My Hero Academia: The Story of Twin Heroes

by Guy with a fanfic acount

[MHA AU Fic] "What if Izuku had a Twin Sister?" (Will follow the main show.) After a Villain encounter, Izuku Midoriya meets All Might and learns the truth. Meanwhile his sister, Ami Midoriya, born with a dangerous quirk, tries to overcome her insecurities to become a hero. (Season 1&2 Done) Reviews are needed & appreciated. :)4YR ANNIVERSARY! Eventual Romance

43. S3 Chapter 3: Prelude to Terror 2!

MHA Season 3 Episode 3

Training Camp - Day 2

Twenty students gathered in front of the camp with squinted eyes and tired yawns. Yesterday's arrival to camp had drained 1B's stamina. Thankfully, they were treated to a wonderful five star dinner meal by the Pussycats. Compared to Class 1A, the sun was behind the mountains by the time they reached camp. This sadly meant they had less time to sleep than Class 1A, leading us to their present situation.

Most of them dragged their feet through the mud, trying not to trip on anything or fall asleep standing up as they assembled into one group. Some of them were more awake than the others. Kendo was one of them. Although she yawned, she was used to waking up early in the morning. She listened to her classmates tired moans and kept a straight face, feeling sorry for them.

"Ugh…" A brunette groaned to Kendo's left. Kendo darted her eyes to the left and spotted a shorter brunette with hair covering her face. Kendo knew the short girl as her friend, Kinoko. She watched Kinoko drag her feet across the floor with more emphasis and noticed she was leaning slightly more than the rest of class. It didn't take long before Kinoko's head drooped down, tripping on seemingly nothing. She fell asleep standing up and was about to fall flat on her face. Fortunately, Kendo grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, keeping her body from falling to the floor. Kinoko quickly woke up and raised her head up. Kendo kept her hand on Kinoko's arm as a guide to prevent her from falling. She nodded at Kendo in appreciation, letting out a quiet yawn as she forced herself to stay awake.

With her friend no longer in danger, Kendo looked forward at their teacher, Vlad King. An older hero dressed in a red costume and orange visor with white hair. Kendo stared at the back of Vlad's head as did the rest of class.

"We're focusing on our quirks?" Kendo questioned, staring incredulously at Vlad.

"Class A's already training. You all need to catch up." Vlad said, raising his left hand up. He waved his hand forward, motioning for the class to walk with him. The class reluctantly started walking with Vlad, entering the woods. Vlad walked on a small path through the woods with his class in tow, hearing their groans, moans, and yawns behind him. He ignored their tired voices and thought about past events.

"Last semester, Class A was in the spotlight. Next semester, it's Class B's turn." Vlad explained, making the students gulp. They recalled what happened to Class A's first semester and shuddered, feeling sorry for them.

"From now on, you're shooting for the top. Don't let me down!" Vlad encouraged, causing Tetsutetsu to flinch.

"We're such disappointing students!" Tetsutetsu whispered, clenching his fist in shame. Manga looked at him with words on his face, feeling like he was taking the teacher's words too seriously. Setsuna walked closer towards Vlad with her hands behind her back, leaning on her right hip.

"I get you want everyone to improve our quirks. But we have 20 unique powers in our class. What kind of training will help all of us get better?" Setsuna inquired, receiving a nod of agreement from a pale green student.

"Yeah, can you be more specific?" Kamakiri clarified. Vlad squinted his eyes and huffed, going into teacher mode.

"When your muscle fibers are overused, they break and grow back tougher. Thicker. Quirks are the same way. They improve the harder you push them. Stronger after every workout." Vlad answered, reaching the end of the path. He stared at the entrance to the large clearing up ahead and tensed up in anticipation.

"In other words, there's only one thing to do!" Vlad said, entering the clearing with his students. Class 1B entered the clearing and raised their eyes across the open landscape, letting out a collective gasp at what was happening.

"You'll have to break yourselves!" Vlad clarified, stepping on a small rock and overlooking the land with confidence. To describe what Class A was going through in two words would be personalized torment. The 1-A students were training their quirks mostly by their lonesome, appearing fatigued or struggling.

The first person they saw was Katsuki Bakugo. He dumped his hands into a large bucket of boiling water and quickly pulled them out, blasting the sky above him with a powerful explosion. Shoto Todoroki was sitting in a large bucket freezing the ground and melting it with flames. Hanta Sero was screaming as extremely long strands of tape shot out of his elbows. Mashirao Ojiro was using his tail to fight Eijiro Kirishima. The ladder using his hardened skin to tank the impacts of Ojiro's tail. Kaminari was hooked up to a high-capacity battery and running a powerful current through it.

Koji Koda was screaming at the sky, training his vocal range so animals could hear him from further away. Aoyama yelped in discomfort as he fired his navel laser into the sky. Inside a cave, Tokoyami shouted at Dark Shadow to obey his commands in pure darkness. Ochaco Uraraka was rolling down a hill in a thick plastic bubble, keeping her mouth shut in an effort to not throw up. Tenya Iida was running long distances to improve his leg strength while Tsuyu Asui climbed up a cliff with just her tongue doing all the pulling.

Sato lifted weights with one arm and ate a huge strawberry cake with the other. Momo was stuffing her face with chocolates while she created Russian dolls with her other hand. Kyoka Jirou was honing her earphone jacks by poking them into the cliff. Mina Ashido was constantly creating acid with her hands, spraying her side of the cliff in exhaustion. Minoru Mineta was atop the cliff with blood oozing out of his scalp. He was constantly popping balls off his head and dropping them on the ground in front of him.

Tooru Hagakure and Mezo Shoji were also training together. Shoji was creating as many arms as he could with eyes and ears on each limb. He hunted down Hagakure as she tried to hide from him. Lastly, Izuku Midoriya was kicking the air with One For All channeling through his body. The sight of it all made a couple 1-B students gasp with fear. If any of them was struggling not to fall asleep, they definitely weren't struggling now. They knew they would have to participate in this torment.

"Oh, man. This is pretty intense." Rin frowned, wincing at Class A's torment. Shiozaki agreed with her own frown, signing the shape of the cross on her body to give her more strength.

"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 instructed, making Rin's soul exit out of his mouth.

"Now normally, these changes happen gradually as you grow." Vlad explained.

"But we don't have time for that. Your class has a lot of work to do." Aizawa interjected, staring at the 1B students with a dead blank stare. Kendo listened to Aizawa with clenched fists, keeping focused.

"Once we team up with Class A, there'll be 41 students here. That's a whole lot of quirks for our homeroom teachers to manage on their own." Kendo pointed out, receiving a nod from a pale student. Aizawa heard her comment and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Which is why we called them." Aizawa explained, looking at the hero team.

"That's correct! Four kittens in one litter!" a new Catgirl exclaimed, appearing in front of Aizawa from nowhere. Class B stared at the hero in confusion, wondering where she came from.

"Your feline fantasies are here. Say, Meow!" Mandalay announced, winking and giving them the okay hand signal.

"Allow us to lend a helping paw!" The Catgirl said, spinning into position.

"We're champions serving up justice. With our tails." a new Catman said, flexing his gigantic muscles with fury. Class B stared at him and felt an aura emanating off his body, unnerving them.

"Purrfectly cute and catlike heroes!" Pixie-Bob arrived, getting into position.

"We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats! Full version!" The hero team exclaimed, striking an iconic cat pose. Class B stared at them in silence, unsure how to react to their spontaneous arrival. Some of them knew the hero team from back when they were kids. They were a little surprised to see them still around as heroes. After an awkward silence, the Pussycats quickly introduced themselves.

"I'm Ragdoll and my quirk is Search! I can look up to 100 people and know everything about them. Like their location and weakness!" Ragdoll explained, surprising some of the unknowing students.

"With my Earthflow, I can create the ideal training ground for every student." Pixie-Bob explained, showing off her quirk. The ground behind her lifted up in the air like a tiny wave of water.

"And my quirk is called Telepath. I can give advice to multiple people at once." Mandalay explained, intriguing some of them. They stared at the final member as he turned his head to glare at them.

"The name's Tiger. And I'm here to beat you guys to a pulp." Tiger said, easily intimidating the students. That was all the students needed to hear to frighten them. They didn't even know what his quirk was and they were still afraid.

"I have questions about him." Rin said, suddenly feeling like his life was in danger.

"All you kids with strength quirks time for Tiger's bootcamp. Class A's already sweating, so catch up quick!" Tiger ordered, pointing at Class B. Tiger jumped into the air and landed beside Izuku Midoriya, watching him perform his exercises.

"C'mon, show me what you got." Tiger said, urging Izuku to show off. Izuku looked at him and clenched his fist, channeling One For All at 6 percent. He slammed his fist towards Tiger, who promptly dodged the attack by bending backwards on all yours. Izuku was caught off guard by the dodge and watched as Tiger swung his right arm into his chest, sending him flying into a tree. Izuku smacked into the tree with a grunt, falling to his knees.

"If you don't push yourself, you won't shred your muscle fibers, and then you won't get stronger!" Tiger instructed, watching Izuku struggle to lift his chest off the dirt.

"Right, Sir…" Izuku strained, raising his head slightly upward.

"I can't hear you!" Tiger exclaimed, forcing Izuku to speak up.

"Right, Sir!" Izuku hollered, gritting his teeth and speaking clearly.

"He's scary." Kaibara thought, turning his back on Tiger with an inaudible gulp.

"You wanna be Plus Ultra, don't you? Then show me what that means!" Tiger encouraged, raising his paw upward with claws sharpened.

"Yes, Sir!" Izuku shouted, standing up with clenched fists. He narrowed his eyes at Tiger with determination, making the cat hero smirk in satisfaction.

"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 explained.

"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." Aizawa elaborated.

"Don't fall behind Class A. Do me proud!" Vlad said, overlooking his students with a solemn face.

"Yes, Sir!" Class B exclaimed. Aizawa watched Class B stand firm and almost turned around before spotting a raised hand from an orange haired girl.

"Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa, Sir!" Kendo hollered, raising her hand up high. Aizawa turned and made eye contact with his dead stare. Kendo was a little unnerved but held on with professionalism. Her solemn expression reminded Aizawa of Iida.

"Go on." Aizawa said, causing Kendo to nod in confirmation.

"Doesn't Class A have 21 students? I only count 20 out here." Kendo pointed out, looking around the clearing questionably. Setsuna stood beside Kendo with a equally curious expression, finishing her headcount of Class A. She was right. There was only 20 students here.

"Yeah, I don't see Ami around here, do you?" Setsuna chimed in, looking around with Kendo.

"Who?" Kaibara asked, glancing at the girls in confusion.

"I can answer that." Mandalay interjected, getting the students attention. She raised her hand up and pointed her index finger towards the direction of camp.

"She's training in the Hot Springs." Mandalay explained, receiving nods of understanding. In the distance, Mineta heard Mandalay's answer and zoomed towards the very edge of the cliff, gripping into the dirt with a blush in his face.

"Is she naked!?" Mineta shouted, echoing across the clearing. Everyone paused and looked at him with glares, shaking their heads in response. Bakugo glared at him with a twitchy eye, growling in annoyance. He formed a scowl and kept his hands in the bucket, ignoring the sizzling sound coming from his hands. As Mineta stared down the cliff, the edge he leaned on cracked in half. It fell apart in an instant, causing Mineta to lose his balance.

"Woah! Ahhhhh!" Mineta screamed, getting caught in a mini landslide. He flailed his arms around in distress as he fell and hit the ground. No one bothered to catch him. Aizawa let out a tired sigh, unfurling his metal scarf.

"I'll be back." Aizawa said, leaping over towards Mineta.

"Training in the Hot Springs?" Setsuna questioned, raising her eyebrow, "Why is she training in there?" She asked, looking at Mandalay for answers.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Kendo appreciated, bowing her head in a respectful manner. Mandalay nodded and turned her head back over to the direction of camp. She narrowed her eyes and focused, activating her quirk.

"Ami, how are you doing there?" Mandalay asked.

Hot Springs - At The Same Time

"Pfft." Ami coughed, gagging out flames from her mouth. Flames spewed across the water, creating a loud sizzle as steam erupted from the water's surface. Ami panted heavily in the water, covering her mouth and swallowing the last bit of fire in her mouth. She closed her eyes in discomfort and gulped, deactivating her quirk.

"Bleugh…" Ami gasped, sticking her tongue out in disgust. She squinted her eyes and leaned on the rocks, catching her breath in exhaustion. She didn't feel good at all. She kept her upper body above the water as she let herself relax after using her flames. Steam covered the room in a murky mist of boiling hot water.

Ami clenched her fists below the water's surface and stared at the murky water, seeing only her reflection. Unlike yesterday, she couldn't see her legs through the murky water.

Also unlike yesterday, Ami wasn't naked in the pool. She wore a purple skintight bodysuit with the only exposed skin being her arms. The bodysuit was borrowed from her hero costume. The rest was back in the changing room. She regretted wearing it, however. Since she was by herself, she had the option to train in the pool with nothing on, but, after the Mineta Incident, she wasn't taking any chances of someone else getting a peep at her.

She leaned her head up and sighed, covered in sweat. She unsquinted her eyes and blinked a couple times, letting her eyes adjust to the steam. She looked around the hot springs and stared at two buckets on her left and right. Ami stared at the buckets and frowned, wishing she didn't have to use them.

The buckets were large and extremely heat-resistant, protecting what was inside. Not that what was in there needed protection to begin with. The contents inside the bucket to her right was essential to her training. Just like being in the hot springs was essential to her training.

She stared at the bucket and grimaced, wincing a bit in disappointment. She didn't need to relax anymore now that her breathing returned to normal. Her training was very specific on her relaxation time, making her sigh in disapproval. With extreme reluctance, she raised her hand out of the water and reached for the bucket to her right. She grabbed the bucket and placed it on her lap, peering down at its contents.

"Ugh…" Ami groaned, gritting her teeth in hesitation. She stared at a pile of bread inside the bucket, gulping nervously in preparation. She looked around the empty room and took another deep breath, sticking her hand inside.

"Only one." Ami thought, cringing uncomfortably as she pulled out a piece of bread with her left hand. She placed the bucket back on the ground to her right and stared at the bread in her other hand.

"Bon Appetit..." Ami muttered, shaking her head in reluctance. She opened her mouth and gently shoved the bread inside. She closed her mouth and started chewing, keeping her eyes shut. Eventually, she swallowed the bread and felt it go down her throat. She kept her mouth shut and gulped, forcing it to stay inside with discomfort. Her body shivered in the water, not because she was cold but because she was trying hard not to vomit. It wasn't because the bread tasted bad. It actually tasted good. The reason she was trying not to vomit was because it needed to reach down into her stomach before she could begin her training.

"Next step, Ami." She whispered, pushing herself to endure. She opened her mouth and took another deep breath, concentrating on her goal. She activated her quirk and felt the flames rising up through her chest. While doing so, she felt the flames move past a small blockage inside her chest. It was the bread she just forced herself to swallow. She cringed a bit in discomfort and frowned, clenching her fists. When the flames entered her throat, she opened her mouth and fired, shooting a volley of flames into the pool. The fire made contact with the water, sending more steam into the air. Ami kept up her attack and closed her eyes, concentrating and thinking only peaceful thoughts. She imagined her friends giving her words of encouragement, which seemed to have done the trick. She fired at the water for quite some time before her flames began to die down. The flames retreated back into her mouth and dissipated, causing her to shut her mouth. She opened her eyes and deactivated her quirk, feeling sick. She gripped her stomach and gagged, coughing out more flames. They hit the water and melted in an instant, creatjng steam. She leaned back on the rocks and panted heavily in exhaustion, letting smoke fly out of her mouth.

"Just catch your breathe, Ami." She thought, beginning her recovery process. Her stomach growled in disapproval, causing her to wince. She tensed up and raised her legs, kicking the water slightly in an effort to keep her composure. She cringed at the feeling inside her stomach, gritting her teeth in misery. Out of all the exercises she performed in relation to quirk training, this had to be the worst one.

She relaxed her muscles and stretched her legs out, submerging them back into the water. She rubbed her forehead and wiped sweat off her face, leaning on the rocks in exhaustion. Her body slid off the rocks, submerging her chest into the water. She relaxed in the pool with only her head out of the water, unaffected by the triple digit heat coming from the pool. The warm water soothed her skin, making her happy to be heat-resistant. As she relaxed in the pool, she felt a strange sensation tugging at her brain. It was weird, like something was pinching her brain.

"Ami, how are you doing there?" Mandalay asked, entering Ami's mind. Ami instantly knew it was Mandalay using her quirk to communicate. She frowned and raised her chest out of the pool, listening to Mandalay with a sad groan.

"You can hear me, but I can't hear you. I hope you're hanging in there. We'll check up on you soon." Mandalay explained, ending the conversation. Ami felt the tug on her brain disappear and blew air out of her nose.

"So, that's how Mandalay's quirk works…" Ami thought, recalling the explanation. She kept her chest above the water and frowned, thinking about what Mandalay said to her when she arrived at the hot springs.

Past

"What are we doing in here?" Ami asked, looking at the pool of water with a questionable stare.

"This is where you'll be training, Ami." Mandalay explained, causing Ami to stare at her incredulously.

"It is?" Ami questioned, receiving a nod. Mandalay stretched her hand out towards the pool, showing off the empty hot springs.

"You've got the whole place to yourself. Don't worry about burning anything down. Pixie-Bob can fix it." Mandalay assured, confusing Ami. Having a hot spring all to yourself sounded like heaven, but she still didn't know how this area related to her training.

"What am I supposed to do here?" Ami questioned, looking at Mandalay in confusion. Mandalay looked at Ami with a smile, folding her arms together.

"Eraser, told me how your quirk works. You breathe fire and swallow all the flames in your surroundings. That's a pretty handy power. Especially for a rescue hero." Mandalay praised, making Ami smile in appreciation. The compliment made Ami feel less nervous.

"Thank you." Ami said, nodding in thanks.

"But, there's still some issues that need to be addressed. Small things that need improvement. That'll be the focus of your training for today." Mandalay explained, raising her index finger at Ami.

"I'm not following. What needs improvement?" Ami questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"The goal for today is to eat everything in this bucket." Mandalay explained, pulling out a bucket hidden behind her. Ami heard her instructions and raised her eyes in bewilderment, looking inside the bucket. Inside was a stack of bread. Not too big, not too small, but just quite right.

"Huh?" Ami muttered, looking even more confused. Mandalay handed Ami the bucket and quickly explained the goal.

"Lemme explain, your goal is to eat every piece of bread in this bucket one at a time. Once you chew it down, that's when you activate your quirk and blast the water till nothing comes out. After that, take a couple minutes to relax and repeat." Mandalay explained, causing Ami to stare inside the bucket with a baffled expression. There was a lot of bread inside.

"You want me to eat while I train?" Ami asked, looking up to see Mandalay nodding her head. She gulped at the hero with a twinge of fear.

"Eraser says using your power after eating upsets your stomach, correct?" Mandalay asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"Yeah. Because of the way my quirk works, my flames end up burning anything in the way to my mouth." Ami answered, staring down at the bucket of bread. She widened her eyes and tensed her shoulders, instantly realizing the purpose of the goal.

"By now, you probably understand where this is going. You see, Ami, the way your Flame Organ reacts with your stomach makes no sense." Mandalay stated, surprising Ami.

"It doesn't?" Ami questioned, frowning slightly. Mandalay nodded at her with a serious face, keeping her arms folded.

"Your body should be used to breathing fire at a microscopic level. Fighting on an empty stomach or not, your Flame Organ shouldn't be affecting your stomach like that at all." Mandalay explained, making Ami go silent with thought. She never put much thought into her stomach before. She just thought it was normal.

"Did it ever occur to you why your organs are heat resistant?" Mandalay asked, causing Ami to answer in confusion.

"Because of my father?" Ami replied, unsure what to say.

