Sam was walking through the forest, carefully watching his steps. He hears not too far away from him, the sounds of his classmates fighting the golems.
After examining some nearby golems, he deduced that they are not very perceptive. They only attack what they see.
That made this entire thing a breeze for Sam. Staying hidden was something Sam mastered at a young age.
He was blending into the environment, removing his red shirt, due to the vibrant colors of it, and decided to only wear the under armor under the shirt.
He hid in trees, and even climbed them if he saw golems approaching his location in greater numbers.
By the 20 minute mark, Sam was already half way to the base.
Sam couldn't hear his peers anymore as he has been getting through the Golems with his stealth.
However, he wasn't always able to hide forever.
A golem caught sight of him. Sam found another flaw with the golem after analyzing it for a bit. He found out that just like other large constructs, turning the body around is difficult.
He danced around it, always dodging and waiting for his chance. The moment it punched at him, he saw the angle he needed, ran up the arm that punched at him, and dug his army knife into the eye of the golem, instantly making it fall apart.
At the end of the battle, Sam wasn't even injured.
Sam was bored. He had to fight day and night to survive in the forest of Rwanda. Not even mentioning that Leopard that nearly killed him.
These golems are cute compared to the terrifying creatures in Africa's wilderness.
So he just avoided the golems, hid from them, he even ran from one of them. Many would call running cowardly, but for Sam, it's all survival.
Not long before noon, Sam finally caught a glimpse of the camp.
———
Back at the camp, Aizawa and the Pussycats unloaded the bus and got ready for lunch.
"So, Eraser, that kid was the quirkless monster that nearly killed All Might?"
The blonde lady, Pixie bob asked.
"Ryuko!"
The brown haired heroine scolded her younger friend.
"I'm sure that's a sensitive subject, considering it all started because of Aizawa's actions."
Aizawa felt as if he was shot in the heart, feeling worse.
The brunette sees she made Aizawa feel bad and tried to rectify it.
"I-I mean, it was a mistake! They happen, so it's nothing to be too worked up about… okay?"
She awkwardly tries to cheer him up but fails miserably.
"Mistake? It all started because he went and played hero. If he didn't butt into his business, he wouldn't have freaked out."
The kid who was with them gave his opinion, shocking the heroes at the harsh words of a child.
"Kota!"
The brunette hero, Mandalay, tries to scold him, but he ignores her.
Aizawa can only sigh.
"I'm sorry, Aizawa."
Mandalay decides to shut up after that.
Suddenly, they hear leaves rustling nearby.
"Is it a deer?"
Pixie bob asks.
Her question is answered when she sees a rugged looking young man, only wearing a camo colored under armor, jeans and steel-toed boots.
He has messy white hair and scars on his face.
Sam looked around for a bit, and saw that the heroes were stunned, minus Aizawa who already accepted that Sam was different from his other students.
"How did he get here so fast?!?"
Pixie bob exclaimed with shock.
Sam walked up to them.
"Aizawa. Where's the food?"
Aizawa sighed.
"It's almost ready."
Sam nodded.
Sam looks over at pixie-bob who was staring at him with sparkling eyes.
"You! How did you get here so fast?!?"
"Obviously I just walked through the forest, avoiding the golems all to make it here quick. You never mentioned having to beat the golems."
Sam sat down at a table, waiting for the food.
The brown haired catgirl, Mandalay, approached him.
"Great work, Suzuki-san. Here."
She put food in front of him and he just began to dig in.
They all gawked at him as he devoured the food quickly.
In just a few minutes, the entire breakfast served to him was gone.
"Thanks for the food."
Sam bowed politely to Mandalay.
"N-no problem. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Sam nodded, not revealing that he couldn't taste it.
He then saw the pissed off little boy, looking at him with some anger.
He stood up and walked up to him.
"Hello. What's your name?"
He held a hand out to shake.
The kid, full of rage, tried to punch Sam right in the crotch.
However, before his fist could hit him, Sam grabbed the hand before it made contact.
"Woah. Watch the gonads."
The kid looked shocked.
"Kouta!"
Mandalay looked mortified at the kids behavior.
"Kouta? Heh. That was a fine punch. But it was filled with anger and grief, no control. That made it easy to catch."
Sam released his grip on Koutas hand.
Kouta backs away, shocked, but was still looking up at Sam with fury.
"You're the guy who almost killed All Might, right?"
Kouta said with barely concealed rage.
"Kouta, don't be insensitive!"
Mandalay tried to reign in Kouta again.
"It's fine. And yes, I am. It wasn't my proudest moment, that's for sure."
Sam clarified.
Kouta clenched his small fists at his sides.
"Then why are you trying to be a hero?!? You should understand me more than anyone!!"
He yelled at Sam.
Sam raised an eyebrow.
"First of all, I'm not trying to be a hero. In fact, I have no intention of becoming a hero. I'm attending U.A. because it was either that or prison."
Kouta's eyes widened, his hostility slightly lessened.
"You lost someone, didn't you?"
Sam straight out asked.
Everyone's eyes widened, even Aizawa.
The kids rage vanished as soon as he heard that.
All that remained was grief.
That told Sam everything.
