With Pan's plan in motion, she and Kendo had removed several trees from the ground, allowing Kodai to shrink them to pocket-size. Amid the cover of the darkness and the trees along the path, Pan watched carefully. The first team to approach was Todoroki and Bakugo. With Pan's signal, the team began their play. As the two approached, Pan descended, and quietly stacked the shrunken trees behind them. As she took off once again, Kodai reached out from behind the bushes, tapping on the trees and returning them to their original size.
The two turned around, seeing that their escape route was now cut off. With their eyes focused on the blockage, Pan dashed into the designated spot on the ground, now softened by Honenuki. As the two set their sights on moving forward, Pan slowly and limply floated out of the softened ground, her distained groaning subtle, but unsettling. Now frozen in place, the students' eyes widened. "What the...hell...?" Bakugo said. "DAMMIT! THIS STUPID CRAP IS GETTING ON MY NERVES!" With his screams echoing into the night, his scowl never left his face as he grabbed his partner by the collar and ran off, no doubt trying to get this activity over with.
"Hahaha! Way to go, Son!" Honenuki praised, poking his head out from beyond the treeline.
"Your plan even managed to work on Bakugo." Kodai told her as she began to shrink the trees again.
"Do you know who's next?" Kendo asked her.
"Yeah, I think Bulla and Hagakure are coming next. After them is Mineta and Tokoyami." Pan informed her classmates before collecting Kodai's shrunken trees.
"If we just scare Hagakure and Mineta, their partners should chase them into the forest." Kendo told them with a smile. "Pan, can I help out at all?"
"Actually, I think if you can use Big Fist to set the trees up vertically behind the victims, it'll be more chilling then a log stack." Pan told her Class Rep before floating over, passing off her bundle of trees. "That'll let me get ready faster."
"Right! Let's get into position, I think the second team will be here any minute!" Kendo directed as everyone got into position. As predicted, Hagakure was terrified by the ordeal and dashed into the forest, closely followed by Bulla. In similar fashion, the following team were pushed further into the forest due to Mineta's apparent terror, and the students of Class B shared a laugh.
"That's just incredible," Pan said with laughter, "who's coming up next?"
"It should be Iida and Asui." Kendo informed her as she collected her trees with Kodai.
"No doubt Asui will get scared, and Iida's pretty chivalrous, so he'll probably whisk her away." Pan told them, holding a finger to her chin.
"Sounds like an easy scare, then. If we got Todoroki and Bakugo, I don't think there's much to worry about." Honenuki told the girls.
"They're coming!" Kodai whispered loudly, prompting everyone into position. As the footsteps approached, Kendo and Kodai set their trap, diverting the teams attention while Pan rose like the dead. As she groaned, the dark figures became clear to her, and she briefly froze as she gazed upon Iida and Shoji. "You... You're not Asui..."
"She wanted to switch with me, since I was partnered with Uraraka." Shoji informed them, remembering the girls jumping together in glee. "They'd be the team behind us now."
"Right, then... Carry on, I guess..." Pan told them, slapping her palm against her face.
"Aw, come on, Son! You could have at least kept going!" Honenuki complained, poking his head out.
"There'd be no point, the switch threw me off. Was there any other switches?" She asked the Class A students.
"Yes, Izuku switched with Momo, but she failed to inform him that she was alone, so he's on a one-man team now." Iida informed her as she chuckled nervously.
"Hey, do you smell something?" Kendo called out, stepping out of the bushes with Kodai.
"Now that you mention it, it's kind of smoky out here." Honenuki pointed out as a fog began to slowly roll in.
"I've got a bad feeling, guys!" Pan told the group before turning to the source of a loud thud. "Honenuki!"
"Yui! Son!" Kendo called out as reached out and enveloped Kodai in her hand, using her free hand to cover her mouth and nose. "Don't breathe in!"
"Poison smoke?!" Iida said in shock, covering his mouth.
"Iida, I need you to boost all the way to camp and let them know about the smoke. Shoji, can you carry Honenuki back for me?" Pan said through her hand.
"Yeah, no problem, I have arms to spare." Shoji told her as she lifted into the air, slightly blowing away the smoke below her.
"I'm going to get an aerial view on the situation. Kendo, I need you to get Kodai to safety!" Pan called out as she blasted off into the air.
"Everyone!" A voice suddenly said from within Pan's mind.
"That's Mandalay!" She said as she left the area of the smoke, taking a deep breath.
"Two villains attacked us. It's possible there are more coming! Everyone return to camp immediately!" She said into Pan's mind, causing her eyes to widen. "We're regrouping, do not engage the enemies!"
"Damn it, so that means they're caught up at the clearing, so I should-" Turning over, she caught a glimpse at the true horror of the situation. Shortly in the distance, the poison cloud circled around a single area. Meanwhile, a blue flame burned beyond its reaches. "What the hell?! Just how many of them are there?!" A series of crashes sounded out through the night, and turning around, Pan could see several blades rising into the sky. "No, no no!"
