CHAPTER 12: YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FATE

Mitsuki POV

Katsuki was getting nervous. I'm not the best at recognizing when someone's feeling like shit, but when it's such a drastic change, I can't help but notice.

He had mentioned that his class was headed to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint tomorrow, but I had no idea why that got him antsy. I mean, yeah, he's the Class Rep now, but that shouldn't get him this nervous. Was there something about the facility that had him on edge?

He was muttering under his breath, muttering mostly nonsense as far as I could decipher. Something about "timelines", a "barrier" of some sort, and a… No moo? Whatever the fuck that meant.

He was sitting there on his bed, flipping frantically through a notebook as I peeked through the door, which was open just a crack. He was muttering, but thankfully it was slow enough to decipher. When he gets really into something, he loses focus on the world around him, so thankfully I can sneak up.

"I don't remember all the exact matchups of the student's scattering but what I do remember is that we nearly die. If not for All Might, we all would have been killed one by one. Aizawa gets beaten badly, and Shigaraki partially rots his elbow, but not beyond Recovery Girl. Eighteen is taken out of commission early on, and the Nomu fights on par with All Might, who's already at his limit when he gets there. Gah, so much to keep track of. Healing factors usually originate from the brain, and High-End's was no different. Perhaps if I annihilate it's head once I get close I can take it down, but I can't do that without All Might. I need to email Gentle, see what he and La Brava have come up with. If they act fast enough, they can take care of one or two of the incidents tomorrow morning that All Might resolves in the original timeline…"

He put his notebook away in his closet and began rummaging around. I took the opportunity to head back downstairs. Katsuki is trustworthy, and strong enough to handle most problems. He's also been honest with us, sometimes to a fault, so I'm sure he'll explain himself in due time.

But then why wouldn't he tell me something's wrong? And more importantly, what the hell was he talking about?

What he's saying sounds like stuff yet to happen. Was he going to stage an attack? No, even he wouldn't pull shit like that. Some sort of intel from a future seer? That sounds likely. But then how the fuck did he get this? And when? Either way, I suspect I'll get answers tomorrow.

I clenched my fist. If that kid doesn't tell me what's going on, I will personally beat it out of that weakling!

My POV

I grabbed another notebook labeled 'Combat and Combos' and flipped through. Gentle's Quirk is Elasticity, so with that, he would be able to take care of that one hostage taker at least. Perhaps with Lover Mode, he and La Brava could take one of the others… shoot! I forgot what the other two are!

No problem, I can wing this. Anyways, with his speed and power boost, he should be able to take that guy down at least. Flipping open the laptop I got for my 14th birthday, I checked the email account I set up for my alter ego to reveal a new email from the pair. Speak of the devil.

We have emailed back and forth a couple of times, sorting out details to help create a training schedule and keep them up to date on my plans

The recent email read as follows;

Dear Oracle,

I hope this email finds you well. We have done research into Hawks, and our findings were rather… disturbing. It seems the Public Hero Safety Commission is in the business of silencing heroes turned villains. Hawks is one of the heroes that the Commission dispatches to kill such heroes. Attached is a dossier of his past assignments, abilities, and physical statistics. La Brava had no trouble hacking into the Commission's network, as you predicted, and she found that Hawks was not the only Hero like this. The Commission has an agenda to keep the public ignorant of the wrongdoings of heroes, and are not above underhanded moves to make it come to fruition.

I sighed, resting my head on my desk. I knew they were up to something shady based on what few scenes I saw of them, but this? This was madness. To make heroes appear incorruptible, they took out those that didn't fit their narrative. I really don't like that.

On that note, I believe we may have found another potential recruit. A hero by the name of Lady Nagant carried out such assassinations prior to Hawks. She currently sits in prison. The Commission had set up surveillance equipment in her apartment to ensure the security of one of their prized assets, and it recorded her conversation with the Commission's president at the time. She just wants to be honest and transparent instead of aiding in the facade that her bosses created. We will not be able to recruit her now, as we are unable to meet with her in prison secretly, but in the future we might have a chance. A copy of the aforementioned footage is attached to the email.

