Katsu, now wearing an auburn tee shirt with a picture of Boba Fett drinking boba tea from a straw and skin-tight leather pants, ran out of the dormitory building. A few students stared with the boy sprinting over the walkway between the bright street lamps flagging the path.

When he got to the main building, Katsu catered around the corner and cut through the soft grass towards the parking lot. His heart attached his lungs with his breath coming fast and heavy in his body. Finally, after all these years, he would go on a real hero mission.

Just as he got to the edge of the parking lot, a funnel of smoke erupted in front of his path. A loud pop like a gunshot rang out at the street curb. Katsu stumbled and fought for balance at the sight of Shoto popping up out of thin air.

"Shoto," Katsu said. "How did you-."

"Angel powers," Shoto said. "You get them after the first few months."

"First few months where?" Katsu said.

"Oh my God, you're head is a black hole, isn't it," Shoto facepalmed. "I already told you that I'm dead."

Katsu frowned at Shoto scowling. He balled up his fists and shook one at him. "Why won't you explain everything to me then! I'm not some little sponge that you can use to mop up some random mess."

"Control yourself," Shoto said in a stern tone. "Have you forgotten what happens when you don't."

Katsu fumed at Shoto's jab. It was a low blow that he didn't think the adult would take. He took a step and froze himself right in front of Shoto's face. "I don't need you to remind me of anything., Shoto. I've been just fine dealing with school through the past few months without you. Now, I'm gonna find out the truth whether you like it or not. So Just tell me what I need to do next."

Shoto pointed over his shoulder. At the street curb by the highway, a large charge bus stood unused. A few bright headlights brushed past on the highway with cicadas chirping in the bushes by the bus parking spot.

Katsu flashed Shoto a dirty sneer. For as annoyed as he was at Shoto, his thoughts ran through his head like the breeze from the cars twisting in his lengthy brown hair. He walked towards the bus with the questions raining down in his mind. Was Shoto speaking the truth? How could he be dead of he was right there? His right hand twitched from the memory of it phasing right through him. Did he get transported to some different reality? Or was he in the future? Did the past three months happen?

Before he could process any further questions, he reached the door of the bus. He stopped and turned back towards Shoto. He gestured at the chrome handle on the door.

"Am I supposed to steal this bus or something?"

"Yes," Shoto said. "Why else did you think I brought you here?"

Katsu scoffed and turned around to face the older man. "This is the bus that's taking us to that resort tomorrow. For the Holiday Break!"

"The universe is at stake. Are you with me or not," Shoto said.

"Shoto, this is a lot to process," Katsu held his head. "What is going o-."

"Look out!"

Before he could finish, he saw the reflection of a bright white light igniting behind him in Shoto's grey eye. The tiny hairs on his arm stood upright with static crawling over his flesh. Time slowed when Katsu whipped his head around and saw tendrils of lightning crack over the still air towards him. The darkness of the night gave way to the lightning that spun like a dancing spider across the sidewalk and spitting at him.

Katsu ducked and caught himself on one arm. The lightning crossed over him and spiraled towards Shoto. He twisted himself around and disappeared into thin air with a cloud of dust puffing out from his former spot. The ray of electricity zoomed through the cloud and collided with the lamppost. It traverses up the metal shaft and morphed into the bulb inside. The post exploded with glass shards raining down at the foundation on the concrete below.

Katsu turned back around. A hooded figure, one he could not see the face on, charged ahead and was on him within a split second. A strange, wooden stick raised in hand, Katsu saw spurts of electricity pop out of the end like a sparkler at a parade. He deduced it was the source of energy for this strange figure's quirk.

Just as the figure pointed the tip down at Katsu, he pushed up on his arm that caught him from hitting the ground. Lifting his whole body, he kicked out his leg like a breakdancer and smacked the hand of the person. The toe of his yellow sneakers bopped the base of the stick and chunked it out of the figure's hand. The thin wood flew upward and twirled over to the prickly bushes at the other side of the sidewalk. It landed on top and stuck onto the pricks that held it, a trophy caught within the vines and awaiting a champion to claim it.