"Yes, but no. Before quirks, we all had the same parts inside of us. But, nowadays, people have all kinds of unique body parts or specialized organs tied to their quirks." Mandalay stated, receiving a nod in understanding. Ami knew how true that was. Quirks made a lot of ancient medical textbooks irrelevant. It's a known fact among doctors that quirkless individuals are easier to diagnose and treat than someone with a quirk. She remembered one time when her and Izuku were sick, Izuku had an easier time recovering compared to her.

"For some people, their bodies need extra time to adjust to their quirk during childhood. You're no different, Ami. A lot of people don't realize this because, by the time they reach puberty, their internal bodies have completely adjusted to their quirk. That's why practice is so important in the early stages of quirk manifestation. The mere act of using your quirk gives the body the chance to get used to the new power. However, if you were to neglect that power…" Mandalay explained, giving Ami the chance to speak.

"Then your body won't adjust properly." Ami replied, finishing her sentence. Ami frowned at Mandalay with realization.

"Mhm. You understand now, don't you?" Mandalay asked, looking at Ami with sympathy.

"Yeah…I used to be afraid of breathing fire and hurting people. That's why, when I started practicing, I only focused on inhaling fire." Ami admitted, feeling guilty. Her past insecurity had come back to bite her once more.

"Even neglecting one side of your power is enough to cause problems in the long run. Your lungs are used to you inhaling flames, but your stomach isn't used to you breathing fire." Mandalay explained, causing Ami to grind her teeth. She squeezed her hands and internally sighed.

"I can't believe it. If I had practiced breathing fire when I was little, I wouldn't have to worry about any stomach problems. I'm such an idiot…" Ami thought, insulting herself.

"So, now you know what you have to do?" Mandalay asked, causing Ami to snap out of her thoughts. She looked at Mandalay with equal height and continued to squeeze her hands, feeling a wave of determination flowing in her.

"Yeah, I have to train my stomach so that using my quirk is no longer an issue." Ami said, solemnly.

"That's right. Which is why we're here. The Hot Springs are the perfect environment for you to train. The steam will clear your senses and the warm water will soak into your skin and relax your muscles, making it easier on your stomach when you use your quirk." Mandalay explained. Ami looked at the pool of warm water and relaxed her hands, nodding in affirmation. The steam rising off the water, the moisture in the air, and the seclusion of the setting. It was the perfect training ground for her. She flared her nostrils and smiled, letting go of her sadness.

"I understand what I have to do. I can do this!" Ami exclaimed, making Mandalay happy.

"That's the spirit! Go all out, Ami. Oh, and don't worry about ruining the water with your flames. It'll fix itself later. Now, any questions before I leave?" Mandalay asked, standing firm. Ami looked at her and paused, thinking about the bucket of bread. A less than healthy thought appeared in her mind. There was a lot of bread in that bucket. If she was going to eat it all and use her flames immediately afterwards, then what if she couldn't keep it in? She frowned again and clasped her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers anxiously.

"Oh, umm…What if I throw up?" Ami asked, lowering her eyes at Mandalay. Mandalay put her hand on her chin in thought. She forgot about that part.

"Here's another bucket." Mandalay replied, handing Ami an empty bucket.

"That's just gross..." Ami thought, hiding her disgust.

Present

"I agreed to do this, but that doesn't mean I like it." Ami muttered, regaining her strength. She visibly recoiled whenever she stared at the left bucket, resisting the urge to gag right then-and-there. She grabbed the right bucket and stared at the bread with a hesitant frown.

"Welp, here I go again…" Ami thought, reaching her hand inside the the bucket. With one quick push, she shoved the bread into her mouth and chewed. She swallowed the piece too early, causing her eyes to bulge outward.

"Uh oh!" Ami panicked, gagging on the piece of bread in her throat. Time for the left bucket to save her once again.

Later

"Now. Remember what I said? We're not serving your food anymore!" Pixie-Bob announced, letting Ragdoll chime in.

"If you guys wanna eat, you'll have to make your own meals!" Ragdoll smiled, holding up a bag of food, "Starting with curry!" She announced.

"Yes, Ma'am…" The students groaned, feeling completely drained. An entire days worth of training left them down in the dumps. They forgot all about yesterday's warning about making dinner, wishing they didn't have to make their own meal. Ragdoll looked at their pitiful faces and felt tears pop out of her eyelids.

"Oh, man, do you guys look exhausted. But that doesn't mean you can coast by making sloppy cat food!" Ragdoll teased, laughing at their misery.

"Oh! I see." Iida said, coming to a realization, "An important part of saving someone recovering from a disaster is providing for their physical needs as well as spiritual." Iida assumed, putting a hand on his chin.

"Ah! This is a great opportunity! Let's make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!" Iida proclaimed, staring at the rest of his classmates.

"Yeah, okay…" The students agreed, letting out sighs that made it clear how dead inside they were.

"Thank you, Iida." Aizawa thought, glad to see the Class Rep take charge.

Mina stared at the unlit fire pit with anticipation, licking her lips at the thought of eating curry. She wasn't happy with having to make her own food, but she at least knew what to do. First, she needed fire.

"All right! Light it up, Ami!" Mina smiled, clapping her hands. She turned around and made eye contact with Ami, dropping her smile in an instant upon looking at her.

"Woah, Holy crap. Ami, you look terrible!" Mina gasped, making Ami grumble. She stood in front of Mina with her hand pressed against her stomach with bags over her eyes. Her face was ghostly pale with cheeks a slight green. She looked ready to drop dead at any moment, making Mina feel sympathy.

"Ehehe…Maybe you should sit this one out. I bet Todoroki wouldn't mind lending us a hand." Mina smiled, not wanting Ami to overwork herself. Ami looked at her with a moan and shook her head.

"No. No. I can do it." Ami assured, stepping forward. She crouched down and stared into the fire pit, gripping her stomach. Moving felt weird but she powered through. Staring into the unlit fire pit, she activated her quirk. She winced at the feeling of flames entering her mouth. She squinted her eyes and softly blew into the fire pit, releasing a small stream of fire towards the stove.

"Thanks, Ami!" Mina smiled in appreciation, patting Ami in the back. Ami felt Mina's hand pat her back with her quirk still activated and flinched. She closed her eyes and swallowed the flames, standing up and covering her mouth. She stepped away from the fire pit with an uncomfortable groan, resisting the urge to vomit. Mina looked at Ami with regret, apologizing for patting her back.

Bakugo stared at Habanero with hidden concern, raising his eyes at her discomfort. He wondered what kind of training she went through in the Hot Springs. He was tired from training, too, but she looked like she was poisoned. Around him, Sero and Tokoyami looked at the unlit fire pit in front of them with an idea.

"Bakugo, use an explosion to light that." Sero suggested, snapping Bakugo out of his thoughts. He crouched down and stared at the fire pit, sticking his hand above it with narrowed eyes.

"This is so beneath me!" He complained, activating his quirk. His hand ignited in a bright explosion, ruining the fire pit in an instant. Bakugo stared at the destroyed fire pit with wide eyes. His sweat glands were still expanded, causing him to let out an explosion more powerful than he was intending.

"Too much!" Tokoyami blurted out.

"Haha. Looks like Class A's best student can't even start an oven without blowing it up! How embarrassing. Haha." Monoma laughed, holding his face with a twisted smile.

"Grrr…" Bakugo growled, glaring at the annoying blonde with murderous intent. Sero and Tokoyami looked at Monoma with narrowed eyes, having had enough of his presence already.

"Dude, go back to your class." Sero said, looking unamused. Monoma continued laughing at Bakugo while Kendo snuck up behind him with an apologetic frown.

Smack

"Can you not, Monoma?" Kendo growled, knocking the air out of Monoma with a light jab in the neck. He flinched and felt his knees buckle, losing the ability to stand. Kendo grabbed him by the collar before he fully dropped to the ground, sighing in slight embarrassment.

"Sorry about that." Kendo apologized, receiving nods from Sero and Tokoyami. Bakugo flared his nostrils and looked away, standing up with his arms crossed. Kendo looked past the boys and spotted Ami hanging back while the girls in front of her messed with the stove. She smiled and raised her free hand up, waving at Ami.

"Hey, Ami." Kendo said, getting her attention. Ami stared at the orange haired girl and raised her eyes at her in confusion.

"Yeah?" Ami replied.

"We've got a couple ovens to burn. Could you lend us a hand?" Kendo asked, politely. Ami looked at her in surprise and stepped forward, accepting the call.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Ami agreed, walking up to Kendo.

"Don't fraternize with the enemy, Kendo. What're you doing?" Monoma protested, mumbling under Kendo's grip.

"Just go cook with the boys." Kendo sighed, watching Shishida approach.

"I got him, Kendo." Shishida offered, raising his hand towards Monoma. Kendo let go of Monoma and dropped him, letting Shishida drag his body across the ground.

"C'mon, Monoma." Shishida said, returning to the other guys. Across the way, Momo took notice of all the people asking for the help of others and shook her head in response.

"Rely on others and you'll never learn to start a fire yourself. We should focus on acquiring new skills." Momo lectured, spawning a lighter with her quirk. Jirou saw her create the lighter and judged her in silence.

"So much for acquiring new skills." Jirou thought, staring up at the Author in the sky. He didn't miss the irony either.

Ami walked beside Kendo as they approached their ovens. She looked at the ovens and saw familiar faces and one stranger next to it. They seemed to be talking to each other and giggling at something, making Ami and Kendo curious.

"All right, Girls. I brought Midoriya. She's gonna help us light the ovens." Kendo said, getting their attention. Ami watched as Setsuna and Shiozaki looked up at her at the same time, smiling in relief.

"Hey, Ami. You look terrible." Setsuna stated, looking at Ami's pale face with a toothy grin.

"Has your soul been afflicted by today's training? I'll pray for your recovery." Shiozaki said, clasping her hands together in quick prayer. She felt sorry for poor Ami.

"Thanks, Shiozaki." Ami said, softly with a nod.

"I could use the help." Ami thought, wincing internally at her sore stomach.

"Hi." A third girl said, getting Ami's attention.

