Class Warfare
Ochako leaped down gracefully from the tree she was standing upon. "Find anything?", asked Tsuyu. "Nothing yet", said Ochako, "The binoculars have a limited range even above the canopy, and I can't float over the treeline without possibly getting sniped from below". Izuku looked down to see water seeping up from where he was standing. "Why am I getting a sinking feeling here?", asked Monkey as Izuku's face changed. "We're not in any ordinary forest", said Tsuyu, "This is an artificial swamp originally meant for rice harvesting". "So, where did all the farmers go?", asked Mina. "When the Age of Chaos was coming to a close, many of them fled to the highlands", explained Tsuyu, "Later on, conservationists tried to turn this area into a wildlife preserve, but UA bought the land when they went bankrupt. They maintained this swamp as an alternative to the USJ for rescues in hostile biomes".
Just then, they heard the sound of explosions in the distance. "Sounds like Kacchan found Todoroki's team", said Izuku as his face changed back. "Right, what's the plan, Midori?", asked Mina. "Keep your heads down and wait", said Izuku, "He's more than likely to go after me next. I need you guys to get ready to ambush his team when they follow". The team then hid among the trees as Izuku prepared for the fight he knew was heading for them.
Over on the other side of the swamp, Kyoka plugged her jacks into the floor of the cliff she was perched upon. "Koda, send the rats that way", she ordered. Koda then opened a cage of rats which then crawled all over Iida, leaving him open for Dark Shadow to slap aside! But then, Sero wrapped Fumikage in extra sticky duct tape, leaving him writhing on the ground as Bakugo fired upon Dark Shadow! Before he could land another blow, Bakugo leaped away from a blast of fire from Todoroki! He then burned away at the tape Sero was shooting at him! Bakugo snarled before swatting away some thrushes that flew too close. He was about to fire upon Koda when he spotted his real target up on the cliffs above. He aimed and pulled the pin from his grenade, blasting the cliff beneath Kyoka, sending a violent surge of sonic pulses directly into her wounded ears! Koda dropped the fight and rushed to her aid as she lay on the ground, clutching her bleeding ears and weeping: "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts". Koda looked back to see Bakugo grin wickedly before picking up Kyoka and getting her to the nearest medic.
Todoroki took the opportunity to run off after Koda and Kyoka. "We did it", said Bakugo. "Why was she crying?", asked Kirishima softly. "Who gives a shit?", said Bakugo, "We've taken down a whole team. Now for the rest". "I think we're going to far", said Iida. "No one asked for your opinion", snapped Bakugo, "Just follow my lead, or do you want more people to know about what happened in Hosu?" No one said a word as Bakugo lead them further into the swamp. "Wait, what about Fumikage?", asked Sero. "Leave him on the tree over there", ordered Bakugo, "His teammates will come for him. I can feel it". Sero shakily tied Fumikage to the nearest tree as Bakugo lead the others deep into the swamp. "It is pointless", Fumikage said, "That man will lead all of you to your doom and…" "OK, I get it, jeeze", said Sero, "I'll come back later and help you down when no one is looking." "You would?", Dark Shadow asked as she peaked out through the tape, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" "Don't mention it", smiled Sero, "See you soon!"
Elsewhere, Momo stopped her team to catch their breath. "What was all of that?", asked Toru. "Sounds like Bakugo has prioritized taking down Todoroki's teammates", said Shoji as he held up a tentacle with an ear attached, "Sound like he's about ready to burn the forest down just to have a go at Midoriya". "I hardly believe that qualifies as a surprise, monsieur", said Aoyama. "Maybe not", said Toru, "But we should keep moving just in case. The new suit might be fireproof, but the person wearing it isn't".
The individual worries of her team sat upon Momo's anxieties as she began to think of a plan. Bakugo would likely be on her heels upon dealing with Izuku, assuming he could even defeat him in his more beastly form. That could be the key, but that required Momo to be like...her mother. No, not an option. What else could work? Just then, she noticed the water seeping up from the ground. "We're going to be fine", Momo said firmly, "This is a swamp. Bakugo's Quirk can only work via sweating nitroglycerin, but if we lure him into deeper water, his Quirk would become neutralized." "You're right, Yaomomo", said Toru, "If we get Sparky all wet, catching him will be a cinch"! "What about the Isamu students?", asked Aoyama. "I was hoping you'd say that", said Shoji, "I have a feeling half of them will go after Midoriya and us. Romero did seem to rile up Bakugo specifically".
