Their Hero Academia

by Zylly

Twenty-five years after Izuki Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A first set foot in the halls of U.A., their children begin their own hero academia. What adventures and challenges await the newest generation of future heroes? Can they possibly live up to the standard their parents set? Will they put Aizawa into an early grave? Or will this be the most Plus Ultra class of them all?

94. Chapter 86: Time to Go Home

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 86: Time to Go Home

Compared to the events that had befallen Haimawari's leg of it, Katsumi and Toshi's relays had been largely uneventful, though their starts had been delayed slightly while the Rookies dealt with the injured. Toshi had been told that Izumi had put up an incredible fight and nearly defeated Katsumi and Shinji single-handedly. Katsumi had never sounded prouder to have almost lost. And in his own group, he'd gotten to see why Tatsuma was considered to be one of the most powerful Shiketsu students. Even against Asuka's Frog-Shadow, grown to gigantic size by Kodai's Quirk, Tatsuma had proven to be unbeatable.

Power wasn't everything, of course, but he wouldn't be surprised if Tamaki Togata had serious competition one day for the position of Number One Hero, even if Tatsuma herself wouldn't want that honor.

With the exception of Park and Monoma, all the U.A. and Shiketsu students had assembled in front of the Rookies' compound. Several of his classmates, like Koda, Mineta, and Kaminari, looked quietly worried about Monoma, and the Shiketsu students seemed equally worried about Park. Even most of 1-B looked quietly concerned.

"You all right?" Toshi asked Haimawari. The other boy looked shaken and crestfallen.

"Just wondering if I could have done more," Haimawari replied. "I tried to break the two of them up, but I didn't want to hurt either one of them so…" He shrugged helplessly.

Toshi put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could," he said. Helplessness was not a feeling anyone dealt with easily, especially not Hero students. But sometimes, the Quirks just weren't right or the odds were otherwise stacked against you. Grandpa Might, Dad, Mom, all of them had stories about times where for all their power, they couldn't do anything.

There probably wasn't any Hero who didn't.

"Sandblast said I was 'heroic, but stupid'," Haimawari said. "She said I should have focused on completing the mission, even with everything else going on."

Toshi frowned. There was a certain kind of cold logic to that. And he knew Sero had completed his relay by continuing on while Tsuchikawa had distracted the rest of their opponents. Too, Sandblast was well known in the Hero community for being harsh and pragmatic. He shook his head. "Nope, she's wrong. Once it looked like Park and Monoma weren't playing the game anymore, all the rules went out the window. Maybe if this had been real, you'd have been better off evacuating the civilian, but it wasn't. So don't doubt yourself for that."

Haimwari nodded. He seemed to perk up, just a little. "Thanks, Midoriya. I appreciate that."

"All right, everyone, listen up!"

The various students quieted down as the Rookies got their attention. At this point it was Aunt Mahoro, Sandblast, and Boost-Rush. Aizawa-Sensei and Super-Ball were there as well. Uncle Kacchan was curiously absent, though perhaps he was looking in on Park? Toshi knew that he'd taken a special interest in the Shiketsu girl over the course of the camp.

"So, first thing's first," Aunt Mahoro said. "My little brother assures me that both of your friends are going to be fine. They beat the shit out of each other and both pushed their bodies way past their limits, but in spite of their efforts to kill themselves," there was a brief ripple of discontent from the Shiketsu students. Shida had placed her hands on Tatsuma and Inuzaki's shoulders, murmuring something that seemed to stifle whatever they had been about to say. "-they'll be fine thanks to his Quirk, but they're both going to have a long recovery. Monoma will be up to receiving visitors soon."

That was… a little worrying about Park. He hoped she'd be okay.

"Second," Boost-Rush added, "in spite of the events of one of the legs of the relay, we are very pleased with your progress over the course of this camp. You've all shown remarkable improvement with both your Quirks and your other skills. Your teachers are very proud of you."

"You guys did it!" Super-Ball cheered. "That's the Plus Ultra spirit!"

Toshi glanced around and saw Kimiko Dashi from 1-B looking down guiltily, the only one of her class not to join in the cheering. He suspected she might be in for a strongly worded conversation soon, if she hadn't had one already.

"You performed within my expectations," Aizawa said tiredly. Toshi couldn't help but grin. He knew that was high praise from the man. Their teacher was definitely proud of them, even if he didn't show it.

"Really, Aizawa?" Super-Ball asked. "That's all you've got? Why not just tell them they did okay?"

Aizawa gave him a flat look and did not respond.

"That being said… you're no longer just a bunch of little shits," Sandblast said. "You are shits with potential!" Her eyes passed over the different students, pausing occasionally, including Katsumi, Shinji, and Haimawari. "Some of you with more or less than others."

"But for now," Aunt Mahoro added, before any more profanities could be lobbed their way, "you guys get to celebrate your success! You've got free time until this evening, when we'll close out with the Test of Courage!"

"Hey, he's waking up!"

Shiro's eyes fluttered open and a groan escaped his lips. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck. And then a marching band. And then an elephant. And then one of those bears driving one of those little cars. What had happened?

Oh, right. Pieces of it came back to him. The rest of it was still a blur. How much of that was due to the trauma he'd pushed himself through and how much was simply because he'd been going at least triple-speed, well, that was a question for another day.

The last thing he remembered was feeling his heart like a jackhammer in his chest after Akaya had released him. And then basically just switching off. He thought he'd seen Park fall to the ground, but what about…

He cast his eyes about, but none of the other beds were occupied. There were multiple possibilities that would explain that, some of them very good, some of them very bad, ranging from the others never having needed medical services, to having already been discharged, to having been injured so badly as to need extraction to… worse.

But the only people in the infirmary were friends. Mika, Akaya, Kana Tetsutetsu, and Kaminari. His ex and still dear friend, two good friends, and… someone who was proving to be very special, very quickly.

This could get complicated.

"Dashi and Kaniyashiki…" he began his voice barely above a whisper. He swallowed hard. "Are they…" He fumbled with a remote next to his hand to elevate his back to a mostly upright position, looking between his visitors.

"They're fine," Kana assured him. "Kaniyashiki's nursing a headache, but Dashi got off without a scratch. At least physically. They read her the riot act." She frowned. "She's not usually that bad at reading the room. I'd say she won't do it again, but…"

Shiro frowned as well. "Mistakes were made. But I never would have imagined it would escalate that quickly."

He locked eyes with Kana. She wasn't giving him quite the usual judgemental look she did when she was unhappy with him, but he expected it to come quickly. "I suppose you're going to yell at me?" he asked, already wincing. "Or at least knock me upside the head?"

