Chapter 61 - Le Million

Shoto was up to something, and Aizawa didn't like it one bit.

It all started the day he announced that the tournament would be held soon.

The teenager hadn't reacted to the news as if he had expected it - which wasn't a big surprise.

It was no offense, since his father had been able to remind him, or he had simply looked it up on the Internet.

What bothered Aizawa, however, was the change in his mood after talking to Iida.

He'd gone from his usual neutral state to excited, almost nervous - which was totally unlike him.

And the way he'd looked at him at the end of class, with that arrogance mixed with that smug air, as if he was mocking him for being a fool, made Aizawa fear the worst.

Of course, he couldn't summon the teenager and force him to reveal what he was up to just because "you're more energetic than usual".

Shoto wouldn't say anything and Nezu - even if he was on his side - wouldn't help him because Aizawa only had unfounded suspicions.

Then came the incident with the students from the other classes.

Even if the teachers didn't tell the students, it was stupid to think that everything that happened in the school wasn't recorded and monitored: there were cameras and microphones everywhere, and until a few years ago, even in the toilets and locker rooms. (The government had finally forced Nezu to remove them, as this was a violation of the privacy of the students, most of whom were minors. Nezu finally relented, but found it hard to understand why - even though he behaved and lived among humans, there were certain concepts he had trouble assimilating, such as how having a piece of a student's buttocks on a video recording was a violation of his rights).

So Nezu called Aizawa to his office, where a steaming cup of tea, cookies, and a giant screen showing the incident awaited him.

Aizawa would never admit it, but he was proud of the way Bakugo had handled the situation.

Granted, he hadn't been very tactful and had even threatened other students, but it wasn't right to expect too much from him.

Inaza had done exactly what a hero would do: he had assessed the situation and realized that the threat, the real threat, didn't come from Hitoshi and his gang, but from Shoto.

He was a fundamentally good person who wouldn't hesitate to stand up to his friends when they crossed the line.

All in all, a great addition to a class of up-and-coming heroes.

Shoto, on the other hand, was the one he worried about the most - as usual.

If Bakugo hadn't intervened, Aizawa was 90% sure that the kid would have hit one of them.

"He's an interesting boy, Shota, don't you think ?" asked Nezu, his eternal smile still on his face.

Aizawa looked at him briefly: he hated it when he looked at him like that, with that 'I know something you don't' attitude and that enigmatic smile that spoke volumes.

It reminded him of his high school days, when Nezu taught directly to the students, imparting his 'little life lessons' through riddles and rhetorical questions.

"He's violent," Shota replied. "And arrogant"

"He's sixteen," Nezu corrected him. Sure, he's impetuous, but do you think he's a bad person ?"

Aizawa took a few seconds to think about it.

Even if one could question the morality of his actions in the past two weeks, Shoto had never done anything that would put him in the category of 'evil incarnate'.

He could be criticized for his attitude towards Midorya during the first practical lesson, but maybe it wasn't 100% his fault that he had cried: the green-haired boy was a sensitive and fragile person, no one could deny that.

"He's capricious and only does as he pleases if it's funny," Aizawa retorted.

"He's bored, Shota. Shoto is far above his peers and he knows it: he's just trying to entertain himself as best he can with what's at hand"

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest.

"What do you want me to say ?" he asked impatiently. Nezu took a long sip from his tea.

"Shoto Todoroki is a brilliant student on a level you don't often see, Shota. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. He's just been raised by Endeavor, who, like any parent, sees only the best in his offspring: you can't blame him for not pulling the weeds out of his personality before they get too big"

He put down his cup.

"You, on the other hand, are his teacher. It's up to you to forge him into a good hero, someone society can rely on. He's arrogant ? Make him humble. He's violent ? Show him that violence isn't always necessary. He's impetuous ? Teach him patience"

Aizawa was silent.

"One day, this boy will have every right to use his powers in public. Whether he does so out of selfishness or for the good of society will only depend on what his years of heroic training have given him. If he doesn't change, I know that you will blame yourself for the rest of your life, Shota"

That evening, Aizawa returned home with thoughts about Todoroki Shoto's case.

*

The next day and the following days, Aizawa paid more attention to Shoto than usual.

If not to bother Bakugo, he had noticed that the teenager wasn't really trying to fit in with the class. When some of his classmates tried to talk to him (Yoarashi, Kirishima and sometimes even Neito), the boy knew how to be cordial, or at least not openly hostile.

Whenever anyone else approached him, however, Shoto's behavior fluctuated between insulting them or simply ignoring their existence.

Aizawa couldn't really blame him - taste wasn't an issue when it came to human relationships - even if there was something wrong with his behavior.

