A/N: Once again, the title is from Sora Ni Utaeba, specifically, it's the line that directly follows the line from the previous chapter.

Rewind

Chapter XIII: Sore Yue Agake
Or, So Rebel Against It

Izuku was moved into the dorm right next to Shoto in order to help provide some level of comfort after being forced to move into the dorms. Exactly four days after that, 1-A was reunited in order to head out to the training camp. Kendo and most of B were also excited, especially Tetsutetsu who was looking forward to working with Kirishima again. Of course, Monoma had to kill the good mood by mentioning a rumor that someone from A had failed. "Must have been someone from 2 or 3 then," Izuku said. "We all passed the finals." Monoma paled at that for a moment, causing Izuku to turn to Kendo. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he failed the practical part of the final, and only barely passed the written. Didn't help that he refused to ask for any tutoring and turned down our offers," Kendo explained. "I'm honestly starting to get worried about him, and Vlad-sensei isn't helping at all."

Izuku stared at his B counterpart in shock. "How did he fail against the robots?"

Kendo was about to answer when Kaminari started laughing. "Seriously? One of you failed fighting robots?! I'd hate to see how you would have done with our practical!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kuroiro Shihai demanded.

"It means that we fought the teachers, you dumbass," Bakugou answered.

"And … how many of you passed?" Tetsutetsu asked.

Kirishima slung his arm around his friend with a smile. "Come on, man, we're all here, aren't we? Aizawa-sensei said if any of us failed, we wouldn't even be going on this trip." Monoma immediately started whimpering at that, while the rest of B stared in shock. How could they have defeated pros like their teachers?!

Momo was quick to notice and explain. "It's actually thanks to Izuku that we were all able to pass. He was brilliant enough to realize that the robots wouldn't be a challenge for us and that the teachers would face us. He even managed to figure out exactly who would face us and why," she finished, though she shared a secret glance with a few of her classmates. Kaminari of all people had been the first to bring it up, and things had just kept adding up since then. Their class rep had secrets, and they were worried, both about him and themselves. Those worries became even stronger when Izuku had them board the bus and took their phones from them, handing them over to Aizawa-sensei to hold for the entirety of the camp. And why did he insist on everyone using the restroom before they left? Interestingly, Izuku gave Aoyama a bottle of ginger ale before taking the back seat with Todoroki. The two of them were so comfortable with each other that she smiled, knowing that she would eventually be winning some money thanks to them. To pass the time, she started a conversation with Kyoka, who was quickly becoming one of her best friends.

A few hours later, Momo had yet another piece of evidence in their favor when Aizawa-sensei stopped the bus, and Izuku simply smiled when he spotted the other car on the side of the road. Then, to her surprise, immediately after gushing about their trainers, the Wild, Wild Pussycats, he immediately went to introduce himself to the kid that was with them. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a bad idea, as the kid punched Izuku right where it hurt boys the most. "Ah, I suppose I should explain that," Mandalay said as Shoto rushed to Izuku's side. While Shoto brought Izuku some relief with a cold hand, Mandalay told them "Kota here is a cousin of mine, his parents were pros who were murdered two years ago, so he doesn't have a very appreciative view of heroes."

Pixie-Bob picked up from there. "So, if you're smart, you'll let him be. Especially since you have work to do."

"Work?" Mineta whimpered.

"Yep! The summer camp is at the base of the mountain way out there," Pixie-Bob said, pointing in the general area. Everyone started getting a bad feeling about that, while Momo calmly walked to the luggage area of the bus and grabbed the two bags that she and Bakugou had prepared at Izuku's insistence. This was just a little too convenient, even considering the fact that everyone in A knew about Aizawa-sensei's sadistic side. "It is currently 9:30 in the morning. If you're fast, you might get there by lunch." The grin on the Pussycats' faces was positively predatory, and Momo braced herself as they were sent into the forest, Aizawa-sensei announcing that the training camp had begun.


Three hours into the forest, Izuku called for a break. "Okay everyone, we're making some good progress, but we're still a long way from camp. Fortunately, I planned for Aizawa's sadistic side. Kacchan, pick your group to eat, the rest of us will cover for you."

