(A/N: And now for part 2 of this update! :D Again because I felt like it. Izuku is running around trying to save everyone like he does. Let's get into more of the training camp attack!

Formatting reminder: "Hitoshi using his Quirk."

Warning for swearing because we've got a Katsuki pov this chapter. )

...

Izuku came back to the clearing they had gathered for the test of courage. There were no students there anymore. Which meant that about half of one class was safe while the rest were still out there facing the attacking Villains. Before him the Heroes were still fighting the first two Villains who had appeared.

Tiger was facing off against the one with some sort of attraction Quirk though they weren't using it now. Perhaps because their Support Item was on the ground next to Pixie Bob who was still unconscious. Mandalay was fighting the lizard guy who was wielding a huge ass sword made of hundreds of knives.

What the fuck is up with that?

Intimidating at a glance but it looked cumbersome to swing around. In all honestly, he looked ridiculous to Izuku. Then there was what he was saying.

"You're not…!"

Swing and a miss.

"…a real Hero!"

And strike two.

Mandalay was dodging as best she could but the ludicrous knife sword was giving her a challenge.

"It's time to knock you off your false throne!" the lizard shouted, aiming another swing.

Alright, that's enough of that.

Izuku wasn't entirely sure what the Villain was griping about, but the talk of false Heroes gave him an idea. Paired with the red scarf and white mask, he was probably referencing the Hero Killer. But Izuku was sure Mandalay would not have been on Chizome's shit list. She and the rest of the Pussycats were good Heroes who had spent the last twelve years aiding in rescue efforts all over Japan. The lizard man sounded like he was full of crap.

The Quirkless teen skated towards them and grabbed one of his explosive bombs from his belt. He took aim and threw the bomb at the sword. Upon impact the bomb exploded and the sword broke apart, bits of knives scattering everywhere. Not the sturdiest of weapons either it seemed.

"What the hell?!" the lizard man yelled.

"Mandalay! Kouta is safe!" Izuku shouted, ignoring the man as he momentarily deactivates his shoes so he could skid to a stop. "And I have a message from Aizawa. Tell everyone they have his permission to defend themselves against the Villains!"

Mandalay nodded and quickly passed on the message hoping that Eraserhead knew what he was doing. She then quickly engaged the lizard man again in combat.

"Get back to camp now!" she ordered as she kicked at the Villain who blocked the blow with his arms. "They're targeting you so we need to make sure you're safe."

"I can't," Izuku said same as he did to Aizawa while reactivating his shoes. "My friends and classmates are still out there along with 1-B. We don't even know if they have other targets than me. I need to help save them, not just myself. I won't let them take me, I promise!"

"MIDORIYA, WAIT!" Mandalay called out but he was already gone. "Dammit!"

"You and me both, lady," Spinner grunted as they fought. "Shigaraki wants that kid something bad. Not sure why though. That kid was saved by Stain. Even though he took the Hero Killer down, he was still chosen by him. Marking him as a true Hero."

"It doesn't matter why," Magne yelled from her own fight. "Shigaraki wants him and is the whole point of this mission. Now stop before you say too much."

"Too late!" Mandalay shouted as she landed a kick to the lizard man's head in their distraction. "Finally, a solid hit."

Tiger also sent his own opponent to the ground with a punch meaning they both had a moment to breath. The telepath considered the boy's words. It was true that they didn't know if there were any other targets, but they did know that Midoriya was one of them. However, they couldn't do anything to stop him right now. All Mandalay could do was pass along his warning.

Stay safe out there, kid. As best you can.

They were in for a rough night.

...

Katsuki was trying to process what the hell was happening right now. Out there in the woods the other first years were battling it out with Villains while he and a handful of extras were safe. Safe and useless. Vlad King was watching over them and Glasses was trying to keep everyone calm though it wasn't really working. Not sure how calm a robot like him could actually be.

Rock Face, Glitter Boy, and Pinkie were terrified. Big Lips, Tape Arms, and Pikachu were doing their best to comfort the others but it still wasn't helping much. The Copycat was skulking in the corner away from everyone trying to hide how scared he was for his classmates. Especially for the Quirkless teen, his friend, who was being targeted by the attacking Villains.

