My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

43. Training Camp Arc Part 3 - Brawl

Hello again, everyone. Well, we've now come to one of the chapters that I had found to be one of my most anticipated when writing my take on this specific arc, and hopefully you'll all understand exactly why by the time you reach the end. This is definitely a chapter I'd love to hear your thoughts on through reviews. I know I ask at the start of every chapter to please share your thoughts, but this time around I really mean it.

Also, with the release of this chapter, My Hero Academia: Son of Justice shall enter the considerable class of stories in this fandom that has exceeded one million words in total, officially making it the first time I've ever written a story that long in my repertoire in my years of being a writer on this site. I've never been this dedicated to a project to be able to reach that threshold, and I am so grateful to all of you, my readers, for helping it reach this point with your constant readership and loyalty throughout the highs and lows so far.

I'd like to give another shout-out to my two beta readers, Mizu Hikikomori and Jonny Sjölund; but in this particular case, especially to the former for pointing out a little character foul-up I'd made in last weeks' chapter regarding Kirishima taking no real action to reel Bakugo in during his confrontation with Kolya. I'd since then made a minor yet, I think, beneficial change to that to make him more proactive. I don't want to throw any established characters under the bus unfairly, so for having a second set of eyes point this out to me even after the fact, I'm grateful.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, the original events surrounding them, and the alterations of established events that occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 42

Brawl

(Скандалить)

Wednesday, July 10th

The third consecutive day of the Forest Training Camp trip for the students of Yuuei started out like those that had come before, with a very early breakfast, to be followed by instantly going back into their established training routines. At least, this was the plan for Nikolay and Izuku, as it had been discussed over breakfast that they would start their next bit of sparring at noon after going through their regular training exercises. Thankfully, just as Mandalay had said it would, the Russian boys' injuries from the previous round of sparring had just about healed entirely overnight, and he was feeling fit as a fiddle and sturdy as a rock.

As to whether or not this would last when facing Izuku at any percentage of his Quirks' power, however, remained to be seen, as far as the rest of their classmates were concerned, after having been filled in on it as well.

Once everyone's training had begun, it was already starting to feel like regular routine, and for the remedial students of the trip: Eijirou, Rikido, Denki and Hanta, that was the saddest statement of all to make. Aizawa had said before that their training was going to be especially tough, and the fact that any one of those boys thought their teacher would actually backtrack on that statement and have been even slightly lenient, even with his track record, left them all kicking themselves as damned fools.

While the 1-A homeroom teacher kept working his perceived trouble students to the bone, the rest of the students were valiantly soldiering on through their regular training, many of them feeling emboldened by the visible improvements in their Quirks' strength already.

For Nikolay, today's proof of that was when, after several hours of once again trying to gradually build up the power of his launching bursts from underwater while weighed down, he had finally managed to actually lift his head entirely above water, before the exhaustion and strain on his arms and legs finally forced him to break the lines and swim his way out again.

Nevertheless, this was the biggest leap of progress he'd made yet, and Nikolay was going to take it for all it was worth, as he allowed his muscles to relax and readjust, especially now. After all, it was basically noon already, and therefore it was time for his and Izukus' second attempt at slightly Quirk-enhanced sparring. And when he could see that anticipating head of curly green hair standing in one of the few empty spots of the clearing in wait, he knew the time was right.

He could tell his freckled sparring partner was likewise dealing with the weight of his own training up until this point as well, as Izuku was clearly sweating and huffing, trying to shake his arms and legs out after having gone through an absolute hell of stretching exercises in keeping with Tigers' previous instruction of pushing himself beyond his physical limit. Looking each other in the eyes as Nikolay finally arrived, they could both see they were each doing that very thing, and this sparring was simply another extension of following those words. They could both only hope Izuku wouldn't run the risk of nearly giving Nikolay internal bleeding again so soon after the last time.

As it fortunately turned out, a whole night of going over everything he had observed Izuku was capable of doing at 1% was exactly what Nikolay needed for today, as not only was all his accumulative underwater weight training helping to exponentially improve his speed and sense of control when it came to exactly how much energy to expend on his launches, dodges and boosted strikes, but the recollection was actually giving him a much clearer memorized picture of Izukus' most common sequences of actions when attacking or dodging.

At the same time, even sparring at the basest amount of his power was having its own benefits for Izuku as well. For the longest time when using One For All, he had to constantly have a portion of his mind focusing on the exact amount of power he was using, both for the sake of not destroying any of his limbs again, but also for the sake of not crippling or killing whoever was on the receiving end, especially now. And at this point, he could actually say with complete confidence that so far, he now felt he could control every aspect of his Quirk at 1% downright instinctively. It definitely made for a great benefit to his overall fighting and movement, as he could now focus entirely on that and expanding his reflexes and fighting repertoire, instead of having to only half-focus on that while trying not to hurt himself or anyone else.

And so far into their latest sparring round, the accumulated benefits of both boys' respective training was showing, as they were now actually managing to stay on their toes and maintain an equal standing between each other; neither one pushing the other into a corner or losing their footing or accidentally hurting each other. They were actually proving a completely decent match for each other.

And best of all; as exciting as it was for Izuku to be able to really test the limits of his 1% speed and maneuverability and strength, and as fulfilling as it was for Nikolay to realize he was actually actively predicting a multitude of potential moves Izuku could follow up with on every dodge and strike, and therefore figuring out how to counteract or avoid it…the best part of it all was that each time Izuku actually managed to land a solid 1% powered punch to Nikolays' midsection or arms, the young Russians' sense of constant focus on his reflecting dispersal ability was becoming more and more hardwired in his head, as he was able to more and more consistently refract a majority of the power behind said punches, always sending Izuku back and landing square on his feet, and saving Nikolay himself another instant trip to the nurses office, now only dealing with the rippling sensation of having taken a full-powered hit from a heavyweight boxer straight to his ribs.

It was still painful as hell and still sent him flying several feet back each time, and not landing nearly as gracefully as Izuku, but it was still entirely worth it to know he was actually managing to pull it off and thereby prove himself more and more capable each time.

After going at it like this for over a good ten minutes, it was clear to both boys that they were well and truly on equal ground, especially when Izuku was finding himself actually having as hard a time following Nikolays' evasion speed, as the Russian boy himself did. The fact that his foreign friend was actually somehow managing to match his speed at 1% was frankly incredible, and Izuku couldn't have been happier to help him reach that point.

However, a spar was still a spar, and he still had a responsibility as Nikolays' partner to keep him on his toes and test his strength as well as his reflexes. As such, once Nikolay had dodged another oncoming ricocheting kick, and subsequently left himself open in the split second it took to get his bearings upon landing, Izuku kicked himself in his direction from the ground, instantly driving a glowing fist into his sternum.

As he'd now come to expect, the expanding and almost immediately retracting rippling of the blow was coming back, as Izuku could already feel the majority of that force start coming back to him, but this time he was ready.

The moment that meeting of force and object and subsequent reflecting dispersal sent both boys flying back from each other, Izuku immediately kicked himself forward and straight up before he could close too much distance, landing square behind Nikolay at the moment he had likewise started to dig his feet in to bring himself to a stop again. With that, Izuku quickly reeled back another glowing fist and drove it into the back of Nikolays' left side.

BWOOOM!

To both boys' shock, the moment Izukus' fist drove in again, that same expansion and retraction of that force met Izuku once again, sending Nikolay reeling forward several feet, and Izuku a similar distance backwards. Neither of them could believe it; despite having essentially launched a secondary sneak attack from behind after having already hit him with full force from the front, Nikolays' absorption and reflection ability had actually acted on total instinct and still managed to send the majority of Izukus' force right back at him. For it to have happened so fast in the face of such an impulsive attack, it was almost like the Russians' Quirk was acting on complete reflex, instead of having had to be activated through a sheer amount of focus. The completely surprised look on Nikolays' face as he got up from the ground told Izuku just as much.

"You're really getting the hang of that new ability, Kolya-san. I didn't even give you any kind of warning I would do that." Izuku congratulated as the two boys got back up and met each other with a hearty handshake in support of each other.

"Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you. I've been trying to study the different moves you typically follow up each kind of dodge with, based on the direction you decide to go. That's why I've been able to match your speed like I have been today. But I really wasn't expecting you to rebound from my reflecting that last gut punch as fast as you did. All I could think of was that you were going to come at me from behind when you went up, and that's all I could think of. I didn't know which direction you were going to hit me at from behind, but it's like my body could just feel your fist coming and started focusing that power for me on total instinct. I don't know how else to explain it."

Izukus' fascinated glimmer in his eyes was so obvious alongside his encouraging smile. Quirks really were an infinitely incredible thing to see develop and evolve. "Well, maybe at some point you can see about going through some kind of multi-directional projectile defense test and see how instinctive it's becoming, because if what you're saying is true, you could ultimately become one of the most durable Heroes out there, right alongside Kirishima-san and Tetsutetsu-san."

Nikolay couldn't help but laugh at the thought of how out-of-place he would look between such rowdy figures of young Heroic masculinity and bravado. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, tovarisch (comrade); those two could probably still take a hit from you better than I can. I can already feel fresh bruises forming up from your punches. Maybe we could call it for now?"

Izuku nodded in full agreement, as they began making their way to one of the convenient little water coolers the Pussycats had been kind enough to set up all over the training camp for when the students were too exhausted or dehydrated to keep going. As they walked, Nikolay started to chuckle with a wistful smile. "You know, Midoriya-san, if I'm already managing to handle those kind of powered punches of yours this well…who knows? Maybe by tomorrow, I might be ready to take you on at 2%. I mean, I can already match you at 1% speed, it looks like."

Whether Nikolay was actually joking or not, Izukus' instinctive retraction into nervousness was unmistakable by comparison. "I don't think it's a good idea to start going that far that fast, Kolya-san. You're still recovering from what's left from last night on top of the bruises you just mentioned. I don't want to risk putting you in a coma, or worse, by jumping straight to 2% already.

"Besides, even if I'm not continuously working at the 5% ceiling my power's currently at, I can still feel my body acclimating to working much more naturally within this familiar threshold as it is. It used to be I couldn't use my Quirk without having to divert a ton of focus into making sure I didn't overextend and risk hurting myself and anybody else beyond repair, but now I can actually feel like I can do everything at the 1% level without having to sacrifice my focus towards that power augmentation. My constant regular training in the meantime, I can tell, is helping make the remaining other 4% I can work with become that much more natural to me as well. So you don't have to worry about you being the only one benefitting from this and taking time away from my own training, trust me."

Once the two boys had rehydrated themselves, Nikolay pulled out a small wheel of medical tape from the pocket of his P.E. uniform, having grabbed it after breakfast that morning, and proceeded to start wrapping the several forming bruises around his torso, while Izuku could only look at the sight with a twinge of guilt. No matter how good his sparring partners' reflecting ability was getting; being hit by any portion of One For All's power wasn't something anybody should have to go through.

"Hey, Midoriya-san, you haven't happened to see Kota-kun anywhere today, have you?" This out of nowhere question from Nikolay snapped Izuku out of his momentary bout of guilt, only to now look to his partner with a different kind of worry.

"No, I haven't. I was actually about to ask you the same thing, since you were the last of us to speak to him last night. How did that go?" Unfortunately, Nikolays' forlorn face as he looked to the ground told Izuku everything he had been hoping not to hear.

"I understand why you thought I would've been able to at least partially get through to him; I was even beginning to think so, too. But that kid pretty much reacted to my words the same way he did yours. He's definitely a very stubborn and set-in-his-ways sort for someone so young. I don't like saying this anymore than you like hearing it, Midoriya-san; Heroes are supposed to be able to help people in many different ways, after all, and we both have tried as best we could now. However, I don't think anyone is going to be able to change Kota-kuns' outlook on Heroes, Quirks, Hero society and all that, but Kota-kun himself. We tried to give him the inspirational push with our perspectives, and we can't very much do any more than that."

"Hey, you guys! Glad we caught you two between rounds!" The voice of Mina Ashido suddenly called out from a little ways, spurring the two to turn and see their pink friend eagerly approaching, accompanied by Kyouka and, surprisingly, the tall orange-haired ponytail-wearing girl from Class B, Itsuka Kendo.

"Oh, hey, you need some help taping up there? It's not exactly easy doing it on your own, I know," the aforementioned orange-haired girl immediately offered the moment she saw what Nikolay was trying to do. Frankly, both boys were too surprised by her sudden forwardness to say yes or no, but that didn't change the fact she clearly knew what she was doing, as within less than a minute, she had every bruise on the young Slav's chest completely wrapped up nice and tight, while he was clearly still too flustered to voice the thanks clearly in his eyes.

"Well, it's good to see you're still looking a lot better than you were last night, Kolya-kun. You must be getting the hang of fighting Midori-kun already. It doesn't look like you're really leaving much of a mark yourself, though." Mina commented with relief, before realizing that for as ruffled up as Izukus' hair and uniform was, he didn't look to have any distinguishing bruises or scuff marks like Nikolay did.

"Well, that reflecting ability I've been working on seems to just be good for putting some distance between me and an opponent so far, and that's what we've really been trying to focus on." Nikolay admitted as he got the top of his uniform back on, his movements admittedly a bit stiff thanks to the tape around his torso.

"You're all looking pretty ruffled, too. Your training's been going pretty rough today, huh?" Izuku pointed out, noticing that Minas' already frizzy pink hair was looking especially messed up, and hers, Kyoukas' and Itsukas' uniforms were looking notably frayed.

"Actually, Mina-san and I had been talking about it since Kolya-san had gotten out of the nurses' office last night, and we decided to help each other out with sparring, too. I mean, Quirks or not, we need to be able to handle ourselves in a hand-to-hand situation just as much as anyone else." Kyouka explained bluntly. At this, Itsuka then stepped forward, a welcoming grin on her face as she piped in:

"Yeah; I couldn't help but overhear them this morning, and when I asked to join in, Ashido-san pretty much said 'the more the merrier'. Oh, please forgive me; I got a bit ahead of myself. I'm Kendo Itsuka, Class 1-B representative. It's nice to finally meet you both, having heard a lot about you these last few months." With that, Itsuka gave Nikolay and Izuku a formal but genuine bow of greeting (despite having met the latter previously, being the one to have filled him in on the original Final Exam plans before), to which they both quickly returned the gesture in kind.

"I-it's a pleasure to meet you officially as well, Kendo-san." Izuku stuttered out, nervous as he always was when meeting a new girl, just as Nikolay visibly was, too. "Agreed. Thank you for helping our friends with their training, it's very kind of you."

Itsuka suddenly chuckled with a friendly, dismissive wave of her hand. "Please, no need to be so formal. We're all friends here, pretty much. Ashido-san clearly has a gift for charisma that way, just like Setsuna-chan told me. She's told me a lot about her and you in particular, Bezpalov-san. Thank you both for helping look after her while dealing with that Vukodlak Villain back in the internships. You pretty much helped make her a star in our class."

Nikolay was now the one trying to brush off the newest bit of praise for that whole scenario, while Mina was giving him a knowing grin, the kind she always made when her Russian bestie was meeting another girl for the first time and actually being treated well for it. "Well, Setsuna-san's really impressive on the field in her own right, we hardly needed to help her at all. We were all just trying to help each other survive, that's all. Honestly, we should be thanking her for all the help she provided back then."

Once again, Nikolays' humility was met with another amused chuckle while Itsuka turned to address the still smiling Mina. "You certainly weren't wrong about him, Ashido-san; humble near to a fault."

