Welcome to Part 2 of THIS chapter. I…I dunno what to say.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Sharing rooms with effectively a bunch of strangers was always weird. Class 1-A and 1-B had very few interactions, mainly because they were incredibly preoccupied with their own lives and their own struggles. They might as well live on two different planets with how forked their paths were from one and other. Ochako didn't want to say that outloud, but there was an ounce of truth to the statement. Ochako could barely tell you the first thing about her bunkmate, Setsuna.
And the same went for Setsuna.
Kendo wanted to fix that, as soon as possible. So did Momo.
"Alright," Kendo finally spoke up, clapping her hands together and breaking the silence even more, "I can't take it anymore. It's too quiet. So we're going to get people talking."
"You beat me by a second," Momo admitted.
"Heh, sorry. Just...the silence was deafening."
Momo and Kendo were two of the only people to really have a connection. They both interned under Snowfall, aka Weiss Schnee, a month prior. They had a lot in common- led in the class in some way (Kendo was class president, Momo was vice president), powerful quirks (Big Fist and Creation) and a bit of an affluent background (Momo was more notably richer, though).
"So, how are we going to get people talking?" Momo asked.
"Simple." Kendo said. "Can you make products that contain toluene?"
Momo raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for?"
"Hey, girls! Let's do some of Class 1-A's nails!" Kendo yelled.
"Someone brought that with them?" Reiko asked.
"Momo's making some. Easy enough for her."
"Just give me a moment," Momo said as she held out her open palm which started to glow pink. Glasses of polish began to appear in the hand of Class 1-A's palm, quickly making room for more as she placed the creations onto a nearby nightstand.
Ochako looked down at her nails, then to the nail polish. She had never gotten her nails painted before- she wasn't exactly the 'girliest girl' (ie: see the Sumo Slammer obsession referenced chapters before), nor did she really see a 'need' to polish her nails. Would it...chip when they were in combat?
"It...wouldn't hurt, I suppose. As long as you have lilac or light blue," Reiko said, joining in.
"Sure, why not!" Mina chimed in.
"Um...I guess I'll do pink?" Ochako said.
"Do you have any green tones? I'd like something to compliment my costume." Tsu said.
Don't you wear gloves? Ochako thought, as Momo handed them their polish.
"Now! Pair up with your bunk mate." Kendo announced.
"Oh, I see what you're doing here," Setsuna pointed out.
"Wasn't trying to hide it," Kendo smirked.
Setsuna hummed, before looking over at Ochako. "Well, looks like we're partnered up. That's something."
"Y-yeah," Ochako floundered a bit. Only reason for said floundering was just that lack of knowledge on Setsuna. Granted, the lizard splitter student didn't know what to say either, thinking maybe Ochako would be the first one to break the ice. For a moment or two, there was just a bit of awkward silence between them, but that stalemate had to end.
"So, uh, hoooow'd your internship go?" Setsuna asked.
"...it was fruitful." Ochako said, instinctively grabbing her workout wristband to cover up the Omnitrix. "VERY fruitful. Who did you intern with?"
"Me? I worked with Gunhead." Setsuna said. "Nice guy, despite his name!"
"What'd he teach you?"
"Well for one, he taught me his own fighting style. Little much to call it Gunhead Martial Arts, but hey it's worked out! Plus, his Quirk gave me a few ideas for super moves," Setsunna explained, "He's got organic guns in his arms, right? And I kinda thought up the idea of using my pieces as bullets."
"Pieces?" Ochako repeated.
"My Quirk. I can split my body apart and regrow any I can't recall," Setsunna demonstrated by detaching her head from her body for a quick second, "See?"
Ochako blinked.
"Yeah, it's kinda freaky, but trust me. That's just scratching the surface." Setsuna laughed. "Been trying to buff my battle experience and everything, since...villains are sort of on the rise."
Ochako had to agree. The League's USJ attack was a spark, but the real thing to start the fire was Stain. His video was all over Youtube, no matter how many times it was deleted.
"Fair enough," Ochako nodded. "I've...also been trying to increase my combat skills. My quirk's pretty useful for catching people off guard."
