◇
In a control room at UA:
All Might stared up at the plethora of screens in front of him, fingers knotted over his mouth as he watched the situations playing out with each of the teams on different parts of the island. The room was dim, so his anxious expression was well-hidden from the other teachers who'd been watching the exercise for the last few hours, too. Next to him, Aizawa reclined in his chair, eyes fixed on the screens as much as him but with a more relaxed look on his features.
"They're all making better time than I thought," Aizawa commented. He turned his gaze to the Ant team and his eyebrows raised slightly. "Most of them are, at least, given the obstacles they're each facing."
"The ones you helped design," Midnight said as she crossed one leg over the other. "How did you even find the time to manifest such monstrosities in the first place?"
"The principal decided on most of them during the design stages. I just finalised," Aizawa answered casually. "They're better, and more practical, than them facing down ordinary robots."
Midnight tapped her cheek. "Is it? These robots are just covered in fur."
"Anyway, who do you think's going to get there first?" Power Loader asked, looking on with interest as the Armadillo team ducked out of the way of a collapsing tree. "Without their Quirks, it's going to be much more difficult to survive this supernatural forest."
"Supernatural?" Ectoplasm inquired, turning to look at him.
"What made you put such a measure in place, Aizawa-Kun? On their Quirks, I mean," All Might finally spoke up, looking away from the screens. "They're training to be heroes in a superhuman society. Their Quirks are a vital aspect of their growth as heroes."
"I hear you, and I agree," Aizawa said, his expression shifting slightly as he watched the Lion team take down the giant beast they had encountered, Katsuki standing on top of it with a triumphant smirk. "Which is why I put them in place. It may seem cruel now, but there's a point they need to reach right now in this society saturated with heroes and villains making bigger moves than they have before - to unlock the full potential of their Quirks in a moment."
"You're right," All Might said. He turned his attention back to the screens and a slight crease appeared between his brows at what he saw there. "That is cruel."
"It looks like Falcon P. have made it out safely," Ectoplasm said, watching as Tenya, Izuku, Miyuki, Momo, and Fumikage subdued the last of the chipmunks. "And team Lion are making significant progress towards the site already."
"I'm not surprised. Bakugo-Kun had his whole team charging through the area the moment they got down," Midnight said. She sighed, hands clasped together as she blushed. "Oh, the vivacious love of youth! He's the last person I thought would be so chivalrous in this place, but it makes my heart pound to see him rushing to her aid so heroically... Oh, how romantic!~"
"What are you going on about, Midnight...?" Power Loader asked, sweatdropping at her last English sentence.
At the front of the control room, Aizawa glanced out of the corner of his eye at All Might. The former number one hero had fallen quiet again and he knew right away from the tense expression on his face what was bothering him.
"They'll all be fine," Aizawa said, his tone calm as he loosely folded his arms across his chest. "So you can stop worrying, All Might. You remind me of an old woman when you make that face."
"You didn't have to be so direct..." All Might responded before letting out a sigh. "But you're right. Class A has more than proven themselves to be able to handle anything that comes their way."
"Ah," Ectoplasm said, catching everyone's attention. He motioned to the screen in the top right corner. "The cabins have finally been located by one of the teams."
"Thank goodness," All Might breathed, glad to see the first group of teenagers make it there safely. Aizawa nodded, impressed at how quick the group moved.
"Really?" Power Loader muttered and Midnight nodded. "Well, I don't know him so well, but Bakugo doesn't strike me as someone who would seek affection in that way from another person. Are you sure he was headed towards the other team for that purpose?"
"Of course!" Midnight replied without missing a beat. Her glossed lips curled into a smirk, a glint flashing in her blue eyes. "If you were paying close attention before, he was focused on Zone Five - right where the Falcons just were. Now, I can't assume who had him running like that, but I'm willing to wager it must've been Sasaki-San or Yaoyorozu-San..."
"Oh, r-really...?" Power Loader asked, uncertain as to where Midnight was trying to go with this. "But he might've... just thought he was going the right way..."
"I have to ask, though, Aizawa-Kun..." All Might said from the front of the control room, the chatter of his fellow teachers behind him allowing him to speak quietly, "why are all the teams named after those animals?"
