Heroes to Hunters

Chapter 19

Yeah, sorry Chef. Dabi is dead dead. Same with Shigaraki and most of the rest of the League and PLA. Or rather about half the PLA. Mostly because they weren't expecting it. Machia himself was basically filled up with Hellfire gas and blow up and burned from the inside out. And the rest were set ablaze by the power of the Hellfireblight. Felt it was a good way to show how dangerous some of the monsters could be. Especially Magnamalo. But for now, the story will focus on others hunting and getting ready for the Rampage. So on with the show.

(Mineta POV)

I didn't expect that we'd see the league or anyone else from our world here. That was a crazy shock. But I'm not complaining about the fact that two of the hottest heroes from our world are here. Especially after seeing some of the armors they can get. Though I unfortunately don't get the same luxury of seeing them all the time.

Elder Fugen has me learning about the defense stations and the types of ammo to use. He also made me learn how to use the wirebugs so I can get around easier. It isn't too dissimilar to when I would use my pop off balls for mobility. Though it is harder to get used to using a weird little bug attached to my wrist to pull myself everywhere. "Hey Mineta! How are things going?"

I know my eye is twitching a bit at hearing that voice. Midoriya. That lucky bastard managed to land not one but two girls! And he got laid by both of them at the same time. But I know where some of it is coming from. It's the same thought I had back during finals. 'A hero isn't cool because they are born that way. They're cool because of how they act and what they are willing to do.' Midoriya has always kinda embodied that.

So with a sigh I greet the guy. "Hey Midoriya! Surprised to see you here. I figured you'd be out hunting for new gear." "I was but I wanted to check in on a few things here at the Red Stronghold. If what most of them said is true, this will be the main battleground," Midoriya says while looking over the area.

I nod before pointing out that the biggest issue to the fight ahead. "When it came to the battle against Zorah we knew exactly where he was heading. Here, we're guessing. Most of the scouts and felyne's have an idea but it's still just luck if we pick the right one," I say while aiming the ballista the Elder assigned me to. I look up and see Midoriya nodding. And then I hear him start muttering to himself… I guess some things never change.

I snap him out of it before asking him a few things. I'm avoiding the how he got together and how I could do it talk for now. Right now, I want to know more about that hot villain he went out on that expedition with. Though the sad look on his face is confusing. Until he tells me a few details. No wonder she went villain. And no wonder she didn't trust any of us. "Well, I guess that means we have to win her trust. Think I got a chance?"

Midoriya gives me a side look before saying, "of winning her trust: maybe. But you might want to drop some of your usual mannerisms. Of anything else: Hell no. I noticed the way she looked at both Hawks and Han when we got back. Not sure where that may go but… you know." I sigh at that but see his point. Besides, she is a bit older and would probably prefer someone like that compared to Midnight who seems DTF all the time.

"Oh well, I'm not gonna get better at maneuvering around this area standing still. I'll practice a bit more with the wirebugs and get a feel for the ammo each of the weapons uses," I say to Midoriya. Who laughs before asking to race. Guess he wants to get better at using wirebugs as well. So, I make him the challenge that loser has to pay for the next piece of gear or a meal at the dango shop. Here we go!

(Itsuka POV)

I thought things were crazy enough when we first ended up here. But what has happened since then has gotten crazier. I feel a little bad about some things though. First would have to be that I couldn't help Setsuna right away with her issues. Let alone the fact that so many of us were panicking about losing our quirks and the fact we had no way home, that we were all in a terrible head space as well. I ended up relying on Midoriya to try and help one of my best friends while I did nothing.

But that has changed since then, thanks to him trusting me as well. And she's gotten better and better over time. Though I won't deny being terrified more than once at some of these beasts around. Nargacugas are terrifiying when they jump right on top of you. But I faced that fear, and I'll eventually face it again while I'm here in Kamura.

