A/N: All right, let's get to it! Forecast today shows signs of fluff, with a twenty-six percent chance of something bad happening. If it does occur, it likely be toward the end of the chapter, so those looking for a fun read should still get what they want.

Read, review, and as always, enjoy.

Phase 1: Chapter 6

Dreams and Nightmares

"All right, I'll see you guys later!" Kurai called down the hall as he put his shoes on. "If I'm late for dinner, don't wait up!" It was Sunday and noon was fast approaching, which meant that he needed to get going if he was going to meet up with Mina in time for lunch.

"Just remember that if you're out past ten, I'm sending a squad car after you!" his father called back, bringing a smile to his face.

"Wait, Kurai!" Akarui called as he dashed down the hall. "I need to tell you something!"

"What's up?" the elder Hogo-sha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There was a bonus surprise item I included with the original design of your costume that took longer for the safety board to review," the other boy answered. "I just got an email saying that it passed regulations!"

"Wait, shouldn't I have received that?" Kurai frowned.

"I hacked your email," his brother said unashamedly.

"You-! Again?!"

"Well if you don't want me breaking into it, come up with a better password than your celebrity crush's hometown and birthday," Akarui admonished him. "In any case, the item will be added to your costume by your next hero training class."

"Did you at least figure out a way to let me release more energy without blowing my top, then?" Kurai grumbled, more than a little put out by his brother's occasional habit of intruding on his privacy with his quirk.

"Not yet," Akarui replied. "Still working on that. But I thought that given the simplicity of the design, it wouldn't hurt for you to have something that helps you to stand out among other people, especially those with flashy support items."

"Wait, so what is it, then?"

"Sorry I'm a little late!" Kurai called as he jogged toward a waiting Ashido. They had agreed to meet at a mall, which made spotting her a little more difficult than normal, but it wasn't as though Ashido was a difficult person to pick out of a crowd. "My brother stopped me on the way out, so I missed the first train."

"Not a problem," she grinned as she wove around a group of young adults to come face-to-face with him. "I was actually running a little late myself, so now I don't feel as bad about it." Kurai blinked a couple of times as he took in the sight of Mina in a bright yellow sundress, all smiles as she usually was.

"I feel totally underdressed," was all he could think to say, glancing down at his jeans and orange t-shirt with the kanji symbol for 'turtle' detailed in black and white on his back.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed as she slapped him on the shoulder. "One of the advantages of a not-date is that you don't have to worry about dressing up nice if you don't want to!"

"Yeah, but…" he said awkwardly as he tried not to stare at her attire. "You clearly went out of your way to look nice for this, and now I feel totally lame."

"Loosen up," she told him, still grinning as he reddened slightly. "We're just hangin' out, got it? I woulda dressed this way if I was here with any of my friends or family, ya know?"

Kurai wasn't sure that he bought that, but he recognized her effort to make him feel less uncomfortable, so he forced himself to nod and smile back. "Gotcha," he said. "Where did you wanna go for lunch?"

"Ooh, there's this place that makes really good natto with okra!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him away through the crowd.

"Don't people eat that for breakfast?" he asked as he all but stumbled after her.

"Who cares?! It's the best!"

To her credit, the food was pretty good, even if he didn't totally understand her absolute love of the stuff. "So explain something to me," he said as he started to eat. "What exactly is the difference between a date and a 'not' date?" All around them were patrons sitting down to take a break from their shopping, forming a nice set of background noise for the pair that wasn't so loud that they needed to shout to be heard.

"Well, when people are on a date-date, there's stuff like the guy pays for everything, tells the girl how pretty she is, walks her home, that kinda stuff," she answered. "On a not-date, both people pay for their own things, there's no mandatory hand-holding or compliments, and when they leave the place, he doesn't have to see her home."

"Oh," Kurai said through a mouthful of rice. After swallowing, he asked, "So, if you weren't hanging out with me, what do you usually do on your weekends?"

"Probably be hanging out with the girls or watching horror/suspense movies," Mina answered. "You?"

