will you wait 'til it all burns down? || hxh x mha

Shōto Todoroki 6

After encountering both a native species of the Milsy Wetlands and yet another conversation with Hisoka, it was safe to assume that they managed to reach the second phase of the exam.

---

Running, although initially effortless, became monotonous rather quickly. And the wet grass of the Milsy Wetlands left his shoes uncomfortably damp. "Oh, great. It's another marathon." 403, the half-naked man with small round glasses exclaimed, leaving 404 to add, that running on wet grounds requires significantly more energy. That is likely the reason why Satotz chose this route. At least that's what Shōto thought. Their teacher, Aizawa, would have done this.

Bakugou, running next to him, audibly huffed in annoyance, fed up with whatever was irritating him at the moment. "We should hurry up. I want to be up close before those idiots lose sight of Funky Mustach." The blonde muttered, his red eyes shifting through not only the participants but also the misty landscapes. "You're right. The fog's getting thicker as we go." Shōto nodded in agreement before sharing a thought that had been on his mind for the past few minutes. "How do you think Satotz maintains his navigation?"

His blonde classmate let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes in annoyance, but then narrowed his eyes in thought. "It doesn't fucking matter at the moment. Worry more about those godforsaken animals here." Are they that much of an issue? Animals remain animals, and Shōto was pretty sure they were stronger than some wild beasts.

"Why? Those man-faced apes were rather... weak." Shōto nonchalantly remarked, lazily shrugging with one shoulder and leaving Bakugou to humourlessly snort. "They're intelligent. That's enough reason to keep your guard up, Icyhot."

It's not like Shōto would have been careless. However, considering Bakugou's words and his own observations... Yeah, the apes were surprisingly intelligent enough to play dead and even imitate human speech, but that's about all-

Oh.

Oh.

Shōto's eyes widen as the realization dawns on him, now understanding what Bakugou was warning him about. They were not merely mimicking speech; they were actively speaking, responding, and reacting to the participants' words. They were as intelligent as humans which was indeed very troublesome. And here he thought participants like Hisoka or Killua would be the most problematic when this world seems to hold more dangers than he first assumed.

"Hey, Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should all move up to the front of the pack!" A shout echoed from a short distance behind them, causing Bakugou to groan with mild irritation. That green-clad child, Gon, if Shōto wasn't mistaken. He was usually decent with names. "Killua? 99?" His classmate murmured to himself, and Shōto nodded in agreement, his mind still swirling around the trap the white-haired kid had set for him earlier. "A smart kid. Quite confident." – „Really." Bakugou questioned without actually questioning anything, annoyed and apathetic, as if Shōto had stated the obvious.

Leorio and Kurapika. Most likely, the other guys. The slender blonde and the half-naked older guy. Leorio, Kurapika, Killua, Gon, Satotz, Hisoka, and Tonpa. Shōto listed all the names in his mind. They are not quite the typical Japanese names, although they clearly weren't in Japan. Or Asia. Or anywhere he is familiar with.

Although something much more noteworthy was the everlasting and intensifying fog surrounding them. He couldn't determine which way they were going if he tried or actually had a plan about this place's geography. The participants running ahead of them appeared as dark, shadowy images, blurred by the mist, and it was unclear if they had lost sight of those in front of them. All the UA students could do was orient themselves to the pace and direction of strangers.