Carefully stepping along the path towards the camp, Bulla's attention remained on Pan's bubble. "She's going to be okay." She said to herself.
"That friend of yours is no slouch. If what you told me about her is true, then she'd have no reason to stay down so easily." Bakugo told her in an attempt to keep her focused.
"She's going to be okay." Almost like a zombie, her statement returned, and her eyes never left her friend. With her chilling display, the two decided to leave her be. It wasn't until a shadowy figure began to emerge from the path ahead that everyone stopped. Quickly, Bakugo opened his palms and Todoroki ignited his hand. As they prepared for an attack, Midoriya emerged, bloodied and beaten, causing their eyes to widen.
"Midoriya, what happened to you?" Todoroki asked him, retracting his flames. "Those injuries-"
"I'm fine!" He said, cutting of Todoroki's words of concern. "I'm glad I found you, Kacchan!"
"I wish you didn't. You should have just gone straight back to the camp, you damn nerd." He told him, his usual glare meeting Midoriya's relieved gaze.
"I had to make sure you were oka-" Before he could finish, Bakugo lashed out.
"I'm not some weakling like you, Deku! I didn't need your damn help!" He yelled as Bulla reached over, covering his mouth.
"You'll attract the villains if you're not quiet." Her eyes never left Pan's bubble, making her comment more eerie.
"Get your hand off of me, dammit!" He said, this time much more quietly. "I don't care if they come! They would just get destroyed anyway." Bakugo told her, clenching his fists.
"No need to put Pan's life in any more danger. Right, Katsuki?" For the first time, her sight turned from Pan and gazed upon Bakugo. Her eyes were so dazed, and yet and the same time, cold and focused.
"Beside," Todoroki chimed in, putting a hand on Bakugo's shoulder, "we had enough trouble with that last villain because of the terrain. If another one comes to exploit that weakness, I'm pretty sure that Brief won't have it in her to use that power again. Whatever it was."
As Midoriya looked over to Bulla, his eyes full of confusion and concern, she cut the conversation short. "We're wasting time." She said. "We have to keep moving." Before they could continue moving, another pair of figures emerged from the darkness of the foliage.
"Woah, hold on, Brief? And is that Bakugo and Todoroki?" Kendo asked as she and Tetsutetsu closed the distance between them.
"Hold on, Midoriya? Why are you all banged up like that?! We have to get you back to the camp!" He told him.
"Tetsutetsu, Kendo, what are you doing here?" Todoroki asked them.
"We started to follow Pan when she flew out this way. We wouldn't have been so far behind but there was a villain making a poisonous gas throughout the forest." Kendo began, explaining their delay.
"Yeah, so we went ahead and took care of him to get rid of the gas, then we rushed over here as quickly as we could!" Tetsutetsu chimed in.
Upon hearing their words, Bulla turned to her friend's classmates, her eyes cold like daggers. "So you were with her? And you just...what? Let her go? On her own?"
"It... It's not like that!" Kendo told her in defense, swinging her arm. "I was trying to keep Kodai and Honenuki safe from the gas! It was only thanks to luck that Tetsutetsu and I ran into each other with Yaoyorozu's masks!" She claimed.
"So you let those two influence your decision... Even though you know she's a brawler..." Bulla told her, her voice still and quiet as she pulled her bubble down, allowing Pan to lie on full display. "You let this happen. You should have stopped her."
Seeing Pan's still body, only barely breathing, Kendo felt her heart drop to her stomach. Putting a hand over her mouth, she dropped to her knees. Tetsutetsu kneeled down to comfort his friend, now pale and breaking out in a cold sweat. "Hey now, just a second! Who the hell do you think you are passing the blame like that!?" He scolded, stretching a finger out towards the bitter student. "Where exactly were you when she reached this condition.
"Where was I?" She said as her head hung low. Her fists clenched with rage as she remembered her weakness. Had she been stronger, had she been smarter, Pan would have been up and about with a wide smile like her father's. "I was getting in the way." Turning away, she raised Pan's bubble once again and stormed off into the woods.
