Kindergarten (Part 2)

Bakugo and his friends, along with Midoriya, were taken aback by Kenji's challenge. Bakugo narrowed his eyes and asked, "And why would I do that?"

Kenji smirked at Kenji's taunt, "Scared of losing without your friends, Bakugo?"

The barb struck a nerve, a tick mark appearing on Bakugo's forehead as he retorted angrily, "You want to do this the hard way? Fine, I accept. I was just about to teach you a lesson, but now I'll make sure it's unforgettable."

Midoriya nervously interjected, hiccupping as he addressed Kenji, "Kenji, are you sure about this? Kacchan's quirk is the strongest in our class."

Kenji's response was calm and confident, "Don't worry, Midoriya. I've got this."

Bakugo, enraged by Kenji's taunt, instructed his friends to step back before lunging at Kenji with a ferocious explosive palm strike. "Are you done talking to that nerd? Now die!" he yelled.

(You might already know this but here : Bakugo Quirk, Explosion allows the user to excrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from their palms and ignite it at will to create explosions of various sizes.)

Kenji, calm and composed, anticipated the attack and ducked swiftly. As Bakugo's palm strike missed, Kenji seized the opportunity and delivered a devastating body blow that sent Bakugo crashing to the ground, stunned and hurting.

Midoriya and Bakugo's friends, Tsubasa and Naeki, stood in shock. Bakugo, known as the strongest among them, had been defeated in a single punch by this newcomer, Kenji. Kenji, a smirk playing on his lips, casually taunted Bakugo's friends. "How about you two come at me? I'm confident I can take you both down too," he challenged, his confidence palpable.

Midoriya, caught between surprise and concern, began to speak up, "Um, Kenji—" but he was cut off by Tsubasa, his voice dripping with anger. "Don't get so cocky! You only beat him with some dirty trick. You think you can take on both of us? Dream on!" Tesaki nodded in agreement, glaring fiercely at Kenji

Kenji noticed the overweight boy speaking and pondered, "Is that Kyudai Garaki's grandson? I can't recall his name, but he seems insignificant to the story. I doubt he knows about his grandfather's villainous deeds, and I don't foresee him becoming a threat. As for his future... is his quirk using red dragon-like wings? Could Kyudai Garaki turn his own grandson into a Winged Nomu? That would be dark, but honestly, I don't care.".

Kenji remained unfazed, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Dirty trick or not, I won. And I'm ready to prove myself against anyone who doubts me," he declared firmly.

Tsubasa's quirk surged to life, unfurling magnificent crimson wings akin to those of a dragon from his back. With determination blazing in his eyes, he surged forward, aiming straight for Kenji.

(Tsubasa's Quirk allows him to grow a pair of red, dragon-like wings from his back that allow him to fly.)

But before Tsubasa could close the gap, Kenji's fist intercepted him with blinding speed, striking his face and sending him crashing to the ground in a stunned heap. As Tsubasa struggled to rise, Kenji's voice pierced the air, carrying a blend of mocking disbelief and straightforward critique.

"You charge straight ahead like a bull, making it easy to predict. You should've circled around, attacked, retreated, and repeated," Kenji taunted, standing over Tsubasa with a casual air of superiority. "But I guess that's beyond you, huh? You're too slow up there. And your physique? Not helping."

Tsubasa's eyes widened in disbelief and out of cold as Tesaki angrily shouted, "No, Tsubasa! How dare you?" His fingers began to elongate, his quirk extending to unnatural lengths, poised to retaliate.

(Tesaki's Quirk Digit Extension is a Transformation-type Quirk that allows Tesaki to extend his digits, such as fingers and thumbs, to varying distances.)

Before Tesaki could fully extend his fingers, Kenji closed the distance with lightning speed, delivering a devastating punch to Tesaki's stomach. The impact sent Tesaki crashing to the ground, gasping for air. "Too slow," Kenji remarked with a smirk, his confidence unwavering. "Even if you managed to grab or wrap your fingers around me, I could still break them or bite your finger off. But that would be overkill."

As Tsubasa and Tesaki regained consciousness moments later, they found themselves staring at Kenji, who stood before them with an intimidating presence. "Do you want to continue?" Kenji's voice was calm yet filled with the promise of further retribution.

Fear gripped Tsubasa and Tesaki as they exchanged a glance, realizing they were outmatched. Without hesitation, they turned and fled, tears streaming down their faces, their pride shattered by Kenji's overwhelming strength.

