Author's Note 1: My Super Robot Academia is a non-profit fanfiction series.

My Hero Academia is a property of Bones, Funimation, and Kouhei Horikoshi.

Any original characters or concepts are owned by Navek and xpegasus.

Please support the official release.

So you guys have probably noticed that it's been quite awhile since I posted a new chapter. Well, that's because we had a bit of a a major screw-up. See, I had written up Chapters 12 and 13 in full. But because of IRL circumstances, I've had to ditch Google or a different word processor. And in the process of copy-pasting and deleting old files, I accidentally deleted Chapters 12 and 13. Me and xpegasus have been doing our damnest to rewrite these two chapters alongside chapter 14.

I've also been working on my youtube channel where I review comics, toys, and anything else that interests me. So if you've ever wondered what I sound like, go on to YouTube and search up 'AvengerGreen's Comic Reviews.'

So that's enough damage control! Let's get on with the story!

Chapter 12: Compassion and Bravery

Alongside the path of the Mountain Zone, the gang of ten or so villains was on the lookout for any students, with the massive tiger leading the pact.

"Yo, Trapper?" A man with a thumb for a head asked. "You sure we can find those kids?"

"Don't you worry, mate," the man dressed in safari clothes answered with a thick Australian accent. "Ol' Death Claw here'll find those ankle biters. Ain't nothin' that can hide from her nose."

"You sure about that?" Another goon asked as she looked at Death Claw. "The thing's big and scary but doesn't look too bright."

Death Claw seemed to take offense to that and growled at the goon. Trapper scowled at the tiger. He whistled, grabbing the tiger's attention. "Now, now. None of that, ol' girl."

When Death Claw looked at him, Trapper held up his whip as his eyes started to glow blood-red. Death Claw stared at the whip and immediately cowered, whimpering and bowing her head towards Trapper. The villain smirked in satisfaction.

On the nearby upper cliff, Koda, Tsunotori, Kuroiro, and Sero were watching from above, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Tsunotori and Sero were worried at both the sight of the beast and all the villains around it.

"That safari guy must have big guts talking down a beast like that," Kuroiro whispered before turning to ask Koda what he thought. But the words died in his throat when he saw the boy's expression.

For the month that Kuroiro had known him, he had the same impression of Koda that everyone had. Despite his surprisingly effective Quirk, Koda was soft-spoken and kind, seemingly incapable of hurting even a fly. But right now, the boy's face was twisted into an expression of barely restrained rage.

Kuroiro was confused, but then he followed Koda's gaze, and his eyes widened in realization when he looked at the tiger.

Scars. The tiger was covered in dozens of brutal scars. Some looked fresh and new, but many were old, a few of the scars even starting to fade. From their distinct shape, there was only one place those scars could have come from: the barbed whip Trapper held in his hands.

From a single glance, it was clear the villain had been torturing the tiger for years. Koda's blood boiled at the realization.

But as the four hero students observed the villains and the tiger, Death Claw raised her head, and her nose caught their scent. Death Claw slowly turned her head up towards them and growled. The tigress's flame-shaped stripes lit up with a burning orange glow. She let out a mighty and loud roar, but a massive blast of magma flew out of her mouth. The students leaped out of the way of the attack. The pool of magma separated Koda and Kuroiro from Sero and Tsunotori. Death Claw then jumped into the air, landing in the magma, completely unaffected by it as she stared down Sero and Tsunotori.

"Wait!" Death Claw turned around and saw Koda. "Please, don't hurt my friends!"

The tigress raised an eyebrow. While she growled in Koda's ears, he heard her as if she was speaking Japanese. "That's odd. I've never encountered a two-legs that could speak my tongue."

"That's my Quirk," Koda said. "Look, you don't need to attack me or my friends. Please, just let us go."

"Oh, ya! Koda can talk to animals." Tsunotori stated, suddenly feeling more relaxed.

"Awesome! That'll turn things around!" Sero cheered with a snap of his fingers.