What do I do!? Should I return to camp? No, my classmate's are out here! But how do I- Before the thought could finish, Pan's eyes widened. "Can I pull it off, though?" As if responding to her question, a massive shockwave ripped through the mountainside in the distance. "I don't have any choice!" In midair, Pan crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees, closing her eyes. First thing's first, I need to find Bulla! There's nothing we can't do when we're together! Faintly, she could sense over forty presences throughout the forest and campsite. She narrowed down her search, concentrating more than she's ever had to in order to search along the path that Bulla and Hagakure took. Along the path, she found two energies running away, and from where they were fleeing, there were four more energies, two of which were flying around. "That's it!" Immediately, Pan dashed towards the source of the energies, flying as fast as she could.
Descending onto the scene at full speed, Todoroki stood in front of Bakugo and Bulla, creating an ice pillar as a series of blades collided. The scene grew in size as the distance between them closed. Bulla was covered in cuts, no doubt taking the full front of attacking. It'd make sense that Todoroki and Bakugo are at a disadvantage, we're in a forest! They could burn the whole place down if they're not careful! The villain, who was almost entirely bound in some kind of leather clothing, and had mountains of enamel formed from his mouth to keep him suspended, rose himself higher to attack from above. While the dust cloud from the prior collision gave them momentary cover, Todoroki shot another ice pillar to the side as a diversion, and as the villain shot his razor-sharp teeth towards the additional pillar, Bulla darted around the initial pillar and shot herself upward.
Pan's eyes widened, and everything began to move in slow motion as additional teeth grew from the villains mouth, rapidly approaching her best friend. I won't make it in time! She thought, fear and panic slowly creeping in. No... Even if I can't feel my body after, I have to use it, NOW! "Kaio-Ken!" With her white aura shifting to red, Pan blasted off with newfound speed, finally closing the distance between them. Facing her best friend, she smiled, despite the rising heat blazing through out her body. Red splatters dotted themselves in small and large quantities across Bulla's face and body, and her vision quickly began to fade into black.
"PAAAAN!"
Time seemed to freeze for Bulla. Despite everything she had, she could neither defend nor attack their assailant. Thankfully enough, Hagakure managed to get Tsuburaba to safety. All she could do was evade while Todoroki defended, and make any attempt at a decisive blow, but it was to no avail. Just as she was ready to accept her fate, Pan dashed in. A flash of red, and she was skewered before her, her still-warm blood splattered across her face.
"Mhm, that's right! The name is Pan Son: Bulla's sworn protector and best friend!" Her voice was so loud in her head, it was as if she was speaking to her directly. Despite her sudden critical injury, she smiled. "Here I am, trying to make sure you don't fall apart, and now you're the one helping me."
The villain's teeth left Pan's body, and she limply fell. In an instant, Bulla reached out, and caught her as the two descended to the ground. "PAAAAN!" She screamed in anguish, tears suddenly flooding her eyes.
Neither Bakugo nor Todoroki could believe their eyes. Dumbfounded, they stood until the villain unleashed another wave of teeth, prompting Todoroki to launch a wave of ice to block the attack. He ran to her side in order to keep her safe, standing his ground as he grit his teeth.
The loud thumping of Bulla's heartbeat began to fill her ears, and memories of Pan began to flash through her mind. THUMP.
"And that's fine! We won't be able to walk home together anymore, but I'll always be waiting here for you! Things will only get better, Bulla. I promise." THUMP.
"Pan! Pan! Pan!" Helplessly, she called out, but to no avail. She just wouldn't open her eyes. Dark clouds rolled in as Bulla held her best friend tightly against her chest. "PAAN! OPEN YOUR EYES DAMMIT!" She cried. THUMP.
"But now, I know that I can protect everybody!" She heard herself say. The bitter reminder of her weakness, as all she could do was cry. "WAKE UP!" THUMP.
"You won't get away with that, bastard!" Todoroki told him, despite his inability to break through his relentless offense.
Bakugo rushed to Bulla's side, offering a hand for her shoulder, but she simply swatted it away. "NO! SHE CAN'T DIE! SHE WON'T DIE! YOU HEAR ME, PAN! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME, DAMMIT!" THUMP.
"A hero is someone who will give their life to protect others." The words she once told to Nezu repeated in her head as her tears flowed endlessly. It was only then that Bakugo swore he saw her hair flash yellow. THUMP.
"Someone who will always come out on the other side for the people they care about!" Thunder roared in the distance, and a low rumbling began to shake the ground. THUMP.
"It's somebody who will do everything in their power to protect the smiles that they love." THUMP.
"What the hell...?!" Bakugo said as he took a step back.
"Bakugo, what's going on back there?" Todoroki called out as he unleashed another wave of ice, blocking an oncoming assault of teeth.
"They'll do anything to push through, just so those people can continue to be happy." Through her tears, her hair continued to flash yellow as lightning began to rip across the sky. THUMP.
