Jasper's POV

"What the hell is going on?" Asia huffed once everyone had been gathered at the base of the mountain, smoke weaving itself among the thick tree trunks. A good question that none of us had the answer to. Out of the group that had gone hiking only a handful of us were able to be teleported by the rabbit-eared girl. I counted in my head quickly: Kita, Aoi, the Mochizuki twins, and Raiden were now on their own. The others may need reinforcement, but all of us were in need of safety.

"Don't breathe too deep and get low," I warned, looking around at the thickening veil around us and crouching close to the ground. Everyone followed suit, some pulling their jackets or shirts over their noses for extra protection. Argo coughed. The burning and snapping of trees echoed from afar, but there was no doubt it would come closer. "We have to get going."

"Yeah, no shit," Asia snapped, squatting down to rub her legs with care, her pale blue hair drenched with sweat. The rest of us could feel the heat. "But where? Most of our stuff is gone because Kita and Raiden were hauling up the mountain. I put us on the path far enough that we wouldn't get squished by rocks."

All eyes darted to and fro, landing on the very few of us who still had our backpacks. Luckily, neither Kita nor Raiden had reached me or Argo in their friendly competition. I still had my pack on me with a crumpled up map somewhere in there. With haste I slung the satchel around, trying to ignore the burning of my eyes. Attempting to focus, the wind stirred with my breath as I summoned some wind strong enough to maybe clear some of the fumes but not strong enough to pull the map from my hands or for rain to begin. It was useless to use the rain aspect of Storm Cloud without knowing where the fire was... and who began that fire. If it was more than one villain at the source, reserving strength was crucial for us.

"Here," Suki poked at an unshrouded area with an elegant hand, placing a much less wrinkled map next to mine. Her jet black hair falling- as if on purpose- around her face. Already there was a pen in her hand marking where to go with diligence. Suki Tamara was easy to admire; well put together, well-mannered, and resourceful. "It's elevated from the lake and forest."

"It looks like there's a cave, but what if we can't get there fast enough?" Tami's soft voice surprised me, she was leaning over my shoulder to look at the map with her innocent brown eyes, the gentle features of her face pinched with worry.

"And this is such a widespread incident, we have to consider the possibility of there being multiple villains," Suki added. An audible gulp emitted from a lavender-haired boy, his expression laced with worry. Regardless of our countless hours of training, actually being faced with danger was much different than being faced with simply the idea of it. At school, we know we're safe and secure. Here? This is what we train for.

Our gazes traveled to our only hope: Asia, her fingers still kneading into the muscles of her carved calves. Her ears twitched and she realized then what our question would be. Her arms threw up, exasperated. It was a lot to ask, we knew, considering we had to save our strength for... well, we can only guess what for.

"Don't worry about taking me, I can help with the fire," I reassured her. Even though I wanted to second guess my ability, there was no time. Storm Cloud allowed me to cover a large area with rain, but I had to be careful. The lake was nearby and swelling, but the aridness of the fire would still be difficult to fight through.

"Me, too!" Hinata piped in, stepping in my direction and grabbing my pack. I knew he was rather close with Ale and Suki, but I wasn't sure of his relations with Mori or anyone else, for that matter. His social demeanor was familiar and comforting. I wish she would've come. It seemed like everyone knew one another rather in one way or another with an odd few out, myself included. Though, that was nothing new. My parents being Pro-Heroes typically set people on edge, avoiding me in fear of some sort of non-existing judgment. Truly, I hated it.

"Okay... but how are you going to get there? We only have one map and there's a good chance, we won't be staying on the trails. "

A fair point to make. Confusion washed over us and again we were at a loss, but not hopeless. In the short time, I have known these individuals one thing was evident: they were clever with their resources and powers. Finally, Tami looked at Suki with her pen. "Canvas."

That's all it took for Suki to understand, taking the map from my grasp and sitting on the ground. An awkward moment of silence filled the space as she stared at us and we at her. Elegantly- like all the things she did- she cleared her throat.

"Please turn away, it's impolite to stare." On cue Tami and Hinata blushed, whipping around to face the mountainside we had escaped minutes ago. Asia caught my eye with a shrug as she turned away and I followed suit. The echoing crack of rocks tumbling against one another in the distance reminded us of the urgency. Whatever Suki was doing she did with haste, suspense filling my gut at the sound of the map being moved around. "There! It is not perfect, but it should do."

She was handing me back my map and a compass. "They shouldn't be too far ahead, but you both should hurry and be safe."

