Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a fun chapter! Well, fun to write. A lot of shit goes down and it's a pretty long one. Enjoy~


He wiped his eyes and made sure he'd gone fifteen minutes without crying before he headed inside. It had been two hours at least of crying pitifully. He walked into the school, looking for anybody and found Cementoss inside.

"Hey. How long was I gone?" he asked tiredly. He had to suck it up. He couldn't go back to moping. His family had faith in every choice he made here. He took a deep breath and touched the key chain. How long had it been? He couldn't tell. How was Mirio? He couldn't see him being mad, he just hoped he hadn't gotten into trouble after Ace left. No, Mirio was strong and had been patrolling just fine without Ace.

"Mirio called us three hours ago to say you'd disappeared," Cementoss said. "I'm sure he'll be happy you're back." Ace nodded, thanking the teacher before he went to get anything to the eat, even if he wasn't hungry.

He found All Might eating as well, looking sad. "Hey," Ace said sadly.

"Oh, you're back. How long were you gone?" All Might asked, sounding concerned. And something else was bothering him.

Ace replied, "I was there two weeks. When I arrived, I'd only been missing an hour. The same here. I was only missing for an hour." When All Might said he'd thought it was three, Ace vaguely said he needed some time by himself outside, and the pro-hero understood.

After they were finished, All Might said something again. "Summer break has started. The kids won't be in class. You could work more with Nighteye during the time. I know you don't like being bored." Ace nodded, saying that was fine. "I am sorry, Ace. That this is happening to you. I think you handle it wonderfully, though." Ace thanked him and got up to leave.

"Can you call Mirio to tell him I'm back and okay? And sorry?" All Might nodded and Ace left to go run some laps to tire himself out. He ran as fast as he could along the thick wall until it was late at night, and he finally went to his room to sleep. He sighed, wishing he could just bring his own room here. But he couldn't, and wishing for such things was a waste of time.

Ace was eating a poptart for breakfast the next day when Eraser Head walked over. "Hey, Ace. In a little over a week there will be a summer camp that the students go to. You wanna come to help out?" he offered. "Nighteye gives you passes since your part-time and an unofficial employee."

Ace nodded, thinking it would be a good distraction. He was surprised and a little happy with being called an unofficial employee. "So, am I seen as All Might's assistant here?" Eraser Head nodded.

"You two get along well and fought well together. You've proved your strength and character of being trustworthy, even if you tell yourself you're not a good person," he replied. Ace chuckled.

"Are you insinuating that I am a good person?" Ace asked dryly. Eraser Head was blunt and honest, and didn't really take other's feelings into account, so he replied honestly.

"Yes. Your version of 'selfish' doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a regular person. So, to us, you're not a bad person, no matter what you say. Though, if you turned into a villain, we wouldn't hesitate to act," he added, though his voice was flat like always. He didn't sound angry or anything.

Ace chuckled. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not planning to be a villain," he replied dryly. He asked when the camp was and he was told eight days from then. "If the pattern continues, I'll be there for that. Thanks for including me," Ace said.

"No problem," and he left. Ace walked to Nighteye's place and knocked on the door. It was early, but they were open already. Well, working already. He opened it and saw Mirio already there. "Ace! I was so worried," he said, standing up from the desk where he was doing paperwork. Ace had finished all of his for the next month at home so he both had something to do and felt productive.

"Sorry to worry you. I heard I was only gone for about an hour," Ace replied honestly. "What did it look like when I disappeared?" he wondered. He wasn't exactly able to see himself leave.

Mirio said, "It was like all of you just turned into a light and then weren't there. Like you hadn't been there at all. Don't worry, I was fine after you left. I'm just glad you got to go home again. How long were you gone there?" he asked. Nighteye was listening in, but Ace didn't care. He knew enough to roughly understand what was going on.

Ace answered, "Fifteen days. Just like last time I was here. It was just yesterday for you but it was over two weeks ago for me. I was gone an hour in this world. When I got back home, they said I was gone for an hour. If the trend continued, nobody will really know I'm gone until I come back." his voice was flat. He couldn't help it, leaving when Pops was saying they loved him had been a blow to his enthusiasm. "So, are we going on patrol?"

Mirio nodded. They were going further into the city that day, using the bullet train. "Sir, I'll be helping with the summer camp for the U.A. students in eight days. I won't be here for that," he explained.

Nighteye nodded. "I knew from the start your presence would be erratic. Which is why you are part-time." Ace nodded and he and Mirio walked out, the other already in costume. Ace was subdued during the walk to the station.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, even while they were still keeping an eye out for those on the posters they were given. Ace had their faces memorized and it seemed Mirio did as well, since the papers were stuffed in one of Ace's bigger pockets.

He nodded and sighed. "Just left at a bad time. That's all. I'll be fine, don't worry," he said with a reassuring smile. "Was it boring after I left?" he asked, sounding joking.

