, when she stood before it, she felt as if she was facing a force of nature rather than something alive. She refused to believe that something on that level was some kind of summon and not someone or something alive on their own. However, whether that belief would hold up once the investigation began was another matter entirely. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mirko sat down in a nearby chair. As she settled in, Suzaku gave her a curious look, noticing her injuries. "What about those bruises? Don''t tell me the fire punched you?" Mirko grinned. "After you passed out, some huge monster burst out of the flames and brought the building down. Luckily, it helped save the people you''d been protecting... but when I tried to stop it from escaping, I got my ass kicked." "Damn," Suzaku muttered, falling into silence for a few seconds before asking, "So... was it their fault the fire started?" Mirko shook her head and shrugged. "No one knows. It appeared as randomly as it vanished. Could''ve been the cause, or maybe it was just a coincidence." "Damn," Suzaku repeated with a nod, though his expression remained impassive. What he was thinking at that moment, no one knew. As he remained pensive in his spot, a group of paramedics approached Mirko, murmuring something to her. After a bit, she nodded and stood up with a limp. "Well, kid. Since you''re safe and all, I''ll be going to get patched up." Suzaku nodded, his face unreadable. As she turned to leave, Mirko gave him one last look. "By the way, since I''ll probably be stuck in the hospital for more than a day, your internship under me is officially over. So once you get checked out, you''re free to go home." Suzaku gave another nod. "Got it." She stood there for a few seconds, staring at Suzaku with a raised eyebrow. In the end, though, she shook her head with a displeased expression and turned around. "Tsk. What a cold kid." After that, she began limping away towards an ambulance. As she walked away, Suzaku glanced in her direction, a faint flicker of worry and regret passing through his eyes. Once she boarded the vehicle and was carried away, he let out a quiet sigh and rested his head back on the stretcher, staring up at the sky with a pensive expression. ''What a day.'' ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: I''m getting gangbanged by my teachers, SOMEONE HELP ME, WHEN ARE THE WINTER HOLIDAYS COMING? I CAN''T TAKE HAVING TO WRITE ANOTHER DOCUMENT) -> Chapter 78: Return Home Chapter 78 - Return Home Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in: patreon.com/TheSynonym ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ |Somewhere else...| ... In a dimly lit room, illuminated only by the glow of a screen and the hum of various medical machines scattered around, a lone man sat calmly in a chair, his body connected to the equipment through multiple cables and tubes. His face was deformed, destroyed to a point beyond recognition. The only part that retained its once human appearance was his mouth, now twisted into an eerie smile. He was All for One. "To think the Hero Killer would be taken down like that. Good thing Tomura and Kurogiri managed to retrieve him before he got sent to Tartarus. How''s he doing now, Garaki? Is he awake yet?" The screen in front of him beeped, flickering to reveal the blurry image of the mad doctor¡ªthe same one who had once kidnapped Suzaku. "He''s awake. With treatment, he should be able to walk again in two or three days... Still, the damage he sustained was significant. Whoever he fought did a number on him. Who was it?" "According to the media, it was that woman Mirko, a few police officers, and a kid from U.A..." All for One spoke aloofly, before smiling and turning his voice a bit more serious. "... but that''s just the cover story. The one who really fought him and left him in that state was the U.A. kid¡ªsomeone you know quite well." "Hmm? And who might that be?" Garaki tilted his head. All For One let out a soft laugh. "Your once-so-anticipated ultimate Nomu. The one who managed to escape before you could begin the modifications." Garaki''s brows lifted slightly. "Ah, the Suzuki kid?" "That one." All For One pointed lazily at the screen, speaking as if it were just another casual topic. "How intriguing," Garaki muttered, stroking his mustache while his eyes squinted dangerously behind his glasses. "Every time we learn something new about him, it''s always peculiar. First, he escapes from my lab. Then, years later, he avoids our second attempt to capture him¡ªboth times thanks to some unknown individual, who we suspect also thwarted Tomura''s attack on the Sports Festival a few weeks ago... And now, we