"Yeah, I'd say removing people's gravity is catching them 'off guard,'" Setsuna chuckled.
"A little, yeah." Ochako chuckled. Okay, human connection! That was going good right now.
Komori and Tsuyu had actually paired up and the mushroom-loving girl had actually decided to ask about a team-up.
"I mean, it makes sense right? I grow the mushrooms and then you use 'em jump around!" Komori suggested.
"You mean after Yui supersizes 'em?" Tsu asked.
"Nah! I can do that by myself now!" Komori grinned. "Ain't that cool?"
"Wait, you can?" Tsu tilted her head.
"Yep! Took a little bit, but interning with Kamui gave me the start I needed!"
"Oh, that's nice." Tsu said. "I've learned how to 'double jump' so that's cool."
"What, do you just...jump off the air itself?" Komori tilted her head a bit.
"Yeah, sort of. It's pretty helpful!" Tsu said.
"You interned with...who again? Selkie?"
"Yeah, that was mainly just patrolling. Did capture a criminal, though. That was fun."
"I worked with Kamui Woods! He looks all brooding and serious but he's so cool."
"Just an act for the cameras, right?" Tohru chimed in, "Be the new brooding new guy on the scene to get some extra popularity points?"
"I mean, I think it is an act, but not for the cameras. He just thinks it's cool," Komori shrugged.
"Huh. Kinda sounds like something Kaminari would say."
"Kaminari's kinda cute..." Pony said, as she tried to find Tohru's nails. "What's he like?"
Tohru and Tsu shared a look.
"...believe me. You're not missing much." Tohru sighed.
"Don't be too harsh on him! He may not be relationship material, but the guy's like the best wingman you could ask for!" Mina chimed in.
"I dunno...heard he struck out with some girls at the mall." Tsu said. "He said that was the worst thing that would happen to him today..."
Ochako flinched at that. Setsuna noticed. "You okay?"
"Huh? O-oh, uh, yeah!" Ochako brushed it off, ignoring the reminder of her close call with Shigiraki there.
Setsuna narrowed her eyes. "Uh huh. Sure. Come on. Spill it- the incident is still sticking with you, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Ochako admitted with a sigh, "how can it not? He was right there, could've taken me and Izuku out then and there and if he wanted. Or he could've gone after innocent people."
Setsuna nodded understandingly. "I know it's scary- especially when he's sort of got you in your grasp. But remember, you didn't let him win. You're still here today because he was just being a messenger."
"One thing that's...kinda been a nightmare scenario for me though is, what if he wasn't? What if he decided to go further than being a messenger?"
Setsuna's expression grew serious at Ochako's question. "I know it's a scary thought, but you can't live your life in what-ifs. The next time you see him...kick him in the face."
Just need to decide if I'm kicking him as myself, Shock Rock, Four Arms or Chromastone, Ochako thought to herself. Any one of those would take Shigaraki down with a solid kick.
"Your class seems to be a trouble magnet- kinda weird." Setsuna said. "But maybe that's for a good reason. That way, when the time comes...you guys will be far more ready than we are."
"Give it a month or two, I'm sure 1-B'll get into some trouble," Mina smirked.
"Don't joke like that! Those villains are scary...I can't believe that Stain guy worked with them." Pony shuddered. "America's villains are usually so watered down nowadays."
"Seriously?" Tohru asked, "What, are they nothing but D-Listers now?"
"Star pretty much scares everyone off- very few takers, if you know what I mean." Pony said.
"It's kind of like that with All Might here- I'm shocked the villains are getting gutsier." Kendo said, admiring the polish Momo chose for her. "Oooh..."
"Matches well with your hero costume, doesn't it?" Momo asked.
"Yeah!"
"And we can all thank Stain and the League for inspiring the new guys," Reiko sighed, "More so Stain, I guess. People like his manifesto. It's like that old-school villain, what was his name?"
"His name was Destro, I believe." Ibara said. "His dogma was a then modern day bible for those who wanted to rise up."
"Quirks weren't understood back then...even with how basic they were." Reiko said. "Those bigots would probably freak out with our powers nowadays."
"Who'd freak out more? Those guys or the ones who believe in the Doomsday Theory?" Komori asked.
