Chapter 217 - 27-30

Chapter 27: Class President Election/Declaration of War

Izuku wonders why the reporters chose now of all times. All Might had been a guest speaker for Class Z and they hadn't cared then. He announced he was teaching when the entrance exam results went out and there was no response from the media then. Yesterday was his first day officially teaching and not so much as a camera van in sight. But now that it's the second day, every reporter in Mustafu is standing in front of the gates to UA trying to harass minors.

"What kind of lessons does All Might teach?"

"What was it like having the Symbol of Peace as a teacher?"

"What do you think of All Might as a teacher?"

"I was under the impression that interviewing a minor without consent from a guardian is illegal," Izuku says, as he and Himiko try to push their way through the crowd.

"Weren't you in Class Z? Can you tell us about your experiences?"

"You're interfering with our lessons," Mr. Aizawa calls, striding to the gate. "Vacate the premises or I'll be forced to involve the police." He quickly guides Izuku and Himiko out of the crowd and into UA. "And I'm fairly certain we notified your stations that UA would be holding a press conference soon. You can wait until then or be blacklisted."

"Come on! We just want All Might to answer a few—" the reporter stepped forward a little too far and the gate to UA instantly sealed with metal doors locking together with a loud clang.

Himiko jumps. Izuku takes her hand and squeezes gently.

"That's the UA Barrier," he says quietly. "Keeps out anyone without a valid pass." She nods, controlling her breathing.

"I hope you took the chance to rest after yesterday's exercise. I took the liberty of evaluating everyone's performance," Mr. Aizawa says. "Everyone has room for improvement. Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't be students." He pulls out a stack of papers and places them on his desk. Mr. Aizawa thumbs through them for a few seconds, humming. He looks up.

"Sorry to spring this on you out of nowhere, but you need to do something that will impact your entire career here at UA," he says. The class tenses. "You need to pick a Class Representative."

The relief is palpable. The threat of expulsion from the Apprehension Test still hangs heavy over the class.

And then the chaos begins.

"Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! I wanna do it!"

"The perfect position for one such as I!"

"I'll do it!"

"I wanna do it, too."

Iida slams his hand on his desk, silencing everyone. He pushes his glasses up, glaring out at the rest of the room.

"Being Class Representative is an important responsibility. It is no exaggeration to suggest this decision will affect the rest of our time here at UA, perhaps beyond! Just because you desire the position does not make you the best suited for the role! Therefore, we should hold a vote!"

"Won't everyone just vote for themselves?" Tsuyu asks, a finger to her chin.

"Yeah," Kirishima says, "Most of us only know our teammates from the entrance exam."

"Precisely!" Iida says. "Anyone who has earned the class's faith in such little time is surely appropriate for the position! Is that alright, Mr. Aizawa?"

"As long as it's done by the end of homeroom, I don't care how," Mr. Aizawa says, already in his sleeping bag. He pauses. "Actually, after last year, you are no longer allowed to determine Class Representative through death match."

Izuku smiles wistfully. Himiko had told him about that.

Eventually, everyone agrees to an election. Iida passes out papers and tallies the votes on the board.

Izuku stares. By his name on the board is five tallies. Yaoyorozu has three. No one else has more than a single vote. Izuku's stunned. He'd voted for Yaoyorozu. She's a recommendation student for a reason, and he could tell she was leadership material from the Apprehension Test and Battle Trials. So how did five people vote for him?

"It's settled," Mr. Aizawa drawls. "Midoriya is our Class Representative, and Yaoyorozu is our Vice Representative. Now, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu?" He holds out the papers he'd brought going over the battle trials. "Hand these out, will you?"

Uraraka takes a bite of her rice and glows.

"It's weird," she says. "We have all kinds of people here at UA, but we all eat together."

"Ah, that reminds me. Don't you want to eat with your sister?" Iida asks, setting his tray down.

"You didn't eat with her yesterday, kero," Tsuyu says.

"We see each other at home," Izuku responds. "Besides, it's good for her to have friends outside of me." He glances over to where Himiko is happily eating with some other students Izuku recognizes as kids who were in Class Z.

"So, captain," Shinsou says, setting his tray down. "How's the position treating you?"

"I thought you dropped that after the entrance exam," Izuku moans. Shinsou grins in a way eerily similar to Mr. Aizawa.

"I did. But now you're Class Rep. So you're captain again."

"Maybe you could make it your Hero name, kero," Tsuyu adds. Izuku sighs.

"I still don't know who voted for me," he says.

"Well, I voted for you," Tsuyu says. Izuku snaps his head up to look at her. "Is it that weird, kero? You're the reason we all passed."

"That's why I voted for you," says Shinsou.

"Midoriya," Uraraka says, "You saved my life."

"Indeed! You've shown yourself to be quite capable in the short time I've known you!" says Iida. Izuku suddenly remembers that Iida had zero votes, meaning he voted for someone else. So that four accounted for. Who else voted for me?

That train of thought it interrupted by a shrill siren, piercing the atmosphere and ears of everyone in the cafeteria.

"Security Breach: Level 3," drones a recording. "Students, please evacuate."

The group of friends stands as the automated voice on the intercom quiets.

"Security Level 3?" Iida says.

"It means someone broke into the school!" a passing third-year calls. "I've never seen this happen before! Come on!"

All hell breaks loose.

The cafeteria is suddenly a mob. People are running, pushing, shoving. There's no space. Everyone is pressed against everyone else.

"Damn it!" Izuku yells but can't hear himself over the din. "At this rate someone's gonna get trampled!" He's separated from the others. Tsuyu manages to get herself onto a wall and out of the way. Iida's pressed against the windows. He can't see Shinsou or Uraraka. Maybe Iida can see what's happening!

Izuku wades his way through the crowd, calling to his friend. Iida can't hear him yet. He pushes his way closer, trying his best not to fall.

"Iida! Iida!"

"Midoriya?" Iida yells back. "It's the press! They got through the gate!"

The fucking press?

That's who interrupted his lunch?

"Iida! Midoriya!" Uraraka yells, bobbing her way through the crowd to them.

"Uraraka! Float me!" Iida calls, reaching his hand to meet hers. Izuku sees the exact moment she makes contact and Iida's feet waver centimeters above the ground.

Iida shoves off the floor. Kicking off the wall with his engines, he slams into the wall above the emergency exit. Izuku idly notes Iida doesn't have his experience landing, and he hits the wall posed a little odd.

"Everyone!" Iida bellows. "It's just the press! There is no reason to panic!"

"Are you UA students or not!" Izuku says. "This mob's going to trample someone!"

"We are all at one of the most prestigious schools in Japan! Let us act like it!"

After that, the crowd manages to calm down, making their way out safely.

Eventually, the police arrive and force the press off school grounds. Izuku's confident Nedzu already knows the name of everyone who broke in. They won't be employed much longer.

"Everyone, settle down," Mr. Aizawa says as he comes into the room. "I know things were hectic earlier, but we aren't here to waste time. I have an important announcement to make. Tomorrow, for our Rescue Training, we'll be taking a field trip to one of the facilities on campus. We'll be meeting up with someone else once we're there. It's a bit far away, so we'll be taking a bus."

"Rescue work… that doesn't sound easy," Kaminari grins awkwardly.

"That's the whole point of Heroics!" says Kirishima. "I'm pumped for this!"

"I'm at my element in a flood, kero," Tsuyu says tentatively.

"I'll remind you of this tomorrow," Mr. Aizawa says, "But you'll be allowed to bring your costumes. Whether you bring it or not is up to you. My advice is that most of you didn't design your gear with rescue in mind."

Izuku had put some thought into it. The Cat's Cradle has a variety of uses in rescue, from moving rubble to supporting weak infrastructure, to moving himself or civilians. His visor had its rescue uses as well. Not to mention the padding on his clothing gave him some protection moving rubble.

"Now that that's settled, let's talk about today's exercise. Yesterday was Limelight. Today we'll be doing Investigation. Class Representative? Vice Representative? Hand these out." Mr. Aizawa pulls a stack of packets and drops them on the front table. Izuku and Yaoyorozu quickly split up and pass around the packets until everyone has the one with their name on it.

"Sir? How does this exercise work?" Iida asks.

"Simple," Mr. Aizawa drawls. "Each of your packets contains the case notes on a different crime. Fictional, of course. Your job is to uncover the truth behind the incident in your packet."

Izuku practically bounces in his seat. He'd done this kind of exercise with Nedzu before! Izuku knows he has a future in Investigation Heroics if he wants it. No one who spent ten months being tutored by Nedzu could say any less. But is that the kind of Hero he wants to be? Well, this is a good chance to find out.

Izuku flips through his packet. His scenario is a break in at a local pharmaceutical company. For the most part, an over-the-counter drug store. Nothing there is worth very much, even on the black market. Which is saying something, given how much money can be made in illegal health care.

None of the stolen goods stand out to him. He's sure all of them can be used in illegal drug production, but not together. Well, you could, but you wouldn't get many repeat customers. For one reason or another. The stolen drugs also aren't used in treatment for the same kinds of illnesses. Either these criminals have some hyper-specific health problems, or I'm missing something.

