Chapter 118: A Bakugo's Brawl
Bakugo breathed heavily as he felt the smoke drift from his hands upward. In the open air of UA's training field, he quietly pondered his next move. With an angry growl, he swiftly launched himself forward, creating an explosion from his right hand. Across from him, Shitty Hair stood ready, a Mossberg 590 slung across his back, and his skin hardened for whatever Bakugo would throw at him. In seconds, Bakugo was less than a foot from Shitty Hair, and both his arms raised, ready to blast him straight to hell. But at the last second, Shitty Hair moved.
Jumping into a dive, Shitty Hair narrowly missed the massive explosion Bakugo had sent his way. Landing on his feet, the red-haired teen swiftly got back up, and seeing he was still close to Bakugo, moved to slug him. His fist aimed for Bakugo's face, and it forced the explosive teen to duck and side step. There, he quickly tried to blow up the ground Shitty Hair stood on. Seeing this, Shitty Hair wasted no time grabbing Bakugo's arms and forcing them to aim toward the sky.
The ensuing explosion roared above them, both teens feeling the heat. They panted tiredly, this fight having gone on for a while. And it was getting on Bakugo's nerves. Unable to move his arms downward, Bakugo resorted to kicking Shitty Hair in the gut with his right leg. It didn't hurt him; his skin still hardened, but the sudden impact instinctively made Shitty Hair let go.
Now, free Bakugo shoved his right hand in Kirishim's face, the sweat on his palms soon sparking.
"Die!" Bakugo yelled, just as an explosion formed between them. Shitty Hair was sent flying backwards, and he landed on the ground hard. For a moment, Shitty Hair rolled along the ground, kicking up dirt and grass. And at first, it seemed the fight was over. But Bakugo knew better. They'd been doing this for an hour. Rapidly Shitty Hair got back up, and Bakugo pointed his hands toward him. Just as Shitty Hair started running, Bakugo created two massive explosions.
Smoke clouded the area for a second, but when it dissipated, Bakugo found he'd missed. Shitty Hair had managed to dive out of the way in time. So Bakugo kept attacking. He sent explosion after explosion Shitty Hair's way. And the teen simply tanked, dove, and dodged all that came his way. It was infuriating.
"Stay still, you bastard!" Bakugo yelled angrily, just as he watched Shitty Hair continue to zigzag toward him.
"Hell no!" Shitty Hair shouted back, just as smoke obscured him from view, "Gonna have to try harder than that!"
Angrily, Bakugo growled, the teen stepping back to let the smoke clear. Once it was gone, Bakugo found Shitty Hair in the air, having jumped toward Bakugo. With less than a second, Bakugo raised his arms and blew up Shitty Hair again. Tiredly, Bakugo panted as he watched Shitty Hair get flung back again. This should have been easy! But Shitty Hair, like everyone else, had apparently been pushing himself.
Training himself harder than Bakugo had thought. It was infuriating, especially when Shitty Hair got up again.
"Why won't you die!?" Bakugo angrily yelled, before launching another explosion Shitty Hair's way. Which Shitty Hair quickly tanked, and soon ran through the flames and smoke.
"Can't you pay attention!? My quirk hardens my skin! You can't hurt me, Bakugo!" Shitty Hair shouted back, getting in close faster than Bakugo expected.
"You think I don't know that dumbass!?" Bakugo yelled back, narrowly ducking as Kirishima tried to uppercut him.
"For crying out loud! Why do you have to be such a dick!?" Shitty Hair exclaimed, the teen quickly grabbing Bakugo's head. Swiftly, Bakugo tried to break free, his hands grabbing Shitty Hair's arms and burning them. It didn't work, as Shitty Hair yanked Bakugo's head down and slammed his face into his knee. Bakugo instantly felt something crack and yelled out in pain. This time, he set off a more powerful explosion from his hands, forcing Shitty Hair to let go of him.
Blood trickled down Bakugo's nose for a second, which he quickly wiped away. Angrily, Bakugo looked down at the blood staining his hand.
"I could have left, you know!" Shitty Hair yelled, causing Bakugo to growl.
"Then do it!" Bakugo shouted, bringing his hands up for another explosion, "I don't need yours or anyone else's help!"
"I'm-" Shitty Hair tried to argue, only to lose his footing as Bakugo blew up the ground beneath him, "Not saying you do!"
Seeing an opportunity to end this, Bakugo rushed forward and launched himself into the air. Now, above Shitty Hair, Bakugo held his arms ready, feeling the sparks leap across his hands. Below him, Shitty Hair rolled over, ready to fight back. But it wouldn't matter. This fight was as good as over. With Shitty Hair on the ground, it wouldn't matter how hard his skin was. Bakugo would bury him in the dirt. Finally, Bakugo thought to himself. This ends now! This time, he would win! Then Shitty Hair drew the shotgun from his back… ah… fuck.
Ever so suddenly, Bakugo felt the bean bag slug slam into him. As if for good measure, Shitty Hair quickly racked the shotgun and fired a second slug, this one striking Bakugo's arm. Both teens heard something crack, and Bakugo fell onto the ground. Once he landed, Bakugo didn't move for a solid minute. Slowly, the adrenaline of the fight wore off, and everything felt like shit.
