1 Ch 1: A Rough Introduction

Its the third year for Midoriya and his classmates at UA, he heard rumors from All Might that there will be a special exchange student from America to join them this year. The news has spread like wildfire because this is rare that this happens. Uraraka runs to Midoriya with Kaminari, Kirishima and Mina, waving they run to Deku who has Todoroki approaching as well as Bakugo.

" Hey Midoriya did you hear the news?" Kaminari asks.

" About the new exchange sudent? Yah I don't know why but I'm excited." Midoriya nods.

" I wonder what kind of Quirk they will have, I have never met an American yet I wonder what they are like?" Mina ponders.

Ojiro and Hagakure approach and wave at their friends, Hagakure runs to them and is shouting with excitement.

" Guys I saw some official looking cars turn back where Ojiro and I were walking, they had American flags on them!" Hagakure tells them.

" Really cool! Also multiple?" Kirishima asks.

" Great its some governor's pampered kid or some shit like that." Bakugo groans.

" Well how do you know?" Ojiro asks.

" Multiple cars means that the ones they aren't in are full of security." Bakugo sighs.

" I guess you're right but we don't know that yet." Kirishima shrugs.

" Hey there they are, look they are out of the car." Kaminari points out.

They look and see a girl, she has her uniform on and is standing in front of large men in uniform.

" Those patches, they are definitely from the Military, they look to be Navy." Midoriya comments.

" Woah her family is military then?" Uraraka asks.

" It's a safe bet to make until we know more about her." Todoroki nods.

The man in the front salutes her, the girl returns the salute and the men get in the car and leave. She returns to normal and turns heel to walk inside, they look and see she has on super compressed weights on her wrists and ankles along with a belt around her hips.

" Man those things are heavy, she has on at least 220 kilograms." Ojiro points out.

" Man she is training already?" Mina looks in shock.

" We should go say hi." Hagakure suggests.

" Uh she looks pretty pissed off maybe we should wait." Kirishima suggests.

As they say that they see other third years approach her, they start to harass the new girl but she doesn't even pay attention to them.

" Heh typical American, thinking they are too good for us." One of the kids sneer.

The girl doesn't even respond even when they are attacking her verbally, she just walks inside and the group just take a sigh of relief.

" Man I thought for sure there would be a fight." Kaminari takes a breath.

" Heh, she is well trained." Bakugo smirks.

" Well let's head to class and get ready for the day." Midoriya nods.

The class head inside and in the class they see the girl with Iida, they are having a conversation that seems to be going well. The girl walks away and they go up to Iida who smiles at his friends presence.

" Hello everyone! I can't wait to get back into the dorms with everyone this year. Have you met our new exchange student?" Iida asks.

" Not yet no, she seemed pretty cold when we saw her earlier." Uraraka shakes her head.

" She is a little aloof but I believe she is actually nice." Iida comments.

" Well we can speak to her during lunch then, that way it's a more relaxed setting." Mina smiles.

" Yah that is a great idea." Kaminari agrees.

" But for now everyone take your seats it is time for class!" Iida commands.

Everyone takes their seat while Present Mic and Mr. Aizawa walk in, they see the class is ready and begin.

" Good morning, as you all can see we have a new student with us, they are an exchange student from the United States." Mr. Aizawa starts the class.

" Yah please welcome ---- Drakos!" Present Mic introduces.

Everyone looks at ---- who is just silent and glares up at the teachers, she doesn't seem to want to speak.

" Well come up here and say a few things about yourself." Present Mic tells her.

" I would rather not...." ---- shakes her head.

" Aw come on we would love to get to know you, you are the first American we have met!" Kirishima smiles.

---- sighs and stands up, in a militaristic way she walks to the front and stays silent for a moment. Looking at Present Mic and glaring at him, she looks back at the class and takes a breath.

" I am Lieutenant Commander Drakos, I was enlisted very early into the United States Navy because of my quirks. I became the rising star of the Navy and was part of the Seals. I have a kill count that would make All for One even blush and I am here because I was forced to...." ---- simply states.

The entire class looks green around the gills when they hear all this, they look in shock at the teachers.

" She is joking right?" Kaminari nervously laughs.

" No she is quite serious, ---- is considered one of the deadliest assets the military has." Mr. Aizawa replies.

" Then why have her here?!" Mineta flips out.

