Rumors of my Prowess are Greatly Exaggerated (Ciaphias Cain/BnHA)

Rumors of my Prowess are Greatly Exaggerated (Ciaphias Cain/BnHA)

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Commissioned by Cjdavis

Word Count: 2006

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No one believes me when speak of being born in another time and another place, but since this is my autobiography I shall speak of it freely. First, allow me to state that being reborn as a child upon a world in universe bereft of the Imperium and its many enemies is the most fortunate occurrence that has befall me. After decades and decades of faithful service, fighting Xenos and heretics, I found my service to the Emperor rewarded with a prize beyond prizes.

The world I found myself upon may have been slightly backwards and recovering from utterly massive wars and prevalent with mutants, but that is a very, very slight price to pay for a universe without the Great Enemy, Xenos, and whatever else the Imperium had to deal with. I was even fortunate to be born completely, utterly human instead of a mutant, thus I wasn’t required to do anything save learn, gain a menial occupation, and presumably have a comfortable life while one side of mutants fought the other.

Truly, the Emperor rewards his most loyal followers. 

However, old habits die hard and I found myself in a Schola for mutants, borrowing a mutation through a possible Psyker, and being under the instruction of said Psyker: Toshinori Yagi.

Or, as he is better known, All Might. 

Rumors regarding how he’d come across me and chose me to succeed him are all wrong. I have heard of a multitude of them, many among them saying that I defeated hundreds criminal mutants, or achieved otherwise impossible feats in the shadow, as a mere human to catch his attention. The truth cannot be any further from the fiction. 

We met on two separate occasions.

On both times I stopped a criminal as any well-standing citizen ought to do.

Then, he abruptly decided to stuff a strand of his hair down my throat after I refused his offer of power a dozen times over.

Yes, the start of my story is with an old man stuffing a strand of his hair down my throat, then being forced to attend a Schola I had no intention of attending whatsoever. 

The matter regarding the Disaster Center will take more time to explain.

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I found myself accompanied by Bakugo as always. He was the easily irritated, prideful sort of individual, but in times of danger he was as reliable as a Bolter. Treated with respect, caution, and pointed at the enemy, he could be counted upon as easily as the rising sun. It helped that we attended the same schools during our lifetimes, that I was a competent individual for him to rely upon, and that I confided in him my situation.

Our relationship is strictly platonic, no matter how many terrible, manufactured picts are in circulation, despite both our efforts to locate and destroy them.

Anyway, as the story goes, the very first incarnation of the League of Villains showed their hand at the Disaster Center with the intent to kill me and snuff out my legend before it began. 

They didn’t know I’d existed then, so that particular line of thought holds as much merit as going through the Warp without Gellar Fields.

None whatsoever. 

Whatever the case, Bakugo dealt with most of the riffraff sent in by the League of Villains. I forget the name of the man capable of acting as a one-man Teleportarium, but despite the danger he posed his tactical acumen was lacking and he wouldn’t be a threat until her was personally endangered. Though he could have easily killed most of the class by teleporting us into the sky, he merely acted as a form of transport for ne’er-do-wells with a grudge against the Schola for being unable to pass its exams.

I have no idea how they were capable of such a feat. 

I managed to pass it while actively trying to fail.

However, I digress.

After Bakugo dealt with our erstwhile foes I called upon him and offered him our plan. It was, of course, to gather the rest of the class and mount a counterattack… at least on the surface. Bakugo was not the sort to commit to a fighting retreat, so I posed our swift rescue operation and retreat in such a manner. Then, as to ensure he didn’t question my course of action, I offered him the choice in whom to rescue and recover for the “attack” first.

“Todoroki.” 

I’ve omitted some of his more colorful language, but his answer was as I had expected. 

Todoroki was the strongest of our class in terms of mutation. Scarred due to an unshared accident, he was nonetheless capable of using both ice and fire. He most likely didn’t require rescue, but I approved of Bakugo’s choice nonetheless. Having more firepower than the other side is one way to ensure your safety, both while fighting and not. Given the disappointing lack of Bolt pistols, Laspistols and chainswords in this world, though it was very heartening to know those couldn’t be of us against me either, having a living being able to freeze men in place or burn them to a crisp was a good alternative. 

Though, I wouldn’t say no to being the sole individual to have one of said aforementioned things anyway.

But, allow me to further point out the inaccuracies of modern history.

Bakugo and I were together and we did not split up, one side gathering others to his banner, before reuniting in the face of League of Villains. Our rivalry is a silly notion in the context of our schooling, but utterly insane in the face of actual danger posed by a mob of mutants. He merely took to the rooftops, covering as much ground as he can, while I did the same on foot. 

