"Stop trying to impress people by being someone you're not because in the end you'll lose yourself." – I wish I knew who wrote the quote…

Chapter 09: A Ride into Danger

Tick-tock. Tick-tock…

The house was quiet except for the ticking clock. Yang, dressed in a gray jacket over a yellow-orange tank-top and gray-brown cargo pants, sat alone on the couch in the living room. The right sleeve of the jacket was tied in a knot below her arm stump and her long blonde hair was put in a ponytail, not feeling up for brushing the tangled locks. Zwei was resting in his pet bed next to the couch, occasionally making small sounds as he exhaled. Yang had thought about taking a nap, but she wasn't sure if she could. There are books to read and videogames to play, but she read nearly every book in the house twice and, well, it's kind of hard to play videogames with one hand. Even watching TV was fruitless as she scours through the channels, but none made her interested.

Until the news was on.

/ …and we have yet to be given any more information about the Taurus Incident that left UA student Yang Xiao Long crippled and anoth— / the reporter gets cut off when Yang turned off the TV. She leans her head back in defeat. She wonders what Ruby was doing. Yang picks up her phone to see text messages. Mirio, Tamaki, Nejire, some of her other classmates, Qrow, Toshinori, and Ruby…but no Blake. There hadn't been hide nor hair of the missing girl. Frustrated, Yang tosses her phone on the coffee table, the phone loudly clattered on the wood surface. It spooked Zwei awake, but he didn't make a noise. He trots around the couch just as Yang lays down on her side, facing the couch cushions.

"If she wants to be alone, fine. I don't care," Yang grumbled. Then, she remembered all the times they hung out. Of how much fun they had together. With Blake gone, she left an empty hole in Yang's heart. A hole that could only be filled by Blake. But she was gone. Ran off to who knows where. Just like…Yang curled up into a ball, moving her knees up to her chin. "…I don't care…" She squeezed her eyes shut and tears threaten to peak through. Zwei whimpered, sensing Yang's distress.

Yang barely reacted when the front door opened, and Tai entered with a long box in his arms.

"I'm home," he announced.

"…Welcome back," Yang muttered.

"I'm sorry it took a while for me to get back," Tai said.

"Yeah. I heard," Yang said. She received a text from her father earlier that the press was badgering for some questions about her accident, which was called the Taurus Incident. Somehow, the information was leaked to the public and the media wanted a story about that. Tai was stuck at the office in the Lucky Phoenix because he didn't want to risk someone following him home and the appointment with Madame Xahn had to be postpone to later.

Tai walks into the living room with the box "…I've got something for you."

Yang sits up and sees the long box. "What is it?" Tai puts the box on the coffee table and Yang noticed the insignia. It looked like a pair of glasses with the right lens have a circle inside another circle. Yang recognized it. "Is this from…?"

"Nighteye Agency," Tai smiled. "Go ahead. Open it." Yang opens the box to reveal a shiny prosthetic arm. The arm has a black base with silver plating. The fingers are silver with black joints.

"An…arm? What…?"

"It was a team effort," Tai revealed. "Other than Nighteye Agency, there's also Wizard's Court, Might Productions, and, of course, the Lucky Phoenix. There's a lot of people who wants to see you better. I even get calls from the guys at UA. Snipe, Power Loader, Midnight, Present Mic, Vlad King…they miss their resident firecracker. Same goes for the Doc and Kuo Kuana Enterprise."

Yang stared at the arm in astonishment. To think that so many people went out of their way to help her.

"You want to try it on?" asked Tai. The question breaks Yang out of her stupor. Try it on? Her new…arm? A phantom pain stung around where her original arm was.

"…I…Thank you…but…" Yang wasn't sure of what to say. She was grateful for the effort, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to move on yet. Tai sits down next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It's fine, Yang. Take your time. Don't rush yourself."

Ozpin was driving in a dark metallic green camaro down the road several minutes away from UA's campus. He slows to a stop on a small, quiet commercial district street. Ozpin emerges from his car and walks around the vehicle. He goes to a thin space between two buildings and looks within.

Smiling, Ozpin asked, "Ran out of time?" He steps back as a familiar wild mane of wheat blonde hair emerged from the shadows.

"…Yes," Toshinori said.

"Need a ride to the school?"

Toshinori slouched his shoulders lower. "…..Yes."

"Let's go then. There is a change of clothes in the back. People will be wondering why All Might's secretary manager is wearing his suit."

They climb into the car after Toshinori removed his suit jacket and replaced the pants in that space while Ozpin was on the lookout. Toshinori leaned his head on his hand in silence, lost in thought as he stared out the window. He barely had enough time to hide when he suddenly poofed back into his true form. He had been rescuing left and right all morning. Time and time again, he had been told to take it easy.

