Chapter 19

'They're finally here.'

Looking up from her notebook, Ichika found that Pixie-Bob had indeed been right. Shadows started to appear near the edge of the forest. Limping, huffing and puffing. The first four being Todoroki, Bakugo, Iida and Izuku. All three out of breath and covered in cuts and bruises. And she also noticed that Bakugo was holding his left hand, no doubt due to an overuse of his quirk. Both Todoroki and Izuku were covered by cuts and bruises.

As for Iida, the blue haired boy was limping. His trousers ripped and his engine legs puffing out puffs of smoke.

And these four looked the best out of all of class 1-A. The others barely managed to follow suit.

'I thought you said it would take us about three hours,' Sero managed to say as he fell to the ground next to Kirishima.

'I'm so hungry,' the redhead complained in agreement.

Ichika could understand where they were coming from. They had gone without food for hours, the sun was already setting. Meaning they had taken almost a whole day to reach the campsite.

'I guess we timed it on how long it had taken Phoenix, sorry.' Not that Mandalay sounded sorry in the least.

'Great, now you're bragging about how much better she is!'

'Mew, mew, mew,' Pixie-Bob stepped forth excitedly as everyone came to a halt. 'I thought it would take you kids even longer. And you dealt with my dirt monsters pretty easily too. Not bad. Especially...'

Without a warning, the woman dashed forth towards the four unexpecting boys. Taking in the sight of each and every one of them.

'You four! It seems that you four got quite the experience!' She moved from Bakugo to Izuku. Then to Shoto and Iida and back again. 'I call dips on these kittens! I'll groom them myself!'

Ichika could only let out a laugh as she watched Pixie-Bob circle the boys. While her four victims groaned in annoyance, trying to shield themselves from the overly excited pro hero.

'Say Mandalay, has she always been like this?'

Ichika turned her head a little to hear the woman's reply. Curious to get the answer to Aizawa's question.

'It's gotten worse lately,' the leader of the Pussycats answered with replaced shame. 'She's at the age to take a mate.'

Apparently, Izuku managed to hear Mandalay even while being smothered by Pixie-Bob, for he wondered out loud about "age". Only to be grabbed by the face by the crazed woman in front of him.

'Choose your words carefully, boy.'

'I-I was just wondering since we got here earlier,' Izuku started, his voice slightly muffled by Pixie-Bob's glove. His own hand pointing towards Koda. 'Who's that kid?'

'Oh, this little guy?' Mandalay turned to look at Kota, who stood a little off to her left. 'He's my cousin's son. He's staying with us now. Don't be shy, Kota. Say hi to everyone. You'll be around them for the next week.'

Being the kind kid Izuku was, he walked over to Kota to introduce himself. But unfortunately, he was unaware of the boy's dislike for heroes. Or wannabe heroes, as Ichika had heard him call the students. And as a result, the boy slammed Izuku right in his crotch, much to the horror of everyone. Well, except for Bakugo, who found Kota's action amusing. Stating he had spunk. While Ichika could only stare at her younger brother in shock as he doubled over.

After that, the Wild, Wild Pussycats started preparing dinner, with the help of Ichika of course. Though she was glad it would be the only time she would cook for the whole class. It just wasn't something she was very skilled at. Her food was edible, but that was all there was to say about it. Though she was eager to try out the rotenburo later tonight.

But until then, she was helping out with the food. Bringing the food to the cafeteria or helping out with cutting the vegetables.

Though she did manage to have a small talk every now and then. Having a chat with Uraraka about the fun day at the pool she had with her classmates. And Kirishima, who was bummed that he hadn't passed the practical exam. Though he was glad he was allowed to go to the camp anyway.

And of course there was Izuku, who was just so eager to spend more time with his older sister. Though he was surprised that she was here. He had thought that she would spend her time with her boyfriend. Or at Endeavor Agency perhaps. Not that he minded that she was here as well! It was just, he was surprised.

'Well, it seems the dishes are all done,' Mandalay said after she put away the last plate. 'I'd say you alle deserve to relax a little. What do you say, Eraserhead?'

'Sure. Go ahead. And Phoenix, I expect to see you later on tonight to go over our plans for tomorrow.'

'Yes sir.' And with that, she turned around. 'Let's go, girls. I'll show you where the Cattnip Inn is. There, the rotenburo is waiting for us.'

A cheer erupted from the small group standing with Ichika, as the oldest teen lead them towards the said outdoor bath. Though it seemed the boys had overheard the conversation Ichika had earlier with Uraraka. For soon, everyone of class 1-A was following.

'Ah,' Yaoyorozu sighed as she got into the water. Her towel neatly folded on the ground behind her. 'Exactly what I needed after today.'

