"Tomura," a shadowy bartender, whose only defining feature were his gleaming, slitted eyes, called to the one known as Tomura "sensei has a message for you. Please, put the cleaning supplies back in the closet and come." He instructed the young boy, who quickly finished scrubbing the floors with a mop, and cleaning the tables with cloth, running to put the supplies back in, to not delay "sensei" any further.

The boy, dressed in a similar bartender's suit like the shadowy man, but with striped, plaid pants, was rather short for his age, 14 to be specific. Notably, he had several band-aids and bandage wrappings on his hands and fingers, a scar on his lip, on the left edge of his mouth, and a rather large scar on his neck, creeping from the right side of his nape, forward to his throat. His other notable characteristics were dark green hair, fluffy in nature, jutting like a bushy mess. His eyes were wide and circular, giving one the feeling of "puppy eyes", but the color of his pupils was a simple black, hollow and unnerving, contrasting against his youthful and bright face. He had four freckle dots under each eye, and a simple smile. This boy had grand aspirations for his age, even younger, and now they have changed.

They have become even more grandiose.

"Sensei?" The boy, Tomura, stood before a monitor, with the words "SOUND ONLY" being the only thing visible on screen, but the voice coming through, grainy as it may be, was still clear to him.

"Tomura, have you undergone proper training since we last spoke?" The voice in the monitor asked "Kurogiri told me you made significant progress. Impressive, considering it has only been three months.".

Tomura's posture immediately collapsed upon hearing his sensei's compliment, his face becoming red and bashful "M-...My results were adequate, it's nothing game changing!" He said, his voice shaking as he tried to deflect the compliment.

The voice in the monitor merely chuckled in response "Regardless, you have made incredible progress. Over a decade's worth of training, and the results have been showing since the first year." The memory of that night, the one when Tomura met sensei, was still very clear in his mind. Vividly, he could recall how he was saved, hours after a serious crash occured. It was a miracle a frail child such as him survived for so long among the flames. What's more, Tomura had it etched into his mind a simple fact.

"the heroes didn't save me or mom" it was already too late by the time he awoke, but no heroes were visible, not even firemen or police.

But, it wasn't the end, for another truth became clear in the young boys mind, "villains are cool too!" and from there, he began passionately seeking more information on villains, documenting whatever he could through newspaper articles, blogs and news reels he could find online about them, all without losing his unwavering love for heroes, thanks to one hero who stood atop them all, the Symbol of Peace, All Might, the one who gave him the inspiration to become a hero in his childhood.

"Not all men are born equal, Tomura." Sensei's voice woke Tomura from his trance, he could tell the boy had been deep in thought again, mumbling to himself "You were born quirkless, tossed to the wolves by society, rejected from your dream of heroism, but this society, the one of trash left behind, accepts you, and encourages your path." The monitor briefly seemed to get into focus, revealing the man behind the voice, dressed in a suit, with dark shadows hiding his full visage, before it turned to static once more, leaving only sound "What do you wish to become, Tomura Shigaraki?".

"Sensei, I want to become a villain, the greatest villain this world will know and remember, greater than you!" Tomura proudly proclaimed, with disturbing innocence equivalent of a child wishing to become a fireman or police officer who saves people from fires and criminals, like a child looking up to a hero and aspiring to be like them "I want to bring back the world of villainy." He continued, clenching his bandages hands into fists, the scratches on his hands almost opening back up again by how hard he kept them clenched "The world is nothing but heroes! Villains became more afraid of returning to the limelight, to show themselves to the world! But that's not how it should be! Heroes and villains, this world and its quirks was made for that eternal rivalry of these archenemies.".

A haunting giggle echoed from the monitor at the boy's answer, mixed with pride and excitement "And, to achieve, what will you do, Tomura?".

"I will kill All Might," He answered matter of factly "bring down the Symbol of Peace. The light he shines on the world is too bright, there's no room for us. We have to cast a bigger shadow, push them back. And in turn, they push back in a grander shine. And we push back, again and again.".

"Excellent." Sensei replied "I think it is time then.".

"Time for what, Sensei?" Tomura asked, tilting his head in curiousity. One could almost visualize a large question mark materializing.

"The first step of your final lessons." Once he said that, Tomura immediately pulled out a notebook, almost dropping both it and his pen as he got ready to write down some notes "Tomura, you can be a villain, but for that, you need power. As skilled as you are, even quirkless, you are still only human. Though you may disagree, those with quirks are no longer human in the classical sense. You don't stand a chance against all of them.".

"Sensei...you're not saying...?".

"Yes. I think it's time you finally get your own quirk, of your own choosing, of course." Sensei said, and in his eyes, Tomura could almost see his hand stretching outward to him, same as he had a decade ago.

"A quirk...of my own...".

"Yes. You know my quirks that I have stolen, I will give you any one you want. That is, of course, if you are confident you can survive the transfer.".

"Sensei," his tone and body language suddenly became more serious, as the boy looked at his notes, before turning to the monitor "may I be selfish?".

"Of course. To be a villain, nay, to be human, is to be selfish.".

"One is just not good enough!" He replied, closing his notebook, and from one hand, raising three fingers "I want three quirks, Sensei.".

Kurogiri and Sensei both remained quiet, rather surprised by the boy's request "Tomura, no one can whistanding more than one Quirk. Do you wish to become a Nomu?" Kurogiri said, warning the young Tomura.

