The bus ride to the summer training camp felt like a bright lie. Outside the window, the city scenery slowly gave way to lush green countryside. Inside the bus, the atmosphere was a low hum of laughter and chatter. Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero were joking loudly in the back row. Iida, with his stiff hand gestures, was trying (and failing) to get everyone to sit quietly and follow the travel schedule. Aizawa-sensei, sitting at the front, just let out a long sigh and pulled the zipper of his sleeping bag higher, as if trying to drown out the noise. Everything seemed normal. Everyone was excited for a fun summer vacation and training.
But for me, every kilometer we traveled felt like one step closer to a battlefield. I sat by the window, letting the green scenery pass by without really seeing it. My mind kept replaying the message from Akame, the image of that training camp etched into my mind. 'They will attack here. Be ready.' The burden of that knowledge felt like a block of ice in my stomach. I was a soldier being sent into an ambush I knew was coming, but I couldn't warn my comrades.
"You look tense, Tatsumi-kun," a soft voice said beside me. Uraraka was looking at me with a worried expression. We were sitting with our usual group—me, her, Tsuyu, and the invisible Toru. Momo and Nejire, being seniors, weren't coming to this camp, which made me feel like I was missing some of my strategic and sensory support.
"It's just a training camp," Uraraka continued, trying to be cheerful. "It's supposed to be fun!"
"A training camp designed by U.A.," I replied, my eyes still on the window. "I wouldn't underestimate it. We should always be on guard."
"You're right, kero," Tsuyu chimed in. "After the USJ incident, we can't let our guard down. But you seem more serious than usual, even for you."
I could only shrug. How could I explain to them that I wasn't just being vigilant, but that I was waiting for the arrival of an elite assassination squad? How could I tell them that I had spent the last two days in secret meetings with Ryukyu, planning contingency strategies based on information from a killer? I could only keep it all to myself, and it felt incredibly lonely.
After a few hours of travel, our bus suddenly stopped, not at a camp, but on the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast, dense forest. A conspicuous black car was already parked there.
"Everyone off," Aizawa-sensei said in a bored tone.
As we all got off, confused, two female figures emerged from behind the car. They wore colorful, cat-themed hero costumes. "Eyes locked on the target!" one of them, a blonde woman in a blue costume, exclaimed, posing with her claws in front of her face. "We've come to pounce!" exclaimed the other, a red-haired woman in a red costume, striking a similar pose.
"The pro heroes who will be working with us this time, the Wild, Wild Pussycats!" Aizawa announced.
I recognized them immediately. A veteran hero team specializing in mountain and forest rescue operations. The hyperactive blonde was Pixie-Bob, and the red-haired one with a leader's demeanor was Mandalay. A small child in a hat with an "H" on it stood near them, glaring at all of us with a sour expression. That must be Mandalay's nephew, Kota.
"I'm 18 at heart!" Pixie-Bob shrieked when some of us commented on her age. She then looked at all of us with a predatory gaze. "I can't wait to play with this 'fresh meat'!"
"Speaking of which," Mandalay said, her smile a little sly. "Why did we stop here? Strange, isn't it?" She pointed toward the forest spread out below the cliff. "Your training camp is actually over there. At the foot of that mountain."
We all looked into the distance. It was several kilometers away.
"Then why did we stop here?" Uraraka asked.
"Maybe they'll let us rest first?" Sero guessed.
Pixie-Bob's smile widened. "Break time is over!"
Before we could process her words, the ground beneath our feet trembled. With a powerful roar, Pixie-Bob slammed her hands on the ground. A giant wave of earth erupted from the cliff, pushing all of us—the entirety of Class 1-A and 1-B—over the edge. Screams of panic filled the air as we all fell from the cliff, tumbling down into the forest below.
Chaos erupted in mid-air. The quicker-reacting students immediately used their Quirks. Sero shot his tape at a tree branch, Uraraka touched herself and a few others to make them float, and Tsuyu used her tongue to grab hold. As for me, while falling, I saw Koda, the quiet boy who could talk to animals. He was frozen in fear, his eyes shut, and he was about to hit a cluster of large rocks.
There was no time to think. Instinct took over. 'Legs! Hands!' I thought. With a sharp, familiar pain, Incursio's leg guards and gauntlets formed. I used the power boost from my leg guards to kick off the air, changing my trajectory. I shot toward Koda, catching him in mid-air, then spun our bodies, using my back to crash through smaller tree branches to slow our fall before landing in a rough but effective roll on the forest floor.
