Spaghetti Sauce: You'll have to find out. :)

Euphoria: Maybe she did...maybe she didn't...

Kyeo307: I'm glad you liked it!

BreadConnoiseur: Mayhaps...

FinchFlyingAce: Yeah...I really like how TENKO got peace too...

Bearticguy7: I love Anastasia!

Monster King: Glad you like it my friend!

I'm a KFP Customer: The Barge arc is gonna be big!

BryanTF2: It was a blast to write! I'm glad you liked it! Also...I haven't really seen anything about BaTDR yet...but it's a possibility.

Kasumi Kenshiro: Well, not every Creepypasta is real in this universe, the only one confirmed is The Rake. I want one that would make a compelling antagonist...someone like Jeff the Killer would be annihilated instantly.

(Nice creepy design...overly edgy story. Not my favorite...I prefer cryptids and urban legends).

Death Omen Star: AFO deserves it both here and in canon. He is seriously my least favorite MHA character, but it would be a disservice to the OFA plotline if he wasn't portrayed accurately.

I hope when AFO goes out in canon, it is with a whimper.

So, I wasn't very clear last chapter when it came to Izuku and Katsuki's injuries. They are healed. The hospital scene takes place a few days after the battle, and they were treated by an assortment of healing Quirks.

They simply have lasting complications from the battle, but they won't affect their potential that much. Izuku just has be even more careful with his arms than he was before, and Katsuki has a bit of a breathing problem.

Momo will be quite important to their recovery, especially with access to a certain doctor's scientific knowledge.

Josuke is able to revert broken items back to a previous state, so since the two are already healed, there is nothing he can really do. Just like how he couldn't just erase the scars from Kyoka's arm, the damage is repaired.

If he was there, they would've been completely restored no problem. He wasn't though...

He's...somewhere else...

(Yes, I'm implying he'll show up in one of these arcs).

Gunga Mountains- Day 1.

-:-

Current Events outside of the arc:

*Santana has just fallen to AFO's cowardly attack.

*Kars has entered the battlefield under the guise of the Stranger.

*Himiko Toga leads the charge in her father figure's place.

*Kyoka and Jolyne have set foot on the Barge.

-:-

Now:

*Johnny, Mirko and Ochako prepare to hunt The Rake.

*Gyro and Hawks try to locate the page.

Johnny rubbed some dirt between his fingers, frowning.

"Fresh tracks..."

"It was here?" Ochako asked, concerned.

"Could've been...or someone could've been walking around barefoot, but the grooves in the dirt show that the feet were clawed...so...probably the Rake."

Ochako shuddered, and looked around the woods. "Do you think it could be watching us?"

"Most likely. I don't think it'll attack right away...the Rake stalks it's victims first, and it's quite good at it." The Joestar flipped through the small notebook Izuku gave him, where he had jotted down notes on the creature. "Last time I encountered a cryptid, it was friendly...so we're going to be fighting blind."

The brunette examined the gun Johnny gave her, Mountain Tim's revolver. "I...don't have much experience with this kind of stuff..."

"That's why I brought you...you can help set up traps, and as of right now you have the least experience." Johnny explained.

"And you have the most...I see..."

Johnny began climbing the stairs to the old watchtower, and Ochako followed him up. He just had this air of preciseness, knowing exactly what to do. Perhaps it was the Joestar in him, or perhaps it was simply not his first rodeo.

"So...um...what's your favorite color?"

Johnny paused, and turned around to look at Ochako as if she had just told him the sky was falling.

"What?"

"Um...what's your favorite color?"

Johnny blinked a few times. "Blue? Sometimes purple? I'm...not sure why you're asking."

"Oh...no reason..."

Johnny turned back to the stairs, opening the door to the watchtower, and began unpacking his bag. Setting several bullet casings, rations, and what appeared to be a few packets of Instant Ramen, he began setting up shop.

Ochako looked around the old watchtower, which had a map of the forest, an old radio, and a wood burning oven. It was a cozy little area...

"Favorite food?"

Johnny sighed. "Yare yare daze...Uraraka, what is with the questions?"

