(A/N: Warning for swearing because of Katsuki pov. Also just in general there are a number of pov changes this chapter that I tried to keep obvious.)

...

"O-okay," Izuku stuttered out, his voice cracking with emotion for a moment. He gave his brother a tight squeeze before letting go, wiping some tears away as he gathered his thoughts enough to form a plan back to camp and then addressed the others. "But we should cut through the forest instead of back where the Pussycats could be still fighting. It'll be faster and draw less attention from the Villains."

The number of known enemies was up to six with the teeth bladed Villain. Him along with Muscular and the one that had the Gas Quirk were down. Leaving at least three more out there for them to do their best to avoid. Because Hitoshi was right. Izuku shouldn't be out here like this though he didn't regret it either. He had managed to help Tokoyami with Shouji and everyone else's help while at the same time managing to take down a powerful Villain. One less threat against his friends and classmates.

They headed off with Izuku in the middle surround by the others. Shouji was hard at work keeping eyes and ears out for any threats. Shouto could defend them with his ice and could help control Dark Shadow if Tokoyami and the spirit were willing. Hitoshi could brainwash any Villains if they had the ability to respond. And while Izuku was the one needing protection, he would do anything he could with his remaining gear to fight whatever threat came their way.

The group was making good progress with no Villains in sight until they found a couple of their classmates. Tsuyu was pinned to a tree by her hair with whatever Support gear a blonde girl with twinned buns on her head was wearing who was pinned down herself to the ground by Ochako. That same gear was now being stabbed into the gravity girl's thigh and blood was being pumped out of her.

Are those syringes?!

"OCHAKO!" Izuku yelled in concern.

"Help her, quick!" Tsuyu shouted desperately.

But the girl Villain broke out of Ochako's hold and jumped away as her syringes shot back to her. She clicked her tongue in annoyance at being interrupted like that after finally getting someone's blood. But then golden eyes lit up as she spotted the boy Shigaraki wanted.

"Oh, it's you!" the girl squealed in delight. "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya Izuku. I'd love to stay and chat but there's too many people around. We'll talk later, 'kay? Bye!"

With that, the girl skipped off into the forest as if she hadn't just been siphoning blood out of someone. However, the students didn't follow her because it was too dangerous. They had no idea what her Quirk was or if she had any friends hiding around.

"Who was that?" Shouto asked as the boys jogged over to the girls.

"One of the Villains," Tsuyu answered, wiping some blood off her mouth. "She was crazy. Calling us by our first names as if we were friends. Saying how much she loves blood."

"She also kept going on and on about her crush," Ochako added, rubbing below the wound on her arm. Izuku stepped towards the girls silently pulling out some bandages from his belt as she spoke. "How she wants to be just like them and even become that person. How she liked them…slashed up and bloody."

The two girls shivered at the memory of how the Villain gushed about her crush and preferences. Talking of blood with a tone of euphoria and look of exhilaration. A sickly sight.

It was at that time they heard a shout and turned to see Bakugou of all people running towards them.

"DEKU!" the explosive blonde screamed. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

"B-Bakugou?" Izuku exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same fucking question, you damn nerd!" Bakugou snarled, little explosions popping in his open hands. "Why in the fucking hell did you run your Quirkless ass out here?! Do you have a death wish or something? They're after you, you fucking idiot! Get your ass back to camp now!"

It was the first time they had spoken to each other since the confrontation. There had been passing glances here and there but Bakugou had kept his distance. Then the first thing he's saying, or rather shouting, to Izuku was get himself to safety. Showing a concern in a very Bakugou way that contrasted so much compared to the Sports Festival.

Does he…actually care?

"W-we're heading there right now actually," Izuku offered in hopes of placating the seething blonde. "You can join us?"

"Peh, yeah sure, whatever," Bakugou brushed off as he crossed his arms. "We'll save your Quirkless ass from these idiot Villains."

