27

Izuku took a deep breath. The humid midsummer air filtered in through his nostrils, easing up the aches of his body. The soft glow of the sun above shone through his closed eyelids, placing him a steady state of relaxation and bliss.

Izuku slowly rose from his recumbent position, stretching his one free arm high into the air as a small yawn came to his mouth. He instinctively dodged the incoming splash of water, having his body take a few steps back as the bugs on his head retreated further back into the depths of his hair. He opened his eyes to find Mineta looking up at him from the pool's surface.

"Hey Midoriya!" the boy called. "You done doing nothing but laying down up there and ready to join us?"

"I'd rather not," Izuku answered. "My bugs won't like it. And my shoulder's still a bit sore. It probably won't be too good if I strained myself right now."

Mineta scoffed. "I'm sure you can handle it after everything you've been through. Come on, we're about to start a race. Even Bakugo is participating!"

"He's still recovering, Mineta!" Yaoyorozu called out from the other side of the pool. Her gaze then shifted over to Izuku, who was still standing by the water's edge. "Isn't your arm supposed to be in a sling?" she asked.

"It's alright!" Izuku reassured her. "Recovery Girl said I could take it off this morning as long as I don't strain myself. I should be fine by tomorrow."

"Hmm… If you say so, Midoriya," she relented.

Izuku turned his attention back Mineta, who nodded in return. Mineta turned to the rest to announce Izuku's decision. "Alright then everyone! We're good to go. Midoriya will be sitting out!"

Izuku ignored the repressed snarl he heard coming from Bakugo's direction. Izuku planted himself back on the chair he was on earlier, laying himself back down.

The first round of the swimming competition had barely begun when Izuku felt a presence coming towards his direction. Gleaming around with his bugs to see who it was, Izuku sat himself back up and greeted the newcomer.

"Hello Tsu."

"Hello Midoriya," Tsu said with a croak. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, considering the fact that I was shot," Izuku spoke nonchalantly. "Apparently, I'm lucky that I-Island has such good medical services. I lost so much blood that I ran the risk of shock and a couple other things. I heard that you were on the island too. How was your stay?"

Tsu blinked. It took her a few seconds to respond. "It was fine. Minus the fact that villains invaded, anyhow. I met up with a couple of the others after the fact."

"That's nice," Izuku said warmly. 

A companionable silence fell upon the two. The first round of the swim competition ended, with Bakugo reigning supreme. It was as the second round was beginning that Tsu spoke again.

"Can I be honest with you, Midoriya?"

Izuku turned his head towards Tsu, trying to gauge any sort of emotion on her face. However, as per usual, she was expressionless as a rock. "Sure. Go ahead." He turned his head back to the race. "It's what you do, after all."

 "You're pretty reckless," she said, not wasting any time to speak her mind.

Izuku slowly raised an eyebrow in response. "I am?"

"You are. First, there was U.S.J. where you were seriously injured. And the more recent event at I-Island, kero. And then there was that fight on the news. The one with Edgeshot and Centaur."

"That was on the news?"

"It was," Tsu ribbeted. "And you were much closer to the actual combat than needed, based on what I saw. You're really prone to coming close to dying, Midoriya." 

Izuku remained silent.

"Just keep it in mind, Midoriya-chan."

Beyond the two, the swimming competition was just wrapping up. Aizawa had come in at the last moment, cutting off the quirks of both Todoroki and Bakugo. However, that still left Iida — who was too engrossed in the race to notice Aizawa's arrival. He had ended up winning the race by a technicality. He was also profusely apologizing to Aizawa for not heeding the teacher's earlier commands.

Todoroki seemed unaffected, but Bakugo was being his usual self and foaming in the mouth. It wasn't like it mattered in the end. Everyone would still be having a chance to show off at the camp, after all.

Izuku watched on as the trees and rocky mountain sides smeared out past the window of the bus. As the vehicle sped by, the presence of billions of bugs passed by in a blur. Connections were made and lost just as suddenly, only enough to relish in the feeling of them for seconds.

It was never like this in the city; or at least, not to this magnitude. The wilderness was devoid of human interference for miles around, allowing the populations of bugs to thrive and grow naturally unhindered.

A couple hours of this, and it wasn't long until the bus reached a stop. The entirety of class 1-A found themselves at one of the rest stops Aizawa had previously mentioned.

But with the stop, Izuku noticed something else with his bugs. He had sensed the three individuals beforehand when the bus was further off, but he waved it off as unimportant. And while he was suspicious at first, the feeling faded away as Izuku recognized just who he was looking at.

Aside from the kid, who wore a horned red cap but was otherwise unrecognizable, the other two individuals donned noticeable features. Their costumes fulfilled an obvious theme: ears, tails, and even paws reminiscent of a feline's. It was immediately obvious to Izuku who he was looking at. 

As 1-A filtered out of the bus, the class's faces lit up with various expressions of surprise, indifference, and even confusion.

To Izuku, the sight of Pixie Bob and Mandalay was definitely unexpected. He supposed it made sense in a way, given the team was stationed in Nagano specialized in mountain rescue. The fact that the class was currently situated in such an environment enforced that belief. The only other possibility was that the Wild, Wild Pussycats were in charge of the camp. Which Izuku supposed, made sense in its own way as well.

