Chapter One: What Makes a Hero

To Katsuki, the mountain wilderness was as familiar to him as the crackle and snaps that exploded from his own hands. Growing up he was always outside, with whatever classmates or neighborhood kids that followed him around as the leader. Though somehow that little nerd Deku always was there trailing behind him. He was always out climbing the hills and trees in the forests to capture bugs that would freak his parents out later.

Katsuki wondered briefly, as he stuck his hands back in the steaming water, if there would be a chance to explore the wooded area around them later. He lifted his hands out and shouted as he let off another blast—it was the same size as the last one but his muscles were pulsing down his arms telling him to slow down, though he ignored his aching arms as they were here to push themselves. Steam bellowed from the simmering water he was training with and burst into his face as he looked back down into the water and glared at his own reflection. His brow was scrunched and his lips turned now as the Katsuki in the water glared at the inadequate Katsuki on land. Not good enough. He shouted again as he stuck his hands back into the scalding water, the heat—in theory—causing his sweat glands to open more and looked out to the Beast Forest that Tail-Guy and Kirishima were fighting in front of.

Kirishima was on the defense with his Hardening quirk activated from his torso up. Tail-Guy was relying on his tail to hit Kirishima and not using it to be more mobile and less predictable in Katsuki's opinion. Unfortunately for Kirishima, he couldn't see Tail-Guy's obvious attacks and was only getting knocked down. Katsuki sighed and turned back to the steaming water and let out another blast into the sky. He would yell at Kirishima later about his lacking defensive skills and the non-existent offensive skills that Katsuki knew Kirishima had. He's been stuck with him during the USJ incident after all.

Behind him, Katsuki heard the sound of pained groaning and a creaking of Sero's elbows as he continues to dispense tape. He was screaming earlier but he quieted down and now all Katsuki could hear was the sound of grunting, groaning. Katsuki shot another blast into the sky and turned his head and saw Pinky and Jiro attacking the wall of the mountain and shouting. In the distance the other way, the crackle of electricity and Kaminari's screaming could be heard. Katsuki wasn't completely sold that Mr. Aizawa wasn't some kind of sadist. Midnight was probably rubbing off on him.

"All right class, five-minute break. Get some water and rest." Mr. Aizawa walked past Katsuki's boiling water and looked down. "Don't keep your hands in there for too long. Any damage to your hands will get you the opposite effect. Push yourself, but don't damage yourself," he said, eyes flicking to Deku, and walked away to the Half and Half bastard's pool.

Katsuki shook some of the water and sweat off his hands as his eyes roamed over to Kirishima. He was smiling at Ojiro, his quirk still activated and his pointy teeth showing. Katsuki shook his head and turned around; Sero and Pinky were on the ground. Sero was trying to rub both of his circular elbows but was wincing every time he moved one elbow so the other hand could rub the other. Pinky was slumped against the mountain next to a hole she had created with her acid. Katsuki let out a small laugh as he looked up to the electric idiot on the top of one of the rocky hills. He'd turned full idiot—rather than his usual half idiot—self and was giving everyone thumbs up.

The first years were all complaining too much around Katsuki. This is what they were here to do. To get better and stronger, did they think it was going to be easy? Katsuki had wondered what they were like before they came to U.A.; what kind of training did his classmates do before? Katsuki knew that Icy-Hot bastard got special brutal hero training from his father growing up, the overshadowed number two hero Endeavor, —he overheard that much at the sports festival—and he suspects that All Might has something to do with Deku's sudden strength. Even without using his strange strength enhancing quirk Katsuki noticed Deku had gotten stronger in their last year of middle school. He recalls times when the nerd would be muttering to himself in class about workout routines not being enough, or how he would be writing notes in one hand and be fiddling with weights in the other. While Katsuki avoided Deku even more actively after the sludge villain, he did notice that Deku wasn't constantly trailing after him either. Something changed. Now he's almost certain it has to do with All Might. That loser fan boy has always acted familiar around All Might, and not like how Katsuki would expect him to freak out and worship the ground All Might breathes on.

"Aw man, I was really getting into it. Great job Ojiro," Kirishima said.

Katsuki looked back over to him—Kirishima was still smiling, his face was beaming towards Ojiro, as sweat dripped down his head from his sweat band—his quirk not activated anymore, and he gave Tail-Guy a fist bump. Katsuki felt a cool line of his own sweat drip down the curve of his back as he lifted his shirt to wipe the mixture of sweat and water vapor off his face.

