I've seen a few fics about a Touya!Dabi finding Eri and feeling protective. It gave me this idea.
Reevaluate
Dabi strolled away from the blue flames, sliding his hands into his pockets.
That fire should provide enough cover.
He was originally going to play a larger role, but Muscular overheard him talking about distracting the pro heroes, and the idiot practically begged for the action.
Dabi didn't mind, however. Going up against both Eraserhead and Vlad King? He would likely lose.
He wondered if Muscular was smart enough to utilize Twice's quirk.
Dabi doubted it.
As he walked, he scanned the surrounding trees, but saw no sign of the hero students.
That was the only real downside to the deal; at least the Squad knew where the pro heroes were. The students, however, were more of a mystery. Sure, they were probably somewhere on the loop trail, but it wouldn't be long until they realized they were targeted, and scattered throughout the woods.
He figured the best idea would be to gain some elevation and see if he could spot anyone from above. There was a nearby rock formation that looked like it would have a good view.
Maybe he'd get lucky and find that loudmouth Bakugo brat they were supposed to kidnap. An explosion quirk should be pretty noticeable, especially if the wannabe hero set more fires to the forest.
The grass-covered ground gave way to gray rock. Greenery still clung to life here and there, wherever it could find purchase.
Dabi picked his way through fallen boulders, and reached a level area that curved around the side of the rock formation. Then he paused.
What was a kid doing here?
Not one of the wannabe heroes—an actual little kid.
A boy, probably four or five years old if Dabi had to guess, wearing a red hat and standing with his back to him, gazing out into the distance.
A look at the valley beyond the kid showed that his blue flames had really caught well—but his main focus was on the boy.
No one had said there would be children here.
Had Shigaraki known? Was it something the guy's contacts hadn't discovered, or had it been deemed an unimportant detail?
"Hey, kid," Dabi said, keeping his voice neutral, "what are you doing here?"
The kid spun around to face him.
Dabi apparently hadn't needed to worry about scaring the kid—he looked angry.
"Me?! This is my hideout! What are you doing here, stupid?!"
Hideout, huh? Did that mean he came here often to get away from someone, or was it like some tree house or something? Normal kids had secret spots for fun, right?
It was sort of ironic that Dabi didn't know a thing about kids.
Dabi decided not to answer the boy's question. "I meant at the camp in general. But never mind. It's dangerous here tonight, if you hadn't noticed." He gestured toward the blue flames in the distance to prove the point.
The kid scoffed. "You another hero? What's your stupid quirk—'Quilt Work'? You gonna knit your way to proving you're better than everyone else? You all make me sick."
The kid really had a death-wish, didn't he? Dabi felt the beginnings of a scowl pull on the crude piercings at his mouth and eyes. His tone was cold like the ice quirk he should have inherited. "I'm not a hero."
There was a look of shock mixed with skepticism. "You're not?" The kid had the nerve to relax his clenched fists, expression even beginning to look a touch relieved.
What, was Dabi less of a threat now? He couldn't be as powerful as a hero?
The kid would've already been dead if a different member of the Squad had found him. As it was, Dabi was half tempted to 'forget' he was just some innocent kid. No one could blame him. Villains weren't known for their morals, after all.
That was, if Dabi could call himself a villain yet. He was honestly a little surprised Shigaraki had let him into the League so easily. His only qualifications were spouting about Stain's ideology and having a useful quirk. That, and acting like he knew what he was doing.
If he were in charge of recruiting, he would be much more selective.
The kid asked, "Did Mandalay ask you to come to the camp because of me?" His expression seemed to war between irritation and fondness toward the mentioned hero. Like he couldn't decide if he'd wanted her to call for someone or not.
Dabi huffed a laugh, smile pulling at his lower lip and corners of his mouth. "Mandalay didn't send me." The idea of a hero calling for him was too amusing.
He didn't know why, but found himself starting to like this kid who didn't seem at all afraid of or disgusted by him. "I had no idea you were here, kid," he said honestly. "I just came up here to get a better view."