But he couldn't.

There was no way he couldn't.

He couldn't help it as saving people had been engraved into his blood for so long. And now…

Toshinori registered his reflection in the glass. Sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks. Tired eyes and wiry arms that once held the power to help people in need. Down a stomach and lung, depowered and tethered to a time limit…

He hated that he has so many limitations now.

"All right. So, now we have the class officers," Aizawa said. "Class Representative, Tenya Ida." Tenya looked ecstatic, his body trembled from him keeping in his glee. "Vice Representative, Momo Yaoyorozu." Momo have long resigned to her position and stood tall with dignity. "Secretary, Weiss Schnee." Weiss, on the other hand, looked miffed of her new role. "Treasurer, Lie Ren." Ren was expressionless, showing neither disdain nor enthusiasm. "And co-historians, Izuku Midoriya and Ruby Rose." Izuku had a big, slightly nervous smile while Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet.

All the while, Bakugo looked angry, angry that, despite stepping down from class representative, Izuku was still a class officer.

"Looks like Bakugo is about to blow up," Kaminari commented. "The dude really doesn't like Midoriya."

"Seriously, what's his deal?" wondered Jaune.

"He's not the only one mad," Jiro snickered. "Look at Schnee." She pointed an earlobe jack at the livid Weiss Schnee. "She looks like she's about to pop a vein."

"How can something like this happen to someone like me?" Weiss fumed. "I was student council president in Samui Elite Elementary and in Samui Private Academy! I made sure that my peers behaved themselves in an orderly manner. I have excellent leadership skills! I'm heiress to the Schnee Support Company for goodness' sake! I deserve better than this! And adding insult to injury…"

"This is so exciting!" Ruby said to Izuku. "I've never been a class officer before!"

"You don't know what a class historian does then, huh?" asked Izuku.

"Nope, not a clue," Ruby replied with a shake of her head. "Is it any different from a regular historian?"

"I'll be working with someone who has no idea what she is doing!" Weiss seethed.

"Now, that we are done, take a seat so I can go over what we will be doing today," Aizawa instructed. After the newly appointed class officers returned to their seats, Aizawa continues. "Yesterday, you all went over one aspect of being a hero: facing villains. Today, you will be going over the second aspect: Rescue. You will be using your Quirks to help in case of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack. Hopefully, with minimal damage to self." He looks dead at Izuku, who grins awkwardly. "For the exercise, we will be going to a different facility. It's far from the main campus, so we'll be taking a bus there. Gather your gear and head out."

"Yes, sir!"

Ruby looks down at her goggles, which more cracked thanks to nearly getting trampled earlier.

Now dressed in her hero clothes again, Ruby excitedly follows her class outside to the bus waiting for them. She notices a dark green car parked nearby and Ozpin and Toshinori climbed out. Without thinking, Ruby goes over to the men. Weiss was the first to notice her leaving.

"Rose, where are you going? We're about to leave! Ida, tell Rose to get back over here!" Weiss demanded. Unfortunately for her, Tenya was…occupied.

"There are 25 students plus Achillea and Mr. Aizawa in total. Transit buses of this length usual have a…" he muttered, very reminiscent of a certain freckle faced boy.

"Ida? Ida!" Weiss rolled her eyes. "Momo, can you—huh?"

"You're from the city of Athens in Greece?" Momo asked Pyrrha.

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes. I came to Japan with my mother so that I would attend UA." They continue to talk about Greece's own heroic heritage.

Weiss huffed. "Fine! Then I'll take care of this myself."

"Uncle Toshi!"

Toshinori twitched at the sound of Ruby's voice. "A-Ah! Ruby! Are you heading out with your classmates?"

"Yeah! We're off to do some rescue training! I can't wait! And hopefully it doesn't end like the training exercise." As Ruby spoke, Toshinori saw Aizawa looking at him. "At least for me." Toshinori could tell that the man was glaring daggers at him. "And Midoriya." Toshinori smiled awkwardly at him before returning his gaze at Ruby. "And guess what! We're class officers and co-historians! I didn't know what a class historian does, but Midoriya was able to clue me in."

Toshinori felt happy that Ruby and Izuku are so close. It reminded him of himself and Summer. He then took notice of Ruby's broken goggles.

"What happened to your goggles?"

Ruby looks down at the damaged gear. "I guess they got busted when Bakugo and I fought. From the way it looks, it got worse during the press fiasco at lunch."