Aizawa had also noticed other things: Of all his students, Shoto was by far the brightest. There wasn't a single theoretical lesson that he didn't understand in a second, not a single practical exercise that was the least bit complicated for him.

Now, Aizawa didn't know whether to thank Endeavor or blame him for his son's education, because Shoto was not only brilliant, but also knew it - and that made him arrogant. Aizawa had known some naturally gifted people and arrogance had been their undoing - Shoto would be no exception, he was sure.

Of course, arrogance based on real abilities wasn't the worst kind of arrogance, but arrogance that made you think you were invincible was just an invitation for someone stronger than you to come and break you at the top.

At this stage, he could still change - Aizawa would find a way to make him change, even by force if necessary.

He refused to see anyone else die because he'd decided to let them go headlong knowing full well that they would be consumed before they reached their goal.

*

Bakugo didn't know what to make of Shoto Todoroki.

At first, he'd only seen him as a goal, the obstacle between him and the number one spot in the class.

Then there had been the USJ - there had been many villains, and even the teacher had been injured. Bakugo wouldn't admit it out loud, but seeing their teacher - the guy who could wipe out your Quirk and kick your butt in the same quarter of a second - on the ground had worried him.

But then there had been Shoto, and even though Bakugo hadn't liked him bossing him around, he'd surprised himself by noticing that with someone like him by his side, Bakugo wasn't afraid to leave his backside exposed. (As proof, the boy had saved him from being disintegrated by the guy with the blue hair).

Shoto wasn't too stupid, with Quirks who weren't too disgusting either (or at least the least disappointing Quirksin the class, after himself, of course): If he had to do it over again, Bakugo wouldn't see anyone he could have fought with without worrying for their security every ten seconds.

Last week, there had been the famous conflict at the classroom door with the other extras. Bakugo had stood up to deal with the situation as a representative of 1-A, but more importantly as a student who didn't give a damn about the jealousy of a bunch of incompetents who weren't fit to join the heroic stream.

He had leaned back against his desk when he saw Shoto intervene - the same feeling had come over him as the last time at USJ.

It was hard to say, but Bakugo somehow respected the teenager's abilities and knew that he wasn't the type to take it lying down. He had watched the situation escalate, hadn't moved an inch when he saw that Shoto was ready to come to blows (to be honest, if some random guy had shown up to try to blackmail Bakugo, the boy was sure he would have given him one reason or two to make him never thing about pulling the same shit again).

Bakugo had seen Inaza move silently and wasn't the least bit surprised to see him siding with the enemy.

Then Bakugo watched the class and saw the disapproving, worried looks they all gave Shoto when the temperature dropped significantly.

He frowned, not understanding what was going on: it was the others who had tried to attack their class, and it was Todoroki whose behavior they were condemning ? Some random guy had tried to blackmail him, damn it !

Looking at Shoto again, Bakugo came to a cold realization.

In all his years as a student, he had been the Shoto of his class.

Everyone had always played nice with him because he scared them, but the blonde knew that no one was afraid to criticize him behind his back.

And what had he ever done wrong ?

Aside from that stupid Deku, he'd never done anything but retaliate to the provocations of others students who had tried to intimidate him.

Whether they were older or not, Bakugo had never hesitated to make it clear to them that they were coming after the wrong person. He'd made them understand with the power of his fists and made sure that it was an example for all the other idiots in town.

When he'd been left alone, he'd been left alone - all he'd ever thought about was becoming a hero and going to Yuei. When he wasn't studying to make sure he was at the top of his class, Bakugo was training according to a strict regimen.

He'd never had time for other stuff, and his memories of the past years were hazy if they didn't involve some important step he'd taken in mastering his Quirk or practicing martial arts.

The sight of Shoto standing between a sea of troublemakers and the students in their class who should have been on his side disgusted him.

Bakugo scraped his chair as he stood up, looking angrier than usual.

If none of them do the right thing, then it's up to me to do it.

And it didn't matter if they thought he was a violent guy, a stalker, or a villain.

When you're at the top, people on the ground don't matter.

So he stepped in.

And if he had to do it again, he wouldn't hesitate.

*

Author's note :

Quick anecdote : I absolutely did not expect Shoto and Bakugo to be so alike - Bakugo isn't even one of the characters I appreciate in the real show but I don't know, it felt right.

Same for Enji who wasn't supposed to take as much screen time/importance but is now 90% of this story. 

But, I don't know, they kind of grew on me.

Power stones : 250 to get the sunday bonus chapter

P@treon : Nar_cisseENG where you can read up to 50 chapters ahead.

See you in the next update !