29

Izuku shook his head, attempting to rid his mind of the flaring visions. They had mostly stopped by then, but the foreign images still come easily to the forefront of his mind.

Izuku doesn't even have a clue as to what they could mean, but he knows that he can't focus on them for now. They nearly spelled the end of the battle for him, causing him to be unable to fight back against Muscular as his mind was invaded by the images. 

Izuku looked down at the unconscious form of Kota, whose steady breathing tickled his arms. He looked back up to watch where he was going, using what bugs he could to spot potential allies or enemies.

Izuku let out a frustrated breath. "Why am I always getting into these situations?" he asked himself. "And in such a short amount of time in between too! And those random visions! No, no. Forget everything else. Just think about the now. Get Kota safe. Help the others. We'll be fine." He took a breath.

Izuku was so caught up with his own worries that he failed to notice the newer arrivals until it was too late. In an instant, two small forms pounced onto Izuku's from above. The surprise nearly caused Izuku to trip, but he stopped himself just in time, standing in place. It was only when he realized that the unknown projectiles were actually animals — and not an actual threat — that he relaxed.

"Oh, it's just more woodland creatures," Izuku whispered to himself in reassurance. He took a moment and then fully examined the squirrel and mouse duo that had found themselves on his shoulders.

Izuku could tell that the rodents weren't under his control, not even subconsciously. He couldn't sense them, not in the slightest bit. And while his sudden control over crustaceans may have been unusually spontaneous in its arrival, Izuku could at least know that he could feel them. The rodents weren't like that. Which begged the question: Why did they help?

"You guys helped Kota and I back there, didn't you?" Izuku asked. "Why… Why'd you do that?" 

Izuku didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe for the animals to start talking, or at least motion some sort of message with their tiny limbs. But of course, the animals didn't do any of that. They just dumbly looked at him.

"Right. Rodents. Simple rodents." And then there was more movement. "And…other animals." 

Izuku sighed. He finally noticed them with his bugs after he took a moment to monitor any movement originating from things smaller than a human. 

Hundreds, if not thousands of animals were moving in tandem with him. They surrounded Izuku like an irate angry mob would, erratically pacing and making small noises, pushing against one another with no concern for the other. They were all small mammals; from weasels and badgers, to things like rabbits or moles, and more commonly squirrels and rats. 

Izuku breathed in. And out. In. Out. Just like Setsuna had showed him. He wasn't sure how much more weirdness he could handle for one day, after all. So he looked. Used his bugs to find his next goal. 

When he was ready, he continued his sprint, aiming for the closest trustworthy person he could find. He ignored the consistent shuffle of the animals around him, and just ran. It took only a few minutes for Izuku to stumble upon a ragged and worried Aizawa, who looked at Izuku and the boy in his arms in concern.

"Midoriya," he said, his voice much more strained than usual. "What are you…" Aizawa blinked, but didn't say anymore.

Izuku felt the squirrel on his shoulder make a noise, almost like a chuckling sound. Izuku quickly looked over, but found the animal acting as before.

Izuku turned his attention back to his teacher. "Aizawa-sensei?"

No response. Izuku felt the mouse on his shoulder climb up onto his head. The animal stood on its hind legs, then began looking back and forth, as if scanning its surroundings. Izuku shook his head, but the animal didn't budge.

Izuku decided that whatever the animals were doing would have to be worried about later. He paced right into Aizawa's face. 

"Aizawa-sensei," he said. No response. Izuku lightly tugged on his teacher's sleeve. Still no response.

Izuku grumbled in frustration. "Sensei!" he yelled, jerking his body forward to support the abruptness of the call. Of course, Izuku was mindful of the animals on his body. He caught the mouse as it fell from his head, placing it back on his shoulder.

The sudden yell seemed to do it. Aizawa spurred from wherever his mind was, focusing his eyes back on his student. "Midoriya?"

Izuku sighed. "Aizawa-sensei, what was that?"

The man scrunched up his eyebrows. "What was what?"