"Well...we haven't really hung out before...I guess I just wanted to get the opportunity to know you better."

"...Prime rib."

"Really?!"

"Yep."

"Mine's-"

"Mochi?"

Ochako flushed with embarrassment. "Well, I guess I made that fairly obvious. Oh, when's your birthday?"

"April 4th."

"I'm a December baby, the 27th...I always get my birthday presents at Christmas!" Ochako said with a grin. "Although...that's probably because my parents can't afford both days...but...y'know..."

Johnny nodded, sitting across from her. "I would say something...but the Joestar family has always been pretty well off, so I'm afraid I can't relate...although I didn't really get many presents in my earlier years."

Ochako frowned. "Yeah...I guess you would've preferred to be poor."

Johnny chuckled, waving his classmate off. "Don't worry about it. I'm not out to compare childhoods. Here's a question...why don't you just ask the Speedwagon Foundation to help fund your parents, now that you're with us?"

"Well...I was actually planning to...but that's really not why I want to be a hero anymore."

"Really?" Johnny asked, surprised. Remembering how the brunette had passionately declared she would earn money for her parents earlier in the year, her change of goals was news to him.

"I...I've been thinking about a lot of things. I...really like helping people, and...after finding out about the Musketeers and joining up...I got to thinking about how you guys must have felt..."

Johnny hummed, turning on a kettle so he could make his ramen.

"I see."

"I kept on thinking...'if I were there, how could I have saved them?' Who saves heroes when they're in need of saving?" Ochako asked. "That's when I decided...that was going to be me. I'm going to be a hero who saves both innocents, and other heroes."

"Well, in that case you can save me when this Rake inevitably decides that Joestars taste good."

Ochako laughed. "Ha ha ha! I can already hear Kyoka making a comment about you being sour!"

"Even when she isn't here, she makes fun of me in proxy." Johnny muttered, causing Ochako to laugh harder.

Mirko huffed as she trekked through the woods and into a clearing, stomping towards the watchtower.

"Can't believe those kids got here before me...who do they think they are huh?! Here I was, buying them food and shit...with my own money-"

The rabbit hero continued to mutter to herself as she climbed the stairs, carrying the bag of groceries she had bought out of the kindness of her heart, and kicked the door open.

"Good morning." Johnny said, finishing his Instant Ramen. "Elmer Fudd giving you trouble? You look pissed."

"I'm pissed because you kids came here without me!" Mirko retorted, slamming the groceries on the ground. "There's a monster on the loose, in case you forgot! I'm fuckin' responsible for you!"

"Yosemite Sam then."

"This is why I don't take interns." Mirko said with a huff.

Johnny took out a pair of binoculars, and narrowed his eyes. "That's really fucking suspicious."

"What?" Ochako asked, and Johnny handed them to her.

"Oi, don't just ignore me!" The rabbit hero protested, strutting to the window. "What the hell are you seeing kid?"

"Clouds...dark clouds..." Ochako replied, a worried look coming onto her face. "That is definitely not normal weather..."

Mirko snatched the binoculars from the brunette and put them to her own eyes, and grimaced. Dark clouds, almost black, were forming over parts of the forest, and they were heading in their direction.

"I really hope that's just a thunderstorm..."

"No, not enough humidity in the air. That is 100% supernatural...maybe there was some truth to the Necromancer's words after all..." Johnny said, a deep frown on his face. "I smell something dark...we might be in for a fight."

"Gyro and Hawks are in these woods too, looking for the mysterious page...could that be it? Maybe Thriller really was being truthful...and it's a page out of the Necronomicon." Ochako theorized. "Why is it only active now?"

"Someone's plan is coming together. The Necromancer and the page only played a part in it..." Johnny replied.

"This is way out of my expertise." Mirko put the binoculars down, and walked over to her grocery bag, taking out a carrot to munch on.

"Gyro will take care of the page...we have our own objective."

Johnny flipped open his notebook and walked over to the map in the room, marking down spots on it. "All of these are the Rake's last known sightings, all surrounding this area. It's safe to say that we're in the middle of it's territory, which means it'll take offense."

"Good, it'll come straight to us then." Mirko responded. "I say we lure it in by making a lot of noise, and-"

"May I give my opinion?"