"Well, nobody was afraid of me when I approached. You've made a bad impression, Firefist Ace. Though it doesn't matter much, does it?" Ace shook his head. His image didn't matter unless he ever decided to become a hero. Which was unlikely and unrealistic. He'd have to go through so much work. No way. If he ever did want the public to think of him in a good way, Ace was good at charming people even when he didn't try.

Mirio said it was good to have him back. They went on patrol every day for six days, the trips lasting almost all day. On the third day, they were told by Nighteye that the information that they'd gotten about the gang had been essential, and they had all been apprehended. He and Mirio felt great after that.

Nighteye trusted them more with stealth missions. And Ace's observation haki was incredibly helpful with stalking or following people from a distance without them noticing. Mirio was better at getting inside buildings without a sound, while Ace waited on the rooftops most times. Gathering information was very easy for them.

It felt like he was going on missions at home, so the familiar feeling even in a different place was nice. Ace felt productive and very distracted during patrols or specific mission/tasks. The paperwork was easy, and he often finished up Mirio's if he needed to. Ace was faster at it, a fast writer.

On the seventh day, Ace went shopping for anything he needed for camp. Mirio was the guy to ask since he'd been to it before. Ace had no idea how to shop in this world, and the school gave him money to buy supplies since he had no source of income himself, so going with someone else was necessary.

He bought bug spray, a canteen, a pillow, sunglasses and some soap and discount shampoo. He didn't need sunscreen at all. He couldn't be sunburned and never overheated. He was given a duffle bag from the school to use.

-x-

Ace was napping in the bus with his hat over his face, waiting for the kids to arrive to head to the camp. He wasn't told much about it, which was fine. He'd find out regardless, and since he lived at the school, he was the first to arrive at the pick up, his bag in the compartment under the bus.

He found himself growing less and less fascinated by this world's tech. He'd seen it enough times to lose interest in learning how it worked. And he was glad, when he went home, that he had not become dependent on the tech here. It was a bonus for him to use that stuff, not a necessity. Cars were no longer amazing, the bullet train had gotten old, the internet was still not clicking and he rarely used it.

When he was told he needed some way to communicate to the staff of the school, he asked for something simple. So the teacher's room and All Might had walkie talkies to Ace, who carried it clipped to his belt. Apparently it was old fashioned, but it was better than anything fancy. And it was a lot cheaper, so that was a plus.

He was on class 1-A's bus, in the back, taking up one whole row until he heard people and felt presences nearby. He sat up, sitting at the very back so he wasn't in the way of anybody. "Oh, Ace is here! Are you gonna be riding with us?" Freckles asked.

"Yup. I hope there's no hard feelings about the fight with me and All Might," Ace said when Freckles sat next to him. His friends sat closer, all of them a bit wary of Ace.

Freckles shook his head. "You guys were so cool together! Even though both of you were pretty scary. You played a good villain! I think it made both of us worried and uncomfortable, making it feel super realistic," Freckles rambled. He was interrupted when Bakugo saw him.

"YOU!" he roared. Ace gave him a simple wave. "You fucking asshole l'll kill you!" Ace wasn't the one to respond, it was laser beam boy. He needed to leave their names, and had a list of them in his pocket he'd fallen asleep reading. Oops.

The laser beam boy said, "Oh, but weren't you completely helpless against him during your fight? He broke one of your gauntlets and then sucked away the fire." The others grew worried with Bakugo's expression.

"It's fine, it was just training. Nothing I did or said was personal," Ace said easily. He wished someone else was here besides the kids. He felt out of place being an adult. If he were 20 or 21, he may feel more close to their age. But he'd been an adult for four years. Even if he was the youngest on the crew still, he was an adult now.

Bakugo scoffed and plopped down, radiating hate and anger. Uraraka said, "You really got me when we watched the recording! You were like a completely different person." Ace said that was what he'd been going for and what he was glad he achieved. He really was so different from that in this world.

Again, this was him. But he knew it was edited. "So you live at the school, right? Are you bored in the summer when no one is in class?" Kirishima asked curiously. Bakugo was still brooding, and he probably would be even after Ace left his presence. He nodded.

"It's not boring since I work part-time for Nighteye with Mirio," he responded. Nobody knew who that was. "Sir Nighteye runs the Nighteye agency, an agency that hires heroes and sidekicks to do work. I go on patrolls daily. That was when the three nomus were attacking. Ha, that was my first day of even doing it." Freckles was writing everything down in a notebook, something Ace noticed he did often.

Todoroki pointed out that he didn't have any hero license. "Yeah, I don't. Maybe they trust me because All Might and the faculty trust me."