"It would be risky for you to bring a broken piece of equipment with you on a rescue mission," Toshinori said. "They could malfunction when you need them most."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

An idea pop into Toshinori's head. "If you want, I can get your goggles repaired," he offered.

"Oh, I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense. I'm sure Power Loader wouldn't mind. I'll bring them back to you once they're fixed. Promise!"

"…Okay." Ruby removes her goggles and hands them to Toshinori. "Please, take care Rozuiro! She's finicky."

"Y-You named your goggles and gave it a gender?"

"Oh! Let me text you the schematics! Since I made Rozuiro from scraps, and cannibalized a camera, her structure might be a little confusing. She wasn't exactly cooperative during testing phases so…" She realizes that she was rambling and blushes. "Aaah…Ha-ha…"

Toshinori, in turn, chuckled wholeheartedly. "I'll take good care of her."

Ruby smiles brightly. "Thank you!"

"Ahem." Ruby turns around to see Weiss giving her a disapproving glare. "We're about to leave and here you are bothering two adults!" Weiss turns to the older men. "As Class 1-A's secretary, I apologize for allowing one of our class historians to bother you."

"She was no trouble at all, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin smiled politely. Toshinori was silent. He noticed the tone shift around Ruby when Weiss arrived. Her cheery demeanor was changed to slight agitation.

"That's good. Now, Rose, why don't we go back to our class so we won't get in trouble with Mr. Aizawa, again, shall we?" Weiss insinuated. Toshinori rose a hidden brow as he watched his niece return to the rest of her class.

"She can be a bit of a handful sometimes," Weiss said. Toshinori looks at her curiously.

Ozpin knowingly looks at Toshinori. "Can she now?" The blonde gives the man a look of his own.

"We're about to leave, Schnee!" Tenya declared.

"Yeah! Let's go, Ms. Secretary!" teased Sero. A snorted laugh could be heard from Jiro, much to Weiss' annoyance and wounded pride.

"Ugh. Being secretary is the worst!" she exclaimed before stomping off. Toshinori rose a brow at the comment. Thankfully, he's a mature and passive man who doesn't take small jabs personally, no matter how disrespectful.

He heard Ozpin hum a "Hm…"

"What is it?" Toshinori asked.

"…It's nothing."

When Ruby meets back up with her class, she overhears a conversation between Ochako and Izuku.

"Why are you wearing your gym clothes, Deku?" Ochako asked Izuku.

"You saw what happened to my hero suit. While I'm waiting for a new one, I'm going to have to wear this instead," Izuku replied.

Ruby was reminded of the exercise. While she had apologized to Izuku, there was one more person she needed to ask for forgiveness. "Wait. Ochako, there's something I want to say." Ochako looks at her curiously. "I want to apologize for what happened yesterday. If it wasn't for me, we could've got better scores. I mean, we won, but at what cost? And it was because of me not staying with you. And for that, I'm sorry."

"Ruby, are you still hung up over that?" Ochako asked worriedly.

"Yeah…I've been wondering what the right moment would be to tell you, but – " Ochako takes Ruby's hands in hers.

"Then, apology accepted,"Ochako smiled beamly.

Ruby smiles gratefully. "Thank you. Now, let's not waste time any further. We've got rescuing to do, people. Let's go!" She pumps a fist in the air.

"Yeah!" most of Class 1-A exclaimed. Weiss growls to herself.

"That's the spirit!" Tenya declared. "Now, let's all board the bus in two neat lines using your student numbers, so we can load the bus efficiently."

"Hey, Ida?" Mina spoke up, peaking her head out from the bus.

"Yes?"

"The bus has an open layout!"

"…What."

Toshinori and Ozpin are walking through the hall leading to the Development Studio. Since Toshinori plans to take the goggles to Power Loader for repairment, the best, likely place the inventor could be, would be the mentioned studio.

Toshinori coughs into his hand. "Haaa…Aizawa saw me…He no doubt knows that I'm spent for today."

"No doubt at all," Ozpin agreed.

"I thought friends are supposed to assure each other that one of UA's most strict teachers doesn't think that you are the height of irrationality?"

"They also aren't afraid to say that you were being – what's the word? – foolish? Like using up all your powers in one morning, or something like that," Ozpin responded pointedly.

"…I'm gonna keep getting told that again today, aren't I?" asked Toshinori.

"Wait until Nezu finds you."

That's something that Toshinori is dreading, other than coming across Recovery Girl. Nezu can turn a friendly conversation into a lecture. All with a smug smile on his face.

"That's gonna be fun," Toshinori said dryly. Once they reach the Development Studio, they enter the room, being mindful of any stray parts. "Are you here, Power Loader?" The small man mounted on a robotic structure made himself known among the parts.