"No, no." Sensei spoke, putting aside Kurogiri's concerns "If he wishes to test his resillience, he is more than free to put his life on the line." He said "But if I may ask, Tomura, why three specifically? You could theoretically even request 10 Quirks, maybe even a 100 if you really wish to be selfish.".

"No, just three." Tomura replied giddily "One Quirk to cover my weaknesses," he lowered his ring finger "one to augment my strength" followed by his middle finger "and one to compliment my fighting style, not to replace it." and finally, his index finger, his hand becoming a fist, the scratches and bandages wounds on his fingers opening up, the sheer excitement clear in his hand shaking and clenching more and more, as blood began to lightly drip through "A Quirk is my dream, but, I can't let it erase the decade progress my sensei imparted onto me. It would be a shame to your name, and efforts.".

A loud laughter erupted from the monitor, the intensity of it causing the screen to break into severe static, the sound breaking off as well and becoming more like demonic howls, as light tremors could be felt in the bar, stretching then to several nearby buildings, giving the neighborhood the impression of a small earthquake Eventually quieting down, Sensei's laughter ceased, followed by coughing and gasping, before he could recollect himself.

And the boy remained standing, as if nothing odd had occured, patiently waiting for his sensei's answer.

"Tomura." As if nothing had happened, Sensei addressed the young boy once more "Do you see why I chose you now?" Those words brought nothing but a bright smile onto the boy's face, once again acting bashful about it "Now, tell me, what will be the Quirk to eliminate your weakness?".

The boy smiled, a large, bright smile, one you would expect from a child recieving compliments from their parent. Without further delay on the matter, the young Tomura opened his notebook "I have a few ideas, Sensei. Please! Hear me out!" And so Tomura Shigaraki began his long-winded explanation and analytics of various studies and notes he's taken of many heroes and villains, as Sensei and Kurogiri merely listened on. His path to villainy was about to finally bear fruit, the one whose name derived from "mourning" in the memory of his mother, and who abandoned the dream of heroism, the boy once known as "Izuku Midoriya", was to make his grand emergence into the world.

"Katsuki!" A mature, womanly voice called out from within the kitchen. It was around 9 A.M., so fairly early still, and the one being called, Katsuki Bakugo, a boy with blonde spikey hair, concerningly spiky, and red eyes with black pupils, was in bed still asleep "Katsuki! Wake up, I need you to get me some ingredients. We're out of vegetables too!" His mother, Mitsuki Bakugo, continued calling to him, at which point he rose up from his slumber, still sitting in bed, with ruffled hair and half-closed eyes "Your father is busy with work, but tomorrow's the Entrance Exam for U.A. High School! I need to prepare celebratory cake and a feast for when you ace it!" The pride Mitsuki carried in her son was as large as her son's own pride and ego.

Katsuki merely returned to sleep, tucking himself into bed and ignoring his mother. Unfortunately, she shared his explosive anger as well, albeit more controlled, as he soon remembered once she slammed his bedroom door open in fury "Katsuki! Get off your ass already! I need to make you the best cake!" She shouted, her husband and Katsuki's father Masaru hearing it and quaking, completely destroying his focus at work "I didn't carry you for nine months and push you out to lazy about all day and develop extra lard on your ass!".

Katsuki jolted from his bed, his expression being as angry and wild as Mitsuki's "Shut up, you old hag! I need to build up my strength for tomorrow so I can be at 120% performance!" He yelled back, his titan throat being able to match his mother's own shouting.

"I'd like to see you do that with all that extra fat on your behind! Wouldn't be able to beat a duckling in a foot race, you shitty brat!" As the back and forth yelling continued, Masaru meekly crawled from the edge of the door trying to calm both of them, failing as usual, the weak man being unable to handle the force of his wife and son, especially his son, who seemingly only inherited his father's gender and family name.

"What do you care, huh?! I bet you wish I'd fail so I can go to a shittier academy with shittier dorms, you'd get rid of me then!".

"Don't be stupid, you brat!" Mitsuki shot him down almost immediately "You're a Bakugo, aren't you?! I expect you to do your best and show up all those assholes who think they can get it just because they got rich dads!" Her aggressively supportive words seemingly shut Katsuki up immediately "But if you lose, then this cake is gonna be good for nothing! But to make that cake, I need my shitty son to go and get me some shitty groceries!".

"Fine, I'll do it!" Katsuki erupted from his bed, rising on his feet "I'll go change and get those stupid groceries, and when I ace that Entrance Exam, I'm gonna murder that cake!".

"Murder...?" Masaru could only be concerned.

"With my taste buds." He soon followed it up, much to his father's relief.

Katsuki sprung out of bed, showering in pure hot water, roaring loudly, followed by him brushing his teeth soon after, screaming and threatening the germs to cease their inhabitance in his teeth and gums, afterwards, he changed from his pajamas to a white tanktop and a red jacket, complete with baggy black pants and shoes. His mother gave him a list of groceries and ingredients to get her, along with some extra cash to buy something for himself as a treat. Despite their previous confrontation, Mitsuki happily waved goodbye to her son as he walked out into the streets, with the hunch and posture of a delinquent, but with an obvious prideful stride as he went about this important mission for the woman who gave birth to him (and the guy who helped).