In her arms, Pan lied with a smile on her face. Several bleeding wounds stained her clothes, and a small stream of red trickled from her mouth. "You... Who gave you...the right..." Bulla's eyes filled with rage through her tears as she looked up. "TO TAKE HER FROM ME!" With a cry of rage, Bulla's hair rose, and shifted to a brilliant golden, and her eyes to a resonating emerald. The earth shook, and as Bulla grit her teeth, she took a step. A golden aura exploded around her and Pan before she picked herself up. From the pillar of golden light around them, a strong gale formed in all directions throughout the forest. Turning around, she approached Bakugo, and held out her arms, allowing him to take her. Although she was heavier than he'd imagined, he didn't dare to drop her, and kept her stable as the golden light faded from her body.
Bulla clenched her fist, and in an instant, she vanished. Several craters formed in her path, and as an onslaught of teeth rained down, Bulla swung her arm, not only ripping through the wave of teeth, but tearing down about twenty meters of forest ahead of them.
"Brief?" Todoroki said as he lost his footing from the tremors around them. In an instant, Bulla leaped into the air and slammed her fist into their assailant, before delivering a sledgehammer and knocking him to the ground.
Landing hard in front her opponent, her eyes were cold and focused. Despite the sudden damage he just took, the villain began to lift himself with his teeth. "I guess that even if I break your limbs, you can still move with that disgusting Quirk of yours." She told him as he unleashed a wave of teeth at point blank.
"HEY, LOOK OU-!" Before he could finish, the entirety of his teeth shattered, with the exception of what was left in his mouth.
Reaching out, Bulla grabbed the villain by his cheek, leaving her thumb in his mouth. "These disgusting teeth of yours." She reached out her free hand and gripped the villain's bottom row of teeth. As she squeezed, she could feel his bottom jaw begin to crack before lightening her grip. "Ah ah ah, I don't want you to die, not just yet." Now with a better concept of her strength, she squeezed, cracking and shattering his bottom row of teeth. As he bellowed in pain, she couldn't help but smile sinisterly as the tears dried from her eyes. "That's better." In quick succession, she followed up by shattering the villain's top row of teeth, rendering him unable to attack.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Todoroki called out.
"You've already beaten the bastard!" Bakugo followed, but to no avail. Their words just weren't reaching out. Even the updated message from Mandalay was drowned out by the sound of Bulla's heartbeat in her ears.
"Now... Die..." As she raised the villain and reeled her fist back slowly, a cold sensation engulfed her body. Looking down, ice had completely covered both her and the villain. Turning her head, the boys could see that her eyes were almost entirely lost in darkness. "To-do-ro-ki... What the hell do you think you're doing...?" The sound of her voice in this state was chilling, as if a monster had been born. Since the villain had been suspended in ice, she pulled her arm away and turned her body, completely shattering the ice that surrounded her.
Todoroki took a step back, astonished by her speed and strength. This is just like that time with Bullan! Is this how it felt to stare down that kind of power?! My hands won't stop shaking, dammit! "Brief, he's clearly lost! You can stop now!"
"Stop...? Why would I do that?" She asked, tilting her head. The image only made her smile all-the-more bone-chilling. "He took Pan from me, so he's going to pay."
"HEY IDIOT!" Bakugo yelled out. Not even able to get a another word out, Bulla suddenly stood before him, creating a crater around them.
"What?"
Despite her sudden overwhelmingly intense aura, he stood his ground, looking down at her. "She's still alive." He told her, causing her eyes to widen.
Looking down, she could see several burn-spots across her body, everywhere she had been stabbed. "I seared the wounds closed, just like my father did to you! Her brain and heart weren't hit, and despite her blood loss she's still holding on!" Todoroki called out.
"You hear that? We can still save her. But she needs to get back to the camp." Bakugo told her as tears began to flow once again. She could see Pan's faint breathing, and covered her mouth as she fell to her knees. Finally, the suspended waving of her golden hair ceased, and fell flat, just as it was before.
"Todo...roki... Baku...go... I'm so sorry..." She told them through her hiccups. "I lost...control again..."
"It's fine. If it hadn't been for the forest in our way, Bakugo and I probably would have gone all out, too." Todoroki told her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "What's important is that we get her the help she needs."
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right..." Bulla told him. wiping her tears away and taking Pan into her arms. "I haven't failed yet, Pan. I can still save you!" Closing her eyes to focus, she formed a barrier around her that rose into the air. "This should keep her out of harm's way, but I'm not at full strength right now, between training and..." She decided not to finish her sentence, knowing full well that Todoroki would be asking questions before long. "Can we think of any reason the villains are here?"
"I guess you didn't pay attention to her last message, but Bakugo is their priority. Although you managed to blow away the gas behind us, it'd be faster if we carry on forward." Todoroki explained, pointing along the path ahead.
"Right. Bakugo, stay in between us." Bulla directed. "We want to make sure there are no surprise attacks."
"And how much better are you going to be while you're focused on her?" He asked, pointing to the barrier above them.
"Don't worry about that. We have to regroup with everyone at camp so we can leave Pan in their care, and get a better feel for the situation. We don't know who all is out here."
"Tsk." After what he had just seen her do, seeing what she had almost done, Bakugo couldn't bring himself to argue at the moment. As directed, the three made their way into the darkness together, cautious of what may lie ahead.