"Oh, hi." Ami replied, waving back. The girl was pale with white hair and dark bags under her eyes. Ami couldn't tell if she always had bags or if they showed up from training. She imagined the girl was thinking the same thing about the bags on her own eyes. She stared at her with a slight lean, keeping her hands dangling in front of her like a zombie.

"This is Reiko." Setsuna said, introducing her to Ami, "Don't worry about her. She's just shy." Setsuna added, getting a blank stare from Reiko.

"What were you talking about when we walked over here, anyway?" Kendo asked, getting a quick reply.

"I was just asking Reiko what her favorite dinosaur was." Setsuna said, tugging on Reiko's shoulder. Ami raised her eye in surprise, tilting her head slightly at the question.

"That's…specific." Ami said, watching Kendo turn to face her with a nod.

"Setsuna always springs random questions on us. It's her way of getting to know people." Kendo explained, making Ami nod. That made sense. She grinned slightly with nostalgia. That reminded her of her old friend.

"I think raptors are cool." Reiko answered, pleasing Setsuna.

"Ooo. Good taste." Setsuna smiled, giving her a thumbs up in approval.

"What about Shiozaki?" Ami asked, looking at the vine girl with curiosity.

"She already gave me her answer." Setsuna replied, receiving a nod from Shiozaki in confirmation.

"Iguanodon was God's perfect lifeform." Shiozaki smiled, closing her eyes and Imagining herself riding on one in the Garden Of Eden.

"How bout you, Ami? Do you have a favorite dinosaur?" Setsuna asked, making Ami snicker in amusement.

"Everyone has a favorite dinosaur, Setsuna. Watch." Ami said, looking around. Todoroki stood up to full height across the ovens, making eye contact with Ami.

"Hey, Todoroki." Ami said, getting his attention.

"Yes?" Todoroki replied, staring back at Ami.

"What's your favorite dinosaur?" Ami asked, making Todoroki pause. He let the question repeat inside his head and asked Ami a question in return.

"...Do sharks count?" Todoroki asked, looking for clarification.

"No." Ami denied, shaking her head.

"..." Todoroki looked down in silence, seemingly contemplating his answer. It only took a couple more seconds for him to reply.

"Carcharodontosaurus." Todoroki answered, leaving the girls stunned as he left the scene.

"Huh. I guess you're right." Setsuna admitted, not expecting the cold teen to have a legitimate answer.

One Hour Later

"We did it!" The students exclaimed, staring at their bowls of curry with insatiable hunger. They quickly dug in, eating without any time to breathe. It didn't matter how bad or good the curry tasted. What matters was that they were starving and nothing was going to get in between them.

"If I got this at a restaurant, I'd send this crap back. But after today, I'll eat every bite." Kirishima said, almost devouring the whole bowl.

"Whoa, you're scarfing, Momo!" Mina smiled, staring at Yaoyorozu in surprise.

"Yes. My quirk transforms lipids into brand new atoms to create inorganic materials. That means, the more I eat, the more I can make." Yaoyorozu explained, making Sero ponder on it.

"Like how poop works." He stated, innocently. Momo stopped eating and froze, feeling suddenly very self conscious. Jirou stood up from across the table and took a swing at Sero's face.

"Apologize!" Jirou demanded, making Sero panic.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Sero frowned, rubbing his face in pain.

Ami listened to her classmates in silence, glancing at the bowl of curry in front of her. She smelled the bowl and flinched slightly in response. It smelled great. It probably tasted great, too. However, she wasn't feeling like eating at that moment. She wasn't sure if her stomach would even allow her to eat something else today. She quivered her lips and leaned forward, holding on to her spoon with hesitation. She dipped her spoon in and opened her mouth. Before she could put the spoon in her mouth, she felt her whole body cringe in response. She dropped the spoon back into the curry and closed her mouth, covering her lips with her other hand.

"That's not working." Ami thought, staring at her curry with a frown.

"Kota. It's time for dinner!" Mandalay hollered, getting Ami's attention.

"Where are you?" Mandalay asked, scurrying off with dishes. Ami stared at Mandalay and looked around for Kota, spotting him entering the woods. She raised her eye at Kota and tensed up, wondering where he was going this late at night.

"Aren't you going to eat that, Habanero?" Bakugo asked, getting Ami's attention. Ami looked at him in slight surprise, losing focus on Kota.

"Uh, yeah?" She answered, receiving a glare from Bakugo. He raised his eyebrow at her, wondering why she hadn't continued.

"What're you waiting for then?" Bakugo questioned, keeping his eye raised at Habanero. Ami looked at her untouched curry and then looked up at the woods where Kota had walked off to, spotting Izuku. She saw Izuku walking towards the edge of the woods and raised her head up, letting go of her spoon.

"Uh, actually, I need to see about something." Ami blurted, standing up.

"Huh?" Bakugo said, watching Habanero leave the table. He looked at Habanero in confusion before spotting Deku entering the woods. Habanero followed Deku and disappeared in the bushes, confusing Bakugo.

"Where are those morons going?" Bakugo thought, watching the twins enter the woods. He flared his nostrils and scoffed, finishing up his bowl.

Atop The Hill

Kota stared at the the treetops in silence, keeping a grumpy expression on his face. He stood atop higher ground, getting a view of the whole forest. He liked it up here. Even though he didn't like being here, this was his favorite spot. He liked being able to see everything. And when he was up here, he could watch the sunrise over the mountains. As he stared into the woods, his stomach growled with hunger. He brushed it aside in annoyance. He flared his nostrils in defiance, ignoring the demands of his own stomach. He didn't want to eat. Not with them around. The teenage hero losers entered his head, making him grunt in frustration. Why did they have to be here? They weren't here last year, or the year before, so why now? Heroes made him angry, but seeing people become heroes made him angrier.

His stomach growled once more, interrupting his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes and kept focused on the trees, forcibly ignoring the sound. In response, his stomach growled even louder, making a tiny echo through the hilltop.

"I heard that." Izuku stated, making Kota flinch. The sudden voice made Kota raise his eyes, jumping off his spot with agitation. He turned around and glared his eyes at Izuku, gritting his teeth. To his surprise, Izuku wasn't alone.

There was a green haired girl with him. She seemed to be at equal height with Izuku, maybe an inch taller. He recognized her as the one girl he didn't get an accidental view of in the Hot Springs. She was already submerged in the water, making her the only girl in Class A he wasn't embarrassed to look at. She stood beside Izuku with a small frown, showing concern towards him.

"You must be hungry. Here, we brought you some curry." Izuku said, holding a bowl of steaming hot curry in his hands. Kota glared at them both and clenched his fists in resistance.

"No way! How'd you find this place?" Kota denied, questioning the twins.

"Oh, sorry. I followed your footsteps." Izuku apologized, making Kota blow air out of his nose in frustration.

"I thought you might want some dinner before it gets cold." Izuku offered, making Kota lower his arms. He unclenched his fists and untensed his shoulders, keeping his glare.

"Whatever. I'm just fine." Kota replied, glaring at the sympathetic looks on both of their faces with a scoff. Despite his hunger, he wanted nothing to do with them. Not their attention, their food, and definitely not their concern.

"Get lost. I don't wanna hang out with any of you. So forget about my secret hideout." Kota demanded, causing the twins to look at him with raised eyes. Ami and Izuku looked around the empty hilltop overlooking the forest.

"This is a secret hideout?" Izuku questioned out loud. Ami nodded offhandedly in agreement. Not very secret if everyone above the treeline could see you.

"Hmph. Spending your entire life trying to improve your quirk. It's dumb. All you want to do is show off. Get lost!" Kota demanded, keeping his head lowered. Izuku squinted his eyes at Kota and frowned, glancing at the floor in thought.

"Hey, about your parents. I was wondering. Were they the Water Hose heroes? With the water quirks?" Izuku questioned, getting a surprised glance from Ami. She squinted her eyes at Izuku in response, not expecting Izuku to bring that up. Kota heard the question and felt his stomach churn, causing him to raise his head up with anger.

"Did Mandalay tell you?" Kota asked, clenching his fists again.

"No. It's, um…Well, sorry! But, I heard a little about what happened to them. And based on that information, I figured…" Izuku said in apology, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I remember reading about that horrible incident a few years ago." Izuku said, causing Kota to scoff. He turned around and hid his face, gritting his teeth with frustration.

"Go away." Kota warned, making Ami and Izuku frown.

"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." Kota critiqued, causing Ami and Izuku to look at Kota with a new perspective.

"It's not just heroes. Kota hates quirks." Ami thought, lowering her eyes in thought.

"We're done here. Go back to camp with the other losers." Kota yelled, looking away from them in defiance.

"Um. Hey. My, uh, my friend. This guy I know really well. He didn't inherit any abilities from his parents." Izuku stated.

"Huh?" Kota questioned, turning his head around slightly in confusion. Ami glanced at Izuku with a knowing expression, realizing what he was about to say with a raised heartbeat.

"It's a hereditary thing. And these days it's really uncommon. He admired heroes so much, and wanted to be one. 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." Izuku stated, watching as Kota stared back at him with a silent glare. He wondered where this story was going and listened.

"He tried to use telekinesis. And to breathe fire. But it was no good." Izuku said, making Ami tense up with guilt. She looked away from Izuku with a frown, remembering the devastation on Izuku's face when he realized he was quirkless.

"There are lots 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. In so many ways." Izuku stated, causing Ami to gulp. She remembered how she reacted to her power. Rejecting the fire breathing side of her quirk is what led to the problem she was facing in her training. She understood what Izuku was getting at with his words. Kota hated quirks. You could easily assume he must hate his own power. She wondered what Kota's power was in the first place. Both his parents were water heroes, so it must be something related to water. She glanced at Izuku and noticed the determined expression on his face, causing her to clench her fists in solidarity. She looked back at Kota and stared at the scowl on his face, speaking up.

"I know a kid twice your age with a malfunctioning quirk. He tried everything to make it better, but nothing seemed to work." Ami said, getting Kota's attention.