Sitting up, Bakugo angrily groaned and carefully rubbed his head. Or he tried to. He expected his right arm to touch his forehead. Looking down at it, Bakugo found his arm brace torn in two, its exterior polymer cracked open.
"Damn it!" Bakugo yelled, the teen quickly trying to put the pieces back together. He despised this brace and everything it represented. But damn it, he still needed it! He wasn't about to let this school sideline him while everyone else got ahead of him. As he did this, Shitty Hair slowly stood up, slung the shotgun over his back, and stretched.
"Whoo! That was tough," Shitty Hair commented, before walking toward Bakugo. Once he was close enough, he held out his hand toward Bakugo. Looking up, the explosive teen stared at it for a moment before grumbling. With his left hand, he slapped it away and stood up on his own.
"Tch, quit looking down on me," Bakugo muttered, causing Shitty Hair to look back at him, shocked.
"Why would I be looking down on you?" Shitty Hair questioned tiredly, while Bakugo started walking away from him. In response, Bakugo only scoffed.
"I'm just trying to help you know," Shitty hair told him, Bakugo now glancing back at him.
"And in doing so, you assume I'm some weakling who needs it," Bakugo countered before he looked back down at his arm brace again.
"Dude, it's called being a decent person," Shitty Hair groaned, the teen slowly crossing his arms together. Quietly, Bakugo just glared at him, saying nothing for a good few seconds. At which point Shitty Hair sighed to himself.
"Why do I even bother?" Shitty Hair muttered before bringing a hand to his face. Bakugo merely rolled his eyes as he kept looking at his brace. To think he needed this damn thing just to use his arm. Why did he have to be so weak?
"Why do I keep losing?" Bakugo muttered to himself, "Why is nothing I try good enough?"
Plan after plan failed. Exercise after exercise ended in defeat. Now it was against not just Akatani, but Shitty Hair as well. It just didn't make sense. Was he not pushing himself hard enough? What the hell was he doing wrong!? Why did Akatani always win!?
"Because you can't accept that you're not perfect," Shitty Hair answered, causing Bakugo's head to whip up toward him.
"Shut up!" Bakugo ordered, with Shitty Hair holding up his hands to his sides.
"What do you expect me to do!? Lie!?" Shitty Hair exclaimed, and Bakugo only grumbled in response.
"You don't admit it, but I can see it in the way you act," Shitty Hair continued, slowly gesturing toward Bakugo, "All this angry yelling is just a mask. One, you put up to hide the fact that you don't think you're good enough."
Not this damn lesson again, Bakugo thought to himself. It was bad enough hearing it from Akatani; he didn't need to hear it from Shitty Hair, too! It wasn't even true! Why would Bakugo ever look down on himself? Yet Shitty Hair kept talking.
"Every time someone tries to help you out, you label it as weakness. Because you think that it means you're not strong enough to do it alone," Shitty Hair told him, his tone slowly becoming more annoyed as he spoke.
"News flash! No one is!" Shitty Hair exclaimed, with Bakugo ready to scoff. None of it was true… none of it. Why… why would it be? What reason did he have to… look down on himself? Slowly, Bakugo's anger began to fade. He was tired. Tired of losing, tired of getting beaten, tired of… tired of being… weak… Damn it, he was weak. How else could he deny it? He lost against Akatani a multitude of times; he'd lost to the cult, and now he lost to Shitty Hair.
And it just made no sense why it kept happening. He had a powerful quirk, the best in his entire class. Everybody, everybody, said… so. Everybody said so. That nerd didn't have a point; he did not. But Bakugo had tried almost everything. Everything, except… asking for help. The very consideration of the idea made Bakugo feel weak. Yet it was the last remaining option he had.
It wouldn't work, it just wouldn't. Bakugo knew for a fact it wouldn't work…
"What… would you suggest then, Shitty Hair?" Bakugo asked in a tired yet still angry tone. It wouldn't work. This was just a test to prove for a fact that it wouldn't work. To show that damn nerd he was wrong. Nothing more than a test… definitely. His question made Shitty Hair freeze for a second, the teen not expecting it. But with the click of his tongue, he began to walk toward Bakugo.
"First, I'd suggest you remember my name," Shitty Hair started, before looking at Bakugo expectantly.
"And it is?" Bakugo inquired, with Shitty Hair groaning.
"It's Kirishima!" Shit-Kirishima yelled in annoyance as he brought a hand to his face.
"And second… maybe listen to others. Everybody else has ideas, to you know," Kirishima told him, with Bakugo stifling a scoff.
"Ideas like?" Bakugo asked, while Kirishima brought a hand to his chin.
"Well, I know I have an issue with range, so I took inspiration from Akatani and got a shotgun," Kirishima explained, the teen pulling the shotgun off his back, "...I do have to give this back to him though… Hope I didn't ruin the trigger."
Ignoring that last comment, Bakugo paused for a moment.