*ahem*

A sudden clearing of the throat from Kyouka suddenly helped remind the two girls of the previous comment from Nikolay that had been neglected by the Class B girls' impromptu introduction. "Oh, right, sorry. Well, as I said before, I overheard Ashido-san and Jirou-san talking about sparring, and it sounded like it could be fun and fruitful, so I just asked to join in. I may be tough and come from a martial arts background, but if you ask me, you can never stop getting stronger or learning a bigger set of moves when things get tough, even if my Quirk is already good for taking on bigger baddies."

With that, Itsuka suddenly held up one closed fist, and before everyone's eyes, it suddenly grew to the point it was twice the size of her head, while she had simply the most confident smile on her face. "Plus, training aside, I have nothing against you Class A kids, unlike Monoma-kun. We're all in the same boat heading for the same port, so we should try to get along with each other as best we can, so getting to know a few more of you guys would've been worth it anyway, especially two of the ones Setsuna-chan speaks so highly of so consistently."

As Itsuka shrank her fist back to regular size, and the whole bunch decided to head back out into the training grounds, Kyouka couldn't hide a slightly frustrated grimace in her eyes. "Having an extra pair of feet on the ground to help with training has been really beneficial, but in the grand scheme of things, all our training through sparring hasn't exactly been broad in variety. My earphone jacks are no good unless they're plugged into something for me to transmit my pulses into, and when fighting two opponents with insane reflexes and speed like Mina-san and Kendo-san, that hasn't exactly left me much of an opening for me to practice on my accuracy when it comes to injecting them into people. Plus Mina-sans' acid pretty much dissuades me from even trying, while Kendo-sans' growing hands pretty much either swat them away, or they become so dense that my pulses have pretty much no effect. The only thing I've really been getting out of this so far is at least building up my evasive reflexes."

Despite the annoyance in Kyoukas' voice, Mina was pretty much taking it as a cue to voice her own experience, albeit far more positively. "Yeah, and Itsu-chan's hands have really been pushing me into seeing how far I can throw myself through all my evasive spins and flips without losing my momentum. Since they can cover a larger area, it's really been forcing me to actually think about what moves I wanna throw in that'll actually get me farther away quicker."

Capping it all off, Itsuka gave Mina an approving nudge on the arm. "Well, Tiger-sensei did say the best way to get stronger is by going past our limits. After listening to the way Setsuna-chan described your moves back at the Sports Festival and internship, I was pretty much convinced you couldn't get winded, Ashido-san. I almost wanna say I'm honored I got to be the one to ultimately do it by the end. But still, no matter how you slice it, your muscle memory adaptability is insane; unlike anything I've ever seen, at least. Even with my Quirk and my moves, the fact I ultimately wasn't able to land one hit on you…you should consider that your own special victory today."

As Itsukas' surprising praise for their pink companion definitely energized all spirits around, the small group proceeded to take their conversation away from the sparring aspect, and finally start filling each other in on the specific details of their individual training, starting of course with Izuku discussing his stretching and workout routine and how it had been helping him acclimate to his power threshold more naturally, while Nikolay described his slow but ultimately rewarding routine of trying to launch himself out of a strong current of water while weighed down, and how it had been aiding in building up his kinetic speed.

"Wow, that sounds a lot like my training. They're having me see how much weight I can lift with my hands at their largest, and at the same time I'm also having to test my regular close quarters fighting reflexes against some practice dummies that are way bigger than even the biggest ones at my parents' dojo. Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't started testing me to see if I can go past my limit in terms of how big I can make my hands…and I really hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that."

While Itsuka was trying to maintain that respectful and casual air while describing her own training, Kyouka was still looking a bit more morose. "Well, Kendo-san, at least your training only leaves your arms and legs tired when it's over, you can at least rest from that. They're having me listen to increasingly loud noises for me to take in, in order to strengthen the threshold of my earphone jack pulses. Granted, I've definitely developed a better tolerance for higher volume than I used to have, but it's still leaving my head ringing all night long afterward. If they end up going too far and I rupture my eardrums listening to that crap, then both my potential careers are over before they even started."

Once again completely contrasting to her fellow girls' tired descriptions of their training, Mina was still the absolute ball of pink sunshine she always was as she eagerly took her chance to step forward; a total pep in her step. "Well, my training's already been starting to go smoother, too. I'm already able to start creating a much stronger acid than my old limit was, and I've even started noticing a pattern in the types of obstacles they send flying down the rails at me, and the rhythm they do it in, so I'm already able to know the best kinds of acid to make to melt them before they get close enough to knock me off the platform I have to stay on. My skin still needs to finish building a tolerance to them so that they don't even get a little burned, but I'll bet by tomorrow, I'll be able to make it with no more problems."

To further prove the fact that her training was really helping her improve, Mina held up her hands for all to see, and where they had been almost completely mummified last night, they were now simply relegated to a few smaller bandages wrapped around her fingertips and palms.

Hearing everyone express their frustration and acknowledgments of their respective progress altogether left Izuku looking especially inspired. "If our Quirks and our bodies together are already getting this much stronger this soon into our training, I can't hope to imagine what everyone in both our classes will be capable of doing by the time school opens back up, especially if we were to carry on with this kind of routine after we get back to Musutafu City. It's honestly really exciting to think about."

From that attempt at an uplifting and motivating speech, Izuku was already starting to backtrack to his typical analytical mumbling, going over the possibilities for every single students' Quirk that he was aware of. While that last part was admittedly always going to come across as kind of geeky to everyone around him, the fact that he was able to take everyone's expressions of aches, pains and worries about their training, and turn it into a motivator for how much more powerful they were already becoming, was something Nikolay couldn't help but find downright admirable, and all three girls couldn't help but find oddly adorable about their freckled schoolmate.

"Well, Midori-kun isn't wrong that we're definitely getting stronger. Kolya-kun can actually stand after fighting him this time, and after only one night of healing up? I can't wait to see what you'll be able to do by this time next week!" Mina expressed her excitement with as much of that heartwarming enthusiasm as ever, bringing a much-needed casual smile to Nikolays' face.

"Admittedly, as much as I know it's gonna keep hurting, I'm kind of anxious to see where I'm at by then, too. You know; if you all are interested, why don't you watch me and Midoriya-san spar tomorrow, same time? With my refraction ability already improving like it has, as well as my speed and reflexes, we were actually considering moving up to having him use 2%, and I adjust accordingly. Maybe all this repetition and getting used to Midoriya-sans' regular reactions and movement chains will actually help me have a better chance against higher speed and strength right off the bat?"

All of a sudden, Nikolay felt the worst kind of chill shoot right up his back and down again, as though someone had just shoved the most hate-filled icicle right into his back. The instinctive flinch he gave when he felt this strange sensation brought all his accompanying friends to a stop, visibly surprised by this. As Nikolay turned in the direction that jolt could've possibly come from, he felt his stomach instantly start to twist and turn.

Why? Because he could feel, even from across the training field, that Bakugo was glaring intently at him, among everyone else around and between them. His red eyes were burning right through his body and soul alike, even as he had his rapidly exploding hands submerged now in an even bigger pot of boiling water over an even greater fire. The unrelenting focus the blonde hothead expressed through those red eyes made it seem as though he didn't even feel the pain of the boiling water, or the sensations of his rapid-fire explosions.

The fact that he knew he was the sole target of this silent hate left Nikolay visibly shaken as he turned to address his fellows schoolmates: "Uh…maybe we should get back to our training…or at least take our next sparring elsewhere…preferably far away from here, Midoriya-san."

Before either they could ask what was wrong, or he could even begin to explain, a resounding clap of hands from Tiger suddenly echoed across the training yard, drawing all the students' attention to Aizawa and Vlad King, standing beside the four Wild, Wild Pussycats, with the remedial students already standing exhausted just before the 1-A homeroom teacher. Mandalay was the one to finally make the announcement: "All Class A and B students stop your training for now and gather up. Your teachers have a lot to discuss with you all right now."

As the students all dutifully gathered before their respective teachers and their four instructors, Nikolay, Mina and Izuku couldn't help but immediately notice the overall air of fatigue and utter defeat radiating off of the four remedials at the forefront, particularly the one mutual friend shared between the three, Eijirou, who looked especially worn down and on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Wow, Aizawa-sensei's really put those poor guys through the wringer already, hasn't he?" Nikolay muttered sympathetically when he saw the forlorn looks on all four of the boys' faces.

"Yeah, I don't think they even got out of their night class and to the dorm until nearly two in the morning. I swear I heard footsteps around that time. And the fact we all had to wake up at seven, including them…they must've been running on fumes right from the start before training even began." Izuku theorized, an emotionally pained ring evident in his voice, to know so many of his fellow classmates were suffering so much more than everyone else thought they themselves were.

"Poor Kiri. For all the times he talks about wanting to become a truly manly Hero, I don't think even he expected something like this." Mina said with an especially saddened tone, seeing one of her closest friends in the class looking so defeated, physically and mentally.

However, this little comment of hers didn't go entirely unnoticed, not because Nikolay and Izuku were in complete agreement with her sympathetic sentiments, but because a certain green-haired girl from Class B happened to be nearby amid the crowd, and couldn't help but overhear and subsequently form an especially devious fanged grin, as she inched her way closer to the unmistakable head of fluffy pink hair with horns amid the sea of heads.

"Well, well, you sure sound broken-hearted for someone just seeing their friend totally wiped out from working his butt off. What's the deal, Mina-chan? You a little sweet on Kirishima-kun perhaps?" Setsuna immediately announced her presence with a teasing whisper right over Minas' shoulder, causing her to nearly jump with surprise that she had managed to get the drop on her so easily. Of course, the realization of what she was saying registered just as quickly, and Mina went completely rigid with a childishly serious-looking furrowed brow.

"What are you talking about? That's not it at all, Setsuna-chan! I've just been friends with Kiri longer than anyone else in our class, so of course I'd care a lot about what happens to him, wouldn't anyone in that case? I mean, look at him, look at all those guys; they look like they're about to keel over! I mean, yeah, none of us have gone for this non-stop physical training thing before, so of course we're all wiped, but Aizawa-sensei's been so hard on them especially. I'm just worried if he's being too hard on them; that's all!"

Setsuna playfully put her hands up in surrender, in order to slow Mina down from this sudden rant of hers in reaction to her playful little accusation and taunt. "Wow, for someone who teases her friends a lot, you really gotta learn how to take what you can dish out, Mina-chan, seriously. I was just kidding. Anybody can plainly see you've got—"Everyone quiet down! It's time to discuss the current state of progress to all your individual training!" The sudden interruption of Vlad King's powerful voice silenced every last one of the students before Aizawa decided to take the lead.

"Now, while Vlad King and I have been working on giving our remedials here the extra-thorough training and lecturing they're in such desperate need of, the Pussycats have been keeping us informed on all of your individual progress with your training, in all the different forms it's been taking. Ragdoll has been especially helpful in this regard. Before we can begin going over what a handpicked few examples among you need to bring yourselves to focus on, I need to remind Class A's remedials of just what exactly their training needs to help them with if they are going to have any chance of success."

As Aizawa turned his tired yet fierce gaze upon Eijirou, Denki, Rikido and Hanta, the four boys all instinctively flinched, as though he were about to start wrangling them around with the wrappings around his neck on a whim.

"Sato and Kaminari, your capacities, the amount of Quirk-related power you have stored up, are directly linked to whether or not you survive any particular fight. Raising those capacities requires endless repetitive use of your Quirks, just like any normal muscle in the body. Sero, in addition to increasing your capacity, you also have to work on increasing the strength of your tape, as well as the speed at which you can fire it. And Kirishima, if you work both on your muscular strength and increasing your Quirks' rigidity, you'll achieve synergistic benefits.

"While your Hardening may have been the final nail in securing your classes' victory in the final test of your end-of-term exams, it was still only through the combined assistance of two of your classmates that you were able to do it. You need to increase your strength and rigidity to the point where you could be able to hit that hard without having to be sent flying by others, in case you were to ever find yourself in a situation where you were on your own against an otherwise overwhelming opponent."

While the four boys kept their heads bowed down in regretful acknowledgment of their own shortcomings, Aizawa had now turned his gravely foreboding gaze upon the entirety of his class. "Above all else, every last one of you here was exposed during the final exams! Just because you may not be in the remedial group doesn't mean that you don't have your own serious cracks in your Quirks that you need to patch over in order to reach your full potential! For example, Uraraka, Aoyama!"

The instant their names were called, Ochako and Yuga immediately stood firm and tall, at least as much as Yuga was capable, thanks to the crippling stomachache he'd been suffering through all day thanks to the constant use of his navel laser. Aizawa continued: "You two might as well be in the same boat as the remedial group! You didn't fail your practical test, per se, but you came pretty damn close! You may not have known it, but you were all in fact being scored on your performances in the practical exams. 30 points was the cutoff line, and you two barely squeezed by at 35!"

This sudden realization seemed to strike the fear of god into every last one of the students, to know they had actually been scored without being told beforehand. Now, knowing how miserably they had performed in terms of maintaining their areas' structure in the case of civilians, Nikolay, Mina and even Denki couldn't help but wonder how close they had actually come to the cutoff line.

Speaking of whom, Mina suddenly felt herself turn a paler shade of pink, when she felt Aizawas' eyes hone in on her. "Ashido, while the corrosive threshold for your acid has been showing some steady improvement since the start of your training, the extended use of it still causes your skin to reach a limit. You need to work on lengthening the amount of time it takes to reach that limit."

Mina could just feel the confused eyes of several of her classmates whom had seen her in action up to this point, but Nikolays' were especially strong. He of course knew that making stronger forms of acid burned her the first few times she did it, but she'd made it sound like afterwards, she was completely adapted to it. With a regretful sigh, Mina answered: "Yeah, it's true. The reason you never saw me actually release a consistent flow of my acid even once is because, even if it's the stuff I'm most used to, if I make it for too long, I get that scalding water burn again. I've been trying to make my tolerance last longer, but it's really, really hard! Aizawa-sensei's right, but I don't know how to try training it with the setup I've got."

Mina sounded well and truly at a loss of how to overcome this particular little hurdle, and seeing the bandages on her hands again, Nikolay couldn't blame her. Burning herself with her own acid sounded like absolute hell.

However, out of nowhere, Itsuka suddenly inched in, gaining Minas' attention with another friendly elbow nudge to the arm. "Y'know, I might not be of much help with your time limit problem, Ashido-san, but I could try asking my classmate, Bondo-kun, if he'd be willing to help you out. His Quirk lets him shoot this glue-like substance from his head, and he needs to learn to lengthen his time limit and adhesiveness with it, himself. Maybe you could both be able to help each other out; make him push himself beyond his limit and stickiness, and you can try to lengthen your acid resistance limit by trying to melt it mid-stream so he doesn't end up sticking you to the ground. I mean, it's worth a try, right?"

Mina looked like she was about ready to lift Itsuka in the air in a grateful hug; her face lit up so bright, while Itsuka simply looked happy to help a schoolmate and new friend in need of it.

Nikolay looked truly happy to see a new friend helping Mina out so readily, but that happiness of his was quickly replaced with his own sense of apprehension, when he realized Aizawa had now turned his attention to the hapless young Russian. "Bezpalov, while your submerged weight training has clearly been helping you in terms of your mobility speed and launching strength, especially going by what Ragdoll's been telling us of yours and Midoriyas' little sparring tests, you still need to try and further the offensive strength of your kinetic blasts. Mobility and an ability to evade and escape in a serious crisis are very important, but it won't amount to anything if you aren't able to use it to protect yourself and others when you're left with no other choice. Either find a sparring partner with the physical rigidity to take the current full strength of your Quirk so you can push that limit, or the Pussycats can put together an appropriate training test for you to do so if you aren't able. Maintaining a balance in all aspects of your Quirk as you strengthen it is key. Although at least it sounds like your sparring has been helping further your ability to take a real hit and stay in a fight, which can go rather far if nothing else."