"Yeah?"

"That's a fucking stupid idea." Johnny said, putting his hands on his hips.

"It always works when I do it." Mirko retorted. "I have experience kid-"

"With villains, humans. This thing is far from human, and far from stupid. We make a lot of noise, we either chase it off...or we invite it to start picking us off. We have no idea what it's true capabilities are, so we need to fight smarter."

The pro hero was struck once more by how mature Johnny was, having met Jotaro Kujo once or twice, she could see his father in him.

"I can see where you're coming from...but I'm a fighter first. It's what I specialize in." Mirko explained. "I've never really been good with subtlety, only battle and rescue. So...I suppose...I'll leave the subtle stuff to you."

Johnny nodded. "Don't worry, you'll get your fight...but we need to weaken it first."

*Excerpt from Johnny's notebook, post-Rake.

We were being attacked on all sides.

Had I have known, I never would've allowed the group to be split up. I would've made sure we had tackled each threat together.

While Uraraka and I were chasing cryptids in the woods, fucking Kars of all people mangled my two childhood friends, and caused a citywide evacuation. Shigaraki had turned into a giant hate worm, and...

What happened at the Barge...that's what scared me the most. My sister and my girlfriend...in that situation? I'm still not over it.

The Rake was a pretty big threat too, even if it could never compete with Kars...or the orchestrator of the Barge incident...it actually almost killed us a few times.

It was pretty damn clever.

Either way...with Kars, the Barge, the Rake, and now dark clouds blanketing the sky...everything was pointing towards it all somehow being connected. If only I had realized...

Luckily, this is where Gyro had come into play. If he hadn't acted when he did...

I don't think any of the Musketeers would be here to tell the story.

"Have to admit, it's weird teaming up with a pro." Gyro remarked, taking a bite out of a slice of pizza. "I'm usually used to Johnny being by my side."

"Ah yes, Mr. Joestar often said you two were inseparable." Hawks said with a grin. "Man, what I would give to have a partner like that..."

"Well, the Joestar and Zeppeli bloodlines go way back, so our friendship is quite literally destiny." Gyro replied, when he stopped.

"Zeppeli?"

"Quiet...we aren't alone."

Hawks raised his eyebrows at the hero student giving him an order, but rolled with it, knowing that Gyro was far from your average trainee.

Then, Hawks heard it.

The ringing of what appeared to be bells, or knives, clunking together grew all the louder as the outline of a hiker appeared. A wide brimmed hat sat upon the mysterious man's head, and he was unnaturally tall, sitting at roughly 7' 1".

He wore a long dirty brown coat, and his face was covered in shadow, the only thing visible being a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

The man saw them, and gave a rather friendly wave with a gloved hand.

"Seems like quite the character." Hawks noted as the man approached.

"Can't tell if he's a threat or not...his body language suggests he's friendly...but you never know." Gyro replied, narrowing his eyes as the man came up to them.

"Hello! Nice day for a walk, ain't it?" The man said in a deep, but warm voice.

"Yeah...out for a hike?" Gyro asked.

"Oh no, I live here!"

A homeless guy? Both heroes thought as the man began digging something out of his jacket. Gyro put a hand on a steel ball, but the man waved him off.

"Nonono! Don't get the wrong idea! Hey...that's a Zeppeli Steel Ball! They're one of a kind! It's so nice to meet a fellow Spin user!"

"What?!" Gyro took his hand off of his signature weapon, surprised. "Who are you?"

The man took an extravagant bow.

"I am the Broker. I'm sort of the...Wal-Mart of the woods." Broker said, standing back up to his full height. "I'm a salesman, I sell unique items to visitors to help them survive. You see, the woods aren't exactly...normal in your standards, and there are a few things in here that want you dead...so I help in any way I can!"

Broker brought out the item from his jacket, which turned out to be a packet of hot dogs of all things...still cold.

"Do you have a refrigerator in there or something?" Hawks asked, examining the hot dogs. "How did you manage to keep these cold?"

