A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I'm surprised by how popular this story is, honestly. You guys really love Ace. Don't worry, she may not be able to follow Izuku off the island, but let's just say it won't be the last we see of her. >:D You'll have to be patient, though.

I apologize if the quality of this chapter isn't too great—I rushed the last bit to get it out to you by Christmas! I'll be updating one more bnha story tomorrow—Christmas Day—so look forward to it!

~~~

Year: 2364, Location: Isla Sorna

Izuku grinned from his spot in the tree as Mei nimbly dodged Ace's strike. Just last week, the pink-haired inventor had graduated from sparring with Izuku to sparring with Ace. She was doing amazingly well, and Izuku couldn't help but feel proud of how far she'd come in only a month(at least, he assumed it was a month, but his sense of time wasn't exactly reliable).

It had gotten to the point where he was comfortable letting Mei wander around alone so long as she was within earshot.

Upon Mei's insistence, they'd returned to the airplane that she'd arrived in, pilfering all sorts of technical doodads that Izuku couldn't make heads or tails of. Mei was satisfied though, even if he and Ace were left shrugging at her strangeness.

Using the technology she'd stolen, she'd managed to make three explosions (something she was trying very hard to avoid, she'd explained, but was unfortunately part of her creative process), a cell signal booster, and a small hot plate that ran on solar energy, so Mei could cook her food without a fire—an amazing thing that Izuku wished he'd had when he first landed on this island.

Ace had huffed at the strange contraptions that the 'hatchling' had created (Izuku would never get over the fact that Ace was utterly convinced Mei was a hatchling that hadn't had proper guidance), but since Izuku was okay with them, she let it slide.

He hopped down from the tree with a silent grace that still seemed to amaze Mei. "Come on you two, let's have some lunch." He chirped happily, unsure if he'd spoken in Japanese or raptor. Either way, he was beyond pleased to see both his packmates understand him perfectly.

Mei and Ace shared a toothless grin before chirping in unified agreement. Izuku smirked at Mei. "What's with that look, jungle-boy?" She returned his smirk with confidence. "Care for a race? Think you can win today? I'm getting better." She was getting better, but she wasn't up to his level yet.

"Bet." He grinned, flashing his fangs in a friendly manner, Mei returning it.

Ace chirped in amusement, tapping her claw as a countdown. They all knew where the carcass was hidden. Three. Two. One.

They were off like a bullet, Izuku racing through the underbrush of his home with a fluid grace and the surety of experience. Bare feet found purchase where Mei still slipped, and Izuku took a moment to look at the girl beside him.

She ran with a large grin, filthy pink hair flying behind her in a tangled mess that was held back by her cracked goggles. Her Quirk was zooming in and out on the terrain around her, calculating where she could and couldn't run. Her feet were much quieter than they used to be, and she nimbly dodged low-hanging branches and leapt over rotting logs. Mei had truly improved by leaps and bounds.

Izuku still won, though. He reached the tree their prey was hidden in with a good half minute to spare (Ace won, she always won, but this was a race between Izuku and Mei, so the raptor that was smirking at him did not count).

Ace was already dragging the carcass down when Mei came up, huffing and puffing, but ultimately rather proud of herself. "That was the best time I've gotten so far."

"It was." Izuku agreed, ruffling her hair. He still startled at Mei's hug, but returned it with a close-lipped smile.

The three settled around the carcass—Mei cooking her meat over the hot plate she'd made. "Wanna try some?" She offered him a piece of cooked meat with a small smile.

He almost said no—he'd gotten very used to raw meat, and he wasn't sure if he would like the cooked stuff again. But... if he did decide to rejoin society, he couldn't just eat his meat raw...

"Sure, why not?" He took the offered piece and popped it in his mouth. It was uncomfortably warm—the warmest meal he'd had in three years was the meat of a fresh kill—but what made him really pull a face was how tasteless it was. No blood to season the meat, no... no anything. It was so dry it nearly made him gag. He forced himself to swallow.

"Not a fan?" Mei laughed lightly.

"It's so dry and tasteless." He complained, taking another bite of his much better raw meat. He sighed as the moisture slid across his tongue. "I don't know how you can eat that."

"I guess that makes two of us." Mei shot his meal a pointed look. The two shared a smile with closed lips as they returned to their meal.

It wasn't until they were lazily sitting about, letting their meal digest, that Ace spoke up. A chirp, a small trill, a hint of sadness...

Mei glanced between Izuku and Ace, not fully understanding what Ace was saying. Izuku, however, understood perfectly.

"I..." He bit his lip. "I don't know. I don't want to leave you, Ace." A sharp, almost reprimanding chirp cut him off as she nuzzled him. "I know... I would miss you, though." She chuffed and purred and gave him a meaningful look.

I know you want to go back. Her eyes told him. It's okay. I'll always be your pack.

His eyes filled with tears—a strange sensation, because he'd stopped crying about three months into his stay here on the island. He hugged Ace around the neck, tears pouring down his face. Ace chirped in concern, unsure of why his eyes were leaking.

"It's a human thing." Mei spoke with chirps and growls. Ace tilted her head, trying to decipher her accent, which was slowly disappearing. "He's sad." Mei explained, using entirely whistles and whines.

Ace chuffed in understanding, tucking Izuku beneath her chin to bring him closer. For a long moment, Izuku and Ace just sat there—hugging one another as boy and raptor relished in one another's presence.

"Promise me you'll never forget me." Izuku whispered in low whines and trills.

Ace nuzzled him softly, a low chirp of confirmation rumbling in her chest. The velociraptor looked him in the eye, golden green meeting bright emerald as Ace responded. Despite raptor having no true translation into Japanese, the meaning of the sounds was very clear to Izuku. "You will always be my alpha."

The tender moment was interrupted by a familiar roaring sound. Izuku's head whipped up towards the sky, searching through the clouds to find the source.

"There!" Mei pointed, Quirk easily pinpointing the flying monstrosity. Izuku's breath hitched. Another airplane. Mei's rescue party had finally arrived.