After they run away Bakugo wake up and saw kenji from behind. Bakugo, seething with rage at his defeat, unleashed a surprise attack on Kenji as soon as he regained consciousness. With explosions bursting forth, he aimed to catch Kenji off guard from behind. However, Kenji's honed instincts and rigorous training from his past life enabled him to evade each explosive blast with fluid grace.

Bakugo was suprised but he still continued his relentless assault, Kenji effortlessly dodged each attack, his movements swift and precise. With a calm demeanor, Kenji calmly remarked, "How about we end this now? You've already lost, and your friends have abandoned you."

Bakugo, consumed by fury and unwilling to concede defeat, continued his barrage of explosions. "Shut up! Shut up! I'll never admit losing to a quirkless nobody like you! You must be using some underhanded trick!"

Kenji couldn't help but be impressed by Bakugo's resilience. 'This guy isn't your typical delinquent,' he thought to himself, acknowledging Bakugo's refusal to yield despite the defeat. 'He's a protagonist's rival, relentless and driven. Despite the loss, Bakugo showed no fear and didn't resort to fleeing or crying like his others friend. Also i am truly lucky he still a kid his explosive quirk power is still weak.'

Midoriya, sensing the escalating tension, intervened with urgency. "Kacchan, stop! Kenji won fair and square. Don't embarrass yourself further."

Bakugo halted his assault, turning his intense gaze toward Midoriya. Though Midoriya flinched under his stare, Bakugo restrained himself from attacking. Tears welled up in his eyes as he begrudgingly admitted, "Fine, I lost to you. I won't touch you again. But mark my words, my quirk will only get stronger. You'll always be quirkless. You and that nerd will never make it into UA."

With those words hanging in the air, Bakugo turned away, beginning to walk off. Before leaving, he glanced back at Midoriya and added with a chilling promise, "And you, tomorrow, that person won't be there to protect you anymore."

Kenji pondered Bakugo's assertion. "He's correct that as he grows older, his quirk will strengthen, possibly awakening further, while I may lag behind. However, his claim that I won't become a hero at UA High is unfounded. I've already made a vow to myself and my parents to make that dream a reality." Reflecting on Bakugo's last statement about not protecting Midoriya again, Kenji shrugged inwardly. "How does he know that? Is it my personality that gives it away? Oh well, it doesn't matter."

Midoriya approached Kenji with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you for protecting me. You're incredibly strong, even without a quirk. Can I become strong like you?" he asked earnestly.

Kenji replied thoughtfully to Midoriya's request. "You definitely can become strong, and I should thank you too. You wanted to protect me, even though we've only just met."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Midoriya persisted, "But I didn't do anything. Um, I wanted to ask... Could you teach me how to become strong like you?"

Kenji hesitated briefly before answering, "No, I'm not good at teaching. You'll have to find your own path."

Disappointed, Midoriya responded softly, "Oh... okay."

Kenji reassured him, "Your resolve is stronger than mine. You should be proud of your Soul of hero."

Midoriya blushed with a shy smile. "I... I don't think so."

Changing the subject, Kenji spoke seriously, "Also, I'm sorry, Midoriya. Bakugo was right. I can't protect you from him again."

Shocked, Midoriya asked, "Why can't you protect me from Kacchan?"

Kenji explained calmly, "I have my reasons. First, I need to focus on my training. Second, you can't rely on me. If you keep depending on others, you won't grow into a hero. Third, we're not close friends yet. We barely know each other. And lastly, you seem to know him well, calling him 'Kacchan' instead of 'Katsuki.'"

Midoriya, momentarily crestfallen but quickly recovering his resolve, replied sincerely, "I understand, Kenji. I won't ask for your help to protect me from Kacchan. I'll strive to improve on my own. Kacchan is my best friend, and I believe he'll return to his usual self in time. Thank you for trying to help me, even if it wasn't your intention."

Kenji nodded approvingly at Midoriya's determination, thinking to himself, "As expected of a protagonist—briefly down but bouncing back stronger than ever."

Kenji then added, "Well, I should head home now. My parents might already be waiting to pick me up. See you later, Midoriya."

"See you later, Kenji," Midoriya replied with a nod.

Observing Kenji duckwalking away, Midoriya initially puzzled, soon realized he was continuing his training.