Once the bus started to drive, talking broke out between groups. Ace nudged Freckles' arm. "Even though I didn't like the second last match, the first one at the sports festival, I was happy you used something I taught you. And I'm sorry it was only one session, things kind of didn't go to plan."

"Oh! That's fine, I learned a lot just from that one time! And I practiced and memorized the moves. You were right, drawing how to do them really helped me remember how to do them. So that was super good advice," he gushed. The drive wasn't too long or too bad. There were only a couple people that really talked to him.

Nobody bothered him when he napped, which was nice. But once they stopped, Ace woke up and was last to get off of the bus. He let the students all in front of him, since he was the assistant and was taller than all of them by more than a few inches. Eraser Head didn't explain why they stopped since there was no bathroom anywhere in sight. There was a car that had multiple people in it that hadn't come out yet.

But when they did, Ace could help the "hah?" when two robot cat outfitted girls came out and introduced himself as the "wild, wild pussycats". Ace couldn't help but think of female versions of the Delcavo brothers. They had fake cat claws as well. He held in the laugh, it wasn't appropriate. Fuck appropriate Ace grumbled in the back of his head. He whispered at it to grow up, quiet enough that nobody here heard it.

Oh, and there was a cranky looking little boy there. Nobody else looked impressed by their intro, but Eraser Head introduced them anyway as the Pussycats, who would be the pro-heroes working with them during the camp. The only one truly impressed was Freckles who started rambling a ton of facts about them. Even the heroes looked uncomfortable.

They saw Ace and asked Eraser Head who he was. "This is Ace, he'll be working as both a body guard and a helper for whatever you need. He's All Might's unofficial assistant," he said in his flat voice. Ace gave a smile and a bow.

"Nice to meet you," he said simply, and that was that. The little boy was glaring at Ace who didn't return the glare but didn't smile. He seems like the kind of kid who would be angry if you showed them kindness and assume you were babying them.

Ace was shocked when the blue cat hero attacked Freckles for hinting at her true age. "I'm 18 at heart!" she roared angrily. Then the reason they'd stopped there was shown. The students were to make it down the mountain, which was large and downhill, a dense forest that would probably be difficult for many of them to make their way through.

"It's 9:30 right now," the pink cat hero said with a grin. "Maybe noon?"

"No!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Get back to the bus!"

The students weren't having this, even though Ace wanted to see how fast he could get down. But he was a helper assistant, he had to be mature. He wasn't there to have fun. All of the kids started running to the bus screaming. Ace thought it was a bit much. As long as there were no wild animals it was just a downward hike.

They didn't even stop when they were told they wouldn't get lunch if they didn't make it down the mountain in time. If Ace was one of them, that moment he would have started running. Missing a meal, especially when he was their age, would have ruined his entire day. Ace moved away from the bus when he knew the blue cat hero was going to land there and force the dirt up so it knocked them off of the cliff and into the forest, whether they liked that or not.

Ace walked to the ledge, sensing them all standing nobody was badly injured. "Anyone hurt?" Eraser Head asked.

"If they are then they're heading down regardless," Ace said simply.

The pink cat hero called down that they were allowed to use their quirks, and that they had three hours to make it through the beasts' forest. So it did have monsters. Well, good training for them. He wished he could take part, but he had to constantly remind himself that he was an adult, basically at work. Not a silly pirate who could be as weird or immature as he wanted.

Ace walked back to the bus and asked, "Are we taking the luggage to the camp to set up?" he asked. The little boy was still glaring at him. He didn't look back.

"Yeah. We're heading down now," Eraser Head said. Ace went back in the bus while the homeroom teacher spoke about things Ace wasn't sure of with the pussycats. He wished All Might was there instead. So he got back on the bus, he and Eraser Head the only ones beside the driver.

The silence was a bit awkward for Ace before the teacher spoke. "Thanks for coming. If anything happens I'm sure you'll give a lot of help." Ace smiled and nodded. "You can use fire without burning things, correct?" Ace nodded, saying he could burn certain things while leaving others unscathed.

Eraser Head nodded. It didn't take long to get to the camp, and when they parked and the bus's doors opened, the teacher said, "Others think your battle with All Might against Bakugo and Midoriya was impressive. That you make a good villain." Ace sighed.

"I'm thinking it wasn't worth it to do that. Everyone is saying that, and I don't want to be seen as a villain," Ace said as he began taking out the duffle bags. The girl's were much heavier.

Eraser Head helped, though Ace did most of the carrying, over his shoulders and in his arms. "All Might wanted you both to act like villains. You just followed instructions." And the conversation was over.

He came into contact with the boy again after he unloaded all of the luggage, and they just stared at one another. "My name is Ace. I'm a helper, I guess. What's your name?" he asked, trying to be friendly. He didn't crouch, knowing that it pissed him off when he was little when someone would show how much taller they were than him.

