The Stormcaller's Journey

Chapter 8

Rubble fell all around him. The sight of his opponent's freckled face sucking in all the warmth a few rays of light from the sun offered. It amazed and angered him. His teammate splayed out over the weapon he was supposed to be protecting. Katsuki could only stare, not believing the sight he was witnessing. Feeling the vein on his head pumping, about to burst from his head, the blond felt something twitch inside his heart. Defeat.

For years he was the best of the best, he had it all. An amazing quirk, extras to spare, and one, just one, friend. That annoying little bug, that he could squash at any point if he wanted to; had surpassed him. This feeling ate at him, bit by bit chipping at his ego. Deku had beaten him. His breathing was intense, how could that pathetic worm possibly beat him.

The feeling of a massive callused hand covering his shoulder broke him free from his trance. "Young Bakugo," All Might said. "Cool your jets. Whether you win or lose, you can always take experience from something like this."

Izuku carefully removed himself from Iida and the weapon. Looking back with an offering hand to his opponent, which Iida took with only slight hesitation. The  other three boys followed behind All Might with Katsuki slowly sulking behind them; not hiding it well from Izuku's big eyes. But with Kirishima's muscular arm around the back of his neck, pulling him into the young man's well built pecs. Izuku's brain was starting to go somewhere else, while his face was left to turn red and hot.

Joining the class back in the observation deck, All Might had the four of them line up, Izuku being between Kirishima and Katsuki. The two couldn't be any more different at this moment. The red head looked at his classmates with pride plastered on his face in the form of a toothless smile. Izuku could feel something brewing in his stomach, he couldn't figure out what it was. It was the kind of feeling you get when you have to present to a group of your peers; but Katsuki's face showed something Izuku was all too familiar with, shame.

A face that usually shows nothing but anger and a type of pride unlike Kirishima's, now his crimson eyes were dull and his face told he wasn't all there. Izuku wanted to feel sorry for him, but how could he do that if Katuki hated him for thinking he felt that way.

"Well despite the results, the M.V.P of this battle was young Iida." All Might's booming voice caught Izuku's attention. The entire class, especially Iida, were confused on how a member of the losing team was the most valuable.

"All of these are valued questions." He spoke again. "Why didn't I choose one of our heroes? Anyone have a guest?"

"Sir, I can tell you why." A pale skin girl with her coal black hair tied in a ponytail said. "Iida was the only one who truly embraced the challenge."

She went on to explain that Katsuki's personal vendetta against Izuku made him make irrational  and destructive decisions, Izuku let his guard down mid battle and his final move was to risky if it were a real weapon, and finally Kirishima didn't let Katsuki's taunting get the best of him. While Iida had a strategy and was in character for the entire exercise and acted like it was a real situation unlike the heroes. 

All Might's face could only be described as frozen, he had to admit the girl had a good eye on her, even if it made him look rather foolish as a teacher. The next team up was Ojiro, besides the long muscular fleshy tail with a small tuft of short blonde hair, was an overall average looking boy. With his partner Hagakure, a smilingly shorter girl who was identifiable by a pair of light blue gloves decorated by pale pink lines and light brownish-gray lace-up shoes; not that clothes were an issue due to the nature of her quirk making the girl completely invisible. 

Their opponents were Shoji, a muscular tall boy wearing a mask at all times; who's blue military type costume accommodated his octopus-like arms. His partner,Todoroki, a moderately tall and rather muscular young man for his age with split colored hair, the left being red and right being white. Who's costume consisted of all white clothing and the left side of his body being completely covered in ice, except for his red glowing eye.