He wasn't the only one. They were all worried when Mandalay told them that he was a target. Even Katsuki was worried sick though he wouldn't say so out loud. Not to the extras anyway other than Shitty Hair who stayed close to his side. The blonde could see his friend was scared but trying his hardest to remain 'manly'. The explosive teen huffed and nudged the other's arm before sending a glare his way meant to say he was there for him. Kirishima seemed to understand and sent a thankful smile though it didn't meet his eyes. Still scared but at least he knew he wasn't alone.

Katsuki had already been worried about Izuku after he heard about Inko. She was like a second mother to him and she had always been caring to him growing up. Perhaps closer when he was younger and growing a little more distant as the years passed. But she had always been nice to him and never treated him poorly. Well, until his punishment meeting with Nezu when she straight up screamed at him. Something he deserved after all he had done to her son.

Now she was in the hospital for who knows how long and with his shitbag dad overseas, it had left him wondering where Deku was going to go. Obviously, they couldn't leave him to live alone in their apartment. The only thing Katsuki could figure were those dorms Nezu had built. It would make sense and would keep the nerd safe. Meaning that he hadn't had to worry as much about that Quirkless fucker because his precious Heroes would do anything for their favorite student. Still a very weird concept for him to think about as Katsuki had always been the favorite before UA.

Not anymore.

With the training camp location kept a secret and them being overseen by Heroes, one would think they would be safe out here in the woods. But of fucking course they weren't. For some reason Villains kept finding and attacking their class. Especially one green-haired fucker who seemed to draw trouble to him constantly. The USJ, Hosu, Inko, and now this? What other shit was the fucking nerd dealing with that Katsuki didn't know about.

Hopefully Deku wasn't out there alone. Hopefully he would listen for once and do as he was ordered to. Get to safety and not get caught by the Villains who for some reason wanted him. What the hell was that about? First the Heroes wanted Deku and now Villains? What the fuck is happening? Katsuki seriously didn't know.

But what he did know was that nothing was simple when it came to Deku. He was stubborn and persistent. Never letting anyone keep him from doing what he wanted. Katsuki knew this so he shouldn't have been surprised to not see the nerd walking through the door. Instead, it was the hobo carrying a kid. The one with some spunk who tried to punch Deku in the crotch.

"Vlad, I've got another one for you," Aizawa said as he let the boy down. "I'll send anyone I see here to regroup. Watch over them and keep these ones safe."

The fellow Hero nodded in reply as the tired man readied to go back outside.

"What about Izuku?" Shitty Hair asked beside him. "Is he coming here?"

The scruffy man let out a long sigh before replying, "No, he isn't. Problem Child ran off leaving me with the kid. Now I have to go out there and find him before anything happens to him."

Of course, he's fucking not coming. Stupid stubborn Quirkless bastard.

"We should go out and help you search for him," the red head offered, worried and ready to defend his friend. Wanting to be useful which Katsuki could identify with. It was awful standing there doing nothing while the others were fighting.

"No, you all are to stay here," their teacher ordered. "We need to get everyone to safety. Having you out there would only make things worse. Stay. Here."

Eraserhead glared at them to pressure them to obey but without his Quirk to save his eyes. Many cowered under his stare and were quick to submit. Except for one.

They were being ordered to stay put. To stay safe. But what about the others? What about Deku? He wasn't safe. He was out there fighting Villains while Katsuki was stuck here in time out. Putting his life on the line for others despite knowing one of the reasons why the Villains were there was for his Quirkless ass. Katsuki couldn't take it, not liking this sitting here and doing nothing. He had to do something. Just had to or else someone could get hurt. Or worse someone, like Deku, could die.

I don't want him to die.

So he ran.

...

The explosive teen bolted for the door before Shouta could do a damn thing.

"Bakugou! Wait!" the Underground Hero shouted as his student blasted off into the night. "Damn it! Fucking problem children."

He should have known it wouldn't have been that easy. Not when it came to Bakugou and his impulsiveness. Trying to control his problem class was like herding irate cats.