The kid punched Ace in the nuts, but it went right through and into flames. "That wasn't very friendly. All I did was introduce myself." The kids' eyes widened, and Ace grinned. "Normal attacks won't work on me. I'm made of fire." He walked away, leaving the kid, whose name he still didn't know, looking irritated and embarrassed.

The pink cat hero saw this and apologized for his behavior. "It's fine, it didn't hurt. What's his name?"

"Kota." Ace nodded. He was sitting against the building when Kota came up to him again, glaring. Ace said nothing, waiting for him to say or do something first.

He demanded if Ace was a hero. "No. I'm an assistant to All Might and help with the students."

"So you are a hero," he snapped.

"I said I'm not," Ace repeated. "I'll never be a hero," he said casually. The kid looked confused and asked why. "I just don't want to be. I'm not hero material. Heroes have to be selfless all the time. That's not me. I won't sacrifice my life for people I've never met. So you can see why I don't want to be a hero," Ace explained. Kota's glare faltered before he sat down, a few yards away from Ace.

He put his hat over his face to block the sun and napped after being informed that they would take longer than three hours.

Ace had had lunch way before he sensed anyone even in range. He sat sitting against the building with the pussycats and Eraser Head standing. It was 5:20 PM. So now he sat waiting, before he felt presences finally in range. He didn't need to say anything since the blue cat hero made it clear they were there. And were they a mess. All of them were exhausted and many injured. Ace had been told that the monsters they fought were made of earth by one of the pussycat's devil -quirk! They are quirks!

"Wh-What did you mean THREE HOURS?!" the sugar man shouted angrily.

Blue cat hero said, "It's how long it would have taken us. Sorry," with a wink, showing she wasn't especially sorry. Ace stood up, dusting the dirt off of his shorts and putting his hat back on. He noticed there were a ton of mosquitos, but they fried once they touched Ace's skin. He didn't really need bug spray, but Mirio told him it was a must, so he did.

Ace watched in curiosity when Kota was introduced, still seeming grumpy, and how Freckles was the first to approach him. "Hi, Kota. My name is Midoriya, I'm from the hero course at U.A." First mistake: crouching. Second mistake: mentioning heroes.

When he'd chilled out after finding out Ace wasn't and didn't intend to be a hero, Ace assumed he was anti-hero or something like that. So, Kota nailed him in the nuts like he'd tried with Ace. But it hit poor Freckles. Ace grimaced for him.

Ace was correct that Kota was anti-hero when Iida demanded to know why his friend had been "hit in the scrotum". Thatch would have laughed like a child at hearing it said like that. As pirates, they didn't really call body parts by their correct names. When asked the question, Kota responded, "I don't want to hang around guys who want to be heroes!" and stormed off. Quite the different reaction to Ace when he said he didn't want to be one.

Since Ace had already taken the baggage off, the kids were sent to eat, bathe and then sleep. They were dead on their feet already, but no doubt starving. And they were reinvigorated with the delicious food. There was no alcohol, sadly. Though he'd been drinking before he got back to this world, he could wait another fifteen days. He had 7 days left before he presumed his next disappearance was.

He wouldn't disappear while at this place or he'd be completely undependable. He just hoped the pattern would continue. And maybe he'd only be gone from here an hour, who knew? Ace ate the food just as enthusiastically as the starving kids. He had been informed that the kids would be making their own food after this tonight. Ace was fine with making his own meals. He could cook alright. Not as good as any of the chefs on the Moby, but he had the right temperature to cook meat.

After dinner was finished and cleaned up, Eraser Head approached Ace. "Go to the bathhouse and keep them behaved. Especially the boys." Ace nodded. He wasn't taking a bath with children, so he sat outside the sliding door to both bathtubs, still in his shorts and hat.

"I'm here listening, so you better behave or that water's gonna get real hot, real fast," Ace called. That did the trick, and they all behaved themselves perfectly. He could tell nobody was trying to peek and could feel where they were by his haki. They stayed in the baths. Ace could hear the useless boy lamenting that he couldn't peep.

While he was still listening in, reading a magazine that most words didn't make sense for him in, Kota walked over. Ace didn't acknowledge him. "You. Is it true you aren't a hero? You work for the hero school, aren't you a hero?" he demanded.

Ace put the magazine down. "I work for the school because they house and feed me. And it passes time. They let me work because I'm trustworthy and my powers are helpful." Then he paused. "You hate heroes, huh? Why?"

Kota founded. "N-None of your business!"

Ace said, "I'd like a reason as to why I was punched in the balls," simply. Kota glared at the floor. "I won't tell anyone else, swear it." Kota continued to glare until he sighed, seeing Ace unwavering.