"He always wanted to be a hero, but with his quirk. Anyone he touched would get hurt. He didn't want to hurt people he loved. Because of that, he doubted he could ever become a hero. He feared his dream would never come." Ami said, frowning at the memory of Hayato. The explanation he gave to her about his quirk wrapped around her mind. She kept her eyes lowered and clenched her fists, smiling softly at the memory of their last goodbye.

"But, eventually, doctors found out the cause of his malfunctioning quirk and he got better. Your quirk might be fine, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't work with it. I know it's hard right now, but you still got a life ahead of you." Ami said, causing Kota to grit his teeth. He knew what she was getting at. He didn't wanna use his quirk because of some malfunction. He hated it. He didn't need to worry about it growing weak because he was never going to use it.

"Will you just leave me alone already? Go away!" Kota shouted in protest. Ami and Izuku reeled back at his words, realizing they weren't getting through to him. Izuku frowned and looked at the bowl of curry with guilt. What he was trying to say, what he was trying to do, he knew it wasn't enough to change Kota's opinion. Ami felt the same and exchanged glances with Izuku. They nodded at each other in agreement, giving up their attempt to get Kota to change his mind. Izuku stared down at the curry and mentally sighed, remembering he still wanted to give it to him. However, before the twins could announce they were leaving, another student entered the hilltop. Kota saw the teen approach behind the twins and growled, feeling his face turn red in annoyance.

"Grrr." Kota growled, startling the twins. They looked at him in confusion before a familiar voice spoke up behind them.

"That's enough." Bakugo stated, getting Kota and the twins' attention. Ami and Izuku turned around, staring at Bakugo in surprise. Ami felt her heart skip a beat as she heard his voice, letting a smile cross her lips for a split second. Izuku looked at him with squinted eyes, not expecting Bakugo to show up out of nowhere.

"Wha- Did everyone in your stupid class follow you to my hideout?" Kota accused, scowling at the twins with anger and embarrassment. The twins stared back at Kota with innocent frowns, stepping back with denial.

"It's just me, ya brat." Bakugo replied, rolling his eyes and scoffing. Kota glared back at Bakugo with an angry scowl, tensing his shoulders in frustration.

"Well, what do you want, huh? Got some other stupid story to tell me about?" Kota cried, glaring at Bakugo. Bakugo matched Kota with a glare of his own, intimidating the younger kid. The blonde's aggressive glare stabbed him in the heart, sending goosebumps around his body.

Bakugo stepped forward with his neck bent forward by an inch. He brushed past Deku and instantly swiped the bowl of curry off his hands, catching him off guard.

"Kacchan, wait…" Izuku said, reaching his hand towards Bakugo in hesitation. Bakugo continued forward, avoiding Deku's hand. Ami watched Bakugo approach Kota with the bowl in his hand and gulped.

"Tch. Listen, Kid. You can rely on those two to pour their hearts out to anyone they meet, but I'm not like them. I aim for results." Bakugo said, pointing at the twins then himself.

"I didn't come all this way to hear you whine and complain about how much you don't want to be here or why we showed up. I came here for one reason. And one reason only." Bakugo glared, holding the bowl of curry in his hand. He stared at Kota with gritted teeth, just a foot away from him. Kota sniffled and gritted his teeth in defiance, raising his hand to swipe at the plate.

"I said I don't want it!" He yelled, reaching for it. Bakugo quickly countered his swipe, swiping his hand away with his free hand.

"Don't even try it." Bakugo threatened, scaring Kota slightly.

"No more sob stories. No more arguing. I don't care if you hate heroes. That's no excuse to starve yourself!" Bakugo shouted, yelling directly at Kota's face. Kota winced at the air pushing into his face from Bakugo's yell. His glare loosened up into a tearful stare, causing him to sniffle. Bakugo had completely torn down his defenses. He stared at the steaming hot bowl and reluctantly took it, grabbing it off the angry blonde's hands. He sat on the floor and placed the curry on his lap, continuing to sniffle as he glanced at Bakugo.

"I hate you." Kota whispered, softly. He took a bite of the curry, satisfying his growling stomach. Bakugo saw the child take a bite and grinned in satisfaction, flaring his nostrils at a job well done.

"Hate me after you finish, damn nerd." Bakugo said, putting his hands in his pockets. He turned around and made eye contact with the shocked expressions on the twins faces. He looked at them and scoffed, shaking his head as he walked past Deku and Habanero. He ignored them and stepped down the hill, returning to the camp. Ami and Izuku glanced at each other and blinked, glancing back at Kota. He wasn't happy, but he was eating in front of them. That was good enough for them.

"We'll leave you be, Kota." Izuku said, receiving no reply.

"Bring the bowl back when you finish, okay?" Ami said, receiving no reply. With a bit of hesitation, the twins eventually left him alone. Kota heard them walk away and leave him alone as he stared at the bowl, eating softly. He sat there in silence for a whole minute, contemplating everything the heroes just did for him.

"Shut up. All of you. Just stop it." Kota whispered, eating with tears falling down his eyes.

"I hope we got through to Kota." Izuku said, wandering through the woods with a frown. Ami understood his concern and placed her hand on his shoulder in sympathy, walking beside him.

"These things take time, Izzy. But, all things considered, that was pretty good progress." Ami stated, getting a hopeful stare from Izuku.

"You think so?" Izuku asked, tilting his head slightly. Ami nodded at him with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Mhm. You know what they say, actions speak louder than words." Ami explained, making Izuku nod with a smile of his own. He couldn't deny that. Even if Kota hated heroes and quirks, they did manage to get him to eat in their presence. That was a small step forward in his progression. Even if they could only stay for a week, Izuku was determined to put Kota on the right path.

Somewhere Else

"I do not like this. It's so not cute!" Toga grunted, messing with her mask.

"They were engineered for the black market, from what I hear. You should be worried that they work, not that they look pretty." Mustard said, causing Toga to groan.

"Ugh. I'm just saying they could be a little more stylish. Is that too much to ask?" Toga whined, flailing her arms up and down.

"Hi, darlings! Sorry to keep you waiting." Magne said, holding a large mallet.

"Get to work. Get to work." A man hissed, walking forward in a straitjacket. Another woman hissed beside him, strapped in her on straitjacket above her regular clothes. A leash was tied around her neck along with the man. She growled and licked her lips, begging for something to eat.

"When is dinner?" Isora asked, looking around with hunger.

"That makes eight of us." Dabi said, overlooking the campgrounds atop a hill.

"I don't care. Just let me loose. I'm too pumped up to stand by." A man in a dark cloak and cowl said, scratching at his neck.

"Shut your mouth, you crazy bastard. Else we'll tie you up with Angler and Moonfish." Dabi said, coldly. He stared ahead at the vast forest in front of him with narrowed eyes.

"We wait. We're still expecting a few more people to join our party." Dabi explained. He spotted the camp in the distance, raising his cold dead eyes in silence.

"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. The first thing we have to do is take away their sense of peace and show them that their lives rest in our hands." Dabi said, receiving nods from the slightly saner members of the villain's group.

Training Camp - Day 3

Hot Springs

Flames spewed across the water, sending a burst of steam across the entire pool's surface. Ami squinted her eyes and forced them to stay open despite the steam covering her vision. Improving her ability to keep her eyes open while using her quirk was also an equally important part of training. She closed her mouth and finished exhaling, breathing in through her nose. She felt no more flames coming from her organ and relaxed, deactivating her quirk. She panted in exhaustion, sinking back into the water to rehydrate. She opened her eyes and raised her hands out of the water, rubbing her red eyes. So much steam crept into her eyelids that no one would be able to tell Ami had green eyes. She finished rubbing and kept her eyes squinted, seeing a lot better. She blinked a couple times and let her hands fall back on her waist.

"Firebreathing's dragon-ish, why couldn't I have gotten, like, a third eyelid or something?" Ami thought, wishing she could skip the eye training. She glanced at the discarded pieces of her hero costume on the rocks and stared at her fire helmet.

"But, then again, I don't want to ditch my sweet shades." Ami thought, referring to the blue-tinted glasses attached to her helmet. Keeping her eyes on the right, she stared into the bucket of bread with a blank face.

"Not much left. I'm past the halfway point already." Ami thought, smiling softly in accomplishment. Day 3 of training and she felt she had already made some good progress. The whole experience of eating and breathing fire was a lot less taxing compared to yesterday. She couldn't believe forcing herself to eat was actually speeding up her training.

She raised her body out of the pool, reaching her hand into the right bucket. She stared at the piece of bread in her hands and frowned. Despite improving, her stomach still begged her not to eat it. Fortunately, before she could open her mouth, she felt a sudden jolt enter her brain. She flinched and dropped the bread back into the bucket, hearing a voice echo through her head.

"Ami, come outside and take a break. We have an announcement to make." Mandalay said, entering Ami's head. She listened to Mandalay's instruction and sighed in relief.

"Thanks." Ami sighed, reclining on the rocks. She hoisted herself out of the water and sat on the rocks, catching her breath. In her exhaustive state, She put on her boots and left the rest of her hero costume on the floor. Steam still erupted off her body as she made her way to the exit, holding onto the walls for support.

The Training Ground

"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?" Pixie-Bob exclaimed, kicking her legs around in excitement. Class 1B stared at her with tired frowns, sighing in exhaustion.

"It just sounds like more training." Kendo said, receiving a couple tired nods from her classmates.

"How much can we do in one day?" Rin whined, faltering at the thought of night training.

"Least we get to beat Class A, am I right?" Monoma said, looking blue in the face.

"Don't slack now! Make sure you keep on pushing yourself as you work!" Pixie-Bob stated.

"Yes, Ma'am." The students exclaimed. Off in the back, Ami stood next to a tree with her left arm leaning on the wood. She placed her right hand on her stomach and grumbled at the announcement. She made it in time to hear it, but it sounded like it was already over. She groaned to herself in a strained voice, dripping water on the dirt beneath her. She closed her eyes and blew air out of her nose, slowly turning around.

"Hey, Ami." Izuku said, walking up to Ami with a tired smile. He noticed the grumpy expression on her face and saw she was holding onto her stomach, making him worried.