"Either or." Ibara said. "They need to learn to accept others...but that comes naturally to others better than those who choose ignorance."
"Ehhh, I think those older guys would freak out more. Kind of their thing to just say times were better in their day," Mina shrugged, "But maybe we can move on to something a little lighter?"
"Like what?" Ochako asked.
"Oh I dunno...liiiiike how often you end up working with a certain green-haired superfan classmate of ours?"
Ochako turned red, making Setsuna blush too.
"Crap, I have green hair." Setsuna muttered. "I mean, I'm flattered, but-"
"Nononono! Not you. Mina's just teasing me because I'm friends with Izuku..." Ochako frowned.
"Oh. Wait, you and Izuku?" Setsunna asked.
"Yeah! We're just...friends. And that's it. Nothing else crazy." Ochako glared at Mina.
"You suuuuuure?" Mina teased.
"Y-yes, I'm sure."
"And you're still blushing because?" Tohru invisibily smirked.
"...I'm flustered that she would insinuate that!"
"Uh-huuuuuh," Tohru chuckled a bit, leaving Ochako to sputter and try to defend herself.
Ochako sighed, making Setsuna chuckle. "Is it always like this?" She asked.
"Only when they're gossiping." Ochako sighed.
"Which they do quite a bit," Momo added.
"Wonder how the guys are doing." Pony hummed.
"Are you kidding? Monoma's probably doing everything in his power to prevent them from 'mingling'." Kendo scoffed.
"Why does he hate our class?" Ochako said.
"I dunno. I think he's a fame chaser." Kendo shrugged.
"And...what? Does he think we asked to be the center of attention? Not like someone sent Shigaraki an email and told him how to get into U.A," Tohru said.
"Monoma's just oddly fixated on your class. No one can really explain it in words." Ibara said. "Maybe it's a bit of envy..."
"Why would he be envious of a villain attack?"
"Easy. He thinks it gives you all a bit of an edge. Those villains aren't bots or holograms in a training room. They're the real thing, which means you get real life experience against other villains," Reiko answered.
"They're serious situations! Don't tell me he'd envy not being in my shoes at the mall." Ochako said.
"That? No, I don't think anyone would be. But things like USJ? I mean, he knows how it sounds and he's tried to defend it a lot."
"What a real glamor hound." Mina scoffed. "Sorry you guys have to put up with him."
"We've adapted." Yui mumbled.
"Mostly thanks to Kendo," Reiko smirked.
"I know how to silence him with ease." Kendo joked. "Hit his vagus nerve."
"Yeah, just go…bam!" Komori made a karate chop motion with her free hand, "and he goes down easy!"
The girls all laughed...and then heard something from the other side of the wall. The boys' dorm.
"What was that?" Setsunna asked.
"Kirishima?" Tsu asked, turning to look at Mina.
"Kirishima," Mina confirmed.
"Kirishima? What's he got to do with anything?" Kendo asked.
"He...likes to 'break the ice'." Ochako scratched the back of her head. Setsuna gasped, and Ochako gave her a funny look. "What? What's wrong?"
"Y-your nails..." Setsuna muttered...and Ochako's eyes shrank.
"...Oh no."
The rest of the night was spent figuring out how to get polish out of Ochako's hair.
At the far end of the valley, there they stood. The 12 figures, ready to invade.
"I'm itching...I'm itching to go..." A cloaked, masked figure hissed. "Let's hurry up and move!"
"It's too soon." A gas masked individual hissed. "As I told you already, we don't have to over do it."
"Quit trying to act like the boss." Dabi hissed.
"We're waiting for the 'signal', you ignoramus." An annoyed voice said. "How you ended up with us is beyond me."
"Oh, shut it you gorilla bodied freak." The masked man spat. "Or...Anime or whatever the fuck your name is."
"My name is DOCTOR James Animo- and it would do you good to remember it." Animo said.
"Yeah yeah. Shut the hell up, both of you." Mercury huffed. "God, you two are irritating."
"Not as irritating as Muscles McJuggalo..." Toga said, jabbing her thumb behind her. "Why's he even here if he's just gonna do that?"