"My parents were heroes. They died for it. Stupid. Heroes are stupid," Kota said angrily, though his voice was thick with emotion. Ace sighed, understanding why he would hate heroes. "Everyone said they died a good death-"

Ace interrupted, "No death is a good death." Kota looked up and Ace gave him a smile. "My parents died before I ever met them. My father was executed before I was born, never got to know him. But everyone said it was an honorable death. Who cares, dying is dying. It's not something to be happy over."

Kota looked shocked, but nodded slowly in agreement. "But, I don't think all heroes are bad. To be honest, I think it's cool how selfless they can be. I don't understand it, but it's admirable. Many heroes do great things here. I know a hero that's very rude and cranky to me, but he still protects people. I don't think any death is honorable, and I don't know anything about your parents, but I like to think I'd die doing what I love. Maybe it was the same for your parents," he finished with a genuine smile. "Now, there are some creeps in there, you wanna help me guard the girls?"

He said nothing about the tears on Kota's eyes and down his cheeks. He nodded and sat next to Ace. They were silent for a bit, but Ace seemed to have Kota's acceptance. Being honest is always how Ace introduced himself. You can't form any relationship when the foundation is a lie, no matter how simple.

Kota fell asleep eventually. Eraser Head was there. "I didn't peg you as emotionally deep," he said in a bored voice.

Ace smiled. "I guess it depends on the situation," he replied. Eraser Head nodded, and then announced that the bath was over and they were to go to bed immediately. Kota woke from this and Ace stood up, stretching. Kota seemed about 5 or 6, a very broody, familiar looking 5 or 6 year old, and followed him out of the room behind Eraser Head. He said that he'd be keeping watch. "Okay," Ace said simply. Kota was still behind him.

"Why don't you go back to your aunt? I'm probably gonna be up pretty late," Ace said in a friendly voice. Kota frowned but nodded, punching Freckles in the nuts again when he walked past him.

Eraser Head ordered they all go to bed now, and Ace went outside, climbing the roof to keep watch. He said he'd be switched halfway through the night. "You've had enough naps today." Ace had chuckled and agreed.

Ace switched with Eraser Head at midnight and Ace went to the room he was sharing with the man and passed out, falling asleep easily. He woke up to an annoying alarm with a kid's face right next to him. "Jeez. You startled me," Ace said and stood up. "I'll be out in a minute, I gotta change," he told the 5 year old patiently. He nodded and hurried into the other room. Pink cat hero came in once he was dressed and putting on his boots. Mandalay, her name was Mandalay.

"You seem to have made quite the impression on him," she said curiously. Ace put his hat on and said, "I was just being honest with him."

She asked what they talked about. "Both of our parents deaths and his hatred of heroes," Ace replied. He went to the bathroom attached to the private rooms and brushed his teeth. She seemed surprised that they talked about that.

Eraser Head walked past saying, "He doesn't look like it, but he's good with kids." Ace chuckled. When he left the room Kota was in the hallway and followed him around. Ace had a feeling his job was going to be harder if he followed him around all day, but he didn't want to be mean. He was 5 and obviously unfriendly. But Ace had been and now Kota seemed to want to stay with him.

Oh well. If it became a problem he'd kindly address it.

He walked outside and stayed by the building while Eraser Head addressed the sleepy students. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today we will begin training camp to improve your strength in earnest." As he listened to Eraser Head give instructions, Kota was standing next to him and glaring.

"They're not all heroes yet. You can't be mad at them for their future goals," Ace said simply. Kota looked away. "I know what it's like to dislike a certain group of people, but it's their choice, and we can't usually change anything about it. So why waste your energy being mad at people for what they haven't done yet?" the young man reasoned. "Do you know how much stuff they put themselves through? I think it's amazing that people can be that determined. Can put their body through pain to come out strong on the other side. Don't you agree?"

Kota grudgingly nodded, and his glare softened a little bit. Ace had still been listening to Eraser Head talk. He was good at multitasking.

Ace hadn't been there for the beginning part of the semester, so he hadn't seen how they were at the very start. He hadn't seen Bakugo throw the ball yet. Ace whistled quietly at how far it went. Man, he wished he was a student right now, and not the helper assistant adult. Eraser Head had told him he wasn't going to be doing much but making sure there was nobody suspicious. After all, the League of Villains had harassed Freckles. The second time, at least, since they approached U.A.

Third if you counted the botched one that Ace ruined. Felt like forever ago. Kota looked at him when he whistled. "Wish I could be doing that right now. Looks pretty fun," Ace said simply.

Finishing his speech about them needing improvement and insulting their progress a little, Eraser Head grinned and said, "It'll be so hard it'll feel like you're dying. But try not to actually die."

And he wasn't kidding as Ace observed a very long, very personalized torture session. The Grape boy was even bleeding from the head. There were lots of screams being heard. "Don't focus on them, focus on your haki. At USJ your haki told us where the villains were before they became visible," Eraser Head said.