Izuku took another breath. "Nevermind. Here." He held Kota out. Aizawa took the boy without question.

"You take Kota back somewhere safe," Izuku said. "I'll stick around out here still. I can still help with my bugs. Even if the sludge zones are limiting my capability to do so."

That statement really got Aizawa to react."Midoriya. You aren't in any condition to—"

"Go… Please," said the recently gathered swarm, rapidly forming right beside Izuku..

An irritated look appeared on Aizawa's face, his mouth opening to berate his student. But his mouth closed, and he sighed. "Fine. But I have a message for Mandalay."

"Sure," Izuku replied. "What is it?"

"Tell her to notify the rest of the students. They can fight if they must. It's a matter of survival."

Izuku nodded. "Of course, sensei. And don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Aizawa's face remained impassive, but somehow Izuku could tell Aizawa didn't believe him. Aizawa soon left, carrying Kota to safety. The animals followed too, the giant horde changing targets to the pro hero. Even the squirrel and mouse duo on Izuku's shoulders left him, leaving Izuku alone with his bugs.

"Are they following Kota? But that doesn't even make sense. Why would they even do that? Is it his quirk? Some sort of animal whisperer thing like Kota? But that doesn't— Water Hose—" Izuku stopped himself there. He took another deep breath.

"No. Later. Think about it later. Focus." And then he ran into the forest, forming a small swarm near the Pussycats so he could inform Mandalay of Aizawa's message.

And he furthered into the forest, moving towards his friends and classmates. He had a job to do, after all. He needed to help everybody else.

Izuku rested against a tree, taking a moment to rest. His energy was fading, and his adrenaline from the fight with Muscular was basically drained. Nonetheless, he used his bugs to scout out his surroundings to see who he could help. 

An unholy screech caught his bugs' attention, and they went on to find Tokoyami's Dark Shadow rampaging out of control. His bugs also noted Shoji, who was nearby. Izuku formed a small message out of his bugs in front of the boy, signaling that he was coming to help.

Izuku didn't see Shoji shaking his head to ward him off. He steadily left the control of his bugs stood up. A sharp pain struck his head at that moment, but it went away in a flash, almost as if it never occurred. 

Izuku shook his head, and went off in the direction of Shoji. Within a few minutes, he was at the scene. Shoji immediately grabbed Izuku, pulling him down in order to reduce his chance of being spotted.

One of Shoji's tentacles transformed into a mouth, moving itself right beside Izuku's ear. "I thought I said not to come!"

Izuku blinked in response. "You did?"

"Yeah. I thought that you could see with your bugs?"

"Oh. Sorry. I probably wasn't paying attention at that point. I… umm… I'm having thinking pains."

It was only then that Shoji took in the full sight of Izuku, seeing his many open wounds and the blood trails emanating from multiple parts of his body. Shoji instantly ripped some fabric around his shirt and began to wrap Izuku up, careful to not make too much noise lest he alert the shadowed beast nearby.

"How are you even able to stand?" Shoji questioned. "Let alone talk? Or control your bugs, for that matter?"

"My senses are just a bit blurry right now, is all," Izuku said. "I should be fine. I can barely even feel any of my injuries. Besides, it's not like I have a have a concussion or anything." Probably.

"Ah, sorry. That's partially myour fault. You'll be fine in a couple hoursdays."

Izuku stopped. He took another breath. "Just the visions. Lingering visions. Yeah. Visions," he whispered, repeating the mantra to himself.

"What was that?" Shoji asked, moving on to bandage Izuku's head. 

"Nothing. Nothing." Izuku used a small portion of his bugs to take a peek at raging shadow beast nearby. "What happened with Tokoyami?" Izuku asked.

"It was this guy with metallic teeth," Shoji informed him.

 "I lost one of my tentacles to him." It was only then that Izuku noticed the bleeding stump. "The chaos made Tokoyami lose control. The darkness of the forest didn't help to quell his quirk."

Izuku nodded. "I see." He sent his bugs out again, scanning his surroundings. 