find out he''s the one who took down the Hero Killer?" All For One chuckled, resting his chin against his knuckles with an amused grin. "And not only that¡ªapparently, he was also involved in the giant monster incident that has been causing quite the stir nowadays." "That too?" Garaki''s expression shifted into one of genuine surprise. All For One nodded, his grin full of relaxed amusement. "He did some very heroic acts there, jumping straight into a collapsing building to save the remaining people before it collapsed, truly a role model. The monster appeared while he was still missing inside the building." He then paused a bit, enjoying seeing Garaki digest the information, before he finished his speech. "An unidentified individual who helped him escape capture twice, and that stopped Tomura''s attack on the same Festival this kid was participating in, and now this... It''s almost like there''s something we''re missing about him." Garaki spoke with uncertainty. "Do you... think he is the monster?" "That''d be a fun twist." All For One snorted, then waved the idea away. "But no. According to the background I had someone investigate, he''s just a normal kid. His life is thoroughly documented. Aside from a connection to an old vigilante¡ªone that''s already dead¡ªthere''s nothing unusual about him." Garaki stroked his mustache again, clearly intrigued. "How truly strange... Perhaps his identity has been altered. Someone of interest may be protecting him." "Well," All For One said, leaning back in his chair with a dismissive tone, "Whether there''s something truly abnormal about him or not, we''ll find out soon enough... maybe even sooner than expected." "Are you planning something?" Garaki''s smile widened with curiosity. "Something like that," All For One replied. "But it all depends on our new acquisition. Whether he continues on his current path... or gives in to temptation¡ªthat will determine Tomura''s next move." "I suppose we should start preparing for a big announcement?" All for One''s grin widened. "Yes. Since the previous chances turned out the way they did, it''s time we properly introduce the League of Villains to the world." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |Musutafu subway, at that same moment...| ... Suzaku sighed faintly, his eyes glued to his phone while he held onto the train''s handles to survive its turbulent movements. "Is there nothing else interesting happening in the country right now?" He was watching a clip of the crimson monster that had caused chaos yesterday¡ªin other words, clips of him transformed. Even though he had destroyed the phones of those recording at the scene, he''d missed a few¡ªsome had already finished recording and probably sent the videos before he acted, and others had been too far away for him to notice. Thanks to that, and to his dismay, the videos had spread all over the internet, showing him emerging from the building, then proceeding to beat Mirko to a pulp while the rest of the heroes stood frozen in fear. The whole thing had caused quite the uproar¡ªnot just because of the appearance of a seemingly powerful "villain," but because it revealed a side of the heroes people weren''t used to seeing. A side that reminded them that heroes, like everyone else, were human. That they, too, could cower in terror before something way stronger than them... That when the heroes were the ones who needed saving, there was no one left to save the common folk. And all of that... simply because he transformed. ''But well, it''s not like I had much of a choice...'' Suzaku heaved an annoyed sigh, eyeing the lingering flames in the video. He had been about to die. It was either get cooked alive, along with the people he was trying to save, or this. And he preferred this. ''Besides, I finally got more information about what my last Impostor ability does.'' He thought, a flicker of optimism in his chest as his eyes settled on his monstrous form on the screen¡ªan appearance worthy of a sci-fi horror movie. Unfortunately, the optimism lasted about a second. The faint smile on his face vanished as his mind replayed the moments he''d been transformed. His fist clenched. He hadn''t noticed it at the time, too focused on survival, on escaping, on not killing anyone... but in that state, it wasn''t just a desire to destroy that had overwhelmed him. It was also a total absence of empathy. Of care. Of emotion. As if everything had become irrelevant. Every bond, every principle, everything he once considered important... had ceased to matter. He hadn''t just become prone to killing¡ªhe had become something else entirely. Something not human. That was why the thought of killing felt