Dabi rolled his eyes, and looked behind him to see the 'bro' of the group. He was lifting up a dumb bell and doing curls. "Ay, Fistrick. Pay attention."
"Nuh uh, bro. Gain train don't rest." Fistrick said, flipping the bird.
"Jesus." Dabi grunted. "Why didn't Cass come?"
"She's busy helping Shigaraki with something else special." Spinner frowned. "I wish she was here. The new freaks are...weird. And I don't like the dude in the body bag."
"Oh, yeah...him." Dabi said, looking over to the duffle bag. Yes, there was a person in there. He was breathing heavily and mumbling to himself, and making all sorts of weird noises.
Toga kicked a bag. "When are we gonna let him out?"
"Hey, don't do that! DO IT AGAIN!" Twice yelled.
"What's your deal? Thought you'd be cool with a freak like that." Dabi said.
"Sorry- just annoyed about this mask." Toga said. "Not cute at all." Her costume, when compared to all the other League members, was...just a school uniform. But it had changed color- from her former school colors to primarily dark blue and red. More stealthy that way.
Cass and Sunny collaborated some gear for her to wear, with the most complicated piece being made by Animo- her outfit now had a few extra gadgets and pieces, like her piped black mask, the boxes of blades strapped around her thighs, and a blue utility belt around her waist with several little green boxes hooked on either side. The loose black mask she wore around her neck, which had been studded with shards of pale metal in the shape of a ravenous grin, had become the most striking new feature. Three big silver canisters were fastened to the sides of her mask, with needles protruding out of their tops and wires connecting them to the two larger cylinders strapped to the rear of her belt.
Animo made a face. "W-what? I thought it looked nice."
"I mean, it's useful- but it's just not cute!" Toga whined.
"Tacticality is more important than aesthetic, mind you." A villain in a gas mask huffed. "Look at mine. Does this look 'pretty'?"
"You look like you're gonna ask me if I'm your mom." Toga frowned.
"What?" The gas mask asked.
"Who the hell cares?!" The masked villain huffed. "Let's just go in there and wreck shit. My blood's pumping."
"And go there while six pros are there?" Dabi scoffed. "Please. One of them could take us all out in an instant. We need to divide and conquer."
"Agreed." Animo said. "If we're gonna do this, we need an elite team."
"Yeah, jar head's got a good idea." Dabi said.
"I'm an EXPERT." Animo said. "I fought Tennyson before you were even born."
"Uh huh. I'm sure the guy who looks like the love child of King Kong and Krang will help us just fine." Mercury said.
"That makes no sense! Krang's head was in the stomach, not the head-" Spinner countered.
"Shut it." Dabi huffed.
"You are all VERY annoying." The gas mask kid rolled his eyes. The things he did for his benefactor…
"You answered the ad, kid." Dabi scoffed. "This is on you. Sorry this isn't soccer practice."
"What did you say!?" The kid shot back, instinctively reaching for something in his breast pocket.
"What, you gonna use THAT, Ketchup?" Dabi joked.
"My NAME is Mustard. Like the gas." The gas mask kid frowned.
"Yeah, yeah. Boring name."
"Says the guy named Dabi. Such a bad code name." Mustard sighed.
"Code name?" Dabi repeated.
"Silence! I got in contact with our inside man..." Nyancy Chan said, focused on maintaining a connection with one of her cats. She purred happily.
"Well? Where are they?" Dabi asked.
"At the foot of the mountain." Nyancy grinned. "And they'll be doing an activity tomorrow night. That should give us the perfect window to strike."
Dabi grinned. "Good. We'll fill those heroes full of holes tomorrow, and put them in their place. Drill into their heads that their peaceful lives...are over."
"Now, let's get back to HQ." Animo said, looking down at a screen on his forearm. He tapped a button on screen to contact Kurogiri. "My special experiment is almost complete."
"Ooooh! The creepy brain guy is almost ready?" Toga asked, as the portals formed behind her.
"Yes. And trust me...that will make the USJ Nomu look like yesterday's garbage." Animo said, as he and the others walked through the portals.
Tomorrow the chaos would start.
The next day, the quirk improvement training continued. Everyone by this point was starting to feel the stress of everything. The remedial group was especially tired from last night's lessons so they had to be watched a bit more carefully.