"Yagi, I didn't think I'll be seeing you here today. That is until you called me about some repairs."

"I came for some repairs on a pair of goggles," Toshinori said, showing Power Loader Rozuiro.

"A support gear, huh? I didn't know you used those, Yagi," Power Loader mused.

Toshinori shook his head. "I don't. These belongs to a UA student, Ruby Rose."

"Rose…That rings a bell. She also applied for the support course on the off chance that she didn't pass for the hero course."

"Right." Toshinori hands the goggles to Power Loader.

"The schematics you sent me was very impressive," Power Loader said as he gave Rozuiro a once over. "And Rose used parts from a junkyard?"

There's a scrapyard in Patchi. That's where Ru-Rose got the parts for Rozuiro," Toshinori explained.

"Rozuiro?"

"Ah…That's what Rose named the goggles."

Power Loader chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. I'll call you when they're done."

"Sounds good," Toshinori smiled.

"Indeed!" The tall hero jumped at Nezu's voice, and he whirls around to see the rodent giving him an unsettling smile. And Ozpin was nowhere to be seen. "And while Power Loader does his work, how about you and I chat a little?"

"…Yessir."

On their way to the hero facility for their rescue training, Ruby was comforting an upset Tenya, who was still mulling over that the layout of the bus made his plan useless.

"My first duty as class representative and I failed to foresee the bus alternative design…" he criticized himself.

"It's okay, Ida. Better luck next time?" Ruby said.

"Chill out a bit there, Ida," Sero grinned.

"Hey, Midoriya, I've been wondering about something," Tsuyu said.

"Like what, Asui?" Izuku asked.

"I told you to call me 'Tsu.'"

"Right, sorry!"

"She's really pushing for that, isn't she?" Ruby thought.

"Anyways, you're Quirk looks a lot like All Might's, doesn't it?" Tsuyu inquired.

"WHAT?" Izuku exclaimed.

A toothy smile spread on Kirishima's face. "Whoa, what a minute. You're right, Tsu!"

"It does?" Ruby wondered.

"Weren't you, like, right there when he used it to throw the ball and when he used it to blow the roof of the place during training?" Sero asked. "Literally."

"I was but I was more worried about one of us getting expelled and not getting hit by falling debris than taking notice of someone's Quirk…" Giving a moment to ponder, Ruby connected the dots. "Which now that you mentioned it, yeah it does. That's crazy!"

"Re-Really? You think so?" asked Izuku.

"I bet you're happy, huh? Mr. Fanboy."

"Y-Yeah, I guess I am." "More than you know, Rose."

Nora holds up a hand. "Hold on a minute. I mean, yeah, it looks so much like All Might, but his Quirk doesn't destroy his body in the process."

"Oh, you're right," Tsuyu said.

Izuku let's out a breath. "Thank you, Valkyrie."

"Still, it must be awesome to have a flashy Quirk like that," Kirishima lamented. He raises an arm and hardens it. "My Hardening isn't all that special."

"No way! I think it's really awesome!" Izuku insisted.

"Yeah! It's definitely pro hero material!" Ruby agreed.

"You really think so?" Kirishima asked, a little unconvinced. "Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had somethin' flashier."

"Nonsense!" Ruby exclaimed, sounding like a certain extremely tall, blonde man. "Remember that we were in the same block? I saw you during the entrance exam, Kirishima, and you were amazing! It was so cool watching you taking out it of those robots head-on!"

"Hah, really? Thanks!"

"Since we were on the topic of having similar Quirks, there is something I've been meaning to speak about with you, Rose," spoke Tokoyami.

"Yeah?" Ruby said curiously.

"Your attire and your Quirk bare a strong resemblance to the Moonlit Hero: Silver Line," Tokoyami pointed out. Izuku makes a small sound at Tokoyami's assessment.

"He's right. Rose's mom also had a cloak, and her Quirk 'Scatter' had a side effect that she releases white rose petals, like Rose's Petal Burst," Izuku thought, looking at Ruby, who appeared neutral at Tokoyami's words.

"That's because…I was greatly inspired by her, like Izuku was to All Might," Ruby explained. "I wanted to be like her, so I was really happy when my Quirk was similar to hers." Her tone was sad and for anyone who isn't aware of her connection with Silver Line would take her sorrow as mourning for a hero she'll never to get meet. But, for those who are aware, knew of their familial ties.

"Ruby…" Jaune thought sympathetically.

Izuku was the same. "Rose…"

From his spot at the front of the bus, Aizawa was listening silently.

