Chapter 1: Wild, Wild Pussycats
The first semester at UA High ended. Class 1-A had a little bit of a break before the camp started. They weren't allowed to go on long vacations. Meanwhile, Aizawa and Vlad King went over all the first year students and discussed everything about the camp behind closed doors so that no one, not even the students, knew where and when the camp was happening.
At Shigaraki's hideout, he was sitting playing with a deck of cards. "The Master is good. I tried so hard to find out where those idiots were going, and he figured it out in an instant. Guess he really showed me up."
Kurogiri added, "It was worth having a team on standby, then wasn't it, Tomura Shigaraki?"
Shigaraki shrugged, "I guess."
The door opened and Giran walked through, "I heard back from the union today. You can expect a delivery tomorrow. It was thrown together quickly, so it might not look like much. But quality is guaranteed."
Kurogiri said, "I must apologize for making such an unreasonable request."
Giran replied, "Tell me, Shigaraki, do you know why the union accepted this outlandish order of yours? Because everyone's got high expectations of you. If the League of Villains steps into the light, then the scum hiding on the sidelines will follow suit. And if that happens, it means brokers like me will win big. We'll be rolling in new customers. Crime pays."
Shigaraki said, "Oh, yes. You're gonna be so busy, you won't be able to keep up."
Giran chuckled, "I'm looking forward to that. Anyway, thanks." He then left.
Shigaraki said, "The board is set with my pawns and their prey. Finally. Time for the real game to begin."
Over at UA High, Aizawa was talking with Class 1-A, "Now that you've finished up your first semester at UA High, it's time for summer vacation to officially begin. However, don't think these will be months of rest for you heroes in the making. At this camp, we'll push you to go beyond your limits. You're aiming to go "Plus Ultra".
"Yes, sir!" Class 1-A replied.
The class went out to the buses to start loading up to go to camp. Ochaco shouted, "I'm so psyched! I've been looking forward to this camp all semester, Deku!"
Izuku blushed, "Oh, yeah! It's definitely close, huh?" Danny just chuckled at the look on Izuku's face.
Ochaco asked, "Hey, what's the matter?"
Izuku replied, "I'm just a little hot."
Ochaco started to blush too and quickly backed away, "Uh. Let's hear it for camp!" She started to cheer, and Mina and Kaminari joined her.
Momo walked up to Danny, "Are you excited for this camp?"
Danny shrugged, "A little, I don't know. Last time I went to camp, it went downhill a little. But Mr. Aizawa said that now that he knows all of my powers, he can make sure I can train better. Plus, getting to spend time with you and the rest of our class will be fun."
Momo blushed a little, "Same here."
Suddenly Monoma of Class 1-B walked over, "I heard some of Class 1-A is taking extra courses. Does that mean they actually failed the final exams? That must be so embarrassing. Especially since you're supposed to be so much better than my class. All of you must be wallowing in shame!"
Kendo walked over and knocked him out with her hand, "Don't mind him."
Reiko of Class 1-B said, "Monoma's scary." She then turned and saw Danny talking with Momo. "But he's scary too. In a cute way."
Izuku said, "Oh, the rest of Class B!"
Setsuna of Class 1-B replied, "It's nice to see you outside of the sports festival. I guess we're not technically rivals."
Danny walked over and stood next to Izuku, "It's nice to see that both of our classes will be going on this camp trip together. Hopefully all of us can grow and become better heroes together."
Reiko sighed, "What a ghostly gentleman."
Kendo shouted to Class 1-B, "Time to get on the bus." She dragged an unconscious Monoma behind her.
Tenya asked Danny, "Can I get our class together?" Danny nodded in approval.
Tenya then shouted, "Attention, Class 1-A. Our bus is here. Everyone line up in seating order!"
Everyone got onto the buses and took off. Aizawa said to Class 1-A, "Listen up. We'll be on the bus about an hour before our first stop. Make sure you stay focused."
But most of the students were in their own little world.
Kaminari asked, "Why aren't we blasting some music?"
Tenya was shouting at Aoyama, "No one should be standing! That is a safety hazard. Please stay seated!"
Aizawa sighed, "Why do I bother?"
Danny noticed and so did Momo, who was sitting next to him. Danny then shouted, "Hey, listen up! Teach just said that we're going to be on this bus for about an hour before our first stop, so stay focused." Everyone then shut up.
Aizawa said, "Thank you, Fenton."
Danny then asked, "Is there anything else you wanted to say, Mr. Aizawa?" Aizawa shook his head, so Danny shouted, "OK, you can go back to what you were doing." And then the bus went back into chaos.
Momo whispered, "Well said, Danny." Danny just shrugged.
Finally they made it to the stop. Everyone got off and stretched. Kaminari said, "Finally. I needed off that bus."
Kirishima noted, "Huh. This really isn't much of a rest area."
Jiro added, "No. And where's Class B?"
Danny looked over and noticed a look in Aizawa's eyes. "This isn't a rest stop." Momo agreed.
Aizawa said, "You don't really think we stopped here just so you can stretch your legs, do you?"
A black car was next to them. The doors opened and a woman's voice said, "Hey there, Eraser."
Aizawa replied, "Long time no see."
Two women in cat costumes stepped out. Danny had to hold in his laughter at the sight of these women in the cat costumes. The first woman, Mandalay, said, "Your feline fantasies are here. Say meow."
The second woman, Pixie-Bob, said, "Purrfectly cute and catlike girls!"
They both shouted, "You can call us the Wild, Wild Pussycats!"
Danny had to look away so that he didn't laugh. That's when he noticed that a boy stepped out with them. He had a sour look on his face. Danny wondered who the boy was.
Aizawa said, "These are the pro heroes you'll be working with at the summer training camp."
Izuku suddenly went into nerd mode, "They're a four person hero team who specializes in mountain rescues! The Pussycats were founded when we were kids, like forever ago! This marks their 12th year working as…."
Suddenly Pixie-Bob rushed over and grabbed Izuku's face with her paw, "I'm pretty sure your math must be off. I'm 18 at heart."
Izuku mumbled, "Understood."
"Everyone," Aizawa said. "Say hello."
Class 1-A said, "Hello. Nice to meet you."
Mandalay said, "We own this whole stretch of land out here. Everything you can see. The summer camp you'll be staying at is there at the base of the mountain."
Ochaco then asked, "Then why did we stop all the way up here instead?"
Tsuyu answered, "I'm afraid we both know the answer to that."
Sato said, "That can't be right."
Sero chuckled nervously, "Back on the bus. Quick. Let's go."
Kaminari agreed, "Good idea. Load up."
Some members of Class 1-A agreed. But Danny said, "Guys, stop being cowards. We're here to train. This is part of training."
Mandalay said, "The current time is 9:30 in the morning. If you're fast about it, you might make it there by noon."
"No way!" Kirishima shouted. "Guys! Save yourselves!" Several members ran for the bus.
Mandalay said, "Kitties who don't make it there by 12:30 won't get any lunch."
Aizawa added, "Like Fenton just mentioned, you should have guessed that the training camp has already begun."
Pixie-Bob put her hand on the ground and suddenly the ground broke under the class and they were all carried over the edge of the rest area into the forest below. Danny reacted quickly by transforming into Phantom and flying down past his classmates and creating a shield to help catch them before they hit the ground. Everyone was grateful for Phantom helping them, minus Bakugo who just huffed.
Mandalay shouted, "Good news! Since this is private land, you can use your Quirks as much as you want to. You've got three full hours. You should be able to make it to the facility in that time. That is, if you can get through the Beast's forest."
"The Beast's Forest?!" Izuku shouted.