As Nikolays' eyes fell back to his open hands, taking in the necessity of Aizawas' words, the 1-A homeroom teacher now expanded his focus to all of the students gathered. "Don't lose your focus! Everyone keep at it! No matter what you do, that's how you improve and progress. 'Why am I working this hard?' 'Why am I putting up with being chewed out like this? To what end?' Always keep the answer to that question in mind: drive, drive, drive. It's already been helping you so far, so don't lose sight of it now."

With each time he repeated that single word, every single one of the students listening could feel it get driven further and further into their hearts and minds, just how right he actually was: they all had been silently asking themselves those very questions, and in the end, it was that unspoken instinctive fundamental drive of theirs that convinced them to keep pushing themselves, no matter how much their muscles, bones and joints ached and screamed for mercy. Whether it was the drive of one day becoming a real Hero, or simply the drive to get stronger, the reasons didn't matter. That drive was the deciding factor in their continued growing in strength and ability, and to finally have it spelled out for them had put all of their previous suffering these last three days into a whole new perspective; one they quickly found themselves grateful for.

Just as Aizawa began to turn around, however, Izuku suddenly began to step forward from among the crowd. "Come to think of it, Aizawa-sensei, it's already the third day, right?"

The green-haired boys' seemingly childlike question deafened him to Aizawas' near mute muttering of annoyance: "Just as soon as I tell you not to lose focus, you go ahead and lose it anyway."

Not hearing his teachers' wayward comment, Izuku continued on: "Is All Might—ah, no, are the other teachers not coming?"

"As I told you all before we left on Monday, in order to prevent the enemy from anticipating our movements, we left with only the bare minimum amount of personnel absolutely needed to complete our mission here." As Aizawa explained this, Ragdoll practically came cart-wheeling in, in a downright mood-shattering show of energy and excitement:

"That's why we four are here to help you kids in their absence! We especially had All Might stay back, because we believe that he's one of the enemy's targets. That's why he wasn't allowed to come." With this explanation, Aizawa finally turned around to take his leave, since he could tell the logic behind such a decision was settling in among the students, but in Izuku especially.

"For better or for worse, that guy gets in these situations precisely because he stands out. Although it usually seems to be for worse, really…" as he muttered this, many of the students, albeit with great disappointment, could now fully understand why they only had Aizawa, Vlad King and the Pussycats to look over them for this week. Frankly, among them, Nikolay could actually feel a strange sense of relief. After everything they'd gone through up to this point, keeping big and attention-grabbing Heroes like All Might and Tunguska away from the Yuuei students actually made a lot of sense. He could still only imagine how his father must have reacted when given this reasoning as to why he couldn't go, however.

Before the gravity of this realization could settle in any further, the air was suddenly broken by the likewise energetic and peppy display of Pixie-Bob taking the center stage, even opening up with a ridiculously in-character: "Meow, meow, meow, allow me to change the topic, boys and girls! Let's talk about tonight's plans! We're doing an inter-class test of courage! After training hard, you get to play hard! See? Carrot and stick!"

Nikolay couldn't deny his curiosity for what exactly a 'test of courage' could possibly entail, but he could already feel the anticipation brewing in the air, whether it was complaints of more terrifying activities from Kyouka, or a very foreboding expression of interest in the 'inter-class' aspect from the boy known as Monoma. However, the most palpable and purest example of sheer excitement was from Mina, who looked like she was just about ready to start jumping around and cheering at the idea of getting to play a game with the students of both classes, only barely restraining herself by clutching his sleeve and hopping up and down with that big cheeky smile on her face the whole way, giggling ecstatically the whole time.

"Now then, with that being said, all you kids go out there and train your hearts out until dinner!" Pixie-Bobs' declaration and order was met with a resounding "YES, MA'AM" from all of the students, and just like that, they were all once again off to all corners of the training field, now brimming with curiosity for just what awaited them on this night.

Of course, that universal sense of excitement was broken when Aizawa had immediately ensnared Eijirou, Denki, Rikido and Hanta in his Capture Tool, dragging them all the way with the reminder that they still had training under him and Vlad King to get to. All the while, seeing the agonizing pleading looks on their faces, Mina couldn't help but call out to them: "Just hang in there a little while longer, guys! Once the game starts, we're all gonna make it the best night ever together, just you wait!"

Once it was clear she needed to get back to training just like everyone else, lest she start getting her spirits down just knowing what more of her friends were going through, Mina quickly turned her attention back to Nikolay, Izuku and Kyouka, since Itsuka had already left with members of Class B for her own training.

Despite the clear-as-day sympathy in her black-gold eyes for their classmates in the remedial group, Mina was still trying to maintain that sunshine-y disposition that only the thought of playing games with everyone could give her. "Oh, this is so exciting, I can't wait! I was actually starting to think we'd never get a chance to actually play with each other while we were here! Ooh, what do you think they have in mind? Have you ever heard of a test of courage before? You think it's gonna be something scary? Oh, it's totally gotta be! Ooh, god, we're gonna whoop so much butt at this, you guys!"

While Nikolay and Izuku could appreciate her boundless energy and excitement for the mysterious test of courage, Kyoukas' dry sense of humor made it so she couldn't help but actually answer her mile-a-minute excitement with: "Well, given everything we've been going through since we got here so far, I seriously doubt it's truth or dare they've got in mind, so you can probably slow your roll there, Mina-san."

At this sudden reminder, Mina stopped bouncing and skipping as she walked and came to a dead stop, a disappointed realization in her golden irises. "Aw, damn, you're right, Kyouka-chan! We never got a chance to play yet, and with the way we're all getting trained all day, pretty much everybody would be too tired to play at night, anyway! Aw, and I had so many cool ideas for both, too!"

Once again, she had her hands tucked in her pockets and childishly kicked at the dirt with her cheeks puffed out in that same adorable pout. However, she rebounded in record time when her eyes widened like the worlds' brightest light bulb had gone off in her head. "Hey, you know what, guys?! Since this camp is only one week, we should totally have a slumber party before school opens up, and we should totally play truth or dares then, all together! It'll be the perfect way to celebrate the end of camp, and our remaining summer break!"

Mina was once again going off on another non-stop chattering spree as she started going over ideas for snacks, other games to play and where to even do it, and anyone watching would've been able to see that virtually no one was paying her any mind, simply choosing instead to let her mind run at her own speed, just like she always did.

However, Nikolay was at least partially paying attention, as his mind once again couldn't help but leave him feeling very nervous just what kind of potential truth questions or dares Mina could have in mind for him, especially. She'd been so gung-ho about playing this game specifically ever since the first mention of the camp, so she'd surely had more than plenty of time and chances to come up with some real head-spinners, just listening to the sheer excitement she talked about it with.

Of course, he couldn't dwell on this particular unknown for long, as it was soon time for him and Izuku to finally recommence their second round of sparring for the day. Once both boys had gotten into position and proper stance, Nikolay suddenly spoke up: "You know what, Midoriya-san? I know we were talking about potentially holding this off for now…but I want to see how our sparring so far can affect my chances with you going at 2% of your power this time. Also, I want to try following Aizawa-sensei's advice, and see how I can apply this new strength to my Quirk in offense, instead of just evasion and durability."

To nobody's surprise, Izukus' reaction, rather than enthusiastic agreement, was instead looking downright scared of what could potentially happen to his sparring partner if he went through with it. "That's not a good idea, Kolya-san. You've only just started getting the hang of your reflection ability, and my 1% is still knocking you back and giving you some serious bruising. I get wanting to test your new threshold in combat instead of just defense, but we could still do that with me running at 1% like you're used to now."

This argument made all the sense in the world to Izuku, but Nikolay was visibly and shockingly steadfast in his earlier declaration. "Tiger-sensei and Aizawa-sensei have both said that only by pushing ourselves past our limits with our fundamental drive, are we able to get stronger. I know my reflecting ability has been getting stronger with each hit you've landed on me. It's able to send back a majority of your 1% power, but I want to see if it can absorb and send back that same portion of power relative to your 2%. If we just stick within our comfort zones, neither of us will ultimately get as strong as we need to be. Please, Midoriya-san, it's not easy, I know, but it's worth at least one try."

Izukus' brain was screaming for him to put the pin in this insane excuse for an idea right now. Nikolay was going right back on exactly what he'd said he would do the previous night, and for what, even he couldn't make sense of. Getting stronger was the point, but the Russian boy in front of him had such an awful tendency to go overboard with it so quickly, as this sparring idea was quickly proving.

However, seeing the beseeching in his eyes, and thinking back on all the likewise suffering he himself had gone through in order to get to this point, he couldn't rightfully deny that he understood exactly where Nikolay was coming from, all the same. The path to becoming a true Hero was never easy; All Might and Tunguska both had drilled as such into his head from the beginning. As two aspiring Heroes, he and Nikolay both had an inherent responsibility to each other to push and pull one another through those painful struggles so they could both grow stronger and reach that pinnacle together, just like with the rest of their classmates.

Izukus' sense of reason was still begging for him not to go through with this, and so it was with great silent reluctance, and even greater heart, that he answered Nikolays' imploring with a solitary but resolute nodding of acceptance. The gratitude reflected on Nikolays' face in the wake of this, almost made the knowledge of what Izuku was about to put his sparring partner through diminish…almost.

And so, with his whole body now no longer just glowing, but now producing those familiar green sparks of pure energy, Izuku shot forward from his spot at an even greater speed than he had before, to the point Nikolay was barely able to launch himself out of the way. However, Izukus' reflexes were far too sharp, as he didn't miss a beat before digging one foot into the ground to stop himself, and instantly kick himself back in the same direction his sparring partner had evaded in. Just at the same time as Nikolay turned himself around to face Izuku, the green-haired boy was already right in his face; his green eyes as intense as ever.

Izuku did indeed throw a 2% charged punch right for Nikolays' stomach, but that ever-present inner voice telling him to stop lest he risked crippling the boy, drove him to stop his punching momentum at just the moment before impact. However, the resultant burst of wind from such sudden force still hit with the force of a cannonball, sending Nikolay flying back more than two dozen feet past a few of the other students in the middle of their training.

Izuku immediately began running after him, overwhelmed with relief when the dust settled to reveal Nikolay was still moving, slowly but surely clawing his way up from the ground and back onto his feet, looking like he'd just taken a mother of a hit to the back of his head.

Without warning, the young Russian suddenly launched himself forward at Izuku at his own equivalent of his 2%, forcing Izuku on the defensive, putting his arms up to absorb the incoming palm strike he could already see was coming.

Except that it never came, as Nikolay suddenly launched himself off the ground just before impact, soaring right over Izukus' head and just barely managing to land on his feet behind him. It was at that moment that the freckled boy realized what Nikolay was about to do, and thusly launched himself out of the way of the palm blast being aimed right for his back, causing Nikolay to waste that built up energy on empty air, barely managing to recollect his surroundings in time to find Izuku had already ricocheted himself off several distant corners in this part of the camp clearing, and was now darting right for him, covering insane distance in virtually no time at all.

Nikolay immediately brought a launch-assisted pair of knees up to meet Izuku mid-charge, but Izuku managed to get down to his knees in a blindingly fast slide, and quickly followed up with another 2% powered punch straight up to Nikolays' back, once again stopping himself just before impact, and producing another devastating burst of wind that knocked his partner right off his trajectory and flip-flopping listlessly up into the air, before coming back down unceremoniously, only saved from slamming devastatingly against the ground when Izuku sprung up with a jump, catching him mid-fall and bringing him back down securely onto his feet.

Seeing the severely dazed look on Nikolays' face diffused a great deal of the intensity in Izuku, as his worry once more took the reins. "Kolya-san, we should stop this. I haven't even been fully meeting you with my fists, and you're still getting sent flying everywhere. Your absorbing and reflecting ability isn't acclimated to fighting me at this level yet. Please, we need to stop for your sake."

That last comment seemed to break through the cacophony in Nikolays' spinning head, as he snapped back to the moment and immediately began shaking his head. "No, I know I can do this. I at least need to be able to take even one of these non-punches of yours without getting knocked off my feet. I should be able to do that much if nothing else right now."

"Kolya-san, you can barely keep up with my speed at this point. It's clear that matching your power level relative to mine isn't working for you." The moment Izuku pointed this out, Nikolays' eyes widened with the realization of an idea.

"Then perhaps I shouldn't be trying to match your speed and power relatively. It's clear you're a hell of a lot faster and stronger than me by quite a sight, Midoriya-san. So if you're only operating at 2% and it's already too fast for me at a relative level…then perhaps I should try to meet you at a level that puts my speed on an even playing field as yours."

Izuku, honestly, couldn't argue the sense in that idea. It would at least give Nikolay a fighting chance at this point. Who knew, maybe from there, as Izuku would go up in his percentages over the remainder of this week, perhaps having Nikolay come at him at his limit would ultimately push that limit further to meet him in kind.

There was only one way to find out, and so it was with that acceptance that Izuku bolted for Nikolay once again, and this time, Nikolay dashed out of the way at the height of his speed as it was, and just as he had theorized, it was actually just about neck-and-neck with Izukus' 2%.

The two boys immediately began to ricochet from multiple corners and meeting each other in deflecting blows, with Nikolay either just managing to sidestep or duck past some of Izukus' punches, or Izuku managing to kick himself off the ground and over Nikolays' head in order to avoid his palm blasts or accelerated kicks.

The decision for Nikolay to simply work with his Quirk at a level that equated him to Izuku was the single smartest idea he'd had so far today, as he was actually managing to once again stay toe-to-toe with the green haired boy for much longer. Moving at the same speed allowed him, believe it or not, a better chance to fully observe just how differently Izukus' reflexes and maneuvering strategies were when moving at such a greater speed than before. His fighting style seemed to change along with it, being much more precise and timing driven, rather than simply focusing on hitting at the first opening he could find. Flying about at such incredible speed forced Izuku to be much more selective as to where and when he could actually afford to strike, and as such, it was forcing Nikolay to know when the best moments to try and counter would be.

Charging at each other off their own respective ricochets once again, Nikolay and Izuku were both ready to finally strike. The moment he could see Izukus' fist beginning to spark and reel back, Nikolay readied his own build-up of energy into his right palm.

As soon as Izuku finally threw his fist forward for Nikolays' torso, the Russian boy suddenly tilted his whole body to the right, basically in the direction of Izukus' natural punching arc, rather than outside of it as he'd naturally been wont to do up until now. Keeping in mind the fact that Izuku had quite literally been pulling his punches this time around, Nikolay took one last extra step in to close the distance, and suddenly planted his right palm against Izukus' striking wrist, and fired his built up energy right into it. With that resonating vibration rippling through the air, Izuku felt as though some invisible wall was forcefully pushing his striking arm clear out of its intended trajectory and up to the air, just at the moment he had intended to once again stop his punch, thus resulting in another massive burst of wind firing straight up harmlessly into the sky.

Izuku and Nikolay alike both looked stunned at the realization that the Russian boy had just managed to actually redirect a punch from One For All at 2%. However, having seen it once, there was no way either of the boys were going to simply leave it at that, just on the off-chance that had just been a fluke. They both understood the others' intention to try it at least one more time, hence Nikolay was already on the move, just as Izuku likewise darted up to the side, ricocheting off the corner of the main camp facility, coming for Nikolays' back.

Nikolay quickly jumped straight up out of Izukus' path, but the green-haired boy was already chasing after him, likewise jumping straight up after him. The moment Nikolay saw Izuku bolting for him from the ground below like a sparking green rocket with his fist at the ready, Nikolay redirected himself to be facing Izuku head on. With that fist leading the charge, Nikolay built up another heavy blast into his open right hand and quickly swung his whole arm downward in an arc to once again meet Izukus' wrist.