" It is a matter of national security not only on the side of the United States but for us here in Japan. We have been trusted with her care and education, while she is here she will stay in the dorms with you all." Mr. Aizawa calms.

---- sits back in her seat and just stays silent, the class goes on like normal and they continue on until lunch. The class heads to lunch and they notice ---- seated already, she has her own bento and starts to eat, Uraraka, Kirishima, Midoriya and a bunch of her class come to her table and sit with her. She just peacefully eats and enjoys her food quietly.

" Hey ---- after this you wanna hang out after school in the Dorms?" Uraraka asks.

" I have a strict workout schedule I need to abide by." ---- replies.

" Cool we can work out together!" Kirishima grins.

" You wont be able to keep up, I have my Commander coming after and I will be going through the usual training I went through when I first went into boot camp." ---- tells him.

" Well we can give it a shot." Iida nods.

" Fine just don't be rude to Commander Stark." ---- sighs out.

The same kids from earlier walk by and sneer at ----, she ignores them and just continues to eat.

" Heh well if it isn't the American Trash, what were the schools not good enough for you there?" A girl teases.

---- continues to keep her cool, she just eats her hardboiled egg and ignores the noise. The girl and her friends are irritated she isn't doing anything, the girl smacks her chopsticks out of her hand. The lunch room is silent as they look at ---- just staying still.

" Back off now!" Todoroki yells at the group.

---- gets up and stands in front of the group, she just calmly looks at the group and glares at them all.

" I don't even need to use my Quirks to beat you." ---- smirks.

" You will eat those words!" The girl yells at her.

The group barrage ---- with their strong Quirks but she simply dodges each one with ease. All this and she still has her weights on her limbs, she is quick to use her head and she skull smashes each attacker. Each one falls to the ground in pain, they groan and whimper as ---- cracks her neck.

" I will eat later...." ---- comments as she puts her food away and grabs her chopsticks.

Walking out while the lunch room is in silence, they all go back to their seats and the room just eats.

" Man.... she took them out with only her head, she had her hands behind her back the entire time." Kaminari murmurs.

" Heh, idiots got what they deserved." Bakugo laughs.

" Man being with her is going to be difficult, she comes from such a structured world." Mina sighs.

" Well soon we will learn more about her through the Quirk assessments tomorrow." Todoroki comments as he eats.

" Yah she is in a new environment let's give her space." Midoriya nods.

The classes finish the day out and the class begins to leave, they don't see Brooke anywhere and head back to the dorm work out center after school. There they hear yelling of multiple people, Todoroki, Kirishima and the others walk into the weight room and see ---- pushes up two guys on her back as she is in a push up position. She is holding halfway and is covered in bruises, a man towers over her and has his arms crossed.

" Were you picking fights?!" The man yells.

" Sir no sir!" ---- replies.

" We got a call saying you were seen picking fights with multiple students!" The man yells.

" I only act in self defense sir!" ---- chokes out.

" Look at you Lieutenant! Giving up already?!" He yells more.

" Never sir!" She growls.

" Now wait just a minute!" Todoroki yells.

" Excuse me who are you?!" The man yells.

" No who are you?! You are here torturing our classmate!" Kirishima yells back.

" Stay out of this!" ---- yells.

" Men get up, Drakos get your ass up, you are doing the pool exercise." The man commands.

" Yes sir Commander Stark." ---- nods.

The men get up and walk away to the pool area, ---- struggles to get up but stumbles upright. Todoroki runs to help but she puts her hand up and stops him, she walks to the pool and her classmates follow and watch on helplessly.

" Final exercise of the day, after all this you arent using your Quirk to heal up, you will keep this pain as a lesson." Commander Stark tells her.

" Yes sir!" ---- stands at attention.

The two other men tie her hands and feet, the Commander throws a knife and a mask with snorkel.

" Get the mask on and get yourself free and you can go." Commander Stark tells ---- before he shoves her in the pool.

" Commander Stark but how can she survive that!? She is wounded!" Iida asks.

" What you don't know about Lieutenant Commander Drakos is she was a full fledged Navy Seal at the age of 10, she was crafted and molded into the ultimate killing machine. Her duel Quirks make her perfectly adapted as one of the deadliest people on this planet. Her kill count is something to behold, but she is here under classified circumstances and that is all you need to know." Commander Stark tells them.