"That's true", said Toru, "Hopefully, we can avoid both of them long enough to win the exercise". "Unfortunately, I doubt either team is going to overlook us", said Momo, "While they want to eliminate every team in this swamp, I feel it best that we hide away and prepare for their arrival". "Are we to trap them near the water?", asked Aoyama. "Precisely", smiled Momo.
Elsewhere, Kashiko, Dadan, Habuko, and Romero walked down into the forest below, following Kashiko's holographic map. "How much further?", asked Romero. "If you want to take out Bakugo, you'll have your chance in five minutes exactly." Romero peaked over her shoulder, ever mindful of his true mission. The paranoia of failure propelled him forward as his tired eyes sought out Momo. Of course, seeing as how he would be taking on Kurogiri's personal student, Romero thought he could allow himself to have some fun before completing the mission. Just then, everyone felt the wind rush around them. "They're here early", said Dadan, though his voice was muffled by the padding inside his green and yellow mech suit. "Well don't just stand there", Romero snapped, "Fire upon them!" In a rushed panic, Dadan fired a barrage of missiles into the brush, sending dirt and branches flying all over!
Just as suddenly, Iida ran in, knocking Dadan and Romero off of their feet! Kashiko pulled out a nano-sword and sliced up pieces of Sero's tape as he fired upon her! "Two down, two to go", yelled Kirishima as he ran forward with Sero and Iida. But then, Habuko's eyes flashed a yellow light, causing their muscles to freeze! The three boys fell to the wet ground as Bakugo leaped into the air! "Nice try, now take this!", he roared. Suddenly, Dadan fired a concussive blast from his hand, sending Bakugo flying away and into a tree! Just as suddenly, Kirishima, Sero, and Iida got up. "Good thing it only lasts three seconds", said Kirishima. But then, Romero ran forward and punched Sero in the face! "Romero, no!", cried Kashiko, but it was too late. Romero then expelled a deep, purple gas that made the boys eyes turn black, their skin turn gray, and their intelligence drop. They had been turned...into zombies! And as all zombie do, they bit Kashiko and Dadan on their arms, turning them into zombies as well! Habuko raced away into the swamp, not that Romero cared.
"Dammit", he muttered as he rushed in the woods, eluding the zombies. While losing Habuko and Dadan would have been acceptable losses, losing Kashiko was a coup for his enemies. Without her Quirk, he would be unable to find Momo Yaoyorozu. Of course, he had a back-up plan already in progress. The zombies would naturally seek out sources of living flesh to also turn into zombies, and would do so for the next hour. All Romero had to do was get to a high enough vantage point to find Momo and let the zombies do the work. Hopefully, the zombies would also get Bakugo.
At the same time, Momo and her team had finished setting up a trap at the edge of the deepest part of the swamp. A simple tripwire, that was all. "Maybe we should try something a little more complex, no?", asked Aoyama. "It's perfect", said Toru vehemently as he gloved hands waved around, "I can taunt him into the water and let you guys do the rest!" "How do you plan to get all the way out there?", asked Momo. "I haven't gotten to that part yet", said Toru. "It shouldn't be too hard, it's Bakugo", said Shoji. "Yeah, and his teammates are probably already getting ready to pull a coup on him", said Toru. "I wouldn't suggest that, but"...Before Momo could finish her thought, she felt something flying over her head. "I heard it, too", said Shoji, "Is he here already?" "No", said Momo, "That was someone else"…
"What do you mean she escaped!?", demanded Midnight. "I mean she escaped, ma'am", said the male nurse, "There's really no other way around it". "Luckily", said the doctor, "whenever we have a patient who is, shall we say, troubled, we fit them with a tracker around their ankle. It's to help either Heroes, in your case, or the police track them down safely." "Do you have a way to trace those trackers?", Midnight asked.
