Villain attack.

As Kaminari and his partner, Ojirou, maneuvered through the dense trees, the sound of frantic footsteps and muffled shouts echoed through the mountain terrain. Shoda of Class 1-B fainted, maybe because of the purple mist. Ojirou had the boy on his back as both rushed back to the opening where the rest of the Class was.

Kaminari's pulse quickened as his senses sharpened, his eyes scanning the shadows cast by the trees in the fading light. Suddenly, they spotted Yaoyorozu, who looked visibly alarmed, with Awase Yosetsu from Class-B at her side, holding an unconscious Shiozaki in his arms. Thick purple mist crept between the trees, curling its way through the forest and casting an ominous, otherworldly glow around them.

Yaoyorozu raised a hand as they approached, her face drawn in grim determination. "Stay back—the mist is toxic," she warned, quickly creating three makeshift gas masks for Kaminari, Ojirou and Shoda, pressing them into their hands. "I don't know how widespread it is, but we can't afford to take any chances."

As Kaminari fastened the mask over his face, he realized the situation was even worse than he'd initially feared. His heart raced, but he steadied himself, glancing back at Yaoyorozu. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know yet, but this mist is definitely the product of a quirk, we found Hagakure-san and Jirou-san in the woods unconscious as well as other students from class B," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of her usual confidence. "I'll make more masks and search for any other students who might be caught in the mist. Awase and I will get Shiozaki to safety." Her gaze shifted to Kaminari, her expression unreadable. "Kaminari, you need to find Ragdoll. She was supposed to be near at the end of the forest's edge, scouting with her Quirk. If anyone knows where to find more students and possible villains, it's her."

Kaminari nodded, the gravity of the mission settling on his shoulders. "Got it. Ojirou, find Aizawa-sensei, get Shoda to safety." He exchanged a last look with Yaoyorozu before dashing into the thickening mist, heart pounding as he speed blitzed the eerie, suffocating silence that blanketed the forest at lightning speed.

...

As he reached the spot where Ragdoll was last seen, the uneasy quiet deepened. Shadows stretched across the ground, and a metallic stench lingered in the air. Scanning the area, he noticed something dark staining the grass, almost hidden by the mist. Slowly, he crouched down, and his stomach twisted as he recognized what it was—blood.

A few steps away, a piece of Ragdoll's headgear lay abandoned, scuffed and torn as if ripped away in a struggle. Kaminari picked it up, his hand trembling as he stared at the blood-smeared mask. A chill crept down his spine, the brutal reality of the situation sinking in. Ragdoll was missing, and it didn't look like she'd gone down without a fight. His fingers clenched around the broken piece of her headgear as he tried to steady his breathing, the weight of fear pressing down on him like the suffocating mist itself.

Then, Mandalay's voice echoed in his mind, breaking the silence. "Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraser Head, you are granted permission to engage in combat!...."

For Aizawa-sensei to allow students to engage in combat, it meant the situation was far from contained. Kaminari knew that much.

"We have discovered one of the villains targets. It's one of the students-'Kacchan'!"

Kaminari felt his resolve harden. Gritting his teeth, he rose, stuffing the headgear piece into his pocket, a grim reminder of the stakes they were up against. He turned back toward the forest, knowing he'd have to find his classmates quickly if he had any chance of protecting them—of protecting Bakugou.

...

The forest lay steeped in unnatural silence, broken only by the soft rustle of footsteps as Awase and Yaoyorozu moved through the shadows, scanning every twisted branch and mist-covered path for their classmates. Every step seemed to sink them deeper into an overwhelming sense of dread, the air thick with the acrid stench of something foul, something unnatural. The usual comforting sounds of nighttime had fallen into an eerie stillness, and an unshakable feeling of being watched pressed down on them.

Ahead, a muffled dragging noise cut through the silence, scraping and irregular. They froze, straining to see through the murky darkness. And then, emerging from the shadows, they saw it—a hulking Humanoid. Its grotesque form was all sinew and ragged flesh, muscles bulging in unnatural, monstrous ways as if patched together from discarded pieces. But what caught their breath wasn't its bulk—it was what the creature held in its massive, twisted grip. Ragdoll.

