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All Might wasn't at U.A. today—not out of indifference, but because his other duty called. Having transferred his energy to Midoriya, time was now against him. Every second he spent in hero form cost him something, and lately, that cost was rising. He'd been patrolling all morning, keeping up appearances, smiling for cameras, still existing as the Symbol of Peace. But beneath every smile was a storm. His time was short.
Back at U.A., the mood was far from somber. Class 1-A buzzed with excitement.
"I wonder what training is going to be like today?" Ochaco Uraraka asked, leaning over her desk-mate. "Do you think we'll get to battle fake villains?"
"I hope we get to perform rescue operations in a burning building or something!"9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCYZVKfMI0
Smiling, curling his arm, Eijiro Kirishima exclaimed: "I wanna go all out!"
Laughing awkwardly in the center of the room where he was seated, Izuku Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGddEAV9Nw
"U-U hear it's designed to simulate natural disasters—flooding, landslide, collapsed building… that sort of thing."
"Whoa, that's heavy," added Mina Ashido, bouncing in her seat.
As the bus rolled onto campus and the students began to line up, the class noise just got louder.
Ochaco saw Hikari waiting by the doorway and approached her.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DHCugqQWl
"Hey, um… I don't think we've actually talked. I'm Ochaco Uraraka."
Hikari looked at her cautiously, blinking a few times.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO65DGW92r
"Hi."
Ochaco smiled, twiddling with her sleeve a little.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqHSsHziRu
"You are so strong. I was thinking… would you maybe want to be friends?"
The question hung awkwardly in the air. Hikari’s breath hitched slightly. She glanced around, visibly uncomfortable, then darted past Ochaco and slipped into a seat next to Shoto Todoroki.
Shoto's gaze swung over to her with a understanding gentleness. He recalled this about her quite well—how when they were children, all the kids from around the block would come by to try to play with her, but she never wanted to do anything with them. She just ever wanted to train. Just ever wanted to be a hero—like their dad.
"Sorry, Uraraka," Shoto spoke softly. "She doesn't open up easily to people."
Kirishima, who had been listening, smiled quietly.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmtNbd4a4C
"Maybe she's just more comfortable with you, Todoroki. I mean, she only hangs out with you or Midoriya, right?"
As the bus left campus, the cabin was filled with enthusiastic chatter.
"I hope there's an avalanche zone!" Kaminari shouted.
"Why?" Tsuyu Asui asked with an empty face.
"So I can skate down it on my lightning!"
"That's not how physics works, bro," Sero snorted.
About him, however, Midoriya was flanked by peers who ached for theories and hypotheses to offer, and that they might pose some questions. He stammered over his words, his face burning with embarrassment.
Hikari sat in the rear, watching, a smile playing on her face. She was happy he was communicating, so desperately trying to conform.
"Like that too, you could be," Shoto whispered beside her. "You don't need to be at my side every time."
She rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6ElE9z2L8
"Then who will be my hot-and-cold comfort pillow on long bus rides? You know I'm always cold."
Shoto blinked, a rare smile ghosting his lips. Without a word, he slid his arm around her, shielding her from the noise and the world.
A few rows up, Bakugo glared out the window, steam practically rising from his ears. His hands sparked faintly with anger. Watching Shoto hold his girlfriend was not something he took lightly.
“Dude, chill,” Kaminari whispered. “You’re gonna blow a fuse just watching them.”
"Close it, Dunce Face."
The bus skidded to a halt in front of the domed building that was the Unforeseen Simulation Joint—USJ for short. The class exited in couples, entering the huge, state-of-the-art dome.
Inside, the simulation center was breathtaking. The dome stretched on and on as far as the eye could see. Disasters of every sort were simulated in various zones: fires burned in a simulated city, the floodwaters swirled in a ruptured riverbed, mountains of rubble towered like skeletal spires. It was as if one entered the aftermath of a hundred disasters at once.
Waiting for them near the entrance was a woman in a space suit-like costume: black helmet, white body suit, the number 13 emblazoned on her chest.
“Welcome to the USJ,” said the pro hero Thirteen, bowing slightly. “I’m honored to host today’s class.”
Thirteen turned toward the group with practiced grace.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKbk8glpd1
"My Quirk, Black Hole, can consume anything—debris, rubble… even people. It's good for rescue missions. But as with any Quirk, it can kill if used by the wrong individual."
That last sentence hit Hikari like a punch to the chest. Her smile fell. She looked down, hugging her arms.
Shoto noticed immediately. Her eyes… they shifted. A hue not found in nature. Not violet. Not blue. An otherworldly hue that he'd only observed a time before—the evening she was kidnapped.
"Hikari?" he breathed, his voice taut with concern.
Her fingers wrapped around his in silence.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegG03SXTqz
"Something's wrong."
And then—the lights started to flash.The air moved. Static electrified every hair on their bodies. Farthest from them, near a broken fountain, a churning black cloud exploded forth—like a tear in the fabric of reality itself.
A whirlpool had formed, and out of it emerged people. Dozens of them. Dark-robed men with weapons. Strange creatures with twisted bodies. At their head was a tall man wrapped in tatters, deathly white face and hands spasmodically shaking as he rubbed his neck. His very presence reeked of decay.
His name was not yet known. But he arrived bursting with menace.
Aizawa immediately pushed on his goggles and stepped out.
"Thirteen, defend the students."
He dove into the fight willingly.
And so the chaos began.
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