Death Claw stared at Koda for a moment before they heard someone whistle. Koda and the tigress looked down and saw Trapper staring at Death Claw. His eyes flashed blood-red, and he cracked his whip, the sound piercing the air. Death Claw shrunk under her master's gaze and turned back to Koda.

"I'm sorry, two-legs," Death Claw growled before pouncing toward Koda. Luckily, Kuroiro grabbed the rock-headed boy and pulled them into the shadows. Death Claw landed and then turned towards Sero and Tsunotori, only to see them dragged into the shadows as well.

On the other side of the mountain zone, under the shadow of the fake mountain, the four students emerged.

"Koda, what happened?" Tsunotori asked.

"That safari guy…" Koda remembered the red eyes. "I think he's got some kind of Quirk that lets him control the tiger."

Sero sighed in frustration and palmed his visor. "Just our luck."

"Well, regardless, we got a good head start, so we should probably try and get back to the exit," Kuroiro said.

"Good plan." Sero and Tsunotori walked towards Kuroiro, but the blonde noticed Koda hadn't moved, his back towards them.

"Koda?"

"I'm going back."

Tsunotori gave Koda a confused look. "What?"

"We have to save the tiger," Koda exclaimed.

"You mean the giant, lava-spewing tiger that you can't control?! Are you stupid?!" Sero shouted.

"Didn't you see them?" Koda's hands and body shook with barely contained rage. "All those scars on her body. And she didn't wasn't going to attack us until that safari guy used his Quirk."

Koda wasn't a violent or angry boy by nature. With his Quirk, he could've had a lucrative career as a veterinarian. But one fateful day in middle school changed his life forever. As Koda was walking home, he came across a gang of his classmates throwing rocks at a stray cat just for shits and giggles. That was the first time in his life Koda had ever attacked someone.

He kicked, punched, bit, and screamed as his blood boiled with righteous fury. But Koda was only one person against half-a-dozen others. While he'd gotten his licks in, Koda had been left on the ground with a black eye, broken bones, and a busted lip. And in the end, he couldn't even save the cat. She'd died in Koda's arms as he dragged his broken body to the nearest vet.

It was that day, as Koda buried the cat in his backyard, he made a promise to himself and the fallen animal. He would become a hero. Not just to save people but animals as well.

"Koda, it's suicide," Sero said. "There's like ten villains on top of the giant lava tiger."

"Maybe…maybe if we just focus on the safari guy, if we take him out…maybe that'll be enough to get her on our side."

Sero shook his head in disbelief. "You want to risk your life for some animal?"

"Of course I do! I want to be a hero!" Koda turned to the three, his eyes watery, yet his expression was firm. "Isn't that why we're at UA to begin with?! So that we can become heroes and save those in need?!" Koda's fists started shaking as he spoke. "Well, that tiger is in need, and she needs to be saved!"

"Koda's right," Pony said. She walked over to stand with Koda, a look of fierce determination on her face. "We're heroes, so we gotta save anyone who needs help from evil jerks!"

Kuroiro looked at Sero and shrugged, wordlessly walking over to join Pony and Koda. Sero stared at them for a moment before sighing in resignation, realizing he was now the odd man out.

"Okay, I guess we're doing this," Sero said. "But if we want to save that tiger, then we need a plan."

Meanwhile…

The tension was so thick one would need a chainsaw to cut it as Honenuki, Yosetsu, and Kaminari stood back-to-back-to-back. Their eyes were constantly scanning the Ruins Zone, watching out for when Sister Mercy would appear again. Her Quirk was still active, making it absolutely silent around them.

As if being unable to hear where the villainess wasn't enough, the three boys couldn't even make a plan between them, as none of them knew sign language.

None of them were aware of the nun watching them from inside a ruined building. Sister Mercy said a prayer as she slowly edged closer to the boys, wanting nothing but to relieve them of their suffering.

And then, Honenuki felt it. A chill ran down his spine, telling him to move or die. The lipless boy quickly turned around and pushed both Kaminari and Yosetsu back and himself. And it was a good thing he did so because that made barely evade Sister Mercy leaped at them, her sickles hitting the dirt where they once stood.

