Denki Kaminari knew he was probably the dumbest kid in class, academically that is. He had never been too worried about that, so long as he passed exams in an elite school, he would go on considering himself pretty smart.

But it didn't take a genius like Yaomomo to figure out that this entire situation was desperate at best. Still, he had never thought things would turn out as they did…

When the villains left, the room full of students had breathed a sigh of relief mixed with lingering worry. The students gathered inside the building under Vlad-Sensei – the teacher of Class B – while Aizawa-Sensei and the pussycats combed through the forest for students and villains.

The first massive shock of the aftermath was Midoriya's condition. Midoriya's right arm was shattered and completely bruised. Several of his ribs were broken and he had a concussion along with several fractures.

Denki watched his class in a blur.

Out of the two classes, thirteen students were unconscious, eleven others had minor injuries, and fourteen were uninjured. Denki had never felt so useless in his entire life. He had wanted to go out there and help out his classmates that were in danger but the teachers had prohibited it.

Denki knew he wasn't the only one who felt like this, everyone who had been stuck in that classroom felt this way. The overwhelming frustration and worry.

Worry for their classmates who had been injured. Worry for Yaoyorozu who was bleeding heavily from her head. Worry for Midoriya who was being carted into an ambulance on the brink of consciousness.

Worry for Kirishima.

Denki had seen his friend happy, angry, tired, and frustrated, but never had the redheaded boy looked so distraught.

His two closest friends in class were gone. In the hands of villains.

Denki was worried for them as well, they were his friends and classmates too, after all. But he knew that Kirishima had grown fond of the argumentative pair. That Niwa and even that Bakugou had come to completely accept Kirishima as one of their own. Sometimes, only sometimes, Denki felt like an outsider when he watched the trio interact. He always shook those feelings aside. It might have been like that with that bastard Bakugou, but Kirishima and Niwa were just as accepting with him as they were with each other.

Ever since the start of school, Denki had gravitated to Kirishima. They were a pair of cool dudes, and the cool guys should always stick together.

Then Kirishima reached out to Niwa and Niwa had dragged Bakugou along. Mina. Sero…

They had formed their own little gang and Denki considered all of them to be his best buds, even when they were annoying as heck.

But now…

Bakugou was gone. Kidnapped by villains.

And Niwa, the dumbass, had jumped in the villain's portal after him.

Their gang was broken up so fast, Denki didn't even remember what he had said to those two last. But despite his inner turmoil, Denki resolved himself to stick by Kirishima for the rest of the night. Silently gritting through the long hours where they could do absolutely nothing.

Once all the students were looked over by the medics and Aizawa-Sensei had finished contacting their families, both classes piled into their busses and headed back to the school campus in the night. On any other occasion, Denki would have been buzzing out about the police and pro hero escorts that accompanied the busses, but everything inside the vehicle was silent. Even he didn't have the will to try and lighten the mood.

It was with quiet words and small waves goodbye that the students left to go home with their families.

Denki could see his own parents waiting nervously by their car. Turning to his silent friend, Denki pulled out his phone and waved it to Kirishima. "Call me if you wanna chat?"

Kirishima smiled just a little, "Thanks, Kaminari."

Kirishima never did call that night and Denki had spent the entire time scrolling through the flood of news on the villain's attack and the missing students. There were even articles dedicated to Bakugou being a raging ball of violence during the sports festival. While Bakugou's steamed turd personality took most of the limelight, Niwa didn't get off unscathed either. Some of the articles made some pretty harsh comments, calling her uncontrolled and susceptible to negative influence.

It pissed him off how they were talking so casually about his friends.

In the end, he didn't sleep very well that night.

Or the night after that.

And on the next night, while he lay wide awake in bed, Denki received a message from Kirishima…

Denki dressed in his white tee-shirt that had one of those Greek symbols on it, a yellow and black crosshatch jacket, some dark grey pants, and a pair of sneakers before heading out. He wasn't really allowed to go out, but somehow Iida had convinced Aizawa-Sensei to let the students visit Midoriya. The only condition was that they had to get their parents to drive them there.

It didn't take much convincing for his mom to go get her keys and lock up the house and with a quick text, Denki let Kirishima know he was on his way.

Most of the class met him in the main lobby of the Hospital and they all waited around for the last two, Uraraka and Sato, to arrive. Apparently, the others had already checked in on Midoriya first, but he was still sleeping so they had decided to go to the café and have a small lunch before trying again.

The halls were filled with light chatter while the students all headed towards Midoriya's room.

It felt good to be back with his class. It filled a hole that had been carved in his gut and returned some of the happiness and energy he usually felt. Denki knocked on the door to Midoriya's hospital room and slid it open curiously, peeking his head in through the opening.

Instantly, it was like he'd been recharged and a smile stretched wide across his face, "Oh, Midoriya, you're awake!"

Denki strolled into the room, followed by the rest of the class behind him. "Did you see the news? The media's swarming the school right now." He chattered away.

"It's worse than in the spring," Sato added, closing the door behind them.

Mineta proudly shoved a giant green fruit in the air, "We've got a melon! We bought it together! A big one!"

Really, he smiled lightly, it was a relief that Midoriya was awake.

"I caused you trouble, Midoriya…" Tokoyami said from beside Denki, their dark classmate bowed his head in an apology.

