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Chapter Four

Hero Basic Rescue Training

"I still can't believe what happened yesterday," Tae said as she sat down with her lunch tray, joining Nomi, Sanda, and Senzo. She closed her blue-green eyes and shuddered. "I was so freaked out! And to think it was just the press…"

"I just can't believe they actually got in," Senzo said, his mouth full of rice. Sanda wrinkled her nose across from him. "U.A. has a tight security system. Must've been one of their Quirks or something."

Nomi kept silent as her friends began debating various Quirks that could've taken out the U.A. barrier, shoveling her beef and rice into her mouth at an alarming pace in case she was asked something. Principal Nezu's cheery warning to not tell anyone what she saw the day before still sat in her mind, and she would obey. Not only because she didn't know what to make of it herself, but also because she knew the rumors of the principal's occasional anti-human inclinations, and she wasn't keen on incurring his potential wrath.

"Hey, Nomi," Tae said, and Nomi looked up, chewing quickly. Tae only gazed at her with concern. "Did you leave early yesterday or something? We couldn't find you after school."

Nomi nodded, relieved, and swallowed her large bite painfully. "Yeah, I did. I, uh, didn't feel so great."

After scaring the wits out of some poor kid, she added silently, bitter.

As if she could read her thoughts, Tae said, "It wasn't your fault. Everyone was panicking. Accidents were bound to happen."

Nomi shifted her gaze to the window behind them. It overlooked the campus and the city, and beyond that, the ocean dazzled in the bright afternoon sunlight. She frowned.

"Accidents are like spilling a glass of water," she said. "Scarring someone for life isn't exactly the same thing."

Sanda huffed and set down her drink. "There you go, Katsuragi, being all dramatic again."

Nomi wrenched her head around to glare at the emerald-haired girl. "I don't remember asking for your input, Sanda."

Senzo raised his hands. "Let's not be hostile, ladies."

Nomi got to her feet, practically baring her teeth at Sanda, who only gazed back, indifferent and a little smug.

"She's the one who always has a problem with me," Nomi said, jabbing her finger. "Tell that to her."

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her things and abandoned the rest of her lunch, ignoring Tae and Senzo's half-hearted pleas for her to come back as she stalked out of the cafeteria.

She shook her head in frustration. How typical, she thought, that Tae and Senzo chose Sanda's side over hers, again and again. She knew they were all childhood friends, but wasn't she their friend, too? Yet they never did anything about Sanda's constant belittlement and antagonization toward her. All they did was try to placate without ever actually stepping in. Nomi could hold her own well enough against the likes of Sanda, but it would be nice if she didn't have to do it alone all the time.

She was one of the first to return to the classroom, and she slunk to her desk at the back of the room, bypassing Yuga Aoyama as he finished his lunch of what looked like veal and cheese. She didn't even bother looking twice. 1-A was just like that.

She spent the next fifteen minutes of their lunch period doing what could best be described as sulking. She'd calmed down after leaving the cafeteria, but she hoped Aizawa had some sort of training for her that day that would take her mind off Sanda and her infuriating smirk.

As if he read her mind, Aizawa slouched into the room the moment the bell rang, and the classroom fell silent. He approached the podium and gazed out at them blearily.

"Today's hero basic training will be a special class," he said in his slow drawl. "It will be supervised by All Might, myself, and one other."

Nomi's ears perked. If Aizawa was working with the whole class, then that meant…

"Katsuragi," he said as he began to fish in the front pocket of his jumpsuit, "you'll be with the rest of the class today." He pulled out a shiny laminated card that just had RESCUE emblazoned across it in bold letters. Her heart lifted. "You'll all be doing rescue training."

"Yes!" she shouted as the classroom erupted with excited chatter. She pumped her fist in the air. "Finally!"

"I'm not done," Aizawa said, his tired voice laced with warning. They all shut up. He clicked a button and their costume cases slid out of the wall. "It's up to each of you whether or not to wear your costumes. The site is a bit remote, so we'll be getting there by bus. That's all. Now get ready."

Nomi was practically skipping as she grabbed her costume case and headed to the changing rooms, her bad mood from lunch evaporating like morning dew. Though she'd only been having separate lessons for a few days, she already felt leagues behind everyone else. She was anxious to catch up. And to finally have her first training lesson with All Might…

She decided to go all out with her costume, not leaving a single component behind. Her first lesson with All Might…she had to make a good impression. She cinched her utility belt snugly around her waist and closed her locker, leaping back when she noticed the floating gloves and boots right beside her. "Gah!"