Kana stared at him for a moment, then shook her head, sending her orange ponytail swaying. She gave him a sharp-toothed smile. "Nah," she said. "I mean, in the history of stupid things you've done, this was really, really stupid. You could have given yourself a stroke or ripped all your tendons to shreds. But I'm pretty sure Super-Ball's going to yell at you plenty already. I think this is the first time I've ever seen him angry."

Well. That was sobering. Fujii-sensei was well known within the Hero community for making jokes and almost never taking anything seriously, other than his teaching duties. And though many, including students at the school, considered him a fool, Shiro knew he cared deeply about his class and wanted them to succeed. He couldn't recall ever seeing the man get mad. If he'd caused that… The only thing worse would be his disappointment.

"Besides," Kana added, "it may have been stupid, but it was kind of heroic too. Who knows what Park would have done to Dashi if she'd gotten her hands on her. She's not the physical fighter you are. Buying time was smart, or at least reasonable. Boosting yourself like that again to try and keep up was stupid."

"I suppose I can live with that judgement," he said. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd probably have hit that same wall even if things had gone more smoothly. His heart had already been thundering in his chest, his breath rapid, his blood pounding in his head. Whether or not Park had pushed herself into some kind of… unnatural acceleration, as far as his own Quirk could tell, he'd have had to push himself to keep up.

He was going to have to train all the harder then. He couldn't have his body letting him down again.

"Hey," Kaminari said, breaking the temporary silence. She seemed to be making a deliberate effort to appear casual. She was wrapping the end of one of her Cords around her fingers. "I'm glad to see you're okay. Not that I was worried or anything. Because I wasn't. Worried."

"Liar," Mika said.

She shot Mika a look. "You, stay out of this. I'm mad at him right now. He doesn't get to know I was worried. Dammit!"

He tried to put on his most charming smile, but was aware he probably looked quite the disheveled sight. And he didn't truly feel much like smiling. "Well," he said, "I'm sorry for whatever distress I caused you. Or didn't, as the case may be."

Kaminari blushed, just a little. "Yeah, well, don't do it again." Then, with surprising speed, she reached out and hugged him. It was a quick little squeeze and over just as quickly. He wished it wasn't, even if he was still sore enough that it made him wince. "And don't think that means anything."

"Okay, okay," Mika said. Her purple eyes were fixed on him with a truly terrifying glare. He wondered if this was what bullfighters felt, facing down hundreds of pounds of bull armed only with a cape and a thin blade. "That's enough sentimentality. It's my turn. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING PULLING A CRAZY STUNT LIKE THAT?! IF YOU WEREN'T ALREADY IN THAT BED, I'D PUT YOU THERE MYSELF! I SHOULD PUT MY HOOF SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THAT…"

His heart monitor started beeping furiously and he was grateful for Kaminari and Kana for holding Mika back. She probably wouldn't have actually done him much harm, but she'd probably have shaken him a bit.

"Peace, Mika," Akaya said, once Mika had calmed down. "Shiro has been through a considerable ordeal and… WHAT IN GOD'S NAME WERE YOU THINKING, YOU IDIOT?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! YOU SHOULD HAVE RUN! HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION?! THERE WAS HELP ON THE WAY! WHY WOULD YOU THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE SO RECKLESSLY?!"

She took a few deep breaths, her great stony form heaving. "Forgive me," she said. "I should not have yelled like that."

There was a moment of eerie calm.

"Okay, who knew Akaya knew how to yell?" Mika asked. "Because I didn't."

That was, indeed, most unexpected. Akaya was one of the calmest, most rational people he knew. For her to be this riled, then he knew his decisions must have appeared very foolish indeed. "I'm sorry I worried you," he said, first to Akaya. "All of you. But I wasn't about to let her hurt my classmates. I was capable of standing up to Park. So I had to. Can any of you say you'd have done any less?"

Another awkward silence followed. It told him everything he needed to know, but the quiet was more than Shiro could endure, so he filled it. "Though if my somewhat hazy memory is right, I'm pretty sure I owe you my life, Akaya."

His stone-skinned friend rubbed the back of her head. "I could not bear to see either of you hurt yourselves further. I had to do something."

"You probably kept me from getting more serious injuries or worse," he told her. "I'd have kept going, kept pushing myself. And then… Thank you."

He took a breath. Time to address the other cloud hanging over the room. "And what of Park?"

"She's recuperating in the main compound," Akaya said. "They thought it best not to keep you two together, just in case. I went to see her briefly, and prayed over her bedside. They've said she will recover."

"Is she being punished?" he asked.

"I do not know."

"She shouldn't be," Shiro said. "At least, not severely. She may have lost control, but that is not how her Quirk is supposed to work. As best I'm able to tell, anyway. Something went very wrong there. I'm an expert in body language. I have to be. And she wasn't interacting with the same reality I was. Not for most of that. She needs help, not punishment."

"I'm sure the Rookies will be around to talk to you," Kana said, prompting a cringe from Shiro. His cousin was about the last person he felt like speaking with right now. "You can tell them that. In the meantime, rest up and get better."

"And if you ever do anything that risky again," Kaminari said, her Cords pointing accusingly at him, "no matter how heroic, I'm breaking up with you."

"I thought you two 'weren't dating'?" Mika asked, making the air quotes.

"Dammit!"

However much Mika was going to press the issue was cut off by the door to the infirmary sliding open with a bang. Boost-Rush, the functional leader of The Rookies, organizer of the training camp, and, perhaps most relevantly, Shiro's relative, stood there. He did not look happy.

"Everybody out." His fists were clenched at his sides, and the command came out with measured restraint as he strode through the doorway. It was a drastic contrast from the laid-back, almost doting mood all the students had seen on him throughout the camp so far. Shiro squirmed and sat up a bit straighter, although it almost looked like he was trying to escape through the bed itself.

Akaya, always trying to play peacemaker, turned away from the bed and was the first to speak. "Instructor, perhaps right now is not-"

Boost-Rush took one step forward. "OUT." The man wasn't yelling, but all four teenagers felt the emotion in his voice rattle their bones.

Mika and Chihiro were out of their chairs so fast the legs rattled against the floor, each taking Akaya by an arm. "Yessir right away!" They scurried away from the bed, shifting erratically from side to side a few times before picking one direction to move around Boost-Rush and out the door, shutting it behind them.

"Geez, I thought this guy was a teddy bear…" Shiro could faintly hear Kaminari in the hallway.