~~~

Mei and Izuku rode Ace through the forest, knowing they'd likely land near the plane crash, and thusly right in Spiny's territory. Mei held back a wince. Hopefully it was a plane full of heroes and other qualified personnel, so maybe they'd survive long enough for them to get there... hopefully.

But even a raptor wasn't as fast as a plane. By the time they'd gotten there, all they had to find was the remains of the contraption. The hull had been torn open just like Mei's plane had been. Seemed Spiny had learned that these roaring hunks of metal were meals on wheels.

Wow, she'd been spending too much time with Izu; that was really morbid.

Well, never waste an opportunity or resource, right? Mei slid off Ace's back and cautiously approached the plane. There was blood clinging to the inside and outside, but not a lot. The sight still made her feel vaguely ill. She often had nightmares of her own plane crash.

Izuku shared a look with Ace before shrugging and following her. It didn't look like a normal passenger plane, and there seemed to be no bodies.

"There's too little blood. I think there's survivors." Izuku noted aloud, and Mei nodded.

"My parents probably hired heroes to find me. Or possibly put out a reward if there weren't enough heroes interested. They probably think I'm dead." She frowned. "This island isn't on any known map—as far as anyone knows, my plane went down over a month ago in the middle of the ocean."

Izuku winced. "Yeah, I can see your chances of survival being slim to none on that one."

"But if there's even one surviving hero..."

"Then we can get you... us home." Izuku corrected, glancing at Ace. Mei placed a hand gently on his shoulder, a low rumble of comfort vibrating her chest. He sent her a grateful smile as they gathered another first-aid kit and stuffed it into Izuku's pack. Just because they hoped to get off the island soon didn't mean they'd leave something so valuable behind.

The two silently jumped down from the plane, meeting back up with Ace, who confirmed that there weren't any predators in the area. Izuku sniffed the air before sneezing. "Yep, there's survivors all right."

