Onaka and Tora looked at each other and sighed as they trudged through the woods on patrol following the pro-heros Pixie-bob, Mandalay, and Tiger. They'd both accepted internship offers from the famous hero group Wild Wild Pussycats figuring that their animal-themed group would be well-suited for them. Tora in particular figured she'd benefit from an internship with them, as her powers fit their theme perfectly and it was entirely possible she could have a future career with them after graduation.

Tora had even added a helmet with a visor to her hero costume for the express purpose of matching up with the pussycats running theme. Her costume was usually pretty bare-bones and minimalist in design. It was a suit of tiger fur worn over her body that covered her back, arms, and legs with fur that would grow and bristle when she fully activated her mutation. The arms of the outfit had special gloves that fit over her hands with built in claws that retracted and unsheathed just like her real claws did, extending the range and sharpness of her slashes. The front of the outfit kept with the tiger fur design, but toned it back a bit, instead focusing on stylizing it to make her look muscular and powerful, as well as using the space for pockets and support technology.

The entire suit may have looked like it was meant to be aesthetic, but in actuality the suit also doubled as a very effective suit of armor even more effective than Kevlar. Tora's fierce close-combat fighting style meant she'd often take a lot of hits from other close-combat fighters, and even more blows from ranged combatants firing bullets, flames, electricity, and the like at her from a safe distance. The suit was bulletproof, fireproof, shockproof, had shock absorption technology around vital organs, blade resistant, and even managed to work in a bit of regenerative material in key parts so that she would remain modestly covered even if the suit was overwhelmed and destroyed in battle. Her new visor and helmet had also been built with a communicator and the ability to close and function as a gas mask with a 3-hour oxygen filter. In this outfit she was fairly certain she was basically unstoppable in a fight, and was extremely eager to show it off to the pussycats.

Unfortunately, they'd been out on patrol in these remote woods for a few days now and were learning little except for how boring hero work could be when there wasn't a villain to fight. Allegedly there was a dangerous villain hiding out in this remote area that they and a few other pro heroes were looking to track down, but so far they hadn't seen so much as a single track. What was more, since they were just interns and the villain in question was so dangerous, they were forced to travel as one big group rather than splitting up to cover more ground.

"Um… Ms Mandalay… is it really ok for us to be here?" Tora asked "I mean, if we weren't here you guys could split up and search much more effectively… I feel really bad that we're getting in your way so much."

Onaka nodded in agreement, normally her reckless and adventurous spirit would've made her less acutely aware of the inconvenience she was placing on the pussycats, but after a few days of holding them back and severe boredom dampening her spirits, even she was starting to doubt the wisdom of her tagging along.

"I appreciate the sentiment" Mandalay said, turning her head to look back at the two girls while they continued walking "but actually your presence here is really important. In truth, even if you weren't here we probably wouldn't dare split up during this search."

"Oh? Why not?" Onaka asked, cocking her head a bit and slowing her pace as curiosity overcame her.

"In our team, me and Ragdoll play supporting roles," Mandalay said, "our quirks don't actually assist our combat abilities directly apart from a few tricks we've picked up. Our physical bodies and fighting skills are top-notch, but Pixie-Bob and Tiger are the muscle of the group in a fight. To fight a dangerous villain like this we need both of them present. And I need to be present if we find the villain so I can alert all other heroes in the area to come help in case we're not enough on our own."

"As for Ragdoll, she's staying behind because we already know all we need to about the villain and his quirk" Pixie-Bob commented "it wouldn't make much sense to risk her here for no good reason. So even if you two weren't present, this is probably the search party we'd have set out with."

"Oh, well that makes me feel a lot better about being here at least" Tora said "still, are we really important?"

"Of course, we may be called the pussycats based on our costumes and group theme, but in truth none of us actually have a quirk that makes us catlike" Mandalay said "people assume we have superb hunting and tracking skills due to enhanced senses or quirks, but really, we're just really skilled. And in urban settings Ragdoll's quirk does help us track people easily, which ended up inflating that myth about us. Out here though you two with your animal mutations have much keener senses than we do."

"So you're hoping one of us can pick up the scent of the guy or something" Onaka mused "well to be honest, my senses aren't that much sharper than most, I'm definitely above average, but Tora is really the only tracker here."

"Well above average is better than nothing" Tiger grunted "and to be honest, if we do find the villain we could use the extra fighting power you bring to the table. This guy is no joke."