I placed my hand on my chin thoughtfully. Lady Nagant, huh? Sounds interesting. I remembered her on the news, watching it with Deku for hero data. I might be able to recruit her, but I'll need to know more about what makes her tick first. I scrolled to the top to find an attachment. Good call.

With regards to your request that we follow All Might, we kept out of sight as we followed him to where he's currently staying. I couldn't see him 'power down' as you put it, but once he closed the door I snuck up and heard a puff of smoke followed by a coughing fit. If you are correct that his powers have a time limit now, what are we to do? What caused this limit, and will it return?

With all that said, cheerio Oracle, and may you respond as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Gentle

I sat back in my chair, a sigh escaping my lips. I would definitely be sending a return email, but I would have to be careful. Once I got my whole group together, I would tell them the truth and be completely transparent. If I lie to them for too long, the foundation of trust will shatter.

I leaned back over the keyboard, ready to type. There was work to be done. Especially considering the lives I need to protect with what I know.


The Next Day…

I sat at my desk and cracked my fingers, ready for anything that could happen today. Whatever happened, however alike or different it was, was going to be crazy. Aizawa took to the front of the room in his shambling way and addressed the class.

"Good morning class. Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

Either they were putting all their eggs in one basket or they were expecting an attack prior. Given the breakin, it did make sense, but to have that much firepower, on the surface, would be considered a little overkill.

Raising my hand, I asked the question I'm sure everyone else was. "What kind of training will it be today, sir?"

"Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."

The classroom erupted in mutters again.

"Disasters, huh?"

"Sounds like we're in for a big workout."

"Totally! Real hero stuff."

"This is what separates the men from the boys."

"I'm shakin' with excitement!"

"Finally, I'll get to show off how good I am in water. Ribbit."

This would be what separates the men from the boys, but not in the way that Kirishima thought. I almost felt sorry for him, knowing what was going to happen when no one else did. I knew I had to keep things under wraps for later, but it was still painful.

Aizawa continued his rundown. "Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training's at an off‐campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."

A few minutes later…

Rescue training. I've been waiting for this, and I'm willing to bet Deku has been too. It'll bring us all one step closer to the heroes we want to be going forward.

"You ready for this, Deku? No holding back here either."

My tone was teasing and light, and Deku nodded. "You bet! This is what I've been waiting for since day one!"

Uraraka came over in her Hero Costume with a quizzical look on her face. "Hey you two… Deku? Why are you wearing your PE clothes? Where's your costume at?"

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head as Deku shot me a look. "You saw it after the combat training. It was kinda trashed because SOMEBODY decided to go full tilt during a sparring match. I'm still waiting on the support company to fix it up."

She nodded just before I jogged over to the bus. It was time to get things started. I was still a little bit miffed at Deku springing that on me, but realistically there wasn't much I could do now other than carry on and do my best.

Clapping loudly, I got everyone's attention before I spoke. "Alright everyone, time to get on the bus! Let's go, time's a-wasting!"

A few minutes later again…

I sat on the bus next to Deku, my swords digging into my back a little as I leaned against the seat. I sorted through the events in my head, my mind filling with a storm of thoughts.

"Kacchan? Are you okay?" I snapped out of it to see Deku raising an eyebrow at me, a hint of concern in his expression. I didn't usually zone out when in his company, and my expression must have tipped him off that something was wrong. I sighed and waved him off.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's just a lot more to consider when it comes to rescue training as opposed to combat." A lie, but not an inaccurate one. This time, the goal of the exercise was to preserve people as opposed to hurting them. And in this precise scenario, the goal would be both.

Asui- er, Tsu chose this moment to interject, making eye contact with Deku. "True. On a different note, there's something I've been meaning to say... about you, actually."