"Here take these," Tami shoved trail-mix and a couple of water bottles into my hands. My long fingers passed over her much smaller ones for a brief moment. I couldn't help but to find her small stature and timid, yet eager-to-help nature adorable. How precious. Her honeyed eyes were alight with thought as they met mine, trying to pull information from her mind. "It's not much but they'll help with your Quirks."

A grin cracked across my face like lightning. "How considerate, Tami. Thank you."

"I will see about making a flag tall enough for the others to find us," Suki stepped towards us. "Our phones might not work where we are. And..."- her sharp eyes found Hinata's hands frantically patting his pockets to no avail, a sigh leaving her lips- "I believe some of us may have lost their phones."

I couldn't help but grin.

"No worries. I'm confident in our peers." I rose to my full height, locking eyes with the go-lucky boy, and nodded my head towards where the smoke was blowing from. Hinata insisted on carrying the extra weight, which I appreciated. My Quirk didn't necessarily rely on speed or agility, yet I found it useful in a pinch. Around us the trees still stood proud, no sign of fire except for the occasional fleeing animal. "Ashikaga, I'm going to watch from above."

The blond shook his head in affirmation, his eyes still bright and alert despite our dimming surroundings. I took in quick shallow breaths, releasing them with force as if to will it into becoming wind beneath my feet. Jumping, the wind swirled at my feet and the leaves fluttered from where they rest, propelling me just above the treeline coated in smog. If I squinted enough, I could make-out a winged figure swooping towards the growing fire. There was no way this could be a coincidence or an accident. My body drifted down as if on a cloud, following the same slow pattern of a falling leaf. Using bursts of wind to take myself from branch to branch, watchful eyes skewing back and forth between my peer and our destination. Uncomfortably, I tugged at my cropped hoodie trying to air out the sweat beading on my skin.

Iran was hot, but never like this.

The air grew thick with ash and cindered trees littered the area. The breezes I summoned and gusts I breathed could only help minimally keep away the polluted air without alerting any possible threat. On the ground I rejoined Hinata so we could check the map and compass. For an instant I was jealous of Mori's ability to fly, reaching his destinations at a much faster pace and with a bird's eye view of his surroundings.

It wasn't long before familiar shouts and the gusts from Mori's magnificent wings lead us to them.

"Mori we can't keep stopping to rescue every bug and rabbit we come across! This is getting muy mal." Ale was just ahead of us and above him the willowy teen. Mori heard us before his fiery companion, his head snapping back in full alert and his ears moving to locate the sound. It was a slight reaction, but he relaxed at the sight of us. I raised a hand in greeting, unsure of how to greet my fellow classmates. Anytime I smiled, it felt like a grimace.

"I have plenty of room in my pockets for bugs."

"And I could carry a few rabbits," Hinata chimed, raising his arms to flex with good-natured pride.

"Jasper, Hinata!" Ale greeted us with cheer, despite the uncheerful situation. His eyes darted around before his thick brows furrowed. "Where's everyone else?"

"Asia teleported everyone to a safe spot," I lifted the compass Suki had created and gestured to the map in the blond boy's strong hands. "We can try to get other hikers and animals back there."

"And if there's someone behind all this?" Mori questioned thoughtfully, his clear calm gaze on the map as he took it in. He was well-built with his height and intimidating with his bat-like features, he looked like he would be someone fun to spar with.

"We fight." Ale slammed his fist into his palm, a spurt of flames flickering as he did. He looked very in his element with a burn of determination.

While we headed deeper in, I thought. Using my Quirk made my throat and skin feel dry already and in this forest fire? Things would be tight and dire. I took one of the water bottles Tami had sent us off with to stay hydrated. I needed to try to save the rain aspect of my Quirk for a potential fire Quirk or even trying to minimize the hungry flames. And I wasn't a fan of using lightning in front of others, often replacing the lightning with ice. It wasn't necessarily a secret anymore, but it came as a force of habit to not want to use it for show. Sneaking out to play rebellious vigilante against my parents for so long made me more aware of when I did use it.

Quirks were known to evolve in times of desperation, when we need it the most. I always had that tidbit shoved far back in the reaches of my mind in case someone ever questioned why I never used lightning before. Only two people really knew why. And neither of them are here. Since the first day, disappointment filled my chest every time I thought of it. Never was I without someone familiar in my presence. I knew of some of those on this camping trip, but didn't truly know anyone on this trip. It was both excitingly new and oddly sad. I suppose now I would have stories to tell when we got back.

If we got back. Mentally slappin the cynicism out of my thoughts, I focused back on those around me. This small group was generally friendly, Mori being more of an enigma than the other two, but never off-putting. Hinata and Ale found things to joke about, earning chuckles from me every now and then. They would ask an occasional question, it was always written on their face when they didn't know how to approach me about something. Still, they would ask. The Bat Quirk-bearer was on high alert the whole time, shushing everyone in instances.