"Ah, ah, ah! A tradesman never reveals his secrets!" Broker wagged his finger, handing the hot dogs to the confused number two hero. "Here! On the house as a sign of good faith! So...what bring a pair of handsome men like you to this neck of the woods?"

"We're looking for this." Gyro pulled out a picture of the mysterious page, showing it to Broker. "Have you seen it?"

Broker narrowed his eyes, lowering his head.

"I have...you have a VERY long fight ahead of you if you really want to take that thing out. It's guarded by the Operator."

"What the fuck is that?!"

"It is a being born from the page itself. It guards the page with it's life...and manipulates the more...hostile beings in the forest to do its bidding. It's a puppet master, and everyone in this forest fears it."

A being born from the page? The Necronomicon was full of ancient secrets...perhaps it even had an entity of sorts crammed in it...one that the Necromancer released, just to be a dick. Gyro thought to himself, absentmindedly scratching his chin. If that is the case...only the Spin can destroy it.

"I see...well, thanks for the info." Gyro responded, and Broker leaned in.

"You're a Zeppeli, right? Either that or you somehow managed to kill one."

"Gyro Zeppeli."

"Gyro...that's a cool name! The Zeppeli family are masters of Hamon and the Spin, and I have this gut feeling that you're no different. If you have even a smidge of the talent your family possesses...then I have faith that you might actually be able to get rid of the Operator."

"The Spin isn't exactly common knowledge...who trained you?"

"Ah, that is another tradesman's secret my friend!" Broker pulled out a silver steel ball, spinning it on the top of his pointer finger. "I'll be frank...I think I'm gonna help you out! You see...the Operator is quite bad for business...so if you can take it out, teach me a few things about the Spin, and perhaps buy a few things from me now and then if you need it...I'm in your corner!"

Hawks narrowed his eyes, but something told him that Broker, while shrouded in mystery, wasn't malicious. There was an air of warmness around the rather jovial salesman, a kind of friendliness that came with his charisma.

Perhaps, even capable of being trusted.

"Well, I suppose we need all the help we can get." The number two hero said with a shrug. "If this Operator guy is as dangerous as you say he is..."

"Oh, he is." Broker replied, before looking up. "Oh...oh no...he knows you're here."

Both heroes looked up to see dark clouds forming above them, blocking out the sun. The forest began to darken, until they were standing in near complete darkness.

"That's the same stuff the Necromancer used to cover the sun when we cornered him..." Gyro noted, frowning. "Cazzo..."

Johnny turned on the lights to the old watchtower, as a forced night fell upon them. "This situation was already bad...but now it just got way worse."

Inhuman shrieks filled the air, and a frightened Ochako backed away from the window. "There...isn't more than one Rake, is there?"

"No...but that doesn't mean he's the only thing out there." Johnny responded, glancing up at the dark clouds. "This definitely has the Necronomicon written all over it...the entire forest is corrupted."

"What do we do?" Ochako asked.

"We do what we came here to do, we kill the Rake." Mirko responded, sitting up from her chair. "That's our assignment, Hawks and Olive Garden are here to handle whatever the fuck that is. We hunt the Rake, or die trying."

"Except now it's basically night, the Rake is believed to be nocturnal, and there's clearly more than one monster out there." Johnny responded. "We were only prepared for ONE."

"Fuck that, I'll fight anyway!" Mirko retorted, glancing out the window, when she noticed something lurking in the woods. "That little shit..."

A white humanoid figure was sitting on a branch outside...watching her.

"Oh my God...it's already here..." Ochako breathed out. She wasn't even close to it, and already it was starting to freak her out.

"It stalks it's victims for days, even years." Johnny reminded them. "Mirko...you pissed it off, remember?"

"It's after me then..."

The Rake stood up on it's hind legs, it's cold dead eyes never straying from them.

It was already watching us from the moment we all got there, judging from it's hiding spot. Johnny observed, sweat lining his brow. It waited until it was dark to start moving. If Mirko hadn't looked out of the window when she did...it might've made it to the stairs...

"Uraraka...hand me my binoculars, would you?"

Ochako looked at the Rake, then back at Johnny. "Are...you going to try and snipe it?"

"In a way. We are in a very delicate situation right now..."