He flicks to a timeline of events. A basic smash-and-grab. At night, while no one was around, someone smashed the window in with a brick and stole certain goods. The items are too specific to be grabbed out of convenience. Items from different locations around the store are among the targets, but merchandise between them was left untouched.

"Tokoyami," Mr. Aizawa says, "Is there a reason Dark Shadow is on your phone?" The bird-headed boy looks sheepish. Indeed, Dark Shadow texts away happily next to Tokoyami.

"That phone belongs to Dark Shadow," Tokoyami explains, picking at his wrist. Mr. Aizawa raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment.

"I was just in the group chat," Dark Shadow says timidly.

"You two have a group chat without me? I'm hurt," Joyato jokes with a grin.

"The group chat is a gathering for those possessed by Companion Quirks," says Tokoyami. "It is a means through which those of us with such Quirks can share knowledge. Dark Shadow retains information through our shared bond. They frequently entertain themselves by speaking with the others."

"As long as it doesn't distract Tokoyami or the other students, I'll allow it," Mr. Aizawa tells Dark Shadow, who nods with a grin.

"I didn't know there was a support group for Companion Quirks!" Izuku says.

"Indeed. The American Pro-Hero, Wildcard, established the group to find others who wielded the same power as she. Not every Quirk involved with the group has the same level of sapience as Dark Shadow, however."

"Mom and Dad learned all kinds of things from them when we were little!" says Dark Shadow.

Huh. Izuku wonders what other Quirk support groups are out there. Maybe Himiko could find a blood based one? A bunch of people working together to share information on Quirks. How humanist.

Wait.

Together?

Izuku scans over the information in his packet again.

"Does anyone else have a pharmaceutical robbery in the Hirogawa neighborhood?" Izuku asks.

"I got one in Nagisacho!" Ashido calls. That's only a district over. Izuku darts to Ashido's desk and places his packet by hers.

"Well would you look at that," she says. "Those," she points to some of the stolen items on both of their lists, "are pretty common cheap replacements in street drugs." Izuku blinks. Ashido flushes, looking away. "My Quirk Counselor made me learn about chemistry…"

"These are both used in Trigger," Izuku says, pointing at two different items from their lists. Yaoyorozu stands up suddenly, nearly knocking over her chair.

"My packet has a Trigger sale!" she calls. She hurriedly joins where Izuku and Ashido have pushed their desks together for extra space.

With that breakthrough, it doesn't take long before every packet has somehow been connected in a city-wide drug ring. Each crime, individually minor comes together to paint a larger criminal empire.

"The lesson here is that no crime exists in a vacuum," Mr. Aizawa says. "Not every case you solve will be a conspiracy. But you should never examine a case without looking into possible connections. Not just related crimes, but underlying reasons that force people to engage in illegal activity. And if you're going to succeed in an investigation, communication is vital."

Izuku flicks his gaze towards Todoroki, who still has yet to speak a word. Koda at least spoke to Tsuyu, and spent the lesson occasionally signing with Shinsou or Joyato translating. Frankly, he's worried.

"Anyways, good job figuring out that working independently was a logical ruse. Your next Investigation Heroics lesson won't be nearly so easy. But that's for a later class. Now, can anyone tell me how their individual pool of knowledge aided the investigation?" That discussion lasted the rest of the day.

The moment the bell rings, Izuku moves over to Yaoyorozu's desk.

"I know everything was pretty crazy today," Izuku rubs the back of his neck. "But now that we're the Class Representatives, I guess we should get to know each other a little." Yaoyorozu tilts her head in acknowledgement.

"That would make collaboration easier. We should also get everyone's phone numbers."

"A class group chat is a good idea," Izuku agrees.

"Let's see if Mr. Aizawa has everyone's numbers."

"Did you pick your Class Rep yet?" Himiko asks, nudging him with her shoulder as they sit together on the train home.

"Oh, uh," Izuku scratches the back of his neck. "It's me."

"Izu," Himiko says, very serious, "Did you kill any of your classmates?"

"Mr. Aizawa expressly forbid us to have death matches after your class."

"Good. We're all terrible role models."

"Inazuma's not bad."

"Inazuma won the death match!"

"No one died, Himi."

"Then I guess I can brag about you to mom then."

"What about your friends?"

"I already brag about you to them!"

Nedzu's ears flic backwards at the sound of footsteps. A long, confident gait, a slower set with a rhythmic wooden tapping, and a more subdued set with special fabric rustling. Ah, Kayama, Chiyo, and Thirteen. The principal doesn't move to acknowledge them, but they've both worked with him long enough to know how he thinks. They know he knows they're here.

"This doesn't look like the work of an ordinary reporter," Thirteen says.

The UA Barrier, a solid metal gate comprised of multiple interlocking layers. Each layer sturdier than the last. Electric current flows through the layers to make magnetic Quirks or metal manipulating Quirks useless against it. The Barrier can slam shut nigh-instantaneously and is the first line of UA's defenses.

And yet, someone reduced the Barrier to a pile of dust so quickly the security system couldn't even identify the perpetrator before they vanished back into the crowd. A delayed response? Perhaps an emitter Quirk with conductivity?

"No," Nedzu says, forgoing his usual false cheer in unpleasant circumstances. "This was no reporter. The question is who it was? And why?"

"The goal was presumably to let the reporters in," says Kayama. "Our sensors didn't indicate anyone left the crowd of reporters once the gate fell."

"Yes, if the perpetrator had their own goal, they did not need to enter the building to achieve it," Nedzu agrees.

"But what purpose is there to letting in the reporters? Did they predict the chaos the panic caused?" muses Chiyo.

"Perhaps," Nedzu says, "this is a declaration of war."

"Who would be bold enough to declare war on UA?" Kayama asks with no small level of concern.

"So," All For One booms, "How did it go?"

"Perfectly," Shigaraki replies. "Our inside source got the schedules without any trouble."

"Really? I assumed they would put up more of a fuss."

"Oh, they bitched about it," Shigaraki says, "Until I reminded them exactly what was at stake." A long, thin smile stretches over the heir's face, visible behind the hand covering it. "They even have a recommendation for someone with extra firepower."

"Did they now?"

The words keep bouncing around in Katsuki's head.

"UA made their test to weed out Heroes from people who just wanted a license to use their Quirk without consequence. I always thought I knew what you'd be. But you really are just another MLA thug, aren't you?" 

He lies on his bed, trembling. Katsuki wants to scream. He wants to destroy something. He wants to light up his palms and explode something.

He clenches his fists so tight he thinks he might bleed. His jaw is sore from snarling. But he can't think of a rebuttal.

He knows that shitty nerd. They grew up together. Despite what he said yesterday, he knows Deku would die before he cheated in school. And even if he tried, a school as good as UA wouldn't allow it.

Which means there's only one possibility.

Shitty Deku, a pebble in the side of the road, destined to be forgotten, passed the UA Entrance Exam.

And Bakugou Katsuki, the Best of the Best, failed.

Failed.

Two whole days in Class 1-C and he's already about to lose his mind.

It didn't make any damn sense! He's Bakugou Katsuki, dammit! The strongest one there is! He's destined to be the next Number One Hero and surpass All Might once and for all! When he overheard the hag talking on the phone with Aunty Inko, he couldn't believe his ears. How the hell did Deku pass when he couldn't?

He smashed more robots than anyone else! He proved he deserved to be there! So how could he have failed? He's the strongest!

If strength is all that matters, why have teams?

You don't need a team if you're strong enough!

You weren't the one who beat the mastermind.

He smashed the most robots!

How do you know? Are you certain?

How could anyone possibly outperform him?

At least 36 people outperformed you.

They needed the shitty Rescue Points and Cooperation Points to do it!

They earned points you never did because you didn't think to try.

When the news broke about Aldera, he didn't give a shit. He was above all that. Some shitty teachers he wasn't gonna bother remembering couldn't make him do shit.

But they did.

He did exactly what that damn cult wanted him to. He focused only on his own Quirk and how strong it is.

It's just that UA caught on and nipped him in the bud.

"Kacchan was my brother in all but blood. Bakugou Katsuki is just some kid who used to beat me up after school."

Deku really still thought of me that way? Even after everything I did to him?

"What the fuck?" Katsuki says as a purple vortex opens in front of his wall. Out steps a well-dressed person made of the same fog as the vortex.

"Ah, you must be Bakugou Katsuki," says the man.

Oh fuck. That's a villain, isn't it? One who knows his name and address. And whoever else might come out of that vortex. He's not a Quirk nerd like Deku, but he knows a portal when he sees one.

His parents are downstairs. If a fight breaks out, they're in real danger. Not to mention the neighbors. Katsuki sweats nitroglycerin, after all.

He hates it, but he'll play along until a better opportunity presents itself.

"That's me," he barks.

"My name is Kurogiri. I am here to offer you an opportunity," the fog bastard says. "I believe we have a mutual interest."

