A male student from Class 1-B let out a yawn, as they were woken up earlier as well on the 2nd day of camp. One of the girls could barely even stand up. "We're focusing on our Quirks?" Itsuka asked curiously while holding the girl who couldn't stand up by the arm. They were also dressed in their gym uniforms.
"Class A's already training," Vlad informed his students while the sun was shining nearby. "You all need to catch up," He then started walking, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Last semester, Class A was in the spotlight. Next semester, it's Class B's turn. From now on, you're shooting to the top. Don't let me down!"
Tetsutetsu was crying a little, shaking a fist. He could still remember his defeat in the Sports Festival to Eijiro. We're such disappointing students!
"I get you want everyone to improve our Quirks," The girl who talked to the twins spoke up to their teacher. "But we have 20 unique powers in our class. What kind of training will help all of us get better?"
"Yeah, can you be more specific?" Another male student spoke up from behind.
"When your muscle fibers are overused, they break and grow back tougher. Thicker. Quirks are the same way," Vlad was heading towards a clearing. "They improve the harder you push them. Stronger after every workout. In other words, there's only one thing to do!" He then stepped out into the clearing, the students shocked at the sight up ahead. "You'll have to break yourselves!"
They were all terrified at what they were seeing: Class 1-A being worked to the bone.
Katsuki had his hands in water. He let out a scream as he held up his arms, sending out a huge explosion. Katsuki Bakugo! He's plunging his hands into boiling water to expand his sweat glands. Katsuki screamed again as he let out another explosion into the sky. Then creating chain explosions to increase the scale of his bangin' attacks.
Shoto was sweating immensely, panting. Shoto Todoroki. He then let out a huge amount of ice that covered the area around him. This all while sitting in a tub of water. Alternating between ice and fire, he's regulating the temperature of the water. He then let out flames as huge as the ice was to melt it, and then let out his ice again. His body gets accustomed to the cold and he works on controlling his flames. He let out more flames, looking exhausted while trying to keep the water hot. Someday, he might be able to use both at once!
While out of breath, he touched the tub with his right hand, sending out ice again.
Hanta was screaming in agony while sending out non-stop amounts of tape from his elbows. Hanta Sero. Having him produce tape continuously will increase his capacity and improve the tape's tensile strength and shooting speed! He was on top of a cliff while sending out the tape. Tenya ran by the cliff.
Eijiro and Mashirao were engaged in a fight. Eijiro Kirishima and Mashirao Ojiro. Eijiro wiped his mouth and then hardened his skin. Every time Ojiro hits Kirishima's hardened skin with his tail, both of their Quirks are steadily improved. Mashirao used his tail several times against Eijiro, who acted as a shield of sorts.
Denki whimpered in pain while giving off amounts of electricity into a big car battery. Denki Kaminari. By running his currents through a high-capacity battery, he's learning to handle larger amounts of electricity.
Koji was yelling to the sky, looking embarrassed to do so. Koji Koda. In order to increase the reach of his Anivoice, he's doing vocal exercises to help him build up his range. It's also good for helping him to become less shy.
Yuga was leaning back, giving off bigger lasers than what he was used to. Yuga Aoyama. He's building up his body by blasting Navel Laser. This increases the attack's range and lets him use it even with tummy issues. He gave yelps of pain with each blast. Some of his laser started to leak out, though.
Fumikage Tokoyami. His goal is to keep control of Dark Shadow even when it goes wild. He let out a yell from inside of a cave.
"Dark Shadow!" He cried out from inside.
Ochaco held her breath to keep from vomiting as she was being constantly spun around. Ochaco Uraraka. She's getting her inner ear canals used to zero gravity in an effort to reduce nausea. All while increasing how much weight she can lift. She was actually inside of a giant plastic ball, rolling down a hill.
Tenya ran right past her. Tenya Ida. Hardcore long-distance running improves his leg strength and stamina. He zipped past Tsuyu, who was climbing a cliff with both her tongue and hands.
Tsuyu Asui. She's working out all the muscles in her body, including her tongue.
Nearby her, Rikido was stuffing his face with cake that he helped the Pussycats make. The other hand was occupied lifting weights. Rikido Sato. He's lifting weights, while at the same time, scarfing down the sugar that allows him to power up his sweet Quirk.
Momo was stuffing her face as well, but with chocolate that was also made by the Pussycats and Sato. While at the same time, she was creating smaller objects on her left side. Momo Yaoyorozu. Also stuffing her face, she hopes to amp up her creation Quirk and shorten the amount of time needed for her to use it.
Kyoka and Mina were standing in front of a cliff. The former was hitting it with her earphone jacks. The latter was using her acid against it. Kyoka Jiro. Amplifying the quality of her audio by honing her headphone jacks. Mina Ashido. By constantly creating acid, she can increase her skin's durability.
Minoru was sitting in front of a pile of his sticky balls, still removing them from his head. Minoru Mineta. Increasing the strength of his scalp will keep his head from bleeding even when he keeps poppin' off balls. His head was still bleeding, though.
Mezo was walking around carefully behind his classmate. Toru Hagakure and Mezo Shoji. They're improving their Quirks by having Shoji quickly create multiple Dupli-Arms and hunt down Hagakure, who is working on her stealth. The girl was zipping around in only a pair of pants.
Izuka was using a gymnast's pole, pointing her feet down as she spun. She then swung up her legs as much as she could.
