DIO felt something. A small pang of danger. He looked around, not sure how he could possibly be in peril in his own domain. Then he realized it wasn't him that his instinct was reaching out to. He closed the novel in his hands and placed it on the small table next to his chair before standing up.

The majority of the time, he experienced a sense of tranquility when he was in this room. His library was lined with books from around the globe, some dusty, some worn. Having drawn breath for centuries had allowed him to learn several languages, and he used that to his advantage in his interest with the written word.

Thus the aura of the massive room could arguably be thrown off by the television present on the wall. Modern technology fascinated him. When he was young, and still human, the most advanced instrument mankind provided itself was the horse-drawn carriage and the lightbulb. Come to the semi-reflective surface, he reached towards it. As his arm moved, something sprang out from his wrist. They looked like thorny tentacles with a shining purple coloring. They curled and moved like rope adrift. The Vampire pressed his fingertips onto the screen, and the tendril extended out of his arm and wrapped around the casing of the device. They let off sparks, like metal grinding on a road. After a moment, the screen activated.

It showed him his progeny and three of his classmates, surrounded by adults.

For a moment, DIO thought this was a sort of exercise, but that assumption was thrown out the window when several of them declared that they wanted to outright murderer the young Heroes-in-training. The girl with short dark hair shoved a blonde boy with an odd earpiece into one of the interlopers, engulfing him with a strange yellow energy. It took the Vampire a moment watching the Villain twitch and blabber to deduce that it was the doing of electricity.

The Vampire pondered on what to do. It would be impossible for him to leave his sanctuary; the sun was still in the sky. perhaps he could contact Pucci and alert him to the danger. After a moment, he came to his decision. He made his tendrils vanish, and he returned to his chair. Pulling out a small, worn book, he opened it and was met with his own handwriting. He skimmed the words, letting them remind of his first meeting with the elder D'Arby brother, Daniel. Rifling through the pages, he came to the entry of pondering on whether or not true happiness was beyond his undying reach.

"If you cannot handle an inconvenient mess like that, Diego... you surely will not survive the role I, DIO, have in mind for you."

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the Flood Zone of the USJ, Mineta continued to panic. Tears were in his eyes and his arms were flailing around. "We can't fight them! They'll rip us to shreds! We should wait for the Pros to come and handle this!"

Rolling his eyes, Gyro put his fingertips on his short comrade's forehead. With a touch of Spin, Mineta's facial muscles contorted and his mouth closed, muting his sobs. "Please. Shut. Up."

While the Italian was silencing the boy he was quickly growing to dislike, Midoriya focused on how to solve their situation. Something about it didn't make sense. "All of the Villains around us... they're not coming aboard so clearly it's about underwater combat with them."

Tsuyu gently pressed a finger onto her chin. "You're right. They must have known about the layout of this place and gathered the right type of goons before attacking."

"Exactly! They were so meticulous, even ready to kill All Might! So why would they send you to the water?"

The frog girl pondered on that. "That's a good question. If that mist guy had sent me to the Zone covered in fire, I'd be a goner."

"And yet you're here, where you can use your Quirk to the fullest."

Gyro finally detached his fingers from Mineta. "So... they probably don't know about our Quirks and Stands."

Izuku nodded. "So, because they have no Intel on our powers, they must be trying to use sheer numbers to beat us! They may have that and experience, but they also have no clue what we can do!"

"Right!" Gyro's grin steadily shrank. "So, uh, what can you guys do?"

Tsuyu answered first. "I can jump pretty high, and climb most walls. My tongue can lash out up to twenty meters. I can also inflate my stomach outwards. It's lined with a poisonous mucus I secrete."

"Secrete..." Mineta was not sure how to process that bit of information.

"Well, it's not really poisonous so much as it is irritating and itchy. I guess that isn't really useful here."

"Not really, no," Gyro responded. "But the rest makes you pretty tough." He pulled his one remaining Steel Ball out of its holster and demonstrated his ability, making it rotate like a vinyl record. "I can put my Spin on anything so long as I can find its axis, and so long as it isn't too big. It takes a while to get it going if it's heavy. With enough force and good aim, I can break bones and control muscle. And although it's second nature at this point, I always have to put in a small adjustment rotation that makes the Ball return to my hand."

