16

Chapter 16: Let the Games BeginChapter Text

While on his way back from his morning run, Bakugo turned his head at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice coming from a very familiar place. What he saw made him stop in his tracks and stare in shocked disbelief.

"Yeah mom, I'm on my way home now," Jirou was on her phone and walking out of Midoriya's apartment with a stiff-legged gait. "No, I don't need a car to come and get me, I…actually, on second thought, if you have one wait at the closest station to us that would be helpful…yeah…yeah, I love you too. See you soon."

Bakugo had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. 'What the fuck is Dangle-ears doing coming out of Deku's apartment this early in the morning?'

"Freaking Midoriya…" he heard Jirou mutter, "why'd he have to work me so hard like that? I can barely walk."

'WHAT?!' Bakugo's eyes practically bugged out of his head and he felt an odd constriction in his gut. 'No. No fucking way. This can't be happening.'

In a rare display of restraint, Bakugo waited a few moments for Jirou to limp out of sight before he marched up to Midoriya's apartment and violently pounded on the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Midoriya's voice could be heard approaching the door. "Calm down, Jirou," he said as he opened up, "what is it, did you forget someth—Kacchan?" Midoriya wrinkled his forehead in confusion at the sight of his long-time tormenter. "What are you doing here?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Deku?" Bakugo growled, "Are you retarded? Wait, don't answer that—because yes, you are!"

Midoriya blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Why the fuck is Dangle-ears limping out of your apartment so early in the morning?" Bakugo kept his voice as low as he could to keep from disturbing the neighbors—he'd already had enough complaints filed against him by the neighborhood association. "Do you want to get kicked out of school?"

"Oh, is that Katsuki?" Inko's voice rang out from down the hall. She approached them with a pleasant smile. "It sure has been a long time! Just look at how handsome you've become! Would you like to come in for some breakfast?"

'What the fuck?' Not that Bakugo would apologize for his actions in a million years, but he knew his treatment of Midoriya wasn't something that should have resulted such a warm reception from Inko. 'Did he never complain about me?' He glanced at Midoriya, who shook his head minutely.

"She doesn't know about any of, well…you know," he explained in a whisper. "As far as she's concerned, we're still friendly, so play along, our issues aren't any of our parent's business."

Bakugo shook his head and grudgingly tallied a mental point in Midoriya's favor—if nothing else, he could respect someone who wanted to fight their own battles. 'Well, this certainly explains why I never got in trouble…and why my mom has never stopped asking about him. Whatever.'

"No thanks, Mrs. Midoriya," Bakugo replied as politely as he could manage, "I'm on a specialized diet, so I've got breakfast waiting at home."

Inko made an amused noise. "I swear, you and Izuku are too alike."

A vein immediately began to throb in Bakugo's forehead at the comparison, but he held his tongue. "Oh?" he ground out through clenched teeth, "How the fu—I mean, how so?"

"You should see the crazy diet that Izuku is on!" She turned to Midoriya, "What is it, 8,000 calories a day?"

"10,000," Midoriya supplied, fighting to keep from laughing at the indignant look on Bakugo's face.

"Well whatever it is, you've more than doubled our grocery bill since you started it!" Inko tutted. "There's more to life than just your hero training, you know!"

"Mom," Midoriya cut in, "I'm sure Kacchan is…happy…to see you too, but we were in the middle of a conversation. Could we please have a little privacy?"

"Oh," Inko said, "of course! Don't mind me, boys!" She smiled at Bakugo, "It was good to see you again, Katsuki. Don't be such a stranger, and try to stop by again a little sooner than seven years next time. Say hello to Mitsuki for me!"

Bakugo grunted noncommittally and as soon as Inko was gone, he launched right back into Midoriya again. "What the fuck are you thinking, you fucking idiot! If you get caught having that kind of relationship, they're going to expel your ass!"

Midoriya sighed. "Kacchan, what are you even talking about?"

Bakugo flushed angrily, "I'm talking about you banging Dangle-ears, shit-for-brains!"

Midoriya stared blankly at Bakugo for a few seconds. He blinked and then turned beet red as Bakugo's accusation sank in. He was so accustomed to disregarding the opinions of his dissenters that it hadn't even occurred to him what a female classmate leaving his apartment early in the morning might appear to an outsider.