Eventually, we stopped walking to check our location. We were nearing the epicenter of the chaos, the smoke having thickened.

Mori's ear twisted slightly before we heard the sound: the fearful cry of an animal. He was the first to move and quicker to locate the trapped young goat underneath rubble from the mountain. Fear filled the kid's eyes and labored breaths pounded against its chest as it struggled to free itself. Mori reached a dark hand to the creature, speaking softly. It yanked its head away with a fearful bleat, but calmed with each attempt. How patient of him.

"He must've got separated from his herd during the landslide," I said, inching closer while Mori soothed the creature. "He might be hurt. Hinata?"

"I got this!" Hinata made his way around to the fallen rocks, his muscles and veins swelling as he activated Metabolism. He lifted them with the same ease as Raiden. Mori gently snatched the goat into his arms before it could attempt to limp away, continuing to reassure we only wanted to help. And as if to understand, it quieted, nuzzling into the crook of his arm.

"It's cute!" Ale said, scratching the top of its head. "It's even got little horns! Like Kita."

Mori shot him a glare, shifting the animal away from him discreetly. "We should get it back to safety."

I jumped a little when he looked at me, having been lost in admiration for how gentle he was. It took me a moment to realize he wanted to see the map, my shaking hands extended for him to gaze over his destination. How embarrassing. It wasn't often I would be so enthralled by someone in such a pressing situation. I suppose having watched him calm the animal had helped calm me down as well. Though, if he had noticed, he didn't show it as he lifted his head to scout the area, his mouth opening and closing almost unnoticeably at a rapid pace, white fangs gleaming. He frowned, then stood.

His long tail flicked behind him with irritation and his ears twitched. His eyes squinted to see through the haze. Those giant wings of his unfurled from their resting position, protectively around himself and the goat. He hissed, "Get ready."

Laughter crackled among the flickering flames, a figure in the smoke. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

On instinct I leapt, the air rushing to aid me; I almost didn't have to will it to, it came so naturally by now. My focus went to the hammering of my heart and the howls of the wind, my palm tingling from the numbing coldness that crept over my skin. A pillar of ice burst from my hand, a shining sharp spear. It was a thrill to use my Quirk, the long hours of sweat, blood, and tears for finesse paid itself off. The sheen from the ice and fire illuminated a radius around us, casting odd shadows among the smoke and blaze.

Crack!

There she was.

Swirling orange marks ran along her arms and lined her sharp face, etched into her tanned skin. Rich red hair flared around her and intensified her features. There was no doubt she was behind this havoc. My arm swung down, feeling the vibrating electricity leave my palms and rip through the air towards our villain.

The frozen spear struck the ground in front of her, leaving an ice-burnt circle in the dirt– a warning.

I'd learned from a young age to never allow anyone to believe they are a threat to you. And I stood by that. With my message across, the wind ceased and I descended from my jump.

Her ember eyes narrowed as they gazed up at myself, then Mori with the kid landing beside Ale and Hinata below. I stayed crouched when my feet hit the ground, knowing I'd be up in the air soon enough. Although my parents trained me and my siblings in every way possible and I could hold my own, I preferred to keep a distance. Close combat was not my forte.

"Orale, is it just me or is it getting hotter out here?" With no hesitation, Ale was slicking back his hair and adjusting his pose. He seemed to be the least bothered by the heat out of the four of us. The lady scoffed with a roll of her eyes. Like many women Ale tried to pursue: she was not having it. Her arms expanded to either side of her, the marks along her skin beginning to burn bright. Flames dripped down her sharpened fingertips, pooling to take the shape of a blade in each hand.

"It seems like Mama's gonna have some fun today!" She grinned a wicked grin, her eyes alive with fight and fire, as she clashed her two swords together above her head. The villainess scanned over us in a split second, her right arm swinging with force and her body angling towards the most open of our group: Mori. Her sword whizzed through the air with striking lethalness, the flames flickering off the edges. The blade didn't make it far, Ale shooting it with pristine precision. It clattered against a tree, charring its bark, and onto the forest floor where it burst into small flames. Not good.

Mori wordlessly took the chance to shoot up into the air, keeping his little companion safe.

"Mamacita," Ale called, the fire dancing in his dark eyes. "I'm over here. Quieres bailar?"

Another fire blade formed in her hand that she leveled out to point at him as if to threateningly say you bet. Her hair seemed to flare out further, flaming snakes with their tongues licking the air. She was not going to make it easy. I took a deep breath, the wind picking up as I did, bracing myself for the strikes to come.

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