TRAINING GROUNDS, 2ND DAY OF TRAINING

As the students of 1B watched 1A train, only one word came to mind.

Hell.

All around them the students of 1A wore pained expressions as they pushed their bodies and quirks to their absolute limits. They watched on in both awe and fear as massive explosions ripped through the air (courtesy of Bakugou), loud screams coming from a nearby cave while they even saw students fight each other to push their limits.

Looking to another direction, they saw Kaminari scream as he discharged his quirk on a generator, Iida speeding around, Sero screaming at the top of his lungs as he launched tape from the top of a cliff. And from what they could see, he wasn't the only one screaming as his other classmates also joined in from their own portion of quirk training. The only ones who couldn't scream were Momo and Sato who were preoccupied with eating and using their quirks at the same time.

''Go for it kid!''

Looking to the voice, they were surprised to see a tired and roughed up Izuku as he stood in front of a stationary stone beast. Standing off to the side were Tiger and Pixie Bob who were supervising his training.

After taking a few breaths, Izuku's eyes flared as he charged 15% Full Cowl throughout his body. He then extended both of his hands as they started glowing green, said glow also covered the stone beast as well. And with a grunt he began lifting the stone beast off the ground and from what they could see, it took a lot of energy for him to move his arms altogether. Said arms were bulging from the weight he was lifting while his legs shook a bit before steadying themselves.

Just when they thought Izuku had it rough, Tiger spoke up. ''All right, here I come!'' he declared seriously as he made his way to the stationary Izuku. Once close enough he swung his fist, only to grin when Izuku managed to dodge while maintaining his hold on the stone beast.

Tiger then rushed in with furious jabs while Izuku countered by bending his body to avoid the hits or chose to jump over the pro. Tiger attempted to deliver a powerful back kick but Izuku slid out of the way with a grunt. Tiger then spun around and went with furious jabs at Izuku's front while the latter reacted by dodging and weaving the best he could.

As this went on, 1B then understood that the training focused on not only his dodging skills but the strength and efficiency of his psychokinesis as well. And from what they could tell, it also focused on his multitasking skills as well.

Their thoughts were then interrupted when Izuku crouched under a jab and decided to retaliate with a kick. Only for Tiger to use his quirk to fold his body unnaturally to avoid the kick, he then followed up by twisting his body to deliver a powerful kick of his own to an exposed Izuku's torso. The latter feeling the wind knocked out of him(again) as the leg made contact.

*SMACK*

*CRASH*

As Izuku found himself knocked to the dirt, the hold on the beast instantly vanished as it crashed to the ground, creating a dust cloud and making the area around them shake. While some of the 1B students stumbled as they waved away the dust.

Once the dust settled, Tiger grinned as he walked over to the groaning Izuku. ''Nice moves kid, but you gotta remember to strike when the opportunity is right and to not waste so much energy dodging.'' He advised as he offered a hand to the downed teen. The latter gratefully accepting the help as he stood up with a grunt.

''I'll keep that in mind.'' Izuku stated with a nod as he stretched his sore arms. He knew this advice was sound so he made sure to take it seriously for future improvements on his part.

Tiger returned the nod. ''Take a breather kid,'' he suggested before slowly turning to the 1B students. ''Now….who's next?'' he asked taunted with a dangerous expression making some of the 1B students gulp in fear. With some even fainting from the idea of sparring with the scary pro.

Izuku couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the students of 1B shrink from the pro's intimidating presence and aura. He then decided to take the pro's offer and laid down on the grass. As he did this, he couldn't help but admire how far he and his classmates have come.

Changing into a sitting position, he looked around and admired everyone's willingness to improve themselves. All it took was one glance to see how determined they all were to become the best they could be. You could practically feel the determination in the air.

He then chuckled a bit when he saw Kaminari's 'wheeeeyyy face' as he used his quirk on a generator, he especially found it amusing when he saw Bakugou blasting to the heavens while using the most colorful words in the Japanese language.

His eyes then landed on Mina who was right next to Jiro as she secreted acid from her palms while they were placed on the mountain side. From what he can see, she's intermittently creating acid in order to increase her skin's durability.

But despite the clear pain and exhaustion, Izuku was glad to see Mina wear a determined expression. He couldn't help but feel proud of her as she clearly took their talk to heart and used it to strengthen her resolve to become a great hero.

''All right kid, break times over.'' Tiger announced as he approached and snapped Izuku out of his musings. The latter quickly standing up with a grunt and looked to the pro with a grin. A gesture that was returned.

''So what's next?'' Izuku asked as he cracked his neck while stretching.

Tiger looked thoughtful for a bit as he crossed his arms. ''I've got some good news and bad news for ya kid.'' He started while Izuku looked to him in confusion. ''Which do you want to hear first?'' he asked.

''Let's start with the good first.'' Izuku stated with a shrug, truthfully, he didn't care if the news was good or not, he just wanted to get today's training done before his body gave out on him.

Tiger nodded in response. ''Alright, good news is…you'll be taking a break from your telekinetic training for now.'' He started while looked a bit relieved but didn't want to vocalize it. ''Bad news, is that we'll be focusing on hand to hand combat with your weapons.'' He declared with a dangerous grin.

''And no blasters.'' He added, making sure that Izuku focused on his close quarters combat only.

He was then surprised when Izuku grinned as well. ''Sounds good to me, I mean the whole point of this camp is to push us beyond our limits so yeah.'' He stated sincerely with a shrug, knowing that over reliance on his blasters could prove fatal if not taken cared off.

Snapping out of his shock, Tiger looked to Izuku in approval. ''Well said kid.'' He praised before suddenly jumping back and making some distance from Izuku. The latter looking surprised before understanding the pro's intentions and jumping back as well.

Those nearby who saw the jumps couldn't help but watch the two in excitement.

''Read to show me the true meaning of Plus Ultra?'' Tiger taunted with a killer grin as he went to a fighting stance making some of the audience members shiver a bit from the pro's taunts.

Izuku merely made a bone club as he wore a challenging grin. ''Your move.'' He stated simply as his eyes glowed. While those nearby were surprised by Izuku's lack of fear in his statement and posture. Tiger In the meantime, returned the grin before charging to Izuku while the latter mimicked the action as green sparks bounced off his body.

Audience members braced themselves as the two fighters were closing in for the clash.


Unsurprisingly, Izuku found himself overwhelmed by Tiger's quirk and combat experience. Not that it was completely one-sided mind you, there were a couple of times where Izuku managed to graze Tiger with his weapons when the latter was caught off-guard.

As the sun started going down, the tired teens gathered at the front of the lodge. Where the pros had a bunch of tables set up with plates on them. On the table in front of the pros looked to be a bunch of ingredients and cooking supplies to make curry.

Upon seeing this, everyone had a sinking feeling of what was going to happen.

As if reading their mind, Pixie Bob and Ragdoll grinned at them mischievously. ''Now, remember what I said yesterday?'' Pixie Bob suddenly said getting their attention ''Last night was the only day that we'll be cooking for you.'' She stated with a grin while some students paled. Meanwhile Izuku and the rest sighed in in fatigue.

''You all look so exhausted!'' Ragdoll stated with a laugh as she looked to the tired students. ''But don't use that as an excuse to make sloppy food.'' She reminded with a few laughs.

Among the crowd, Iida suddenly looked like he was hit by inspiration as he put a hand on his chin. ''It's true that part of rescuing someone is filling stomachs and spirits of those exhausted during a disaster.'' He concluded as he nodded to himself and faced everyone with a determined expression.

''Let's make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!'' he declared with fiery passion while the exhausted students weakly agreed with him.

Izuku shook his head in amusement as he looked to the scene, he then leaned in to whisper something to Mina. ''Iida's pretty useful huh?'' he stated with a chuckle while Mina weakly elbowed him with a giggle.


Once the preparations were complete, the students wasted no time in finding their seats and ate dinner heartily. Naturally, Izuku and Mina sat together while joined by their fellow classmates.

''This stuff's pretty good when you make it yourself.'' Izuku admitted before eating more of his meal while others could only nod in agreement as they hungrily consumed their food.