On the way to the store, Katsuki looked over the grocery list given to him. He read the words, and knew every ingredient, not just flour, butter and milk, but what kind and what brand, and the specific stores that sell those best ingredients. Uncharacteristic for someone with an external look and persona such as his, but when Katsuki Bakugo starts something, he will murder the competition by being better than them! Even if it's something like a foreign sport like baseball, or a hobby like cooking, that is the way of Bakugo!

That's what he liked to think, and believe, but he was deep in thought, sporting an uncannily serene expression, remembering an event that still stuck with him even months later. It was shortly before summer began proper, an average day as any other. The class ended and he was heading home, the people he would call "friends" didn't follow behind much longer. Alone, he walked the sidewalk, kicking any cans he saw on the ground. It was a world of heroes and villains, but it was quiet very often, a direct result of the efforts of the Symbol of Peace, the greatest hero in the world, the Number One Hero, All Might! An idol for many aspiring heroes, and Bakugo was no exception. He always looked up to the man, considering him a hero among heroes and the ideal example of one. In his childhood, there was another like him, a boy named Izuku Midoriya.

It was in that moment of peace, however, that a monster attacked, one of mud and sludge, with large bugging eyes and a manic green, baring jagged teeth. It rose from a sewer grate, attacking the first person it saw, a child no older than 14 for sure, assaulting him in a sea of sludge, wrapping himself around his body to constrict him. Katsuki's immediate instinct was to use his Explosion Quirk to combat the villain, but it was futile, the villain's sludge absorbed any liquids, including his sweat, which acted like nitroglycerin, which was the source of his explosions. Even discounting that, Katsuki had not worked up any sweat from simple walking, not enough to create large enough blasts to free himself, only pathetic sparks.

The villain's maniacal laugh caught the attention of more bystanders, simple people who weren't even Heroes, all witnessing his attack, but standing on the sidelines, due to lacking the proper license to allow them to use their Quirks against villains. "I got a bit desperate, but what a catch!" The villain exclaimed, his sludge body wrapping around Katsuki and tightening further, restricting movement further, but the boy kept resisting, managing to slip one hand out, unleashing one gigantic burst of explosion, pushing the villain from the sidewalk to the middle of the road, nearly hitting a car, with many more swerving out of the way, almost crashing into pedestrians who ran away "Shit, that's a strong Quirk, kid! I'll make good use of it! Just wait a minute, alright?! If you keep fighting it'll just hurt more!" The villain made his intentions clear, the sludge beginning to suffocate Katsuki harder, enough to almost completely immobilize his body, but not quite there to do any serious harm, since he still needed that body to function.

The police arrived on the scene, but the villain's overwhelming power kept them at bay, much more due to holding the young boy hostage "Look at that, kid! You're a star! You should be grateful, a shitty no one like you will get remembered for something after I'm done with you!".

"Bastard...!" Katsuki could only curse the villain in his head, his mouth even covered in the villain's sludge. He resisted as much as he could, but his body eventually stopped moving, despite trying to force it to. Katsuki's body has given up, even if his spirit still was, the looming feeling of hopelessness drowning it too "Please...! Move! Someone...!" Katsuki looked at the pedestrians and lawmen, but none had taken a single step forward, only watching, they even took steps back, with others leaving the scene "Save...me...!" He couldn't think of many people who would be affected by his passing, but the ones who stood out were his parents, he could already hear his mother scolding him, breaking down into tears, for being gone, his father doing his best to comfort her. Katsuki couldn't imagine many people missing him, no one alive anyway. The only other person his mind was already dead, his childhood friend, "Deku".

Fear and the reality of the situation consumed his spirit, and tears ran from his eyes, as much as he tried not to, Katsuki couldn't deny it, the villain had won, it was it for him. A hero didn't come to save him, and the villain's laughter drowned out all other sounds, everything else becoming like static to in his ears, and his body became limp. The villain could tell too "That's right. This is the real world, kid. So much for heroes, huh?! Shitty brat!".

Suddenly, and without warning, Katsuki began moving wildly, pushing himself and trying to escape the villain's grip once he lowered his guard, fooled by the boy's body going limp "W-..Wha-...!" The villain, taken off-guard by this sudden burst of strength, quickly tried restraining him again, but Katsuki knew he wouldn't be too rough, because he needed operating limbs to make use of his body in the first place "Stop it! Where did this strength even come from!" The sludge around Bakugo's limbs and face, began tearing away, he was almost freed, and once his mouth was, he let out a bellowing roar, pushing himself even further and further physically.

"You shithead know who I am?!" Katsuki loudly exclaimed, as the onlookers simply gasped at the young boy's sudden display of resistance against his captor "I'm the one who's gonna be Number One!".

"Fine." The villain coldly exclaimed, followed by a loud and thundering -CRACK-, and Katsuki going silent in shock. The blonde boy's right shoulder had dislocated from pushing his body too far, not taking into consideration the limits of his body, the adrenaline going through him a primary cause, even if it did also help him free himself considerably, but soon, the villain's tendrils wrapped him once again, and a second cracking sound was heard, this time of his left arm shattering, followed by Katsuki's painful shrieking "You could have ended it so easily, but you...you had to go and make this harder on me. I'll use you as a meat shield then, get ready, kid, me and you are gonna be best fri-...!".