Izuku looked at his hand and made a fist. "My Quirk... it's really powerful, but when I use it, my bones crack and break."

"Yeah, you're sort of a glass cannon, aren't you?" Gyro asked rhetorically with a roll of his eyes.

Finally, it was Mineta's turn to demonstrate. He pulled himself together and grabbed one of the bulbs that made up his hair. As soon as he detached it, another sprouted in the same spot. It was as if he had not even touched it. He stuck it to the outer wall of the ship's cabin, where it stuck like it was glued. "I can pull these off my scalp. They're really sticky. If I'm feeling healthy, they can last all day." He tapped the bulb, making it jiggle. "But they don't stick to me. I just bounce off of them." He looked back to his peers, only for them to stare blankly back at him. Their unimpressed veneers were enough to send him over the edge. His fragile calmness shattered and his waterworks resumed. "What do you want from me?! I told you we should just wait for the Pros to come and rescue us! My Quirk is useless for combat!"

Midoriya tried to placate him. "No no no! It's a great Quirk! We just need to think of a way to-"

A massive but narrow wave smashed into their haven. They nearly lost balance as the deck began to slope. Midoriya grabbed onto Tsuyu and Gyro wound up on his back.

Down in the water, a Villain who looked like he crawled out of the Black Lagoon shouted, "this is getting boring! Time to end this!"

Tsuyu could not help but be a little impressed. "That's some power! He split the ship!"

Getting attacked certainly did not help Mineta's disposition. He became to truly lose his grip and furiously grabbed his hair bulbs, throwing them into the water like a pitching machine in a batting cage.

"Will you calm down?!" Gyro asked, putting himself back on his feet. As he rejoined the other three, Midoriya looked to water, and took in a serious detail. The Villains looked at Mineta's bulbs like they were bombs, taking care to avoid them. Even with the ship in half, the four of them still had the element of the unknown on their side.

Another of their attackers cackled. "In about a minute, your precious boat is as good as sunk."

"He's riiiiiiight!" Mineta wailed.

"Did you really come to UA to be a Hero?" Tsuyu asked bluntly.

"How are you all so calm?! Life was just normal a few weeks ago! And now we're all gonna get eaten! I'm not even gonna be able to touch Yaoyorozu's boobs!"

Those last words earned him another enemy. Gyro grabbed him by his yellow Cape and hoisted him up so that the two young men were eye to eye. The Italian jokester was, for once, not grinning. He looked downright menacing. "You wanna run that by me again, little man?" His prey whimpered, and with a turn of the heels, Mineta found himself being dangled over the water. "Ehi! You can eat this one! He's just a snack but hey, better than nothing, right?"

The short pervert began to completely panic. "Please don't!" He begged as his arms and legs flailed with no pattern. "I'msorryI'llnevertouchyoursuperhotgirlfriend!"

"Jeez, calm down. I'm just joking." With a smirk, Gyro dropped him back to the slanted deck. He put an arm on Midoriya's shoulder and pulled him close. "I think we've got a plan, no?"

"We?" he parrotted.

"C'mon, you can't fool me. You're not stupid, Izzy." He again made his Steel Ball spin in his palm. "This'll get 'em all in one spot."

Midoriya took a second to realize that they did indeed have the same idea. Gyro stepped over to the railing and focused on making his Steel Ball spin faster and faster until the air itself seemed to distort and bend. When he reached the optimal speed, he tossed it into the water. Rather than splashing down and sinking, it began to seemingly glide along the surface.

While the Villains had been cautious around Mineta's stationary orbs, one that was moving along like a jetski was most certainly a red flag to them. They too made haste towards their fellow lawbreakers, desperate to avoid the circling sphere. After serving its purpose, the Steel Ball changed course and sped back to the sinking ship, returning to its owner's hand. With all of the intruders roughly in the same spot, Midoriya leapt forward, over the water.

I can't sacrifice my entire arm... so I'll settle for a finger! He pressed the nail of his center digit into the bottom of his thumb, and allowed One For All to flow through him like a surge. He could feel the power converge on his finger. "Delaware..."