They watch as ---- grabs the knife with her mouth and uses it to cut her wrists free, she grabs the snorkel and mask and finishes cutting the ropes off her ankles. Pain fills her body but she swims up and takes a gasp of air, ---- pulls herself up out of the pool and breathes heavy.

" You have slowed down, do better Drakos." Commander Stark warns.

" Sir.... yes sir...." ---- nods.

The men leave and her classmates rush to her side, ---- is too tired to complain to them and feels someone help her up. She sees its Todoroki and just glares at him, holding her side ---- winces.

" ---- why let them do this to you?!" Uraraka asks.

" You look like hell." Tokoyami tells her.

" It is what I know, I grew up this way.... no one here can understand that...." ---- sighs as she walks away to the unisex locker room.

Heading to the tubs she gets a bunch of ice and starts the water, her bruised body trembles in pain. Stopping the water she lowers her body into the water, she wishes she can heal her body but she is under direct orders not to as punishment.

Todoroki walks in and sees her, he wasn't aware she went in here. He walks over to her and sits next to her, ---- looks at him and just looks away. He can see she is in pain still and wants to help her.

" Can I get you something for the pain?" He asks.

" I'm fine...." ---- breathes out.

He watches her breathing pattern and sees it is off, ---- coughs and blood comes up he looks in horror and holds her up before she slips down into the water.

" Damn it you have a punctured lung, you need help." Todoroki tells her.

He pulls her from the water and holds her in his arms, she stops him and he watches as her ribcage starts to shift. After a few moments it stops and her breathing is normal.

" I fixed it.... just get me to my room...." ---- demands weakly.

Todoroki rushes to her room and opens it up, he sees medals, uniforms and pictures everywhere along with collections of places she has been. He grabs a towel nearby and wraps her in it, she is sat down on a chair and he kneels in front of her. ---- dries off and looks exhausted, she goes over to a dresser and grabs sweat pants and a tank top. Todoroki turns immediately and waits for her to be finished, ---- finds it amusing he is this embarrassed being around a girl changing. ---- finishes and shuffles to her bed, Todoroki turns and helps her in bed. She doesn't protest, she only wants to sleep, her heavy eyes look at him.

" You remind me of my eldest brother Touya.... I'm worried for you." Shoto tells her.

" I am fine...." ---- just shrugs off his concern.

The pair are silent for a while, ---- looks at Shoto standing there with a concerned look. He looks away from her and towards the wall in deep thought, ---- clears her throat.

" What was Touya like?" ---- asks him.

" He was stubborn but never gave up, I miss him so much, so does Natsuo and my sister Fuyumi took it harder. He was told by my father that his quirk was too much for his body to handle, he never listened and wanted to be a Hero so bad.... in his anguish and ceaseless training his quirk spiraled out of control...." Shoto tells her.

" I am so sorry...." ---- sympathizes.

" All that was left of him was a piece of his lower jaw, his quirk burnt him to ash, he was so kind and loving to everyone and he wanted to be the best.... I miss him." Shoto continues.

" I'm sorry for your loss, I know the feeling all too well...." ---- nods.

" Someday I'll show you his shrine, it's very beautiful.... but you need rest, we can talk more later." Shoto tells ----.

" Ok.... I'll see you later." ---- nods and passes out from exhaustion.

Todoroki looks at her for a moment, her dark brown hair and slightly tan skin are rather pretty. Todoroki pulls the covers over her shoulder and tucks her in. He leaves her room and heads down to his friends, they turn and look at him and see his soaked clothing.

" Where have you been man?" Kaminari asks him.

" Making sure ---- got to her room, she is resting now." Todoroki explains.

" Is she ok?" Aoyama asks concerned.

" She is resting peacefully currently, she most likely wont be up for a while." Todoroki nods.

The rest of the class don't pry about her and just go about the rest of their day until the Quirk assessments tomorrow.

Its the end of the next school day and both Class 1A and 1B are brought to the training center, they see a person in a Hero costume standing with Mr. Aizawa, Present Mic and Ectoplasm. The outfit is sleek and looks like something for water combat, it is dark on the back and a little lighter in the front of the costume. The boots of the person are reminiscent of Selkies boots with the fins, they have gloves on with nanotech webbing between the fingers. The faceplate completely obscures who it is, they all stand at attention and wait for the teachers to speak.