Oh.

They think he's like them.

Katsuki was going to be the Best. He would be the hero to surpass All Might. That was what he always thought, since before he could remember. And now a villain is in his room, trying to recruit him. Deku was right. He is just another thug to them all.

Katsuki swallows the bile in his throat and nods.

"Keep talking."

Chapter 28: Unforeseen Simulation Joint/Disaster Rescue Training

To Izuku's surprise, the entire class also choose to wear their costumes to the field trip. Izuku's wearing his. The reinforced clothes can help him with handling rubble and heat. Everyone else is a different story. Mr. Aizawa is right. Izuku noticed himself during the Battle Trials; his classmates' costumes are not prepared for intense Rescue Work.

Kirishima doesn't even wear a shirt!

Frankly, his classmates look more prepared for combat than saving lives.

That doesn't surprise him. Most of his classmates are probably looking towards Limelight Heroics. Natural Disasters aren't common, so Rescue Heroes don't receive nearly as much screen time in the media. And, of course, Underground and Investigation Heroes don't get any. Though Izuku's pretty sure that's a security thing.

Izuku and Yaoyorozu shepherd their classmates onto the bus. To Iida's dismay, it's an open-seating bus, with the benches lining the walls rather than rows.

Once the bus is moving, Tsuyu turns to Izuku.

"You've probably noticed, kero, but I like to say whatever's on my mind."

"What's up?" he says.

"Your Support Items are pretty advanced for a civilian, kero. And you already had them at the entrance exam."

"Oh yeah," Uraraka says. "I didn't really think about it. How much did those cost?" Izuku rubs the back of his head.

"They were a gift, actually. My, uh, how do I put it? A family friend knows some people in the Support industry. I got these for my birthday over the summer."

"Your gear isn't the only special thing," Mr. Aizawa suddenly calls from the front. "Your costume wasn't made by one of our typical Support company contracts."

"It wasn't? Then who made it?" Izuku says.

"A Third-Year Support student. It was a special request." Izuku blinks. He's pretty sure that's unheard of. Next to Tsuyu, Kirishima whistles.

"Damn, that's pretty impressive! It holds up just as well as ours! Hell, those gauntlets are way flashier than my Quirk! I'm kinda jealous!"

"Hardening may not be the biggest visual spectacle, but it's strong and versatile. It'll get you far," Izuku says.

"There is a dark side to the Heroics industry you know," Aoyama says. "Much of it is a popularity contest! My Naval Laser is as flashy as it is strong! Perfect for a Hero!"

"Unless your stomach collapses," Mina ribs.

"Of course, if we're talking about strong, flashy Quirks, nobody can beat Todoroki!" Kirishima says. The boy in question flicks his eyes over at the group for a moment before going back to looking out the window.

"Todoroki still hasn't said a word, kero." Tsuyu watches their quiet classmate carefully. "Even Koda has more presence." Izuku nods.

After the battle at Deika City, Endeavor, Todoroki's father, had been hospitalized for a whole month. Not long after he was discharged, the Hero threw himself into his work. Endeavor already resolved more incidents than any other Hero, but he seemed determined to break his own record. There are still rumors he sleeps at his Agency now.

"I hope he's alright," Izuku says quietly. Before anyone can say anything else, Mr. Aizawa calls out again.

"Alright everyone, we're coming up on the place now."

The massive domed stadium stretches out in front of the class. The absolutely massive staircase serving as an entryway descends into a central plaza with a raised fountain. On the right, a lake sits nestled between a red dome and a blue dome. One the left, two sets of mountains and a city. Wait, there are buildings partially buried in some of the mountains in the middle.

"Incredible! It's like an amusement park or something!" Kaminari whoops.

"Sinking ships and flood. Landslides. Fires. Heavy storms. Cave ins. Large scale Villain attacks. This facility is a place I created to simulate a variety of disasters. This is the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"

"It's Thirteen!" Uraraka says at the same time Izuku blurts out "The Space Hero!"

"Are you a fan of Thirteen?" Izuku asks. She nods.

"Hell, who wouldn't like Thirteen?" Joyato asks. "They're who inspired me to be a Hero."

"Before we begin," says Thirteen, "I have to say just one thing. Or two. Maybe four."

Izuku blinks, glancing quickly between Joyato and Uraraka, both sheepish.

"I'm certain you already know this, but my Quirk is called Black Hole. It can reduce anything to dust in mere seconds."

"And you've used it in all kinds of disasters to save people!" Izuku says. Uraraka nods so quickly Izuku's mildly concerned she'll hurt herself.

"Indeed. It is also a power that could easily be used to kill people," Thirteen says. "And in that regard, it is no different from any of your Quirks."

The excitement drains from the class. Izuku is reminded of the Quirk Apprehension Test, when Mr. Aizawa pointed out how taking too long to change could cost the lives of civilians. Of when All Might reminded them their classmates could be seriously hurt if they went all out.

"In our superhuman society, the use of Quirks is strictly regulated. The ability to legally use a Quirk is enforced by the law. A simple glance outside is all it takes to see this is the nature of our world. We do this because a simple mistake is all it takes. If you take even a single misstep, you could easily kill others by accident," Thirteen continues.

The class hangs uncomfortably onto every word. Izuku swallows. He doesn't have a Quirk, but he probably has more experience with this than anyone else in his class. After all, if Bakugou had even a little less control, there's no telling how much permanent damage he could've inflicted. Izuku considers himself lucky Bakugou never seriously attempted to scar him.

"During Aizawa's Quirk Apprehension Test, you saw the true potential of your powers. During your Battle Trial with All Might, you saw the danger of using those powers against one another." Thirteen sweeps their arms out. "Take this as a fresh start. I will be teaching you how to use your Quirks to save human lives! Your Quirks do not exist to hurt others! When we are finished today, you will understand that your Quirks exist to help people!"

Thirteen bows. "That is all! Thank you for listening patiently!" Several of Izuku's classmates applaud. Iida in particular is enthusiastic about hie support. Uraraka limits herself to fidgeting excitedly in place.

"All right, first thing's first," Mr. Aizawa says. He points at the buildings at the base of the stairs. "We're going to the Control Center to set up the dummies. They're designed to realistically simulate injuries, so be prepared for that. Class Representative, Vice Representative, you're with me. Everyone else, with Thirteen."

"We'll be heading to the entrance of the Ruins Zone. That area simulates the main disasters you will likely encounter in your careers," says Thirteen, waving the rest of class to follow them.

The students separate as ordered. Izuku hurriedly falls in step behind Mr. Aizawa's confident stride, Yaoyorozu right beside him.

"Do you two have any concerns about your classmates' performance today?" Mr. Aizawa says suddenly. Izuku bites his lip.

"Kaminari overused his Quirk and took himself out of the Battle Trials on Monday as his opening attack," Izuku says. "I think he's too reliant on brute force. I'm worried he could fry himself like that while in a disaster."

"Kirishima's method of reaching Todoroki involved destroying everything in his path. Basically, he charged in a straight line," Yaoyorozu adds. "If he hit a load-bearing wall…" All three of them grimace.

"Anything else?"

"Hagakure's costume is not protective enough," Izuku says. "Joyato added padding to her joints, and she's wearing gloves in case she needs to move heavier objects, but her Quirk also requires visible skin, which limits how much protection she can wear." Izuku glances over at Yaoyorozu's costume. It doesn't cover much of her skin, either.

"Hmm," Mr. Aizawa says. "I'll look into it."

Mr. Aizawa shows Izuku and Yaoyorozu the Control Center. The two of them help set up the computer. Once that's done, he sends them out to rejoin the rest of the class. It would be pretty hard to do the Rescue training from the Control Center.

"This is the Ruins Zone!" Thirteen announces. "From collapsing buildings, to earthquakes, to villain attacks, to bombings. Destroyed buildings are the most common disaster you will ever assist with."

"Thirteen! Where's Mr. Aizawa?" Iida calls, arm straight up.

"Ah, he's still in the Control Room," says Yaoyorozu.

"He can set up the civilian dummies from there," Izuku confirms.

"That's correct! Aizawa will use the Control Center to place the civilians. You will be sent into the Ruins Zone to retrieve as many of the civilians as possible. You will have to assess and address their injuries. Our Civilian Dolls can recognize how they're handled. If you're too rough with them, we can track how that would aggravate their injuries."

"Where are we taking the injured, kero?" Tsuyu says.

"During disasters, doctors establish on site emergency stations to perform field treatment and process people who need serious care. Once the exercise has started, Aizawa will designate a handful of locations at the edge of the Zone as emergency stations."

"And we take the civilians there once we've got them," finishes Jiro.

"And there's gonna be some of these emergency stations at each Zone, yeah?" Joyato says.

"That's correct! Let's get started!"

"I can hear someone in that building!" Jiro takes off at a run towards a wrecked office. Izuku launches himself to her, grabbing her arm.

"You're more useful out here, telling us where to go," Izuku says. Jiro opens her mouth, pauses, then nods.