"Or maybe we could try some of his other gear. Flashbangs could be useful, or smoke grenades!" Kirishima later exclaimed, as Bakugo still thought over his previous words. Take inspiration from Akatani. Fine, why not? Even the best heroes learned from their enemies. Whether it be how to counter them, or how to do what they do. So Bakugo quietly began to think, what was Akatani good at?
He was a sneaky bastard, that's what he was. Unfortunately, Bakugo was not; his quirk kinda made stealth impossible. However… that didn't mean Akatani had nothing to offer. As Kirishima noted, Akatani used a lot of "toys". Bakugo already had a move thought up that mimicked a flashbang's abilities. But it was still loud and bright. Smoke, though… that gave Bakugo an idea.
With some difficulty, he brought his right and left hands together. Cupping them closely, Bakugo focused on forming a small spark. Nothing big, because right now, he didn't need an explosion; he needed a fire. Carefully, he felt the heat in his palms rise, but no pop had occurred yet. Instead, smoke began to form, lots of it. Within seconds, Bakugo had covered the area in a thick cloud, and he couldn't see a thing.
A smirk slowly took hold of Bakugo. He'd beat that nerd at his own game! If Akatani wouldn't play fair, neither would Bakugo! With this move, Bakugo would blind the nerd before he knew. The issue of Bakugo not being able to see anything either would be a problem, though… Eh, the Support Department might have something he could use. Maybe a pair of goggles to protect his eyes.
This was just too… easy… huh. The second he took Akatani's advice and asked for help, Bakugo had come up with an entirely new move... that... he... huh...
The walk to the command platform had been relatively short, with all things considered. They'd been slowed down a few times, as Uraraka would continually discover some other facet of Mother Base she hadn't spotted before. But to be fair, Midoriya couldn't blame her. He still remembered when he first got to Mother Base. After he'd gotten his bearings together, he'd spent an entire day just exploring the place. They made it to the command platform, though, and quickly entered the main structure.
Through some winding halls, Midoriya continued to walk until he stumbled upon a lone office. Inside sat a blond woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a tan button-up shirt and shorts with a black tank top underneath. On a desk in front of her was a small computer, which the woman quietly worked on. Around her, meanwhile, was an assortment of photographs. Small pictures of differing birds from around the world, of the French coastline, French forests, vineyards, and of Paris.
There was a bookshelf holding several philosophy novels, literature about various creatures around the world, and reports of different missions. Along with two large backpacks sitting next to her desk.
"Aunt Cecile!" Midoriya then called out, stepping into the office. Instantly, Cecile looked up and smiled as she saw him walk in.
"Izuku!" she exclaimed, standing up from her desk as Midoriya got close. Rather quickly, she grabbed and pulled him into a hug, which Midoriya happily returned.
"Oh, how I've missed you! It has been far too long," Cecile told him, her French accent still present, even after years away from her home. Slowly, the two let go, and Midoriya saw Cecile turn toward Uraraka, who stood behind him.
"Who do we have here?" Cecile asked as Uraraka stepped forward.
"Uraraka Ockako," she introduced, a friendly if nervous smile forming on her face, "I'm here for the preservation mission."
Hearing her speak, Cecile's eyes widened in remembrance, the woman soon snapping her fingers.
"Ah, yes! I've been wondering who this was supposed to go to," Cecile noted, before she pointed toward the backpacks by her desk. Carefully, she leaned over her desk and pulled them upwards. Placing them in front of her, Cecile opened up one bag, and Midoriya quickly opened up another.
"Here we are. Sleeping bags, a tent, some canteens, flashlights, bug spray, tranquilizers, fulton devices…" Cecile would begin to list off, as she double-checked all the equipment inside. Quietly, Midoriya did the same, just to be safe. With how long they'd be out in the field, the MSF had provided most of what they would need. Food, water, medical supplies, clothes, some compasses, an extra Idroid, some quadcopter drones, Swiss Army knives, multi-tool hatchets, lighters, and whatever else they would need on their weeks-long mission.
"That should be everything," Cecile commented while slowly closing the bag shut. Carefully, she then passed it to Uraraka, and the teen made the bag float with her quirk.
"Thanks," Midoriya said, and quietly put his backpack on, "Now, the mission?"
"Right, one moment," Cecile explained, before sitting back down. On the computer in front of her, Cecile got to work pulling up the necessary files. For the years after the MSF was brought to this world, she'd been the one managing the organization's preservation work. First, as a scout locating endangered birds, then moving up to other species of animals. Being an ornithologist, she'd taken to the job rather well. Eventually, she'd moved up to organizational efforts and spent most of her time keeping everything in order.
Right as Midoriya thought this, Cecile had pulled up the necessary files. Turning her computer's monitor around, Cecile soon grabbed a pen and pointed toward the screen.
"Now, the rhinos were recently spotted around the town of Za-Ku-Na. There are ten total," Cecile explained, the monitor set to the photos some drones had captured. "Originally, they were seen moving in a herd, which is entirely abnormal behavior for the creature. However, once the herd came to a stop outside Za-Ku-Na's main river, the herd split up."
