Savior (My Hero Academia: Todoroki x OC)

Chapter 60: A Walk With Disaster

The bus was mostly quiet as we departed for our destination. Everyone walked a fine line between restlessness and outright anxiety. Ms. Midnight and Mr. Cementoss were riding with us, trying their best to keep the atmosphere light.

"I'm sure you all will learn a lot from this special work study training. Make sure to follow instructions and give it your all," Ms. Midnight said with a soft smile.

Work study training. That's how they kept wording it. I didn't know if they were saying that to keep our involvement under wraps or if they were trying to ease our nervousness. If it was the latter, it wasn't working. We all knew that whatever was set to go down today was a big deal. There wasn't much use in trying to downplay it. 

I sat next to Kaminari, Sero on his other side, and made quiet conversation. Contrary to my previous thought, I also tried to keep things light-hearted and as close to normal as possible. There was nothing good that could come from an overly anxious Kaminari. He was a bit more fidgety than usual, but thankfully, Kirishima, Mina, and Kyoka were also on this bus. Combined with Sero and Mineta, their typical bantering served as a calming effect for everyone. It almost felt like we were normal teenagers on our way to a field trip. 

Eventually we arrived at our destination, sort of. The road we were on was next to a large forest and, every few minutes, the bus would stop on the side of the road. A few students at a time would exit to find their mentors waiting to lead them into the forest. I stepped off the bus alongside Shiozaki, with Mineta, Sero, and Kaminari following, when we saw Kamui Woods standing beneath the trees. We walked deep into the forest, meeting up with our classmates along the way. But my jaw dropped once we reached the final rendezvous point.

It was astonishing to see that many heroes all congregated together in one area. It didn't take long before the heroes headed to the front lines were moving away from those of us left behind. I held my fist out to Kaminari, and although he returned the gesture, the bump that met my fist was unenthusiastic.

Kirishima slapped both him and Tokoyami on the back with a "give 'em hell!" that seemed to perk both boys up a touch. As they walked alongside the scores of pro heroes, the rear guard was left to watch their backs. Once they were out of sight, Kyoka stuck her jacks in the ground, tracking their progress and relaying that information to the rest of us.

"They've slowed down considerably. I think they must have reached the edge of the woods."

"That means it's almost time. Get up, Grape Juice," Sero said while prodding at Mineta who had situated himself on a small boulder.

"Why?" he returned, waving the taller boy away from him. "The rear guard's job is just to catch any bad guys who slip past the front line. So getting all pumped up is actually kinda insulting to the pros, right?" he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. Shiozaki folded her hands, as if in prayer, perhaps pleading for her sanity. Several other members of class A glared in his direction. Sero's voice darkened considerably as he said, "get up."

"It's starting," the pro hero in charge of the backup team said.

"They're on the move," Kyoka affirmed.

Mineta finally stood as all the students began to congregate around Kyoka, waiting for her to update us.

"I'm not too worried about Tokoyami, but what about..." Kyoka trailed off, her eyes looking off into the distance as though imagining the sight.

"He'll be fine," Momo said confidently, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Momo's right," I said, hoping to relieve some of Kyoka's anxiety. "Chargebolt is an extremely reliable hero. He'll get the job done." Given what had happened over our time working together, my words were sincere and I knew Kyoka could tell, as she seemed to breathe a little easier.