Last edited 15 December 2021


She was back in her cage.

Blue-white strands of light danced over her skin and burned their way through her flesh. Her head was pounding, and her heartbeat was the same. Her movements were sluggish, and her entire body felt heavy.

All her senses were muddled, and it was as if she'd been shoved underwater.

It felt wrong.

She felt as if she were dying. She felt as if she were getting ripped apart cell by cell, piece by piece, as if everything she was made of was dragged closer and closer to hell—right until she was suddenly yanked back whole to the one place that was even worse.

At the edge of the Sanzu River, her mother stood before her, her silhouette drenched in the light of the setting sun that shone upon her back.

A moving mouth on a face she couldn't remember was spewing out words she couldn't hear, and the hands shaking her shoulders moved up to clasp around her neck, strangling the breath out of her.

"You… mus— bec—e l—ke th—t."

Sesera doubled over with a gasping choke, hands going up to claw at the collar wrapped around her neck.

The damn thing wouldn't come off.

Her frenzied scratching broke skin, and the blood that dripped out was boiling. It scorched her hands, staining them red as the stream of fire continuously slipped through her fingers. It splattered onto the ground, winding its way across the floor and mixing with the puddle at her feet. The bloody pond's surface rippled and eddied, rising and rising until it went over her head.

The world was tinted red.

Her chest heaved, her heart beating wildly as the muscles in her throat contracted, blocking off her airways. She felt as if she were drowning and suffocating at the same time, and no prayer to any god could save her.

"God is dead. God remains dead." Her mother's lullabies had been carved into her mind with an iron pick. "And we have killed him."

But the windowless building no longer existed. Endeavor had made sure of that.

"She's still alive! Call the medics! We have a survivor!"

And yet its shadow still loomed.


iv. vault to heaven


There was a theory that the conscious mind was an electromagnetic field formed by the electric signals sent to and from the brain.

Around a fifth of all Quirk users were categorically electric types, making it the most common elemental class. The Bioluminescent Baby, Sun Anxing, whose birth was traditionally regarded as the opening act of the Age of Superpowers, had even had the electric-type Quirk of Bioluminescence.

Manipulation and generation of electricity were some of the most common Quirks around the world, and most Emitter- and Transformative-type abilities functioned as additional bodily systems that were controlled mentally—in other words, through the brain.

And there was a theory that the conscious mind was an electromagnetic field formed by the electric signals sent to and from the brain.

"All you have to do is follow my orders."

"Argh!"

"Kaminari?!"

Why is there a Muno here? wondered Sesera. They were all supposed to have been disposed of when the lab was raided. Everything burnt to ash. Endeavor made sure of that. No one else should know how to make any more—

"Get a hold of yourself, Miyaka!" shouted Eraser Head. "Todoroki, get her out of here—"

Another hair-raising shriek echoed in the air, and the sound of it made Sesera fall to her knees. Her hands went up to cover her ears, her fingers twisting into her hair.

Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up! No! No no no no no. I won't become like that. I won't use it, not again. Never again. Never ever ever—

The air shifted. The light all around her bent along lines she couldn't see, twisting together like threads of spider silk. It spun and spun, like little girls dancing in a flower garden, like stars gravitating toward each other, spiraling and converging into a single point before bursting into an entire solar system.

Sesera remembered infinity—remembered someone hooking a pinky around hers, and the red lines that connected space and time tying their fates to each other.

"If I tell a lie," they'd sung together, "I'll swallow a thousand needles, cut off my finger, and die."

Space bent and warped.

That Quirk is—

"I'm afraid I can't let you escape."

Sesera stilled.

"Hey," whispered a voice, "what's going on with your eyes?"

She took in her surroundings. At some point during her fit, it seemed that Endeavor Jr. had picked her up, and he was now carrying her in his arms. The rest of their classmates stood frozen around them, and fear and caution were in their expressions as the path to the exit was blocked by the shadow of Azalea Garden.

No. That isn't Azalea Garden.

It was much too beautiful.

"Stop squirming," said Junior with a hiss. He brought her closer to his chest as she began pushing away from him. "Mr. Aizawa told me to—"

"Forgive me for the late greeting," said a deep, rumbling voice from within the mist. "We are the League of Villains, and we have come here today to end the life of the Symbol of Peace All Might."

Who the fuck cares, honestly?

She pressed a hand against Junior's chest, sending a short shock of electricity into his body. He stiffened long enough for her to lower herself to the ground. Once her feet made contact with the floor, Sesera latched herself onto the metal beams in the lobby's foundation.

With a dissonantly calm heartbeat, she took out her baton, reaching out to the particles in her surroundings. She gathered and focused as much power as she could at the tip of the metal rod.

"The information we collected said that he would be here today," said the voice from the mist, "but it seems that that was inaccu—hmm?!"

Sesera brought her arm up, pointing her baton at the shadow. Light coalesced into a singular point before it shot out in a straight line. A high-pitched screech echoed in the air as the white beam pierced through the mist and hit the doors, its immeasurable heat vaporizing both metal and cement in an instant.

The attack created a gaping hole that reached all the way to the high ceiling of the arena.

"Holy shit!" she heard someone, probably Tape Dispenser Elbows, exclaim. "Like, holy shit! Miyaka!"

"Miyaka! Todoroki! Behind you!" suddenly screamed the six-armed guy, and the two of them whipped around only to come face-to-face with another expanding black shadow.

The Muno's monstrous face and exposed brain appeared from beyond it, and Sesera found herself unable to move.

"Get behind me!"

