Monday morning arrived with gray clouds and the smell of rain.
I stood at the UA gates with my class, hero costume case in hand. The bus idled nearby, engine rumbling.
"EVERYONE LINE UP!" Iida's arms chopped through the air. "We must board in an orderly fashion!"
"Dude, relax," Kirishima laughed. "It's just a bus."
Aizawa emerged from the building, looking more exhausted than usual. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept. Again.
"Get on. We leave in five minutes."
The class scrambled onto the bus. I found a window seat near the back. Tokoyami took the seat across the aisle without a word. We'd developed an understanding over the past week—silent companionship. No forced conversation.
The bus doors closed with a hydraulic hiss. Aizawa stood at the front, gripping the overhead rail.
"Today you'll face various rescue scenarios at the USJ—Unforeseen Simulation Joint. Thirteen, a rescue specialist, will be your instructor. Pay attention. Learn. Don't die."
His bluntness earned nervous laughter from the class.
"I'll be supervising along with Thirteen and—" he paused, jaw tightening. "All Might was supposed to join us, but he's busy with hero work this morning."
Murmurs spread through the bus.
All Might won't be there.
At least not at the start.
The realization settled in my stomach like a stone. In canon, he'd arrived late. Barely in time. If things went differently—if he was delayed even more—
The bus lurched forward.
Twenty Minutes Later – On the Road
Conversations filled the bus. Comparisons of Quirks. Speculation about the training.
Kirishima leaned over his seat toward Midoriya. "Your Quirk's pretty versatile, right? You can do crazy jumps and punches."
Midoriya nodded eagerly, that familiar enthusiasm lighting his face. "It's still hard to control though. I'm working on it every day."
"At least yours is flashy," Kirishima continued. "Mine's just hardening. Kinda plain for hero work."
"Plain but effective!" Midoriya pulled out his ever-present notebook, already scribbling. "You're perfect for close combat and defense—pro heroes would kill for that kind of reliability—"
"If we're talking very flashy, Bakugo and Todoroki take the prize," Kirishima said, glancing toward the front where both sat in tense silence. "Those two are absolute powerhouses."
Bakugo's eye twitched. "Say that again, Shitty Hair?"
"What about Yamamoto?" Ashido chimed in, turning in her seat. "You did great in the battle trial! Fighting twice in one day!"
Eyes turned toward me. I kept my gaze on the window, watching trees blur past.
"I got lucky with the matchups."
"Luck nothing!" Ashido grinned. "You were solid against me and Kaminari. Quick thinking, good teamwork."
"And you tanked my electricity like it was nothing," Kaminari added. "That's seriously impressive, dude."
"I had my arms up." I paused. "Plus the costume's reinforced."
Deflect. Keep them from digging deeper.
"Still," Ashido pressed, eyes bright with curiosity. "Your Quirk is cool! Stockpiling kinetic energy sounds so versatile."
"It has limits. Can't store much at once. Recovery time between uses is long." All lies. But the kind that sounded technical enough to be believable.
The conversation shifted naturally—to Todoroki's overwhelming ice, to Midoriya's analytical nature, to Bakugo's explosive everything.
I returned to watching the scenery.
Tokoyami spoke quietly beside me, barely audible over the bus engine. "You deflect praise well."
"Force of habit."
"Humility is admirable." His red eyes reflected in the window glass. "But excessive humility draws its own attention."
I glanced at him. His expression was unreadable as always.
"Just being realistic about my abilities."
He didn't respond immediately. Then, "Perhaps."
The bus turned onto a side road. Trees thickened. Buildings disappeared, replaced by wilderness.
We were getting close.
USJ – Arrival – 10:47 AM
The facility was massive beyond expectation.
A dome structure large enough to house multiple stadiums. The exterior was unmarked concrete except for a single reinforced entrance.
The bus hissed to a stop. We filed out into cool morning air that smelled of artificial rain and ozone.
"Wow," Kaminari breathed, neck craning back. "This place is HUGE!"
Aizawa led us through the entrance. The doors were thick—vault-like. Built to contain disasters.
The interior opened into a central plaza. Beyond it, different disaster zones spread out like a twisted theme park.
Collapsed buildings. A massive lake. A fire zone with visible flames. Mountains. A dark area where rain droplets blurred vision.
"Welcome!" A hero in a white spacesuit-like costume stood at the center, star-visor gleaming. "I'm Thirteen! Today you'll learn the most important hero skill—rescue!"
Thirteen's voice carried warmth and enthusiasm. They gestured to each zone, explaining the challenges. The robots designed to simulate trapped civilians. The environmental hazards.
The class listened intently, excitement building.
I scanned the facility with different eyes.
Too open. Multiple entry points. Limited visibility between zones.