Onaka sighed, it wasn't the greatest justification for her tagging along, but it would have to suffice. According to the pussycats, this mission had come up after sending the internships. Originally, they had intended to provide more proper training, but duty had called, and the timing had unfortunately coincided with the internships. Now several days had been wasted just hiking through the woods looking for signs of a villain that might not even be in their assigned search area.

"Let's take a break here" Mandalay said as they came across a small alcove in a hill. It was an almost ideal campsite, with plenty of open space away from vegetation to start a fire, shelter from the elements in the alcove, and lots of space to set up tents and the like. "We can use this to set up camp tonight too, so lets take the time and put up the tents and stuff." She added after observing the area and noting how ideal it was.

Onaka and Tora nodded and gratefully dropped their bags. Neither of them had designed their costumes with long hikes in mind, so they were hot, sweaty, and quite tired. It still took another hour of work to set up their tents and a fire pit for later, but soon they were able to sit down in the shade of the alcove and drink some cold water from canteens provided by the pussycats.

"Ah, god that's refreshing stuff" Onaka sighed as she finished a swig of water "is this really just water?"

"Sort of, it's a new product we're trying from a small support company we like to get some custom gear from on occasion" Pixie-Bob said "Yosuku manufacturing came to us saying they're doing research on support technology as it pertains to food and drink, and this water was meant to have a bunch of extra nutrients and electrolytes to maximize its hydrating effectiveness. We've been loving it."

"Yosuku huh?" Onaka said with a smile "leave it to Ayane to come up with something like this."

"What's Ayane have to do with it?" Tora asked after taking a swig of the enhanced water and purring in satisfaction.

Onaka gulped and her face paled "Oops… Uh… nothing!" she said nervously. Tora looked over to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Onaka… you're a terrible liar you know that?" Tora purred as she scooted in closer to Onaka. If Onaka hadn't looked so guilty about letting something slip, she probably wouldn't have much cared, but seeing Onaka recoil away from her like scared prey awakened the hunter instincts in her and made her determined to uncover the secret.

"Liar? Ahaha no what're you talking about?" Onaka chuckled, backing away.

Mandalay and the other pussycats watched this interaction unfold with quiet intrigue and amusement, they were aware that the CEO of Yosuku manufacturing was a student at UA high, having sent her an internship offer as well because of it, so they felt no need to pressure Onaka on the topic. However, they also saw no harm in letting Tora's more catty side come out to play, provided they could convince her to keep Ayane's business dealings a secret in accordance with her wishes later.

"Come on now Onaka, spill the beans, I'll make it worth your while" Tora purred, cornering Onaka by the wall as she continued scooching closer.

"C-come on Tora, I'm not a fan of beans, why would I have beans to spill?" Onaka weakly deflected. It was a silly response and she knew it, but she didn't have anything better.

"Now now, I'll cut you a deal, I know you're bisexual" Tora purred, licking her lips "as for me, I just like any prey I can devour, and right now you're looking like great prey with how nervous you are. So, spill the secret and I'll give you a nice treat."

Onaka blushed, it was true that Tora was an attractive girl she wouldn't mind having quality alone time with, but her loyalty to Ayane as a friend, along with her unrequited feelings for Freya made her hesitant to take Tora up on her offer. Still, it didn't seem like Tora was about to let this go, and she'd already been rejected by Freya. That kiss in the hospital room was probably as close as she'd ever get with that crush. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea to try moving on to greener pastures… or in this case… orange.

Onaka took a deep breath and sighed, putting her hands on Tora's shoulders to stall her and looking away. "Ok fine, but you can't tell anyone ok? And don't let Ayane know I spilled the secret ok? I promised."

Tora nodded, still looking hungrily at Onaka. She'd gotten herself a bit more worked up than she had planned, at first, she'd just intended to tease Onaka a bit, but her hunter instincts had run wild at the sight of such vulnerable prey, and it'd been a while since anyone excited her quite so much. Then she'd given that excitement sexual undertones with her offer, and Onaka had become appealing prey in more ways than one. "Alright, you have my word, what happens in the jungle stays in the jungle… unless you don't want it to" she said, adding a wink at the end as she licked her lips again. Her fur was bristling with excitement now, her claws instinctively extending to assert dominance by putting subtle pressure against Onaka's skin as she rested her hands on the girl's lap and leaned in. Such an energetic and dominant girl running scared of her, this sight was so much more satisfying than whatever secret Onaka could spill now.

