Forgotten World

Part I - The Lost City

"We're gonna have to swim across," Bakugou declared.

"Are you kidding? Look at how fast it's moving! We'll drown," Denki protested.

"DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA, DUNCE? IT'S EITHER THAT OR GET EATEN."

Yaoyorozu nodded at Ashido and they both jumped into the water. Bakugou grabbed Kaminari's shirt and pushed him into the river before spinning around to see Shinsou appear. "Where's stupid Deku and Bird-Face?"

"They're right behind me," Hitoshi panted. As he'd stated, the two last students came into view, racing at top speed. Shinsou gasped at how close the jaguar was to reaching them. Spotting a large rock on the ground, he picked it up and threw it over their heads as hard as he could. It crashed into the undergrowth, startling the jaguar and delaying it a moment.

"NOW GO," Bakugou roared and pointed at the river. Once everyone had jumped in, he turned and dived. The sudden rush of water was cool against his skin, despite the liquid's temperature actually being quite warm. The current immediately began yanking at Bakugou's clothes in a desperate effort to drag him down to the riverbed. The adolescent held his breath as he used his arms to propel his body back up to the surface. As soon as his head resurfaced he sucked in the air and glanced around frantically for the others. He spotted Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Kaminari further downstream, standing on solid ground and watching with worried expressions. Shinsou was just making it to the bank, with Deku and Tokoyami close behind him. Katsuki grunted as he fought to stay above water, making his way towards the other side. The current carried him closer to his classmates and he finally made it to the bank, grasping onto a large rock that was jutting out of the earth. A hand appeared before his face and he glanced up to see Shinsou extending a hand to him. "Get outta my way," he barked, disregarding the helping hand and hoisting himself up onto the ground himself.

"I wouldn't be surprised if your ego was the highest score you've ever reached," Shinsou riposted, stepping back so that Bakugou could stand. Katsuki was too winded to retort so he just shot him a glare.

"Is everyone alright?" Momo queried, concern lacing her voice. Everyone nodded.

"That was close," Denki said, raking a hand through his dripping wet hair.

"How come it didn't follow us?" Ashido asked.

"Jaguars are excellent swimmers, but those rapids could have seriously injured it. It probably figured it wasn't worth the risk," Shinsou explained as he shook the water droplets from his long hair.

"If we weren't finding our way back to the others before, we have no hope now," Tokoyami said dismally. He added, "And thank you, Midoriya. Your quick reflexes saved me from becoming cat food."

Izuku flashed him a smile, "Of course." He looked up at the trees, managing to get a glimpse through a small opening in the leaves at the dimming sky. "We should probably find a place to rest for the night. It'll be dangerous walking around at night in the open."

"Midoriya's right," Yaoyorozu said. "We need to find someplace quiet and secluded to sleep. We'll have to take shifts to watch at night." The students agreed and began walking.

Shinsou walked alone at the back, becoming lost in his thoughts. Bakugou hung back to fall in stride with him, a scowl etched into his expression. "Don't ever look down on me again or I'll kill you." Hitoshi blinked as he came back to reality. He cast a sideways glance at Bakugou, taking a moment to recall what his classmate had just said. He then let out a short laugh as a response and looked back ahead. "THE HELL ARE YOU SCOFFING AT?"

Shinsou smirked a little and shook his head, "Nothing." Bakugou's lip curled into a snarl but he huffed and began walking ahead. "You should seriously get it into your head that not everyone is out to compete against you or think themselves above you. It's annoying." Bakugou paused before stopping directly in front of the other boy, pointing a finger at his chest