"Bulla, wait!" Midoriya called out. "We shouldn't be separating like this! There could be other villains out there!" Together, Todoroki and Bakugo ran off into the forest, however, Midoriya felt a hand holding his ankle before he could step off. "Kendo?! What are you doing? I need to go help them!"
"Midoriya, you're no help in this condition. You could pass out at any moment!" She told him as she struggled back to her feet. Her hands grew and she lifted Midoriya up, allowing his head to poke out at the top. "Let me carry you from here on out!"
"I'm fine, really! You don't have to-"
"I'm the Class Rep, Midoriya. Anything that falls on my classmates' shoulders falls on mine as well." Her eyes narrowed as she made off after Bulla, with Tetsutetsu darting ahead with Todoroki and Bakugo.
Just ahead, a massive ice pillar formed, prompting Tetsutetsu and Kendo to quickly rendezvous with the others. As they reached the pillar, they could see Todoroki, carrying Pan in his arms and frantically launching waves of attacks into the air. "Todoroki, what happened?!"
"That freak just swiped Brief and Bakugo!" He explained.
"What?! He has Bulla and Kacchan!?" Midoriya asked as he took notice of a man floating through the air. He bore a mask, as well as a cane, top-hat, and coat, as if he were a showman.
"How did he get them?!" Tetsutetsu asked in a panic.
"I don't have a clue! It's so dark in this forest, I looked over and they were gone! Then that villain appeared and began to monologue about their mission!" Todoroki explained as he ran forward, quickly trying to regain the distance between them. With his focus on retrieving his friends, he didn't even notice when three more people emerged from the forest.
"Uraraka? And is that Asui?!" Todoroki asked as the two regrouped.
"What are you doing here?!" Kendo asked them as another girl came out of the forest, a wicked smile spread across her face.
"We were ambushed, and we heard a lot of commotion going on in this direction, so we retreated for backup!" She explained, taking up a battle stance.
"Ugh, you just had to group up with all of these losers. Now we can't finish spending time together, Ochaco!" The villain whined as she began to retreat into the forest. Before she made her exit, her eyes widened, and her gaze met Midoriya's worried expression.
"Tetsutetsu! Don't let her get away!" Kendo called out.
"Right!" In compliance, Tetsutetsu steeled his body and rushed the villain, who simply evaded before retreating into the forest.
"Wait! They have Bulla and Kacchan!" Midoriya called out, causing her to stop in place. Turning around and now understanding the severity of the situation, it also became clear just how battered and beaten Midoriya was. "He's getting farther away by the minute! We need you to make us float!"
Met with a choice, she decided to heed his plea, taking off her blouse before tearing into rags. While Kendo put Midoriya down, Asui took Pan into her lap. Once Midoriya was bandaged, she allow Kendo to take the three into one large hand, holding her fist closed as to not let them float away. "How good are you with baseball, Kendo?" Asui asked her, holding a finger to her chin.
"Good enough that I can make that throw!" She said confidently.
"Tetsutetsu, when you're getting close, use the weight to influence your drop!" Midoriya explained. Tetsutetsu held Midoriya and Todoroki close.
"Right!" He said.
"Here we GOO!" With a wind-up, Kendo swung her arm and opened her hand wide, hurling the trio through the air.
Bulla floated about lazily, curled up into a ball. The area surrounding her was empty, nothing more than a blue mist. Her eyes fluttered open, and although she should have felt more inclined to move, she couldn't help but accept the cold embrace of the dead calm around her.
Where...am I...? What is this place...? Last I remember, I was carrying... "PAN!" She called out into the void. Suddenly, she sprawled out, failing to firmly plant her feet. Regardless, she managed to remain upright as she observed her surroundings, or rather, a lack thereof. Trying focus her eyes, her vision remained blurred by the surrounding mist.