That itself brings up a whole new set of problems. Given it was straight from her (and Hawks later confirmed some of it) what Lady Nagant went through was not only terrible, but a poor reflection of what hero society in our world is like. But maybe if we all listen to her and some of the other villains, we could try to make things better for a lot more people. Especially ones like Toga, or Twice from what she's told us about him. Their powers may have messed with their heads, but others still ostracized them because of that and that they felt they had to hide inside of themselves.

Spinner had admitted after getting friendly with Tetsutetsu that he in some ways just wanted revenge against those who had discriminated against him because of his lizard looks. "But now that I think about it, with the PLF they would just be discriminating based on the level or power potential of a quirk. It just creates a cycle and only changes things in the moment. If we do get back, I'm going to step away to see if I can find a better way. Stain was right about the rot of heroes, but they aren't the only ones at fault," he had said while eating with us one day. And I have to agree with him. I think some like Rin are considering what it would mean to be a hero in our world.

But I can't worry about those things right now. For now, I have a Great Izuchi to hunt down. Elder Fugen had advised each of us who are going to help with the rampage to hunt down some other monsters to make better weapons and gear. "I do like the Kamura gear, but I would like some variation. The Izuchi tree for the great sword and eventually a Basarios hammer," I said while on another expedition with Yui.

She had taken more to the longsword types and was hoping to not only get a Izuchi longsword and Azuros naginata but was also liking the advanced Kamura horn and Poetic bell. "The last one also has a beautiful longsword but trying to catch or kill a Mizustune is going to be hard enough when I get approved for it." "That's no joke. If you're going to fight it though I suggest using a bowgun. Better movement and attack options." Neither of us knew where the voice that said that was coming from. Until Amalee-san dropped flipped down in front of us.

She had apparently been surveying some of the Frost Island's while we were exploring around. She had on what we were told is Goss Harag armor. Not only that she had a pair of Blazeblades behind her back. The mask for the armor though was what drew both of our eyes. At seeing the two of us gulp, I guess she decided to help us relax and took the helmet off. "Sorry about that. But I'm not kidding. Mizustune are crafty and slippery monsters to fight. Me and my brother have found it is easier to fight those beasts using heavy and light bowguns. He's good at counter attacking and quick blasting with heavy bowguns, while I prefer to dart around with the light vairent."

We both nod at that but we brought up the bigger question bugging both of us: "What exactly are you doing here? And are you following us to make sure we don't get lost?" The woman seems amused by that and laughs before asking us to come up on a root covered ridge to talk.

(No POV)

"It's nothing like that. I just happened to be in the area. I won't deny that I am concerned about all of you. Especially given where I found Rumi and Ryuko. Both of them had been tied up by the Rakna-Kadaki and were going to be cooked when I showed up and started blasting the thing as fast as I could. Had to abandon my initial hunt to save them," Amalee says while getting out her bbq spit. Both of the hero teens were wide eyed at hearing that story.

Itsuka shivers a bit before saying she would be terrified of spiders after that. "Yeah. I'm hoping we won't have to fight something like that any time soon," Yui said while accepting the well-done steak from Amalee. Itsuka though ask for her to make a rare steak instead. "I prefer meat a bit on the rare side." So with a chuckle Amalee does just that.

They spend a few minutes just talking about what they will do during and after the rampage. Both girls were hoping to eventually make some new gear, and weapons. But then Amalee stops them and looks to the tree's standing nearby. She then points to long eared bear like creature. The two teens have no idea what it is, so Amalee uses the poem passed down to tell the beast's story.

On a frosty mountain range, far from human haunts. An abominable beast does whatever it wants. Is it hare? Or is it bear? It is neither so beware. It will drench the snow in blood and wreak nothing but despair. "That is the silver slider, Lagombi. Watch," Amalee said as the teens look on. Then then see the rabbit eared bear slid along it's belly at high speed, and crash into an Anteka. They hear the sickening crunch of the bones being smashed against the rocks. And then see the monster raise it's head up and bite into the neck of the antlered animal.