Mei sniffed the air, but all she could smell was the unfathomably clean air of the jungle she'd been living in for a month and her own BO—something Izuku insisted didn't stick out at all in their environment, and acted as a sort of protective scent blanket or something. Mei hadn't followed beyond 'it won't get you killed' and left it at that. She still tried washing up at the river whenever she could, though.

Ace shot her a look with a questioning head tilt. Izuku seemed to think the same, as he vocalized what the raptor was thinking. "You can't smell that?"

"Not everyone has raptor-smell, Jungle-boy." Mei huffed. "I've got the eyes, you've got the nose."

Izuku let out a chuckle as he swung up onto Ace's back, holding out a hand towards her. "Suppose you've got a point. Come on, then. Let's go rescue us a rescue party."

Mei snorted. "You're horrible." She took his hand and settled down on the bony back—she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to riding Ace.

The raptor chirped in agreement to Mei's statement before they took off. It was more of a trot, as they were following a trail. Mei's Quirk kept zooming in on everything she noticed—everything the group they were following was doing wrong.

Firstly, they didn't even try to cover their footprints. It was likely that they didn't think about it, nor did they realize that creatures on this island were smart enough to track like that. Secondly, there were droplets of blood on leaves and crushed branches that depicted a very clear path for them to follow. Someone in their group might've had a mutation Quirk or two because they kept finding feathers and fur caught in branches and brambles.

Lastly, the set of raptor prints that dogged the boot prints told the small pack of three that the heroes were being chased. Whether or not they realized this wasn't clear until they reached the edge of an open area filled with tall grass.

Mei belatedly realized they were in Pearl's territory. Izuku had once pointed that grass out to her, and warned her to never enter it. It was the favored hunting ground for the pack.

Ace and Izuku shared a grim look before pacing the edge of the tree line, intent on finding another trail that didn't expose them.

"There." Mei whispered lowly as her vision zoomed in on something red caught in a bush. It looked vaguely familiar and itched the edge of her mind, but she ultimately shoved it aside. "Survivors."

Izuku and Ace nodded. "Right." They sniffed around before Ace gave a low barking sound, warning them to hold tight. Without a second warning, and only a moment to comply, Ace took off in a seemingly random direction.

It was obvious to Mei that they weren't following a scent trail anymore, and it was only when she noticed Izuku's head cocked to the side that she realized it was something they'd heard.

The trio slowed when they came to the edge of a ravine, and Mei could barely make out a few raptor cries from further down the bend. There was a massive cliff before them, and Izuku warily climbed off their packmate. Mei followed suit, a quiet questioning trill rolling off her tongue with a surprising amount of ease.

Izuku chirped lowly, a sort of strange clicking sound emanating from the back of his throat. There were raptors ahead—that much she knew—and they were frustrated. The three climbed a nearby tree and swiftly (and not quite so gracefully for Mei and Ace) leapt from one thick arcing branch to another until they could see what they were hearing.

Twelve raptors paced the edge of the cliff where once there'd been a rope bridge. It seemed the survivors had wizened up a little because the ropes tethering it had been cut from the other side. A few distinctive calls from the raptors told Mei that a handful of their packmates had fallen to their deaths in the desperate move.

She winced. If this was Pearl's pack, this might deter them from pursuing this group—she valued numbers. But if this was Void's pack (as they were dangerously close to Void's territory), then such a move would be taken as a challenge. Mei looked towards Izuku.

"Pearl." He whispered quietly as the raptors gave one last frustrated cry and retreated. "Those numbers are only found in her pack. The group must've really agitated them, because that was a lot of raptors for a chase-and-hunt." He frowned, eyeing the bridge. "But they aren't safe—not yet. They're headed straight for Alex's territory, and if Void's caught wind of them, then even he won't stop them."

"How do we cross the chasm, though?" Mei asked. She knew there was a way around it, but it took about a day or two. By then the trail would be cold and the survivors would likely be dead (if her own personal experience as a newbie on the island was anything to go by, then anyone who wasn't Izuku would die within two days).

Izuku gave her a devilish smirk, and Mei felt herself stiffen. "I know a way."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to hate this?"

Ace chirped in agreement.