The explosive blonde turned and started to head back the way he came. Which was great because they didn't know exactly where they needed to go having been distracted by the blood thief. Why she took Ochako's blood he didn't know but whatever reason it couldn't be good. Izuku lost himself in thought muttering aloud as they walked with Tokoyami standing quietly beside him.

...

Katsuki grumbled as they walked, annoyed by the stupid muttering of the nerd behind him. Though it also gave him a strange sense of comfort to know that Deku was there. That he hadn't been taken by the Villains and was still very much alive. So, he let it be as he led the group back to camp. Everything was going to be okay now that he found the Quirkless shithead. He wouldn't let Deku die.

But then the air was quiet. Too quiet.

Katsuki stopped and snapped back to see the nerd was gone.

Shit.

"Where the fuck did he go?!" Katsuki snarled, drawing everyone's attention to the fact that Deku was gone.

"Izuku!" both IcyHot and Eyebags called out. "Where are you?!"

Their answer was a chuckle from a yellow jacketed masked man standing eloquently up in a tree with a cane.

"Did you enjoy my little trick?" the Villain taunted, bouncing a marble in his gloved hand. "I took the boy with my magic. Shigaraki has extended an invitation for him to join us. Why have him squander fighting a world that won't accept him all for lacking a Quirk? The League will gladly take him in with open arms and let him truly shine."

He presented the marble that sparkled blue in the moonlight.

"GIVE HIM BACK, YOU BASTARD!" Katsuki demanded.

"Give him back?" the Villain parroted incredulously. "How can one give or take him when he doesn't belong to anyone? Midoriya is his own person and can make his own decisions. Don't be so arrogant as to decide for him."

Even though that was exactly what the evil magician was doing. What a fucking hypocrite. Katsuki raged and fired off explosions ready to fight. Only for Half-and-Half to beat him to it sending a wave of ice at the kidnapper, but the Villain jumped out of the way avoiding the attack.

"Why so aggressive?" the man said with a teasing tone as he flew through the air holding onto his top hat. "We merely wish to offer him a place to flourish instead of drowning in this fanatical world of heroism. We value what makes each of us unique unlike society that condemns us for it. What is so bad about that?"

The Villain landed on top of another tree posturing with his arms as if he was making a good point. Which annoyingly he kind of was in a weird way. It was then that Octopus boy realized something.

"It isn't just Midoriya," he told them. "Tokoyami is gone too!"

IcyHot gasped at the same time Katsuki cursed. Shit. Not just one but two of them were taken. And one of them being among the strongest in 1-A too. Fuck! This was not good. Beside him Ice boy was calling the Villain out for monologuing which he so totally was, but no way had he beaten them yet. They were so fucking going to get those two back if it's the last thing Katsuki did. Deku was no way in hell being taken by the Villains.

"A bad habit of mine as I was once an entertainer," the man revealed, playing around with the marble twisting his hand this way and that. "Taking this Tokoyami was a spot of improv on my part, but how could I possibly resist?"

The magician turned his hand one more time to reveal not one, but two marbles cradled in his fingers.

"Moonfish, our dear 'blade tooth'," the Villain crooned, giving a name to the other one Dark Shadow had defeated. "A dastardly death row devil that your friend took down so easily and violently. Seeing that, I decided the avian would do well to join our troupe as well."

Even though he was masked, they could hear the cruel smile in his voice as he grasped the marbles firmly in his fist.

"GIVE THEM THE FUCK BACK, YOU GODS DAMN HYPOCRITE!" Katsuki roared with rage.

Again, he readied to explode this guy's fucking face off but Half-and-Half beat him to it. Another barrage of ice was sent towards the Villain who dodged out of the way once again. Dammit!

"Stop missing, IcyHot!" the explosive blonde reprimanded letting off some explosions to vent.

"Don't blame him," the Villain interjected from the air. "Slight-of-hand and escapology are my specialties. Combat on the other hand is not. I am no fool to entertain the idea of fighting UA Hero candidates such as yourselves."

