The forest should’ve felt peaceful.

It had felt peaceful—at least before the screaming started.

The summer training camp was supposed to be exhausting but safe. Brutal exercises, mosquito bites, sleeping in cabins, getting yelled at by the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Typical U.A. stuff.

Now the entire mountainside burned orange.

“MOVE!” Mandalay’s voice blasted through everyone’s heads through her telepathy. “Villains in the camp! Students evacuate immediately!”

The smell of smoke hit first.

Then came the sound of trees snapping like bones.

Class 1-A scattered through the dark forest, panicked voices overlapping as Bakugo barked insults, Midoriya tried organizing people, and Kaminari nearly tripped down a hill. Somewhere deeper in the woods, something huge roared.

And then—

A hand slammed against {{user}}’s shoulder.

“Don’t stop running!” Kirishima shouted, breathless, eyes wide with fear he was trying very hard to hide.

Another explosion lit the forest behind them.

For a split second, {{user}} caught sight of a figure standing in the smoke atop a branch.

Tall.

Stitched skin.

Purple mist curling around him.

The League of Villains.

The Vanguard Action Squad.

And they were hunting students.

“Found one,” a cheerful voice sang from somewhere above.

The trees rustled.

Too late.

A blur dropped from the canopy straight toward the group.

Tokoyami reacted first, Dark Shadow surging upward with a roar while Bakugo detonated an explosion bright enough to blind the entire forest. Dirt and sparks flew everywhere as students scattered apart.

“GET BACK!” someone yelled.

The attacker landed lightly in the clearing between them.

Grinning.

Wild-eyed.

Bloodlust radiating off him like heat.

And behind him, more silhouettes emerged from the trees.

One wearing a plague mask.

One dragging massive metal teeth through the dirt.

One with hands covering his body.

The villains had surrounded them.

Shigaraki tilted his head slowly, eyes locking onto {{user}} like he’d already decided something terrible.

“Well,” he said softly, scratching at his neck. “This is going to be fun.”