"The basement," she says. Izuku nods and darts past her. There's a massive tear in the floor, revealing the lower floors. It's pitch-black past about a meter down. I should really get a flashlight or something.Izuku clicks his tongue and runs back out of the building.

"Joyato!" he calls out. The girl whips around to look at him. "Need your help!" She runs over and Izuku lowers the two of them into the basement with his cables. Joyato steadily increases the intensity of her markings, and the darkness recedes.

There's a dummy pinned under some rubble. Izuku swallows. Mr. Aizawa wasn't kidding about how realistic they look.

"Joyato, if I lift the rubble, can you pull him out?" She nods, moving into position next to the dummy. Izuku wraps the rubble in his cable and lifts, suspending the debris in the air a meter or two above the dummy. Joyato carefully moves the dummy out, making sure to avoid hurting the legs further. Izuku slowly lowers the debris again.

"Grabbed a first aid kit from the emergency station," Joyato says. That was a good idea, Izuku should've done that. Joyato begins making a quick splint for the most damaged leg. Once she's done, Izuku take the civilian over his shoulder and pulls himself out of the basement with the Cradle. He's worried using the boots will hurt the civilian. As soon as he's clear, he lowers some cables to pull Joyato out too.

The Landslide Zone is significantly harder. The buildings in the Ruins Zone were all precarious; Izuku had to always be aware of his actions. A wrong move could bring the entire building down on his head.

(Allegedly. Izuku doesn't actually think UA would allow that.)

But at least he always knew where the civilians would be. There's only so many places you can be in a building. Especially with Jiro, Shoji, and Koda directing them to where the civilians were. In a landside? They could be anywhere. And if someone's buried, they risk making the landslide worse getting them out.

Todoroki does end up using his ice to stabilize the terrain. With the risk of further damage neutralized, Ashido carefully melts her way down into some of the sealed buildings to retrieve the injured. Sato and Dark Shadow help with excavation.

Rescuing lost hikers from the Mountain Zone is fairly straightforward, especially compared to the previous two assignments. The Cave-In simulations are harder, especially since Joyato ends up mostly sticking by Dark Shadow in order to keep him from going berserk in the caves. Dark Shadow apologizes profusely the entire time, but Joyato just waves him off.

"We all got our backlash," she says. "Ain't no sin to need outside help. Or else us Hero kids would all be screwed!"

Izuku makes a mental note to see if he can't add some kind of night vision to his visor as well. He's been navigating by using a flashlight from Yaoyorozu. He feels bad using her Quirk for something like this. In a real disaster, she could need her Quirk to make more medical supplies or other relief items.

Izuku emerges from the cave into the light, a civilian dummy carried over his shoulder. Uraraka quickly makes the dummy weightless and herds it towards an emergency station. Izuku follows behind, removing his mouth guard to drink some water.

Izuku is intimately familiar with heat. Fire, however, is new. The differences are stark. It's not a burst, but a constant presence lapping at his strength. Smoke chokes the air. He has never been more grateful for his mouth guard. The Conflagration Zone really doesn't pull its punches.

Thirteen promised a longer break after clearing this Zone, and Izuku's glad. He's not the only member of the class starting to flag. Tokoyami struggles to make much progress getting inside the buildings with Dark Shadow. He eventually settles for helping to carry the injured. Todoroki does his best to ice over the flames, but there's so little water for him to use.

Tsuyu stumbles then falls to her knees. Izuku is beside her in a second.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Kero," she says weakly. "I'm drying out in this heat." Izuku grimaces behind his mask.

"Alright. I'm gonna get you to the emergency station, okay?" Gingerly, he picks his friend up and takes off quickly towards the tents Thirteen set up.

"Is she okay?" Thirteen says when they see Izuku approach.

"Kero," Tsuyu manages.

"The heat dried her out," Izuku says, laying her down on one of the medical cots. Thirteen nods.

"Did you know this could happen?" they ask, retrieving a case of water bottles and handing one to the frog girl.

"Didn't realize how tired I was, kero. Thought I could last longer." Tsuyu downs the entire bottle. She looks a bit ill, now that Izuku is looking at her.

"Ah, Tsuyu?" Izuku says. "You're looking a little green. Are you sick? Does that happen when you're dried out? Should we call someone?" In response, she just rolls over, weakly pulling her hair over her face.

"Need to sleep, kero" she says, barely audible. Okay. She's just tired. Izuku lets out a breath.

"I'm going back in. Sleep well," he says.

Tsuyu still isn't back up to 100% by the time they moved on to the next Zone, but she insists on participating anyway. Thirteen agrees, but only because the next part of the USJ they're covering is the Flood Zone. If anything is going to rehydrate her, it's a swim in a lake.

Watching her swim circles around the outer edge of the lake, Izuku's glad Thirteen allowed it. He's never seen Tsuyu look so content. Mr. Aizawa is still getting the dummies set up, so his friend has plenty of time to herself.

"Look at her go!" Uraraka says next to him.

"Yeah, she wasn't kidding yesterday about this being her element," Izuku says.

And then the ship at the center of the lake starts sinking.

There's a brief pause as the class registers what's happening. Tsuyu recovers first. She veers off towards the boat. Izuku springs into action, launching himself above the open water. He's only got so much air stored in the boots. They'll refill once he's landed, but actually crossing the lake to the ship will be cutting it close.

Izuku lets off another burst, springing forward in air again. A chill surges over his spine just before the water beneath him freezes solid. Izuku lands, letting his boots collect more air as he runs along the ice. Todoroki skates past him, giving no indication he sees Izuku. Izuku huffs. That's fine. He doesn't need to get along with Todoroki to save lives.

Todoroki reaches the boat and sets to work freezing the water around it. The boat slowly stops sinking. Izuku can hear the ice strain, but as long as Todoroki doesn't push himself too far, he's bought them a lot of time.

Izuku fires off a cable from his gauntlets, catching the railing on deck and pulling himself aboard. Thanks to Todoroki's ice bridge, the rest of Class 1-A isn't far behind him. Iida joins Izuku on deck first, and the two of them head below deck to find the dummies.

Shoji turns out to be excellent for the operation. His enhanced hearing gives him an easy advantage when it comes to locating the dummies, and his extra arms lets him carry more of them at once. In the end, Shoji and Todoroki are the MVPs of the Flood Zone.

Their final destination for this field trip is the Downpour Zone. The Flood Zone, despite its name, is better used for simulating rescues out at sea. Floods caused by tsunamis, hurricanes, and similar storms? That's the Downpour Zone. A simulated city constantly hit with heavy rains and fierce winds.

"The goal is higher ground," Joyato says, a confident gleam in her eye. "If the people are still here, get them as high as you can. They'll airlift 'em out."

"Joyato is correct!" Thirteen says. "Unlike the other Disaster Zones, here in the Downpour Zone, every rooftop above a certain height has an emergency station, simulating where you would bring civilians to avoid flooding. Of course, keeping the civilians in one place reduces the number of trips the pilots have to make, and thus the amount of time it takes to evacuate the people, potentially saving more lives."

Izuku would love nothing more than to help his classmates evacuate the dummies to the rooftops. But he's also the only one there who's shown any level of parkour knowledge. And his gear is excellent for crossing rooftops as well. He ends up mainly moving civilians from one building to a centralized emergency station so they can all be 'evacuated' together.

It's freeing, in a way. He expected to be frustrated that he's merely running clean-up after his classmates. But the truth is that, in a real emergency, he would be these people's Hero.

"Excellent work today, everyone!" Thirteen says. "Despite your lack of experience, and many of you having to work around costume limitations," Kirishima, Koda, and several others avert their eyes, "you all truly went above and beyond. Plus Ultra!"

The class politely applauds Thirteen one last time before returning to the bus. Most of the others fall asleep before they're even halfway back to campus. Izuku's barely awake himself. The field trip was exhausting.

Chapter 29: In the Underground/Evidence to Find

The seaside warehouse doesn't look any out of the ordinary. Even under close inspection, you wouldn't be able to spot a difference compared to the surrounding warehouses storing shipments, merchandise, and fish. Izuku supposes that's the point. If your Secret Villain Lair has a neon sign pointing out its locations, then you aren't very good at the whole 'Secret' thing. No, the only suspicious thing about this warehouse is the security detail.

From his vantage point on a nearby rooftop, Izuku takes stock of the building. It's only one floor, which makes this much harder. That means the nineteen guards are going to be much more concentrated than they otherwise would be. And two of them have improved hearing. Just in case it was too easy. 

He's memorized the floor plan, of course. Infiltration is much harder if you're lost. He's at the south side, looking at the front entrance. On either side of it are the two offices, and the truck loading bay at the right edge of the building. In terms of entry points, he's almost spoiled for choice. The far side of the building has the Inbound Goods entrance for forklifts, and if he goes around on the left he can slip in where the conveyer belt is.