"...The rhinos had a truce?" Midoriya questioned and glanced toward Uraraka. She had an equally confused look before Midoriya looked back at Cecile, who gave him a so-so gesture.
"Of sorts," Cecile replied, and pulled up another file. There were theories the MSF had made, but none of them were concrete. The most prevalent was that the Southern black rhinos had started moving north due to the relative peace growing in the Nigeria-Cameroon area. In effect, poachers were pushing them northwards towards Outer Heaven. At the same time, centuries of constant hunting had effectively changed the black rhino's behavior, if only a little bit.
More sociable rhinos that stuck together tended to stay alive longer, as the second a poacher opened fire, they'd find a dozen three-thousand-pound beasts running them down. And unless the poacher in question brought a heavy machine gun or a tank, the tactic usually worked. It also provided greater situational awareness, as a dozen eyes kept a better lookout than two. Not to mention human, or rather, rhino shields. They'd have a one in twelve chance of being shot, compared to a one in one chance.
Of course, the moment the unifying threat of poachers was gone, the black rhino reverted to its usual territorial behavior. And the herd would split up. It still wasn't the best theory, but it was one.
"Now, your targets are primarily the black rhinos. However, our client will also accept whatever else we send their way. So be on the lookout for any other endangered creatures," Cecile continued, before pulling out a map for both teens to see. There, Midoriya could see the town, and a good few miles outside of it. On the map, the rhino's locations were marked out one by one. A few were in a vague circled area of "somewhere here", likely having been lost by drones.
It was a bit of a trek between spots, and Midoriya quietly wished Snake would give him driving lessons. But it would have to do.
"Any questions?" Cecile asked, before looking both teens over. Nothing came to Midoriya's mind, so he was ready to say no. But then Uraraka reminded him of one critical fact.
"Who's our chaperone?" Uraraka asked. Midoriya had been so caught up in everything else, he had entirely forgotten he was supposed to have a chaperone. Considering they were going to Africa, it was likely Nagant would be assigned to the task. However, the brief pause in thought, Cecile had told him otherwise.
"I'm… not sure," Cecile replied, as she turned her monitor back around to face her. Typing along her keyboard, she quietly pulled up the rest of the mission's info, hoping to find an answer. Instead, confusion took hold of her.
"Apparently… Izuku," Cecile commented, causing Midoriya to sputter.
"M-me?" Midoriya questioned, with his right hand pointing to himself.
"That's what it says," Cecile confirmed, leaving Midoriya stunned.
"...Huh…" was all he muttered. He knew Snake trusted Midoriya to handle himself more nowadays, but he didn't expect that much trust. It couldn't have been an error, as Victoria was the one who kept everything organized. She would have caught the mistake almost immediately. Still, Midoriya found it just too surprising. It would be just him and Uraraka… alone… for weeks… huh…
"Anything else?" Cecile soon asked, as she turned the monitor around again. Quietly, Midoriya turned toward Uraraka, and she turned toward him. After a second, both saw that the other had nothing else to say.
"No, we're good," Uraraka replied, with Cecile clasping her hands together.
"Great," Cecile commented, watching as the teens got up from their seats. Quickly, they both walked toward the door, as Cecile slowly got back to work.
"Now be safe out there. Oh! And Izuku, if you could…" Cecile said, before slowly trailing off.
"I'll take photos of any bird I see," Midoriya told her.
"Thank you," Cecile replied. "Your plane should be here soon."
With that, both teens left her office. There in the silence, as they walked through the halls of the command platform, Uraraka looked toward Midoriya nervously.
"Ok… how are we going to do this?" Uraraka asked, causing Midoriya to bring a hand to his chin.
"Well, I was thinking I'd shoot them, then you'd use your quirk to lift them, that way we can attach the fulton more easily," Midoriya told her, while Uraraka nodded along. It was a simple operation, nothing overly complicated to worry about. That said, it wasn't the fastest method either. It would have Midoriya shooting a rhino and having Uraraka just sit around doing nothing for who knows how long.
Somehow, Midoriya was sure Uraraka wouldn't like that. So there was also option two.
"Or I could get you a rifle?" Midoriya offered, as Uraraka groaned next to him.
"You know how I feel about that," Uraraka told him, Midooriya soon holding up his hands defensively.
"I'm just saying it would help things go a lot faster if we both could tranquilize them," Midoriya reasoned, causing Uraraka to pause for just a moment.
"...Alright," Uraraka eventually relented, and Midoriya silently cheered next to her. With that decided, they both soon reached the command platform's exterior. Stepping outside, Midoriya reveled in the warm summer air of the Pacific. Pulling out his Idroid, Midorya decided to look at what the game plan was.
Currently, their plane, a C-37A, had yet to actually land. It would be an hour or so before it arrived. After that, it would take a while to refuel, so both he and Uraraka had some time to kill. The issue now was finding something to do. Mother Base did have some sports fields around, and he was pretty sure there was a baseball game going on that the two of them could watch…
Nah, they had time, but not a lot of time. If anything, they needed to be ready for the mission. So, best to get changed, Midoriya decided, as he pulled open his backpack.
