ShuraZero
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Chapter 124: Nocturnal Lessons
🕑 Added 2025-10-05 20:02:37 +0000 UTCI have to warn Mandalay. Now.
The command was clear in her head, but her fingers wouldn't respond. Fear had paralyzed her. What if it was a false alarm? Nezu had warned them, but a warning was one thing, and seeing the threat materialize on her mental map was another entirely. If she sounded the alarm and it was nothing, she would cause a panic among the students and look like a fool. If she didn't…
"Everything alright over here?"
Ragdoll screamed.
It was a choked scream, a sharp sound of pure terror that was cut off almost instantly. Her body reacted with the speed of a trained professional. She spun around in a fluid motion, her posture dropping into a low, feline combat stance, her hands turned into claws ready to attack. The scare had been so intense that she felt the frantic hammering of her heart against her ribs.
In front of her, with wide eyes and his hands raised in a universal gesture of surrender, was Izuku Midoriya. He was holding two steaming mugs, and the hot tea had spilled a little on his hands from her sudden movement.
"Whoa, take it easy! It's me!" he said, his voice a mix of surprise and apology. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you might be cold. I saw the light on and figured you were on watch."
Ragdoll remained frozen in her combat stance for a second, her brain trying to process the transition from mortal terror to mundane normalcy. She looked at him: a concerned student with an offering of tea. She felt ridiculous. She slowly relaxed her posture, the adrenaline rush leaving her with a slight tremor she tried to hide by clenching her fists.
"No… it's okay. That was on me," she said, her voice a little higher than usual. "I was… really focused. I didn't hear you coming."
How did I not hear him coming? she thought, a new layer of unease settling over the previous one. She had been pushing her Quirk to its absolute limit, five kilometers in every direction. Her mind was so focused on the outside that she had completely ignored her immediate surroundings. Maybe… maybe that created a blind spot around her. A vulnerability she had never considered.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Izuku asked, slowly lowering his hands. His gaze was fixed on her, noticing the tension that still lingered in her shoulders. "You looked… I don't know, like you'd seen a ghost."
She forced a smile, her usual cheerful energy returning like a well-rehearsed mask.
"You caught me off guard, Midoriya-kun! One point for you!" she exclaimed, waving a hand dismissively. "I was so deep in my search that if you'd been a villain, I'd be a smear on that wall right now! Is that chamomile tea? My favorite!"
As she took the mug he offered, her eyes, though smiling, scanned her mental map of the forest again.
Nothing.
The purple dots had vanished. There was no trace of them left. The forest was quiet, populated only by the small gray dots of nocturnal animals and the orange dots of her fellow Pussycats at their lookout posts.
Did I imagine it? she wondered, the taste of the tea turning bitter in her mouth. The stress… Nezu's warning… maybe I'm just tired and seeing things. The possibility was almost more terrifying than villains. Doubting her own senses was a luxury a hero with a Quirk like hers couldn't afford. Her power was her confidence. If she lost that, what did she have left?
"Your Quirk is incredible, Ragdoll-san," Izuku said suddenly, as if reading a part of her thoughts. "Being able to monitor such a large area, identify everyone… it must be exhausting to keep it active for so long."
She looked at him, surprised by the empathy in his voice.
"Well, it's my job," she replied, taking a sip of tea. The warmth was comforting. "But yeah, after a few hours, I start seeing double."
"Ragdoll-san?" Izuku's voice pulled her from her thoughts again. He was looking at her with genuine curiosity, no trace of mockery. "Your fighting style… from before. It's different from the other Pussycats. Tiger-san relies on raw strength and the flexibility of his body, Mandalay-san on ranged control to keep enemies away from her target… but you, your stance is like you're ready to move in any direction. It's a very low base stance, almost like you're expecting an attack from below, but your shoulders are loose to react to something from above."
Ragdoll blinked, genuinely impressed by his observation. Most people only saw her bubbly personality and her search Quirk. Few paid attention to her combat readiness. Most just saw her cheerful side, not her skill as a fighter.
A genuine smile, with no pretense this time, formed on her lips. She was a little annoyed about the scare, and a little impressed by the boy's sharpness.
"Well, well. You've got good eyes, kid," she said, setting her mug down on the railing. "But your feet are glued to the floor. Want a little lesson? Let's see if you can apply that mind of yours to something other than books."
Izuku's eyes lit up as if he'd just been offered an autograph from All Might.
"Are you serious? Right now? But you're on watch!"
"The watch just got boring all of a sudden," she said with a wink, stretching her muscles with the fluidity of a gymnast. "Besides, a little movement will do me good to shake off the chill. And it'll do you good to stop moving like a robot. You have good reflexes, I'll give you that, I saw how you dodged Pixie-Bob's attack today. But you move too rigidly, too predictably. Want to see how a pro moves?"