"What? No, that's...!" He took a breath, 'Calm down Izuku, you can explain this.'

"Okay, Kacchan?" He said slowly, "First of all, I'm not 'banging' anyone. I've never even been on a date. I'd say that you of all people should know that, but you're so oblivious to everyone other than yourself that I doubt that you know anybody in our class' name besides me." Bakugo growled. "Second, even if I were doing…that…I certainly wouldn't do it at home with my mom here, I'd go to a hotel."

Bakugo scowled, but nodded. 'That is a good point, there's no fucking way Mrs. Midoriya would be cool with that shit going down under her roof.'

"And finally," Midoriya continued, "why do you even care?"

Bakugo opened his mouth to retort, but immediately closed it. 'Wait…why do I care?'

Midoriya raised an eyebrow, "Well?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Bakugo barked, "I'm thinking!"

"Seems like it should be a pretty easy question to answer," Midoriya said, "but whatever. You hate me, so I'm a little surprised that you aren't going to the teacher. I'd have thought that you'd be jumping at the chance to get me expelled."

"You take that shit back, Deku!" Bakugo bristled, deeply offended by the insinuation. "I'm not a goddamn snitch! When I've got a problem with someone, I don't talk behind their back, or go to an adult like a little bitch, I tell them to their face! Fuck you!"

"I'm sorry," Midoriya apologized, genuinely contrite, "that…that wasn't a fair thing to say. You're right. I may have my share of problems with you, but you aren't that kind of coward."

"Don't fucking forget it," Bakugo growled. "And I do hate you, but…" Bakugo paused, making an expression like he swallowed a lemon, "you beat me in the entrance exams. You beat half-and-half like a fucking drum—I don't know if even I could have done that so easily. You survived against a monster that managed to go toe-to-toe with All Might, and the class picked you over me as the president for some dumbass reason." Bakugo clenched his fists. "I don't just want to be the best, I want everyone to know that I'm the best. I may not have wanted you to come to UA, but you're here now, and if you get expelled, I won't get the chance to prove that I'm better than you."

Midoriya snorted.

"You think that's funny, Deku?" Bakugo snapped, angry sparks popping off in his palms.

"No," Midoriya clarified, "I'm just a little surprised." He smiled, "Did you just acknowledge me as your rival?"

Bakugo flushed. "You know what? Never mind. Go fuck Dangle-ears, you shithead. I hope you do get expelled." He spun on his heel and began to storm away.

"Kacchan wait," Midoriya called after him.

"What the fuck do you want, Deku?" Bakugo growled. "I have shit to do."

"I meant what I said on the bus the other day, you know," Midoriya said, "I really do consider you my greatest rival."

For a few moments, Bakugo stood silently in place with his back facing Midoriya. "No shit," he finally said, "you may be a total dumbass, but you aren't stupid." He turned around and glared into Midoriya's eyes. "The finals," he growled, "make it there. That's where we'll have our fight, got it?"

"Yeah," Midoriya nodded. He paused, "Well, as long as we aren't paired in the same side of the tournament bracket, anyways."

"The finals," Bakugo repeated angrily, "That's where we'll have our fight. Got it? You had better not lose until then!"

'Some things never change,' Midoriya shook his head in resigned amusement, 'Kacchan thinks of himself as the protagonist in some grand narrative. To him, meeting anywhere but the finals is unacceptable, because nothing else would be dramatic enough. Still, I can't say I hate that kind of childlike outlook.'

"The finals," Midoriya agreed with a confident smile. "I'll see you there."

Bakugo grinned ferally. "Good."

XXX

HEROES NEVER DIE

XXX

(UA Sports Festival Stadium—1-A Waiting Room)

"Listen up everybody," Midoriya calmly announced, "I've been informed that the event will be starting in five minutes, so be prepared to go out at the signal." He looked around at his chattering classmates and sighed. "And of course, nobody is listening." He turned to Iida, who was standing at attention. "Iida? A little assistance?"

"Of course," Iida agreed and stepped forward. "Everyone!" he boomed, making the class jump in surprise at the high volume. "We will be heading out in five minutes! Be ready!"