After swallowing her food, Mina turned to Izuku with a frown. ''Still, it kind of sucks that the pros didn't help us cook at least.'' She stated making some nod in agreement while others were just too busy eating to say anything.

Izuku however had a different opinion. ''Well, we are on their property so…I think it's fair that we work for our food.'' He stated with a shrug before eating while everyone else thought about it before agreeing. They had to admit, it does sound better than being a freeloader.

Mina opened her mouth to reply, only for her to close it from his reasoning. ''Your right.'' She conceded with a sigh before smiling when Izuku comforted her with a head pat.

''Ugh…my everything hurts.'' Kirishima stated with a groan as he rolled his shoulder while others voiced their pains as well.

''Bitch.'' Bakugou taunted before placing a spoonful of food in his mouth. He then wore a smug expression as he ate when Kirishima whined at him. The latter obviously pointing out how Bakugou is in no better condition than the rest of them. Which in turn, resulted in them arguing on who was less sore than the other. While everyone (minus Izuku, Mina and Ochako who were chuckling at the display.) deadpanned at the two.

''Anyway…,'' Mina suddenly said getting everyone to look at her. ''Yao-momo you sure eat a lot huh?'' she called out to the table behind her, while everyone else listened in as they ate.

Momo nodded as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. ''Yes, my quirk turns lipids into various atoms to create things, so the more I eat, the more I can make.'' She stated while everyone else looked to her in amazement. To some it sounded like a good way to eat all you want and not lose your figure. While the more practical ones thought of how extremely useful that quirk would be if the situation called for it.

Sero however had different thoughts as he looked to his food in thought. ''Hmm, it's like poo.'' He stated bluntly making some people choke on their food while others looked to him in disgust. Momo however just looked depressed as she sulked from the comparison of her quirk with feces.

*SMACK*

''Apologize!'' Jiro ordered with a glare as she looked at Sero. The latter still recoiling from the punk girl's powerful punch. Meanwhile Kirishima was trying to calm Bakugou down, the latter laughing his ass off from the remark and punch directed at Sero.

''I'm Sorry!'' Sero immediately responded with a whimper, while Izuku and Mina went to try and cheer up Momo while trying not to laugh at the situation.

Once the vice rep's mood got better, they continued to eat and conversed amongst themselves. Momo used the opportunity to give Sero a lengthy scolding for his earlier remarks which got everyone else to laugh at his sulking expression.

Their conversations were eventually interrupted when they heard Aizawa speak.

''Remedials it's time for class!'' he declared suddenly, startling everyone in the process. ''The rest of you, finish up and get back to the lodge!'' he ordered seriously before turning and entering the building, leaving a slumped Mina and other remedial students in the process.

Izuku gave a sympathetic look as he wrapped an arm around Mina. ''Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine.'' He assured gently, knowing how determined Mina can be despite how tough things get.

From her position, Mina turned to Izuku with an appreciative smile. ''Thanks, Izu.'' She stated happily before giving him quick peck on the lips. She then stood up with a sigh as she and her fellow remedial mates made their way to the undoubtedly tiring session. All the while Izuku watched her with a proud smile, happy to see her willing to push herself despite being tired from today's training.

''Earth to Romeo.'' Bakugou growled, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. The latter forming a blush on his face when he saw everyone else looking at him with amused expressions.

As they began clearing up the table, Izuku saw color red in the corner of his eye. Looking to the color he saw Kota walking by himself towards the forest. The latter wearing an angered expression the entire time.

''You guys go on ahead,'' Izuku called out getting them to look at him in confusion. ''I just need to take this to someone.'' He declared as he scooped up some food and placed it on a spare plate. His classmates bid him farewell before he left and followed the angry child.


CLIFF SIDE

Standing on the cliff side while gazing at the night sky was Kota. The latter wearing a scowl as he looked to the endless sky as if he was silently talking to someone.

His thoughts however, were interrupted when he heard a voice.

''You're hungry, aren't you?''

Though a bit startled, Kota turned to the voice and immediately scowled when he saw Izuku calmly walking up to him with a plate of warm food. The sight alone made his stomach growl a bit but he refused to show signs of hunger.

Izuku however, immediately noticed and offered a kind smile. ''You can eat this curry.'' He offered kindly as he placed the warm meal on top of a small rock mound. While making sure to keep his distance, the last thing he needed was the kid to get angrier.

Kota ignored the gesture and looked to Izuku angrily. ''How did you find this place!?'' he demanded.

Izuku shrugged at that. ''Followed you.'' He stated honestly, seeing no reason to lie to him. ''Plus, I thought maybe you'd want something to eat.'' He added while gesturing to the warm plate of food.

Kota looked irritated but calmed down a bit. ''I don't need any,'' he stated stubbornly while Izuku finally frowned at that. ''now get out of my secret hideout!'' he ordered while turning away from him with a growl.

Izuku wasn't fazed by the tone and calmly looked around with a smile. ''Secret hideout huh?'' he stated while Kota looked to him with narrowed eyes. ''It's got a nice view to.'' He added as he looked to the forest and the night stars. He also noticed a small cave, probably used when the weather isn't great.

''I don't need your praise!'' Kota snapped while Izuku looked to him with a frown. ''Just go away and improve your disgusting quirks!'' he spat with venom while Izuku was taken back by the way he directed his hatred towards quirks.

Seeing that Izuku didn't move, Kota scowled and looked to the forest below with a serious expression. ''Everyone here is crazy…'' he stated in frustration as he furrowed his brows. ''Calling each other stupid names like ''hero'' and ''villain'' and killing each other with their stupid quirks.'' He stated with a growl while Izuku opted to stay silent and listen to Kota's rant.

Not bothered by the silence, Kota continued. ''It's because they're all showing off that they end up like…'' he trailed off as he wore a pained expression, choosing not to finish the statement. But both he and Izuku knew who he was referring to.

In the meantime, Izuku looked down with a saddened expression as the pieces started coming together.

''So, it isn't just about heroes and villains, it's about quirks in general.'' Izuku concluded in his mind as he frowned. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If it wasn't for quirks, the whole system of Heroes and Villains wouldn't even exist in the first place. Without the need to be heroes, Kota's parents wouldn't be in harm's way and he wouldn't have to hate his own quirk in a similar way to how Todoroki hated his fire quirk back then.

With this is mind, it was clear that there was one way for Izuku to approach this.

''All right.'' Izuku agreed casually, which made Kota look to him in clear shock. ''I'll drop it, but I'm gonna stay and enjoy the scenery.'' He stated sincerely, there was always something breathtaking about the night's stars.

Kota looked at him with narrowed eyes. ''Why?'' he asked clearly not believing him while also wondering what sort of ploy Izuku was trying to play.

Izuku then raised his hands defensively. ''Hey take it easy, your clearly not in the mood so I'll just be quiet about it.'' He declared cautiously before making his way to the ledge and sitting on it. ''Just be sure to eat your dinner at least, I mean there's no point in starving.'' He offered as he looked to view and breathed in the cool air.

Kota looked at him cautiously before eventually making his way to the plate of warm food. While Izuku internally sighed, glad to see that the kid chose not to starve tonight.

After finishing his dinner, Kota placed the plate aside and sat on the ledge far away from Izuku and looked to the night sky. Combined with the food he consumed and the peaceful environment, Kota looked calmer after a while. Seemingly cooled off from his earlier outburst.

Izuku opted to stay silent and just enjoy the sights of the stars and the evening forest. A gesture that Kota seemingly appreciated.

Eventually though, Izuku decided to break the silence. ''So…wanna hear some jokes?'' he offered causally as he kept looking up at the night sky. While Kota turned to him in surprise, obviously never experiencing that type of question before.

''What?'' Kota responded genuinely confused.

Izuku shrugged, still keeping his eyes on the stars. ''You clearly have a sore spot for heroes and quirks so….,'' he railed off as he turned to Kota with a grin. ''might as well lighten the mood with something else.'' He stated calmly, more than ready to just drop the suggestion if necessary.

To his relief Kota looked away in thought before looking to Izuku again. ''Sure…why not.'' He agreed unsurely with a sigh, internally wondering how to even proceed with this.