"No way, Deku! We're going to keep fighting and you can eat. Kirishima, Racoon Eyes, Soy Sauce, Glasses, Bird, Perv, Frenchie, Arms and Big Lips, you're with me!" With that, Momo broke into the bags and pulled out the meals for the remaining students. "Oh, and one more thing, Deku! Keep track of how many beasts you take down, I want to know which of our groups is better!"


Pixie-Bob froze in shock for a moment. When Aizawa asked what was wrong, she said "Your students just dared to split into two groups so that one of them could have lunch! I'm not sure if I'm furious … or impressed. Can I have one of them?" Aizawa just glared at her in response.


As they ate, Izuku smiled at his classmates. They had all become much closer than they were the first time around, helped by the fact that Momo and Shoto were more sociable, and Kacchan wasn't constantly threatening them. And UA wasn't being maligned by the press at all, so the fallout from the camp should be much better, even with Kacchan's plan. The only question was when the League would show up, considering the precautions that they had taken this time. Izuku really didn't want to doubt his classmates, but it was better safe than sorry.

He was just about to take another bite of katsudon when he remembered something he needed to take care of. Turning to Momo he asked "Do you think you could make something if you had the plans for it and list of materials?"

"Let me see what you have," Momo replied. Izuku handed her the plans, allowing her to look over them. "These are some intricate plans, Izuku … oh, they're by Melissa Shield, no wonder." Then she smirked at Izuku and asked, "So, we should expect a gas attack at camp? Should I make enough for everyone in A and B?"

"That's a great idea," Izuku answered, too focused on enjoying his lunch to truly pay attention. "I don't think the League will attack before our third day, but better to be prepared … what?" he asked, having finally noticed everyone looking at him.

"You don't realize what you said, do you?" Momo asked "So, when are you going to trust us with your secrets, Izuku?"

Izuku just barely managed to keep from reacting to that. "What are you talking about, Momo? I trust you guys completely, and I don't have any secrets." That … was one of the few out and out lies he had told since his return.

"Oh yeah, then how long has All Might been training you?" Hagakure asked.

That did cause him to panic. "What are you talking about? All Might's not training me! Well, I mean, he's not training me any more than he does you guys!"

Ojiro grinned at him. "Come on Midoriya, you're not fooling anyone. How many times has he pulled you aside after class? We know he's training you, we just don't know why or in what."

"Yeah, come on man," Kaminari spoke up. "I noticed something was up back at the USJ. You knew what was going on as soon as Thirteen finished her speech. You certainly sounded scared, but you were definitely more determined than anything else. Just spill already."

"Not to mention the fact that you clearly talked about the future just now," Jirou added. "Is the League going to attack us or not?"

Izuku opened and closed his mouth, utterly shocked at the question and unsure of how to answer. Fortunately, Shoto recognized how his friend was feeling and decided to break the tension. "Nor have you admitted that you're All Might's secret love child."

"Shoto!" Izuku groaned, slapping his face. Their classmates turned to stare at Shoto before bursting out laughing. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's not like that, you blasted conspiracy theorist!"

"How many times has Todoroki asked that?" Uraraka asked.

"At least once a week since the Sports Festival," Izuku groaned. "Why am I even friends with you?" he asked.

"As I recall, I said that I wasn't here to make friends," Shoto answered with a smile. "But you insisted on tearing down my walls and declared us friends. And you know something, Izuku? I don't regret a single second of it." Izuku gave a huge grin at that, one almost reminiscent of All Might to Shoto's eye, while certain members of the group quietly grumbled. Things like that made them worry about their finances. "Oh, and Uraraka, I was only really serious about my question the first two times. Every other time I've asked was when Izuku started getting stressed about something. It always distracts him."

"Shoto!" His friend just smiled at him, and Izuku shook his head. Turning back to the others, he gave them an answer. "I wish I could tell you, but right now it's too dangerous. After the camp though, I will explain everything."


