Something Different

29: Unwelcomed Visitors

A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while. Guess you didn't expect me to suddenly come back, right? Anyway, here's a chapter I wrote a while ago but never posted. I haven't really touched it since then, nor have I touched any book in a while, so it may be a little scuffed. Let me know if you're really enjoying this fanfic and would like to see more.

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The stars are out in numbers, shining their bright luminescence among the black of night. The air is cold, but not to the level of being cold enough to kill someone. It is the kind of cold that can almost make you feel numb. The air is pure and crisp, the sky is clear and there is no moon. The night is quiet and still.

Izuku watched from the back of the line, waiting to enter the forest in which horrors will take place. No, he wasn't talking about class 1-B in the guise of scare actors. He was talking about the unwelcomed visitors that would arrive at any minute. The plan was simple—Katsuki would provide assistance to their classmates, and Izuku would rescue Kota.

Izuku was familiar with Muscular and his Quirk—he could somewhat remember his strengths and weaknesses, which included his brash personality. He disliked Muscular in his previous life because he could see the resemblance between him and Katsuki. But Izuku knew better in this life. Muscular and Katsuki couldn't be more different.

The grass beneath Izuku's feet felt rotten as it felt as if he was walking into a graveyard. He ignored the sensation and pushed forward, his partner, Aoyama, behind him. As expected, Aoyama was jittery and easily startled. But his behaviour wasn't because he was scared of class 1-B.

No, Aoyama knew that there would be blood spilled that day.

Izuku's frown deepened, but he couldn't help the rise of excitement within him. Unlike Aoyama's fears, none of the students were going to die. In fact, it was the villains' blood that will be spilled instead.

The first explosion tore through the calm like a gunshot in a cathedral. Screams echoed from deeper within the forest, and Izuku knew the moment had arrived. The League had made their move.

He pivoted on his heel, ignoring Aoyama's shriek behind him. His eyes burned a trail into the shadows ahead, his senses sharpened. He could hear the crackling of flames licking at wood, the crash of impact, and the distant roar of something feral—no, someone feral. Muscular was already on the move. Too fast. Too soon. That meant Kota was in danger.

"Aoyama," Izuku's voice was cold and clipped, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Run back to camp. Do not stop. If anyone blocks your path—blast them. Got it?"

"I–I–Midoriya, what's going on?!" Aoyama stammered, panic rising in his throat.

Izuku didn't turn around. "Tell Aizawa. The League is here. This is not a drill."

Without waiting for an answer, Izuku disappeared into the trees, his body thrumming with power. One For All surged through his veins like liquid lightning, but not the gentle current he'd shown in school. No, this was the unrestrained kind—flaring red and angry, coiling around his limbs like burning chains.

He moved like a ghost—silent and swift—until he reached the cliffside. There, just as he remembered, was the old training lookout... and below it, the rocky gorge where Kota had taken to hiding. Izuku dropped into a crouch and scanned the area.

There he was. Kota stood rigid against the edge of the rock, his arms curled around himself. His wide, terrified eyes locked on something approaching from the other side of the clearing. A hulking figure emerged from the shadows, muscles coiling unnaturally beneath stretched flesh, a wide grin on his face and a low chuckle rumbling from his chest.