Izuku beamed the response. ''Great!'' he stated excitedly, more than happy to see Kota agreeing with him on something. He then cleared his throat while Kota gave him his attention.

''Have you ever heard of the two antennas that went off to get married?'' Izuku asked while Kota shook his head in response. Looking completely lost from the question.

Izuku wasn't fazed by the response and shrugged with a bored expression. ''Well I can tell ya the ceremony wasn't much…'' he trailed of before looking to Kota with a big grin. ''but the reception on the other hand was incredible!'' he stated with a chuckle.

To his amusement, Kota's lip twitched upward before he quickly replaced it with a scowl. ''That joke sucked.'' He stated blandly, but Izuku didn't buy it for a second.

''So? Comedy is comedy.'' Izuku stated with a shrug and a grin while Kota grumbled from the response.

Izuku then sighed and wore a serious expression, much to Kota's surprise. ''You know….I used to know a pretty mean dentist.'' He stated as he looked away a sigh.

Kota looked at him curiously. ''What made him so mean?'' he asked, as far as dentists go, he hasn't exactly met one that was rude to him in anyway.

With a serious expression, Izuku tuned to Kota. ''He always hurt my fillings.'' He stated seriously before immediately breaking down and laughing at the joke.

Only to be surprised when Kota actually had a small chuckle at the joke. ''All right,'' he stated as he calmed himself. ''I'll admit you got me there.'' He conceded with a smile, while Izuku internally cheered at making the kid smile.

From his position, Izuku gave off a mock bow. ''I aim to please.'' He stated with a chuckle.

Kota snorted at that. ''Please, I bet I can make better jokes than you.'' He stated as a fact while crossing his arms.

''Oh? This'll be interesting.'' Izuku thought with an eyebrow raised. ''Well by all means, fire away!'' he welcomed happily as he spread his arms, while Kota was surprised from the sudden invitation.

Kota then looked down in thought for a bit before looking to Izuku with a semi nervous expression. ''W-What do you call a fish with no eyes?'' he asked as an embarrassed blush rose a bit.

''What?'' Izuku asked with a head tilt, doing his damndest not to acknowledge the kid's embarrassed expression.

Kota took a breath before looking at Izuku's eyes. ''A Fsh!'' he stated confidently.

The world seemed to go silent as Izuku merely blinked at him, which in turn caused Kota's composure to crumble as the silence went on. He then pulled his hat down in attempt to hide his embarrassment.

''…''

''...''

''…''

''…''

''…''

''PFFT!'' Izuku suddenly exclaimed as he laughed and smacked his knee. While Kota was surprised before looking relieved from both not humiliating himself and getting a reaction from Izuku. And then despite himself, he found himself joining in the laughter as well.

''Nice one kid,'' Izuku stated with a chuckle as he calmed himself. ''didn't think you were the type to joke around.'' He stated truthfully, honestly not expecting a serious kid like Kota to have any material.

After chuckling himself, Kota calmly replied. ''Well, I looked up a few jokes before when I get bored.'' He stated while Izuku nodded in understanding. He could honestly see Kota trying to cheer himself up when things get too much from him.

Which was both a saddening and comforting thought at the same time.

Suppressing that train thought, Izuku grinned at Kota. ''Glad to see that you have a funny bone in ya kid.'' He praised while Kota rolled his eyes at the pun.

Izuku then cleared his throat. ''Ok, so…a blind man walks into a bar,'' he stated with a calm expression while Kota looked to him expectantly. ''And a table. And a-pffft!'' Izuku's composure immediately dissolved as he guffawed while Kota joined in from the silliness of the joke.

Kota shook his head with a chuckle as he calmed himself. ''All right how about this one…'' he stated while Izuku happily listened to whatever material Kota came up with.

This went on for a while with both parties exchanging jokes. Some were good while others were either corny, basic or just plain bad. But the quality didn't matter to either as they just focused on fun of it, to the point where Kota lightened up enough to at least to sit closer to Izuku as they continued their entertaining exchange.

With Izuku, he couldn't help but feel happy for his success in making Kota happy. He knew this moment couldn't completely replace what the child lost, but he could at least lighten his young heart in any way he can. So, suffice to say, seeing Kota laugh like any kid should is very rewarding.

His musings were cut short when Kota happily spoke up. ''Alright, why did the bird have to go the hospital?'' he asked with a small grin.

''Why?'' Izuku asked with a big grin of his own.

Kota struggled to hold in his laugh for a bit before he responded. ''Because he needed to have his tweetment.'' He stated as he and Izuku laughed at the pun.

''Nice one!'' Izuku praised with a laugh before quickly composing himself. ''A jumper cable walks into a bar,'' he started while Kota looked eager to hear the joke. ''the bartender says: I'll serve you but don't start anything!'' he stated while imitating the bartender, which in turn resulted in Kota laughing more.

After calming themselves down, they decided to just enjoy the silence and each other's presence. The heavy atmosphere from earlier long gone by now and in its place is a feeling of warmth and comfort.

Izuku then took a subtle glance at Kota and instantly felt lighter when he saw how relaxed and happier, he looked. Heck, he probably is happier than he ever was in the past two years.

Izuku then debated whether or not to bring up the topic of Kota's problem again. Don't get him wrong, he would very much rather let Kota be happy than to completely ruin the mood. But this is something that should be resolved sooner, rather than later when things could become more complicated. And considering that they live in a society that is practically filled with quirks, then it's for the best to extinguish Kota's hatred or at least offer a change in perspective.

Bottom line is, Kota's mental state could be in jeopardy if this whole thing isn't resolved soon.

So, with that in mind, Izuku decided to bite the bullet and take a deep breath. ''You know…your parents did it for you.'' He stated bluntly, deciding against dancing around it and just get straight to the point.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kota stiffen but didn't retort so he continued. ''Of course, they did it to save the civilians at the time. But I'm very sure that when they fought that villain, all they could think about was you and how to make a better world for you to live in. After all, that's what heroes are supposed to do.'' He stated sincerely while Kota chose to look ahead in thought.

''They were- no, are great heroes. Who chose to lay down their lives so that you and many others can continue in life.'' Izuku added with a small smile as he looked to the stars. ''I mean what else defines a true hero than self-sacrifice.'' He thought to himself with respect, remembering countless times when he saw heroes put their well being at risk for the sake of others.

A pregnant silence followed, but Izuku guessed that it was just Kota trying to digest his words. So, he opted to just stay silent and leave him to his thoughts. Understandably, this is all too much for a child to take in all at once, so it would be pointless to add more and cause confusion.

''…''

''…''

''…''

''How would you know?'' Kota suddenly asked, finally looking to Izuku for answers.

Expecting the question, Izuku looked to Kota and merely smiled as he pointed a thumb towards himself. ''Because that's exactly what I would do for anyone I cared about.'' He stated truthfully and without hesitation.

Kota then looked down in thought after hearing that. For a long time, he's always been angry with the unfairness of everything that happened to him. To the point where he would openly push people away who were trying to help him. He especially hated it when heroes tried to reassure him because he believed that they were doing it for the sake of their profession. This led to him hating heroes or anyone with quirks altogether for the past two years.

But after taking in Izuku's words with a clearer head. He was starting to see that all the internal walls he built have been doing more harm to himself than good. He then began reflecting on his past attitude towards Mandalay and her teammates, it didn't take long for him to see that he was actually pushing away the very help that he needed. Not only that, he was also seeing his parents' actions in a new light.

And that thought alone caused a great amount of emotions to stir within him as tears slowly formed in his eyes.

Seeing the internal conflict within Kota, Izuku decided to leave one last thing for him. ''So, the next time you start hating quirks and heroes,'' he stated, snapping Kota out of his thoughts. ''just think about how your parents would feel if they saw you hurting yourself like this.'' He suggested gently, while Kota chose to stay silent and consider Izuku's words.

Izuku smiled at him before looking at his watch. ''It's pretty late now,'' he declared before standing up while Kota looked to him. ''come on, everyone's probably worried about us.'' He stated with a warm smile, while Kota nodded with a small smile as he wiped his tears and stood up as well.