Finally, at about six in the evening, 1-A arrived triumphantly at the Pussycat's base. They may have been tired, but they were standing tall and triumphant. Pixie-Bob was extremely excited to see them arrive and pounced on them as soon as they entered the clearing. "So, which one of you came up with the idea of stopping and actually eating in the Beast's Forest?" Iida was quick to promote Midoriya's foresight, analysis and planning, which only made Aizawa more suspicious of his problem child. All Might kept claiming that he was an analytical genius, but this seemed to be pushing it.

However, he lost his train of thought as said problem child kicked Pixie-Bob so hard she flew what looked like twice the height of the trees before she fell back to the ground in a daze … and a crater. "I like it, I like it! Will you please be my mate?"

"NO! NO! A thousand times, NO! Why would I want to (shudder) mate with someone who's twice as old as me?!"

Pixie-Bob rushed to him and stated "I'm pretty sure your math's off. I'm eighteen at heart." That just caused Midoriya to launch her again. Ugh, this is going to be a long week, Aizawa thought with a groan before giving his students their instructions for the evening.


As much as he had hated to, Izuku had not changed Mineta's attempt to see the girls while they were bathing. First, it provided another reason for the little perv to be expelled, something that the entire class was hoping for by this point, and both Izuku and Momo were keeping records of those reasons. Second, Kota's reaction was truly just perfect, and third, Izuku wouldn't be surprised if him saving Kota had been the first step to breaking through Kota's own walls. Besides, he had given up on trying to curb Mineta's perviness months ago, and as a result, him and Momo were working on another plan to deal with him.

Fortunately, that was last night. Today, all forty of them had been training with their quirks, something that Izuku had already had his classmates doing since the announcement about the Sports Festival. As such, A was treated to a rare sight: a surprised Aizawa when he read Kacchan's throwing distance had improved by over 100 meters. Kirishima had figured out Unbreakable and was working to boost its durability and how long he could make it last. Shoto's power over his fire was greatly improved due to Endeavor's changed outlook and relatively public training, so he focused on learning to use both sides at the same time. Kaminari had boosted his safe power output to three million volts, Uraraka had raised the amount of weight she could lift as well as her endurance, Ashido had strengthened her acid, Dark Shadow had grown stronger through constant use during the day, and Iida was faster and his engines could endure greater stress. Now though, the Pussycats were putting them through far more intensive training than Izuku or Toshi-sensei could provide outside of UA. The Pussycats had all been impressed, with Tiger even saying that he'd never seen such a skilled and powerful group of first years before.

Even so, by the end of the first day, A was still completely exhausted. Fortunately for them, they didn't have to suffer with the truly horrid curry that Izuku had the first time around. He'd quickly identified the best cooks in the class and put them in charge of actually making the curry while the others merely prepared the ingredients. As a result, even those like Kirishima and Sero who preferred to just stuff their mouths took the time to enjoy every bite.

All except Kota, that is. As before, Izuku had to follow him to his little hideaway cave, and as before, he blew up at Izuku's arrival. Rather than be interested in the mere existence of the hideout though, Izuku started up the conversation he wanted to. "It's not fair, is it? Life, I mean. If it were, your parents would still be here. But you'd be surprised at how good you still have it."

"What would you know?" Kota demanded.

Izuku smiled before answering. "There's this little girl I know, she's about your age. When her quirk manifested, she accidentally killed her father, causing her mother to abandon her. Her grandfather cared about her, but due to his position, handed her to his protégé, who then tortured her to understand her quirk. Because of that, I've never once seen her smile because she just doesn't understand what happiness is. I've been visiting her, trying to help her, but nothing's worked so far. You though, you have a cousin who clearly cares about you taking care of you. Do you really have things so bad, when compared to someone else?"

"Shut up! If my parents hadn't been so busy showing off, they'd still be here!"

"Are you sure about that?" Izuku asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kota demanded.

"What's the most popular game that kids play?"

"Heroes and villains, of course. Stupid game, stupid names," he grumbled.

"And do you know what one of the most popular games was before quirks?"

"Why would I know something stupid like that?"