It then snorts before sliding away. Amalee jumps down to inspect the damage with the teens behind her. "Hmmm…. This doesn't make sense. Lagombi are usually passive. Not to mention, they are usually insectivores. Though they do eat mushrooms that grow too. But to attack this beast with no provocation. It's unsettling," Amalee says while inspecting the kill. Itsuka has her Kamura cleaver drawn just in case and Yui has her longsword out as well.

With a sigh though, Amalee skins the Anteka and harvest the meat and pelt that was still intact. Yui thought for a moment before mentioning something. "Kinoko had mentioned to me that the researchers were talking about the weird actions of the monsters around Astrea before we left. Maybe this could be related?" Itsuka shakes her head and mentions that they aren't ready for that just yet.

Amalee decides to change up her own hunt and go after the Lagombi they saw to make sure it isn't related. She tells the two to finish their expedition and head back. Amalee then takes her helmet and puts it on. And though it might just be a trick of the light, the two hero teens swear they can see the mask's eyes light up. They shiver and head out.

For some of the other teens they have different experiences. After Izuku had raced Mineta a few times around the Red Stronghold (their races coming out to ties at the end), he went with Toga to explore and hunt in the Shrine Ruins. Izuku packing a Kamura Light bowgun and Toga using the Kamura glintblades.

"Thanks for coming along Izuku-kun. I've gotten better at using these weapons as well as all the other things hunters can do. But I'd still like to have someone else around. I don't….. I don't want to be alone again," Toga says with her eyes slightly downcast. Izuku's face is a bit somber, but as he puts a hand on her shoulder he has a smile. "Don't worry. I'm right here," he says as they head down to the hunting grounds. With Akatsuki coming up behind and putting his head in her hand. This gets the former villain to smile and she nods.

Izuku tries to copy what he saw Han do but he times it wrong and ends up wet at the end. "Just barely. I can't quite get to….." Izuku trails off as he is talking. Toga had walked across the river and was about to ask what was wrong. But then she saw it. A top the Torii like stones is a blue furred creature that seems to be eating some fruit. The two shake their heads before trying to walk around it.

Then all of a sudden, Izuku is hit in the side of the head by a large fruit. Toga turns and is hit in the stomach just the same. Akatsuki manages to dodge, before throwing some kunai at it. The monster then leans back and hangs by its tail to toss more fruit out. As this happens, both teens manage to shake off the hits and Toga calls out to run. Izuku follows her and they wirebug up ridge of rocks. With more fruit flying behind them. One of which strikes a Bombadgy and seemingly paralyzes the little monster.

After they were sure that the monster had stopped they looked down to see it still perched atop the stones. "What is that thing?" Toga asks as they look down. Suddenly a voice behind them says, "that is a Bishantan." The two teens turn and see the large form of Sorek. "How did you sneak up on us?" Izuku asks as the large man steps up to the ridge. "It wasn't hard. You two were distracted by something else," Sorek says while his partner palamute Neit comes up behind him. The canyne has golden fur and floppy ears, with a stub tail. Compared to Akatsuki and Riley who both have pointed ears and long curled tails.

Both the canyne and Sorek are wearing Barroth armor, and a Barro Barrel is on the hunter's back. He then decides to tell them more about the monster they had a troubling encounter with. On the road to perdition. Stands a false sentry with a devilish mission. Once it spots movement, it puts its tail in position. It's plan to pelt prey coming to fruition. For this is it's territory. And there is no admission. The Frenetic Ascetic, Bishaten.

At the end of the poem, the three hunters see the Bishaten flip itself up and land on it's tail. It then winds up before spinning around to strike more of the Bombadgy. "That thing is my target. You two had best be on your own way. I've got a beast to hunt," Sorek says before drawing his bowgun and nodding to Niet.

The two teen hunters nod as well before heading up the hilltop. As night is falling, they hear the Bishaten let out a strangled cry. "Guess he killed it. Now we just need to find those Great Izuchi and take two of them out," Toga said as they were coming toward the shrine perimeter. When they got there, they could see an Izuchi pack and watched as a Great Izuchi leapt from above. But then they saw something that made Toga's hair stand on end.

