Rejected Stones

The Payoff

13. The Payoff

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

-Seneca

Izuku stood proudly atop the first place podium beside the Power Suit. He'd requested that Mei be allowed to stand beside him, but Recovery Girl had vetoed the idea before anyone else could come up with a good reason to reject it.

"That girl needs bed rest for the next few days! Be grateful I'm giving you young Bakugo until the ceremony is over! Then that boy is right back on bed rest!"

Thinking of Bakugo, Izuku glanced at his one time friend. Bakugo stood dejected and listless, his eyes on his feet, his body posture slumping and defeated. Izuku had expected an explosion of rage when Bakugo had laid eyes on him again. Instead, Bakugo had gone pale, looking down and not meeting Izuku's eyes, or saying anything. Now he stood like a statue, oblivious to the addulation of the crowd.

"And now, to hand out the medals, the one, the only, All Might!" Present Mic called.

Izuku watched as All Might did a swan dive into the stadium to the roar of the crowd. He smiled and waved, giving a short speech. Izuku's mind was elsewhere though. He looked over at Todoroki and Shinso. Shinso stood with his hands in his pockets, looking a little bored. Todoroki seemed more alert than Bakugo, but still looked disappointed in himself.

"Ah, young Shinso! You did well, coming this far! Truly, you showed the strength of your convictions," All Might said, placing the medal over Shinso's head. "You too, young man, can be a hero."

"Thanks," Shinso said, straightening slightly. A slow thin smile crept over his lips. Not for the praise, but because All Might was recognizing him as a potential peer.

All Might pulled the young man into an embrace. "But you need to learn not to just rely on your quirk. Before you can be a pro, you've a long way to go. See this medal not as the final goal, but as a challenge to do better!"

"I will, sir!" Shinso vowed, nodding fiercely. "I will be a hero!" All Might pumped Shinso's hand one last time, then walked over to Todoroki, who was staring at his shoes, nearly as dejected as Bakugo.

"Young Todoroki, you have not failed this day. Not yourself, and not your father," All Might said.

At the mention of his father, Todoroki looked up, his eyes flashing. "I am not my father."

"No, you are not," All Might agreed. He pulled Todoroki into a hug too, causing the boy to stiffen slightly, as if he were unused to such a display of affection. "But you are also your own man, all of you. Even your quirk. Learn to embrace all of who you are, and you will be well on the path to surpassing even me as a hero."

A wet gleam entered Todoroki's eyes, and he suddenly closed them. Awkwardly, he squeezed All Might back. "Yes, sir."

Next, All Might turned to Bakugo. "Young man, you already have much of what it means to be a hero. Determination, drive and-"

"What does it matter?" Bakugo mumbled. "I lost. I lost to a quirkless nobody. What does that make me?"

"Proud."

Bakugo suddenly looked up, confused. All Might knelt, poking Bakugo in the chest. "It makes you guilty of a sin I've had to struggle with for years: Pride. You think too highly of yourself, and not highly enough of others, Bakugo. You're just as strong and capable now as you were before you lost to Midoriya.

Let go of that pride, Bakugo. It's one thing to be proud of your accomplishments. It's another to be proud of what you were born with. One is a satisfaction in your own achievements. The other confuses luck with ability. Learn the difference." All Might hung the medal about Bakugo's neck. "I'll be speaking with you more, I think. You've come a long way since the day we met, but it seems you still have lessons to learn. Keep that medal as a reminder that sometimes, we're our own worst enemies."