Katsu flipped over and righted himself onto his feet. The hooded individual, just an inch or so shorter than him, rushed over and pushed Katsu backwards. The boy, adept at this kind of combat, grabbed on the wrists. He noticed they were thin, feminine with the soft skin squeezed under his grasp. He heard a surprise gasp when he crouched down and flipped the light figure over his head. However, this person was prepared and simply leapt upward to not fight the momentum.

The figure sailed in a halo above Katsu's head. When they landed, the shape flicked up their wrist and twisted Katsu's hands. A jab of pain from the twist made Katsu cry out, and he released the figure from his grasp. Then, it lashed out with a quick jab some at his shoulder. Katsu blocked with his forearm and pushed the attack towards the side. He reached down to grab at the other fist, but the figure ducked and twirled like a tornado. They weaves around Katsu and tried to chop at Katsu's neck. However, he predicted the attack and ducked again. This time, he channeled his energy down towards his feet, having built it up from the hit the figure took at his shoulder. He pushed his body backwards with his quirk, just enough energy to pop himself up into the figure behind him. He slammed his body into them, and the two soared ten feet backwards before Katsu landed on the figure. He heard a light squeak with his back resting on the thin, almost petite body shape of the individual.

Katsu flipped himself over, the person below him a beached dolphin squirming about to get back to sea. He pinned down the arms of the body before setting both of his knees to either side of the person.

"Chill out, dude," Katsu said. "Who are you?"

With the figure caged underneath him, he got a glimpse of the hooded figure. A heavy cloak draped over the person who donned a fancy periwinkle tie and white dress shirt underneath. He grabbed the rim of the black hood and, his curiosity killing him inside while he wracked sweet air into his body from the random workout, flipped the hoodie over to reveal the person below.

"Enough. Who are-whoah."

Beneath him was a teenage girl. Her porcelain-tinted cheeks red from exertion, she gasped for air with her cocoa brown hair braided down past her shoulder. Her light blue eyes stared straight at Katsu with her gentle, heart-shaped face was dotted with subtle freckles around her nose, and her soft chin tilted upward as she continued to struggle under Katsu.

"Wow," Katsu said. His brain fizzled out at the sight of the girl. A strange, thin smile could not help but sneak onto his face when he took his right hand and scratched at his neck. "Uh…hey. My name's Katsu."

Calista Frey took the time to respond by smacking Katsu in the face.

The boy groaned out and fell over to the side. Calista rolled over and picked herself up, her legs kicking out to dive for her wand stuck in the bushes. Katsu stroked the impact sight of the smack and stumbled up to his feet.

"Hey, wait," Katsu shouted. "I just wanted to talk."

Calista ignored him and leapt for the wand. Just as her fingertips kissed the familiar wood, a force exploded around the wand and pushed her back like a Boulder rolling over snow. She was a shot put thrown by Hercules, sailing through the air like a paper plane.

Her back smashed into the bus causing it to rock on its tires back and forth. She fell at the base of the bus and groaned out when she met the concrete. The world danced around her, shapes and lights melding into a symphony of color that twisted in her dazed gaze.

Katsu rushed over to the girl. He kneeled down and leaned in towards her in order to touch her head. He grabbed her chin and turned her head towards him. He stared her right at her eyes and steadied the girl's shoulders with his other hand.

"Just stare at one of my eyes," Katsu said. "You'll stop feeling dizzy if you focus on one spot."

Calista stopped struggling and leaned on the bus. She blinked and focused her energy on his eyes, figuring the boy was at least trying to help her at that moment instead of attacking. His warm, soft hands cradled her face as the swirl of colors and figures shrunk away and revealed a clear image of Katsu's honey eyes that seemed to shine under the moonlight that poured a silver pallor on the sidewalk. Soon, her head was steady, and she relaxed in his reach.

Katsu smiled. "Very good," he said. "Now, how about that name?"

"Or how about you tell me what you're here for-."

Katsu turned to find Shoto holding the wand in his grasp. Shoto marched from the bush over to the center of the sidewalk and stopped with his front shadowed by the light behind him. He pointed the wand at Calista, and his nostrils flared when he saw the strange school crest on the girl's robe.

"-Before I destroy this and then destroy you."

Calista raised an eyebrow, strength coming back to her vocal chords when she straightened her back on the bus. "Not very welcoming to a guest, huh?"