Izuka Midoriya! She's doing somersaults like a gymnast and then jumps at every 10th one. This is to increase the output of her current abilities! After she reached 10, she let go to spin in the air. "Comet Punch!" She punched the air, a giant flame appearing around her fist as some of the flame released in the air. This also helps channel the amount of power for the other abilities of her Quirk! Once she flew back towards the pole, she grabbed the bar and started the cycle all over again.
"Oh, man..." One of the students commented in a bit of fear, since they would have to go through this too. "This is pretty intense."
"Operative types will be raising your limits, maxing out your power. And the rest—you'll mostly focus on strengthening body parts related to your Quirks," Vlad explained to his students. One of them looked a bit pale hearing this. "Now normally, these changes happen gradually as you grow."
"But we don't have time for that," Mr. Aizawa spoke up, walking up to Class B. "Your class has a lot of work to do."
"Once we team up with Class A, there'll be 41 students here," Itsuka told a classmate. "That's a whole lot of Quirks for our homeroom teachers to manage on their own."
Katsuki let out a scream while giving off a huge explosion. Mr. Aizawa ducked his head a little. "Which is why we called them."
"That's correct!" A Pussycat in yellow revealed herself in front of him. "Four kittens in one litter!"
"Your feline fantasies are here," Mandalay announced as she suddenly appeared as well. "Say meow!"
"Allow us to lend a helping paw!" The Pussycat in yellow spun around rapidly.
"We're champions serving up justice," A male Pussycat had a rather...intense look on his face. "With our tails!"
"Purrfectly cute and catlike heroes!" Pixie-Bob gave a big smile.
"We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats!" The four said in unison while striking a pose. "Full version!"
Katsuki let out an explosion, but not as big as he wanted. "Damn it!"
"I'm Ragdoll, and my Quirk is Search," The one in yellow announced, blinking with a smile. "I can look at up to 100 people and know everything about them. Like their location and weakness."
"With my Earthflow, I can create the ideal training ground for every student," Pixie-Bob spoke up next. She demonstrated by waving a paw. Ochaco was about to roll up to them until Pixie-Bob used the ground to move her elsewhere.
"And my Quirk is called Telepath," Mandalay introduced her Quirk to the students afterwards. "I can give advice to multiple people at once."
"The name's Tiger," The only male Pussycat glanced over his shoulder. "And I'm here to beat you guys to a pulp."
"I have questions about him," A Class B student stated in concern.
Katsuki let out another explosion, and once again, it was smaller. "DAMN IT!"
"All you kids with strength Quirks, time for Tiger's bootcamp," Tiger pointed at Izuku specifically. He was doing arm and leg exercises constantly. "Class A's already sweating, so catch up quick!" Some of the students watched as Tiger went over to the boy. "Come on, show me what you got!"
Izuku flinched and then powered up his arm. "Five percent Detroit Smash!" He clenched a fist while lunging forward to punch Tiger. He bent his back in a weird way to block the blow. He then punched Izuku himself, sending him flying into a tree.
"If you don't push yourself, you won't shred your muscle fibers, and then you won't get stronger!"
"Right, sir," Izuku groaned in pain from his spot, trying to stand up.
"I can't hear you!" Tiger shouted down at him.
"Right, sir!" Izuku spoke up louder.
He's scary... One of the students looked away, hoping he won't be training with Tiger.
"You wanna be Plus Ultra, don't you?" Tiger once again gave another intense look, waving a finger. "Then show me what that means!"
"Yes, sir!" Izuku kept his head down, not even looking up.
That guy is way more intense than I expected... Another student got pale as well. Tiger was certainly more like a war general, and perhaps that was why he became a part of the Wild, Wild Pussycats...if the teachers wanted intense training, that guy was certainly doing his job.
"There's a lot going on at UA, so it's hard for us to spare much staff for the hero course first years," Vlad spoke up to his students. And the main reason for that was because they had to think of safety measures for the students of UA.
"Based on their experience and range of powers, these four were the most logical choice to help you enhance your Quirks in such a short amount of time," Mr. Aizawa continued for him.
"Don't fall behind Class A. Do me proud!" Vlad instructed Class B.
"Yes, sir!" They all answered in unison.
Izuku fell to the ground in exhaustion, letting out a few breaths. He then recalled Toshinori explaining One for All to him and Izuka. The Quirk All Might passed on to me was more than I deserved. And then Gran Torino taught me how to use it in a way that wouldn't destroy my body.
"You're overflowing with energy at the moment, and she's still dealing with untapped power," All Might crushed a can. "With training, your bodies will hold them better."
I've come a long way in such a short time He clenched a fist, sweating while looking up to the sky. It's up to me to move forward and make this power my own!
He then stood up with an energized yell, surprising Tiger briefly. "That's right! Tear that weak Quirk apart and make it stronger!" He encouraged the boy.
"Yes, sir!"
No one knew, but Kota was listening in from behind a tree. He glanced up at Izuku in silence, wondering why any of them were even still bothering.
The sun started to set, and training ended for the day. "Now, remember what I said?" Pixie-Bob announced as a bunch of cooking tools and ingredients were in front of her and Ragdoll. "We're not serving your food anymore!"
"If you guys wanna eat, you'll have to make your own meals!" Ragdoll explained while waving a paw. "Starting with curry!"
"Yes, ma'am..." Most of the students murmured in dismay, looking very tired and disappointed.