so natural. Why life seemed so fragile, so disposable. It had been as if everything and everyone were beneath him. Even though he hadn''t known Mirko long, she was far from just an insect to be crushed. Yet, during the transformation, the only thing that stopped him from killing her right then and there had been his memories¡ªhis logic screaming that something was wrong. Reminding him of what he used to value. Reminding him that, once the transformation was over, he would probably regret it. If not for that... "..." Suzaku squinted, his grip on the phone tightening. If not for that, Mirko would be dead. And in that moment, he was sure he would''ve enjoyed it¡ªlike everything they''d shared had never happened. Like none of it had mattered at all. "..." He couldn''t help but wonder¡ªwhat would happen if he transformed near the people he truly cared about? The ones he saw as more than acquaintances? There weren''t many. He wasn''t exactly a social guy. But they existed. His parents. His classmates. Arata. If he transformed around them... would they stop mattering too? Would he see them as nothing more than insects? Devoid of meaning¡ªeasily erased with a single motion? Would they, like Mirko, become just another source of fleeting joy the moment he killed them? Would all those memories, all that time together, mean nothing? The thought made him shiver. Up until now, he''d been questioning his humanity. Seeing how, with every kill, his fear of taking life faded¡ªhow his care for life dimmed more and more. But that transformation... it went beyond that. In that form, he wasn''t just questioning his humanity anymore. He dared to say he wasn''t even human anymore. What was he, then? He didn''t know. Maybe something closer to God. Maybe some kind of angel of death. Or maybe just an alien. It didn''t matter. What he knew was that he wasn''t going to use that form again¡ª Or at least, not anytime soon. Not after what it turned him into. {"Last stop. Please, everyone, unboard the train."} It was then that Suzaku realized he''d missed his stop. "Ah, crap." ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |The next day| ... -Bang!- The classroom door of 1©\B slammed open, and everyone inside turned their heads at once. "Sup." A familiar redhead stepped in, hands stuffed in his pockets, glasses gleaming with an aura of assholery. Vlad King shot Suzaku a deadpan. "Suzuki, you''re late." The redhead pretended to adjust his glasses¡ªthough they didn''t need it. "True heroes always arrive fashionably late." "Maybe this is too late, don''t you think? It''s been twenty minutes since class started." Suzaku fell silent for a beat, then crossed his arms, almost offended. "Like I said¡ªfashionably." "Just go to your seat." Suzaku snapped a military salute, "Roger roger," then marched to his desk in a stiff, exaggerated stride. Making the poor Vlad King heave a sigh. Plopping into his seat, Suzaku noticed his classmates sneaking glances his way. So, not one to hold his curiosity, he leaned over to the next desk, asking the person sitting there. "What are you all looking at?" "Geh..." His good old seat neighbor, Monoma. The blonde squinted briefly, then broke into his usual mocking grin and whispered, "You must think you''re so great, huh~? Just because you saved some people, punched a few villains, and helped capture the Hero Killer¡ªwhile the rest of us barely did anything at our internships¡ªyou already think you''re better than us, right?" "Better than you, at least." "You little¡ª!" Monoma''s smile twitched as a vein popped on his forehead. Suzaku snorted. "Don''t be embarrassed, Monoma. There''s no shame in losing to the best." "I swear I''m gonna punch you." "If you''re feeling lucky, go for it. Though I can''t guarantee you''ll like the comeback." Itsuka''s voice suddenly came from the seat in front, "Suzaku, stop taunting him." "Suzaku, stop taunting him," Suzaku said, his tone dripping with mocking mimicry. However, the instant those words left his mouth, Itsuka turned slowly and shot him a deadly glare. Immediately, Suzaku avoided her gaze and let out a fake cough. "I mean¡ªyeah, sure." Fortunately, seemed to calm Itsuka down. As she turned forward again, Suzaku let out a sigh. Sometimes the sass was too strong. When it took over, no one was safe. Not even himself. ... ¡ã ¡ã ¡ã |An hour later...