"Not from your dimension," Shoto said. "The last guest from there tried to possess me and made me throw myself off a cliff."

Katsu was as confused as ever. He looked down at the girl's clothes. They appeared to be from a different school he could not recognize.

"Who?" Calista asked. "Who did that to you?"

"Someone with one of these," Shoto waved the wand in front of his chest. "Someone who wore the same clothes you have on."

"Annoying blonde guy? Bright green eyes?" Calista asked in a monotone voice.

"Yeah, and he comes from where you come from!"

"Ugh," Calista groaned out. She slammed her fist on the concrete and thumped her head in frustration on the bus. A metallic ding rang out as the girl grit her teeth in anger. "I knew it. I knew that idiot had something to do with this."

Shoto's face fell into one of confusion instead of anger. He used the tip of the wand to scratch at the top of his head and widened his eyes in surprise.

"Uh…you know him?"

"Alistair Leonhardt," Calista nodded. "Yeah, I know him. At least, in my universe, I do."

Shoto frowned and rose upward a few inches off the ground. The odd golden glow flushed around his body with his eyes illuminating under the dull moonlight. "So you've been working with the guy that tried to kill me?"

"No, I'm here to stop him," Calista shouted.

Katsu scrambled up to his feet and backed away between Shoto and Calista. He pointed at both of them, his mind spitting out with crazed haywire fireworks of confusion. Not only was he in a place where the past few months were completely blank, but two people from seemingly different planes of reality were standing before him.

"But…you're from here," Katsu pointed at Shoto. Then, he turned back to Calista. "And you! You're…you're British!"

"Yes, and I'm from another universe." Calista added.

"Yeah, England," Katsu gasped at her. He twisted his neck towards Shoto and tugged at his lengthy hair in exasperation. "Shoto, What is happening?"

"What's happening," Calista grabbed onto the chrome handle and propped herself up to lean on the bus. She grabbed her arm and rubbed her elbow which was scratched from her stint with the sidewalk. "Is that someone from my reality has crossed over to yours. And now, I must defeat him."

Shoto lowered the wand and stepped over to Katsu. He placed himself between the two and examined the girl's serious expression. "You're not working with that idiot?"

Calista barked out a mirthless hack of a laugh. "Me? Working with Leonhardt? You're hilarious. No, he was the dumbest, most annoying person I've ever met. Him and his stupid smirk and his stupid eyes and his stupid face. I wanted to throw him off a bridge every time I saw him."

Both Shoto and Katsu stared in a startled stupor at the rant. Calista paused and gathered her breath before she pushed herself off the bus and stood upright. Her face softened and she stared down at her black shoes, digging into the chipped walkway. "But…he was an absolute gentleman to me. He cared about all of his friends. And…he would never do something like this." Calista peered back over to Shoto and narrowed her eyes. "I have to stop what he's doing and bring him back to our world. Can you help me?"

Shoto examined the girl and shrugged. As little as he trusted her, she posed no threat, and if she had further knowledge on his enemy, then she could be an asset. He took the wand in his hand and flung it towards her. It twisted in the air, spindling around when Calista snagged it inches from her shoulder.

Katsu poked his head aside Shoto's shoulder. He also gazed at the strange girl, her resolve planted on her face melting steel with a few fiery bursts from the top of the wand illuminating her face. She locked eyes with Katsu, his own heart skipping a beat as the bright sky blue eyes slashed at him like she was reading his mind.

"So…," Katsu stepped aside from Shoto and massaged the back of his neck. "Would anyone like to fill me in?"

Calista rolled her eyes and pulled the door handle. The bus entrance flung open and revealed the black leather driver's chair. "I'm from another universe where magic exists, and this dumb classmate of mine is trying to destroy your universe."

Katsu blinked. "Huh?"

"I'll tell you more on the way."

Bakugo's eyelids scrunched at the sunlight peeking through the thin bamboo blinds of the motel window. His head ached with a lump throbbing towards the crown. He dug his face into the pillow underneath him to shield his face from the light.

He emitted a grunt and tried to straighten out his bent arm. His midsection ached and creaked when he tried to straighten out his back. However, he was forced into a ball from the toned arm wrapped around his middle.