Kaminari added, "It sounds like a name right out of a fantasy game."
Jiro sighed, "Why do we keep falling for Aizawa's little tricks?"
Kirishima got up after Phantom released his shield and said, "I guess there's no use complaining. Might as well get going."
Phantom floated back up to where Aizawa and the Pussycats were, "So is this a team thing or are we all fending for ourselves? Plus, that was a low blow, Mr. Aizawa."
Aizawa chuckled, "Your classmates have to learn to expect danger at any time. But to answer your question, this is a team activity. However, you need to let your classmates get to the camp on their own. If you do all the work, then they won't grow. You can step in if they are in trouble. Understand?"
Phantom nodded, "Yes, sir." He then heard screaming coming from below and flew down to join his class. Pixie-Bob had created giant monsters made out of clay and dirt.
Sero and Kaminari shouted, "We're all gonna die!"
Koda tried to use his Quirk, "Please calm yourself, my giant friend. You don't wanna hurt them!"
Izuku realized, "Wait, those are dirt clods. This is Pixie-Bob's Quirk. Koda, that monster is made out of dirt, not it's not a real animal."
Phantom flew in and blasted the monster to kingdom come. "There's going to be more where that came from. Let's take them down!" Several Class 1-A members charged into battle.
Meanwhile, Mandalay asked Aizawa, "Don't you think you've got them on a pretty crazy schedule, Eraser?"
Aizawa nodded, "Yeah. We're hoping we get an entire second semester's worth of knowledge in them here. That's going to take an intense amount of work. But the rewards will be worth it. They'll get permits to use their Quirks if there's ever an emergency. And provisional licenses that will allow them to work as heroes. I know students like Fenton will appreciate that. Most importantly, with all the villainous activity we've been tracking, they need to be able to defend themselves."
Down with Class 1-A, another monster emerged. Shoto used his ice Quirk to freeze one of the monster's legs.
Tenya shouted, "Recipro Blast!" and he blasted one of the monster's arms off.
"I'll kill you!" Bakugo shouted as he blasted the other arm off the monster.
Izuku activated One For All in its Full Cowling mode and smashed the monster into little bits.
Aizawa and the Pussycats saw the result of the monster's destruction from their viewpoint. Aizawa said, "I trust that I can count on you, Pixie-Bob."
Pixie-Bob replied, "Leave it to me! Oh, wow, my fur's standing on end!"
Down with Class 1-A, Sato said, "You guys took that beast down in seconds!"
"It was awesome!" Sero added.
Kirishima said to Bakugo, "You showed that thing who's boss."
Bakugo growled, "We're not done. Fenton was right about that."
Suddenly another beast sprung up from the ground, charging right at the class, but Phantom quickly used his ghost ice to stop the beast in its tracks, then blasted it to kingdom come. "That's another one. Figures that the ground is weak to ice. I guess Pokemon was right about that."
Class 1-A heard beasts growling throughout the forest. Kaminari was panicking, "Hey, come on. Don't you think this is a little unfair?"
Mina asked, "What now? Do we run?"
"Not good," Sato commented. "If we don't make it to the camp fast enough, then we won't get anything to eat."
"He's right," Momo said. "We have no choice but to cut through these woods using the shortest route possible."
"Well," Phantom said. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Yeah!" Class 1-A shouted.
Shoji immediately went into tracking mode, "I spot three up ahead. And two flanking each side."
Jiro used her earphone jacks to help, "So seven total. They're coming!"
One beast flew in towards Class 1-A. Sero took action, "All right. I've got this one!" He used his tape to wrap one one of the beast's wings and swung it to the ground. "Sato! Kirishima!" Sato and Kirishima activated their Quirks and charged in and attacked non stop.
Tokoyami unleashed Dark Shadow onto another beast, who attacked head on. Oijiro helped by whacking the beast with his tail. Oijiro shouted, "Aoyama. You're up!"
Aoyama shouted, "Bonjour!" and unleashed his Naval Laser, destroying the beast.
Kaminari got on top of another beast and unleashed his ultimate attack. "One point three million volts!" He shocked the beast to kingdom come, but Kaminari became brain dead as a result, meaning he was useless for a while.
Koda shouted, "Lovely birds of the forest. Remove this evil beast and restore peace to the wood!"
Mina used her acid to melt some of the beasts down.
Toru was freaking out, "Oh, no! I'm completely helpless! It's gonna eat me!" But in reality, she was faking it.
Momo said, "Good, Hagakure. Perfect distraction. Everyone, quick, take cover!" She created a huge cannon and blasted the beasts down.
Mina shouted, "That was amazing, Momo!"
Phantom floated next to Momo, "Nice work. Great teamwork."
Ochaco used her Quirk and made sure that the beast in front of her would be affected by her Zero Gravity. "Tsu. He's all yours."
"Leave it to me!" Tsuyu shouted as she wrapped her tongue around the beast and threw it into the air.
"And now, release!" Ochaco released her Zero Gravity on the beast, causing it to fall to the ground.
Shoji shouted, "I've spotted more of them closing in."
Both Bakugo and Shoto charged in at the same beast. Bakugo shouted, "You're in my way, icy-hot!"
"Then pick another route," Shoto replied casually.
Izuku and Tenya charged in and destroyed another beast. But more and more were coming upon the class. Phantom stepped in and blasted three beasts and destroyed them.
Pixie-Bob shouted, "Hi-ya! So you're gangin' up on me now? Well, I can fight dirty too!"
Mandalay said to Kota, "We're leaving."
Kota mumbled, "Idiots. How pointless. To wanna be a hero."
Much later in the day, Aizawa, Mandalay, and Pixie-Bob were waiting at the camp for Class 1-A to show up. Pixie-Bob said, "Ha! The litter is almost here."
Mandalay noted, "That took a lot longer than expected."
Aizawa added, "I'm surprised someone like Fenton let it go for this long. He probably could have cleared it by himself in a record time. He probably only stepped in when needed. He took my words seriously."
Class 1-A staggered out of the forest, looking exhausted. Phantom floated above them, not looking worn out like everyone else, just annoyed. He landed on the ground and transformed to his normal form.
Sero complained, "You said it would only be, like, three hours!"
Mandalay shrugged, "I guess we timed it based on how long it'd take us. Sorry!"
Sato whined, "Now you're bragging about how much better you are? That's so mean!"
Danny agreed, "Yeah, I think you made it last much longer than it should have been."
Kirishima groaned, "I'm starving. This is hell!"
Pixie-Bob said, "Meow-meow-meow-meow-meow-meow! I thought it would take you kids even longer. But, you did much better against my dirt monsters than I thought you would. You guys were seriously great. Especially the five of you!" She pointed to Danny, Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, and Tenya. "It seems like you've had quite a bit of experience. I call dibs on these kitties. I'll groom them myself." She ran over to the five boys and tried to cuddle and kiss them, but Danny just turned intangible while the other four were not so lucky.
Aizawa turned to Mandalay, "Has she always been like this?"
Mandalay answered, "It's gotten worse lately. She's at the age to take a mate."
Izuku then asked, "Uh, speaking of people's ages…."
Pixie-Bob put her hand on Izuku's face, "Choose your next words carefully, boy."
Izuku pointed to Kota, "I've just been wondering since we got here earlier. Who is that kid? What's he doing here?"
Danny turned tangible, "I've been wondering the same thing."
Mandalay responded, "Oh, this little guy? He's my cousin's son. He lives with us now. Don't be shy, Kota. Say hi to everyone. You're gonna be around them for the next week."