"Hey, Izuku…" Ami replied, exhaustedly.

How're you feeling?" Izuku asked, placing a hand on her shoulder with concern. As soon as his hand touched her shoulder, he felt his hand sizzle.

"Ouch! Holy crap, you're burning." Izuku yelped, flinching his hand back from Ami's shoulder. Ami looked at Izuku and grimaced, feeling sorry for accidentally hurting him.

"Sorry, Izzy. I just got out of the water. I'm like a hundred million degrees right now." Ami sighed, frowning in discomfort. Izuku looked at her in understanding, noticing the steam emanating from her back.

"Hey. You're not Plus Ultra yet." Tiger said, appearing behind Izuku with arms crossed and with a threatening aura.

"Right, Sir!" Izuku said, tensing up in alarm. He turned his head to the side and stared at Ami with his right eye.

"See ya, Sis." Izuku frowned, waving goodbye at Ami.

"See ya, Izzy…" Ami frowned, rubbing her stomach. Ami watched Izuku leave with Tiger and took another deep breath, leaning into the tree for support. She was happy to still be out here and away from the hot springs. She needed the break even if it meant she had to walk all the way back.

She opened her eyes and looked down at the dirt. The ground she stood on was wet and muddy thanks to her wet bodysuit. She frowned with a slight redness in her face. She was happy Mineta wasn't around to see her wearing only her bodysuit. She forgot about him when she left the hot springs without her jacket and skirt. She stared down at her chest and blushed in embarrassment, raising her hand slightly higher to cover herself up more. It wasn't like she was wandering around naked, but that didn't stop her from feeling like she was exposed. She slowly looked further down her body, twisting her head a bit to the side to see her lower half. Her blush intensified upon seeing her rear, wishing she did wear her skirt now. Clothed or not, her bodysuit was leaving little to the imagination.

"I should go." Ami thought, feeling less tired. She was really happy Mineta wasn't here. She stepped away from the tree and headed towards the hot springs, not making very much progress before a stranger's voice hollered at her direction.

"Yo, Setsuna. What are ya doing with Class A?" Kaibara hollered, getting Ami's attention. She stopped and frowned, feeling a chill go down her spine. She darted her eyes around left-and-right in confusion, looking for any sign of Setsuna near her. The teen from 1B continued to approach, walking right up behind Ami. He stopped a few feet behind her and looked at her hair, feeling something was off.

"Did you get taller?" Kaibara questioned, looking at the back of Ami's head with a puzzled expression. Ami heard his voice behind her and quickly realized what was happening.

"Are you kidding me? He's talking about me…" Ami thought, blushing anxiously. She felt her eye twitch with embarrassment and quickly turned around, making eye contact with the 1B student and covering her chest with crossed arms.

"Huh?" Kaibara stuttered, reeling his head back at the sight of her shy face. His face turned a slight red with realization, feeling his heart skip a beat in embarrassment.

"Wait, you're not Setsuna." Kaibara frowned, looking at Ami in surprise. Ami stared at him with judgment, sighing exhaustingly. She resisted the urge to let her eye twitch and raised one hand up to her face, rubbing her nose. Mineta's voice echoed through her head, making her facepalm. Someone actually mistook her for Setsuna, making her self conscious. She squeezed tighter around her chest, tensing her shoulders.

"It wasn't my body that made him think I was Setsuna, right?" Ami thought, covering her face with her hand in fear.

"Uh, sorry about that…" Kaibara apologized, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine…" Ami muttered, hiding her embarrassed face. She really wished she wasn't here right now.

"Why're you wearing her hero costume, though?" Kaibara asked, causing Ami to tense up and widen her eyes.

"Hero Costu- What?" Ami questioned, looking at the 1B student in bewilderment.

"That's Ami, Dummy. And that's not my costume, either. Mine has scales. Hers is all plain-looking." Setsuna said, correcting him.

"Ah." Kaibara replied, nodding in understanding. He looked at Setsuna and blinked, focusing his attention on her, "Setsuna, there you are. Kendo's looking for you." Kaibara said.

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute." Setsuna nodded, smiling at him in appreciation.

"Sure thing." Kaibara said, nodding in confirmation. Ami and Setsuna watched him leave, leaving them alone. Setsuna turned her head to the right and made eye contact with Ami, pointing at Kaibara with her thumb.

"That's Kaibara if you didn't already know. He's a nice guy, but it takes a while to drill faces into his skull." Setsuna teased, giggling at her own joke. Ami didn't get it. She stared blankly at Setsuna as she composed herself.

"You're looking burnt." Setsuna observed, looking at the steam coming off Ami's costume, "Surprised you're still pale since you turned the hot springs into a tanning bed." Setsuna added, placing her hands behind her back. Ami nodded in understanding, uncovering her face.

"My body's heat-resistant, so I can't get a tan." Ami explained, placing her hand back down to her chest.

"That makes sense." Setsuna nodded. Ami looked at Setsuna with a blank expression, thinking about Kaibara's words. She tilted her head slightly and spoke up.

"He asked me why I was wearing your hero costume. What was that about?" Ami asked, getting a laugh in response.

"He's just being silly. My hero costume isn't too different from what you're wearing right now." Setsuna answered, surprising Ami.

"It isn't?" Ami questioned, receiving a nod.

"Yeah, only I've got sleeves." Setsuna stated. Ami glanced down at her bare arms covering her chest before looking back at Setsuna.

"Wait, so, your hero costume is a skintight bodysuit?" Ami asked, raising her eyes a bit wider.

"Yup, and an eye-mask." Setsuna grinned, pointing at her eyes. Ami looked at her in surprise. She was wearing the gym uniform but Ami could tell her body wasn't too different from hers. She squeezed her arms and leaned forward, lowering her voice.

"Don't you get…embarrassed?" Ami asked in a whispery voice, making Setsuna giggle. As if she had it rehearsed, Ami watched as Setsuna struck a sexy pose.

"Heh. I know I'm pretty." Setsuna smirked, batting her eyelashes with confidence. She had her right hand on her hip and brushed her hair back with her left hand. Ami looked at her dumbstruck, blinking at Setsuna's confident pose. She did not have confidence near that level. She wondered how many times Setsuna was asked that question since her pose looked so well rehearsed. She thought about Setsuna's hero costume and remembered her quirk, causing Ami to have another question.

"Doesn't your skin need to be exposed to use your quirk properly?" Ami questioned, believing it to be difficult with a bodysuit. She couldn't imagine splitting in half would be very easy.

"It splits and reattaches with me." Setsuna explained, causing Ami to widen her eyes in surprise.

"Really? How?" Ami asked, receiving a smile. Setsuna brushed her hair again in response, cluing Ami in on the answer.

"My costume's made out of my hair." Setsuna answered, making Ami gasp in awe.

"That's amazing." She exclaimed, making Setsuna giggle. She stared at Ami's bodysuit with her hand on her chin in analysis.

"Now that I think about it. You and I might have the same costume designer." Setsuna theorized, inspecting Ami's costume with her eyes.

"Really?" Ami asked, smiling innocently at the theory. Setsuna couldn't help but laugh at Ami's excitement.

"Yeah. Hehe. Who knows, maybe your costume's made out of my hair, too!" Setsuna giggled, making Ami squint her eyes in confusion. Her face turned blue at the thought, somehow making her stomach drop lower than her own training.

"Okay. That's kinda gross." Ami thought, hiding her grossed out frown.

"I wonder, if we switched costumes, how many people do you think we'd fool into thinking we're each other?" Setsuna asked, keeping her hand on her chin. Ami heard the question and curved her lips upward slightly in amusement.

"I'm not sure I want to know." Ami admitted, feeling no rush to find out. Setsuna scoffed in amusement, rushing up beside Ami and rubbing her elbow on her crossed arms.

Why not? Scared your brother's gonna think I'm you?" Setsuna teased, playfully lifting her eyebrows.

"A little…" Ami lied. She was sure Izuku would know the difference between her and Setsuna. Setsuna was shorter than her after all. Her biggest fear wasn't having her brother get fooled by Setsuna. Instead, she feared how a certain blonde would react.

"What if she even fools Kacchan?" Ami thought, causing her eye to twitch slightly in fear.

"Shouldn't you be heading back, Midoriya? Break time is over." Aizawa questioned, appearing behind her. Ami snapped out of her thoughts and tensed up, getting startled by Aizawa's presence. She turned around and made eye contact with her teacher, standing up at attention.

"Yes, Mr. Aizawa, Sir!" Ami bowed, hearing Setsuna clasp her hands together beside her.

"Sorry, Mr. Aizawa, Sir. I was distracting her." Setsuna apologized, bowing her head at him in respect.

"Return to your class, Tokage." Aizawa said, receiving a salute from the greenette.

"Yes, Sir!" Setsuna replied, glancing back at Ami. She smiled at her as she walked past her, saying nothing as she left.

"Remember, Midoriya. We have four days left. Don't slack off." Mr. Aizawa ordered, receiving a nod from Ami. He felt his point wasn't clear enough and narrowed his eyes.

"Else you'll be getting extra lessons like your classmates that failed the practical." Aizawa threatened, causing Ami to panic.

"Understood, Sir. I won't let you down!" Ami exclaimed, giving Aizawa her own salute. Good soldiers follow orders. She bowed one last time before darting towards the hot springs, leaving her silhouette behind. Aizawa watched her sprint towards the hot springs with arms crossed, sighing in exhaustion. He could use a nap.

Night

Ami and the rest of her class stared at Pixie-Bob dressed in their pajamas. Ami wore a black zipped-up jacket with a red, plaid hoodie. Underneath her jacket was a black undershirt. She had red short shorts on and black sneakers. She felt the breeze on her legs and stood firm, keeping her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Perfect. We've filled our bellies and cleaned the dishes." Pixie-Bob announced, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's time for-" Pixie-Bob exclaimed, getting interrupted by an excited Mina.

"A totally awesome test of courage!" Mina exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms up in the air. Sato, Sero, Kirishima, and Kaminari joined in Mina's excitement.

"We're gonna win!" They exclaimed, raising their fists upward in preparation.

