Izuku was groggy when he woke up and it took him a minute to realize that he had fallen asleep in Uraraka's arms. Instantly, his face turned red and he shot up as quickly as he could, which was apparently too fast, considering that his head hit her chin on the way up and he woke her up in one of the most painful ways possible.

Midoriya: Gah I'm so sorry!

"I... I'm so sorry!" Izuku apologized frantically.

Uraraka: Oh no you didn't mean to it's okay!

Ojiro: Those two are so awkward together.

Shoji: Mm-hm.

"It's fine..." Uraraka grimaced as she rubbed her chin. "Um, are we stopping already?"

Izuku looked out the window as the bus pulled off the side of the road, "I guess so. The bus slowing down must have been what woke me up."

He had assumed they'd hold the training camp somewhere farther away, but it was only mid-morning, so this must just be a pit stop. The only problem with that assumption was that he couldn't see a single restroom or gas station in sight. Eraser stood up at the front of the bus and cleared his throat, "Alright, everyone out."

1A(remembering): Oh yeah...

Vlad: Aizawa you didn't-

Midnight: Oh no he definitely did.

1B(feeling a strange sense of dread): What did 1A's crazy homeroom teacher do this time?

The students looked at each other suspiciously, but obediently filed off the bus and stood awkwardly in a clump outside as they waited for Aizawa to give them their next instructions. Izuku knew he wasn't the only one that was starting to wonder if this was one of Eraser's logical ruses. Why were they stopping in the middle of nowhere?

Their worries were confirmed when Eraser spoke up, hiding a grin behind his capture weapon, "You didn't think this was a normal rest stop, did you?"

1A: Nope...

The students watched curiously as a car pulled up and two women got out, followed by a small kid who looked like he would really rather have stayed in the car, "Perfectly cute and catlike! You can call us the wild wild pussycats!"

"Students, this is Mandalay and Pixiebob." Aizawa sounded almost bored. "They are some of the pros we've asked to help out on this training camp."

"Okay..." Shinso drawled. "And, uh, who are they?"

Joke: Didn't they just introduce themselves?

"They're the pussycats!" Izuku said excitedly. "I've never worked that much with them, but they focus on rescue and they're some of the most experienced in the industry! They've been a hero team for over twelve..."

Izuku froze as a hand was shoved over his mouth and he almost panicked. He only just barely kept himself from twisting Pixiebob's arm out of socket by forcefully reminding himself that this wasn't Shigaraki grabbing him. He wasn't in danger and Aizawa was here to help him if he ever was. He was safe.

(a lot of people winced)

"Now then, kitten, we're still young." Pixiebob warned. "We're still paragons of cat-like youth!"

Twice: Wow they're really obsessed with cats. Not really.

"Anyway..." Aizawa rolled his eyes. "They're going to be helping you push your quirks and skills to the limit over the next week, so be prepared to suffer. Also they own this entire property."

"That's pretty cool." Kaminari said. "But, uh, it kinda seems like a whole lot of nothing."

Mandalay laughed, "Well, it is mostly forest, but our base is over there at the base of those mountains!"

Kamakiri: Wait if it's all the way over there...

Kendo: Then why aren't they there?

The class exchanged nervous glances as they all thought the same thing. If the base was there, then why were they here?

"Uh... maybe we should just get back on the bus..." Kirishima started inching back.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Ojiro agreed, following nervously.

Sero: Run for your lives!

"Lunch is at noon!" Pixiebob said. "Naughty kittens who are late don't get to eat!"

"Pixiebob's got a dirt manipulation quirk!" Izuku yelled. "Get away from the edge of the cliff!"

1B: Cliff?!

They all turned and started running, but Izuku's warning didn't do much good when the earth literally scooped them up and washed them down into the forest below. The students rubbed at their various bruises and Izuku thought through the possibilities. There was a chance that this was just a normal hike, just way longer than usual, but with Eraser in charge, Izuku doubted it, which left him with a problem: all the other other kids had brought their quirks on the bus, but he hadn't brought his weapons.

He heard the sound of shifting dirt and glared up at the top of the cliff, which was already starting to reform after collapsing beneath them. Aizawa was peering down at them, an eyebrow raised as he flung something over the cliff, "Get going kids, you don't have all day."

The students all jumped back as a small duffle bag hit the ground, kicking up a plume of dust as it landed. Jirou eyed it suspiciously, "Who wants to bet that it's a bomb?"

Aizawa: I wouldn't-

Recovery Girl: Oh for goodness' sake Aizawa stop traumatizing your kids!

"No bet." Sero said quickly. "That seems just like something Aizawa would do."

Aizawa: I've never set off a bomb in my life!

Mei: Except glitter bombs.

Aizawa: That doesn't count.

Mic: Yeah no I'm sure it does.

"Oi, stop being a bunch of cowards!" Katsuki groped and stalked toward it. "I've got explosion resistance, I'll check the thing."

The class held their breath as Bakugo kicked the bag softly, then bent down and unzipped it. When he saw what was inside, he huffed and stood up, jerking his thumb toward Izuku, "Are you kidding me? It's for the nerd."