With that same light tap and resonating boom that followed, another 2% charged upward punch from Izuku had managed to get nudged just enough off its original course that the resulting wind blast once again fired harmlessly into the open air. As both boys descended back to the ground, both just barely managing to stick the landings on their feet, their faces were absolutely amazed at this surprising little literal deflection tactic the young Slav was apparently able to do.

Of course, having already been pushing each other this hard, and not wanting to risk going too far overboard, Izukus' excitement quickly changed to one of true satisfaction. "I think it's safe to call that it for today, wouldn't you, Kolya-san? That's definitely a marked improvement in your physical strength if you ask me. I mean, it takes a considerable kind of force to be able to redirect a punch enhanced with my Quirk, even at just 2%."

However, while Izuku looked completely satisfied with this result, especially for the fact he'd managed to avoid seriously injuring his partner this time, Nikolay still looked considerably pensive. "It's not exactly what I was looking for, though. Evasion and deflection are both great, but I need to know if my strength in straight-on offense has grown considerably at all. I could try pulling my strikes like you have been, Midoriya-san, if that would convince you to at least have us go one more round, this time in full offense and not so much in dodging and all that."

Nikolays' drive was clearly taking the wheel from his own sense of reason, and Izuku had every intention of telling him just as much. However, before he could even open his mouth to speak: "You're both completely wasting your time, and you know it!"

The once competitive yet friendly air instantly died the moment Bakugos' biting angry tone intruded on the two, forcing both boys to look and see the hair trigger-tempered boy was approaching them with serious intent in his step. The hate-filled fire in his eyes was even more intense than usual. "Neither of you are gonna get stronger with this bullshit! Deku, you're already too strong to be wasting your training time on someone lower than dogshit under both our shoes! And you; all your training is doing is teaching you how best to run away from an actual fight, and keep your sorry ass from getting knocked out cold a second longer! Although I guess that's pretty appropriate for a coward like you!"

Once again, this latest spewing of pure spite from Bakugo drove both Nikolay and Izuku to actually talk back: "Kacchan, what are you talking about? Our sparring has been helping me adapt to the threshold in which I can naturally handle my Quirk that much more smoothly, and it's been helping Kolya-san with his reflexes, defensive fighting and speed! It's literally anything but a waste of our time-wait, have you been watching us this whole time?"

Nikolays' response was far less that of one trying to keep the peace, and more one who was sick and tired of being talked to like he was. "That's right! Besides, we've all been through our fair share of battles at this point! Hell, did you already forget the fact you and I actually fought together back at I-Island, Bakugo? So why are you still insisting I'm so weak even after that? Why do you keep picking on me out of everyone else, even Midoriya-san? It's like you've just completely replaced him with me at this point! Why? Why can't you just accept the fact that we're all getting stronger, including you? Seriously, why can't that last part be good enough for you to just leave me alone?"

Bakugos' eyes looked like he was trying to make the Russian boys' head explode with his mind, gritting his teeth something fierce. "You wanna know why you took Dekus' place as the doormat out of this whole class of weaklings and dumbasses? Huh? Because for as much of a weakling as Deku is and always will be compared to me, at least he never had the nerve to actually try running away from his responsibilities as a Yuuei student and potential future Hero, and then come crawling back, begging for a second chance like a rain-soaked sniveling dog!"

Nikolay, honestly, couldn't believe that this, of all things, was what Bakugos' spite and hatred for him was all about in the end. After everything that had happened since that day, he could have sworn even someone like the hotheaded boy would have let that go and just focused on what was actually happening now. Hell, if he really wanted to keep hating Nikolay for whatever reason, at least it would've made sense from Bakugo as a person if he was simply doing it out of that ego-driven sense of superiority, like he had been with pretty much everyone else he snapped at in their class.

"Are you serious? You're still on me about that? Why can't you just let that go, and actually see that not only am I still here, but I haven't once even thought about trying to run away since then? Instead, I've been doing exactly what you, and every single other member of our class, of our whole school, has been doing, and focusing on getting stronger! Don't forget, I helped save your ass from that air-voiding Villain back at I-Island! You'd probably still be laid up in the hospital, if not worse, if I hadn't gotten you out of their way, and you know it!"

Bakugos' right eye began to twitch as he started stomping even further, quickly closing the distance between himself and Nikolay, while Izuku was carefully stepping into the right spot to get between them in case this was about to go where he feared it was.

"You listen to me and you listen good: I never needed your help, nor will I ever need your help, and if you ever start spouting that kind of bullshit again, you're smithereens before you can even get your last word out!" Bakugos' words were scary enough, but the bloodthirsty gravel in his tone made it so much worse, as he and Nikolay now stood less than a foot apart, staring intensely in each others' eyes, both now driven by their own respective anger towards each other.

"And make no mistake on this, either: if you had the guts to run away once, then it doesn't matter how strong you think you get, there'll eventually come a situation where you won't be able to do shit, and you'll just go running off with your tail between your legs all over again, just you wait. Except when that happens, it won't be your future as a student or Hero at risk, but the lives of all your so-called friends and the people you're supposed to be protecting with your worthless ass!"

By this point, the growing intensity between Nikolay and Bakugo, as well as the latters' constant shouting, had drawn the attention of several of the students from both classes, slowly and unintentionally earning themselves a quickly growing crowd.

Alas, they were both completely blind to this, as all they could focus on was their animosity towards each other. Nikolay finally worked up the self-collection and calm to answer Bakugos' assumptions: "As confident as you might feel about that, Bakugo, I have no intention of letting myself get that low again. You know why? Not because I want to prove I'm better than everyone like you clearly do, but because I care about everyone in our class too much to let them down like that again. No matter what you think, I'm not that cowardly little boy anymore, and if you could just accept that and move on, we could both be accomplishing so much more for ourselves right now."

To everyone now listening closely, the fact that Nikolay was clearly still trying to be the peacemaker between them in this intimidating little confrontation was quite admirable. Had it not been for the fact that Bakugo was looking one twitch away from just laying the Russian boy out, Tenya would've personally wanted to voice his approval for his classmates' courage and devotion to a goal and belief.

However, Bakugo still refused to back down, as that hateful scowl slowly turned into a frighteningly anxious grin. "Okay…you really wanna make me see how much stronger you say you are? Then why not spar with me, if you're so willing to put up with it from someone like Deku. Come on, no holds barred this time. You say that kinetic shit of yours has gotten stronger, just like I know my Explosion has? Well, then you should be able to hold your own against me no problem, right? So come on, just say the word and we'll go."

The air was deathly silent for a good few moments as the students all collectively held their breath, not willing to guess just how this was going to play out. Those that stood at the right angle would have even been able to see that, aside from the anticipating grin on his face, Bakugos' right hand was open and twitching, bristling with the little sparks he needed to just detonate with a thought. He was literally just waiting for Nikolay to say something, anything at all, to give him the go ahead to unleash his fury right in his face.

The adrenaline burning through Bakugos' veins was irresistible the more he saw the crystal clear anger brimming underneath the barely calm expression on Nikolays' face. He could tell the Slav wanted nothing more than to oblige him, and kick off a fight he knew they'd both been wanting for far too long now. Those green eyes said it all. All he had to do was just open his mouth and make a sound, any sound at all, and it would've finally been on. Bakugo was simply too proud to even think of just begging him to say something; he needed this catharsis more than anything. The cocky little foreign boy had it coming for way too long for his taste.

However, in the end, without even having to see his right hand just poised at the ready, Nikolay knew deep in his gut that Bakugo was only trying to egg him on, to provoke him…and no matter how much his more testosterone-fueled emotions wanted to give him what he wanted, Nikolay didn't want to break away from the path towards becoming a real Hero that he'd painstakingly put in front of himself. And so, with the utmost reluctance and acceptance in his own choice, Nikolay let out a resigning sigh and let the tension in his body come out, opened his white-knuckled fists, and started to turn around; leaving Bakugo momentarily wide-eyed that he was actually being walked away from, even after having given Nikolay all the reason in the world to fight.

The rest of the students watching felt an encompassing respect for their foreign class-and-schoolmate inside, seeing him walk away from such a clearly mutually desired confrontation. Tenya, Momo, Izuku, Ochako and Mina especially couldn't have looked more proud of him.

Where Nikolay was willing to put aside his anger for calm, however, Bakugo had no such filter, as he let the explosive sparks stop emanating from his hand and let out a truly disgusted grunt in response. "Yeah…yeah, that's what I thought, you goddamn pansy-ass coward! If you really think you have any chance at becoming a real Pro Hero remotely worth a shit, when you aren't even willing to fight when someone gets in your face, then you're not gonna be able to save anyone! That annoying, clingy, cotton candy-haired bitch is gonna end up just like your dumbass old lady did, for ever thinking failures like you and that wash-up dad of yours were ever worth a damn thing!"

There was the scattered gasp of disbelief among the crowd in the wake of what Bakugo had just said, but the rest of the crowd was so quiet with shock, a pin drop would've been deafening by comparison. Even the Class B students, whom knew nothing about the foreign boy, didn't even need to wonder the details, to know that Bakugo bringing up a dead loved one in such a manner was absolutely unacceptable. It was a relief, then, that it was Tenya and Momo who were the ones to finally break the silence.

"BAKUGO, SUCH COMMENTS ARE COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR! WHAT KIND OF HERO DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE, SAYING SOMETHING SO CRUEL LIKE THAT?!"

"Absolutely right! Turn around and apologize to Bezpalov-san right this instant! What is wrong with you that would make you think ever saying such horrendous things would be okay?!"

As Bakugo simply sneered at his president and vice-president while trying to shoulder his way through, Mina and Ochako alike were already starting to make their way through as well, both girls completely ready to zero in on the blonde boy and collectively smack the ever-loving shit out of him, feeling their own angry adrenaline burning in their chests to hear their classmate say something so incomprehensibly heartless and awful. It wasn't even his dragging Mina in particular into the conversation that set them both off, but their shared knowledge of Nikolays' old pain, and seeing it get twisted right into his heart like that, that made them both want to finally put words to rest and let their own actions speak.

Even Momo was already beginning to create an alloy cord from her elbow to restrain Bakugo if need be, when: "You know something, Bakugo? I think I finally understand why you're such a complete govnyuk (shithead) to everyone all the time!"

The entire crowd stopped moving, didn't even make a sound, as they all collectively turned to find Nikolay had likewise turned around, staring right into Bakugos' back. His face still had that now-eerie calm about it, but if they had looked closely, they would have all seen that his entire body was just barely shaking. In fact, it was as though his whole body was vibrating at the same minute frequency that would have been unnoticeable from a distance.

His speaking up had created a whole new kind of intensity in the air, with many afraid that this was the trigger Bakugo had been waiting for to finally go on the offensive. Surprisingly, though, he didn't make a move. He didn't even give Nikolay the courtesy of eye contact. In fact, with his head of spiky platinum blonde hair bowed down, nobody noticed that his face had taken on that sadistic grin once more at the realization that he had finally struck the nerve he'd been looking for.

Nikolay began to resolutely step forward, actually approaching Bakugos' back as he continued to speak up, all the surrounding students genuinely too shocked at this insane chain of events to think to try and get in between the two. "You act like you're so tough, so brave, so completely above everybody else. I understand you've been like this for a really long time, too. But you wanna know what I think? I think that beneath all the explosions and the yelling and swearing and all-around bullying, you're just as insecure as the rest of us, if not a lot more so, even!

"You keep calling me, my dad and Midoriya-san weak more than anybody else, and I think that's because you're trying to convince yourself of it, because you know the three of us are anything but weak! You know, deep down, that every single one of us here is anything but weak, and that thought scares the hell out of you, because it's forcing you to realize you're not the king at the top of the mountain that you thought you were for all these years…or better yet, that you never really were to begin with! In fact, the more you see us all getting stronger, the more you're coming to understand just how far from the top you always have been, and it eats away at you every waking moment!

"The fact is, Bakugo, that every single one of us around you has made you realize just how weak you really are at the end of the day, and that realization terrifies you!" Nikolay was now growling through tightly clenched teeth at this point as he now stood right behind Bakugo, uncaring of the consequences of his words. That boys' last comments had crossed a line there was no coming back from; a line that made Nikolay abandon all reason for the sake of finally getting every last venomous word he'd been holding in for Bakugo out into the open.

Bakugo still showed no outward sign of reaction, but Nikolay didn't care. He had one last thing to say, and he genuinely hoped it would worm its way into Bakugos' head the same way his old criticisms and insults had burrowed into the young Russians' before. "I think you and I both know that, if it weren't for that Explosion Quirk of yours…you wouldn't be shit."

WRAAM!

In the blink of an eye, with that one last little spark Bakugo had been waiting for finally ignited, he spun on his heels and immediately drove the back of his clenched right fist straight into the side of Nikolays' face, hard. How the Russian had managed to stay on his feet instead of getting knocked to the ground by such force was anyone's guess, but Bakugo didn't care. Before the students could immediately react to get in between, Bakugo was once again on the offensive, stopping the arc of his previous backhanded swing, and immediately driving his right fist forward, colliding with the left side of Nikolays' stunned face again, and immediately following up with a left hook to his side, and then reeling that left fist back and swinging it straight up into his jaw, reeling his head back from the sheer force.

Momo had finally gotten her alloy cord around Bakugos' left wrist before he could try swinging with it again, but the hotheaded boy was instead now reeling his right fist for another strike to Nikolays' face.

This time, however, once he swung, expecting to feel his knuckles breaking the foreign boys' cheekbone, he was instead met with the sensation of Nikolay grabbing the entirety of his fist and digging his feet in, stopping Bakugos' momentum entirely. The look of surprise on Bakugos' face at this sudden save was priceless, especially in the moment right before a swift right hook from Nikolay drove into Bakugos' left cheek; his lack of preparation time causing him to get knocked off his feet and rolling to the ground.

Unfortunately, however, Bakugo was far from dazed, as he immediately followed up this lucky strike to his face by kicking his right foot out, straight into Nikolays' left shin, sending him down to one knee, the perfect position for Bakugo to reel that right foot back and drive it straight back into his chest, sending him on his back.

Bakugo proceeded to rush Nikolay on all fours, restraint or no restraint, looking like an enraged animal in those red eyes. "You are not on my level, goddammit! I'll prove it! I don't need my goddamn Quirk to bury you, you piece of shit! I'll kill you with my own hands, nothing more! Then we'll see who ain't shit!"

Bakugo practically leapt onto Nikolays' torso, immediately driving one fist after another into his stunned face, almost immediately drawing blood as he kept fighting against each student rushing in to try and pry him off. Soon, he even began pulling back against the cord around his wrist, forcing Momo forward, and giving himself that much more maneuverability to keep wailing on Nikolay below him.

Except that one moment he spent focusing on Momo and her damn cord was all the opportunity Nikolay needed to get back into the present. Fighting through the pain of his bloodied face all the while, he quickly grabbed onto Bakugos' head and pulled him down forcibly while yanking his own whole upper body back up with just as much aggression. This ultimately resulted in Nikolay driving his forehead straight into Bakugos' nose and mouth, managing to make the blonde boy likewise reel right back off of him, and allowing Nikolay to get back onto his knees, gasping for breath and spitting out a mouthful of blood from his busted lip and possibly fractured nose.

