Chapter 31: Protect the Students!

Author's Note: I'm back! As I said, I took a break for pretty much all of February from this story since I was getting pretty burnt out lol. To those of you who regularly check in with this story, thank you for being patient! Updates to this story will still be pretty slow as I have a lot of work to do for College, but I'll make sure to continue updating!

Other than that, how did you all feel about the recent Pokemon Direct? I personally love both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus. We're finally getting the DP remakes and while it isn't what most people expected, I can't say I'm mad! If anything, I'm glad they're taking a more traditional approach and handing the development to another studio so Gamefreak can focus on Legends! I haven't been this excited for a game since Smash Ultimate! I'm super hyped for it!

Feel free to let me know how you feel about the announcements in a review. Feel free to also leave any thoughts you may have about the story in a review. Even though I took a break from this story for a while, I frequently checked back here to see how many reads and reviews I've gotten. It means so much to me that so many of you chose to read, and while I don't have many reviews, each one means a lot to me. Thank you! Anyway, enjoy!


With Muscular and his Conkeldurr finally defeated, Izuku and his Pokemon could take a minute to breathe. They were badly injured. Combusken's legs were out, Eevee's front legs were gone, and Riolu's right arm was broken. Due to the effects of One for All, this meant that Izuku's limbs were all nearly gone. For them to move, Riolu, Kota, and Squirtle needed to support Izuku as he carried Combusken and Eevee on his back.

"We're not done yet…" Izuku said as he and the others began moving out. "What?! You're so beat up! What are you gonna do?!" Kota knew this boy was too injured to do anything.

"I knew he'd be focused on me, that's why we went for him…" Izuku said, referring to Muscular and Conkeldurr. "I thought if I had enough time, we'd be able to deal some real damage… but he ended being way stronger than I expected." He looked at the blue flames covering the forest. "If the rest of the Villains are even half as strong, then everyone's in danger."

They began moving slowly toward the camp. "Their targets are the students. I need to let Mr. Aizawa and the Pussycats know… we can still save them. We have to act. We can leave Muscular here for now. It looks like he won't wake up for a while. Combusken's legs got injured, but he held back enough. He knew what we had to do." Izuku looked back and smiled. Combusken purposely held back when using Double Kick. With Katsuki's life on the line, he knew that taking out his legs completely would pretty much put Izuku out of commission. They were badly injured and they hurt like hell to walk on, but they were still useable.

"Listen, Kota." They stopped and Izuku looked at the forest. "They set the forest on fire. Everyone is in danger. The students, the Pussycats, Mr. Aizawa and Vlad King, even the Pokemon that live there. We'll need your help here. Squirtle is gonna play a big part in saving everyone, okay?"

Back at the main building, Dabi had thought that Chandelure got the best of Aizawa, but the teacher managed to avoid the Flamethrower with the help of Malamar. "Right, forgot you were a Pro," Dabi said.

Malamar stretched out one of his tentacles and grabbed onto Dabi and Chandelure after disabling his moves. Aizawa went in and punched Dabi in the face before slamming him into the ground. Chandelure tried to fight back, but he was instead met with a Payback from Malamar.

"Tell me your target, number, and positions!" Aizawa shouted. Dabi looked up and scoffed. "I don't have to tell you shi- ack!" The teacher pulled against the Villain's arm, causing him to growl in pain. "If you don't start talking, I'll take out your limbs one by one. If we get to your legs, it's not gonna be fun carrying you."

Dabi began laughing and slammed his hand on the ground. "Aw, why so serious, Eraser?" Suddenly, a loud explosion could be heard in the distance. "Mr. Aizawa!" Tensei and a few others arrived at the building.

"What's going-" As Aizawa was distracted, Dabi used the opportunity to break out of his hold and escape. Chandelure did the same, covering its body in flames and freeing itself from Malamar's grip.

Dabi took a step back and clenched his teeth. "Damn, we took too much damage." He whispered. He cracked his knuckles and turned back to the teacher. "Well, I expected nothing less from a UA teacher." He said.

Malamar went for a Payback, but the Pokemon only fazed through the Villain. Dabi laughed as he and Chandelure began turning to smoke. "You really care about your students, right? I hope you can protect them until the end."