"Alright," Ace replied, prying Kota away from him while he headed to the roof again, closing his eyes and extending his haki, ignoring everything else around him but looking for presences. He counted them. All of class 1-A and 1-B, the teachers, and those who resided at the cabin. Any more than that number and he would alert somebody immediately.

The day was boring, but Ace didn't open his eyes once, not allowing himself to get distracted by anything. Everyone was pretty much dead when they got back inside to make dinner. Curry. "Do I help them?" Ace asked, patting Kota on the head next to him.

"No, this is part of their training," Vlad King said. Ace sighed. This was going to take awhile.

"Then I'm gonna go back to my post again. I'll inform you if anything suspicious happens." Eraser Head said okay.

Ace was taking his duty seriously, knowing that his haki was indispensable since it was more than any sense. He would know if someone was near without seeing, hearing or smelling them. The food was brought up to him by Pixie-bob, the blue cat hero, and it honestly wasn't that bad. "They actually did an okay job," Ace said, happy his food wasn't dog shit. But the day was boring beyond belief. He did his appointed job regardless.

He wished he could watch him training, since it all sounded interesting, but he couldn't. He wasn't complaining, he didn't come along because he thought he'd have a fun time at camp. He came to be useful and pass time, even if some of the passing time was slow as hell.

But then he noticed a presence leaving. He jumped off of the roof and got Mandalay. "Kota walked off the property but I am still able to keep track of him. And one of the students is going after him. Should you send someone else?" She asked how he knew. "A power of mine. The guy who followed him is responsible and trustworthy. Should we leave them be?"

Mandalay looked uncomfortable. "Keep track of him." Ace promised he would and got back on the roof after telling Eraser Head where Freckles had gone.

He stayed there for hours, keeping track before he felt a sleep attack coming on and passed out just long enough for him to miss a blip of presences.

The next two days were just as boring. Ace was sitting on watch while everyone else was working on their quirks. He had had his eyes closed for four hours now, and his back hurt and he was bored and angry. Why was he the only one keeping look out? But he didn't say anything criticizing their lax security.

Apparently they chose this place because it could be well monitored, but Ace didn't like that they were surrounded by woods. He felt he was going overboard, but something was going to go wrong, and tonight was the best night with the stupid test of courage the students were doing. Well, he'd make sure nothing bad happened.

Once it started, kids made their way into the woods and back out safely. But then, ten people were there, and had just appeared. He jumped off of the roof and ran to Mandalay, the nearest hero. "There are ten people that have suddenly appeared in numerous places in the woods. What do we do? What do I do?"

She was frozen up, and Ace ran to get Eraser Head, but he wasn't inside! He was in the woods with the kid who failed the exam! Damnit, who does he take orders from? He couldn't find Vlad King either. They probably thought they were safe here where the roads were easy to monitor. They'd come here specifically for the safety from villains, when it was literally the best place for villains.

Trees to confuse and slow others, to hide behind, to not be seen from above. The woods here were dense as well. He went out and found Pixie bob was already taken in. Mineta was screaming, and Ace told him to calm down, instinctively standing in front of them. He felt Eraser Head and Vlad King weren't even in his range anymore. Where had they gone? They had a couple of students with them since there were some missing from the count, but they were the presences of people who had the extra lessons. And they were banned from the test of courage.

Those five were safe and most likely had the teachers with them. "What do we do?" Ace asked quietly. "Tiger, what do we do?!" he demanded, voice void of fear now. He was used to this, but not used to those to protect being kids and not seasoned pirates. They were weak, clumsy, young. They'd panic, even if they had come across villains before. "Give me permission to fight!" Ace demanded, voice echoing loudly. Finally getting attention.

In this stupid place he had to have permission to harm others. Which was ridiculous, it's damn self defense. "Permission granted!" Tiger called and Ace sprinted towards the nearest presence in the wood, accompanied by two and one that was unconscious.

He sprinted into the woods and found Bakugo and Todoroki, who had one on his back. Ace had just gotten a message that everyone could fight, he wasted precious seconds to ask for permission. He acted immediately, grabbing the man around the neck, his sharp armor piercing through Ace completely into the fire.

"Don't you fucking touch them!" Ace roared and engulfed his entire face in fire, at the same time with the other one, he snapped his neck and dropped him. "You both! Come with me! We're going to the next one!" Bakugo and Todoroki were shocked from the intense and brutal murder Ace had committed. "Snap out of it! Let's go!"

"That was my ki-!" Bakugo started.

"If you fucking argue with me right now, I'm going to knock you out of the battle completely. Do you understand me?" Ace said darkly, channeling his second division commander vibes. Todoroki nodded and Bakugo scowled. "Let's go! You guys are strong, help me out!" he shouted, and all three of them went to where Ace's haki was telling him the next villain was, with two girls.

