It was the morning of the departure to the forest lodge, and everyone was in high spirits. You were waiting with your friends for the bus to come and pick you up, which gave a certain snarky blonde just enough time to get some of his typical remarks in.
"Whaaat?" Monoma jeered. "Class A needs supplementary lessons? That means someone got a failing mark? Huh? Isn't that weird? Isn't that strange? I thought Class A was supposed to be superior to Class B, right?"
You smiled passive-aggressively. "Nice to see you too, Monoma-kun. How's the rash doing? You know, the one on your butt you told me about."
His cheeky smile dropped, and students from both classes started chuckling under their breaths.
"What are you-? I-I don't have a rash! Your brain doesn't work, stupid Class A girl!"
Thankfully, Class B's "big sister"-Kendou-intervened before you had to deal with any more of his antics. Like always, she put Monoma out of commission with a swift hit to the back of his neck before dragging him away and apologizing.
Iida made several chopping motions with his hands. "Everyone, our bus has arrived! Please queue up in seating order!"
Though the poor class president had advocated that you sit based on your classroom arrangments, everyone wanted to be next to their friends instead. You'd decided to sit with Izuku for the ride up. Kaminari had whined about wanting to be next to you, but he had Kirishima as his seat buddy. Katsuki also scrunched up his nose at the sight of you and Izuku sitting together, but that was hardly anything new.
"The bus will be stopping in one-hour intervals," Aizawa told you, glancing back from the front of the bus. "After that-"
"Let's blast some tunes! I wanna listen to something summery!"
"You are not supposed to be standing on the seats! No standing on the seats!"
"I think I busted my laptop the other day..."
"Hey, I want pocky too!"
You leaned back in your seat and giggled. It was easy to tell just how excited everyone was. Aizawa groaned and turned his head back around, probably deciding it wasn't worth the headache. Izuku was leaning against your shoulder, and he would've been normally turning red right about now if not for the fact that he was so focused on showing you the pictures on his phone.
"...and this is from when I went to the All Might convention two years ago," he babbled excitedly. "They had so much Western-style food, and there were even desserts modeled to look like him!"
"So, you were eating miniature versions of All Might?" you asked worriedly.
"Yes! Oh, um... it's not as weird as it sounds!"
"Nah, you're right. It sounds cute."
He chuckled sheepishly and tucked away his phone. "Sorry, [Name]-chan. I feel like I always end up talking your ear off whenever we're together. You're one of the few people who listens to me ramble with such interest. Or maybe you aren't even all that interested and you're just being nice... either way, I appreciate it."
"I'm interested," you reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's always fun to listen to people talk about the things they're passionate about. Their energy is contagious."
"Oh... that's good, then." He flashed you a wobbly smile. Ah, there it was. That signature shade of red that settled on top of his freckled cheeks.
You shifted on your seat to get closer to him. "Are you excited about the trip?" you asked.
"Yeah, I'm super excited! From what Aizawa-sensei was saying, I'm sure the training will be tough, but I look forward to getting stronger, and spending time with everyone."
"Me too," you smiled. "I wonder what they'll have us do. Do you think they've set up like an obstacle course or something to help us train? A boot camp?"
"Knowing U.A, I wouldn't put it beyond them."
You chatted happily for the next hour or so, mainly about the trip itself, but you touched on various other things too. You'd taken a picture of Izuku at the beach the other day, since he looked so good in his swimsuit. When you showed it to him, he let out a little squeal of embarrassment and covered his face in his palms, steam practically coming out his hears. You'd been hoping to post it on your social media, but based on his reaction, he probably wasn't quite ready for that yet.
Before long, it was time for the first rest stop.
"Gotta pee, gotta pee," Mineta fidgeted, hopping out of the bus on shaky legs.
"This is the first rest stop, huh?" Kirishima looked around and frowned. "Huh... it looks weird. Wait, where's Class B?"
You shared in his confusion. There was nothing around here at all, besides another car. You were stopped at the edge of a cliff, where you had a beautiful view of the mountains and forests that stretched out all around. Yes, it was beautiful, but it was certainly not a rest stop.
Hm... yeah, I have a bad feeling about this.
"Yo, Eraser! It's been a while!"