" Hello everyone, you are probably wondering what is going on here and why I asked you to wear your outfits. Well next to us is Hydra, or you may know her as ----. This is her outfit she wore on active duty and is perfectly crafted to suit hers Quirks." Mr. Aizawa explains.

" Quirks?!" Tetsutetsu asks loudly.

" Yes similar to Shoto Todoroki ---- has duel Quirks, your jobs are to figure out what they are. One is more obvious then the other, she will be fighting you all." Mr. Aizawa nods.

" You can't be serious, all 41 of us verses her?" Shinso scoffs.

" Let's get this over with...." ---- sighs.

Stepping forward ---- undoes her weight belt around her waist, she removes her wrist weights and her leg weights as well. She tosses them all to the side and they make a large crater to the side, the students look in shock.

" Woah how much weight was that?!" Kirishima asks in shock.

" 454 kilograms, I'm ready to start." ---- sighs.

" The rules are simple, you each have a zip tie set of cuffs, you need to catch her to win, while she has to capture every single one of you. Should be easy right? Once captured you cant break the cuff you are out!" Present Mic explains.

" There is no way she can win, we have 41 unique and powerful Quirks on our side." Midoriya comments.

The teachers go above the training grounds and sit up in the rafters, the students watch ---- for a moment and see how calm she is.

" LET'S GET HER!" Tetsutetsu yells out.

" Wait that's not a good idea!" Kirishima yells to class 1B.

---- puts her arms out and focuses, the pipes in the facility burst and she quickly floods the arena. She manages to make the depth a little over 10 meters, all the other students have taken to high ground and see ---- is nowhere to be found.

" Shoji, Koda, Jiro, find her!" Midoriya tells them.

" Right!" They reply.

Using their Quirks they look for her but look in shock, they can't find her and can't sense her.

" I.... I can't hear her! Her heartbeat should be as clear as day but.... there is no heartbeat!" Jiro tell the others.

In a flash ---- breaches the water and grabs Jiro, the pair disappear in the water and everyone looks in horror.

" Jiro!" Some of them yell.

Jiro resurfaces with her hands bound, Ectoplasm quickly uses a clone to retrieve her. ---- quickly does the same to Shoji and Koda and captures them as well, the students back away from the water and try to think of a plan.

" Well what now Deku?!" Bakugo yells.

" I'm not sure yet, she is taking out our scouts to make sure we cant find her with ease. She can clearly control her heartbeat and pause it so she is not detected, she can obviously control water so that is one of her Quirks, the other we were told isn't obvious which means until she activates it we may not know what it is until we see it up close. But with ---- that is dangerous, she is clearly strong physically on her own. But her Quirks paired with her physical capabilities and her elite combat prowess make her a top tier threat." Midoriya explains.

" We need to get our strongest to attack in close combat." Sato recommends.

" It could work, Tetsutetsu, Kirishima draw her out but stay close so she is forced to confront you both." Midoriya suggests.

" You got it!" They shout in unison.

The pair go to a large plateau that is above water and wait, soon ---- flies out of the water and lands on the other side where they are standing.

" I'll charge first ok?" Tetsutetsu tells his friend.

" Right I'll be right behind you." Kirishima nods.

Tetsutetsu starts the charge, he hardens his body and charges at her, ---- rushes at Tetsutetsu and collides with him. Tetsutetsu is launched into a wall and groans, his metal shell cracked and he holds his head. They look and see ----, they look in shock when they see armor surrounding her arm that punched Tetsutetsu.

" What the hell is that?!" Mineta yells.

Shoto's eyes open wide and he realizes he has seen this already in a way, he remembers when she healed herself from the broken rib and punctured lung. Her ribcage repaired itself and her lung mended.

---- sees Kirishima charge next, ---- guards as Kirishima crashes against her. Kirishima pushes against her but recoils back in pain, they look and see bloody spikes erupt from her chest. Kirishima backs up and they watch as the armor on her arm absorbs back into her body along with the spikes on her chest. Her costume then heals from the damage she inflicted on it and everything is back to normal.

" Kirishima! Tetsutetsu! Get back!" Shoto yells.

" What the hell is that Quirk?!" Tetsutetsu growls.

" Tetsutetsu are you ok?" Kendo asks.