"I told you this would be rough, y'know." Aizawa said, as Ochako climbed out of the ball. He handed her a water bottle, which she downed immediately.
"Thank you..." Ochako groaned.
"You know...you were close to failing the practical, Ochako." Aizawa said. "The cut off for the exam was 70%."
Ochako's eyes widened. "Woah- close one!"
"You didn't quite manage to fail, though. I'm pleased to see you putting in more effort into your schoolwork, especially after that threat of flunking out." Aizawa said.
"Still...I didn't know it was that bad." Ochako frowned. "I thought C's got degrees."
"They do, but they aren't very satisfactory wins." Aizawa said. "Just keep this in mind- no matter what you do, never forget your drive. That's how you improve and progress. That's why you're out here sweating, and ESPECIALLY why I'm chewing some of you out more than usual."
Aizawa walked off. "Keep that in mind, Uraraka. Ben chose you for a reason."
Ochako blinked. Did Aizawa know?
Aizawa walked past Izuku, who was still doing that goofy exercise with a few other students now, and being supervised by Vlad King. This was shared humiliation.
"Oh, Mr. Aizawa-" Izuku said. "I have a question."
"Shoot." Aizawa said. "And don't look so limp. I just told you to stay firm."
"Sorry, sorry." Izuku said. "Is All Might...I mean, are the other teachers gonna come to the camp?"
"As I told you before we left, 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 out here."
"That's why we're here to help!" Ragdoll called out.
"We ESPECIALLY had All Might stay back, mainly because he's usually the target of enemy attacks." Vlad King said. "For better or worse, that guy gets in those situations because he stands out."
Seems like it's usually for worse. Izuku thought.
"Alright, I understand." Izuku said.
"Now, get back to work." Aizawa said, walking away.
"I know you're an All Might fanboy." Tetsutetsu said, as Izuku returned to doing exercises. "What'd you want from him?"
"Huh? Oh, uh. I just needed some advice." Izuku said.
"Ooooh, training advice! Fair enough." Tetsutetsu nodded. "The guy is number one for a reason. He's gotta have some crazy workout methods-"
Izuku thought back to the year he spent training with All Might. That was...unique.
"No, no. It's emotional advice." Izuku said.
"...damn, that's not what I expected." Tetsutetsu said. "But I guess a number one hero would know something about that."
"I wanna try and get through to someone who acts like they don't NEED help." Izuku said. "I just couldn't get him to come around yesterday."
"Oooooooooooh. I get it." Tetsutetsu nodded. "It's about Bakugou."
"W-what?" Izuku said, shaking his head. "Where did you get that idea!?"
"I saw how you two interacted last night!" Tetsutetsu said. "LOTS of baggage there. and that kid needs anger management."
"N-no. It's not him." Izuku sputtered. "It's someone else."
"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." Tetsutetsu said, nudging him in the ribs.
"Anyways, I just hoped All Might could find the right words." Izuku said. "What would you tell someone like that?"
"It depends!" Tetsutetsu said. "Some righteous speech from someone he OBVIOUSLY dislikes and finds annoying isn't gonna help your case. Words have power, but-!" Tetsutetsu began to work out harder. "Back it up with actions! Like Tiger! That dude's all ABOUT words and action!"
"CORRECT!" Tiger said, giving an intense thumbs up. "COME AT ME!"
"ROOOOOOOOIGHT!" Tetsutetsu said, throwing a punch at Tiger. Tiger easily 'folded' around it, but Tetsutetsu wasn't giving up. "EAT LED FIST, TIGER!" Tetsutetsu landed a powerful punch into Tiger's face, which sent him flying.
"YEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH!" Tetsutetsu roared, as Izuku and the others watched.
"That was...some intense advice." Ojiro said.
"...yeah." Izuku said. Tetsutetsu's intense actions had some truth, to be honest.
"Anyways, since I sort of eavesdropped on that conversation…I dunno what this person would have to say." Ojiro said. "I'm not sure what you're trying to get out of him, but it's no good sticking your nose into a delicate matter like this."
"Then how would you go about it?" Izuku asked.