Tokoyami stared at Ruby for a moment before closing his eyes. "…I see. I have nothing else to say on the matter."

"I know that my Quirk isn't all that flashy, but I don't think it needs to be for an underground hero," Ruby shrugged. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks, it's Todoroki, Bakugo, and Schnee," Kaminari listed off.

"Sure, but Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular," Tsuyu bluntly said.

"What was that?!" Bakugo shouted.

"Y'know, we basically just met you," Kaminari smirked. "So, it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is crap steeped in sewage." The girls and some of the boys made a face at that.

"What did you say about me?!"

"Disgusting…" Momo muttered.

Izuku looked like he was in the middle of a crisis. "Now it's Kaachan who's getting teased?"

"I will be popular, you hear me?!" Bakugo vowed.

"See what I mean?" Tsuyu said, pointing at Bakugo. Ruby was actually afraid that Bakugo might try to bite that finger.

"Don't forget about Ice Queen over there," Jiro said without looking up from her phone.

Weiss paused whatever she was doing to look at Jiro "…Excuse me?"

"Yeah. In the short time we've known you, we could tell that you're kinda bossy and kinda pushy," Mina said.

"And bitchy," Hagakure added. "Don't forget bitchy."

"Yeah, you're a lot like Bakugo. Just not as explosive," Kaminari said.

"Ugh. Don't even lump me to his level," Weiss said, holding up a dismissive hand at Kaminari's direction. "I'm hardly anything like him. Right, Momo?" There was a silence, no answer from her tall friend. "Momo?"

Momo looked unsure, hesitant to speak. No one knows what's going through her head, but they could tell that she was having some type of inner turmoil. But, after a few seconds, Momo steels herself and spoke.

"…I've been thinking that I hardly see a difference," Momo said.

Weiss' light blue eyes went wide. "What?" She sounded genuinely shocked.

"I don't know what's going with you lately, but you've been acting differently. Not too long ago, you were considerate and patient, so why are you acting so high and mighty and giving others the cold shoulder?" Momo asked.

"Oh, like how you wanted to stay after hours instead of coming home with me?" Weiss accused.

"No. The reason I stayed was so that I know that Midoriya was all right. I was worried and so were you!" Momo said. "The Weiss I know was someone who strived to be the hero her grandfather, Edelweiss, was. But the Weiss I saw yesterday and today was nothing like Edelweiss."

Everyone in the bus was silent as they listened to Momo, even Pyrrha as she looks over at Aizawa, wondering if she should intervene. But Aizawa shook his head.

Momo continued with her speech. "The way you talked yesterday…You were so cruel to Rose when she needed comfort…Isn't it the job of a hero to help someone when they are in need? Yes, Mr. Aizawa said that the world is unfair, but he also said that, as heroes, we should be fighting against that unfairness. And, Mr. Yagi said that heroes shouldn't treat each other so coldly, not when one day we'll need to work together!"

Aizawa raises a brow at this. When did that happen, he wondered? Was it yesterday after the training exercise? Aizawa plans to talk to Toshinori about that once he sees him again.

"You called Bakugo a villain, when you were just as bad as him yesterday, maybe worse. So…So, maybe…maybe you should start looking in the mirror!" Momo exclaimed, her voice piercing as she finished.

The silence continued as Weiss looked her friend in shock at everything she heard. After was felt like hours, Weiss finally spoke, almost sounding vulnerable. "How could you say that? I thought we were friends."

Momo's eyes, for the first time, turned cold. "My friend is Weiss, not Jacques." After saying her piece, Momo moves away from Weiss to sit next to Jiro. Everyone who had an inkling of the implication was silently in shock, not even Tenya knew what to sat and Izuku's only reaction was to cover his mouth. Even Jiro was surprised.

The only one not getting the gravity was Kaminari. "Who's Jacques? Sounds fancy." Sero looks at him. "What?"

Weiss looks down at her feet as Momo's words reverberate in her head. As this happened, she remembers all the times they've spent together, shopping and training for UA. They were excited. They were happy…until.

"If really you think you have what it takes to be a hero, prove it to me."

The think scar over Weiss' eye starts to ache and she covers it. Good thing she did.

Because tears were starting to well up.

The students remained silent as they arrived at the USJ. Once the bus went to a full stop, everyone rises to get out. All except Weiss, who remained in that same position. Momo tries to keep her attention as she stepped out. Ruby though looked at Weiss sadly. Once she was out, she waited with her friends for Weiss to come out. When Weiss finally did, after some coaxing from Pyrrha, Ruby makes her way over to the heiress.