◇
No matter which direction they moved in or how far they went, there seemed to be no end to the laser-shooting chipmunks attacking them. It was a pain not being able to use her visual Quirk to at least get a grasp of just where they were, but she felt like keeling over when they finally made it out of the dark forest into a plain, three cozy buildings situated in its midst -
What...?!
And a big lion resting on the grass, the team of the same name leaning tiredly against its body as they caught their breath. Miyuki's face lit up upon seeing her classmates there, although as she and her team fully stepped into the clearing, her brows furrowed slightly when she saw the cuts and bruises marring their bodies.
"Hey! Guys!" Izuku shouted, waving at the other team excitedly. Ochaco looked up first and her face lit up with a grin.
"Deku-Kun! Yuki-Chan!" She stood up, slightly swaying on her feet before she jogged up to meet them. "You guys!"
"Thank goodness you're okay," Rikido breathed out in relief as he set down the supply box from his back. Fumikage paused, eyes widening in shock when he looked at the sleeping Lion.
"What is that?" He asked, aghast.
"It's huge!" Izuku exclaimed, eyes threatening to bulge out of his head. The lion roused and he paled instantly. "I-It's waking up...!"
"Oh, goodness..." Miyuki mumbled in astonishment when the lion yawned. Katsuki raised his head, tearing his gaze away from the clue to look at the half-and-half girl. Immediately, he started checking her over for any bruising or injury as she walked over to him and he frowned at the sight of a bandage wrapped around her thigh. "Firecracker!"
Miyuki pursed her lips at the sight of the slightly disgruntled ash-blonde, her heart lurching as she took in his torn uniform and bruises. "Are you okay? What happened to you guys?"
"What didn't happen," he replied gruffly. Miyuki collapsed to her knees beside him, exhaling deeply. "You look like crap. Did those... What did this to you?"
Miyuki wondered at what he was going to say, but decided not to say anything on it as she ran a hand through her tousled hair. "You'd think I'm nuts if I told you."
"Try me," Katsuki said, smirking as he jerked a thumb at the lion behind them.
A sharp scream pierced the air before they could continue speaking. Katsuki and Miyuki whipped around and the half-and-half girl's eyes widened when she saw the lion trying to lick Izuku.
"Izuku!" Miyuki shouted in alarm, unaware of the strange smile stretching onto Katsuki's face.
"W-W-Wait a minute! Why is it looking at me that way...?!" He stammered, hurriedly backing away as the lion stood on all fours. Izuku looked down at his cuff, the setting sun's rays bouncing off the orange light. He gulped.
"Calm down, Killer!" Ochaco shouted, jumping in front of the green-haired boy. Izuku paled in fright, the rest of team Lion quivering slightly in the distance. "H-He doesn't taste that good, honest!"
"Killer?!" Izuku exclaimed. Miyuki's gaze drifted to Katsuki beside her. Feeling her gaze on him, he looked back at her to see her brow raised in question. "There's no way Ka-Chan didn't name this thing...!"
"Huh?! What the hell's that supposed to mean, damn nerd?!" Katsuki yelled. Miyuki hooked her elbow through his before he could march off towards Izuku. She sighed. "Killer the Death Cat Murder Supreme is ten times better than your stupid hero! -"
"We made it!!"
"Finally!"
"Those ants...! I'll never forgive them for what they did to my skin!"
Miyuki smiled when she saw both the Ant and Armadillo team break past the treeline into the clearing. Killer the Death Cat paused, too, giving Ochaco and Izuku time to slink away as it tilted its head at the new delicious yet dishevelled looking students making their way to the cabins. Beads of sweat appeared on Miyuki's forehead when she noticed the hungry look in its eyes - but it wasn't doing anything to hurt any of her friends yet, so that relieved her slightly.
"Y-Yay..." Denki muttered before collapsing. The light on his cuff flashed a bright red to match the crimson dots running across his skin. "H-Help..."
"Todoroki-San, Jiro-San," Momo greeted happily. But her smile quickly fell when she saw the red dots on them. When she turned to Hanta, Minoru, Mezo, Mina, and the others, she was surprised to see the same thing on all of them.