Onaka's blush deepened, this was the first time someone had ever come onto her so strongly, and she didn't know how to react to not being the dominant one in a relationship here. Normally her relentless energy and charisma swept others up into her orbit and drew them into her. She'd never had the tables turned on her before, but it was a bit exciting in its own way. "W-well," she stammered "Ayane's last name is Yosuku… she's the CEO of the support company Mandalay was talking about…"

Tora grinned "good girl, doesn't it feel nice to come clean?" she purred seductively "now let me give you something dirty."

Onaka blushed even more as Tora leaned in and kissed her, her catlike tongue was rough and fierce as it forced its way in and wrestled with Onaka's. The kiss was brief, but intense, leaving Onaka a bit dazed as Tora pulled away and licked her lips. Then she leaned in and licked Onaka's cheek in a distinctively catlike manner.

"Mmm, delicious" Tora purred, then laughed as she backed away to give Onaka some space. After a few minutes she managed to calm her catty side down a bit, and her attitude returned mostly to normal. "Sorry to pressure you into breaking your promise Onaka." She said "I may have gotten a bit carried away there."

"Y-yeah, just a bit… but so long as you keep it secret I guess it's ok…" Onaka said nervously "and that was easily the most enjoyable case of promise-breaking ever."

"You two are just adorable" Mandalay laughed "come on though, we've set up camp and taken some time to rest, we need to get back to searching. We'll come back here at nightfall."

Onaka and Tora nodded and stood up, then followed the heroes out on the hunt again.

- Later that night -

"Ugh, even without our packs weighing us down and being able to move faster, we still haven't turned up a single clue." Onaka groaned as she sat by the campfire "is this guy even out here?"

"He couldn't have left the forest entirely" Pixie-Bob said "he'd have been spotted for sure. He may not be in our sector, but he's here somewhere."

Tora sighed "another unproductive day then… I didn't think becoming a hero would involve so much walking around not accomplishing anything."

Onaka nodded in agreement "yeah, the real deal is so much less glamorous than it seems on the outside."

"Well answer this for me then" Mandalay said "why do you two want to become heroes? Quillion, you answer first."

Onaka was quiet for a minute, her face downcast as the firelight cast shifting shadows across it. The crackling blaze filling the silence as embers danced through the air carried on an updraft of hot air and smoke. "When I was younger, I was a troublemaker. Not out of malice or being spoiled or anything. I was just energetic and reckless." She said at last. "I'd go on all sorts of crazy and dangerous adventures, going places I shouldn't, pulling pranks, the works. And I was a charismatic troublemaker and got others involved in my adventures too, I got myself and them into trouble bunches of times, but it was ok because nothing bad ever happened… until it did."

Mandalay nodded silently, not interrupting or commenting, simply acknowledging Onaka's words and providing that silent encouragement to continue.

"One of my friends got hurt in a construction accident because we were trespassing." Onaka said "he ended up paralyzed from the waist down and my quirk wasn't strong enough to protect him. It was a sobering experience. Not too long after that we got our quirk counseling and people started learning to use their quirks more. I realized that compared to a lot of people my quirk was strong, not lacking in offense or defense. I could help a lot of people if I learned to really use it."

"So you became a hero out of guilt for what happened to your friend?" Tora asked

Onaka shook her head "that was part of it, but not all of it. At first I wasn't even thinking about being a hero. I was going around helping people, building their confidence and helping them become less shy. I was strong and charismatic, and still a bit reckless, but I was using that to help people rather than just rushing off into trouble. That shift happened out of guilt, but eventually I came to realize just how much I enjoyed helping others. Inspiring them, leading them towards better and more fulfilled lives."

Onaka looked at her hands, growing some quills from her wrist to look at them in contemplation. "It was then my friend suggested I become a hero, as a hero I could lead and inspire so many more people, and put my quirk to good use actually protecting them and preventing accidents like what happened to him." She said "I could even use my fame and charisma to help inspire people who'd lost loved ones or become crippled. I was born with these gifts that could do so much good, and being a hero was the way to use them all."

"That's a beautiful reason to be a hero" Mandalay said with an approving nod and a smile, "now Tigress, it's your turn to share."

