"I am here! Hope you're ready to return to your lessons. Today it's Hero Basic Training. Feels like I haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back! Now then, listen carefully for what's in store. We're going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you've learned from your internships and apply it to your rescue training!"
Everything I learned from my internship about rescuing people, huh? I'd learned only one thing. I learned that I wasn't fit for rescuing others. I was too busy hesitating to help, or running away like a coward.
"If this is rescue training, then shouldn't we be at the USJ instead?" Nerd— Iida raised his hand.
"That facility specializes in disasters. As I said earlier, this is a race. So prepare! You're about to step into field Gamma! Inside, is an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth. So good luck finding your way around. You'll be competing in groups of 5. Each person starts in a different location on the outskirts of the model city. I'll send a distress signal and you do what you must to rescue me. Whoever finds me first wins — but try to keep the property damage to a minimum."
"Why are you pointing at me?" Ass—Bakugou demanded.
The first group that went consisted of Iida, Ojiro, Pin—Ashido, Iida and Tape. Er... Sero. Yeah. That was his name. The rest of us were waiting in the middle of the training ground by a large screen where we could watch our classmates. A couple people were betting over who they thought would win.
I didn't care.
The group sure was surprised upon seeing Freckles—shit—Midoriya take first place. It had shocked me the first time I saw it during their fight with Stain. Although I didn't stick around long, I still saw it. Sero still beat him in the end though.
"Izumi, I called your group. Head to the starting line!" All Might announced loudly.
"I'm feeling a bit sick today, so I'm going to sit out."
I can't rescue anyone. Why should I bother? There's no point. I can't be a hero so I should stop wasting everyone's time. Even if I asked around, would anyone answer the way I wanted them to? Would anyone give me the answer I wanted to hear? I was too afraid to find out.
"Sometimes heroes need to fight when they're not feeling at their best—"
"—I have severe cramps," I lied through my teeth.
All Might froze midsentence and the guys that were still around suddenly went quiet. The girls all glanced at each other before bursting into laughter, teasing and poking at the boys for their reaction. The guys, on the other hand, were muttering awkwardly about knowing too much information.
"Why don't you sit out today?" All Might coughed, refusing to look at me.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."
I went towards the corner of the platform and sat down. I was in the way of the true heroes. Even if I could become a hero, I'd likely become another fake one. False heroes were not worthy of living. I had come across many of them and as I was right now, I was no better than any of them.
When the exercise was finally over, we were all instructed to head back to the locker rooms to change. I walked over to my locker and opened it up, reaching to grab my UA uniform.
"Do you want some Tylenol for your cramps, Izumi?" Princess, Yoayorozu, asked me.
"No. I don't have cramps." I reached behind me to try and get the zipper for my black bodysuit. Perhaps I should have the support class fix it up so it would be easier to take on and off? No. I shouldn't waste their time. I wouldn't be at UA much longer anyway.
"Oh, well it's good you're feeling better!" Uraraka cheered.
"I was fine. I didn't want to do the exercise so I lied. Simple as that. Leave me alone."
"Huh? But Izumi, we're friends—"
"—We're not friends!" I snarled at the pink-cheeked girl, and Uraraka's eyes widened. They began to water slightly and I growled under my breath, turning back to face my locket. Friends make you weak. Father told me I'm not allowed to have friends. I liked having friends. "I don't have friends."
I finally managed to get the zipper undone and I pulled the bodysuit off my body. I could feel the heat of the other girls' glares. They were all mad at me for hurting Uraraka, no doubt. Multiple of them had gone to comfort her. I could hear her crying silently, almost as if she was too ashamed for me to hear it.
"I wanna see Yaoyorozu's curves, Ashido's slender waist, Hagakure's floating underwear, Ochako's super fire body, Izumi's gorgeous ass, Asui's unexpectedly soft boobies!"
Excuse me? My gorgeous WHAT!? I'm going to smack a bitch. I'm going to go over him the next time I see him and smack the shit out of him.
"AHHHHH!" Glancing over, Jirou had put one of her earphone jacks through the wall, likely stabbing the fucking pervert in the eye.
"Thanks, Kyoka!"
"Despicable. We'll close up this hole immediately!"
I finished pulling on my UA Uniform and exited the girl's locker room. They were mad at me anyway. What was the point in sticking around? I didn't belong at UA High. I didn't belong at the League of Villains. I didn't belong anywhere.
"Hey, Izumi! Wait up!"
"What do you want, Rocky? Er, Kirishima?"
"Finally calling me by my name, huh? I kinda liked Rocky—"
"—We're not friends anymore."
"Huh? Izumi, what do you mean?"
"I don't need friends."
Kirishima tilted his head, not understanding. His lips were curved downwards into a frown as he stared at me in silence. It was like he couldn't even begin to process what I'd said. Idiot.