There came a choir of agreement from the girls, some of them already in the water, while some sat at the stoney edge with only their feet dangling in the warm water of the rotenburo.

'Totally.' The usually cheerful pink-skined Mina Ashido stretched her back with a pout. 'Like, what was mister Aizawa thinking? Was he trying to get us killed?'

At this, Ichika chuckled. She had suspected that the surprise training of earlier today wouldn't be a success. Well, the training part of it would. And the element of surprise most definitely. But the students wouldn't be as pleased about it as their teacher was. And it appeared that she was right.

'At least his attempt failed, right? Perhaps his next attempt to kill you will be successful.'

She grinned at them as she dropped her own towel, before joining the younger girls in the warm water. Uraraka looked absolutely horrified, while Asui just looked sceptical. Voicing her sceptical thoughts of Aizawa actually wanting to kill them, before their attention was drawn back to to older teen once Uraraka mentioned her name.

'Why couldn't you have warned us in advance? I asked Deku, but even he was unaware.'

'And spoil all the fun?' With a grin, she leaned back against the wall, her arms resting on the edge. Then she continued on a more serious tone. 'But all jokes aside, I wasn't even aware about it. All I knew was that I was to help out the Wild, Wild Pussycats, instead of my usual work-study with Endeavor. To work on my didactic skills.'

'Ah, yes. I remember something about you wanting to become a teacher instead of a hero. Deku told me.'

'Wait, so that's why you've been helping All Might during his hero classes? I thought it was just something UA did. Using one of their top students to help out.'

Ichika blinked at Ashido in surprise. Was that truly what the girl thought was going on? Third years helping out first years during training? Of course it wasn't unheard of that every now and then a third year would come in and talk about their experiences. But wasn't something that occurred regularly. Especially not in the role of a teacher. More of a mentor.

'No, I-'

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence upon hearing some commotion on the other side of the wall. From where the boys were bathing. Someone was loudly scowling about 'bringing shame to both yourself and our female classmates', along with loud footsteps. And was that soft popping she heard?

Oh no! That perverted boy, he wouldn't dare, would he? Ichika glared at the wooden wall as the shouting got louder. Of course she knew better. Mineta would most definitely try and do something to peep at the girls. The small teen was a pervert and proud of it too!

Thinking quickly, Ichika warned the others, not only about Mineta, but also about what she was about to do. Using her quirk, she heated up her body, heating up the water while doing so. Which, as a result, caused more steam to form. Still, it wasn't enough yet, to cover them.from prying eyes, should Mineta peep over the wall now. If it had been oly Ichika, she would have heated up the water even more. For she wasn't bothered by the heat at all.

But she had to think off the others as well and judging from their flustered faces, she decided to stop heating up the water even more. But at least she was able to make it a bit more challenging to see through the steaming mist. And if they were lucky, she had enough time to create a more dense mist.

Suddenly the voice of Kota was heard from atop of the wall. Stating Mineta should try to be a better person, before he could ever dream of becoming a hero. Then they heard a shout, followed by a crash.

Even without being able to see what had happened, the girls had a pretty good idea of what had happened up there. While none of them knew why Kota was up there, it was clear that he had stopped Mineta's attempt to peep on the teenage girls. So, without thinking, Ashido called out to the young boy. Thanking him and waving at him as he looked over instinctively.

'Oh no! Kota!'

Ichika watched in horror as the boy turned red and tumbled backwards. Letting out a gasp as she watched him fall over the edge, into the boys bathing side.

'I got you!'

Even with the wall muffling the voices a little, Ichika was able to recognise Izuku's voice.

'Is he okay, Izu,' she called over to her brother. Her voice slightly pitched as she desperately wished she could see through the wall. 'You managed to catch him, right?'

'Yeah, I got him,' came his reply. 'Though he's unconscious right now.'

'Okay, can you bring him to Mandalay? She should be in the main building. I'll be there in a minute.'

With her relaxing bathing time cut short, Ichika immediately returned to the dressing room, got dressed to make her way over to the main building too. Hoping this wouldn't be the start of a disastrous training camp.

The following day, class 1-A showed up barely awake. With the exception of only a few. Not that Ichika could blame them. It was only 5:30 am and she knew most had stayed up late. She had heard them still happily chattering, while she had met up with Eraserhead as the man had talked her through the program of today. And where he needed her help.

Even after her quick phonecall with Mirio - where she was sure to keep her location a secret - there came giggles and laughter from the girls' dorm. So she wasn't surprised to see them this tired still. Not to mention the grumpy faces she was met with, when Ichika was send to wake them up earlier.