"Shoji, are they gone? All of them? Are you sure?!" Minoru asked frantically, pulling his uniform shirt inside out as Mezo kept nodding in response. Miyuki's eyes widened when he tore it off entirely and started vigorously scratching his body. "Agh, I can still feel them crawling on me...!"
"N-Never... again..." Kyoka said, shivering as she hugged herself, a haunted look in her eyes. Miyuki approached her, brows furrowed in concern. "Th-They came out of nowhere... and they didn't stop coming...!"
"It seems like no one had it easy on the way here," Tenya concluded, looking sympathetically at the state everyone was in. "Alright, everyone! I'm glad to see we're all back together safely. Before we can relax we must clean ourselves, so let's all head inside and freshen up for the evening."
"Where's Killer going to sleep?" Ejirou asked as everyone walked towards the cabins. Hanta tilted his head in confusion, not yet having taken the time to notice the lion behind them, Denki's arm slung over his shoulder as he supported him.
"Wherever he wants," Katsuki answered, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"That's too carefree of you!" Ejirou responded.
Miyuki exhaled quietly as they drew closer to the cabins, rubbing her sore arms and sparing a glance at her bandaged thigh. She wanted nothing more than to change out of her hero costume and take a long, warm bath. Looking at her classmates and noting their sluggish footsteps, she felt like everyone was ready to end this whole exercise already if the next few days were going to be anything like the one they just had.
Yet that clearly wasn't the case when a hologram of All Might appeared suddenly in front of the cabins. He wore his signature smile and raised his hand in greeting.
"All Might-sensei?" Miyuki mumbled, her classmates pausing as they looked at the former number one hero. All Might cleared his throat.
"Hello, young boys and girls! I am... here!
Not really, but I'm relieved to see you all pulled through and completed the first challenge! Each of you displayed incredible tenacity, strength, and determination in the face of unfavourable odds despite the major handicap put in place for you. Well done!
However, this was still a challenge and a requirement of it was that one of you teams reach this location first in order to obtain the clue to finding and rescuing the captive on this island. The ones who successfully did so and managed to obtain a clue, ten points, and an advantage in tomorrow's challenge are... Team Lion!"
"Alright!" Ochaco cheered, high-fiving Tsuyu.
"Yes!" Ejirou cheered while Rikido pumped his fist. "We're going to need that advantage if the next challenge will be anything like today's. Thanks, All Might!"
"Like we needed it," Katsuki scoffed, looking away from the former number one hero's hologram.
"Now, all of you must get some rest. You've more than earned it. Tomorrow, your trials begin for real!"
◇
Once the boys and girls figured out which cabin belonged to them, everyone made their way inside and changed out of their dirtied, crumpled clothes before heading towards the onsen in their cabins.
Miyuki exhaled, feeling the tension seep out of her muscles as she lowered her body into the warm water. "This is so relaxing..." she breathed, inhaling the fresh, fruity scent of the soaps and oils around her.
"You got that right, Miyuki-Chan," Toru whispered as she floated in the water. "I've never felt so amazing..."
"It's incredible they had these cabins so well-stocked," Momo said, appreciating a bottle of lavender shampoo she held in her hand, "given the island's location and isolation."
"Then let's take advantage of it!" Mina cheered as she emerged from the water with a joyous splash, dousing Miyuki and Ochaco and soaking their hair instantly. "It's all ours!"
Miyuki pushed back her wet hair and smiled softly, glad to see the girls taking the time soak in the soothing waters of the onsen. She hoped the boys were doing the same in their cabin and taking the time to relax. If what they'd been through was just a taster of what was to come the next day just as All Might said, then she wanted every one to be at full energy and ready for anything that could happen.
She just hoped that whatever that looked like, she would never have to see those chipmunks again.
"Rawr..."
"Huh?"
Izuku turned around and faced the onsen's wooden walls.
"What is it, Midoriya-Kun?" Tenya asked from within the hot spring.
"I thought I heard something outside," Izuku replied before turning around. "It was probably nothing, though."