The kid looked over his shoulder at the blue flames still eating at the forest, apparently coming to some conclusion. "...Oh." He kept his head turned from Dabi for several seconds, focused on the valley below.
"I should go back to camp..." the kid said, voice a bit shaky. At least he had a healthy fear of fire. "Mandalay says to."
The boy took a step to leave. The opposite direction Dabi had come from.
Dabi followed the rock path with his eyes until it curved out of sight around the mountain. He wondered if the climb was easier that way. He doubted the kid could've come up the way Dabi had.
"Hang on, kid," Dabi said before even realizing he'd opened his mouth. "It's safer up here." The kid turned to look at him, and Dabi kept talking. Why? He didn't need to explain anything. "There's a villain attack going on. You'd end up in the middle of it if you went back now."
A scowl returned to the kid's face. He turned from Dabi and gave a fierce kick to a rock, sending it soaring over the cliff. "Just another chance for the heroes to show how great they are. Not like they even care about me. It's all about looking good for the public. They're just like my parents. They'll all abandon me, too." His voice wobbled at the end. He dropped to his butt near the cliff's edge and wrapped his arms around his knees, curling up as though trying to protect himself.
Dabi knew how that felt. With the spiky black hair poking out from under the red cap, the kid was like a miniature Dabi. It was unsettling.
Dabi slowly approached, sitting a little over an arm's length away from the kid, and just watched the dance of his flames in the distance.
After a few minutes, the kid looked up at him, and Dabi slid his eyes toward the kid without moving his head. The boy remained quiet, however, seemingly content to stare at Dabi while trying to work out unvoiced questions.
Dabi didn't know why he felt like sharing.
"My old man was like that. All he wanted to do was get to the top." Dabi stared back into the distant flames. "He didn't care about any of his kids, other than what our quirks could do."
Beside him, the kid snorted, like he understood where Dabi was coming from, felt the same bitterness.
This kid was younger than Dabi had been when he'd turned cynical. Way younger. It didn't feel right on a kid that age. When Shouto'd been that age...
"My youngest brother wanted to be a hero."
Dabi hadn't meant to say the thought out loud.
The kid gave him a searching, disgusted look. "Why?"
Dabi shrugged one shoulder. Not like he really understood it, himself. He sighed and leaned back, planting his hands behind him, and gazed into the night sky. "Most kids do, I think. Sho— My brother liked All Might. Watched videos of him when our father wasn't around." He wondered if his brother still liked All Might that much. He knew Shouto was at the camp right now—somewhere. He still felt a bitter rivalry with Shouto. He'd like to prove he was better than his younger brother at something. It didn't matter what. Dabi looked down to search the valley for any tell-tale ice or orange flames, but the treetops did a good job hiding whatever was going on down below.
He was wrong about having a good view from here.
"Tch," the kid said. "All Might's the worst of them all. All the time showing off, smiling and fighting villains, wearing that dumb costume, always has to be number one. Everyone says he's a 'symbol'."
Dabi frowned, feeling a little concerned. This kid almost sounded like Shigaraki, of all people. Or maybe even Dabi's father. Even Stain liked All Might.
"I think the smile is to help people feel safe," Dabi mused. He knew how important a friendly face could be. Especially since he didn't have one himself.
Once, back when he'd been a kid, someone had said he had friendly eyes. He never saw it—they were blue, like Endeavor's.
He doubted anyone noticed his eyes anymore. And even if they did, he'd worked hard on the bored, dismissive look. Never rage. Never like his father's heated glare. Instead cool, like the deceptive color of his flames.
"A smile doesn't prove anything," the kid grumbled.
Dabi shrugged. "At least it proves he's trying." It was more than his father ever did.
They sat in silence a few minutes.
"I'm Kota," the kid volunteered.
"I go by Dabi."
The kid scowled. "That sounds like a hero name."
Dabi gave the kid a hard stare. "It's not."
The kid—Kota—just rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the valley below. "Whatever."
It was silent for another minute or two.
"I wonder if the fight's over yet," Kota said. Then he muttered, "Dumb heroes and villains."
Dabi angled his head back in a show of curiosity. "You're lumping in the villains, too?"