"Come on." Izuku leapt down from the tree, Mei and Ace scrambling after him. "I know a place where the canyon is narrow enough to jump."

"To jump." Mei repeated numbly. "You want us to jump over that?"

Izuku blinked, like the concept wasn't absolutely insane. "Yes? It's the fastest way across."

Mei eyed the remains of the bridge. "Give me a minute." She knelt down by the edge, where the ropes were still tethered to the posts, and started pulling what remained of the bridge up. She gathered the rope with a few careful cuts from a salvaged knife, coiling it up and wrapping it around her waist.

Izuku stared at her in awe. "You've learned so much. I'm so proud of you!"

Ace just huffed and rolled her head.

"Just because you can jump something, raptor-boy, doesn't mean I can. Or Ace." Ace gave some kind of disgruntled sound. "Well, I probably can't. If you take the rope across, I can use it to shimmy across the canyon." Why was she doing this? Crossing a canyon with an undoubtedly fatal drop with nothing but a rope?! Mei couldn't help but feel like her sanity was slowly leaving her the longer she stayed on the island. Perhaps it was. Didn't necessarily mean it was a bad thing, though.

"You might be surprised." Izuku hummed with a low playful growl. "You've gotten far stronger than you think."

It didn't take them long to come upon the area that Izuku had mentioned. The canyon was certainly far more narrow here, but Mei was quite sure she didn't have the skills to jump such a gap without the help of the rope she'd cut from the ladder, despite Izuku's insistence otherwise.

Izuku flashed her a grin (she still didn't understand how his canines were so damn sharp when she knew it wasn't a Quirk) before taking a running leap, rope tied to his wrist.

Mei's heart leapt into her throat for a moment before Izuku landed squarely on the other side. She shared a look with Ace. "Our alpha is both amazing and incredibly stupid." She muttered. Ace gave a tired chirp of agreement along with a fond trill. Mei scratched Ace under the chin as said raptor nuzzled her neck.

She felt a small shiver run down her spine at having a mouth of razor sharp fangs that close to her neck, but Mei also felt a warmth spread throughout her. She was finally starting to understand the word pack in the sense that Izuku and Ace did. And it felt good to be part of that.

Ace backed up a few good paces before dashing forward at an incredible speed. She leapt across the chasm, making it just as far as Izuku had. Mei watched as Izuku tied the rope to a nearby tree and gripped her literal lifeline with all her strength.

"This is the dumbest thing I've done since that sketchy flight." She muttered under her breath. Izuku gave an impatient chirp, and Mei took a breath. She ran as fast as she could, and leapt with all her strength.

It was absolutely terrifying to watch the ground vanish beneath her feet. To see the drop and know that this could be the last moment of her life. And then... then the ground was back, and she tumbled to the grass with the rope still in her hand. She lay there, aching and bruised for a moment in utter confusion.

"See?" Izuku chirped happily. "Didn't I tell you?"

Mei sat up and looked back across the chasm. "I... I jumped that?" She whispered in disbelief.

"You did." Izuku laughed. Ace butted her head against Mei with an almost proud trill. "See? We told you that you've gotten better."

"I..." Had she really improved on strength and stamina to the point where she could just... jump across a chasm?! Her brother would kill her if he knew she'd just done that (he'd always been protective of her).

Ace gave an impatient trill, and Izuku made a chuffing sound. "Ace is right. We can't waste any more time." He smirked at Mei. "Wanna try it on foot?"

"You know what? I think I will." She gave him a toothless smile. If she could jump a chasm, a bit of running would be fine.

Mei couldn't smell the trail like Izuku and Ace could, but she could see it. The droplets of blood, tufts of fur and occasional bloody feathers that littered the pathway spoke to her like a neon sign. Scuffs of dirt that betrayed boots and shoes stuck out like they never had before this island. Mei finally understood what Izuku meant when he spoke of her old group and how badly they'd stuck out.

When they found these people, she only prayed they'd listen to Izuku. Otherwise they'd be dead within the week, if they were lucky (she resolutely shoved the thought that the truly lucky ones died in the crash to the back of her mind.)