"I bet it was the girls," Minoru said, rushing to press his ear against the wall. "I bet they're having a juicy gossip session about me ...!" His nostrils flared as his mind drifted to the girls in their bath. "If only I had a way, I could be blessed with a glimpse of Uraraka's developing Uraraka body, Ashido's toned curves, Sasaki's glistening, ample yuyu-boobs, Jirou's fine-tuned Jirou waist...! Oh, wait -"
"Your priorities have tanked again, Mineta," Denki commented. Behind him, a seemingly unphased Katsuki cracked an eye open to look at the miniature hero as he leaned against the wall of the bath.
"You shouldn't think so disrespectfully of our female classmates, Mineta-Kun!" Tenya reprimanded.
"Rawr~"
Izuku and Tenya's eyes widened. "Mineta-Kun, I'm surprised at you!" Tenya said, taken aback.
"That wasn't me!" Minoru replied.
"What was that sound just now?" "It sounded like Mineta."
"It came from outside..."
"Oh - never mind. It's just Killer the Death... Cat."
Miyuki's eyes widened, her hands washing her hair going still. Slowly, she turned around -
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Mina sighed, shaking her head with an angry expression on her face.
And saw Katsuki's lion peeking at them through the small window just under the ceiling, heart-shaped pupils in its eyes.
"That's not a death cat," Kyoka said, blushing heavily as she covered her chest. "Why is there a lion staring at us?!"
Toru screamed and jumped out of the water. "We're gonna be eaten alive by a pervy lion!"
"That's definitely not... how I want to go down," Miyuki muttered, a little disturbed at the hearts wafting from the lion's head. She stepped out of the water and started making her way towards the onsen's side door facing the forest. Just as her fingers grazed the handle, though, she heard a loud crash come from outside. She paused.
"R-Rarr..."
Turning to the window, Miyuki raised a brow. Killer was there a few seconds ago, but now the lion's face was gone. What happened to him?
"Tch... Damn cat."
"Miyuki-Chan?" Mina called, leaning over the side of the bath. Plumes of steam surrounded the half-and-half girl as she turned around, concealing her body slightly as she made her way back to the bath. "What happened? Is the pervy cat gone?"
"Yeah, I suppose he is," she responded as she sunk back into the water, a thoughtful expression on her face. "What a strange lion..."
As soon as she finished cleaning herself in the bath, Miyuki made her way back into the cabin towards the bunk bed, her hero costume case and a black bag full of her clothes on the bottom mattress. She didn't know just how her clothes got there, but she felt glad for the comforting material of her ordinary attire as she dressed up in a simple pink shirt and tights.
When she stepped outside, she found a few of her classmates sorting through the food for the evening and trying to start a fire, taking advantage of Killer's tail to fan the flames. She went over to help with the cooking and worked on the rice across from Katsuki and Izuku as they cut the vegetables beside each other, the light of the fire illuminating their contrasting expressions as Katsuki sliced through them quickly while Izuku cut them more slowly.
"They're too thick, damn nerd!" Katsuki blasted as he took a single glance at Izuku's pile. "You're doing it wrong!"
"O-Oh, sorry," Izuku replied, squinting his eyes. "Then, I'll -"
"Stop that, you're just making it worse! Give them to me!" Katsuki yanked the carrot out of his hands and cut through it deftly. Miyuki sighed, a small smile on her face as she set the rice to cook on the fire in a clay pot.
Once the food was done, everyone sat down to eat together around the fire. At some point, Denki found a small guitar somewhere in the supply box and started playing a song slightly off-tune, which made the half-and-half girl laugh while everyone else complained and blocked their ears.
By the time they finished eating their supper of rice and vegetable curry, the sun had fully set and the full moon sat in the sky, casting a bright enough light across the island. Miyuki was grateful for it since she and her classmates agreed to go for patrols that evening across the island to make sure it was safe and look for any other clues to find the captive. The extra light made it a lot easier to spot anything creeping in the dark.
Everyone gathered around the fire after changing into their hero costumes. Miyuki ran her fingers over the tear in her pants as she came to stand beside Izuku, eyes narrowing as she examined her bruise.
"Yuki-Chan, are you okay?" Izuku asked her, his tone thick with concern. "Are you sure you should go on patrol tonight? That injury from earlier is still fresh."
"No, I'll be fine. The laser made a shallow cut, that's all," Miyuki explained before she assured him with a smile. Her gaze drifted away from Izuku towards Tenya when he lifted one of the maps.