Ragdoll laughed while jumping around a little. "Oh man, do you guys look exhausted! But that doesn't mean you can coast by making sloppy cat food!"
Tenya then flinched as he came back to life. "I see. An importance of saving someone recovering from a disaster is providing to their physical needs as well as spiritual. Ah! This is a great opportunity!" He turned to everyone in encouragement. "Let's make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!"
"Yeah, okay..." They murmured while Mr. Aizawa just watched.
Thank you, Ida. He blinked as he noticed one student was still missing. Mr. Aizawa glanced towards Izuka, who was still training. She was out of breath as sweat flew from her body. Izuku blinked as he saw his sister as well. It was surprising that she hadn't passed out yet…
"She's still at it..." The teacher murmured before approaching her. "Mido, you can stop now." Once she heard this, she let go to spin safely onto the ground, panting heavily. She then fell onto her butt to catch a breather. The teacher stared at her, as he could take a guess why she hadn't stopped. Because she wanted to improve as much as the others. "I know you wanna improve your abilities, but you need to be able to maintain your body most importantly."
"Yes, sir..." She wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist, her hand looking a bit off. Mr. Aizawa noticed it and then grabbed her wrist gently. Izuka didn't protest as he examined both hands to see that there were callouses almost everywhere.
"Hm..." She must've kept going all day for her hands to be like this, and apparently never stopped. "Your hands are too calloused to cook today," He looked over his shoulder at Katsuki specifically. "Bakugo, you'll help her out after she hits the shower."
"What?!" Katsuki exclaimed while Izuka winced awkwardly. He then growled at her while clenching a fist.
Of course he pairs me with Bakugo...
Shoto stood in front of a grill, lighting it on fire for Koji and Yuga. "Hey, Todoroki!" Mina called out to him. "Can we get some fire over here too?"
"Bakugo," Hanta turned around to the boy. "Use an explosion to light that."
"This is so beneath me!" He shouted as he sent out an explosion...but also scorched the grill.
"Too much!" Fumikage yelped in alarm, him and Hanta looking over in dismay.
"Rely on others, and you'll never learn to start a fire yourself," Momo warned the two, holding out her hand. "We should focus on acquiring new skills," She then created a lighter, Kyoka turning around with a baffled look.
"Here. Let me," Shoto bent down to a grill, summoning a small flame. He then used it on the grill.
"Wow! Thank you so much!" Ochaco cheered happily while Katsuki noticed something and stormed off.
"Burn, baby, burn!" Mina cheered as well.
"But not too hot, okay?" Ochaco smiled a bit and he returned it, standing up.
Katsuki noticed Izuka carrying some firewood and snatched it from her. She blinked as he looked over his shoulder. "Follow me or you're on your own no matter what teach says," He grunted and the girl ran after him. He carried the wood over his shoulder and then stood in front of another grill. She stood at his side, hands behind her back as she felt bad for making him do all this.
"You don't need to-"
"Shut up!" He snarled down at her while tossing down the firewood and she cringed a bit. "Damn it...!" Katsuki grumbled as he started on prep. "Why'd you have to go and push yourself today?" He glanced down at the girl as she handed him the ingredients they needed.
"Because I can't let everyone down!" She pumped her fists in determination. "I'm still behind in my Quirk. I wanna catch up to someone like you or my brother."
He let out a sigh that she was pushing herself for this. If she keeps insisting on this, she'll end up dropping dead. "Open your eyes, short stack. Think about the level of power you're giving out and find a way to increase it with every jump. Otherwise you won't get anywhere. Now hand me those chili peppers."
"Mm..." She gave a small frown of thought as she handed them over. He did have a point, but she had no idea how she was gonna pull it off. She wanted to be like him, Shoto, and Izuku, though she couldn't do that if she couldn't figure this out on her own. They fight so hard for what they want, that I feel like I'd only slow them down at this rate. I need to try harder, I need to be Plus Ultra.
"Oi, I'll put only a little bit of pepper in yours, I know you're not a fan of spicy food," He told the girl while chopping, snapping her out of it. "Anything else I should put in here for you, idiot?"
"Put in lots of fried chicken!" She peeked over his arm and he scoffed with a small laugh.
"If you think that'll help you grow a few inches, you're dead wrong."
"Ha ha, hilarious," Izuka muttered while looking away. Though she did smile a little. She was glad that they were back to being a bit more pleasant in their interactions. Ochaco stared at the two as Katsuki seemed annoyed by what Izuka was telling him to put in. But she could tell that he didn't mind helping out Izuka.
"We did it!" The students cheered once the curry was made. It was a bit sloppy, but still edible.
"If I got this at a restaurant, I'd send this crap back," Eijiro commented while stuffing his face. "But after today, I'll eat every bite!"
"Don't say that!" Hanta was scarfing down his food as well. Momo was eating a bit less slower, though the desperation to eat was still there.
"Whoa, you're scarfing, Momo!" Mina smiled at the girl.
"Yes," Momo lifted up her head. "My Quirk transforms lipids into brand new atoms to create inorganic materials. That means the more I eat, the more I can make."
"Like how poop works," Hanta stated casually, though Momo kneeled over in embarrassment.
"APOLOGIZE!" Kyoka and Izuka screamed angrily with the former punching Hanta hard in the face.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" He cried out immediately and in pain.
While all of the students were eating and talking, Kota looked up ahead alone. He let out a tch and walked off.
"Kota. It's time for dinner!" Mandalay called out to him. "Where are you?"