"Well, I've got all my studies and homework done, so I'd likely be working on my motorcycle or spending time with my brother," he replied with a shrug. "I think I mentioned him when we-"

"Wait a sec, you've got a bike?!" Ashido interrupted, almost spitting out her food in the process. "I totally had you pegged as mister no-risk-and-straight-A's-in-school."

"I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult," he said with a quizzical look at her.

"Neither, really," she giggled. "Just what I thought. Me, I've got two older brothers that are both in college."

"You get on well?"

"Not really," she shrugged, her smile dropping in favor of a more neutral look. "Both of 'em are super-smart and got into university on scholarships. Me, I've always been something of a slacker, so I guess they always kinda looked down on me for that."

"Sorry to hear that," Kurai said sympathetically. "But hey, you got into a pretty prestigious academy, and for heroes, no less, so there's that."

"I know, I can't wait to rub in their faces when they come home during summer break," the girl grinned mischievously. "And my mom and dad were totally supportive of me becoming a hero, which meant a lot to me."

"I know what you mean," Kurai smiled as he poked at his food. "My folks were really proud that I made it into U.A. Akarui, too."

"Is he your brother?" Mina guessed. "What's he like?"

"Well, if I'm the next All Might, then he's the next David Shield," Kurai laughed, making Mina smile. "The kid is a genius among geniuses- provided his quirk is in effect."

"His quirk makes him smart?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it works based on how much sunlight he's getting," the boy answered. "The sunnier it is, the smarter he gets. Even moonlight can boost his IQ, but it's not as effective. During the night, he's mostly normal in terms of intelligence, unless he goes outside for direct exposure. He actually helped me to design my costume."

"Wow, that's really cool that you have a brother who supports you like that," Ashido said wistfully. "If he's so smart, I assume there's more to your costume than meets the eye?"

"Oh yeah," Kurai nodded immediately. "It applies pressure to nerve points that help keep me calm whenever I use my quirk, otherwise it's a risk that I'll blow my top and lose control."

"Yeah, I remember you looked pretty steamed toward the end of the entrance exam, and that time that Mister Aizawa told us that he lied about the practical test," she recalled, looking upward as if trying to envision the events.

"I've told a few others about the drawbacks to my quirk, but I guess it never came up with us," Kurai realized. "Well, long story short, if I use my quirk too much, I get so angry than I have an aneurism."

"Yikes!" Mina yelped. "I thought my quirk's drawback was bad, but that's just awful! Take you and Midoriya, I'm not sure which of you has it worse."

"Hey, we both have some pretty awesome powers that come with those drawbacks," Kurai shrugged. "Besides, I'm training so that I can increase the amount of power that I release before I hit that point. What happens when you overuse your quirk?"

"Well, you know I use acid, and my body is pretty much immune to the stuff," Ashido replied before taking a healthy gulp from her soda. "If I use it too much, or don't keep the P.H. factor in check, it can eat up my skin wherever I secrete it. Super painful."

"Ouch," Kurai agreed. "Still, based on what I've seen of your quirk so far, I think you've got a pretty good shot at being a pro."

"Pfft, when I'm competing against people like you, Todoroki, and Yaomomo?" the girl scoffed. "You've all got way more powerful quirks than me, and you're super smart, too."

"I doubt that any of us are any smarter than you," Kurai said with a slight frown. "Maybe more dedicated to our studies, sure, but you wouldn't have made it into U.A. if you didn't have pro potential."

"Yeah, but studying text books and all that is so boring," she groaned as she leaned her head back in her seat.

"I agree, but I make myself do it anyway," he shrugged. "It's not like I enjoy it, but I'd rather hit the books now so that when I'm a pro, I don't have to worry about textbook junk again."

"I wish I was that motivated," the girl grumbled. "I can barely make myself do my homework, forget studying for tests."

"I'll help you study," Kurai volunteered.

"Huh?" She jerked her head back up, looking surprised. "You will?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Iida and I study together pretty often during the week. Why can't we do the same? Akarui has figured out shortcuts to memorizing stuff that most professors don't even know about yet, so he's a big help, too."

"Seriously?!" Mina exclaimed, a delighted smile lighting up her face again. Then her expression changed to a confused one as she sat back in her chair. "Huh."

"What's wrong?"