Aizawa and Malamar tried grabbing onto them before they disappeared, but it was no use. Both Dabi and Chandelure were gone. "Sir, what was that?!" Minoru asked, with Aizawa only responding by dashing ahead past them and into the forest with Malamar. "Get inside!" He yelled. "I'll be back!"

Meanwhile, in the forest, Dabi let out a sigh. He was beginning to get annoyed with his "accomplice."

"Eh, Dabi you can't just lose like that! This ain't good!" The masked man said, his Kangaskhan nervously standing in the back watching her trainer. This Pokemon was pretty notable in the sense that unlike most Kangaskhan, this one had no child in her pouch.

"Yeah, I'm pretty weak," Dabi said as Chandelure continued spewing flames into the forest.

"No, don't say that." The man said. "We should take into consideration just how powerful the Pros are as well." He continued. It was as if his entire personality had changed right there and then.

"Just have Kangaskhan use Substitute on me again, Twice," Dabi said. "We need to keep the Heroes distracted." The masked man, Twice, turned to him and shook his head violently. "I think not! We can't have someone weak like you running around!"

Of course, with Dabi being the source of the flames, Izuku knew that was his next target. For now, though, he needed to get Kota and Squirtle back to the main building. They were running through the forest, making sure to be constantly aware of their surroundings.

Eventually, they ran into Aizawa, though he wasn't so pleased with the state the student was in. "Midoriya!" He rushed over to them and took Kota and Squirtle. Izuku let out a deep breath and began speaking. "Sir! There's a lot I need to tell you, but I don't have time! Please take Kota to safety. Thank you!" Just as he turned back and began running, Aizawa stopped him with Malamar's Psychic.

"Wait, Midoriya!" Aizawa said. "You used that power again, didn't you? Did you forget what happened in Hosu?" Izuku's eyes widened in shock. He remembered what the chief had told the three of them… about using their Pokemon to harm others.

"B-But sir… what am I supposed to do?" Izuku looked at his Pokemon in fear. He wasn't just going to sit around and wait for things to happen! Aizawa understood what this boy was feeling. He looked his student in the eyes and nodded. "Listen, I need you to tell Mandalay this."

Back with the Pussycats, the two left standing were able to separate Magne and Spinner, each taking one on their own. Incineroar was attacking with Fire Punch after Fire Punch, but Magnezone either evaded them or blocked the hit.

"My, my, that's far too close!" Magne said. "At least let me get a hit in!" Tiger was both impressed and terrified at their skill. Most Villains couldn't handle their power, but Magne and Magnezone moved as if they were predicting their movements.

Meanwhile, Krokorok had managed to corner Espeon with Night Slashes and well-placed Dig holes. "Damnit, he's persistent!" Mandalay shouted. Spinner ran up behind her and pulled out a knife. "No, you're persistent! Just die already!" He tried going in for the stab, but Riolu's Vacuum Wave came in at the last minute to save her.

Izuku and his Pokemon arrived and turned to the Pro. "Mandalay! We got Kota! He's okay!" He avoided an attack from Krokorok and allowed Combusken to get an Ember in, pushing the Ground-type away.

"More importantly, I've got a message from Aizawa! I need you to have Espeon broadcast it to everyone else!" He slammed his foot on the ground and yelled.

After hearing the message, Mandalay smiled. "Espeon, let's do it!" The Psychic-Type nodded and her gem began glowing a bright red. "Everyone! Listen to me!" Mandalay said. "To Classes A and B, in the name of the Pro Hero Eraser Head, you have been given permission to engage in combat!"

As Eraser Head and Kota ran back to the building, they could only pray. "Don't go down now, kids. Keep fighting!"

"Okay, your job is done, kid! Get out of here! Get those injuries treated now!" Mandalay shouted. Izuku shook his head and dodged another attack, Eevee creating a wall between them and the Villains with a Freezy Frost.

"I can't do that! There's another message I need you to tell everyone!" He got up and began running toward Magne. "They're targeting specific students! One of them is Kacchan!"

"Kacchan?! Who the hell is that?!"

