Saiki's Disastrous Life at UA High

Chapter 80- Illusions

Kaminari leads the way through the forest, struggling to remember exactly where he had been attacked. Nendo was no help, simply following aimlessly while mumbling about ramen. The group of Midoriya, Kirishima, Bakugo, Kaminari, and Nendo had not asked for permission before running off in search of the stray villain. It was in the back of Midoriya's mind, but his adrenaline was still high, and he was bent on returning Saiki safely. The first step to do that was to capture the villain that knows the most about the boy; he probably knows more about him than any of Saiki's classmates.

"Are you positive it was around here?" Kirishima asks. His voice is on the edge of being annoyed, but his overwhelming everyday positivity keeps it from being too noticeable. Bakugo balls his hands into fists when Kaminari's brow curves into a look of confusion. The explosive blonde's nails dig crescent moons into his palms as he bites his tongue to stop him from yelling at his yellow-haired classmate. He's fully aware that Kaminari is doing his best. It's dark and the boy was nearly killed; Bakugo is actually impressed with his willingness to come back out here.

"Why the hell aren't you helping?" Bakugo growls at Nendo, deciding to take out some of his anger on the big oaf instead of his 'friend'. Nendo tilts his head, narrowing his eyes and nearly teleporting to a small area on the edge of the path the boys were following. His eyes stare intently at a single blade of grass. After a few moments he stands up again, his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"The beetle is gone," he pouts, his lips puffed out like a child. Bakugo fumes at this, his anger nearly spilling over. Saiki was kidnapped and Nendo is upset that a stupid bug is gone? Bakugo resists the urge to smack Nendo when he sees Kaminari out of the corner of his vision. The teen perks up at Nendo's words, vaguely remembering the conversation Aizawa had had with Nendo while he was coming in and out of unconsciousness.

"You mean the one you were watching while we were waiting for Aizawa?" Kaminari pries, causing his classmates to turn Nendo expectantly. Nendo nods, his eyes still upset at the loss of his buggy friend.

"You're sure?" Midoriya question, his eyes lighting up just a bit when Nendo nods again, confused by the sudden importance the bug has on everyone. Maybe they want a friendly beetle bud like Nendo does. Probably not though.

"He has to be somewhere around here!" Kaminari insists, his face bright as the teens begin to split up, remaining close enough to have back up if something happens but far enough apart to cover plenty of land in the dark. They start in a circle and walk apart from each other, their eyes struggling to remain focused in the shadowed forest. Midoriya pauses when he hears a faint sound, looking around to ensure his classmates aren't near enough to be the source. He cautiously walks forward, unable to alert his teammates but unwilling to let whatever is before him go.

"Please gather around! We need to make sure everyone is accounted for!" Pixie-Bob cheers, trying and failing to keep the mood light. The hero course stumbles into two small groups, class A and B remaining separated so their homeroom teachers can count them easily. Vlad King nods in approval at his students, glad that no one is missing. He had been worried about them.

"Where are they?" Aizawa narrows his eyes, noticing that a fair amount of his students are absent from the huddle. He had just rescued Kaminari and Nendo; why aren't they here? And Midoriya, Kirishima, and Bakugo had been safe but now they're gone? Aizawa scans his class and asks again, his voice harsh as worry grips him. If the kids went after that villain by themselves, they could easily get hurt. His class shakes their heads in confusion, Hairo and Iida quickly counting heads for themselves. 30 percent of their classmates are missing.

"We have to go find them!" Hairo gasps, his quirk causing a faint glow around his being. The class nods in agreement, his quirk overtaking their rationale.

"No. You stay here, where it's safe." Aizawa demands, causing the class to back down like terrified puppies. "If I come back and one of you is missing, there will be consequences."

Bakugo freezes when he hears the shuffling of leaves. His first thought is that the villain was nearby, but he is proven wrong when he sees Midoriya's dark green hair through the trees. Bakugo tchs in annoyance, though his gaze doesn't leave the boy. He narrows his eyes at Midoriya's movements; he's clearly heading in a direction without searching like he's supposed to be doing. Bakugo decides to walk to where the boy's gaze is planted, sure that he has discovered something. As they near each other, Midoriya notices Bakugo, nodding in thanks for his backup. Bakugo ignores this, continuing forward until another sound pierces through the quiet night. A meow.

"Shhh! Stupid thing..." Kusuke hisses, batting away the small orange creature. This only causes the cat to meow louder, wanting to be pet and worshipped. "Go away!" Kusuke whispers louder, the desperation in his voice only making the cat meow again. Midoriya widens his eyes when he recognizes the voice.

"That's him" He mouths to Bakugo, glad that the moon is bright enough to illuminate his face. Bakugo nods, his jaw clenching. He can't just attack all willy-nilly. They have to catch this guy. However, when Nendo suddenly comes crashing into the area, his eyes shining as he lunges for the cat, Bakugo and Midoriya have no choice but to pounce as well, their target being the villain. To their surprise, on the other side of the bush that had separated them, the blonde is on all fours, one hand in a puddle of mud while his face twists in disgust. Bakugo doesn't hesitate to jump on him, pushing his head into the mud as he leans into the villain.

"You're not getting away."

Aizawa turns away from his class to search for the missing few, but there's no need when they appear from the underbrush. Kirishima and Bakugo are holding onto a teenager whose green eyes gleam with mischief through his shaggy blonde mop. Nendo is holding tightly to a small orange creature, fiddling with its red bandana. When the cat sees Mandalay, he wriggles out of Nendo's grasp, running up to her and purring loudly.

"That was very stupid of you," Aizawa growls, though he's more proud than angry, so he doesn't punish the bunch. He instead grabs Kusuke's arm, ripping him from Kirishima and Bakugo's grasp. Tiger quickly appears with handcuffs; they aren't power dampening but they'll work. Kusuke scans the clearing, a smirk forming as he notices the lack of pink.

"So, you didn't manage to save my brother, eh?" He sneers, his voice abnormally cheerful as his hands are connected via a metal chain. Bakugo flinches, his muscles tensing as he watches Kusuke closely. The villain smiles, tilting his head. "Don't worry, they may want to kill him, but without me, they won't be able to." Bakugo jumps forward, his eyes filled with murderous intent, though he's stopped by Aizawa's scarf.

"Calm yourself. He's already captured," Aizawa points out, loosening his grip on his scarf when Bakugo relaxes slightly.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Kusuke announces, casually pulling the handcuffs off, waving the opened pair mockingly as a hairpin drops to the dirt. "I'm smarter than you might think," he adds, walking into the woods once more. Aizawa, Tiger, Bakugo, and Kirishima all charge him, but when they grasp for his figure it vanishes as if it were never truly there.