Sesera was suddenly thrown back, landing on her butt on the floor after Junior's arm whipped out to the side. He stomped a foot on the ground, and a jagged wall of ice shot up between them and the creature. It shattered not even two seconds later as the Muno punched through it, scattering frozen shards everywhere.

Ignoring Junior completely, the Muno's large hand reached out for her face. There was no doubt that it could crush her entire skull with minimal effort.

Blue-white sparks flared from Sesera's temples, shooting out and running up the length of its muscular arm. Strands of light danced atop the Muno's exposed brain.

Its fingers twitched, and its hand came to a halt right in front of her face.

She looked into its eyes and found only emptiness.

"All you have to do is follow my orders."

The floor beneath her shifted, and the Muno was thrown off the lobby and back into the plaza by the hedge of ice that suddenly sprouted from the ground.

"Everyone! Hurry out!" shouted Thirteen as they faced the teleporter, the black mist getting sucked into the void inside their spacesuit.

"You're not in any condition to fight," muttered Junior as he bent down to pick Sesera up once more. "Mr. Aizawa told me to keep you away from that one specifically."

He knows then.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, all things considered. None of her secrets was hers to keep.

I should've just blocked the signal entirely, she thought with a frown. Her fingers curled into the cloth of Junior's costume. Maybe then they wouldn't have continued with the attack. Maybe then—

"Shit!" Sesera jolted in place, forcing Junior to adjust his hold on her.

"Would you hold still already?!" he shouted as she wrapped an arm around his neck, fingers clutching onto the back of his costume.

"It's coming for us again!" she screamed back.

The Muno had jumped from the plaza to the lobby in one bound, landing just in front of the rails that overlooked the fountain. It paused there for a second before launching itself straight at them.

"Hold on!" Junior told her.

Sesera felt cold air brush against her back, and Junior stretched his right arm out as he spun on his heel.

Icy spikes sprouted from the ground, catching the Muno by its legs and an arm midflight. With three limbs trapped, it let out another earsplitting shriek. Its free arm swung up and down, barreling its fist into the ice to break itself free.

"That should hold him for a while," said Junior, his breath coming out raggedly and in wisps of white.

She relaxed her hold on him. "I can—"

"Just stop arguing," he said through gritted teeth. His words were as sharp as his ice, and she could feel his arms tightening around her. "Three of our classmates are already out of commission. We can't have any more people suddenly fainting on us."

Sesera blinked and turned her head towards the rest of the class. It didn't take her long to spot Kaminari wrapped up in the six-armed guy's hold, and just behind them, she saw Glasses carrying Sparkles on his back. Tail Boy's arms were bent in front of him, and if not for the telltale gloves and boots, she would've thought he was just miming carrying someone.

Oh.

She hadn't realized that her fit had been that bad.

Sesera was just about to wake them up when she suddenly caught sight of something from the corner of her eye.

"Incoming from above!" shouted the six-armed guy.

A blanket of black mist spread out over their heads. Villains began literally falling from the sky, pelting them with attacks.

Eraser Head immediately barked out orders. "Stay together! Defend yourselves as needed!"

The delinquent was the first to jump into action, and Spiky Hair #2 was quick to follow up. Bird Boy's shadow swished through the air, tossing a handful of villains to the side in an instant.

Sesera's gaze was fixed on a separate veil of mist that was forming near the tower of ice that Junior had trapped the Muno in.

The one who stepped out from it was the same man she had seen by the front gates of the school the day the press break-in happened. She recognized his lean, black-clothed form, though the dismembered hands grasping onto his face, shoulders, and arms were new and slightly disturbing.

One of his own hands pressed flat against the base of the frozen tower. Pure destruction spread out from where he touched, eating into the ice with the vivacity of an unadulterated glutton. It wasn't long before the Muno was freed from its constraints.

Inconsequential, indeed.

From between the gaps of some dead man's fingers, red eyes caught hers, and Sesera felt like a wooden doll set aflame.

"Nomu."

Huh?

The Muno bent its knees, preparing itself for another long jump. Sesera clutched onto Junior's costume again, stretching out her right arm. The laser gun was already charged.

A flash of yellow sped through the air, knocking back the Muno just as its feet left the ground.

"HEEEYYYYY!"

Sesera flinched as the scream vibrated in the air, making everyone in its range reel. Almost at the same time, the floor beneath them began bubbling, and undulating waves of red and yellow separated the students from the villains they'd been battling.

The waves of concrete carried them out of the facility and behind Cementoss and Present Mic. Along with Eraser Head and Thirteen, these four pro heroes stood between them and the dozens of villains that were attacking them.

"Fear not, young students!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "For we are here!"

All Might stood at the very forefront of the hero formation, every contour of his broad back clear in her eyes. His right arm was bent at his side, hand tightly balled into a fist that was directed up at the sky, as if he intended on punching the gods out of heaven itself.

"All Might!" she heard Seaweed Head call out in relief.

"We arrived early thanks to the All Might Express, but the rest of the gang should be here in just a few more minutes," said Present Mic.

"Snowdrop's coordinating with the police as well," added Cementoss. "We'll need to wrap this up quickly so they can get to arresting these villains as soon as they arrive."

"You have guts trying to pick a fight with our precious students," said All Might, and as if they were all of one mind, the crowd of villains took a collective step back. "I hope you're prepared to face the consequences."

"Hmm. The aura of the number one hero really is in a different league," commented the black-clothed man.

His voice was calm and quiet, and it had a soft, raspy quality that was entirely not what Sesera expected.

He continued speaking. "I don't know how you found out about our little surprise attack so fast, although you coming here yourself makes things easier. We won't stand a chance against dozens of pros, but it sounds like it'll still take them a while to get here. That's fine. A timed battle can be fun too."