"Vlad, watch them and don't let anyone else get out," Shouta ordered as he put on his goggles again.

Now I have yet another problem child to get back. Gods damn it all.

The Erasure Hero ran out after the blonde one who disappeared into the trees. He was ready to follow but was stopped as another figure stepped out from the shadows. The same one who literally melted to a puddle of goo not too long ago.

"Long time no see, Eraser," the Villain taunted with a grin.

"You," the Pro growled, readying himself in a fight position.

"Me," the scarred man lilted. "I didn't get to introduce myself earlier. Name's Dabi."

Dabi? Wait, wasn't that…?

Shouta looked over the man who possibly was the one to give Stain information on the Todoroki case. The 'potential ally' as the Hero Killer had said. But why was Dabi here, attacking the camp? The same camp that the youngest Todoroki was at. Didn't the informant care? Or was there more than one Dabi out there? Unlikely but either way, informant or not, Shouta would defend his kids.

"Your concern is showing again, Eraser," Dabi teased, igniting a ball of blue flames in his hand only for it to snuff out under a Quirked glare.

"I'll ask again," the Hero sneered. "What do you want and where are your friends?"

The fire wielder clicked his tongue before replying, "You're starting to sound like a broken record. It doesn't matter anyway. You've already been defeated."

The Villain's smirk was pissing him the fuck off. Shouta shot out his capture weapon but the scarred man dodged. However, the Underground Hero had anticipated that and threw the other end of his scarf at Dabi and pulled. The Villain fell forward and managed to block the kick aimed for his head. They grappled until Shouta had to blink and Dabi forced him back with a blast of blue flames.

"The world is losing faith in you, Heroes," Dabi jeered as they both breathed heavily. "UA, All Might. Despite these two trusted pillars of our superhuman society, sloppy management allowed Villains to slip in and attack. Damaging the world's trust in you both."

Blue eyes widened in maddened glee while Quirked red ones narrowed in anger.

"Just imagine how they'll react when it comes to light that you let a student get kidnapped!"

The Villain's monologuing was getting on his nerves. He needed to end this quickly so that he could go after the problem children. Shouta had more important things to do than waste his time listening to the ramblings of this ranting man.

"What is going on out here?" Vlad King called out suddenly.

It was all the distraction he needed. Shouta shot forward and kicked the fire wielder's head hard. The Hero wrapped Dabi up tight in his capture weapon and stomped the scarred man into the ground. As he suspected, the Villain turned into goop and was no more.

Another fake.

Which left questions of where was the real Dabi was and what was his actual Quirk. Was it the fire or the duplication? Or it could be both for all they knew with the Noumu and All For One involved. Regardless, the Villain was out there somewhere with the rest of their students. He needed to get them all to safety especially the problem children that ran off against orders.

"Vlad, watch them and keep them safe," Shouta ordered once again. "That's the second copy I've fought and he used the same attack. Their strategy is probably to distract us with their strongest fighters to hide they're few in number, but you'll be fine on your own. Don't hesitate and attack first."

He waited long enough for Vlad King's simple nod before rushing off into the night. Shouta had to find Bakugou and Midoriya. Had to protect them from the Villains and themselves. He didn't know what the blonde one would do but he was sure he ran after the green one. Which made his goal simple. Find the number one problem child and bring him to safety. That was the objecive for the Hero part of him while another part, the parental part, was also keeping an eye out for his foster kid.

Midoriya, Bakugou, Hitoshi…everyone, defend yourselves and be safe.

...

Across the forest, the students of 1-A and 1-B were doing their best to defend themselves. Many had been knocked out by the swirling pink gas permeating the woods. Those that were conscious were protecting their fallen classmates and those like Momo were doing all they could to help. Many benefited from the gas masks the creation girl made with her Quirk.

Such as Tetsutetsu and Kendo who were pursuing the source of the gas. Working together to take that Villain down to help their fellow young Heroes. The shots fired from Mustard's gun rang through the forest as Izuku ran searching for anyone needing help. The sharp sounds only stirred him on to be faster.