Shoji finishes wrapping the last piece of cloth around Izuku's leg. "I'm going to carry you on my back, Midoriya," he says.

"What?" Izuku said, his eyes meeting Shoji's. "No, I'm fine. You don't need to burden yourself with me. Besides, I'll just slow you down."

"Midoriya, I really don't think you should still be running around in the condition you're in."

"I'll be fine."

Shoji looked over to the right, watching the rapidly forming swarm with uncertainty. "Right," he says.

Izuku's bugs notice a pillar of ice sprout out in the distance. "Don't worry," Izuku said. "I have a plan."

Izuku falters, nearly tripping. The clone does the same. If Shoji notices, he doesn't say anything. And despite his insistence, Izuku wouldn't allow Shoji to use his back for transportation. 

The two of them are nearly to the clearing where Todoroki is fighting Moonfish (as Izuku readily identified). Tokoyami is right behind, Dark Shadow chasing the hastily put together bug clone Izuku had set up.

When Shoji and Izuku break the clearing, they spot the surprised looks of Todoroki and Bakugo.

"Midoriya?" Todoroki questioned, looking him up and down. "Are you alright?"

"Nevermind me," Izuku stammers. "We need light! Fire! You too Bakugo."

Bakugo looks incredulous. "What did you—" He doesn't have time to respond, as suddenly the massive tendrils of Moonfish's teeth are dashing toward them. Thankfully for them, however, the enormous claw of Dark Shadow intercepts the attack and knocks the villain back.

"That's why we need the light! Tokoyami's quirk is out of control! We need to calm it down!"

Todoroki nods, igniting a flame in his hand; that is, before Bakugo stops him. The gathered four watch as Moonfish rises again, but just as abruptly falls as Dark Shadow lashes out at him, knocking the villain unconscious. Bakugo and Todoroki then light up their quirks, returning the control back to Dark Shadow back to Tokoyami.

As the shadowy mass rescinds back into his body, Tokoyami glances at the other four. "Thank you, all," he says. He and Shoji have a brief talk, and then it's back to what comes next.

The five of them eventually decide to start making their way back towards the lodge, helping anyone they could as they went. It was quiet for a good amount of time. Bakugo was up front leading with keen, violent eyes. Izuku and Shoji were doing their best to monitor their surroundings given the limited visibility of a darkened forest, while the others stood guard ready to defend at a moment's notice.

That was what lead to the girl atop of Uraraka being blasted off by one of Bakugo's blast, her body colliding with a tree. However, it seemed that she was more sturdy than it seemed, given how quickly she recovered from the impact.

When she stood and faced the newcomers, however, Izuku grew shock still. His eyes met the villain's face, and he saw an eerily familiar, vindictive smile and sharp, lovesick eyes.

The villain's eyes, too, lit up in recognition, and Izuku knew that she knew. Somehow, she knew that it was him that she met in that alley. She knew that he was gallivanting around as a vigilante.

Her eyes morphed into an even more lovestruck state than they were before. "It's you!"

Time stopped that moment. Then the other students looked between the two, trying to gauge the situation.

Izuku panicked, stuttering his words in an attempt to keep his cover a secret. "You— You—"

But Izuku didn't have the time to respond back. One of the clouds of wretched stench moved, and suddenly two more figures were in the clearing.

"Why hello everybody," the first villain articulated with an open gesture. He was completely covered from head to toe: a yellow overcoat with red gloves, white boots, a top hat, and a white and black patterned mask. "I hope everyone's night has been an eventful one?" he asked. 

The other villain beside him laughed a wet, deep laugh. His body — if you could call it that — was comprised entirely of sludge. As was, what to most seemed to be a perpetually melting slurry stood beside the other villain, bellowing a creepy, echoing laugh.

The other villain, the girl still trapped against the students, beamed. "Ah! You guys came!"

"Of course, Miss. Toga!" the masked one said. "I will always aid a companion in trouble."