"You kids get back on the bus and let the pros deal with this," Thirteen told them. "You've all done well as first responders, but right now, we need you to prioritize each other's safety."

"Present Mic and Cementoss specialize in large-scale villain takedown and capture, so it's no surprise they've been sent here as the vanguard," mumbled Seaweed Head. "I really want to stay and watch but…"

"This is no time for an analysis, Midoriya!" Glasses immediately scolded him. "Everyone, back to the bus!"

The slightly flustered driver already had the engine revved up, and Glasses and Ponytail were occupied with making sure that they were all accounted for. Thirteen was the only hero who followed them onto the vehicle.

"Aizawa will be staying behind to assist with the suppression," they said shortly as the bus doors closed behind them. "All Might and the others will take care of everything, but that's no reason for us to lower our guards. Make sure to stay on high alert until we reach the school, OK?"

Junior put her down on one of the long benches up front. The unconscious electric types had been laid down and given space as well.

"Are you calm now?" he asked her.

Now that she was given a bit of time to process what happened, Sesera's mind raced to make up excuses for all the questions that would be thrown at her. Looking back on it, she'd shown a rather embarrassing side of herself, and it was going to need either a lot of pretty words to smooth this whole thing over, or a very big distraction to push it out of everyone's minds.

"Yeah, I'm good," replied Sesera.

"You're still shivering," he told her, and she instantly overrode her motor functions, forcing her body to keep still.

Sesera put on her business smile and angled her head up to look at him. "I'm good, thanks."

Bringing up a hand, she pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a slightly exaggerated movement, making sure that Junior's line of sight was above her neck. She put her other hand on her lap, and, lightly and discreetly, snapped her fingers. Quick as lightning, blue-white strands of light shot out towards the three unconscious electric types.

They slowly stirred back into awareness. Sparkles was the first one up, his hands darting to press against his stomach and his face looking slightly green.

"Ugh, what happened?" Kaminari groaned as he sat up, holding his head in his hands.

"That was my bad," said Sesera. She clapped her hands together in front of her face, tilting her head to the side and putting on a cutely apologetic smile as the cherry on top. "Lost control for a minute there. I might've affected your electromagnetic fields. Really sorry about that."

Kaminari took one look at her face and was quick to forgive her, as expected, and while Sparkles was still too green to formulate a reply, he did manage to feebly wave a hand at her.

"I'm just glad you're OK too, Miyaka," said Invisible Girl. Her glove stretched out to pat Sesera on the shoulder.

The delinquent scoffed.

"That was more than just losing control." He pulled his face into a sneer. "You had a damn panic attack. You were acting like you couldn't care less about the intruders, but the moment a villain shows his mug, you freak the fuck out. What the hell?"

"It was just that one villain," said Sesera, her tone a bit defensive. "I have an issue with brains."

He looked at her almost disbelievingly. "The hell kinda issue is that?"

"It's not exactly the sort of thing that just comes up in casual conversation." She huffed, crossing her arms. "And to be honest, it's not usually a problem. I don't see brains very often anymore."

Gravity Girl squawked. "'Any more'?"

Sesera stilled. Oops. Ctrl Z, Ctrl Z.

She decided to redirect the conversation instead. "Anyway, those villains said they were after All Might's head. If they really did plan so thoroughly for this, then that means they think they can beat him somehow. He has Eraser Head and the others as support, but the villains essentially have him where they want him. The other side has that tricky teleporter and even more bad guys hidden in the other zones. Who says they can't just suddenly teleport him off to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean or something? Do you think he'll be all right?"

"But it's All Might!" exclaimed the small boy, like it explained absolutely everything.

"What Miyaka said is right, ribbit," said Frog Girl. "They obviously spent some time on that plan of theirs. Why come here if they're just expecting to get beaten?"

Just as Sesera intended, the topic of conversation shifted from her to what on earth the villains' dastardly master plan could be. Everyone was still clearly a bit stressed, and the anxiety lingering in the air was palpable. Right now, they needed something to keep fueling their sense of urgency since they'd just crash if the adrenaline suddenly dropped.

At the very least, Seaweed Head looked heavily invested in the rapid-fire discussion they were having.

Sesera let herself breathe out a long sigh. Keeping her eyes closed, she reconnected back to the facility's security system to watch the show.

Present Mic and Cementoss were going around the other zones, taking care of the scattered villains and making sure that none escaped. All Might and Eraser Head formed a tag team against the Muno and the man with the disintegration Quirk in the lobby.

The teleporter was in the background of the latter fight, acting as support.

The way he used his ability was vastly different from how Azalea Garden usually worked. He created portals to redirect their opponents' hits away from his teammates, and more portals to send his teammates' attacks in from their opponents' blind spots. It was a rather passive method of combat compared to how Azalea Garden would use portals to outright cut off limbs, or steal away internal organs, or—yes, send people off to the bottom of the Marianas Trench.

Warping Quirks were rare, and there were only so many ways one could manipulate space. It wasn't so odd that this teleporter's Quirk was similar to Azalea Garden on some level.

But that feeling was definitely…

Eraser Head caught the disintegration user's wrists in his scarf. He quickly kneed him in the gut and pushed him to the ground, making sure he wouldn't be able to use his hands. The Muno swerved in the middle of tackling All Might, launching itself across the lobby towards where Eraser Head had downed the disintegration user.

All Might was in front of Eraser Head in a split second, but a black mist suddenly spread out between him and the Muno, and the creature disappeared into its depths. All Might turned his head this way and that, on full guard wherever it chose to suddenly appear.