"I got excited about studying," she muttered. "Never done that- it's really weird."

"Hey, whatever gets you motivated," Kurai replied before finishing his own drink. "Say, you mentioned being into horror movies, yeah?"

"Yeah-huh!" she nodded, her movements returning to their usual state of exuberance. "My favorite is that Ridley Scott movie, 'Alien'!"

"The one where the alien impregnates the host and then tears 'em up when he comes out?" Kurai asked with a slight grimace. "That thing gave me nightmares for weeks when my cousin made me watch it!"

"I know, it's awesome!" she laughed.

"Thrill seeker, are you?" Kurai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep!" she grinned. "I'm pumped for the 50K remastered version coming out this Christmas!"

"Hold on, didn't you say you were into 'How to Train Your Dragon'?" Kurai inquired, bewildered. "Those are totally different genres!"

"I like American movies, especially the classic ones," she answered. "Anime tends to get a little repetitive after a while."

"What, buff guys roiding out next to girls with half their clothes missing, and then screaming messages about love and how family is more important than anything else?" Kurai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm guessing you've had this conversation before," Mina smirked.

"Hey, you like creepy-ass aliens that murder space scientists, I like watching Goku and Vegeta turn on the blond to beat the living daylights out of anyone stupid enough to mess with them," he shrugged. "To each their own, right?"

"Fair enough," the girl laughed. "Since we're on the subject, wanna go see a movie now that we're done with lunch? I heard that Star Wars: The Jedi Crusader was supposed to be really good."

"Oh man, that's out already?!" Kurai all but yelped. "I totally forgot since I was trying to get into U.A. and keeping up with the classes since school started! Crap!"

"I take it you're not a Trekkie, then?" Mina giggled.

"Pfft, the Enterprise can take a trek out of Star Wars' path to glory!" Kurai replied as he grabbed Mina's hand and all but pulled her out of her seat. "C'mon, I wanna catch the next showing!"

"…So, did you like it?" Mina asked as they walked out of the theater, a blank look on Kurai's face, his lips moving without any sound coming out.

"Are you kidding me?" he answered, finally turning to look her in the eyes as he grabbed her by the shoulders with a huge grin. "That was the best movie since Rogue One! We got to see the genesis of the Chosen One's prophecy, Jedi Knight Revan and Alek in action- not to mention Bastilla Shan being played by Shino Sosaki was a surprise, but she did a bang-up job! Then there was the appearance of Emperor Vitiate right at the end, oh man, was he cool!"

"It's almost frightening how much you resemble Midoriya right now," Mina laughed, causing her classmate to turn red with embarrassment almost instantly, which just made her laugh even more.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled once she had settled down a little.

"Pfft, don't worry about it," she grinned. "It's actually pretty cute that you get so fired up about this stuff. I didn't think you had that kind of spunk." Her compliment embarrassed him further, so he just shut his mouth and followed her away from the movie theater.

They spent the rest of the afternoon browsing through various stores, from a bookstore to a clothing shop. However, since they were on a 'not-date', Mina did not make Kurai appraise her in different outfits, much to his relief.

"Even if we were on a date-date, I don't think I could help you there," he told her as they left that shop. "I don't have any sisters, and my own fashion is questionable by the standards of the rest of the world. Case in point." He pointed at his dragon ball shirt for emphasis before he realized that Mina had a very mischievous expression on her face. "Uh… Ashido?"

"Nothing," she said in a sing-song tone as she walked past him.

"That was not nothing!" Kurai protested as he jogged a few steps to catch up with her. "What'd I do? Or, what did you do? Who did what?"

"You just mentioned a situation where we were on a real date without freaking out about it," she shrugged, maintaining her smile. "It's nice to know that on some level, you're not opposed to the idea."

Her words caused him to stop in place, face blank. Am I opposed to it? he thought after a moment. He had never thought much about dating, and anytime in the past that he'd had a crush, he had been too shy to act on it. Now that he thought about it, though, he supposed that dating Mina might be kind of nice. He normally took time to warm up to people, but she had melted his normal sense of reluctance and managed to make the afternoon pretty fun and relaxed (for the most part).