" Yah she hits like a truck." He holds his head.

" I saw this ability up close yesterday, she repaired her broken rib and punctured lung. I didn't think anything of it first but now I know, her other Quirk let's her control her body on a God like scale." Shoto explains.

" Correct Shoto.... my second Quirk is Cell Manipulation, my body can survive the most extreme heat and cold. I can survive sub freezing temperatures naked by modifying my skin cells to be frostbite proof and I can move and create new fat cells so I can put layers under my skin in key areas. I can survive the hottest deserts by extracting the water in the same fat cells and lipids, I can survive with no water for months and even make it so I don't get sunburnt. One of my greatest tricks is what you saw just now, I can create and manipulate my bones with ease." ---- explains.

" She is the ultimate survivalist." Iida gasps.

" What do you mean create bone?!" Midoriya asks.

" The human body has 205 bones, with me that number is much more negotiable. As I was speaking I made a new weapon just now...." ---- sighs out and grabs behind her.

They watch ---- bend forward and they see bone sticking out of her neck, ---- pulls out her spine and it forms spikes. Wielding it around the new weapon straightens and then acts like a whip at whim. Using her new weapon she grabs Tetsutetsu and dives in the water with him, a moment later he is bound and a clone grabs him.

" Todoroki freeze the water and see if you can stop her movements." Kendo suggests.

Todoroki nods and using his ice abilities he freezes the entire pool ---- created, Todoroki stops and they see no movement.

" I think that got her." Mina comments.

The sound of Ice cracking is heard, quickly the arena floods again the current sweeps up everyone and ---- is quick to bind everyone. She misses Todoroki who is above all the water, ---- drains the water from the arena and everyone is ok. She sees Todoroki land and come after her, ---- is quick to counter him and uses her spine blade against him.

" Come quietly Todoroki." ---- tells him.

" And miss out on this little dance we are in? You are a worthy challenge!" He smirks.

Shoto and ---- fight in close proximity and both grab a capture zip tie and capture one wrist from the other. Shoto and ---- stop fighting and breathe heavy, looking at their wrists they look up at the teachers.

" Uh Aizawa is this a tie or?" Present Mic asks.

" They both captured eachother so this will be called a stalemate." Mr. Aizawa tells them.

All the students are released and they walk over to ---- and Shoto, they cut the binds off and ---- stretches out.

" How did you hide from us like that that was incredible." Jiro asks.

" For short periods of time I can stop my pulse and heart while I move around, it's stressful on my body so I only do it for two minutes at most. My bones are the stars of my little trick though...." ---- explains.

Holding her arms out she creates bone blades that come out of the top of her forearm. Sucking them back into her body she takes her left forearm and breaks it over her knee. Everyone looks in horror at the broken limb.

" Relax it doesn't hurt that bad, watch I instantly heal my broken bones.... deep wounds hell I can even reattach my limbs." ---- extends a bone blade out.

---- cuts her right arm off at the elbow, the others look in horror and some retch. Mineta and Aoyama pass out but ---- grabs her arm and puts it back, they watch her Quirk in action as the arm flawlessly reattaches to her body.

" That Quirk is so powerful, having a duel Quirk makes you extremely powerful." Iida comments.

" It's not without it's issues, with my background and what I have seen.... my PTSD weakens me and I fear my Quirk can harm those around me, so I limit myself.... it also causes my PTSD to get worse if I'm not careful. My duel Quirks require me to see everything in front of me, I need to know where every piece is on the board and I need to know what each is capable of. I do not tolerate failure even on my end.... failure leads to death and I will have no more of that." ---- explains.

" Wait so you can go insane?" Kirishima asks sympathetically.

" No need to make it sound like I'll go off my rocker, but yah.... war is hell and I may be the same age as you all roughly but you kids don't have the mental constitution to deal with what I have seen. The world is a putrid place full of evil, you all need to get your ass's in gear and learn how to deal with the horrors you will face out there. Because if you don't you will never hack it as Hero's." ---- coldly tells them.

" Wait but you are going to be a Hero too what makes you act like you are any different from us?" Kendo asks.

" I'm not a Hero, I'm just a person doing the things I need to do, the things I have done don't classify me as a Hero.... I'm far from it in fact. I walk in the darkness so that others may see the light.... I'm going back to the dorms." ---- sighs out.