Mirko was already climbing through the window.

"Oi! Get back here!" Johnny hissed, and the pro hero gave him a sour look.

"No, you stay in here! I have my own plan!"

"God dammit, no! We don't know what it's capable-"

"Exactly."

Mirko jumped down from the watchtower, landing on the ground with a THUD. Rising to her feet, she adopted a fighting position.

The Rake had vanished.

"Here little beastie...come here! You had a taste of me huh? I must've tasted pretty good if you came back to have the full meal!" Mirko taunted the woods, grinning. "Come on! I'm delicious!"

Johnny watched in disbelief as Mirko, a grown woman, turned around and began shaking her rabbit tail at the woods where the Rake had disappeared. "Why am I more mature than a seasoned pro? I just know Mineta would be drooling right now..."

"I...actually think she has a plan." Ochako said. "She's a pro hero after all, and one of the top heroes on the billboard. She...reminds me of Bakugo in a way."

"Heh...fair enough. I think I get what she's going for now that I'm looking at it."

Johnny took the binoculars from Ochako and lined up his shot, waiting for the Rake to emerge.

"You're not staring at her butt, are you?"

"I'm not a pervert Uraraka."

"I know, but the leotard isn't really-"

"I know...yare yare daze...I'm just lining up the shot, I don't have time to get distracted."

Ochako chuckled as Johnny had replied in a very similar manner to his father, and sat beside him, watching the trap play out.

"I know."

The Rake darted from tree to tree, it's eyes never leaving the pro hero. Just from looking at it, even through binoculars, Johnny felt a cold fear trickle down his back. It truly was a ghastly thing, naked and covered in scars.

It's long claws scraped at the bark of the tree it was hiding behind, and it made a soft hissing noise.

Clearly, it held grudges.

However, it made no move to attack...it simply watched. It simply stared Mirko down, not making any real movements.

Stalking, just as expected.

Is it waiting for the moment to strike? No...no, I don't think so...it's just staring at her with those dead eyes. As frightening as it's mere presence is...I don't feel any killing intent coming from if right now...

Mirko had finally gotten bored of teasing the creature, and was now simply staring back, tapping her foot against the ground with a cross expression.

"Listen, I know I'm easy on the eyes, but I'd appreciate if you actually did something." The pro hero said, putting her hands on her hips. "Are ya gonna start where we left off, or not?"

Then...the Rake sulked back into the darkness, hissing again.

"Oh, really? You're just gonna walk away after staring me down? CHICKEN!"

"Mirko, I think it's gone for real now." Johnny called down.

"...yeah...I take it you got what I was going for?"

"Yeah, I did. Although I'd appreciate it if you actually let me know what you're doing next time."

"What did she do?" Ochako asked, confused.

Gyro backed up, a steel ball in his hand, as the woods became pitch black.

"So...this Operator knows we're here, huh?"

"Oh yes...it sees everything." The Broker replied, nervously tugging at his jacket. "You can't hide from it...you can only run."

A groan came from the forest, and the form of a little girl emerged from the undergrowth. Gyro's breath caught in his throat as the girl lifted her face...

It was covered in tree bark, and bugs. It was almost as though the girl had turned into a rotting tree.

Hawks blinked, alarm bells going off in his head. "Hey, kid are you okay?!"

"I...agh..."

"What's wrong?! Does it hurt?!"

*BANG!*

The little girl's head exploded, and the Broker pulled back a shotgun. There was a moment if silence as the two heroes tried to process what had just happened...

"Did...you just murder that little girl?" Hawks asked, threateningly.

"That wasn't a little girl...not anymore. That was one of the Tainted." The Broker responded, when a feather was held to his throat.

"That...was a little girl. She was HURT YOU MANIAC!"

"No Hawks...I don't think she was..." Gyro cut in, pointing towards the woods.

A whole army of mangled and horrifying abominations, once human, was shuffling towards them. The Broker took one look at them, and shrugged.

"Welp...figures. I'll let you in on another little secret to surviving in these woods...run and find shelter."

Gyro whirled around, only to find the mysterious salesman had vanished. "Oh sure...thanks for the help..."