Everything went quiet once more, but this time, it was the villain who did. Without warning, his body began shrinking in size, and looking at the cause, he saw his sludge body disintegrate, all from a single point, and before he could even question what was going on, all that was left of him was a rolling sludge eye, trying to escape, but a slim, pale man with messy white hair and red eyes, quickly trapped the villain in a tupperware container, closing the lid on the villain "What a gross little man." He said, before turning to Katsuki, who had amazingly was unaffected by the disintegration effect. The man wore notably dark clothing, despite being a Pro Hero, hence why he intervened, though he was off-duty at that moment, evident by the grocery bag he was carrying. He stretched his hand out to Katsuki, who looked incredibly frustrated, feeling a throbbing pain in his dislocated right shoulder, and his broken left arm. When he didn't respond, the man simply grabbed him with a gloved hand, helping him stand up.

"You okay, kid?" The man asked "Don't worry, I'm here now." He said, as the police finally came closer, being handed over the villain in his current pathetic state for arrest.

"Shitty...fucking..." Katsuki could only curse under his breath, though who was being insulted in this situation was unclear.

"Hey, get me a medic for this kid, he's hurt!" He yelled out to the police officers "Don't worry, you'll be alright. You did great there, managing to almost free yourself. It distracted him enough for me to get in and use my Quirk.".

"Get o-...!" Katsuki tried dismissing the man roughly, but unfortunately, in that moment, he forgot his arm was broken, causing him to quickly cease, and grunt in pain "Goddammit! Goddammit!" He continued, clearly frustrated, but also suffering backlash from the events, most likely to his psyche and pride.

A medic approached the two, a young woman, followed by two others "Is anyone here injured?" She asked.

"Just this guy right here." The white-haired man said to the nurse "I think his arms are most affected.".

"I'm fine!" Katsuki dismissed the medic and everyone's concerns for him "I'll liv-...!" Katsuki was cut off immediately by the white-haired man's strong grip forcing him down on his rear, sitting down.

"Didn't you say you were gonna be Number One? You expect to do that alone?" The man critiqued Katsuki, having heard his proud but desperate declaration "You should first learn to be saved by others, if you want to be someone who can save others.".

Katsuki begrudgingly agreed, sitting down and allowing the medics to take a look at him, though he clearly wasn't happy about it, scowling and turning his head away "You were right in your guess, Tenko, his right shoulder's dislocated and his left arm has some shattered bones." The medic woman said, referring to the white-haired man by his given name "Do you have anyone we can contact?".

"My mother..." Katsuki muttered "I'll give you her number...".

"Good, then I leave it to you, doctor." Tenko stood up, by the time he did and Katsuki was checked, almost everyone had left the scene, and only police were left to keep watch and advise drivers to take a different route until damages could be repaired to the streets.

"Wait." Katsuki called to the man before he could leave "Your name is Tenko, right? What's your full name?" He asked, though he avoided eye contact.

"Shimura. Tenko Shimura. Hero name pending though." He introduced himself proper, and Katsuki took a good look at him, noticing his other notable features, such as the wrinkles around his eyes, "rings", but not from age, rather from serious allergic reactions, with chafed lips, and one small mole underneath his lips, at the right edge of it. His build didn't seem that impressive. Fairly average infact. You would be amiss to think he's just a regular citizen, not a Pro Hero.

"Katsuki Bakugo." He replied, surprisingly cooperative "I'm gonna make it into U.A. next year, that'll be the first step to being Number One!".

"Is that so." Tenko responded, rather neutral in tone "Well, best of luck, kid. My sister's waiting for me, so try and avoid any mud for a bit, okay?".

Following that, Katsuki was taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, his left arm ended up in a cast, while his right shoulder didn't need much, since the dislocation was taken care of rather quickly thanks to a doctor's bone manipulating Quirk, but the pain in both his arms remained, and was instructed on taking it easy during summer. Mitsuki and Masaru could only hug their son in relief, tears streaming down their eyes, with Masaru's in particular being enough to challenge a certain crybaby. His mother in particular scolded him, clearly out of fear after the shocking news hit her, hearing her son could have potentially been taken away from her by a villain. She wasn't mad, Katsuki could tell, only worried.

However, the coming months, Katsuki trained in secret. Initially he worked up his lower body, and after his right shoulder healed, began using his right arm to train his upperbody, performing push ups in his room, and when allowed outside, began to do more exercises outside, running and strengthening himself. The near-death experience and loss he suffered clearly sticking. What's more, he could feel like the world heard his declaration of becoming Number One, surpassing All Might. The pressure motivated him, and reignited his spirit to be a hero once more. Among it though, a memory of a friend he used to belittle and mistreat kept popping up in his mind more frequently, the sight of Izuku Midoriya. The boy died in a car crash with his mother around ten years ago, with the last thing he could remember about his was the boy crying, and always being behind him. A Quirkless loser, who still wanted to be a Hero.

A Hero without a Quirk? Katsuki could only laugh at that idea and kept on bullying Izuku, or as he called him, the good for nothing, Deku. The news of his passing came to him at a shock, though he can't exactly remember how he felt at that time. Was he sad? Angry? Did he even miss him or care? Katsuki couldn't recall, but he didn't remember or think about Deku for the following decade, and yet, the villain's attack on him, and the suffocating fear of dying, brought him back into his mind. That boy's wish was to become a Hero as well, maybe even the Number One Hero. Where did all this sudden motivation come from? This desire to aim for the top, when before, he simply wanted to be better than everyone, but never in any specific way.