There was distance between the two of us, and we did have to unite our groups together before we reached Todoroki, but it was a matter of practicality and not some contrived competition. That detracts from both my character and Bakugo’s. Though I am most certainly deserving of such ill light, Bakugo is not, as even then he never faltered in his pursuit of becoming the best hero possible.

I am sure that I wouldn’t be alive without him.

One could say that a great deal of the occasions where I am lauded are actually due to his actions, though he would be the first to refute such words, as he absolutely despises the thought of stealing any ounce of valor from another. 

Either the honor is all his or it is another’s.

He would’ve made quite the terrifying commissar, though I have no doubt that any company that would have him would find itself pressed to its utter limits, but to great acclaim and glory.

However, that is enough praise for one of my most valued allies.

The situation beggars a more thorough explanation.

…

Reaching Todoroki was an easy enough affair. We found him in an urban facsimile, whose narrow alleys leant themselves well to his frost. His fire was not of use back then, though he wouldn’t have used such a deadly power against mere thugs. Bakugo and I gathered any and all our fellow Schola attendants while heading towards him. By the time we reached him, we had half of our class with us.

As one would expect of a group of individuals who were attending a premier Schola, the common street thug was no match for them. Having them around my person was in my best interest, even in the face of hardened criminals willing to kill, thus I counted my blessings in regards to being able to amass as much as I was able. Still, gathering them all wasn’t worth the risk. 

What was required was a quick, capable force and what we had by the time we reached Todoroki met those specifications precisely. 

I would’ve happily proposed combined our powers to escape, bursting through the reinforced walls, but in times of crisis individuals with the ability to do more than cower tended to have the bad habit of wanting to utilize their power. 

Proposing escape would have led to the risk of losing control over the group, so I proposed an alternative plan to my classmates. 

“We need to attack.” One might be inclined to consider such a plan brave, but it was merely the logical conclusion. Our opponent had the ability to appear anywhere they wished, scattering us in the process, and so dealing with that opponent was our utmost priority. Not only that, but for a group of hot-blooded youths, it was the only acceptable plan from the one who would lead them. It was not bravery that compelled my to attack, but a simple assessment of the situation. “Now.”

“No shit. That’s obvious!” Bakugo’s support always came through in a coarse manner, but what mattered was that he agreed and accepted my words. Since he would follow me, so would the individuals whom he had rescued on his separate route. The guaranteed the support of half of the assembled group, simply due to the sheer force of his personality, but it was upon me to garner support from the rest. “But how do you expect that to happen with these idiots you brought along!? I said we just needed Todoroki before we took them on, dumbass!”

Thankfully, Bakugo was more than willing to allow me to prove my worth. 

Years of defusing tension within both Imperial Guard Regiments and Scholas have made me more than capable of handling disputes, but more importantly it allowed me to take those disputes and turn them against a common foe.

“What has occurred has occurred and we are better off with more hands than less, Bakugo.” Bakugo levelled a glare at me and spit to the side, but stayed silent, as I expected him to. What was important was the reaction of the others of our class. Children tended to see the best in people. I loathed to take advantage of that, but the situation warranted a response that required me to have as many advantages as possible. Having them look to me as a leader was in my best interest, but also their own. Well, mostly mine. “Everyone, listen to me: we are in danger and help might not be coming. We need to help our teacher and find a way out of here.”

I got a favorable response from those who we’d gathered, but as I mentioned before the most important individual amongst them was Todoroki. If he didn’t speak up in support of me, or at least assent to my plan, there would be discord within the group and doubt regarding my ability to lead, if my subordinate was against me and I didn’t achieve the goal I’d intended of gathering another strong fighter. 

Todoroki, however, is not the man he is today, so his response was as I had expected of a child vested with immense power in the face of danger.

“There’s no point in arguing. We need to defeat the villains. That’s all.”

The alliance was flimsy at best, but that was all that was needed. Having three of the acknowledged powerhouses in the classroom together is more than enough to raise morale. The ignorance of the children worked to me benefit. They were thoroughly unaware of the true extent of the danger they were going to face, while I was very aware that no attack would take place on the Schola without the means to take on All Might, which meant that our best course of action was to regain our Sensei who had the ability to suppress mutations with his gaze alone and have him aid us in our escape.

Our counterattack was only called as such to raise morale. It was not a triumphant moment which heralded the next, great generation of heroes as is now written.

It was simply me using unknowing, ignorant, but skilled children to his benefit.

Nothing more and nothing less.