Kota turned to Dabi again. "Well, duh. After all, they're not any different than the heroes."
Dabi thought they were quite a bit different.
"They're both just trying to prove who's more powerful," Kota complained. "They don't really care about anything else. Probably all hurt their families." He reached for a nearby rock and threw it off the cliff.
The kid seemed to like sending rocks through the air.
Dabi tracked its arc, wondering if, with some luck, it would hit one of the hero students. Maybe he could help his team just by having a rock-throwing contest with the kid.
The stray line of thought wasn't enough to distract him for long.
Was he like the heroes—like his father—despite joining the villains? He wanted to change things. He wanted to tear down the current hero society, get rid of false heroes like Endeavor. Especially Endeavor. Endeavor needed to be turned to ash by Dabi's hands.
But something about the kid's words rung with truth.
Was he really just using Stain's cause as a paper-thin excuse for a stupid strength contest? Was he hurting his family with his actions? His petty rivalry would hurt Shouto, who was training to be a hero even now. His villainous deeds would disappoint Fuyumi, who was always too kind for her own good. His disappearance would've already hurt Natsuo, who used to be close to him. Then there was Mom, who cried over every little thing, despite her anger.
"Maybe you're right, kid," he said. "Maybe it's impossible not to hurt someone—not because you want to, but because you have to choose what's more important."
Kota still sounded bitter. "Well, apparently my parents didn't think I was important enough, or they wouldn't have left me."
It was strange. Kota's parents first reminded Dabi of Endeavor, but now he could only picture himself. "Maybe they just wanted to create a better world for you, and didn't realize how much you would miss them." Plus some good, old fashion bitterness and spite—but Dabi really did have a few just goals mixed in. Just took him a few years to figure out how to achieve them.
He refused to think of any good intentions his father may have had. Endeavor was just a pathetic excuse for a human being, end of story.
Dabi's eyes drifted for a moment, before snapping toward the valley below—where a huge cloud of dirt shot up from the middle of the forest. Then there was a deep boom. It was immediately followed by more dirt clouds and booms, seeming to be traveling in the direction of his blue flames.
"What the hell is that?"
Izuku ran up the mountain path, using Full Cowling to boost his speed. He needed to make sure Kota was okay.
He promised himself he would get Kota to safety.
As he neared, he could see the boy standing at the overlook like the night before, perfectly safe. Relieved, he let One For All dissipate, not wanting to cause a panic.
Then he heard the boy saying something.
Was someone else there? It couldn't be a villain, could it?
There—a tall dark shadow. A glimpse of a long ragged coat.
Izuku's eyes widened, and he jumped back against the solid wall of the rock formation, ignoring the hard impact to his head and shoulders. He slapped both hands over his mouth as a panicked yelp tried to break free.
Need to keep quiet, need to keep quiet!
If Izuku were seen, the person could take Kota hostage, or worse.
He inched closer, trying not to make a sound.
"It's dangerous here tonight, if you hadn't noticed," the man said with an unfeeling chill. An arm made a lazy wave toward the forest, where Izuku could see the large blue flames—obviously a villain's quirk.
Was it his quirk? That veiled threat seemed to hint at it.
Blue flames... Did the color signify a complete combustion, like natural gas? Were they hotter than the flames of most fire quirks, or cold to the touch like a ghostly flame? Maybe they burned using a specific chemical like Kacchan's explosions. Was the villain still in control of them, or were they just average—yet blue—flames once he lost contact? If he could control them from a distance, then how far of a radius? Would they extinguish once they got out of bounds or if the man lost focus or consciousness? Did he produce flame through his skin like Todoroki and Endeavor, or could it be a fire-breathing quirk like Izuku's father's?
Izuku squeezed his fingers into his cheeks, hoping to stop himself from accidentally voicing his thoughts out loud.
He was now close enough to see the side of the man's mismatched face, his gaze thankfully pointed the other way. If this really was the villain with the fire quirk, were those purpled patches of skin related to his quirk? In what way? Or was it just a secondary, superficial mutation? Those were pretty common.