"Todoroki, start an ice trail to find our way back and be ready to ice someone up! I don't know what the next person can do!" Ace shouted, the other two having trouble keeping up with him, Todoroki still carrying someone. It didn't take long for them to find the next target. It was a highschool girl. With some weird torture looking contraptions on her back.

"Tsu, Uraraka, get away from her!" Ace shouted, immediately on the woman. He gripped her equipment with a haki covered hand and shattered it all, pinning her to the ground with his hand. "Todoroki, ice her up!" Ace shouted, and she was pinned to the ground in ice. He lit the ice on fire, trapping her completely.

"We're going to the next, now! It's not safe for any of you to be alone. Bakugo, take the back! I'm counting on you!" he shouted, not waiting for an answer, but feeling them all working to catch up with him. "Uraraka, lessen Todoroki's weight so he can move easier!"

"O-Okay!" she said and made the guy who the ice user was carrying a little lighter. Todoroki was still leaving a trail of ice. The five of them stopped at the edge of the gas field. "Stop! We don't know if it's flammable, I need to test it." He stuck a hand inside the gas and lit his finger up. It dissipated, didn't blow up. It was a big risk.

"There are people in there. We need to rescue them. Bakugo, Todoroki, use your flames to clear out the gas! Keep it focused in front of you so you don't breathe it in! Uraraka, Tsu, keep this guy. Don't leave this circle!" he shouted and created a fire circle around the three. "Let's go!" he shouted and he, Todoroki and Bakugo used their flames to clear out the poison. They came across the offender and Ace shouted at the explosive boy not to make attention. "Don't say his name, call him bomb boy. We now know they're after him, but I need to trust you to do what I say and keep yourself safe, okay? Understand?!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Keep clearing the gas!" Ace said as he shot out a huge burst of flame against the guy who was making the gas, clearing all of the air around him of gas and leaving him wide open. He was panicking. "I'll clear the flames as soon as possible!" There was already a fight going but he wanted to take out as many as he could without any of the students getting too hurt.

The gas guy shot at him but the bullet went right through Ace's forehead and he continued forward, the guy screaming about what kind of quirk he had. Ace wrapped his legs around the guy's middle and flipped him backwards, yanking his neck so hard it broke but just in the right way as he didn't die. He didn't usually make this type of kill. Ace broke both legs just in case and surrounded him with flames for more security.

"Everyone, follow the trail of ice! Don't touch the flaming ice mound! Run past it! If you keep going forward you'll come across a dead body and continue straight and you'll be back with Tiger and Mandalay! Hopefully Eraser Head will be there. And Mandalay said nothing about gas, the gas should be clear where she is! Be safe!" He reached his arms out and sucked up all of the forest fire from Todoroki and Bakugo's less controlled fire.

Ace turned around and saw Todoroki and no one else. "Where the fuck did he GO?!" Ace raged. He took a few deep breaths. "Okay, he's this way," Ace said, gaining his cool again. He wasn't used to having to protect weak people all at once from multiple enemies! "Stay close and don't wander off!"

"Right!" at least somebody wasn't taking this lightly.

"That idiot is running to the fire!" Ace swore, and he and Todoroki went even faster. Ace heard people screaming from the fire and thrust his hands into the burning flames. It was blue, but not incredibly hot. He sucked up enough for those trapped by the flames to get through. "You all! Follow the ice!" he shouted as the flames were pulled into his body. "Run!"

The group of freaked out teens followed Todoroki's ice path. "How do you know how to fight like this?" Todoroki asked.

"Experience. There, the fires are gone enough for now. That fucking idiot! I told him not to run off!" Ace said angrily, but was still keeping track of his surroundings. He felt a villain not far from there, with two presences and what felt like a monster. "Can you keep up?" Ace asked. Todoroki was panting but nodded, and they sprinted to the east where Ace felt a monster coming towards them.

Ace roughly shoved Todoroki to the ground, just missing a swipe of black matter. He hit the ground hard, but was okay. "We don't have time for this!" Ace shouted. Bakugo was the target, but he'd run off. It wasn't Ace's job to be his babysitter when he wasn't willing to follow anything for his own safety!

Ace yelled at Todoroki and Shoji to run far from where he was, at least fifty feet. Dark Shadow came towards him and Ace let loose an explosion of conqueror's haki, knocking Tokoyami out and making Dark Shadow crawl back into its owner before disappearing.

Ace was with Tokoyami over his shoulder. "Everyone okay?" he called. He was frantic. Now they had Ace, a horrifically injured Freckles, Shoji with a missing extremity, Todoroki who was exhausted and sore, and an unconscious Tokoyami. "Todoroki, where's the ice path?!"

"I- I got distracted!" he said, frantic as well.

"It's fine. We'll find another way out. Is everyone okay to sprint?" he asked. The smoke was getting to them. They nodded.

"Where's Kacchan!?" Freckles shouted.