The hero's limp body dragged behind it, her legs scraping against the forest floor, her head lolled back, the strands of her hair clenched tightly in the monter's claws like some twisted trophy. Awase's breath hitched as he took in the creature's grotesque face, a tangle of flesh and empty eyes, its jaw hanging open to reveal sharpened, mismatched teeth glinting in the moonlight, biting down on what seemed like a muzzle.

"W-we have to do something!" Awase whispered, his voice barely audible over the sickening drag of Ragdoll's body over the leaves and earth.

It's figure resembles the same characteristics of the creature All Might faced at U.S.J and the ones who caused chaos at Hosu. There's no mistaking it, it's a Nomu. Yaoyorozu's hands shook, but she forced herself to focus, steeling her nerve as the creature turned, seemingly alerted by some instinctual sense of threat. Its vacant, non existent eyes met theirs, and it tilted its head in an almost mocking manner.

"It saw us! Run!" She quickly created a flare, hoping any of the teachers would see it.

Pop!

The flare shot up into the sky, casting a brief, fiery red glow over the forest and illuminating the beast's inhuman features in horrifying detail. In the momentary light, Yaoyorozu's face was pale, her eyes wide as she met Awase's terrified gaze. But the abomination didn't flinch; instead, it dropped Ragdoll's body, letting her crumple onto the ground as it turned its attention fully toward them.

It crouched low, and with a grotesque lurch, it lunged forward, each step pounding the ground like the slow, thunderous beat of war drums.

It closed the distance in a mere second.

...

Kaminari sprinted through the thinning mist, every muscle tensed. Ahead, he saw Kendo and Tetsutetsu, both catching their breaths as they watched the last wisps of the dissipating fog curl and vanish into the darkening forest. Kendo spotted Kaminari, her face hardening with recognition.

"Kaminari! Over here!" she said, urgency lacing her voice.

"Are you guys alright?" Kaminari asked, his expression steely as both nodded sharply.

"We just about managed. What about you? Are you okay?" Kendo asked in a hurry as she saw his pocket humid with blood.

"It's not mine, I fear it's Ragdoll's. We need to find our teachers and warn them there are villains hidden here." Kaminari's explanation ran cold as shivers went down Kendo and Tetsutetsu's spines. Blood of a teacher? The situation is grievous.

Suddenly, their gazes united in unison as a flare popped in the middle of the forest.

"A flare? Is someone in danger?" Kendo wondered as she looked at Kaminari for a possible answer. His face was laced with fear as he watched the flare, knowing the true meaning better than anyone else.

Without another word, he took off, his speed magnified by the crackling charge building beneath his feet. He pushed harder, the world around him blurring as he tore through the forest, weaving around trees and vaulting over fallen logs.

"Kaminari! Wait!" Kendo pleaded with no avail, he was long gone by the time she fininshed her sentence. 

"We can't let him go alone, let's go!" Tetsutetsu took charge as he ran after him, Kendo following right behind. Please, be careful. A last thought given before running into the dark forest.

He knew, he remembered, just like before, just like the USJ raid, they found something big, something bad. In his mind, there was no question—Yaoyorozu and whoever else was out there needed him.

...

Awase struggled through the underbrush, his breathing labored as he clutched the dazed, injured Yaoyorozu to his chest. His every step felt like wading through quicksand as they tried to outpace the terrifying creature bearing down on them. The beast's hollow, heavy footfalls grew louder, each step echoing as it gained ground.

Sweat trickled down Awase's face, his eyes wide with panic as he cast frantic glances back at the pursuing horror.

With a deafening roar, the Nomu lunged forward, its massive, grotesque arm swinging in a brutal arc. The impact struck Awase's side, sending him hurtling sideways, and Yaoyorozu was thrown from his arms, tumbling across the rough forest floor. She gasped, pain flaring in her limbs as she tried to push herself up, fear paralyzing her as the beast closed in, its empty face locking onto her.