"Hey," replied Mika, who had met Daichi at a few of Shiro's family gatherings, "still a bear."

Shiro was almost certain he'd rather be facing Park again, as Daichi closed the distance between them, palms slamming onto the bed on either side of his head. "You. IDIOT! Do you have any idea of the danger you put yourself in?"

Forcing a smile, Shiro put a hand to his chest, almost exaggeratedly. "I may have some subtle indication."

"Subtle…" Daichi repeated it in disbelief, his mouth hanging open slightly. His shoulders abruptly slouched and he looked exhausted more than angry. "You... you idiot." He half-heartedly swatted the back of one large hand against his cousin's forehead and grabbed one of the vacated chairs. Shiro finally breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure in the room somewhat eased. The older man shook his head and rolled his eyes. "For what it's worth- the small measure it's worth, mind you -I'm proud of you for how you fought to protect your classmates."

Shiro smiled, raising his chin slightly. "Thank y-"

"Don't." The steel came back into Daichi's demeanor. "You should all have run. You're children, it's not your job to take on threats above your level. It's our job to protect you, and we take it seriously. Furthermore, if I EVER get word of you needlessly pushing your body through the grinder like that again, I will personally call in every favor I can and have you blacklisted by every Agency from here to America. Do I make myself clear?"

Shiro nodded feebly. "Yes… are we done?"

"Not even close." Daichi softened, slightly, as he pulled out a smartphone. "Now we're going to talk to your mother about this."

"...is it possible you could just beat me up instead?"

The room they'd prepared for Park in the main compound was spartan, but comfortable. They'd moved in medical equipment so her vitals could be monitored, and a few chairs for guests, which right now included Tatsuma, Inuzaki, and Koda. Park was awake, but just barely, fighting to keep herself focused.

"How is she?" Katsuki asked. He'd looked in on her earlier, after they'd brought her in and gotten her stabilized, and she'd been out of it then. No surprise. Bioshock had used a lot of fancy words, but the fact was, she'd pushed herself and her Quirk into a level of overdrive that neither was meant to handle.

"As well as can be expected, Sensei," Koda told him. "Bioshock is hopeful for a full recovery, but she exhausted her body even more drastically than Shiro did."

"Can you three give me a minute with her?" he asked.

Tatsuma looked hesitant for a moment, but nodded and got up to leave, with Koda moving to join her. It was Inuzaki who protested. As far as he knew, the dog-boy hadn't left Park's side since she'd been allowed visitors. "But she's our friend!" he said. "What if she wakes up and thinks we left her all alone?"

"Just out into the hall, okay?" Katsuki said. "I'm not going to take up much of her time."

Park gave a slow nod, opening her eyes. "Inuzaki," she breathed. "I am already awake, and you lack the capacity to abandon anyone. Please."

"Inuzaki," Tatsuma said, "listen to them. He and Park came to an accord. We should respect that."

The red-haired boy looked like he was going to object again, but looked down. ""Okay," he said.

Katsuki waited until the kids were gone and he closed the door before he spoke. "So how're you really feeling?" he asked.

"Honestly? My body feels like it's on fire, but I can handle pain. Everything else?" She shook her head. "That has never happened before."

"According to Bioshock, you pushed your Quirk in ways it wasn't meant to go," he told her. "Gave everybody a real scare." He'd been damn sure they were going to arrive on the scene to find at least one dead student, if not two. "Glad to see you're tougher than that."

He frowned. He was hardly in the clear when it came to bouts of barely controlled anger. Park had reminded him of some of his darkest days. "Doc says you'll be fine… eventually."

Park looked haunted as she responded. "There's a reason I can only enhance one physical trait at a time. Teacher Sanada, my instructor at Shiketsu, calls it "mental dissonance." Whether it's speed, strength, enhanced mental acuity; my brain can only properly handle one of these at a time. If more than one is done..my brain cannot properly keep up." She shook her head. "That..should not have been possible."

"A Quirk Awakening," Katsuki said. "Rare, but it happens. Stressful situations can cause the power or scope of Quirks to expand. Sounds like our 'friendly exercise' pushed you to the limit. I can recommend a couple of top-notch Quirk counselors who owe me some favors."

"I can't do this, Teacher." Her tone indicated fear. "I didn't see them. After that girl's comment, all I saw was my past. If not for Koda's words reaching me-" Park shook her head fiercely. "I could have killed someone. I won't-I won't become another Ignition! I did this to help my community, but I'll just make it worse!"

"Ignition was a piece of shit," he said, without much venom. It was a simple truth. "The guy was in the class behind mine at U.A. We did training with them off and on. He had a chip on his shoulders from day one."

The size of his own, if he was being honest.

"He thought he was going to cruise his way to being the next Number One. Helping people was secondary to getting rich and famous. They weren't wrong when they called him the 'next Endeavor.'"

He looked her in the eyes. "I knew Ignition. And you're nothing like him."

"It doesn't matter," she shouted at him, tears nearly forming. "I couldn't see them! I wasn't just seeing my past, I was there! What happens if that happens again and I kill someone, fully believing I'm fighting someone I hate!? Character doesn't mean anything," she says with a tone of resignation. "If I keep going, it won't matter what kind of person I am if someone dies."

Katsuki eyed the door, grateful he'd locked it and that it was thick enough to mute some of the yelling. It wouldn't keep any of them out for long if they really wanted in, but it would give him a moment before panic set in.

"Okay," he said after a moment. He pulled up a chair next to her bedside. "Some of this is public knowledge, some of it isn't."

He sucked in a breath. "My very first real day of U.A.? I damn near killed Deku. I wanted to hurt him. My first Sports Festival, I attacked an unconscious Shoto because I didn't think he'd given me a fair fight, so my victory didn't count. I had to be chained to the podium because I wouldn't accept my medal otherwise. I didn't get my Provisional License the first time around because I was so focused on fighting and repressing my trauma about "causing" All Might's retirement that I couldn't think straight."

He let it hang in the air for a moment. "I was not exactly a bastion of mental health, is what I'm saying" he went on, giving a mirthless chuckle. "Honestly, if U.A. had any kind of psych-screening, I probably never would have gotten in. I have had, excuse my language, a metric fuckton of therapy. I got help. I got better. You can too."

Park listened. Indeed she had heard of some of those incidents, but others she hadn't. Clearly the man had gone through a lot, and while his problems were not the same as hers, it did speak of the ability of someone to fight their mental problems.