I could tell my green-haired friend was confused at that. Truth be told, they hadn't really interacted a whole lot outside of class. "About me? What is it, Asui?"

"I told you to call me Tsu."

Oh. Yeah, right. Even I struggle with that.

"That power of yours. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again, placing a hand on my chin as Deku squirmed. How did he get out of this one again? "Really? I never really thought about that. I guess it's kinda similar, but it's not exact."

Kirishima jumped in, seeming to buy it. "Wait, hold on, Tsu. You're forgetting All Might doesn't hurt himself. That makes a huge difference."

Tsu nodded. "Makes sense."

Kirishima wasn't done though, holding out an arm and hardening it, the jagged edges catching the light a bit. "Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting‐type a' Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff with it. My Hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all that impressive."

As someone who had fought against Hardening, Deku unconsciously rubbed his wrist at the memory of his punch to Kirishima's hardened solar plexus. It went about as well as you'd expect. "Oh, no way, I think it's a really awesome Quirk. It stopped me dead in my tracks, so you're definitely pro material with a Quirk like that."

The artificial red-head smiled a bit at that, but overall he appeared unaffected in his stance on the matter. "Maybe, but you didn't use your Quirk, and it seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had somethin' flashier.

That settles it, I'm going to help him unlock Unbreakable if it breaks my arms. That form is awesome, and dare I say kinda flashy?

"Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugo!" Kaminari spoke up from his seat, acting as cool as he could when he was just sitting there.

"Sure, but Bakugo's Quirks conflict with each other." I turned to look at Tsu, the remark confusing me somewhat. How was that the case?

"What's that supposed to mean? I can mix my energy with my explosions to up their destructive power. I took down a zero-point robot with that!"

"It's true, I saw it! He destroyed its head!" Sero chimed in from his seat. I gave a nod of thanks to him before returning my attention to the frog girl.

"Maybe, but you dual wield swords, so you mainly use one power or the other. If you just used one sword and used your explosions with the other hand, that could work, but I can't see how you could use explosions while holding something."

I drew Sunlit Heart, and held out my arm, making sure the amphibious fighter could see it. I held the sword with my thumb and forefinger and let it fall back towards my arm. My right Ember Vindicta stopped the blade before it touched my arm, leaving my palm wide open.

"Like this."

"We're here." Aizawa said, his tiredness showing through all the while.


As we all unloaded off the bus, a cheery voice spoke up, almost sounding like it was filtered through a vent. "Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!"

We all turned to see the suited-up visage of one of the strongest heroes I knew. Her Quirk would grant her the necessary power should she decide to go the combat route. Deku began grinning like a madlad, never missing a chance to geek out at a Hero. "It's the Space Hero, Thirteen! The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!"

Uraraka pumped her fist, a massive smile planted on her face. "Woo‐hoo! Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!"

"I can't wait to show you what's inside!" Thirteen took the lead, leading the group up the steps and she pushed open the door to reveal the setup that lay within. I heard others remark that it looked like an amusement park. Well, that doesn't sound too far off.

"A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera. I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But, you can call it, USJ!"

I nodded, dreading what was truly to come. There was always the possibility that it wouldn't happen this way, that this event might be one of the ones that was thrown off by the Dimensional Barrier crack, but truthfully I think it will happen the same.

"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" I blinked. Yeah, that was true. Did Gentle and La Brava fail? No, they couldn't have. The other two incidents probably drained his power somewhere close to the limit.

"Lemme guess, he booked an interview instead." Aizawa really doesn't have that much faith in him as a teacher, does he?

"Actually, it's something else. Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up most of his power. He's got a bit left, but he's resting in the teacher's lounge to recover as much as he can."

Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before turning to face his colleague. "That man is the height of irresponsibility. Well, we should be okay with just the two of us. The clock's ticking. We should get started."

"Excellent. Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five."

A resounding response came from us all at once. "We get it!"