Katsuki wanted to, especially after meeting and looking into that Tenko Shimura, a Pro Hero with no Hero Name, a rarity if not impossibility in these day and age, but above all else, he wasn't even 20 back then, one of the youngest Pro Heroes in history. He wasn't even impressive in any way, he was famous sure, but he ranked incredibly low, in the triple digits sure, but he was still only ranked 284th, being so high most likely due to the initial media attention of his achievement at such a ripe age, but outside of that, he was a relative unknown. He didn't work in an agency or had any cooperation with any businesses. He was a solo act who occassionaly did regular part time jobs.

It was insulting.

Katsuki felt nothing but contempt for that man. Acting all high and mighty, saving his life, and yet, being such a casual, and in Katsuki's words, shitty Pro who didn't look like he was excited or even into his job. Saving people, rescuing them, arresting villains. All that, and he looked like a bored office desk worker, a paper pusher. It was infuriating, it was pissing him off! He could just grab his stupid face and BAM!

The explosion from Katsuki's hand, in rage while deep in thought, swiftly ending his rather lengthy flashback, interrupting the flow of the day, as he realized he was on auto-pilot for the last several minutes, and found out he was nearby to the first stop to get the necessary groceries for his mother. However, that is when tragedy struck, for in Katsuki's hand, where smoke kept rising from, he saw the grocery list his mother gave him was not reduced to black bits, leaving barely anything of it behind.

It took a few seconds, but it struck Katsuki like an iron bat to the head "AAAAAAUGH...!" Katsuki yelled in shock, realizing what he's done "Shit shit shit!" Katsuki continued yelling in frustration "God, I only remember the vegetables, what else did that hag want?!" His loudness drew the attention of bystanders, though they chose to ignore him as he continued yelling in frustration.

"Hey, you okay, bud?" A gruff but still welcoming voice called out to Katsuki, and as he turned, saw a black haired boy, around his own age, his hair was down, almost covering his eyes in an almost emo way, had it not been clear he was a rather bright and energetic fellow, with eyes red like his own, and notably, rather sharp fangs for teeth.

"Huh? Fuck do you care, asshole?" Katsuki replied, aggressive as usual "I just need to remember what my hag of a mom wanted me to get her, that's nothing! It was all for cake, can't be that hard, I know how to cook a cake!".

"Cook? Don't you bake it?" The black-haired boy said in response.

"Shut up, it's dumb terminology!" Katsuki clenched his hand into a fist "I bet she knew this would happen! She wants the good shit, to make the best cake for the future star of U.A.!" The Bakugo household's way of showing love was surely an odd one.

"You're going to U.A.?" The boy's face suddenly lightened up "No way! I'm going into the entrance exams tomorrow!" The boy seemed disgustingly friendly to Katsuki, immediately walking right next to him "My name's Eijiro Kirishima! What's yours?".

"Who cares, I didn't ask!" Katsuki replied, furious at Eijiro's sudden closeness to a stranger like him "You think just because we're gonna try and get into the same school we're all buds now, huh?!".

"Gee, man, I didn't know you were so sensitive about this stuff, sorry for asking." Eijiro immediately backed away following Katsuki's reply "Just thought it was cool to meet a potential future classmate.".

Katsuki grunted, turning his head away from Eijiro "Name's Katsuki Bakugo, but you just call me Bakugo, alright, Kirishima?! I'm the bastard who'll show you and everyone else what's what, and get to the top!" Eijiro was taken back by the sudden shift in Katsuki's behavior, his incredibly quick and vicious reply shook him, and the only thing on his mind soon came out externally.

"Shit, that's a manly as hell introduction! You really don't hold back, do ya?" His expression turned to a wide smile "So what'd you need help with? Maybe I can give a hand.".

"I need to find these shitty ingredients for my shitty mom so she can make me a shitty cake, so we can eat it and celebrate me getting into the not-shitty academy! U.A.!".

"You really have no volume settings on you, huh." Eijiro commented on Katsuki over the top foul mouth and beast-like expressiveness, incredibly honest to boot "Well, hey, I got time, I went out to get some fresh air. I don't mind sticking for a few hours!".

Initially, Katsuki was ready to reject Eijiro's offer, but before words escaped his mouth, he rememberes Tenko Shimura's words, to be a hero who saves others, he should be ready to be saved by others. He supposed escaping his mother's anger would count as "saving".

"Fine." Katsuki said, his volume lowering, and his tone changing to something more neutral rather than abrasive "We'll just get vegetables first, and look for cake ingredients later." He explained "Luckily, I know my way around a cake and food. If you want to be a Hero you gotta know how to take care of yourself, and that includes basic needs and skills like cooking!".

"Ah, I get it! So we'll use your knowledge in baking to fetch the best and most high grade stuff! Can't go wrong if you get the most expensive stuff.".

"Dumbass!" Katsuki shouted, immediatley shooting down Eijiro "Expensive shit doesn't mean it's good shit! It can be just shit coated in gold, making it gold shit!".

"Man, you really like saying shit.".

"Quality isn't measured by monetary value! We need to read the ingredients, and brand! I know the best brands, we'll show our mothers we don't need fucking lists to remember what to get!" He proudly, and loudly, declared "A real Hero can go and complete a grocery list without a list! Because the brain of a Hero is the best and never forgets!".