"It was cops and robbers," Izuku said. Kota looked at him in utter confusion. What did that have to do with anything? "Some people are going to commit crimes with or without having quirks, and some people are going to do their best to either save others or catch the criminals with or without quirks. From what I remember about your parents, I think they would have been firefighters or police officers if quirks never existed. And the sad truth is that those jobs have always been and always will be dangerous ones, ones that not everyone goes home from. A psychopath like Muscular, someone who is sick enough to enjoy killing, he's definitely one that would have been a killer without a quirk, and your parents were very brave to even try to stand up to him. And that's what really makes someone a hero, you know. A true hero is someone who sees a challenge, then chooses to stand up and face it, even knowing that they might fail and that it's not their problem to solve."

That … didn't work as well as he had hoped, as Kota picked up a stone and threw it at his head. "Get lost!" he shouted, before throwing another stone. Izuku did as the boy asked, praying that his words would get through to him anyways. If not, then he'd still take down Muscular, no matter the cost. It had been worth it just to save Kota before, and he knew it would still be worth it this time.


The next morning, when Pixie-Bob announced the Test of Courage, Izuku spoke up and asked her to make certain that there was no one else around. His question immediately made certain members of A look up in fear. Was the League of Villains nearby? Was the attack that Izuku expected coming tonight? Fortunately, Ragdoll was quick to announce that there was no one around who shouldn't be around and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, Ragdoll double-checked the area, and upon relieving everyone's fears again, the Pussycats announced the rules and the two classes were divided into teams, with Kuroiro Shihai being the member of B left on his own. Since he could merge with shadows, he didn't mind one bit. Also, with all of A having passed the exam, Izuku had a partner this time in the form of Kirishima. However, that didn't last long as Kacchan was quick to demand that they switch partners. As the blond had ended up with Shoto again, everyone was happy to make the switch … outside of the Pussycats, that is.

By the time the first round ended, Tokage Setsuna and Yanagi Reiko had won the contest via body horror and Yanagi making things move that shouldn't be moving. For the second round, Izuku and Shoto had come up with the most dastardly plan to win that they could think of, and to pull it off, they asked Momo for a little help.


Kendo Itsuka grinned as she walked down the path for the test of courage. Between her cool head and Tetsu's desire to be 'manly,' there was no way they could fail to beat A! As they passed the halfway point though, they were surprised to encounter fog. "Wait, what's going on, Kendo? There shouldn't be fog tonight, right?"

"No, the weather's too warm for that. Something weird is going on here." Her odd feeling only grew stronger when she heard the screams of Kaibara Sen and Komori Kinoko ahead, and a whispered Leave. A few minutes later, when they had moved even deeper into the ever-thickening fog, Shisada Jurota and Kamkiri Togaru also started screaming, while the whispering voice had changed to Leave this place.

"Kendo, I think we should listen to the voice," Tetsu said. To Itsuka's shock, he was very nearly whimpering when he said that!

"What's wrong, Tetsu? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little ghost story?" When Tetsu started shivering in response, she knew that yes, yes he was afraid of ghost stories. Well, she could use that! "Come on, don't you want to impress Kirishima? You're facing one of your true fears in this, can he say the same?"

As planned, that perked him up immediately. "No, he can't! Let's go!" Leave this place, or you will be damned!

The fog just kept getting thicker, almost to the point that they couldn't even see each other, let alone anything further ahead than a meter. The deeper they went, the more the voices called out, warning them to leave, but Kendo kept them going. Soon though, more voices were added, only these voices were laughing. New souls to feast on! Then they saw them: three tengu coming at them from above, and definitely not moving on strings! "Kendo!" Tetsu whimpered.

"I saw them!" Kendo stated, but Tetsu just pointed in front of them. Now even Kendo was scared, because right in their path was a glowing red circle and a bouncing red and blue flame. What was going on here, and who was doing this?! Feast on their souls! the tengu cried out, and with that, their courage broke and they ran screaming out of the forest and back to camp.


"Well, for this one, there's no question about the winners," Mandalay stated. "By an overwhelming margin, the winners are Todoroki Shoto and Midoriya Izuku with their fog and tengu act. How did you do that, anyways?"

Todoroki smiled as he provided the answer. "I cooled the air enough for the fog to be created, then intensified my flame until it started turning blue. Izuku provided the voices for the lost souls and played tengu by putting a mask in each hand and one on his right leg."