From what he had observed, there were at least five Villains in the camp. Muscular who was down. That one guy Aizawa was fighting that turned into goo. Then there was the lizard and his partner. And now someone with a gun though Izuku didn't know what that Villain's role was tonight. Though he could hazard a guess as the pink gas dissipated and the sound of gun shots ceased.

The Quirkless teen skated ever forward regardless, searching for his friends and fellow Heroes. Pushing himself to go faster and help the others. He was the reason the Villains were there and he would be damned if he let any of them get hurt because of it. Izuku refused to be taken by the Villains as well and would not give up without a fight.

Fuck you, Shigaraki.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku spotted movement too late to dodge. But then he was suddenly yanked out of the way as a shadowy claw slammed into the ground where he had stood a moment ago. Green eyes looked down to find himself wrapped up in Shouji's dupli-arms and boy was he glad to see his classmate. But then he saw the blood.

"Shouji!" Izuku exclaimed at the bloody stump of one of his arms. "What happened to you?!"

"What are you doing out here, Midoriya?" Shouji reprimanded, breathing heavily. "You know they're targeting you, right? You should have gone back with the others already, not be out here like this."

"I can't," the greenet responded with a shake of his head. "I have to…"

"You want to save your friends, right?" the scuffed up grey-haired boy interjected as he lowered the other boy to the ground. "No matter the cost to you?"

"Yeah," was his reply before commenting. "You're injured."

Izuku pulled out a small roll of bandages to at least stop the bleeding.

"Yes, we were ambushed by Villains," Shouji said, still trying to catch his breath while talking as Izuku did his work. "I was covering us, but…Tokoyami lost control of his Quirk."

Oh shit.

That had to have been Dark Shadow then. And no wonder Tokoyami lost control. Dark Shadow was stronger at night but also harder to control as well. With the stress of the attack and his friend getting hurt, one single moment was all it would take to lose control over such a strong Quirk.

"Tokoyami…Dark Shadow…"

"Yeah," Shouji uttered, not surprised that he figured out the situation so quickly. "In order to get through here, we'll have to face off against Dark Shadow."

Izuku cautiously peeked around the tree to assess the situation. The spirit was raging and Tokoyami was in the middle of the swirling beast of darkness. He had no control at all and was a prisoner of his own Quirk. The dark teen spotted them from behind a tree and ordered them to keep their distance. He didn't want them to die at the hands of Dark Shadow like this, but they couldn't leave him either. It was clear that Tokoyami was scared and in pain. Izuku had no idea Dark Shadow could become so terrifying now that they were faced with how powerful the spirit could be.

"What happened?" Izuku prodded, wanting to understand what led to this.

"We were on high alert after Mandalay's first warning," Shouji recounted, keeping quiet so as not to draw Dark Shadow's attention. "But one of the Villains managed to sneak up on us. I pushed Tokoyami out of the way and the Villain cut off my hand with his Quirk in the process. It's not as bad as it looks. It was one of my duplicates that was cut off so it isn't gone forever."

Izuku let out a sigh in relief at that morsel of good news as he cast a glance at the now bandaged limb. It could grow back and Shouji would be just fine. Didn't change the shit show they were in right now though.

"Dark Shadow dragged Tokoyami out of the way while I hid in the bushes. I tried to cover him but he was enraged to see that I was hurt. His own anger fueled into his Quirk and Dark Shadow took over. Now Dark Shadow is attacking anyone who gets too close. We need a way to take back control."

Yeah, but how? The rampaging entity was stronger at night. Only light would tame this raging beast of darkness. Either that or Hitoshi's Brainwashing. But he wasn't here right now lost somewhere in the woods.

"Light," Izuku said suddenly. "We need light."

The taller boy nodded before asking, "Your mask produces fire, right? We could use that."

Or my flash bombs but that may be too blinding at night. Not to mention it would definitely give our location away.

"We could," the greenet agreed though he didn't think they should just yet. "But there are other factors we need to take into consideration."

"Like what?" Shouji asked.

"That Villain, the one who attacked you, they're still out there," Izuku explained, eyeing every move the shadow made as it was tearing up trees as if they were toothpicks. "By the sound of it they're quite powerful and quick. We could use Dark Shadow to defeat them and then take back control."