Mei froze suddenly, her run coming to an abrupt halt as she stilled. Her gut was rolling; something was wrong. Izuku glanced back at her, a soft chuckle falling from his lips. "What do you smell, Mei?" He asked quietly.

She frowned, about to tell him that she couldn't smell like he could, only to pause. "Smoke. I smell smoke. Is... is that what's got me on edge?"

"Yep." Izuku confirmed. "It's not natural here."

Smoke. That meant fire, which meant people. "But if even I can smell it..."

Ace chirped in confirmation. It meant the predators nearby could smell it too.

"It's coming from over there." Izuku pointed towards a small plume of smoke that lazily drifted towards the clouds. The raptor-boy made a reptilian sound that Mei had learned was a rather rude insult akin to 'idiot'.

Mei had to agree with him on that one. Building a fire when it wasn't even night, or cold? Sure, the winter season was coming, but Izuku said that meant more rain than anything. Getting to higher ground, preparing for scarcer food, making sure the nests were dry and insulated. Not building a predator beacon.

Mei shook her head. Hopefully, the three of them reached this group before anything else did. Otherwise any hope of rescue would fly out the window. Don't be dead.

~~~

Izuku eyed the group of five sitting around the fire. The flames would only deter the smaller dinosaurs, and the larger more dangerous ones would only be wary for so long. They were on a time-crunch right now. If Void decided to attack, Izuku would have to prioritize his pack, and leave the others to fend for themselves.

He made a low sound in the back of his throat, encouraging his packmates to stay hidden. Ace would only frighten them right now, and Mei would give them a false sense of security—a relief that their mission was over and done.

Besides, as alpha, it was only right that he initiate first contact. He eyed the group, old analysis abilities kicking in. He hadn't analyzed Quirks in many years (had it really only been three?), but the old routine was familiar.

One man obviously had a gorilla mutation Quirk. He might survive if he learned to adapt quickly. The mutation would be incredibly helpful in climbing out of range from predators, and the added strength could be useful on hunts. However, the man's arm was bloody and somewhat mangled. Medical attention was required. Possible liability. Asset rating of six out of ten.

Izuku turned his attention towards the second man. He had another mutation Quirk—some kind of lizard. Scales peaked out from beneath the neckline of his bloodstained t-shirt, and a clawed hand gripped a tin cup with something Izuku assumed to be coffee, by the smell. He also had the potential blend in quite well with this island, assuming he shed the clothing and the stench of detergent and moisturizer. Izuku eyed him with distaste as he spread more of the fragrant lotion on his hands, softening his scales. If he'd been doing that for years, then it'd be practically useless for defense. He felt his lips tick downwards. Asset rating of four out of ten.

The third man was bald, with many scars across his face. He didn't look like any hero Izuku had seen, but there could've been more after he'd been sent to this island. He didn't seem to have an obvious Quirk, but Izuku got a fair idea of what it was when he reached into the fire to grab something. It was either flame immunity, or a heat-based Quirk that had a secondary fire-resistance attribute. A fire Quirk was useless on this island. Sure, it'd be a good combat-based ability, but it'd attract far more trouble than it was worth. Going by the fact that half the forest wasn't on fire, and they hadn't found any scorched raptor corpses, Izuku was of the mindset that it wasn't a fire Quirk but something to do with heat and heat resistance. Perhaps even a fire manipulation Quirk, which would require a flame to begin with, hence why he hadn't been able to use it in combat from the start. Asset rating of two and a half out of ten.

The fourth man was a bit on the taller side with fair skin and short dark brown hair. He was thin and lithe, reminding Izuku of the hero Nighteye. He wore a suit under a trench coat, which was bloodied and torn, but the man appeared to have no major injuries. He also had no visible Quirk. He looked exhausted, though, and kept glancing around warily. A good head on his shoulders, then. He couldn't accurately rate how much of an asset this man would be, but his gut told him he was someone that'd be better as an ally than an enemy. After all, intelligence was one of the most powerful weapons one could utilize on this island. Izuku tentatively gave him a seven.