Magne's eyes widened in terror. That loud explosion from earlier… there were only two Villains in their squad who could create something like that. The fires were still growing meaning that… this kid took out Muscular?!

"Magnezone! After the boy! He's too dangerous!" With a quick jolt of electricity, Magnezone got away from Incineroar and began heading toward the boy. "Thunderbolt!" A jolt of electricity shot out of Magnezone's antenna, but just before it could reach him, Krokorok jumped forward and blocked the attack.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?! That kid's on our priority kill list!" Magne shouted. Spinner shook his head and crossed his arms. "Shigaraki's priority kill list, not ours. That's the kid Stain saved. That must mean he's worthy of the title "Hero." As long as I'm alive, that kid isn't getting hu- argh!"

Suddenly, Mandalay and Espeon knocked both Spinner and Krokorok out. Magne tried to turn back and protect herself, but she and Magnezone suffered the same fate to Incineroar and Tiger.

After taking a moment to rest, Mandalay and Espeon got back on the job. "One more time." She said. Espeon's gem began glowing and she began relaying the message. "Everyone! I need you to listen once more! One of the Villains' targets has been discovered! A student by the name of Kacchan!"

"Bakugo?!" Eijiro and Tenya were shocked at the news. Not only were they targeting specific students, but they were going after one of their strongest trainers as well. What did they want with Katsuki?

"Kacchan should avoid combat at all costs! Understand, Kacchan?!"

"Get out of my head!" Katsuki wasn't having any of it. He'd rather die than run away from this fight. Luckily for him, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice. He and Shoto had encountered the well-known Villain, Moonfish, and his Armaldo and there was no getting away.

Typhlosion tried going in with a Thunder Punch, but Armaldo was able to dodge the attack. He tried to strike back with a Slash, but an Ice Beam from Shoto's Ninetales managed to create a gap between them. "Don't get reckless!" Shoto shouted. He wanted to go in and help Katsuki fight back, but they had stumbled upon another knocked-out student from Class B, and he was taking care of him.

Moonfish began violently shaking. "Must… resist…" He said. "I have… a job…!" His wails echoed throughout the forest.

"Look, we can still create some space between us," Shoto said. "Didn't you hear what they said? You're a target."

Katsuki just cracked his knuckles and laughed. "That damn Deku's probably got somethin' to do with it." He said. "Engage. Do not engage. I don't give a damn!" He ran forward with Typhlosion tailing close behind him.

Much to their dismay though, Moonfish and Armaldo were surprisingly fast. They were able to easily avoid Typhlosion and Ninetales' attacks and use the trees and terrain to swing around, increasing their mobility. They managed to evade one more Ice Beam and use the opportunity to retreat into the forest.

"They're good…" Shoto said, staying on high alert and looking around for any signs of where the Villain may pop out from. "This guy's a real Villain…" Katsuki said as Moonfish emerged from the trees, laughing maniacally.

He stepped forward and smiled. "Show me… your flesh!"

Shoto, Katsuki, and their Pokemon got ready to fight once more, but their terrain left them in a bad position. Not only was Armaldo faster and more equipped to fight them in this scenario, but they couldn't use powerful Fire Attacks if they didn't wanna set the entire forest on fire and kill everyone.

Behind them, the gas had begun spreading too. Right now, there was no way out. They didn't stand much of a chance against Armaldo and Moonfish at this rate. Their best bet would to play defensively and wait for an opening.

Luckily for them though, Tetsutetsu and Itsuka were already on their way to deal with the smoke. The problem was that they didn't know where to find the source. By now, they didn't have much time left. It was only a matter of time before they too would pass out from the toxic gas.

"Did you hear that, Kendo? We've got permission to fight!" Tetsutetsu said as he continued running. Itsuka chased behind him, but she knew something was off with Mandalay's message. "Wait, Tetsutetsu! This gas… don't you get it?!"

Tetsu stopped in his tracks and turned back. "It's dangerous, right? Of course, I know that! I'm not stupid!"

"Yes, you are!" Itsuka said. "Mandalay didn't say anything about this gas. That means the gas shouldn't have spread far enough to where she could see it." She placed her hand over her chin and began thinking out loud. "Come to think of it, it is pretty weird that the gas is flowing so slowly in one direction. It's supposed to spread out, right?" She asked.