The magician disappeared briefly behind a spire of ice then reappeared with one hand in his pocket while the other was reaching for his ear.

"Vanguard Action Squad," the marbling thief called out, his words reaching the other Villains. "I've acquired our target. It's time to close the curtain on our little show. Meet at the retrieval point in the next five minutes for our final bow."

Shit, he was getting away. Fuck no to that. No way in fucking hell was he letting that thieving bastard out of his sight. Katsuki ran after him and the others followed. None of them wanted the Villains to leave with their friends.

...

The others of the Squad heard the call but not all could react so quickly. Magne was still fighting Tiger and was literally tied up with the Hero's body wrapped around her. Spinner wasn't in much better shape pinned to the ground by the telepath. Though their ride, Kurogiri, warped in and was able to give them a quick hand much to the Heroes' dismay. Toga was somewhere in the woods and quickly changed course for the retrieval point. While a Noumu was mindlessly chasing after two students with multiple limbs ending in chainsaws and drills aimed at them ready to strike.

Dabi on the other hand didn't have to go very far. Twice was rambling beside him complaining about how Mr. Compress took too long in one sentence then praising him the next. He knew the guy had issues with a split personality but sometimes trying to decipher his real opinion was a pain. However, his duplication Quirk was powerful even though he struggled with not knowing if he himself was a clone or not. It helped Dabi out though not having to actually go up against Eraserhead who apparently would have kicked his scarred ass.

Speaking of which, he wondered how the second one of him was fairing out there. Twice had sent out another one after Eraserhead took out the first. To keep those back at the camp busy so the Villains could do what they came there to do. Now that they were leaving, there wasn't much of a need for distractions anymore. Besides, his clone wouldn't do anything the original wouldn't do either. A copy all the way down to the personality that would most likely not survive the night.

The fire wielder wondered how many of them of the Vanguard Action Squad would make it back to the League. He already counted out that little jerkoff Mustard considering the gas was gone. Moonfish neither as they had seen the man taken out by a giant birdlike creature. That was one powerful Quirk. As for the others though he couldn't be sure until they met up at the retrieval point. Either way, not all had gone according to plan but what can you do?

"Hey, Dabi," Twice spoke up beside him. "Shouldn't you call that Noumu back? We're leaving and it'll only react to your voice, correct?"

Oh, that's right. He should do that. Shigaraki did designate the Noumu specifically to him so he'd have to be the one to call it back. Mr. Compress's signal would have had no effect on the creature. He sent his own signal to the Noumu as they continued on to meet with the others. Then they could get the hell out of here with Shigaraki's precious 'admin'.

Dabi was still pissed off at the kid and his meddling with Stain in Hosu. But Shiggy wanted him and was confident he could convince the kid to join them. Guess they'll have to wait and see if he was right. And if Dabi got the chance to vent some anger once they realized they couldn't, well, that would suit him just fine. He didn't care if Midoriya joined them or not. All he cared about was one thing and one thing only.

Burn Endeavor to the ground.

...

Fucking dammit!

Katsuki cursed yet again as they chased after the Villain holding Deku and Birdbrain. He was pulling farther and farther away as time passed. They needed a way to close the gap since they were getting nowhere on foot. The blonde considered the Quirks around him. Sure, he could blast himself ahead but even he had to admit he couldn't do this on his own. Especially since they were heading towards where the other Villains were meeting.

"Round Cheeks!" Katsuki called out as they ran. "Make us float! And Frog Face, throw us using your tongue!"

"My name is Uraraka!" Floaty girl complained which he knew that but now was not the time.

"Whatever! Just do it!" he snapped back. "We can't let him get away!"

They were surprised that he was willing to cooperate with them but quickly got to work. Once Asui had them wrapped in her tongue, Uraraka activated her Quirk. The frog girl then whipped around launching them into the air. Shouji held onto Katsuki, Shinsou, and Todoroki tight as they flew through the air crashing right into the back of the fleeing Villain. Gravity came back and they fell in a heap to the ground.