Kota's voice spoke up, loud and condescending enough to make Izuku wince. "You another hero? What's your stupid quirk—'Quilt Work'? You gonna knit your way to proving you're better than everyone else? You all make me sick."
Izuku felt like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. He squeezed his fingers tighter against his face, hoping to muffle a horrified whine. Seriously, Kota?!
"I'm not a hero." The tone was darker than coal.
Izuku's thoughts screamed in his head. He's going to kill him, he's going to kill him, he's a villain and he's going to kill him!
Izuku's instincts warred against one another, the fear of discovery from the past several seconds trampling his normal knee-jerk reaction to leap into action.
He was frozen to the spot, not able to do anything.
Wait... His phone. He should call for backup. He should call...
His fingers shook as he got his phone out of his pocket, still keeping one hand over his mouth. He kept his eyes on the villain as much as possible.
The Wild Wild Pussycats were busy with the villains in the clearing. They probably needed to focus. But maybe Mr. Aizawa could help.
Hoping the villain wouldn't hear anything, he texted a quick message to go along with his coordinates, mentioning Kota being in trouble and to tell Mr. Aizawa. Then he forwarded it to everyone in his contacts.
He really needed to get Mr. Aizawa's number for situations like this.
Then he heard Kota ask if Mandalay had sent the villain, and Izuku's thoughts froze. ...What...?
Why would Mandalay send for a villain?
He recalled Mr. Aizawa's words about the camp location being a secret. But Mandalay couldn't be working with the villains. Even if it were true, Izuku knew she wouldn't put Kota at risk like that.
It was entirely too long before Izuku realized Kota didn't know the man was a villain.
Of course. Kota hated quirks and hero society. Mandalay had even told Izuku that Kota didn't like any of the Pussycats much, either. With the camp filled with nothing but pro heroes and hero students, Kota probably felt stifled. Maybe he thought Mandalay was reaching out to him by finding a non-hero he could talk to.
This was a perilous situation. Kota had no idea how much danger he was in.
Izuku needed an opening. If only the villain would look away from Kota, just for a few seconds.
It was too risky to move otherwise. He had no idea how fast the villain was—or even if the blue fire really was his quirk.
Izuku felt like groaning when Kota turned away from the villain to look over the side of the cliff.
It was a long several seconds before Kota shakily said, "I should go back to camp... Mandalay says to."
Had she spoken to him with her Telepath? Did she tell him about the villains? Had she gotten Izuku's message?
Izuku let out a relieved breath as Kota began to walk toward Izuku, the brim of his red hat covering his eyes. Maybe nothing would happen after all. Izuku could rush him to safety once he came close enough.
The villain's head started to turn, and Izuku jumped back to get out of sight.
"Hang on, kid," he heard. "It's safer up here."
Oh, no. No.
Don't stop, Kota!
Izuku couldn't look. The villain might still be watching. Had he seen Izuku?
He could barely hear over his racing thoughts and heartbeat as the villain mentioned the attack.
The words only set Kota off again about heroes. The boy came into view as he approached the edge of the cliff. He gave an aggressive kick to a rock, sending it through the air.
Izuku's breath caught as Kota claimed no one cared about him, saying everyone would abandon him like his parents had. It sounded like he was about to cry.
At least, tears were starting to blur Izuku's vision. He couldn't help it—it was just so sad!
Kota sat down and crumpled in on himself, looking so small.
Izuku wanted to go to the boy, to comfort him, to tell him that it wasn't true, to tell him he was loved and no one would abandon him. Before Izuku realized it, he was stepping forward.
Then the villain came into view, and Izuku remembered the situation. One wrong move, and Kota would be dead.
The villain sat quietly, not far from Kota, and didn't say anything.
What was the villain doing? Was he trying to keep Kota from running away? It didn't make sense.
What should Izuku do? Both were looking the other way—should Izuku attack the villain while his back was turned? Should he just wait and listen? The villain hadn't touched Kota yet, should Izuku continue analyzing the situation?
"Listen everyone."
Mandalay's quirk?