"Are you okay?" I asked the still-trembling Koda. He could only nod frantically, too scared to speak.
As all the students finally managed to land, a telepathic voice sounded in all our heads. It was Mandalay's Quirk. "Welcome to the Beast's Forest! As you can see, you'll have to get through this forest to reach the lodge. We estimate you'll arrive around noon. But I suggest you hurry... because this forest is full of 'surprises'!"
Just as her message ended, the ground in front of us began to churn. From the soil and mud, a giant monster formed, made of clay, rock, and roots. It had massive claws and empty eyes that stared at us.
"An earth monster?!" Mineta screamed in terror.
"This is Pixie-Bob's Quirk!" Midoriya exclaimed, his mind immediately working. "This is our first test!"
The monster roared and charged at us. Instantly, chaos reigned again. Most of the students, who had never faced anything like this, panicked slightly. Bakugo, of course, charged straight in. "DIE, YOU DAMN DIRT MONSTER!" he roared, unleashing a huge explosion that destroyed part of the monster's body, but the earth quickly reformed itself.
"Regular attacks won't be effective!" Iida shouted, trying to organize us.
I saw the panic and lack of coordination. This wouldn't work. I knew this was just a test, but in my mind, this was a drill for the real battle. I couldn't let us be divided.
"Everyone, listen up!" I shouted, my voice loud enough to cut through the panic. "We can't fight it one by one! We need a strategy!" I turned to the group that happened to land near me: Momo, Jiro, Toru, and Shoji.
"Yaoyorozu!" I commanded, my tone firm. "This monster is made of earth and rock. Sharp attacks or explosions won't destroy it permanently. We need blunt weapons! Maces! Hammers! Something that can shatter its core!"
Momo, who had seemed a little hesitant, was immediately snapped to attention by the clear command. She nodded. "Got it!" She immediately began creating several heavy metal weapons.
"Jiro! Use your earphone jacks! Detect vibrations underground! Tell us where the next monsters will appear before they form!"
"On it!" Jiro replied, immediately plugging her jacks into the ground.
"Shoji, you're our eyes! Use your arms to watch from above! Give us a warning if anything approaches from our blind spots! Toru, you're the best distraction we have! Confuse them, give us an opening!"
All of them, previously confused, now had a purpose. They moved immediately. I myself stood at the front, ready to face the next attack. I manifested both Incursio gauntlets. When another earth monster appeared, I didn't try to destroy it. I used my strength to parry its blows, creating an opening for Momo to provide weapons to the others.
In other parts of the forest, I could see other groups starting to find their rhythm. Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka were working well together, with Midoriya analyzing the monster's weak point (a denser clay core in its center) while Iida distracted it and Uraraka used rubble to bring it down. On another side, Todoroki and Bakugo became a duo of destruction, one freezing the monsters in place and the other blasting them to bits.
Our battle against the forest itself lasted for hours. It was exhausting. It was dirty. But it was also... effective. We were learning to work together, to cover each other's weaknesses, and to trust one another. I myself continuously used partial manifestation, feeling that familiar pain, but also feeling an increasing sense of control. I could summon and retract the armor more quickly, making it a part of my fighting flow.
Finally, after a final battle against the largest earth monster, we saw it. A large, cozy wooden building in a clearing. We had arrived. We all collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, covered in mud and sweat, but there were victorious smiles on our faces. We had passed the first test.
For a moment, I let myself feel relieved. I looked at my friends who were laughing and congratulating each other. For a moment, this felt like a normal, tough summer training camp.
But then, I looked into the dark, dense forest behind us. This was just a test. These were just monsters made of earth. I knew that soon, we would be facing the real monsters. Monsters made of flesh and hatred, who were coming not to test us, but to kill us.
As I was lost in thought, Tsuyu approached me. "You seem more serious than usual, even for you, Tatsumi-chan," she said in her typical calm tone. "What's wrong, kero?"
I was about to answer, trying to string together another convincing lie. But before I could open my mouth, the sound of a snapping branch echoed loudly from the dense woods nearby.
Instantly, all laughter and chatter stopped. The entirety of Class 1-A and 1-B froze. All our heads snapped in unison toward the source of the sound. Our brief moment of relief was shattered, replaced by a cold, piercing tension. Something else was in this forest with us.