Tora fidgeted uncomfortably "well… my reason isn't really as deep as Onaka's… I don't really have a secret motivation or traumatizing past or a point to prove like many of my classmates." She said, staring into the fire to avoid meeting anyone's gaze, "Truth is, my motivations are ultimately kinda selfish. I like to fight, like REALLY like it. Maybe it's my animal instincts, maybe it's just part of me, but the rush of adrenaline I get when I'm fighting is a high nothing else can match"

"There are other professions where you can do that however, martial arts, the military, wrestling, any number of those could've suited that need" Tiger said, trying to urge Tora on "there must be a reason you picked heroism over those."

"I considered each of those, but none had the same thrill to them." Tora sighed. The look of guilt on her face was almost painful to see. "Hero work is the only place I can get that intense, no-holds barred conflict I crave. In sports fighting there's no real stakes, and in the military I'd mostly be sitting around at a base sparring with fellow soldiers unless a war broke out. But as a hero there's something different, there are people's lives at stake, my own and others. That cranks up the intensity and brings a new kind of thrill to the fight."

Tora sighed and curled up a bit, resting her chin on her knees. "I thought that was enough at first, I got what I wanted, and people got saved, that's all there was to it. But since this year started and I've been seeing everyone's reasons for being a hero, I feel like my reason is just so shallow and selfish. I don't know, I still feel like I want to become one, there's something about it that still makes me want it and drives me, but I can't tell what."

Everyone was quiet, unsure of what to say for a while as the only sound punctuating the silence was the crackling flames. The silence seemed to drag on forever, stretching those short minutes into an eternity. It weighed on the camp like a heavy blanket, smothering everything with its oppressive presence.

"Answer me this then, if all you truly want is to fight, why didn't you become a villain?" Mandalay asked, finally breaking the silence.

"What?" Tora asked, taken aback by the question

"As a villain, you'd fight all the time, and at high stakes too, villains fight each other for their lives, and heroes for their freedom and profit." Mandalay explained "you'd have your fill of fighting and more, honestly even more than you would as a hero. So why didn't you become one? You wouldn't be the first person to become a villain for such reasons."

"I… I didn't want that!" Tora protested, becoming visibly distressed at the implication that her desires could be so easily considered villainous. Her guilty face from before twisting in shock and horror that she might be so close to so many heinous villains.

"Why not? If that's all you desired it would accomplish your goals wouldn't it?" Mandalay pressured "what's the reason you want to be a hero instead?"

"I…" Tora started, then her voice trailed off. Mandalay was right, if she just wanted to fight, it would've made more sense to become a villain. But in that case, why did the very idea feel so abhorrent to her? "I… I don't know…" she said quietly

"Somewhere deep down you do" Mandalay said, putting a hand on Tora's shoulder "dig deep now, think about what it is that set you on this course instead of the villain route."

Tora closed her eyes and thought back, when was it she'd decided to become a hero again? A hazy memory drifted to the surface of her mind. The memory was fragmented, only a few blurry images coming to mind. A fight… blood on her claws… a smiling face staring up at her… Was it then she'd decided? What had she been fighting? Who was it smiling at her? "There's… something" she said "I think there must've been some fight that made me decide to be a hero… I can't remember the details though."

"That's a good start, now try and focus on the bits you do remember, those are probably the parts that stood out to you" Pixie-Bob chimed in encouragingly

"What I remember most clearly was someone young smiling at me after the fight… I think I saved them from something…" Tora said slowly "maybe… I think that must be it… I think the gratitude from others, the reassurance that my violent urges are accomplishing something worthwhile… that's what separates it for me. I want to do good things, even if so much of me is the animal side, I'm still human too."

"So at your core, you want to help others and be appreciated" Onaka said with a smile "dang it Tora even I could've told you that!"

"Eh?" Tora asked, glancing to Onaka

"You're a bigger softie than you seem to realize" Onaka said "like that time a stray cat found its way into our training grounds and you stopped everything to protect it and make sure it was taken care of. Or that time you couldn't stop purring when Ayane tried petting you."

"I-I-I said to never mention that incident ever again!" Tora protested, blushing furiously at the memory. It had happened when Ayane got curious about just how catlike she was. Using her quirk Ayane had determined the most effective spot to pet and begun petting Tora's head, and Tora had very obviously enjoyed it. Her purrs had been a dead giveaway even as she protested and blushed in embarrassment at being treated like a housecat.

"You went out of your way to spar with Ayane to help her train, you refused to condemn Tyra after her last name came to light, and I've seen you on the train to school sometimes letting small children pet your fur or pull your tail without complaint." Onaka went on "maybe your motivation for choosing to be a hero was the fighting, but you're a fundamentally nice and caring person Tora. Anyone who knows you can see that."

