บท 24: Prelude to the Festival
The next day Yasuo went back to school and threw the revelation of the tumour in his brain to the back of his mind… or at least he tried to. Try as he might, it wasn't that simple to just forget about the whole thing. The pressure of the matter weighed heavily on his mind. Afterall, it wasn't every day that one was told their quirk was actively killing them.
He might have confidently declared that he could not give up being a hero even if it costed his life, but at the same time it wasn't like he was suicidal. He understood that it would be foolish to ignore the doctor's warning and continue pushing his quirk to its limits and risk his life in the process.
If Yasuo took the doctor's warnings as the truth, he would also have to take it as fact that his current Psychic Energy's maximum capacity could no longer be expended. That meant there was a serious need to re-evaluate what he could do to maximize his Psychic Energy's efficiency. In other terms, it was getting the most mileage out of this engine without burning it out.
Previously, Yasuo's main strategy was overcoming enemies with sheer brute force. Launching intense waves of Psychic Energy to psychokinetically crush or pummel his enemy. But now that he had such a restriction in place, Yasuo realized he had to start getting smarter with how he used this energy. Fighting conservatively to minimise the risks of overtaxing his quirk and worsening the tumour.
He had never been particularly concerned over exhausting himself before, because in his view, exhausting himself was by extension strengthening his quirk. Thus Yasuo never shied away from pushing himself to the point of falling to the ground with his nose bleeding profusely. Everything changed now.
Going all-out posed a significant risk now; a risk not just to his overall health and wellbeing, but also to his future career as a hero, since Doctor Yoshiko repeatedly warned that breaking their agreement would mean both the school and his parents would be informed of his condition. Upon which his continued attendance at U.A. would undoubtedly be rescinded.
Which was also why Yasuo began thinking of new moves. Techniques that maximized the metaphorical mileage of his Psychic Energy while at the same time not reducing his combat effectiveness. But something like that also required training - training that might worsen his condition. A real catch-22, he mused.
That was all Yasuo could think about during class. He stared blankly at the whiteboard while Ectoplasm went through some math equations though he wasn't even listening. Yasuo's mind was busy thinking up new ways to use his quirk that did not involve blood seeping from his nose.
Momo sensed his absent-mindedness throughout the school day. Yasuo was usually the attentive sort, taking notes in class and listening to the teacher was the norm for the boy. But today, he was distracted. Staring blankly ahead with his head resting on a palm and occasionally looking out the window.
And she wasn't surprised either. After everything he had been through at USJ – first taking on villains alongside their sensei and then receiving criticism from the very same classmates he sought to protect – it would definitely be hard on anyone.
She herself might have gone on the defensive at that moment, and argued back at Kirishima, Kaminari and Bakugo for their harsh words if she had been in his shoes. It was a credit to Yasuo's maturity and willingness to accept criticism when he not only apologized but promised to do better.
Was Momo slighted when Yasuo erected the barrier and prevented the class from helping out? At first, sure. But after witnessing the strength of the monster and how deadly the villains could be, she had changed her tune instantly. Upon deeper reflection after the incident, she concluded that Yasuo did what he thought was best at the time.
He knew how strong he was and how much he could handle, but he was not familiar with what the class was capable of. Momo was sure that in his perspective, Yasuo would undoubtedly regret immensely if he let his classmates advance and fight the villains only for them to get hurt. Safety over pride.
Momo judged that Yasuo might need a listening ear, or a shoulder to lean on. He was the same age as everyone in class, it would be unreasonable to expect him to hold up the weight of the responsibility that had been thrusted upon his shoulders as the one who fended off the villains at USJ.
Which was why she approached him after school, to see if there was anything she could do to ease his burdens.
"You seem distracted, Yasuo. Is there something bothering you? You can talk to me if you need to." Momo offered. A kind gesture, Yasuo observed, but not one he could accept at the moment.
Right now, there were two people who knew his secret – himself and Doctor Yoshiko. He theorized that the more people knew about his condition, the more likely it would be that it would spread. Yasuo trusted Momo, but at the same time, he didn't really know her that well either.