His green eyes were now burning with just as much aggression as Bakugos' red ones, as the latter had already stopped reeling from his own busted nose and was getting back up, blood now leaking down his face from his nostrils, adding to the horrific rage in his eyes. However, Nikolay wasn't backing down either: "Mne tozhe ne nuzhna moya Prichuda! Tebe nuzhniy dokazatel'stva; ya tebe ikh dam! Pora mne, nakonets, zatknut' tvoy rot! (I don't need my Quirk, either! You want proof; I'll give it to you! It's time I finally shut that mouth of yours!)"

As soon as Nikolay actually started to charge at him, Bakugo grasped onto the cord around his wrist and yanked on it hard, forcing Momo off her feet, and more importantly forcing her to let go. The moment he knew he was technically free, Bakugo immediately drove a reeled back left fist straight into Nikolays' already bruised up stomach, knocking every ounce of wind out of him, and nearly folding him in half as he collapsed to the ground in a writhing mess.

Bakugo practically dove onto Nikolays' back just as Tenya rushed in to try and tackle him, and with brutal speed and precision, he proceeded to hook his legs around the Russians' fully extended right arm, yanking back on it hard while driving his knee into his shoulder blade. All he needed to do was apply a few pounds of pressure in the right spot, and he would snap Nikolays' arm right out of its socket, or break his shoulder blade. As long as he came out the winner, he didn't care what happened.

"Either tap out or lose the arm, bitch! What's it gonna be?!" he roared as he continued to pull, listening to Nikolays' pained shouts from below, feeling the pressure mounting on his shoulder.

But giving up was the last thing on his mind, as Nikolay tried to fight against the weight of Bakugo on his back. He eventually managed to force enough wiggle room between them for him to roll into Bakugos' legs, forcing the blonde boy off of him and onto the ground on his back likewise, but still refusing to let go of his right arm. Nikolay paid that no mind, however, as he immediately leaped onto Bakugo while he was down, and proceeded to start repeatedly driving his left fist into his right side, mounting on the overall pain until Bakugos' body was actually writhing in reaction to each hit, grinding his teeth with a furious groan emanating from his throat. He finally had no choice but to let go of Nikolays' now pain-ridden right arm.

The young Russian instinctively got off of Bakugo, grasping at his agonizing right shoulder. He only realized the foolishness of this move too late, though, as Bakugo had already gotten back up, ignoring the pain in his own right side as he charged at Nikolay, driving his shoulder into his stomach and sending him off his feet and onto his back once again.

Bakugo was already starting to hammer his fists into Nikolays' face once again, only managing to do so three times before Fumikage hooked his arms around Bakugos' and started pulling him off. This only caused the wild child to start furiously writhing and wriggling his way out, until he managed to ultimately flip the crow-headed boy over his shoulder, and came rushing in for the kill once again.

This time, though, Nikolay had him spotted, as he swiftly tucked his legs back and drove both his feet forward in a devastating kick straight into Bakugos' stomach, this time leaving him the one gasping for air and bug-eyed as he instinctively fell to his knees.

With his face, arm, shoulder and stomach both flaring with such intense pain, Nikolays' mind for technicality was long since gone, as he instead proceeded to tackle Bakugo onto his back once again, now giving him a taste of his own medicine as he began driving his fists repeatedly into either his face, his ribs or his sides, now literally only seeing red.

Even when Kyouka and Kouji were starting to try and pull him off, Nikolays' barrage was only stopped when Bakugo, through his own pain, suddenly sent a devastating quick jab right into Nikolays' windpipe, leaving the Slavic boy clutching his throat in an attempt to breath. This gave Bakugo a chance to pull himself back out from under him, and immediately send his foot flying straight into his crotch, leaving Nikolay flat and writhing on the ground in teary-eyed agony.

Before Bakugo could proceed to get on him and start pummeling him with his fists again, this time it was Mezo trying to intervene, ensnaring him in his tentacles in an attempt at restraint. Unfortunately, Bakugos' flailing was so wild, it was difficult for Mezo to maintain a grip, and he was ultimately forced to let go before he could start applying his greater strength, when Bakugo got lucky and slammed his foot right down on Mezos'.

Bakugo immediately started to charge at Nikolay, who by now had miraculously somehow found the wherewithal to get back to his feet. When he could hear that charging roar of his again, Nikolays' pained muscle memory kicked in, as he not only managed to jump backwards, out of his trajectory, but he was even able to immediately step right back in and hook his arms around Bakugos' shoulders, digging his feet in to make his wild charge come to a stop. He managed to quickly get his arms situated around Bakugos' neck to the point he knew he'd actually managed to get the hothead into a classic sleeper hold. All he needed to do was put on enough pressure and not lose his grip, and he could sap all the fiery energy out of Bakugo in no more than a minute. His body was in so much agony, and his eyesight was starting to suffer since that latest pummeling had clearly broken a blood vessel, and it was starting to get in one of his eyes. It was time to finally put this savagery to an end.

Unfortunately, Bakugo had other plans, as Nikolay, in his desperation, had made the foolish mistake of getting one of his hands close to his mouth.

"AAAAGGH! TY SUKIN SYN! (YOU SON OF A BITCH!)"

Nikolay roared as he felt Bakugo suddenly sink his teeth into his left hand, biting down hard enough to easily break the skin and draw blood. Nikolay had no choice but to let go, to which Bakugo thankfully released his bite, but that didn't mean he was done. The moment he felt himself free again, he immediately followed up by turning around to face Nikolay, and instantly spat a mouthful of his drawn blood straight into the Russian boys' eyes, blinding him, and thus allowing Bakugo to once again come in for another attack.

Even though his eyes were burning with the sting of blood and spit in his eyes, Nikolay still had the awareness to feel Bakugo grab him by the collar of his uniform, and thus his instincts immediately kicked in.

Even though by now, Mina, Ochako, Kyouka, Tsuyu and Tooru had come rushing in together to pry Bakugos' vice-like grip off of their friend, the psychotic explosive boy was unrelenting in his grip, ready to send his forehead straight into Nikolays' in return for having it done to him earlier.

Except that the distraction of the girls all trying to pull him off had inadvertently given Nikolay the opening he needed. His body went on full autopilot, and he swiftly drove his knee straight in between Bakugos' legs, diffusing his fire instantly, and leaving his eyes nearly bugging out as he practically folded over, just like Nikolay himself had back on the very first day.

Unfortunately, the fact that Nikolays' reflexive instincts were still in control, meant that he didn't stop there, as the moment he could even remotely see again, he immediately grabbed onto Bakugos' head and drove that same knee straight into his face, visibly shedding more blood from his nose and mouth as his whole body reeled back, taking several steps backwards from the shock.

By now, the girls all quickly began to force themselves in between Nikolay and Bakugo, hoping that increasing the distance would somehow be enough to finally make the boys cool their jets and stop before they'd ultimately end up crippling or killing each other.

"For gods' sake, guys, just stop this! Stop it now!" Mina exclaimed; her voice a distinct mix between anger and fear, especially when she saw what a bloody and battered mess both their faces had been left already.

While she was trying to get Nikolay to calm down by pulling his face down to look in her eyes, he caught out the corner of his own, the sight of Bakugo violently shoving Tooru and Tsuyu aside, already making a blind animalistic charge for him once again. Without word of warning, Nikolay likewise forced Mina, Ochako and Kyouka out of the way, just before Bakugo drove his entire weight right back into his gut, but Nikolay kept his heels dug in to keep from ending up on his back again.

He then proceeded to bring his hands together and start hammering them at once repeatedly into Bakugos' upper back, while he himself was repeatedly jack-hammering his fists into both of Nikolays' sides.

Eventually, though, he decided to get himself the advantage again by stopping with the side punching, and instead proceeded to hook one of his legs around Nikolays', and throwing his body weight at enough of an angle to sweep Nikolays' foothold out from under him, once again landing him on his back, and getting Bakugo on top once more. This time, it wasn't his fists he met him with, but instead the firm grip of both his hands clasping around his throat, squeezing as hard as he could and ignoring the numerous cries for him to stop, and the prying hands from Mina and Shoto trying to pull him away.

Nikolays' sight was once more starting to blur as his throat burned, momentarily in shock that Bakugo was genuinely trying to either choke him out, or straight up kill him. With the anger twisting his face behind his own blood, he wouldn't have been remotely surprised if he was deliberately going for the latter.

With one desperate firing of a synapse in his brain driving his body, Nikolay managed to bring his arms up, and drove his elbows into the joints of Bakugos' arms, forcing them to bend, momentarily costing him grip strength, and most importantly closing the distance between them just enough for Nikolay to do the one thing he knew would get Bakugo off of him, even if his morals detested the idea.

Just before he would risk losing consciousness, Nikolay desperately jabbed his right fist for Bakugos' face, driving an extended knuckle right into the corner of his orbital, not risking any permanent damage to his eye, but definitely stunning Bakugo enough to send him reeling back off of him, and allowing Nikolay to get back up and get air back into his lungs.

Bakugo was already back on his feet, covering his affected eye with one hand, while already preparing another enraged fist with the other. Both boys were battered, bruised and bloody messes in the face already, nevermind what their bodies had to now look like under their uniforms. Nevertheless, neither of them was visibly willing to back down, and that was what finally drove Izuku to jolt forward and come to a stop between them, both glowing arms extended towards the two boys in a show he was willing to use his strength on the next one to make a move.

"That's enough, you guys, both of you! Are you both seriously willing to throw all your hard work away for something like this? Just stop and think about what it is you're doing!" Izukus' furious green eyes kept switching back and forth between Bakugo and Nikolay, but even for as reckless as he knew his old childhood friend to be, he didn't even expect Bakugo to be so enraged and blindly driven, that he would actually take the moment Izuku had his eyes off of him, to charge forward, close the distance, and actually jump and use Izuku himself as a springboard to send himself flying forward for a likewise stunned Nikolay, one foot extended to drive right into his gawking face.

Bakugo was so blind with rage at this point, however, that he didn't even care about his sense of timing, and the fact that he'd practically telegraphed his move, as Nikolay was already on the defensive, bringing both his hands up to clutch onto Bakugos' foot and push him away with all his remaining strength.

The moment he felt his foot get grabbed, Bakugos' reflexes instantly kicked in, as he twisted his body around, and drove his free foot straight into the side of Nikolays' head, sending the Russian boy spinning and slamming flat to the ground again, while Bakugo barely managed to land on his feet, before his momentum sent him collapsing onto his side as well.

Before Izuku could move in to try and pin him down, Bakugo practically sprung himself up and across the ground by one hand, rolling closer to Nikolay, with his left fist already prepped to drive straight into his gut the moment this next roll got him close enough. Nikolays' reflexes, however, were burning just as strong, as the moment he saw Bakugos' fist, he likewise rolled just out of the way, causing Bakugo to drive the full force of his punch into the unforgiving ground, leaving him growling through his bloody teeth with pain shooting up his arm.

Both boys hurriedly got back onto their feet, and with an enraged scream of his own, Nikolay wasted no time charging in with both fists at the ready to drive straight into Bakugos' snarling face. Unfortunately, the blood in his eyes ended up affecting his depth perception, as he ended up throwing his first punch far too soon, telegraphing his move and allowing Bakugo to sidestep out of the way, and immediately meet him in kind with a devastating punch to the stomach, followed by another to the back of the head, and a knee to the face as it descended.

From there, Bakugo proceeded to unleash an absolutely merciless volley of punches on every inch of Nikolay Bezpalov he could reach, his anger reaching a nearly euphoric level in his brain each time he felt his fists collide with his face unperturbed. It was like time all around him had come to a crawl, as he didn't even pay attention to all of the students rushing him en masse to get the two boys away from each other. All he could focus on was putting Nikolay in his place, and that desire came out in one of the most blood-curdling furious shouts Katsuki Bakugo had ever made, as he delivered one devastating punch with each word, progressively working his way up from Nikolays' stomach to his jaw:

"EAT! SHIT! AND! JUST! DIIIEEE!"

With his trademark battle cry echoing through the air, Bakugo delivered his coup de grace in the form of one clean-hitting and precise uppercut square into the center of Nikolays' jaw, sending the young Slavs' now-slack body flying right off his feet and tilting back through the air and to the ground below, every last ounce of tension and consciousness lost in his body. In Bakugos' eyes, it was a truly beautiful sight, sending him reeling to the ground like a human-sized pile of bricks.

Nikolay didn't even feel when his body hit the hard ground below. Frankly, he'd lost all sensation in his body somewhere in the middle of that god-awful barrage that he'd just taken to his entire midsection and jaw. Right now, he felt like he was on the outside of his own body looking in, feeling as though he'd just come crashing through a sheet of ice into a cold and unforgiving watery abyss, completely consuming every last inch of him. He couldn't even hear the numerous desperate cries of all his classmates as they crowded around Bakugo in an attempt to get him away.

Honestly, watching that little sequence of events, he felt like he was watching it through a tunnel. Was this that light at the end of the tunnel he'd heard so much about? Was he actually genuinely dying? Had Bakugo actually followed through on his constant psychotic battle cry, and ultimately killed him, and he was just going through the last bits of consciousness he had before he'd finally go to sleep forever?

He would never know the answer to these questions, because just as quickly as his senses and sense of consciousness had left, they had all come rushing right back into him, as Nikolay felt every last ounce of agony in his body ignite into a fire of pure adrenaline, driving his body by a set of invisible strings like he were a genuine puppet driven only by his desire to get the last punctuating word into this confrontation.

This came in the form of Nikolays' body swiftly getting right back up almost unnaturally fast; fast enough for him to rush into the first opening in the crowd of students he could find, most of them still far too occupied with Bakugo to realize their Russian classmate had actually gotten back up from that utter beating.

Nikolay didn't see the shocked reactions on everyone's faces when they saw him come dashing in right for Bakugo, but he did see the expression on his face specifically: that same look of unquenchable anger, but with only the slightest visible hint of disbelief in those red eyes, like he couldn't comprehend that Nikolay had actually gotten right back up after what he felt certain was the finishing set of blows.

That look of split-second disbelief would forever be burned into Nikolays' mind, as he closed that last bit of distance and immediately threw the white-knuckle-tight right fist he'd unknowingly been preparing in a beautifully executed arc, connecting flawlessly with the left side of Bakugos' face with enough force to send a devastating ripple across his whole head, and sending his whole body into a single full spin, mouth involuntarily agape and spewing a ribbon of blood upon impact.

Time now seemed to freeze for Nikolay just as it had for Bakugo; the echoing of that one last beautiful punch meeting its mark, resonating in his head like a thousand church bells. Against his better judgment, he would be relishing the moment he managed to land such a perfect strike on Katsuki Bakugo of all people for the rest of his days, however long that would prove to be.

Even despite having his lights knocked out for just a split second, Bakugo still ultimately managed to find his footing and keep from falling over like he had done to Nikolay. The other students had instinctively backed away, all of them still shaken with surprise that Nikolay had managed to make such an insane rebound.

The air was deathly silent once more; no more cries for the two boys to stop, no more enraged grunts or pained howls. Instead, there was only the wind, and both Nikolay and Bakugos' labored breathing, as the blonde boy slowly turned to face his foreign opponent once more, that same stunned look in his red eyes, only growing more so when his mouth began to move, as though he were feeling around the inside of his mouth.

Bakugo soon brought his fingers to his mouth, and what he pulled out left his red pupils retracted in shock, with many of their classmates following suit once they could see it as well:

A single intact yet bloody tooth, resting securely in Bakugos' fingertips.

The tooth fell listlessly from Bakugos' hand as his eyes finally rose to meet Nikolays', quickly igniting with another homicidal fire, while Nikolay could only manage the weakest of smiles through all the bruises and blood on his face, almost as though that were his way of saying 'You can't deny that one, can you?'