Izuku walked over to Kota, "Hey there. My name's Midoriya. I'm from the UA High School hero course. It's nice to meet you."
Kota then punched Izuku right in the balls, causing great pain for Izuku. Tenya rushed over, "What a low blow! You fiend of a child! A punch to the scrotum is unforgivable."
Kota replied, "The last thing I want is to hang out with some wannabe heroes."
"Wannabe?" Tenya asked. "How old are you, kid?"
Danny noticed a sad look behind Kota's angry stare. He wondered why Kota is staying here and not with his parents. He felt he already knew the answer, though.
Bakugo said, "The brat's got spunk."
Shoto commented, "He's like a mini version of you."
Bakugo growled, "What are you talking about? You need to shut your mouth before I blast you all the way to hell."
"Yeah, sure," Shoto replied.
Aizawa then said, "Enough playing around. Get your stuff off the bus. Once your bags are in your rooms, we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that, you can bathe and sleep. Tomorrow, your training starts in earnest. You'd better get a move on."
Later at dinner, everyone dug in as they were starving. People like Kirishima and Kaminari eat like they haven't eaten for days. Both Izuku and Danny noticed Kota walking around with a sour look on his face.
Later in the baths, the boys and girls were separated, of course. Kota was standing on the wall in between the baths, making sure no one tried to climb the wall. But then he suddenly slipped and started to fall. Both Danny and Izuku acted quickly. Izuku jumped up and caught Kota, while Danny made a shield to catch both Izuku and Kota. They quickly threw some towels on and ran to Mandalay, who put Kota down on a couch.
Mandalay said, "The rush from the fall likely caused him to faint. Thank you. Aizawa said that some of you might be girl or boy crazy, so I sent Kota up there to keep watch. I suppose that's the danger of teaching kids your age."
Izuku replied, "Well, anyway, I'm glad he's alright."
Mandalay said, "You two must have moved pretty fast to catch him."
Danny then asked, "He doesn't like heroes very much, does he? I remember what he said earlier."
Izukku agreed, "I'm surprised someone his age hates heroes so much. I've always been surrounded by people who want to be heroes."
Mandalay sighed, "How observant. Of course, he isn't alone. There are many in our society who don't approve of us. If he'd had a normal childhood, maybe he would've admired heroes like you did growing up."
"What happened?" Izuku asked.
Pixie-Bob walked in, "It was Mandalay's cousins. Kota's parents, that is. They were heroes, too. But they were murdered."
Mandalay explained, "It was a villain. Two years back. Kota was still so small. They were killed while protecting citizens. Perhaps the most respectable way for any hero to die. But how do you even begin to explain to a child that his parents died honorable deaths? They were his entire world. Everything. But to him, his parents had left him behind. And all the while, they were being praised. Everyone was telling him that their sacrifice was a noble one. Honestly, he doesn't seem to like us that much either. We're heroes, like they were. I'm sure he feels like he's stuck here because he has nowhere else to go. Heroes just don't make any sense to Kota. After all, if his parents hadn't been heroes, they would still be here."
Izuku didn't know what to say, as he knew about all the different opinions of heroes. Danny, however, did speak up, "My parents were killed by a villain too. But they were scientists, not pro heroes. Maybe if they were just normal parents, they would still be here. But I was already a teenager when they passed. I can't imagine how I would feel if it happened when I was a little kid. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to him that can relate to him. I'll keep an eye on him while we're here."
The next morning, 5:30 AM, Class 1-A walked groggily outside wearing their PE clothes. Aizawa said, "Good morning, class. Today, we begin a training camp that will increase your strength. Our goal is to increase your skills exponentially, so that each of you earns a provisional license. This will allow you to face the dangers that continue to fester in the darkness. Proceed carefully." He then threw a ball at Bakugo. "Try throwing that for me."
"Yeah, sure," Bakugo replied. "Like in the fitness test."
Aizawa nodded, "That's right. When you first started school, your record was 705.2 meters. Let's see if you improved."
Mina said, "Oh, I get it! We're checking our progress."
Sero commented, "A lot's happened to us these last three months. Maybe he can throw it a whole mile now!"
Kirishima shouted, "Come on, get it, Bakugo!" Danny just stood there, interested to see if Bakugo has improved, despite the cocky attitude.
Bakugo smirked, "I've got this. No one blink. Go to hell!" He threw the ball as hard as he could, using his Quirk to power the throw.
Aizawa said, "That was 709.6 meters." Bakugo was shocked that it wasn't much better than before. Danny silently chuckled at Bakugo's reaction.
Sero commented, "That's it? Kinda disappointing."
Aizawa said, "You've had a single semester at UA, and due to your various experiences, all of you have definitely improved. But those improvements have mostly been limited to mental prowess and technical skill. With a slight increase in stamina thrown in along the way. As you can see, your Quirks haven't improved much on a fundamental level. And none of you are anywhere near the same level as Fenton. That's why we're now going to focus on improving your powers. This'll be so hard, you'll feel like you're dying. Let's hope you all survive. And Fenton, now that I've seen your full moveset, you'll be working extra hard to master all of your skills, not just the ones you use on a regular basis."
Danny smirked, "Bring it, then."
Elsewhere, Toga entered a warehouse, "Hey, hey! Special delivery from Tomura! He wants us to bring these along when we go, so I'm guessing there's enough for everyone."
A man named Muscular said, "Come on. I'm ready. Let's hurry up and do this."
A man named Mustard added, "It's still too early. Besides, don't forget, he said we shouldn't do anything flashy."
Dabi said, "Yeah. He acted like a spoiled little brat when we first met. But suddenly, he's begun to take charge. This is gonna be nothing more than a warning shot. We'll pull these false heroes down from their shiny pedestals. And in doing so, we'll create a bright new future for this world."
Chapter 2: Kota
Class 1-B were up early too, some still yawning or almost falling back asleep. Their homeroom teacher, Vlad King, was standing in front of them. Kendo asked, "We're focusing on our Quirks?"
Vlad King answered, "Class A's already training. You all need to catch up. Last semester, Class 1-A was in the spotlight. Next semester, it's Class B's turn. From now on, you're shooting for the top. Don't let me down."
Tetsutetsu cried, "We're such disappointing students!"
Setsuna said, "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?"
A student named Kamakiri asked, "Yeah, can you be more specific?"
Vlad King answered, "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. In other words, there's only one thing to do! You'll have to break yourselves!"
Vlad King guided them to an open field where Class 1-A were already training.
Bakugo was plunging his hands into boiling water to expand his sweat glands, then created chain explosions to increase the scale of his attacks.
Shoto was alternating between ice and fire while sitting in a tub of water and regulating the temperature of the water so that his body gets accustomed to the cold and works on controlling his flames. Hopefully he'll be able to use both at the same time.
Sero was producing his tape continuously so that he will increase his capacity and improve the tape's tensile strength and shooting speed.
Kirishima and Oijiro were fighting each other. Oijiro kept hitting his tail on Kirishima's hardened skin, improving both of their Quirks.
Kaminari was running his currents through a high capacity battery so that he learns how to handle larger amounts of electricity.
Koda was doing vocal exercises in order to increase his reach of his Quirk.
Aoyama was blasting his Naval Laser non stop in order to build up his body, increase the attack's range, and to lessen his tummy pain.
Tokoyami was in a dark cave to work on keeping control of Dark Shadow in dark areas.
Ochaco was getting her inner ears used to zero gravity in an effort to reduce nausea, while increasing how much weight she can lift.
Tenya was doing hardcore distance running in order to improve his leg strength and stamina.
Tsuyu was working on all the muscles in her body, including her tongue.