The problem, of course, is the guards. The door, Inbound Goods, conveyer belt, even the truck loading bay all have two guards apiece. Another six are patrolling the outer perimeter of the building. That's fourteen. Izuku feels a smile creeping up under his mouth guard. Five guards on the interior. If they were more evenly distributed, moving around inside would be impossible. After all, most of the warehouse a single large room, meant for quick assembly lines. Yeah, there's cover, but if there were ten people inside and nine outside, they'd probably have line of sight over every part of the warehouse. Heck, one of the guards has a gravity Quirk and isn't on the roof.

He makes a note to bring that up later.

Izuku takes a deep breath. The evidence he needs is in one of the offices, but he doesn't know which one. He needs more information. Izuku backs up, and with a running start jumps to the next rooftop. If he gets to the roof, he can use the skylights to check where everyone inside is. The trick is those two hearing Quirks. The noise his gear makes is fairly distinctive. He's pretty sure they'll recognize it.

Parkour is, by nature, supposed to be quiet. If you're making noise, then you're hitting the surface too hard. The guards with hearing Quirks will still probably hear him, but Izuku hopes they'll mistake the noise for something else. He could be a rat or a squirrel or something.

The corner furthest from the offices in only visible from the Inbound Goods entrance. So that's where Izuku's going to climb up. He moves around on the rooftops. People don't tend to look up, and the buildings are high enough that in the dark it's hard to catch a glimpse of him.

Izuku takes a breath to steady himself. It's time to approach the building. He hasn't yet taken any risks on this assignment, but now he has an actual chance of being caught. Keeping an eye out for birds, Izuku slinks forward through the shadows, taking cover by a nearby parked car. Once he's sure no one is around, he moves forward again, reaching the wall.

As Izuku reaches a hand up to grab onto the wall, he underestimates the grip of his glove and puts too much force into it. He slips, falling past the wall. He catches himself easily; you don't do parkour if you don't know how to fall. But he's also directly in the view of the guards outside the Inbound Goods entrance. Instantly, Izuku whirls, back to the wall, hand over his face. Breathe in through the nose, leave your mouth open for the air to get out. If they saw him, then it's over. Once the alert goes out, he's done.

Izuku risks a peek around the corner. He pulls his head back a half-second later. The guards are approaching his corner. They must be confirming they saw me. Does he have time to move back to the car? Maybe. But what if they search there too? Well, if retreating isn't an option, he'll move forward. Izuku spins, quickly scaling the wall and pulling himself up onto the roof.

"Aw man! I was sure I saw something!" says one of the guards.

Izuku holds his breath. The two guards are right below him.

"Don't sweat it. Maybe you did!"

"I thought we had him!"

"Eh, it happens. He's proven he's pretty smart. How about you head back to the door and I'll do a quick sweep. Just in case."

"Fine," the guard whines.

As the first guard sulks back to her post, Izuku creeps to the center of the rooftop. He was right, the other guard did check behind the car.

Okay. Check the skylights. From here he can see pretty much the whole warehouse. The offices don't quite reach the top of the warehouse. It's more like they're smaller shacks inside the larger building. Izuku sees light from a skylight on the top of the offices.

Izuku doesn't see any guards posted in front of the offices. Presumably, they're just inside. Two guards are sweeping the racks. With all the crates stored there, it's not a bad hiding place. Seems they realized that too. The two guards with hearing Quirks are together in the center of the room. From the way they're standing, Izuku guesses they're trying to maximize their coverage.

Okay then.

Izuku carefully slinks to the far end of the roof, just above the offices. He pries open the skylight. Attaching a cable to the roof, Izuku lowers himself into the warehouse as quietly as possible. It seems the two guards with hearing Quirks are tracking the bigger entrances, so he hopes they won't notice him.

So. Two offices. Fifty-fifty shot at which one has the evidence he's looking for. Izuku doesn't have a way of determining the correct office, so he may as well just check them both. He carefully lowers himself over the side. He doesn't want to get heard now.

He creeps over to the door, slowly sliding it open, just enough to slip inside. Yaoyorozu sits in one of the chairs around the table. Izuku swallows.

"Sorry, Midoriya. I rigged the door with a motion sensor. I've already alerted everyone," she says. Mr. Aizawa's voice echoes over the warehouse.

"Midoriya has been caught! Make your way out for debriefing!" Izuku slumps in defeat.

"Was this even the right office?" he asks his Vice Representative. She nods with a slight smile, gesturing to the manilla folder of evidence he was here to retrieve. Izuku sighs in defeat.

"Let us not leave Mr. Aizawa waiting," she says, rising to her feet.

"Midoriya's infiltration was well planned," Mr. Aizawa says once the class has assembled again. "He observed the weaknesses in your defense and exploited them."

"Only because you limited how much Jiro can hear," Izuku says, rubbing the back of his head.

"If I didn't, she'd catch you all instantly, and you wouldn't learn anything. Any critique of Midoriya's performance?"

"He didn't check the office at all before entering," Yaoyorozu says. Izuku cringes. Yeah, that was pretty dumb in hindsight.

"That was a problem, yes." When no one says anything else, he continues. "He also neglected to check for any security systems. He only bothered avoiding you all. If Yaoyorozu had rigged up cameras or other detectors, he'd be finished."

"She could've made thermal vision goggles and spotted him instantly," Iida says.

"Creation is just versatile like that," Izuku agrees. Yaoyorozu flushes.

"She could, yes," Mr. Aizawa says, "but thermal gear isn't something you can reasonably expect criminals to have access to. That's not to say they won't, or have Quirks that function similarly, but that's rare. For your early stealth training, we'll be avoiding such tactics."

Izuku's classmates all ran the course too, with Izuku acting as a guard in their place. Yaoyorozu overcomplicates her attempted infiltration with a variety of equipment, and Jiro hears her easily. Joyato considers it a win that she reaches the building before someone spots her ever-present glowing marks. Koda and Tokoyami both managed to acquire the evidence during their attempts. Koda sent a small team of animals to do the work, while Dark Shadow simply slid under the cracks in the door. Hagakure pulls off her own heist, to no one's surprise. Tsuyu's wall climbing proves useful to her attempt.

Aoyama manages to get caught well before he reaches the warehouse. Todoroki has a similarly poor run, apparently forgetting the point of the exercise and attempting to fight his way in.

Shinsou just uses his new voice changer to brainwash Ashido into doing the job for him. After his fight with Iida at the Battle Trials, he'd looked into support gear.

Surprisingly, Uraraka manages to slip in and out with the evidence like a thief in the night. She blushes under the praise.

"There's room for improvement from all of you," Mr. Aizawa says. "But for your first time attempting such an exercise, you all did well. Now that you all have some idea of how stealth works," he gives Todoroki and Aoyama a pointed look, "we'll be stepping this up. Your next challenge is following someone throughout Ground Beta without being detected. Each of you will be given a list of locations you need to visit. During your turn, you will follow a randomly chosen classmate and mark every place they visit without getting caught. However, only myself and the person who is currently 'It' will know who they are, and who is being followed."

Izuku steps out of the fake pet store, crossing the third item off his list. He's beginning to suspect that the 'It' thing is a logical ruse. Mostly because there are five people he can see crowded on the rooftop across from him. There's also Uraraka is sitting on a bench, reading an upside-down newspaper. Well that explains how they got up there. Todoroki is just staring at him from across the street, a few buildings down.

Provided Mr. Aizawa didn't tell them who all was supposed to be following him, the fact they all recognized each other as following him should've been a red flag that he would notice too. Izuku sighs, pocketing his list of locations.

He wanders aimlessly for a minute or two, stopping every now and then to 'look around' while the small gang catches up. Finally, he reaches a place that serves his purpose. An ice-cream parlor. None of them should suspect anything. And indeed, when he slips out through the back and into another building, none of them notice.

When Mr. Aizawa calls the class back to debrief on that run, he's noticeably exasperated. He pinches his nose and speaks.

"I don't know what I need to discuss more," he says. "Your shadowing skills are all terrible. That's on me, I should've demonstrated more technique. But in the future, if you're trying to be inconspicuous, make sure you aren't reading from something upside down," Uraraka winces, "just standing out in the open and staring at your target, or crowded together on a rooftop without actually hiding yourselves in any way. And please, if you're shadowing someone, don't sit there and stare at an empty building because your target shook you fifteen minutes ago."

"Well, I wasn't following Midoriya," Shinsou says. "I was following Uraraka. Just because Midoriya knew she was following him—"

"I wasn't following Midoriya!" Uraraka protests. "I had Joyato!"

"I had Kirishima."

"I was following Kaminari!"

"I had Tokoyami!"

"My mission was to observe the movements of Todoroki!"

Everyone turns to the silent boy who simply holds up his phone with a blank expression. He swipes through a dozen photos of Dark Shadow watching him. Tokoyami's feather's puff in exasperation as Dark Shadow sheepishly hides behind him.

"Todoroki wasn't 'It' that round," Mr. Aizawa says, running a hand down his face.

"Wait, none of us were there for Midoriya?"