Her masked visage turned towards Honenuki, and the young man's mind briefly wandered to when he first felt that aura…the first time he felt raw killing intent.

A hero, dead on the alley floor, blood leaking out from her stab wound. Standing above her, a man licking the blood off his serrated knife. And then he looked at Honenuki. Looked at him with red eyes that contained no compassion, empathy, or anything even resembling anything other than rage and contempt. Glaring into his very soul.

Under his visor, Honenuki grit his teeth as he stared down Sister Mercy. It was villains…no, monsters like her, radiating raw killing intent with no regard for life. Honenuki desired to become a hero…to bring monsters like her and that man to justice.

Sister Mercy ran at Honenuki. He used his armbands to deflect the first hits, ducked under the next swings, and slammed his hands on the ground. Suddenly, the ground under Sister Mercy softened, and she sank into the ground. But the masked villainess quickly threw one of her sickles at Honenuki. He barely dodged the flying blade as it knicked his shoulder armor.

But it was enough to break Honenuki's concentration. Sister Mercy freed herself and leaped at the boy. Her limbs struck like bullets. She was relentless, forcing Honenuki on the defensive. Every time he tried to get some breathing room to think, Sister Mercy would immediately close the distance.

Kaminari watched on, frozen with fear, as Sister Mercy continued her assault. Meanwhile, Yosetsu was frantically looking around for something, anything he could use to defend himself and his classmates. As he whipped his head around, Yosetsu's eyes landed on a pile of debris. He smirked as a plan began to form in his head.

Elsewhere…

"Hehehe," one of the villains chuckled as he and his five others encircled Kirishima and Yanagi. "Looky here, guys; we got some big stwong hewoes." He said in a patronizing voice.

"S-Stay back!" Kirishima shouted, trying to intimidate the villains. But his attempt was undercut by his nervous shaking and uneasy expression, making the goons laugh even harder.

"Red here looks like he's gonna piss himself!" A villainess with bladed shins cackled.

"And the girl's already pale!" One of the two villains with rat mutations said about Yanagi's shaking.

As for Kirishima, his mind drifted back…and suddenly, he was back on that street corner, his hair black, his schoolmates terrified as a giant villain loomed over them. While he was too scared to move.

A singular thought rang through Kirishima's mind.

'…no.'

Kirishima stared down at the ground, fists curled so tight his knuckles turned white.

'No.'

A villain stalked towards Kirishima. He flashed a bloodthirsty grin as his nails transformed into razor-sharp metal claws.

'No!'

The villain lunged at Kirishima, claws raised high in the air. He swung through the rain—

'NO!'

—and howled in pain as his claws shattered against Kirishima's hardened skin.

"What the fu—" Which was followed by the redhead socking him right in the jaw, knocking him out. A woman with bladed shins attacked Kirishima with a spin kick to the chest. Her eyes widened as her attack bounced off him.

"The hell are you made of?!" she cried.

Kirishima looked at her, his eyes burning with passion. "MANLY SPIRIT!" he roared, delivering a punch to the goon's gut and another punch to the face. Two of the other villains attacked the boy with a blast of wind and light, respectively.

But Kirishima didn't back down. He grit his teeth and ran straight through the blasts. With a mighty yell, he took out the bewildered villains with a double clothesline.

Yanagi was amazed at Kirishima's prowess. Suddenly, Yanagi spotted the last two villains out of the corner of her eye, a pair with rat mutation Quirks. Each pulled out a gun and aimed at Kirishima as he stopped to breathe.

Without any hesitation, Yanagi held up her hands. The villains cried out as their guns were enveloped in the aura of Yanagi's Quirk and ripped from their hands.

The rat villains turned toward Yanagi. The rain and wind combined with her costume and menacing stance, Yanagi looked like a vengeful spirit spirit from folktales come to life. The fact that their now-floating guns were aimed at them didn't help matters.

"Repugnant. It's bad enough you decided to attack neophytes like us. But you don't even possess the metal for an upfront fight." A dangerous glint appeared in the silver-haired girl's visible eye. "I shall give you one chance to retreat before I turn your weapons against you."