Izuku's suspicions were proven right as the two members of the group explained their roles in partsking to the exercise. Unfortunately, any form of interaction was cut short. The ground below Class 1-A rumbled. And within seconds, the rock and gravel was pulled from under Class 1-A. The result of Pixie Bob's quirk, Earth Flow, Izuku mused. 

And it looked as if the first part of training had begun, with Class 1-A thrown right in the middle with the aptly named "Beast's Forest." And they only had three hours to reach the camp or they wouldn't get lunch. 

Internally, Izuku sighed. He knew that the challenge would be a hard one, especially considering the fact that his bugs were basically useless against the artificial creatures popping up left and right. The best hope he had other than physically beating the beasts was helping in navigation.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Pixie Bob as the disgruntled members of class 1-A entered the clearing. "It only took you guys… seven and a half hours! Not too shabby, if I'd say so myself."

The majority of 1-A collapsed in response, falling to their fatigue. 

On the other hand, Izuku was happy that the class had finally reached camp. He also was grateful that his bugs were able to point the way as well, stopping a few mishaps of the class getting lost. He didn't know how much longer he could stand being back living rock with his bare hands.

After a few moments, he moved into a standstill, taking in the whole of the camp with his bugs.The place was fairly large; complete with lodging, plenty of buildings, and loads of open space.

1-B was lounging around as well further away. Albeit, they were scuffed up and in a similar state to the rest of 1-A. No doubt this was the result of them undergoing a similar task as well. Izuku also found Manga approaching, steadily making his way towards where Izuku stood.

Meanwhile, Pixie Bob continued to talk. It was hearing his name that got Izuku focusing his attention back onto the woman.

"Great job, all of you. Especially you three." She pointed. "Todoroki, Midoriya and… Bakugo, I believe. It's quite obvious that you have some skills in fighting actual opponents. Villains, in other words."

Izuku drowned the rest out, ignoring Pixie Bob dashing back and forth between the three and focusing his attention back onto a familiar little kid as he hung back from the crowd. Izuku recognized him as the same boy from earlier, shoes and all. Surprisingly, the kid stared right back. However, his look was filled with a lot more with scorn and hostility than Izuku's more curious and calculating stare.

"You staring at that kid?" Manga asked, crossing his arms as he placed himself beside Izuku. 

"Yeah," Izuku admitted. "Why do you think he's here? A relative, perhaps?"

"You can just ask, you know. None of that shifty stealthy stuff that you like. Or I can ask I'm great with kids, didn't you know?" Manga laughed.

Izuku let out a small laugh. "Since when?"

"Since forever! And one thing that Ii suggest, you probably shouldn't look at him like you are. It's maybe why he has that weird look on his face."

Iida eventually commented on the boy's presence, which spurred Mandalay to introduce the boy Kota as her nephew. 

Immediately, Kota's face morphed even more angry. He stalked past Iida and completely ignored the outstretched hand. When Manga attempted to greet Kota, he was met with a harsh kick to the shin. And when Kota finally came face to face with Izuku, the boy struck out right in front of him.

Izuku winced, twitching slightly from the unexpected attack. He may have high pain tolerance, but it was still a hit on his most sensitive areas, and he reacted accordingly. He took a few breaths as he watched the boy disappear into the woods.

"Heh. Nice kid. Another one, perhaps?"

"N—Yes."

Kota was a much more intriguing character than Izuku had first thought. The realization began on that same night that they had arrived at the camp, with members of both 1-A and 1-B splitting off into their own respective hot springs.

Everyone was settling in when Izuku noticed it. Kota was at the top of the dividing wall, on the lookout for what Izuku presumed were any potential peeping toms. 

"Huh. He really must be paying attention, then. Probably saw right through Mineta in minutes."

"What was that, Izuku?" Manga asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. There is one thing I want to ask, though."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"What happened to you being 'good with kids?'"

"Oi! You and I both know that was an isolated incident."

"But I thought that he still got you a second time?"

"Well, I—"

"That Kota kid really did get you good, didn't he, Fukidashi?!?" exclaimed one of the other 1-B kids that Izuku didn't recognize.

t(►˛◄'t)

"You wouldn't have done any better, Tsuburaba!" Various members from both classes laughed at the exchange, remembering both events that had transpired.

It was then that Mineta took his chance to climb up the dividing center wall. Izuku didn't warn him of the overwatch that consisted of Kota, and instead asked Tokoyami to at least soften the boy's fall.

As expected, Mineta fell off back towards the boys side after Kota flicked him off. The already ready Tokoyami caught Mineta mid-air and dragged him off to the other side of the pool.

What Izuku wasn't expecting was for Kota to also fall. He was about to yell out, but Iida and Honenuki already had it handled. The first of the two used Recipro Burst to zoom out of the pool while the latter blanketed the floor under the wall his quirk.

The end result was Iida getting caught up in Honenuki's quirk. However, e was still able to catch Kota, who seemingly had fainted in shock from the fall. As Iida and Honenuki both insisted on making sure the boy was okay, they both brought him over to the cabin's office to get him help. 