Without another movement, Bakugo veered his eye's gaze down towards the arm snaked around his waist. A heavy head rested its chin on his ear, hot air brushing into his cheek like a humid wind on the beach.

Lloyd dozed on top of Bakugo in the cramped bed. Bakugo was stuck from the pressure of his student's body and limbs tangled with his. A small trail of drool hung off Lloyd's lips with a light snore growling from his throat.

Bakugo, still in a morning haze of confusion, cleared his throat and shifted his head. His hair scratched Lloyd's chin which caused him to burrow his face into Bakugo's with another snore echoing through the room.

"Lloyd," Bakugo whispered. "Lloyd."

Lloyd choked off a snore and, with his eyes closed, yawned.

"Mister Bakugo," Lloyd said. "What's going on?"

"Where are we?" Bakugo asked.

"A motel."

"Right," Bakugo asked. "Why does my head hurt?"

"Mine does, too," Lloyd mumbled. "Perhaps we're just dehydrated."

"Ah," Bakugo said. "That explains it. Do you remember anything last night? After you walked out?"

"Not really," Lloyd said.

Bakugo nodded and closed his eyes. He was way too tired to get up right now. And the warmth of the bed was soothing to his contorted frame.

"So why are you're arms around me," Bakugo asked.

"Hm?" Lloyd said. "It's just a habit I have."

"That you wrap you're arms around the nearest thing while sleeping?"

"No," Lloyd said. "I only have one arm around you."

Bakugo opened his eyes and frowned. "But…I feel your arms around me."

"I only have the one around your midsection."

"Where's the other?"

"It's just laying there between two pillows." Lloyd said.

Bakugo scrunched his eyebrows and peered out the blinds at the rays of sunshine piercing the room. After a moment of wiggling his body, his eyes exploded open.

"Those aren't pillows!" Bakugo shouted.

The two shouted out and flung themselves from the bed. Lloyd banged his head on the side of the nightstand with Bakugo smacking his face into the pee-stained window. They both squealed in pain, the sound of their harsh breathing filling up the damp, musty room.

Lloyd and Bakugo stared at each other, both of the men rubbing the area of their heads that impacted the decades-old furniture.

"Uh…you saw that…game last night?" Bakugo asked.

"Oh," Lloyd stammered with a blush painting his face violet. "Of course. That football game with that team in that city!"

"Yes, great game. Lotsa running and passing," Bakugo said.

"I agree. Nice ball movement."

"Shut up!" Bakugo snapped. "I don't wanna hear abo-. Just…just get packed."

Bakugo pointed at the luggage in the corner. Lloyd ran over and stuffed his clothes into the bag.

Martel's room was riddled with rows and rows of paper that printed out of the copy machine next to his computer. His eyes scanned over lines of code with the numbers flickering over his face. The curtains drawn, no light existed within the bedroom save for the computer screen that emitted a dull neon sheen in the dorm. The rest of his room was bare except for a pristine twin sized bed in the corner, but the boy had used it none the entire night.

With another flourish of his wrist, his fingers tapped at the speed of a virtuoso piano player onto the keyboard. His goal was soon to be reached, and his own train of thought flowed with the lines of coding that clouded his mind.

When he reached the end of the page, he pressed one more button. The line of coding erased on the screen. One by one, every line erased with the cursor destroying each number and symbol like a tsunami wave. The lines evaporated into a blinking cursor that stopped right at the very top of the screen. Now, only the blank black screen with the green cursor waved at Martel.

The night before, Moxie had gone on about some strange things happening. She happened to awaken from some strange slumber next to James on the common room couch. Drake and Martel immediately asked if everything was okay. However, Moxie awoke with a startle and hugged James as if she were about to plunge into a ferocious sea. Her face pale, she recounted a very serious tale.

"Back up," Drake said. "You saw what again?"

"A witch!" Moxie said. "And she was from another universe. I remember everything now. I got a crystal, a crystal I don't have no more. And this guy from another universe was in it. His name was Alistair, and I know he has something to do with this because he wore the same uniform as that girl. They go to the same school. And she has magic powers!"

Martel stopped and felt his blood run cold at the statement. He leaned closer to Moxie, uncomfortably so and looked her dead in the eyes. "What was the name of this school?"