Not that the boys were much different. Of course Bakugo was his usual self, well-rested with a scowl on his face. His red eyes glaring at his classmates. And Tokoyami appeared rested as well. It seemed they were one of the few wise ones to understand this trip wasn't a fun getaway and had gone to bed early.

'Good morning class.'

Next to her, Eraserhead stood as nonchalantly as ever as he greeted them. With his dark eyes eying his students and his long, dark hair as messy as always. While he always looked tired, he looked no more tired than usual.

'Today marks the first day of your training. We will focus on strengthening everyones quirks.'

As the man started to explain the purpose of today's training, Ichika tossed a ball, the size of a tennisbal, towards Bakugo. The boy caught it with one hand, looking at it questionably.

'Look alive Bakugo,' Aizawa said as he too, focused his attention on the teen. 'Your record is 705.2 meters. Let's see how much you have improved.'

'Just like the physical strength exam, right?' He eyed his teacher for confirmation. Then he grinned and prepared to throw the ball. 'Alright then, no one blink. Go to hell!'

And with that, he threw the ball as far as he could. Using his explosion quirk to give it more momentum. With a cocky smirk, he waited for his new score. Positive that he had improved a lot. Though his smirk turned into a frown upon hearing Ichika speak.

'709.6 meters,' she told him, holding out the device for him to see for himself.

'In three months, you all have gained a lot of experience,' the pro hero said as he addressed his whole class. 'And you've shown some growth. But that growth has been mostly emotional and technical. But the physical aspect of your quirks has been marginal at best.'

He turned to Ichika to take the device from her, inspecting the numbers for a moment. Then he continued.

'So starting today, we will work on improving your quirks. You will work hard and it's gonna feel like you're dying.' The man smirked at them as he lowered his voice. 'Let's hope you will all survive.'

Ichika just grinned sheepishly as she watched the older male scare his students. Though she let put a laugh upon seeing the crestfallen faces of 1-A. They really had hoped for a relaxing sumer camp, hadn't they? Poor kids.

As discussed with Aizawa last night, Ichika stepped up and started to explain how they were going to train today. And of course what the purpose of those specific exercises were. For each of them had a unique quirk, which meant their training was to be aimed at each and every individual. They needed to excessively use their quirk in order to strengthen them. Seek out those limits and go just beyond them.

She was actually quite excited to see them all work as hard as possible. Yet she couldn't help but worry about Izuku. While he seemed to have gained more control over his quirk - and the drawback- she still worried about him. How much would he be able to handle, without injuring himself?

She watched her brother intently as the Wild, Wild Pussycats walked over. This time all four of them. Mandalay, the leader of the group, and Pixie-Bob where known to the class. With the blonde still as excited about 'her four kittens' as she was last night, wanting to see what they were capable off. And the brunette leader ready for action.

But the two other members had been absent last night. Ragdoll and Tiger had been with class 1-B and their homeroom teacher, Vlad King. Though of course Izuku wouldn't be Izuku if he wasn't able to recognise the green-haired female and muscular transgender man. Throwing facts around as the pair introduced themselves.

After that, Tiger pulled Izuku away from the group for training. He needed to strengthen his body in order to strengthen his quirk and Tiger was the chosen trainer. Like a true feline, he was flexible due to his quirk, pliabody. It allowed him to stretch and flatten his body, which was ideal for Izuku. It made the man a difficult opponent, so he would need to focus his punches as well.

As for Ragdoll, Mandalay and Pixie-Bob, they were to keep an eye on the other students during their training.

Aizawa would be focusing on the 'slackers' as he called them. The students that had failed the practical exam, along with Uraraka and Aoyama. From what Ichika was told, the pair had passed their exam, but barely and thus needed the watchful eye of their own teacher.

That left Ichika with two students of her own, Bakugo and Todoroki. With Shoto Todoroki being half a fire-user, she was a logical choice. And with Bakugo's explosion quirk, Aizawa had thought he should join her as well.

Not that Bakugo was pleased with it.

'Why the hell am I stuck with you, red,' he yelled as he followed after her. 'Why the hell can't I have a real pro?'

'You should be grateful,' Todoroki quickly scowled as he too, followed after Ichika. 'Midoriya has been our teacher almost our whole first semester. She has experience teaching, while I can't say the same about the Wild Pussycats.'

Stopping in front of two barrels, Ichika turned to face the younger teens. Her gradient red and orange skirt swirling in the wind by the sudden movement. When Aizawa had appointed the two to Ichika, she had immediately thought of a perfect training for the youngest Todoroki. It was a similar one Ichika herself had done when strengthening her own quirk, though with a twist to include his ice as well.

While Aizawa had praised her for her creative thinking, he did suggest a small change to make the best of the training. That man really wanted to steam those poor kids ready for the provisional licence exam - which was usually taken during during your second year at UA! Honestly, what was that man thinking?