The final person made Izuku startle a bit. He knew that person. He'd been a rising hero when Izuku had been sent to this island. Bright red feathered wings curled protectively around a beige jacket. A shock of blonde hair accompanied a cracked yellow visor, and Izuku grinned. Pro Hero Hawks. He was an ideal person for this island. He could fly to grab a rescue for them, but...

No. He held his left wing awkwardly, and Izuku could make out the shine of blood on the crimson feathers. Hawks was hurt. He was temporarily grounded. That was a decidedly bad thing.

Izuku carefully stepped out of the foliage, making sure to rustle the branches to draw attention. Five pairs of eyes snapped towards him. "Fire's a bad idea." He spoke slowly, making sure to only speak in Japanese.

Eyes widened when they took in his form. Tanned from years in the sun, scarred from countless near-death experiences, and short from malnourishment. He knew he was a bit of a startling sight, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He pointed a lengthened, filthy nail (claw) at the fire. "It'll attract predators." He continued.

"Who... who are you?" Hawks asked. "We thought this island was deserted."

"It is." Izuku nodded. "I was the only human here until you and that other plane showed up." He twitched, tilting his head sharply with a low trill. The sound made the others flinch quite badly. "We should get moving. That fire's going to attract them. If Void finds you, you're dead."

"Void?" The Nighteye-like man spoke softly. He had a distinctly British accent.

"The raptor that runs this area." He explained with a clipped tone, a few raptor sounds starting to seep through with his impatience. "You thought Pearl was bad? Void is worse."

"You named these things?" The fire-man scoffed. "Look, kid. I get that you're probably scared, but—"

Izuku cut him off with a harsh hissing chirp-like sound he had no name for. The man flinched. "I am trying to help you." He growled, growing frustrated. "I've been on this island for years. If you listen to me, you might survive."

"Listen to you?" Gorilla man scoffed. "You're a kid."

"And?" Izuku scoffed. "I may be a kid, but that doesn't mean I'm not more experienced than you." He spied a few compsognathus scurrying around the underbrush. They were running out of time. He pulled out his flask. "This will cover your scents so we can't be tracked." He held it out towards Hawks, who took it without hesitation.

The wing hero opened the cap and nearly gagged at the scent. "What is this?" He asked, pouring some over his head and wings, wincing when the liquid trickled over his open wounds. He passed the flask to the British man beside him, who carefully dabbed it around his hair, face, shoulders and the rest of his person. Hawks looked a little self conscious for a moment before smearing the liquid around himself more evenly.

Izuku took a sniff and nodded, satisfied that their human scents were covered sufficiently. The British man held the flask out towards the other three. Lizard man went to reach for it, but it was smacked away by baldie, who glowered at the flask that was slowly losing its precious contents to the dirt.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get T-Rex urine?" He stared at the man flatly.

"Look. You're crazy, kid. I ain't gonna smear myself with that shit. It stinks to high heavens! If you're worried about people finding us, then that's a quick way for us to be found."

"Forget this." Gorilla-man shook his head. "I'm done. You fuckers wanna go off into those woods with this brat, go for it. I'm staying here until our rescue party comes."

"What rescue party?" Hawks glared. "We are the rescue party."

"I, for one, think our best chances of survival are sticking with the boy." The British man stated, parchment colored eyes narrowing at the other man.

"Then take your chances." Baldie scowled. "Come on Ruga, Lyson, we're going to make camp elsewhere." Lizard-guy's eyes darted from Baldie to Izuku to the Brit and then back to Izuku again.

"Um... Goran... don't you think it might be better to listen to the kid? Even just this once? He's obviously survived here for a while." Lizard-guy, or Ruga, as the bald man called him, spoke up hesitantly.

"Hah?" Baldie—Goran?—scowled. "You talkin' back to me?"

"N-no, sir, I jus—!"