"…um, Weiss?" Ruby said.

"What?" Weiss said lowly. You could say it was a bark with no bite.

"Um, I know it may seem like it, but I don't think your friendship with Yaoyorozu is over."

"What do you know?"

"It kinda happened with me and Jaune a couple years back, but we're still friends after that," Ruby said. "After all, true friends do what they do because they care for each other."

"Are you…trying to make me feel better?" Weiss asked.

"…Is it working?" Weiss wasn't given a chance to respond when the space suit wearing hero, Thirteen, makes her appearance.

"Good afternoon, students!" she greeted.

"It's Thirteen!" Ochako exclaimed. Ruby was by her side again to have a closer look at the hero.

"The Space Hero! The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters all across the globe!" Izuku said.

"And an awesome suit to boot!" Ruby added.

"Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!" Ochako said.

"Me too!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Me three…" was what Weiss wanted to say…but…

"I can hardly wait to show you what's inside! And I'm sure you all are too!" Thirteen smiled in her helmet.

"Yep!"

Thirteen leads the class into the facility where an amazing site meets them. Somehow, the inside looked bigger than the outside with six zones built with different disasters in mind and large group of trees were grown in between each zone plus the entrance.

"Wow!" Ruby marveled.

"It's like an amusement park!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera!" Thirteen listed off. "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!"

"Like Universal Studios Japan?" Nora whispered to Ren.

"Sounds like it," he said

"Oh…Someone's gonna sue…" Ren huffed a chuckle.

Aizawa walks over to Thirteen. "Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" In reality, he already knows. He saw Toshinori with Ozpin, but he needs to act like he doesn't so he doesn't arouse suspicion. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead." He does a look that told Thirteen to play along.

"Apparently, he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power," Thirteen said, holding up three fingers. Pyrrha notices this, as did Izuku. "He called from the teacher's lounge, saying that he'll try to catch the tail end of the exercise. If not, then he'll 'send' Yagi."

Aizawa shook his head. "That man is the height of irresponsibility. Well, we should be okay with just the three of us. The clock's ticking. We should get started."

"Of course!" Thirteen chirped. "Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things…possibly three, four, or five…"

"May we move on?" Aizawa interjected.

Like the flip of switch, Thirteen got serious. "Listen carefully, kids. I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful Quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."

"Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, right?" asked Izuku.

"That's true, but my Quirk could also very easily be used to kill," Thirteen said grimly. Ochako, Tenya, Izuku and Ruby gasp at that. "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."

That made Ruby think about her own Quirk. Petal Burst had manifested one year after the death of Summer. In fact, it happened on the anniversary of her death. Ruby vaguely remembered seeing her father after so long of him being absent with the loss of his love and, according to Qrow, burst into Tai's arms in a flurry of rose petals.

She also remembered how many times she had ran into walls, which would occasionally grant her a trip to the hospital for a broken nose.

And that was the origin of Jaune's nickname for her: Crater Face.

"…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," Thirteen advised. "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." Thirteen makes a theatrical bow. "That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening."

The class claps in applause.

"Thirteen is so cool!" Ruby declared.

Izuku agreed. "Yeah!"

"Thirteen has always been passionate about rescuing people. They're a true paragon of heroes," Pyrrha praised.

Thirteen blushed underneath her helmet. "You flatter me, Achillea."

Aizawa blinks lazily. "Right. Now that that's over..."

Lights started to flicker.

Roman lights up his cigar. "Let the show begin."

Tomura grinned wickedly. "Finally."

Pyrrha gasps as a chill went up and down her spine. "Something's wrong!" All the students look at her curiously.

The lights go off one by one and the fountain water fluctuated. Sensing that danger is afoot, Aizawa got into action, probably the most urgent the students have ever seen their homeroom teacher.

"Everyone, stay together and don't move! Thirteen, Achillea, protect the students!" Aizawa commanded.

Down at the central plaza, a dark, thick mist appeared seemingly out of nothingness.

"What's that?" Izuku wondered.

"Whoa, what is that thing?" Kirishima wondered.

"Is the rescue training happening already?" Ruby asked.

Izuku moves to get a closer look, but flinches back when Aizawa shouted, "Stay back!" Many villains started to emerge from the mist, including Tomura Shigaraki, Roman Torchwick, and a large bird-faced figure.

"This is real. Those are villains!"

"You were all over the news. Resolved a hostage situation, prevented a robbery, stopped a hit-and-run, and so on and so forth. Proactive as always aren't you, All Might," Nezu said as he operated the tea maker. Slouching in the couch before him, leaning on one arm, was Toshinori.