But seconds passed, and it didn't show up anywhere inside the facility.

About a couple of kilometers away from USJ, the bus that Sesera and the rest of 1-A were on rocked and fell to its side. The sudden impact caught them all by surprise. Something then crashed through the windows and sent shards of glass raining down on the students.

"It's that villain again!" someone shouted.

The Muno looked down at them with its mouth stretched out in an animalistic grin, revealing a set of sharp and shiny teeth. It perched on the side of the bus like a vulture that caught sight of easy prey.

"Get off the bus!" shouted Thirteen as they used their Quirk to suck open a hole in the roof of the vehicle. "Quickly!"

No one needed to be told twice. Everyone scrambled out of the vehicle, but the delinquent alone had other plans.

"Fuck it!" he shouted, small explosions going off in his hands in preparation for a bigger one. "I'mma crush him!"

"Don't, you idiot!" Sesera screamed as he launched himself at the Muno, sparks flying from his palm. A large blast went off right in the monster's face, but a dark arm pierced through the smoke and caught the delinquent by the ankle.

Sesera couldn't see her classmate's face as he hung upside down, but she did see a hundred thousand other lives flash before her eyes.

No no no. Not again. Never again.

She scrambled to her feet, running around the bus to get behind the creature.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" shouted the delinquent as he bent at the waist, grasping onto the Muno's wrist with small explosions going off in his hands to make it let go.

Its grip remained firm.

"Bakugo!" someone, probably Spiky Hair #2, shouted.

Sesera understood perfectly well that the delinquent wasn't going to make a dent in the Muno's defenses without the intention to kill. She whipped out her baton, and with the press of a button, it extended to five times its original length.

She gathered power at the tip of her staff, and particles of light came together to form a curved blade that just kissed the side of the metal. Crouching down, she focused power at the bottom of her feet, under the metal soles of her hero costume's boots, and she felt herself being lifted up, hovering slightly over the ground.

Using magnetic levitation to supplement her speed and movement always made her woozy, especially when she went at velocities that the unaided human body wasn't able to naturally withstand.

Ugh, he better be worth the nausea.

Sesera shot forward. She brought the blade of her laser ax down on the Muno's outstretched arm and sliced clean through it. She gritted her teeth, clamping down on that feeling of being off-balance that beat in her ears. She twisted over herself, and then she kicked away the dismembered arm and the delinquent along with it.

Next, she brought her staff around, swinging it in a compact circle to cut right through the Muno's waist. It was fast enough to just avoid her attack, jumping back at the last possible moment. Still, Sesera managed to catch its leg and cut it off below the knee.

"Holy shit, Miyaka!" she heard Kaminari exclaim.

The Muno had retreated some meters away—not too close, but not too far. Its right arm was gone, and it knelt on the ground to balance itself because of its lost leg.

It wasn't down for long though. Flesh bubbled where she had cut off its arm and leg, and bone, muscle, and skin grew at a visible speed right before their eyes. Within seconds, it was back in top form with four perfectly functional limbs.

"Oh, come on! Is he a monster or what?"

It absolutely is.

Sesera stumbled, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. The nausea from her high-speed movement was catching up to her.

"I didn't need your shitty help!" shouted the delinquent as he grabbed her upper arm. He roughly pulled her behind him as the Muno bent its knees to prepare for another long jump.

The delinquent was strong, but he didn't have the firepower to hold back such a high-level Muno. Sesera forced herself to her feet, gathering as much power as she could at the tip of her staff in the limited time they had.

The Muno leaped at them with a fist reared back, and she wasn't fast enough in lifting her weapon.

"Kacchan! Miyaka!"

Something knocked into her stomach, and it took everything she had to not hurl right then and there. The earth shook, and Sesera felt herself roll across the asphalt.

She let out a small groan as she pushed herself up. The delinquent was already back on his feet, and no less than a meter away, she saw Seaweed Head's scrunched-up face as he lay on his stomach on the ground.

His right leg bent at an unnatural angle.

At the site they'd originally been standing at, the Muno had punched a giant crater into the ground. It straightened itself out, letting out another one of those high-pitched shrieking noises that made Sesera want to curl up and cover her ears.

It climbed out of the crater, head swerving this way and that before fixing its gaze on the three of them.

"Hey, Four-eyes! Take Deku and get him out of here!" shouted the delinquent roughly. He picked up Seaweed Head by the scruff of his gym uniform, and the curly-haired boy's face contorted in pain as he reached out for his broken leg. "He's in the fucking way!"

Without any warning at all, he spun in place and threw the injured boy towards where the rest of their classmates were gathered. They all shared looks of utter disbelief at what the delinquent had just done, and Glasses was thankfully fast enough to catch Seaweed Head just before he hit the ground.

"Pigtails! You're on long-ranged support! I don't need you cramping up my style!" said the delinquent.

She gaped at him. "Are you serious right now?! You can't take that thing on! And who the hell made you king?!"

"Coordinating close combat moves is too difficult off the cuff like this!" he said with a scowl. "We just need to hold him back until the rest of the teachers arrive! Either way, with his speed and the bus completely trashed, it's not like we can frickin' run away right now!"

The fact that he was absolutely right only served to piss her off even more.

A pressed, high-pitched sound gurgled from her throat. Sesera pulled at her pigtails, stomping heavily on the ground as she spun in place to let off some needed steam.

"Argh, fine!"

Moving her staff to her left hand, she passed her right hand over the pouch of superalloy marbles and dragged her entire supply out into the open.