Although she couldn't hear any voices, it was almost as if she could feel their vibrations, however it wasn't enough to understand the scenario that had enveloped her. "That's it, enough of this!" She yelled as she held an open palm in front of her, gripping her wrist with her free hand. "Premier Flash!" She called out, smirking at her naming scheme. A golden orb formed in her hand. Unfortunately, the mist remained, and without any target, she allowed herself to fire blindly into the darkness.
Nothing. "Dammit! What the hell is this?! Izuku! Bakugo! Todoroki! Where are you guys!" As she cried out, her frustration only grew. Before her anger could best her, she took a deep breath, then allowed herself to float into a seated position, holding her hands together. I don't know what's with this place, but my Ki Abilities seem to work, so I need to find everyone else.
Bulla cleared her mind, and reached out for the Ki of her beloved friends. To her surprise, it wasn't quite that she was alone. From what she could feel, everyone was still around her. Midoriya, Todoroki, Tetsutetsu, Bakugo, Pan, but what she felt was the strongest was the two energies closest to her, as if they were right on top of her. This doesn't make sense! Where the hell am I?
Before she could question any further, she could suddenly feel the ground beneath her feet, and as she blinked over and over again, registering the new scene around her, her eyes widened. A cold hand remained lightly wrapped around her neck, and turning around, she could see the sinister grin of the man behind her, his patched jaw warping into a crooked smile. "Don't squirm too much, kid. It'd be a shame to take you back with a singed throat. It'll make it hard for you to talk." The small blue flames forming around his hand as it warmed was an indicator. The brilliant roaring embers behind them was none other than this man.
Her heart sunk like a stone as her head inched forward. Todoroki, who was closest, scrambled in the dirt, while Bakugo fought to close the distance between them and Tetsustetsu. Meanwhile, Midoriya lied in the dirt the furthest away. "Not Shigaraki first choice, unfortunately." A man's voice said from behind.
"No, it's fine." The patchwork man corrected. Bakugo may have been the primary target, but Shigaraki's had his eye on this one for a while now." As the scene before her began to vanish beyond the dark mist of Kurogiri's Quirk, the only words left for Bulla to utter squeaked out.
"Protect her..." She said as the trio vanished into the night.
The five students left behind stared in horror, their efforts to save their friends in vain. Nobody could bring themselves to say a word as Midoriya's screams howled into the night.
It wasn't long before emergency services arrived at the scene. With the fire in the process of being suppressed, several students were taken to the hospital. Pan, who was somehow still holding on, was left in critical condition, and needed immediate medical evacuation. Thanks to the efforts of Yaoyorozu, who dashed into the forest in the midst of the panic, ten students, including Hagakure and Jiro, managed to survive the gas cloud with minimal exposure. However, due to her encounter with Awase against a monster similar to the one that attacked the USJ, she was unable to reach all of the students. Victims of the gas included Kuroiro, Komori, Tokage, and Rin, who were also rushed to the hospital for emergency medical treatment for the exposure of the mustard gas.
Students were gathered and escorted of the premises. While sixteen students remained unconscious, twelve of those students only had minimal exposure to the gas cloud, while the other four were in much worse shape due to the lack of breathing protection. Eight students were left mildly injured, while Yaoyorozu and Midoriya suffered more severe injuries. And then Pan, who only just barely survived by a miracle, still weakly clung onto life. Thirteen students were left uninjured, and finally, Bulla Brief, Class 1A's Representative, was kidnapped as part of a nefarious plot by the League of Villains to topple the society that remained fortified thanks to the Symbol of Peace.
Two days had passed since the incident, and while Class 1A, with the exception of Jiro and Hagakure gathered to see Midoriya, Bakugo isolated himself towards the back, his hands stuffed into his pocket. His sullen expression could not have made it more clear what was on his mind.
"NO! SHE CAN'T DIE! SHE WON'TDIE! YOU HEAR ME, PAN! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME, DAMMIT!" He remembered. "What makes think that you have any right to take her away from me!"