"Izu." Mei spoke up from the bushes, carefully making her way out. There was a serious look in her eye, and Izuku knew she wouldn't come out without his go ahead unless it was something important.

"You're her." Hawks breathed. "You're Hatsume Mei... you're alive."

Mei didn't bother to so much as glance at the others, her gaze fixed firmly upon the jungle. She gave a low trill, meaning danger.

At that moment, the wind shifted, and Izuku caught the scent. He slowly reached out and grabbed Hawks and the British guy—the two who were closest to him—and pulled them away from the fire.

"Whatever happens, stay silent and don't move." Izuku warned them. Ace came out of the bushes to stand by Mei, drawing wide eyes from the others. Mei put a hand on Ace as Izuku stood protectively before them, keeping a hand on either arm of the men to his sides.

The thudding of the ground made eyes widen. Especially when Alex the T-Rex appeared, attracted by the flickering moving light of the fire. He stomped into the clearing, and Izuku tightened his hand around the arms of both men, a silent warning to stay still. Alex sniffed at the fire, snout coming within reaching distance of Izuku and the two men. He could feel them shaking beneath his grasp.

"What the—?!" Goran stumbled backwards, ignoring Izuku's earlier advice. Alex locked his gaze upon the idiot and roared. Goran went to run, but Alex was far too fast. Izuku winced when Goran's scream was cut short, legs falling limp from the maw of the Tyrannosaurus. Alex gave another roar as Ruga and Lyson spun around, terror clouding judgement as they fled into the jungle.

Alex roared and gave chase without question, leaving them in the silent, blood-stained clearing.

Izuku relinquished his bruising grip, chirping at Mei and Ace to make sure they were okay. Ace and Mei both chirped back affirmatively.

"You... saved us." Hawks was trembling and his wings were fluffed up.

"Tyrannosaurus hunt by movement and smell." Izuku explained.

"Since Izuku covered your scent, you were safe so long as you were still." Mei continued.

"It isn't safe here." Izuku pressed, an urgent trill underlying his words. He wasn't sure if he'd spoken in Japanese or not, but the two seemed to get his meaning regardless.

They eyed Ace warily as they walked through the jungle. Izuku and Ace keeping a sharp ear and nose out for trouble, while Mei was gazing around the woods for territorial markings or signs of unwanted movement.

Finally, they passed out of Void's territory, and Izuku took a breath. "We can speak a bit more freely here." He explained, hoping he was mostly speaking in Japanese. Mei's light snicker told him it probably wasn't.

"We're not gonna be eaten, are we?" Hawks asked, warily eyeing Ace who gave an amused chuff.

"This is Ace." Izuku explained. "Ace is pack. If you hurt her in any way, I'll hurt you back." He bared his fangs for a moment with a low growl to ensure they got his message. Ace chirped approvingly at him, and he rolled his eyes at her, chirping back.

"You managed to tame one of those things?" Hawks asked in disbelief. Ace gave an affronted sound.

"I didn't tame her." Izuku protested. "I befriended her."

"Raptors are just as smart as people." Mei explained. "It isn't just Ace, it's all of them. Don't underestimate them."

"Unless you wanna end up like that guy with the fire manipulation Quirk." Izuku tacked on, earning a strange look from his human companions.

"How'd you know he had a fire manipulation Quirk? He hasn't had the chance to use it once on this island." British man narrowed his gaze.

"It was obvious." Izuku blinked. "He reached into the fire without hesitation nor getting burned, suggesting a familiarity with it. Since the jungle wasn't aflame, it means he can't create flames like Endeavor, but he also likely can't expand them himself either or he'd carry a lighter on him. That means he has to have a fire readily available for use, and that it takes a fair amount of concentration to use—something common with elemental manipulators. Since he didn't react with his Quirk, he was inexperienced in utilizing it in a high-risk situation. Inexperience means he's not a hero, so I'm guessing he's a mercenary of some kind. Likely lured in for a reward to retrieve Mei." He finished with a chirp, proud of himself for sticking to Japanese the entire time.

Wide eyes made him second-guess himself, though. "That... was Japanese, right?"

"Izu... since when could you do that?" Mei asked.