She took a deep breath. "I appreciate you sharing that with me. If you really think I can beat this-" She paused to compose herself. "Well, I've neve been one to walk away from my problems. Granted that likely explains a great deal of my issues," she manages a weak laugh at her own joke.

"I don't think it," Katsuki told her, "I know it. And if there's one thing I hate, it's being wrong. So don't go making me wrong about this."

Park was definitely not without her issues. He could see that. He'd seen that since he and the Rookies had first discussed the Shiketsu students. But had he been so different? Not really.

He still needed to dig into just what had gone on with the HPSC and Park, ruffle a few feathers there if he had to… But at least he'd done what damage control he could here.

"Whatever else happens," he said, "just know you've got me in your corner."

Park seemed to chuckle, her body shaking slightly, though when she spoke it was partly choked up but not quite to the point of crying.

"This trip has been a very weird experience." She actually laughed at that, followed by a series of "ow's." When she composed herself she managed a genuine smile. "Thank you, Teacher."

Mercifully, Park had woken not long after Bakugo-sensei's visit. She was wheelchair bound for the moment, much like Shiro, but this too would pass. It was after dinner when Akaya approached her again.

"Hello, Park," Akaya said. "I'm pleased to see you recovering. I was very worried about you."

Park tried to smile and succeeded for a brief moment. But she was still weak. "I am not so sure I have recovered just yet, but… thank you, Koda. I owe you for preventing me from making an irreparable mistake. And for saving my life."

Akaya looked away. "I did what anyone would have done."

"You did not," Park said. "You did what others might not have done. What others have not done for me in the past. I can't say I have many people who care about me enough to risk themselves like that, Koda. It could have gone very badly. I could have hurt you, hurt that Monoma boy, hurt the others… I could have gotten myself killed. You stopped that. You. No one else. So, thank you. Truly."

Akaya looked back up and gave the other girl a small smile. "You are welcome, then. I am glad I could help somehow."

Park nodded. "You are a truly good person, Koda. You should know that. You're the type of Christian I wish I could be."

"You're a good person too, Park," she said. "A bad one would not show the kind of remorse you are. I wish that you could see that."

"Seung," Park said. "Call me Seung. You saved my life. You've earned that much."

Akaya smiled. "Alright, Seung. And you may call me Akaya." She gestured towards Seung's wheelchair. "I was planning to pray before tonight's festivities. I was wondering if you wanted to join me?"

Seung smiled at this, this one a bit more genuine and full of life. "I'd like that."

There had been some hasty dispersal of information about how the event was to be run, but as the sun was setting, all of the students had gathered at the edge of the forest. It was markedly relaxed, even with the anticipation, compared to the near non-stop training over the duration of the camp. Petal Princess and Lady Luminous had let everyone know they could switch to civilian garb. Even the two infirmary-bound individuals had been cleared to attend, in wheelchairs and needing helpers, but nonetheless. After the drama that had gone down during the relay event, everyone seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief.

Which Mika Mineta had decided made it the perfect time to strike.

In the spirit of having the students take responsibility, Petal Princess had turned the activity over to her. A quick stroll through the crowd with Shinji to tell the scarers to go get into position, and she returned to a crate serving as a podium. She hopped up and put two fingers to her lips, letting out a piercing whistle to grab everyone's attention. "Alright everyone! Let's get this party started!"

There was a mixture of stifled amusement, resignation, and even some genuine excitement from the assembled crowd. Shinji and Anime hurried up to the podium as well and started dragging out something from behind it. Mika's already present smile stretched into an almost hungry grin. "Now I know there's been some friction between all of us throughout the camp, and not the fun kind, if you know what I mean." She let out an exaggerated growl as the crowd groaned.

"Everyone knows what you mean, Mineta. Everyone ALWAYS knows what you mean. Get on with it!" Chihiro yelled from somewhere in the crowd.

"So! To help everyone get along better, we're going to keep on with mixing up the rosters a bit! The scare team is already in the forest-"

"Shouldn't you call them the 'Boo Crew'?" Sero cut her off, getting a few sharp laughs from others that they tried to cut off, embarrassed at laughing at such a crap joke.

"DO YOU MIND?" Mika snapped, looking around for a minute to see if the peanut gallery had any more comments. Honestly, the nerve of some people. No wonder Midnight brought a crop with her for public speaking. Actually, that could have a lot of- no, stay on topic. Focus, girl. "I decided everyone's gonna get partnered up with someone outside their class."

"Wow, Mineta! What a great idea!" Anime's head poked out from behind the crate, grinning so wide it was pushing off her face. No, really. Her jaw was out past her ears.

"And what a coincidence!" Shinji thundered, emerging from behind the podium with Fukidashi. "We just happen to have these three boxes with everyone's names inside them!" He had one under each arm, Fukidashi toting the third one out. Shinji's had large 'A' and 'B' lettering emblazoned on them, while Anime had the Shiketsu sigil.

"Let's start!" Mika plunged a hand into the Class A and B boxes, drawing out two slips. "Our first duo is… Shiro Monoma! And… Chihiro Kaminari!"

The crowd went silent, as numerous heads abruptly swiveled. Mika was glad she'd sent Ojiro to be part of the scare team, or the girl would have been squealing her head off like a pig in mud, as Granny would say.

Chihiro looked over at Shiro in his chair, staring back at her, then up to the podium. "...let me see those slips."

Fukidashi shoved both pieces of paper in her mouth and ate them. "No."

After the happy couple ('Don't call us that!' 'You're not happy to be paired with me?' 'That's not what I said!') was underway. Mika gathered everyone's attention again. "Okay, next up!" She drew one from the Shiketsu box, and one from Class B.

Oh no.

She drew another slip, from Class A this time

Oh come on!

She reached to draw another one from Class A.

"Just assign me someone already." Park said weakly but firmly from her chair, the abrupt silence having grown uncomfortable.

Yikes. "Seung Park's partner is…" Mika swallowed and pulled a slip. She let out a breath in visible relief. "Asuka Tokoyami!"

Shinji's buddy Inuzaki had been helping Park with her chair to begin with and looked stunned. "Wow! Su-chan, how'd you know it was you?"

Shida, standing nearby, sighed. "It's very sweet that you can ask that with a straight face, Inuzaki."

"I'm, like, ninety percent certain it was Mika's meddling, but… I'm not mad to be paired up with you." Chihiro commented as she pushed Monoma's wheelchair. They were far enough from the start of the marked trail that she didn't think they had much in the way of anyone eavesdropping. "Just wanted to let you know." Their mutual hooved friend had clued her in about some of the boy's anxieties, and emphasized that verbal reassurances went a long way.