"We've discovered one of the villain's targets: Katsuki Bakugo. There may be other student targets. Because of this, class A and class B, you are granted permission in the name of the pro hero Eraserhead to defend yourselves in combat. I repeat, use your training. You may fight these villains."
Kacchan's in danger?!
What should Izuku do? He wanted to help Kacchan—but he couldn't leave Kota!
"Midoriya," came Mandalay's voice again. "Eraserhead is on his way. Please keep Kota safe for us in the meantime. And thank you."
Izuku released a huge breath—remembering at the last moment to keep it silent.
Right. He needed to focus on Kota. Izuku nodded firmly to himself. Kacchan was strong. He would be okay.
Since Eraserhead was on his way, the best thing to do was wait. If the villain showed any sign of attacking Kota, Izuku wouldn't hesitate to leap into action. However, everything would go easier if the villain stayed unaware of his presence. Eraserhead's best move would be to capture the villain from a distance and erase his quirk. Even with Kota so close, he should remain safe.
However, if Izuku attacked the villain before Eraserhead arrived, there was a chance the attack would fail, and then the villain would be on guard and could possibly evade Eraserhead's capture weapon or injure Kota.
So Izuku just needed to stay still and pay attention.
"My old man was like that," the villain suddenly said. "All he wanted to do was get to the top."
What did he mean by 'get to the top'? Was his father also a villain?
Was this like that weird heart-to-heart at the mall with Shigaraki? What was up with these villains?!
The villain continued, "He didn't care about any of his kids, other than what our quirks could do." Then, after a pause, said, softer, "My youngest brother wanted to be a hero."
Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. The villain's brother had wanted to be a hero... What had happened to him?
The villain then said his brother used to watch All Might videos, and Izuku couldn't help remember his own childhood of watching All Might as often as he could and wanting to be just like him.
Then Kota said he didn't like All Might, and Izuku released a quiet gasp.
"I think the smile is to help people feel safe," the villain said.
"A smile doesn't prove anything."
"At least it proves he's trying."
Izuku thought back to Shigaraki's words from the mall.
"He's why these morons are able to smile thoughtlessly. They feel so safe because that garbage pro is smiling thoughtlessly, too. As if there's no one in the whole world he can't save."
Their views were so different. It sounded like this villain... perhaps not liked, but had nothing against All Might. While Kota's view seemed more similar to Shigaraki's.
Kota didn't trust All Might to save everyone.
Izuku guessed that was what happened when someone so young saw heroes fail. No kid should have to experience such a thing.
...What did that mean for Shigaraki?
And, was this villain another of Stain's followers, like the lizard back in the clearing?
Why did it seem like he was trying to help Kota?
"I'm Kota."
"I go by Dabi."
"That sounds like a hero name."
A... A hero name? Dabi? That was a euphemism for death!
Although...
To save through suffering...
Izuku could kind of see it.
And the alias was in line with Stain's methods. Dabi was almost certainly inspired by the hero killer.
It was quiet for another stretch of time, Kota and Dabi both looking out toward the valley. Then Kota claimed heroes and villains were the same.
"Probably all hurt their families," Kota muttered and picked up a rock to throw.
It was silent for a few seconds.
"Maybe you're right, kid," Dabi said, oddly thoughtful. "Maybe it's impossible not to hurt someone—not because you want to, but because you have to choose what's more important."
"Well, apparently my parents didn't think I was important enough, or they wouldn't have left me."
"Maybe they just wanted to create a better world for you, and didn't realize how much you would miss them."
That was... an odd thing for a villain to say. Why was he taking up for Kota's hero parents? It seriously did sound like Dabi was trying to help Kota.
And, if Izuku thought about it from a different angle... If Dabi was talking about himself... What had Dabi felt important enough to become a villain for?
Over the past few months, Izuku had been starting to see that hero society was in shades of gray. There wasn't always a clear right and wrong. Sometimes even heroes could make mistakes. Sometimes Villains had honorable—though twisted—convictions. Sometimes laws were unfair. And now, sometimes villains cared about children and whether people would get hurt.
A rumbling sound brought Izuku out of his thoughts.
Thunder?