Besides, Yasuo didn't want to worry anyone. And he didn't know what people who were worried about him might do to alleviate their concerns. For all he knew, Momo might just decide that telling the school would be what was best for him, however misguided she might be.
"It's nothing. Thanks for asking though." Yasuo answered with a reassuring smile, though he could sense that the smart girl didn't buy it. He was never really good at lying or deception, she could likely see through him like a window pane.
She stared for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Just… take care of yourself. Out of all of us, you are the one who has been through the most. Taking a couple days off school if you need to is nothing to be ashamed of."
It was sweet, her concern. But what he really needed were classes to take his mind off his problem and not have to dwell on it at home.
"I know. I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me. I'm strong, remember?" Yasuo replied, giving her the most confident smile he could muster.
Momo looked at his reassuring smile – who he was trying to reassure, himself or her, she didn't know. While she was a little hurt that Yasuo did not trust her enough to disclose his worries, Momo could also understand where he was coming from.
She also knew where to draw the line and didn't continue pushing, "Very well. As long as you're fine."
Their conversation was interrupted when a commotion broke out outside the classroom. Momo and Yasuo shared a look before getting up to investigate. They were the deputy president and class president respectively, after all, it was part of their duties to find out if something was wrong.
While Momo and Yasuo had been chatting, Ochaco had discovered a crowd of students having gathered outside their classroom chattering and peering curiously.
"What is going on?" She thought out loud, only to receive calculative gazes from the crowd in front of her, sizing her up and figuring her out.
"Huh, what are they here for?" Izuku asked.
Bakugo strode past them indifferently, "Scoping out the competition, you moron. Cause we're the kids who survived a villain attack. Makes sense they'd want a look before the sports festival."
"It's pointless though. Move aside, cannon fodder." He demanded. Katsuki was already in a bad mood after the whole USJ incident and now he was getting bothered by these extras. Getting side-lined from the battle like he was some sort of weakling while that ink-hair bastard monopolized the spotlight.
It wasn't the fame or glory he was chasing after. Really, it was acknowledgement that he wanted; that he was the number 1 contender to surpass All Might. Katsuki didn't just want other people to know it, he wanted to prove it to himself too. Which was exactly why getting sent away by someone his own age like he was a child interfering in something he had no business being involved with was so damn frustrating.
How was he supposed to prove it to everyone and himself that he was the best if that bastard could so easily pick him up and throw him out of the fight and he couldn't even do a damn thing about it!?
"It's true. We came here to get a look. But why do you think we're even here for you?" A tall, purple haired boy at the back of the crowd spoke up as he pushed his way forward, "We're not interested in you. All of us came to see if the rumours we heard were true… that Kurogami Yasuo took out over a hundred villains by himself."
'Again… that ink hair bastard…!'
As Bakugo fumed over the fact that Yasuo was once more overshadowing him, Izuku similarly looked discomforted at the notion.
'I always thought that Kacchan was amazing, excelling at everything he tried and surpassing me at every aspect. I thought that once I received this quirk, One For All, from All Might, things would change. But Yasuo, he… it feels as if he is a colossal mountain standing in my way and no matter how hard I try, I can never be comparable! All Might was right, the biggest obstacle in my way right now… is myself!'
Izuku recalled the conversation he had with his mentor, just hours after the incident at the USJ.
-----flashback------
"…and even though I received this amazing quirk from you, I couldn't do anything! I still wasn't good enough to help Aizawa-sensei and Yasuo…" Izuku lamented the fact that other than spouting a few words, he essentially did nothing to contribute to the fight. Even though One For All was such a powerful quirk, it was just a waste of potential because he was too weak to make use of it.
Yagi, in his skinny and weak form, stared at his successor. Frankly, he could not fully relate to what Young Midoriya was going through at this moment. From the moment he inherited his quirk for his teacher, he was able to use One For All at a hundred percent without repercussions. Yet, Izuku could only do so at the cost of self-destructing his own body.
Essentially, it was the difference between a genius and a person without talent. A genius could never understand the difficulties the talentless had to endure in order to produce even a modicum of the same results the genius barely made an effort to achieve.