Towards the end of the trail, they saw a purple flame. It just seemed to just float in the air. But Izuku noticed that it was getting closer and closer. Toga then grabs his arm in a panic before the fire shoots toward them. Impacting the ground and burning their Kamura gear. Then out of the darkness, leaps a terrifying beast. With purple scales and bone blades on multiple points on its body. Magnamalo has arrived.

Izuku pulls Toga back as she had started to hyperventilate at seeing the monster that killed all of her friends. The beast slices through a few Izuchi before catching the Great Izuchi's blade tail with its forearm blade and tossing it aside. It then blasts forward striking the monster a few more times. And then going for its throat. At hearing the crack, both teens shiver. And Toga grips Izuku's arm tighter and tighter.

The beast then drops the Great Izuchi. Not even bothering to eat it's kill. At seeing this, Toga's eyes bug out more. She jumps up and screams before charging the Tiger Wyvern of Malice. Izuku tries to stop her but she seems to have snapped and isn't listening to anything. Slashing at the monster more and more. But barely doing any damage.

The creature then dodges out of one of her demon attacks before striking her side, with it's spear tail. And venting Hellfire gas along the path. It then explodes setting the girl slightly alight with Hellfire. She uses her wirebugs to recover, but the beast is on her again. It lets out a deafening roar and all of the bone spikes on its body stand up. And Hellfire seems to pour from its body. It then rockets forward and blasts her away again, leaving more of it's gas behind itself.

Toga looks around and realizes she's about to be in the middle of a huge fiery detonation. She closes her eyes in regret at not getting the chance to really hurt the monster that took her friends. Just as the gas is about to detonate, Izuku sprints and wirebugs toward her as fast as he can. He knocks her away out of the gas, but taking an explosion to his back.

Akatsuki then appears and tries to strike Magnamalo a few times with its sickle chain and steel jaws. As well as tossing kunai and using its Kamura blade. Izuku backs his canine partner up with shots from his bowgun. But they barely even hurt the purple beast. The two get knocked away and try to run with Izuku carrying Toga. But the tiger wyvern refuses to let them go easily.

Izuku grits his teeth while holding Toga on his back. Then out of nowhere a different shot rings out. All of the sudden a cluster bomb drops on top of Magnamalo, and then a sticky shell attaches itself to the monster's face. "Get out of here now Izuku! I'll handle this beast!" Izuku looks up to the mountain cliff side and sees Han standing there with a Nifl Mist bowgun.

Izuku doesn't need telling twice and he takes his chance when Han swings down and throws a poison smoke bomb in front of the monster's face. This seems to disorient the beast a bit before Han starts shooting more and more. Then out of the ground comes Riley wearing Sinister armor set and wielding the Almudron wings. He then slashes the side of the wyvern, before biting down on its side. Willie then comes of nowhere out wearing the Sinister set as well and wielding the Jyura sword.

Han meanwhile is wearing the Tigrex armor with a variety of decorations to better protect himself. He fires again and again to damage the beast. And when it charges at him, he uses the Fanning Maneuver to slide away as fast as possible. It takes him over an hour and reloading all of his ammo twice, but he eventually fells the beast.

Izuku meanwhile is trying to keep Toga from running off on a suicide attack. He gets help from Iguchi after he sent a message back to Kamura. "Toga! Himiko STOP! Going after that thing as you are now won't bring the others back. You and I aren't ready to face that thing. We need to take this slow. Please. Just stop for now," the former lizard villain says while holding her shoulders. Toga is still hyperventilating a bit, but she eventually calms a bit more. She then takes some sleep herbs before heading back to the village.