Izuku nodded so enthusiastically he nearly spilled his own tea. He set his mug aside and got into a stance that was an almost perfect imitation of Eraserhead's, a style he had studied endlessly.
I can't use my full speed, he told himself. That's not my own merit; it's the girls' power. If I really want to learn, I have to use what's mine. My base strength. My training.
"Your objective is simple," Ragdoll said, her smile turning predatory as the cheerful hero persona vanished completely. "Try to hit me."
The "lesson" was a complete and utter humiliation for him.
The instant she finished speaking, she lunged forward. Izuku reacted, raising his arms to block, expecting a direct hit. But she wasn't there. Instead of crashing into him, her right foot stepped on the wooden railing of the overlook, and using the momentum, she catapulted herself over his head. She landed behind him with a silence that should have been impossible.
"Rule number one, Midoriya-kun," her voice whispered next to his ear. "Never assume your opponent will come at you head-on."
Izuku spun, throwing a punch where he'd heard her voice. His fist cut through empty air. He felt a light touch on his elbow that threw off his trajectory and made him lose his balance. He stumbled forward, and as he fought to stay upright, she was already on the other side of the small overlook, sitting on the railing as if she were sunbathing.
"You think in straight lines!" she shouted as she jumped off the railing, bouncing off the wooden roof post and landing back on the floor. "The world is three-dimensional! Use the railing! Use the floor! Use the posts! Everything is a springboard!"
"But if I do that, I'll fall!" he protested, panting as he tried to follow her movements with his eyes. Her movements were so fast and unpredictable it was impossible to keep track of her.
"Then learn not to fall!" she retorted, and this time she ran straight at him.
He braced himself. He wouldn't be fooled this time. He waited until the last second. As she was about to reach him, instead of throwing a punch, he swept his leg, aiming for her feet. It was a dirty move, one Aizawa had taught them for desperate situations.
Ragdoll laughed. She leaped over his leg with the agility of a cat and, in mid-air, gave him a soft tap on the back of his neck. It wasn't hard, barely a touch, but it was enough to disorient him.
"Not bad! An unexpected move!" she praised. "But you stood still to do it! Never stand still!"
He tried. He launched himself, trying to mimic her movements, to use the environment. He jumped toward the railing, planning to use it to push off. The result was his foot slipping on the metal, damp with night dew, and he nearly tumbled over the edge of the overlook.
Panic flooded him for a split second before a hand grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him with surprising strength and depositing him back on the floor without any effort.
"Not so literally, you idiot!" she said, though she was laughing. "The point isn't for you to try to be me! You can never be me! Try to be you, but less… predictable! Stop trying to block me or hit me! That's what I expect you to do! Flow around me! Make me the one who has to react to you!"
The lesson continued. Izuku fell. He got up. He fell again. But slowly, something started to click. He stopped thinking in terms of "attack" and "defend." He started thinking in terms of "space" and "movement." Instead of throwing a punch she would dodge, he feinted a punch and used the motion to reposition himself, forcing her to adjust her own angle.
It didn't quite work, but for the first time, she was the one who had to take a step back.
A small smile appeared on Izuku's face.
"Oh, what was that?" Ragdoll said, her own smile widening. "See? You're not a brick anymore! Now you're a moving brick!"
Finally, the session ended with Izuku on the floor, trapped in a submission hold that immobilized his arms and legs, with Ragdoll's knee pressing gently into his back.
"Not bad, kid," she said, her breathing barely labored. "You learn fast. You're still a clumsy brick, but you're a brick that listens. You have potential."
Izuku lay on the floor for a moment, his face pressed against the cold wooden planks, bruised, sore, but with a smile of pure euphoria. He had been completely demolished. And it had been the best lesson of his life.
"Thank you…" he managed to say between gasps of air. "Thank you, Ragdoll-san."
She stood up and offered him a hand to help him up.
"Don't mention it. Now drink your tea before it gets completely cold. And next time, make a little noise when you approach, will you? I almost took your head off."
******
While Izuku was receiving his acrobatic baptism by fire, in a dark, damp cave several kilometers away, the Vanguard Action Squad was waiting.
Dabi was leaning against a rock wall, his blue flames casting dancing, macabre shadows that made the stalactites look like the teeth of a giant beast. His face was a mask of boredom and disdain.
"How much longer are we going to wait?" Muscular's voice was an impatient growl that echoed in the small cavern. "I was promised some action. I want to break something. We've been sitting here for hours."
"Patience, patience!" Twice said, gesturing erratically with his hands. "The best plans take time! / This is a waste of time, let's attack already! Shigaraki gave us clear orders!"
"Shigaraki isn't here," Dabi replied, not even looking at him. His voice was low and devoid of emotion, which made it all the more menacing. "I'm in charge. And I say we wait."
Spinner was sitting on a rock a little ways off, polishing his enormous sword made of dozens of knives with a piece of cloth.