Sato was lifting weights while eating a bunch of sugar so that he could power up his Quirk.
Momo was also stuffing her face with food so that she could amp up her Quirk and shorten the amount of time needed for her to use it.
Jiro was amplifying the quality of her audio by honing her headphone jacks.
Mina was constantly creating acid so that she could increase her skin's durability
Toru and Shoji were improving their Quirks by having Shoji quickly creating Dupli-Arms and hunt down Toru, who was working on her stealth.
Class 1-B stood there in shock. A student named Rin said, "Oh, man. This is pretty intense."
Vlad King commented, "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. Now normally, these changes happen gradually as you grow."
Aizawa walked over to Class 1-B, "But we don't have time for that. Your class has a lot of work to do."
Kendo said, "Once we team up with Class A, there'll be 40 students here. That's a whole lot of Quirks for our homeroom teachers to manage on their own."
Aizawa replied, "That's why we called them."
The Wild, Wild Pussycats jumped in front of Aizawa. One member, Ragdoll, shouted, "That's right! Four kittens in one liter!"
Mandalay shouted, "Your feline fantasies are here! Say meow!"
Ragdoll said, "Allow us to lend a helping paw."
Tiger, the only male member, said, "We're champions serving up justice. With our tails."
Pixie-Bob shouted, "Purrfectly cute and catlike heroes!"
They all shouted, "We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats!"
Ragdoll said, "I'm Ragdoll, and my Quirk is Search. I can look at up to 100 people and know everything about them. Like their location and weakness."
Pixie-Bob said, "With my Earthflow, I can create the ideal training ground for every student."
Mandalay said, "And my Quirk is called Telepath. I can give advice to multiple people at once."
Tiger said, "The name's Tiger. And I'm here to beat you guys to a pulp."
Rin raised his hand, "I have questions about him."
Tiger ignored what Rin said and continued, "All you kids with strength Quirks, time for Tiger's bootcamp. Class A's already sweating, so catch up quick!" He pointed to Izuku, who was doing exercises, even though he was looking worn out. He then rushed over to Izuku, "C'mon, show me what you got."
Izuku activated One For All, "Five percent Detroit Smash!" He tried to punch Tiger, but the pro hero dodged and kicked Izuku right into a tree.
Tiger shouted, "If you don't push yourself, you won't shred your muscle fibers, and then you won't get stronger!"
"Right, sir," Izuku mumbled as he struggled to get off the ground.
"I can't hear you!" Tiger shouted.
"Right, sir!" Izuku shouted back.
"He's scary," Kaibara, a student from Class 1-B, mumbled.
Tiger said, "You wanna be Plus Ultra, don't you? Then show me what that means!"
"Yes, sir!" Izuku replied.
Shishida, another student from Class 1-B, mumbled, "That guy is way more intense than I expected."
Vlad King explained, "There's a lot going on at UA, so it's hard for us to spare much staff for the hero course first years."
Aizawa continued, "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."
Vlad King added, "Don't fall behind Class A. Do me proud!'
"Yes, sir!" Class 1-B replied.
Izuku suddenly yelled with renewed vigor. Tiger liked it, "That's right! Tear that weak Quirk apart and make it stronger!"
"Yes, sir!" Izuku shouted.
Reiko looked around and then asked, "Um, I only see 19 people from Class A here. Where's Danny Fenton?"
Aizawa answered, "Fenton's been working on his first assignment while we've been chatting with you. He's been observing your class to learn about all of you, then he picked his target when you all were distracted."
Tetsutetsu asked, "What do you mean he picked his target? What is he doing?"
Aizawa smirked, "Possession."
Class 1-B was shocked/spooked as they looked around at each other, trying to figure out who Danny possessed. Vlad King was pissed, "Aizawa! You should have warned me that you planned that for one of your students, putting my students at risk!'
Aizawa replied, "Calm down. All the students here are having to push past their limits. This is one of the powers he hasn't been using due to personal reasons, but realized that due to the events that have happened, he has to strengthen them in order to be prepared for what's out there. Now, Fenton, care to share with the class?"
Kendo then stepped forward, but spoke in Phantom's voice, "Right here, sir."
Class 1-B was shocked. Phantom exited Kendo's body, then turned to the Class 1-B class rep, "I apologize for doing that, but I figured that you wouldn't have much of an issue with it."
Kendo nodded, "It's fine. You didn't make me do anything stupid, and it helped you grow."
Reiko mumbled, "Very ghostly. I like it."
Monoma complained, 'Seriously? You're fine with a member of Class A showing superiority over us?"
Rin then asked, "Mr. Aizawa, you said possession was one of the powers he hasn't used. What's the other?"
Aizawa nodded to Phantom, who sighed, then said, "You might want to cover your ears." He then turned in a direction that didn't have anyone in the way and unleashed his Ghostly Wail. Everyone held their ears in pain. Several members of Class 1-A stopped what they were doing and held their ears. Phantom then stopped and took some deep breaths to get some of his strength back.
Tiger shouted, "You can do more than that! You need to strengthen your core and voice muscles!"
Phantom mumbled, "Yes, sir."
Aizawa turned to a shocked Class 1-B, "Fenton used that attack during his recent final exam to defeat all the teachers that participated. That means he could easily defeat all of you at once. You all, along with Class A, need to get to his level. And he still has room to grow. So everyone has a lot of work to do. Let's get to it."
Later that day, the first year students came back to camp and Pixie-Bob and Ragdoll were waiting, in front of a lot of ingredients. Pixie-Bob said, "Now. Remember what I said? We're not serving your food anymore!"
Ragdoll added, "If you guys wanna eat, you'll have to make your own meals! Starting with curry!"
All the students groaned, "Yes, ma'am."
Ragdoll laughed, "Oh, man, do you guys look exhausted. But that doesn't mean you can coast by making sloppy cat food."
Tenya then realized, "Oh, I see. An important part of saving someone recovering from a disaster is providing for their physical needs as well as spiritual. Ah! This is a great opportunity! Let's make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!"
The other students sighed, "Yeah, OK."
Danny mumbled, "Thanks, Tenya."
The students got to work. Shoto started lighting up the grills with his flames. Mina shouted, "Hey, Todoroki! Can we get some fire over here, too?"
Sero turned to Bakugo, "Use an explosion to light that."
Bakugo growled, "This is so beneath me." But he did it anyway, although he accidentally busted the grill.
"Too much," Tokoyami commented.
Momo said, "Rely on others and you'll never learn to start a fire yourself. We should focus on acquiring new skills." She then created a lighter to light the logs.
Danny said, "That may be true, but it'll be faster for Todoroki to just light the grills. I'll help by taking one of the sticks already on fire and passing it to the other grills."
Shoto walked over to Ochaco's grill, "Here, allow me." He then lit up the grill.
Ochaoc replied, "Wow! Thank you so much!"
"Burn, baby, burn!" Mina shouted.
"But not too hot, OK?" Ochaco asked.
Eventually the curry got made and everyone settled down to eat.
Kirishima was eating rapidly, but said, "If I got this at a restaurant, I'd send this crap back. But after today, I'll eat every bite.
"Don't say that!" Sero added.
Mina commented, "Whoa, you're scarfing, Momo!"
"Yes," Momo replied. "My Quirk transforms lipids into brand new atoms to create inorganic materials. That means, the more I eat, the more I can make."
Sero commented, "Like how poop works."
Momo felt embarrassed by that. Danny, who was sitting next to her, noticed, and glared at Sero with glowing green eyes and said in an eerie voice, "Apologize."
Sero got scared, but said, "I'm sorry."