"Y-You're bluffing."

The guns clicked. Their safeties were off.

"Am I?"

Now scared shitless, the villains fled from the rooftop, running down the stairs on all fours like the animals they resembled. Yanagi sighed in relief, placing the guns down and restoring their safeties.

"Yanagi…" She turned and saw Kirishima walking towards her. "…that was…"

'Here it comes,' Yanagi thought, mentally preparing herself for whatever horrible things Kirishima was about to call her. In all honesty, Yanagi couldn't blame him after seeing what she'd just done.

Creepy. Scary. Ghoulish. Terrifying.

Yanagi's peers had been repulsed by her appearance and demeanor even as far back as kindergarten. They'd called so many awful both to her face and behind her back. But what hurt the worst of all was the way they looked at her. Yanagi wasn't even human in their eyes. It was like she was the monster in a horror movie for the hero to kill and save the day from.

Deep down, Yanagi knew these happy times at UA wouldn't last. Eventually, Class 1-B would treat her as all her other classmates had so far. She just wished it could have lasted a bit longer.

"THAT WAS BADASS!" Kirishima cheered, a huge, toothy grin plastered across his face. "That was so freaking manly!"

…okay, Yanagi definitely wasn't expecting that.

"You were like old school noir badass," Kirishima said before he ran up to Yanagi and grasped her hands. "And that's twice you've saved me. I owe ya big time." His smile was so bright and so close Yanagi almost felt blinded by it.

"N-No worries." Yanagi had never been more thankful that she designed her costume with a mask that went up to her nose. Otherwise, Kirishima would've seen that her cheeks were as red as his hair.

Meanwhile…

It wasn't often that Nezu felt frustrated. More often than not, the rat-bear-dog could be counted on to be at least three steps ahead of any foe.

But even he had been caught off guard by the article in the National Jinkai, exposing Izuku Midoriya as UA's first Quirkless hero student. He'd been looking into the article's author, Fumiko Fujita, and he couldn't understand how she had acquired Midoriya's student file for her exposé. Furthermore, who would even want to expose his Quirkless status to the public?

His working hypothesis was that whoever broke through the UA barrier was the same person who gave Midoriya's file Fujita and the National Jinkai. But there were a multitude of holes in that idea. And the timing of the two events didn't feel right for them to be connected.

Whatever the case, those questions and others would have to wait. Nezu had been working almost nonstop since he woke up, dealing with the fallout of Fujita's article. This included a tsunami of hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails from people nationwide.

Messages came from all sorts of people. There were the furious parents of students who failed UA's entrance exam, screaming about how their oh-so-precious children had their spot at UA "stolen" by Izuku. Self-proclaimed "concerned citizens" rambling on about the danger of being a Quirkless hero. Outright Quirkists. And dozens upon dozens of newspapers, magazines, and news programs asking for Nezu to make a statement on the situation. Many of these inquiries contained leading questions, clearly designed to trick Nezu into saying something bad himself, UA, Izuku Midoriya, or all three.

But then his train of thought was interrupted when a familiar sound of a violin hit his ears. He had spent most of the morning answering the phone attached to his desk. However, this time, it was his personal cellphone ringing. Nezu picked it up and raised an eyebrow when he saw the contact.

'Miyashima?' That was never a good sign. Nezu took a deep breath before putting on his usual chipper smile and answering the phone. "Why, good day, madame president. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"My condolences, mostly," the HPSC president said. "You've probably had a busy morning if the news is to be believed."

"You could say that," Nezu said. "But rest assured, we'll find the source of the leak. After all, if they could unearth the private information of one student, who knows what other secrets they could leak to the public."

"I agree. Especially when there's probably a number of vile villains who would want to strike back at society through our most vulnerable."

Nezu thought for a moment before speaking up again. "Yes, it would be despicable if someone was purposely targeting one of my students."

"Well, considering that these youngsters are going to become the face of Heroism in the future, I can see how certain parties would want to stop them while they're young. My grandmother had a saying, 'It's not enough to pluck a weed from the garden; you've got to dig down and pull it out by the roots.'"

