an ODST among Heroes.

S2-2

Bakugou stepped in front of Izuku, his usual brash demeanor softened by something unfamiliar—regret. “I’m sorry for what I did back then, Halsey.”

Izuku stopped in his tracks, a surprised look flashing across his face. After everything that had happened between them, he hadn't expected an apology, especially not from Bakugou. “It’s alright, Bakugou,” Izuku replied, his voice steady. “I’ve moved past it. But, in a way, you were right.”

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. “Right? What the hell do you mean by that?”

Izuku’s expression grew somber, his gaze turning distant as he recalled the countless battles he’d faced. “I’ve fought the Covenant, Bakugou. Not as some idealized hero, but as a soldier. A gladiator. At twelve years old, I was thrown into an arena to face alien warriors, far more dangerous than any villain we’ve encountered. I didn’t have a quirk, or a support system. It was just me, surviving by whatever means I could.”

Bakugou’s jaw tightened, his eyes widening as he processed the weight of Izuku’s words. “You fought aliens?” he muttered, the arrogance in his voice replaced by genuine disbelief. “How the hell did you survive? I mean I knew and---”

Izuku's gaze softened, as if understanding Bakugou's shock. “I didn’t survive because I was a hero, Bakugou. I survived because I learned to fight like one of them—like a soldier. You were right back then. I wasn’t ready to be a hero. But now, after everything, the idea of heroism has changed for me. It’s not about flashy moves or saving the day. It’s about doing whatever it takes to survive... and protect the ones who can’t.”

The silence between them was heavy, but not uncomfortable. Bakugou didn’t speak for a moment, letting Izuku's words sink in.

“Damn,” Bakugou muttered, glancing down at the floor. “I had no idea what you were going through.”

Izuku gave him a small, understanding smile. “I didn’t expect you to. But now you know. And that’s what matters.”

With that, the two of them continued walking, the city’s bustle falling away as they reached a quiet restaurant. They sat down at a table, the noise of their surroundings a stark contrast to the weight of their conversation.

As the waitress took their orders, Izuku—Halsey—took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. “There’s more I haven’t told you. Things about the Covenant. About what I’ve been through. But we can take it slow. I don’t need to unload everything at once.”

Bakugou nodded, his gaze thoughtful, the usual fire in his eyes dimmed by something deeper. For the first time in years, there was no rivalry between them—only two people, each with their own burdens, trying to make sense of a world they’d both been forced to fight for.

---

Weeks later, U.A. had introduced new classes: 1-X, 2-X, and 3-X. The students selected for these special classes were moved into what they thought would be their dorms. However, as they would soon discover, this was far from the comfortable, familiar environment they had expected. The concrete walls and the harsh, militaristic atmosphere made it clear that what awaited them was something entirely different.

The first morning of their new lives began with a rude awakening. Bakugou was abruptly zapped out of his sleep by a jolt of electricity, his body jerking upright as he screamed in surprise.

“Out of bed!” a gruff voice barked.

Groaning, Bakugou rubbed his face, trying to shake off the sleep as he stood up and looked around. The man who had shocked him into consciousness stood at the foot of his bed, clad in military fatigues. His stern expression left no room for argument.

“Move it, you worthless trainees! Now!” the man ordered.

Bakugou didn’t need any more prompting. He jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed, seething under his breath but moving with military precision as he joined the other students who were being herded into a long hallway. The air was tense, and everyone was clearly confused, some of them still half-dazed from the abrupt wake-up.

Soon, they were all lined up in a formation, facing a man who stood before them with a commanding presence. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and dark-skinned, his expression unreadable as he surveyed the students in front of him. His uniform was spotless, and his posture rigid.

“Listen up, recruits!” he boomed. “My name is Sergeant Major Johnson, and from today forward, you are no longer students. You are soldiers! Welcome to Project Wraith!”

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words sink in.

“For those of you who came here dreaming of fighting villains and saving the day, this is your chance to do far more than that. You want to fight aliens? Well, you’ve just found the perfect opportunity to make that happen.”

The students exchanged uneasy glances, their confusion growing. Bakugou's mouth tightened into a hard line. Aliens? What the hell was going on? He had come here to train to be a hero, not to get swept up in some intergalactic war.

Sergeant Johnson’s gaze swept across the group, his voice steady and unwavering. “I’m not here to coddle you. I’m here to make soldiers out of all of you. No more playing around, no more holding back. We’re going to train you like your lives depend on it... because they will.”

Bakugou clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing. He wasn’t one to back down from any challenge, but the situation was growing stranger by the minute. Still, the idea of getting a chance to face something like aliens stirred something inside of him—a raw, unyielding desire to prove himself.

“Now get your gear on,” Sergeant Johnson ordered. “You’ve got a lot of work to do. And remember, no one here is a hero yet. You’re all just soldiers waiting to earn that title.”

The students were ushered away to change into uniforms, the reality of their new lives starting to settle in. As they suited up, there was an undeniable sense of tension, mixed with a strange excitement. They had no idea what they were walking into, but one thing was clear: the world they thought they knew was about to change forever.