"I'm gonna go change real quick," Midoriya quickly said, while pulling out the clothes packed in his bag. They were rather plain, being the MSF's standard fatigues. But instead of the usual olive drab they'd hand out for general use, they were given the MSF's patented Golden Tiger camo style. With the operation happening in more semi-northern Nigeria, where there was lots of red soil and little greenery around, they should help out immensely.
Slinging the fatigues over his shoulder, Midoriya soon found Uraraka digging in her bag as well.
"You should have some fatigues in your bag. In the far back," Midoriya told her, just as Uraraka found them. Seconds later, she had her fatigues pulled out as well.
"Cool," Uraraka commented, before slowly looking around, "Is there a bathroom nearby?"
"Inside on the right," Midoriya replied, and Uraraka quietly thanked him. Moments later, they both split up. Entering a different bathroom, Midoriya started going over the fatigues he'd been given. Rather quickly, he put them on, finding the entire process fast due to years of experience. Once it was all on, he walked toward the bathroom's mirror and looked at himself. Quietly, he examined everything, ensuring each button and all the odd straps and harnesses were tightened correctly.
After that, Midoriya looked up at his face. Could put on some face paint, he quietly thought, it would probably help blend in more… nah, that would mess up his makeup… wait… he was alone with Uraraka. One of the few people who already knew what he looked like. Make-up wouldn't matter. Did he even need it right now? Likely not. Doubt he even needed hair… dye…
Silently, Midoriya's eyes traveled up to his brown hair. Leaning on one of the sinks near the mirror, his fingers tapped its side lightly. He… he did already tell Uraraka his real hair color. Not to mention she saw it in the family photos in his room. So… she did know what he looked like. And Midoriya did kind of miss his green hair. It… it wouldn't hurt to go back, just for a few days.
Besides, Uraraka wouldn't say anything, and he could dye it before they go back to Japan. Hesitantly, Midoriya began looking around the bathroom. Opening up some of its cabinets, he had to dig through a dozen rolls of toilet paper, bottles of soap, and random cleaning supplies. All so he could find one lone bottle of hair dye remover. Walking back to the sink, he turned on the water and looked at the mirror again.
Needless to say, the process took longer than he expected. He'd pour out some of the bottle, scrub away at his hair with his head under the sink, and then repeat the process. But once it was done, he saw his familiar green locks. Finding it nice to see his real face again, Midoriya couldn't help but smile. With his hair back to normal, Midoriya swiftly put everything back and rushed outside.
Wandering about the command platform, it took him only a few minutes to find Uraraka.
"Hey!" he called out, watching as Uraraka turned toward him.
"Hey!" she excitedly yelled back, the two of them rushing toward each other. This proved to be a mistake, as they nearly slammed into each other at the last second. Both embarrassed, they looked at each other and quietly apologized. Of course, it was here that Uraraka noticed his hair.
"Going green today?" Uraraka commented, with Midoriya smiling bashfully. Unintentionally, Uraraka got slightly closer, the girl looking over his hair more closely.
"It's all so fluffy still. Like a big bush," Uraraka said with a quick laugh. Which… fair. Rody had often made jokes about Midoriya being broccoli with legs. Either that or a tree, even a bush, as Uraraka… said… She… she's real close, Midoriya realized. Really close. They were at least five inches apart. It's fine. Fine, totally fine. Definitely fine. She's just standing next to you. Nothing to worry yourself over. No matter how… how close she is. Midoriya tried to keep calm at the realization, quietly begging his face to stay the same shade.
Up until Uraraka said something that made him pause.
"You look cute," Uraraka muttered offhandedly, not really paying attention to what she was saying.
"...Cute?" Midoriya inquired, surprised. The question confused Uraraka for a second, the girl pausing just like Midoirya did. But then she remembered what she'd said. Rapidly, her face went red, and she saw just how close the two of them were.
"Good! It looks good! Just… It's nice! It looks nice! Great style!" Uraraka quickly replied, nervously backing away. She tried to laugh off her embarrassment, and Midoriya attempted to do the same.
"O-oh, thanks," Midoriya said, his mind replaying her words. Cute… she said cute. Uraraka thought he was cute… right? Why did she think he was cute? Did she find him cute? He could have misheard her. Yeah. Midoriya wasn't paying attention, and he'd misheard her… So… why… why did part of him want to be wrong? Before Midoriya could question this, he felt his Idroid vibrate in his pocket.
Pulling it out, the device lit up and displayed a small notification.
"Our plane's here," Midoriya commented, as Uraraka calmed down next to him.
"Well, come on then! Let's do this thing!" Uraraka very suddenly exclaimed, her hands pumping in the air. The sudden shift caught Midoriya off guard, and the teen accidentally flinched.
"Nothing is gonna stop us from saving those rhinos!" Uraraka confidently proclaimed, looking slightly up at Midoriya. Whatever nervousness she had before was just gone. Midoriya wasn't sure how it went away so quickly. Instead, all he saw was how determined Uraraka was.
"Together, this job will be done in no time!" Uraraka told him, again pumping her arms in the air, before she quickly grabbed him by the wrist.