And whether Izuku wanted to or not, he ended up listening to the story of Kota's life and his gradual descent into hatred towards heroes and villains alike. He listened in as Mandalay told the story of Water Hose and their subsequent demise to the villain Muscular. 

Izuku felt a bit bad listening in, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, the bugs were already there in the first place, after all. 

It was 5:30 in the morning when 1-A had gathered outside at the insistence of Aizawa. When Aizawa demonstrated through Bakugo's ball toss that the class had grown mentally and emotionally but not physically, Izuku knew that the man was making a good point.

Izuku himself was going out a lot less on his patrols and spent far less time with his old sensei. The fact that school work also filled up most of his time made it difficult to train his quirk. There was just too much happening all at once to able able to do much.

Both classes were eventually divvied up between the four members of the Pussycats as Vlad King and Aizawa took the remedial students. Izuku ended up joining up with Mandalay, which led to their current conversation.

"Midoriya, right?" Mandalay asked.

Izuku nodded. "Mhm."

Mandalay tilted her head, focusing a heavy gaze onto Izuku. "Hmm…"

"Um, is there something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. I'm just a bit curious, is all. I'm sensing multiple signals originating from you, a little under thirty, in fact. Though I suppose that those are just your bugs." She straightened herself out, clearing her throat. "You know of my quirk, correct?"

"Oh, yup! Telepath. It allows you to send messages to multiple peoples' minds at a time. You don't really have an upper limit, as you've slowly been growing your quirk over time. As of now, you can transmit to up to 300 people at a time. However, that's only when you're sending a single message, In the case of sending different messages to different people, you can send around twelve messages at a time."

"Right in one kid. And sheesh. Aizawa really wasn't kidding when he said to watch out with you. You really delve deep into people's quirks, don't you?"

"Oh! Well, um, thanks," Izuku stuttered. "I uh... really like the way you build up your quirk. I like the way most heroes improve themselves, but you especially. It's so cool that you just keep on improving day after day. And kinda with a quirk like my. Makes me know that I can still improve myself too"

"And that's what we're planning to do today with you, Midoriya," Mandalay smiled. "First things first. I hear that you can communicate with your bugs. Mind showing me?"

"Oh! Of course! Just give me a second." Izuku ordered a select few of the billions of bugs in their surroundings to gather near him. The bugs flew and buzzed together, forming a shapeless mass of biomass in the air. At Izuku's command, they shortly conjoined and formed themselves into something much more distinct. Before long, an exact shape and form of Izuku himself was standing by the original.. 

"What would you like me to do?"  came the voice, deep and monotone.

Mandalay rose an eyebrow in surprise. "I'm impressed. Such fine control and speed. It shows years of practice and training. I assume that you form sort of mental connection to your bugs, correct?"

"Yup. I can feel and control every single arthropod around me for three blocks. Or um… around fifteen percent of a mile in every direction, I suppose."

"Much more control than I do. Though I suppose it's just for bugs, after all. It's a good thing you can't do the same with people like I do. Anyways, there is one thing I'd like to work on. Something I would like to believe you have yet to attempt."  

"Something I haven't tried?"

"Mhm. It's like you said earlier about my quirk. While I have an immense capability to communicate to hundreds at once, it's much harder to relay different messages to different people all at once. We'll be working on something similar for you today, Midoriya."

"Multiple conversations?" Izuku asked himself. "Huh. I haven't even considered that. I just assumed that I wouldn't need it? I guess."

"Well, that's why we're here today. You'll find that being able to relay different messages all at once will be useful in many rescue situations. It saves time and cuts short any unnecessary communication time that takes away from rescue time. Any questions before we start?"

Izuku shook his head.

"Good. Then we'll start off with what I did to train my quirk. As we are both emitters and both our quirks stem off of mental communication, I believe that the exercises I went through will benefit you just as much." 

"I want you to strain yourself for starters. Try to find an upper limit to the amount of bugs you can control. When I first started off, I could only communicate with ten people or so. You'll find with practice that your quirk can greatly improve as long as that's all you focus on at the moment. Just connect to as many as you can ata time." 

"Okay. That doesn't seem to bad," Izuku admitted.

"And it isn't " Mandalay countered. "But there's still more. While you connect to as many as you can, try to do so with as much fine control as you demonstrated with your friend right there. "She pointed to the bug clone. " Then attempt as many complex actions as you can in as short an amount of time as you can. Talking and relaying messages, preferably."

"That's it?"

"For now. Part two will come afterwards. Just notify me with your bugs when you're ready. I'm off to help the others. Good luck!"

As Mandaaly walked away, Izuku began thinking up his next course of action. He needed to complete a complex action with as many bugs as possible. That was when he remembered his bug clone, which was still standing obediently still beside him. He had an idea form in his mind. 

"Well, let's try a giant bug clone then, shall we?"

Notes:

This one's a bit shorter and quietly uneventful this time, it looks like. But don't worry! We all know what comes next, don't we? The action will be all focused and centerfold the next time around. Hope to see you all then!