The heroes in training didn't dawdle with the villains arrival, taking the small reprieve to ready. They all stood, each facing one villain or another, waiting for the moment the villains would strike.

"Now now, we don't need any of that, do we?" coaxed the masked villain asked.

Bakugo growled, small explosions erupting from his hands. "And why shouldn't we?! Give me one good reason not to pound you face in!"

The villain chuckled, a sound much more friendly than his comrade who stood beside him. "A feisty one, are you? Well, no matter. My name is Mr. Compress. My colleagues and I have a simple goal tonight. But of course, I'll spare you the details." With a swipe of his hands, four marble sized orbs appeared in between his fingers. "On with the show!"

The orbs hit the ground, rolling innocently on the forest floor until they come to a halt. Those who had dodged the projectiles and jumped away looked at the orbs confused. But then the girl — Toga, apparently — lunged forward, and smoke began to billow out of the orbs at a rapid rate.

The students scattered, unable to see and unable to properly fight without risk of friendly fire. The sentient sludge laughed even more, the squelches of his wet, heavy footfalls joining in on the chaos. Very few facts otherwise were used for fear of knocking the wrong person out. 

Izuku suddenly finds himself alone in the smoke, turning left and right in search friend or foe. The sludge monster's remnants are everywhere now, pieces of him trailing the surrounding area and slaughtering all the bugs that come close. He doesn't know where his friends are, and he even more worriedly doesn't know where the villains are.

And then, everything's silent. None of his classmates speak, no laughter from the villainous girl, and none of the heavy squelching that indicated the mutation quirked individual.

And Izuku finds himself too slow to react. He sees the marble too late. It transforms into a knife midway to its destination, plunging itself into Izuku's shoulder. Another blow comes from behind. He feels the weakened bugs on his head crushed into his scalp as the rock bangs against the back of his head. 

Izuku grunts in pain, and he suddenly finds himself unable to hold himself up any longer. Simply too much trauma on his body in too little time. He gives in. His vision blurs.

" Ah shit! Your shoulder's been hit again! That probably isn't good for— Hey hold up! Izuku! Don't—"

He didn't know how long the darkness had enveloped him, but when he came to he felt slight jerking of someone gently shaking his body. 

He blinked his eyes open, and the slight bobbing of short brown hair entered his vision. The figure was holding what seemed to be a handkerchief over her mouth, but the familiarity of her upper face was enough for Izuku to determine who it was.

"Izuku!" Uraraka said, relieved. She slowly helped him up to a standing position. She then held out a hand, a piece of cloth dangling down from her fingers.

"Here, take this," she said. "It'll help with the smell."

It was only as his mind caught up to his senses that he registered the stench. He immediately went to grab the offered cloth and put it over his mouth.

"What happened?" he coughed.

"It was that sludge guy," Uraraka supplied. "He starting lobbing his sludge ball things around. They really stink, huh?"

Izuku nodded. The rigid movement incited something else, however. Izuku grabbed his head, the pounding still riddling his mind.

"You good?" Uraraka asked, standing vigilant for anyone.

"Yeah…" Izuku said, the pain subsiding. "What happened? Where is everyone?" He narrowed his eyes, attempting to look further into the forest. It didn't help much; his senses were still a bit muddled, and he'd need Uraraka to help him along to safety.

"They all split off. That magician and the sludge man caused us to separate. They probably didn't notice that they left us behind. But I guess that it was kind of a good thing that I sort of got lost. I found you, after all!"

"Yeah… Thanks, Uraraka," he sniffled. The horrible stench still seeped through the cloth — just a bit — but it was still bearable. Only just.

"I sort of need your help guiding me back." He took a step forward and stumbled. Uraraka grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying his stance. "My mind hurts… a lot. And all of the bugs in the gas are dead. Even the ones in my hair."

Uraraka nodded. "Don't worry!" She took his arm, starting to walk forward. "I'm pretty sure they went this way. We just need to be careful not to be spotted by someone we wouldn't want to be seen by."

They walked forward, entering the treeline and leaving the clearing into the unknown.