"Hell yeah!" Eijiro couldn't help but feel empowered by Katsuki's outrageous declarations as the two inadvertedly bonded over this blind cake ingredient hunt.

The two boys went through multiple stores, inspecting every aisle and shelf, looking through every ingredient one would use for cake, with Katsuki being the one to choose which is the better quality, although Eijiro struggled with his terminology that was peppered with lots of "shitty", "garbage" and "trash", making it hard to determine which use of it was positive or negative.

It took longer than intended, and even Eijiro chipped in with his own allowance to help pay for the ingredients, since some of the good quality stuff Katsuki bought were infact pretty expensive, but the two succeeded in acquiring the needed stuff, vegetables included. They ended the day by each one getting a drink, with Katsuki using the spare cash to pay for both, as a thank you for Eijiro, though he didn't call it that, saying it was to be even for paying for the groceries.

"This stuff is great, I never knew about that spot." Eijiro said, commenting on the store where they got their drinks from, with Eijiro getting what was called the "Mt. Lady Springs" canned drinks, a brand deal the Pro Hero Mt. Lady took with the Springs Drink company, who was a well-known public figure who was very into the media and fame in general. The taste was weird, but Eijiro couldn't help but love it.

"You don't have to follow me all the way home. You some kinda stalker?" Katsuki said to Eijiro, carrying most of the groceries in his arms, drinking another Hero sponsored drink, "Midnight Springs", coincidentally from the same Springs Drink company Mt. Lady had a brand deal with. Turns out both are rivals in world of sponsors and media exposure, as opposed to traditional rivalry.

Eijiro sighed, spending several hours with Katsuki didn't help him get used to him quite yet "Your Quirk really fits you. Wonder if there's some science behind that." Eijiro pondered, obviously in a joking manner "Hope your mom doesn't mind me tagging along.".

Katsuki simply grunted, before chuckling and grinning "Heh, she'll be surprised if anything that I brought a friend with me." Katsuki's expression quickly changed when he realized what he said "That doesn't mean we're friends, though! That's just what she'll think, so don't give her any ideas, dumbass!".

"Man, you really switch back to that explosive attitude, huh." Eijiro couldn't help but giggle at Katsuki, not even fazed by his comments, finding them amusing if anything.

The two soon arrived home, though instead of knocking or anything, Katsuki kicked the door opened, proudly holding up the grocery bags in his arms "I'm back, you old hag! I got the fucking groceries, but your stupid list burnt too easy!" Eijiro was shocked once again at Katsuki's tone and words to his parents, and how he entered the house.

"It what?!" Mitsuki immediatley came into frame, seeing the two boys "You brat, you better have gotten the good stuff, or I'll...! Huh?" Mitsuki stopped mid-way, upon noticing Eijiro Kirishima alongside Katsuki, who awkwardly waved hello to her, overwhelmed by their interaction "Ah! I didn't know you were bringing a friend. Please, come in, dear!".

"He's not my friend!" Katsuki immediately refuted his mother's claim of Eijiro being his friend, entering the household and putting the bags down in the kitchen "He's just some rando who's gonna try for the Entrance Exam for U.A. tomorrow.".

"That's fantastic! So you met a classmate before school even started!" Mitsuki was overjoyed, not even angry anymore at her son's disrespectful behavior, or the fact Eijiro had stepped in to help him pay for the groceries "What's your name, dear?".

Eijiro pointed at himself with his thumb, proudly puffing his chest before introducing himself proper "My name's Eijiro Kirishima! Nice to meet you, miss Bakugo!".

"My, what an energetic young lad!" Mitsuki's behavior began fitting a more typical mother, clasping her hands together in joy "Why not stay over for dinner, dear? I can cook up something tasy for all of us!".

"No, no, it's fine, I don't wanna be a burden.".

"No, no, to you! If it weren't for you tomorrow's cake would have been ruined." Mitsuki said, already getting ready to make food, as Katsuki moved over to the living room to watch TV, ignoring the two "Please, stay as much as you like.".

"Ma'am, I appreciate." Eijiro said, bowing humbly to Mitsuki.

"You're such a gentleman." Mitsuki commented on Eijiro's politeness "I'm glad Katsuki met someone. It's been ages since he brought anyone home.".

"Is he...?" Eijiro stopped himself, before drawing closer, and whispering "Does he...not have friends?" He tried to be as sensitive as possible, having a feeling there was potentially a touchy topic in his question.

Mitsuki had a rather mellow expression, replying back to Eijiro "He lost a good childhood friend way back when. He's hung out with some brats like him, but I don't think he's ever called any of them his friend." She glanced for a minute, making sure Katsuki couldn't hear or see the two "I would be very happy if he could make atleast one good friend in U.A.".

Eijiro understood this was the pleading of a concerned mother towards her son who was hiding his feelings behind a rough exterior, a loud and abrasive personality that keeps people from getting too close, or even if they did, stick around for long. Instead of looking somber, he smiled lightly towards Mitsuki "Don't worry. He's a bit rough, but I think me and him can get along. I know a friend who would too.".

"Ah, that's excellent! Thank you, little Eijiro." Mitsuki happily brushed the young man's head, patting him "Now, why won't you boys get comfortable while I make Katsuki's favorite!".

"Hell yea!" Eijiro exclaimed.