Izuku saw him leaving, giving a hum of thought. He then glanced at his sister, who was eating still with her calloused hands. Shoto turned to the girl curiously. "Are you sure you can eat like that, Mido?" He wondered and she swallowed her spoonful.
"It hurts a little, but I can handle it. Besides, it tastes so good that I don't mind it. The chicken's really moist and Bakugo put in just the right amount of spice," She smiled gratefully for his concern. Katsuki scoffed while turning away, a fist to his mouth.
"Whatever," He blushed a bit to himself that she liked his cooking. "Just don't make me do this for you again. I ain't your damn personal chef!" At least she likes it, I know she can't handle my level of spice, the moron.
"I promise I'll cook tomorrow!" She declared while looking pumped up, blushing while smoke came out of her nose.
"I don't need your stupid promise!" He retorted back to the girl with a huff.
Izuku decided to leave her out of this one since she was not only working hard, but was weirdly enjoying talking to Katsuki.
Kota's stomach growled while looking up to the stars at his secret hideout. "I heard that." His eyes widened as he whipped around with a growl. "You must be hungry," Izuku walked up to him holding some curry. "Here. I brought you some curry."
"No way!" Kota stood up in anger. "How'd you find this place?"
"Oh, sorry," Izuku came to a stop, not knowing that this was a private space for the little boy. "I followed your footsteps. I thought you might want some dinner before it gets cold."
Kota flinched at his concern and shrugged it off. "Whatever. I'm just fine. Get lost! I don't wanna hang out with you. So forget about my secret hideout!" He snarled and Izuku took a moment to look around. There was a cave nearby and a place for Kota to look out into the environment. Not really much for him to do up there or even any sources of food for him to have.
"This is a secret hideout?"
"Hmph. Spending your entire life trying to improve your Quirk," Kota mocked the green-haired boy. "It's dumb! All you wanna do is show off. Get lost!"
Izuku looked away briefly, since he knew why Kota was acting like this. And judging by his behavior, it seemed no one had reached out to actually talk to him. He could understand why; Kota was staying with heroes, so hearing anything from them wouldn't work. It wasn't exactly an easy thing to do when the boy wouldn't hear anyone out.
"Hey, about your parents. I was wondering. Were they the Water Hose heroes? With the water Quirks?"
Kota gasped sharply at Izuku's question, looking up angrily. "Did Mandalay tell you?!" He shouted up at the boy.
"No. It's um...well...sorry! But..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I heard a little about what happened to them along with my sister. And based on that information, I figured...I remember reading about that horrible incident with her a few years ago."
Kota froze a little and then gritted his teeth, looking away. He didn't want to talk about them at all, let alone with someone he barely knew. "Great, that green shrimp knows too? Go away. Everyone here's so crazy. Calling people stupid names like 'hero' and 'villain', and then killing each other because of it! Always focusing on their Quirks. If they hadn't been showing off, they'd still be here. Idiots."
Izuku then frowned at what he just heard. It's not just heroes. Kota hates Quirks. And this entire superhuman society.
"We're done here," Kota growled at him. "Go back to camp with the other losers and that sister of yours."
"Um. Hey. My, uh...my friend. This guy I know really well. He didn't inherit any abilities from his parents," He hoped that confiding in the boy would help at least a little. "Not to mention that...someone close to him had a Quirk. But she hid it away so that my friend wouldn't grow to hate her."
"Huh...?" Kota murmured in confusion upon hearing this.
"It's a hereditary thing. And these days it's really uncommon. He admired heroes so much, and wanted to be one. While his own friend quit her dreams of being one...so that he wouldn't have to see her live his dream. Thing is, you can't usually become a hero unless you've got some kinda Quirk. But still. My friend refused to accept that, and hoped for a miracle. All while trying to get the girl to just listen to him and become a hero...because he wanted her to become a strong person. He tried to use telekinesis. And to breathe fire. But it was no good...she just watched him, not even showing her own Quirk for his sake when that was all he wanted. There are a lot of different ways to think about how Quirks work. So we might not be on the same page. But I think that if you reject them completely, it's just going to make life harder," Kota clamped his mouth shut, glaring up at him. "In so many ways."
"Will you just leave me alone already?!" Kota yelled angrily, clenching his fists. "Go away!"
"I'm sorry," Izuku replied softly, realizing that it wasn't working. "I guess I have a habit of rambling sometimes. Here, I'll leave the curry," He placed it on the ground in front of him. Kota scoffed while watching him leave in silence.
"...Shut up," He growled bitterly to himself. "All of you. Just stop it..."
Izuku finally made it back to camp, and everyone was still eating. He walked over to the cabin since he wasn't very hungry anymore. Not after his conversation with Kota. It was still hard to believe that a kid could hate heroes, but...he also knew that it was a complicated situation. He still wanted to help the boy, though. Not just to get him to appreciate heroes, but to also get some closure for his parents...
"Hey, Izuku." He looked up to see his sister approaching, relieved to see the girl. "I was wondering where you went off to-" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug, shaking, interrupting her. She stared at the back of his head in confusion. "Huh? What's wr-"
"Izuka...if I'm ever murdered by a villain...would you hate me or heroes?"
She blinked and then her eyes softened, realizing why he asked that question. She reached up and hugged him back, sighing slowly. "No...I'd be upset of course, but...I would understand that you died doing something you dedicated your life to. And Mom would too. Little brother...I'd be so proud of you regardless..."