"I would get...actual help. Like a therapist. Whoever you're talking to needs therapy." Ojiro said.
Basic man, basic take.
Sometime after dinner, Pixie-Bob had an important announcement. "Listen, everyone! Tonight, both classes are going head to head in a test of courage! Your reward for intense training is intense fun in the forest!"
"Revelry in the dark..." Tokoyami mused.
"Test of courage?" Ochako said. "What are we gonna do?"
"Simple!" Pixie-Bob smiled. "Class 1-B students will go out into the forest first. They'll be tasked with scaring pairs of Class 1-A students trying to retrieve their name tags from the middle of the route. And then, vice versa!"
"Scare each other?" Izuku said. "Sorry, but my quirk isn't exactly meant for scaring others."
"And you'll have to figure that out!" Iida said. "I understand the point of this exercise fully."
"Huh?" Izuku said.
"This is a creative exercise, to help us find more ways to utilize our quirks." Iida said. "We'll need to think outside the box."
"Whatever," Bakugou scoffed. "I only need intimidation..."
"I almost forgot about that," Kendo said. "We've been so busy it feels like one big blur."
"It doesn't even feel like a camp. More like an insane workout regiment." Juzo muttered.
"Seriously? I hate scary stuff." Jirou said. "No offense, Tokoyami."
"Revelry in the dark..." Tokoyami repeated, ignoring her comment. "A bacchanal in the pitch black."
"Well, if it's not training, I'm in." Rin said.
"Especially if it gives me a chance to work on my quirk. I have a few ideas already." Awase said.
"I'm rather interested in the 'inter-class' aspect..." Monoma smirked. "I bet we'll make one of them wet themselves."
"Oh yeah!?" Mina yelled, pointing a finger at Monoma. "Watch us! We're gonna have, like, the biggest nerves of steel! You won't even hear us scream ONCE!"
Monoma laughed. "PLEEEASE! You bubbly bimbo types are always the ones to get scared during zombie flicks! I could show you a B-movie monster and you'd be scared out of your wits!"
"Back off, man!" Kaminari said. "You ACT like a B-Movie overactor trying to get his big break!"
"HOW DARE YOU!" Monoma said. "Do you hear that, Class 1-B?! Class 1-A is declaring war!"
"No, they aren't." Sen deadpanned.
"You're twisting it into war." Setsuna said. "Just because your ego was bruised."
"Too late." Kendo said. "He's gone off the deep end."
"I bet a smartass like you thinks a really, really REFINED A24 horror movie is the definition of a scary story! NO! IT'S JUST REALLY BORING AND PRETENTIOUS!" Kaminari said, coming in with the hot take.
"I bet 50$ that you'll scream the loudest when it's your turn! I BET MY LIFE I WILL MAKE YOU SCREAM!" Mina roared, looking more determined than ever.
"I bet you still sleep with a nightlight, scaredy cat!" Mineta cursed. What a weak burn.
"Oh, rich coming from the flight risk. A little pervert like you in the forest is scary enough!" Monoma laughed. What a MASSIVE roast.
"Isn't your job to reign him in?" Ochako asked Kendo.
"Nah," Kendo said, looking down at her watch. "In 3, 2, 1..."
"Actually..." Aizawa said, before the headache set in. "Before that, and though it pains me to say it..."
The arguing group (and Satou, who was just meeting up with everyone) stopped their spat. Fear filled their body.
"N-no." Monoma said.
"It's time for your extra lessons." Aizawa said. Spirits were crushed, as the group cried out in outrage.
"What's the big deal?" Satou asked, missing context.
"WE WERE GONNA GET A BREAK!" Mina cried.
"Oh." Satou said.
He then tried to make a break for it, because lessons were boring as hell. Aizawa sighed, before he wrapped the five up in his capture weapon.
"Sorry, but you were ALL slacking during training earlier, so I have to cut into your playtime." Aizawa sighed.
"CLASS 1-B! HEAR MY CRY! CRUSH THESE PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR HEROES UNDERNEATH YOUR HEEL! MAKE THEIR THROATS FILL WITH SCREAMS!" Monoma yelled, before Aizawa wrapped a bandage around his mouth. "AVENGE ME-!"