A cliff of ice suddenly shot up across the street, barreling into the Muno and throwing it into the tree line. It managed to avoid getting trapped this time, twisting itself around and punching through the ice as it came. The delinquent launched himself into the air, maneuvering himself around the towers that Junior had made so that he could throw blasts at the Muno from a distance.

Sesera latched a few marbles onto the delinquent's gear to augment his midair movements and kept the rest continuously zipping around the Muno, piercing through its flesh like bullets. They were small, there were too many, and she wasn't able to give them much force from this far away, so they were probably more like mosquito bites to the creature. Its rapid regeneration closed up any wounds left behind almost immediately, but it made for enough of a distraction that the delinquent was able to move around more easily.

It was a delicate dance as she and Junior kept shooting out small attacks from a distance while the delinquent kept it occupied at midrange. It was unbelievably strong and fast, but it didn't seem like the Muno could keep up with such a barrage of different attacks all at once. At some point, the other long-range fighters in their class had started assisting as well, with Bird Boy's shadow dancing around it at close quarters and the quiet boy calling on some birds that pecked away at its skin.

"Hey, you kids, pull back!"

Two vehicles were speeding down the street towards them, and Sesera could vaguely see Ectoplasm's and Midnight's silhouettes standing atop of one. Something bubbled out from Ectoplasm's mouth, and the smoky matter came together to form a giant clone that had its mouth wide open.

Sesera pulled on the marbles she'd magnetized onto the metal pieces of the delinquent's gear, moving him away from the line of fire. Ectoplasm's giant clone caught the creature in its confines, and Midnight wasted no time running up to it, one hand already pulling on the ultrathin tights of her costume to release her Quirk.

The fragrance of her Somnambulist soon overpowered the Muno's senses, and it wavered for a while before its head hung and its eyes closed, a clear sign that it had fallen asleep.

Sesera fell to her knees.

There were still a lot of things left for her to process, but for now, it was over.

"Is everyone all right?"

Principal Nezu was perched on Vlad King's shoulder, and his beady eyes quickly looked over all of them.

"We've given Midoriya first aid for a broken leg, but he requires further medical attention. The other teachers are still facing the villains that were left in the facility." Ponytail's report was succinct and to the point. "Miyaka and Bakugo—"

"We're fine!" The delinquent scowled. "That villain wasn't all that."

"Are you really saying that?" Kaminari groaned. "After he almost snapped your leg in two? After he punched that giant hole into the ground?"

He even pointed at the said hole to make his point.

The delinquent snarled at him. "Big deal!"

"Get Midoriya on a gurney and send him to Recovery Girl immediately." The principal gave out orders as Vlad King set him down on the ground. "The rest of you will need to be checked over as well. The police are on their way, and they'll likely want to ask some questions, but if you're not feeling up to it, you don't have to."

"The rest of us will head over to USJ to back up All Might and the others," said Midnight as she headed towards one of the vehicles. "Ectoplasm has that one villain under control. Principal, we'll leave the students to you."

"Yes, yes. Of course." The principal clapped his paws together and turned to them with a flourish. "Now then, I see that all of you have done very well in reacting to this emergency. We saw you fighting from a distance, and I must say, it was a marvelous display of teamwork. We're all very impressed with 1-A's bravery in the face of such adversity."

Sesera couldn't help but feel that the praise was hollow.

"There's nothing for you to worry about anymore," said the principal in a calming tone. "The situation is now under control. Let us take you back to the school so we can make sure that everyone is all right."

They were herded into the newly arrived bus, and a couple of EMTs went around checking everyone's injuries. With what the Muno did to their original bus, no one had escaped without a scratch, but it seemed like Seaweed Head's broken leg was the worst of it.

And to think it'd been self-inflicted.

"Honestly, I still can't believe all that happened," said Kaminari, his voice sounding slightly dazed.

"You were asleep for half of it though," said Tape Dispenser Elbows.

"That part still confuses me a bit," said Kaminari. Frowning, he turned his head toward Sesera. "What exactly happened back there? It kind of felt like my Quirk was fizzing out on me, but I don't really get what you said about interfering with my electromagnetic field. How does that work exactly?"

Were they really going to have this conversation here and now? She was still tired.

Sesera blinked very slowly before opening her mouth.

"Just shut up and give it a rest!" shouted the delinquent, slamming his foot on the support bar in front of him. "Don't throw your weight around when you useless dipshits barely did anything to help!"

"That's right. If not for Miyaka, we wouldn't even have known about the villains until it was too late, ribbit," said Frog Girl.

Earlobe Girl twirled her earlobe jacks around her finger. "Yeah, and even with her issue with brains, Miyaka, as well as Bakugo and Todoroki, are basically the ones who kept that brain villain at bay. Be a little more considerate."

Kaminari scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry."

Spiky Hair #2 and Pink Girl quickly redirected the topic of conversation to safer waters, and Sesera tuned them out for the rest of the bus ride, focusing on reeling in the excess power she'd generated during the sudden high-stakes battle. It was a good thing that she was wearing her costume since the material had a tighter weave and a higher thread count than her usual civilian clothes. Otherwise, she'd probably be shooting out sparks everywhere right now.

By the time they arrived at the school, news of the attack at USJ had already made its rounds among the rest of the students. Several people gathered at the windows, watching and waiting for their triumphant return.

Everyone was whispering and muttering about them as their entire class made it down the halls and into the hospital wing. Recovery Girl's nursing assistants quickly divvied them up based on the EMTs' triage, and Sesera was immediately pushed into one of the closed examination bays.

A blue-haired woman came up to her, pushing a wheeled cart with a bunch of familiar machines docked on its shelves.