"Let's go! They won't save themselves!" Uraraka exclaimed, momentarily shaking Midoriya out of his stupor as he felt her start dragging him forward. Her determination to press onwards, all the ways she kept trying to push herself forward, the fact that she was even willing to go on this mission… it was inspiring to Midoriya. The lengths she was willing to go for her family.
The lengths she went to help him, of all people, to keep his secrets. She comforted him on that beach, she saved his life, she helped him train, she… she thought he was cute. He… he thought she was cute… damn it, Vicky, Midoriya thought to himself. I don't have… I don't… I… I have a crush, Midoriya realized. He had a crush. Midoriya… Midoriya didn't know what to think about that. So instead, he ignored the odd feelings and nervously smiled at Uraraka.
"Y-yeah!" Midoriya shouted back with a laugh, just as Uraraka let go of him, "Right behind you!"
Weeks of searching, and Texas hadn't found a damn thing. And you see, this was becoming a problem. When West had told them about this supposedly sentient pillager, they didn't believe it was real. And for all their searching, they still didn't find any proof that it existed. But you know what they did find? Nothing. Literally nothing. Miles outside of town, they found entire stretches of land that used to have forests, missing all their trees. Caverns filled with resources had been gutted, and fields normally bristling with animals were empty. Weirder still, almost a dozen different pillager outposts were empty. As if the mobs occupying them had abandoned the places.
The entire area was just empty. It was eerie, but both AIs had written it off as nothing to worry about. The pocket dimension had made animal spawn rates all weird. Now they started popping up less frequently, unless the AIs tried to actively breed animals. That line of reasoning sort of applied to the outposts… if somewhat stretching disbelief. The forests disappearing could be chalked up to a very productive Realmer AI needing a lot of wood. Same logic with the caves.
So as the two rode through a not yet chopped down forest, they couldn't help but feel chipper. In fact, they both just enjoyed the ride, singing along as they heard their horses' hooves clop.
"The many miles we walk. The many things we learn," they both sang, as Texas felt the warmth of the sun shine down on him. It was nice, he thought to himself.
"The building of a shrine, only just to burn," both brothers continued to sing, ignoring the faint groaning coming from behind them.
"May the wind be at your back. Good fortune touch-" they sang together, before someone yelled behind them.
"Can you two please, sing something different!?" Martha exclaimed as both brothers clicked their tongues. Right, forgot about Martha. Before they'd left town, they'd run into the FOXHOUND AI spawning into the world. After a few quick questions, she'd elected to join them on their journey. Now it appeared she was regretting her choice.
"Geez, all ya had to do was ask," Marston muttered, while Texas cleared his throat. Quickly, the two looked at each other, holding an unheard conversation. In sync, they opened their mouths to sing again, only for Martha to interrupt them again.
"Not another cowboy song!" Martha yelled, causing Texas to groan in annoyance. Turning around, he found their sister riding up close behind them, with her right hand resting on her face.
"I swear all it ever is with you two is cowboy stuff!" Martha exclaimed, with Marston soon glancing back at her as well.
"...We like cowboys-" Texas began to protest, only for Martha to cut him off.
"You named yourself Texas! I'd say you more than like them!" Martha argued, leaving Texas quiet for a moment. He tried to think up a counterargument… but no. She had a point.
"I love you guys, but seriously, you two need to get other interests," Martha muttered, to which Marston sputtered.
"W-well, hey, we do have other interests," Marston told her, as Texas nodded next to him.
"We like guns," Texas told her.
"Cowboy stuff," Martha replied.
"We like brawlin'," Marston argued.
"Cowboy stuff," Martha countered.
"...Riding horses," Texas hesitantly stated, only to see Martha lean forward on her horse. She cupped her hands around her mouth and spoke in a purposefully loud whisper.
"Cowboy stuff," Martha told them, leaving the brothers quiet. There was other stuff they liked. Cowboys and westerns weren't the only things they liked. There was drinking, exploring, camping, hunting… farming… huh… Most of that was stereotypical cowboy stuff. Or at the very least, associated with it in some way, shape, or form.
"...We'll start looking for hobbies," Marston hesitantly decided, with Texas nodding next to him. The statement seemed to make Martha light up quickly. But Texas didn't like the mischievous smile that formed on her face. If it were any guess, she'd likely try to rope them into her pranks. But before she could say anything, Marston called out to them.
"Hold it, we're here," Marston told them, causing Texas to look forward. Looking up, he found another pillager outpost sitting in front of them. It was technically one of the farthest outposts they'd discovered so far. Yet even with its distance, it had been the most annoying one to deal with. For years, this singular outpost had been a thorn in the town's side. Hell, it was the reason the town was almost overrun all those years ago. They'd cleared the place out who knows how many times.
But the pillagers would just come right back. This time, though, this time things seemed different. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, Texas looked toward the outpost suspiciously. The large tower had always been bristling with activity before. But like all the others, it was now suspiciously empty.
"The place looks abandoned," Texas grumbled, while passing the binoculars to Marston.
"Just like the others…" Marston muttered while Martha rode up next to them.