"Shut up and come watch TV! Stop sticking in the kitchen like a housewife!" Katsuki yelled at Eijiro, who quickly followed him to the living room.

Seeing the two boys sitting together, though each at the other end of the sofa, watching TV and conversing among each other, Mitsuki couldn't help but feel a warm feeling envelope her, a joyful relief at seeing her son allow someone to get close, even if a bit. Her husband, Masaru, also saw the sight, looking at his wife, as the two simply exchanged smiles with one another.

Before summer vacation began proper, the young man known as Tenko Shimura, had stopped amid his venture for groceries, saved a blonde and explosive boy named Katsuki Bakugo, from a villain made of sludge. He was there by chance, and heard the sirens of police, the muttering and screaming of pedestrians, but above all else, the declaration to be Number One. It was with that loud declaration, and final push to be resist and free the villain's grip, that allow Tenko to get closer enough undetected, and with a simple touch with all five fingers, disintegrated the villain's body, but without killing him, leaving enough of him to keep him alive.

After making sure the boy got treatment and was alright, Tenko got back to his schedule, heading home. An hour afterwords, however, he was met with an old friend, an incredibly lanky, downright skeletal man with golden blonde hair, and sunken blue eyes. That man, the Number One Hero, All Might, but known more closely by his real name, Toshinori Yagi, among peers and friends. The two stood infront of each other on the sidewalk, with the sun about to set, the sky a mix of yellow and orange, and no one around them to overhear or interrupt.

"Hello, young Tenko." Toshinori greeted Tenko "I saw you saving that boy earlier today. That was an excellent job. Well done." He complimented the young Hero "It's a good thing you were there. Had I been stronger...".

"Stop." Tenko raised his open palm towards Toshinori, quieting him "We've had this conversation already, Toshinori Yagi." His tone was much more professional and even cold when addressing Toshinori "I don't need to hear this again. You were weak, it was not your fault." He began walking, trying to avoid another long-winded conversation.

"Tenko. Please." Although he had no strength in this form, Toshinori still gripped Tenko's shoulder, as the young man stopped dead in his tracks the minute he did "That boy...He fought so hard." Toshinori began speaking, his tone notably different from before "Had he pushed himself even further, god knows what would have happened to his arms, to his body, if he could even recover from it and continue to chase his dream.".

"Yagi, please don't try and use this to force One for All onto me again." Tenko bluntly rejected Toshinori's plea before it could even become a plea "I don't want to be given something like this just because my grandmother was your master. I wish the police never snooped into her records and found me. I'm just grateful your friend agreed to keep it from the public." Tenko Shimura, the son of Kotaro Shimura, and the grandson of Nana Shimura, the seventh successor of the Quirk One for All, a unique Quirk that becomes stronger with every successor, stockpiling that power indefinitely. In desperation for a successor following a severe injury by his archnemesis, Toshinori requested to look into his master's background, to try and see if she had any relatives, and in a stroke of luck, found the records showing her biological son's adoption, and with that, could find Tenko Shimura, the only family member to fully escape his father's oppressive rule and chase his dream to become a Hero.

And yet, Tenko hasn't put much effort into his heroism after graduating and getting his license. That's not to say Tenko has done no heroics at all. He was always on the scene to save people, fight villains and be present during times when a Hero was needed, but, on the other hand, he had no hero name, no hero costume, only a pair of gloves made from his own hair to avoid them being disintegrated by his Decay Quirk. He had no media presence, outside of the initial wow of his young age and achieving Pro Hero status. In his own home, all he did was feed his cat, and even take part time jobs to make extra money, not that he was lacking, but simply because he wanted to.

To say he fully and truly escaped his father, may be rather false in reality. He still wasn't able to reignite his original desire for heroism, even the memory of his grandmother could not bring it back, as everytime he remembered that photo his sister showed him, it was immediately followed by the harrowing sight of his father striking him in fury for seeing it. It was not long after that his Quirk awakened for the first time, but instead of excitement it was fear. The power to decay and disintegrate anything all five fingers touched to nothing. It was horrible and uncontrollable. He subconsciously sealed it away and through the help of various department and connection, his father procured him gloves that neutralize his ability, allowing him to finally hold someone's hand without turning them to dust.

"That isn't why I'm here." Toshinori said, his hand noticeably shaking "Tenko...I was about to let that boy die...a boy who probably looked up to me...wanting to surpass the Symbol of Peace and take his spot as the Number One Hero." His voice became noticeably shaky, the sun setting further "I'm pathetic. Letting something like a limit stop me from saving someone's life. How many others did I let down like this? One's who didn't have another hero save them, one's who died because I, while on the scene, had reached my limit...and...!" He let go of Tenko, turning around, clearly ashamed of himself, the two men now facing each other back to back "Forget it. Sorry to bother you. Say hello to Hana for me.".

"It still hurts, you know." Toshinori looked over to Tenko as he began to speak "Even though it's been so long, I still feel my father's hits on me. He tried to get my trust and faith back, but my mother divorced him, and we struggled ever since. She only accepted money from him if it was through her parents." He sighed, scratching his neck and cheek "I wish I could do something, but I'm just stuck right now. I appreciate how much you've done for me, and my family, but I'm sorry. I'm unworthy of One for All, I'm just too pathetic. Though, I guess that would mean we both see ourselves that way.".

"Young Tenko..." Toshinori lowered his head, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck "How...is your mother?".