"Of course not, I'm a delight to be around." Monoma sat up a bit straighter, still holding the flashlight pointed ahead of them. Chihiro didn't know why she bothered worrying, as she could feel the smug smile through the way his shoulders shifted, even if she couldn't see his face. Possibly further reflection on being alone in the woods with him, and all the things Mika would no doubt suggest they do to take advantage of it, were cut off as there was a wicked laugh from above, and a scattering of leaves as arms with knives on the end of them came snaking down at the two of them, stopping just short of their respective heads.

"AAAAAHHH!" A split-second after he and Chihiro screamed, Monoma abruptly clutched his chest and doubled forward in his chair, dropping the flashlight to the ground.. "Oh, oh I don't like this…" He gritted his teeth, gripping an arm of the chair with his other hand.

"Monoma! Oh no no no… Kaminari, go get Kaniyashiki, she's trained in first aid, let the others know we need medical help." Shoji dropped from the tree he had climbed up, discarding the rubber knife-tipped gloves he'd been wearing as he tried to check on the other boy.

"Wow, you were right. My classmates are gullible." Chihiro said calmly, prompting Shoji to look up at her, finding her smiling serenely. The punk rock girl casually threw up a pair of horns, one of her cords mimicking the same motion as her arm.

"Indeed." Monoma sat up straight again, and, without looking, high-fived Chihiro over his shoulder. "Give me a little more credit for resiliency, Shoji. Good work, firefly." He looked back to smile at her, dropping the nickname in English.

"...I am deeply disappointed in both of you… but I respect the teamwork." If Shoji recovered from his momentary stupor enough to notice Chihiro blushing, along with being highly irritated, it clearly wasn't his primary concern.

The walk had been ridiculously uncomfortable. Dashi had been fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, and made some truly awkward attempts at small talk that had gone nowhere. Kenta was starting to sweat, and it had nothing to do with wondering who was about to try to scare them.

So he decided to make a hail mary play and fell back on what was typical for dealing with an upset person in his home.

"You want a candy bar?"

Dashi stopped walking, traffic light-colored bangs swaying as she abruptly turned her head. "I'm sorry?

With a crinkling of plastic, Kenta pulled a Milk Choco Might Bar from one pocket. "I always keep extra snacks around.. If you want something with less sugar I've got trail mix too." He started rooting in another pocket, before noticing that Dashi was eyeing him like she was wondering if he currently had any sharp objects. "...or not." He put the snacks away, trying to think of what to say next. He had to say something, right? "Uh.. Tetsutetsu and Monoma were telling Fujii-sensei that you didn't mean what you said, not the way the Shiketsu girl heard it. Everybody knows about Monoma's loud mouth and how everything goes Class B first, the rest of UA second, and then the rest of the world way behind, and it's only natural some of you would have that rub off on–"

"Can you just… stop talking?" Dashi turned to face him. "I know I screwed up, I don't need anyone's help right now, and I've got no problem walking in the dark by myself, so if you can't let this…" She gestured at him and his pockets. "-nervous mom feeding the troubled teenager because you think that can fix the situation THING go, I can just yellow light you and leave you the flashlight, and after you get home after camp you can tell your parents what a good boy you were trying to help the upset girl who almost got her classmates wrecked." The speed and volume of her voice had risen steadily with each word until she was nearly shouting at him.

Kenta stared back. "I…"

"Sato's mother is dead." Todoroki interrupted, stepping out from behind a tree, flashlight pointed up into her face.

Dashi's mouth fell open slightly and she went ghastly pale.

Kenta just stared back and forth between both of them.

"Was I scary?" Todoroki asked, looking to Kenta.

"My apologies for having to wheel me about," Park said. "I would have been happy to abstain from this activity, but the instructors seemed to believe that my continued participation in a group activity would help mitigate any damages from… the incident."

Asuka shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she chirped. "I'm happy to be of assistance."

"And besides," Frog-Shadow said, floating alongside them, "if she gets tired, I'll push."

"That is appreciated,"Park said. "If I may ask: Are the two of you individuals, or aspects of a singular sentience?" Asuka wasn't offended. Familiar based Quirks were not especially common, and there were even fewer with them who went into heroics.

"Now that is a question for the philosophers," Asuka told her. "Frog-Shadow knows what I know and the same goes for the reverse, but she very much has her own personality."

"I gotta be me!"

"It's a fascinating topic as there are few instances of this type of Quirk. I remember reading an article on the subject-" Park stopped in mid-sentence. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to speak so clinically about your gift."

That got a small chuckle from the bird-headed girl. "Trust me, she loves the attention."

"Talk about me all you want!" Frog-Shadow chimed in.

"Though I do wonder what our friends have planned," Asuka said. She cast a glance around warily. "Probably about to spring out anytime now…"

…

Depending on the angle, it almost looked like Park was smiling. "I suppose that would have been too obvious a set-up."

"I feel like we just got stood up!" Frog-Shadow huffed.

Asuka allowed herself a small chuckle. "I'm sure they'll figure somethiiII–!" Her voice jumped as she felt a snake slither between her legs, scaled skin brushing her ankle. Imbalanced, she ended up pushing Park's wheelchair forward abruptly, resulting in about one-third of her falling to the ground, bending upwards as her hands still gripped the handles. There was a splattering of black ink that slowly dissolved into nothingness as she landed on the serpent.

There was a gentle laugh from a nearby shrub. "Revelry in the dark…"

Park looked slightly shaken by the abrupt movement, but the only outward sign was clearing her throat. " Ah. Kuroiro, was it? Well played."

Mika shook the boxes and pulled out another pair of names, scarcely seeing to read them before letting out a not-as-sincere-as-she'd-have-liked gasp. "Well, it looks like I'm getting paired up with Yoara–"

"Nope, absolutely not." A tiny heart-shaped beam of light shot neatly through the slips as Lady Luminous walked towards them. She plucked what was left of them from her hands, crumpling them and tossing them over her shoulder. "I'm not having a talk with Grape Juice or Eraserhead about the two of you getting 'lost' in the woods." She raised two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly. "Inuzaki! Go with Mineta! Midoriya, you're up after them with Yoarashi."

"So… Can I be real with you about something?" Inuzaki seemed hesitant, looking around as he held the flashlight. They were ways into the trail already, but no scares yet, and the lights from the starting area were completely cut off by the trees and underbrush now.