The multi-armed teen considered before replying, "That could work, but how?"

"We draw Dark Shadow to us," the Quirkless teen proposed. "If he's drawn to sound, we can use your dupli-arms to get him to follow us without risking our bodies. We can lead him to where the Villain is and then once they're down, we can weaken Dark Shadow and save them both. Not the best plan but it should work."

It was risky. Making themselves a target of the phantom's wrath, but it seemed like the best plan to him. Take advantage of the unideal situation and take two birds out with one shadowy stone.

"How do you plan on finding the Villain?" Shouji questioned. "I didn't see where they ran off to."

"You two were first to be sent into the forest," Izuku reasoned out. "The next two were Shouto and Hitoshi. They would most likely be the next ones to run into the Villain. We could also use Shouto's fire to help calm Dark Shadow down if my mask isn't enough."

Shouji thought about it and then agreed that was the best course of action. If they ran across the Villain, they would be able to take him down easy with Dark Shadow's power. If not, they would at least have a backup plan to help Tokoyami take back control.

And so they ran, implementing Izuku's plan of leading the raging spirit through the forest. He was situated on the other's back so they could stick together and be less of a target while Shouji distracted Dark Shadow with his arms. Trees were crashing around behind them as they ran, but they didn't stop and were quick to spot towers of ice ahead. It had to be Shouto and from the looks of it he was trying to keep a powerful opponent at bay.

"That way!" Izuku yelled in a whisper.

They arrive on a scene filled with ice and…were those blades coming from the Villain's mouth?! The mad man was dangling in the air as his teeth grew at insane speeds, piercing anything in their way. Shouto was doing his best to fend him off with his ice. Behind him, Izuku could see Hitoshi was speaking, trying to get the Villain to respond but it was no good. The mad man was ranting about flesh and whatnot but never responding to what the brainwasher was saying.

It was then that the two parties met.

"Todoroki! Shinsou! Watch out!" Shouji shouted with the rampaging sentient shadow coming up quick behind them.

"MORE FLESH!" the Villian yelled only to be smashed to the ground under Dark Shadow's overpowering hands.

The spirit roared growing larger as it raged into the night. They needed to calm Dark Shadow down but they also needed to take the Villain down first while they could. Shouto and Hitoshi seemed to realize that seeing how easily the specter had knocked the mad man down. But the living shadow didn't seem to realize the real threat among them still attacking blindly at anything that made a sound or moved. Meaning all of them were in its crosshairs.

"No, flesh. Precious meat," the Villain lamented, his teeth growing again propping him up from the ground. "Can't allow. I'm the only one who gets to slice them open. NO ONE STEALS FROM ME!"

Sharp blades forked out of the mad man's mouth intent on carving the spirit into pieces. But Dark Shadow was not flesh and blood and the blades passed right through. The irate shadow snatched the Villain in a dark fist seething with rage.

"YOU ARE NOTHING, INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE BUG!" Dark Shadow roared, squeezing tighter and tighter.

The bladed teeth broke under the entity's strong grip and Dark Shadow hurled the man around. The Villain was thrown against tree after tree until he was let go at the other end of the clearing. The mad man flew through the air and crashed into a tree with a crack before crumpling to the ground unconscious. But it wasn't enough to sooth the still raging spirit.

"NOT ENOUGH!" Dark Shadow bellowed, growing even bigger. "NOT ENOUGH!"

"Dark Shadow!" Hitoshi called out with his Quirk. "Can you hear me?!"

But the specter only howled with anger.

"Dark Shadow! Release him!" the brainwasher screamed desperately. He hated seeing how much pain his friend of darkness was in, but the shadow wasn't responding to him. There was nothing he could do.

"SHOUTO! NOW!" Izuku cried out before breathing out a blast of fire, having jumped off Shouji's back so he could help their friend.

At the same time, Shouto unleashed his own fire and Dark Shadow shrank under the twinned light instantly with a whimper. Finally, Tokoyami was able to take back control and crouched low to the ground covered in sweat.

