Got bored so I'm writing another fic with far shorter chapters and far less stress to complete since literally no one will be reading it. Maybe except for that one AO3 commenter from my WIP collection there.

Just in case someone chose to read this just because they followed my account because of my MP100 x BNHA fic and they don't know Jack about Animorphs: Animorphs is a 19-something children's fiction series all about six child soldiers fighting a guerrilla war against intergalactic body-seizing slugs. Oh and nobody on Earth knows about it but them. And the kids also have the power to shapeshift into any animal they acquire and interact telepathically when "morphed."

It's a really good series, you should read it (even tho I stopped at book 19. I am not ready for the David trilogy). Each book is SUPER short.

Takes place after Animorphs book 18

Run, Run as Fast as You Can...

Midoriya Izuku was stuck in a loop. Scan. Run. Dodge. There's sweat in your eyes but don't blink, don't blink. 5% Detroit Smash. Rinse and Repeat.

The Forest of Magical Beasts was intense to say the least. Crawling with giant animated rock creatures out to attack anything that moved, there was danger everywhere he looked. Still, the way that they seemed to have a mind of their own made Izuku itch to write more about Pixiebob's quirk in his notebook.

Scan. He could see that Kaminari was stumbling through the forest, barely holding onto his braincells; that Uraraka was pressing her fingertips together, making a rock beast fall from the sky; and that Kouda was calling out to animals, building a small army.

Run. Izuku went past them all. He didn't see anything heading toward him so he had to use the little time he had to head in the direction of the campsite. His seemingly mindless run didn't mean that his body wasn't on a hair trigger, ready to fight at a moment's notice, because sooner or later, he'd have to—

Dodge. A beast jumped from behind a tree, grazing his uniform. He swiveled toward it, sweat getting in his eye—don't blink—and prepared to retaliate. But before he could aim a 5% Detroit Smash to its face, Kacchan came hurtling down from up high, setting off a large explosion as he landed. The blond glared down at the remaining rubble as if he was daring it to move again and when it didn't, he turned to direct that same glare toward the freckled boy.

Izuku gave his ex-friend a tight smile, received a scoff in return, and sped off. He didn't have any time to waste. All he had to do was focus on getting out of this cursed forest. Piece of cake. He'd gone through an entire internship with Gran Torino, he could take this.

His aching limbs said otherwise.

The thing was, this exercise should've only taken two and a half hours; that's what Mandalay had said. Class 1-A started it at nine in the morning, should've been done around twelve.

But it's been over five hours.

The sun was high in the sky, and with no end to this exercise in sight, he was afraid he was going to go mad. Izuku aimed another punch at another rock beast. He couldn't give up though. Not yet. Not ever.

With a shout, he launched himself at the next hulking figure, Detroit Smash at the ready. He'd get through this. They'd all get through this.

The beast crumbled under his fist.

They had to, they were going to become heroes after all.

Scan. Looking for his next target in an unusually long moment of rest, Izuku caught sight of what would kick start this story.

First, he saw a flash of blue. Weird considering the lack of colorful flora in the forest, not to mention the fact that it was moving. Second, he saw a girl run after it, shouting something he couldn't understand. She was barefoot and wore mismatched tights. Third, and following soon after, he saw three more kids in similar fashion dash by.

"What are they—"

The loud sound of a rock beast falling apart rang in Izuku's ear. He jumped to his right just in time to find Iida, with a steaming leg and standing atop the rubble, glaring at him.

"Midoriya!" He waved his arms frantically. "You can't get distracted in a place like this! We have to keep moving!"

Izuku blinked out of his daze and focused on the danger still surrounding him. He took a steadying breath. "Right."

The two of them went off, fighting their way through the magical forest with their classmates. Ultimately, they finally made it to the campsite at five in the afternoon. The entire class was a dirty, sweaty mess but they were all in one piece.

With heavy eyelids, Izuku pushed through the long process of setting up his personal belongings. The only thing that really kept him from passing out the moment he placed his futon down was the promise of food in the dining hall.

He found Uraraka waving at him from beside Iida the moment he stepped out of the boy's cabin. Weakly waving back, he joined the two and they all stalked off to the dining hall. Stepping in, it was like he was hit with a wave of rejuvenation. A feeling which could be blamed solely on the sight of food. Lots and lots of food.

Izuku found a seat in an instant. With a quick but cheerful thank you to the Pussycats, he dug in. The balanced mix of meat, vegetables, rice, and bread was to die for. All of his thoughts and worries were drowned away by the taste of actual food and the joyous exultations of his classmates.

"I don't know if it's because I haven't eaten in hours," Uraraka said between bites of rice, "but this food tastes just as good as Lunchrush's!"

Izuku eagerly nodded as Iida said, "It really is immaculate! I'm quite glad that I skipped out on changing before eating."

Call it silly, but the mention of changing reminded Izuku of the strange clothes he'd seen on the odd bunch of kids. What were they doing in the forest? How did they even get there? Were the okay? Did the Pussycats know about them? What was that blue thing? Had he even actually seen it? Had he even actually seen the kids?

"Woah, slow down Deku-kun!" Uraraka exclaimed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to think out loud" Izuku muttered. "It's just—did either of you see anybody or anything unfamiliar during the exercise?"

Uraraka frowned at him before sheepishly chuckling. "I was honestly too busy focusing on not throwing up."

"There was too much going on for me to notice anything peculiar." Iida scrunched his brows in thought. "But maybe someone else did."

And so, after completely filling his stomach, Izuku made his rounds, asking if anyone saw anything. Each time, he was met with a response similar to Uraraka's or Iida's. Each time, he began to doubt himself and what he may, or may not, have seen.

By the end of it all, Izuku came up empty handed. Walking out of the dining hall, he squinted at the forest they'd all just escaped from and shook his head. There was no way that no one else wouldn't have seen four unfamiliar kids or a mysterious blue thing within eight hours, no matter how big the forest was. Maybe fatigue had just gotten to him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kouda step out of the dining hall. He too stopped in his tracks to stare at something. However, the quiet boy was looking up at the orange sky, squinting. Izuku followed his gaze and found that he was looking at a bird flying through the air. It had sharp talons and a sharp beak and eyes that flicked directly over to his. Piercing.

"An actual red-tailed hawk," Kouda mumbled. "It's definitely far from home."