"Huh? I…I can't remember," she said.

"Describe what you can." Martel said. His theory hinges on what the girl said.

"Well, it was a black robe. And…it had some animals on some logo on it. And she said some word. Obliviate or something."

That was good enough for Martel. He leapt from his seat and marched for his dorm room. His mind raced with snippets of old memories flashing before his gaze. It seemed impossible just earlier that day that this theory could be real, but it was happening to them. All of them.

He spent the rest of the night cooped up in the room trying to remember the right code. There was only one, and it had to be perfect in order to work. For some reason, his fingers danced over the keyboard under their own volition, a program of sorts taking over until her was confident the code was perfect. It was an address reached over the Void Industries intranet that could only be reached by a select few who knew how to access it. Once in, he worked in the code for hours to reach the destination for the communication link.

Now, he sat before the blinking cursor and typed in a word.

"Hello."

He pressed the enter key. The cursor moved down to the desolate line beneath the word. Martel tensed up, every fiber of his being hoping that what would transpire next would not come to pass.

Then….

"Who is this? What's happening?"

Martel leaned forward, his head grazing the front of the screen with adrenaline siphoning his nerves of any calm. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"This is Martel Void. Who am I speaking with?"

The cursor blinked before a flurry of words printed onto the screen.

"Martel? It's me, Abel! What's going on? Where am I?"

Martel gasped and hammered his fingers on the keyboard.

"Abel? You're name sounds familiar. Can you explain who you are?"

Another terse second. Then, another blur of words.

"Explain who I am? Bro, I was on your class the last three months! I flirted with Megan like every day and I got punched in the stomach by Mister Bakugo and fought your mom when she tried to kidnap everyone and-."

Just then, the screen flashed into granular specks of white and grey. Like static on an old television, the words erased on the screen. The cursor reduced the black screen to nothing and then came back to focus with no static covering the screen. All the words had disappeared except for one phrase that made Martel's spine shake with a chilled twitch.

"Hello, my precious Martel."

Martel typed at the pace of a cheetah, his thoughts blurring into the tapping of the keyboard.

"Mother, what have you done?"

On the road, Bakugo drove up the highway. They had just entered San Jose, nearing the seller of his uniform in San Francisco. After the events of the previous night, he looked over at Lloyd. The boy was quiet, his hands folded in his lap and staring straight out the windshield at the green ferns racing past them on the side of the highway.

Bakugo sighed. He tapped his thumb on the leather steering wheel and scratched his cheek with his shoulder. With the awkwardness in the car, Bakugo felt strangled by it. He was not good with his words, but he imagined he needed to be the adult and break the ice first.

"So….," Bakugo said. "Interesting night."

"Yes," Lloyd said. "Very."

Bakugo sighed and sneaked a glance at Lloyd. "Look, I didn't mean what I said last night. I was upset because I've been trying to track down this suit for a while. And I thought it'd be a good gift for my son."

Lloyd stared at Bakugo, his blank, yellow eyes bearing into his soul. Seeing he was supposed to continue. Bakugo licked his lips and swallowed.

"I haven't done much to be a good dad, so I wanted to surprise him with a good gift. And I thought the first suit I wore as a pro-hero would be good. I didn't think it'd be this much trouble. So I took it out on you, and it's something I normally do but I shouldn't. I'm sorry."

Bakugo turned towards Lloyd who was still staring at Bakugo in silence. They shared the same blank looks at each other as the car bumbled over a pothole. They jostled in their seats with the citrus air freshener hung around the mirror a swinging pendulum between them.

"Well?" Bakugo asked.

"Say you care about Christmas."

Bakugo gaped at the boy. "What?"

Lloyd's face grew stern when he crossed his arms over his muscled chest. "I won't accept anything until you say you care about Christmas."

"Why should I care?" Bakugo asked. "I'm not even religious."

"It's the reason all of us are here," Lloyd said. "And yet you spit in Jesus' eye."

"Gimme a break," Bakugo rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I'm a good person, ya know. I recycle and I pay my taxes and I give gifts during Christmas. Oh, and how about the fact that I defeat villains for a living? Is that not good enough to get a free pass from having to be lectured by some Conquistador?"