Together, Katsuki, IcyHot, Eyebags, and Octopus Arms pinned the dumbass magician down into the dirt. The explosive teen went to reach for the marbles that were in the Villain's jacket pocket, but Multi-Arms seemed to have the same idea and was already doing just that. Well at least one of them got those losers away from the thief. However, they weren't alone in the clearing they had landed in.

"Get out of the way, Compress!" a scarred man yelled, reaching out his hand that ignited into a blue flame.

Beneath them, the masked Villain also glowed blue but it wasn't from the other's Quirk as the magician shrank. The teens scrambled doing their best to dodge the blast of blue flames. Half-and-Half and Katsuki weren't as affected by the heat as much as Octopus boy and Troll Doll were, but the flash of fire was still intense for all of them. However, after dodging that attack, the fight was far from over.

Todoroki fended off one of the Villains dressed in mostly black fighting with what looked like measuring tape. While Katsuki dodged a fucking syringe being shot at him by some crazy ass blonde. She fucking giggled as she tried to get close enough to stab him but he forced her back with well-timed explosions. Shouji did his own part when she switched targets going after Shinsou instead and knocked the girl even further away with a multi-armed smacked. The girl growled with a feral grin as she skidded to a stop.

As they were kept busy, Compress released himself from his own Quirk grumbling how they ruined his exit. He walked over to Dabi reaching for his pocket to hand over the captured kids. Only to find his pocket empty.

"Bakugou, Todoroki, Shinsou," Shouji called out suddenly. "We're done here. His 'trick' obviously has something to do with those little marbles. The ones he stashed in his pocket."

The tall teen held up two marbles in one of his many hands. The other three sighed in relief even though Katsuki would deny it.

"Then let's get the fuck out of here," Katsuki growled, already preparing to leave.

"Well, well, well. Color me impressed, young Hero," Compress chuckled, his playful tone putting them on guard. "But did you really think it would be that easy?"

They realized they were surrounded. Compress and Dabi to their front, Toga and Twice on either side, a suddenly appearing Noumu coming from the woods, and they found their rear blocked by a towering Kurogiri who had just warped in.

"Five minutes has passed since the signal," the Warp Villain drawled. "It is time to go."

Kurogiri formed portals behind each Villain and they disappeared one by one. Toga gave them a wink as she left, Twice dived in as if it were a pool, and the Noumu silently trudged through. Compress turned to leave as well only for Dabi to stop him.

"Hold on. We're not leaving without the kid," the fire wielder ordered, staring down the young Heroes.

"Oh ho ho, no need to worry about that," Compress assured him. "Seeing how proud they were of rifling through my pockets, I thought I would allow them time to gloat. But as I said, did you really think it would be that easy."

The teens stared the Villain down trying to figure out what he could mean. They had the marbles and they had all seen him put his hand in his pocket before signaling the others. So why was the man boasting?

"Let me explain a basic tenant of magic," the Villain exulted as he reached up to remove his mask. "Misdirection. Distract you by flaunting something shiny to keep you from noticing what I don't want you to see."

There was another mask underneath but now they could see his eyes and mouth. The magician then stuck out his tongue to show two shiny marbles. Ones that looked exactly like the marbles Shouji held in his hands, but which ones held the captured kids? The young Heroes had a bad feeling they knew the answer to that which was confirmed in an instant at the snap of the Villain's fingers. The marbles they had taken transformed into chunks of ice crushing any linger remanence of hope.

Katsuki cursed having been played by the man who had taken Deku and Birdbrain. The magician had tricked them and was now gloating about it as he fixed his mask back on his face.

"Forgive me," Compress said with an arrogant bow. "But I do so love a twist endin-."

His words were cut short as a length of cloth shot out wrapping around his head and yanked. The Villain fell forward as his mask slipped off his face along with the capture weapon and his mouth fell open in surprise. Shinsou was reeling his scarf back in as Shouji, Todoroki, and Katsuki raced to catch the marbles falling through the air.