"Sorry!" the invisible girl said, putting her gloved hands up in a peaceful gesture. Nomi thought her name was Toru Hagakure. "I was trying not to sneak up on you!"

Nomi didn't bother pointing out that she was literally invisible, instead saying, "No worries. What's up?"

Hagakure squirmed, her boots squeaking on the tiled floor. "Well, I was just wondering, but you've done rescue training before, right? What was it like? Where are we going?"

Nomi looked up. The other girls were dressed in their costumes and watching her expectantly. It was a bit disconcerting, but she was the one with the most experience out of all of them, she reminded herself.

"I s'pose we're going to U.S.J.," she said as she led the way out of the changing rooms. "It's always where rescue training is held, at least."

"Universal Studios Japan?" Uraraka said with a puzzled frown.

"No, it's a place that's owned by U.A. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint—U.S.J. for short."

The girls let out a collective "ahhh" of understanding.

"It's a neat place," continued Nomi as they headed for the bus area. "All kinds of disaster zones are set up to practice rescues in different environments—floods, fires, mudslides. You name it."

"I'll be right at home in a flood, ribbit," said Asui thoughtfully.

"I wanna try out the fire zone!" Mina said. She lifted her hands with an excited grin. "I wanna see what my acid can do there!"

"What's this about a fire zone?" asked Kirishima. He stood with several of the other boys in front of a sleek bus, already in their costumes. Nomi blinked at Kirishima's exposed arms and torso, but she guessed clothes would only hinder his Hardening Quirk. He grinned when he spotted Nomi among the girls. "Hey, Katsuragi! Nice to finally have you join us!"

"Nice costume," a boy named Denki Kaminari said with an appreciative glance-over.

Kyoka Jiro—a girl with short purple hair and punk clothes for a costume Nomi hadn't spoken to yet—stepped up beside her. "Kaminari, you perv, you're just as bad as Mineta!"

"What?! I was just complimenting her costume! We haven't seen her in it before now!"

"Yeah, I guess this is the first time I've seen the guys' costumes, too," said Nomi, glancing between a glaring Jiro and a sheepish Kaminari. "Yours is really cool, uh, Sero, right?"

Hanta Sero—the boy who essentially had tape dispensers for elbows—smiled broadly, his white teeth matching the white accents on his black bodysuit. "That's right! Thanks!"

"Anyway, 'fire zone'?" Mashirao Ojiro echoed, his thick tail lifting in question.

"Nomi was telling us about rescue training!" said Uraraka.

"Oh, sweet," Kirishima said. "I keep forgetting you've done this all before, Katsuragi!"

She cringed. "Yep. And call me Nomi, please."

"What's going on?" Iida called as he arrived with the rest of the boys from their class. He was dressed in a robotic-like costume that reminded Nomi of those old Transformers cartoons. "Why are you all standing around? Line up by your class numbers so we can sit in proper order on the bus!"

"We're getting a little bit of classified information from the only one of us who's experienced the hero course before," Kaminari said with an exaggerated wink as no one made a move to follow Iida's orders.

Nomi grimaced when all eyes turned to her. "Technically, it's not classified. It's not like I've been forbidden by Aizawa Sensei not to tell you anything."

"Nomi Katsuragi!" crowed Kaminari, ignoring her. "Our very own cheat code!"

Her cheeks reddened. "It's not cheating, either—"

"But you know everything already!" Midoriya said, practically bouncing up to her. He wore his gym clothes and minimal accessories; his costume must not have survived the brawl with Bakugo she'd heard about. "You have so much that you can teach us!"

"Huh?" said Bakugo as he followed Midoriya, a scowl on his face. His costume matched him well, in Nomi's opinion—dark, rough, and mean-looking. His crimson eyes narrowed at her. "If that was true, then she wouldn't be here, Deku, you dumbass. She's here because she failed. She doesn't know anything."

"C'mon, man," said Kirishima. "There's no need to be like that—"

But Nomi was unfazed. Faced with Bakugo, all she saw was another Sanda.

"Yes, I did fail," she said calmly. "Congratulations on pointing out something that literally everybody knew already."

Several people snickered as Bakugo glowered at her. She simply gazed back, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Twiddling your thumbs, are we?" said Aizawa's listless voice from behind them. The class stiffened as he shuffled up to them, his eyes narrowed underneath his unkempt hair. "Hardly rational. Get on the bus."

Iida straightened immediately, clearly flustered at their teacher's admonishment. "Yes, sir! Everyone, please board in an orderly fashion! We must not waste any more precious time!"