"I'll be measuring the usual vitals and taking some blood for culture before giving you your IV, OK?" she said without preamble, and Sesera felt no need to reply.

She simply took off her bracers and pulled her regulator out of its pouch. Wires upon wires were connected and disconnected, and the nurse tapped and swiped rapidly at her tablet screen to register Sesera's results.

"How many upper pills did you take?" asked the nurse.

Sesera blinked slowly. "…One."

She frowned. "The levels in your output history are too high to be from one pill alone."

"I didn't exactly have the time to take a second one," replied Sesera with a tired look.

The nurse narrowed her eyes. "You realize you're gonna have to go through a manual discharge session to normalize your generation because of it, right? I can't put you on your IV like this."

Sesera pursed her lips, blue-white strands of electricity shooting out from her temples. "Then go get someone to bring in a capacitor already."

The nurse pouted at her attitude. "Wait here."

Sesera then had to spend her two-hour discharge session being given The Talk by Snowdrop, who'd been quick to realize that she'd been using a backdoor that Hokuto had left in U.A.'s central management system to arbitrarily hack into it. She would never have been that quick to hack into any of U.A.'s systems—especially the security systems—if she didn't already have a prior access point.

She and her cousin were both in Huge Trouble, naturally. But given the circumstances and the weight of Sesera's contributions to the suppression of the villains and the relative safety of her classmates, all she received was a slap on the wrist and a verbal warning to not do it again under threat of disciplinary probation up to and including suspension and expulsion.

Hokuto, on the other hand, was going to be receiving a house visit and a long talk from his former homeroom advisor sometime soon, and Sesera was not going to be the one to inform him of it.

She was made to remove the backdoor at once though, and Snowdrop was going to be completely reworking U.A.'s security protocols afterward. The look on her face said she was not looking forward to the additional work.

It was nearing six o'clock by the time the clinic cleared her, and Seaweed Head was the only one of her classmates still at the school, having been left to rest after his healing session with Recovery Girl. The others had already spoken with the police and been picked up by their respective guardians.

She caught a glimpse of someone who might've been Seaweed Head's mother sitting on a couch in the hospital wing's waiting lounge. The plump, green-haired woman was nursing a cup of cold tea, and her face was full of anxiety.

After leaving the hospital wing, Sesera was led into a small huddle room on the same floor. There was a single square table with four, low-backed office chairs placed around it. On one of the chairs sat a plain-looking yet kind-faced officer who was likely the one assigned to question her.

"Sesera Miyaka, right?" he said as he stood up to welcome her. "My name is Tsukauchi, a detective in the Musutafu branch of the Regional Police Bureau. Please have a seat."

He gestured to the chair across him, and Sesera sat down without making a fuss.

He then asked her, "How are you feeling?"

She'd be even better without the formalities.

"Better now. Thank you for the concern," replied Sesera, putting on her business smile. "I was told you had some questions?"

"Ah, yes. It's just a standard debriefing. I know you still need to rest, so I won't hold you for long," he said, offering her a smile that made her want to retch. "According to your classmates, you're the one who initially noticed the villains' arrival?"

"Yes. I sensed jamming signals targeted toward the facility's security system, so I informed my adviser of the situation immediately," she answered.

"Ah, yes. With your Electromagnetic Force Quirk," he said, glancing at the tablet in his hands. "Your classmates also said that you had a bit of an adverse reaction at seeing that one villain—Nomu is his name, apparently. What can you tell us about him?"

"I don't know of any Nomu," replied Sesera truthfully. "It—I have an issue with seeing brains, that's all."

"Yes, your classmates said as much," he said. "If it's not too hard for you, could you elaborate a bit on that?"

Sesera decided this was a good time to take advantage of her urge to throw up. Glancing away from the detective, she brought a hand up to her mouth, letting her nausea show on her face.

"It should be in my medical records that I've had to have multiple brain surgeries and two nervous implants because of issues with my Quirk when I was younger," she said slowly. "I don't like the topic in general."

"I see. I'm sorry for prying," he said with a sincerely apologetic look on his face. She took one glance at him and felt an immediate need to look away. "Anyway, you might be glad to know that Nomu was apprehended, and we've taken him and seventy-two other villains involved in the attack into custody. Though the two who seem to be the main perpetrators—the one with the warping Quirk, and the one with the disintegration Quirk—ah, Tomura Shigaraki is what All Might said he was called—they both got away, unfortunately."

"'Shigaraki'…?"

"Yes. Are you familiar with him?" asked the detective in a patient tone.

"No." Sesera shook her head. "I don't think so. I just like tea and pottery."

He cracked a smile. "Those are all the questions I have, so you're free to go home. You might've heard already, but U.A. will be closing to run a security check tomorrow, so classes are canceled. I think your guardian is waiting for you at the administration office as well. Shall I accompany you there?"

Sesera paused long enough to be sure that she was able to hold back the apprehension that threatened to seep into her voice.

"Who came?" she asked airily.

"The Hero Public Safety Commission's Department of Intelligence's deputy director Tsurara Himuro," answered the detective, and Sesera sucked in a breath. "Neither of your primary contacts—your uncle and cousin—was reachable. Since Deputy Director Himuro had already been deployed by the Safety Commission to receive a report from the school about the incident, she contacted Director Miyaka to get an authorization note. We've already cleared it, and she should be finished speaking with the principal by now."

"I see," said Sesera. She took a deep breath. "I can get there myself. Thank you for your time and service."

"Not at all. Rather, I should be the one thanking you," he said, giving her a slight bow as they both stood up. "You and your classmates were faced with a tough situation, but you all performed admirably. I'm sure that you'll all turn out to be marvelous heroes in the future."