"Thank you," the bird boy rasped out, exhausted from the ordeal. "You saved me."

"And you saved us," Izuku pointed out, crouching in front of his friend but not too close. "It was only because of Dark Shadow that we were able to beat that Villain. Thank you, Tokoyami. And thank Dark Shadow for us too."

The greenet figured Tokoyami wouldn't want to let Dark Shadow out any time soon fearing he would lose control like that again. Nor did he think the spirit would want to come out either. Dark Shadow didn't like being out of control or doing anything to hurt Tokoyami. Though Izuku hoped the specter knew that this wasn't its fault.

"Are you okay?" Shouji asked. "You did what we needed you to do."

Though he did feel a bit guilty using his friend like that when he was in pain. Shouji had hoped to help him take back control as soon as possible, but he couldn't deny that the raging overpowered Dark Shadow was exactly what they needed in that fight.

"Shouji, Midoriya, I must apologize," Tokoyami lamented from the ground, unable to meet their eyes. "Anger consumed me and my Quirk took over. My fury combined with the influence of the darkness spurred Dark Shadow into a frenzy. I couldn't contain it and I ended up hurting Shouji. I didn't…!"

"It's going to be alright," Shouji stopped him placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "But we'll deal with that later. That's what you would say, right? We have more pressing matters now, my friend."

Tokoyami looked up at him in shock. The boy he hurt in his moment of weakness still wanted to call him friend. The bird boy gulped before giving a nod in response.

"I'm not sure if you were able to hear Mandalay," Izuku said, getting back to the over pressing matter at hand. "But we have permission to defend ourselves and others against the Villain."

"We did," Hitoshi said, carefully laying down the unconscious boy he had on his back that the greenet was just now noticing. The brainwasher then turned to him with a glare. "But more importantly, why are you still out here, Izuku? You're a fucking target and should have gone back to camp immediately."

He was seriously pissed off that his brother was not doing as he was told. That damn need of his to help others regardless of his own safety. Hitoshi admired his drive but in times like these it was infuriating.

"I can't just sit back and let others get hurt," Izuku asserted himself as he stood up straight. "The Villains are here because of me and I will not be the reason others are hurt without doing anything about it. I have to protect them."

"And what about you, Izuku?" Hitoshi reprimanded, reminding him of Aizawa in his words and his expression. "How can you protect others when you aren't willing to protect yourself?"

The two brothers glared at each other but Izuku refused to back down. He had to help the others no matter what.

"Why do they want Izuku?" Shouto asked, concerned for his friend.

"I…I'm not exactly sure," Izuku answered, turning away from Hitoshi to look at him. "But for some reason, Shigaraki has been looking for me. He…he wants me to join the League."

"You? Why?" the element wielder pressed as he stepped closer to the greenet. "Why does he want you?"

"And how do you know that?" Shouji added, confused.

"I don't know why exactly," Izuku replied, avoiding everyone's eyes. "But he told me that day at the mall that he had been looking for me ever since the USJ."

"Which is why I can't understand why you are out here, Izuku," Hitoshi scolded with a scowl. "The safest place is back at camp where your ass should be right now. Not out here where Villains are everywhere and you could get kidnapped by any of them."

"He's right," Shouto interjected, now also glaring at Izuku. "We need to get you out of here."

"But the others…!"

"The others have permission to defend themselves," Hitoshi cut him off. "What we need to do now is defend you and get you somewhere safe. I won't let these asshats take my brother away."

The brainwasher then suddenly pulled the Quirkless teen into a tight hug.

"Please, Izuku," Hitoshi pleaded quietly into his ear. "Let me protect you for once. I can't lose you. None of us can. We need you to be safe. So please. Just…please."

Green eyes filled with tears hearing the desperation in Hitoshi's voice. Could feel the strong need to protect as he was wrapped in his brother's arms. Izuku looked around at the others who were watching with worry and determination. Then he landed on Shouto who was silently pleading for him to do as Hitoshi says. To let them protect him this time around. How could he say no to that?

Izuku moved his arms to hold his brother tight.

"O-okay."

...

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