But at the same time, Yagi existed as the Symbol of peace for Decades. He too had moments of self-doubt and insecurity throughout his long years of service. It was only human to doubt oneself, especially when faced with something or someone they thought was insurmountable.
"Izuku… what was it that you were expecting when you received One For All? Was it to fight villains so that you could prove yourself to be strong?" Yagi asked.
"That's not it! I… The reason why I wanted to become a hero in the first place was to become like you, All Might! To help and save people!" Izuku answered truthfully.
"And who was it that you wanted to save at USJ? Aizawa, who is a pro-hero who has forgotten more about being a hero than you have even learned, or Yasuo, who not only has an extremely powerful quirk but also an equivalent degree of control?" Yagi questioned.
"I-!" Izuku began but found himself unable to answer the question. Who was he trying to save? His classmates and Thirteen were safely brought out of the facility. Staying there and bullishly insisting on fighting like Kacchan had been would have only troubled Aizawa-sensei and Yasuo further.
Yasuo had shown himself capable of rapidly delivering himself and others to safety, so who was there really to save? It was only his own pride that demanded participation, to be recognized as someone just as capable as the recognised 'strongest of Class 1A', Yasuo. To prove to himself that he was no longer the worthless and quirk-less 'Deku'.
"I was blinded by my own pride, All Might-sensei. I… still have much to learn." Izuku bitterly admitted, biting on his bottom lip and holding back tears.
Yagi sighed upon seeing this. Izuku had in him an admirable sense of justice and willingness to throw himself in harm's way for the sake of others. It was a trait that Yagi had identified as one necessary to be upheld by a hero. Which was why he had chosen Izuku to be his successor in the first place.
He himself was not dissimilar – throwing aside the concerns of Nighteye and rushing back to his hero duties after his fight with All For One that left him with a permanent, debilitating injury even after being warned that he would die if he continued… It was because Izuku was so frighteningly similar to himself that he knew he had made the right decision letting this boy inherit One For All.
But Yagi didn't want another All Might replacing him. No, he needed a successor that would be better. Doing one's best to save a person was one thing, but recklessly throwing your life away when it is not needed was another.
"…Sometimes choosing not to do something is even harder than doing it. You still aren't able to control One For All and I say this not to demoralize you. But you have to consider the consequences of your actions and not just your inaction before moving. If you had hurt yourself when using All For One, and in turn hindered Aizawa and Yasuo…" Yagi left his implications unspoken.
Izuku trembled, his grip on his pants tightening. He understood what All Might was saying. He was not ready. And before he could learn how to use One For All more effectively, he would never be ready.
Yagi reached forward and placed a comforting hand on his successor's shoulder, "Your biggest obstacle is not Yasuo nor Katsuki. It is yourself. You have to overcome your own doubts and fears, and cease seeking to emulate me. You are your own person, Izuku, and it is pointless to compare yourself to others."
"I understand, All Might-sensei!" Izuku rubbed away the tears that had welled up in his eyes and looked back up at his idol with a fire burning in his eyes.
-----flashback end-----
This was the scene Yasuo and Momo encountered when they went to investigate.
Yasuo raised his eyebrow and approached the crowd when he heard his name, "I am Yasuo… what can I do for you?"
Shinso Hitoshi stared at the raven haired teen, his eyes appraising and evaluating. Tall, broad shoulders and a fit physique U.A.'s uniform blazer barely hid. He remembered this person from the Entrance Exam.
He recalled how he struggled during the practical test, his quirk being of no use against robots that he could not mind control. He even got pinned down by a one-pointer faux villain, only to be rescued by Yasuo. So he resorted to using his quirk on other examinees, letting them destroy the robots on his behalf instead.
However, when the letter from U.A. arrived, Shinso found out that his Villain Points was evaluated to be a zero. The robots the other examinees destroyed under his mind control was counted towards their point total, whereas himself received none of it.
As a result, his point total from the practical exams was zero Villain Points and Zero Rescue points. Sending him straight to the General Studies department and not the Hero Course he had been applying for. As such, even though Yasuo had helped him before, Shinso had mixed feelings seeing someone who was not only in the Hero Course that he longed to join, but was also rumoured to the strongest first year student in U.A.