Izuku then turned around and crouched down. ''Come on.'' He beckoned kindly as he looked to Kota over his shoulder and offered a piggyback ride. The latter looking surprised and hesitant before eventually agreeing and getting on Izuku's back as he wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned onto his back.

After making sure he was secured, Izuku stood up and made his way back to the lodge. Unsurprisingly, Kota fell asleep along the way, no doubt exhausted from the emotional and mental baggage. As they made their way back, Izuku couldn't help but think that he managed to break through Kota's problems, though only time could tell at this point.

Upon arriving at the lodge, he was met with an understandably worried Mandalay and Pixie Bob. Said pros were surprised when they saw Izuku walk up to them with a sleeping Kota on his back.

As they approached, Izuku was quick to calm them. ''Don't worry, we just talked for a bit until I eventually decided to bring him back.'' He declared calmly as he handed over Kota to Pixie Bob while Mandalay nodded in understanding.

''Did he…change his mind about heroes?'' Mandalay stated as she and Pixie Bob looked to Izuku with hopeful expressions. Evidently hoping that Kota somehow changed his view on heroes and to some extent them.

Izuku sadly shrugged at that. ''Can't say for sure,'' he stated sadly making the pros look downcast. ''but I can tell you that he has a lot more to think about now.'' He stated with a smile while the pros looked up to him with new hope.

Mandalay then smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. ''Thanks a lot kid,'' she stated gratefully while Pixie Bob looked to him gratefully as well. ''it's late now, you should head to bed now.'' She suggested kindly while Izuku nodded in agreement before yawning, much to their amusement.

After saying their goodbyes, both parties went to their sleeping quarters. Both parties silently hoping that things would start changing for the young boy.


3RD DAY OF TRAINING

As expected, the training area was full of tired students who were pushing their still aching bodies to the limits. It became apparent to everyone that sleep did not help with the soreness they were feeling in their bodies.

Speaking of sleep, Ashido and her fellow remedial students didn't have much. Why? Because apparently Aizawa was ruthless enough to give them extra lessons until it was 2 a.m. But despite the lack of sleep, Mina's drive to improve overpowered it and allowed her to carry on today's training with the same amount of determination yesterday. After all, what kind of girlfriend/hero would she be if she allowed Izuku's talk with her go to waste.

Speaking of Izuku…

*ZWOOOOSHHH*

The medium sized blaster's beam pierced the heavens as it split clouds along the way again. While this was happening, Tiger charged at Izuku. The latter reacting by the dodging the blows while trying to score a hit and maintaining the blaster fire.

Like yesterday, the point of this training was to not only strengthen his abilities, but to also improve efficiency, endurance and reflexes. Aizawa and the pro's made sure to make Izuku train with all of his abilities to their absolute limits. Said limits began to show as Izuku started showing signs of exhaustion as he avoided another right hook from the pro. His breathes became heavier as sweat dripped from his body and not only that, his movements were starting to slow as well.

But despite this, Izuku pushed himself as he ducked under and retaliated with a 10% punch. Only for Tiger to fold himself again and deliver a powerful swing to Izuku. The latter blocking with his arms as he slid across the ground. He was about to attack again, only to find himself staggering a bit. Turning to the blaster, he noticed that it was slowly losing its power.

Charging 15% Full Cowl, His eyes flared up as the blaster increased in intensity again. He then suddenly found himself barely dodging a kick from Tiger, unfortunately this left him open as Tiger followed up with a viscous uppercut that connected with Izuku's chin, sending him tumbling back to the ground. Which in turn, resulted in him completely powering down as the blaster ceased firing and disappeared.

Tiger grunted approvingly before standing straight. ''Better.'' He commended, noting how Izuku improved from yesterday and managed to score more hits on him. He was honestly impressed with how Izuku's growth has been progressing so far. And the fact that he was going to get stronger as he grew made Tiger giddy.

''Take five kid.'' Tiger ordered as he moved on to the 1B students who had to pick their jaws off the floor before gulping under the pro's intimidating gaze. Understandably, they couldn't help but be impressed with Izuku's determination. Despite being knocked down multiple times and was clearly showing exhaustion, he kept pushing himself to improve.

Meanwhile said teen sighed in relief before sitting up with a grunt. ''Welp, at least I know I'm improving.'' he thought to himself with a smile. He knew that he was steadily improving, but it felt good to actually hear someone confirm or validate his progression.

Glancing around, he couldn't help but smile as he watched his fellow students improve. To some it didn't look much, but he could see them wearing serious expressions compared to the more pained expressions they had yesterday. A clear sign that they were slowly getting used to pushing their quirks to their limits.

His eyes then landed on Kota who was watching the students train alongside Mandalay and Pixie Bob. Kota wore a serious expression but he could see that he looked calmer being around the students than before. And from what he could tell, Mandalay and Pixie Bob must have noticed too as they looked Kota with analytical expressions.

With a slight groan he stood up and approached the three with a grin. ''Heya.'' He called out getting their attention. The pro's looked to him with friendly smiles while Kota looked to him with a serious expression. But Izuku could tell that there was no contempt behind his eyes.

Izuku then got into eye level with Kota as he knelt in front of him. ''How's it going kid?'' he asked with a friendly grin. Meanwhile the pros were tense from the action, more so when they saw Kota looking at Izuku blankly.

To their immense surprise and to Izuku's joy, Kota shrugged as a small smile formed on his face. ''Meh, a bit bored I guess.'' He stated casually but Izuku could see a glimpse of interest as Kota's eyes quickly landed on the training students, much to Izuku's amusement as he too looked to the students. Meanwhile the pros were still trying to comprehend the fact that Kota was interacting with Izuku so casually.

''Hey,'' Izuku suddenly said getting their attention. ''Why is a skeleton good at being calm?'' he asked with a grin making the pros look at him weirdly. Not noticing Kota looking at Izuku with an amused smirk.

''Why?'' Kota stated with his smirk slowly growing while the pros finally noticed the child's expression and had to do a double take to make sure they weren't seeing things.

Not noticing the pro's perplexed looks, Izuku's grin widened. ''Because nothing gets under their skin.'' He stated with a chuckle while the pro's snapped out of their shock and couldn't help but a giggle at the silly pun.

Their laughter was instantly silenced when they saw Kota laughing together with Izuku. For a quick second they thought that they happened to be in a different dimension, because for one, Kota never once laughed at anything. Or even smiled for that matter.

While this was happening, other students who happened to notice them couldn't help but look on in disbelief. It's only their third day here! And yet Izuku managed to become friends with the seemingly unfriendly child. They were seriously starting to consider if Izuku had a friendship quirk as well.

The moment was interrupted when Tiger's voice was heard.

''Break time's over kid!''

Izuku immediately turned to a stern Tiger with a sheepish expression. ''Coming!'' he stated before standing up and looking to Kota with a smile. ''See you around kid.'' He stated as he offered a fist bump. Kota looked to the fist before bumping it with his while wearing a smirk. In the meantime, everyone else had to resist the urge to drop their jaws.

Izuku grinned at him before making his way to a very perplexed Tiger. No doubt caused by the sudden friendship between Izuku and Kota. Tiger then snapped out of his shock and went back to training Izuku again, he'll be sure to discuss the sudden change with Mandalay later.

Meanwhile with Mandalay, she continued to look to Izuku with a stunned expression. They had long since become used to how usually cold and distant Kota is towards them. So, when her eyes landed on Kota who is actually looking at Izuku train with a look of respect and awe. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly Izuku said that managed to break through Kota's inner walls. They spent the past years trying and failing to get Kota to lighten up or at least a crack a smile whereas Izuku only needed a few moments.

''Thanks, Midoriya.'' Mandalay thanked telepathically with a smile, while Izuku paused for a second and looked Mandalay with a confused expression. Seeing this, she merely placed a hand on Kota's shoulder, beaming when he didn't remove her hand or look bothered by it. Said child was looking in Izuku's direction with a small smile.

Understanding what she was referring to, Izuku nodded to them with a smile before dodging a roundhouse kick from Tiger. ''Happy to help.'' He thought happily before charging 15% and waving his hands forward as he sent bone projectiles to the Tiger. The latter reacting by twisting himself to avoid the projectiles before engaging in close quarters combat with Izuku again.