"Oh wow, those 1-A jerks really are taking it easy, aren't they?"

"Shut up, Monoma."

Katsuki spared a glance in the new voice's direction behind him. It was that large hand girl and Copy-Cat from class 1-B. The girl hadn't really done anything impressive that Katsuki had seen. She didn't make much progress in the sports festival and didn't do anything memorable in the cavalry battle. She was waving her now normal hands at Copy-Cat and spouting some team building nonsense that sounded eerily familiar to their own classes' president. At least someone was dealing with him. Katsuki wasn't too bothered; anyway, he had already taught Copy-Cat his lesson during the cavalry battle at the Sports Festival a couple of weeks ago. Though the time it took him to teach the Copy-Cat cost him the time he needed to get Deku's points and win the cavalry battle. He kicked a rock on the ground towards the Copy-Cat as he walked past. If only he had really won the sports festival.

Katsuki felt an arm wrap around his shoulder. He almost moved away from it, ready to shout at whoever thought that was ok, then he turned his head and saw it was just Kirishima and let him keep his arm for now. He wasn't that tired that he couldn't stand on his own, and sure it was hot especially with the water he was just training with, but Kirishima was just always a touchy-feely guy. The one-time Katsuki had said anything about it Kirishima just went off on how it's manly to be comfortable with oneself. Katsuki left it alone; besides, for some reason he didn't mind that much when it was just Kirishima touching him. Katsuki wasn't going to let anyone think he wasn't confident or comfortable with himself. But he didn't care what anyone thought of him, really, he didn't.

"How's burning your arms off going? I can't believe that's what Mr. Aizawa came up with to help strengthen your quirk," Kirishima said.

"And how's getting beat up by Tail-Guy over there, Shitty Hair?" Katsuki pulled away a little from Kirishima's touch and placed his now dry hands into his pockets as they walked over to the break station.

"Come on man, it's Ojiro, not Tail-Guy. You know your classmate's names; why do you have to be like that?" Kirishima pulled his arm off Katsuki's shoulder as he whined at him.

The break station was a small pavilion the Wild Wild Pussy Cat's had set up. There were jugs filled with iced water and cups that had already been filled. The little kid that hit Deku in the junk earlier was passing water out to the 1-B kids that were already there. Deku was standing by the kid trying to talk to him about something. What it was, Katsuki was sure it was dumb and that it was something Deku was overthinking about. He should leave the kid alone. It was clear the kid didn't want to be here or really be around any of the first-year hero students (though especially Deku which Katsuki could respect).

Katsuki made his way up the line and took a cup of cool water that the kid was handing out. The refreshing water going down his parched throat after having his face full of steam felt amazing.

"So, what do you think about the quirk training?" Kirishima asked beside him.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Well I'm not crying over it like some people." Katsuki looked over to Sero and Pinky that were now walking towards the break station. They were walking slowly and looked to be still complaining to each other. Katsuki scoffed, because they should be working harder as both of those two were in the remedial courses after failing their practical exams. "But I wasn't expecting any of this to come easy either." Nothing about attending U.A. was easy after all.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of work for you to be number one, right?" Kirishima bumped his elbow into Katsuki and grinned.

Katsuki grinned back and opened his mouth to speak, but that Copy-Cat bastard beat him to it.

"Really? The Villain Magnet to be the number one hero; you 1-A's really are so full of yourselves." Copy-Cat was laughing with his hand over his face.

Katsuki looked away from the Copy-Cat planning to ignore him because he wasn't a threat to him. He had already taught the Copy-Cat his lesson and honestly, he knew better.

"Hey man, not cool." Kirishima, it seems, had other plans.

"Oh really? I am only stating facts."

"No, you're just upset that we beat you fair and square in the cavalry battle. You know as well as anyone else in the hero course that Bakugou is earning his spot to be here and you've seen him today working to be the number one hero."

"Please, the sludge villain and then USJ. And the way he had to be restrained like a villain at the sports festival as the winner representing the hero course. You're really putting a great image out there for the heroes, aren't you? I'm surprised it was Midoriya that the League came after last week and not you; you have the most villain potential in the hero course after all. I wouldn't be surprised if they came after you next."

"Hey, man knock it off," Kirishima said, standing next to Katsuki.

"Monoma that was too far! Apologize to him now," Large-Hand said.

"Come on Kendo, you know I'm right. All 1-A does is cause trouble. They all spout about being the next number one hero, but they only cause the school problems. And Bakugou is just one example. What kind of image did he set at the sports festival? That winning isn't enough and he'll become violent and has to be restrained? That's not the image the future of heroes needs."