Kota was standing nearby and scoffed. He then turned and walked into the forest. Izuku noticed this as he was coming back from cleaning up. He decided to make a plate of food and followed Kota.
Kota went to his secret hiding place on a small mountain overlooking the forest. His stomach growled with hunger.
"I heard that." Kota turned to see Izuku walking towards him. "You must be hungry. Here. I brought you some curry."
Kota was pissed. "No way! How'd you find this place?"
Izuku replied, "Oh, sorry. I followed your footsteps. I thought you might want some dinner before it gets cold."
Kota scoffed, "Whatever. I'm just fine. Get lost. I don't wanna hang out with you. So forget about my secret hideout."
Izuku looked around, "This is a secret hideout?"
Kota said, "Spending your entire life trying to improve your Quirk. It's dumb. All you wanna do is show off. Get lost!"
Izuku sighed, then said, "Hey, about your parents. I was wondering. Were they the Water Hose heroes? With the water Quirks?"
Kota shouted, "Did Mandalay tell you?"
Izuku replied, "No. It's….Um, sorry. I heard a little about what happened to them. And based on that information, I figured….I remember reading about that horrible incident a few years ago."
Kota grunted, "Go away. Everyone here's so crazy. Calling people stupid names like hero and villain, and then killing each other because of it. Always focusing on their Quirks. If they hadn't been showing off, they'd still be here. Idiots. We're done here. Go back to camp with the other losers."
Izuku then said, "Hey, um, my friend. This guy I knew very well. He didn't inherit any abilities from his parents. 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 kind of Quirk. But still. My friend refused to accept that, and hoped for a miracle. He tried to use telekinesis. And to breathe fire. But it was no good. There are lots of different ways to think about how Quirks work. So, we might not be on the same page. But I think if you reject them completely, it's just going to make life harder. In so many ways."
Kota shouted, "Will you just leave me alone already? Go away!"
Izuku sighed, "I'm sorry. I guess I have a habit of rambling sometimes. Here, I'll leave the curry." Izuku put the curry down and walked away.
Kota muttered, "Shut up. All of you. Just stop it."
"You know, holding in all that anger won't do you any good." Kota turned around to see Danny standing there, as the ghost hero had noticed Izuku disappear with the curry and invisibly followed him, and heard all of the conversation between Izuku and Kota.
Kota growled, "Another wannabe hero. Just go away. Like I told your friend. Leave me alone."
Kota turned to walk away when Danny said, "My parents died too. Because of a villain."
Kota stopped walking. "Really?"
Danny nodded. He then sat down on the ground and looked out at the forest. "Since I heard your story, it's only fair that you hear mine. My parents were scientists, although sometimes they tried to play hero. Even though they were in over their heads sometimes, they still wanted to do the right thing." Danny sighed and took a breath. "They died because of me. Because I was fighting a villain and they wanted to protect me. They took the attacks meant for me. That guilt will stay with me forever."
Kota walked over, holding the curry Izuku left, and sat next to Danny. "Does the pain ever go away?"
Danny shook his head, "No, it doesn't."
Kota said, "But you don't seem angry. I just feel angry at everything. Even you wannabe heroes. If my parents were just normal parents, they'd still be here."
Danny replied, "Yeah, I feel the same way. But we can't go back in time and change anything. Trust me, I learned the hard way. We just have to accept that this is our life now."
Kota then asked, "Then why aren't you angry. You seem calm."
Danny answered, "Trust me, I was angry. Even to the point that I beat the villain responsible to a pulp and almost ended his life. But someone stopped me just in time. Then I realized that if I did it, if I ended his life right then and there, then I would be no better than him. And that wouldn't make the pain go away. So I decided to continue on with life, in their memory."
Danny then stood up, "Kota, I understand that you don't like us. That's fine. Just know that we will always be here for you." Danny then disappeared. Kota sat there for a long time, thinking to himself.
Elsewhere, a group of villains from the League of Villains stood on a mountain nearby. Toga was wearing a mask, "I do not like this. It's so not cute!"
Mustard replied, "They were engineered for the black market, from what I hear. You should be worried that they work, not that they look pretty."
Toga groaned, "I'm just saying they could be a little more stylish. Is that too much to ask?"
A man named Magne then walked up, "Hi, darlings! Sorry to keep you waiting."
Another man, Moonfish, was next to him, "Get to work." Another villain named Sinner was standing next to him, along with Muscular.
Dabi was at the front, "That makes seven of us."
Muscular growled, "I don't care. Just let me loose. I'm too pumped up to stand by."
Dabi replied, "Shut your mouth, you crazy bastard. We wait. We're still expecting three more people to join our little party. The League of Villains made a mistake going after them with a bunch of random thugs at the USJ. Better to use a small group of elites. The first thing we have to do is take away their sense of peace and show them that their lives rest in our hands."
The next morning, the first year students were back at training. Aizawa said, "Hey, remedial group. Keep at it."
Kirishima said, "Yes, sir."
But Mina groaned, "Sorry, but I need more beauty sleep."
Kaminari added, "Who knew yesterday's extra lessons would go on until two in the morning and start back up at seven."
Aizawa said, "I told you it'd be tough. Remember. You're not just improving your Quirks. You're also working to overcome the many weaknesses I saw in the finals. Think carefully about why you're more tired than the others before you start whining. You have much to improve here."
The five students answered, "Right, yes, sir."
Aizawa turned around, "Uraraka! Aoyama! The same goes for you. Your team didn't fail, but you were very close. I'd say you passed the proverbial finish line by only a hair."
Ochaco yelped, "That bad."
"Mon dieu," Aoyama said.
Aizawa turned to the others, "Don't lose focus. Each of you can move faster! And no matter what you're doing, just remember where you started from. Don't forget who you were before UA. Always keep that in mind when you're sweating, and why your limits are getting tested. That's what it means to improve."
Izuku then walked up to Aizawa, "Hey, that reminds me, Mr. Aizawa. It's already the third day of camp."
Aizawa interrupted, "Weren't you listening? Stay focused."
Izuku continued, "I was just wondering if All Might, I mean, the other teachers from UA will be joining us."
Aizawa replied, "Like I said before we came out here. To keep the camp a secret from the villains, hardly anyone knows where we are."
Ragdoll shouted behind him, "That's why you get to work out with us four pussycats!"
Aizawa continued, "And think about it. We believe All Might is one of the League's targets. So we can't have him here. It's for your own safety. For better or for worse, that's what he gets for standing out so much."
Aizawa then walked away and Izuku mumbled, "It seems like mostly for worse these days."
Pixie-Bob then announced, "More importantly, tonight's gonna be fun! We're pitting classes against each other in a test of courage. I know you've been training hard today. And later, you'll get to play hard! How's that for a reward?"
Kendo sighed, "It just sounds like more training."
Jiro added, "And training in the dark, no less."
Tokoyami muttered, "Revelry in the dark."
Rin groaned, "How much can we do in one day?"
Monoma chuckled, "At least we get to beat Class A, am I right?"
Pixie-Bob continued, "Don't slack now! Make sure you keep on pushing yourself as you work!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the first years responded.
Izuku was still thinking to himself when Tiger said, "Hey. You're not Plus Ultra yet."
Izuku replied,"Right." And he got back to his workouts.
Tiger then said, "Your ghost friend got out today as he's doing possession training. But tomorrow, he'll go into full Plus Ultra training."
Izuku looked around and didn't see Danny anywhere. He then heard a shout, "Damn it!" He looked over to see Bakugo shouting at Danny, "Get out of my way, Fenton! Or I'll blast you to kingdom come!"
Danny smirked, "Don't mind me. I'm just observing everyone training."