Still, it had only been the one afternoon, and they hadn't known each other for very long, he reasoned. Maybe with a little bit more time, we'll see, he decided. After all, pros had to consider the fact that villains tended to target the family members of heroes if they had the opportunity. I suppose since we both want to be heroes, it's a little different, but then there's the issue of being able to keep our heads in the game during a crisis, and not worrying about each other.

"Hey, you okay?" Mina asked him as she waved a hand in front of his face, bringing him back to the moment. "You spaced out here for a sec."

"S-Sorry," he apologized. "You just… caught me off-guard."

"Yeah?" she replied with a subdued smile. "Was I wrong, then? About you thinking that it'd be okay if we tried dating for real?"

"Well, to be fair, you kinda sprung that on me," he answered with a nervous chuckle. "Honestly? You seem like a really cool girl, Ashido. Thing is, I've never been on a real date before, and I'm usually so busy trying to be a good student that I don't really know how all that is supposed to work. Plus, I'm… well, like I said, I'm not the most social guy around. Really awkward."

"Yeah, and I'm the girl that most people pass off as an airhead who doesn't know what's going on around her," Mina shrugged. "But you didn't treat me like that, so I thought maybe you were interested, ya know?"

"I can't say that I'm… not interested," Kurai said, stumbling over the words a little bit. "I'm just a cautious guy, you know? My main concern is that we haven't known each other for very long. Other than that, uh… Yeah, you seem really nice."

"I guess that's as good as I'm gonna get for today," Mina replied, her smile brightening up again. Leaning closer to the boy, she said in a lowered tone, "But I won't wait around forever, buddy. If I feel like you're keeping me dangling for too long, I'm outta here."

"I can respect that," he said as she started to pull back. "And if I figure things out too late, well then, that's on me."

"Glad to know where we stand," the girl replied as she straightened up. "Do you wanna grab some dinner in a little bit? There's a park near here where we can hang out until then."

"Sure," Kurai nodded. "I'd like that."

"Sweet!" she exclaimed, pumping her hands up in the air like an excited child. "I guess since I picked our lunch, you can choose what's for dinner."

"As long as you don't hate ramen," he grinned, trying not to laugh as her face fell at the mention of what was perhaps one of the most common dishes around. "Kidding! How about some tempura?"

"All right, I can get behind that."

"So, I heard that you had an eventful Sunday," Iida said as he and Kurai approached the stairs that led up to their classroom. The shorter boy tripped and would have caved his face in on the stairs had not Iida's quick reflexes saved him. "Are you alright?!" he asked as he helped Kurai straighten up, alarmed.

"I dunno," he answered. "That depends on what you heard. Also who told you."

"I went by to see if you wanted to work out after lunch, but Akarui told me that you were out with a girl," Iida answered.

"That little-!" Kurai started, then forced himself to calm down with several deep, measured breaths. "Yeah, I was on a 'not' date, apparently," he finally said as he started heading up the stairs.

"A 'not-date'?" Iida asked, bewildered. "What is that?"

"Like a real date, except the girl pays for herself, and there are no hard feelings if things don't work out," his friend answered. "…I think."

"Was it someone in our class?" the class rep asked, his eyes piercing behind his glasses.

"What happens if I say 'yes'?" Kurai asked cautiously.

"Then I would say that you're a moron for risking the disruption of our class dynamic like that!" Iida replied sternly. "Our fellow students are trying to become pro heroes, and we may all one day end up working together in life-or-death situations! Imagine if things didn't work out between you and this girl?! That could upset our ability to work together! People would take sides, and-!"

"A little louder, why don't you?" Kurai interrupted, forcing himself to stay calm, even though the heat was visible in his cheeks. "I think that there's a group of third-years that didn't hear you."

Realizing that he had raised his volume unnecessarily, Iida apologized with a short bow to his friend. "I am sorry if I overreacted," he said, keeping his tone lowered now. "But my point still stands. I can't tell you what to do, only make you aware of the very serious risks that may come of a romantic entanglement."

"I'm aware of them, Tenya," Kurai replied quietly. "And I haven't made up my mind about the whole thing yet. You know me- I try to take things in as much as possible before putting myself in a situation, because once the die is cast, there's no taking back the roll you've made."