Tora looked at Onaka with wide eyes, then looked to Mandalay, who nodded in agreement. Pixie-Bob and Tiger both did the same.

"Even in our short few days together you've shown signs of your true nature" Mandalay said "why even earlier today you showed it when you were asking if it was ok to be here patrolling fruitlessly in the woods. Your reason wasn't that you were wasting your internship time, but rather your sole concern was that you might be holding us back."

Tora nodded "I… I guess you're right… I really enjoy fighting… but I guess I really am out here to help people after all." She said. Her face and voice seemed relieved now, reassured that she wasn't a villain at all. She'd always been afraid her violent urges and predator instincts made her toe too close to that line; and being confronted directly with the question of why she wasn't a villain had shaken her. But it had ended with the conclusion that in spite of those aspects of herself, she was still a good person at her core. It was a massive relief to receive that reassurance from so many others, both friends and professional heroes alike having the same conclusions about her.

"Now you two, here's the point of this lesson, why do you think I had you two contemplate your reason for being a hero?" Mandalay asked

"Um… heart to heart bonding?" Onaka suggested weakly, almost certain her answer was incorrect but trying it anyway.

"No idea…" Tora said

"Because that's what will drive you through times like these." Mandalay said "no matter how hard work gets, or how fruitless our efforts may seem, remembering the reason you're here will keep you motivated to work hard and do your best. If you walk away from this internship with nothing else, at least take that with you."

Onaka and Tora fell quiet for a few moments, letting the lesson sink in before smiles broke out on their faces. It had been a rather roundabout way to teach the lesson, but neither of them would've fully comprehended it if Mandalay had just come out and told them that from the start. Reflecting on their motivations and reaffirming their resolve to become heroes on their own made it more significant. And with this new resolve, facing the endless boredom of their patrols didn't seem so daunting anymore.

Tora laid back on the ground with a sigh "man you were leading us around by the nose there, maybe you should be a teacher instead of a pro."

Mandalay smiled "well I do have a young child to try and raise in place of his mother, I need to know how to teach these sorts of lessons." She said, then paused as she looked at Tora. Tora's body was stiff as she looked up at the roof of the alcove, a realization dawning on her face. "Tigress? What's wrong?"

"The ground… this alcove…" Tora said as she slowly got to her feet and walked over to the alcove wall. She fumbled with her glove for a moment to remove it, then extended her claws on that hand and slashed at the wall. The claws raked against the stone wall, not leaving so much as a scratch on it. Tora put her glove back on and turned back to the others. "This place didn't form naturally, someone made it by hand, and not too long ago at that."

"What? How do you know that?" Onaka asked, getting to her feet as well.

"The ground is too smooth, I didn't really feel it until I laid down on it, and those rocks that make up the alcove… this kind of rock wouldn't form a partial cave like this under normal conditions." Tora explained, tapping the rocks "this is solid stone, normally to see a rock structure like this it'd either need to be a sort of dirt and rock sedimentary mix, or there would need to be a nearby water source to have eroded it. Or someone could've artificially created it… And I can tell it's recent because of the smooth ground, if it'd been done a long time ago there'd be more stray rocks and dirt and stuff."

Mandalay's eyes widened, and she leapt to her feet, as did the other pussycats. "If this was an artificially created location crafted to be an ideal campsite…" she mused, "then it's highly likely the one who made it was the villain we're tracking."

"Which means he was in this area recently" Pixie-Bob said as she pulled out a map of the area, then marked their location on it. "If we consider the areas we've already searched, and the areas other heroes have searched…"

Pixie-Bob began crossing out sections of the map that had been thoroughly swept through already, narrowing the possible locations of the villain down. "He's most likely headed Northeast" she said at last, pointing to a portion of the map near the one they were searching. "it's possible he's caught onto the fact we're hunting for him and is trying to make his way towards the river to try and hide his scent and tracks, then slip through our search net and make an escape."

"That's not good, the river is only about a two day walk away, if he was here recently he'll probably reach it tomorrow and slip past" Mandalay said "Alright everybody grab your bags we're moving out, I'm going to send out a telepathic message to everyone I can reach about this, and we're going to make a beeline for the river. With any luck he's stopped to rest for the night and we can close the distance."

Onaka and Tora nodded and went to gather their things, as did the heroes. There was no time to waste now, the chase was on