Mandalay looked on with a smile, while Kota looked on with stars in his eyes before he caught himself and tried to make it more subtle.


SPARRING, BATTLEFIST AND REAL STEEL VS. SANS

As if they weren't tired enough, Aizawa and Vlad decided that in order for them to reach new heights. They were ordered to have sparring sessions against the students of 1B. When asked why they decided to do this, Aizawa explained that it would be a good chance to observe other quirks than seeing the quirks they are familiar with. That way, they can learn to combat different quirks instead of getting caught off guard due to being used to fighting specific quirks.

Which brings the question.

''Why am I fighting both of you?'' Izuku asked aloud as he stared at 1B's class president Kendo and what essentially reminds him of Kirishima. Said students shrugged in response, not exactly sure why it was a two versus one either.

From the sidelines, Aizawa was quick to reply. ''Because you have a unique that requires a unique way to train.'' He stated simply while Izuku and the other two nodded in understanding. ''And remember no blasters.'' He reminded knowing that the match would end too quickly if he used his blasters.

''Got it.'' Izuku agreed, he knew at this point that over reliance on something could prove fatal in combat. Luckily for him, he had other ways to utilize his quirk.

His attention was brought elsewhere when Kendo spoke up. ''It's nice to see you again Midoriya.'' She greeted happily while Tetsutetsu looked at him with a smile as well. Sure, they didn't speak to one another, but he's heard stories of how Izuku dealt with Monoma and how friendly he is with everyone.

''Likewise.'' Izuku said with a smile as he got into his usual stance. Said stance looked like a casual standing position.

Tetsutetsu decided to voice his thoughts. ''Oi,'' he called out making everyone turn to him. '' just because your quirk is strong doesn't mean we'll go down easy.'' He stated with a challenging grin with Kendo mimicking his expression.

Izuku nodded as he returned the grin and charged 10% Full Cowl. ''Ready?'' he asked getting immediate nods from the two as they went into their stances.

[Undertale OST - ''Megalovania'' -Plays at 0:16]

Immediately, both students rushed in with Tetsutetsu activating his steel quirk. Izuku countered by waving both hands upward as he made bone barriers sprout from the ground and rush towards them. This forced them to split up and gave Izuku the opportunity to throw bone projectiles towards them.

Tetsutetsu reacted by standing his ground and tanked the hits while Kendo rolled out of the way and dodged more when she stood thanks to her reflexes. Once the barrage ended, both students continued the charge towards Izuku. The latter carefully eyeing Kendo considering he doesn't know what her quirk is.

Once close enough, Kendo went for a kick while Tetsutetsu went for a powerful punch. Izuku reacted by disappearing and reappearing behind the duo, said duo was surprised and forced to stop before they ended up hitting each other. They then turned around with surprised expressions, obviously not used Izuku's ''shortcuts.''

First to snap out of his shock, Tetsutetsu charged in with a mighty roar. Only to be sent flying back when Izuku used his psychokinesis on him. The latter having a glowing hand extended.

''Tetsutetsu!'' Kendo cried out in worry as she watched her classmate tumble to the ground before stopping in a slight daze. She then turned to Izuku with a hardened expression and quickly thrust her fist forward, said hand stopping a bit ahead of Izuku, much to his confusion.

Before he could question it, he was suddenly shocked when the hand suddenly expanded. Izuku managed to only cross his arms in front of him before the giant fist made contact and sent him tumbling to the ground. This caused the students of 1A to be surprised while the 1B students cheered for Kendo and shouted for Tetsutetsu to get back up.


FROM THE SIDELEINES

[Song Pauses]

''Oh, what's this?'' Monoma suddenly said getting most of them to look at him. ''It looks like 1A's famous comedian isn't much after all.'' He taunted making everyone glare at him. Bakugou and Kirishima were about to say something when they heard a new voice.

*Ahem*

Turning to the voice they were surprised to see Mina looking at Monoma with a mischievous grin. ''Are you trying to get a pun-ishment?'' she asked as her grin grew.

Upon hearing the word ''pun'', Monoma paled as he quickly raised his hands. ''O-Of course not.'' He stammered before looking back at the match with a distant expression. It honestly looked like he was silently reliving that day.

''Yeah, that's what I thought.'' Mina stated with a big grin before turning her attention back to the match. While everyone else had a good laugh at the interaction before looking back to the match as well. Bakugou especially looked smug making Kirishima shake his head at his antics.


BACK TO THE FIGHT

''Woah.'' Izuku exclaimed with a shocked expression as he steadied himself while Kendo paused and looked to him curiously. ''Your quirk is amazing!'' he praised in excitement getting shocked looks from Kendo and her classmates. While Izuku's classmates looked at him in amusement, knowing how excited he always is about quirks. Well…other than Bakugou who groaned at his attitude.

Snapping out of her shock, Kendo looked to Izuku with a big smile. ''Thanks,'' she stated gratefully, happy to know that someone finds her quirk interesting. ''now…are we just going stand here and talk?'' she reminded with a smirk while Izuku grinned and went into his stance again.

[Song Resumes]

Kendo made her other hand grow and clapped both giant hands together creating a massive gust of wind. Izuku reacted by sprouting two bones from the ground for him to hold onto. Once the wind ended, he was forced to dodge when Kendo used the opportunity to get close and try to land a solid hit by trying to clap her giant hands around him.

Once he gained enough distance, Izuku waved his hands again sending bone projectiles to Kendo. The latter reacting by shielding herself with her giant hands and immediately winced when the bones made contact with her hands.

While this was happening Tetsutetsu recovered and flanked Izuku in an attempt to get a critical hit on him. Only to be pushed back in surprise when a bone sprouted from the ground behind Izuku and made contact with his iron abdomen.

Izuku turned around to throw more bones at him when suddenly Kendo sprang forward and caught him with her giant hands. ''Gotcha!'' she declared confidently as she secured her hold and covered Izuku completely with her hands while Tetsutetsu used the opportunity to regroup with Kendo and prepared to land a blow on Izuku.

After getting an affirmative nod from Tetsutetsu, she opened her hands, only for her and Tetsutetsu to pale a bit when they saw that Izuku was not in her grasp. Before they could comment, they were surprised when bones sprouted from below their feet and lifted them off the ground. Unfortunately, they weren't prepared for such a random attack so they immediately lost balance on the bones and fell on their backs with a groan.

Bones emerged from the ground again only this time they held both of their wrists and ankles. While struggling they saw a slightly sweaty Izuku walk up to them with a small grin. ''Do you yield?'' he asked.

''Not a chance!'' Kendo declared fiercely as she expanded her hands, which resulted in the bonds to break. She then used her giant fingers to simply pull on the restraints of her ankles apart. Once on her feet she looked to Izuku with a determined expression.

*SNAP*

Turning to the sound, they saw a panting Tetsutetsu standing up in defiance. It would appear that he managed to break the bonds through sheer willpower alone. The whole time, Izuku was looking to them in awe. He could honestly feel his respect for them reach new heights because of their display of determination.

Snapping out of his amazement, he charged 15% as his expression became determined. He then used a glowing hand to slam an unsuspecting Tetsutetsu face first to the ground, following up the attack, a bone sprouted from the ground and slammed into his abdomen and lifted him off the ground. Only for another bone to sprout from the side and slam into his iron ribs and sent him flying to the side.

Turning to Kendo, he saw her in front of him with a giant hand ready to chop him from above. While his eyes were on the hand, Kendo used the distraction to quickly shrink the giant hand much to Izuku's surprise. And with a sudden burst of speed she grabbed Izuku's left arm and slammed him on the ground with a submission hold before he could retaliate.

''Now…do you yield?'' she asked with a heavy breath as sweat dripped down her face. Evidently exhausted from pushing herself to increase her speed and using her quirk in quick succession. To emphasize their position, Kendo bent his arm a bit making him grunt.

With the audience they can only look in shock, thinking that Izuku was forced to surrender. All except Mina who held onto hope and silently cheered for Izuku to push back.