Gyro grabbed Mineta and put his other hand holding his Steel Ball over Tsuyu's tailbone, making her leg muscles contort, causing her to crouch. While he had no doubt that she could easily carry Minets and herself, Gyro's weight required a little extra force. "Everybody hang on!"

Safely in Gyro's grip, Mineta began to fervently toss several of his hair balls into the water.

"SMASH!" Midoriya flicked his finger, but he might as well have detonated a war head. The water split like somebody had dropped an invisible building into it, causing the Villains to swirl and sink into the massive funnel, making the purple orbs stick to them. While he was still airborne, Gyro removed the Steel Ball from Tsuyu and wrapped his free arm around her just as her Spin-influenced muscles released, making her and the two boys take off like a rocket. Her serpentine tongue flew out of her maw and wrapped around their green-haired classmate, taking him with them as the water he struck at full power erupted like a geyser. "If you strike water hard enough, it'll spread out..."

"And come to the center with the same force!" Gyro finished with a laugh. He looked over his shoulder and saw that all the Villains that had only moments ago surrounded them were now stuck together like a deformed boulder. "You're a damn genius, Izzy!"

XXXXXXXXX

"Behind you!"

Those two words saved Siri Valentine a lot of pain. On instinct, and having recently discovered she could use liquids with D4C, She sank into the wall.

The one who had shouted towards her, the avian-esque Tokoyami Fumikage, had his Dark Shadow at the ready. Part of him fear the class Vice President just abandoned them, and the rest was focused on not letting the claw made of water shred him and the one standing next to him, Koda, to ribbons. His words must gave grabbed the aquatic hand's attention. It returned to its puddle form, and made a beeline for them. As Tokoyami readied himself for a fight, he felt something on his ankle. He looked down, ready to attack, but was more shocked than threatened, as was Koda, at the sight on the ground. It was as if the concrete had sprouted Valentine's arms. She grabbed both of them and pulled. Koda let out a sound of panic as they too sunk.

Neither of them had ever experienced quicksand firsthand, but both imagined what was happening to them had to be close. As their heads reached the pavement and kept going, for an instant there was only darkness, but then the light returned. Tokoyami looked around and saw... that they were still in the Downpour Zone, the exact same spot.

"What just happened?"

Valentine helped them to their feet. "I brought us all to safety. As is my duty."

Koda gave her a series of gestures that she took to be of gratitude.

Tokoyami thought back to when she first explained her Stand's abilities. "You took us to another dimension."

"Indeed I did."

Tokoyami was grateful, but he saw a glaring problem with her actions. "Are you planning that we abandon everyone else to the Villains?"

"Certainly not! I'm just thinking practically. That water that attacked us. Did either of you see the person controlling it?" Both shook their heads. "Exactly. It must be a power with decent range. So, hear me out. I'll go back and forth, looking for him. When I find him, I'll take him out and return all of us to our own universe."

Tokoyami considered it. "I'm not a fan of hiding. But it does seem the most practical way to go."

XXXXXXXXX

Near the back of the USJ dome, two men sat below a tree. One was bald and had two right hands. The other, long unkempt black hair and he was gently pressed the handle of a cane into his right ear, and his eyes were closed.

The first let out a laugh. "Having trouble there, N'Doul?"

The other did not look at him, or even open his eyes. "It's as if they vanished. Could one of them have a Warping power?"

His companion laughed. "Well, mine aren't going anywhere."

XXXXXXXXX

Johnny was not having a good time. He fired several nail bullets over his shoulder as he and Ojiro ran away from the trio of Villains chasing them. They ran and ran, turning several corner and ignoring the minor pain building up in their legs. Finally it seemed they lost the interlopers after passing through a wall of smoke.

The Joestar boy was sweating heavily, and it wasn't because of the smoke. He let out pained, labored breaths. "Hhaaaaahhh. Haahhhh. We aren't gonna make it! This is where we die!"

Ojiro put a supportive hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Calm down! If we use our heads and stick together, we can make it through this."

His words did nothing to alleviate Johnny. "I can't die here... I'm still in the red! I just want to get back to zero!"