It was a woman's voice you hadn't heard before, and as you turned around, two of them were striking a pose.
"With sparkling eyes, we rock on!"
"Cute, cat, and stinger!"
"The Wild & Wild... Pussycats!"
Aizawa cleared his throat. "Uh... yes. Everyone, I'd like to introduce the pro heroes, the Pussycats."
"One of the four hero teams that founded the Union Affairs Office!" Izuku exclaimed, already geeking out. "They specialize in mountain rescue operations and are veterans in the field! They've got twelve years of experience on them...!"
"Hey, I'm only eighteen at heart!" the blonde one snapped.
You patted Izuku on the back, happy that he'd gotten to meet more heroes he was a fan of, but something really didn't sit right with you.
As if reading your mind, the dark-haired Pussycat pointed her kitty paw glove off in the distance. "The place you'll be staying at is on the base of that mountain over there."
"That's so far away!"
Uraraka pulled her brows together. "But then... why'd we stop if we're only halfway there?"
"Don't tell me," Sero swallowed. "Let's hurry back to the bus... please?"
"It's around 9 AM right now," the heroine grinned. "If you kick it into high-gear, it'll be about 12..."
"Oh, no..."
"Quick, run back!"
"...the kittens that make it after 12:30 won't be eating," she finished with a laugh.
Everyone was in full-blown panic mode, desperate to make it back to the bus. Truth be told, you weren't even that shocked. U.A was always cooking up one scheme or another. It was silly to think of this as a fun little vacation in the first place. Well, the illusion had been nice while it had lasted.
The ground erupted beneath you, rippling and spreading until you were being pushed off the cliff's edge. At the last moment, you heard Aizawa muttering an apology, but his expression looked far from apologetic.
"Feel free to use your powers in our domain as you see fit!" one of the Pussycats called out. "You have three hours to get to the facility! Have fun making it through this forest of magic beasts!"
You dropped down, everyone's screams echoing around you. The soil felt somewhat padded, soft, so at least the fall wasn't terribly painful, but you ended up with a mouth full of dirt and a tattered uniform. You groaned weakly, lifting yourself to your feet and trying to come to grips with your surroundings.
Izuku wiped away at his mouth. "Forest of... magic beasts?"
"Yeah," you sighed. "Wasn't sure I'd heard that right, either."
"Well, there's no use in complaining," Iida said as he adjusted his glasses. "Let's get this over with."
You nodded in agreement. Mineta was running off somewhere, having apparently managed to retain control of his bladder during the drop. It didn't last long, though-a large, hulking figure emerged from behind one of the trees and gave everyone a fright. He couldn't hold it that time.
"Mineta-kun, ew," you grimaced.
Kaminari grabbed onto your arm. If you didn't know any better, you'd have thought he was preparing to use you as a human shield. "More importantly, what do we do about that?! It's freaking huge!"
"Always crying like a baby and looking for every opportunity to cling to [Name]," Katsuki scoffed. You opened your mouth as he passed you by, but you couldn't say anything in time. Him, Izuku, Shouto, and Iida had all barreled through, smashing the magic beast to pieces. All that was left was clumps of dirt. This must've been the Quirk of one of those Pussycats.
"It looks like they can be destroyed fairly easily," you remarked. "The only issue is... the fact that there's so many of them."
And they just kept flooding in, no matter how many your classmates tried to strike down. You were fast enough to avoid them, for the most part, but against non-human targets you weren't sure what else you could do to help. Izuku was just a few meters away from you, standing back up after having punched through another one of those "magic" beasts. You wondered if there was any way for your Quirk to help him, the way it had helped Shouto retain his powers back during the practical exam.
"Izuku-kun," you called.
"Yes?"
You stepped closer to him, using your palms to cradle his cheeks. You could feel his skin getting warm under your touch already, and his lips were semi-parted, as if he wanted to ask what you were doing, but he couldn't quite seem to manage the words.
"Hey," you smiled. "Sorry. I, um... wanted to try something. Just bear with me for a moment."
Your eyes began to take on that pale, pink shade they always did, and a thin layer of mist spread around. You leaned closer and rested your forehead against his own.