"Monoma, you're taking this too far. Sure, it wasn't great. But there's nothing wrong with wanting to be number one," Large-Hand girl said. Though their voices were getting quieter and that sizzling-pop sound was getting louder in Katsuki's ears. His rib cage rattled against his quickening breaths.

"Yeah, we know you're just mad we get more attention. We work hard to earn our spots and you're taking this too far. Bakugou is nothing like a villain." Kirishima was stepping away from Katsuki. Could he hear the crackling coming from Katsuki's fingers? Was he stepping away for safety?

"Well it's not like he's defending himself. It's because he knows I'm right. Right? You'll never be seen as anything other than villainous. Just a muzzled monster people saw chained to a post." Monoma stepped towards Katsuki.

The cup in Katsuki's hand explodes as his quirk goes off—the sound of water sizzling against the impact of the hot explosion—and the surviving water from his cup sprays in every direction. Katsuki sees Kirishima startled expression in the corner off his eye—water dripping off his red spikey hair—and Katsuki stalls for a second. His hands shake and his left-hand crackles as small explosions dance across his palm—something he's been able to do since he was five to intimidate people (Deku)—and glares at the Copy-Cat Bastard.

"I'm not a villain you Copy-Cat," Katsuki says with the rage rumbling inside of himself. His muscles ignite as the words reply in his head. Katsuki doesn't care what people think of him, because he knows what he is (and he is going to be). As sure as he is he'll be a hero, he knows he will never be a villain. That isn't him and it never will be. "Do you hear me? I will never be a villain; I am nothing like them." He's walked up to the Copy-Cat Bastard and in his state has grabbed the collar of Copy-Cat's blue and white U.A. gym uniform.

"Trying to shake me down? Real heroic Mr. Future Hero," Copy-Cat laughs at him.

Katsuki just glares at the Copy-Cat bastard. He can see behind the smug bastard and into the tent that that damn nerd Deku has put himself in front of the kid and is watching him with those big frightened eyes he's always had. Stupid nerd.

"Hey guys, what's going on here? Why's Bakugou going after Monoma again?" Pinky's squeaky voice shrills as she and Sero have finally caught up to the break table.

"He called him a villain, which was not cool bro," Kirishima says, partially to Pinky and then directs the rest over to where Bakugou is standing still glaring damn the smug Copy-Cat that's just smiling back at him.

"Hey, let him go, Bakugou," Large-Hand says.

Katsuki ignores them as they keep shouting around him. He looks between Deku's judging gaze on him and the Copy-Cat-Monoma bastard in front of him. He's just smirking at Katsuki with all his teeth on display and his arms stretched out from his body not even attempting to shove Katsuki off or copy his quirk and blast him away like he did in the cavalry battle. Katsuki pushed him back forcing the Copy-Cat to lose his balance and tumbled a couple of steps backwards.

All he gets in response is a laugh from the Copy bastard and more arguing around him.

"Really? That's all you have Mr. Sport's Festival Winner?"

Copy-Cat rubs salt into the false victory Katsuki feels every time someone congratulates him on his win. Because he knows that he didn't win because that Half and Half Bastard threw the match and gave up halfway. It doesn't count he wasn't number one. It feels like a lie.

"Bakugou, let him go," Mr. Aizawa warns from behind him.

Katsuki doesn't though. He keeps a firm grip on the U.A. gym wear and glares straight at the Copy-Cat who isn't meeting his gaze and is looking behind Katsuki; presumably at the teachers that have finally wandered over to the break station to attend to the squabbling students.

"Monoma we've talked about this. Quit egging them on," Class 1-B's teacher said.

"Bakugou." A threat this time from Mr. Aizawa. Shortly accompanied by the cool metallic familiar fabric of his teachers capture weapon. It slinks around his forehead, his arms, and torso. He feels the pull back and goes with it—he's learned the hard way, multiple times, that it's better to go with the capture weapon his teacher wields—and stands next to Mr. Aizawa. Katsuki's arms are shaking in his rage and he can feel his ribs shaking with each shaking breath as the capture weapon stays wrapped around him.

"Walk with me." It's not a request.

Mr. Aizawa walked away from the riled-up heroes to be with Katsuki following closely behind. They crossed into the dull shade of the trees; the branches swaying in the wind letting the heat of the sun peak in and graze Katsuki's face. He still couldn't quite get a hold of his own breath and his arms reluctantly shivered as the breeze danced around his nitroglycerin covered sweaty arms. He shoved his goosebump covered arms into his pants pockets and tried to ground himself back.