Lloyd gasped and clutched his heart. "How dare you? For the record, I've yet to convert anybody, and I'm not nearly as pushy as those two Mormons were last night."

Bakugo stopped his retort and craned his head towards Lloyd. "Last night? I…what happened last night? Didn't we just go to sleep?"

"No," Lloyd said. "You were in the process of being baptized by two Mormons. Then, one of them knocked me out with a book."

"Knocked you out?" Bakugo shouted. "They attacked us? Why didn't you say anything earlier? Didn't you think it was weird how I hadn't mentioned it until now?"

"I just thought all Mormons knocked out their prospects. That's how they get them to convert!"

Bakugo smacked the wheel and balled up his fists. "So who the hell were they? And why don't I remember anything?"

"I'm sure it was no big deal. Neither of us are missing anything," Lloyd said. He faced Bakugo and flashed a tight smile. "But if it makes you feel better, I do accept your apology. I look up to you and I want to be a good student."

Bakugo sighed and relaxed his hands. He placed them back on the steering wheel. "You're already a good student. Good grades and you do good in the exercises. I just want you to be able to stand up for yourself, and…even though you shouldn't have used your quirk on me," Bakugo shouted. "I guess you did stand up for what you believe in. And that's better than most heroes today."

Lloyd looked out the window towards the sky. A cloud of pride lifted his spirit while staring out at the beautiful day whistling past. "Right. Thank you, Mister Bakugo."

Bakugo frowned and pointed at Lloyd. "But you're not allowed to use your quirk on me again. Besides, I was going easy on you, and you caught me by surprise. Had you not, I would've taken you down."

Lloyd whipped his head around. "We were already fighting. How could it have been a surprise."

"You weren't supposed to continue fighting. There's a point where the fight mutually ends."

"You never taught me that."

"I haven't taught you a lot yet, nerd."

Clang!

"Aw, shit," Aslovee grabbed his foot and hopped on his other foots tiptoes. The tire iron clattered on the ground with a lug it rolling away down the embankment hill next to the interstate.

The entire car jostled to the side and collapsed on its axel. The wheel well bent slightly out of place with the spare donut tire rolling back down the hill into a mud-coated ravine. It fell with a splatter into the mud pit at the bottom.

They had been driving throughout the night, nearly reaching San Francisco to get Bakugo's costume. However, an unfortunate flat tire on their van caused the two to park on the shoulder of the highway. Here they sat for hours on end. Neither Isabel nor her grumpy companion had an inkling on how to change a tire. Eventually, Aslovee just decided to try himself and got as far as taking off the other tire. Sadly, he completely forgot to Jack the car up and caused the whole thing to fall to the side.

His toe throbbing, the short teenager sat on the highway shoulder and massaged the area. His teeth grinding, he glared at the blonde girl who was sitting on the hood.

"Do you mind?" Aslovee said.

Isabel turned around and noticed the boy on the ground. "Oh, did you get hurt or something?"

"No, I'm meditating. Yes, I'm hurt," he shouted.

Isabel hopped off the hood and walked with the pace of a snail towards him. Her hands in her pockets, she knelt down in front of him and stared right at his face.

He noticed her staring at him and crinkled up an eyebrow. "What?"

Isabel sighed. "I guess I just feel weird about all this. Being in another universe. Doesn't happen everyday, y'know. I mean, what are we here for? It can't just be for the costume."

Aslovee let go of his toe. "It's all we got to go on. So we either man up and get it or we're stuck here."

Isabel stroked her chin. "What was it like for you? Where you're from?"

"I already told you."

"Yeah, you told me about the world, but like…for you?"

Aslovee frowned. "Why should I tell you?"

Isabel chuckled. "Well, we're both stuck in some strange story that sent ours. A world where people have superpowers. And we have to get a strange costume to somehow save all our universes. I think a little trust goes a long way."

The boy leaned back on the car and stared down at a small pebble. He grabbed it and rubbed it around the tip of his calloused finger pads. He supposed the blabbermouth of a girl's words were true.

"I was just a street rat," he said. "No parents. Friends. Any of that would just get in my way."

"You're way to what?"

"Survive," he locked his dark, ink-black eyes on hers. "Get a shower once in a while. Food. All that shit."