"Stain would have never waited," he muttered, more to himself than to the others. "He would have acted. True conviction doesn't wait for the perfect moment; it creates it. This… this kidnapping a kid… it's not honorable. It's thug work."
"Stain is a failed preacher rotting in Tartarus because he let himself get caught," Dabi snapped, slowly turning his head to lock his turquoise eyes on Spinner. "We are professionals. And professionals follow the plan because plans work. Your feelings about 'honor' don't interest me in the slightest. If you prefer his philosophy, the door's wide open. Go get yourself arrested too."
Spinner clenched his jaw but said nothing more.
"And what is the plan, exactly?" Mr. Compress asked, adjusting his top hat. "I appreciate the suspense, but an artist needs to know his role before the curtain rises."
Dabi straightened up, pushing away from the wall. His blue flames seemed to intensify, drawing everyone's attention.
"The mission is simple. The spy gave us the camp layout and schedules. In an hour, the U.A. brats will start a 'test of courage' in the forest. They'll be split into pairs and scared. Perfectly vulnerable. Twice, you and your clones will create a massive diversion. I want a fire. A big one, on the hillside opposite the main building. Use your sad clone to cry gasoline or something."
"What a brilliant and horrible idea! / I can't do that, it's dangerous!" Twice exclaimed.
"That will draw out the pro heroes, the Pussycats," Dabi continued, ignoring him. "Muscular, your targets are the one with the earth Quirk, Pixie-Bob, and the big guy, Tiger. Don't kill them, at least not right away. Just keep them busy. I want the rest of the brats to hear them scream."
Muscular grinned, a hideous gesture that stretched the scars on his face.
"With pleasure."
Dabi's gaze fell on Spinner and Mr. Compress.
"You two handle the list. Shigaraki wants the explosive kid. Katsuki Bakugo. He's the primary target. We want him alive and, if possible, not too damaged. Compress, that's your job."
"Child's play," the magician said with a bow.
"But," Dabi continued, a cruel smile forming on his burnt face, "if you get the chance, the creation girl, Momo Yaoyorozu, and the gravity girl, Ochako Uraraka, are very valuable consolation prizes. Leave no witnesses. If any other students get in the way, you have my permission to eliminate them."
"And the rest?" Muscular asked.
"The rest don't matter," Dabi said, looking up at a crack in the cave's ceiling where moonlight filtered through. "Ignore them or crush them. I don't care. They'll be scattered, scared, and vulnerable. It's the perfect time. Wait for my signal."
Silence fell over the cave, broken only by the rhythmic polishing of Spinner's sword and the crackling of Dabi's flames. The attack was imminent.
*******
Izuku walked back to the lodge, his body aching in a strange and satisfying way, but his mind was buzzing with excitement. The lesson with Ragdoll had opened up a new perspective on his way of fighting. It wasn't just about power and speed, but about intelligence and adaptability.
The night was quiet and cool. When he reached the area with the boys' cabins, he saw a figure sitting on the steps of his porch.
"Ochako-chan?"
She turned, and the tension in her shoulders seemed to melt away when she saw him. A relieved smile appeared on her face.
"Izuku-kun. You took a while to come back. I was getting a little worried. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's perfect," he said, sitting down next to her on the wooden step. The happy exhaustion in his voice was evident. "I had a… private lesson with Ragdoll-san."
"A lesson?" she asked, curious, tilting her head. "At this hour? I thought she was on watch."
"She was. But I accidentally scared her, and to get her revenge, she thrashed me," he replied, laughing. He told her about the sparring, about Ragdoll's incredible agility, about how she used every inch of the environment to her advantage and how much he still had to learn. "She called me a 'clumsy brick.' And she was right."
Ochako giggled.
"Well, you're a very strong clumsy brick. I saw you break those rocks today. It was amazing."
"That's not enough," Izuku said, his smile fading a little as he looked at his bandaged hands. "Brute force has its limits. I need to be smarter, faster on my feet, not just in my head."
"I know what you mean," Ochako sighed, hugging her knees. "I feel that way too. My Quirk is useful, but if I can't touch my opponent, it's useless."
"Are you okay? You should be resting."
"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. "I'm just tired. We all are. But it's a good kind of tired, don't you think? It means we're improving."
As they talked, neither of them noticed a small lump of mud detaching itself from the bark of a nearby tree. The lump fell to the ground without a sound and dissolved, revealing a small gray figure that stood up. It was a clone of Twice, silent and unnoticeable. The clone watched them for a moment, then raised its hand and gave them a thumbs-up in the darkness.
Then, it dissolved into a puddle of gray sludge, its information returning to its creator through the forest.
The infiltration had begun.
Comments
Ari Gómez García
I also think it's similar to Naruto's clones, although I believe his power is slightly weaker because of his personality issues. I don't know much about Twist's Quirk, but I think it has side effects too
Benjamin Sanchez
Twist's quirk is already improved and even has a new ability? It's similar to Naruto's clones (written with a translator)