"Thanks Iida," Midoriya said with a grin, "my voice just doesn't carry the way yours does."

"You are most welcome," Iida puffed his chest out with pride, "It's a simple technique, the key to projection is all in the diaphragm. I can teach you if you'd like."

"I think I'll take you up on that later," Midoriya nodded. "It definitely seems like it would come in handy." He spotted Jirou talking to Ashido and Hagakure. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Hey Deku!" Ashido greeted Midoriya with a confident grin as he approached, "You ready to get your butt kicked by yours truly?"

"Absolutely," he greeted Ashido with a smile, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to get a shot in while you're behind me in the rankings."

"Oof," Hagakure snickered at Ashido's shocked expression, "he got you there, Mina."

Ashido pouted for a moment, and then laughed, "Yeah, I guess he did. Nice one, Deku! You're feisty today!" She pinched his cheek and began to speak in a patronizing tone. "And it's just sooo adorable! Yes it is! Who's feisty today? You are! You're a spicy little guy!"

"Is he a dog?" Jirou asked with a smirk while Hagakure continued to laugh.

"Stop it," Midoriya batted Ashido's hand away before turning to Jirou. "How are you feeling? Any lingering soreness from yesterday?"

The three girls went silent at the innocent question, and Jirou stared at Midoriya in abject horror while Ashido mouthed the words 'lingering soreness' with a delighted expression blossoming on her pink features. Jirou pinched her nose to stem her oncoming headache, and was overcome with a sudden desire to switch quirks with Hagakure.

'He did not just ask me that in front of Ashido of all people.'

"Did you go see Recovery Girl like I told you?" Midoriya obliviously continued to dig their grave at Mach speed, "It's to be expected after everything we did, but I heard that you were walking funny earlier—ow!" Midoriya yelped and grabbed his shin where Jirou had kicked it. "What was that for?"

"For the love of god, Midoriya," Jirou hissed, her face beet red, "pay attention to the words coming out of your mouth!"

"Wow, who would have thought?" Hagakure snickered, "You sure work fast, huh Midoriya?"

"Oh. My. GOD!" Ashido was practically hyperventilating from her excitement.

Midoriya blinked, and frowned in confusion at Hagakure and Ashido's odd reactions. Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Bakugo. As he mentally replayed his words in his head the blood drained from his face when he realized how they had interpreted him.

"No, no no no no." He shook his head and waved his hands back and forth, "We trained together yesterday, that's it!"

"Right, right," Ashido teased with a grin. She waggled her eyebrows up and down, "Training…is that what they're calling it now?"

"Kids these days," Hagakure joked, "so precocious."

"It really was training, you two." Jirou insisted, still blushing. "And don't even joke about that, it's not funny—illicit relationships are against UA's moral guidelines, and we could get in a lot of trouble if that kind of rumor got started about us."

"Oh please," Ashido waved her off with a scoff, "like anyone actually cares. We're a bunch of fit teenagers who regularly wear spandex. It's an open secret that the upperclassmen are hooking up left and right."

"Do you know specifically who's hooking up?" Midoriya asked, "Or is it just something that people figure is happening?"

Ashido hesitated, "Well…"

"Because if it's just a general idea that people are doing it, that's one thing—the teachers can ignore that. But if there's a specific rumor that so-and-so are having sex, the teachers would have no choice but to take action."

Ashido averted her eyes. "That's not—"

"More importantly," Midoriya interrupted, slightly worked up, "even if school rules weren't an issue, you still shouldn't spread those kinds of rumors. You can say what you like about me, I don't care, but Jirou isn't that kind of girl. Even if you're joking, I won't stand by and let you make those kinds of insinuations, understand?"

"…I understand," Ashido sullenly replied.

Fighting against a warm, pleasant feeling in her chest, Jirou scowled and crossed her arms. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Midoriya. I can take care of myself."

"I'm aware of that," Midoriya replied, "but that doesn't mean you should have to fight them alone."

"Oh come on!" Ashido complained. She pointed at Jirou's blushing face, "That was totally adorable, you can't expect me to ignore something like this! Can I at least tease you in a more wholesome way?"

Midoriya shrugged, "Go ahead."