"All right, everyone. I hope you all rested enough," he started dutifully. "From here on out we'll be splitting into five pairs to check the five marked zones of the island."
"As far as we know, there are approximately five sections in total," Miyuki continued, holding up five fingers. "The chipmunk zone, the fiery Ant zone, the Killer Death Cat zone, and the landmine zone. We should cover as much ground as possible now so tomorrow we have a better knowledge of this place than we have right now in order to safely navigate our way through it."
"That's right. The first ten will head out now and we'll switch over with the ten staying here at camp in two hours. So," Tenya folded the map while Miyuki gave everyone earpieces from the supply box. He went to stand beside Shoto, "Get ready, first group. We leave base camp in five minutes!"
"Let's go together, Deku-Kun," Ochaco said with a wide smile.
"Yeah!" Izuku quickly agreed. Katsuki mounted Killer's back while Hanta and Ejirou bumped fists.
"Miyuki-Chwan!~" Denki shouted as he ran to Miyuki. She raised a brow, wondering at why his eyes were shaped like hearts when suddenly - "Gwah!"
"Don't get in the way, Dunce Face," Katsuki gruffly said after Killer's tail 'accidentally' knocked Denki aside towards Mashirao. He reached down towards Miyuki, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "Let's go, Pepperhead."
"Yeah," Miyuki said as she took his hand. He pulled her onto Killer's back right behind him.
"Be safe, everyone," Momo said.
"Everyone, stay vigilant. Anything cute or adorable wants to eat you, maim you, or kill you only," Tenya warned seriously as he and Shoto turned towards the Chipmunk zone. "We'll meet back here in two hours."
"Yeah!"
As the five pairs split up and went into the zones, Miyuki waved towards Izuku and Ochaco as they headed in the direction of the fiery Ant zone, she and Katsuki riding the giant lion back towards its habitat.
"Izuku, Ochaco-Chan, stay safe," Miyuki said.
"You, too, Yuki-Chan, Bakugo-Kun!" Ochaco replied, waving back. Katsuki scoffed.
"Of course we will, dammit," he grumbled.
"You be careful out there, too," Izuku said, glancing worriedly at his best friend.
"Of course we will, dammit!" Katsuki shouted before spurring Killer to go faster into the forest, quickly leaving the others behind. Miyuki lurched at the sudden movement and instinctively wrapped her arms around Katsuki's waist from behind to keep from falling off.
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at her over his shoulder, the back of his neck turning a harsh red as he felt her chest pressed against his back. Miyuki's eyes widened and she hurriedly let go of him.
"S-Sorry!" She quickly said, blushing furiously. "I didn't..."
"It's fine," he told her, a warm, tingling sensation spreading through his chest. He turned his reddening face forward, not wanting her to see his flushed expression as he said, "You're better off holding onto something anyway - b-but only if you want to! This ground is too uneven."
"Yeah, you make a good point," Miyuki said. Her blush deepened as she slowly returned her arms to where they were around. Katsuki hoped the sound of Killer's footsteps were too loud for her to hear his thrumming heart as soon as he felt the warmth of her body return at his sides. "I can't see it so well, but it's like someone dug up a lot of holes and didn't cover them up properly."
"What do you mean you can't see well? Just use your -" Katsuki stopped himself and cursed under his breath when he looked down at the cuff around his wrist and saw the orange light. "To hell with these stupid Quirk inhibitors. They don't make sense. We're too vulnerable like this!"
"It makes it easier to understand..." Miyuki's expression softened. "...why someone without a Quirk would want one, though, right?" She looked up at the stars. "Just like someone else we know."
His breathing shallowed, Izuku's stupid happy face flashing through his mind instantly. His body tensed up.
"He got lucky with One for All," he gruffly said, his hold on Killer's mane tightening as the lion started climbing up a hill. They passed under a tree dense with leaves, shrouding them in darkness momentarily before the moonlight shone upon them again. "Even with that kind of power he still acts like a nerd. I can't tell if he's pulling ahead or falling behind; that idiot."
"Stop calling him that. He's trying his hardest just like us," she said. Soon, Killer came to a stop on top of the hill. "It all fits in together with his personality, though, like... er..." she let go of Katsuki's waist, putting a hand on her chin as he jumped down from the lion's back. "...like his hero name!"