Bakugo grunted then went back to the boiling water to help his explosions. Danny suddenly turned invisible and possessed Bakugo.
Bakugo's eyes turned green, then said in Danny's voice, "Maybe now I can train without shouting every 5 seconds." He then continued the training, proving that he could use someone's Quirk while possessing them. He continued for about 5 minutes, then exited Bakugo's body.
Bakugo shouted, "I'll kill you, Fenton!"
Later that day, the first years were preparing dinner. Bakugo was chopping vegetables next to Ochaco, who was impressed, "Whoa, Bakugo, you're really good with that knife. It's weird."
Bakugo shouted, "What do you mean it's weird? How can you people be so damn bad at everything?'
Kaminari walked past, "Look at that. He's not blowing stuff up."
Kirishima sighed, "I'm too tired for this."
Danny was preparing the wood along with Izuku, "Bakugo's probably still pissed that I used him for possession practice. This is exactly why I hate using that power."
Shoto then came up to them, "Did you need All Might for a particular reason, Midoriya? You asked Mr. Aizawa about him."
Izuku nodded, "Um, yeah I did. Because of Kota."
"Who's that?" Shoto asked.
Danny pointed behind them, "The boy over there. He's Mandalay's cousin."
But when the boys looked over, Kota was gone. Probably to his hideout.
Izuku continued, "Anyway, Kota doesn't like heroes. Actually, he hates the whole concept of superhumans, Quirks and everything. I tried to talk to him, but I think I just made things worse. I was just wondering what All Might would have done to help him if he'd been here. I mean, what would you say to him, Todoroki?"
Shoto replied, "It depends. To have a complete stranger try to change your mindset sounds like a pretty irritating conversation. What matters are actions. You have to show him what you're trying to prove. Right? If you're going to rely on words alone, then they'd better be incredibly powerful. What you say doesn't matter near as much as what you actually do."
Izuku realized, "You're right. I went about this the wrong way. How can I, a stranger, say anything to him?"
Danny added, "I talked to him after you left. I told him my story. I think he listened better to me because we shared something similar, a tragic past."
Shoto then said, "I don't know what your goal is when it comes to this child. But it sounds to me that you shouldn't be sticking your nose in a delicate situation. You tend to cut to the heart of people's feelings. Same goes for you, Fenton. It can be annoying."
Izuku apologized, "Right. Sorry about that."
Danny glared at Shoto, "Nice going, dude."
Tenya then shouted, "You guys! Your hands aren't moving! We'll never make the best stew if you stop now."
Danny replied, "Chill out, dude."
Later that night, all the students were gathered. Pixie-Bob said, "Perfect. We've filled out bellies and cleaned the dishes. It's time for…."
Mina interrupted, "A totally awesome test of courage!"
Sato, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari shouted, "We're gonna win!"
Aizawa walked over, "Not so fast. It pains me to say it, but the remedial class will be having lessons with me tonight instead."
Mina shouted, "You 've gotta be kidding me!"
Aizawa tied the five down with his scarf, "Sorry. Your training during the day didn't impress me, so I'll be using this time, too."
The five groaned, "Man, give me a break! I just wanna prove my courage!"
Pixie-Bob explained, "OK, so Class B will 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."
Tokoyami muttered, "Revelry in the dark."
Pixie-Bob continued, "Now, those who are scarers are not allowed to make physical contact. Use your Quirks to terrify others. Got it?"
Tiger continued, "The winners are the creative students who make the most people piss their pants."
Danny muttered, "I think I have an unfair advantage to this."
Pixie-Bob held out some paper, "All right, everyone draw to see who your partner will be."
Everyone drew and Izuku realized that because there were only 15 participating, he was the odd man out. Danny looked over to his assigned partner, Oijiro, and said, "I should be the one to go by myself. Go ahead and pair up with Izuku. He seems to be freaking out."
Other people wanted to trade and Tokoyami just said, "Revelry in the dark."
12 minutes passed and the screams were heard throughout the forest. Pixie-Bob turned to Ochaco and Tsuyu, "Next team! That's you two kittens. Ribbity and Miss Floater."
The two girls inched through the course, hearing the screams around them. Ochaco said, "I'm getting scared, Tsu. And those screams aren't helping."
Tsuyu replied, "That's Kyoka and Toru, I think. Here, take my hand. Don't be afraid. We;ll look out for each other. One step at a time."
A student from Class B, Honenuki, said, "Nice going, Kodai, you managed to scare everyone so far, ya big creeper!"
Kendo agreed, "Yeah, you're the star of the night." Kodai just stood there.
Honenuki continued, "I can't get over how funny Bakugo and Todoroki were. I thought they were tough."
Kendo then said, "Hey. Smell that? I think there's something burning nearby."
Honenuki agreed, "Huh? Now that you mention it, it's kinda smoky out here." He suddenly passed out.
Kendo realized something was up as a mysterious air floating near them. She used her Quirk to grab Kodai, "Yui! Don't breathe it in! This smoke! It's poisonous!"
Over at the start, Pixie-Bob could smell it, "What's this foul smell in the air?"
Danny pointed to the sky, "There. Something's up."
Mandalay said, "Black smoke."
"Has something been set ablaze?" Tenya asked.
"Maybe a fire on the mountain," Oijiro suggested.
In reality, it was Dabi setting the forest on fire. "Now, it begins."
Suddenly Pixie-Bob started to float in the air, "Hey, what's happening?" She was then dragged through the air, away from everyone.
"Take them down," Dabi said. "Those who believe they deserve the title "hero". We, the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains, will tear them off their pedestals."
Pixie-Bob was now next to Magne with a serious head wound. Magne said, "First, let's get rid of these feral cats." Spinner was standing next to him.
Izuku tried to rush to Pixie-Bob, but Tiger held him back.
Mandalay said, "This is bad."
Izuku realized, "Where's Kota?"
Danny stepped forward and transformed into Phantom, "We'll find him. And take these villains down. I'll make sure of it!"
Chapter 3: My Hero
Kota was sitting outside his hiding spot thinking to himself. He was thinking back to when Mandalay told him that one day he would meet a hero and understand why they do what they do. Kota growled, "No one like that really exists." He then saw smoke rising from the forest. But he didn't see a shadow watching him and stepping towards him.
5 minutes earlier, Aizawa was guiding the remedial students with him for extra lessons. Mina groaned, "Aww, we wanted the chance to face off with all the others."
Kirishima added, "I thought Pixie-Bob said we'd be getting a reward."
"This is more like torture," Kaminari groaned. "We want our treat, Mr. Aizawa."
Aizawa replied, "Do you want me to tighten your bindings? For tonight's lesson, we'll be talking about how to behave in an emergency. If you don't become more aware that you're falling behind your classmates, then the gap will keep on growing. In a broad sense, this knowledge is your reward. How's that for a treat?"
Kirishima groaned, "I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."
They arrived at the classroom and Monoma was in there, "Oh, strange. Now, who do we have here? Five members of Class A bombed the exams? And look, there's only one guy from Class B!"
"You failed too, idiot!" Kaminari shouted back.
Everyone sat down and Kirishima said, "He tried to get under our skin the same way yesterday."
Mina added, "At this point, I'm kinda worried about him."
Vlad King was in there as well. Aizawa walked up to him, "Why don't we start with practice maneuvers?"
Vlad King replied, "I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps we should pair them up."
Suddenly they all got a telepathic message from Mandalay, "Everyone! Two villains attacked us! It's possible there are more coming. Everyone, return to camp immediately. We're regrouping. Do not engage any enemies."