---- heads the dorms and the others just sigh out after that ordeal. Shoto watches ---- hold her head as she leaves, her shoulders are hunched and she seems troubled.

" Can you believe her?! She acts all high and mighty then leaves like a jerk." Kamakiri scoffs.

" Shut up loser that's our classmate." Bakugo snaps at him.

" She captured your dumbass too." Kamakiri laughs.

" Everyone shut up...." Shoto sighs out and leaves as well.

Shoto leaves and eventually catches up to ---- who is silent, Shoto says nothing and just walks back with her. ---- eyes slide over to him without turning her head, she looks straight forward and just sighs at his presence.

" You are clearly different from the others...." ---- comments.

" What do you mean?" Shoto asks.

" You were able to slip from my grip while I was able to grab the others, can't tell if I'm irritated or impressed." ---- grumbles.

" Are you always this mad?" Shoto asks her.

" Are you and the others always this intrusive?" ---- groans.

" S-sorry.... I saw you leave and you looked like you were having an issue mentally or emotionally.... just wanted to make sure my friend is ok." Shoto apologizes.

---- stops and looks at Shoto for a while, her gaze seems irritated but she is simply thinking about what he said. Her brow relaxes and she takes a deep breath before cracking her neck.

" Know what a bomb body is? Had some unpleasant memories and scents flood my senses earlier.... don't know what caused them though...." ---- comments.

" No what are those?" Shoto asks.

" Good.... trust me forget I said anything Todoroki...." ---- sighs and leaves him standing there.

---- leaves and Shoto goes back to the dorms with the others, he keeps thinking about what she said and it makes him overly curious as he is sitting with the others. Shoto pulls out his phone and searches up what a Bomb Body is, the images flash on his screen and he drops his phone. The others look over and see the horror on his face as he covers his mouth and retches. Kirishima grabs his phone and reacts the same way and looks in horror.

" Dude what the hell why are you looking at this?!" Kirishima asks him.

" I wanted to know what ---- was talking about, I asked her what was wrong and she said she had haunting memories about them come back.... I asked her what she meant but she said forget it and its good I don't know." Shoto explains.

" Jesus.... it says here kids are the better targets for these procedures.... what the hell is this?! Some messed up fucks actually do this to people?!" Bakugo yells.

" It says here that Bomb Bodies or Human Bombs can either be alive or dead, they are used by terrorist groups to harm civilians.... oh my.... ---- said she had flashbacks of these?" Momo asks.

" Yah.... no wonder she has walls up around her emotions." Shoto nods.

" Well we shouldn't say anything to her we don't need to trigger any negative feelings with her." Midoriya suggests.

---- walks into the room and Mineta sees her, she goes to the kitchen and grabs a juice and a glass for herself.

" Hey ---- what's the deal with Bomb Bodies?" Mineta asks.

Everyone looks in horror not knowing she walked in quietly, her eyes go wide and she doesn't blink. The glass drops from her hand and shatters, she begins to retch and bolts after Mineta. Her eyes have the intent to kill which gets Sero to grab her, the tape begins to give way and he quickly tapes more to her. The guys grab on to the tape and hold on for dear life. Shoto goes in front of her and holds her body back, they struggle to hold her still as she continues to go after Mineta.

" Momo can you make something to stop her?!" Midoriya asks.

" Here I got this!" She nods and pulls out a rag and bottle she has made.

Putting the contents of the bottle on the cloth she puts it over ---- nose and mouth. ---- begins to stumble, she begins to grumble and get dizzy.

" I'll kill you.... just like you killed.... Abdullah...." She slurs as she passes out.

" Abdullah? Who is Abdullah?" Kaminari asks.

" Not sure, but we need to get Mr. Aizawa immediately." Midoriya shrugs.

" I'll bring her to her room." Shoto tells them.

Sero removes the tape and Shoto brings her to her room again, Momo walks into her room with a heart monitor she made. They hook it up to ---- and Momo sits on the bed next to her.

" I did this to her so I am responsible for making sure she is ok, I'll be here with her until she wakes up ok?" Momo tells him.

" Of course, message us when she is awake." Shoto nods.

Walking back to the others he helps clean up the mess and things calm down, Sero helps seeing as it was his Quirk that was used to bind her. Everyone goes into their own routine and the dorm is once again quiet.

avataravatar
Next chapter