"Something on your mind, puppy?" Mika put a hand on his arm, fingers instinctively wrapping around a bicep. …Holy heifers, the boy was almost as solid as Shinji. Okay, not the time. He might actually be upset. She scolded herself mentally. Inuzaki had the same 'sweetheart' vibe that Shinso did, so she shouldn't make any presumptions.

To her surprise, Inuzaki moved into the touch, stepping closer to her. "I'm actually not so good with scary stuff and I know you and Shinji have an arrangement so I wanted to know if you'd like to just sneak off for a bit– I can dodge all our classmates if I sniff them out –and kinda skip the whole 'test' thing. I know I sounded excited about it when I got to camp but that's just because it's one of the essential summer camp things and I really wanted to be part of it but this is enough for me–" He finally inhaled. "-and maybe make out around a little bit with each other to kill some time if you're interested. You're really pretty, like Yoarashi told me."

Mika blinked as her brain tried to process all the words that had just come flying out of the redhead's mouth at high speed. Shota and Toshi had a tendency to pump out words like water from a firehose when going on about Pro Heroes, so she was somewhat used to it. Where the monolog ended, however, was immediately flagged by Mika's brain as high-priority and got plugged into her decision-making processes in a hurry.

Her hand tightened on his arm- oooh, bicep –and she caught back the bit of drool that had nearly escaped her mouth as it opened abruptly. "Yes. Yes, I would be interested in that."

"Cool."

Surprisingly, Shinji had been a tolerable partner for the exercise. All of his reactions to the handful of scares they'd been on the receiving end of had been as large as everything else about the young man, but nothing too overbearing. Toshi had even managed to get in some constructive questions regarding the differences in UA and Shiketsu curricula. Shinji had seemed momentarily alarmed by something they'd heard moving behind a bush part way through but had insisted it was nothing after taking a quick look.

Petal Princess was waiting for them at the exit of the trail. "Okay, there's our next pair. Mineta and Inuzaki haven't returned. Did either of you spot them?"

Shinji audibly gasped at the information and spoke up before Toshi could respond. "No, I absolutely did NOT see Inuzaki or Mika at any point when we were going through the forest, not at all. They must have gotten lost. But Inuzaki's the BEST in our school at wilderness terrain. I'm sure they'll be fine, even though I didn't see them.." Shinji smiled from ear to ear, all but batting his eyes he was trying so hard to be 'sincere'.

Yet again, Toshi understood how he and Mineta got on so well, physical compatibilities aside.

Petal Princess just gave them a flat look. "If they don't turn up in ten minutes, Sandblast gets sent in after them, and they don't have my winning personality or charms."

"I'm sure they'll be fine, ma'am!" Toshi replied quickly and pulled Shinji towards the rest of the students before he could say anything else. Class Representative he may have been, but there were some things that were definitely "not his job."

About twenty minutes later, amidst the wrap-up of the activity, he was certain he'd made the correct choice, when he spotted Mineta and Yoarashi smiling and high-fiving about… something, while Inuzaki was blushing almost as red as his transformation's fur.

Okay, this was no big deal, right? The way the numbers went, somebody was going to be going by themself, and it just turned out to be him. Shota tried to walk confidently, even as he held the flashlight in both hands. He walked a bit more quickly after stepping on a particularly crunchy fallen branch, before calming himself. It was no worse than a haunted house, right? He'd been to them before.

He just wished he'd remembered he'd never gone through one by himself before.

He swallowed hard as he followed the trail markers. Nobody had shown up so far, but he'd heard a few reactions in the distance. The scare team must have really been doing their best. Good for them! It was great that students from a different class or even a different school were working together like this. He cheered up a little at that. He'd have so much to tell his parents, and he'd made such a great new friend with Inuzaki! There was so much more he wanted to talk to him about other Pro Heroes. He'd have to make sure they got each other's contact info before they left camp.

"No, no wait, abort, that's–" A voice seemed to try to warn someone else not to do something, right before an oversized cicada husk (enlarged by Kodai's 'Size' Quirk he found out later) came swinging down from a tree right at him.

Shota's eyes went wide as he dropped the flashlight.

Back at the Rookies' HQ, a card game was interrupted by a distant but still quite audible screaming. The sound of several trees falling followed.

Boost Rush looked around the table questioningly.

Katsuki sighed and put his cards down. "That's one of ours… I fold. I'm on it. Your beers suck anyway, rocket-bastard…" He left the table, headed for the forest.

Assuming there was still any forest left.

The training camp had come to an end. All around Toshi, people were saying their goodbyes or otherwise getting the buses loaded up to go home. He and Asuka had already done a quick check of the luggage and a quick headcount. Everyone and everything was accounted for. They'd actually done it.

And sure, there had been a few major bumps along the road. But compared to what had happened to their parents, they'd gotten off easy. He wasn't about to dismiss anyone's trauma or anything that had happened, because what had happened with Katsumi and everything with Park had been horrific. But they could move forward. And no one would have to risk themselves on a crazy rescue mission.

"You've got my e-mail, right? And my phone number?" Inuzaki asked Shota.

The purple-haired boy nodded. "And you've got mine, right?"

"Right!"

"I'll talk to you every day!"

The two exchanged a quick high-five. Toshi smiled. The two had only known each other for less than two weeks, but Toshi could tell that they'd already become close friends. They'd been practically inseparable since the day the Shiketsu student had shown up late to camp. That was good. Shota was… a lot sometimes, and Toshi knew he didn't have a lot of friends outside of their little group. More people he could talk to would be good for him, and Inuzaki seemed to share his sometimes all-consuming appreciation of Pro Heroes. He and Haimawari shared a lot of the same love for Heroes that Shota did, but the purple-haired boy really was on another level entirely.

"Midoriya." Toshi nearly jumped at the voice. He turned to see that Tatsuma was behind him. She was carrying a large bundle of what looked like camping supplies over her shoulder.

"Tatsuma," he said. "Ah, hello."

She nodded. "I wanted to speak to you before we departed."

"Oh, sure," he said. "What about?"

"I just wanted to say, I apologize. You and I are going to differ about the Hero System. I still think that's trash, no matter what fancy speeches you give about inspiration. But I prejudged you and your classmates before you'd even arrived. I thought most of you were pampered, spoiled children riding the coattails of your parents' fame." The giant girl frowned. "I see now you're anything but. You and your classmates gave as good as mine. And one of yours saved the life of my classmate. I'd be proud to fight beside you anyday."

Toshi smiled slightly. "Thank you," he said. "I hope we can someday."

She nodded. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to give these to Tsuchikawa."

"Oh...kay?"