He gasped from her words and then closed his eyes happily, patting her head. She said exactly what he needed to hear, much like with All Might about becoming a hero. "...I'd be proud of you too if it didn't happen to me."
I'll keep fighting as a hero...so that I don't have to put her or Mom through what happened to Kota. After everything she's done to support me...it won't repay her back. But I know that it'll make her less worried and happy. She's already working hard in her training...so I won't burden her.
Out in the forest, Himiko put on a mask, but felt uncomfortable wearing it. "I do not like this. It's so not cute!" She complained, also having a big collar and some weapons attached to her back.
"They were engineered for the black market, from what I hear," One of her comrades informed her. He was wearing a large mask himself. "You should be worried that they work, not that they look pretty," He then turned away to look up ahead.
"Ugh, I'm just saying they could be a little more stylish," Himiko whined, waving her arms rapidly. "Is that too much to ask?"
"Hi, darlings!" Another voice called out to them. "Sorry to keep you waiting," She stepped up with a small smile, holding something.
"Get to work," A villain with a creepy voice and wearing mostly black approached them. "Get to work."
A heteromorph stepped up, adjusting his mask as they stood on a cliff. "That makes seven of us," Dabi stated as they looked up ahead.
"I don't care. Just let me loose," One of them was shaking impatiently. "I'm too pumped up to stand by."
"Shut your mouth, you crazy bastard," Dabi sneered towards him, looking back up ahead. "We wait. We're still expecting three more people to join our little party. The League of Villains made a mistake going after them with a bunch of random thugs at the USJ. Better to use a small group of elites..." They were all looking...towards the Pussycats camp. "The first thing we have to do...is take away their sense of peace and show them that their lives rest in our hands."
Every single student inside was asleep, unaware of the incoming danger.
Koji let out a scream while on top of a cliff, still doing his voice training. The sun was shining on the third day of camp.
"Hey, remedial group. Keep at it," Mr. Aizawa tugged a scarf at Eijiro's forehead, pulling him up.
"Yes, sir!" He grunted as the five who had failed the practical looked exhausted.
"Sorry...but I need more beauty rest," Mina murmured tiredly, though that was because of their extra lessons.
"Who knew yesterday's extra lessons..." Denki started off wearily.
"Would go on until 2 in the morning..." Hanta continued as they had information drilled into them ever since dinner was over last night.
"And start back up at 7..." Rikido let out a small groan.
"I told you it'd be tough. Remember," Mr. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the five. "You're not just improving your Quirks. You're also working to overcome the many weaknesses I saw in the finals." All of them yelped while Eijiro was shaking from the scarf. "Think carefully about why you're more tired than the others before you start whining." Tenya then ran right past them. "You have much to improve here."
"Right! Yes, sir!" All of them stated in unison as he released Eijiro. He then turned around to Ochaco, who was floating a medium-sized rock. She was trying not to get sick while doing so.
"Uraraka! Aoyama! The same goes for you," Yuga stepped out of the bathroom, holding his stomach. "Your team didn't fail, but you were very close. I'd say you passed the proverbial finish line by only a hair."
Ochaco yelped while turning to him. "That bad?!"
"Mon dieu..."
"Well, then you have Mido," Mr. Aizawa turned to her as she was stretching. She grew a bit stiff hearing her name. "Getting injured much like her brother isn't exactly passing despite her team's efforts. She needs more fine-tuning still. Don't lose focus." Izuku was doing the same arm and leg exercises. Katsuki was nearby, his arms in boiling water, while Mezo looked for Toru. "Each of you can move faster! And no matter what you're doing, just remember where you started from. Don't forget who you were before UA. Always keep in mind why you're sweating, and why your limits keep getting tested. That's what it means to improve."
Katsuki gritted his teeth towards the boiling water. Where I started.
Who I am Shoto looked up towards the teacher.
Izuku suddenly stopped moving. How I got here.
Why I enrolled to be a hero Izuka stared towards her hands. "Mm!" The short girl clenched her fists in determination, as she seemed to be up to something. She then turned towards her teacher. "Mr. Aizawa! Is it okay if I try something different today?" She called out to him and he walked over, nodding towards Ragdoll to watch the five students. Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto looked over curiously.
"Do whatever you want. Go ahead so I can see it," He instructed her, hands in his pockets. "Remember, every 10th one."
She didn't respond to him as she looked up towards the bar. Alright, Izuka...you can do this! Just remember what you were told. She then jumped up to grab the high bar. The girl elevated herself to spin around. "1...2...3!" She then jumped up instead of spinning. Use that built up stamina to exceed myself like he said! "Mercury Blast!" She then fired off a huge amount of fire and ice, alarming everyone around her.
The three boys all gasped towards her, her classmates looking on in awe. Mr. Aizawa flinched at what just happened. Hold on...she shortened the amount of time to build up her power!
"Whoa..." Izuku murmured in disbelief as Izuka grabbed the bar and then spun to land. She looked at her hands with a beaming smile.
I did it! I really did it!
"Mido..." Shoto blinked slowly and then had a small smile on his face.
Katsuki flinched as he remembered something that he told her just last night. "Open your eyes, short stack. Think about the level of power you're giving out and find a way to increase it with every jump. Otherwise you won't get anywhere."
He then gave a small smirk towards the girl. "Heh. Not bad, for an idiot," He murmured to himself, a bit impressed.