Nomi followed Kaminari and Kirishima onto the bus and sat beside them toward the front of the bus, where the seats faced one another with an open space in the middle. Bakugo scoffed as he sauntered past them to the back rows. Nomi ignored him.

When everyone was aboard, the bus rumbled to a start and pulled away from U.A.'s main campus. Nomi crossed her legs and sat back, content to listen to the chatter around her. The conversations had turned from rescue training to Quirks, and she looked up in interest when Asui turned to Midoriya with a finger to her chin.

"You know, Midoriya, your Quirk kind of resembles All Might's."

Midoriya's face turned bright red at the girl's bluntness, and he began to stammer. "R-r-really? No—I mean, I-I don't—"

"All Might doesn't get hurt, though," pointed out Kirishima from beside Nomi. "But that kind of simple strength-enhancing Quirk is cool! You can do a lot of stuff with it! Not like my Hardening." Nomi jumped when the arm next to her turned from simple flesh into rock-hard armor with a sharp clink. "I'm good in a fight, but it's real boring."

"Nonsense," Nomi chastised. She reached out a finger and poked his arm. It cut into her finger with a sting. When she pulled it back, a tiny drop of blood welled from her fingertip. She stuck it in her mouth, ignoring the looks she received. "It's a strong Quirk. And so what if it's not flashy?"

Asui tilted her head. "You're not what I was expecting, Katsuragi."

She took her finger out of her mouth. "Hm? How so?"

"You seemed really quiet and nervous our first couple days," the frog-faced girl said. "But now you're different."

"Yeah," Kirishima said to her confused look. "Like, you're talkative now. More upbeat."

She frowned. "I've always been talkative. Ask Aizawa Sensei; I normally don't shut up."

They looked to the front of the bus where Aizawa sat. He didn't bother turning around or saying anything.

She shrugged when they looked back at her. "I dunno. I was a bit intimidated, I guess. Being the loser who got held back and all."

"But you're here now with us!" said Mina with a bright smile. "We'll make sure you pass this time around! Everyone'll pass—flashy Quirks or no."

"You wanna talk about flashy Quirks?" Kaminari said with a sly grin. "That's my Electrification."

"Todoroki and Bakugo, too," Asui said. "They'll be big as pros. Except Bakugo. He's too unhinged. He'll never be popular."

"What'd you say, Frog Face?" Bakugo yelled from where he sat behind them as Nomi giggled into her elbow.

"It's true," said Kaminari. "Your personality's shit, dude. Like, shit-in-sewage-shit."

"Yeah?! How 'bout I make you eat shit, you spark plug!"

"Sit down and shut your mouths," snapped Aizawa. "We're here."

Nomi glanced out the window and saw the familiar dome of U.S.J. Aizawa led them to the glass and steel building, the class murmuring excitedly all the while. Nomi jogged a bit to catch up to their teacher.

"Sensei," she said. He grunted. "Um, I just wanted to say thank-you. For allowing me to come today."

"I told you your lessons wouldn't all be one-on-one," he said. "Keeping you separated from the rest of the class forever would be irrational. Besides," he added, glancing at her sideways, "rescues have always been one of your strong suits. Having another mentor their own age will benefit your classmates more than just a few pros would."

She couldn't help the cheeky grin she gave him. "That sounded like a compliment, sir."

"Don't push your luck, Katsuragi," he said, but she could've sworn he smiled just a little bit.

While Thirteen Sensei went over the fine points of rescue training, Nomi stayed near the back of the group, letting her mind wander since she'd heard the speech before. U.S.J. looked the same as ever, with designated disaster zones ranging from floods to fires to landslides. She was disappointed that All Might had yet to arrive, and she let out a tiny sigh as she pulled on her gloves.

"All right," Aizawa said after Thirteen's speech and overview was finished. "First off, let's get started with—"

He broke off when the large fountain in U.S.J.'s center plaza made an odd sucking sound, like air through a straw. The water rippled, and they all stared as a swirling mass of black appeared in the plaza. A thin figure wearing strange, clunky gear stepped out of the cloud—a portal? Nomi wondered—but he was soon followed by dozens more figures, ranging from huge, hulking heteromorph-types to ordinary people that looked plucked off the street.

"Is this part of our training?" Kirishima asked, glancing at Nomi.

"They never did something like this last year," she said. Her eyes went to Aizawa. "Sensei, what—?"