When Han arrives back at the village, he checks in on the girl. At her home, Ochaco, Setsuna, Iguchi, and Izuku are there. "I killed the Magnamalo you saw. It took a few reloads but its dead." "That's at least one less of that monster out there I suppose" Iguchi says after standing up. He explained that when they got back, Toga had gone home and was still panicking a bit. Izuku had called the girls to help a bit more, and they all listened her fears of not just Magnamalo. But the other monsters that were its level

They eventually got her to calm a bit more before she went to bed. She had used some sleep herbs to make it easier. "She's been fine for a while, but I guess seeing that thing again brought all of it back. I've had a few nightmares about it too," Iguchi says while looking down. Setsuna sighs before saying she'll talk to her when she wakes up. "I know what it's like to be terrified of….. well everything around here. I might be able to help her."

Han nods before heading out again. While the group at the Shrine Ruins were dealing with that, Hanai, Ryuko, and Rumi all teamed up to hunt in the Sandy Plains. Though Nagant had been brought out of her shell a bit, she was still a bit uncomfortable around the other heroes. All Might especially made her mad. "So what's with you and All Might? Did you meet him back when you were a hero?" Rumi asked as they were walking in the sandy wastes. Hanai sighed before saying she didn't. "But he reminds me of….. of when I was a hero. And was the smoking gun at peoples' heads to keep the public trust of heroes." "I think I understand. Ones like him and Endeavor. Even me and Mirko here. We got the pretty publicity and rarely if ever had to get our hands dirty. Or deal with the darker side that comes with quirks. But you did," Ryuko says with sympathy in her one eye.

Hanai wants to roll her eyes at the former dragon hero's attempt to empathize with her, but she knows that these two aren't really to blame for what happened to her. She sighs and then says, "I wanted to believe for so long that I was doing good, but after a while. It just felt like I lost sight of what it meant to be a hero. And why I wanted to follow this path." The other two heroes nod, but the former rabbit comments that she shouldn't think about it too much anymore.

"We're in a world now where the only monsters we fight get used for meat, weapons and armor. We should focus on that first and foremost. C'mon. We've got a couple of bird like monsters to kill." Hanai snorts at the pugilistic woman's phrasing but agrees. Ryuko chuckles a bit too and the three head deeper into the desert.

When they see the egg stealing Kulu-Ya-Ku, they remember the poem associated with the monster. A moment of peace, soon to be disturbed. A threat approaches. It's hunger uncurbed. It rakes up its lunch, chows down without grace. But inside this nest, for thieves there is no place. It needs to escape or get egg on its face. "Its definitely a more comical beast compared to the Great Wroggi we killed earlier," Rumi says with a chuckle as she draws her bone hatchets. Hanai draws her Kamura light bowgun and takes aim, and Ryuko draws her Dragon Veil.

They make short work of the bird wyvern and decide to gather some extra materials in the area. After a few minutes gathering, Ryuko decides to bring up a little question she had with Hanai. "By the way, what's with you and Han? I the way you were looking at him during some of our training. Anything you want to share?" hero turning hunter says with a grin on her face. Hanai just rolls her eyes and says there is nothing going on. She stops the conversation by asking a question of her own. "What about you, Mirko and Amalee? You aren't the only one with sharp eyes," Hanai says with a teasing gleam of her own.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rumi asks after killing some Jaggi and Jaggia. Hanai is about to say something about that, but Ryuko covers her mouth. "Nothing. Nothing at all." Even though it is covered, Ryuko knows Hanai has a shit eating grin at her reaction.

By the time a week has passed, each of the Astrea and Japan hunters have gathered enough materials to make a few different sets of armor and weapons. Now they are ready for the rampage.

Sorry to those who were hoping for going straight into the rampage, but I think it would be best for the new hunters to get used to their new role and for the Astrea ones to try and get new gear to fight with. I also wanted to bring in a few other details like Toga's semi-crazed attacks on a monster way out of her league to fight. And some light heartedness before the chaos that will come in the next chapter. Oh also, I'm not planning to give Izuku a palico right now. But some of the others could have them as partners. As well as a few getting palamute partners as well. If you have a suggestion, leave it in a review. Thanks!