SWNOVELXO Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Territory Wars 1
Dammit! I Almost Forgot Today's Chapter .... No I Didn't.
Like I said, for those of you who Have questions, I'll deal with you later. Dinner is calling.
___
The explosion echoed across the school like thunder.
Students who'd been chatting near the windows immediately pressed their faces against the glass, while others in the hallways stopped their conversations mid-sentence to look around in confusion.
"What was that?" someone asked.
"Sounded like it came from the classroom block," another student replied.
"Is it Bakugo again?"
"Figures. Who do you think got on his had side this time?"
"Probably that Quirkless kid."
"Wanna go see?"
"And skip class? Mrs. Yagami is Teaching the next class."
"Duly noted man. Duly noted."
In Class 3-B, the aftermath was immediate and telling.
The classroom had gone completely silent. Everyone stood, sat, on their chairs or on the floor, all watching with bated breaths and widening eyes.
The smoke began to clear, revealing exactly what everyone had expected to see: Bakugo standing with his palms extended, small wisps of smoke curling from his hands, his face stull twisted in a snarl carrying satisfaction and rage.
What they hadn't expected to see as the smoke cleared further, was Ken, still sitting calmly in his chair, his textbook open in front of him with Katsuki's hand several inches away from his face.
Just like everyone else, Bakugo had his face curl up into confusion, but only for a split second before returning to a snarl.
"Hmph! That Damn shield actually works."
"And you my friend, just crossed the line by attacking me."
Ken replied. All humor gone from his tone.
Something that oddly, seemed to satisfy Bakugo as his annoyed expression fell and curved into a smirk. "Heh! Please. If you were taken down that easy, then you'd be just like the rest of them. An extra not worth my time."
He said, before his eyes narrowed again.
"And we aren't friends. That was a long time ago, and you don't have the right to call me that."
"Don't think much of it. I'm not friends with bullies, and you need to apologize. Now."
In response, Bakugo smirked.
His satisfaction purely from getting him to rop the sarcastic humorous shit.
"Nah. Make me."
"Seriously?"
"I told you at that family dinner that I was gonna kick your butt. Remember that? Well now I'm gonna do it."
"I see. So you want to do this here and now?"
That made him pause.
He turned and looked around, only to see everyone watching their spectacle.
"Damn," someone whispered. "He actually did it."
"It was that barrier thing again? Wasn't it?"
"How is he not hurt at all?"
"Hurt? He wasn't even singed." The discussions made his face darken, nearly growling.
That froze quickly when he saw Mr. Hayashi, who had returned to the class at some point probably after the explosion went off, and was currently carrying and expression suggesting he was seriously reconsidering his career choices.
"Bakugo," he said in a voice that could have frozen hellfire. "Principal's office. Now."
"But he—"
"NOW."
For a moment, it looked like Bakugo might argue. His hands were still smoking, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth, and there was something in his eyes that suggested he was about two seconds away from throwing caution to the wind and attacking again.
But reason held him together.
Sure, he could take his teacher. But he would definitely get expelled. Once that happened, no school would take in a kid with such a bad track record. Because there was no gain in doing so. Why? Because even U.A wouldn't let him in again after such a stunt of attacking Teachers after attacking classmates.
That was prime villain material.
So he relented. But not before turning to Ken and saying.
"After school. Behind the gym."
"Are you asking me on a date, Bakugo? Because I should probably mention that you're not my type. I don't swing that way."
The tension snapped like a rubber band. Several students choked on their laughter, one girl actually snorted, and even some of the more serious types cracked smiles.
'Dammit! He's back!'
Bakugo's face turned approximately the color of a fire engine. "NOT—THAT'S NOT—I WANT TO FIGHT YOU, YOU MORON!"
"Ah," Ken said, nodding sagely. "A different kind of date. How... primitive."
"STOP CALLING IT A DATE!"
"Technically, you're the one who keeps using that word."
"I DIDN'T USE THAT WORD AT ALL!"
"Didn't you? I could have sworn..." Ken tilted his head thoughtfully. "Must be my hearing. Or maybe you're just not being clear about your intentions."
By now, half the class was in stitches. Even Midoriya was fighting back a smile, though he looked worried about where this was heading.
Bakugo looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. Literally. Small explosions were popping off his palms in rapid succession, and the air around him was getting noticeably warmer.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Let me be perfectly clear. After school. Behind the gym. You and me. Fighting. With quirks. Until one of us can't get up anymore."
The laughter died instantly. That was a serious challenge—the kind that could result in actual injuries, possibly severe ones.