Perfect for an ambush.
My hands tightened around my costume case. The yellow fabric inside felt heavier than it should.
"Before we begin—" Thirteen's tone shifted, growing serious. "Quirks are dangerous tools. Mine, Black Hole, can suck in and disintegrate anything. Even people. If I lose control for even a moment, I could kill someone instantly."
Gasps rippled through the class. Some nervous laughter.
"Your Quirks are the same. Powerful. Potentially lethal." Thirteen's visor reflected our faces back at us. "Today isn't about fighting villains. It's about saving lives. Remember that distinction."
Applause. Enthusiastic nods from the class.
Suddenly, his entire body went rigid. Eyes narrowed sharply toward the central plaza fountain.
I followed his gaze.
The air shimmered. Wrong. Like heat waves but darker.
Then—
WARP.
A dark purple portal tore open reality in the plaza. Swirling. Growing. Consuming space.
Figures emerged through the darkness.
One. Five. Ten. Twenty.
More. Dozens more.
Villains. An entire crowd of them, each more dangerous-looking than the last.
At the center—a figure made entirely of purple mist, yellow eyes gleaming. Beside him, something hunched and massive. Too many muscles. Exposed brain. Dead, empty eyes.
The Nomu.
And behind them, scratching at his neck with disturbing intensity—
A man covered in severed hands. Pale blue hair visible between the fingers. Shigaraki Tomura.
The plaza filled. Thirty villains. Forty. More pouring through.
The class froze.
"Stay back!" Aizawa's capture scarf unwound in a fluid motion. His hair rose, defying gravity. Eyes glowed red, pupils contracting. "Thirteen! Protect the students!"
"Are those—" Kirishima's voice cracked. "Real villains? Here?"
"MOVE!" Aizawa barked, already leaping toward the plaza. "Back to the entrance! NOW!"
But the mist villain was faster.
Kurogiri materialized directly in front of our exit, blocking escape.
"Greetings, UA students." His voice was calm. Polite. Somehow more terrifying for it. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our intrusion, but we've come to kill All Might. He was supposed to be here, wasn't he?"
Silence. Then chaos erupted.
"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Bakugo lunged forward, palms crackling. Kirishima hardened and followed.
Explosions and hardened fists struck the mist body.
Passed through harmlessly like smoke.
"Foolish children." Kurogiri expanded rapidly. Purple darkness swallowed half the class.
"NO!" Thirteen activated their Quirk, but—
Too late.
The warp engulfed us. Reality twisted violently.
Colors bled together. Gravity vanished. My stomach lurched as space folded wrong.
This is it. The dispersal.
Don't interfere. Let it happen.
Midoriya needs this. Everyone needs this.
Trust the story.
Then—
IMPACT.
Cold water swallowed me whole. The shock drove air from my lungs in explosive bubbles.
I sank. Deeper. The artificial lake pulled me down.
Don't fight it. Don't show strength.
Let Tsuyu save you.
Something grabbed my collar. Powerful. Pulled upward with practiced ease.
We broke the surface together.
"Yamamoto-kun! Ribbit! Are you okay?"
Tsuyu. Her frog-like features set in determination as she towed me toward floating debris with one hand and Mineta with the other.
"Yeah," I gasped, playing up the disorientation. "Thanks. Where—"
"Midoriya-chan is over there!" She pointed with her tongue to where Midoriya clung to a piece of the destroyed boat. "Everyone stay together!"
I grabbed onto the debris she'd collected, catching my breath.
Below us, through the clear water, shadows circled like sharks. Dozens of aquatic villains with gills, fins, predatory grins.
"The boat!" Tsuyu pointed to the central vessel. "We need to reach it! It's the only safe spot, ribbit!"
"I can't swim that far!" Mineta wailed, genuine terror in his voice.
The water exploded nearby. A villain with a shark head burst upward, jaws wide.
"Fresh meat!"
He dove toward Mineta.
Tsuyu moved faster—tongue lashing out, wrapping Mineta and yanking him away.
The jaws snapped on water.
"Everyone to the boat! Now!" Tsuyu commanded with unexpected authority.
More villains surfaced. Five. Ten. Surrounding us completely.
This is their moment.
Midoriya's first real crisis. Mineta's first act of courage.
I'm just a bystander here.
I swam toward the boat alongside them, letting Tsuyu's tongue pull me when needed, watching as Midoriya's mind raced through possibilities visible in his muttering.
We reached the boat together. Scrambled aboard, dripping and exhausted.
Below, the villains circled—waiting, patient, certain we had nowhere left to run.
And as the boat rocked beneath us, I felt it.
This wasn't the end of the fight.
It was only the moment before everything truly began.
TO BE CONTINUED...