The next morning, I made sure to tell Aizawa about our visitors.
He was very unhappy that I didn't tell him the moment they appeared, but I rationalized that if he tried to do anything right then, they might have attacked while everyone was soaking and not ready for a fight. He finally relented as we started our morning run.
Tiger set a brutal pace, taking us out an hour before the sunrise on a run through the forest around the base camp as Pixie-Bob's earth constructs chased and attacked anyone who lagged. After that excitement, it was time for breakfast.
After a quick breakfast, it was time for training as I was placed with Tiger again today. He seemed to really want us to suffer since most of what he made us do was stretches that used more muscles than you'd think.
By the time he finally called for a break, I was both sore and ready for what was next. I wasn't the only one suffering either; the night kids had it particularly rough. In the end, only two from Class A needed night lessons, Mina and Kaminari; Class B had a few more, but it really wasn't much.
After everyone had gone to bed, Aizawa kept them all until 2 A.M studying and testing so they could catch up with the rest of us academically. Monoma and the other Class B students complained, but Vlad King felt no pity and pushed them harder for complaining in the first place.
I didn't really feel sorry for them, but I didn't mess with them either. Monoma might have deserved it for how he was always treating Class A like his mortal enemy, but I'd rather not have Kendo rip my head off, so I left him alone.
Around lunchtime, Pixie-Bob made an announcement that set the mood for the rest of the day. Rather than letting us soak in the hot springs, we would be having a 'test of courage'. She didn't say anything more than that, but it gave us plenty to talk about as we ate our lunch and then went back to training.
I personally didn't care about it; I already knew that things would go horribly wrong before anyone got scared. Sure, it would be nice to walk through the forest holding Sasha's hand, but I'd rather not be scooped up into a marble, no thanks.
Keeping that in mind, I asked if I could practice more with my flames during the afternoon. Since I seemed to have a bottomless supply of the stuff, better to waste it than my own stamina to stay in top shape for tonight.
Aizawa must have picked up on something since he let me be during training rather than single me out. I appreciated it since, after getting up to 17 fireballs orbiting around me, I closed my eyes and looked through the eyes of my observers.
I quickly cycled through the ones watching everyone training. The ones along the forest trail for the test of courage were also clean. I even checked the ones I'd placed around Kota's cave and the rest stop, and found nothing.
A little worried, I summoned another observer to go check on Ragdoll back at base camp. It floated through the entire camp, finding nothing other than Mandalay, who eyed the observer suspiciously, and the only door to Ragdoll's office/room.
'Where could they be hiding? I know for a fact I saw them on the ridge above Kota's cave last night, but there's nothing there. Not even tracks!'
It was a very worrying problem. I actually lost control of the fireballs and had to start all over. I was more agitated now, so it took me longer, but after calming down, I was able to get up to 18 fireballs.
Progress. 👍
At some point, Aizawa stalked over to our area to make sure no one was slacking off, and I waved him down. "I need to clear my head. Can I fly really high?" He looked like he really didn't want to let me, but he did, and I took off.
Once I was in the air, I activated Six Eyes and made large circles above the entire training camp. With the height advantage and Six Eyes, I was able to see every little detail. Again, just like when I searched everywhere with the Observers, nothing was wrong.
It bugged me. Like an irritating itch in the small of my back, right where I couldn't reach. I flew around the camp five times before Aizawa signaled me to come back down. Despite not wanting to, I complied and returned to training until they let us get ready for dinner.
After my quick shower, I decided to help Bakugo and Kendo with the cooking tonight. Ochako and Setsuna, a girl from Class B who could detach her limbs, were also on cooking duty tonight.
Bakugo had apparently won the argument over what was on the menu, so now I was helping make beef stew. I was actually thankful for Bakugo for once, something I thought I would never say.
At some point, Sasha had finished her shower and was busy harassing me for lack of a better word. I was used to her teasing at this point, but this was something else.
"Oh, hey, Sasha."
"Hey, tiger, what's for dinner?"
"Well, Bakugo and Kendo argued for about twenty minutes, and he won, so we're making beef stew."
"Sounds nice, though I see a pretty choice cut of meat I'd like in my bowl."
I had foolishly turned my head to see what she was talking about, "Where?" When she grabbed my face and turned it back to her, I found her maybe an inch away.
"Found it~"
The sheer absurdity of it all made it so that I was unable to respond. I was alone as well. Ochaco was too busy blushing from imagining her and Izuku like that, and Setsuna and Kendo were too busy laughing their butts off to help me.
"OI! Hands off, you crazy cat! He's mine until dinner is served!" Bakugo snarled as he threw a pot at Sasha. She dodged it gracefully and pecked me on the cheek before sauntering away, deftly flipping Bakugo the bird as he unleashed a string of curses at her and me for not getting back to work.