"Indeed, we do", said the doctor, "Follow me". He lead Midnight to a drawer and pulled out a small device with a green screen on it with a small, red blip. "That GPS will allow you to find her easily", the doctor said. "Well, that is the plan", smiled Midnight. But as she left the hospital, she frowned when she saw just where the patient had escaped to. Midnight picked up the phone.
Over at the training site, Todoroki had left to get Fumikage free from the tree he was tied to when All Might answered his cell phone. "I am here, answering your call", he declared. "Not the time", said a panicked Midnight, "There's an intruder at the training site!" "Where?", asked All Might. "She's in the swamp, near the lake's edge". "OK, I'll go check it out right now", said All Might, "Snipe, keep an eye on the students". "On it, boss", said Snipe as he raced to the video monitors.
Elsewhere, Todoroki came across the bound form of Fumikage and used his flames to cut the tape while his partner explained everything. "So he said he would come back?", asked Todoroki. "Yeah, that was the impression I got", said Dark Shadow sarcastically. "What about Kyoka? Is she alright?", asked Fumikage. "She's fine, Koda is with her now". Just then, the zombies shambled forward! "That must be the work of the Isamu students", said Fumikage, "A mad banquet of darkness and horror". Suddenly, the Iida zombie rushed forward and bit both Fumikage and Todoroki, turning them into zombies as well. Only Dark Shadow was spared, though she was bound to Fumikage's zombified form. The zombie Fumikage sniffed the air before leading the zombies into the other side of the swamp.
Habuko ran as fast as her heeled boots would allow her, only to be ambushed by Mina and Ochako! "We got one", yelled Mina as she and Ochako held each of Habuko's arms. Izuku leaped down from the trees and landed in front of the trio along with Tsuyu. "Habuko, where's the rest of your team?", asked Tsuyu. "Let me go, and I'll tell you everything", said Habuko nervously. "Eh, fine with me", said Mina as she let go. "Romero used his Quirk on Bakugo's teammates and my own", sputtered Habuko, "We're dealing with zombies now". "Is Bakugo among them?", asked Ochako. "Not to my knowledge", said Habuko, "All I know is that Romero gassed everybody just to get to him and Yaoyorozu". "Did Yaomomo get gassed too?", asked Mina. "No, but he was looking for her pretty hard", said Habuko, "Maybe harder than he was looking for Bakugo." "How do you figure?", asked Tsuyu. "When Kashiko pulled up her holographic map, he put his head close to the blip showing Bakugo, but his eyes were pointed towards Yaoyorozu", explained Habuko.
Suddenly, the zombified Kirishima leaped forward and bit Mina on the arm, transforming her into a zombie! Habuko's eyes flashed, freezing the zombies, only for Ochako to get bitten by Todoroki! Izuku could only watch in the span of eleven seconds as she got transformed, before then throwing Fumikage over his shoulder and into Sero! He then clothes-lined Iida as he ran towards him! Izuku then kicked Mina back, before Ochako leaped onto him! Tsuyu whipped the gravity girl away with her tongue before tripping Iida! As the zombies rushed forward, Habuko's eyes flashed and they fell to the ground! But just as suddenly, Todoroki leaped off of the side of a tree and bit down on Izuku's shoulder! With time of the essence, he transformed into the Green Gorilla and tossed Todoroki away, before scooping up Tsuyu and Habuko and swinging away on the trees!
"What the Hell was that?", asked Tsuyu. "Romero's Quirk, I told you", said Habuko. The Green Gorilla swung off of a branch and landed on the fallen, half-submerged tree trunk at the edge of the swamp, far from the zombies. He put Tsuyu and Habuko down onto the log before roaring back at the zombies. "How are you holding up, Midoriya?", asked Habuko. The Green Gorilla grunted before pointing toward his shoulder, where a small bite wound was visible. "Good thing you can heal", said Tsuyu. "I don't know", said Habuko, "It looks like your friend can only stave off the infection in this form. The second he returns to human form"...Habuko held out her arms and groaned dramatically. "Looks like you be stuck like this for...how long does Romero's Quirk last?", said Tsuyu. "About a half hour", said Habuko. The Green Gorilla sighed at the news. Just then, he sniffed the air. Something was up, but what it was, he wasn't quite sure. The scent he was picking up was not that of the zombies. The zombies smelled passive, like everyone was asleep. This smelled...predatory.
