Over at his hideout in Tokyo, Shigaraki was playing a card game by himself while Kurogiri was watching him. Kurogiri asked, "You're sure they'll be all right on their own?"

Shigaraki answered, "I'm a non-playable character this level. They'll make it work without me. Besides, this game has totally changed. I've been thinking about it as an RPG. We had some pretty good equips, but we challenged the big boss while still at level one. Really, it's more of a simulation game. I'm the player. And I'll use all my little pawns to smash through the heroes' ranks. But first, I need to make cracks in the superhuman world. That's where the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains comes in. Who cares if these guys win or lose? The heroes will be scared just because they showed up."

"They're sacrificial pawns?" Kurogiri asked.

Shigaraki chuckled, "Come on. Do you really think I'm that heartless? I'd never underestimate their strength. They may have different goals than me, but they're comrades, nonetheless." He then picked up a picture of Bakugo from the sports festival. "In a society bound by ridiculous rules, villains aren't the only ones who are being oppressed. Let's hope they can pull this off."

Kurogiri then asked, "What about that ghost child? Do you think this squad of yours will pull this off against him?"

Shigaraki answered, "I thought he was indestructible, but now I know he's not. I'm sure that the Vanguard Squad will take him down, or else make sure that he doesn't interfere with our goal. He took my win from me last time, so now it's payback."

Back at the mountain, Izuku was catching his breath and nearly fainted, but Phantom caught him, "Careful, dude, you just used way too much energy at once."

Kota got up and ran over to the two boys.

Izuku mumbled, "Everything's OK. Gimme a second, and then there's something I have to take care of."

Kota replied, "But you're all beat up! What more could you have to do now?"

Izuku mumbled, "I knew he'd be strong. That's why I had to defeat him here. I thought I'd be able to inflict a lot more damage in the end, though. Turns out, I seriously underestimated how powerful his Quirk was. If every villain attacking us tonight is on the same level, all our lives are at stake. On top of that, it sounds like they're after some of us students. I have to let Mr. Aizawa and the Pussycats know that's one of the reasons they're here. I may be injured, but I'm not defeated yet, there are more people I can save."

Phantom interrupted, "Dude, you need to save your strength. Yes, there are more villains down there. I've fought some of them. I was actually looking for Ragdoll before I saw your flare. The villains kidnapped her. If the villains are also after some of our classmates, then we have to go protect them."

Izuku said, "We'll leave this villain here for the time being. With my arms messed up, my smash was probably weaker than it could have been, but I still think our combined effort took him down and he'll hopefully stay down for a while. Even if he did wake up, he'd be too weak to fight. For right now, Kota, I need to make sure you're safe."

Kota was shocked as Izuku continued, "We're gonna need some help only you can give us. The forest has been set on fire. That means our friends could be trapped by the flames. But we have hope."

"He's right," Phantom added. "While I and Shoto have ice as part of our Quirks, you have a water Quirk. You can help put those fires out."

Izuku knelt down to Kota's level, "We need you, Kota." Kota started to tear up.

Phantom then said, "Izuku, get on my back, I know your legs aren't broken, but like I said, you need to save your strength. Kota, I'll carry you. We need to get back to camp fast."

Back at camp, Aizawa had dodged Dabi's attack. The villain smirked, "Nice move. Guess you really are a pro."

Dabi tried to attack, but Aizawa activated his Quirk, "Not so fast." He wrapped his scarf around Dabi, kneed him in the head, and held him to the ground. "What do you want, and where are your friends hiding?"

"My what?" Dabi grunted.

Aizawa was not amused, "Your right arm's next. Be logical about this. At least save your legs. It would be a real pain to have to carry you off to jail without them."

Dabi replied, "You can take your time, Eraserhead."

An explosion could be heard and Aizawa gasped, "What was that?"

Tenya came running through the forest towards the camp along with Koda and Oijiro.

Dabi kicked Aizawa off of him, "That's exactly the performance I'd expect out of a UA teacher. Tell me, hero, you worried for your students?" Aizawa tried to tighten his grip, but the scarf went right through Dabi, revealing him to be a clone. "I wonder if you can save them in the end. See you soon." The clone then disintegrated.