"Monoma, are you sure this is a good idea? I can go with you." Koumori's massive ears wiggled a bit, a sign of nervousness. The bat-like young man wasn't awake enough to be giving everything his 'most excellent' seal of approval.

"Koumori, I will be fine. I'm perfectly capable of wheeling myself about for a bit." Shiro reassured his classmate and then pushed off, propelling his wheelchair in the direction of the Shiketsu student he'd been looking for. For good measure, he threw a packet of fruit jerky over his shoulder, to ensure Koumori would be distracted enough not to follow him. "Excuse me, Shida. I'd like to speak with Park privately for a moment."

The spider-girl opened her mouth, but Park raised a hand, even though it clearly pained her to do so. While she and Shiro had been placed on essentially the same level of activity restriction since the relay, her recovery was slower. "I will be fine." She said quietly, gingerly lowering her arm again.

Shida looked doubtful. "I'll be right over there." She gestured towards the other Shiketsu students and sauntered away, eyeing Shiro cautiously.

"I've already said as much to the Rookies and our teachers,-" Shiro looked at Park directly as he spoke to her. "-and I want you to know that I told them the truth. No one is responsible for what happened. I knew what I was doing, Dashi didn't know what she was saying, and you… you weren't even there." He paused. "I don't know what damages are in your past, other than a few generalizations your body language tells me, but it's none of my business, so I don't care to ask. What I want to confess to you is that I was terrified when I faced you after you changed. The last time I confronted something that scared me that much, it was something so unnatural that looking at it left me unable to even properly cope with its existence."

Park's face darkened, fingertips shifting against the armrests of her wheelchair. "If this is somehow meant to be reassuring-"

"Let me finish." Shiro replied, firm but not aggressive. "What I saw when you were coming at me was a perversion of your Quirk's operation. Your body was in revolt, and I can only speculate what that did to your state of mind or how your state of mind may have caused it. However, there is nothing wrong with YOU. You are more than the sum of the damage you've endured, and you have the makings of an exemplary Hero. I eagerly await another opportunity to test myself against you."

Park looked stunned, and she averted her gaze as she seemed to be processing what she was hearing. A silence hung between them for a while. "You may not feel the same if something permanent had happened to your classmates."

Shiro gave a thoughtful nod. "Perhaps; but that's not what happened." He drew in a breath and let it out with a soft sigh, his shoulders drooping somewhat. "Park, whatever unkindnesses the world has heaped upon you, you needn't add to them yourself. I think you're someone who should love themself more." He fixed his gaze on her.

The girl looked shook. "..." There was a false start at saying something, before actual words could form. "...My mother has said as much."

Shiro nodded again, looking sated. "Wise woman." He reached into a pocket of his shirt, pulling out a slip of paper. "When and if you're ready, here's my number. Call or message me anytime. About combat, or school, or anything else." He gripped one armrest carefully as he leaned forward, nudging the slip against one of her hands.

There was a long moment of hesitation, before Seung raised two of her fingers and shifted the paper under her palm. "I understand."

"Have a good ride back to Shiketsu." He turned his chair around and raised a hand without looking back as he wheeled towards his classmates. "Au revoir, mon nouveau rival."

Alright, maybe the choice of words (and language) was a touch dramatic, but an important parting deserved such.

"You know, I'm really going to miss you, Sero," Tsuchikawa said. Takuma did his best not to roll his eyes. Tsuchikawa was annoying as hell, but he also had to admit, they wouldn't have won without his distraction. "You said you had a webshow?"

Okay, he understood Tsuchikawa was reasonably popular over at Shiketsu. If he could get an in-road like that, why, he, Kenta, and Kimmie could start getting some real cross country penetration with their hit counts! "Oh yeah," he said. "StickyInvisiBite is our channel on Viewtube. Look us up, tell your friends."

"We've got gossip!" Kimiko said, clapping her hands. "So much gossip. Can you share the Shiketsu gossip? I'd be the only gossip channel with two Hero Schools!"

"And me doing stunts, and Kenta eating stuff," Takuma added.

"More hits would be good," Kenta said. "Shoji's girlfriend did say we were getting close to enough hits to start monetizing."

Tsuchikawa gave Takuma a wink. "I'll check it out," he said. "How often are you on camera?"

He was doing it for the hit count. He was doing it for the hit count. He was doing it for the hit count.

"Tsuchikawa." The cat-boy jumped as Tatsuma's shadow fell over him.

"Tatsuma," Tsuchikawa said smoothly, turning to face his class rep. He looked at the bundle she was carrying. "What's that?"

"Camping supplies." Tatsuma thrust the supplies roughly into his arms. "For your trip back to Shiketsu. Inuzaki is riding the bus. It only seems fair." She turned and walked away.

"You're joking, right?" Tsuchikawa said, desperately. He called after her more loudly. "Tell me that was a joke!"

Takuma really wished he had his phone. The look of horror on Tsuchikawa's face would have made an incredible lockscreen photo!

Mika stretched up and planted a kiss on Shinji's cheek. "I can't believe I got to see my boyfriend the whole summer camp!" she giggled. "Is this why your mom was so keen on meeting me?"

Shinji blushed. "Yes," he said. "She knew we were going to the U.A. 's training camp and that you would be there. She wanted to assess what kind of person you were before that happened. She did not fully trust my telling her what a wonderful person you are."

Mika actually had been on her best behavior for that dinner invite. She'd dressed nice, been polite, tried not to snicker at anything that sounded vaguely dirty. But Shinji's mother had still asked a lot of probing questions about her, her family, her goals, and everything in-between. Shinji's dad had looked vaguely uncomfortable about the interrogation, but was already familiar with her from the Sports Festival and had definitely been in her corner.

"I'm guessing since you're here, I passed the test?" she asked. She tried not to sound too desperate. She liked Shinji. Genuinely liked him, in a way that wasn't fueled by lust. The last time she'd liked a guy like that, it had been Shiro.

He smiled. "You did," he assured her. He put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Mom thought you were wonderful. I have her blessing to continue to date you."

Well, that made her feel better than nearly winning the Sports Festival! "That's great!" she said, throwing her arms around him. "And thanks for sending Inuzaki my way. I'll have to see if I can find someone to return the favor to you. Make sure you give him a high five."

When she pulled back, she asked, "So when do I get to see you again? I mean, we text and FaceChat and all, but it's not the same thing."

A curious look passed over Shinji's face. "In a few weeks, I would assume. Are you not going…?"

Mika didn't have any idea what he was talking about. "Going where?"

