Hey, everyone! Just dropping by to let you know that my original story, Legacy of the Strongest (I changed the name), already has 10 chapters! If you can support it, I'd really appreciate it!
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The Following THREE Chapters are available for Patrons.
Patreon: patreon.com/Subaru710772142
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[After class, Bakugo residence]
'Control, purpose, attack... control, purpose, attack...'
Sitting on the floor of his room, Bakugo was in a lotus position, legs crossed and feet resting on his thighs. His hands rested on his knees, palms facing up, while his fingers occasionally curled slightly in a reflex of tension.
His breathing was slow and deep, each inhalation carrying the effort to tame the anxiety that had accompanied him since he returned to the past.
'I improved my techniques, my explosive power, trained my body and mind. I am—' Bakugo opened his eyes slowly, and the instant his eyelids lifted, the characteristic glow had given way to something darker.
His eyes were cold, opaque, almost devoid of emotion. '—ready to kill the Nomu.'
***
[The next day]
Something was wrong, deeply wrong. Uraraka noticed it as soon as she laid eyes on Bakugo. Not that he was the most communicative or friendly person in the world.
But Bakugo had his ways of interacting. He talked when spoken to, answered when asked something, and even broke the silence once in a while. But today was different.
Today, he was completely silent.
He didn't speak to anyone at all, even when greeted or when they tried to include him in conversations. Not even with Momo, who was clearly disheartened by being ignored.
And as for herself? Well, Uraraka didn't even try. Not after the little argument they had two days ago. If she could even call it an argument.
Since that day, she had been avoiding Bakugo. Maybe because she felt bad for being unnecessarily rude or because she couldn't understand why she had gotten so irritated with him.
Either way, Uraraka concluded that she needed some time to sort out her thoughts.
But now, sitting on the bus seat that was taking them to the rescue training site, Uraraka was mentally scolding herself for not talking to the boy who had been on her mind since they met.
He was just a few seats away, staring out the window with a frozen expression, his eyes so cold and distant that they seemed not to belong to him.
'Those eyes... they don't suit you,' she thought, biting her lower lip as she tried to contain her unease. He didn't look well. Something was wrong, and it was getting to her. 'Is he sick? Or maybe something happened at home? What's going on?'
She shifted in her seat, frustrated with herself for not being able to simply ask what was wrong.
"You noticed it too?" Momo asked beside her, interrupting Uraraka's thoughts.
"Yeah..." It was obvious that Momo had already realized what was bothering her.
"Something bad must have happened. I'll talk to him after class." Momo turned her face toward her. "Want to come along?"
"Yes!"
***
'The moment I make my first move, I lose the predictability of what would happen.' Bakugo kept his gaze fixed on the window, his fingers lightly gripping the edge of the seat. 'Anything can happen from that point on.'
His eyes narrowed as he heard Aizawa's voice announcing that they were arriving at the training site. 'If I hesitate, if I make a mistake, someone could die... I can't fail. Not again.'
The sound of the other students around him was muffled, almost irrelevant, as he repeated these words in his mind like a mantra.
The bus finally stopped, and Aizawa stood up. "Get off," he ordered in that same monotonous and authoritative voice as always.
The students began to get off one by one, murmuring excitedly. Bakugo remained silent, following behind the group, his hardened expression contrasting with the evident enthusiasm of the others.
As soon as they stepped outside, they were greeted by No. 13, who opened their arms in a warm gesture. "Guys, I've been waiting for you!"
The class burst into excitement.
"Ohhh, it's No. 13!"
"That's so cool!"
"I love you, No. 13!" Uraraka shouted, raising her hands enthusiastically. For a brief moment, she forgot the worry that had consumed her seconds ago after seeing her favorite hero.
Thirteen chuckled slightly and pointed toward the entrance of the U.S.J. "Come on, I'll show you around."
"We're looking forward to it!" the class responded in unison, their footsteps already echoing as they climbed the stairs leading to the massive building.
The interior of the U.S.J. was grand, more than most of them had imagined. Different scenarios stretched in all directions—areas simulating natural disasters, ruins, landslides, and even an artificial lake. The space was clearly designed to create extreme situations, a training field where their abilities would be pushed to the limit.
"Wow... this is incredible," Kaminari commented.
"It doesn't even look like a training facility... it looks more like a disaster-themed amusement park," Sero added, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
While everyone was distracted by the structure, Bakugo remained still, analyzing everything with calculating eyes. 'Okay, it's all as I remembered...'
"Alright, class," No. 13 spoke again after explaining to Aizawa that All Might would be late. "As you can see, the U.S.J. is a facility designed to train heroes in extreme rescue situations. Here, you will be tested physically and mentally. Each environment was created to simulate real danger conditions."
"Awesome!" Kirishima exclaimed, excited.
"But remember," She continued, now with a more serious tone, "our focus here is not combat. It's rescue. As heroes, you don't just fight villains; you also save lives. A hero's success lies both in strength and in the ability to rescue."
Bakugo crossed his arms, pressing his lips together. He knew that, but he couldn't ignore what life had shown him. 'Saving someone requires strength. If you can't defeat the enemy, no one will be saved.'
No. 13 stopped mid-sentence when all the lights in U.S.J. went out.
