Inside the main cabin, in the Pussycats' private lounge, the four heroes sat around a low table. They finally had a moment to analyze the day.
"That kid's a walking time bomb!" Tora growled, slamming his enormous fist on the table. The tea in the cups wobbled. His voice was a contained thunder. "I'm talking about Bakugo. Zero self-control! Zero strategy! Just explosions and rage! If he doesn't learn to channel that, he'll be a danger to himself and everyone around him. I saw him in the forest; he wasn't even looking at his teammates, just forcing his way through."
Pixie-Bob, lounging on a sofa with a feline air, chuckled and set her cup down. "Oh, come on, Tora. Admit it was exciting. These kittens have so much claw. They're perfect! The way they threw themselves into the forest! That's the kind of passion that makes a true hero! Didn't you see the girl with the horns? Ashido? Pure energy! She was sliding through the mud with surprising agility."
"Passion without control causes collateral damage, Pixie-Bob," Mandalay replied calmly, though a small smile touched her lips. She held her teacup with both hands, her gaze lost in the rising steam. "Tora is partly right. Most of them acted on impulse. They got carried away by the urgency and competed with each other instead of working together. Several of them arrived exhausted, barely able to stand. That's not efficient."
She paused, her expression subtly changing as she recalled the afternoon.
"That Midoriya kid, however... he's something else. Nezu told us to keep an eye on him, but I didn't expect... that. I thought he was just a cerebral type, a strategist. But the way he moved in the forest, the efficiency, the lack of hesitation... It wasn't Bakugo's recklessness. It was confidence. It seemed like he knew exactly where each of his teammates was at all times."
"Ooh, sounds like our leader has taken a liking to the main kitten!" Pixie-Bob purred, giving Mandalay a playful nudge.
A faint blush colored the leader's cheeks, but she maintained her professional composure. "It's not that. It's respect. He has the eyes of a true leader. I saw it afterward when he was talking to his team. He wasn't giving them orders; he was asking for their opinions, making sure they were all okay before thinking about himself. And later, he approached me."
"A fan?" Tora asked, crossing his massive arms. "Did he want an autograph?"
"No. That's the difference," Mandalay said, her voice tinged with awe. "He wasn't asking about my achievements or my most famous battles. He asked me about the limits of my telepathy."
She set down her cup and began to list on her fingers.
"First, he asked, 'Can you transmit emotions or just words?' I told him mainly words, that emotions sometimes bleed through, but it's not controllable. He nodded, mentally filing the data away. Then: 'Does the clarity of the message depend on the distance or your familiarity with the receiver?' I explained that familiarity helps, but distance is the key factor. And finally, the question that threw me off: 'Could you coordinate several people with different, simultaneous messages? Or does the message have to be general for everyone?'"
Mandalay looked at her teammates. "It wasn't a fan's curiosity. I felt like he was evaluating me for a future mission."
Ragdoll, who had been unusually quiet, stirring her tea without drinking it, finally spoke. Her voice lacked its usual energy; it sounded dull.
"Yeah, he's impressive... but I still have a bad feeling. What I saw at the lookout... I can't get it out of my head. It's a persistent image."
The relaxed atmosphere instantly tensed. Tora stopped scowling and looked at her with genuine concern.
Mandalay placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Ragdoll, we talked about this. It was probably stress. We've been preparing this camp for days, we've barely slept. Nezu put us all on high alert with his warnings about the League. You're tired, and your Quirk is sensitive. It's normal to see shadows where there are none."
"And what if they weren't shadows?" she insisted in a low voice, staring into her cup, searching for an answer at the bottom. "Twelve of them... They disappeared as quickly as they appeared. It was like they vanished into thin air. It's not normal. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before."
"Maybe it was a glitch in your Quirk because of the distance," Tora suggested, though his tone wasn't very convinced.
"My Quirk doesn't glitch," Ragdoll replied, her voice holding an edge of certainty. "It might have been for only a second, but I saw them. They were there. Watching."
"We'll keep an eye out," Mandalay promised firmly, squeezing her shoulder gently. Ragdoll's doubt was contagious, and a small wrinkle of worry appeared on her own forehead. "We'll keep communications open all night. For now, we have to stick to the schedule. The kids need to blow off some steam. We can't alarm them over a hunch."
She stood up, her tone shifting to a more cheerful and professional one as she took charge.
"Alright, team. Let's finish our tea. It's time to go scare some heroes-in-training."
*****
Outside the lodge, night had completely fallen. The forest no longer looked like a simple collection of trees, but an impenetrable mass of darkness. Torches stuck in the ground cast a flickering, orange light on the faces of the Class 1-A and 1-B students, gathered at the edge of the trail.
"Alright, kittens!" Pixie-Bob exclaimed, her arms outstretched. "Now that your bellies are full and your muscles are rested, it's time for the next camp activity!"