Isabel blinked and scooted herself next to the boy. "I get it. I didn't grow up in the best place either. Eight Mile in Detroit is literally the most dangerous neighborhood. It was practically the Hunger Games out there."

Aslovee shot a glare at the girl. Isabel flashed a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"That was a joke."

"I didn't laugh."

"It was a German joke. You're not supposed to laugh."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'm sure if I even knew what 'German' was, it's still be unfunny."

"It's a country in Europe."

"Great. What's Europe?"

"My point," Isabel said. "Is that we've felt the same things before. Loneliness. Abandonment. And…those things can kill you. Can't they?"

"I guess. I'm more worried about being killed by other things, though."

Isabel patted him on his broad shoulder. "I'm sure we have less of that to worry about here. Once we get this car rolling, we'll all be home in no time. Although, it's kinda weird that Calista hasn't texted us lately. I hope she found a ride."

Just then, a red car rolled past. With its brake light flashing, the car veered onto the shoulder just past the van and chugged slower until it nearly halted.

Isabel leapt up in joy and grabbed Aslovee by the arm. She pulled him up and cheered at the sight of the stopped car.

"Finally! Someone's come to help us. We can go home soon!"

Aslovee, however, sighed with his typical bored expression plastered on his face. "Hey, what kind of car is that?"

Isabel turned with an expression of confusion. "Old Dodge. Why?"

"What was that car that those other two were in?"

Isabel turned back to the vehicle. "Oh! Uh…I'm sure it's just a coincidence. It's not them. They just have…the same car and…the same license plate."

The door burst open. A head of angry spiked blonde hair poked out with an equally furious pro-hero jumping from the driver's seat.

"You two!" Bakugo shouted at the pair by the car.

"Uh oh," Isabel muttered under her breath.

Bakugo stormed over to them with Lloyd exiting the vehicle and running toward his teacher. Isabel waved nervously at him when he was stopped at the front of the van by Lloyd who tugged back at his arm to hold him from attacking.

"You two are the ones that broke into the hotel room last night!" Bakugo shouted.

"Uh…Hello Elder," Isabel said. "Top of the morning."

Bakugo's hands began to warm, a telltale sign of his promise to lash out with his quirk. Lloyd gripped Bakugo's arm as hard as he could, the white bone in his knuckles jutting out with every strain of his muscles.

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding," Lloyd said. Then, he turned the the other two. "Tell him this was a misunderstanding."

Isabel sighed and shook her head. Despite a very angry and powerful man before her, she projected calm and gestured at herself. "Fine. I'll admit it. We are not Mormons."

Bakugo felt something inside him snap, a wave of rage running over him with ragged rapids battering at the dam in his mind. It cracked the wall and seeped within him poisonous vengeance. His fists simmered off steam with rapid bursts of flames sputtering from his grip.

Isabel's eyes shot wide open at the sight. Then, she clasped her hands together and squealed in delight. "Whoa! This is your superpower! That is so cool!"

"I'm gonna kill both of you kids!" Bakugo shouted.

Aslovee rolled his eyes again and reached back for the hilt of both of his swords. "Screw it," he mumbled under his breath.

He unsheathed the twin blades from their shelter and flashed the two samurai swords in his grasp. His eyes still as slanted and bored as ever, he planted himself into a powerful stance and ticked his tongue like he was daring Bakugo to commence the fight.

"We don't need to fight," Lloyd shouted. "It's Christmas Eve! Jesus is being born in a few hours!"

"I don't know who that is," Aslovee grumbled.

The four stared at one another, an intense silence befalling them with only the roaring flames in Bakugo's grip whistling like a boiling tea pot. Lloyd licked away a drop of sweat on his lips and Isabel continued to fangirl over Bakugo's quirk.

As the four prepared for the ensuing fight, a bus drove past them on the freeway. Inside, Katsu stared outside the window at the side of the road and saw the four in a fighting stance by the highway.

He turned back to driver's seat. "Uh…did anyone else see Bakugo with Lloyd fighting to random strangers."

In the drivers seat, Shoto looked over at Calista. The girl stood next to him and without missing a beat, shook her head.

"Nope. Let's keep going."