The Dark Marionette

Ch.5: "Friendly" Training

Here's Lilith's Work-out Outfit:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jesus, what took you so long?"

Oh great... I'm about to get shit from none other than Katsuki Bakugou for making a simple mistake. If you're wondering, I slept through my weekend alarm of eight o'clock. I woke at 9:37, meaning I was going to be late if I didn't hurry up. I arrived at the park at 10:09, almost ten minutes late. Yet, here's Bakugou, treating my slip-up as if I had missed a whole 45 minutes of the training session.

"Just be glad I showed up at all," I hissed softly at him, throwing my bag on the ground near a bench. All the blonde did was scowl and look away from me.

"Lili, you made it!" Midoriya exclaimed excitedly before walking up to me and hugging me.

"Yeah, thanks. Sorry for being late. I accidentally slept through my alarm. By the time I woke up, I only had 30 minutes to get ready."

"Hey, no problem. It happens to all of us," Kirishima chimed in, wrapping an arm over my shoulders.

"Yeah, totally. I slept through my alarm once in middle school. I didn't hear the end of it from my parents," Uraraka piped in sheepishly, eyes closed as she sweatdropped at the memory.

"Are we going to get started with the training or stand here and chit-chat?" Bakugou growled impatiently, arms crossed. I rolled my eyes at the foul-mouthed comment, my eyes looking bored.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Bakugou. How about we split up into pairs?" The redhead came in with a positive attitude, despite the negative one from the blonde.

"Sounds like a plan," Mina answered, giving a thumbs up with the other hand on her hip.

"Okay! Deku, you're with Uraraka. I'll take Mina," I hated the fact that people call Izuku by 'Deku'. It was a name meaning 'useless' or 'weak' and was at one point used, and still is used by Bakugou. Even though Midoriya told him he was fine with it and was okay with me calling him that, I just couldn't bring myself to. I wouldn't be a friend if...

Wait...

If Kirshima is paired with Mina and Izuku is with Uraraka, that means...

Oh, shit...

"Hello, you still up and awake? Whatcha fucking spacing out for?" The explosive boy asked, waving his hand and snapping his fingers on front of my face. Out of instinct, I grabbed his wrist to stop his annoying antics. He seemed shocked at first until I glanced at him and said, "Let's begin..."

~~~~~~~~~

A half hour later, I was trapped in a headlock with Bakugou behind me. His right arm was pressed against the back of my head, while his left arm was wrapped around my neck. In an effort to get him off, I elbowed him in the stomach. It only loosened his grip slightly, but I was determined.

This time, I added more vigor into my next attack. I nailed my elbow into the exact same spot in his gut. However, he completely let go of me and staggered backwards. I then turned around to land a fatal punch to his face. Unfortunately, he swiftly caught it before it could slug him with his jaw. I tried my other fist, but he clutched that one, as well.

"So, you got a grudge against me," the blonde suddenly said with a tone of cunning, a devilish smirk curling at his lips. I was shocked by the statement, but I didn't show it. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of being able to break down my defenses, even if it was only a little.

"Ain't it obvious? I hate your attitude, your arrogance and how rude you are to our classmates. Thinking they're weak when they just as powerful and capable as you," I replied, straining to get my fists back.

"Really? Well, they gonna have to prove it."

"Well, that's the thing..." While he was distracted, I ripped my hands out of his grasp before pulling him into a headlock, just like he did to me. I then pulled him closer towards me and whispered harshly into his ear, "They don't need your validation to prove they're capable of being heroes. I've seen the others' powers and believe me, they're pretty strong. So, you should probably start being more careful."

A loud explosion went off near my ear, just missing my short hair. The bastard... he could've damaged my eardrum, or worse... blown my entire ear off! However, I laughed it off when I remembered when George lost his ear in the Deathly Hallows.

"Y'know, you remind me of someone I knew when I was a little girl. This kid got his quirk and started thinking he was a big shot. He started making friends with others kids with powers. I thought that by unlocking my quirk, I could be friends with him, or at least, partners. Unfortunately, when I asked him and showed him my powers, he denied me and taunted my abilities," I recited, recalling the reason why I'm the person I am today. I didn't give him the indicator that he was actually the boy in the story. That was for him to figure out on his own time.

"Sounds like one hell of a damn extra," He answered sarcastically as we circled like two cowboys in the ring. I laughed as he unknowingly called himself an 'extra'. Bakugou then thrusted a fist towards my face, which I easily dodged before taking hold of his arm. With all the strength I could muster, I threw him over my shoulder and onto the ground. The blonde landed on his back with a groan. He was about to get up when I planted my foot on his chest before speaking again, "Which is why I warn you to be careful who you mess with."

I took my foot off him and walked away to get my backpack. I opened my bag and grabbed a chocolate granola bar and my water bottle. Taking a few deep breaths, I rearranged my shuffled thoughts. Goddamn Katsuki, catching me off guard with that comment about me having something against him. Who could've told him that? Todoroki and Midoriya wouldn't have done that cause they promised not to tell him. He must've pieced it together on his own over these few weeks.

Well, I shouldn't dwell on that...

What I should focus on right now... is getting strong and preparing for the trip to USJ...