"What the hell is that?" Dabi stood up, still facing the forest. Izuku tried to see what he was looking at.
There was a trail of explosions. However, they didn't look like Kacchan's—no flashes of light. It must have been someone else, though Izuku couldn't think of anyone he knew who could cause destruction like that, and Dabi seemed just as surprised.
Yellow light flashed some distance to the right of the other explosions, and ice shot far above the trees. Kacchan and Todoroki. Izuku recalled they had been paired up for the Test of Courage.
They were fighting a villain.
How many villains were there? There couldn't be as many as at the USJ, could there?!
Izuku noticed Dabi raise his hand to put over his ear, and realized the villain was listening to someone through an earpiece.
Dabi cursed. "He's going to kill me."
"What?! Who?" Kota asked.
"I need to go. Stay. Here."
Dabi looked to his left, then right, and Izuku stepped back against the rock wall to hide in the shadows.
Then Dabi turned and ran Izuku's direction.
Izuku frantically glanced around. There was no where to hide!
Then Dabi was in front of him. "You're one of the ones on Shigaraki's list..."
Shigaraki...
"Next time we meet, I'll likely have to kill you."
Heart beating frantically, Izuku channeled One For All into his arm for a smash.
Dabi raised his left arm to block, a ball of blue flame starting in his palm and moving up his forearm ...and Izuku was brought back to the Sports Festival. ...Exactly like the Cavalry Battle.
Then Dabi's eyes shifted to the side, like he was trying to glance at something behind him, and the flames dissipated in the same upward pattern.
Like in the final match.
"...Todoroki..."
Bright blue eyes snapped back to Izuku, the villain's eyes widening.
Izuku and Dabi both jumped back.
Dabi ran by Izuku and down the mountain.
What... just happened?
Izuku now understood what Todoroki had meant—back during the Festival, when he'd said Izuku's power reminded him of All Might's.
Dabi's quirk wasn't the same as Todoroki's, but for a moment there... it was like it was Izuku's classmate in front of him.
Was everyone with a fire quirk like that?
Near the base of the mountain, an arc of blue briefly illuminated Dabi and Eraserhead. Dabi ducked under Eraserhead's capture weapon while running. Eraserhead tried again, but Dabi disappeared into the trees. The outcome was only to be expected—Eraserhead's methods were most effective with the element of surprise and against villains who were either attacking or distracted, not ones who simply wanted to get away. That was what had decided their short match.
"He's a hero, isn't he?"
Izuku turned to see Kota standing a few feet away, tears in the corners of his eyes.
"He said he came up here to get a better look—he was supposed to help put out that fire, wasn't he? But he watched me, instead. And now he's going to be in trouble for it."
Huh?
"Uhh... D-Don't worry, Kota," Izuku said with a shaky smile. What was he supposed to say? "Everything's going to be alright."
At the sound of footsteps, Izuku turned to see Eraserhead.
"Midoriya. Kota. Are you injured?"
Kota shook his head.
"No," Izuku said. He raised his arms and wiggled his fingers to prove it.
"What happened." It wasn't a question, but an order.
Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but he had no idea what he was going to say. His mind was still on the brief second or two where he and Dabi had almost attacked each other. What had happened? It was like... something had startled the villain?
"Don't punish Dabi!" Kota blurted out. "H-He said people had to choose what was more important, and he chose to keep me safe instead of helping with the villain attack. And maybe other people got hurt— because he chose me." Tears trailed down the boy's cheeks and he sniffed.
Izuku glanced at Eraserhead, to see him staring back at Izuku with a raised eyebrow, seeming to be demanding an explanation.
"...I'll explain later." Or... he hoped he could. Right now his mind was racing around in circles and he was getting a headache.
Eraserhead stepped closer to Kota and knelt in front of the boy. "No one will be in trouble for protecting you."
Wait—Kacchan!
"Is Kacchan okay?! He and Todoroki were fighting..." Izuku trailed off as he walked closer to the edge of the cliff. He scanned the valley below, but couldn't find any sign of Kacchan's quirk. There was no sign of the other explosions, either.