"That's odd… do you think they left any loot behind? Could really use some new boots. Then again, most of their stuff isn't all that good to begin with," Martha commented, before looking down at her feet.
"Focus, Mattie, we'll loot later," Texas told her, hoping to get the scatterbrain back on track. Quietly, she apologized, and they all started riding to the tower. Reaching the large base, Texas quickly noticed there was even more wrong with the place. There were dug-in blocky trench lines that hadn't been there before. Spots were dug into the earth to fit Gatling guns, possibly cannons as well.
It was less an outpost and more a fort. And yet it was empty. Suspicious, Texas couldn't help but unholster his Colt Single Action Army. Seeing this, Marston and Martha drew theirs as well. Getting close to the main tower, all three of them disembarked their horses and quietly entered the main building. It was just as empty as the outside. Even as they reached the top of the tower, things only got weirder.
Normally, the top floor was an open-air section. Instead, the entire area was walled off. There was furniture decorating the place as well. Finely made wooden chairs and tables. Shelves, bookcases, cabinets, clocks, and a whole mess of other stuff sat around.
"I swear this is just too damn strange," Marston muttered, the three AIs beginning to spread out a little. Walking toward one of the tables, Texas was surprised to see it had maps scattered on top of it. Many had symbols scribbled onto them, but he wasn't sure what any of them meant. What he recognised, though, was a map of the town. Alarm bells instantly went off in his head.
It got worse, though. Seconds after he found the map, he heard a loud crack come from behind him. Whipping around, he found Martha breaking open one of the cabinets. Walking up next to her, his eyes quickly widened. Reaching into the cabinet, he grabbed and pulled out a blocky Gewehr 71. Looking into the cabinet, he spotted five more inside it, along with some ammunition scattered about.
There was still room in the cabinet, though. Plenty for far more rifles than it had now. If Texas was right, then someone had grabbed whatever guns they could and left. Placing the rifle into his inventory, Texas turned around warily.
"Still no sign of that mob West was talking about," Marston called out from behind him.
"I think we've got more pressing matters to worry about," Texas told him, slowly motioning to the cabinet. Seeing it, Marston quietly swore, both AIs soon turning toward the rest of the room. There were four other cabinets present. All were either currently holding or previously held rifles. How many, Texas didn't know. But if there were more, he didn't notice downstairs, then it could have been a company's worth. Texas didn't like that thought. To his surprise, though, Martha started speaking up again.
"...You know, I've really got to appreciate the mobs' taste in art," Martha commented, drawing both her brothers' eyes. At first, Texas thought she was just getting off track again. Martha's energetic tendencies did mean she'd be scatterbrained at times. But then Texas noticed the painting on the wall. It was utterly massive and detailed, a massive field of grass loaded with grazing cows.
It wasn't a regular painting from the game; it was new. The thing was odd, but Texas wasn't sure why Martha had the need to talk about it.
"Big old portrait of a field just really pulls the room together," Martha continued, confusing Texas even more. But then he looked closer. One of the cows was missing a head. Not in the sense that it hadn't been painted. No, there was a hole in the painting. Seconds later, the hole in the painting was filled, and the cow had a head. In mere seconds, Texas looked toward Marston. Not a word was said, but the two swiftly aimed their revolvers at the painting and fired.
The painting broke away, revealing a hidden space in the wall. A space currently occupied by a pillager fitting West's description. Seeing he was spotted, the pillager dove for cover behind a table.
"Holy shit!" Marston exclaimed, before he, Texas, and Martha all got behind cover as well. It was just in time, too, as the pillager had drawn both his Smith and Wesson Model 3s and started unloading them in their direction. Ducking behind the wooden table, Texas quietly counted the shots the pillager had fired. The second he ran empty, Texas leaped over cover with his revolver ready.
Only to find the pillager gone. Confused, Texas rapidly began to look around. He heard footsteps coming from below them, soon realizing what was going on.
"He's runnin' for it!" Texas yelled, swiftly charging down the stairs with Martha and Marston in tow behind him. They all rushed toward the bottom of the tower. Reaching the bottom floor, Texas looked around the open trench line. But they were too late. In the distance, he could see a trail of dust rising in the air. He was already gone. Texas was considering mounting his horse and continuing pursuit, but with how far the pillager already was, it was clear the bastard had a getaway planned.
He didn't want to risk it.
"What the hell just happened?" Marston tiredly questioned, as Texas kept watching the dust trail. It became harder to watch as the pillager rode off toward the sun. With an exhausted sigh, Texas tipped his hat forward to protect his eyes.
"I think we owe West an apology," Texas muttered.
With Midoriya heading to Africa for a few days, it became readily apparent to all that class exercises were going to be somewhat different. All Might only confirmed this as Snake watched him speak to his students.
"...which is why today's lesson will be a more relaxed one today," All Might stated confidently, "As today, you will all be partaking in rescue training!"
Mere moments later, class 1A broke into a loud murmuring. All of them were curious about the prospect, as rescue exercises had been a nice, calm alternative to their normally hectic work. Although Snake wasn't sure how much calmer they'd be this time. Another difference in their usual class exercises was that Snake would be helping out again.