As Eighteen talked about her Quirk and how it could be used to kill, I thoguth for a moment. We all have rules, but as they are now, they inhibit people from using their Quirks to help others. I get that that can make things worse, but at the same time, legitimate good can be done. I zoned back in to catch what the teacher said next.

"Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone."

I nodded. It did make sense, and if Gentle's backstory is anything to go by, it is justified, but once again, just because it happened there doesn't mean it would happen with others.

"Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your Quirk's potential. And because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others."

Thanks to his tests, most of the students had a heart attack and scrambled to do their best. Not the best tactic, but it does still have some level of logic behind it. Besides, it's time to focus on not just saving each other, but staying alive.

"That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening. Right. Now that that's over…"

Before any of us could say anything more, a black portal tinged with purple appeared in the middle of the central plaza. Thugs of all shapes and sizes walked out of the warp gate.

"Thirteen, protect the students!" Aizawa jumped up front, ready for combat, his stance light.

I walked up a few feet behind Thirteen, gazing intently at the gate. Any moment now… there he is.

Tomura Shigaraki stepped out into the open, behind all the thugs, hands all over his arms, throat, and head. Shigaraki is a threatening villain, and he has an air of menace about him, but this is the part of the series where he's essentially a manchild.

The Nomu stepped out of the gate at Shigaraki's left, while Kurogiri reformed at his right. Nomu looked very...wrong. I can't quite describe how off-putting it was. Kurogiri actually looked kind of intimidating, hiding his body in the Warp Gate like that.

"Did they start the training already?" Kirishima sounded confused.

"Stay where you are." Mr. Aizawa's voice was sharper than usual. "These are real villains."

"Well, I see a Handyman and a reject squad. What did they do, plunder a Halloween store?"

Aizawa gave me a hard gaze. "Now is not the time for jokes, Bakugo. Now get back with the others."

I held up my hands in self-defense, kind of terrified as I backed up. "S-sorry, I have a habit of cracking jokes when I'm nervous."

I could hear the black-haired man muttering to himself. "So you scumbags used the press as a cover to get onto campus…"


All Might POV

I'll rest for now, but I need to get to class the second I have enough power. Curse this limit. Even with that unusual person, the other two incidents I resolved drained most of my power. I haven't seen that guy before, but it was clear he knew me.

[FLASHBACK]

I shot across the sky, running late for my commute to work when I noticed something. A large person, blue in colour, was holding some civilians hostage. The heroes that were there were stuck, unable to do anything with those people in his grasp. I was about to divert my course, but another person intervened from inside the building that the Villain's back was to. I could tell from the outstretched arm that appeared all of a sudden,

Something invisible struck the Villain's low-set face, the elastic strain causing him to topple over and release the hostages. I could hear a dapper voice call out "GENTLY TRAMPOLINE!" as the Villain bounced on the concrete below, becoming airborne. Just what was happening there?

The hostages were alright, trying to crawl across the now elastic concrete. I landed then and moved them away to safety behind Mt. Lady. A man in a black trenchcoat darted out and touched the ground, restoring the stability of the blacktop just before raising his hand. The Villain bounced upwards again in midair, then seemed to touch an invisible elastic object before rocketing back to the pavement, knocked out from the five-foot drop with a THUD.

"Apologies for the sudden takedown, but it appeared that you were in a bind. Gentle Vigilante, at your service!"

The white-haired man made eye contact, gave me a nod, and leapt out of there, using his invisible objects to ricochet from the scene of the crime. I leapt away, letting the local heroes take care of this. I need to get to school!

[FLASHBACK END]

Did he know I would be there? If so, how? Was he one of Oracle's operatives? That would explain it. He must have seen the incident and sent that Gentle Vigilante guy to try and save me power. I guess he didn't see those other incidents though. (Sigh) Why does this guy have to be so cryptic?

Furthermore, why didn't he tell us he had others working with him? I get that Nighteye isn't the most trusting person, especially after we parted ways, but he has been getting better. Logically, it makes sense to recruit others, but just how many was he going to find

"Hello, All Might."