"That was amazing!" Izuku's eyes shined at his sister, who looked up at Mr. Aizawa. He got over his initial surprise and then clamped his mouth shut.
"...Heh. That was unexpected. Keep that up, Mido," He simply said as he walked away. She nodded sharply with a big smile, a small blush on her face. She was happy that he was praising her for once, and all because she listened to Katsuki's advice once again.
"Hey, that reminds me, Mr. Aizawa," Izuku walked up to him and Izuka stared after him, blinking curiously. "It's already the third day of camp."
"Weren't you listening? Stay focused," Mr. Aizawa turned around to him.
"I was just wondering if All Might—I mean, the other teachers from UA will be joining us."
She had a feeling she knew exactly what this was about. And she wasn't sure that she should even get involved. "Like I said before we came out here. To keep the camp a secret from the villains, hardly anyone knows where we are," He explained to his student.
"That's why you get to work out with us four Pussycats!" Ragdoll called out from on top of a platform.
"And think about it," Mr. Aizawa either ignored her or just didn't care to respond to that. "We believe All Might is one of the League's targets, so we can't have him here. And not to mention your own sister is a desired target as well. It's for your own safety. For better or for worse, that's what they both get for standing out so much." He then let out a huff before walking away. Izuka slumped her shoulders in dismay; he was back to singling her out again in just a matter of seconds...
Seems like it's mostly for worse these days Izuku thought to himself, since Mr. Aizawa's opinion of Izuka hadn't really changed much.
It could be worse... The girl told herself optimistically. At least she wasn't getting special treatment or anything like that because she was a target. Not that they would have anyone to spare anyway to pull that off.
Izuku looked down at his clenched fist. So that's it. All Might won't be here to help me.
Pixie-Bob gave a big smile. "Meow, meow, meow, meow! More importantly, tonight's gonna be fun! We're pitting classes against each other in a test of courage! I know you've been training hard today. And later, you'll get to play hard! How's that for a reward?"
"It just sounds like more training," Itsuka commented in a tired tone.
"And training in the dark, no less," Kyoka wasn't that pleased to hear the news either.
"Revelry in the dark," Fumikage remarked while standing in front of the cave.
"How much can we do in one day?" A Class B classmate murmured in exhaustion.
Neito gave a nervous laugh. "Least we get to beat Class A, am I right?"
"Don't slack now!" Pixie-Bob called out to the two. "Make sure you keep on pushing yourself as you work!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Remember...where I came from," Izuku said to himself in thought.
"Hey." He flinched in fear, turning around to see Tiger glaring down at him intensely. "You're not Plus Ultra yet."
"Aah! Right!" Izuku ran up ahead to continue his training. Izuka looked up at the bar and jumped to grab it, continuing to spin around.
After another day of training, the students prepared their food. Katsuki was rapidly slicing salmon as Izuka walked over. She handed him some more ingredients to chop. Ochaco turned to the two in alarm. "Whoa, Bakugo, you're really good with that knife! And are you and Mido cooking together? It's weird."
"What do you mean it's weird?!" Katsuki whipped around to her. "How can you people be so damn bad at everything? And so what if I'm cooking with the short stack? You got a problem with that?"
Izuka shook her head slowly at his response. Denki walked past them holding ingredients of his own. "Look at that. He's not blowing stuff up," He remarked, since yesterday Katsuki blew up a grill and then snickered at Katsuki and Izuka.
"I'm too tired for this," Eijiro mumbled to himself.
"Go make yourself useful and get me a big pot," Katsuki turned to Izuka, who pouted a bit.
"Can I ask why are you doing this for me again? I didn't exhaust myself this time," She raised a curious brow. He literally dragged her over to start prepping, without even letting her get a word in regarding the matter.
"That's because you'd screw it up," Katsuki huffed and then glared a bit at her. "What, are you saying that my cooking isn't good enough?"
"No, no! I'll get whatever you need," She waved her hands rapidly and walked off, more so because she didn't want to piss him off.
Izuku bent down to grab his own cookware just as Izuka came over. "Did you need All Might for a particular reason?" He looked up at Shoto, Izuka glancing over her shoulder curiously as well. "You asked Mr. Aizawa about him."
"You heard that?" Izuka blinked at him in surprise.
"Yeah. Um...I did," Izuku answered a bit awkwardly. "Because of Kota."
"Mm," His sister's eyes softened knowingly from his answer. Given his question to her about what she'd do if he died a hero, she should've known that this issue he couldn't just forget. Although, she wasn't sure what All Might could really do for him.
"Kota? Who's that?" Shoto stared at the twins in confusion.
"Huh? The boy that's over there. He's Mandalay's cousin's..." He trailed off as Kota didn't seem to be anywhere. "Hold on. Where did he go?" Probably to his hideout. He really doesn't like being around everyone. So did Izuka, but that was more so shyness, not because she disliked anyone. He gathered some firewood to start a grill. "Anyway, Kota doesn't like heroes. Actually, he hates the whole concept of superhumans, Quirks and everything. I tried to talk to him, but I think I just made things worse. I was just wondering what All Might would have done to help him if he'd been here. I mean, what would you two say to him, Todoroki, Izuka?"