From his position, Izuku looked over his shoulder with a defiant grin. ''Not a chance.'' He shot back as his eyes flared up. But before she could say anything else, she and everyone else (minus Aizawa who smirked) were caught off guard when Izuku suddenly disappeared from Kendo's submission hold. To them, it looked like he vanished in a blink.

As she stood up and tried to find him, she was met with a 5% punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of her. Izuku then followed up by using a psychokinetic push that sent her flying towards an exhausted Tetsutetsu that just recovered from being knocked around. The latter forced to deactivate his quirk to reduce the damage for Kendo. The two then crashed into each other and was sent tumbling to the ground. The impact itself made the students and Izuku especially wince a bit. The latter worried that he may have gone too far.

''Enough!'' Aizawa called out seeing that the match obviously cannot continue since both 1B students were too tired and roughed up to go on. Izuku was on the same boat as he looked equally exhausted as well. And since they just came from their training sessions, he could only imagine how tired the students must be.

[Song Stops]

With a huff Izuku powered down with a relieved sigh. He knew that this sparring session has its purpose. But with his fellow classmates exhausted from hours of quirk training he was beginning to think that Aizawa was just being cruel at this point.

Heck, he could honestly see him being more sadistic than Midnight.

Suppressing a shudder, he made his way to the two students who were slowly getting back up ''Good fight.'' he praised as he lifted the two off the ground with his psychokinesis.

After steadying herself, Kendo looked at him with a smile. ''Same.'' He stated simply while offering a handshake making Izuku smile as he gladly shook her hand.

Tetsutetsu groaned while steadying himself. ''Don't get comfy now. It just means we'll have a chance to beat you next time.'' He stated hotly getting them to chuckle in amusement. Only to be worried when he started wobbling a bit from exhaustion.

Before they could catch him, Kirishima caught him before he fell. Making Tetsutetsu and everyone else look to him in surprise.

''You did well.'' Kirishima commended as he looked to him with a respectful expression. While Tetsutetsu grinned at him before Kendo joined in and helped him towards his classmates.

''So manly!'' Everyone else thought as they looked to the two in amusement while Bakugou looked pissed at them, much to someone's amusement.

Mina had a similar idea as she approached Izuku and supported him in case he fell. ''You were awesome out there.'' She praised sweetly before giving a quick peck on the lips making Izuku smile at her with a blush.

''Thanks Mina.'' He thanked warmly before returning kiss on the lips making Mina blush and smile warmly at him as well.

The rest of the spars went smoothly as well. Though there were memorable moments, such as when Bakugou outfought his opponents with his overall savagery, Todoroki overpowering his opponents with his ice and flames, Mina(despite being tired from the remedial classes)dodging with her superior reflexes until eventually landing a critical hit on her opponent and then there was Iida who used his speed and high-powered kicks to knock their opponent out of bounds. Ochako's match also went on smoothly as she used a similar strategy when she fought Bakugou during the Sports Festival, the only difference being her opponent was completely unprepared to counter it.


SOMETIME LATER

It was evening now and the students of 1A were currently grouped up in their casual clothes after finishing their dinner. While the Wild Wild Pussycats stood in front of them to prepare for an explanation of what tonight's plans will be. [Author's Note: Izuku is currently wearing a green jacket with a white shirt underneath. He is also wearing brown cargo shorts and red sneakers.]

Pixie Bob then stood in front of them. ''Now that we filled our bellies and washed our dishes! It is time for…'' she trailed off before Mina interjected.

''The test of courage!'' Mina cheered as she and her fellow remedial mates cheered as well. While Pixie Bob looked a bit miffed from someone stealing the spotlight making her teammates sigh at her childish attitude.

Mina then turned to Izuku who was looking at her with an excited grin. ''Izu!'' she called out excitedly as she started running towards him. All her stress and fatigue melted away as she started thinking about holding onto to Izuku as they walked through the forest together. Despite the various traps set in place, it was still a romantic setting for her.

''Mina!'' Izuku called back as he spread his arms wide, evidently excited to hold her and do the test of courage with her. He honestly found it amazing when they had similar thoughts at times.

From an outsider's point of view, it looked like a reunion between two long lost lovers. Which in turn made the girls cheer for them while some of the boy's chuckled in amusement.

Unfortunately, the moment was grinded to a halt when Mina was suddenly held back by capture tape, courtesy of the one and only Aizawa. The latter smirking sadistically, evidently enjoying the fact that he ruined the moment.

''Before that,'' Aizawa stated in a neutral tone as he causally captured Kirishima and everyone else as well. ''it pains me to say this, but the extra lessons group will be having class with me now.'' He stated, smirking the entire time and without an ounce of remorse in his voice.

Mina paled as she struggled in the bonds. ''You've gotta be kidding me!'' she screamed as she and everyone else was pulled together towards Aizawa.

Said pro looked on in amusement. ''Your training during the day wasn't good enough, so I have to use this time.'' He declared as he gave one strong pull that brought the students to the ground. Said students started flailing around as they were dragged away by the pro.

''Save me Izu!'' Mina cried out desperately as she and her fellow remedial peers cried out as well in a similar fashion.

Surprisingly, Izuku looked like he was about to make a move despite there being no real danger in the situation. But hey, he would always respond to a cry for help, especially if it came from people who are close to him.

Unfortunately, he found himself frozen in place when he saw Aizawa stop to give him a stern glare as if telling him: ''Try me bitch.'' With this, he hesitantly closed his eyes and turned away with grimace from the remedial students, who were screaming for mercy while being dragged away. It honestly looked like the souls of the damned being dragged away to hell. Which in turn made everyone look to them in pity.

Ochako wore a sympathetic expression a she placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. The latter snapping out of his mood and looking to her with a grateful smile, making Ochako return the expression.

Pixie Bob then cleared her throat getting their attention. ''Okay, so Class 1B will be the first to be in charge of the scares. Class 1A will leave in pairs every three minutes.'' She paused to see if everyone understood, once they nodded, she continued. ''There are tags with your names written on them in the middle of the route, so bring those back with you.'' She stated while everyone nodded in affirmative.

''Those being the scarers aren't allowed to make direct contact.'' She added much to the relief of Jiro and a few others.

Tiger then interjected with a fiery passion. ''The class that makes the most people piss their pants with creativity and imagination wins!'' he declared making his teammates recoil from his sudden outburst.

Pixie Bob then recomposed herself as she brought out a box. ''Now, you'll draw lots to determine your partners!'' she stated making others gather around in excitement while Izuku looked a bit saddened, understanding that even if Mina was here with them, there was no guarantee of her being his partner anyway.

As Izuku got his number, a sudden realization hit him. If his other classmates are in the remedial lessons then…

''That leaves me being the odd one out.'' Izuku concluded with a sigh as he noticed everyone else had a partner except him. Everyone else must have come to the same conclusion as they looked to Izuku with saddened expressions.

Seeing their expressions, Izuku was quick to reassure them. ''It's alright guys,'' he stated while they looked to him unconvinced. ''besides, we were drawing lots so someone was gonna end up being alone regardless.'' He reasoned calmly with a shrug. While everyone else thought about it before reluctantly dropping the topic.


12 MINUTES LATER

Things went on smoothly as pairs entered the forest right on schedule with fearful screams echoing from the forest. Whatever 1B was doing, it seemed to be effective enough to produce a lot of screams.

''Okay, the fifth team!'' Pixie Bob called out as Tsuyu and Ochako approached the pro. ''Ribbit-kitty, Uraraka-kitty, go!'' she declared as she gestured the duo to enter the screaming forest. Said duo walked in with Tsuyu leading a reluctant Ochako in tow.

Silently cheering for them as they disappeared into the forest, Izuku turned to Iida with a grin. ''Man, 1B's really gotta knack for scaring huh?'' he stated while everyone else nodded in agreement noting that a minute of silence hasn't gone as screams can be heard from the forest.

''Indeed,'' Iida commended before looking to them seriously. ''but that just means that we must do better as a class!'' he declared passionately as he raised his arms making everyone else chuckle in agreement.