"We're out here to train your quirks and get provisional licenses. We're at the point where you should be past petty squabbles with people that are obviously trying to get an easy rise out of you," Mr. Aizawa said as they kept walking through the wooded area.

Katsuki listened to his teacher but didn't say anything. His eyes wandered to the trees as they walked past them. When he was younger—before he had gotten his quirk—there was a rainy day when no one was allowed out to play. He wasn't either, but his parents were busy with some big design contract they were working on and left him in his old Granny's care. She wasn't really paying attention so it was easy to sneak away and go to the woods where he would normally assemble his crew. Alone he climbed trees with his bug box strapped to his back and a smaller bug net clasped in his hand. He was hoping to catch some bugs off guard in the rain hiding in the trees.

After all, he was always the best out of the neighborhood kids at catching bugs so catching them in the rain should have been easy for someone like him. That wasn't the case though. Katsuki remembers how he wandered in the woods by his neighborhood in the rain for what felt like hours to his childhood self without seeing a single bug. His feet were wet from the rain that had slipped down into his boots and he had gotten mud splashed up his legs and even on his yellow raincoat. He remembers that he felt angry at himself that he wasn't doing as well as he thought he could. That he wouldn't really be able to show that he was the best at catching bugs. What would his friends think of him then? That he wasn't good enough for them to follow?

He remembers he heard the buzzing sound on his way home, and that the defeat he felt lifted as he saw a beetle land on a tree. It was just a couple branches up it wasn't the highest he had even climbed to catch a bug.

He had adjusted the strap of the bug box so it wouldn't shake around his torso and it stayed in its place on his back as he prepared to climb the tree in the rain. He grabbed the net in his left hand tightly and reached for the first branch to pull his little body up the tree. He had made it a little bit higher, but his hands were wet and the brown leaves had gotten stuck to them. He remembers the feeling of dirt between his fingers that made it feel as though his fingers were being cut open. Then his foot slipped off the branch it was on and wet hand slipped off the branches he had been holding onto—the bark of the tree slicing into his hand giving him splinters. His back had hit the ground first and the air was knocked out of him. He doesn't remember much of the impact other then he knew he was in pain and couldn't move. The bug box was smashed between his back and the muddy ground as it had broken upon impact. Some of the plastic pieces had broken into sharp edges and cut through his rain jacket.

Katsuki doesn't remember how long he laid there in that muddy puddle underneath the tree. Alone. When he had finally managed to get home his grandmother scolded him for being covered in mud and didn't care that he was covered in cuts or that he was crying. She made him take everything off before he could get further into the house.

"Bakugou," Mr. Aizawa said.

Katsuki looked up. He noticed that Mr. Aizawa had stopped walking and had turned to look at him. As usual his face was neutral and there was no way to tell how disappointed or angry his teacher was.

"I understand being angry when someone insults you, but that doesn't mean you can react the way you did with Monoma. You need to learn to respond to these situations when people confront you instead of reacting and charging in making things worse for yourself. Do you understand?" His teacher was raising his voice at him, really it seemed like he was quieter than he normally was as he spoke to Katsuki.

"Yeah, whatever," Katsuki said. What else was there to say?

"There's nothing wrong with your drive to be number one. But you can't attack other students to get there. One day these people will be your peers in the hero world. Try to get some better connections and it might open the path to be the number one hero. Take a minute to calm down and get back to training."

Mr. Aizawa patted his shoulder as he walked past Katsuki and went back to supervise his classmates. Katsuki waited a minute for his teacher to get ahead of him again before he turned to walk back to his water barrel. His arms were plenty cool now that he could go for another couple rounds of quirk training.

Just as he was getting to the line of trees at the end of the woods, Deku was there working on some fighting forms with the Pro Hero Tiger. Deku turned and his face didn't have that frightened look on it anymore. He was in full concentration mode. Damn Nerd.

"Kacchan! Wait."

"Shut up, Deku." Katsuki kept walking past him. He didn't need to hear anything from that weakling. He just kept walking back to his hot water and dunked his hands back in.

After dinner that night—and after his failure classmates had been dragged away by Mr. Aizawa for their remedial courses—Katsuki was forced to play a dumb game in the woods. Even worse was that he was partnered up with the Icy-Hot bastard. Katsuki didn't really want to be doing this stupid test of courage—not with Icy-Hot at least—and the 1-B kids weren't that scary. He was not scared when that girl's head popped out of the ground. Really, he wasn't.