"Not so fast." Aizawa interjected, cutting the joy off their faces. He stared at the five students with a dead stare, speaking up.

"It pains me to say it, but the remedial class will be having lessons with me tonight instead." He said, killing Mina's vibe. She turned ghostly pale and stared at Aizawa with eyes bulging out of her skull.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" She shouted.

"Sorry." Aizawa quickly apologized, strictly. He uncurled his scarf and shot it towards the five, wrapping them in it, "Your training during the day didn't impress me, so I'll be using this time, too." He explained.

"Oh, give me a break!" Sero exclaimed, getting dragged off with the others.

"I just wanna prove my courage!" Sato and Kirishima whined, receiving sad looks from his classmates. They felt sorry for the five students. Now their class of 21 was down to 16. Ami ran forward with fist raised, holding back tears.

"I'll prove my courage for you guys. Team J forever!" Ami exclaimed, getting Kirishima and Sero's admiration. They struggled to raise their fists up in solidarity as Aizawa dragged them across the ground.

"Team J forever!" Kirishima and Sero exclaimed, disappearing into the woods. Ami watched them vanish and brought her fist down to her chest, patting her heart in solidarity.

"Okay. So." Pixie-Bob said, placing the attention back on her. The students stared back at her as she gave out instructions.

"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." Pixie-Bob explained.

"Now, those who are scarers aren't allowed to make physical contact. Use your quirks to terrify the others. Got it?" Pixie-Bob added, looking at the Class B students.

"The winners are the creative students who make the most people piss their pants." Tiger exclaimed, pointing at the students.

"Did we need that visual?" Jirou asked, wincing at the thought.

"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!" Iida praised, getting odd looks from Class B.

"All right! Everyone draw to see who your partner will be." Pixie-Bob said, throwing her fist up full of paper. Ami grabbed a piece of paper from Pixie-Bob and wondered who her teammate would be.

"I wonder if I'll get Izzy. That'd be pretty funny." Ami thought, watching Izuku grab his paper from Pixie-Bob. She glanced to her left and saw Bakugo standing alone, causing her heart to skip.

"Or, maybe, what if I pair with Kacchan?" Ami thought, feeling her face turn red at the thought. With Kacchan by her side, there's no way she could get scared by Class B. She squeezed the paper in her hand, watching as Bakugo grabbed his paper.

Bakugo grabbed the paper and immediately stared at it, narrowing his eyes at who he was paired with.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Bakugo growled, turning to face IcyHot. The glass in Ami's mind shattered, watching her hopes of pairing with Bakugo disappear.

"You can't win them all." Ami thought, mentally sighing in defeat. She glanced at Izuku and watched as he approached Aoyama with his paper in his hands.

"At least I'm not alone, right, Aoyama?" Izuku said, receiving a nod from Aoyama.

"No amount of terror can outshine my sparkle." Aoyama said, winking.

"Uh, yeah." Izuku replied, unsure of what to say. Ami looked at Izuku and grinned, happy that he was with Aoyama.

"Hey, Ami. Looks like I'm with you." Jirou said, approaching Ami with her paper held up. Ami looked at Jirou and cheered up, happy to be paired with her.

"Hey, Jirou." Ami smiled, looking at her with a determined nod, "Let's show Class B that we can handle anything." Ami encouraged, hyping herself up with courage.

"Yeah, they're gonna be disappointed trying to scare us." Jirou agreed, grinning at Ami with confidence.

In the Woods

Ami and Jirou wandered through the dark woods, holding on to each others arm and shaking profusely. They both shared an equally scared frown on their faces as they walked deeper into the forest. Their confidence was gone, replaced only with fear of the unknown.

"Scratch that, this is kinda scary." Ami admitted, receiving a nod from Jirou.

"I know. Class B's owning this test right now." Jirou admitted, gulping in fear.

"We fought mud monsters in these woods during the day, how the heck did it get so scary all of a sudden?" Ami questioned.

"I think the night time makes it worse. Much worse…" Jirou replied, holding onto Ami with fear.

"We should be halfway through, right?" Ami questioned, holding up tags with their names on it.

"Pixie-Bob said those were at the far end of the route. We just left where we found them, so we should be heading back to camp now." Jirou explained, receiving a fearful nod.

"You're right. We're basically done then. That wasn't so bad, right?" Ami said, sighing a little in relief.

"Totally." Jirou replied, rapidly nodding her head in agreement.

Snap

Ami stepped on a twig, causing her to scream and squeeze tighter around Jirou's arm. Jirou screamed with her in fear, jumping up in the air with Ami. They landed on the ground and held their hands on their chests, heaving up and down.

"Stupid twig." Ami groaned, narrowing her eyes at the snapped twig. She kicked it in anger, knocking it into the bushes.

"I'm gonna have a heart attack." Jirou complained, shaking uncontrollably with a frown.

"Sorry, Jirou." Ami apologized, realizing it was her fault.

"Let's keep going. We're almost there." Ami said, grabbing Jirou's hand. She stepped forward and pulled Jirou forward, forcing her to walk with her. As she did, Jirou stared into the woods, squinting her eyes at something. She stared at the faint blue glow in the distance and stood still, trying to focus on the light. Ami pulled her and felt some resistance, causing her to stop and turn around.

"Ami, wait." Jirou said.

"What is it?" Ami asked, causing Jirou to raise her hand forward and point into the direction of the woods.

"Do you see It? That light?" Jirou questioned, making sure she wasn't imagining things. Ami stared deep into the woods, coming to a full stop. She squinted her eyes and saw the faint blue glow. She stared at the glowing blue object as it became more clear to her. It was bright and dangling in the air, like it was attached to something. Ami didn't know what she was looking at. From her view, it looked like she was staring at a lantern, confusing her.

"I see it, too." Ami said, keeping her attention on the light.

"What is it?" Jirou asked, gulping nervously in alarm.

"I don't know." Ami admitted, unable to identify it.

Jirou kept her eyes on the blue light and squeezed tighter around Ami's arm, getting more and more nervous. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched. All of a sudden, a knocking sound on her left caught her attention. She cranked her neck to the left and stared into the woods. In that moment, an object brushed past her thigh, startling her. She yelped in alarm, causing Ami to jump again.

"Jirou!" Ami whined, getting scared by Jirou's actions.

"Something just touched me." Jirou stuttered, looking around in a panic. Ami looked around with Jirou and saw nothing around them, causing Ami to frown.

"There's nothing, Jirou. Class B isn't allowed to touch us, remember? It was probably a bug." Ami guessed, trying to calm her down. She gulped nervously and stared back into the woods where the blue light was. Only, there was no light. Ami raised her eyebrow at the light's disappearance, curious what it was.

"The light's gone." Ami pointed out.

"It is?" Jirou asked, staring into the woods. Sure enough, the light really was gone. The disappearance of the blue light caused shivers to go down Ami and Jirou's spine. While Ami was looking, she felt an object brush against her right thigh, startling her slightly.

"Jirou, watch your hand." Ami said, looking at Jirou with a frown.

"What are you talking about?" Jirou questioned, looking confused.

"You touched me." Ami said, receiving a quick response.

"No, I didn't." Jirou denied, shaking her head. They narrowed their eyes at each other and argued, neither of them backing down. It wasn't until they heard a snap in the treeline above them did they react.

Snap

They stopped arguing and looked up straight ahead, watching a large figure descend from some vines. Landing with a thud, the body of a teenage girl fell on the floor in front of them. Ami and Jirou stared at the lifeless body and immediately noticed its head was missing, causing them to turn ghostly pale. Their souls leapt out of their bodies as they held onto each other, screaming loudly into the sky.

"Ahhhhh!" Ami and Jirou screamed, staring at the headless body lying on the ground.

"Boo!" Setsuna exclaimed, floating between Ami and Jirou's faces. Ami and Jirou looked between them and saw Setsuna's head floating in front of them, scaring them to near death.

"Ahhhh!" Ami and Jirou screamed, echoing through the forest. The headless body behind them quickly stood up without issue, causing Ami and Jirou to separate. Setsuna laughed as she floated towards her body, grabbing hold of her head with her hands. She stared at Ami and Jirou as a floating head tucked in Setsuna's own hands.

"Hahaha. Look at you, two! Oh, wow, you're the best ones yet!" Setsuna cried, pointing at them with laughter. Ami and Jirou narrowed their eyes and glared at Setsuna, listening to her laugh at their expense.

"Hey, they said no touching!" Ami whined, crossing her arms. She couldn't believe she fell for the headless body trick.

"Yeah, but I didn't touch you, guys." Setsuna explained, showing off a pair of sticks on her left hand, "The sticks did." she giggled.

"I'm pretty sure that counts as breaking the rule." Jirou said, catching her breath.

"Who are you with, anyway?" Ami asked, keeping her arms crossed as she glared at Setsuna.

"I'm with Shiozaki. She's hiding in the bushes over there." Setsuna said, pointing at the woods.

"Ain't that right, Shiozaki!?" Setsuna hollered, receiving no reply. That was a little strange, but she gave it no mind.

"Oh, I see. So, that light was Shiozaki?" Jirou mentioned, causing Setsuna to stop giggling.

"Are lights against the rules, too? I'm pretty sure Shiozaki can't do that?" Ami interjected, getting ignored by Setsuna. Setsuna grabbed her head with both hands and reattached it back to her neck, returning to normal. She stared at the Class A students in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Setsuna asked, causing Ami and Jirou to raise their eyebrow at her at the same time.

"That light you used to scare us back there. You know the one." Ami said, causing Setsuna to frown.

"No? What light?" Setsuna questioned, getting a bad feeling. She looked around behind Ami and Jirou in confusion, biting her lip slightly. They rolled their eyes at her response, not believing her.

"What light? Uh huh. We're on to you now, so don't bother hiding it." Jirou huffed, crossing her arms alongside Ami in solidarity.

"No, really. I don't know what you're talking about." Setsuna stated, feeling sweat drip down her forehead.

Rustle

The bushes rustled to the left of Jirou, getting the trio's attention. Ami and Jirou squinted their eyes at the rustling bushes in the distance. It came from the direction of the light.