Bakugo's teeth grinded, and his fist clenched as he stepped out, separating from the group. "Bakugo!" Kirishima called out in the hall. "Midoriya just woke up! Don't you want to at least make sure he's okay?"
"You idiot." He growled. "She was so worried about her friend. When you looked into her eyes, it was like nothing else in the whole world existed. And yet, I still let my guard down. She was kidnapped because of me."
"So where are you off to, then?" He asked, reaching out to his friend.
"Just leave me the hell alone!" He yelled before storming off. Mineta and Asui poked their heads out of the doorway curiously as Bakugo turned the corner. Out of the view of his class, he slammed his fist into the wall, igniting a small explosion around his fist. "Dammit..." He said, not allowing his voice to crack. Without wasting much time, he approached the front desk, getting directions to his destination.
Navigating through the halls, he found the room he was directed to, and left a couple of knocks before cracking the door. "B-Bakugo?!" She soft sat up, holding her gut. Her whole body was wrapped in bandages, and light blotches of stains were exposed on certain parts of her arms and legs. On her bedside, there was a large bouquet of flowers, with a large variety on display.
"Good, you're awake." He said to Pan as he entered the room. She was accompanied by Kendo, who was holding her hand, remaining careful not to mess with her IV.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be checking on Midoriya?" Kendo asked him.
"Get out." Bakugo demanded coldly.
"Hey now! I don't know who you are, but you're the last person to be kicking me out of my classmate's room, Bakugo!" Kendo bit back, jumping to her feet.
Bakugo avoided her glare and turned his gaze to the patient. "Son, she told me."
That's all he had to say. Pan's eyes widened, and she looked down to her lap. "Kendo, please give us some time alone."
Shock filled her face as she turned to her classmate. "B-But Pan-!"
"Please." Without further resistance, Kendo surrendered, and left the room quietly. "What did she tell you?"
"Everything. About your world, and your true abilities." He told her, taking a seat in the available visitor's chair.
"What of it? Did you come to call me a freak or something? More questions you might have perhaps?" She asked him, crossing her arms as she furrowed her brows.
"The only question I have is if you know about what happened."
His cold demeanor properly portrayed the severity of the situation. However, Pan had already known too well how grave the situation was. "In the forest, after I went down, I remember slipping in and out of consciousness. Everything is still fuzzy, but Tetsutetsu was here when I woke up. He filled the gaps for me."
"Well, that saves me time at least. In that case, you're going to help me find her." Bakugo demanded.
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
He let out a sigh and began to explain. "She had that trick, didn't she? When she focused, she was able to sense where everyone was. Like she was looking in all directions."
"Ah, you're talking about sensing someone's energy. I'm afraid I've only just barely to get a handle on Ki Manipulation outside of flying. I can hardly make beams like Bulla can." She told him sorrowfully.
"To hell with that!" His sudden outburst startled her, and he inched closer to the patient. "If you two are the same, from the same place with the same training, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to!"
"Look, I understand you're frustrated! But I'm just not strong enough to-!" Before she could finish, Bakugo swung his arm in an angry gesture while cutting her off.
"Don't give me that crap! When that bird-thing attacked the USJ, she was able to hold it off on her own while protecting us. Well, now she's out there, in the same kind of danger! Are you just going to give up?!" Pan hung her head and allowed her silence to drag on. "We're UA students. Going beyond is our motto."
"Going beyond..." With her eyes slowly widening, she looked her own body up and down. "Bakugo, did Bulla ever tell you about our parents?!"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"We're Saiyans! We get stronger every time we come back from the brink! I've healed a lot faster somehow, the doctors are all amazed, but I wonder if I should be strong enough to reach out to her!"
"You wonder? Is that really the best I'm going to get out of you?"'
Shaking her head, Pan looked up with a determined smile. "No, I'll find her. Just leave it to me!"