Aizawa told Tenya, Koda, and Oijiro, "Everyone, get inside. I'll be back."

Out in the forest, Dabi was standing nearby with the villain Twice, who was the one who created the clone. Twice said, "Come on, Dabi! You got your ass handed to you! By a magic scarf!"

Dabi sighed, "How weak. That happened fast, huh?"

Twice replied, "Huh? Don't say that. Better to frame this as a pro being too strong. It's important to mind your self-esteem, even on a perilous mission."

Dabi sighed, "Whatever, Twice. Just make another one of me. We need to keep those pros occupied."

Twice replied, "Another small fry, coming right up. Leave it to me."

Meanwhile, Phantom was flying Izuku and Kota through the forest, trying to put the fires out and find other classmates.

Kota then shouted, "Hey, look!" He pointed to Aizawa running through the forest.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Izuku shouted. Aizawa stopped as Phantom flew over to the teacher and put the two boys down.

Izuku was happy, "You're here. Thank goodness. I need to catch you up on what I've learned about the villains, but we don't have much time. Plus, I need to find Mandalay. There's something I have to tell her. Please take care of Kota while I'm gone! I'll be back soon!"

Izuku tried to run off, but Phantom put a shield in his path, "Dude, calm down for a minute. Mr. Aizawa looks like he has something to say."

"I do," Aizawa replied. "Those injuries, you went too far again, didn't you? Have you forgotten about Hosu?"

"No, I haven't," Izuku mumbled.

"Then, go," Aizawa said. "But tell Mandalay something for me, too. Phantom, I think you're going to enjoy this part." Phantom grinned.

Meanwhile, Tiger was trying to fight Magne, who kept dodging. Magne cried, "No fair, back off. Let me equip my item."

Mandalay was still fighting Spinner, who shouted, "You're not a real hero! You brought this on yourself, girl!"

He swung his sword, but Mandalay dodged, "Jeez, you're persistent."

"As are you," Spinner replied. "But it's time to knock you off your false throne."

Suddenly Izuku charged in and smashed his way right through Spinner's sword. Phantom did the same, but smashed right at Magne, knocking her far away from Tiger. Phantom smirked, "Did you miss me?"

Izuku then shouted, "Mandalay! Kota! He's safe!"

Mandalay was shocked, "You found him?"

Phantom then said, "Mr. Aizawa has a message for you. Use Telepath and tell everyone in both classes that Eraser Head has granted them permission to engage in combat with the villains."

Izuku added, "He said that he'll take the heat, but we need to protect ourselves."

Mandalay nodded and sent the telepathic message to the other students.

Back with Aizawa, Kota asked, "Hey, mister, is he going to be OK? The one who got hurt because of me? I sort of punched him before. And still, he got beat to a pulp just so he could protect me. I never apologized. Or said thank you. To him or that other boy. The one who lost his parents like I did. Please tell me, are they going to get hurt more?"

Aizawa answered, "Don't worry. Midoriya sustained those injuries because he had no intention of dying. Though, as his teacher, when this is over, I'll have to scold him for acting without my permission. Along with Fenton, even though this isn't his first time doing this."

"Really?" Kota asked.

Aizawa continued, "Anyway, you'll get your chance to talk to them again. And when you do, put more emphasis on the thank you part."

Back with Izuku and Phantom, Mandalay told Izuku, "Get back to camp immediately! Those injuries aren't normal."

Izuku charged up One For All, "I'm sorry, I can't. You need to send one more thing. The villains. I know one reason why they're here. They're after Kacchan! Please, you have to let the others know!"

"Kacchan?" Mandalay asked. "Who's that?"

Phantom answered, "He means Bakugo." Phantom then started fighting Spinner one on one.

Izuku then ran towards the forest, but Magne tried to stop him, as she realized that one of the other villains must have confessed.

But then Spinner threw a dagger at Magne, "Don't, Big Sis Mag." Magne dodged and Izuku ran into the forest.

Magne shouted, "What the hell was that for, Spinner? He was on the priority kill list!"

Spinner replied, "Shigaraki's the one who wants him dead."

"Uh, yeah," Magne said. "And he's the reason we're here. Along with that ghost child." She pointed at Phantom, who charged at Magne, but Magne dodged.