The Tainted began howling, screaming, setting their sights on the pair with hungry eyes. One of them towered over the others, sporting a deer skull for a head. It's razor sharp teeth parted, revealing a long black tongue, and it proceeded to lick it's chops.

"I...think we should take his advice."

"Yep."

Hawks took Gyro by the hand and lifted him into the air, carrying him above the trees. The Tainted began giving chase, shrieking and clawing at the air, trying to take the two of them out of the sky.

The tall one with the antlers lept above the others, carrying a massive tree branch over it's head. With a mighty swing, it clipped one of Hawks' wings.

*CRACK!*

"GAH!" Hawks cried out in pain as said wing began flapping limply in the air. "It broke my wing!"

Gyro chucked a steel ball into said wing as the two began hurtling towards the ground. "Sorry in advance!"

"Wha-"

*SNAP!*

"OW! HOLY BALLS THAT HURTS!"

Gyro had used the Spin to force the wing back into place, saving them from plummeting to their deaths, but it had only reduced their descent to a glide.

The one with the antlers hurled the tree branch at them, and Hawks angrily sent a feather hurtling back, hitting the beast in the eye. The large Tainted stumbled back, roaring as shards of ice began forming on it's body, acting as armor.

It gave them a look, it's remaining eye sunken into it's skull like a pearl in a deep it.

It would remember that.

The two heroes managed to get enough distance before crashing to the ground, both rolling to a stop. The shrieks of the Tainted, while somewhat distant, were getting closer.

Hawks lifted his head from the ground, and he saw something that made him almost jump for joy.

A maintenance building, old and abandoned, but surrounded by a barbed wire fence.

Hawks grabbed Gyro by the back of his collar and used his feathers to push them over the barbed gateway, and they both got into the shelter, collapsing to the ground. They were safe...for now...

*Gyro's notes on the subject

Shit was fucked.

Hawks and I had stumbled into what felt like an entirely different world. The woods had their own laws, their own currency...

And a mysterious, evil presence, spreading it's darkness across the land. Innocent people who wandered into it's clutches, turned into these monsters by this unseen puppet master.

If the whole team was here it wouldn't have been so bad...but it was just one handsome Italian and the number two hero. We were alone, in the Operator's domain, forced to adapt to the laws of the land in order to survive. Hawks had a broken wing, leaving us grounded, so it truly turned into a desperate situation.

The Operator remained a mystery to us, but we could feel it's iron grip tighten around the forest. It knew we were after the page, and sought to eliminate us. Future conversations with the residents made it very clear...it was a creature to be feared, and it had eyes everywhere.

I feel inclined to admit this...and don't tell Johnny...but this thing, when we inevitably encountered it...it terrified me to the core. The Operator remains as the most domineering, frightening, and evil thing I have ever encountered.

Johnny primed the bear trap, and gently set a piece of raw beef in the middle. Taking an assortment of sticks and leaves, he began disguising the trap the best he could.

Glancing up at the darkened skies, he shook his head, sighing to himself.

"Yare yare daze...what a mess..."

The air was now frigid, and it wasn't getting warmer any time soon. There was an unsettling feeling in the air, one that even the nigh unshakable Mirko was affected by...

Like they were being watched...and they weren't welcome.

Traveling slightly deeper into the woods using a wormhole, he waited inside. Act 3 retreated into the wormhole too.

It was time to see if what Mirko did would pay off.

She had gone out of her way to get it's attention, purely so they could analyze the Rake's behavior.

It didn't attack, even when Mirko offered it rabbit stew on a silver platter. The Rake only attacks when it feels threatened, or when the time is right...and now I think I know why.

This thing is pure evil.

It stalks it's victims for however long it takes, purely so it can break their spirits. It wants to drive them insane before it makes it's move, it takes a certain satisfaction from watching people lose it.

Now...it was only a question of if the Rake would take the bait.

Ochako sat in a tree nearby, watching the trap with an intense expression. She was a hero that specialized with rescue more than tracking and hunting, so this was like being thrust into a sudden winter in the middle of spring.

Looking down at the wormhole, she began to admire how Johnny had acted calm despite the strangeness of the situation. He simply analyzed the situation and made a plan.