The tailed one did not understand that last part at all. As he looked around, making sure they weren't in anybody's line of sight, Johnny saw something terrifying in the window behind his comrade. It looked like a mummy with its face, shoulders, and lower torso wrapped up in an apparently filthy fabric. The left part of its cranium seemed to be robotic and four spikes were jutting out of its jawline. And it was standing right behind them. Johnny spun around and aimed his hand, ready to fire. But there was nothing there. Only flames and a wall. He blinked and turned back to check again, wanting to make sure he was not hallucinating. There it was, still in the reflection.

His actions did not go unnoticed. "What's wrong?" Ojiro asked.

Johnny pointed. "Th-the..."

Ojiro looked at the spot, and was met with the same horrible human.

"He's only in the glass!" Johnny readied his nail bullets. The creature held up a hand, and out of its wrist sprang a long and narrow blade. Panicking, Johnny fired. His projectiles easily made the window shatter. It made the zombie vanish, but also gave away their position.

A voice rang out from beyond the smoke. "Over there!"

Ojiro grabbed Johnny and moved. "Now we leave!"

The two ran, not noticing the small streak of light going from window to window, following them.

XXXXXXXXX

"WRYYY!" Diego's claws and tail flailed in every direction, slicing flesh and muscle. His swift actions made blood spray everywhere like fountains.

"We can't kill them, Brando!" Yaoyorozu shouted as she fended off a couple of the killers her companion had missed.

"Stuff it, Momo!" Brando fired back. "Sensei and Hierophant are out in the center, breaking backs and faces! Don't get all righteous with me!"

Besides... he said to himself. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit anything fatal.

"Can't you just shock all of them, Kaminari?!" Jiro called out, slashing at her own problem in front of her.

The other young blonde looked as if he had been slapped. "Weren't you listening to me when we were a team in the Battle Trials?! I can discharge electricity, but I can't control where it goes! I'd just zap you guys along with all these bastards!"

That proclamation gave Momo an idea. She kept holding her ground, but began using her Quirk as well, rounding up the energy and lipids.

Jiro willed her ear jacks to lower into her boots and plug into them. Instantly, the Villains in front of her covered their ears, screaming. Good thing I asked the designers for boots that made the sound go in a specific direction.

With her sonic assault and Diego's Stand providing her the time she needed, her latest creation was ready. Out of her back sprang what Diego thought was a sort of parachute, but it seemed too thick. It came down on him, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro, leaving Kaminari alone.

"What in the...?"

Yaoyorozu explained, "it's a hundred millimeter insulation sheet. Now it's your turn, Kaminari!"

The electricity manipulator caught on and smirked. "I guess when I don't have to hold back, I'm ridiculously strong!" He let loose, filling the entire area with unbridled surges of shock. If anyone had bared witness, it was possible they would gave gone temporarily blind. The ordeal last only a few seconds, but the results were undeniable. Every Villain present stood still, singed to a crisp. They all fell over unconscious.

Yaoyorozu lifted up a section of the sheet she had constructed, letting her see the damage done. "I suppose that takes care of them."

Due to the light being let in, Jiro saw just how torn up her Hero outfit was, leaving her chest completely uncovered. "Y-you're a little exposed!"

The heiress looked down at herself. "I can just make another suit."

Brando tossed the insulator off of them, prompting Jiro to hug Momo in an attempt to help maintain her decency.

"No shame, eh?" The Stand User looked around at the now quiet battlefield. "You and Gyro are a match made in Heaven."

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the Downpour Zone, Valentine's upper body emerged from the side of one of the numerous buildings, careful not to leave herself too open. "So, he could see me... he have a good vantage point. Well, he isn't here." She sank back into the wall, and not a moment after the very thing she was avoiding struck the spot. The lack of bodily contact made the User contemplate just what was going on.

"The falling rain can tell me where you are," N'Doul said aloud back in his spot. "Wherever it doesn't hit the ground is where I'll find you. But... it seems you can indeed teleport."

"Best to cut your losses," his companion suggested. "You'll never catch her. After I kill the two brats, my Hanged Man will deal with her."

N'Doul accepted the advice and adjusted his cane, listening. "It's gotten quiet in the Mountain Zone. Four are still standing." He willed his water Stand, Geb, to exit the Downpour Zone.