The mutli-armed teen's long reach grasped one of the marbles while the other two went for the second. They were so close but also got in each other's way in the process. Todoroki and Katsuki watched in devastation as the marble was snatched out of the air right in front of them by a scarred hand. The Villains were only partially there with their lower halves contained in the portal as the two teenagers fumbled past them.

"Too slow, little Heroes," Dabi taunted, showing off his prize as they righted themselves. "Compress, release them."

The magician complained of ruined finales as he snapped his fingers once again. Tokoyami suddenly appeared in Shouji's arms and Deku…he had a Villain's hand around his neck. Shinsou paled at the sight remembering the mall. Shouji was stunned and Tokoyami was terrified and confused. Todoroki was frozen as his friend, his Izuku, was being taken away right in front of him. And Katsuki…

…no.

"DEKU, NO!" he screamed as he blasted his way towards the boy.

Deku was scared. Green eyes wide in fear. If only Katsuki could reach him. Be fast enough to get him back. Be a Hero and save him. He pushed his explosions to be bigger, more powerful. To be strong and fast enough to save the boy who he had once befriended all those years ago. A hand glistening in sweat reached out as far as it could so close to grabbing him. So close, so close, so close!

Then the world went black.

...

Shouta was running as fast as he could. He had wasted too much time fighting those stupid clones and he was growing more and more worried for his students as time passed. The Hero kept running across children either unconscious or covered in blood. Some had gas masks he could guess were from Yaoyorozu. Who herself was being carried on the back of one Vlad's kids. All of them Shouta directed back to the camp with warnings to be vigilant and stay together.

The Erasure Hero pushed ever forward, determined to reach them in time. Gods knew what these children had to face tonight. This whole camp thing had been to prepare them to face Villain attacks. Oh, the gods damn fucking irony of it all. Shouta hated the universe for doing this to his kids. They were problem children, every one of them, but no one deserves this.

Fire was still crackling around him. He could hear explosions going off and could see the towering ice over the trees. Both helped direct him to exactly where he needed to go. Along the way he ran into Uraraka and Asui who were headed in the same direction he was. The girls explained what they did to send the boys ahead as they went and it only pushed the tired man to go faster.

His pounding heart was loud in his ears and his breathing was heavy in his chest. His feet pounded on the ground as they ran as fast as they could. Shouta's mind was racing with thoughts going faster than his feet. He had to get to them. Had to protect them. Save them. He had to be their Hero and the familiar sight of purple in the distance spurred him on even more. They were there right in front of him. So close that he would soon reach them. A hope was kindling in his chest as they ran through the trees.

Then he got to the clearing. The last wisps of black mist disappeared and the air was thick with tension. No one was moving or saying anything. It was all way too quiet except for heavy breathing. But this was not the silence of peace and safety. This was the silence of sorrow.

Hitoshi was the first to move, collapsing to his knees as he wept, "I-Izuku…"

They were all staring at the spot where the portal had been.

Oh no.

"What happened?" Shouta questioned, doing his best to stay professional but it was proving difficult.

He knew the answer already to his question judging by the solemn atmosphere.

"Izuku, he's…," Hitoshi choked out. "He's gone."

The Hero knew it but he hadn't wanted to believe it. Didn't stop it from being true as there was no sight of the green one anywhere. But also…

"Where's Bakugou?" Shouta pressed, searching for the other problem child who was also nowhere to be seen.

He didn't want to believe the worst. Didn't want to even think the thought forming in his mind, but you don't always get what you want. Shouji was the one to speak up.

"Bakugou…he's…"

His student trailed off as Shouta collapsed to the ground same as his kid, but the teen didn't have to finish. It was enough to confirm his fears.

…gone.

Not one, but two of his students were gone. Kidnapped by the League of Villains only gods knew where.

…no.

The news hurt but the facts couldn't be denied. As a Hero and a teacher, Shouta…failed.

...

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