Aizawa frowned, his eyes immediately alert. "Thirteen, you—"
Before he could finish, a violet glow appeared at the center of U.S.J., and a vortex began to form.
"What the..." Iida murmured, frozen in place.
From the vortex, figures began to emerge—villains. Many of them.
Aizawa stepped forward. "Students, stay behind me. This is not part of the training."
The air grew heavy, and the students' previous excitement was replaced by suffocating silence.
'Don't hesitate. Don't fail. Don't—' Bakugo froze in place when, from the vortex, a thin man emerged, pale, deformed hands covering the upper part of his body, followed closely by a large black monster.
'Shigaraki... Shigaraki... Shigaraki.' The name echoed like a drum in Bakugo's mind, and with it came an overwhelming hatred. It was him. The man who had ruined his life, humiliated him, and reduced him to nothing was now right there.
Slowly, Bakugo raised his right hand to his face, the tips of his fingers trembling with pure rage. 'What kind of face am I making right now?... it must be anything but that of a hero.'
He felt the sweat dripping from his hands, his thirst for blood fueling his Quirk. Bakugo didn't want to be a hero now, didn't want to think about saving or protecting his classmates. More than anything, at that moment, he wanted to kill Shigaraki with his own hands.
"Midoriya-chan!"
"Bakugo-kun!"
"Bakugo-san!"
Two firm hands grabbed his arms, pulling him back. He turned quickly, his gaze still burning with anger, only to find Uraraka and Momo trying to get him out of there.
Beside him, Midoriya was going through something similar, being pulled away by Tsuyu, his expression just as lost as Bakugo's.
"What are you doing?!" Bakugo growled, his voice filled with impatience.
"We need to evacuate!" Momo shouted, the concern clear in her eyes as she pulled him with force.
Only then did Bakugo realize that he had been trapped in his own mind, missing the moment Aizawa ordered them to run before rushing forward to stall the villains.
Shaking his head, Bakugo tried to push away the rage still pulsing through his veins and focus on what he had to do. Ahead, Thirteen led the group with firm steps toward the exit, while the other students hurried, fear evident on their faces.
"O-okay," he muttered, gritting his teeth in frustration. "You two can let go of me."
The two hesitated before releasing him but remained close, as if afraid he might stay behind again.
Uraraka glanced at him, hesitant. "You were... trembling"
Bakugo didn't take long to respond. "I'm fine now."
The three caught up with the rest of the group, who continued advancing at a fast pace, but just before they could reach the exit, everyone froze at the same time as a vortex appeared on the ground in front of them, and a dense black cloud emerged, spreading like fog.
"Pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains." Two menacing eyes appeared within the mist. "It may be presumptuous of us. But we invited ourselves into the hero school, U.A. High, to make All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."
Those words sent an instant wave of terror through everyone.
"All Might was supposed to—"
'This is already enough for the police.'
The next instant, a blonde blur advanced at an astonishing speed and appeared behind the villain.
Kurogiri's eyes widened as he sensed the movement right behind him. 'How did he—'
Before he could finish the thought, Bakugo moved his hand with brutal precision, aiming for the weak point of the villain's nebulous body.
"SHIINEEEE!!"
BOOOOMMMM!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the air, illuminating the area with a wave of heat. The students instinctively recoiled, shielding their faces from the flash and force of the impact.
'When did he move from my side?' Uraraka thought, squinting against the smoke and trying to process what had just happened.
Beside her, Momo shared the same shock. 'He just disappeared.'
As the dust began to settle, a silhouette emerged. Bakugo walked slowly, gripping tightly the metallic brace attached to Kurogiri's neck. "Kaminari."
"Y-yeah?" Kaminari stammered, startled.
"Take him." Without ceremony, Bakugo tossed Kurogiri toward Kaminari, who nearly stumbled as he caught him. "If he moves, electrocute him."
"O-okay!" Kaminari swallowed hard, staring at the villain nervously. He adjusted his stance, ready to act if necessary.
Bakugo turned to the rest of the class, who stared at him with pure astonishment. Even Thirteen, who was used to seeing promising young heroes and real pros in action, seemed momentarily speechless.
"That was incredible," someone whispered in the back, breaking the silence.
Thirteen, snapping back to focus after the surprise, raised her voice to the group.. "Keep running to the exit! We can't stay here!"
Uraraka was still stunned, processing what she had seen. A part of her was impressed, while another couldn't help but worry about the look Bakugo had when he emerged from the smoke.
***
[In the center of the U.S.J.]
"What was that explosion? Huh?" Shigaraki whispered to himself, his voice filled with frustration and rage. "The kid with the explosive Quirk... yeah, it must have been him."
His thin, bony fingers scratched harder and harder against the pale skin of his neck, leaving red marks. "Nothing... nothing is going as planned."
His bloodshot, hate-filled eyes swept across the scene, landing on Aizawa, who was still fighting multiple villains.
"They think they can resist? The Symbol of Peace will fall... and with him, the illusion of control you all cling to." Shigaraki stepped closer to Nomu. "Show them, Nomu. Show them what it's like to live in a world without hope. Let's throw a welcome party for when All Might arrives."
***
***How about a new chapter tomorrow? If we break the Power Stones record, I'll publish it!***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.