"Hagakure was," Izuku says. Nineteen students whirl to look at him. Izuku shrugs. "I heard her footsteps."

"Shoot!" Hagakure says.

"Okay," Mr. Aizawa says. "Now that I know where you all stand on shadowing and infiltration, I can start teaching you the skills you need to not look like your stealth skills are something out of a bad sitcom."

"Of course," Joyato says, nodding sagely. "We will make it look like a good sitcom."

"No."

"We're home!" Izuku calls, pulling his shoes off. Himiko's already removed hers and is skipping down the hall to her room to change.

"Welcome home, you two!" mom calls from the kitchen. Her cooking smells wonderful, but there's an edge to her voice. Izuku walks over to her.

"Mom, are you alright?" The looks at him with a pained smile.

"Yes, it's just…" she sighs. "I don't want you to feel responsible."

"Mom?"

"Your heart is too big sometimes."

"Mom, what happened?"

"Katsuki is missing."

Izuku staggers back. What? Missing?

"He was at school just the other day," Izuku says slowly. Mom nods.

"Mitsuki said he came home from school two days ago. He's been in some kind of funk since the entrance exam results. He had dinner and went to bed. That was the last time they saw him. She thought he'd just gotten up early or something when she didn't see him yesterday morning, but when he didn't come home, she called UA. He never came to class that day. And his phone is still in his room."

Izuku swallows.

"Izuku, Sunshine, I know what you're thinking. This isn't because of anything you did or didn't do. And please don't go skipping school to look for him. That boy has hurt you enough as it is."

"Okay," Izuku promises, voice hoarse.

Bakugou would never run away. Izuku's certain of that. But why leave his phone behind? No, something is wrong. Very, very, wrong. Izuku takes a breath to steady himself. Could Bakugou have been kidnapped? He scoffs internally. Impossible. If someone tried to kidnap him, he'd just explode them. Izuku knows for a fact Bakugou has no qualms using his Quirk on other people.

Izuku eats dinner that night in silence, trying his best to ignore the worried glances his sister keeps sending him.

Mom's right, it's not his fault, or his responsibility.

Not after everything Bakugou did.

But he's still worried.

"You know, Master, something about this plan is bothering me." Shigaraki says. All For One raises his head to where he knows the microphone in his chamber is, even if he cannot see it. Problems that come with having no eyes.

"Oh?" he says. There's a pause where he can hear Shigaraki scratching his neck.

"All Might's hanging out with those Third Years, right? At first, I thought they'd be more mobs who wouldn't put up a fight. They're still training after all." All For One waits for him to continue. "But the media is obsessed with them! Some of them are already being heralded as being just as good as existing Pro Heros! Disgusting!"

"And this has led to your concerns."

"These MLA guys Giran found are strong, but if we're fighting multiple Pro-level mobs, they aren't gonna cut it."

Fascinating. Shigaraki is proving himself more capable than expected.

"How astute, Tomura. But we haven't the time to recruit additional forces. Perhaps there is a way we could weaken the enemy, instead?"

The sound of Shigaraki's scratching habit echoes through the speaker.

"I think I have an idea," Shigaraki says at last.

"What do you think you're doing today?" Himiko asks. They're walking, still a few minutes away from UA. Izuku shrugs.

"So far we've done practicals in the four major branches of Heroics," he says. "Maybe we'll loop back around to Limelight? Or we could move on to something totally different. Like combat training outside of a simulated incident. Maybe a lecture?"

Himiko giggles and Izuku blushes, realizing he was mumbling. Himiko spins so she's walking backwards while facing him.

"I almost beat Utsuwa in a knife fight yesterday!" she says, grinning cheekily.

"I'll be impressed when you win," Izuku teases. "Oh, how's that blood condenser working out in training?"

"I got all my classmate's blood!" Himiko cheers. "Except Ekitai. I'm not sure if they have blood…"

"That's an interesting point. I really need to look more into how their Quirk affects their physiology," Izuku says, a thumb to the corner of his mouth.

"Izu, no mad science on my classmates!" Himiko says with a smile.

"I'll have you know my science is quite sane, thank you," Izuku huffs, but he can't hide his own grin.

"Oh yes, because it's never a red flag when someone goes around telling people that they're sane."

"Whatever. So, you can turn in to all your classmates, huh?"

"I grabbed Hari's blood too," she says, pulling a red tablet out of her pocket.

"Himi, are you carrying your blood tablets on you right now?"

"Why not?" she shrugs, pocketing the capsule again.

"At least tell me you're keeping them in a case or something and you're not gonna trip and look like a slasher movie victim."

"Of course I'm keeping my precious blood safe! Izu, how could you imply otherwise?"

"You're right. I am a fool."

"I'm just glad I finally have a costume. I know why we didn't get them last year, but it still feels right to do my Heroics classes in uniform, y'know?"

"I know what you mean," Izuku chuckles. "Putting my costume on that first day made me feel stronger somehow."

"And it has my special knife!"

"And it has your special knife."

The two of them continue chatting idly about school for the last few minutes of their journey.

"Oh! There's the gate!" Himiko says, turning back to face forward. Laughing, she grabs Izuku's arm and starts running, dragging him along with her.

Just before they reach the gate, Izuku feels everything shift. His foot doesn't land. Himiko looks down, startled, as the two of them fall through a black void.

Chapter 30: A Looming Darkness/True Evil Revealed

Izuku lands face down on the hardwood floor. Only his months of training keep him from hurting himself. Off to his right, Himiko groans. Izuku takes stock of his surroundings. A dimly lit room. Tables and chairs are set up. There's a bar, the shelves fully stocked. Sitting at one of the bar stools is a man covered in human hands. One covers his face like a mask. Please tell me those are fake. Across from him, polishing a glass is a suit-wearing man made of fog. He's cleaning a glass. Brick walls. No windows.

So. A villain's lair with at least two villains.

Izuku looks to his left and his heart leaps to his throat. Uraraka is pulling herself off the floor, fear in her eyes. Another two UA students sit up behind her. Izuku doesn't recognize them. One has short pink hair; she's clearly older than Izuku, probably Himiko too. The other girl looks about his age, with a long red ponytail.

"Only five, Kurogiri?" a voice rasps. Izuku glances over. It was the hand man.

"I did not wish to alert the Heroes before it was time," the fog man—Kurogiri, apparently—says.

"Whatever. Five is plenty."

"Himiko," Izuku whispers, "How many knives did you bring today?"

"One and a spare," she responds just as quietly, retrieving a blade hidden somewhere and passing it to Izuku. He carefully holds the knife so that it's hidden in his sleeve.

"How long until we move?" The hand man says, scratching at his neck. Izuku sees claw marks on his skin there. He must do this a lot.

"Third-Years Heroics classes are their first period," Kurogiri says. "We have only another half an hour. Patience, Tomura."

Izuku files that name away for later.

"Ahh… That's so long," Tomura says. Slowly, the man's head turns until he can see the students still sitting on the floor. "If any of you are those Hero brats, I suggest you don't get any ideas. I'm a muchhigher level than you."

Tomura's hand shoots out and grabs a glass off the bar. Izuku watches, horrified, as the glass turns gray, cracks forming in the surface, before the entire things falls to the table, a pile of dust. Izuku swallows.

One of the other students whimpers; the ponytail girl. The older girl pulls her close, whispering reassurances. Izuku doesn't blame her. It's not like he doesn't share the sentiment.

The only reason he isn't panicking himself is his years of dealing with people who wanted to hurt him. That and his training with Nedzu and Mr. Aizawa.

"You understand, don't you? Be good little meatshields and keep quiet." Tomura turns back to Kurogiri, apparently satisfied.

Izuku does what he does best. He thinks.

He and Himiko fell through some kind of portal. That much is obvious. He remembers it being a black void. A glance at Kurogiri is all Izuku needs to suspect he knows the man's Quirk. Tomura just demonstrated his own.

He called them 'meatshields,' which means they aren't being used for ransom and it isn't likely they're just going to be murdered—though that's still on the table. They mentioned Third-Years Heroics classes. Why would they attack the Third-Years? Izuku wracks his brain. Didn't All Might say he was teaching Third-Years back on our first day?

Izuku swallows. Togata, Hado, and Amajiki are Third-Years!

Izuku scoots closer to the other students. The older girl is watching the villains like a hawk, her composure is solid, Even so, she's rubbing circles on the back of the ponytail girl. Reassuring her. Himiko places a hand on a trembling Uraraka's shoulders. Right. Focus on the others for now.

All Might told him, back when they first met, that his smile wasn't fearless. That he was always worried about the people around him. But that he smiled to reassure everyone that things would be alright.

Izuku smiles.

He beams at the girls, leaning in closer to Uraraka. It seems to work. The ponytail girl shakes a little less, some of the panic recedes from Uraraka's eyes.

He reaches into his pocket with his free hand and starts texting. He'd memorized his phone layout a while ago, just in case.

The villains didn't bother searching them. Izuku knows Himiko is an outlier when it comes to weapons, but they all still have their phones. Which means the villains are either incompetent, or they don't care. Izuku bets it's the latter. Always assume your opponent is playing optimally.