Anyway, after the suggestion, Tiger had filled a large steel barrel with water for the half fire, half ice user.

As for Bakugo, she had figured a way to use his quirk to the max as well.

'What the hell is this!'

Never missing a chance to cuss, Bakugo took notice of the two barrels in front of them. Then he turned his red glare towards the pro-hero in training.

'This, Bakugo, is where you'll be training today.' Ichika grinned as she looked at him. 'You aim to be the next number one hero? This is where it all starts. So tell me, what do you remember about quirk training?'

'You need to work hard!'

Typical Kacchan, though he was right in a way. It just wasn't the answer Ichika was looking for.

'In order to strengthen your quirks, you have to try and reach your limits.'

Also not wrong, but not what she was looking for. So Ichika explained to them that quirks worked like muscle fibers. That the more you use your quirk, the stronger it gets. But to strengthen your quirk also meant learning to deal with the drawback and how to control your quirk while having to deal with the minimal drawback.

'For example.' Ichika held up her index finger for the pair to see. A small ember slowly appeared at the tip of it. 'This small ember doesn't do much. It gives off a bit of warmth, but not enough to keep you warm during the cold winter days.'

She then flipped over her hand, so that her palm was facing up, the small ember now in the palm of her hand. As her eyes remained on the students, Ichika enlarged the ember to fit her entire palm.

'Now this flame does keep you warm,' she continued. 'But it also uses more oxygen, fuel and heat. The flames give off heat, the air gives oxygen. But what about the fuel? Do you keep on chopping wood? Or will there be a time when you let the embers die out?'

Suddenly wings of fire formed at her back, first small, then growing larger and larger. The heat of the blazing flames causing both Bakugo and Todoroki to take a step back. Their arms shielding their eyes from the heat and bright light for a moment.

'And what about now? How long do you think you can keep a flame like this burning strong? How much fuel will you need and where do you get that much fuel?'

The flames on her disappeared as she crossed her arms. Neither of them had spoken, though neither had ever witnessed her wings in person. Only on TV, when she was working at Endeavor Agency. Then she flicked her wrist and sent the flame in her hand towards the smaller barrel, lightning the firewood underneath.

'The answer is, your bodies. Your quirks, no matter what quirk you have, use your body as fuel. In my case, it used up my energy. In Bakugo's case his nitroglycerin sweat, and dare I say energy to detonate?'

The said boy scoffed and looked away, so Ichika assumed she had guessed right.

'So how can you improve something, when you have limits?'

'By learning how to cope with your limits,' she answered Todoroki. 'The harder you train, the better you learn to deal with the drawbacks. Today you will seek out your limit and go beyond that point.'

Throwing a thumb over her shoulder, she pointed at the two barrels filled with water.

'Todoroki, you see the biggest barrel?'

'Yes?'

'Why don't you take a refreshing bath in it. But I must warn you, the water is still cold.'

The two-toned haired boy looked at her in confusion, but did as told. Taking off his shirt and shoes first, before he climbed in. His turquoise and onyx eyes widening as he got in the cold water.

'I want you to use the water to regulate your temperature. Overheating and frostbite are your drawbacks. Over time, you will use your own quirk to regulate your temperature. But for now, use the water. I want you to heat up the water and then cool it down again.'

'Bakugo.'

'I'm not getting in there,' the angry boy immediately cut her off.

'That's okay, you can keep your feet dry.'

Bakugo didn't even need to look at Ichika to know that the redhead was smirking at him. And he didn't like the way she was looking at him. So he did the most logical thing he could think of. Glaring at her in suspicion.

'I want you to create large explosions'

Upon hearing that he was allowed to use his quirk, the explosive teen seemed to calm down a bit. Instead of shouting, he now seemed more annoying that Ichika was explaining his personal task for today.

'Large you say?' How large?'

'The biggest you can create,' was his answer. and then put your hands into the water. The heat will soothe your aching arms and cause you to sweat even more.'

'Whatever.'

He brushed right passed her, ready to start his training. Soon there was a constant booming noise from Bakugo's explosions, the splashing as he slammed his hands in the water, the crunching of ice and the sizzling of steam from Todoroki's ice and fire.

They were already at it for about half an hour, when class 1-B finally arrived. Shocked, scared and unprepared as they watched their 'rivals' already training. Oh yes, these poor kids would have one hell of a school camp. Especially with the schedule their homeroom teachers had in mind.

And Ichika did not envy them. At all!

AN

Hello my dear readers, are you still with me? I know it's been a long time, but life happened and I was unable to write. For those who have left a review, thank you very much. And of course the same goes for everyone whom have started to follow and/or favourited this story.