There hadn't been anyone after that though and they had been walking for a bit.

"Wait, Bakugou what's that?" Icy-Hot said.

Up ahead there was a purple mist and a kid from class 1-B lying face down just outside of it. Icy-Hot ran up to him and Katsuki walked behind him.

"He's unconscious. Let's get him away from the mist." Todoroki grabbed the kids arms and pulled him.

"You're gonna rip his arms out of his sockets you moron. Put him on your back and carry him." Bakugou scoffed and grabbed the unconscious kids Torso. "Bend down and pull him up."

Icy-Hot did as Katsuki said and they moved the kid onto Icy-Hot's back. Though Katsuki noticed the unconscious student's breathing was labored.

"Come on, whatever the mist is still hurting him. We gotta get him some first aid." Katsuki turned and walked away from the mist with Icy-Hot following him.

He walked ahead on the path; both of his palms extended out moving his arms around to make sure he was producing sweat and kept an eye on his surroundings. Something was clearly wrong, there was no way this was part of the courage test. Briefly Katsuki wondered if maybe villains had come again just like they did at the USJ. But he remembered their parents don't even know where they are so how could the villains if this location was changed?

"Flesh… Flesh… give me flesh," A voice rang out in the trees ahead of them.

Katsuki raised his arms ready to blast who ever that was away. The air rapidly cooled down and Katsuki flicked his gaze next to him and saw Icy-Hot was also on edge.

Ahead of them a man dressed in all black with only his mouth exposed walked out of the tree line. "Flesh…" he said.

"Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the Pro Hero, Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat. I repeat. Use your training. You may fight these villains." Mandalay's voice said in Katsuki's head.

"He must be one of the villain's we can fight back against," Icy-Hot said.

"Yeah no shit."

Then the crazy guy opened his mouth and his teeth shot out towards the three of them. A wall of ice grew over Katsuki's head as he jumped out of the way. He heard the sound of teeth grating against the ice and shivered.

"Shit."

"One of the Villains' targets has been identified!" Mandalay's voice rang in Katsuki's head again. "It's the student known as Kacchan! Everyone get that? Kacchan"

Shit. Shit. Shit. Katsuki thought to himself. That damn nerd.

The teeth retracted from the wall of ice momentarily and then were joined by more. They smashed through Icy-Hot's wall. Katsuki jumped out of the wall—shards off ice knocking into him as he jumped back—and landed by Icy-Hot.

"Kacchan needs to avoid battle and don't make any move alone." Mandalay's voice warned inside his head.

Fuck that Katsuki thought in return.

Teeth were met with another wall of ice. Why was Icy-Hot doing all the fighting here?

"I have to endure… I gotta do the job," Teeth-Guy slurred. His voice was distorted as his mouth wasn't closing all the way. It sounded like a whisper against the wind as he mumbled to himself.

"Don't charge in recklessly," Icy-Hot said next to him, "Didn't you hear that? They're after you."

"Yap, yap, yap, inside out damn heads…" Katsuki was pissed off with people who weren't even there telling him what to do. And he really wasn't going to listen to the Half and Half Bastard. Not when Mandalay was shouting Deku's messages in his head. Even in the middle of nowhere getting attacked by creepy villains that nerd pokes his head into his business. "What's that little freak Deku go and do now? First, it's fight. Now it's don't fight. C'mon." Katsuki shouted.

The teeth grated along the ice. Katsuki saw it cracking near him and lifted his arm to blow it away.

"I think I'll just do what I want!" he shouted at the tooth as it broke through the ice.

Even in the midst of battle Katsuki was aware of the slightest movement. Which is how he saw the middle of the extending tooth break off into a new branch towards himself. He bent backwards just to dodge getting cut by the creepy guy's tooth. He stepped back and a wall of ice collided with the extending tooth. It was getting really annoying being saved by that ice.

Icy-Hot shouted at him again. Icy-Hot needed to stop telling him to be careful. Of course, he realized he was in danger. He couldn't let off big explosions because that might start a forest fire and hurt someone else that was in here dealing with the villains. He didn't even know if that mist was flammable or not. If it was, it could set off a chain reaction to whoever else could have been stuck in it like the kid on Icy-Hot's back.

Another tooth was intercepted by a wall of ice. Shit, he really was just acting like dead weight around here. At least the Tooth-Guy wasn't making any way closer to them. But they were still boxed in with the toxic mist to their backs and the villain ahead of them. It was really pissing Katsuki off.