Spinner replied, "But that boy is someone Stain wished to save. Which means he was deemed worthy of being called a true hero. If Stain spared him, then so will I. Along with this ghost child. Stain said that he was meant for more than this world. So he's…."

Suddenly Mandalay punched Spinner and Tiger punched Magne. Phantom grunted, "I had them."

Mandalay said, "Sorry, but it's about time I got a solid hit in."

"Fine," Phantom replied. "I'm going after Izuku. Get that message out to everyone." Phantom then flew into the forest.

Mandalay then used Telepath, "Listen, we've discovered one of the villains' targets. It's a student named Bakugo. Bakugo, you should try to avoid combat. And stick to a group. I hope you can hear me!"

Meanwhile, Bakugo was charging in at Moonfish, "I could focus if you got out of my damn head! I can take care of myself!"

Suddenly sharp blades emerged from Moonfish and Shoto created an ice wall in front of Bakugo, "Don't rush into this fight carelessly!"

Moonfish mumbled, "Have to keep going, have to work, do my job."

Shoto readjusted the student he was holding onto and said, "Weren't you listening to Mandalay? They're here because they're after you."

Bakugo replied, "Telling us not to engage and then changing their minds. I don't know how, but I get the feeling this is Deku's fault. And Fenton as well. Well, I don't care what anyone says!"

Bakugo tried to charge at Moonfish, but the villain dodged both him and Shoto's ice, escaping into the forest.

"Damn it!" Shoto shouted. "He's good at moving through this terrain with his Quirk."

Bakugo said, "This freak looks like a scrawny little sidekick to me! C'mon, you bastard!"

The boys saw Moonfish rise up using his Quirk. Shoto said, "This clearly isn't his first battle."

Moonfish grinned, even though some of his teeth were the blades that attacked the two boys, "Show me your exquisite flesh!"

Bakugo was about to attack, but Shoto said, "We can't start fires around here because the flames will spread. Everyone could die if we aren't careful. Do you understand me?"

Bakugo replied, "Yeah, I get it! I'm not stupid!"

Shoto said, "Even if we try to retreat, there's poison gas everywhere. They're obviously trying to drive us into a corner."

Meanwhile, Tetsutetsu said to Kendo, "Did you hear what she said? We've got permission to punch people!"

He ran off, but Kendo followed him, "Wait, Tetsutetsu! Do you understand how this gas works?"

Tetsutetsu replied, "Yeah, it's dangerous. Gimme some credit, Kendo."

Kendo shouted through her mask, "Listen! Mandalay didn't say anything about the gas in her message. That means it must not have spread to wherever she's broadcasting from. But that doesn't make any sense. This gas is moving really slowly. Normally it would be more spread out, right? This is staying in one place. Not acting naturally. And look. It's definitely denser here than it was in the area we just ran from."

Tetsutetsu asked, "OK, so what?"

Kendo answered, "I think it's swirling around one source. Somewhere near here. Like a typhoon. If that's true, there should be someone who's producing the gas at the center of the storm. A villain who's controlling it."

Tetsutetsu realized, "I get it now! Oh man, Kendo. You're so amazing!"

Kendo sighed, "I figured you'd miss the signs. That's why I came with you. OK. The closer we get to the center of the swirl, the thicker the poison will be. That's a problem. There's a limit to how much gas these things can filter. And the denser the gas, the shorter the functioning time. That means…"

Tetsutetsu interrupted, "Ah! We run head first into the center of the typhoon and punch whoever's there!"

Tetsutetsu ran and Kendo ran after him, "Well, technically, yes."

Tetsutetsu said, "Shiozaki and our other classmates suffered because of this villain's stupid power. Stuff like that really pisses me off. Let's teach this bad guy a lesson, Kendo!"

Mustard stood at the center of the typhoon, "Three, no, two people are headed straight for me. I guess a few of them avoided my gas and realized I'm here. I should have expected that from a prestigious school. But then, no matter how wonderful their Quirks may be, they're still only human."

"I found you!" Tetsutetsu shouted as he tried to punch Mustard, but Mustard pulled out a gun and shot Tetsutetsu in the face, shattering his mask.