| ... As the class ended, Suzaku closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, a groan escaping his mouth. "I didn''t understand a single thing... What subject was this?" "Science," Itsuka said as she stood up, shooting him a wry smile. "No wonder." The redhead nodded before glaring at her with a curious gaze. "By the way, since I got here late, I probably missed all the chatter about the internships. How did it go on your side?" She almost tripped, as if she had remembered something she didn''t like. "Well... it wasn''t all that bad." Suzaku smirked. "So it was bad." "I said it was not ALL that bad." "That''s still bad." Itsuka found herself unable to respond to that. -Sigh...- "I suppose, yeah..." She finally relented, letting out a pained sigh. "We did some hero work now and then, but most of our time was spent at photoshoots or filming ads..." Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "So, what, you''re gonna be on TV?" Itsuka pulled out her phone and fiddled with it, then held it up for him. On the screen was a video of her and the spiky-haired girl from Class 1©\A, alongside the hero she interned under, promoting a perfume. Itsuka, in particular, stood on stage, awkwardly posing with a stiff smile. "Hmm..." Suzaku''s mouth twitched briefly, though he said nothing. Itsuka narrowed her eyes. "You¡ª" Having been caught, Suzaku protested, shoving the phone toward her. "Come on! What do you want me to do? Look at your face!" "..." Itsuka stared at her digital reflection, freezing exactly as she had in the video. "... Alright, maybe my acting wasn''t the best." Suzaku snorted. "Yeah, you look like a mannequin with how stiff you are." "..." Silence stretched, and¡ªsensing he had made a mistake of some kind¡ªSuzaku cleared his throat. "... But, ahem, at least they did a good job with your hair and makeup. You, uh... look good." Itsuka blinked, caught off guard. Then, after a brief pause, she snorted and crossed her arms, looking away. "Thanks, I suppose." The shift in her mood didn''t go unnoticed by Suzaku, who watched her reaction in silence for a few more seconds before grinning. "What? Is Miss Itsuka feeling shy?" Her eyebrow twitched. "Seriously, this mouth of mine is a weapon of mass rizztruction," Suzaku said, shaking his head with mock sorrow. "It truly seems I, Suzaku Suzuki, am a sinful man." Just as he finished monologuing, he noticed Itsuka stepping toward him, her fist raised, and already growing in size. Immediately, he rose from his seat and took a defensive stance, ready for combat. "Hey, chill bruh! You know how I am¡ªI can''t help it!" "I can help it," Itsuka replied with a smile that didn''t reach her eyes. As she approached, her fist made a tightening sound, prompting Suzaku to strike many overly dramatic poses¡ªlike some old-school karate master bracing for a boss battle, but being unable to decide which style would fit the battle the best. Monkey, tiger, crane, snake, panda! However, as Itsuka was about to reach Suzaku, the door of the class opened, and Vlad King strode inside. "Kendo, Suzuki, behave yourselves." Itsuka froze mid-step, visibly annoyed as she lowered her fist and sighed¡ªalready halfway through turning around when¡ª "Yeah, run away," came the redhead''s voice from behind her. She raised her fist again, a thick mark appearing on her forehead as she turned to glare at Suzaku. ¡ªWhistle¡ª Only to find him whistling and looking elsewhere, acting the picture of innocence. "..." She stared for a second longer, debating whether it''d be worth it, before ultimately deciding to let it go. With a deep sigh, she returned to her seat and did her best to ignore him. "Yet another fight won by me." Which wasn''t an easy task by any means. While Itsuka was having the limits of her patience tested, Vlad King reached his desk and dropped a stack of papers, then looked up with a grin. "Alright, everyone! Today, we''re doing a more practical hero basic training session. Grab your hero suits or gym uniforms¡ªwhichever you''re more comfortable with¡ªand meet me at Field Gamma in ten minutes!" With that, he turned and walked back out, leaving the class to prepare. Suzaku and Itsuka exchanged a look, then shrugged. Soon, everyone went to get their hero suits¡ªexcept Suzaku. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his gym uniform with a resigned sigh. "I''m gonna need to request a new suit," he muttered. The last one had been ripped apart¡ªby himself¡ªafter nearly getting roasted alive. "If they could make it fireproof, that''d be great." Shaking his head with hopeful resignation, he left the classroom to head straight for Field Gamma. Of course, "straight" was a generous word¡ªhe asked teachers for directions at least four or five times before finally finding the place and joining the others. ... ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ -To be Continued...- ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ (A/N: McDonalds is calling me... Telling me to drop out. I must resist the temptation.) ->