"I can't get close to him! Guess I have no choice but to blast him to hell with full power!" Katsuki shouted to the wall of ice that blocked another tooth.

"No," Icy-Hot said.

"If the tree catches fire, just cover them with your ice." Katsuki tried to rationalize his anger. He needed to do something to get them out of this. The way he is now… he's useless.

"An explosion would block our field of vision. What happens if it doesn't finish him off? He's got us beat in range and fire power."

Katsuki hated it, really really hated it, but he knew the bastard was right. Shit.

"There! I see ice. They must be fighting," said a muffled voice in the distance. It was familiar but Katsuki couldn't figure out who it was. He braced himself just in case it was another villain that had found them.

The sound of the voice was followed by a growing crashing sound and screeching. The sound of trees smashing to the ground and colliding with each other. It was almost human the scream that roared up in the distance but there was something demonic about it. Katsuki braced himself by Icy-Hot as he built another wall of ice to counteract the continuing onslaught of teeth.

Then the teeth retracted as the villain saw what Katsuki did. His Tentacle classmate with Deku wrapped around his back shouting at them. But behind them a beast smashed trash together and was roaring into the sky. Its bird shaped head moved and spotted the Teeth-Villain. The Tooth-Guy turned his head but wasn't faster than the black spiraling arm that smashed him into the ground. Katsuki saw Tokoyami's figure in the black mass he now realized was Dark Shadow out of control.

"Kacchan!" Deku shouted. Because of course Deku was here.

He heard Shoji shout at them to light up the place so Dark Shadow would retract into Tokoyami. He saw Icy-Hot raise his left arm and flame dance on his palm. But then the Tooth-Guy propped himself up with his teeth. Katsuki motioned for them to stop. This could get interesting.

"Flesh no good… need more flesh. No good. No good. Can't forgive you," the guy spoke through his teeth. He was facing Dark Shadow.

Katsuki smirked; it might just work out.

"I'll be the one to see those boys' innards!" Tooth-Guy shouted. "Do. Not. Snatch. My Prizes!" Tooth guy moved his head back, but he wasn't fast enough.

A black claw slammed into him again, and the deep roaring voice of Dark Shadow bellowed out, "Do not test me. You Vermin."

With the Tooth-Guy wrapped in his claw Dark shadow extended his arm and flung him around. He let him go and Katsuki heard the crunch as the Tooth-Guy smacked against a tree. He landed on the floor and didn't move.

Dark Shadow kept screaming out. "Still not enough! Need. To. Rage!"

Katsuki used his explosions to propel himself in the air—Icy-Hot jumped to the other side of the enraged Dark Shadow—and he let off bigger explosions lighting up their neck of the woods. Dark Shadow retracted back into his hosts body. Tokoyami kneeled on the ground in front of them clearly shaken from his lack of control.

"I'm your worst possible match up." Katsuki looked down at his classmate.

Tokoyami was looking at the ground, "Thank you," he said.

Deku had taken control of the group to Katsuki's annoyance and decided they needed to protect him. Katsuki glared as Deku's broken body. He looked worse than he did after his match with Icy-Hot at the sports festival. There was no way he had any strength left to protect anyone. Beside Katsuki could look after himself. Not that any of them let him get a word in as they marched around him though the forest. They had opted it best to stray off the path as the mist had cleared and they might be able to avoid being targeted out in the open.

The kid from Class 1-B was still unconscious against Icy-Hot's back. Which wasn't a good sign after all the jumping around they had been doing to avoid the stray teeth before. Tokoyami was quieter than usual behind Katsuki. Though he supposed he was probably trying to contain Dark Shadow from coming back out again. Katsuki spared a glance back at his quiet classmate, but he wasn't there. Katsuki opened his mouth to shout but then everything stopped around him.

He could see but it was blurry and there were muffled voices. It had to be a villain's quirk. Katsuki tried to move or activate his quirk but neither was working. He felt like he was being shot through the sky. And then suddenly like he was slammed into the ground. He heard shouting. Was that Deku? It was dark and everything was even more muffled. Shit. Shit.

He needed to move to break free of whatever this was. It was tight, too tight. He was boxed in and couldn't move. Nothing was working right.

Fuck.

Suddenly everything was back. There was a hot hand on the back of his neck and his legs within some black mist. Oh shit… It was that teleportation quirk from the USJ. He looked up. Deku's pathetic destroyed body was running at him.

"Stay back. Deku."

And then he was sucked into the mist.