"Feel stronger, Izuku-kun. Be stronger, for me. I'm going to make it so that you don't feel tired at all, okay? Use your powers as much as you like and protect me while we clear this forest."
He nodded hazily, only pulling away once you did so first. If he was by your side, you knew you wouldn't get hurt. Hopefully this little spell of yours would keep him feeling fresh and full of stamina. You wondered how many other people you could place under your control before you reached your limit.
"Shouto-kun," you tried next. "Could you come over here for a moment?"
The bi-color haired boy had just finished freezing one of the beasts straight in its tracks. He rushed over to you, brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?" he frowned. "Are you hurt?"
"Nope. Let me borrow your face for a bit, okay?"
"I'm-wait, what?"
Placing him under the effects of your Quirk proved to be just as simple. He looked confused as you held his face close to yours and whispered into his ear, but then he was by your side, ready to go. You thought Katsuki would be a bit more difficult to convince, but it didn't turn out that way.
"Oh my gods! Mineta-kun just flipped my skirt!"
"HUH?!"
He came rushing over, you grabbed him out of nowhere, and he only just seemed to realize what was happening once the two of you were bumping noses together.
"[Name]," he warned, already red, "don't you dare-"
Three of them. You had three different people under the effects of your Quirk simultaneously. You'd never issued prolonged requests on three people at once before, but strangely enough... you felt fine. You weren't even all that tired. It was working, they were cooperating, and the fact that you'd managed to get this far further fueled your adrenaline.
Would it be possible... to put the whole class under my Quirk?
The answer to your earlier question was no.
After the initial three, you'd asked Mina if she'd be willing to let you try it on her. She gleefully complied, it seemed to work just as well, and then you did the same thing with Tsuyu. By this point you were starting to feel quite heavy, but it still felt as if you could do more. The obvious sixth choice was Kaminari, who was practically jumping at the opportunity to get so close to you and was hoping to make this whole ordeal a bit less exhausting. After that, you tried it on Kirishima, and then it all hit you.
Perhaps it was a delayed effect, but out of nowhere, fatigue crashed into you like a big truck. You passed out, though you weren't sure exactly for how long, but Izuku was the one patting you on the face when you came to. He was also no longer under the effects of your Quirk. Since you'd lost consciousness, your control over everyone had ended. You'd assumed as much already, but this was a good piece of information to have.
After that, it was pretty rough.
You were more tired than anyone else, possibly even because your command had worked on them and your Quirk had momentarily erased their exhaustion. Using your powers again through the rest of the forest was out of the question, and all you could really do was evade the beasts' attacks and try to preserve the little bit of strength you still had left.
By the time you arrived at the lodge, it was already past five o'clock.
"Finally you're here," the blonde Pussycat laughed. "Looks like there wasn't much of a point in depriving you of lunch."
"Little over three hours, my ass," Sero groaned.
"I'm gonna starve to death," Kirishima whined.
"My bad, we meant by our standards."
So all of this was just to brag, huh?
You and the rest of your classmates had emerged from the forest into a wide clearing, where there were outdoor facilities like picnic benches and camping cookware aside from the actual lodge itself. Katsuki was gripping down on his forearms, which had begun to seize up from overuse of his Quirk. He bumped into you as you walked and barely bit back a scowl.
"Who gave you permission to use your damn Quirk on me?" he growled.
"I'm sorry," you sighed. "I thought it might help, but I ended up passing out anyways. While you were under its effects, did you feel a difference, at least? Did you still feel tired while you were fighting?"
"Your stupid pervert powers make me feel weird as hell. And you claim you used them to help me? I don't even need anyone's damn help."
You smiled weakly. "I just wanted to try something."
"Well, don't."
"Aw, don't be angry."
"Eat shit."
Everyone gathered in a ring around the Pussycats, and they introduced themselves properly this time. Pixiebob was the blonde one; Mandalay was the one with short dark hair.
"To be honest, we thought you'd take longer," Pixiebob chuckled. "You did a great job beating my awakened earth beasts. You guys are good, especially... you four," she said, pointing towards Izuku, Shouto, Katsuki, and Iida. "It seems you're a tier above the rest. Must have something to do with the experiences you've acquired. It looks like someone actually passed out this time, though..."