The group was dragged off, kicking and screaming. The other members of Class 1-A and 1-B stood there, at a loss for words.
"...r-right. So, uh..." Pixie-Bob coughed. "Let's arrange the groups for Class 1-A."
There were 8 groups of 2 in for 1-A. The groups were-
1. Tokoyami and Shoji
2. Bakugou and Todoroki
3. Tooru and Jirou
4. Momo and Yuga
5. Uraraka and Tsu
6. Tenya and Koda
7. Izuku and Ojiro
8. Kirishima and Sero
"Wow, good thing this all worked out." Izuku said. "If one more person failed the exam, one of us would be down a partner."
"Weird thing to focus on, but yeah." Ojiro nodded.
Bakugou looked very chuffed about his partner. "Does ANYONE wanna switch with me!?"
Todoroki blinked. "Come on. It's just a walk through the woods. They're not asking much of us."
"I don't care! Anyone besides YOU! AND DEKU! I'D EVEN PAIR WITH THAT ONE EXTRA NEXT TO GLASSES!" Bakugou yelled.
Koda looked sad. Iida patted him on the back to comfort him.
"It's okay. He doesn't know a lot of our names." Iida said.
The groups were separated by three minutes. There were no screams until Jirou and Tooru entered the wods. After that, there were a few cries here and there.
"Go on, team 5!" Pixie-Bob said, presenting them to the woods. "It's your turn!"
"R-right." Ochako said, as she and Tsu stepped forward. The woods were dark and foreboding tonight. Ochako wasn't a 'scaredy cat' like Tooru and Jirou, but she HATED creepy and ominous vibe of the woods. She used to live near some woods back home- there was an urban myth about a creature in the woods that would freeze children solid and steal them away. It wasn't real, obviously. Just a lie to get kids to come in after dark.
But the scariest part was that the creature's appearance was up to imagination. As a child, Ochako's mind had a horrible tendency to imagine things in the dark. It wasn't as prevalent now, but the atmosphere and the screams in the air? Oh, boy. It was gonna come in full force.
"I'm scared, Tsu." Ochako admitted.
"It's just some kids from Class 1-B playing pranks." Tsu rationalized. "I'm guessing there's nothing along this stretc-"
Suddenly, someone literally popped out of the shadows. Ochako jumped, but didn't scream. One hell of a jumpscare though.
"Neheheheh~ Gotcha." Kuroiro of Class 1-B snickered. "Didn't get what I wanted, though."
"Haha." Ochako said, catching her breath. "I'm shocked they had you up front."
"Ooooh. Cute. You think I'm outposted here." Kuroiro grinned, sinking back into the shadows. "I'll be EVERYWHERE." And then, he disappeared.
"He'll lose shock value soon enough." Tsu said, continuing the trek through the woods.
"How are you not scared?" Ochako asked.
"To be honest, I don't really get scared. I watched The Exorcist with one of my cousins when I was younger, and after that experience, suddenly ghouls and monsters weren't that scary anymore." Tsu said.
"Scary..." Ochako shuttered. Suddenly, Ochako smelt the air. "Weird smell. Must be one of Komori's mushrooms."
Tsu smelt the air. "I dunno what sort of mushrooms you've smelt, but...no. It smells more like...smoke."
Smoke? Ochako thought, as she looked ahead. No one in Class 1-B had a smoke manipulation quirk- wow, they must be really thinking outside the box.
"Smells like something's burning. You don't think they scared Todoroki enough to set off his fire quirk or something, do you?" Tsu wondered.
"Maybe, maybe..." Ochako said, squinting her eyes. Was it just her, or...was there something ahead of them?
And why was there that sneaking suspicion that something was watching them?
From the edge of the forest, everyone was staring up in confusion at the sky. It started sometime after Ochako and Tsu went in.
"Black smoke?" Mandalay asked. "What the heck are they doing in there?"
"Maybe we should go in, Saki. I think something h-" Pixie-Bob never finished her sentence. Something HARD hit her in the head, knocking her out instantly. Pixie-Bob fell to the ground, blood gushing from a cut on her head.