"For this exercise, we will be receiving some added help from the MSF. They have elected to help train some of you in the use of modern rescue equipment, such as today's primary focus, helicopter rescues," All Might further explained, while Snake stood in the classroom's far right corner. The class still needed someone to help around, even with Midoriya gone. Now, Snake could have assigned someone else to the role, but he didn't.
Call him curious, but he wanted to see how much the class had changed. I mean, Uraraka of all people came to him looking for work. Weeks earlier, barely any of them could look him in the eye. Snake even heard rumors of Ocelot working with one student. But with that thought, he found All Might dismiss the class, and everyone rushed to grab their hero costumes. In a flash, they were all gone, leaving only All Might and Snake.
Near the room's podium, All Might began stacking up his class notes while slowly looking toward Snake.
"Feels strange not having Midoriya here for this," All Might commented, and Snake quietly nodded.
"When did you say he and Uraraka would be back?" All Might asked, causing Snake to think about it. Pulling out his Idroid, Snake quietly switched to the device's calendar.
"Well, they left on June twenty-ninth, and the mission should take about sixteen days. So July fifteenth," Snake replied, the man slowly looking over the date. Just sixteen days until they were back. A lot longer than Snake liked, but what was he going to do about it? Of course, as Snake thought this, he began to remember something.
"Wait… aren't final exams starting on the fourth of July?" Snake realized, the merc now looking back at All Might, confused.
"They were planned to, but the staff here have been… well, overwhelmed for a while," All Might replied, before slowly walking away from the podium. Quietly, Snake followed him, and the two left the classroom. Carefully, All Might gestured to himself as the two turned right in UA's halls.
"I personally have to juggle being a teacher, manage the fallout of my true form being revealed, deal with law enforcement's attempts to capture both the Ninth Circle and the League, manage my agency, helping out the refugees on Ground Beta, and… you know it's just been a very busy few months," All Might explained, right as the two took a left.
"So exams are being delayed until we can get our workload under better control," Snake deduced calmly, "Explains why Nezu was so willing to let Uraraka go."
Snake couldn't blame Nezu for the change in plans, though. He doubted anyone expected this year to go the way it did. But one would inevitably have to adapt to it, to the best of their abilities, anyway.
"Nezu, come up with a new exam date?" Snake asked, while All Might brought a hand to his chin in thought.
"Not yet," All Might replied, the two stepping out UA's main doors, "Testing is about five days long, so probably the fifteenth, or the sixteenth."
Seems right. School was out after the twentieth. So the students would test for five days, and get a break immediately after. It would be a bit of a rushed affair, though. The students still had lots of other exercises and work scheduled. Still, the sixteenth would probably be the best option. Otherwise, Uraraka would be taking an exam the moment she got back home. As Snake thought this, an odd nagging feeling arrived in the back of his mind…
"You know, I feel like I'm forgetting something," Snake muttered, causing All Might to glance toward him.
"For the exercise?" All Might asked, with Snake shaking his head.
"No, just in general," Snake replied, the thought bugging him, "It's like there's something I know about, that my brain won't let me remember."
"Some Outer Heaven holiday coming up?" All Might inquired, and Snake again shook his head.
"Not for a while," Snake replied. No national holidays were nearby, and Founding Day had already happened a few days ago. But… a holiday of sorts did ring some bells.
"A holiday does seem right, though, or at least some kind of event," Snake muttered, the man thinking over the upcoming dates. The thirtieth had nothing, the first had nothing, and the second had nothing. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh of July were all vacant days. Same with the eighth to the fourteenth. The fifteenth, meanwhile, was the day Midoriya and Uraraka got back… but somehow that didn't feel like that was it.
The fifteenth, Snake thought to himself. Why was the fifteenth important? What was so significant about that random date…
"The fifteenth of July… that's Izuku's birthday," Snake realized, his one eye going wide in realization. That's why it was so important; that's what he was forgetting. His son's sixteenth birthday was coming up quickly.
"Crap… I don't have anything planned…" Snake muttered, while All Might looked at him, surprised.
"Oh… well that's fine," All Might told him, "You've got two weeks to plan everything out."
"I shouldn't have forgotten in the first place," Snake countered, only for All Might to shrug.
"To be fair, it's like I was saying earlier, UA's overwhelmed with work, so are you," All Might rationalized, while Snake merely grumbled. It was a good point, but Snake didn't like it. He was Midoriya's father; he was supposed to remember things like this. By this point, the three of them had reached the exercise's main area. That is the school's PE grounds. Seeing no one else was around, Snake drew his Idroid again and slowly began walking off.
"I've got to make a few calls," Snake stated, causing All Might's brow to raise.
"Can't this wait until after the exercise?" All Might asked, as Snake glanced back at him.
"This'll only take a few minutes," Snake replied, before continuing to walk off. With his Idroid in hand, he quickly began to radio back to Mother Base. A minute later, the other side replied.
"Cecile, it's me, has Midoriya left for his mission yet?" Snake asked, while pacing in a small circle.
"He just left. Why?" Cecile asked in return.
"Gather up the others, I need them at UA in two weeks," Snake answered.