"I'm really glad that you're alright, Izuku!" She took a glance at him, her smile shining brightly. "I don't know what I would have done if you had died."

Izuku blinked. "Oh, um, thanks. I guess?"

"Mhm! You know, I was sorta just— Duck down!"

Izuku followed her order without question, allowing her to force him down behind a bush. Izuku held his breath, listening carefully to the footsteps as they crunched against the forest floor. 

Two sets, he noticed. One with a large gait and another with smaller, much lighter steps. Probably those villains that were fighting the Pussycats, then. 

As they approached, Izuku noticed that they were talking. Their voices were low, filled with urgency and a slight tone of irritance. Unfortunately, they were just outside the range of being able to understand what was being said.

A few more moments, and the footsteps faded into the forest. Uraraka had him wait just a minute more, just to be safe. Before long, they got up and continued on their path.

Izuku was silent from then on, listening carefully to his surroundings. He was much too frightened by the off chance that someone could sneak up on them. However, ii didn't seem that Uraraka shared his thoughts.

"You know…" she began, "I don't really understand."

Izuku flinched a bit at her voice, still paranoid over the prospect of an ambush further on. But then again, Uraraka had her full senses (except smell), unlike him. He supposed that if she thought it was safe, then they could make small talk.

"Understand what?" he asked

"Oh, you know~" she chirped. "It's just… You spent a whole semester at school around such wonderful girls, and yet none of them have even been crushing of you!"

That certainly wasn't what he was expecting to come out of Uraraka's mouth. Still, he supposed conversation was better than reeling alone in his mind with all those visions. So, he prepared an inquisitive response to Uraraka's observation.

"Umm…"

"I mean, sure. There's some aspects of reverence and companionship among a certain few of them. But then a good load of that is also filled with some inkling of fear too!"

Uraraka turned, her face meeting to face Izuku's a bit too closely than he was comfortable with. "You really know how to woo 'em, don't you?"

"Umm…"

Uraraka turned away from him in a blur, and she continued leading him to their destination.

"I'm just so glad that I came, you know?" she continued with an upbeat to her voice. "I mean, when I heard that you were going to be here, I just had to come! And just look at you now! You're so tattered and bloody and just—" she ended her spiel with a rather emotive squeal.

Izuku shook his head. He was fairly sure that he was hallucinating now. Uraraka's personality was way off from what he was used to, even if he wasn't as close to her as some others. But he personally believed that he could tell what a normal Uraraka would be acting like. He thought that maybe it was the gas, causing some sort of mental disruption for him, or maybe even Uraraka.

"Uraraka, I don't really get what you're sayi—"

"Here we are!" she exclaimed, pulling Izuku out into another clearing. Izuku was wrenched out of the trees, Uraraka placing him in front of herself.

What he saw wasn't the sight he was expecting. Instead of familiar faces, instead of friends, instead of heroes, instead of safety — he finds villains. The sludge man. The marble magician. And another he hasn't seen yet, wearing a sleek black costume.

"Aren't you guys happy? I got him!" 

Izuku froze. That voice was familiar. He turned around and found Uraraka replaced with a girl. It was her again; the girl he recognized with clarity due to his encounter with her in that alley, not so long ago. The sense of dread slowly rose from his stomach.

"Don't worry, Izuku!" She leaned in, her face right in front of his. Izuku gulped, reaching for any bugs nearby. Another pain shot in his head.

A knife shot out, but instead of initiating a cut, the blade caught a droplet of blood that was about to fall from Izuku's chin. The girl smiled appreciatively, and licked the blood clean off of her knife. She let out a small giggle. "We can have our fun later…"

He felt himself shrinking, and everything went dark.

Notes:

Being Izuku is suffering. Really, I only just noticed how bad Izuku has it in this chapter and the last. He was beaten up pretty badly, wasn't he? Ah well. As it is if one wishes to find conflict.

On another note, next chapter! I'm going with something a little different for the next one, so be ready for that.

'TIl then! Ta-ta!