"…Is it true?" Shinso asked.
Yasuo tilted his head, "Is what true?"
"That you defeated over a hundred villains by yourself!" Another student yelled out.
Yasuo shook his head, "That is simply not true."
At his admittance, the atmosphere of the crowd became much more relaxed compared to its previous fervour.
"Ah I knew that couldn't be the case."
"Shit, who was the one spreading that stupid rumour?"
"Could he be the one who spread the rumour himself? And he's now backing out because he's being confronted?"
Sensing the situation could possibly start getting out of hand, Yasuo hurried to explain himself, "I did not defeat over a hundred villains by myself… I had Aizawa-sensei's help as well."
All at once, the pacified crowd grew even more energized, "Isn't that the same thing!?"
"My quirk was just suited for a massive melee like what happened at USJ. And most of those so-called villains were at the level of petty-criminals, so it really wasn't that big of a deal." He elaborated.
"What kind of quirk is that powerful!?" One of them retorted.
As Yasuo was about to explain himself further, Bakugo instead yelled back at the one who spoke up, "Who the fuck cares! Scoping out the competition? Only worthless idiots would do something as stupid as that! If you have the luxury to be wasting your time like this, then there's no way any of you punks will make it to the top!"
At his declaration, the corridor was silenced. Because though the language he used was coarse, no one could deny that it was the truth. Rather than wasting their time doing something like this, time could be better spent on preparing themselves for the Sports Festival like training.
Yasuo chuckled, breaking the silence, "Unexpectedly, Bakugo is right, you know? I'm not sure if this spectacle is a declaration of war or whatever, but none of us in the Hero Course are playing around. All of us are aiming for the top." He finished, with a challenging grin and a finger pointing up.
Rather than feeling insulted, or condescended to, the gathered students from the General Studies department instead felt a fire being lit in their chest. They felt as though Yasuo had a hand extended towards them, saying 'Let's make it to the top together, if you can catch up with me.'
Shinso exhaled heavily with an expectant smile, 'I see now, so this is the Hero Course… I came here thinking I could knock them off their pedestals, but I did not expect to be the one being taught a lesson. Kurogami Yasuo… just wait for me. I'll catch up to you in a flash!'
"He's right…"
"What are we doing here?"
"Hey man, wanna go train?"
"Yeah, the training room should be free right now. Let's get there before it gets crowded!"
Slowly, the crowd of students started dispersing. Yasuo gave a satisfied smile. This wasn't the first time he confronted hot-headed and competitive people. The Middle-School regional soccer league was similarly filled with people who were fired up with passion. He learned a long time ago that rather than antagonize them, challenging them was a much better solution. A catch me if you can type provocation.
"The top, huh? So straight forward and manly!" Eijiro conceded, his expression spotting the same conviction as the others who were similarly inspired.
Bakugo glared at Yasuo, "What do you mean unexpectedly, you damn ink-hair! Tch, whatever…" He might deny it with all his might but hearing what Yasuo said also similarly fired him up.
Izuku stared at the scene before him. Even without words, he could feel the fire of everyone's ambitions being lit. It was hard to put into words - an indescribable je ne sais quos that defined charisma. But from what he could see… Yasuo was someone who possessed that charisma befitting of a top hero.
'No, the only obstacle is me, myself and I. I can't keep comparing myself to Yasuo…!'
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A/N: Taking a one week break to stockpile chapters and get away from the toxicity of this website because there's only so much eye rolling I can do before I start losing motivation to even continue writing the story. I usually don't care about negative reviews, cause everyone gets to have their own opinion. But when people spam 1 star or 2 star reviews just because Yasuo is 'nerfed', that just turns me off from the community on WebNovel. It's basically telling me that all the work I've put in, free daily chapters for three weeks straight with at least 2k words per chapter up to 3k plus, can be disregarded because of one plot point you disagree with. Yeah I don't need that in my life. Might move this story to another site, idk. Will update here if I do.
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