The principal chuckled. "Your grandmother was quite the shrewd woman, it seems."

"She was. Anyway, I need to get to a meeting. Just wanted to check on you, Principal Nezu."

"Indeed. I'll look forward to your next call, Madame President." The call went dead, and Nezu's hand began to shake. It was taking every bit of self-restraint not to throw his phone against the wall.

How? How could he have been so blind? The answer had been practically staring him in the face the entire time. But after that phone call, there was no doubt in Nezu's mind.

The Hero Public Safety Commission had leaked Izuku Midoriya's student file.

Just the other day, Agent Wada stormed into his office over accepting Midoriya into the Hero Course. He claimed Nezu was 'breaking the unspoken rules of Japanese society' and whatnot.

The HPSC had access to not only the files and records of every Pro-Hero (active, retired, and deceased) but also every student at every Hero school or school that offered courses in Heroism. Of course, they would have access to Midoriya's account.

'But naturally, they wouldn't want a leak to trace back to them,' Nezu thought. 'So they most likely anonymously leaked Midoriya's file to either Fumiko Fujita or her superiors at the National Jinkai.'

Nezu took slow, deep breaths to calm himself. He had to be careful. While he was certain the HPSC, or at the very least certain people in the Commission, were behind the leak, he couldn't come out and say that. Making such an accusation without substantial proof would backfire on Nezu. Especially with how volatile a large portion of the public was reacting to the news of a Quirkless hero student.

So, he went to work, starting by looking further into Fumiko Fujita and the National Jinkai. But he swore that in this cold war between himself and the Commission, Nezu would come out on top.

He stifled a laugh in his throat at the very thought.

Back at the Mountain Zone…

The gang of villains continued their trek through the mountain zone, Death Claw in front with her nose to the ground, tracking the students' scents.

Trapper had no doubt his beast could find those children. She knew failure would mean more lashings from his whip and another dose of his Quirk, Fear Factor. He could admit Fear Factor wasn't the strongest or most useful Quirk in the world, but Trapper loved it. With Fear Factor, Trapper could take whatever feelings of fear someone had and multiply them a hundredfold.

That was precisely how Trapper had managed to tame Death Claw after he'd taken her in. Really, it would have been a tragedy for a beast as powerful as Death Claw to spend her days wandering the wilds of India. Trapper had given her life meaning and purpose. 'Honestly,' Trapper thought, 'the beast should thank me.'

But as the group walked under the large shadow cast by the mountain, Kuroiro jumped out from a villain's shadow and gave them a chop to the back of the head. Before one of the villains could react, he vanished into the shadows before striking another villain down.

"Head's up!" One villain with a wolf quirk looked up and saw Sero swinging down at him using his tape. The boy kicked him into a wall before quickly tapping him to the mountain. "Stick around, pal, 'cause things are about to get wild. Tsunotori, now!"

Higher up on the mountain, Tsunotori had wedged several of her horns underneath a good amount of rather large rocks. "Eat this, suckas!"

With a mental command, her horns moved, dislodging the rocks from the mountainside. They slid down the, gathering more and more dirt until a veritable rock slide was quickly tumbling down towards the villains.

While most of the villains screamed in terror at the falling rocks, Death Claw growled before unleashing a massive blast of magma from her maw. The magma melted almost all of the rocks…but now the villains had to evade the falling magma that created tiny puddles of lava wherever it hit.

Trapper calmly evaded the magma, used to dealing with the hazards of Death Claw's Quirk. So he didn't notice Kuroiro and Koda emerging from the shadows near him. The rock-headed boy attacked Trapper as Death Claw watched the two struggle with a curious look in her eyes.

"Get off of me, ya bloody drongo!" Trapper shouted as he punched Koda in the face, knocking the boy to the ground. The villain looked around, watching as his comrades were being taken down by a bunch of goddamned toddlers! Trapper scowled and looked at Sero, a strategy forming in his head.