Before Izuku could comment, he found himself pausing when he smelled the air. ''Uhhh guys?'' he called in a worried tone while everyone turned to him confusion. ''Do you smell something burning?'' he asked as his eyes unconsciously glowed a bit.

Naturally everyone became alarmed by this, the pros especially since they knew Ragdoll would contact them if something went wrong. They then sniffed the air and instantly tensed up when they picked up the unmistakable smell of smoke in the air as well. Red flags instantly went off in their heads as they saw smoke emerge from the forest.

But before they could do anything else, Pixie Bob was suddenly lifted off the ground as she found herself covered in a pink glow.

''W-What's happening!?'' She cried out before being pulled away to a certain direction. Fortunately, she didn't get far when she suddenly stopped in place when a green glow appeared and mixed in with the pink glow.

Turning to Izuku, they saw him with both of his glowing hands stretched out. ''I got you!'' he declared as his eyes flared. He then pulled his hands back with a grunt which caused the pink glow to dissipate and pull Pixie Bob towards him. While everyone else snapped out of their shock and regrouped with Izuku.

After steadying herself, Pixie Bob turned to Izuku with a nervous grin. ''Thanks for the save!'' she stated gratefully while Izuku grinned back with a nod. Meanwhile the pros were internally grateful to Izuku for saving their teammate while his classmates were just glad that his quirk was able to save her.

Unfortunately, the peace didn't last when a new voice made itself known.

''My, my, looks like I'm not the only one who can pull things towards me.''

Turning to the voice they were surprised to see two individuals, both wearing deadly expressions. The first one was a tall and muscular person with white framed sunglasses. The person wore a dark orange shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal a white V-neck shirt and blue jeans with brown shoes. However, the most noticeable thing about the villain was the large metal rod wrapped in a cloth hoisted on her shoulder.

The other one had a more reptile like appearance as his body was covered in bright green scales. His hair is pink, long and swept backwards. His outfit looked just like Stain's as he has a sleeveless shirt and dark, baggy pants, along with black shoes and pale, metallic knee guards. He wears a mask made of a long, tattered strip of cloth, the same as the one worn by Stain, a red scarf and bandages wrapped around both his arms, partially covered by black wristbands, and plain black boots.

On his back looked to be a big sword wrapped up in a huge cloth.

''Wh-why…?'' Mineta whimpered as he took a step back. ''Why are their villains here?!'' he screamed while everyone else tensed up and went into their stances. Meanwhile the villain's looked amused from their reactions.


REMEDIAL CLASSES

Mina and everyone else were calmly seated while Aizawa and Vlad began discussing on possible lessons for tonight.

''Vlad, I want to add some practice maneuvers this time. '' Aizawa stated while Vlad nodded in agreement before suggesting his own training exercises for the students.

Said students looked a bit bored from the wait.

''Man…this is going to be boring,'' Kaminari whined making the students turn to him. ''would be better if we had something interesting to do at least.'' He stated with a sigh of boredom.

As fate would have it, ''interesting'' came in the form of a telepathic message from Mandalay.

''This is not a drill! We're being attacked by two villains!''

Upon hearing the message, the students glared at a pale Kaminari. ''You just had to say something.'' Mina stated while Kaminari looked sheepish.

''Quiet!'' Aizawa ordered as he continued to listen knowing that there must be more to the message. While everyone did what they were told and waited for more to come through.

''It's possible that there are more! Everyone who can move, get back to camp immediately! If you encounter an enemy, retreat and do NOT engage!''

Before the students could react, Aizawa turned to Vlad with a serious expression. ''Vlad, I'm leaving this place to you. I'll go protect the students'' he ordered before running out of the room. Mina and the rest wanted nothing more than to join in and help out, but Aizawa's order sounded absolute. So reluctantly they decided to stay in place and wait for further instructions.

Kirishima gripped his arms in frustration. ''We can't just sit here.'' he growled while others voiced out their agreement.

''Don't even think about it,'' Vlad quickly interjected while they turned to him. ''I know you guys have experience with fighting villains already, but the fact of the matter is, we're in charge of keeping you guys safe so we'll do exactly that. And the fact that most of you are still sore from training, makes it all the more important for all of you stay put.'' He stated seriously making all earlier protests stop as they thought about it before reluctantly agreeing to what the pro said. But that didn't mean they were happy with the decision, just thinking about their fellow students fighting for their lives out there, while they were safe inside camp was frustrating enough.

Mina especially felt frustrated, not only did she have experience from fighting villains in USJ and from her internship. She managed to help Izuku defeat a powerful villain in the Mall. And yet here she is, forced to stay out of the fight while Izuku and everyone else could be fighting for their lives right now.

It honestly made her feel useless.

She then closed her eyes and took a few breathes as she squashed those thoughts. She isn't useless and the pros aren't in the wrong. They're just doing their duties as teachers and guardians. Words from her previous talk with Izuku started flooding into her mind and in an instant, she felt light enough to calm down as her earlier negative thoughts were banished.

Still though, that didn't mean she would stop worrying.

''Please be alright Izuku.'' Mina hoped in worry as she and everyone remained alert. She knew Izuku and everyone else out there are strong, but after hearing that there could be multiple strong villains, she couldn't help but worry for him and everyone else out there.


BACK WITH IZUKU

''The names Magne,'' The villain now revealed to be Magne then pointed to her companion. ''this one here is Spinner.'' She introduced while the villain mentioned merely stood in alert.

''We are the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!'' Spinner added proudly as he spread his arms out. While the students paled from the mention of the League of Villains.

''You follow Stain?'' Iida asked noting the attire that Spinner wore.

Spinner looked rather pleased form the question. ''That's right! We follow and share the same beliefs as Stain had.'' He declared while Iida grit his teeth at the idea of Stain creating a following.

''I don't care about that,'' Tiger injected as he stood in front of the students while the rest of his teammates guarded the students. ''you bastards won't get away with this.'' He declared with a growl while the Mandalay and Pixie Bob prepared themselves.

Magne waved a hand at that. ''We're not worried about that,'' she stated with a menacing grin while Spinner mimicked her expression making everyone else surprised at the declaration. ''besides….we've brought backup to deal with the heavy hitters.'' She stated while everyone else tensed at the implication.

Before Mandalay could question what she meant, a growl was heard within the forest. Turning to the sound they paled when they saw a Nomu emerge from the forest. [Author's Note: For appearances sake, just imagine the Nomu from the Hosu City attack only with grey skin and a bit smaller in size.]

''A Nomu!?'' Izuku called out in worry as his eyes flared up at the thought of it hurting anyone else. Meanwhile everyone else who witnessed a Nomu's abilities firsthand felt themselves break into cold sweat. The pro's had calmer reactions as they merely tensed while wearing serious expressions.

Seeing their reactions, Spinner grinned. ''Yeah that's right,'' he taunted before gesturing to the hulking creation. ''they wanted to be sure things went well so they sent this guy to help out.'' He declared while the Nomu growled making everyone tense.

Before Izuku could engage, Mandalay stopped him by blocking his way with a hand. ''Don't do anything reckless, we'll hold them off while you guys head back to the camp.'' She ordered before looking to Tiger and Pixie Bob.

''Tiger, Pixie Bob!'' she called out making the mentioned two listen intently while keeping an eye on the villains. ''We need to cover their escape!'' she ordered while the two nodded in agreement before grouping up with Mandalay and formed up in front of the students.

Magne didn't look fazed as she raised a hand, getting the Nomu to turn to her. ''Nomu,'' she called out before pointing to Izuku and everyone else. ''Pulverize them.'' she ordered with killer intent.

The Nomu merely growled in affirmative before it started marching towards the understandably worried students and tense pros. All were worried as to what this creature was capable of.

But before anything else happened, the Nomu was suddenly tackled at the side by what looked to be a large stone Minotaur. Said Minotaur roared as it pushed the stunned Nomu into the forest. While everyone else was simply stunned by the sudden event.

Snapping out of their shock, they looked to Pixie Bob who had both hands planted on the ground. ''For guys who wanted the mission to 'go well', '' she started before looking up to the villains with a challenging grin. ''you guys sure monologue a lot.'' Stated finished with a cheeky grin while the villains snapped out of their surprise and growled at her. While everyone else looked to the villains with newfound confidence.