"We visited her father's grave last week." He replied "Hana-chan has been looking after her. Both have been trying to convince me to quit my part time jobs and go full heroics. Jokes on them though, I got fired for being late again, so I'm broke.".

"Are you thinking of finding some other job? Heroes balancing full time and heroics isn't that unheard of, if they can find a good schedule and understanding manager.".

"No, I think I'll take a break." Tenko yawned, looking over at Toshinori "I think a good rest is in order for a loser like me. So much for proving my dad wrong.".

"I see." Toshinori gripped chest and shirt in growing frustration "I..." He took a deep breath, trying his best to keep himself strong emotionally "I believe you can be a great hero, Tenko. You must find the right flame to ignite it again. If you do not wish...to succeed in your grandmother's footsteps, I understand. It was selfish of me to try and force that on you, especially from such an age, without considering your situation...I just hope you can forgive me.".

"I don't hate you, Yagi, I just..." Tenko struggled to find the words towards the man. Here he was, the sun set, and he was talking to the Number One Hero as if he was just some man in his life, not a Symbol of Peace, keeping the shadows of evil and villainy from rising back up, keeping the crime rate at 6% around the country. The two men weren't as close as they were when they first met, a younger Tenko being chosen by All Might to be his successor, becoming his own personal teacher and trainer to help him better improve his body and Quirk, but when he knew the reason was basically nepotism, he denied the position, and the two grew apart. Nowadays, they would be mistaken for strangers, two men with an artificial bond created by their relations to the one known as Nana Shimura, Tenko's grandmother, and to Toshinori, his beloved master, a mother-like figure in his life.

"Well...I'm sorry for bothering you again." Toshinori said "I have to visit Nezu, he said he wanted to discuss some plans for the next year of U.A., even though we're still a ways away.".

"U.A..." Tenko's eyes suddenly lit up, his expression changing for somber, and one could almost see a lightbulb above his head, as an idea was born "Toshinori, may I be selfish?".

"Huh?" Toshinori was confused, but intrigued still "I suppose we should all have the right to be once in our lives.".

"Teacher." Tenko said "Would it be possible for me to become a teacher at U.A.? I know I'm not particulary smart in history or english, but I can be just as fine as a homeroom teacher!" His tone and expressions took a complete shift, becoming like an excitable child "The next generation of heroes...that's what I need!".

"Wait, hold on...".

"I can watch over them. I'm self-taught mostly, but I had good teachers in life. You were still my teacher for a few years!" He held Toshinori by his shoulder "I know this is incredibly selfish, unreasonable, but, I feel it, Toshinori. I want to save people, but I...I need to be saved first.".

"Saved, huh..." Toshinori pondered to himself for a moment. Before him, Tenko stood, clearly desperate, and for the first time in a while, his spirit came alive. For a moment, he reminded him of his old master, atleast, when it came to his energy "That smile suits you." He said, noting Tenko's smile, which he hadn't even noticed until it was pointed out to him.

"Akh, no wonder my lips started to sting." Tenko commented "And I just ran out on my meds. I'll have to take a quick run tomorrow. My allergies haven't gotten any better, I swear.".

"Heh." Toshinori smiled "Well, I'll talk with Nezu. I might not be able to get you homeroom teacher, but maybe a sub, or assistant to one of the teachers. God knows that couldn't hurt.".

"Will I have any contact with the class?".

"Well, if it's ever needed, an assistant could hang around and help the teacher get some rest or an easier workload." When saying that, Toshinori remembered an old friend of his who fit that description "Maybe I'll talk with Aizawa too.".

"Thank you, Toshinori." Tenko smiled back at his former teacher "We may not see eye to eye on most things, but I thank you for still supporting me and my family.".

"Don't, please." He replied, humbly taking back any compliments "I was unreasonably selfish. I only wish for us to have a good relationship. It's what my master, your grandmother, would have wanted.".

"We can agree on that." Tenko gestured to Toshinori to follow him "Would you like to come with me? It's getting late, and I'm sure Hana-chan would be happy to see you. It has been a while.".

"I-..." Before Toshinori could answer, a loud explosion was heard from yards away. It was a clear villain attack "Oh no...".

"You said you were at your limit, you shouldn't...".

"No." Toshinori immediately shut him down "I already almost let someone die today. I won't let something like a limit stop me twice. I still breathe, don't I?" Within a moment, the skeletal silhouette erupted to a muscular, golden age strongman, for the Symbol of Peace, All Might, was here!

"Thank you once again, Tenko. I hope to see your sister and mother soon. Send them my regards!" He said, and with one leap, ascended to the skies, to the direction of villainy, ready to save the day again, despite the night sky.

"Don't mention it, uncle." Tenko said, gonig on his merry way back home, his groceries still in hand.

And although, for Tenko and many more citizens, the day has ended, for heroes such as All Might, it has merely begun anew already.

Months from now, at the end of summer vacation, Katsuki would meet Eijiro, a day before the exams, and from there, the Entrance Exam begins, followed by the first day of classes soon afterwords, and Tenko's new career as a teacher's assistant starts.

But the villains in the shadows are also beginning to rise. The one who abandoned the name Midoriya, Tomura Shigaraki, his sensei and the League of Villains that they have been building, has begun final preparations to begin their plans and put them into action.

Two childhood friends, rivals, would meet again, as archenemies.