"Hey, Scotch Tape!" Trapper screamed. Sero glanced at the villain. As soon as their eyes locked, Trapper smirked, and his eyes began to glow blood-red.

Sero's eyes flashed the same color. He froze, overwhelmed by a rush of fear and dread. It was all Trapper needed. With a crack of his whip, Trapper sliced through the tape binding his fellow villains, and then struck Sero, knocking the boy to the ground.

Three villains dog-piled Sero. One held down his arms, another grabbed his legs, and the third slammed his knees on Sero's back. Sero gasped as all the air was forced out of his lungs.

"Sero!" Tsunotori and Kuroiro yelled, fearing for their classmate's life. And fear was exactly what Trapper was hoping for. With a wicked, bloodthirsty grin, Trapper stared down the two hero students, and his eyes lit up like red neon signs.

The fear Kurorio and Tsunotori felt turned from a wave into a tsunami. All rational thought seemed to disappear as fear consumed them. Kuroiro turned and ran, trying to get away from Trapper as fast as possible. Tsunotori was the opposite, running faster and faster towards Sero, ignoring everything else around her.

Another cluster of villains attacked the fleeing Kuroiro, knocking him out. Tsunotori was so focused on getting to Sero that she never noticed Trapper's whip until it struck her legs, tearing through her costume. As she screamed in pain, one particularly beefy villain grabbed Tsunortori by her horns and used them as handles to throw her against a rock.

Koda could only watch in stunned silence as friends were almost effortlessly taken out. Trapper turned towards Koda, having momentarily forgotten about the boy, and flashed a cruel, condescending smirk. "Ah, poor little thing," Trapper said, speaking like one might speak to a toddler who bumped their head. "Rocky and his widdle friends really thought they could tussle with the grown-ups. Ain't that sweet?" Trapper and the other villains roared with laughter as Koda's body shook uncontrollably.

"Now, now, don't go on an' piss your knickers," Trapper said. "Fair dinkum, you ankle biters were more fun than I thought you'd be. So how's about this? I'm gonna close my eyes and count to ten, give you a head start before I send Death Claw to rip ya to shreds."

With almost cartoonishly exaggerated movements, Trapper turned around and covered his eyes. "One…"

A million panicked thoughts raced through Koda's mind. Should he run? Fight? Hide? Call for help? Who would even come if he did?

"…two…"

He saw Death Claw looking at him, almost looking like she was sorry for the fate he and his classmates were suffering through.

"…three…"

He saw the villains picking up the other three, reading to do all manner of horrible things to the teens.

"…four…"

Koda looked to his friends, then to the tiger. He knew what he had to do.

"…fi—FUCK!" Trapper shrieked as he was suddenly tackled from behind. He looked behind him and saw Koda, the boy's eyes burning with determination. The other villains watched the two thrashed on the ground and suddenly went tumbling down the cliff.

Trapper and Koda landed with a great thud, the impact forcing them apart. Gritting his teeth through what was at least a dislocated shoulder, Trapper got up and glared at Koda. "Why you little—FUCK" Pain exploded across his forehead as a rock struck Trapper's eyebrow. Koda returned the villain's glare as he held a fistful of rocks.

'The fucking ankle biter is aiming for my eyes!' Trapper thought as Koda threw more rocks at him. "So, you wanna play," Trapper growled, his eyes glowing red with the power of his Quirk. "THEN LET'S PLAY!"

The burly villain cracked his whip, aiming straight for Koda. But to his shock, the boy didn't flinch or dodge. Instead, Koda stood his ground and actually caught the whip. Koda grit his teeth, suppressing a cry of pain as the barbs dug into his skin.

"The hell do you think you're doing," Trapper snapped. "Let go of my fucking whip, you brat!" Koda felt his fear increase tenfold as Trapper activated his Quirk. But instead of backing down, Koda's grip only tightened. Ironically, it seemed the whip's barbs only helped Koda keep hold of it.

Trapper gaped at Koda. "Death Claw! Kill him!" Trapper screamed. Death Claw leaped down from the cliff, ready to obey Trapper's order. But when the tiger saw Koda's pleading look, she hesitated.

