Rejected Stones

True Colors

This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida

True Colors

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

-Helen Keller

After only a few minutes of running, Bakugo was forced to slow down, his lungs burning. He ducked low, trying to avoid the smoke. His eyes watered and he couldn't quite see, but he was determined to press on. He became disoriented, his mind swimming. He couldn't think. What was happening? How was he-

"Bakugo!"

Out of the trees came Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, along with Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki. They all had on gas masks.

"What's going on?" Bakugo coughed. "Where's Shinso?"

"We don't know!" Yaoyorozi said. Her quirk activated, sparkling light coming out of her exposed navel. A gas mask appeared, and she ran up to Bakugo and handed it to him. "There's some sort of poison gas! Put this on."

Bakugo complied, slipping the mask on over his face. After a couple of clean breaths, his head cleared. "I ran into Muscular earlier, but there have to be more villains."

"Muscular?" Tetsutestu said. "Damn, that guys got a body count nearly as big as Stain's. How'd you survive?"

For a moment Bakugo almost either told him to shut up or lied and said that he fought off Muscular, but he swallowed his pride and said, "Shinso and Uraraka saved me. I couldn't even dent the guy. He's bad news."

"You couldn't hurt him?" Todoroki asked, sounding worried. "That's bad. You're one of our strongest fighters."

"Yeah, thanks Icy-Hot. Maybe both of us could take him down together, but alone we'd be screwed," Bakugo said. "We've got to find Shinso and the others before Muscular and the other villains do."

"We're supposed to report back to camp," Shiozaka said. "We should do that, we don't want to get ourselves into further trouble."

"I'm not leaving Shinso alone!" Bakugo ranted. "He saved my ass, and I'm not going to let him get himself killed!"

"Where's Uraraka?" Todoroki demanded. "Did you leave her alone?"

Bakugo shrugged. "I pointed her and the kid towards the highway, told them to get the hell out of here. Shinso just took off running back to camp when I told him Muscular was after someone in particular. I think maybe it's him."

"Why would Muscular be after Shinso?" Testutestu asked.

Shiozaka frowned. "Many assume that Shinso must be a villain himself, because of his quirk. I-"

"He's not a villain!" Bakugo snapped. He shouldered his way forward. "You idiots can do whatever you want. I'm finding him."

"Wait," Shiozaka said, putting a hand on Bakugo's shoulder. He glared at her, but she just tightened her grip. "I will not allow you to face this peril alone. You walk the path of repentance. I do not believe Shinso to be a Judas. I shall accompany you."

"I don't like this, but I'm coming too," Yaoyoruzu said. "If you run into that flame quirk user, you'll be in trouble."

"The same goes for me. If Muscular is there, everyone's in danger," Todoroki said. He turned back the way they'd come, his expression grim. "But that means getting past both the fire and that gas."

"We'll pound our way through!" Tetsutestu vowed, smashing his hands together, sparks flying up as he activated his metallic quirk.

"The fog gets denser through there?" Bakugo demanded.