The Art of the Hunt

Welcome to the Bayou

Izuku was enjoying the flight home. After their time at Allmight Park in Florida, it was nice to go on vacation, especially after what Katsuki said. Jump and pray for a quirk in your next life... what were you thinking, Katsuki? What if I did that...? Death is not an escape... His thoughts were interrupted as the plane light flickered... gently at first, but then faster, faster... and more violently. Everyone noticed as it started to rock, rougher as time went on. The speakers blared. "Please get into emergency landing positions. Attention all Passengers, Brace for Impact!"

The crash was just as sudden as the warning, causing Izuku to be knocked unconscious.

When he woke up, half the plane was submerged in marshy water. He turned to his mother, who had her skull cracked open, some brains leaking into the water. Oh god... mom... I need to get out of here! Unbuckling the seat belt, he carefully moved through the cabin, making his way towards the tail end emergency door. It was still locked. Nobody else must have survived... The sounds he heard outside unnerved him, however. They were like zombies, shuffling among the mud and bushes. However, he heard wet noises, with bodies hitting the floor. Afraid, he crouched on the floor, not wanting to move, in case that thing found him. His fears would be realized when the latch on the door started to move... Izuku's breath hitched with fear as it was pulled open slowly.

But when it was open, he was met with an angelic figure; a beautiful woman wearing old western-style clothes, including the wide brimmed hat... but she also pointed a revolver straight at him.

Freezing, he could only stare up at her. This was something out of a comic book, where the wild west still was in its prime. Or, at least one of the older ones about it. Gulping out of fear, he tried to speak, nearly embarassing himself in the process. "Uh... hello?"

Looking at him, she narrowed her eyes, as if discerning intent. After a few precious seconds, she decided he was safe to be around, and searched the rest of the cabin. "Are there any survivors within this..." She searched for the right word, before settling on a phrase instead, "...metal bird?"

Did she not know what an airplane was? That was confusing. They'd been around since before quirks. Now?  This made him think he somehow got transported back in time. Perhaps even by a really powerful quirk. But... that could be put aside, for now. Now, though, he needed to survive. Looking around, Izuku came to the realization, a horrifying one. That he was alone. Even his mother was too still, too cold, to be alive. Weakly, he replied, "No? Just me, I think."
She started to wave him out of the vehicle. "Alright, we need to get you out of here..." But, bullets barked out, hitting the metal near her head. Her reactions were instantly on high alert, same with the greenette. Shoving him back into the plane, the woman started. "Shit, stay in there until I say so!" She quickly slammed the door shut and leaped over the hull of the plane. Bullets rang out, the engagement lasting a whole 30 seconds. He could hear a scream as one man got hit, and then another fell after a few more seconds. Silence rang out for another 30 seconds before the woman, who he feared had died as well, albiet quietly, called out. "Alright kid, it's safe! For now..."

Izuku quickly exited the plane, and moved to her position, in and amongst the trees. It was clear that this place was very much not safe, and that she could be trusted. 

She smiled at that, before immediately asking him something concerning. "Good, you know that I'm safe... You have weapons training?"
He was from Japan. Their laws heavily limited firearms, and only villains would use them anyways. Heroes only needed... quirks... which he didn't have. Even still, acquiring a firearm legally was basically impossible if you weren't a part of the government, so that was a definite: "No...?"
Shaking her head, the woman nearly laughed at his ineptitude, but decided that this wasn't the time for that. "That can be fixed. C'mon, extraction is to the northeast. I have a bounty, so people are after me, and we have to keep moving. Clear?"
Eyes wide, Izuku agreed, understanding completely. He didn't know what kind of person this was, but knew that she was his best chance of getting out of this alive... even if he was indebted. To be honest, she didn't seem so bad at the current moment... which could, of course, change. "Crystal."

She grinned at that. "Follow my lead." She ran to the next copse of trees, and Izuku followed, making their way through the marsh. Crossing water, running through forests... Izuku was ragged by the time she slowed down. "Almost there. Let me check for other hunters first... there are two. I'm going to try to flank. Stay here. Take this..." She gave Izuku a revolver. One from the people she just fought back agaisnt, if he were to guess. "Pull the hammer back, point and shoot. Don't ever point it at me. Got it?"
He nodded. "Right..."

She snuck away, leaving as little noise as possible. He heard something approaching, so he leaned his back against a tree, waiting for them to arrive. The footsteps grew louder... and louder... The woman walked past his hiding spot, shotgun at the ready. Izuku accidentally stepped on a twig, which made her turn to him. Before she could fire, Izuku fired the borrowed revolver, hitting her in the head, killing her instantly. Another gunshot sounded after that, followed by a shout of pain and another body hitting the floor. The woman who saved him rounded the corner, and looked at him, who was still shell shocked at what he'd just done.

The first genuine bit of praise escaped from her lips as she relaxed, her serious expression melting into a smile. "Good job."

As he breathed, the adrenaline of the near death experience wearing off, he felt power rush into him. It felt like the effect of a power up quirk, but at the same time, a light presence. Izuku wasn't sure how to describe it. "What... what just happened?"
The woman asked, as if knowing what he was experiencing. "You feel a rush of power?"
Nodding, Izuku's emerald eyes met her own dark ones. "Yeah..."
"Looks like you took her wellspring. Good on you. C'mon, we have to go."
He nodded. Now wasn't the time to ask questions. Whatever a wellspring was, it was good. And that was good enough for now.

She outright stated, looking at the woman's corpse. "Take her weapons, and money. You'll need both. Give me my revolver back."
That surprised him. So it wasn't another person's revolver, but her own. "Ok..." He gave the revolver, and picked up her weapons. A Winchester lever-action, and a different revolver.

Her voice, ever harsh, made it clear that this was their ticket out. "Time to leave."

He followed her silently to the horse drawn wagon. They were skittish, which made sense. People shooting guns all over the place would do that for anyone, never mind the horses. Getting in, the driver spurred the horses to action, leaving the swamp, and the danger behind... for now.