Izuku narrowed his eyes in confusion, but hurried to the bag and opened it up to find his weapons. He glanced up to see Eraser smirking at the top of the cliff, and flipped him off before he disappeared. Izuku sighed, "Katsuki's right. These are my weapons, which means we're most likely walking into a fight."

Iida: Unfortunately.

"Umm, monsieurs?" Aoyama said hesitantly, pointing toward the forest. "I do believe that fight has come to us."

There were more dirt monsters than Izuku really thought were necessary, but he supposed their class had already fought the league twice, if they were counting that thing at the mall, so Eraser wanted to up the ante. Still, these dirt monsters were like the robots at the entrance exam. They were big, stupid, and favored physically destructive quirks.

Monoma: Okay 1A had to fight dirt monsters?!

Vlad: You guys should really be glad you didn't end up with Aizawa.

Tsunotori: Uh huh...

Katsuki and Kirishima were leading the pack, obviously, working side by side to clear a path for the rest of the class by taking out as many of the monsters as they could. They worked really well together, and the rest of their friends formed a kind of support team around them to watch their backs and handle any monsters that would try to attack while they were surrounded. Izuku couldn't help thinking that they would probably be fairly successful as daylight heroes if they all just started their own agency out of high school.

Even with the bakusquad leading the pack, however, there were plenty of dirt-monsters for the rest of them. Shoto was freezing any monsters that approached them from the right, allowing Ojiro, Sato and the other physical fighters to finish them off quickly. After a few minutes of this, Izuku smiled when he noticed a small flame on his left hand. With how much flammable vegetation there was here, it wasn't really safe to use fire attacks, but Shoto was still making an effort to use his left side to regulate his temperature. He'd come so far since the sports festival.

Momo: Yeah, you really have, Todoroki.

With how biased these monsters were toward quirks that would literally blow them apart, Izuku and Shinso were having more difficulty than most of the class were. Thankfully, Shinso's capture weapon had been tucked underneath Izuku's weaponry, so he was able to hook it around branches and swing down from the trees to kick the monsters with devastating momentum. Izuku had figured out fairly quickly that his guns weren't much use against the bigger monsters. They just absorbed the bullets like they were nothing and left Izuku growling in frustration until one of his classmates was able to take them out.

The smallest monsters, however, could be dispensed with a well placed headshot or two. It wasn't much, at least compared to some of his classmates' herculean efforts, but at least if he took out all the small ones, his classmates could focus on the bigger threats without being distracted. It was just difficult to get a good shot with all the chaos. If only he had a birds' eye view...

Uraraka: Oh, I can help with that!

"Uraraka!" Izuku called out and made his way toward her just as she was dropping another of the monsters from the sky. "Can you take away my gravity, please?"

Uraraka nodded and absentmindedly grabbed his hand, making Izuku blush as he started floating. When she realized it, she blushed and her grip loosened for a split second before she realized that Izuku would probably just float away if she wasn't holding onto him, "Oh, um, what do you have in mind?"

Todoroki: Can you two just kiss already please?

Uraraka(going red): U-u-um what...?

Izuku grinned, "If I'm in the trees, I can see the whole battlefield and have a clear shot to all the monsters! Your quirk is just the fastest way up."

Uraraka returned his smile and let go, "Just tell me when you want me to release my quirk!"

Izuku waited until he was pretty high up to latch onto one of the larger trees with his grappling hook, "Alright, I'm ready!"

Inko: Don't fall please.

He felt his gravity return and he landed heavily on the branch as Uraraka ran off after another monster. He smiled at how well everyone was fighting before shaking his head and taking aim. They still had a long way to go.

By the time they reached the pussycat's base, Ochaco's mouth was sour and her entire body felt clammy and flushed. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd thrown up, but after at least three, that was probably for the best. Her classmates were in a similar state. Yaomomo seemed like she was about to pass out from starvation, Bakugo was massaging his wrists, and Tsu's tongue hung limply out of her mouth, too exhausted to retract fully. Even Izuku was exhausted, arms shaking from the effort of pulling himself from tree to tree and he wobbled as he finally walked on solid ground for the first time in several hours. He'd run out of bullets near the end and Ochaco had taken away his gravity as he swung from the trees like Sero and Shinso had been doing, returning his gravity at just the right moment for him to do the most damage.

He'd been so sweet and concerned about her overworking her quirk and had only relented when she'd pointed out that he weighed practically nothing, at least in comparison to the monsters she was lifting. Still, even with how little he weighed, the effort of using her quirk so much was exhausting and Ochaco wanted nothing more than to shower and fall into bed. If only Aizawa would go easy on them just this once, but she knew better than to get her hopes up.

Gran Torino: Hm, I wonder if I was ever like that with my students. (All Might had a particular expression on his face but he actually had the brain to say nothing.)

"Excellent time, kittens!" Pixiebob grinned as they walked out from the trees. "I guess we based lunch on how long it would take us, sorry!"