"Izumi, why are you still wearing your mask?" a voice called from behind Kirishima.
Iida approached rather quickly, swinging his arms back and forth as he suddenly jumped into a lecture about how we weren't supposed to wear masks during school and that I was required, by the school code, to take it off.
Narrowing my eyes, I reached up towards my face and yanked the mask off. I shoved it in my back, still glaring at the stupid class rep. Fuck him! He could—... I didn't deserve to insult him. Not after what I did to him.
"Hey," Kirishima poked my face. "Since when do you have freckles?"
I could feel my breathing pick up and my eyes began flaming with rage. Pulling back a fist, I ignored the pain I felt in my hand as my knuckles connected with Kirishima's face. He hadn't been unexpecting it and he stumbled back, reaching up to touch his cheek in shock.
"I have one question for all of you," I growled at them. "Do you think a villain can become a hero?"
"Can a villain," Deku muttered under his breath, "become a hero?"
"Villains are criminals," Iida was the first to respond. "They are not fit to become heroes."
"I think a villain becoming a hero would be dangerous. What if they switched sides again?" Uraraka nodded in agreement.
"Even if they try to change, it doesn't mean they didn't do horrible things in the past," Todoroki added in.
"Villains are villains," Deku finally added his piece. "You can't trust them."
Kirishima climbed back up to his feet, standing in front of me. His normally relaxed demeanour had tensed and he seemed very confused about what was happening. "Are you okay?" he asked me. "Did something happen during your internship—"
"—Just answer the damn question! Do you think a villain who lets a young child die without helping deserves to be a hero? Do you think someone who would abandon their friends in a dangerous situation to save themselves deserves to live?"
Kirishima looked down at the ground silently, "No. I don't."
My fists clenched tightly at my side, "That's all I needed to hear."
"Izumi!" a voice snapped from behind me. "Come with me. Now!"
Aizawa narrowed his eyes darkly and Yaoyorozu, who had been standing beside him, went over to a crying Uraraka as she exited the girl's change room. A couple of the guys had immediately gone over to check if he was alright, while other students were now approaching Kirishima to see if he was okay from when I punched him.
"Why should I?" I glared at him. "Fuck that. Fuck everything. Fuck this school! I don't want anything to do with any of you! All of you should just leave me the fuck alone!"
The scarf wrapped around me before I could walk away, and my body was yanked over towards Aizawa. My teacher gave me a harsh glare before dragging me towards the staff room. The rest of my classmates just watched in silence.
"Yaoyorozu told me you made Uraraka cry. Is that correct?" Aizawa asked me once we were both seated.
"I told her that we weren't friends," I replied. "It's not my fault she can't handle the truth."
"So then why'd you punch Kirishima?"
"It's none of your business!"
"It is my business when you attack another student. Why did you do it?"
"He mentioned my freckles. Nobody mentions my freckles. Nobody! It's not like he's my friend either. They're all obstacles — just like the teachers. You're all heroes that I'm going to defeat one day on my way to becoming the most notorious villain in Japan."
I've fallen too far. I'm not a hero. None of my classmates thought I could become a hero. Why should I even bother training? I'm going to be rescued from hell hole soon enough anyway. I'll go back underground with father. We can be a happy family like we were when I was little.
I would kill All Might. It's all his fault for rescuing me in the first place. If he hadn't rescued me, then I'd still live with my mother and pass the days with make-believe stories. Then after I killed All Might, I would kill his successor. That's how I would know I was ready to become a true villain. I would kill Deku.
"Why am I at UA High?" I demanded.
"The police seem to think it will change you," he replied.
"Do you think all this bullshit will turn me into a hero rather than a villain?"
"Heroes don't become villains," he disagreed with my question. So that was it. No one believed that a villain becomes good. Even my homeroom teacher, whom I admired greatly, thought villains were a lost cause. It was common sense! They were called 'villains' for a reason.
"So if everyone knows that heroes don't become villains, then why bother to keep me here?"
"So you'll be a problem for UA rather than society. You're heavily monitored and that keeps your crime rate at zero."
That keeps my crime rate at zero, huh? If my crime rate is at zero then why am I the newest member of the League of Villains? Why did I leave my classmates to die when facing Stain? Why did I watch a child die without helping? My crime rate is through the roof and none of you pay attention enough to notice.
Guess I'll have to make them notice.
I rose to my feet and glanced down at Aizawa, whos eyes narrowed at my movements. None of the teachers trusted me; none of them believed in me. You can't put a flower seed in the shade, not bother to water it, and then expect it to grow. I can't be a hero. I'm not allowed to be. I guess I'll have to get used to being a villain.
"You can sit out of classes for the rest of the day since you're just going to cause problems."
"I wasn't planning on going back." I turned away from my homeroom teacher and walked out of the staffroom, ignoring the glances from other teachers such as Ectoplasm or Snape. They all looked at me with those same eyes — filled with mistrust, anger, challenging and annoyance.