"I figured that was the case. I can only assume they were heroes who died on duty. I won't pry, but do you think being bitter is what they want for you? They gave their lives so others can keep theirs. It's cruel. It's selfish for the ones they leave behind. But staying angry won't make it better. You can only cherish the memories you have with them."
His voice shook at the end of his speech, remembering how Zola gave her life so he could live.
He spent many nights in emotional distress because of that, occasionally feeling angry at her for doing that. But he couldn't stay angry. He loved her too much, and cherished his memories of her.
He turned away from him.
"I'm going to go get settled."
Sam said as he hurried to the bus and got his things.
They all stared as Sam left their sight.
Mandalay was concerned. Not only for Kouta, but for Sam too.
Pixie bob was also concerned. She heard the shaking sound of his voice at the end of his speech. She understood he remembered something tragic.
Aizawa sighed and plopped down on the chair by the table.
And Kouta, still felt anger. But he felt a hint at guilt, seeing how Sam was hurting too.
Now, he could only ponder on Sam's words.
———
After eating, Sam decided to just relax. He found a comfortable spot under a tree and just stared into nothingness.
It was long after he finished eating his food that he heard rustling leaves and footsteps coming from the forest.
He sat up, and saw the battered and tired faces of his classmates.
"You guys took your time."
Sam shamelessly said.
"Sam! When did you get here?!?"
Mina demanded.
"A while ago. Before lunch was served."
The others were stunned.
"How?!? We only just arrived! How did you get here so quick?"
Sero asked, jealous that Sam had lunch.
"Let me guess. You guys fought all the golems, didn't you?"
Sam asked.
They all looked at each other, wondering what Sam was getting at.
He sighed.
"The reason I got here before you guys, is because I didn't waste my time fighting every golem. They never required us to beat the golems. They only said to reach the bottom of the mountain. That's what I did."
Hearing that, everyone in class 1-A felt like the biggest idiots ever.
Even Iida and Yaoyorozu felt dumb.
The heroes, who were listening to the conversation, walked over to them.
"I guess we didn't make it totally clear. You would have been fine if you prioritized arriving at the bottom and not fighting all the golems. Sorry."
Mandalay sheepishly said.
The students could only sigh in defeat, feeling like they wasted time.
"I'm starving! This is hell!"
Kirishima suddenly complained, having missed lunch. Soon, the others also became conscious of their hunger as well.
"Meow meow meow meow meow!"
Pixie bob appeared, all chipper despite the cranky students in front of her.
"I thought it would take you kids even longer! You guys were seriously great! Especially…"
She goes over to 4 students. Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo and Iida.
"The four of you! It seems you have had a lot of experience!"
She then ran up to Sam, who was standing now.
"Of course, you are in a league of your own! I'll definitely have some fun with you!"
She purred at him.
Sam flinched.
"Yeah… thanks…"
Sam didn't know how to reply to that.
She then went back to the previously mentioned 4.
"I call dibs on these kittens! I'll groom them myself!"
Sam's carefree expression fell when he heard that.
'Grooming…'
Sam remembered being brainwashed by the Pale Hand, and being groomed into a perfect soldier. His experiences in the Canvas project and the other missions he had in the child soldier unit rushed into his head.
"Tch…"
Sam held his head, feeling it ache from the influx of dreadful memories.
He turned away from the others, who were oblivious to Sam's despair.
He took a deep breath and cleared his mind.
Suddenly, he was snapped out of his flashback by Midoriya being grabbed by the face by Pixie-Bob again for mentioning age in front of her.
"I-I was just wondering since earlier, who is that kid? What is he doing here?"
Midoriya sheepishly asked, fearing being clawed to death by the insecure cat girl.
Mandalay interjected, wanting to try introducing her nephew again.
"Oh this little guy?"
She gestures to him, who was still next to her, thinking about what Sam told him.
"He is actually my cousin's son. He lives with us now. Don't be shy, Kouta. Say hi."
She once again tried to gently introduce him.
Midoriya, being the kind young man he is, approached him.
"Hi there. My name is Midoriya. I'm from U.A. High's hero course. It's nice to meet you!"
Midoriya stands in front of Kouta, his hand out for a handshake.
'Oh no…'
Sam already had an inkling what was about to happen.
Just as Sam suspected, he reeled back a fist and punched Midoriya right in the nuts.
"Oof!!!!"
Midoriya collapsed in agony.
Iida looked mortified.
"You fiendish child! A punch to the scrotum is unforgivable!"
He hurries and tries to help Midoriya will chastising Kouta.
Kouta just walked away.
"The last thing I want is to hang around some wannabe heroes!"
Kouta spat out, annoyed from being surrounded by a bunch of hero kids.
Sam decided to leave them alone for now. He needed some time to himself, still reeling from the flashback.
He walked to the boys room, where his stuff was.
The others saw him leaving.
"Hey Sam! Where are you going?"
Uraraka asked.
"I'm going inside. You guys should rest."
He doesn't even turn around and kept walking away.
The others were confused, but just shrugged it off as Sam being Sam.
However, the students may have missed Sam's earlier trauma, but Aizawa saw it. He watched as Sam walked into the sleeping quarters for the boys.
He sighed.
'Problem child…'
He thought, feeling his heart hurt for the boy.