"I… uh… I dunno."

Itsuka waved her hand in the air and blew away some gas. "Look, the gas here is denser too." She said. "If I'm right, then that means that the gas should be swirling around the source. If we move toward the center, we should be able to find the Pokemon doing this!"

"Amazing! That actually makes sense!" Tetsu yelled. Itsuka let out a sigh and rubbed her face. "Yeah, that's why I came with you. We have to hurry though…" She let out a cough. "The closer we get to the source, the denser the gas will get. We'll need to limit our breathing for a while… which means…"

Tetsu smiled and sent out Aggron once again. "We'll just have to run and punch this thing as hard as we can!" The Pokemon roared in response. "Y-Yeah, I guess," Itsuka said weakly. This guy really only had a one-track mind, but he was determined.

"Let's give it our best, Kendo! We can't let our classmates get hurt!" Tetsutetsu shouted. Itsuka smiled and sent out her Medicham. "Okay! Let's do it!"

Meanwhile, the source of the smog heard their conversation from the distance. "How loud…" The boy said. He wore a middle school uniform along with a gas mask to protect himself from the fog. The source of the gas itself was a Weezing. "It looks like our position's been given away though. What a shame. It's such a prestigious school after all. No matter how strong your Pokemon are…"

Suddenly, Aggron and Tetsutetsu emerged from the gas, ready to strike. "There you are! Aggron, use Metal Claw!" But much to their surprise, the boy pulled out a gun and aimed it toward the trainer. "…You're still human, right?"

Aggron managed to react on time and block the bullet, but it damaged the Pokemon significantly. By this point, all of them, save for Aggron himself, were beginning to feel nauseous from the toxic gas. By all means, they needed Aggron to stay alive.

"Hm, a gun isn't too effective on a Steel-Type. Eh, I guess it's fine. In here, it's a matter of how long you can hold your breath." The boy said. The students were hoping to take out the source with a single hit, but with that out of the picture, Tetsutetsu needed to hold his breath for as long as he could. With the toxic gas so dense, taking a breath would take him out too.

Now, they faced a bigger problem. This kid had a gun. Weezing was too far for Aggron to reach from where he was standing, but if he moved to fight, Tetsutetsu would be out for good. Retreating wasn't an option either. Surely, knowing that Tetsutetsu and Aggron were on to him, he'd follow.

But that school uniform? What was with this kid? For all they knew, he could be younger than the rest of the students. What was he doing with the rest of these Villains?

Tetsu looked up at Aggron and nodded. Sticking close to his Pokemon's back, the two rushed forward to attack, only to be greeted by another bullet. Aggron took the hit again, but the impact caused him to stop and take a step back.

"Oh, come on! Charging straight like that?! I don't care if you got a Steel-Type! Give me a break!" He began taunting Tetsutetsu and Aggron. "You're supposed to be from a prestigious school, right? Aren't you supposed to be smart? Use your head a bit more." He pointed his gun to the side and Aggron quickly ran to block the bullet.

Somehow, the boy managed to find Itsuka and tried shooting her. Luckily for them, Aggron was surprisingly quick on his feet, but the third bullet had finally ripped the skin and caused him to bleed. "Aggron!"

"Get out of here!" Tetsutetsu said, his voice muffled by his hand. The Villain began laughing. "Wow! What a plan! A surprise attack! How predictable! So long as I'm here, you aren't getting to Weezing. We'll make sure this gas kills everything it touches!" Weezing growled, causing the gas to spew out much harder than before, creating a thick fog that hid the Villain.

The two students hid behind Aggron and Medicham and got ready to protect themselves. "Aren't you from UA? The supposed 'School of Dreams'? But you still let us attack you… how disappointing."

"There!" Tetsutetsu said. He pointed ahead of them and Aggron rushed forward, only to be met with another bullet. "Idiots!"

"Oops, that sounded softer than before! Looks like your poor Pokemon's starting to give in. You can't keep holding your breath forever either. You'll fall soon." He fired again, this time the shot managed to push Aggron to the ground. His armor was beginning to shatter at the impact points, leaving him exposed.