"No, I did, too…" Midoriya said weakly, "Did everyone from Class A come?"

"No," Iida replied, "Yaoyorozu got hit hard on the head, so she's hospitalized here too. Apparently, she regained consciousness yesterday. So, everyone but her…"

"The sixteen of us…" Uraraka said quietly, but since the room was already so quiet, everyone could hear her voice loud and clear.

"Because Bakugou and Niwa aren't here." Denki almost winced at Todoroki's words.

The silence returned to the small room for a moment while Midoriya stared up at the ceiling of the room, he lay still in his hospital bed with a shambled look in his eyes.

"All Might told me that… I can't save the people I can't reach," Midoriya spoke, "That's why he will always save the people he can reach. I… was in a place where I could reach… I had to save him…"

"That's what my Quirk is for… It's exactly what Aizawa-Sensei said to me." Denki watched Midoriya as the boy's voice trembled and tears streamed down Midoriya's face, "My body… wouldn't move… It was all I could do to save Kota. I couldn't save someone right in front of me."

"Then, let's save 'em this time," Kirishima said with the most life back in his eyes Denki had seen since the attack. "Actually, Todoroki and I were here yesterday, too. On our way to your room, we saw All Might and a police officer talking to Yaoyorozu. She told them that she had attached a tracker to one of the villains with the help of someone from Class B."

Iida stepped forward, "Does this mean you're going to have Yaoyorozu make another receiver?"

Kirishima backed down with something like guilt strewn across his face, but Todoroki met Iida's hardened gaze with a challenging stare.

"What if it does?" Todoroki asked.

Iida grit his teeth in frustration, "It is as All Might said! We should leave this to the pros! This isn't the place for us to act, you idiots!"

Denki stared wide-eyed at their class rep, who was usually so well put together, losing his cool.

"We know that!" Burst Kirishima, "But, I couldn't do anything! After I heard my friend was being targeted! I couldn't do anything! I didn't do anything! If I don't do anything now, I won't be a hero or a man anymore!"

It was kinda hard, Denki noticed with a frown, watching your friend experience the same emotions on such a higher level with much more intensity. But still…

"Kirishima, we're in a hospital. Calm down!" Denki raised a finger over his mouth in a quietening gesture, "It's fine to feel strongly about things, but this time-"

"Iida is right." Asui finished his sentence.

"Iida, all of you, are right…" Kirishima acknowledged. Denki sighed as Kirishima stared at the ground with trembling shoulders, "I know that… But what about Niwa? Was she wrong for going after Bakugou? How is that any different?"

Kaminari turned and gestured to Midoriya, "But!" The sharp-toothed guy spoke to Midoriya directly, "Midoriya, your hand can still reach! We can go save them!"

Midoriya didn't respond, he just sat lost in his thoughts while starring at the white hospital sheets. Denki glanced around at his classmates nervously.

"So, in short, you're planning on getting the receiver from Yao-Momo, following it, and going to save them by yourselves?" Mina asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Kirishima nodded.

"Even though the villain said we were targets to be killed, they took Bakugou without killing him." Said Todoroki, "They probably let him live, but that doesn't mean they won't kill him eventually. Niwa, on the other hand, might already have been killed. Kirishima and I are going."

Niwa might already be dead? The thought of it seemed impossible.

"Don't go overboard with your messing around!" Damn, Iida really was angry about this…

"Wait. Calm down." Shoji stepped forward, blocking Iida's path.

"I understand Kirishima's frustrations of not being able to do anything and Todoroki's frustration at having Bakugou stolen in front of his very eyes. I'm frustrated, too." Shoji's tentacle arm things spoke to the rest of the class next, "But this isn't a situation where we should act on our emotions. Right?"

Kirishima turned away with a frown.

"L-Let's leave this to All Might." Aoyama spoke from the back of the class, "Aizawa-Sensei's permission to fight during the training camp has been rescinded, too."

"Aoyama's right." Tokoyami agreed, "I can't say much since I was one who needed saving, though…"

"But-" Kirishima started again but was quickly cut off.

"Everyone," Asui addressed, "We're all shocked by Bakugou's kidnapping and the danger Niwa's in from following after him. But let's think things through calmly. No matter how just your feelings are, if you're saying you'll fight again… that you'll break the rules… Those acts are the same as those villains."

Denki's frown deepened. It wasn't like Asui was wrong in those words, but damn it hurt to hear them said out loud. It was silent in the room after those words were spoken. Each of his classmates left to their own thoughts. Denki scratched at his neck nervously, completely unsure what to say.

He agreed with Iida and Asui. It was against the rules and way more dangerous to go after the villains by themselves…

A knocking at the hospital door surprised him and Denki turned as a doctor opened the door to the room.

"Sorry to interrupt… It's time for Midoriya's exam." The doctor said.

"W-Why don't we go," Sero said with his usual grin. "I wanna see how Yaoyorozu is doing."

"Oh right," Ojiro agreed and headed out the door of Midoriya's room.

Urara followed behind with a still wave, "Deku, take care, okay?"

Kirishima glanced over his shoulder while he strolled out of the room along with the rest of his class and saw Kirishima lingering behind.

Denki turned his eyes forward and stared at the ground with a frown.

This whole situation was so messed up.