Koharu was feeling pretty good about herself. Maybe she wasn't one hundred percent on everyone's level just yet, but she'd proven to her teachers, her classmates, and herself that she could definitely compete. She had a long road ahead, but at least she was finally flying in the right direction.

She'd faced actual Hero students in fights and came out the winner. And sure, she was still thinking a bit about exactly what kind of Hero she wanted to be (She was definitely sure she didn't want to be known as the kind of Hero who beat the crap out of people), and how she was going to put her Quirk and her skills to use… But it still felt right. She'd been so ashamed when she'd been taken out of the entrance exam. And so proud to have done so well in the Sports Festival. And then both prideful, nervous, and so scared when on her internship. And now, prideful again. She couldn't say that her life hadn't been a rollercoaster of late.

"So how'd you like your first real taste of Hero training?" Tokoyami asked her. Frog-Shadow was wrapped around her shoulders, sleeping peacefully.

"It was intense," Koharu replied. "I knew you guys worked hard, but I had no idea!"

Tokyami's face didn't really allow her to smile, but her tone of voice was warm. "Some days are definitely harder than others. But this camp was meant to be intense. If you survived with the Rookies' approval, then you've definitely got a future with us. Though I can say it will get no easier once the second term begins."

Koharu nodded. "Not surprised. What is the second term going to be like, anyway?"

Tokoyami considered this for a moment. "Nothing quite like what most of our parents experienced, at least. Increased rescue training, more complex battle scenarios, a hefty dose of procedural training, joint training with the other Hero classes, and assuming no outside intervention, a second internship week. I believe we do a bit of cross training with the management course students too. And the Cultural Festival, of course."

"Makes sense." Koharu nodded. "Say, I know we'll have a couple days when we get back before the new term kicks in. I talked to Midoriya about this already, and he likes it, but what would you think of having a party with my old class? I feel like the Gen Ed kids don't really get the same opportunities to interact with the rest of the school. Talking about the other classes and the management kids just clinched it."

At that, Frog-Shadow woke up. "A party?" the familiar asked. "Say yes! Please say yes! I love parties!"

Tokoyami laughed at that. "I think that sounds like a good idea, Kocho. And you're right about it too. We probably won't be able to do anything too fancy on short notice… but I think we could pull it off."

"Thanks," Koharu told her. Mogura and Tokuda would like it. She missed them already, even just not talking to them for two weeks. She had to make an effort not to lose touch with her old friends, even if she was making new ones. That was important.

"Oh," she said, "one more thing, kind of embarrassing, and don't tell anybody I asked…" She pointed over to where her crush was talking with Midoriya and Todoroki. "Do you know if she's seeing anyone?"

Katsumi knew that it was now or never. If she was going to make things right, or as right as they could get, with Park before they left, it had to be now. She hadn't spoken to the other girl since their brutal battle. But there were some things that couldn't be left unsaid. Even Izzy and Toshi had told her she should "make nice."

Of course, Toshi had also suggested that she check in on Monoma, and that wasn't happening. Little twerp had gone from Plus Ultra into Minus Brains fighting Park. And he'd still probably insist on fighting her once he was walking on his own two feet again.

She could almost respect that level of determination.

Almost.

The way some of the others had talked about how Monoma had fought, though, she was at least a little bit impressed. She'd never have expected that level of skill or ferocity out of him. At least if they did have the little grudge match he wanted, she'd get a decent fight out of it before pounding him into the ground.

Park noticed her approach before she got too close. She said something to the spider-girl who was pushing her wheelchair, and the other girl gave the two of them some privacy.

"First Monoma and now you," Park said. "I must be getting popular." She laughed at that, a single, short and rueful burst. "Given our fight, seeing me in this chair must be satisfying."

Katsumi scowled at that. "Honestly? No. It pisses me off."

Park gave her a look which suggested she didn't believe her.

Katsumi threw up her hands. "Look, neither of us are saints and you and I both know we went into that fight with something to prove, but..it was also a wake up call. Nobody's ever kicked my ass like that. I've always been the biggest ass kicker on the block when it came to fighting like that. But you showed me I've got a lot further to go. Been… seeing a lot of that this year, really. And for a Hero..learning that lesson early instead of in the field is probably a blessing in disguise."

She took a breath. There was a reason she usually avoided talking about her feelings. Way more trouble than it was worth. Mostly. "That being said ,the fact that such a badass Woman got knocked down like this just pisses me off."

Park's expression had proceeded through several stages of incredulity as she'd talked. "Was that a compliment?"

This time, it was Katsumi's turn to laugh. But not one of the crueler ones she used before she punched someone. No, she was genuinely amused here. "Just a fact. I'm going to get better. And we're going to have a rematch. So don't go doing something stupid like quitting. Or let them tell you to be less badass. Get healed up. Get your head on straight. And we'll fight, honest-like."

Park laughed again, more genuine this time. " I'll take it under advisement"

After the students were all loaded up, Katsuki settled into his seat near the front, with Aizawa. Fujii had offered to let him ride the 1-B bus, but he'd made it clear that was not happening under any circumstances. It had been a long, long camp. Almost nothing had gone like he'd expected it to. And he was going to have a conversation with Hawks when he got back to civilization. Maybe he'd get Izuku and IcyHot to go with him. Because it'd probably be bad if he murdered the Deputy Commissioner of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

Hawks had been a child soldier. If he was allowing that to happen again on his watch, after publicly vowing to clean things up…

Well, the feathers were going to fly.

He let out a puff of breath. "This teaching thing get any easier?" he asked Aizawa, not really expecting an answer.

Aizawa was already mostly hidden in his sleeping bag, but he turned his head slightly to look at him. "You do remember I taught you, don't you?"

Katsuki bit back a laugh at that. "Yeah, okay, I deserved that, you damned hobo."

"You did," Aizawa said, and did not elaborate further for a moment. "Though you didn't do too badly. I don't think having you as a teacher is quite as much of a mistake as when All Might first recommended you for the position."

Katsuki fought back the urge to smile. Forty-one years old and he still sought validation from the sleepy sad sack. He'd known the man long enough to know he'd never have been allowed within a foot of the students if there were any doubts. That had practically been high praise.

"Yeah, well, thanks," he said. He paused for a moment, as the bus began to pull away from the Rookies' compound. "Any reason you haven't told them what's coming up?"

Aizawa's expression stayed neutral. "It would have just been a distraction if they'd found out sooner. I'll tell them when it's time."

"And who decides when it's time?"

"I do."

Well, that was going to be interesting… But that was a problem for another day.