Thankfully, Bakugo must have somewhat startled Sasha with his ferocity for once, as she left me alone for the rest of the time I was cooking. Setsuna and Kendo didn't leave me alone, though; they kept teasing me and Ochaco once they saw how red her face was.
Thankfully, I was able to get through preparing dinner without another episode or Sasha's attacks. I wish I were able to say the same for eating dinner, since now I don't have Bakugo to keep me safe.
"Are you alright, Micah? Your face is red." Shoto said as I tried to keep a straight face. What Shoto and Momo didn't know was that Sasha was currently switching between gripping, squeezing, and pinching my thigh.
I ended up grabbing her hand just to keep it still, but it didn't help since she'd gotten her thumb loose and was stroking my hand with it. I struggled not to react or make faces as I ate my stew.
I'm sure Shoto knew something was up since he kept eyeing Sasha suspiciously, but she didn't react. Momo, however, did know. I could tell because she was being quiet and hadn't made a comment about us yet.
Plus, her face was an interesting shade of red. I was more worried about the goblin currently doing strange things with my hand, however. Thankfully, I was able to escape and get another bowl of stew, after which Sasha let me eat in peace.
After everyone had eaten their fill of stew, we gathered around Pixie-Bob as she explained what the test of courage would be.
"The premise is simple. A path has already been marked through the forest, and name tags are scattered within with various names on them. Class B will be going in first to set up in spots where they can scare Class A.
Once they've set up, Class A will walk through the path in pairs, looking for their name tags. Once you find it, you're free to go."
Sasha had already grabbed my hand to be her partner. Shoto and Momo went looking for someone to go in with as she put her head on my shoulder. "What's got you so nervous?" She said softly as I stayed silent.
"You know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, right?"
I nodded, squeezing her hand once to reassure her as everyone got their partners and Class B set up in the forest. "Alright, first pair go in!" Pixie-Bob waved the first pair through as I started switching between the various Observers.
So far, the coast was clear, but I didn't trust it. The calm forest was making my skin prickle. I knew it was about to go ass up, but I couldn't do anything, not yet. Sasha then tugged on my hand, "Let's go, tiger, our turn!" I followed her lead while ignoring the look Pixie-Bob gave me.
Once we were in the forest, I actually calmed down a little since I was more focused on not tripping over the branches. Every so often, I'd hear something move through the bushes, and I found it humorous and adorable when Sasha's ears would twitch in the direction of the noise.
"You having fun?" I asked, and she nearly jumped. I stifled my laugh as she glared at me. "Yeah, it's pretty cool getting to hang out with the Wild Pussycats again. Even if Pixie-Bob's going stir crazy."
"What's up with that? She keeps giving all the guys strange looks, and it's kinda odd."
"You know how most of the Pussycats are cat-themed? That's because of her; her mother was like me. Some of that rubbed off on her, including how cats go into heat once they're mature enough."
"Oh crap!" My eyes went wide as I realized what she was getting at as she nodded.
"Yep, she's about to hit that stage of her life. So her body's going crazy, flooding her with all sorts of hormones and whatnot, getting ready to settle down with a mate."
I let that sit for a minute before Sasha opened her mouth again. "I don't know when it'll happen to me, my mom is normal, so I got it from my dad, but he doesn't like to talk about it much. Good thing I got you, though!
Mandalay and Pixie said it's good to already have someone in your life, like a mate. So you're stuck with me from now on."
"I don't mind." I shrugged, and she faltered half a step. "Really?" "Really. You're a beautiful person that I didn't know I needed in my life until I met you. Is your quirk also pretty cool? Yeah, but that's secondary to just being around YOU."
Sasha didn't say a word after that. The only reason I knew she wasn't upset or mad at me was the way her hand gripped mine even tighter as we walked through the forest. It was nice, and a warm feeling seeped into my chest before an alert from an observer shattered it.
I paused in the middle of the path and switched over to the one that alerted me. There it was, Kurogiri's portal. From it emerged four hulking Nomu, plus the antenna one that no doubt killed our phones.
Behind it emerged Tomura and the rest of the Vanguard Action Squad. They said nothing and leapt into the forest, while Kurogiri opened portals for others to go through. I snapped back to my own body to see Sasha looking at me in concern.
"What's wrong?" "We're under attack."
I didn't have time to explain, not yet. So I switched to the observer with Mandalay. As soon as she noticed it wriggling and looked at it, I popped it. A moment later, Mandalay's voice rang out within our minds.
'The training camp is under attack! This is NOT a drill, return to the classrooms at once. You may use your quirks to defend yourselves.'
"Come on, let's go." I spread my wings as the forest lit up from the flames. I picked her up in a bridal carry as I burst through the tops of the trees. Even with my warning, it was already too late.