The girl closed her eyes with a knowing sigh. She should've expected this as well, but then again, she didn't know when he had the time to talk to Kota. She had a feeling it was last night at some point. Although this feeling of not agreeing with his actions wasn't unfamiliar to her at all. "Well, Izuku, think about it," She stepped up, leaning across the grill a little while glancing down at him. "Would another hero, even the number one, really be able to change Kota's mind? It doesn't seem like something a talk would fix," She frowned a little in thought. "He's felt this way for two years now, remember?"
"For me, it depends," Shoto spoke up, looking away.
"Of course! Sorry I asked either of you!" Izuku squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment.
"To have a complete stranger try to change your mindset sounds like a pretty irritating conversation. What matters are actions. You have to show him what you're trying to prove. Right? If you're going to rely on words alone, then they'd better be incredibly powerful," The twins stared at him attentively. "What you say doesn't matter near as much as what you actually do."
Izuku blinked as it got him thinking back to when he tried to save Katsuki. "So when I saw this timid, Quirkless boy and a shy, unwilling girl with a Quirk try to save a life, it inspired me to act, too. Young man, young lady. You too can become heroes."
Izuka blinked as this got her to wonder why Katsuki was softening up on her now. Because of his earlier advice the first day of training. He didn't seem the type to act as if he was inspired, but he definitely acted a bit different towards her. The Katsuki she knew in middle school would NEVER offer to help her cook if she could do it on her own. The twins then looked towards each other and smiled.
"You're right. I went about this the wrong way. How can I, a stranger, say anything to him?"
"I don't know what your goal is when it comes to this child. But it sounds to me like you shouldn't be sticking your nose in a delicate situation. You tend to cut to the heart of people's feelings. It can be annoying," Shoto pointed out, remembering their match in the Sports Festival.
"Right," Izuku didn't even look up as he felt a bit awkward. "Sorry about that."
"Hmm, I have to agree with Shoto. Like when you helped him during the Sports Festival. I had a feeling he should've used his fire, but I didn't say anything because I thought he might not wanna hear it. It might be the same thing with Kota. You can't make everyone like heroes. I'm sure you've realized that since Shigaraki," Izuka pointed out and his eyes softened a bit, remembering his interaction with Shigaraki. He didn't even know what he should do, but if Kota disliked heroes so much...no one could exactly bring his parents back. No one could make him see heroes could be a good thing to embrace either.
"I'm sorry if you felt that way too, sis..."
She gave him a small smile, ruffling his hair. "Nah, don't apologize for that. Just be careful what you do with people." Although she felt like that was on deaf ears and that he'd do it again.
"Izuka, come on," He whined a little as he moved away her hand and she giggled. Shoto smiled a bit towards the two at how different they were from his own family. He wished that he had that kind of bond...
"You guys!" Tenya shouted at the three of them. "Your hands aren't moving! We'll never make the best stew if you stop now!"
"Where the hell is that pot, short stack?!" Katsuki yelled for Izuka, who yelped in alarm.
"Right, coming!" She got onto her feet and Shoto handed her his own.
"Here, take mine. You've kept him waiting long enough."
She blinked in shock as he put it into her hands and then she smiled up at him gratefully. "Thank you!" The two then watched while she ran back to Katsuki.
"What took you so long?" He grumbled as she put the pot down.
"Oh, nothing," She waved it off and he narrowed his eyes a bit. One quick glance at Shoto told him that she wasn't telling the truth.
"Don't you dare lie to me!"
"I said it was nothing, and it's none of your business. If you want to talk and not cook, I can take over from here," She grabbed her own knife to slice and he growled in defeat. He was starving, but also, he wasn't going to drop the issue, unlike with Izuku's Quirk because he was her brother. This time, it had to do with Shoto, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why she protected him all the time. At least she didn't like him since she didn't know what that meant, but it still bothered him to no end.
"Perfect," Pixie-Bob commented in satisfaction once it was nighttime. They were a few miles away from the camp. "We've filled our bellies and cleaned the dishes! It's time for..."
"A totally awesome test of courage!" Mina finished while jumping around happily.
"We're gonna win!" Eijiro, Denki, and Hanta shouted in unison.
"Not so fast," Mr. Aizawa spoke up from behind. "It pains me to say it, but the remedial class will be having lessons with me tonight instead."
Mina's eyes bulged out at him. "You've gotta be kidding me!" She screamed in utter dismay.
"Sorry," He then grabbed the five with his scarf. "Your training during the day didn't impress me, so I'll be using this time too." He pulled them onto the ground and then dragged them away.
"Aw, give me a break!" Denki and Hanta whined as they left. Izuka gave a nervous laugh at how they were being treated. She almost wished she could swap places with since Mr. Aizawa wasn't letting up on them. But if he didn't do that, he wouldn't be their teacher. Tonight, she was wearing a yellow blouse with sleeves that stopped at her wrists, the ends frilled. She had on bright blue jeans with a brown belt and her usual sneakers. Her hair this time was tied up into two big high ponytails, with her bangs out and the ends of her hair in one small curl.
"I just wanna prove my courage!" Rikido and Eijiro cried out; but also, they just wanted to join in on some fun.
"Okay, so," Pixie-Bob started off. "Class B is going to start out as our scarers. When they're in place, Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes. There are tags with your names on them at the far end of the route. Your goal is to collect those!"
"Revelry in the dark," Fumikage whispered to himself just like earlier.
Ochaco glanced at him nervously. Why's he keep saying that?
"Now, those who are scarers aren't allowed to make physical contact," Pixie-Bob instructed the group. "Use your Quirks to terrify the others! Got it?"