"Are you disciplining me?" the man asked.

"Oh, goodness, no." Nezu's tone was coy. "You are an adult, not a child, right? So, I should be treating you as such, yes?"

"He is disciplining me," Toshinori concluded. "Well, I guess that's what I get for being reckless…" He felt his phone buzz, indicating a message and checks to see that it was from Ozpin.

Ozpin: I've got some intel from an associate about Aldera Junior High. Said associate is with me right now.

Seeing an opportunity to escape, Toshinori rises from the couch. "Well, you've made excellent points as always, sir. If you excuse me, I have a visitor to meet with."

"Oh, I'm sure they can wait a little longer," Nezu said as he poured green tea into a mug and hands it to Toshinori. "After some tea."

Toshinori felt his nonexistent stomach drop. "Uh oh…This is gonna take a while. When tea is involved, I'm in it for the long haul. Still…" He glances at his phone. "I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. I wasn't able to connect with neither Aizawa, Thirteen, nor Young Nikos. Not even Young Midoriya or Ruby. Did something bad happen?" He shakes his head. "No. What am I thinking? Of course, not. They're probably just busy with the kids. There is nothing bad going on, right? The students aren't in any danger…" He thinks about Izuku and Ruby and his grip strengthens around his phone.

Right?

And how wrong he was as the students, confused and scared, watch as a large group of villains emerged from the black mist. Mineta, with tears in his eyes and snot dribbling from his nose, clutched the pant leg of Kaminari.

"Villains…real villains!" he whined.

Ruby was the first to notice Roman among the villains. "That's…" She remembers the night of the robbery of Chewabaku Hardware Store and gasps. "The Wicker Gentleman!"

"The Quirkless career criminal?" Ochako asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. He attacked the hardware store that I was in about a year ago."

"That's right. I remember hearing about that from the news," Izuku thought. He also heard how the cohorts accompanying Roman got caught, but the man himself escaped. Plus… "According to witnesses on the scene, someone was able to trigger the alarm before someone got seriously hurt!"

From the central plaza, Roman took notice of Ruby in her red cloak. "Well, well, well…look what the cat dragged in," he mused to himself. "I didn't think I'd see you again, Red. And in UA, no less!"

After having all the villains in the facility, Kurogiri shrinks his mist body. "Perplexing… The only real heroes I see are Thirteen, Achillea, and Eraser Head. According to the schedule we retrieved from UA, All Might should be here as well."

Pyrrha blinked. "Retrieved?"

"So, you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus," Aizawa growled.

Tomura starts scratching his neck, just below the hand clasped around his neck. "He's not here…why is he not here? And after all the trouble we went through getting these guys. All Might…We want All Might…" He moves his beady eyes towards the students. Somehow, Ruby knew that he was looking at them and knows it isn't good.

She genuinely feels that her life was in jeopardy.

"So, many villains…" Kaminari voiced, taking a hold of Sero's arm. "What's going on?"

"How could so many of them get into a UA facility this secure?" Pyrrha wondered. She turns to Thirteen. "Thirteen, shouldn't the alarms go off?"

Thirteen looks up and narrowed her eyes. "Good question." She gets her smartphone to see there is no signal. She gasps. "Does anyone have a signal on their phones?"

Everyone checks their phones to see that they have no signal either.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Kaminari exclaimed frantically.

"They're jamming our regular communications, too!" Pyrrha informed with urgency.

It was right then and there when the students started to feel real terror. They were trapped with no connection to the outside world in a place filled with villains. Yes, they are students of a hero school, but…that's it…

They are students…kids!

"Thirteen, Achillea, get the class out of here! Kaminari, do you think you can use your Quirk to contact the school?" Aizawa asked the shaken blonde.

"I-I…I can try!"

Pyrrha notices Aizawa putting on his goggles. "Sir, are you planning to fight them on your own?"

Izuku gasps. "There's too many of 'em. Even if you can nullify their Quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one‐on‐one fights."

Aizawa readies his scarf. "You can't be a true pro if you only have one trick. Keep an eye on the kids, Thirteen!" He leaps towards the hoard of villains and with the combinations of his Quirk, scarf, and martial arts, Aizawa was able to hold his own against the villains.

Despite this, Ruby felt afraid still. Afraid of something bad happening to Aizawa.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ruby found herself asking. Pyrrha looks at her. Ruby didn't seem to notice it. "There are so many villains…he could get overwhelmed!" Pyrrha could hear the worry and fear in Ruby's voice. And it struck something in Pyrrha.