He looked at her over his shoulder as he landed in a crouch. "How?"
"Well, since a hero name... is more than an alias or a moniker for others to know you by. It's a wish," Miyuki started as she slid down from the lion's back. Katsuki's eyes widened as he remembered his mentor's words.
'Your hero name is a wish. How you want to be... or should be.'
"One day, I don't want to see anymore tears of sadness and despair. I can fight for those around me to be able to smile freely..." she came to stand beside him, her mouth stretching into a mellow smile as she looked at the expansive forest below them. "So tomorrow... can be brighter than today. Then, I'll fight as Hikari."
A breeze swam by them, brushing pieces of hair into their faces and slightly obstructing his view of her gentle expression. He swatted his hair out of his face, body warming up when he found himself staring at her longer than he intended to.
Her wish... it sounded just like something he'd expect her to say. Even though the world had dealt her so unfairly, a part of him thought it was naive of her to try and reach those who hurt her. The other part of him, a much larger fraction of himself, knew he could only respect her and admire her all the more for her to turn her pain into a power for those around her.
"What about you?" She asked, turning to look up at him. "Who will you fight as?"
"...I haven't decided yet," Katsuki admitted, looking down at his braciers.
"Oh?" Miyuki inclined her head a little and the ends of her half-black hair brushed her shoulder. "Well, I see... all your other ones were rejected..."
"Tch. I'd been saving 'em for years," Katsuki grumbled. Miyuki hummed thoughtfully.
"I get why... Something about the name 'Lord Explosion Murder' doesn't seem to get you right at... your core," she bit her lip as her brows creased in thought. He looked at her strangely but she didn't seem to notice. "There's an element you have, something that's just like... dynamite."
"Huh?" He raised a brow at her.
"Loud when you explode, prone to blow up with a short fuse," she started and a tick mark formed on Katsuki's face. "Your glands make so much nitroglycerin that you end up destroying a lot of stuff around you which is bad for stealth missions -"
"What's your point?!"
"But..." Miyuki carried on, her smile becoming wider and lopsided. "You're also really... reliable when we're in a tight spot or in trouble. I know I can count on you to clear the way to keep going forward, no matter what. And no matter what, when that fire is lit under you, you don't let it go out because of anyone - you finish what you set out to do and don't stop until it is done.
You don't pull your punches, either, and there's a lot of respect I have for you for that. I don't always know just what you're thinking, but in the end I don't have to because what's on your mind explodes right out of you. You're strong and really brave and even though you just jump into a crazy situation at any point you feel like doing it, you actually think... things through first..."
Miyuki stopped talking as soon as she felt his piercing gaze fixed on her. When she turned to look at him, her cheeks flushed a bright red.
"Sorry! I got carried away," she said, promptly turning away from him. "I-I'll go ahead and scout in this direction! -"
"Wait." He looked down at his combat boots, trying to act tough as she turned back around to face him, her face as warm as his body at that moment. "Listen... I-If you want an autograph or something, just say so next time, got it?! And..."
...Dynamite, huh?
Miyuki tilted her head curiously when he mumbled incoherently. "What?"
"It's nothing," he said and quickly turned around. "Forget it. Let's go -"
"Hold it." She stepped in front of him, blocking his escape. Katsuki winced and Miyuki put her hands on her hips. "What did you say? I want to hear the rest of what you have to say."
Katsuki ground his teeth in an attempt to suppress the heat rushing up to his face when she somehow backed him into a tree, sealing off any chances of escape he might've had when she placed a hand by his head and leaned up to him.
"Fine. Will you let it go once I tell you?" He asked her and she nodded. Then, in the blink of an eye, Miyuki felt herself spin around until her back met the rough bark of the tree and both her wrists were caught in his hand. "Jeez, you're so damn weird all the time..."
His gaze drifted down to her mouth and he felt his become drier as he stared at it before looking back at her eyes. Gently, he let go of her wrists. His mouth tilted upwards into what looked like a cross between a smirk and a smile. Miyuki raised a brow, tilting her head slightly, causing strands of white hair to cover her red cheeks a little. He reached out to push them aside.
"...so don't try to act cool in front of me."