"I don't know, he ran off when I told him not to! We can't focus on him right now. We have to get as many people safe as we can!" Ace shouted, leading them out.

"No, we have to help Kacchan!"

Ace finally shouted, "He doesn't want help! That's why the idiot ran from our plan! There's nothing we can do right now, I have no idea where he is!" he shouted, burning away obstacles as they ran while panting. Ace was exhausted, he was still keeping multiple flame rings going, had used conquerors haki, had used physical force and was out of breath.

Freckles was struggling but Shoji kept him still. "I'm sorry, Midoriya! But Bakugo isn't the only one who was targeted!"

They finally reached the clearing where there was no gas, and found a large group of the people Ace had found and led out. Now there were twelve of them. "Please, go back for him!" Freckles begged. He scowled, but ran back into the woods. He came across Eraser Head, who also looked exhausted.

"Ace!"

"I got three of them! One dead, one contained and one immobilized! I saved as many as I could and stopped Dark Shadow and put out the fire but Bakugo fucking ran off and I don't know where he went," Ace said, his vision fading.

"Ace, stop! You've reached your limit! Go back to camp, I'll look for Bakugo," Eraser Head said, looking concerned. Ace nodded but ran to where he sensed Tsu and Uraraka.

He released the fire. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting! Follow the ice!" Ace said, he and the girls running. Ace came across the fire mound. The girl hadn't escaped. Her broken equipment was all around her. When they passed the mangled and burnt corpse, Ace yelled at them to not look.

They made it back in the clearing and Ace made everyone get into a tight circle. He created a fire wall around them. "Don't leave the circle, no one else can get in!" Ace commanded. He finally stopped, putting his hands on his knees.

Fourteen. He'd gotten fourteen out of the forest. The gas was dissipating, the fire was held back a bit. He had to stay conscious to keep the fire rings going. "Freckles! Eraser Head is looking for Bakugo," Ace assured him. "You can't fight anymore, you need to rest."

Ace didn't have a scratch, but his shorts were messed up. His hat was safe, too, resting on his back. His elbow guard was ripped and he had dirt all over him and leaves in his hair. He looked completely exhausted.

Suddenly, the fighting stopped and those who were fighting in the clearing, fighting the two pussycats, disappeared into a portal. He felt the presences he hadn't taken out leave. Bakugo had been apprehended. At least they wouldn't hurt anybody else. Ace still didn't release the fire rings.

He went to where the high school girl's body should be, which was gone. Damn it. He hurried to the other guy. He was still there, barely breathing. He was in a terrible shape, but Ace had done well to break the neck without killing him. He would just be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Ace picked him up carefully and carried him back to camp. He ran into Eraser Head, who also looked exhausted. "I caught one for questioning," Ace said. The guy moaned in pain.

"What did you do to him?"

"I broke his neck without killing him," Ace explained. "Did they get Bakugo?" Eraser Head nodded.

Ace sighed angrily. "I had a plan. And it would have worked if he hadn't run off. I got fourteen others out, they're back at camp. But I need to sleep. Can I trust you with this guy?" Ace asked, voice heavy.

"Yes, you can," Eraser Head swore. He picked up the other guy while now carrying an unconscious Ace under his arm, heading back to camp.

When Ace woke up, the fires were no longer burning but there was smoke in the air. Kids were crying. The fire ring had disappeared when he passed out. His body was tired, but his mind was rested. He couldn't have been out long. He sat up and ran his hands down his face.

"How are you, Ace-san?" All Might's voice asked.

"Tired," Ace replied. "Did anyone die? How many are hurt?" How many did he fail to help?

"Nobody died, but 4 students are unconscious or in critical condition by the gas." Ace scowled, putting his head in his hands. "You've done enough, Ace-san. It isn't your job to save everyone. I often can't save everyone, which has much worse consequences than this. But Bakugo is gone." All Might gave a small smile. "You took out three villains and got 14 students to safety. You've done more than enough," he repeated. Ace still felt bad he hadn't burnt the gas away earlier.

"What about Freckles' state? He hurt himself badly again," Ace said, and stood up.

All Might was quiet for a moment. "He's going to be seen by Recovery Girl. There was nothing else he could have done in the moment." Ace nodded. A handful of people ran to Ace and started thanking him. He felt awkward.

"Um, you're welcome," he said. Todoroki was behind him, a little bruised, too. All Might moved on to get somebody, Ace wasn't paying attention.

"How did you come up with a plan so fast?" he asked, voice quiet. "And you broke a man's neck without killing him. How did you know how to do all that?"

Ace replied, "I told you all my world isn't an easy place to live in. I told you I'm not hero material." Todoroki frowned and said he felt the opposite. Ace looked away and sat down, accepting a bottle of water given to him, and then looking at the sky. At least he could see a bit of the stars.