"For simple-minded trainers like you, it ends up being an endurance match without a care in the world for your Pokemon, right? Always rushing in without thinking…" He fired again, this time Aggron let out a wail of pain.

Tetsutetsu tried to go in to help, but his body collapsed as he finally began giving into the toxic gas. "Ah, so much for being future Heroes I guess." He reloaded the gun and fired. "People like you… being praised by everyone." He pulled the trigger again, and again, and again, firing bullet after bullet.

"All because of your stupid school! It's not fair!" He ran over to Tetsutetsu and kicked him in the stomach. He tried moving his body, but he couldn't. He could barely breathe and he felt too exhausted to even move a finger.

The boy shot Aggron again, continuing to torment the Pokemon with endless fire… "Sorry… buddy…"

"Tetsutetsu!" Suddenly, from behind the Villain, Itsuka and Medicham emerged. The Pokemon tried going for a Force Palm, but the Villain and his Weezing managed to evade the attack.

The Villain began laughing once more. "Are you stupid?! That plan didn't work on me once. What made you think- agh!" Medicham quickly turned and used Zen Headbutt, hitting him right in the face.

"I don't care if my movements are predictable!" She said, still holding her breath. The boy moved back into the fog and scoffed. "Don't think you're so strong with a pathetic Pokemon like that!"

Itsuka clenched her fist and raised it into the sky. Medicham nodded and brought her hands together. A Psychic wave began forming around them, eventually creating an explosion that pushed the toxic gas away. The blast was enough to catch the Villain off-guard and give all of them a chance to breathe.

"What kind of power is that?!"

"Medicham's been charging up Psychic energy since we got here! Why do you think I was waiting?! You're not so smart yourself, kid! What kind of coward uses a gun, anyway? Your own Pokemon not good enough?" Unfortunately, the gas was only pushed away temporarily, but pushing it away allowed the gas to grow thinner, giving them the upper hand.

"You know, us simpletons from UA?" Immediately, both Itsuka and Medicham began running toward Weezing who was still focused on spewing out Toxic Gas. Right then and there, the boy noticed Tetsutetsu and Aggron heading straight for them, but it was already too late.

"When nobody else stands up to the challenge…"

"We'll go further beyond!" Tetsutetsu cried.

Medicham used Zen Headbutt on Weezing while Aggron went for a Metal Claw on the boy, finally knocking them out and clearing the gas. "W-We did it!" Itsuka shouted.

Tetsu let out a sigh of relief and pat Aggron on the back. "Thanks for hanging in there. You can rest easy now…" He pulled out his Pokeball and returned his partner back inside before falling to the ground. "You'll have to make up for ruining our camp, kid." He said.

But even with that done, the threat wasn't gone just yet. Izuku still needed to find Katsuki and get him out of there. Knowing him though, he wouldn't just not fight. If he and Shoto left second for the challenge, that means that they shouldn't be too far from where they were now!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue orb of energy shot out towards him and his Pokemon. Izuku, with his three Pokemon still holding onto his back, tried jumping out of the way, but his body ended up freezing.

Fortunately for them, another person had come to save the day. "… Shoji?"

Mezo and his Barbaracle had rushed in at the last second to pull them out of danger. Much to their surprise though, the two seemed incredibly beat up, with scars and bruises covering their bodies.

"You… shouldn't be running around here, Midoriya. Not with those injuries." The boy said. He smiled and shook his head. "All this to save your friends. What a guy."

"W-What just attacked us?" Izuku asked.

"We were fighting a Villain, and Barbaracle and I tried to protect them, but something happened neither of us could have predicted. That Pokemon evolved and something triggered inside him…"

Mezo's partner was… Fumikage. Which Pokemon did he have out? Right, it was… no… that can't be… "Don't tell me…"

Mezo nodded. "Yeah, if we wanna get through here, we'll have to get through that." Through the darkness of the woods, they could see a Pokemon emerge.

Fumikage rode atop his Hydreigon. The Pokemon thrashed around wildly, but the trainer did his best to stay atop to try and calm him down. "Go! Leave! You'll die!"

Izuku could only watch in horror as the Hydreigon roared into the sky, releasing a barrage of attacks into the air. "T-Tokoyami!"