Chapter Nineteen
The Perspective of Katsuki Bakugo
A low, constant grumble vibrated in my chest. Hmph. Hm. Hmph.
I was training alone, as usual.
I was always angry.
Because all I saw around me was a bunch of extras,a crowd of supporting actors behaving as if they didn't really want to become heroes.
They acted like a bunch of regular,whiny teenagers.
Of course,that's the nature of extras. Just background noise, waiting in the wings for the arrival of the real hero.
Me.
But as I was finishing my last set of drills—intense, controlled bursts to increase my explosive output—a sound cut through my focus.
Pop-crackle-SIZZLE.
My own palms sputtered in irritation.
It came from that red-haired, spiky extra who looked like a fucking friendly sea urchin.
(Kirishima).
He was standing next to the blue-haired one.
(Suzuki).
I cursed under my breath, a low, venomous "Tch."
I didn't unleash an angry shout.Didn't even listen to his words clearly.
But in the end,I heard something that made me stop.
My hands,mid-spark, stilled.
I looked over.
Because I saw everyone else looking in the same direction.
That blue-haired extra…was saying something ridiculous.
Something that couldn't possibly be true.
He said he didn't have any Quirk.
No special ability.
Impossible.
If it were true,how the hell could he be at UA Academy?
(On the other hand, the students stopped talking about the topic after Teacher Aizawa told them to continue training.)
Later, on the walk home, the thought kept gnawing at me like a bad tooth.
I went to my room,slammed the door with a satisfying BANG, and stared at the wall, All Might posters looking back at me with their frozen, idiotic grins.
I started thinking about it.
Could it be that that extra from the entrance exam…really didn't have a Quirk?
But if that was true,how did the administration let him into UA?
Was he rich?Did he buy his way in with a fat donation?
But if that was the case,why would he even bother taking the entrance exam?
Unlike most of the other idiots, Katsuki Bakugo was never stupid.
He was,in fact, frighteningly intelligent, sharp enough to analyze most situations with a speed and clarity that bordered on genius.
And hewas a genius, whether in combat, physical talent, academics, or science. He was always first.
But in this moment, he found all of that useless.
Because it made him remember.
His childhood…friend? Acquaintance? That useless Deku.
The one who was Quirkless.
Who suddenly,mysteriously, obtained a Quirk powerful enough to worm his way into the same place I had worked my ass off to reach.
UA.
(After a long night of turbulent thoughts, he managed to sleep and woke up early to get to UA Academy.)
That extra teacher with the dead eyes, who looked like he hadn't slept in months—the one Deku had identified from the first moment as one of the few underground heroes, Eraserhead—wasn't important to me.
His name didn't matter.
Because to me,there is no hero but All Might, the Number One.
The rest are just more extras.
The only one who will become the next Number One Hero is me.
Katsuki Bakugo.
While I was lost in my own glorious future visions, I barely registered what the teacher was droning on about until he finished.
He simply told us to suit up in our hero costumes and head to the simulation building.
All Might himself would be overseeing a teamwork assessment test.
After changing, I was ready.
Ready to show them all the future Number One.
I stood there,my grenade-shaped gauntlets heavy and comforting on my arms, my mask sharp and aggressive.
My eyes, almost of their own volition, found the blue-haired one.
(Suzuki).
He had those unsettling red eyes.
He was wearing his support gear,a bunch of clunky-looking armor and gadgets. He was fiddling with a gauntlet, testing its articulation. Click-whirr.
He didn't seem to be looking at anyone else.Not at me, not at All Might, not at the other extras.
Just at his own equipment.
That, naturally, pissed me off.
Who did this Quirkless extra think he was,ignoring everything?
But I didn't explode.Instead, a contemptuous, sneering smile twisted my lips. I aimed it in his general direction for a split second before sharply turning my head away.
My gaze then landed on Deku.
He was wearing a costume that was a sad,green knock-off of All Might's.
That damn nerd.
He still wants to be a hero,even after getting a hand-me-down Quirk.
What good will it do him?He'll never be a hero.
He was always weak.He never even tried to fight back. He was just a pitiful, crying liability in middle school.
Will he change now that he has a Quirk?
Even if this borrowed power is a little strong,it costs him. His arm shatters the moment he uses it.