Probably some kind of signal jammer. Makes it harder to track their GPS. Izuku doubts his message will go through, but he sends Nedzu a text with as much information about the situation as he can.

Shouta walks into class for homeroom and sees two empty seats. Huh. Did Uraraka or Midoriya call in sick today? Joyato and Dark Shadow stand facing each other, their arms straight out.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Iida stands, gesturing to the strange stalemate. "You must do something!"

"Of course," he drawls.

"Thank you, Mr. Aiz—"

"Whoever backs down first is expelled." He ignores Tokoyami's indignant squawk and Iida's surprised gasp and turns to the class. "Did anyone hear from Midoriya or Uraraka?" Everyone (minus Dark Shadow and Joyato) shake their heads or otherwise respond in the negative. Hmm. He knows Izuku has everyone's numbers.

Shouta's phone buzzes, and he discreetly slides it out to see a message from Nedzu.

The Rat: Himiko is also absent.

The Rat: I am currently unable to reach their phones.

The Rat: Mrs. Midoriya confirmed they left for school this morning.

The Rat: I haven't heard back from the guardians of the other three missing students.

Shouta's throat dries.

The five of them sit there in silence until Kurogiri finally speaks.

"It's time."

"Ah, I thought I was gonna go crazy with anticipation," Tomura drawls, rising to his feet. "Let's go meet up with the muscle." Kurogiri nods and a large portal open in the center of the room. "Alright brats, in you go. You know what happens otherwise." Izuku nods, rising to his feet. Carefully keeping the knife in his sleeve hidden, he leads the others through the portal while Himiko and the older girl comfort Uraraka and the ponytail girl.

Izuku steps out into a large warehouse, emptied of shelves and equipment. From the wear and tear on the walls and floor, it's been abandoned for a while. The warehouse is full of villains. At least, Izuku assumes the guy who chose to dress like 'if Frankenstein's Monster was also a demonic butcher' isn't an accountant. The rest of the crowd have similarly intimidating appearances, ranging from flashy costumes and disturbing appearances—probably Quirk induced—to vaguely thug clothing.

The one that catches his eye is the giant black beast with an exposed brain and beak-like face. It's standing perfectly still, not paying any attention to anything happening.

"League of Villains!" Tomura calls. "Today is the day you stop living in fear! Today is the day All Might dies!"

Oh shit. He was right.

"The bio-engineered monster Noumu, our Anti-Symbol of Peace, will slaughter him!"

The crowd goes wild. Uraraka glances over at Izuku, lip trembling. He shoots her a reassuring smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Himiko and the pink haired girl trying their best to keep the ponytail girl calm.

That black beast, is it the Noumu?

Suddenly, a hand clamps around his neck. Izuku grimaces as the four fingers close in a vice-like grip.

"You'll be my special hostage. You four," he points to villains in the crowd, seemingly at random. "Take one of the other brats. Those idiot Heroes won't fight back while we have hostages."

Four fingers. Izuku watched that glass dissolve. Tomura must have a five-point activation Quirk, like Uraraka.

Izuku watches helplessly as his sister, his friend, two of his schoolmates, get grabbed and have various weapons pressed to their necks. He takes a steadying breath. This situation is getting worse by the minute.

Mirio steps off the bus, pumping his fist in the air. A field trip! And based around wilderness rescue! Ground Omega isn't somewhere he trains often. It's a ridiculously large woodland area with a wall serving as an outer ring. The massive forest even has a handful of mountains. Small mountains, but mountains nonetheless.

"Ooh! Ooh! We're gonna have so much fun, Mirio!" Nejire says, buzzing around him and Tamaki like a hummingbird. He laughs.

"I'm excited too! I can't wait to see what all of us are gonna be doing!"

"I just wish Yuyu was here. I hope she's not sick!"

"I can't wait for us to go back to campus," Tamaki mutters. Mirio laughs harder. They step through the gate to where Thirteen is waiting. Huh. Togata figured All Might would be here too, given how he'd been teaching their other Heroics classes so far. Maybe something came up? Oh well.

"Welcome, students, to Ground Omega! Today we will be practicing wilderness rescue! Lost hikers, mountaineering accidents, all sorts of disasters can occur in forests like this one!"

"Ooh! Thirteen! What's that!" Nejire points behind their teacher, who turns as a small black whirlwind expand into a massive wall. Mirio shifts into battle stance with the rest of his classmates.

"I'd wait a moment if I were you, hero brats," a voice echoes out from the mist. Out of the black wall steps Midoriya, held by the back of the neck by a man covered in human hands. "You wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen to these kids, would you?"

More and more villains step through the black mist, another four keeping hostages, including Haya. Mirio swallows. This is bad.

"Yuyu!" Nejire calls.

"Oh, are you friends with one of them? How sweet."

"Thirteen, the sensors?" he asks.

"They should be responding. The villains must be jamming the signal somehow."

"The gate's sealed!" a classmate yells.

"Greetings," says the black wall of fog, condensing down into a suited villain. "We are the League of Villains. Apologies for the intrusion, but we thought this place of learning was a suitable scene for the Symbol of Peace to meet his end."

"Ahh, I only see Thirteen here. The schedule said All Might was supposed to be here. We went through a lot of trouble for him."

Mirio doesn't like the look in the hand villain's eye.

"Maybe he'll come faster if we start killing those kids."

So. As long as he and the others and in danger, the Third-Years can't fight back without risking their lives. Thirteen is a Rescue Hero, and Izuku doubts they've used their Quirk on a human before. On the other side, roughly a hundred villains, including a warper, someone who can disintegrate you with a touch, and a bioweapon. And Kurogiri just said they had the schedule, meaning at least some of UA's information is compromised. Not the best odds.

Izuku looks up at Togata and smiles, eyes burning.

So he'll change the rules.

He flicks his eyes over to meet his sister's gaze. She gives a slight nod, her free hand pressed against her side, holding three fingers. Two. One.

As one, Izuku and Himiko swing their knives at the villains holding them. Izuku has one shot to get out of Tomura's grip alive. His fifth finger, extended out to avoid killing him early. He swings upward, barely avoiding his own neck, directly into Tomura's palm. And his knife sinks into the flesh, stopping when it hits bone.

Tomura howls as Izuku pulls the knife free again. He jumps away to the villain holding Uraraka. A slash to the arm forces the villain to drop his blade, and Izuku pulls his friend free. The pink-haired girl flips the villain holding her as Himiko frees the ponytail girl. He should really get their names.

"Move!" Izuku shouts. "We're in the way!"

"Kill every last one of them!" Tomura screams, clutching his injured hand to his chest. The villains recover from their shock and open fire, Quirks and weapons going everywhere. Tree bark and dirt explode, scattering debris as Izuku runs deeper into the forest.

Panting, Izuku plants his back against a tree, sliding down to the ground.

"Mido-Midoriya," Uraraka pants, treading through the underbrush, taking cover beside him. "I thought—I thought we were gonna…"

"You're alright, Uraraka," he says.

"It's not even the second week," she says lamely. He nods.

"You aren't injured, are you? Check yourself, the adrenaline is probably dulling any pain."

"How are you so calm," Uraraka pleads, eyes shimmering. 'How do I stop freaking out,' Izuku hears

"Did I," Izuku pants, "did I ever tell you where I went to middle school?" Uraraka shakes her head. "Aldera." He hears her swallow. "Yeah. I'm calm because I've had people threaten me like that before. And what I learned, there's always time to panic later. I'm gonna have a breakdown once this is over. But if I do it now, I can't help anyone. Or myself." Uraraka nods.

"Okay. Okay," she whispers. "Just… panic later. I can do that."

The air shifts, and Izuku sucks in a breath. He can't see the clearing from here; he's too far. But he doesn't need a good line of sight to see the wave of black surge forward in the distance. Right, Kurogiri! He must've scattered them!

"Looks like we're not safe just yet," he says. "Kurogiri separated everyone. There's probably villains in the forest."

"Right you are, brat!" some costumed thug leaps at Izuku, who simply moves and lets him slam into the tree. Another rushes them only for Uraraka to slap him, grab him by the legs as he floats past, and swing him into a tree like a baseball bat.

"I guess the grunts are a lot less competent than Tomura and Kurogiri," Izuku says slowly. "Let's keep moving. If we clear the wall, we can get out of range of the signal jammer and call for help."

"I'll float you," Uraraka says. "We need to know which way to go." Izuku nods, and she presses a hand into him. He leaps up, pushing off against the tree trunks and breaking free of the tree line.

The entire forest is in chaos. Something erupts in the distance, sending trees, rock and dirt flying. A line of trees falls as though someone— or something— is charging straight through them. Quirk projectiles fly out from the forest in every direction. Crashing metal and cracking bark echo everywhere. A massive pillar of ice bursts out from the trees. Above the canopy, Izuku can see the carnage across the entire facility.

