Weight of Legacy

Entrance Exams (II)

Bakugo Katsuki: Origin

~ W-o-L ~

Bakugo found himself panting atop a hill of destroyed robots, a hulking and sweaty mess, when it started. He hadn't been keeping track of his points. It was a distraction that he couldn't afford. Still, he was pretty sure he was acing the practical. Trails of smoke billowed from his palms as tiny explosions popped around his palms. He didn't have conscious control of his sweat glands, so using his explosions to encourage his palms to sweat was the next best thing. The familiar scent of caramel filled the air as the ground beneath Bakugo started to rumble. He jumped from his perch on the hill of debris just before his footing became unstable. By the time he'd landed on the pavement, the hill had already collapsed. He looked around wildly for the earthquake's source. Surely, it had to be someone's Quirk. Right?

Why's the Zero Pointer so fucking huge!" An Extra screamed as she ran past Bakugo and his pile of robot parts. Before long, more people were sprinting past him and back towards the testing site's starting gate. Bakugo felt his eyes widen as he turned to see a new Fax Villain towering over him. His breath hitched a bit as he stared up at it. Despite the thing's lack of free will, the pressure of the threat was enough to throw Bakugo back in time. To 10 months prior, when a villain made of sludge had captured him by his favorite arcade. The smell of caramel was replaced by sewage and gingivitis. He felt the constriction the villain had put him under as if he was there again, having sludge crammed down his throat and into his nostrils. His ears were filled with the grating, evil laughter of a sick individual getting his kicks from suffocating a kid. The Zero Pointer broke through a nearby building, sending debris crashing close enough to Bakugo that he was startled out of his panic attack. He took an instinctive step back only for his foot to land on a stray pipe and fly out from underneath him. Rubble from the Faux Villain's rampage landed all around Bakugo as he fought down his fear. He bit through his lip in an attempt to ground himself. The pain did little to drive away the fog that had settled over his brain but it was enough. Soon, Bakugo was back on his feet and blasting off using his explosions. He breathed a sigh of relief as the building closest to where he'd been sitting collapsed. Had he been a moment slower, he could've been trapped. The sounds of the stampede around Bakugo captured his attention. Applicants fled the Faux Villain with no regard to those around them. The slower members of the crowd were being pushed to the ground, the threat of being trampled hanging over their heads.

Bakugo grit his teeth as he took in the sights and sounds around him. These people wanted to be heroes, right? Then why were they running each other down in a panic? Why wasn't he doing anything? Didn't he want to be a hero, too? His legs were trembling as the Zero Pointer crashed through another building. He wretched his gaze away from the extras and stared up at the titan in front of him. It was getting closer, more dust and debris falling before and around him. What did being a hero even mean to Bakugo? He'd thought about it often since Deku and his friend had saved him from the Sludge Villain. All his life, he looked to All Might as the ultimate Symbol of Power. Being a hero meant strength. It meant standing up to threats of all sizes and overcoming them with raw power... right?

~ W-o-L ~

11 years ago...

~ W-o-L ~

If you asked Bakugo what his pre- and primary school days were like, you'd be hard-pressed to get a satisfactory answer. To him, it was a blur of worthless extras and teachers who just wanted to blow smoke up his ass because of his Quirk. Even before his Quirk manifested, he'd been the leader of any group of children that wanted to ride his coattails. However there was one kid that he could never forget, no matter how much he wished he could. Green hair and eyes, diamond-patterned freckles on his cheeks, and an annoying habit of worrying over the tiniest things. Midoriya Izuku had gained the nickname 'Deku' shortly after Bakugo's Quirk manifested. In this world of Quirks, you either had power and confidence or you were a stepping stone for those who did. Deku was almost 2 months younger than him and hadn't gotten his Quirk before he'd turned 4. Generally, that meant some1 was powerless. Were there exceptions? People whose Quirks manifested later in life? Sure, but that didn't matter to Bakugo.