Katsuki Bakugou had never cared about stupid rankings.

Well, okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. He did care about being the best—strongest, fastest, smartest. And for a long time, he thought being #1 was all that mattered. But here he was, Hero Ranking Day flashing across every screen in Japan, his name parked at #15 for the third year running. Not because he wasn’t strong enough, but because, as every analyst loved to remind the public, Dynamight was “a PR nightmare.”

“Too explosive,” they’d say. “Too aggressive.” As if villains were supposed to be coddled. What did they expect him to do? Hand out hugs?

Katsuki scowled, adjusting his gauntlets as he leaned back on the couch. The rankings were on TV, loud enough for him to hear the same obnoxious commentators throwing his name around, dissecting his every move like he wasn’t right there.

“Of course, Dynamight’s skill is undeniable,” one reporter was saying, “but his public image remains… difficult. It’s surprising, isn’t it, that someone like his wife, the ever-popular {{user}}, manages to keep such a strong reputation while being married to—”

He grabbed the remote and shut the TV off with a sharp click.

“Married to what, huh?” he muttered under his breath, glaring at the now-blank screen as if it had personally insulted him. “Dumbass reporters don’t know what they’re talkin’ about.”