On the other side of the swamp, Momo, Toru, Aoyama, and Shoji stood in a circle, their backs to each other and their eyes ahead, seeking their unknown enemy. "Anyone got a visual?", asked Toru. "I think I see something", said Shoji as he grew some eyes on his tentacles, "On three". Suddenly, a shape raced over the branches above and fell behind them, kicking all of them away! Aoyama tried to fire his navel laser, but the figure knocked him out with a kick to the head! Shoji was the next to be knocked out, the figure's speed being too much for him to handle!
"Just you and me now, Yaomomo", said a familiar voice as she kicked Toru into a tree! Momo's eyes narrowed as she beheld Himiko Toga, the blonde still smiling wickedly as she drew her knife. "You", growled Momo. "Me", smiled Toga as she twirled her blade, "I figured you had some hard feelings about me stabbing your gramps, so I made sure I would only take your blood for myself". "Why are you doing this to me?", Momo snarled as her hands shook. "I've already told you", said Toga, "Because I love you". "You? Love me?", asked Momo, "Real love is something that grants life. All you know is to consume, to smother the life of a person like your parents did to you". "Don't compare me to them!", shrieked Toga as her eyes flashed with anger, "I'm nothing like them!" "The way I see it, you and them belong in the same cage", Momo said as she reached behind her back.
Cue Song: One Thing by Casey Lee Williams
When Toga rushed forward, Momo swung outward with her bo staff, forcing the vampire to dodge and fall to the ground! Toga recovered quickly and started throwing several smaller knives at Momo, who blocked the attack! As she hit each thrown blade, she noticed how each on shattered with each hit. Plastic no doubt, but it wouldn't help her opponent! With a quick thrust, Momo sent the end of her bo staff into Toga's stomach! She then twirled around and knocked her off her feet! Undettered, Toga slashed at Momo's leg, forcing her back as the vampire leaped forward, stabbing the tree trunk behind her! Momo then punched the vampire in the face, sending Toga flying back!
As Toga rolled over on her back and readied her knife, Momo smiled inwardly. Her verbal jab towards the Toga parents, monsters on par with their daughter, had left the vampire unbalanced. When she thrust her blade forward, Momo was quite easily able to knock from her hand! Toga, not to be outdone, leaped up and kicked Momo through her bo staff, breaking it in half! The vampire then wrapped her fingers around Momo's throat! The shortness of her obstructed breath did not stop Momo from slamming her fists onto Toga's wrists and headbutting her! Then, using a small percentage of One for All, Momo threw a punched that sent Toga skidding across the water!
Romero followed the sounds of a fight and was delighted by what he saw. Yaoyorozu was engaged in a heated fistfight against some vagrant. Honestly, it was kind of expected for a UA student to engage in such reckless battles. All he had to was wait for his target to inevitably beat the vagrant with the knife, gas her, and deliver her to Kurogiri. Then his wasted life as a Hero student would be done. He'd be free to live as he please, just like his family.
Momo ducked away from the slash of Toga's knife before kicking her in the knee! She then grabbed Toga by the shoulders and lifted her into the air with the strength of One for All pulsing through her body! Momo fell backward, slamming Toga into the muddy shore of the swamp! Before Toga could reach for her knife, Momo slammed a fist against her left cheek, then her right! "You know all the right spots, babe", said Toga as she blocked another hit and slammed her head forward into Momo's stomach! Momo grunted in pain before getting thrown onto the ground! Momo unzipped her left sleeve and pulled out a fresh, new sword to block Toga's knife attack!
Romero heard something crashing towards the battling girls far in the distance. It could've been All Might, no doubt coming to Yaoyorozu's aid and helping prevent another incident against the school. Wait, that was it! If he could take both All Might and Yaoyorozu, Romero's potential rewards could be increased. He'd be leading armies upon the other schools, converting potential Heroes to worthy cause of villainy. Romero smiled as he prepared canisters of his gas.
To Be Continued...