Ken was quiet for a long moment, studying Bakugo's face. When he finally spoke, his voice had lost its mocking edge.
"You're really committed to this, aren't you?"
"Dead committed."
"Even though you have no idea what you're getting yourself into?"
"I know exactly what I'm getting into," Bakugo shot back. "A fight I'm going to win."
Ken sighed. "You know, most people would consider what happened with the sludge villain to be enough of a demonstration."
"That was different. I was caught off guard."
"And you think a fair fight will go differently?"
"I know it will."
Another long pause. Ken glanced around the classroom, taking in the expectant faces, the nervous energy, the way everyone was waiting to see what he'd do.
"Alright," he said finally. "After school. Behind the gym."
The classroom erupted in excited whispers and nervous chatter. Bakugo looked satisfied in a vicious sort of way.
"But," Ken continued, holding up one finger, "I want to make something clear first."
"What?"
"When this is over—when you're lying on the ground wondering what hit you—I don't want to hear any excuses. No 'I wasn't ready' or 'you got lucky' or 'my quirk wasn't working right.' You asked for this."
Bakugo's grin was sharp enough to cut glass. "Trust me, I won't need any excuses."
"We'll see."
The bell rang, signaling the end of break period. Students reluctantly returned to their seats, while Bakugo headed straight to the principal's office, but the air was electric with anticipation. Word would spread quickly—by lunch, the entire school would know about the challenge.
Mr. Hayashi walked back into the classroom, took one look at the atmosphere, and sighed deeply
"Alright, everyone, settle down. Time for English."
____
## Ken's POV -
'Well, that escalated quickly.'
I closed my textbook and leaned back in my chair, ignoring the twenty-plus pairs of eyes staring at me like I'd just performed some kind of miracle. In reality, what had happened was perfectly simple—Bakugo had lost his temper, thrown an explosion at my head, and my infinity barrier had done exactly what it was designed to do.
The problem was that "perfectly simple" didn't explain why I was completely unharmed after taking a direct hit from what was essentially a human grenade. No one here knew the details of My abilities so to them, I might as well have pulled off a Miracle.
Being able to hold my own against Bakugo's Quirk, with one of my own was a feat here apparently.
Not surprising since this was just a regular school that had never produced a successful U.A applicant since its inception.
*Mom's probably going to be disappointed.*
The promise I'd made this morning felt like it had been made in another lifetime: no unnecessary violence, no showing off, no drawing attention to myself. I'd managed to break all three before lunch, and the day was only half over.
Spectacular failure rate, even by my standards.
The thing was, I understood Bakugo's psychology better than he probably understood it himself. This wasn't really about me being strong or challenging his territory or any of that surface-level bullshit. This was about validation.
Katsuki Bakugo had built his entire identity around being the strongest, the best, the most talented person in any room he entered. It was a house of cards held up by constant praise and a quirk that was genuinely impressive by normal standards. But now here I was—someone who'd effortlessly handled a situation that had left him helpless, someone who could literally lift tables with one hand and deflect his attacks without breaking a sweat.
I wasn't just challenging his territory. I was threatening to collapse his entire worldview.
*Poor kid probably hasn't slept properly since the sludge incident.*
The rational part of my mind knew I should de-escalate. Apologize, maybe. Explain that I wasn't trying to show him up or stake some claim on his social hierarchy. Make it clear that I had no interest in being the "strongest" in a middle school classroom.
But where was the fun in that? Plus, and I wasn't proud of this, Bakugo was kind of asking for it.
'No,' I corrected myself. 'He's definitely asking for it.'
The way he'd been glaring at me all morning, the territorial posturing, the assumption that I was somehow obligated to bow to his dominance just because this was "his" school... It was textbook bullying behavior wrapped up in the language of pride and strength.And I'd never been good at tolerating bullies.
There was no backing down now. Bakugo had made this personal, and more importantly, he'd made it public. Half the school would be watching our fight, and if I tried to avoid it or de-escalate, it would look like cowardice.
Not that I particularly cared about looking cowardly, but there were practical considerations. Consideration one, why should I back down from a fight? Consideration two, would doing so make my life any easier? Consideration three, maybe it's time someone taught Bakugo that being strong doesn't give you the right to be an asshole earlier than in Canon.
For every MHA lover turned Transmigrator. As long as you were born in the right timeline, one thing must be done if you have the strength. Which is, beating up Katsuki Bakugo.
It was My Time. My Turn, to uphold that glorious Tradition.