"Oh, Principal Nezu, hello."


My POV

"Why aren't the alarms going off? How they have gotten into a facility this secure?" Yaoyorozu asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.

Thirteen looked at the PA system, reduced to nothing more than a metallic object moored to the roof now. "Good question. They must have cut the alarms before they warped in."

I turned to the lightning user in the room. I had to make sure. "Kaminari, that device on your ear isn't just for show, is it? Try to contact the school, give them an update."

"Got it." The blonde didn't even argue, as scared as the rest of us as he reached for his earpiece.

Todoroki chose this moment to speak up. "Is this an attack on the whole campus, or is this their only target? Also, they chose a time when class was being held to use this isolated facility as an entry point. They're fools for trespassing, but they've thought this through. Whatever their objective, they must have a concrete goal in mind."

I thought aloud as if just figuring something out. I had to play this up, otherwise they would suspect something. "The isolation… backup wouldn't arrive for several minutes at least… coupled with this many people, it's clear they're not trying to target any fool that steps in here. They must have seen the lesson plans, and found out who was teaching and when. There are two teachers here, but there was supposed to be three."

Deku seemed to be following my train of thought. "All Might was supposed to be teaching today. You don't suppose they came to kill All Might?"

I motioned to the army below. "Well, with this much manpower, they're not here for Thirteen or Aizawa."

Rumblings of unease spread through the class, wondering if what I said was in fact true.

The man himself shot me a look. "Quit it. You're scaring the other students. Thirteen, get them out and alert the main campus."

Deku grew worried, his face telling tales of fear that he did not. "What are you going to do? You can't fight them on your own. Even if you can nullify their Quirks, your fighting style isn't suited for large groups like this. You work best with stealth and one on one fights, not as a group. They'll overwhelm you!"

The formerly apathetic ninja pulled his goggles down. "You don't become a pro by having only one trick. I'll leave it to you, Thirteen."

The suited-up Hero nodded as Aizawa leapt down the stairs towards the waiting crowd. He seemed so confident, but I already knew the outcome. I just hope the cracks didn't make this particular event worse.

Thirteen took charge, pointing back they way we came. "Everyone, get to the door, now!"

Deku POV

I watched as our teacher seemingly threw himself to his weakness. A group like this-

Before I could complete that thought, he canceled out the Quirks of three Villains at once and threw them like pillows into each other. He then turned on a heteromorphic type who rushed him, four arms bared to crush. With a kick to the jaw and a throw of his capture scarf, Aizawa yanked that one into another group of Villains, a dust cloud erupting.

"I shouldn't have underestimated him. He's taking them apart."

"Deku! This is no time to be gathering data! Let's move!"

I snapped out of it as Kacchan spoke. He was right, this wasn't like the other Villain fights we had watched. This time, we were the ones in danger. We all ran towards the exit, the need to tell someone about what was going on only getting stronger with the thought that Mr. Aizawa was in trouble. I know I shouldn't underestimate him, but the facts remain. On top of that, that Villain with the exposed brain seems to have a strength Quirk based on his appearance, and Mr. Aizawa just isn't a good matchup against those.

The black mist that composed the portal erupted from the ground, reforming into a Villain. I felt my fear intensify. There was a Villain in front of us with a teleportation power, and Thirteen doesn't have much combat experience. Still, she's a Hero, so she has to fight every so often. The mist man spoke, a smooth baritone emanating from what seemed to be the head.

"Greetings. We are the League of Villains. Forgive our uninvited appearance, but today, we've come here to U.A. High School—this bastion of heroism… to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace."


Cut, that's a wrap! The USJ arc has officially begun. I've been looking forward to this, and I'm willing to bet you guys have been too. So many opportunities. Anyways, I've gotten this far in the story, and I just realized I don't have a name picked out for 'Oracle's' organization. If you want to give suggestions on the name, or even for potential recruits, that would be greatly appreciated.

Please DM and review, and I'll see you next time.