"Is she seriously humble-bragging right now?" Sero muttered. "Like we know we're weak, but hey!"

Hawks: Yup, they are most certainly humble bragging.

"Some of you did even better, though!" Pixiebob's eyes gleamed with an eagerness that made Ochaco squirm. "I'm gonna take a special interest in those kittens!"

Her heart fell. Pixiebob was going to single out Deku, wasn't she? Ochaco felt a surge of jealousy rise up without her permission. Deku had obviously taken out more monsters than the rest of them had, picking off almost every single monster that was small enough for his bullets to do damage and he hadn't even let running out of bullets stop him. He was obviously one of the most dedicated heroes in their class.

Midoriya: You really think so?

Uraraka: Yeah, of course I do, Deku.

Iida: She's not the only one.

To her surprise and, oddly enough, indignation, Pixiebob ran past Izuku without even a second glance. Instead she grabbed Bakugo, Kirishima, and Todoroki, hugging them close to her with strong arms that they were too exhausted to do anything besides glare at. How dare she? Was it because Deku was quirkless? Was that why he wasn't good enough for her? Who did she think she was to ignore all of his hard work just because the others were more flashy?

Ochaco's quickly spiraling thoughts stopped suddenly, coming to a halt as she examined them in disbelief. She'd been jealous just at the idea of Pixiebob choosing Deku, but then when she hadn't, she'd been angry about it? How did that make any sense at all?

Mitsuki: Crushes tend to make you think weirdly.

"Leave my students alone." Aizawa drawled. "They're underage."

"I can be patient." Pixiebob pouted, but let go of the boys, who edged back toward the rest of the students in quiet exhaustion.

"Sorry about her." Mandalay said kindly. "She's of the age to take a mate."

Spinner: Um are heroes allowed to do that...?

Midnight: They are if it's their brand!

"Whatever..." Bakugo tsked and grabbed Kirishima's hand as he glared at her, "Some of us are already taken."

That got a fair amount of snickers from the class as Pixiebob turned red. Even Aizawa was hiding a grin as he welcomed them. "Good job, brats, you did fairly decent, but that doesn't mean you can relax. We'll give you a break tonight, but it only gets worse from here on out."

(1B was collectively wondering how 1A survived Aizawa)

Ochaco joined in as the class collectively groaned. She glanced over at Deku, whose face was pinched in the way that normally meant he was trying to figure out a mystery. She followed his eyes and realized that the little kid they'd seen with the pussycats earlier was here as well.

Midoriya: Oh, there's Kota!

"Um, speaking of ages..." Izuku spoke quickly before Pixiebob could have a chance to threaten him again. "Who is he? He seems a little young to be here..."

"Oh, that's my nephew, Kota." Mandalay explained. "He lives here with us! Kota, why don't you say hi?"

Midoriya: Oh it's this part...

Bakugo(chuckling): Seeing Deku get punched in the balls was pretty funny.

Everyone who didn't see it: Wait he was what?!

Ochaco smiled as Deku walked up to the kid and held out a hand, "Hey Kota! It's nice to..."

The kid was fast and the only reason she saw the blow coming was her training with Gunhead. Thankfully, Izuku had trained extensively under Aizawa, or maybe it was because he had to react quickly to survive when he was fighting people with strong quirks, but before most of their classmates even realized what was happening, Deku had rolled around to behind Kota and the kid's punch threw him off balance as his fist hit empty air.

Bakugo: Oh come on I wanted to see it again!

Izuku frowned and grabbed the kid by the collar so he wouldn't fall, "It's not nice to try to punch people when they try to introduce themselves, Kota."

"Stupid heroes." Kota muttered, pulling forcefully away from Izuku and adjusting his shirt. "Showing off with your stupid quirks. I hate all of you!"

"Hah, you got spunk kid, I'll give you that." Bakugo snorted. "But the nerd didn't even need a quirk to make a fool out of you."

(everyone snorted)

Kirishima cuffed him over the head, "Dude, he's just a kid, be nice."

"Hey, I was nice!" Bakugo yelled. "I gave him a compliment, didn't I?"

Mitsuki: Not much of a compliment but I'll take it.

Mandalay sighed, "Sorry about him. He doesn't like heroes much."

Midoriya: Oh yeah...

Mineta: Why again doesn't he like them?

Toga: Probably a tragic backstory like the rest of us.

Jana: You'll find out in a future chapter.

"That must be awkward..." Aizawa sighed. "Everybody get your stuff off the bus. You don't get to eat until your bags are in your room, so get going."

Ochaco dragged herself back to the bus, hoping there were no more logical ruses tonight. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to just not like heroes, especially if she was being raised by a group of them. It still didn't excuse the kid trying to punch Deku though.

She swallowed some anti-nausea medication that she'd stowed away in her bag and hauled it off the bus, far too tired to use her quirk to make it lighter. She was excited to become stronger, but if today was any indication, she didn't think she was actually looking forward to the rest of the camp.

Kurogiri: Not to mention that we also attacked that same camp.

Koda: Why can't we ever just have a normal school activity...?