How the hell is he supposed to fight like that?
(Bakugo stopped thinking about this.)
I looked back at All Might, who had arrived at the field.
He stood before us,a monument of muscle and smile.
He looked at us,the Symbol of Peace himself, and then spoke.
"YOUNG FUTURE HEROES! YOU ARE THE NEXT GENERATION WHO WILL TAKE THE PROTECTION OF THE PEOPLE SERIOUSLY! THIS IS YOUR FIRST MAJOR TEST! IT WILL SERVE AS AN ASSESSMENT OF YOUR ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER!"
He paused, as if waiting for his profound words to sink into our presumably thick skulls.
Then he unleashed his trademark,bone-white smile.
"THIS TEST WILL BE A TEAMWORK EXERCISE! TWO OF YOU WILL BE RANDOMLY SELECTED!"
He gestured to the large screen behind him, which displayed the faces of all us Class 1-A extras.
"THIS SCREEN WILL RANDOMLY CHOOSE THE TEAMS! EACH TEAM WILL BE SPLIT INTO TWO—HEROES AND VILLAINS! THE VILLAINS MUST PROTECT A BOMB PLACED IN THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING!"
An image of a comically large, cartoonish bomb appeared on the screen for all of Class 1-A to see.
"MEANWHILE, THE TEAM DESIGNATED AS HEROES MUST ENTER, SECURE THE BOMB, AND APPREHEND THE VILLAINS! THE OBJECTIVE IS SIMPLY TO NEUTRALIZE THE BOMB! IF THE HERO TEAM ACCOMPLISHES THIS, THEY WIN! IF THE VILLAIN TEAM SUCCESSFULLY STALLS THE HEROES UNTIL THE BOMB 'EXPLODES,' THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS!"
After explaining the rules, he scanned us all with his fiery blue gaze.
I could feel the other idiots practically vibrating with excitement under his look.
They all shouted their understanding,a pathetic chorus of "YES, SIR!"
Then, the screen began to spin.
Names and faces flickered in a dizzying blur.
Whirrrrrrrr-click.
It stopped.
(Katsuki Bakugo).
My scowling mug flashed onto the screen.
Next to it,another face appeared.
(Eijiro Kirishima).
Our two pictures appeared, and above them flashed the label: VILLAINS.
This meant our team would be the villains.We'd be protecting the bomb.
My mind, always faster than anyone else's, immediately began formulating a strategy.
Protection?Fine. I'd protect it by blowing anyone who came near it to smithereens.
(Kirishima)was durable. He could be a decent meatshield. Or a distraction.
I then looked to see who would be unlucky enough to be the 'heroes' coming for us.
The screen spun again.
Whirrrrr-CLUNK.
It stopped.
First: a guy with blue hair and red eyes.
(Suzuki Saito).
Second: a girl with long black hair and dark, intelligent eyes.
(Momo Yaoyorozu).
Huh.
The Quirkless extra and the Creation Princess.
A savage, eager grin split my face. This was perfect.
I'd crush the pretender and the privileged rich girl in one go.
Prove that all their gadgets and brains are worthless against raw,explosive power.
After displaying the heroes and villains, All Might, who was the supervising teacher for this test, let out another booming shout that suited his personality.
"GET READY, HEROES AND VILLAINS! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS TO BEGIN THE TEST!"
(Eijiro Kirishima) and I, (Katsuki Bakugo), arrived at our position inside the multi-story simulation building.
The fake bomb was in a central room on the fifth floor,a big, stupid prop.
I could already sense the ways in.
On the other side, outside the building's main entrance, (Momo) and (Suzuki) took their positions.
We were all suited up in our hero costumes.
Through the monitors in the observation room,the rest of the class would be watching.
For a moment, there was a tense, electric silence, broken only by the hum of machinery and my own impatient, sparking palms.
Pop-pop-crackle.
Then, on the main screen everyone was watching from, a single indicator flashed, accompanied by a blaring announcement siren.
"THE FIRST TEST… BEGINS NOW!"
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End of Chapter.
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A Note from the Explosive Spectator:
Sorry, friends, for the late writing of the chapter
But I hope you enjoy, don't forget to write your review, as well as some motivating comments