"Let's go," Eraserhead said.
Right. It was time to help the others. Although, deep down, Izuku had a sinking feeling the battle was already over.
Author's Note & Timeline Explanations:
Whoo, finally done with my first My Hero Academia fic idea (...which I am posting after I've already posted a few chapters of my second idea—but hey, at least I didn't start writing my third idea yet). I had already watched the anime and seen a handful of fics, but I only recently discovered (and realized how much I love) Touya!Dabi fics, and have been reading tons of them lately.
When re-watching the relevant episodes for this, I noticed how Dabi had interacted with Shouto with the marble. When thinking of it in terms of Dabi being Touya, it was almost like a race and Dabi had won for once... So that's why I added that thought about Dabi wanting to beat his brother at something. Can you imagine a sibling so much younger than yourself being better at everything? Poor Touya. ):
I actually didn't mean for Dabi to think so much. And I hadn't meant for Midoriya's pov to be a whole repeat scene like that, but I was having so much fun writing for Midoriya, and didn't even feel the need to make sure he was in character, because it's actually in character for him to think about random stuff that way. His personality is probably the most like mine. (My original idea was to start with a few paragraphs from Midoriya's pov, then do Dabi's pov, and maybe end with a few paragraphs from Midoriya's pov.)
Timeline explanations... So, I'm sure everyone got that Dabi and Muscular have switched places. Muscular went to fight Eraserhead, Vlad King, and the remedial students, and was defeated. He also gave away that Bakugo was a target, so, after the fight, Eraserhead told Mandalay to send a message. Also, during the fight, Iida and a few others came out of the woods (like in the anime), and they were able to tell Eraserhead about Midoriya's text. Or maybe the remedial students already had. Either way, it took awhile for most students to look at their phones, and Eraserhead was busy with Muscular. (Midoriya wasn't able to send a text in the original timeline because his phone broke when he'd protected Kota from Muscular.) Mandalay's message to Kota was the same as the original, where she sounds distressed and is asking him to return to camp. Midoriya stayed on the mountain longer, so he wasn't there to run into Shoji and Tokoyami in the woods. Because of that, Shoji had decided to run toward the fire to get Dark Shadow under control (instead of Midoriya's idea of going toward Bakugo and having them provide some light). Shoji will be injured more because of Dark Shadow's attacks, but will be successful. Because Dark Shadow hadn't shown up to defeat Moonfish, Bakugo and Todoroki are forced to do some kind of half-thought-up plan. However, Mr. Compress was watching the fight, so he captures Bakugo when he feels the time is right. Because he hasn't seen Dark Shadow, he doesn't think of also capturing Tokoyami. Todoroki's okay, but maybe a bit banged up. Midoriya's group doesn't run across Uraraka and Tsuyu, so Toga might've been able to get blood from both of them, but they're okay. They're probably strong enough to not get hurt, but Toga still gets away. Twice is somewhere doing something. It's possible Eraserhead had run into him while on the way to the rock formation, if it seems like it took too long for Eraserhead to show up. After capturing Bakugo, Mr. Compress gives the same message about meeting in five minutes. Also... Dabi forgot to release the Nomu. Twice didn't have the opportunity to remind him. Whoops. At the end, Dabi kinda realizes he hasn't done anything the whole time? And now he only has five minutes to get back to the meeting point. And, one thing I kept thinking about while working on the fic was that if Dabi gets into a fight at the end, then it would kinda prove Kota right about the proving who's more powerful thing, and that'd mess everything up for Kota. When I got to that point in the fic, I thought of that going through Dabi's mind when running into Midoriya. Just a thought of not wanting the kid to see him fighting. (Also, the realization Kota has when Dabi says he came to get a better view was that Dabi probably came to get a better view of the fire, and with his parents having water-based quirks, his mind goes to Dabi being a firefighter or something. But, throughout their conversation, he's not sure but has some suspicions that Dabi's some kind of hero and just won't admit it—everything Dabi says seems to hint at worry for his wellbeing and positive stuff about heroes. Even if neither Dabi nor Midoriya think of it that way.)