"Midoriya!" Jirou snapped. She turned to Ashido. "No, don't tease us in any way! We aren't a thing! We won't be a thing!" She turned back to Midoriya, "Tell them!"

Midoriya sighed. "Look, just give her this. If you ask for too much, she'll get invested in doing it anyway and won't ever let it go."

Jirou looked warily at Ashido. Ashido smiled innocently back at Jirou. Jirou let out an irritated growl. "Damn it, I hate when you're right. Fine!" She narrowed her eyes at Ashido, "But don't push it!"

"Yay!" Ashido cheered. "Deku and Jirou, sitting in a tree," she chanted.

"What are you, five?" Jirou snapped at the other girl.

"Midoriya," Todoroki's smooth, cool voice cut off their conversation.

"Todoroki," Midoriya replied in a clipped, barely polite tone, already irritated—somehow, just looking at Todoroki annoyed him more than Bakugo or Ashido ever could. "Can I help you with something?"

Todoroki nodded fractionally. "All Might has taken an interest in you, right?"

"You could say that," Midoriya replied, making Jirou choke on her spit at the frank admission. He knew that someone would notice his close relationship with All Might eventually and had already prepared a response. "He is a teacher, and our quirks are fairly similar—similar enough that he agreed when I approached him for mentoring. What's your point?"

"I made the mistake of underestimating you during the combat exercise," Todoroki said, "but objectively speaking, I think I'm stronger than you. I'm telling you now that I'm going to beat you today." Delivered during a lull in the various conversations, this quiet declaration pierced the silence and resulted in every head turning to watch the confrontation between two of the top students in the class.

"Dang," Kaminari remarked, "did Todoroki just make a declaration of war?"

"I guess he wants to get his win back," Satou grinned. "I can't blame him."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Kirishima cut in, "Now is not the time to start fighting amongst each other, you guys! We'll have plenty of time for that during the tournament! Everybody is already out for our blood, so we should try and work together before then!"

"I'm not here to make friends," Todoroki bluntly replied, "I couldn't care less about class unity or whatever."

"Objectively stronger than me, huh?" Midoriya repeated with a small chuckle. He shook his head with an amused smile. "I disagree, but that probably comes down to a matter of definitions."

"A matter of definitions?" Todoroki repeated, "What are you talking about?"

"If you had said that you're more powerful than me, I would have agreed," Midoriya explained, "it's simply a fact that you have access to more raw power than me at the moment. If you had said that you were more skilled, I still would have agreed. I've only had access to this quirk for a fraction of the time that you have, and you've been training for most of your life."

"Hey, no need to be so down on yourself, Midoriya!" Kirishima said, "For having a quirk you're not used to, you're pretty awesome at this whole thing!"

"I appreciate the support, Kirishima, but I haven't finished my point." No longer smiling, Midoriya took a step forward into Todoroki's space and stared him down with glowing eyes. "There's more to strength than just power and skill, Todoroki. True strength requires the will to make painful choices, to look past your personal hang-ups and do what needs to be done…you're powerful, Todoroki, but you aren't strong. In my opinion, you're the weakest person here. You will lose today, if not to me, than to somebody else, and you'll have nobody to blame but yourself."

"Holy…" Ojiro breathed.

"Shit!" Sero finished.

With the phantom sound of a whistling tea-kettle echoing in his ears, Todoroki clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at the slight. "I guess we'll find out who's right on the field then."

"I guess we will." Midoriya glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's time," he said calmly, this time having no trouble being heard in the dead silence of the waiting room. "Everybody get moving. Let's not keep the public waiting."

Kirishima clenched his fist, "That's so damn manly! Hell yeah! Let's do our best everyone!"

"Not sure what that had to do with manliness, but even I'm getting kind of pumped now." Kaminari grinned and clapped Bakugo on the shoulder. "Nothing like a bit of competition to get the blood flowing, right, Bakugo?"

"Don't fucking touch me, Sparkplug," Bakugo snarled, salty about being overlooked. "Do it again and I'll turn you into the human version of a toaster in a bathtub."

"Boys," Yaoyorozu scoffed and shook her head. "Walking balls of testosterone-fueled ego, all of them. We should be focused on surviving the first two rounds, not petty rivalries."