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## Bakugo's POV - The Inferiority Complex
Katsuki's hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Not with fear—never with fear—but with a combination of rage and something else he refused to acknowledge. Something that felt uncomfortably like panic.
'He blocked my explosion like it was nothing.'
The memory played on repeat in his mind. The way Takumi had just sat there, completely unbothered, while Katsuki's quirk—the quirk that had earned him praise and recognition for as long as he could remember—had been stopped cold by some invisible barrier.
'How the hell does that even work?'
It wasn't just the power, though. It was the attitude. The complete lack of concern, like Katsuki was some minor inconvenience rather than a legitimate threat. The way he'd deflected every attempt at intimidation with jokes and casual observations, turning Katsuki's anger into entertainment for the rest of the class.
*"You're not my type. I don't swing that way."*
Even now, as he walked towards the principals office, the comment made his face burn with embarrassment. Half the school would probably hear about it, which meant half the school would be laughing at him. At Katsuki Bakugo, the guy who was supposed to be untouchable.
'This isn't how it's supposed to go.'
Ever since elementary school, the script had been simple: Katsuki was the strongest, everyone else was an extra, and anyone who forgot that fact got reminded quickly and permanently. It wasn't arrogance—it was just reality. His quirk was powerful, his grades were perfect, his athletic abilities were off the charts. He was destined for greatness, and everyone around him knew it.
He was going to be the world's greatest Hero.
But then this bastard had shown up and thrown the entire script out the window.
'No,' Katsuki thought fiercely. 'I'm not going to let some mysterious transfer student with a god complex make me look weak. I don't care what his quirk does or how strong he thinks he is. I'm Katsuki Bakugo, and I don't lose. He said he hates annoying little punks who thinks they're better than everyone because they have decent quirks. Not only was he mocking me, he was also mocking my quirk.'
The fight after school would settle this once and for all. No more holding back in confined spaces, no more smart-ass comments, no more playing around. Just raw power against raw power.
That shield had to have a limit. While Takumi much have a few tricks up his sleeve, at full power, his explosive quirk would blast right through it. The real trouble was that rod quirk he used to immobilize the villain. Just needed to be careful to avoid that. And when the smoke cleared, everyone would remember why he was the strongest.
They had to.
Because if they didn't... if this stranger really was stronger than him...
'No. Not happening. I refuse.'
___
## Midoriya's POV -
'This is bad. This is really, really bad.'
Izuku couldn't concentrate on anything for the rest of the class period. His mind kept replaying the explosion, the way Ken had just sat there completely unfazed, the casual tone he'd used when accepting Bakugo's challenge.
'Kacchan's going to go all out. He always does when his pride is on the line.'
But the thing that worried him most wasn't Bakugo's tendency toward excessive force—it was the look in Ken's eyes when he'd accepted the challenge. There had been something there, something that reminded Izuku uncomfortably of the way Ken had looked at the sludge villain right before ending the fight with a single attack.
'What if he really hurts Kacchan?'
The thought sent a chill down his spine. For all his bluster and aggression, Bakugo was still just a fifteen-year-old with an impressive quirk. Ken was something else entirely—older, more experienced, and with abilities that seemed to defy conventional understanding.
'I have to do something.'
But what? Try to talk Ken out of fighting? That would probably just make him more determined. Try to convince Bakugo to back down? Even thinking about it made Izuku want to laugh. Kacchan would rather set himself on fire than admit he might be outmatched.
'Maybe I can get a teacher involved? No, that would just make things worse. Kacchan would be furious, and Ken...'
Ken would probably be disappointed. And for some reason, that thought bothered Izuku more than he wanted to admit.
## The Spread of News - Multiple Locations
### Class 2-A
"My sister's in 3-B," a girl with pink hair was telling her friends during their break period. "She said Bakugo literally tried to blow up the new transfer student right in the middle of class."
"No way."
"Way. And get this—the guy didn't even get hurt. Just sat there like nothing happened."
"What kind of quirk does that?"
"Barrier-type, apparently. But like, really strong barriers."
"Strong enough to stop Bakugo's explosions?"
"Strong enough to completely ignore them."
---
### The Hallways
Word spread through the school like wildfire. By the time lunch period ended, everyone from first-years to third-years had heard some version of the story. The details varied wildly depending on who was telling it—some versions had Ken creating force fields that extended across the entire classroom, others claimed he'd reflected Bakugo's explosion back at him.
What remained consistent in every telling was the basic facts: the new transfer student had taken a direct hit from Bakugo's quirk without sustaining any damage, and there was going to be a real fight after school.
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