"Miss Tiger, please," Koda choked out through tears of pain. Death Claw, unsure of what to do, backed away.

"You useless shitstain!" Trapper screamed. "If you don't kill him right now, I swear to god, I'll chop your fucking tail off and use it as a belt!"

That threat was all the extra motivation Koda needed. With a mighty yell, Koda pulled on the whip with all his strength and ripped it out of Trapper's hands. Even as the barbs tore his hands to ribbons, he couldn't help but smile.

Koda turned to Death Claw and threw the whip to the ground. She recoiled at the sight of it, but Koda kneeled down to meet her at eye level. "It's okay," he said, his voice warm and gentle. "You don't need to be afraid of him. He'll never hurt you again."

"Death Claw, you mangy idiot!" Trapper yelled. "What are you waiting for? Kill him NOW!" Once more, his eyes lit up with the power of Fear Factor.

Death Claw cowered for a moment, her eyes glowing red. But as she stared at Trapper, her gaze then wandered to the instrument of her pain and suffering: his whip. The whip that was no longer in his hands but lying on the ground between herself and Koda.

Trapper watched in confusion as Death Claw leaned down and sniffed the whip before lightly batting it with her paw. Suddenly, Death Claw snatched the whip up in jaws, and it burst into flames from her burning bite.

Eyes wide in shock, Trapper could only watch as his whip turned to ash. His shock quickly turned to fear as he heard Death Claw growl. The tiger was looking straight at Trapper, her gaze piercing his very soul.

"D-D-Death Claw, down girl," Trapper said, trying to use Fear Factor. "Remember who your master is." Her eyes glowed, but she did not cower. Without his whip, Death Claw had no reason to fear Trapper, and his Quirk could only enhance fear. Magma dripped from Death Claw's mouth as she growled at her former master.

Koda couldn't help but smirk. "We'll give you til the count of 10."

As Trapper stared at the tiger and hero student, only one thought came to mind. "Fuck me dead," Trapper said.

The villains at the cliff's top were starting to worry about their comrade. Well, some were worried; others were just annoyed at how long Trapper was taking.

"You think we should go check on him?" one villain with six eyes asked.

"He's fine," another villain wearing a skull mask said. "It's one brat, and he's got a lava-spitting tiger with him. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"AAAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGG!" At that moment, Trapper came running up the path leading to the cliff's bottom like a bat out of hell, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Death Claw, with Koda riding atop her, came bounding after Trapper. Seeing the villains holding down Koda's classmates, Death Claw glared at the villains and roared. One look at her terrifying visage was enough to send them all running.

"Oh, screw this!"

"This is so not worth 86,000 yen!"

"THAT! That is the worst that could happen!"

As the villains ran with their tails between their legs, Koda hopped off of Death Claw and helped Sero up. "Are you okay?" Koda asked with concern. That villain had been kneeling on his lung for a while.

Sero let out a hacking cough. "I think I've got bruised ribs, but I'll live," he said with a smile. But his face fell when he saw Koda's hands. Sero pulled some tape out of his elbows and started wrapping Koda's hands to stop the bleeding. "It ain't exactly medical tape, but it's better than nothing."

Tsunotori walked over to join them, a still groggy Kuroiro leaning on her as he held his head. "God, everything's still spinning," Kuroiro groaned. Sero, Tsunotori, and Kuroiro eyed Death Claw apprehensively, even as she rubbed her face against Koda, and the boy scratched behind her ears in return.

"You risked yourself to save me, two-legs," the tiger asked. "Why?"

"That's just what heroes do," Koda said with a smile. "We save those in need no matter what."

Death Claw tilted her head. She had never heard the word 'hero' before…but she liked the sound of it.

The tide was now turning in Class 1-B's favor. But the battle was far from over.

Author's Notes 2: We've got a few more battles with Class 1-B, but in the next chapter, we get to see something I've been dying to get to for a while.

Next Time: Fire the Strike Beam! Please be sure to read, favorite, and review.

PLUS ULTRA!