Something Different

28: Treacherous Training

It was suspicious the moment Eraserhead told them to leave their baggage on the bus. Izuku shared a cautious look with Yaoyorozu, who seemed to have found something strange about this as well. Eraserhead had instructed them to leave the bus without their belongings. If that mountainside really was their campsite, then shouldn't they be setting up?

It didn't make sense.

Something clicked in Izuku's head as soon as the Wild, Wild Pussycats introduced themselves. Didn't one of their members have the ability to control soil? Ah, right—her hero name was Pixie-Bob. As Mandalay introduced herself, Izuku watched Pixie-Bob closely. She seemed to be... reaching toward the ground?

Wait a second.

"Fuck, it's a trap!" One For All thrummed in his veins as he activated it. He attempted to scurry off, but his Quirk was abruptly cut off. Izuku's eyes immediately snapped toward Eraserhead, but he hadn't time to glare as the ground beneath his feet seemingly liquefied.

In an instant, the entire class 1A was forced down a mountain. Izuku managed to grab onto a tree branch, but someone else suddenly knocked into him, resulting in the both of them faceplanting onto the ground. He grunted as he got up, shoving the person away. It turned out to be none other than Aoyama.

"If you can reach the other side of the mountain before sunrise, you might just be able to eat dinner!" Mandalay shouted from above. The instructors and Eraserhead chuckled evilly as they returned to the bus and drove to the campsite. Goddamned sadists.

"So if we don't manage to make it, we aren't allowed to eat...?" Uraraka uttered in horror.

"UA has an abundance of insane professors," Izuku ran his fingers through his hair, which was covered in dirt from their earlier fall. Ugh, and he had washed it beforehand, too. "Well, it seems like we have no choice but to complete the task at hand."

"All we have to do is make it through the forest, right?" Hagakure said rather confidently. "Then it shouldn't be too much of a hassle!"

Just as she uttered those words, a monster larger than a tree rose from the ground, covered in mud and grime. Hagakure just had to jinx it. Fate was truly cruel.

"Everyone!" As usual, Yaoyorozu took charge almost immediately. She was a capable leader who knew exactly how to react in dire situations. It seemed that she had regained her former pride after the final exams. "Pixie-Bob's Quirk allows her to manipulate soil to her will! Don't engage in battle unless necessary, and prioritise crossing to the other side of the forest!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Ponytail!" Kacchan, quick-witted as always, charged into battle with the first dirt monster he encountered. A singular explosion completely obliterated the monster, showing the gap in strength between Kacchan and the minion. A vicious grin adorned his face. "I'll blow all of them to bits."

"You're too hasty, Kacchan!" Izuku berated exasperatedly, before jumping into battle with him. He couldn't leave an ally alone, even if they were being reckless. The rest of class 1-A followed, motivated by the tenacity of the pair. Yaoyorozu could only sigh as the entire class ignored her earlier suggestion and proceeded to attack every monster in sight. She smiled fondly.

According to Mandalay, they were supposed to reach the end of the forest before afternoon... But the class barely crawled up the hill at dusk. They were smeared in dirt and sweat, their limbs shaking as though it was winter. Izuku was better off than the majority of his classmates. He had suffered trials more difficult than this one when he had trained under All For One.

"You guys took longer than expected, but your performance was commendable!" Mandalay exclaimed as if she didn't have a bunch of students near death in front of her. Her smile widened as she made eye contact with four particular students—Izuku, Kacchan, Todoroki and Kirishima. "Especially you four!"