"I like it though!" Uraraka laughed, "I think it's way more interesting this way!"

XXX

HEROES NEVER DIE

XXX

"Wow!" Uraraka breathed at the sight of tens of thousands of cheering fans. She tugged on Midoriya's sleeve and looked up at him with wide eyes. "Deku, look at all of those people! I'm kinda freaking out! Aren't you nervous?"

'Too damn cute!' Midoriya swallowed at the proximity of the attractive girl. "N-Not really," he said, averting his eyes as his face heated up. 'Honestly, she makes me more nervous than they do! Is she doing this on purpose?'

"Who gives a shit about those scrubs?" Bakugo caustically cut in, "The only people that matter today are down here!"

"What he said," Jirou agreed. She smirked, "But, you know, with about 80% less asshole."

"Fuck you!" Bakugo shot back. "I'm going to make sure you have tinnitus by the end of the day, Dangle-ears!"

"Just keep proving my point, Explosion-boy," Jirou replied.

"And now, to give the Student Pledge," a provocatively dressed woman announced with a swish of a riding crop, "the first-year class representative, Midoriya Izuku!"

"Oh wow, look it's the R-18+ Hero, Midnight!" A familiar lisping voice called out, "She's my absolute favorite!" All of Class 1-A did a double-take, ignoring Midoriya as he made his way up to the stage in favor of searching for the source of the voice.

"No way…Mineta?" Kaminari exclaimed.

"Ew, where?" Hagakure reflexively said before she noticed him right next to her, "Crap—I mean, hey…what are you doing here?"

"Yeah!" Kaminari greeted his former classmate with a friendly smile, "I thought you were expelled, man!"

"Oh hey," Mineta said, sparing a moment to leer at Hagakure, "it's been a while!" The diminutive boy shook his head, "And nah, teachers can't just boot kids from the school on a whim like that—especially since we had already paid the tuition. I got sent down to the General Studies program." He shivered, "Honestly, I'm kinda glad. If I hadn't, I could have been killed by those villains when they invaded." He clenched his tiny fists, "But I've kept training, and if I do well enough today, there's a chance I'll be accepted back into the program again!"

Kaminari grinned. "It would be nice to have a fellow man of culture in the class again! I'm rooting for you man!"

"…Yeah," Hagakure said weakly, remembering Mineta's attempt to dive bomb her chest and desperately praying that he get knocked out early, "…d-do your best."

"Be silent!" Iida barked, "Midoriya is about to start speaking now! Have you no courtesy?"

"Iida my dude, you seriously need to chill," Kaminari rolled his eyes. "We aren't going to talk over him."

"Hello everyone," Midoriya began simply enough, "After so many years of watching this festival on TV, it's hard to believe that I'm the one giving the opening pledge. All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and many more…I can't even begin to express how grateful and humbled I am by the opportunity to stand where so many legends stood before me…" Midoriya paused, and an easy smile slid onto his face. "But…as a long-time viewer of the festival, I also remember hating it when the student representative would drone on forever about how honored they are, so let's not waste any more time, shall we?"

The stadium broke out into chuckles at the unexpected joke.

Midoriya held up his right hand. "I pledge to uphold the values and guiding principles of UA; to fight with courage and integrity," his gaze cut over to Todoroki, "I pledge to respect my opponents and fight with all of my strength, holding nothing back. Win or lose, so long as I keep to these pledges, I will leave this field with head held high, with no regrets." He lowered his hand and paused, "Before I hand the mic back over to Midnight, I'd like to ask everyone to join me in reciting the UA school motto…"

"Go beyond:" the crowd dutifully chanted, "PLUS ULTRA!"

Hidden within the crowd in his true form, All Might looked down on Midoriya with an approving smile. "Nicely done, young Midoriya!"

Midoriya bowed to the crowd and handed the mic off without another word.

"What an excellent pledge from our student representative!" Midnight announced, licking her lips. She grinned and cracked her whip in the direction of a large scoreboard. "And now, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in-between, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Let the games begin!"

AN: A bit of a shorter chapter this time, but trying to include the race would make things a bit too long, plus, it allows me to get this out sooner, sooo…I don't know where I was going with this. Anyways, as always, let me know what you think, and until next time, Plus Ultra!