If they want me to be a villain so badly, then fuck it. I'll get over my squeamishness. I'll forgive myself for what I did in Hosu city because that's how it should have gone down. I'll become the number one notorious villain in this entire fucking country. I'll be the perfect weapon for my father and we'll destroy this broken, disgusting society.
I slammed the door to the girl's washroom open. There was a little yelp of surprise from none other than Uraraka, who was washing her face. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying, and she immediately turned to look away from me. I ignored her and entered one of the stalls.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the key for my bracelet cuffs. I wiggled it around until they snapped off, rolling my wrists to counteract the stiffness. I wouldn't be able to wear them or the teachers would know where I was. Still, it would be suspicious if they were staying in one place all day.
I shoved the key in my pocket and peered out through the crack in the door. Uraraka's backpack was open. I'd just have to get them inside and she'd carry them around school property all day — I'd just have to make sure that I got them back before she left.
Opening the stall door, Uraraka was avoiding looking towards me. Perfect. I moved up to the sink to wash my hands right beside her, and she took a small step away. This left me in between her and her backpack. When she glanced in the opposite direction, I reached my hand out and dropped the cuffs inside.
"I-Izumi... I'm sorry about before. Can we—"
"—I meant what I said earlier so I'm not sorry. We're not friends, Uraraka."
"I just don't understand! You were starting to open up and then you came back from your internship and you completely shut down!"
"I realized why I came to UA in the first place. Besides, I doubt I'll be here much longer."
Uraraka froze, "Wait! You're dropping out of UA?"
"No, not really," I replied. "I'll probably be pulled out."
"But... why?" Uraraka looked almost helpless. "Don't you want to be a hero?"
"I don't believe in heroes," I reminded her. Her lips curled downwards in disappointment. "I guess you could say I was raised with morals similar to the hero killer. The heroes in our society are fake and only do it to fulfill their ulterior motives."
"What's that supposed to mean—" Uraraka pursed her lips "—are you going to do something stupid?"
"I'm not allowed to talk about it," I replied, remembering what my father had told me. I had to be obedient like he said and push away my friends. None of them thought villains could become heroes and therefore none of them believed in me. What would make it different from every other villain?
"Can I ask you one question then?" she whispered.
"Depends on what it is."
"Why did you come to UA?" she asked the one question I'd hoped she wouldn't. "Everyone could tell you didn't want to be here, but the teachers never said anything. You've refused to do tests and projects or to participate in class and yet you're still here. The teachers won't expell you, or suspend you when they would do it to anyone else."
There are so many aspects to this question. There are so many people that I will get in huge trouble with if I tell her — the police, the staff, the League of Villains, my father. I've wanted to screech everything to the world but instead, it's been left inside me, boiling hotter and hotter. One of these days I'm going to explode.
"I'm not allowed to leave," I answered cryptically. "I can't tell you anything else."
"Do you wish you never came to UA?" She murmured, a slight crack in her voice.
No. No, I don't. I've been hurt by a lot of people since I've gotten here and they'll continue to hurt me in the future. I know this. But for the first time in my life, I was able to see outside of my underground home. I got to see the first shred of sunlight. I got to meet other people that weren't my parents. I got to try new foods and learn all kinds of things about the world I'd missed out on. Sure, I was a bitch about it the entire way through but I still loved every second of it. I don't want things to go back to the way they were.
"Yes. I hate this stupid school and every person in it. I've done nothing but waste my life away, waiting for someone to come and save me from this eternal hell. I'm not a hero, and I will never become one. Leave me alone."
My chest hurt when Uraraka's eyes started to water again. I can't watch her cry knowing it was my fault. She's gone above and beyond trying to become my friend. When my father takes me back home, I don't want her to miss me. I hope she forgets all about me and the pain I caused her. Then one day if we meet on the battlefield like a hero and villain, she can fight me and take me down and never feel even an inch of regret.
I wrapped my hands around my barren wrists and headed straight for one of the side stairwells — they weren't very commonly used (especially during the middle of class). Fuck this building. Fuck these people. Fuck my emotions. Fuck everything. I need some air.
I pushed the front doors of the school open and my eyes focused on the UA gates in front of me. For once in my life, I wanted complete freedom. Even if it was only for a few hours, I wanted to have the option to do whatever I wanted. Maybe then I'd know where I fall.
As I walked through the school gates, I didn't hear the typical beep from my bracelet that happens every time I enter and exit as it sends a notification to all of the staff that I have come onto or left the school grounds. Glancing back at the hero school which was now completely behind me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.
In this world, there are heroes and there are villains. Who decides who is who? Which person has given themselves the power to determine what makes someone a villain and what makes someone a hero? Heroes have as much of a dark side as villains have a light side.
The world is so much more complicated than heroes and villains.