With a more determined look, Pyrrha walks forward

"He won't be…" Pyrrha said. There was a low hum as her shield and javelin on her back glowed a dull black and they're suddenly attached to her left arm and in her right hand respectively. "…Because I am here!" She leaps from the top of the stairs and lands before the villains.

"What the—who the hell are you?"

"Wait. Flame colored hair and bronze armor… That's Achillea! All Might's sidekick!"

"His sidekick?!"

Pyrrha goes in for the attack, using her shield to attack and javelin to parry. She dodges and parries with ease against the thugs while also being careful to not dangerous wound any of them. Some tries to shoot her, but she redirects the bullets.

"Not even bullets could touch her. What's her power?!"

[Pyrrha Nikos! Aka Achillea! Her Quirk: Polarity! She can command the force of magnetism. She could manipulate scores of metallic objects with magnetic properties. That's what I call metal! No wonder she's All Might's sidekick!]

"All Might's…sidekick…" Tomura muttered. He grins maliciously. "The so-called Invincible Girl."

Aizawa and Pyrrha find themselves standing back-to-back. "Nikos. What are you—?"

"I'm sorry, Eraser Head. But I could not stand idly by while you fight alone!" Pyrrha declared.

Aizawa tsked. "You sound just like your employer. Then again…" The villains go to attack them. "…You were already like this when you were in my class!" They countered whatever attack the enemy went for.

"I'll take it as a compliment!" Pyrrha commands her shield to knockout someone trying to sneak attack Aizawa.

"Well, since you are here, be my other eyes!"

"Okay!"

Taking the lives of her students over anything else, Thirteen tries to herd the class out to the entrance way. Izuku notices that Ruby hadn't moved from her spot yet as she watched Aizawa and Pyrrha fight against so many villains. He also noticed her frightened body language. The way her shoulders shook beneath the cloak, one hand clasped to the opposite arm while her other hand hovered her neck.

"Rose?" he spoke. She looks at him and what he saw shook him. Ruby's eyes shimmered in a way that Izuku hadn't seen before. She was scared. And it made him realize how scared he was as well.

"I'm…worried…" Ruby admitted. She was supposed to be a hero. She was supposed to be brave, but…she can't shake it.

"…me too…" Izuku admitted too. But, he smiles. He smiles like All Might would do to help people feel safe. "But, right now, we need to have faith in Eraser Head and Achillea."

That seems to ease Ruby a little "…Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's go!" They go to follow class when Kurogiri blocks their way, much to dismay of Aizawa and Pyrrha.

"And where do you think you're going?" Kurogiri's yellow eyes focus on the students. "Pardon the intrusion, but please allow me to introduce ourselves. We are the League of Villains and our reasoning for being here is to kill All Might."

Everything suddenly goes quietly when Ruby heard this. The only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat. "Kill…All Might?" She suddenly gets flashes of her mother and her eyes shimmer again.

"Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be here. An unforeseen change to the plan it seems. However, I still have a role to play—" He gets interrupted when Kirishima, Bakugo, and Nora suddenly charged at him.

"Nora!" Ren shouted with fear in his eyes. It was probably the loudest and most emotive he's ever been since being in UA.

"Kaachan! Kirishima! Valkyrie!" Izuku called out.

"Did ya think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?" Bakugo challenged.

Nora grinned at the mist ferally. "Not before we smash you into smithereens!"

Kurogiri was somewhat unimpressed. "You children live up to your school's reputation. But you should be more careful. Otherwise," He spreads his mist further out. ", someone might get hurt."

"Get out of there, you three!" Thirteen declared.

"I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades, and your deaths!" Kurogiri bellowed and extended his mist even further, engulfing Bakugo, Kirishima, and Nora, then Tsuyu and Mineta before getting Weiss and Jaune.

"Weiss!" Momo exclaimed before getting swallowed up by the mist along with Kaminari and Jiro.

The soon mist soon gets Ruby and Izuku, who both reached out to each other.

"Rose!"

"Midoriya!"

Then, they two were swallowed by the mist.

And so, the invasion begins.

As well as the character development of one character.

As EinharAesir had pointed out to me, Weiss' words were indeed cruel. You could almost say that she had heard something similar too. Doesn't excuse her actions, however. Also, from the same commentor, Weiss will need a lesson in humility. And what better way to start than from a close confidant?

Thirteen is confirmed to be female as of the UA Archive/Analysis. Although, I feel the need to headcanon that her pronouns are she/they . I don't know. I liked the idea of her being androgynous/binary/nonbinary, whatever. Maybe it's because of her voice. Also, there may be potential spoilers regarding her appearance, like what she looks like underneath her suit.

After this, we've got three more chapters to go, plus epilogue!