"The winners are the creative students who make the most people piss their pants!" Tiger shouted towards them.
"Did we need that visual?" Kyoka looked a bit unnerved at him.
"I see. They're encouraging us to stoke our imaginations as we compete with each other, all while showing us more uses for our Quirks in the process! As expected of UA!" Tenya shouted proudly, though it could also just be trying to have fun...
"Alright!" Pixie-Bob held up a few papers in her hand. "Everyone draw to see who your partner will be!"
"Hm?" Izuku blinked in confusion as Ochaco and Tsuyu were paired up. "If we're in teams of two—wait. There are 21 of us, but five in extra lessons. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...?" The teams were Mezo and Fumikage, Katsuki and Shoto, Kyoka and Toru, Yuga and Momo, Ochaco and Tsuyu, Mashirao and Minoru, and Tenya with Koji. And while with five gone, for some reason, both he and Izuka weren't on a team. "Okay, let's try this again. I must be missing something...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-" He yelped as he realized that two people would be on their own and not as a pair. I'm all alone...
"Why do I feel like this was on purpose?" Izuka murmured as she glanced away.
Mashirao waved his hands, trying to assure them. "We were randomly assigned. It's not that nobody chose you or anything."
A hand grabbed his shoulder and he flinched. Katsuki was standing right behind him. "Listen up, Tail. Trade with me!" He jerked a thumb as he did not want to be partnered with Shoto. "Or better yet, someone tell me why short stack has to be on her own!"
"Heh heh..." Izuka looked a bit awkward at this. Not that she didn't want to be his partner, but also it'd be a bit weird...
"Aoyama," Minoru whined as he approached him and Momo, who backed away a little. "Please switch partners, I should be with her!" Although that was probably for the best that he wasn't paired up with any girl...
"Revelry in the dark," Fumikage repeated once again.
Two people screamed from the forest while the others were waiting to be sent out. "Next team! That's you two kittens. Ribbity and Ms. Floater!" Pixie-Bob announced, leaving only two teams left. Izuka had gone out first.
As the two girls walked, they could hear a bunch of screams. "I'm getting scared, Tsu. And those screams aren't helping!"
"That's Kyoka and Toru, I think. Here, take my hand. Don't be afraid," Tsuyu held up her hand. "We'll look out for each other. One step at a time."
Ochaco hummed in agreement, glad that they were paired up. She took her friend's hand and looked up ahead nervously.
A girl from Class B stood in the forest, a classmate laughing. "Nice going, Kodai, you managed to scare everybody so far, ya big creeper!" He came out of hiding along with Itsuka nearby.
"Yeah, you're the star of the night!" Itsuka agreed with him.
"I can't get over how funny Bakugo and Todoroki were!" He laughed at the memory. Since the two were 3rd, when they came into the area and got scared, they actually got stiff. "I thought they were tough, ha ha ha ha!"
"Hey. Smell that?" Itsuka called out, getting his attention. "I think there's something burning nearby."
"Huh?" A bunch of purple smoke started to appear nearby. "Now that you mention it, it's kinda smoky out here." The smoke didn't let up either, it only increased in the area. "Maybe Bakugo and Todoroki got so scared, they...fire..." He faltered as he slowly closed his eyes.
"Honenuki?!" Itsuka looked at him in alarm as he fell unconscious. She gasped sharply as the smoke hit her, covering her mouth. "Yui! Don't breathe in!" She extended a giant fist, looking around in alarm. "This smoke. It's poisonous!"
Pixie-Bob sniffed the air as she could faintly smell it. "What's this foul smell in the air?"
"You see that?" Izuku looked up ahead as something bright blue was in the distance. Smoke came from the area, only it was black instead of purple.
"Black smoke," Mandalay murmured as they all looked up.
"Has something been set ablaze?" Tenya wondered, none of them knowing the source was from Dabi.
"Maybe a fire on the mountain?" Mashirao wondered as Dabi was touching a tree to set it on fire.
"Now...it begins," He looked around at the forest fire he just caused.
"Hey," Pixie-Bob was suddenly lifted in the air. "What's happening?!" She was then sent flying backwards, unable to stop herself.
"Pixie-Bob!" Mandalay cried out to her comrade.
"Take them down," Dabi ordered as the purple smoke was being caused by a villain. "Those who believe they deserve the title hero."
Ochaco and Tsuyu walked by some trees, Himiko watching them nearby. She cackled while eyeing them.
"We, the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains, will tear them off their pedestals..." Half of the forest was covered in the poisonous smoke, while the other half was on fire.
Because Izuka was the first to go, she whipped around at the smoke around her, putting her sleeve to her mouth. She then glanced up to the sky, seeing the black smoke. "All this smoke...everyone's in danger!"
Pixie-Bob was now on the ground with a few head injuries, unable to move. "First, let's get rid of these feral cats," Someone spoke up, the students looking up ahead in disbelief.
"What?" Minoru backed up in horror. "No way! I thought they made sure no one could find us!" Spinner, the heteromorph, and Magne were standing above Pixie-Bob. They stared at the remaining group. "So why the heck are there villains attacking this place?!"
"Pixie-Bob!" Izuku ran over in concern, only to be stopped by Tiger.
"This is bad," Mandalay gritted her teeth. Izuku stared at her...and then remembered someone he hadn't seen in a while.
"Where's Kota?!"
He was at his secret hideout, looking out to the damage. Meanwhile, someone stepped up to him from behind...