And with nary a word spoken, Nikolays' green eyes began to roll, and his whole body collapsed unceremoniously to the ground, spurring many of the other students to rush to his side, while Bakugo was ultimately the one still on his feet, and by definition, the victor of this insane one-on-one battle.

For all intents and purposes, Bakugo had proven his superior might, and that should've been enough. Hell, even in his own perspective, that would have normally been enough. He was the winner, and that was all he wanted out of this. But that fire in his chest still wouldn't die down. No, he still wanted to make Nikolay suffer even further for all the blows he managed to land. He wasn't going to stop until he'd had his satisfaction to the fullest, and the other students could just feel that murderous intent radiating off of him when he actually began to make his way for Nikolays' unconscious body, fists hanging readily at his sides.

The moment Mina, Ochako, Tenya and Izuku had already started forming a human barricade between the two, the ground around Bakugos' feet suddenly began to shift, and in the blink of an eye, suddenly rise up and snap shut like a giant mouth around his shoulders, leaving only his head visible as he struggled with all his remaining strength to move, ultimately to no avail.

"Alright, that's enough out of everyone! Everybody break it up and give these two some space!" Pixie-Bobs' voice broke the stunned silence among the crowd, forcing the students back from Bakugo and Nikolay, while she and Tiger rushed onto the scene, both visibly disapproving at the especially roughed up state of the two. "Looks like we're gonna have a field day explaining this little situation to Eraser once today's run its course. Tiger, take Bakugo-kun to the other side of camp and have Ragdoll help patch him up. I'll take Bezpalov-kun to Mandalay for the same. The rest of you, the show's over, so get back to your training ASAP."

Bakugos' still-sweltering rage had him thrashing about, but a swift little jab to the neck from Tiger immediately knocked him out cold, which gave Pixie-Bob the cue to release her hold on the dirt keeping him restrained, and the sole male Pussycat hefted the blonde boy over his shoulder, while she just as easily got Nikolays' unconscious body hoisted over hers.

"Sensei, wait, let me come with, please! I can help!" Mina suddenly interjected, and while Pixie-Bob was about to tell her to once again get back to her training, the absolutely pleading look in her eyes convinced her otherwise.

"Alright, come on, then. Let's just hope your classmates' wounds aren't any more extensive than they already look."

---

It took a good hour for Mandalay to finish applying what first-aid she had available to the last of Nikolays' numerous bruises and open lacerations all over his torso and face. Minas' reveal of the salve fluid aspect of her Quirk proved even more helpful than she herself had thought, as it managed to help seal said open wounds much more securely than stitches, staples or anything of the like would have.

The best that Mandalay could do was to apply disinfectant, peroxide, ointment and bandages to practically every inch of Nikolays' torso, and nearly cover his entire face with numerous sized bandages and band-aids, the most difficult one being when she had to forcibly jerk his busted nose back into place, and hurriedly plug his nostrils with little popsicle sticks and cotton swabs while applying a bandage to the bridge.

By the end, the Russian boy looked like a car wreck survivor in an ICU, but with all the blood removed from his face, he at least looked just a touch better, albeit with numerous colored bruises still visible on what of his face was still uncovered.

"Thanks for your help, Ashido-chan. That salve property's a real good discovery you made for your Quirk. A Hero should always have the capability to treat the wounds of themselves, their partners and the public when need be. And as for you, Bezpalov-kun, as long as you don't get yourself into any more fights for the rest of the week, your nose should heal back up to the way it was before, as should all those cracked ribs and bruises. The way Ragdoll described yours and Bakugo-kuns' fight, though, it sounds like you were damn lucky to crack and chip as many of your teeth as you did, and not just flat out lose most of them. You'd best hope your school nurses' Quirk can do something for that."

Nikolay was still in too much pain, especially in the mouth, to say anything at first, but it was clear to Mandalay and Mina alike that her words were really sinking in, and now that he'd had the chance to ride out the last of that aggression, he was actually reflecting back on his and Bakugos' fight, and thankfully feeling regret for succumbing to it in the first place.

"You should seriously consider yourself lucky that Pixie-Bob intervened when she did, otherwise you could've been looking at even worse injuries than what you already have. Honestly, it sounds like there could've been no telling what Bakugo-kun would've done otherwise. In all my experience, I've never heard of any Hero, student or otherwise, actually succumbing to a violent anger like that. You, and the rest of your friends actually willing to get in his way, pretty much got out by the skin of all your teeth. Take that close call to heart, both of you, and don't push your luck any further."

Once she was sure it sounded like Mandalay had said everything she'd meant to say, Mina couldn't stay quiet a moment longer, inching in as close as she felt comfortable getting, at least to where Nikolay had no choice but to look her in the eye, and see every last ounce of hurt in those golden irises as she couldn't even try not to start shedding tears, seeing one of her best friends in such a sorry state. "What the hell were you thinking, pushing Bakugo into a fight like that, Kolya-kun?! You know he was trying to provoke you, why would you do it back?! You know the kind of temper he has! It…it doesn't make any sense to me, what the hell made you think that was remotely a good idea?!"

Nikolay was visibly struggling to move his mouth around to where he could talk without exacerbating the pain, but talk he did nonetheless: "It's not really like you and the others were just observing, either, Mina. You and Uraraka-san looked like you were both about to kick his ass to the curb for what he'd said last."

Mina immediately began angrily shaking her head, sending her tears flying from her distraught face: "Don't turn this around on me or anyone else right now! Yeah, I wanted to smack him for saying that crap about me and your mom, but I thought you especially would've been smart enough not to stoop to his level! Yeah, he would've kept taunting you, but you still would've come out on top in all our eyes, and you know it, too! So why did you provoke him back?! You could've literally gotten killed if the Pussycats hadn't shown up! Try to help me understand, Kolya-kun, please! I…I-I can't stand seeing you like this! Why would you put yourself through all that?"

Minas' frustration and anger had by now devolved into dearly heartbroken sobs the more she looked at Nikolay covered in bruises and bloody bandages. For as mad as she was at his sudden recklessness, she was even angrier at herself, solely for having not intervened right from the start and using everything in her power to stop that damn fight, even by her own force if she had to. In her eyes, she had just as much responsibility for Nikolay now looking and feeling like this as he himself did.

Nikolay likewise felt his heart break with immense regret, knowing he had been the one solely responsible for leaving Mina this emotionally devastated. Of course she deserved to know the whole truth after all this; she deserved it regardless. "I wasn't trying to just insult or provoke him, though. Midoriya-san told me about Bakugo all the way back at the Sports Festival, how he's always been so proud, and why that makes him so hateful towards the rest of us. I thought that, maybe if I could force him to come to terms with where he really stood, it'd help him grow up, become a better Hero that way. Yeah, with that temper, I should've expected him to react the way he did, but I thought it would've at least partially helped him to hear it all get said out loud for once."

Mina could tell that Nikolay was being as sincere as ever; the fact he never broke eye contact with her was proof enough of that. But after how she had seen him act in that fight and the moments leading up to it, as much as she wanted to put all this ugliness in the past where it belonged, Mina simply couldn't just let Nikolays' explanation be the end of it. "Kolya-kun, I know you're being honest, but please, the least you could do is be 100% with me. I want to believe you were trying to help Bakugo grow up, in as ass-backwards a way as that was, but tell me the truth: there was a part of you that just wanted to kick his ass for all that constant smack-talking he'd done to you all semester, wasn't there?"

The imploring glimmer in her black-gold eyes left Nikolay unwilling, and unable, to even try to hide the truth from her. "Okay…yes, there was, and that shit he said involving you and my mom…I really wanted to make him pay for that, especially."

Mina still had that serious, disapproving look on her face, but her sigh definitely carried an air of relief that Nikolay had come clean for her, as she proceeded to nod in gratitude for his full honesty. All the while, Mandalay could only watch and listen with a discerning eye before speaking up herself: "Well, as a Pro Hero, I definitely can say I don't approve of yours and Bakugo-kuns' little display today, Bezpalov-kun. I can't even say it speaking as a teacher training you all to get stronger. But I can at least respect what you say you were trying to do for his sake. However, you need to understand and accept that forcing someone to brute force their way through their shortcomings is not your responsibility, but that of the teachers, and in this case, of Bakugo-kun himself. Yes, while Heroes are supposed to act and help people in whichever way they can, provoking someone with a violent temper into fighting you, and nearly landing yourself in a coma isn't going to help anyone, least of all yourself."

Nikolay and Mina alike knew that Mandalay was absolutely right. Nikolay especially felt like a damn fool now, to have heard her say it as such. It was essentially a different version of his and Izukus' attempts to get through to Kota. Nikolay had even said as much earlier; the ultimate responsibility for that little boy changing his attitude fell onto his shoulders alone, and there was only so much that either he or Izuku could do in the meantime. This was ultimately no different than that, when brushing the personal catharsis aspect aside.

"So…what's going to happen now, Sensei?" he finally worked up the courage to ask once the serious silence in the nurses' office became too much for him to bear.

Mandalay let out a regretful sigh, scratching the back of her head in thought: "Right now, I can imagine Ragdoll is explaining everything to Eraser right now. You should count your lucky stars that, at the end of the day, Bakugo-kun was the one who threw the first punch and actually started the argument that led to your fight, according to Midoriya-kun. So the general responsibility for starting the fight goes to Bakugo-kun. However, the fact that you didn't try to end the fight as quickly as possible, but instead chose to actively participate and therefore prolong it, means you aren't exactly exempt from your share of responsibility, either. The final decision for what'll happen is up to Eraser, and I've never known him to be particularly forgiving to someone more than once."

Nikolay felt a lump build up in his throat to hear Mandalay say that last part, especially. If she already knew about the first time he'd gotten in trouble with Aizawa, then that foreboding final statement couldn't have been clearer for what he was now looking at. All things considered, he was very much looking at instant expulsion once the time came. That realization had clearly hit Mina, as well, as her worried expression was now stricken with a speechless terror.

However, Mandalay decided to break this new tension in the air as she casually cleared her throat. "Of course, that's all just speculation on my part when you get down to it. A lot of factors surrounding this mess are still up in the air, so who can say what'll happen? It all still needs to be discussed, but not until after we've run through our schedule for today. So once the test of courage tonight has run its course, then it'll be time for you to hear what Eraser's decided for you and Bakugo-kun. In the meantime, now that your wounds are all patched up, get some rest, and Ashido-chan, get back to your regular training. Come 4:00, Bezpalov-kun, I want you to go rejoin your schoolmates in preparing your dinner for tonight, and get yourself ready to participate in the game. And for the record, don't worry about any retaliation on Bakugo-kuns' part. I've already instructed Tiger to keep a very close eye on him, and make sure you two stay far away from each other for the rest of the day and all of tonight."

---

A couple of hours of rest was exactly what Nikolay had needed, as by the time 4:00 had come, his ribs felt to have resettled back in place, and the searing pain all over his body had devolved into an all-encompassing ache, and best of all, the agony in his mouth had numbed.

When he finally stepped out of the nurses' office, however, he was immediately met with a very pensive Mina standing dutifully in the hall, looking as though she'd been racking her brain for a good long while. Despite the fact she was clearly trying to catch her breath and looked quite physically worn out from her training, she looked as though she wasn't even aware of that.

"How long have you been waiting out here, Mina?" he finally asked as he began to make his way down the hall for the entrance, ready to get to food preparation so they could finally eat. He could only imagine getting something in his stomach would help his healing exponentially.

"Long enough to think about what could happen to you because of your fight with Bakugo, at least." She stated more bluntly than he'd ever heard from her before. There was none of that upbeat energy to be found. This was as serious as he'd ever heard Mina speak, and it was so unnatural coming from her, it was downright unsettling.

Before he could even ask, Mina was already on a roll, her voice wrought with so many emotions at once: "What the hell are you going to do if Aizawa-sensei decides to just kick you out of Yuuei for this, Kolya-kun?"

That was the one question Nikolay had likewise been thinking on ever since he'd been told to rest up from his injuries. And unfortunately, he was in the same place now that he was then: "I…I don't know, Mina."

Minas' resultant sigh was as clearly frustrated-sounding as could be as she hurried forward and stopped Nikolay in his tracks, looking him in the eye with welling eyes. "You've always been so focused on thinking about stuff in a fight because you're just a careful person, Kolya-kun! The moment you decide to act all reckless and start a fight, this happens! Did you seriously not even stop to think what would happen in the end, whether you won or not? I've seen and helped you pull yourself through so much for the sake of becoming a Hero; had to watch you nearly get yourself killed trying to protect me and the rest of our friends! I…I can't believe you would seriously go and throw that all away just for the sake of giving Bakugo a taste of his own medicine!"

Nikolay had never heard Mina sound so angry before, but that didn't last, as her tension quickly gave way again to choking sobs and tears as her shoulders and clenched fists shook, and she bit her lip to try and futilely stifle her sobbing. "I…I don't want it to end like this, Kolya-kun! I don't want to say goodbye! I don't want to never be able to see you again! I don't want to lose you as my classmate or my friend because you got yourself kicked out! I don't want to see you go away somewhere else where I can't be there with you to support you and be your friend! And I know it's not just me, either! Nobody in our class wants to see you go! We all care about you so much, Kolya-kun! I don't…I don't get why you couldn't even stop to think about possibly having to leave all of us if you pushed for that stupid fight!"

Mina hopelessly planted her forehead against Nikolays' shoulder, letting her tears fall to the floor, while Nikolay looked like he'd just been stabbed in the heart to hear her bring up something that should've been so obvious and present in his mind. The realization that he hadn't even stopped to think about how his actions ultimately would've affected all his classmates and friends, made him finally see just how damn selfish he'd been acting by getting into that fight, and the guilt hit him like one of Bakugos' punches right to the face.

Nikolay had to swallow his own oncoming tears as he slowly brought his arms around Minas' sides, finally pulling her into an emotionally overwhelmed embrace she instinctively returned, still unable to stop her tears from running down her face, all while silently grateful hers and everyone else's sentiments had actually gotten through to him. "I'm so, so sorry, Mina. You're right…picking that fight when I could've just walked away was just purely selfish on my end. All I wanted was to let all that anger out, and I didn't even think about what it would end with, for me or any of you. I'm so sorry. Please, please tell me if there's something, anything I can do to somehow make this right again."

Mina finally stepped back to look him in the eye again, and while the faint smile on her tear-streaked pink face made it clear she was grateful to hear him finally admit his responsibility in this mess, that spark of inspiration in her eyes was nowhere to be seen. "I wish I had an answer, Kolya-kun, I really do. It's not fair that you should be in this kind of trouble when Bakugo's the one who started it…but I can't think of what you could do to fix this, especially with him, if that's even possible. But since you've already been working so hard up to this point to try and become a Hero; maybe this is a chance for you to put in that one last little bit of effort towards that goal, and find that answer in yourself. You're smart and so driven by your heart, I know you'll be able to come up with something if you think about it hard enough."

Nikolay really felt glad for her vote of confidence in his own capabilities to find his own solution, even if he momentarily didn't, himself. As a subject, Bakugo alone was clearly someone so consumed with grudges; it would've been a miracle if words alone would've been enough for Nikolay to somehow patch things up even remotely.

Personal inner doubts aside, Nikolay felt well and truly resolved in his heart. "I could possibly just be wasting my time and energy by doing this…but I'm not going to give up, regardless. If there's a way to recover from this and keep myself on board as a student with the rest of you, then I'm going to go for it, no matter what. I don't want to say goodbye to any of you, either, and I'll fight for the privilege to keep growing along with you and everyone else with everything I have."

Minas' heartfelt smile thankfully began to grow as she wiped the remnants of her tears from her eyes. "I know you will, Kolya-kun, because that's just the kind of person you are deep down: the kind that doesn't give up on anything. That's just one of the things I admire the most about you, among countless others. Now come on, you must be starving by now. I know I am."