"Huddle up and don't move!" he said sharply, cutting off her question. Everyone turned, alarmed, at his urgent tone. Nomi only watched, uncomprehending, as his hair began to writhe and his eyes glowed, gripping the binding cloths around his neck with both hands. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"More battle robots?" Kaminari said, standing on his toes. "Sweet—"

"Don't move!" ordered Aizawa as Kaminari took a step forward. The boy froze as Aizawa slipped on his yellow, grid-like eye-guard to cover up his gaze, and Nomi's heart dropped. She had never seen Aizawa put on his support gear. "These are villains."

"Where is All Might?" the skinny figure said. His voice rasped like the breath from a corpse, and Nomi automatically stiffened. "The schedule said he would be here…"

He began to scratch at his neck, and Nomi bit down on her lip to keep from making a sound when she realized that the odd gear the man wore—those clunky, misshapen pieces decorating his face and arms—were hands.

"Well, then," the man said. "Well, then… I wonder if some dead kids will bring him here?"

"Sensei." Nomi found her voice again and was relieved when it came out normal. "What happened to the intruder sensors in here?"

"One of their Quirks must be blocking them," Aizawa said, gesturing to the horde of villains below them. "Kaminari, try contacting the school with your Quirk."

The blond boy gulped but nodded and got to work. Aizawa ran and leaped, bypassing the staircase that would take him to the main floor entirely as he flew toward the villains' frontlines. Midoriya dashed after him. "Sensei!"

"He'll be fine!" Nomi said, just barely catching the back of Midoriya's shirt to drag him back to the safety of the group. "Thirteen Sensei! What should we do?"

"To the doors!" Thirteen said, his voice muffled beneath the astronaut helmet he wore. "Evacuate!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Behind them appeared the same swirling mass that the villains had come from. It whirled and flickered before reforming into a shadowy black-and-purple figure wearing a three-piece suit with glowing yellow slits for eyes.

"Greetings," the figure said in a deep male voice. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but today we've come to U.A. to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace." The figure's shadowy head roved over their frozen group. "We were under the impression that he would be here today, but… Well, no matter. My role remains unchanged."

His form flickered once more and grew, coalescing into a menacing black mass that loomed over them. Nomi's hand went limp, and her grip on Midoriya's shirt faltered entirely.

"No! Get back!" shouted Thirteen's panicked voice just as two figures jumped past Nomi, directly at the shadowy man and his Quirk.

She watched, terrified, as Bakugo and Kirishima launched themselves at the portal-form, scattering the wisps of shadow with an explosion from Bakugo's palm and a punch from Kirishima's hardened right fist.

The shadow wavered before reforming mere feet away from them, unharmed and unscathed.

"A close call," the form admitted. "Yes, even though you're just students, you're still the best of the best…"

"Get back!" Thirteen repeated, uncapping one of the silver latches at his fingertips to use his Quirk, Black Hole.

Too late.

"Begone."

The next thing Nomi knew was darkness—a darkness so black, so empty, that for a second, she thought she might have been sucked up and turned to particles by Thirteen's Quirk. But moments later, after what felt like an hour, she was spat out of the darkness and into searing light and heat.

She landed painfully on her back in the conflagration zone. What little air that had been in her lungs left her in a wheeze, and she instinctively breathed in, only to start coughing when she got nothing but smoke.

A portal, she thought, dazed, as she tried to regain a sense of her surroundings. I was right. His Quirk can warp people. And now I'm here.

But she wasn't alone. As she dragged herself to her feet, her nose and eyes already streaming from the burning fire and smoke, she spotted a dozen figures prowling closer to her, their evil grins appearing out of the black haze one by one.

Twelve of them, she realized, and only one of me. Shit odds…

She should run. She had to run. There was no way she could beat so many villains on her own.

But first, she thought desperately, a distraction. I need a chance to escape.

Her knees quaked, and her mouth was dry, and not just from the fire raging around her. But she had to escape. She had to find a way out and get back to the others. She had to at least pretend to be a hero and not a wannabe who couldn't even pass her first year of the hero course.

Even if it's only for a moment.

She pressed one of the pressure points on her inner wrist, and her mask retracted behind her ears, exposing her eyes to the world. Everything became sharper, clearer, more defined, as her demon eye was freed.

She fixed her gaze on the first villain she spotted.

And then the screaming started.

Sorry for the short chapter! Next chapter will be the U.S.J. attack in full. I have an unexpected team-up for Nomi that I'm excited to write about because more 1-A characters outside of the main ones need love, dammit!

Until next time!