Pixie Bob then looked to Mandalay. ''I'll deal with the Nomu.'' She declared seriously while everyone else looked to her in surprise.

Mandalay was about to tell her otherwise until she considered Pixie Bob's quirk and overall skill. She knows from experience that Pixie Bob is well experienced enough to handle a tough situation like this. Plus, her quirk is just a strong to handle the behemoth.

With this is mind she decided to trust her instincts. ''All right, but be careful.'' She ordered seriously while Pixie Bob nodded to her with a serious expression as well.

But before she could pursue, a hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Izuku looking at her with a serious expression. ''Aim for the brain, it stuns them and temporarily stops them from using their quirks.'' He suggested discreetly, making sure that the villains didn't hear anything.

Pixie Bob was about to ask how he knew that when she remembered the stories she heard from the other pros. And from what she heard, Izuku managed to defeat a powerful Nomu during the attack at the USJ. Despite the strength difference, he found a way to pass through all of that and defeat the powerful behemoth.

So, with this in mind, she decided to take the advice seriously ''Thanks for the tip kid.'' She stated gratefully while Izuku nodded to her. She then started running into the forest where the Nomu was dragged away to.

Magne was about intercept her when she suddenly grunted in pain when she was hit in the shoulder by a bone projectile. ''Damn!'' she hissed seeing that Pixie Bob was out of her range as she entered the forest. She then glared at Izuku who had a hand stretched out. The latter wearing a serious expression while the pros resisted the urge to scold Izuku for his reckless move.

''You'll pay for that you brat!'' Magne declared as she went into her stance while Spinner followed her lead as he held the handle of the sword on his back.

Izuku was about to engage regardless of what Mandalay said. He knew he shouldn't be fighting experienced villains right now considering that he's still sore from training, but knowing that there are people in danger, he couldn't afford to run away and do nothing.

But before he could make a move, he decided to look around when he noticed that something didn't feel right. As expected, he saw his classmates who were looking at the villains with expressions varying from shock, fear and frustration. Looking to the pros, he could see them looking at villains with serious expressions as they were in their stances.

However, almost immediately he noticed something or rather someone missing among them. Izuku began feeling his heart speed up as it became apparent that a certain child was nowhere in sight. Hoping that he was just overreacting, he looked to Mandalay, only to feel his heart stop when she was wearing a frustrated expression. It was very clear that she also noticed a certain someone missing from the group.

Understanding the situation, Izuku's expression hardened as he took a deep breath. ''Mandalay!'' he called out suddenly making everyone look to him in surprise from the outburst.

Not even fazed from their expressions, Izuku continued. ''I know where he is!'' he declared seriously making Mandalay look to him in confusion for a bit before her eyes widened in realization. ''Let me go get him!'' he volunteered seriously before she could even retort. Meanwhile everyone else except Tiger was confused as to who this 'he' is.

Mandalay then looked conflicted, on one hand, she knew Izuku was strong enough to keep Kota safe and was the only one who could reach the child faster than any of her teammates could. On another hand, she was essentially about to send a young teen to a potentially deadly situation.

But all thoughts went to a halt when she realized Kota could be in a deadly situation right now.

Against her better judgement, she sighed before looking to Izuku seriously. ''Go get him!'' she ordered seriously while everyone else looked to her in shock. Obviously not expecting a large amount of trust to come out of her towards Izuku.

Izuku nodded in affirmative as he charged Full Cowl throughout his body. ''Roger!'' he declared determinedly as his eyes flared before running into the forest.

Magne however had different thoughts as she prepared to use her quirk. ''I don't thin-

Her statement was interrupted when she suddenly found herself blocking hits from an angered Tiger. Naturally, this caused Izuku to pause and look to the two while everyone else turned to them as well. Spinner was so surprised that he instinctively rolled away to get some distant from the two.

''Tiger!'' Izuku called out in worry as he brought his palms up.

Only to stop when Tiger spoke up. ''Get going kid!'' he ordered as he threw more jabs at Magne. The latter reacting by dodging for a bit before discarding her weapon and locking their fists together in a stalemate.

''We'll take care of these guys.'' Tiger declared with a growl while keeping Magne occupied. While Izuku turned to Mandalay, only to see her nod in confirmation with a serious expression. He then turned to his classmates who also gave him expressions of assurance.

Izuku hesitated for a bit before nodding with a determined expression and continue his run into the forest.

''Good Luck.'' Mandalay messaged before engaging Spinner. The latter reacting by drawing out his makeshift sword. Meanwhile Iida took charge and lead the students back to the camp.

Izuku in the meantime heard Mandalay's message and increased his speed towards Kota's hideout. ''Hang on Kota!'' he yelled in his thoughts as his eyes flared in determination.


KOTA'S HIDEOUT

Standing on the cliff side were two figures. One was a fearful Kota as he stumbled back from the much larger villain known as Muscular. Said villain was responsible for the death of his parents. Needless to say, Kota is absolutely horrified and terrified at the same time.

''Papa!...Mama!'' Kota whimpered out in fear as he found himself frozen in place and watched as Muscular raise his powered-up fist to crush the crying child.

And with a crazed roar, Muscular brought his fist down.

*CRASH*

''What the?'' Muscular stated in confusion as he lifted his fist off the ground when he didn't feel any bloody guts underneath. Sure enough, Kota was nowhere to be seen as the only thing he saw was an empty crater.

''Heya.''

Looking to the voice he was surprised to see Izuku standing there. Said teen had both hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts while wearing a serious expression. Behind him was a scared Kota on the ground with an expression of surprise, fear and a bit of confusion as he looked to his surroundings with Izuku's jacket draped on his back.

Snapping out of his shock, Muscular looked to Izuku with an analytical expression before he lit up in recognition as a manic grin formed on his face. ''Hey I know you.'' He stated while Izuku rose an eyebrow.

Muscular looked contemplative before nodding to himself. ''Yeah, you're that Midoriya kid that the boss was talking about.'' He declared while Izuku tensed, knowing full well that the boss could very well be Shigaraki, who no doubt is after his head for what he did during the mall encounter.

Not even bothered by the silence, Muscular continued. ''This is perfect!'' he declared as what appeared to be muscle fibers, emerged from his skin and started covering his arms. ''We were ordered to take the initiative and kill you.'' He announced with a manic grin while Izuku stiffened and Kota whimpered behind him.

''I'll be sure to torment you….'' he trailed off as he cracked his knuckles. ''Thoroughly.'' he declared with a dark chuckle.

While doing his best to keep calm, Izuku assessed the situation. ''There's no time to call for reinforcements since the villain will attack me while I do that, nobody knows of this place so it's just me, If I just pick Kota up and use my 'shortcut' then this villain will just rampage somewhere else and kill other students, leading him away with Kota to Aizawa will just add the risk of the previous problem to happen.'' He thought with frustration seeing that fighting the villain was becoming more and more unavoidable as he thought about it.

''And if I don't make a decision fast, Kota and anyone else could….die.'' He added as his eyes flared.

And with that thought, his decision became clear.

''It's gonna be okay Kota,'' Izuku reassured as he looked back to Kota with a grin while Muscular looked at him curiously. Izuku then turned to Muscular with a serious expression. ''I'll definitely save you!'' he swore determinedly as his eyes glowed while green sparks emanated from his body.

Muscular was admittedly stunned from the declaration and the power behind Izuku's words. It was clear that it wasn't all talk either, it was a serious declaration plain as day. Kota in the meantime couldn't help but stare at Izuku in awe as his tears stopped, he didn't know why, but there was something assuring about his words. And for the first time in a long time, he felt secure.

But as Izuku and Muscular stared at each other. Kota couldn't help but notice something in the area around them as he tightened his hold on the jacket.

''The wind is howling…''


TO BE CONTINUED.

Author's Notes:

1. Well dang, I didn't mean to make the chapter long but oh well. XD

2. I know there could have been better ways to approach Kota's situation, but I decided that laughter could be the best medicine.

Thank you again for reading!

PLUS ULTRA!