Sesera put on her business smile.


When classes resumed after the one-day break, the attack at USJ was still all everyone could talk about. Class 1-A was put under a figurative microscope by the rest of the student body, and whispers and murmurs followed them wherever they went.

It was made especially obvious when all the girls shared a table in the cafeteria during lunch, and the berth they were given was more than just a little wide.

"They didn't mention our names or put our faces on the news or anything, but still," said Invisible Girl, "it feels like we've suddenly shot up to celebrity status."

"Everyone at school knows it was us, at least," said Pink Girl. "We had quite the welcome back then, remember?"

"Some idiot second-year from General Education posted pictures online, and I think it was a third-year from Support who mentioned on his social media that Endeavor's son was in the class that got attacked," Sesera told them.

"Huh? No way, really?" Earlobe Girl nearly dropped her chopsticks in shock.

"Snowdrop made me hunt down the original posts and any reposts." Sesera groaned. Grunt duty had become part of her unofficial punishment. "Total headache. I got most of them deleted, and Hokuto has an AI running, but the information's out."

"That's a breach of privacy." Frog Girl croaked. "We're underage, and the Safety Commission has had a blanket gag order on things like minors' identities in relation to villainous crimes since the introduction of hero courses at schools. Even the media won't make any hints without express approval from our legal guardians, ribbit."

"I saw disciplinary sanctions on Snowdrop's desk," added Sesera, "but since the pictures were blurry, and Todoroki's name wasn't explicitly mentioned, I think they're getting away with only a written warning."

"It's hard to believe that our upperclassmen would do such things." Ponytail's brows furrowed. "Aside from being common courtesy, such rules should have been covered in social studies classes. It's part of the mandatory middle school curriculum."

Pink Girl sighed. "The things people would do for five minutes of fame, honestly."

"All the staring and whispering is getting uncomfortable though…" Gravity Girl grumbled as she picked at her food. "I wish they wouldn't do it behind our backs, at least."

Invisible Girl huffed. "That's right. Considering all that happened, you'd think they'd give us a break."

"Shall I take care of it then?"

The table was enveloped in silence.

"Define 'take care,' " said Earlobe Girl, her eyes narrowed and her tone laced with suspicion.

Sesera smiled. "Loud, Blond, and Violent would hate me for it."

"Those are pretty low standards, but go for it." Pink Girl waved her ahead. "Anything to get them to shut up."

Ponytail was a bit more hesitant. "Miyaka, let's discuss this a bit more—"

But Sesera was already standing up from her seat. Everyone in the cafeteria already had one eye on them, so when she stepped up to stand on the bench, the entire hall fell into immediate silence.

She cupped her hands around her mouth.

"If anyone has any questions for 1-A regarding the USJ Incident, please direct them to our first-year representative, Katsuki Bakugo!" she shouted, and the rest of the girls' jaws fell. "He'll be more than happy to field any queries you might have! If you're not satisfied with his answers, then please be informed that no one else in 1-A cares! Good afternoon!"

She gave everyone in the cafeteria a short bow before lightly jumping back onto the floor.

"FUCKING BITCH—!"

"Calm down, man! You know how weird Miyaka's sense of humor can be!"

"LET GO OF ME, SHITTY HAIR! I'LL BLAST THAT PASTY-FACED BITCH TO FUCKING KINGDOM COME!"

"I can't believe you did that!" whispered Pink Girl with a hiss. She was practically bouncing in her seat, and a huge grin split her face.

Earlobe Girl moaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Pretty sure you just made us a bunch of new enemies."

"I've been thinking it for a while, but Miyaka, you really are pretty shameless, aren't you?" said Gravity Girl with a look of wonder.

"I don't think that's necessarily a good thing," said Ponytail, casting a wary glance around the cafeteria.

The whispers had increased almost tenfold for now, but Sesera expected them to lessen exponentially in the coming days.

"If they have nothing to say, they'll back off a bit further. If they're stupid, they'll actually go up to Firecracker." She shrugged as she sat back down. "And if they do have something to say, they'll approach me directly."

"You painted a target on yourself, ribbit," said Frog Girl. "Class 1-A now means you. The rest of us will be more or less left alone, but the public focus will be on you."

Sesera could deal with crowds of people as long as they gave her enough space to work with, and her words would at least screen those who actually had something to say from the ones who just wanted to watch the show. She had years of experience in micromanaging social media accounts by the dozen, and she was more than used to traversing her way through the rumor mills.

Being the center of shallow attention like this was something she could do even in her sleep. She was an electric type after all.

"Are you sure you're OK with that?" Gravity Girl fretted, waving her hands around in the air. "I know I was the one who brought it up but—"

She waved a hand. "It's fine, it's fine. I went to an all-girls school."

"Kaminari was right." Pink Girl smirked. "That does put everything into perspective."

"And it looks like we have our first challenger as well," said Invisible Girl, the sleeves of her uniform pointing to the side.

Some guy with wild purple hair and a desperate need for a few good nights of sleep was walking up to their table with righteous purpose blazing in his eyes. Invisible Girl was between Sesera and the end of their booth's bench, but since the former's head was see-through, the latter had no problem meeting the newcomer's gaze.

Sesera crossed her legs and twisted in her seat, settling an elbow over the back of the bench and nestling her chin over the back of her hand.

She flashed him a smile. "Can we help you?"

He raised a brow at her.

"I just came over to say that for the kids who were praised for acting so heroically against villains, your normal behavior is a bit of a letdown." He shrugged. "The teachers keep telling us from the other departments that the people from the Hero Course are model students to look up to, but with what I'm seeing, I can't bring myself to agree."