"Shiozaki?" Setsuna questioned, stepping forward. Jirou squinted her eyes at the direction of the rustling bushes and quickly widened them when she saw the light.

"Ami, look!" Jirou said, turning her head. Ami was already looking, taking notice of the blue glow with concern.

"The light's back." Ami said, causing Setsuna to frown. She stepped closer towards the bushes, gulping nervously. Something didn't feel right about this.

"Shiozaki, is that you?" Setsuna asked, staring at the blue glow.

"I don't think that's allowed." She said, wondering where that light was coming from.

"Hrrg…" A voice growled from behind the bushes. Setsuna froze in her tracks, feeling her heart skip a beat upon hearing the unfamiliar sound. Ami and Jirou did the same, squeezing each other's arm again.

"I don't think that's Shiozaki?" Jirou frowned, getting goosebumps.

"Ahhhhh!" A voice screamed out, echoing through the woods. Ami and Jirou jumped at the sound and looked around, seeing no one around them. Setsuna was also startled by the scream, feeling her stomach churn with recognition.

"That sounded like Kinoko…" Setsuna gulped.

"Maybe we should head back. Something doesn't feel right." Ami suggested, feeling her heartrate increase.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Setsuna agreed, nodding at Ami.

Rustle

The bushes behind Setsuna rustled, sounding even closer than before. Setsuna stepped away from the bushes in response, clenching her fists in fear.

"Shiozaki?" Setsuna questioned. The blue glow reappeared above the bushes in front of Setsuna, hanging on top of something like an antennae. The light rose up out of the bushes, followed by the silhouette of a mysterious stranger. Ami, Jirou, and Setsuna felt their bodies tense up as the figure stepped out of the bushes, breathing heavily.

"Flesh…green…hair… flesh…Hungry…" Isora mumbled, stepping out of the bushes. Ami went wide-eyed at the stranger's appearance. It was a woman with fish scales as skin. She had webbed fingers adapted for swimming with a row of razor-sharp teeth. Atop her head just above her eyes was a small tendril emanating light from its tip. Ami stared at the stranger's ferocious appearance with a sense of familiarity. She had seen a similar animal before in a documentary. The figure in front of her bared a heavy resemblance to an Angler Fish.

"Um, who are you?" Ami asked, staring nervously at the heavily breathing woman.

"What are you doing here?" Jirou asked.

"Where's Shiozaki?" Setsuna asked, narrowing her eyes at the unknown stranger. Ami stared at the fish woman with fear, taking extra notice of her teeth. She stared at the edges of her sharp teeth and let out a gasp, spotting blood on them.

"Setsuna, her mouth…There's blood on it..." Ami pointed out, making Setsuna turn blue. The worst possible thought entered her mind at that moment, causing her to blink aggressively in a panic.

"No…" Setsuna whispered, clenching her fists.

"Where's Shiozaki?" Setsuna demanded, raising her voice a higher decibel. The fish woman ignored her demand, staring at the girls and licking her lips.

"Answer me!" Setsuna ordered, putting on a brave face. Jirou let go of Ami and stepped back, grabbing Ami by the hand. She got the feeling the woman wasn't here to answer any questions. She walked backwards with her full attention on the fish woman, unknowingly walking into a pink mist.

She inhaled and breathed in the mist on accident, causing her body to quickly react. She coughed as her lungs closed up, letting of Ami's hand. Ami heard Jirou coughing and turned around, watching Jirou gasp for air inside the pink mist.

"Jirou!" Ami exclaimed, watching Jirou cover her mouth and nose. It was already too late. She coughed and coughed and felt unable to breathe, getting dizzy. Within seconds, her eyes closed themselves and her body shut itself off. She let go of her mouth and leaned forward, popping out of the mist. Ami quickly grabbed Jirou and held her unconscious body in a total panic.

"Jirou!" Ami exclaimed, hearing a hiss from the fish woman. She turned and stared at the stranger, watching her sniff the air and lick her lips.

"Unconscious…sleeping…flesh….tasty…Give her to me!" Isora snarled, lunging towards Ami. Isora quickly brushed past Setsuna, leaving her in the dust. She let out a hungry cry and opened her jaws wide open at Ami. Ami gasped at the approaching villain and raised her arm up in defense, shielding Jirou with her arm.

Isora stared at Ami's arm and wanted to rip it right off her body. However, before she could land, vines wrapped around her wrist.

"Huh?" Isora said, getting pulled away from Ami. She snarled and hissed, bobbing up and down in hunger. Vines covered her arms, leaving her suspended in the air.

"No…Let me go. Let me feed!" Isora whined, breathing heavily in the vine trap. More vines constricted around her ankles, keeping her locked in place. Isora let out a pained cry as she begged to eat.

Ami and Setsuna stared at the vines and gasped, recognizing Shiozaki's work. Almost instantly, Shiozaki stumbled out of the woods out of breath. Ami and Setsuna stared at her in shock, noticing the blood oozing out of her shoulder.

"Run!" Ibara shouted, causing Ami and Setsuna to break into a wild sprint. Ami pulled Jirou into her arms and grabbed her thighs, giving the unconscious Jirou a piggyback ride. Ami and Setsuna ran as fast as they could, panting heavily with sweat dripping down their faces. Setsuna ran alongside Shiozaki, supporting her as they ran. Ami was slightly ahead of them with Jirou on her back.

"Green…must eat! Flesh!" Isora snarled, biting at her restraints. She tore into the vines, freeing her left arm in the process.

The Camp

Pixie-Bob sniffed the air, sensing a disturbance in the forest. There was an uunusual scent emanating from the forest. It smelled awful, giving the hero goosebumps as she opened her eyes.

"What's this foul smell in the air?" Pixie-Bob questioned, staring into the forest. On cue, smoke rose high above the treeline. Everyone in camp saw the smoke and felt their stomachs churn.

"You see that?" Izuku said, narrowing his eyes at the smoke.

"Black smoke." Mandalay observed, staring at the rising smoke.

"Did Ami accidentally set a tree on fire?" Iida asked.

"Maybe there's a fire on the mountain?" Ojiro suggested. Their guesses we're far from the truth. Deep inside the woods, a walking corpse placed his hand on a tree. He activated his quirk and set it ablaze in a brilliant blue flame, creating a forest fire.

"Now, it begins." Dabi said, standing in bushes covered in blue flame. Back in the clearing, Pixie-Bob's body began to glow pink, catching her off guard.

"Hey, what's happening?" Pixie-Bob said, raising her voice. She stared at herself and watched as her whole body floated off the ground, pulling her towards a single direction in the woods.

"Pixie-Bob!" Mandalay exclaimed, watching her friend get pulled into the treeline. Within the woods, Dabi talked over everyone's earpieces. He stood within the charred forest and gave out their instructions over the mic.

"Take them down. Those who believe they deserve the title: hero. We, the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains, will tear them off their pedestals." Dabi announced. Back in the clearing, the heroes watched as a villain stepped out of the woods. A green lizard man stepped out into the clearing with a smile on his face, followed soon after by another villain with Pixie-Bob in her grip.

"First, let's get rid of these feral cats." Magne said, sending chills down the students spines. They knew exactly who these two strangers were. Villains. Mineta stumbled back in fear, shaking uncontrollably at the sight of them.

"What? No way! I thought they made sure no one could find us. So why the heck are there villains attacking this place?" Mineta exclaimed.

"Pixie-Bob!" Izuku exclaimed, running towards the downed catgirl. Tiger quickly stepped in and blocked his path, standing beside Mandalay.

"This is bad." Mandalay stated, clenching her fists in preparation for a fight. Izuku looked at her with a serious face, quickly turning into panic as two people entered his mind.

"Ami…" Izuku gasped, clenching his fists. He gritted his teeth and thought about the second person, causing him to panic even more.

"Where's Kota?" Izuku asked, eyes wide with fear.

Up in his secret hideout, Kota stared at the smoke above the treeline with fear. He was completely unaware of the figure standing behind him.

---

Author's Notes:

Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope you enjoyed the new and changed scenes. Lots of stuff from the episode ended up staying in the chapter but it wasn't too much thankfully.

Honestly, I have no complaints with the content of today's chapter. And I think it's pretty self explanatory so I'll only mention a couple things about it.

First, the Kota scene. Rather than Izuku go to Kota's secret hideout alone, I had Ami come with him. This was done to let Ami hear what Kota had to say and to reflect back on what she had done to herself. Rejecting half her power for most of her childhood set her back a ton and she was paying for it now with her special training. She didn't want Kota to go through the same issues as her later on and brought up Hayato and his quirk.

Because Ami followed Izuku to the hideout, that also meant Bakugo did as well. In Canon, Izuku left the curry with Kota and left. In this version, Bakugo appeared and took the curry out of Deku's hands and forced Kota to eat. I think if Bakugo did decide to spy on Izuku and follow him to Kota's hideout, I don't think he'd come out and do what he did here. That said, the Bakugo in this story is in a different headspace compared to his canon counterpart. He's mellowed out a bit and is a lot more comfortable around the twins, especially now that he knows he likes Ami. So, in this version of events, Bakugo revealed himself just to get Kota to eat something. Yes, he did hear everything that was said between Kota and the twins. That's why he told Kota he wasn't here to give him a sob story like the twins did.

The rest of the chapter is pretty much smooth sailing at this point. Compared to the previous chapter titled: Prelude to Terror. This is a lot tamer. Really, I just wanted to get through this half as fast as possible. Everyone knows how this episode ends and adding Ami into the story wasn't going to change anything about that. Except for Aoyama getting paired with Izuku, nothing was really going to be that different. Next Chapter will be crazy, though.

Next chapter is going to follow Ami and a little bit of Izuku as they try to survive the Vanguard Action Squad's attack. Next chapter will, in all likelihood, end up short, so I might be able to get it out sooner than you think. Till then, thanks for reading and have a good day!

---

Next Chapter: I'm Coming For You

Isora continues to pursue Ami, Shiozaki, and Setsuna. Meanwhile, Izuku searches for Kota and uncovers a disturbing truth.