It was clear why Izuku and Kyoka admired him so much.

JoJo and I hung out a bit at the beginning of the year...but I never really got back in touch with him during the Steel Ball Run. He probably could've used someone to talk to...

Ochako had felt bad about that for a while. She only called him once...and the rest of the class didn't at all. They were scared to, after seeing him in the hospital the day he left. Johnny had been much more lively back then, and to see him mellow and defeated...

It felt wrong.

Of course, later down the line she found out the mellow and down-to-earth version of Johnny was his true self, and the Johnny she initially became friends with was a facade. He was imitating Joseph, and Jotaro...trying to be like his predecessors to cover up his depression.

Did...I ever really know him? The change in his personality kinda scared me away, I guess...that and the fact that he usually just sticks around the group...

I'm part of that group now, so I want to get to know him better.

Finally, Johnny emerged from the wormhole with a disappointed look.

"Either it knows this is a trap, or it's not in the area. The air has gotten a bit warmer, so I'd say it's time to move."

Ochako floated down to him. "Well...at least we can rest easy for a while."

"No Uraraka, we can't."

Johnny gave her a look from the corner of his eye, and the brunette blinked.

"Really?"

"Yes...in a situation like this, with beast like that stalking us...we must always analyze the surroundings carefully and methodically. We can't afford to let down our guard, or underestimate this thing in any way. If we do..."

The Joestar narrowed his eyes.

"We could very well die in here."

"O-oh...I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you're still learning." Johnny replied, as he started trekking into the woods, Ochako following. "Just keep that gun ready, and pay attention."

*SNAP!"

An inhuman howl filled the air, and they both turned to find that The Rake had a hand stuck in the bear trap Johnny had just laid out. Blood dripped from the creature's wrist as it tried to pull it's hand free.

"Shoot at it Uraraka!"

"I-I...okay!"

Tusk Act 2 emerged, and Johnny looked around for something to reference the Golden Rectangle. Finding a leaf suitable, he fired several Golden Rotation shots at it. One hit The Rake in the leg, the other in the shoulder.

The cryptid made a horrible noise, and finally pried it's hand free. Turning to face them, it turned it's attention onto Ochako.

As soon as her eyes met the soulless pits of The Rake's, she was overcome with an intense fear...but also a strange pull towards it. She fumbled for the trigger, trying to ignore the fear, and the impulse to go to it.

Johnny kept firing, but it was clear that he was under the creature's spell too. His shots were missing, and sweat was dripping down his face.

The cryptid stood on it's hind legs, and then...

It smiled.

The Rake actually smiled. It's lipless, bloody maw curled into a grin as it stared at them, slowly titling it's head to the side. It looked between the two, and it just didn't stop staring.

It didn't blink, it didn't even move a muscle. It was just staring at them, it's disturbing grin freezing them to the ground.

Move...do something!

WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING?!

MOVE!

It didn't move.

The Rake watched them, just watched. Then...it took a step in their direction.

Johnny primed his last nail bullet, his hand shaking as he pointed it at the creature, but something was preventing him from firing it. There was a fear she had never seen on him before.

The creature got close, close enough for her to smell it's horrid breath, as it opened it's mouth in her face. It's tongue extended out...

*BZZT!*

Johnny had finally shot the last nail bullet, hitting the creature before it could potentially bite her face off. Ochako wound up her fist and punched it across the jaw, screaming at the top of her lungs, both in terror and desperation.

The Rake reeled back, letting out an ear piercing shriek, and it scampered off into the woods and out of sight.

"Give me the gun."

"JoJo, I-"

"GIVE ME THE FUCKING GUN!"

More noise in the woods, and Mirko lept through, taking note of the blood and the triggered trap. "I HEARD SHOTS!"

"Yeah, it fell for the trap...and it got up close and personal. We managed to repel it..."

The rabbit hero turned to look at the destroyed underbrush, left in tatters by the Rake's hasty retreat. "That thing gives me the creeps...that's it! I'm not letting you two out of my sight!"