Aha. So, it's like that, huh?

"I take it that you're from… the General Course then?" Sesera smiled amiably. "No wonder they call you guys the Department of Wannabes."

His eyes narrowed infinitesimally.

"That one guy was right." He shoved his hands into his pockets, a smirk playing on his lips. "You are kind of a bitch."

She nearly preened at the compliment. "Why, thank—"

"Whoa!"

It took Sesera less than a second to shoot up in her seat, leaning over Invisible Girl. With her hands planted on the other electric-type girl's shoulders, she brought her face closer to the purple-haired boy's.

He stumbled at her sudden closeness, nearly falling to the floor in his rush to step back.

She'd felt that spark in her mind—that familiar feeling of her very existence being violated in ways unmentionable. It was definitely his Quirk.

He'd tried to take control of her.

"Ha ha. That's an interesting Quirk you have there."

His eyes widened.

Trying to calm her pounding heart, Sesera schooled her expression to something more presentable. She pulled back to let Invisible Girl straighten up in her seat. She kept her arms around the other girl's neck though, discreetly balling her hands into tight fists and then slowly unclenching them to let out some tension.

With one knee still perched on her seat, she leaned forward slightly.

Sesera brought a finger to her lips. The purple-haired boy's eyes obediently followed the motion. "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't." She patiently put on an expectant face, and he suddenly looked very wary. "…It's Hitoshi Shinso."

"I'm Sesera Miyaka." She smiled brightly. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Hitoshi."

His eyebrows furrowed at her sudden intimate manner of address, the tips of his ears reddening just a bit.

"Hey, Pigtails!"

After the stunt she just pulled, Sesera was on high alert with the delinquent. Good thing too, since it was thanks to her being on guard that she was able to catch whatever it was he unceremoniously threw right at her head.

He growled, pointing a finger at her. "I don't fucking owe you shit."

He then stalked away without another word, and she glanced down at the item in her hand.

It was one of those chocolate roll cake slices from the cafeteria's bread bin.

She wanted to roll on the floor laughing.

"Did anyone come up to him?" she asked Spiky Hair #2 as he passed by their table.

"Yeah. Two guys from Class B." He chuckled. "It was a riot. Thanks for the noontime entertainment, Miyaka."

She waved her new choco roll slice at him. "No problem."

When Sesera turned back to face Hitoshi, he was already gone.

"He escaped while Bakugo had your attention," Pink Girl told her. "What's with the cake, by the way?"

"I made a deal with the devil and won," replied Sesera as she settled back into her seat, unwrapping the plastic cover of her prize. "What are the classes for the General Course again?"

"C, D, and E," answered Ponytail promptly.

"Oho." Pink Girl looked like the cat that got the cream. "Why the sudden interest in that Shinso guy? Bakugo was jealous, you know."

"He has some sort of mind-control Quirk," said Sesera. "He tried to use it on me just now, so I wanted to ask him for his Line account at least. A shame he ran away."

Earlobe Girl shook her head. "I have no idea how you're coming to these conclusions, but OK."

"I feel like this is where Mineta would say, 'I knew it!' or something," said Invisible Girl, waving a sleeve in the air.

"You're learning," said Sesera proudly, patting her on the back.

"Only from the best!"

Frog Girl felt it necessary to warn her. "That's a dangerous path you're walking, Toru."

"Normally, I'd be on your side, but it hasn't even been a month since classes started, and Miyaka's track record is already full of pretty aggressive guys." Pink Girl's tone made a downward curve. "Tread carefully, young one."

"That Shinso person was rather forward, wasn't he?" commented Ponytail.

"Any way you look at it, that was meant to be a declaration of war to our class," said Sesera. "We're the Hero Course kids who survived a villain attack. With the Sports Festival coming up, we'll essentially be the stars of the show. If anyone from the other departments was planning on making an impression, we've presented them with a pretty big hurdle."

"The Sports Festival, huh…" Gravity Girl suddenly had a dark aura around her. "Scouts from all over the country will be coming to watch us… We have to do our best to stand out…"

"You're looking pretty grim about this, Uraraka," commented Pink Girl.

"It's a rare opportunity after all," said Ponytail. "The U.A. Sports Festival is broadcast nationally. Just doing well in the events themselves will allow us to increase our popularity, and if we can attract the attention of top-level pro heroes, we'll have an opportunity to gain valuable experience as well."

"It's one of a U.A. student's biggest advantages when trying to break into the hero world, ribbit," said Frog Girl. "I heard that lots of alums usually send in one or two internship offers every year."

"I heard that the top three finishers almost always get an offer from someone in the Top Ten," added Earlobe Girl.

Gravity Girl sighed. "That would be a real dream come true."

"We're already getting taught by All Might though?" said Invisible Girl.

"Only in a classroom setting." Frog Girl shook her head. "Imagine how much more you could learn by watching real pros work in the field from close up, ribbit."

Sesera grinned wryly. "And All Might's not exactly the greatest lecturer out there either."

From what she knew, his official title at U.A. was assistant lecturer, and she was under the impression that he didn't actually have any professional educational license or certification.

"Point." Pink Girl laughed. "Still, this gets me pumped up! The next two weeks are gonna fly right by! Let's all do our best! Who's with me?!"

She extended a hand over the middle of the table. Sesera and Gravity Girl gamely added theirs, and the others followed suit with only a bit of prodding.

"Alright! The 1-A girls are gonna make a killing at the Sports Festival!" Pink Girl grinned. "Plus ultra!"