Aizawa then told Vlad King, "I'll look after the other students. Protect them." Aizawa then rushed outside and saw the smoke coming from the forest. He knew that they were in big trouble.
Dabi suddenly appeared next to him, "Looks like your concern has you distracted, Eraser." He then unleashed a flame attack right at Aizawa. "You pros oughta lay off. We haven't come here for any of you, so just stay out of our way."
Back with the main group, Spinner announced, "How are you this evening, UA High School? We are part of the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains."
"The League of Villains?" Oijiro asked. "What are those guys doing here?"
Phantom tried to move forward, but Magne said, "Not so fast. Move any closer, and I'll crush this kitty's head so easily."
Tiger shouted, "You get away from her!"
Spinner interrupted, "Now, now. Hold on, Big Sis Mag. You too, Tiger, calm down. When deciding if someone should live or die, we must be careful that we're abiding by Stain's principles."
"Stain?" Izuku asked.
"Of course they follow the ideologies of that fruit loop," Phantom muttered.
Tenya added, "So, you're the ones he ended up inspiring."
Spinner grinned, "At your service. That's us. And you, four eyes, I believe I recognize you. You're one of the self-righteous brats who attacked Stain in Hosu City. Along with the ghost boy in front of us. Allow me to introduce myself. Call me, Spinner. I'm here to make Stain's dreams a reality." He then pulled out his giant sword.
Tiger stepped forward, "I don't care who you are. You're criminals! The woman lying there is named Pixie-Bob. She's a pro hero who's saved countless lives. She's giving her all for these young heroes, pushing them to reach their full potential. She's looking for a mate, but otherwise she's content. What gives you the right to cut such a happy life short?"
Spinner charged at Tiger, "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not a hero's job to be happy?"
Suddenly Spinner and Magne were blasted away by Phantom's ecto blasts. Phantom smirked, "Finally, they were distracted enough for me to attack. They talk too much."
Mandalay said, "I've talked to everyone. Trust the safety of the other students to Ragdoll. You and I will stay here. We'll hold them back! You all need to return to camp. Class rep, you're in charge on the way there!"
Phantom replied, "With all due respect, you need me here. Tenya, as co class rep, get the other students back to camp. Only engage if necessary. I'm staying here to help."
Tenya said, "Leave it to me. Let's go!"
Izuku then said, "Go on ahead without me. Mandalay, I know where Kota is."
Phantom replied, "Good, go find him and bring him back to camp. I'll meet up with you later." He then tossed him a flare. "Use this if you need backup. Now, let's teach these villains a lesson."
In the forest Kendo was running with Yui still in her giant hands, trying not to breathe in the gas. She heard someone call her name, and turned to see Tetsutetsu carrying Ibara, both wearing masks. "Where'd you get those masks?"
Tetsutetsu answered, "Yaoyorozu from Class A. She made them for us. Awase's taking her to the rest of our class so she can help them too. Take some. We got a bunch."
Kendo took them and put one on herself and handed the others to her classmates. "We need to get back to camp fast. Who knows how many villains could be roaming through the woods."
Tetsutetsu said, "No, I'm going to fight. You make sure these two get back to camp."
Kendo was shocked, "What? Mandalay told us to retreat!"
Tetsutetsu replied, "You're always getting on Monoma when he talks about the differences in our classes, but you feel it, don't you? We're not the same. We all got into UA with the same exam. We study the same curriculum. So why are they better? Isn't it obvious? Class A has been through crisis after crisis, and turned each one into an opportunity. They've had so many chances to prove themselves. You saw Fenton himself. He's on a totally different level than the rest of us. And come on, Kendo. A real hero doesn't turn his back and run from a bad guy. Fighting villains is what we do! Don't try to stop me! We're in the hero course. If we don't stand up now, then when will we? I'm going to find these villains and show them what we're made of."
Up at Kota's hiding spot, he could hear Mandalay's telepathic cry to him, but he was distracted by the fact that one of the villains was walking toward him, Muscular. "I came up here scouting for a nice vantage point, and here I find someone who's not on our list. By the way, nice hat, kid. I like it. Why don't you trade me for this lame mask, huh? They made me wear it because I'm new. Said they couldn't get a shipment of the good ones in time."
Kota tried to run away, but Muscular got in front of him, "I think you and me should have some fun up here, kid. Ready?" He pulled off his mask, and Kota recognized his face, as this was the villain who killed his parents.
"It's you," Kota muttered. "Papa. Mama."
Muscular swung at Kota, but suddenly Izuku rushed in out of nowhere and grabbed Kota, taking some of the blow. They tumbled nearby and Izuku's phone fell out, broken, and the flare Phantom gave him fell out and tumbled nearby.
"What are you doing?" Kota asked.
Before Izuku could say anything, Muscular said, "Huh. Now you, I recognize. You were on the list."
Izuku realized that his phone was broken and saw that the flare rolled neary Muscular so getting to it would be a challenge. He had to defend Kota from the villain by himself until he could get backup with the flare. He whispered to Kota, "Hey. I promise everything will be OK. I'm going to save you, Kota."
Back in the forest, Bakugo grunted, "Damn it!"
Shoto was carrying a member of Class B on his back, "There must be some sort of gas villain out here. I'm worried about the others who're still in the forest. But I don't see that there's much we can do now. Hopefully Ragdoll can take care of everyone else."
Bakugo held a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't breathe in the gas, "Don't tel me what to do icy….." But he and Shoto stopped when they saw a dark figure, Moonfish, in front of them. "Crap. Who's that? Hey, which group was in front of us again?"
Shoto answered, "Tokoyami, I think, and Shoji."
Moonfish was kneeling in front of a dismembered hand, "So pretty. No, have to work. Can't. But it's so delicious, beautiful flesh. Don't tempt me. I have a job to do."
Bakugo asked, "No fighting, is that the rule?"
Back at the main fight, Spinner charged in, "You fake heroes only care about yourselves and your glory. We'll purge you from this world."
He tried to attack Mandalay, but she dodged and telepathically told him, "Spinner, even though you're a villain, you're still pretty cool. Totally my type."
That caused Spinner to blush. Mandalay charged in, "Are you really blushing? How cute."
She tried to attack him, but Spinner dodged, "That was a dirty trick to pull. Don't toy with me, cat."
Spinner was suddenly tackled by Phantom, who then picked up Spinner using his strength and tossed him several feet away. "Dude, it's called a distraction for a reason."
Mandalay suddenly started to get dragged toward Magne, who said, "Over here, my little kitten."
But that stopped when Tiger punched Magne, "I won't let you use the same trick twice!" Mandalay dropped to the ground and Tiger kept trying to hit Magne, who kept dodging. "Kenji Hikiishi. Villain name Magne. Wanted for nine counts of aggravated robbery, three murders, and 29 attempted murders."
Tiger swung a punch, but Magne caught it, "Oh, does that mean I'm famous?"
Tiger asked, "What the hell did you come here for, criminal?"
Mandalay shouted, "Tiger, something's wrong! I still haven't heard from Ragdoll. It isn't like her not to report!"
Magne grinned, "Uh oh. I wonder what happened to her."
Mange was suddenly blasted by Phantom, who said, "I'll go look for Ragdoll. I'll leave these two to you." Phantom then flew away into the forest.
Up at Kota's hideout, Muscular said to Izuku, "You really think you can save this little brat? That does sound like something a wannabe hero would say. Your kind just likes to mouth off about justice. The name's Midoriya, right? Perfect. We were told to take some initiative and kill you. But first, a little torment. Show me your blood."