"But-"

"NO BUTS!" Mirko snapped in Johnny's face. "I don't care how experienced you are! You're still a fucking kid, and I'm responsible for you! So you ain't leaving my sight! This thing is fucking dangerous, and I'd be a pathetic excuse of a hero if I let you kids go off on your own!"

The Joestar and the No. 5 hero stood nose to nose, in a heated disagreement.

"I understand you feel the need to protect us, I really do. However, I can assure you that I know what I'm doing." Johnny responded.

"You...are in your first year."

"Soon to be second, what's your point?"

"You're young, and you think that you've got everything you need to know, but you don't. Trust me, I know from experience. You've got it in your head that you can handle this, but you two have no idea-"

"No, I think I'm quite aware of the danger, Mirko."

Ochako saw the beginnings of annoyance on Johnny's face.

Of course...she has no idea what he's been through, only that our group has done some things. She has no clue about the Steel Ball Run, his mom, Eri...how close he and the people he cares about have been to death...but he has to understand that she's only looking out for us.

"Maybe you are, but I've seen plenty of newbies get it into their heads that they're unstoppable after they beat a few villains, then, they get crippled, and their dreams go down the fucking toilet."

Oh no...

She literally just described what happened to him at the beginning of the year. That probably pushed a few buttons...

"Uh...maybe we should calm down." Ochako recommended, but her words fell upon deaf ears. Two VERY stubborn people were having a disagreement...and it was getting a bit heated.

"So?"

"So, listen to the fucking adult here! I know there's a lick of sense in that undeveloped brain of yours, so use it!"

"We've accomplished things without pros knowing, or being involved Mirko...do you really think we need you now?" Johnny retorted, coldly.

Mirko blinked. "...excuse me?!"

"I don't want to be rude, but you're starting to piss me off." Johnny continued, bluntly. "We were better off underground, that way we could actually get things done without someone restricting us. Listen...I respect you, so I need you to respect me."

"You better watch your fuckin' mouth!" Mirko responded with a glare. "I'm not willing to risk your lives. Hell, I would've preferred to do this on my own!"

"Yeah, you don't work well with others, do you?"

"You still don't get it!"

"I do get it! Do you think I would just throw away my life so casually?! I have people to come home to!" Johnny said, his annoyance turning to frustration. "I'm being as careful as one can be in this situation! We're ALL diving into the deep end here!"

"Guys, please..."

Mirko remained silent, processing Johnny's words with a scowl on her face, trying to regain her cool. Without another word, she jerked her head towards the watchtower.

"We're going back."

Johnny's fists were clenched, and he released them. He was about to walk forwards...

When Ochako put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, frowning. "Yare yare daze...I already know what you're about to say..."

"Hear me out anyway, will you?"

Johnny hummed in confirmation, and Ochako continued.

"She doesn't know what you went through...she isn't trying to belittle you. In her eyes...we're just kids...and...she isn't wrong. Mirko is also a solo act, she doesn't work with people often. We need to work as a team here...so...you two need to come to an understanding."

"I know."

"I'm the newbie to the group...so I haven't been through as much as you guys have. I know I can't really provide any real insight into how you must be feeling...but...try to be patient, okay?"

"...I'll try, Uraraka. Thanks."

From a distance, Mirko's rabbit ear twitched. With a sigh, she hung her head, rubbing her forehead, and walked back to the watchtower, the two hero students lagging behind.

All three being watched by pair of dead eyes. The Rake examined it's wounds, and hissed, glaring at Johnny in particular.

It was going to make him pay for that. It didn't care about the pink one, but the other two had hurt it, and that wasn't about to go unpunished.

The heroes may have analyzed it's hunting pattern, but it saw something too, something to exploit:

They did not fight as one.

So, The Rake seems to have a plan.

With Johnny at odds with Mirko, and Ochako caught in the middle, will The Rake take advantage of the hunting group's instability? Or will they manage to reach an understanding?

Gyro and Hawks are now pinned in the forest. While Hawks normally has plenty of feathers to spare, the bone at the base of his back has been broken, leaving him grounded. Now, with a hoard of horrific creatures and the must entity known as The Operator hunting them down, it will be an uphill battle for survival!