"A blood-curdling test of courage!" Mandalay continued, with a mischievous grin.
The reaction was immediate and varied. Mina and Hagakure cheered excitedly.
"Yes! I love this stuff!" Mina exclaimed.
"We're gonna scare them all!" Hagakure added.
Kaminari and Mineta, on the other hand, already looked pale.
"Test of courage? In a forest at night?" Kaminari trembled. "Can't we do something safer? Like... origami?"
"Or stay inside and tell ghost stories. At least there are walls in there," Mineta added, staring into the blackness of the forest as if expecting something to devour him.
Aizawa, standing to the side with his arms crossed and wrapped in his bindings, intervened in his characteristic dry tone. "Don't get confused. This isn't a game. It's training for your minds, to maintain calmness and perception under stress in a low-visibility environment. Class 1-B will go in first to hide and be the 'scarers.' Class 1-A will follow in pairs every three minutes."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group. "The objective is to walk the trail and collect a card with your name on it at the end without screaming. Whoever screams the loudest will be washing everyone's dishes tomorrow."
A murmur went through Class 1-A. The threat of washing dishes seemed almost as terrifying as the forest itself.
"The pairs will be decided by a lottery to ensure maximum fun!" Ragdoll announced, shaking a box of folded papers with a somewhat forced energy.
One by one, the students drew a number. The complaints and celebrations were immediate.
"Number seven!" Kirishima shouted, hardening his fist. "Let's see which brave man gets to team up with me! I hope it's someone manly!"
"Seven," a voice growled beside him.
Kirishima turned to see Bakugo scowling, crumpling the paper in his hand. The redhead's grin widened. "Awesome, Bakugo! We're gonna be the manliest team of all! No scare can get to us!"
"Shut up, Shitty Hair, or I'll blast you before we even go in. And you better not scream."
"A real man doesn't scream!" Kirishima retorted, unfazed.
The drawing continued, and a growing sense of unease took hold of Izuku's team as they realized the situation.
"I'm number three," Tsuyu said with her usual calmness.
"Me too!" Ochako replied, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. She gave her friend a small hug. "Great! At least I'm with a friend."
"It'll be easier if we're together, kero."
"Number five," Jiro said, twirling one of her jacks around her finger as she looked at her paper.
Momo looked at hers. "Five as well. It will be a pleasure to work with you, Jiro."
"Cool," Jiro replied with a small smile. "At least you won't scream over every little thing. You'd burst my eardrums."
"I don't plan on it," Momo assured her confidently.
Ojiro walked over to Toru. "Number six?"
"Yep! The martial arts and stealth team!" Toru exclaimed. "Though I'm better at the stealth part! No one will see me coming."
"As long as you don't trip and scream, we'll be fine," Ojiro joked, smiling.
Izuku looked at his own paper. Number ten. The last one. He looked around. His teammates, his amplifiers, his support system... all had been assigned to other teams. They'd be fine, of course. They were strong and competent. But the structure they had built, the rapport that made them so formidable, had been dismantled by a simple lottery. He felt strangely exposed and vulnerable.
"Alright, it looks like all the pairs are set," Aizawa said, looking at his list. "Ah, right. We have one left over, since Class A has one more student."
All eyes turned to the only student left standing alone: Izuku.
"Midoriya," Aizawa said, his gaze fixed and inscrutable. "Given your exceptional performance this afternoon, you have a special challenge. You'll go last. And you'll go alone."
A silence fell over the group. Some, like Kaminari, looked at him with pity. "Poor guy," he whispered. Others, like Todoroki, with analytical interest. Bakugo just clicked his tongue in disdain. "Special treatment for the useless brat? What a pain."
Izuku nodded slowly, accepting the challenge without hesitation. He knew what Aizawa was doing. It wasn't a punishment; it was a test. He was deliberately isolating him to see how he'd perform without his safety net, to see if his impressive display in the forest was a product of his own ability or a reliance on his team. A leader must be able to function alone. He understood perfectly.
Inko, watching from the lodge entrance with the other teachers, felt a pang of worry. She met her son's gaze. There was no fear in his eyes, only quiet determination. She returned a look that said it all: I know you can do it. Be careful.
"Alright, Class 1-B! Go on! Go find your best hiding spots and don't hold back!" Mandalay ordered.
With malicious laughter and whispers of "we're gonna wreck them," the students from the other class dispersed into the darkness.
"First team! Kirishima and Bakugo! You can start!" Pixie-Bob announced.
"Let's go! We don't have time to waste!" Bakugo shouted, and he strode into the forest without waiting for Kirishima, who ran to catch up.
"Hey, wait up! We're supposed to be a team!"
Every three minutes, a new pair was sent into the dark trail. The night filled with sounds.
The path was narrow and winding, flanked by trees so tall their canopies blocked out the moonlight. Roots twisted across the ground, ready to trip the unwary. The only light came from the flashlight each pair carried, its beam cutting precariously through the darkness.