"Sorry, kitty cat." Nyancy Chan smiled. She'd somehow snuck up on the group undetected with Spinner. Nyancy was wielding a long, thin staff- her weapon of choice.
"W-what!?" Sero yelled, confused by the two strangers. "H-how the hell are there villains here?"
"Dunno, bro." A gruff voice from behind him said. Sero spun around to see Fistrick, adorned in his armor. "But this is gonna be FUN."
Izuku's main concern wasn't the villains surrounding them. No, his mind jumped to one person in particular.
KOTA! Izuku thought, looking to the mountains.
At the same time of the attack...
"Hey, what's with this smoke?" Juzo asked, as he, Yui and Kendo were setting up for their next scare. They were trying to make this one 'bigger and scarier', especially after Todoroki and Bakugou had a disappointing non-reaction.
"Where'd this come from?" Kendo asked.
Juzo smirked. "Maybe we really did scare those two and make their quirks...fire...off..." Juzo wobbled a bit. "Wait-"
Juzo fell to the ground, knocked out by something. Kendo's eyes widened. "Honenuki!?" As the gas intensified, the girl was quick to decipher what was going on.
"Hm?" Yui hummed, confused.
"Don't breathe in the smoke!" Kendo yelled, covering Yui in her palms. "IT'S POISONOUS!"
And at the same time as that, Dabi was setting trees on fire. This was sending a message- a declaration of war.
"So, where's the brat?" Mercury asked.
"How should I know?" Dabi scoffed. "You look for him. You're a hunter."
"Hell yeah. Oh, yeah...what should I do about the dude in the duffle bag?" Mercury asked, throwing it on the ground.
"Let the poor guy out. He hasn't eaten since we gave him that raw meat for breakfast." Dabi said.
Mercury unzipped the bag quickly. He expected the villain to shoot right out of the bag- but instead, long, white daggers shot out and attached themselves to the trees. Mercury flinched.
"What the hell!?" Mercury asked.
"Prisoner Number 111986- name is currently unreleased, but they called him Moonfish. Death row inmate." Dabi said. "Escaped a while ago. Total freak."
Mercury watched the man pull himself out of the bag, and gagged- gross, those white daggers were coming from his mouth! They were his TEETH!
Mercury shook his head. "I shouldn't be getting grossed out by this, you've seen worse..." He told himself.
"No, no- I agree with you." Dabi said. "I actually hate looking at him. That's why he was in the bag."
"Great." Mercury said, as Moonfish went off in a random direction. "Anyways, I'm gonna go find our target."
"Please do- and try to keep him alive." Dabi instructed, before walking off. Mercury smirked.
"No promises."
And, at the same time as the attack was starting...
Ochako and Tsu found themselves face to face with a villain. It happened so damn fast.
While walking through the forest, Ochako and Tsu were spooked by something jumping from tree to tree. They assumed that it was probably a part of Class 1-B's scare.
"Probably Shishida." Tsu surmised. "He's the only one really fit enough to do that."
"He's doing a good job of freaking me out." Ochako mumbled.
The two girls walked on, but the jumping noise followed them. Whoever it was, they were keeping pace with them. Tsu's unease grew with every passing second.
"Class 1-B isn't playing around…" Tsu whispered. "So devoted to the role, right?"
Ochako said nothing. Something felt off…the smokey smell, the hidden figure in the trees, this general unease…it didn't feel like how Class 1-B would really try to scare them.
Ochako's instincts were screaming at her to run. She quickly turned to Tsu and mouthed the word 'run' to her. Tsu's eyes widened in shock and confusion. She didn't understand what was happening, but she trusted Ochako's instincts enough to follow her directions.
The two girls took off running in the opposite direction, their hearts starting to race with fear. They could hear the pursuer behind them, starting to pick up the pace.
Suddenly, the jumping noise stopped. Ochako and Tsu skidded to a halt, their eyes widening in shock as a figure jumped out of the trees, over their heads, and landed in front of them with a thud. They stumbled backward as they took in the bizarre sight before them.
A man's head was floating in a jar, and his body was attached to a massive white gorilla's body.
"Ochako Uraraka, I presume…it's about time you got a visit from the good doctor!"