With her spirits thankfully lifted at least a little bit, Mina gently took Nikolays' hand in her own, and the two began to walk side by side again to the entrance, ready to finally make their dinner and get their energy back. Just before they stepped outside, that tingling of humor in her gut made Mina suddenly feel the need to at least end this little moment on even a slightly humorous note: "Consequences and all that aside for a second, though…that was one hell of a good last punch you got on Bakugo, if you don't mind me saying so."

---

Nikolays' reuniting with the rest of Class 1-A, and those he was most familiar with from Class B, was both relieving, yet understandably tense, at least in the atmosphere. Every step of the way to his cooking pit, he could feel numerous eyes on him, whether they be the sympathetic ones of his classmates, the curious ones of the Class B students who knew him, or the especially hateful one of Bakugo, staring murderously at him from clear across the cooking area. Nikolay could only assume Tiger was somewhere watching the explosive boy close, hence why he was actually able to show his face without getting blasted to bits.

Soon enough, though, everyone was back to prepping their ingredients for meat and potato stew this time around, and the overall tone among everyone felt just like it did the previous day, with no tension or nervousness or sadness to be spoken of. In fact, the air actually felt comparatively festive when, before long, Nikolay found himself being joined in preparation by (of course) Mina, Izuku, Ochako, Tenya, and an especially exhausted-looking Eijirou, who in this state was only able to manage the faintest expression of surprise from his nearly vegetative stupor when having been told of what had transpired during his most recent remedial training session.

Even though Tenya was still taking the chance every minute or two to seriously order on or encourage his classmates to hustle and work hard at their culinary preparation, he was still able to take the time to assist this gathering of his peers and friends at the same time, given his foreign classmates' still roughed-up condition. Seeing him in this state, and especially being able to detect the generally worried looks in both his, Minas' and Ochakos' eyes, he finally cleared his throat and spoke up, thankfully with much less of his natural rigidness:

"Bezpalov-san, I can imagine what must've been going through your head during your period of recovery once the adrenaline wore off. I feel it's worth letting you know that the rest of Class A and I, and even some of the students in Class B, have been discussing approaching Aizawa-sensei and giving him all our respective testimonies as to the initial buildup and altercation between you and Bakugo-san. It's only fair that he be given a full understanding of exactly where you both stood on this situation from the start."

Nikolay was only able to manage the slightest smile with the bandages still adorning so much of his face. "I'm grateful for you all doing that for my sake, Iida-san, but if Ragdoll-sensei already told him everything about the fight, since she could see every single one of us the entire time with her Quirk, then there isn't anything he won't already know. Knowing Aizawa-sensei, he's probably already made up his mind what he's going to do to Bakugo and I. He's probably just waiting until after today for the right time to bring us both forward and punish us as he sees fit."

Mina, Ochako and Izuku both looked notably saddened by the tone of sheer defeat and acceptance in Nikolays' tone as he continued to chop away at his pile of vegetables, not letting his body language reflect this resignation of his. "I still want to try and find some way to make any of this right again, but that doesn't change the fact that I had the chance to just walk away with my head held high, and I didn't take it, even though I should've known better. Instead I let those last words get to me so much, I let my anger take control away, and I said what I said, and it led to what it did. There's no way of changing that. I carry part of the responsibility, and I need to take the consequences that come with it. Whether that convinces Aizawa-sensei to not expel me or not like last time is up to him."

Tenyas' smile was chock full of approval in this surprisingly mature mindset of Nikolays', so shortly after having let himself fly off the handle. The fact he was so prepared for the consequences to come was admirable, but the more personal role of friendship between them convinced the Class A president to say further: "I respect you making peace with that possibility, Bezpalov-san, but I still feel we should all be able to do something at all for you, if not as our peer then at least as our friend.

"Aizawa-sensei should know that, even from a purely objective point-of-view, Bakugo-san approached you and Midoriya-san first, and he was the one to throw the first punch. Regardless what you said to him to make him do so, his taking the first physical action saddles him with the most responsibility. And surely even Sensei would agree that the low blow he took with that closing comment about your mother was completely unacceptable, no matter what the circumstances. For you to face the potential for expulsion because he has a constant chip on his shoulder simply isn't fair."

FWOOSH!

Before Tenya or anyone else could carry on with the discussion further, Nikolay had finally managed to get the cooking fire started, and soon he and the others were proceeding to pile in their vegetables and chopped up beef into the numerous pots hanging on the lines over the fire.

As Nikolay began reaching for the pile of carrots to his left, his pinkie finger ended up brushing against something he knew for a fact hadn't been there before, and looked, surprised to find a small yet still sizable patch of mushrooms he didn't realize had practically grown out of the table itself. "Shiitake mushrooms. Did any of you notice if somebody passed by and left these all here?" he asked before looking closer and finally noticing their bases growing out of the wood.

Having noticed this herself, Mina couldn't help but start smiling that sly grin of hers. "Looks like Komori-chan from Class B felt like adding a little extra to your stew specifically, Kolya-kun."

Nikolay was clearly grateful by the shimmer in his eyes as he picked the mushrooms from their stalks and quickly cut them up and threw them in, quickly looking over the crowd of likewise busy schoolmates around them for some sign of Class B's mushroom girl, only to find no such thing. "Well, that was very nice of her, but why would she do that when she barely even knows any of us?"

Mina was trying so hard to not start snickering as her own answer already came to mind, while Ochako got the chance to speak up first: "Well, if she was there to see the fight between you and Bakugo, maybe she felt sorry for you and thought this was the only way to express it."

"Yeah, or who knows, maybe she just got smitten with you from the first time we all met after the internships and she's just too shy to actually say so." Minas' out-of-nowhere suggestion made the whole group come to a sudden shocked pause, only offset when she immediately started laughing at their reactions, thankfully leading them all to do the same when they realized she was just kidding.

Of course, even though she was still chuckling and knew from the bottom of her mind and heart she was just joking around; given everything she'd witnessed from Kyouka for the last several weeks reaction-wise around Nikolay, the idea of one of the Class B girls perhaps being drawn to her Russian best friend from one meeting suddenly didn't sound as far-fetched anymore. A part of her couldn't help but feel happy that Nikolay was, albeit unknowingly, garnering the attention of girls in their school. After all, it was just one of the experiences she felt he deserved after struggling with so much for so long. At the same time, however, another part of her couldn't help but take the idea with a pinch of…begrudging, or perhaps even defensiveness. It was only a thought she dared to humor for just a moment before getting right back into the eagerness of cooking and eating with her friends, but it was a thought she humored nonetheless.

As the group continued to cook together, they almost didn't notice Shoto quietly approach them with a pot of water in his grasp, watching them intently before stepping in just close enough to speak up without seeming like he was calling out to them to everyone else. "Midoriya."

They all immediately perked up with surprise to see their red-white-haired classmate having come in from practically out of nowhere, but Izuku looked particularly curious, being called out alone. "Oh, Todoroki-san, good evening. Do you want to share our fire? There should be enough room for yours as well."

However, Shoto simply shook his head. "No, that's quite alright. I was just curious about what you said during Aizawa-sensei's lecture this afternoon. Were you hoping to talk to All Might about something? You did pretty much bring him up first and foremost as far as our teachers are concerned."

Izuku visibly flinched that this was being brought up so suddenly, but thankfully was quick to get back to normal as he answered: "Well, I actually wanted to ask him some questions about Kota-kun."

Nikolay likewise perked up at the sound of the little boys' name, as did Ochako, Mina and Tenya, while Shoto looked completely stone-faced. "'Kota-kun'? Who's that?"

The fact that, despite having clearly been introduced to the kid alongside everyone else, and seeing what an intense first impression he had made, Shoto could still be so personally dense would've been downright hilarious in any other circumstance. Not so here, as Izuku began looking around, silently driving Nikolay to do the same, looking or any sign of Kota at all, but finding none. "Oh, he's still gone. I guess he must've already gone back to his cliff hideout again."

Nikolay said this with a surprising sound of defeat, at least from the perspectives of his other classmates, only compounded when they could see Izukus' expression was just as downtrodden when it came to the little boy in question. "I don't mean to sound apathetic or anything like that, but why would you guys be so curious about Kota-kun? From the two times either of you got anywhere near him, it's pretty clear he's got a real problem with Heroes, as sad as that is." Ochako finally asked, with Mina wholeheartedly nodding in agreement.

However, both boys were quick to answer with surprising energy to clear the air: "It's not that he hates Heroes only…well, okay, I guess depending how you look at it; that would be the case. It's more that he has a real problem with a Hero society with Quirks as a whole."

"Yeah, it turns out his folks were both Heroes that got killed by a Villain while trying to save civilians, and Kota-kuns' directed all that emotion towards taking it out on people with Quirks in general." As soon as Nikolay gave this brief little summary, the realization on Mina, Ochako and Tenyas' faces was palpable. Now, both boys' unusual interest in Kota was making much more sense.

"Me and Kolya-san have both tried to talk to him, try and get through to him in some way shape or form to help him get past all that grief and anger, so he can start looking up to Heroes again. ("It's true, I thought the fact Kota-kun and I have suffered similar losses would've at least partially helped my perspective get through to him a little bit, but he's a really emotionally guarded one.") I was hoping All Might would come here, and maybe he'd be able to give me some kind of idea how to help him out." Izuku and Nikolay both explained this with a look of deep regret in Izukus' eyes especially as he continued stoking the fire, while Shoto and the others all took in both boys' conundrum with silent interest and contemplation.

Suddenly, Tenya stood straight up, once again looking as though he were reciting a speech he'd been memorizing for this very occasion: "Well, as much as I'm sure it's not exactly what either of you were hoping to hear, it really sounds to me like you've both done your duty as aspiring Heroes, to try and mutually reach out and help Kota-kun through his emotional pain. However, even Heroes have to accept that they can't have all the answers to elevate everyone they come across in need of that kind of help. By stepping forward and letting him know he has you two to open up to whenever he feels ready to move forward, that's already doing your sworn duty as future Heroes. However, Kota-kun needs to be the one to decide to take that final step forward."

Ochako, while regretful that Tenya was essentially telling her friends there was nothing more they could do, did at least look to understand where their class president was coming from in the end. Mina, on the other hand, looked just as conflicted as Nikolay and Izuku did. "But a Hero needs to be able to give their everything to help people, no matter how, and no matter what it is people are going through. Heroes inspire people everywhere they go. If they aren't able to somehow find a way to reach through to everyone and give them that same kind of hope, then who knows what could end up happening to that one person later on? I always thought Heroes need to be capable of saving and helping everybody when asked."

The way Minas' voice dropped the further she went, really showed just how much her own lifelong belief of Heroes and their capabilities in helping people in all ways really clashed with the reality check that Tenya was giving them. This was far different from the lessons in remembering to be humble that the internships had taught her. To her, this almost sounded like Tenya was essentially saying that in order to become true Heroes; they actually needed to resign themselves to the possibility of actually failing to save a person every now and again. Even if; deep, deep down inside, she knew that was just the realistic way of looking at things, that lifelong aspiration and admiration she had for Heroes as a concept just couldn't let her swallow that idea as easily as Izuku and Nikolay seemed to be.

"What would you say, Todoroki-san?" Izuku suddenly asked once a few seconds of contemplative silence had passed, and soon everyone at the pits' eyes were on the enigmatic boy, looking to be really thinking about everything they had said.

"Well, it depends. For complete strangers like all of us to just dump our reasoning on his head; he would just consider that pretentious, and he wouldn't exactly be wrong. At least Bezpalov has similar experience to be able to justify trying, but he and Kota are on very different emotional levels, and he's clearly too young to consider things as deeply as Bezpalov has. And if, by chance, he was the type to be moved simply by words, then we would know that his hatred only runs skin-deep.

"I personally think the most important thing for you two to do, is to tell him 'what we have done, and what we are doing now for humanity.' I believe that, after witnessing what you both put yourselves through when you were trying to get through to me, that actions speak far louder than words ever will. There's very little a couple of complete strangers can say that'll convince him to change his point of view. I don't know what either one of you ultimately want for that kid, but sticking both your noses into delicate matters is…well, suffice to say, it pretty much fits both of you to the letter." With that penultimate point made, Shoto proceeded on his way, leaving Izuku and Nikolay, as well as their three friends, to consider exactly what he was imparting onto them, and the truth to it all clicked simultaneously.

Shoto was absolutely right; they all could've taken all day and night talking themselves blue in the face telling Kota what the right mindset to have was and what they were doing. Actually showing him firsthand, however, just what it was Heroes were all about and what they ultimately represented to everyone the world over was something much bigger, much more profound and effective. That now only left the question of just how exactly it was any of them could actually show Kota that.

Of course, none of them could waste much more time thinking about such things, as a timely growling of Nikolay and Ochakos' stomachs reminded them just what they were still out here for, and thus they and the rest of their schoolmates finally returned to the task of eating their fill in preparation for the big game in store for them tonight, all the while still deeply grateful for Shotos' perspective.

---

"Now then, the dishes are clean and all our stomachs are filled, so now is the time for—"THE TEST OF COURAGE!"

Pixie-Bobs' buildup to an announcement was swiftly interrupted by the ecstatic display of energy from Mina the moment all the 1-A students had gathered at the designated clearing the Pussycats had instructed them to meet at just south of the training camp in the woods. Night had long since fallen, but the general fatigue of all the students was nowhere to be found, even among the likes of Eijirou, Rikido, Hanta and Denki, who looked now as spry and charged as they had been the first moment they'd arrived at this camp. The days' worth of anticipation for this game had done away with all exhaustion and wariness, now replaced with that precious childlike enthusiasm.

"Hell yeah, we sweated, bled and cried all day, but this is what it was all for! Now it's time to finally cut loose and show what we're really made of!" Eijirou declared with a shockingly equal amount of boundless enthusiasm, pumping his fists in the air rapidly to get himself even further psyched, while Denki was practically shaking with excitement and laughing like a madman to finally be free for a night. Rikido and Hanta could only cry tears of rapturous joy.

In fact, having had to spend so much of the last two days separated from all their classmates had been just as draining for them emotionally, which was why getting the chance to participate felt like a gift straight from the heavens…while Aizawas' presence, nearly blending in perfectly with the darkness of night, gave him the aura of a harbinger from Hell as he marched up next to the rest of the Pussycats. "Before we begin that, however, and although it pains me to say it..."

The overall cheer among the students was swiftly silenced as all eyes fell to the 1-A homeroom teacher, with many of the youthful faces frozen in mid-cheer, and a single mutual sweat drop of fearful apprehension visible on the faces of the four remedial students. "…the remedial bunch are going to have a review lesson with me, starting right now."

"ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!"

Eijirou and Denkis' mutual outcry of horrified disbelief echoed across the woods like a gunshot, just before they and their two fellow remedial classmates were swiftly lassoed in Aizawas' wrappings; the teacher not even wasting a beat making his way back to the camp, with his four unlucky charges kicking, screaming, crying, writhing, or a pitiful combination of all those things behind him. "COME ON, SENSEI, A LITTLE MERCY IS ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR!" "I DON'T WANNA GO! NOT AGAIN!"

"Yes, yes, it sucks to be you, but the training we did earlier today yielded far less results than I was looking for, so we need to wash, rinse, repeat with you four until it finally gets through your thick skulls." Aizawa was downright cold in his lack of empathy for his four students' cries and protests.