He charged in and punched Izuku into the mountain wall. "Whoopsie. Oh, yeah. Hey. Maybe you can help me out a little bit first. Do you know where a kid named Bakugo might be around here? I still have a job to do, after all." He charged in again, but Izuku dodged.
Izuku held onto his broken arm, "They're after Kacchan? Why?"
Muscular said, "I'll take your silence to mean that you don't know. Is that right? Oh good then. It's play time!"
He charged in and kicked Izuku right in the stomach, kicking him into the mountain wall and falling to the ground, blood falling out of his mouth and head.
Muscular laughed, "Yes! Blood is exactly what I wanted from you. What'd you promise? That everything would be OK? How's that working out for you, huh? Don't just lay there, stupid."
Izuku struggled to get off the ground, "That muscle Quirk of his is too powerful. I need a plan. If I worry about Kacchan right now, I'm dead. I have to focus on the enemy in front of me. But where's the flare Danny gave me?" He looked around and saw it lying nearby. He then charged up One For All and smashed Muscular, but it didn't have any effect.
"What?" Muscular asked. "Is that all you've got? You're fast, but you're not strong enough to hurt me." He tossed Izuku to the side. "My Quirk increases my speed and strength so exponentially that my muscle fibers can't even be contained by my skin. I know I'm bragging a bit. But I mean, c'mon. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're just an inferior version of me!" He charged in, but Izuku dodged. "I can't help but laugh at you, kid! You'll really think you're a hero, don't you?" He jumped after Izuku and punched him to the ground. "How are you gonna save him, huh? Don't make promises you can't keep. Live up to your words or they don't mean anything. You're no hero, you're just a fraud, and you'll die that way!"
Suddenly Kota threw a rock at Muscular, "Remember Water Hose? My mom and dad. Did you torment the two of them, too? Before you killed them?"
Muscular turned to Kota, "Huh? Seriously? Those losers were your parents? Well then, this must be fate. The Water Hose heroes, they're the reason I have an artificial eye in my left socket right now."
Kota cried, "This is all your fault. Nothing in the world is right anymore and it's because of crazy people like you!"
Muscular chuckled, "Little kids are always so quick to say it's someone else's fault. Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I took them out because I was mad about the eye thing. I wanted to kill people, it's as simple as that. And those two tried to stop me. What happened was the result of all of us doing our best. The real travesty is promising to do something you aren't able to do. That's why your dear old mommy and daddy died."
Izuku charged in, but Muscular said, "Nice try, with the sneak attack, but I'm ready!"
But Izuku kept charging at him, "You ruined his life, and you won't take the blame?" He grabbed part of Muscular's muscle, "Got you now. Doesn't matter how quick you are."
"But what's your next move?" Muscular asked. "You gonna punch me with that puny Quirk of yours again?"
Izuku replied, "It's not a matter of whether or not I can do it. A hero's job is to risk his life, to turn his promises into reality!" Izuku charged his fist with One For All, 100%, and smashed Muscular right in the face.
The force of the punch made Kota fly off the mountain, but he was suddenly grabbed by Phantom, who said, "Careful there, Kota. I've got you."
He landed back on the mountain as Izuku walked over, "Sorry about that. And Danny, you got here just in time."
Phantom smirked, "I saw the flare I gave you. I was out in the forest looking for Ragdoll. The villains' kidnapped her."
Kota looked up at both boys, "Thank you." But he saw that Izuku's arm was beyond broken. Phantom noticed this too, "Izuku, here, let me put some sort cast on that." He covered Izuku's arm with ecto goo.
Izuku mumbled, "Let's get back to camp. It's not far."
But then, Muscular got back up from the ground. Izuku was shocked, "No way. It can't be. I was at 100%. The same as All Might's power!"
Muscular chuckled, "Heh. A bit too obvious. But, hey. Not too bad, Midoriya." He started to walk towards the three boys. "And you must be that ghost boy, Fenton. You're on the kill list too. Attacking you sounds like fun."
Phantom stood in front of Izuku and Kota, "Bring it on, tough guy." Muscular charged at Phantom, who used his strength to hold back Muscular from getting to Izuku and Kota.
Izuku then asked, "Tell me, why have you come here? What does the League want from us?"
Muscular replied, "Doesn't matter to me, I'm just glad they finally let me off the leash. Long as I get to use my Quirk all I want, I really don't care. Remember what I told you earlier. We've just been playing around. Having fun. Until now. Now, I'm serious! Recess is over! I'm coming at you for real. 'Cause truth be told, you're pretty strong. I see that now. Same goes for you, Fenton. You're pretty strong to be able to hold me back. But for how long?"
Phantom said to Izuku, "Get Kota and get out of here. You're hurt and I don't want you and Kota to get hurt anymore."
Izuku said to Kota, "Quick, grab on! Hurry!"
Muscular's Quirk charged up and he overpowered Phantom into the ground just as Izuku put Kota on his back and jumped out of the way.
Muscular jumped after Izuku, "Aw, damn. I got too excited."
Izuku and Kota fell to the ground. Izuku struggled to stand as he said, "Stay back, Kota. And then, when it's time, run as fast as you can back to camp."
Kota was shocked, "You're attacking him again? You can't do that. Let's just go! Come on! Your punch didn't hurt him earlier, remember? Besides, both of your arms are busted up."
Izuku replied, "It's going to be fine."
Muscular charged at Izuku, but suddenly Phantom appeared and put up a ghost shield to protect his friend and Kota. Muscular was too strong and started to punch the shield, slowing breaking it.
"Damn it," Phantom said. "This guy is super strong. Like All Might. And he's just getting stronger."
"Danny," Izuku said. "Move out of the way. I'll defeat him. I have to."
Phantom looked back at Izuku and saw that he was powering up One For All. He suddenly got an idea, "Want to see a repeat of the USJ?"
Izuku realized what Phantom was talking about, and nodded.
Muscular broke the shield, "I'm coming for you!"
Phantom turned invisible as Izuku charged at Muscular shouting, "Detroit Smash!"
The force of the punch was strong, but Muscular pushed through it, "Aww, what's wrong? That was even weaker than before!"
Izuku shouted at Kota, "Go now! I will not let him get past me!"
"Still looking after him," Muscular commented. "Oh, man. You're something else, aren't you?"
Izuku shouted, "Shut up, damn it!"
Muscular shouted back, "Show me your blood!" He crushed Izuku into the ground.
Muscular then said, "Now for that ghost brat." Suddenly he was sprayed with water." "What the…..is that water?"
Kota was the culprit. "Stop. Let him go!"
Muscular replied, "Hold on there, OK? I'll kill you after…"
Suddenly Phantom's eerie voice could be heard, "There will be no killing today. Not on my watch."
Muscular looked around, "Where are you?"
"Right here." Muscular started to hold his head in pain as Phantom possessed him. Then Phantom's voice could be heard coming out of Muscular's mouth, "This guy has a really strong will. I don't know how long I can possess him for. Izuku, finish this!"
Izuku recharged One For All, "I won't let you hurt Kota."
Muscular was trying to fight back the possession, "Damn it! These kids are such brats! How are they getting stronger?"
Izuku shouted, "You won't lay a hand on him! Danny, now!"
Phantom flew out of Muscular's body and charged his fist with ecto energy. Izuku charged One For All to 1 million percent.
Both boys shouted, "Delaware Detroit Smash!" Their double punch knocked Muscular right into the mountain wall and knocked him out. Izuku and Phantom panted hard, getting their breaths back.
Kota was shocked that both boys risked their own safety to protect him. He remembered Mandalay's words about how he will understand his parents' sacrifice one day and someone will show him what it means to be a hero. Kota didn't find one. He found two.