Izuku and Uraraka are lucky. They didn't get caught in Kurogiri's portal, so they're still pretty close to the entrance. And by extension, the outer wall.

"I see the wall!" he calls down to Uraraka. There's a pause, and then Izuku's stomach drops, followed shortly by the rest of him. He lands in a canopy before dropping down to Uraraka.

"That way," he says, pointing.

"Right!" she says. Now that she doesn't have a knife at her throat, she seems to be recovering some of her determination. Izuku smiles and starts walking.

As they're trudging through the forest, Izuku hears a low, deep rumbling. He stops, trying to locate the noise. Uraraka stops behind him. Then the ground shifts below him, erupting into a pillar of dirt.

Izuku leaps back, hopping again to avoid another eruption. Uraraka jumps out of the way of a third attack.

Can they see us or are they sensing our movements?

"Uraraka! Into the trees!" Izuku calls, pulling himself onto a branch. Uraraka floats herself momentarily to do the same. She looks at him and he gestures to move to another tree. Seconds after they've both leapt into a different set of branches, the tree Uraraka originally climbed explodes in a shower of dirt and bark. They are sensing us through the dirt!

Izuku's first tree detonates, and Izuku realizes only too late that he's still too close. He loses his balance and slips out of the tree, landing on the soft ground below.

"There you are," a voice purrs. A woman struts out of the trees, brushing aside her long green hair. "Clever move hiding where I couldn't sense you. Shame you don't have the skill to back—"

The villain straightens and whirls just as Uraraka clubs her with a tree branch at least three times bigger than her. She goes flying, rolling across the dirt floor until she stops against the roots of another tree.

"Thanks, Uraraka," Izuku says, taking her hand as she helps him up. "How heavy is that?"

"I removed its weight. It's part of the tree she exploded!"

"Let's get out of here before she recovers."

The two of them keep moving. The vegetation is thick, and it's not easy going. They run into a handful more villains, but nothing that can't be handled by removing their weight or Izuku's martial skill.

A few minutes later, they've reached the wall. Izuku pulls out his phone and grimaces. He holds sit up so Uraraka can see how badly cracked it is. Izuku isn't sure if it was the earth villain or when they were escaping the entrance clearing, but his phone didn't survive.

"Do you want to take mine?" Uraraka asks, holding it out. Izuku shakes his head.

"Can you float yourself? If something happens, of the two of us, I have more training. And, worse case scenario, if I go down, you're still free but if they get you I'm stranded up there." Uraraka pales at the thought.

"I won't leave you," she promises, placing her hand on her chest and rising into the air.

A primal, animalistic howl echoes far above the tree line.

Yuyu and Nejire look up from the goons they've knocked out. Whatever makes a noise like that is dangerous. They need to get back to the others.

Tamaki smashes the last villain into the ground. He got jumped the moment he was dropped off wherever he is. Somewhere in Ground Omega still, at least. But right now, Mirio needs his help. He heard that roar. He just knows Mirio is trying to stop whatever made that noise.

Itsuka trembles in her hiding place as the blonde girl who saved her rubs circles in her back. That third year keeps hitting the monster with strong, targeted blows. The blows her martial arts instructor would make. And it isn't reacting. If it turns its attention to her, Big Fist isn't going to save her. These are realvillains!

Himiko does her best to help the girl—Kendo, she introduced herself—stay calm. Kendo is in 1-B, but this is far too early to see real villains. And not just any villains, but apparently an entire villainous organization with the resources to make whatever the hell that is, and the manpower to launch an assault on UA itself. This is who the Togas thought I would become? I can't imagine myself doing something like this…

She brings her attention back to the roaring behemoth. That Third Year is doing his best, but he won't be able to keep this up forever. What would Izuku do?

Katsuki clicks his tongue over the downed forms of some villains. Waiting for his moment was the worst. How dare these fuckers come into his home and call him a villain? Try and recruit him?

"The hell… weren't you one of us?" one of them groans.

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki spits. "I'm gonna be a Hero."

League of Villains? Kill All Might? Pathetic. This bunch of weaklings couldn't kill fish in a barrel. That Noumu could be a problem, with how much Shigaraki went on and on about its Quirks, but Katsuki's more worried about their escape route. He grins wickedly. Time for some payback on the fog bastard.

Izuku whirls, his back to the wall. That's the direction they came from. That black beast? Did it make that noise? He swallows. If that thing is the Noumu Tomura mentioned, then Izuku doesn't want to imagine what it's capable of. He gets the feeling he's going to find out anyway. After all, someone might need his help.

Ochaco startles in midair, barely catching her phone before she can drop it. That noise is like nothing she's ever heard before. This is for your parents, Ochaco. You can do this. You can do this! Midoriya, his sister, everyone needs you right now!

She sends the message.

Shouta's phone buzzes. He pulls it out as fast as possible, expecting an update from Nedzu. Instead, it's Uraraka's name on his Unread Message Notification. He opens it as fast as he can. A quick glance is all he needs.

"Fuck." The class looks up at him, surprised. "All of you, free study. Do not leave this room unless absolutely necessary." He practically runs out of the room, dialing the Rat's number.

"Aizawa? Did something happen?"

"Uraraka texted me." He hears the principal's teacup clatter into its plate. "She and the other missing students were abducted by villains."

"They what?"

"There's more. The villains took them to Ground Omega. They're trying to kill All Might with some kind of enhanced villain. They have a warper who scattered the Third-Years."

"Thirteen is the only staff member there right now."

"What? Wasn't All Might supposed to be there? Did that idiot run out of time again?"

"No, he still has another two hours. But he's responding to a situation in Tokyo."

"Fuck. How soon can we get there?"

"Not soon enough. Fifteen minutes."

"Fuck."

Izuku and Uraraka reach the clearing as the black beast—Izuku is sure that must be the Noumu—swings through Togata. Permeation is the only thing keeping him alive against its relentless assault. Thirteen is on the ground, motionless by the gate. Another Third Year is trying their best to administer field aid.

"Blinder Touch Eyeball Crush!" Togata yells, shoving his arm through the Noumu's head. The thing doesn't so much as twitch, continuing its attack and forcing Togata back. Togata's lagging. He can't keep this up for long.

"Izu!" Himiko whispers. He whirls, to find her hidden in the foliage nearby alongside the girl with the ponytail.

"The other girl who was with you, where's she?"

"She jumped into the fray as soon as we were clear. She got warped somewhere like the others," she says. "This is Kendo, she's in 1-B. Thoughts?"

"My Quirk lets me enlarge my hands. I can make them really big, but that's not gonna help us much against these guys," says Kendo.

"It didn't flinch," Izuku says, placing a thumb to his lip. "Just now, it didn't react to having its eyes targeted. I don't think I've seen it react to anything."

"It follows Tomura's commands," Himiko says.

"It's a doll," Izuku breathes. "It's a mindless doll, it doesn't have any will. We need a way to shut that thing down for good. How long do we have until the teachers get here?"

"About twelve minutes," Uraraka says, out of breath. "When I sent my message, Mr. Aizawa told me Nedzu and the teachers are fifteen minutes away." He lights up.

"Uraraka, your Quirk! It doesn't matter how strong it is if you've got it up in the atmosphere! Do you have it in you to lift that thing?"

"I think so," she says. "Just give me a minute. I'm not used to running."

"I'll support Togata," Himiko says. "It absorbs impacts. I'm going to stab it. A lot."

"Here," Izuku says, handing her the spare knife. "You'll need this more than me right now." Himiko nods. She runs low toward the beast, gracefully leaping onto it's back and plunging the blades into its exposed brain.

The Noumu shrieks, writhing and bucking. Himiko grips the hilts tight, but it's not enough. One of the blades dislodge and she fall off, barely dodging a blind swipe.

"That's the girl that was with the knife bastard!" Tomura snarls. "Nice try, rogue, but the Noumu has Hyper Regeneration! You'll never hurt it with puny starter equipment like that!"

Togata socks the monster in the face, but it doesn't even flinch. He falls through the dirt to avoid a punch from the monster. Himiko leaps over it again, retrieving her other knife and stabbing it in the leg. It doesn't take the Noumu long to regenerate that either.

Togata springs out of the ground, aiming a punch at Tomura. The moment before impact, the Noumu moves faster than Izuku can see, blocking the hit. It swipes at Togata again, who phases through the attack and jumps back.

Togata and Himiko do their best to keep up with the Noumu, striking every time it moves to attack the other, but Togata's attacks aren't affecting it, and Himiko can't keep up with its regeneration. It doesn't look like they'll be able to outlast it either.

"I wonder, if the girl is here, could the other rogue be nearby as well?" Tomura says. Izuku pales, taking a step back, but it's too late. The villain locks eyes with Izuku. Behind the hand-mask, a long thin smile stretches across his face.

"Found you. Noumu! Kill that green haired brat!"

Izuku feels Uraraka shove him as the Noumu blurs, suddenly in front of him, winding up a punch. The last thing Izuku hears before the pain erupts across his body is his sister screaming his name.