You averted your gaze. Dammit, why'd she have to call you out like that?!
"Eraserhead explained your powers to us," Mandalay said. "I understand it's a bit of a complicated situation, but you appeared to have used your Quirk on several of your classmates successfully. Did you pass out from going past your limits?"
"Uh, yeah," you nodded. "I don't have a whole lot of experience controlling so many people at once for extended periods of time. I thought I'd try it, but it looks like I bit off more than I could chew."
"Well, you'll have plenty of chances to work on improving your powers while you're here."
Izuku craned his neck to the side. "Um, also... I've been wondering about this for a while, but... is one of you that child's mother?" He was referring to the little boy standing behind Mandalay. He had dark hair and a hat with two large spikes on it. Come to think of it, why was he here?
"Oh, no," Mandalay said. "That kid is my nephew. Kouta! Here, come say hi. You're going to be living with everyone here for the next week."
"My name's Midoriya Izuku," the freckled boy introduced, leaning down and stretching his hand out to the little boy. "I'm in the Hero Course at U.A. It's very nice to meet-youu?!"
The last part of his sentence came out rather strained, on account of having just being punched in the balls. Izuku crumpled to the ground, the poor thing, and you just barely managed to catch him in your lap before his head hit the floor.
Iida let out a screech of horror. "You! The nephew! Why would you do that to Midoriya's scrotum?!"
"Hmph," Kouta scoffed, looking back over his shoulder with a glare. "I'm not gonna fuck around with a bunch of losers who want to grow up to be corny ass heroes."
"Fuck around?! How old are you?!"
"Kid thinks he's an adult," Katsuki cackled.
Shouto nodded. "Yeah, he reminds me of someone I know."
"What was that, bastard?! At least I don't keep all my emotions bottled up inside and look like a goddamned blank slate half the time!"
"Relax, it was just a joke..."
"Who the fuck gave you permission to make jokes?!"
You were proud that Shouto was trying to be a bit more humorous, but you were more concerned with the fact that Izuku's lower half had just been assaulted. He was groaning on your lap while you carefully stroked his hair. You helped lift him to his feet, and he keeled over, clamping a palm over his mouth.
"Ugh... I might puke."
"Kouta-kun," you tried, crouching before the boy with a frown. "Punching people there isn't nice, okay? Actually, punching people anywhere isn't nice. Izuku-kun's a really good guy. Did you want to maybe go apologize to him?"
Kouta puffed out his reddening cheeks. "Shut up! I'm not apologizing to anyone who's going around playing heroes! Don't think you can seduce me!"
"S-Seduce?" You gaped at Mandalay, who was sighing and shaking her head. "Um... seriously, how old is he? I feel like someone so young shouldn't know all these terms..."
"He's a handful, I'm sorry..."
"Enough chitchat," Aizawa yawned. "Go get your luggage from the bus. Once you've settled into your rooms, grab dinner in the dining hall. After that, you're free to take a bath and relax for the rest of tonight. The real deal starts tomorrow."
Everyone was practically dead on their feet, so dinner and a bath was sounding really nice. You left your luggage in your room and headed for the dining hall. Izuku had saved you a spot next to him. Coincidentally, Katsuki was just on the other side. Despite what bad terms they were on, you often found them sitting close together, which was kind of funny.
"I'm so glad I can finally eat," you sighed, grabbing your seat.
"That's mine," Katsuki snapped, grabbing a plate out of your reach. "That one's mine too. And that one. Give it here."
"Hey, quit hogging everything!"
"Shut up! If you wanted to eat, you should've gotten here faster, stupid!"
You scowled and jabbed a finger right under his ribs, which resulted in him kicking your seat so that you toppled over to the other side and fell onto Izuku's lap. The freckled boy turned scarlet in an instant and began talking purely in squeaks.
Katsuki stared at you wide-eyed. "What the hell do you think you're doing at the dinner table, fucking perv?!"
"Um, you're the one that pushed me!"
"Get your damn mind out of the gutter for once!" He swiped something onto a spoon and jabbed it straight into your mouth. "Now, swallow it!"
You choked and focused on getting the food down rather than pointing out what he'd just said.