Mustard chuckled, "I saw you on TV during the sports festival. You can make your skin hard. That means you're bulletproof. Eh. That doesn't really matter. Because now, it's just a matter of how long you can hold your breath in this toxic miasma."

Tetsutetsu held one hand over his mouth and charged at Mustard, who shot him again, "What, do you think you're the Terminator? Even if you can steel yourself, charging straight in is a fool's move. Shouldn't you be smarter if you go to UA? Don't be so rash. Use your head. Or you're not worth killing."

Mustard saw Kendo running toward him, so fired a shot at her, but Tetsutetsu jumped in front of her. Tetsutetsu told her, "It's no good. Retreat!"

Mustard laughed, "Two against one, and you were banking on a surprise attack. What a simple plan. I expected better. I'm producing and controlling this gas, yes. But that's not all. The gas is showing me your movements with its fluctuations. In other words, you can't hide from me. You arrogant UA students. Why didn't you figure that out, huh? You're shattering the image I had for your school. What a shame."

Tetsutetsu charged at Mustard again, but Mustard shot him, causing Tetsutetsu to fall to the ground. "Moron. Wait. You seem softer than you were earlier. Let me guess, maybe metal fatigue? Or is it because you can't breathe anymore? How many more shots can you take? Brace yourself for another." He shot Tetsutetsu again. "Don't they usually do endurance tests for people like you who have simple, one-note Quirks? And yet, you still rush in like you're indestructible." He fired another shot, hitting Tetsutetsu. "Hey. You guys wanna grow up to be heroes, right? Something about that is so strange to me. For people to fawn over someone like you, a one-trick pony, just because of where you went to school. That's what's wrong with this world!" He kicked Tetsutetsu in the stomach.

Tetsutetsu groaned, "Crap, I can't breathe. And Kendo….Strength's going…..Vision's distorted. Everything is fading."

Kendo then rushed in, "Stop!"

Mustard dodged her attack, "I told you, I can tell exactly how you're moving thanks to the flow of the gas."

Kendo then activated her Quirk, enlarging her hand and hitting Mustard. "I don't give a damn if you know where I am."

Mustard disappeared into the gas, "I can't believe you think you'll win with that pitiful Quirk."

Kendo replied, "Whether it's pitiful or not completely depends on how you use it. I can still stop you!" Kendo used her hands to swipe through the gas, slowly dispersing it.

Mustard asked, "Just how much power do those stupid hands have?"

"You're pathetic!" Kendo shouted. "Carrying a gun around in that dumb uniform is basically saying you know you can't win a fight on your own merits. This is for those at UA who have a one track mind."

Mustard suddenly realized that Tetsutetsu was charging up behind him, as the gas was thinner now so he couldn't detect him sooner.

Kendo continued, "Because when everyone else is ready to give up, they take another step and go beyond!"

Tetsutetsu held his breath and hit Mustard right in the face, knocking his mask off, and Tetsutetsu held Mustard to the ground.

Mustard was knocked out, so the gas disappeared. Tetsutetsu gasped, "If a gas user is wearing his own mask, there's only one thing to do! Break it." He then fell to the ground, "You're gonna pay for ruining our camp. And for shooting me. Stupid kid!"

Meanwhile, Izuku was running through the forest. Suddenly Phantom grabbed him before Dark Shadow could hit him. Phantom said, "I finally caught up with you. And good thing too." His ghost sense was going crazy. "Something's wrong here."

Shoji came out of a bush, one of his appendages was bleeding. "With those injuries, you should be laid up in bed recovering. But you wanna save your friend. No matter what the cost."

"He's stubborn, I know," Phantom said. "But you're injured too. What happened?"

Shoji answered, "We were ambushed by villains. I covered us. But the attack triggered Tokoyami's Quirk, even though he was desperately trying to hold it back."

Izuku realized, "No, don't tell me."

Shoji nodded, "Yeah. If we wanna get through here, we'll have to face Dark Shadow first."

Dark Shadow growled and Tokoyami said, "Stay away. You'll die!"

Phantom stepped in front of Izuku and Shoji, "I'll stop him. Defeating ghosts is something that I'm a pro at."