Watching them all go off at their teachers' mercy felt like something akin to watching prisoners being marched off to their execution, and that painful feeling of sadness resonated in many of the other students' hearts, listening to the four boys' hopes and excitement get so mercilessly dashed away. Ultimately, Mina couldn't stay silent anymore as she rushed out of the crowd to call out to them: "I'm so sorry, you guys! I know you can all tough it out, though, and we'll all play together in the end, enough to make it up for all of you! That's all our promise to you!"

Whether Minas' words of encouragement and friendly promises got to them was anyone's guess, but the point was that she had expressed the heartfelt wishes of many of her peers, as they couldn't help but nod and voice their agreement in kind as she returned to their numbers, still looking very forlorn that any of their classmates had to miss out on this.

Of course she was grateful that her efforts in the final exams had saved her from ending up in the same boat, but that didn't make her any less sad for them at all. Of course; seeing Nikolay lift a single pinky finger in a silent showing of making that same promise alongside her, left Mina with one of the sweetest smiles of gratitude.

Once it was clear that little disruption had run its course and they had the students' attention once more, Pixie-Bob, Mandalay, Ragdoll and Tiger proceeded to step forward and give them the rundown of just what they were getting into:

"Right, with that all taken care of, here's everything you need to know, boys and girls: this is literally going to be a game to test all your courage. Class B is going to serve as the scaring team, and are already waiting for you all within this forest."

"Class A, you'll all have to form into teams and proceed down this path in three minute intervals. The path runs in a loop through the forest, so you'll end up exiting out into this same spot as well. Of course, even with the remedial students removed from the equation, there're still an odd number of you, which means there's going to have to be one team of three, while the rest are made up of two."

"In the middle of the route, there'll be a card waiting with your respective team names written on them. Take them back with you as proof that you ran the gauntlet as intended! The scaring group is not allowed to directly touch anyone. But scaring tactics using any and all Quirks available are permitted."

"After all students of Class A have had their run through the gauntlet of horror, then they shall take Class B's place as the scaring group, and thus come up with their own tactics to scare them in turn! The winner will be the class that not only makes the most out of their creativity, but also makes the most people piss their pants with terror!"

To end on such an extreme (and admittedly disgusting) note left many of the students visibly shaken, while of course Tenya was looking downright thrilled with the analytical realization of how such a test would ultimately benefit their growth as Heroes. All the while, Nikolay could only swallow the nervous lump in his throat in an attempt to steel himself for whatever the Class B students would possibly have cooking up for him and whoever his chosen partner(s) would be. Given past experience, even though he knew he shouldn't have been, he was already banking on ending up the lucky one with the three-member team, with Mina being one of them.

Of course, that anticipation didn't last long, as the students were all instructed to draw lots as to who their partners would be, and their subsequent order in which they would go into the forest to begin their test of courage.

The students that ended up with the position of first team were Mezo and Fumikage.

The second team (much to Nikolays' indescribable relief) was Bakugo and Shoto.

The third team was Kyouka and Tooru.

The fourth team was Momo and Yuga.

But what came as one of the biggest surprises was the fifth team, which turned out to be the one three-person team, made up of Ochako, Tsuyu and Mina. Both the pink girl and Nikolay were in disbelief that they actually weren't being teamed up together this time. Whether this was something suggested ahead of time by Aizawa wasn't able to be answered, as the rest of the teams were quickly selected as well, with Mashirao and Minoru being the sixth team, Nikolay and Tenya being the seventh, and Izuku and Kouji being the eighth and final team of Class A.

With that, the test of courage was started with surprising expediency, as over the next twelve minutes, the first five teams each made their way down the entrance of the forest path and disappearing into the shadows of the night. The collection of terrified screams that began to echo across the forest shortly after left Nikolay visibly tense as to just what he was going to have to expect when it was his and Tenyas' turn to go in.

---

The fact that the woods were so dark was bad enough, but the numerous echoing screams made the tension Mina, Ochako and Tsuyu felt so much worse. One particularly piercing scream from a ways ahead made the gravity girl and pink girl visibly flinch.

"I'm scared, Tsu! They're screaming a ton out there!" Ochako admitted, her voice chattering all the while, while Tsuyu somehow managed to look completely calm, although that was primarily due to her naturally unexpressive face.

"Yeah, that'd be Kyouka-chan and Tooru-chan. Ochako, Mina, we should hold hands. Don't worry, we've got this." Ochako and Mina were more than happy to oblige as they both took Tsuyus' free hands, and soon they were continuing to walk in tandem together.

Tsuyu could feel Ochakos' grip gradually start to loosen as her presence calmed her down, even despite the screams still going on. However, Minas' grip didn't loosen at all. In fact, it only seemed to be growing tenser, and the timing made it clear it had nothing to do with the screams. "It's okay, Mina. As long as we don't lose our grips and just stick together, we can get through this test just fine-kero."

However, her encouragement was instead met with an unusually intense shaking of her pink head. "It's not the test, Tsu-chan! I…I just can't get my head to shut up and calm down right now. My mind's going all over the place!"

The edge of pure emotion lining her words made Tsuyu and Ochako exchange silent yet knowing glances with each other, prompting the rosy-cheeked girl to voice her theory: "This is about Kolya-san and that fight, isn't it?"

Mina let out an involuntary sniffle as she was trying to keep her anxiety under control. Without even needing to say anything, she'd said everything her friends needed to know. "Mina-chan, if we were to just tell Aizawa-sensei everything about what happened, surely he'd be willing to let Kolya-san off the hook, at least as far as possible expulsion. After what Bakugo had said, anyone would have no choice but to react in some way."

"Ochako has a point; Bakugo was even more out of line than usual-kero. But at the same time, Kolya-san had the chance to just walk away and do the mature thing, and didn't. Even if Aizawa-sensei were to reconsider expulsion, there would still have to be consequences." Tsuyu was as matter-of-fact as ever, while Ochako was trying to be as reassuring as she could in these circumstances, and all the while Mina looked like she was trying to take those words for what they were worth, but her own worries kept her from simply letting it go.

"I know, I know, I get all that! But until he just says out loud that he isn't going to expel Kolya-kun, then it's still possible, and the thought of him wasting all the effort and pain he went through to get this far so he could become a Hero…the thought of that just…it just sucks so much, you guys! The thought of one of our friends being forced to leave and going somewhere none of us can follow sucks even worse!"

Even after unloading all of this on her two friends, Mina was still trying so hard to keep from breaking down into further sobs at the thought. However, Ochako once more found herself faced with a question she knew needed to be asked for Minas' sake. "Mina-chan…do you really think you would lose your connection with Kolya-san if he were to get kicked out of Yuuei? Do you really think you'd never see or speak to him again if that happened?"

Mina turned to look them both in the eye with exceptional emotional intensity, her eyes brimming with tears. "Of course not! I'd visit him, call and text him every single day if I had to! I don't ever want to lose him, just like I never want to lose you guys, or anyone else in our class that I think of as my friends! It's just that…when I think about the possibility of going through the rest of Hero school without Kolya-kun…I end up feeling so much…so much lonelier than I ever thought I would. I can't take the idea of doing so many cool, fun and exciting things with everyone…but without him being there for us all to make those kinds of precious memories together."

Once again, Ochako and Tsuyu were virtually of the same mind when they locked eyes, taking in everything Mina was admitting to them. However, neither of them had the heart to use this moment, of all times, to ask if this meant Mina perhaps felt more for their Russian classmate than she openly admitted. This was hardly the time or place for it, and Mina was in anything but the right state of mind to be asked about it.

Realizing they were at a loss for what to say in regards to this, Tsuyu took a deep, affirming breath as she tightened her grips on Ochako and Minas' hands. "C'mon, we should keep moving for now-kero. We can talk about this all night back at the dorm if we have to, but for now, we need to stay on our toes-kero. There's no telling what Class B might be planning for us."

---

Elsewhere within the dark of the woods, Itsuka Kendo was snickering proudly alongside two of her fellow classmates on the scaring team: the black-haired bob-cut girl Yui Kodai, and a boy with semi-long light blonde hair and a face that more resembled a human skull with a lipless mouth and sunken in nose, Juzo Honenuki. With the exception of the always quiet Yui, Itsuka and Juzo were laughing in the wake of another glorious scaring victory on the last team of 1-A students to fall for their scaring tactic.

"Awesome job back there, Kodai-san! Everyone shat their pants back there with your little trick! Way to put your body to work!" While Juzo was still heaping on the congratulations, Itsuka was still laughing heartily just thinking back on it.

"If you ask me, I think Bakugo and Todoroki-san were probably the funniest, the way he just went "Oh!" like that! If that's the best way he can convey being scared, how could anyone not find that funny?!" Soon enough, the two started to reach their limit of laughter, while Yui simply took the compliments and sat in wait for the next team to come for them to get the drop on.

"Okay…okay, we should get back in position; the next team should be coming soon. Kodai-san, go ahead and get back to the middle of the road. Hey, by the way, did either of you notice…does it smell like something's burning to you, too?" The moment Juzo broke from his last bit of chuckling with such a sudden question, Itsuka took a quick look around and noticed, to her surprise, a sudden hazy mist was starting to encroach out from the woods on the other side of the path.

"You know, now that you mention it, this smoky stuff just appeared out of nowhere." While Itsukas' curiosity and confusion was undeniable, Yui seemed to be taking it in with that silent pensive gaze, while Juzo looked unbothered by the addition of the smoke.

"Who knows, maybe Bakugo or someone else from Class A got so scared that they went ahead and blasted off their Quirks or some…!"

His speech almost instantly slurred and went silent, as the skull-faced boys' eyes rolled over and his body collapsed listlessly to the ground beside the now visibly shocked Itsuka.

"Honenuki-kun?!" Despite her attempt to get his attention, he was completely motionless, well and totally unconscious as the smoke rolled over him.

All of Itsukas' survival instincts kicked in like the flipping of a switch as she swiftly got one hand over her nose and mouth, and immediately reached her quickly enlarging free hand over to Yui, pinning her to the ground and completely covered by her hand, safe from the now quickly thickening smoke. "YUI-CHAN, DON'T BREATHE IN THIS SMOKE! IT'S POISON!"

---

Back outside the entrance to the forest path, the Pussycats were still counting down the seconds before they would send the sixth team of Mashirao and Minoru down next. The students themselves, of course, were just as anxious, having heard the screams, only for them to go silent for a solid minute. If anything, that silence actually left many of them feeling even tenser, as though it were a harbinger that Class B was gearing up for something huge.

Before Nikolays' mind could wander on the subject further, the moment he took a breath, his nose, even despite still healing, picked up a very distinct smell in the air, something that he knew hadn't been there a moment ago, and something he hadn't smelled once before since coming here: the burning smell of smoke.

"Hey, do you guys all smell that, too?" Pixie-Bob suddenly asked, jolting her partners and the rest of the students to full attention, especially the young Russian boy, knowing now that he wasn't hallucinating. As they all looked to the woods, Mandalay suddenly pointed up with unmistakable urgency: "Black smoke…"

All at once did Nikolay and his classmates feel an ice cold wave of horror shoot up and down their spines: a wildfire, and most of their classmates and the Class B students were still somewhere in those woods, potentially none the wiser. Nikolays' heart jumped up into his throat at the thought of all of them wandering blindly into danger if they somehow hadn't seen or smelled the smoke yet. Now every fiber of his being was screaming for him to get in there and get them out now!

---

Elsewhere in the woods, the young man covered in stitched burn scars known as Dabi stood alone, gazing out into the darkness with a thrilling yet grim sense of purpose fueling every last action he took, as he planted his hand against the nearest tree, immediately igniting a raging blue fire from his palm, setting it and the rest of the trees around it alight.

"Now, it begins. Fall to the earth, O brave and idealistic Heroes. League of Villains, Vanguard Action Squad…attack!"

---

Further up the forest trail, outside the visibility and smelling range of the black smoke or the gas, Mina, Ochako and Tsuyu were still cautiously making their way one step ahead at a time, keeping their eyes and ears open for the first sign something was awry in the woods around them, none of them any wiser to just what was happening further up the trail…

…and not one of them aware of the presence of a single blonde girl their age in a black mask and enlarged collar, wielding a serrated combat knife in one hand and a large syringe in the other, watching the three girls with an animalistic bloodlust in her yellow eyes; nor the chillingly joyous fanged smile she was wearing under that mask.

---

In the moment they had all been distracted by the smell and sight of the smoke, neither the students nor the rest of the Pussycats were able to react fast enough to stop the literally out-of-nowhere bludgeoning that took Pixie-Bob down to the ground with a resounding smack, completely out cold with her visor shattered, and a trail of blood running down her forehead from the point of impact.

"Little miss kitty sure is an eyesore, isn't she?" the sound of a voice that managed to be both masculine and feminine at once broke the silence, and the sadistic edge to it sent another chill through many of the students, as out of the shadows and towering over the unconscious Pixie-Bob, were two figures none of them had ever seen before: a towering muscular figure that looked to have the physique of a man, but the stubble-adorned face and flowing red hair of a woman, wielding a massive cloth-covered 2x4-looking weapon; and a comparatively shorter lizard-like figure with a head of flowing purple hair, dressed in a crimson suit resembling a street punk/ninja hybrid, and a flowing white cloth wrapped around its eyes as a mask, with a black eye mask resting underneath the wrappings on its forehead, and wielding two crossed swords on its back, with a third sitting barely visible on the back of its belt.

Worse yet, both these strangers radiated an extremely threatening air, and their eyes were focused solely on Mandalay, Tiger and the momentarily petrified students.

Nikolay could feel adrenaline beginning to course through his veins, completely numbing the aches and pains of his injuries as he couldn't dare take his eyes off these two intruders. He could practically feel the similar tension and anxiety beginning to mount among his classmates, especially as Mandalay and Tiger hurriedly stepped in to form a barricade between the kids and these two new Villains.

"Why? I…I thought we took all the necessary precautions! So why…WHY IS THE ENEMY HERE?!" Minoru cried out in pants-wetting terror, pretty much speaking what was on the mind of every single one of the students here.

Nikolay felt like his heart was on the verge of bursting as he took in the suddenness of this attack, and the continuous reminder that Mina, Ochako, Tsuyu, and everyone else were still out in those woods none the wiser and possibly under threat of attack from even more Villains, was having him rapidly nearing a completely blind panicked rush to get to them, come hell or high water.

His eyes were darting from one end of the clearing to the next, desperate for some kind of sign that any of his classmates here had some semblance of a plan. The moment his eyes drifted to Izuku, however, he found the green-haired boy had instinctively turned to look to him as well, and the moment their green eyes met, they both felt the exact same horrifying realization hit them hard; one word resonating in both their heads, the one factor they hadn't thought of in the seconds since this situation had been made clear: 'KOTA-KUN!'

That little boy, wherever he was, was completely alone and absolutely defenseless! If these two Villains here were able to take out one of the Wild, Wild Pussycats so easily, and if their allies had been responsible for the wildfire ahead, then who knew how many more they had out here in their ranks, who knew what they were up to….and who knew how many were potentially coming for Kota even as they stood here now?

Nikolays' whole body was trembling from head to toe, now knowing that they were already completely outmatched, caught totally off guard, and his friends and that poor kid were all in great danger all at once!

---

All alone and sitting contemplatively in the peace and silence of his little Cliffside hideout, Kota remained (somewhat) blissfully unaware of everything going on around him; from the growing wildfire in the woods out a ways away, to the ambush that now had his own aunt Mandalay at a crippling disadvantage…to the solitary yet towering cloaked figure silently watching him behind the corner of the mountain even now.

And there is the new chapter for this week, everybody! Please be so kind as to leave your thoughts in a review, because this was a chapter I was especially passionate about, in case you couldn't already tell.

Have a nice rest of your week, stay safe, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 10/02!