Riddles and Riots

.:One Step Closer:.

The nighttime fog tucked the sleeping valley under a blanket of mist. Creeping like mice under soggy forest leaves, a hoard of cloaked figures treaded the undergrowth at Overhaul's command. Nobody spoke a word.
Among them was a very large and masculine man, sporting a plague mask similar to the rest of the rebels, made of torn black fabric and steel. His light orange wings twitched with anticipation, on his head tangerine horns coiled like a goat's out of lighter orange hair. Steel gauntlets and gloves gripped his large hands, itching for a fight.
Not far, Overhaul stood frozen in his spot, eyes closed as he listened to the sounds of the forest. After holding his breath for an inhumane amount of time, his destination was finally found, guided by a thick red aura that pay no mind to the fog. His target was miles away, but that didn't matter. He'll catch up eventually.
He opened his eyes and looked to where the large hybrid waited. He was lucky to have acquired one among the many who chose to follow. He had no interest in bonding to him, though he would admit the beast had an incredible strength that was unparalleled to any dragon he'd seen, aside from the Ruby. He will surely come in handy.
          Having his new route laid before him, Overhaul led his followers deeper into the trees, completely unaware of what followed. Like shadows themselves, Shigaraki and his team perched precariously on a cliffside, out of sight, watching the tamer's every move.

                                     .••.••.

"Incoming!"
Deku leapt into the air as a huge wooden club came crashing down between him and Tokoyami. A burly green troll roared and bared its misshapen canines. At Bakugo's demand, the group of eight scattered in all directions between the mountain pines.
Sero slid beneath its legs and cast his ribbons, holding tight to its arms. Behind him, Dark Shadow lift Tokoyami into the sky, growing as large as a pegasus, and sprout talons and bird-like wings from their back. He caught the club as it swung toward his teammates.
"Todoroki!" Deku called. The heir obliged, twisting his foot for a wide spread attack, freezing its feet to the ground in a pillar of ice.
Another roar sounded from just outside a nearby cave. Another troll, riding atop a purple skinned Terra, swung an entire tree at Bakugo as he propelled himself forward. Barely skimming the bark, he readied his fists to counter. Both beasts recoiled from his light, just as a hard punch landed on the back of the troll's head.
Kirishima grinned as bright as the sun, dodging the swipe of the Terra's claw. However, he stopped abruptly, spotting something quite peculiar beneath the dragon's arm. A single green scale clashed against the rest of dark purple, different in both size and shape compared to the others. The longer he stared, the more an abnormal feeling stirred inside him, as if a ghost whispered warnings to stay away. He wanted to get a better look but the dragon slammed its thick tail next to him, snapping him back to the task at hand.
"DIE!" Bakugo swung from the treetops, spreading fire all over the troll's upper body. It lost its balance and rolled off the dragon's back, crashing against the mountainside. The stones at the top of the cliff shook loose and tumbled toward them.
"Look out!" Red flashed in Bakugo's peripheral, and the next thing he knew he was shoved down the dirt slope. He reached for Kirishima's outstretched hand but the rockslide swallowed him whole.
           "IDIOT!" Bakugo scrambled for the pile but the troll quickly swung its tree between them. Now sweltering with anger, Bakugo propelled himself into the air, throwing explosion after explosion until the beast's weapon was nothing more than a pile of ash and sticks.
It examined its now useless weapon, tossing it aside and charging the prince's position. Its stubby fingers grabbed at him, but Kaminari, Iida, and Mina leapt into the fray, stealing the troll's attention.
          "We got this! You take the dragon!" Kaminari's arms danced with electricity.
          "Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugo whirled to face the soft bodied lizard. It ignored everyone else as it hissed and prodded at the rocks. A muffled yelp came from beneath the shifting stones.
          Bakugo blast forward, cracking his blazing heel against its skull. Surprised, it snapped at the slayer as he landed, only to receive a hundred painful explosions to the face.
          "Go back to hell, useless pink demon!"
          "Uh, rude!" Mina shouted back, highly offended.
          He ignored her and cornered the beast against the cliff wall, refusing to stop even as it cried, until it slammed its paws down and dove into the earth. The dirt churned around him as it burrowed down the hill.
          Elsewhere, once his teammates dragged the green giant to the ground, Deku raced in for the finishing kick. As soon as it went limp against the cold earth, a purple dragon breached the ground, with Bakugo hot on its tail. The barbarian sunk his sword into its shoulder and held tight as it thrashed about.
          "Hold on, Kacchan!" Deku revved with power and jumped fearlessly into the chaos. The earth spun like a vortex at their feet.
          "The hell do you think I'm doing?! Go away! This bastard's mine!"
          Before Deku could be of any use, Bakugo heaved himself on top of the slimy dragon's neck, tearing out his sword only to plunge straight back in. The reptile gurgled weakly but refused to fall. It rolled onto its back, throwing Bakugo off and burrowing back into the ground. It fled down the mountain and out of sight.
          "Damn it!" Though Bakugo wanted to give chase, he unwillingly spun on his heel and raced back up the hill. He passed his teammates as they downed the last troll all the way back to the rock slide, just in time to see Kirishima spring free at the top.
          "I lived! Take that, mountain!" He proclaimed proudly, only to trip and tumble off the pile. He landed clumsily at Bakugo's feet.
          "Dumbass! You're so fucking stupid!" Bakugo grabbed the back of Kirishima's vest and heaved him to a stand. He caught sight of the bloody gash on Kirishima's arm, clocking the back of his spiky red head. "Get your arm patched before I blow the whole thing off!"
          Kirishima looked at his arm with wide eyes. He didn't even know it was there. "Whoops, I'll try to avoid the falling rocks next time!"
          Bakugo grumbled and sheathed his sword, treading heavily back to the others. Kirishima followed, continuously grinning.
          For Kirishima, things couldn't be going better for the happy-go-lucky hybrid. Ever since they left the Umbrawood yesterday morning, Bakugo was back to his old self, and Kirishima's confidence grew ten-fold. He knew his constant bubbliness annoyed his friend, but he just couldn't help it.
He felt like he could conquer anything that came his way, whoever or whatever it was.