"Do what?" Izuku shared a baffled look with Ace, who huffed. Her expression clearly said that this was his problem to deal with. He chuffed irritatedly back at her, causing her to roll her head at him.

"You're quite adept at analysis." The British man spoke. "Who taught you?"

"Nobody." Izuku blinked. "It was a hobby of mine before I got sent here."

"Sent here?" Hawks echoed as Izuku lead them to a cavern. It wasn't their usual nest, but it was better than nothing.

"Yeah. I'm from Musutafu, Japan. There was a fight between Edgeshot and a villain with some kind of teleportation Quirk. I got caught up in it, and ended up here."

"You're Midoriya Izuku!" Hawks' eyes widened.

"H-how do you know that?" Izuku blinked. He hadn't expected Hawks to know who he was.

"Ah... Yes, Midoriya Izuku. Eleven years old, vanished in the midst of a villain fight when said villain's Quirk misfired into the crowd of civilians." The British man's parchment colored eyes glowed slightly, and Izuku wondered if he had some kind of information recall Quirk. "Declared missing, cold case. Nobody's found you, though many tried. Unfortunately, due to your Quirkless status, your case was quickly dropped and left unresolved. You're presumed dead."

Izuku winced. "Sounds about right." He sighed. "Information recall Quirk?"

"It's called Archive, which is also my hero name." Archive nodded. "I work for MI7—British Villain Intelligence."

"What's a member of MI7 doing all the way out here?" Izuku frowned.

"Hatsume Industries is one of the main suppliers of support equipment for us. When their daughter went missing, it was only right that we sent out someone to aid in her retrieval."

"Makes sense." Mei shook her head, a sighing trill rumbling in her throat.

"What... is that?" Hawks finally asked, looking at Mei and Izuku. "You two have been making strange noises."

"Raptor-boy over here can speak it." Mei gave a close-lipped grin.

"I don't speak raptor." Izuku huffed, an irritated chirp escaping. "It's more like mimicking. I'm not really sure how to explain it."

Ace chuffed in amusement, and Izuku sent her a glare, lightly baring his fangs at her. She dipped her head in apology. Friend or not, he was still her alpha. There was a limit to how much teasing he could take in a day, and he was still in a bit of a mood after dealing with baldie and his crew.

Mei gave the chirping trill for nest, and Izuku tilted his head when he realized they'd already made it back. Ace rolled her head fondly at him and nudged him inside.

"A cave?" Hawks looked around, and Izuku was glad that Mei had him move the carcass outside, because he didn't think Archive and Hawks would appreciate it.

"You were expecting a house?" Mei snorted. "This is an unpopulated jungle. No human has lived here since the pre-Quirk era, according to Izu."

"Hawks." He chirped sharply, instantly commanding the hero's attention. He held up a roll of bandages and some antibiotic. "Show me your wing."

The hero hesitated a moment before extending the appendage, startling Ace slightly. It was hurt pretty badly, but it didn't look like anything permanent. He'd have scars, but he would still be able to fly. Hawks got lucky.

"He pulled me out of the way of a raptor in the tall grass." Archive admitted. "I would've died."

"The tall grass is Pearl's favorite hunting ground." Izuku idly explained as he gingerly wrapped the wing. "Be glad you didn't run into Void. Pearl will only chase you out of her territory, but Void will chase you across the entire island."

Both men gave a shudder at the thought of being continually chased across the island. It made Izuku almost laugh.

"Izu, they look pretty exhausted." Mei pointed out. Izuku startled a bit when he realized she was right—the two heroes could hardly keep their eyes open. Adrenaline crashes were pretty brutal.

"We should get some rest." Izuku nodded, pulling out some blankets from the provisions he'd taken. "We can explain more in the morning. You've had a long day."

Mei laughed quietly. "Japanese, Izu. You need to speak Japanese to them. We'll explain in the morning. For now, just get some rest." She translated, settling down into the nest with Ace and Izuku. Ace curled her tail protectively around the two humans, making sure to glare at Hawks and Archive to warn them to stay away from the nest.

Izuku gently rubbed the spot beneath her eyes, chuffing gently to her. I love you, Ace.

Ace seemed to smile as she gently chuffed back. I love you too, Alpha.