Awase coughed, blood at the corner of his mouth as he struggled to sit up, watching in horror as the Nomu loomed over Yaoyorozu, a grotesque shadow ready to snuff out her life. She squeezed her eyes shut, heart pounding, every instinct screaming that this was the end.

*BOOOOM*

And then, a thunderous crack split the air, the forest shaking with the power of a lightning bolt as it streaked past them. Blinding light flooded Yaoyorozu's vision, and when she dared to open her eyes, the Nomu was gone, the forest silent except for the lingering hum of electricity.

...

The monster was flung into a rock wall, the impact so strong it cracked the stone. However, the creature seemed unfazed as it hits the ground, more annoyed than hurt. Kaminari arrived just in the nick of time, a second later and the monster would've given Yaoyorozu the same fate of Ragdoll's.

The air seemed to darken as Kaminari locked eyes with the creature—a twisted, hulking mass with greened flesh stretched over sinew and steel, its six limbs twitching in grotesque anticipation. Tools jutting from each arm—A drill, vicious chainsaws, and a claw hammer—whirred to life with an industrial screech that set Kaminari's nerves ablaze. This wasn't some villain with an agenda. This was a weapon designed for destruction, and Kaminari was alone, cornered in the darkened trees with no backup in sight.

Nomu... The league is not messing around. Facing one with the help of pro heroes was a nightmare, and I get one all for myself. Lucky me.

He barely had a moment to steel himself before the creature lurched forward, one arm swinging down with the heavy groan of its chainsaw. Kaminari dodged, feeling the rush of displaced air as the chain teeth bit into the earth where he'd been standing a half-second before. But there was no reprieve. Another arm came down, then another, forcing him back step by step, each blow perilously close, each one ratcheting up the sickening awareness that if even one hit landed, it was over.

Channeling his quirk, Kaminari sparked to life, electricity pulsing through his muscles as he surged forward, landing a powerful, electricity-imbued punch into the Nomu's side. The Nomu barely flinched, absorbing the impact with an inhuman resilience as it reared back and struck again. Kaminari was thrown off balance, crashing against a tree, pain flaring through his shoulder as he scrambled to get up. Blood trickled down his arm. It was real, horribly, sickeningly real. The creature wasn't holding back, and every instinct in Kaminari screamed that it intended to end him here, now.

The Nomu lunged, this time with a buzz saw blade, aimed straight at his chest. Kaminari dodged, barely missing the arc, but his movements felt sluggish, desperate.

"My body hasn't recovered yet from the training. Damn... I need to pick my attacks carefully, otherwise I won't last."

His heart thundered in his chest, but adrenaline was only carrying him so far. He could feel his quirk flickering, draining, each bolt demanding more effort than the last. He wasn't keeping up; he was barely surviving.

Another strike came, and the Nomu's hammer smashed into the ground beside him. Shards of rock and earth sprayed across Kaminari's face, cutting his skin and stinging his eyes. He blinked blood away, disoriented, and that's when he saw it: The chainsaw arm arcing down in a flash of grinding metal. He didn't have time to dodge.

He raised his arms instinctively, coated with electricity in hopes it would do something, bracing against the inevitable.

The teeth tore through his sleeve, ripping into flesh as a scream tore from his throat, the sound almost animalistic, an explosion of pain that rocked through him. Kaminari staggered back, clutching his arm, feeling the hot, slick blood seeping through his fingers. His breathing grew ragged as the reality of his situation closed in around him like a vice.

This wasn't training. This wasn't even a fight. This was survival, in its ugliest, bloodiest form, and Kaminari was drowning in it. He could barely think, barely breathe. All he knew was that he couldn't let himself fall. He forced himself up, feeling the electricity surge again—unsteady, fierce, and wild—as he squared off against the creature once more, trembling but resolute.

One thought blazed through the haze of agony: If I lose here, I'm dead.

...