Bakugo marched forward with long strides, his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Kirishima followed closely, holding the flashlight.
"Hey, Bakugo, don't you think we should slow down a bit?" Kirishima suggested. "It's supposed to be a test of courage, not a race."
"Shut up! The sooner we get this stupidity over with, the better!" Bakugo snapped. "I'm not gonna let a bunch of Class B extras scare me."
Suddenly, a figure covered in a white sheet jumped out from behind a tree, making ghostly noises.
"Wooooo!"
Kirishima jumped in surprise but quickly recovered with a grin. "Haha, nice try! You almost got me!"
Bakugo didn't even flinch. He turned his head slowly and stared at the figure with pure contempt. Tiny sparks crackled in his palm.
"You have three seconds to get out of my way before I blast you to bits."
The "ghost" froze. A gulp was heard, and the figure quickly stepped aside, muttering an apology.
"Dude, that's not very manly," Kirishima said, though he couldn't help but laugh.
Further down the path, Ochako and Tsuyu advanced cautiously, Ochako's flashlight beam sweeping the path ahead of them.
"I hope they don't jump down from the trees, kero," Tsuyu said, her voice a quiet murmur. "I hate surprises."
"Don't worry, Tsu-chan!" Ochako replied with a determined smile, though her shoulders were tense. "If they do, I'll just make them float until they apologize! This is good practice for stealth. We have to get to the end without being detected."
"You're right. But it's hard to be stealthy when your heart is pounding so hard, kero."
Suddenly, the sound of breaking branches came from just to their left. They both froze. Ochako aimed the flashlight at the sound but saw nothing but a dense thicket.
"Probably an animal," Tsuyu whispered.
They kept walking, a little closer together than before. The forest seemed to have fallen silent. Too silent. Not even the crickets could be heard.
"Isn't that strange?" Ochako whispered. "Suddenly it's very quiet."
"Yeah, kero. Too quiet."
In another part of the trail, Momo and Jiro were progressing with remarkable efficiency. Jiro walked with one of her jacks dragging on the ground, her eyes closed in concentration.
"I'm sensing vibrations," she said suddenly, stopping. "Behind that big oak tree. Two people. They're getting ready to jump. They're laughing."
Momo nodded, her mind already at work. "Can you tell who they are?"
"From the vibration patterns, I'd say it's Kendo and Awase. They're planning a double ambush."
"Understood. I have a plan," Momo whispered. Quickly, a metal object began to emerge from her exposed forearm. It was small, cylindrical, with a small dial on one end. "I'll create a low-level flashbang to disorient them at the precise moment. On my signal, run."
They walked a few more feet, straight into the ambush. The air was thick with anticipation. Just as they were about to pass the oak tree, Jiro nudged Momo.
"Now!"
Momo pressed a button on the cylinder. A flash of white light, bright but silent, lit up the forest, aimed directly at their classmates' hiding spot. Two shouts of surprise and complaints about being unable to see were heard.
"Ah, my eyes!"
"I can't see anything!"
By the time the light faded, Momo and Jiro had already run past, disappearing around the next bend in the trail and leaving two confused Class 1-B members blinking in the darkness.
"Well played, Momo," Jiro said once they were a safe distance away.
"Teamwork was the key," Momo replied, satisfied.
Meanwhile, at the starting point, the screams had begun to arrive more frequently.
The first was high-pitched, terrified, and clearly male, followed by a booming laugh.
"AHAHA! You fell for it, Kaminari! I knew you'd be the first!" Monoma's voice echoed from a distance.
Another scream, this time of pure indignation. "SHUT UP! I WASN'T SCARED! I WAS JUST SURPRISED BY THE TEXTURE! It was sticky!"
The atmosphere of terror was broken by the laughter of those still waiting at the start. It was supposed to be fun. A game.
Izuku waited alone. He listened to the distant screams and laughter, but he didn't feel any amusement, only a growing sense of unease. Ragdoll's warning about the blind spot. His own feeling of vulnerability without his team. The dark forest.
It all felt... wrong.
"Midoriya."
He turned to Aizawa.
"You're the last one. It's your turn."
Izuku nodded, took a flashlight, and headed toward the entrance of the trail. He stopped for a moment at the edge of the darkness, took a deep breath, and took the first step into the shadows.
The silence immediately enveloped him. Unlike the other pairs, there was no one to talk to, no one to break the tension. Just the sound of his own footsteps on the dry leaves. Unlike the others, he wasn't expecting his Class B classmates to jump out and scare him.
'Calm down,' he told himself. 'Aizawa-sensei is testing you. It's just stress.'
He continued forward, step by step. He wasn't scared, but he was on high alert. Every snap of a twig, every whisper of the wind, was a potential threat. He felt like he was being watched, but the feeling was different from before.