"I suppose that's fair," Iida nodded. "May I ask who it is?"

"You can, but I'm not inclined to answer, since you're more than likely to scare her off before I get the chance to properly think about the whole thing," Kurai smirked.

"I would never!" Iida protested. When all his friend did was stop on the stairs and raise an eyebrow at him, the other boy relented a little. "Well, maybe I would," he admitted. "But I would only be doing it for your sake!"

"You gotta let me take my own risks, pal," Kurai told him as they walked up the last few steps to the level with their classroom. "Otherwise, how will I know if it was a mistake or a positive choice on my part?"

"I'll figure out who it is on my own, then!" Iida declared.

"I really will use your legs for parts on my bike."

"All right, everyone, listen up," Aizawa told them as he took his place at the podium, the class quieting instantly. "Today's hero training is going to be different than what you've had so far."

"Different how?" Sero asked. Since their first class with All Might, the big man had been teaching them about the legal side of quirk use, such as what restrictions would still be in effect once they had their hero licenses. Now, it seemed as though they might be getting a chance at some more live action.

"Today's class will be rescue training," Aizawa responded, immediately stirring up the class. Some were apprehensive about the strenuous exercise that it would no doubt be, like Kaminari and Hagakure, while others like Kirishima and Asui seemed excited about the chance to get out and show off some of their skills again. Kurai found himself in the latter category, especially since it meant that he would be able to test out his new gear- provided that costumes were allowed.

"I'm not done," Aizawa announced warningly, which got all of his students to quiet down again quite nicely. Once he was certain that he had their attention again, he said, "We'll be heading to an off-site facility, where you'll be supervised by three teachers- myself, All Might, and another faculty member."

Three teachers? Kurai thought with a frown. That seems excessive. Did the break-in from the media really scare the faculty so much that they'd triple security for a field trip?

Whatever the case for the extra protection was, the matter fell from the minds of the students as Aizawa clicked a button on a remote that he held, causing their hero gear to pop out of the wall in numbered order. "You can wear your costumes for this exercise," he announced, "But remember that you're not quite used to them yet, and as such, they might impede certain aspects of your powers. Choose wisely, then get outside. We have a bus that leaves in fifteen minutes, and I expect that none of you will be late."

Well, my costume kinda makes the difference between me being able to use my quirk effectively or possibly being killed, so…

"You decided to leave off the helmet, huh?" Kurai remarked once he met up with Iida outside the main campus building dressed in his complete hero costume, the extra item that Akarui had designed for him hanging from his sash at his right hip. Other than the mentioned item, Iida was fully clothed in his hero costume.

"I thought it appropriate," the other boy shrugged. "The helmet is good for protection against incoming projectiles and the like, but it also impedes my vision a fair amount. Given that we'll be rescuing people today, I thought it best to have my vision clear." He added a slight amount of emphasis on the last two words as he looked his friend in the eye.

"Not telling you who it is," Kurai sighed as he started walking toward Midoriya and Uraraka, who were standing in front of the bus that would be taking them to the training site.

"Stop being childish!"

"Says the one who won't let sleeping dogs lie," he tossed over his shoulder. Facing back up front again, he said, "Hey, Midoriya, Uraraka." Noticing a distinct lack of hero gear on Izuku, save for some gloves, elbow guards, and a jaw protector, he felt compelled to ask, "Where's your stuff?"

"Deku was just telling me that his is still in the repair shop after his fight with Bakugo," Ochako explained. "Bummer, huh? I thought his costume was cool."

While the green-haired boy began to protest that his outfit was nothing compared to some of the other students in the class, Kurai muttered, "Deku? Isn't that what Bakugo was calling you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Isn't that kind of a rude name?" the Energon-user inquired with a slight frown. He'd thought better of Uraraka.

"Well, I've decided to give it a new meaning," Izuku said firmly, surprising Kurai. "Like I told Kacchan during our fight; from now on, Deku is going to be the name of a hero."

"Plus, I thought it sounded like a cute name!" Uraraka added with an innocent smile. "Gives me a 'can-do' vibe!"

Oh, now I get it, Kurai thought with a small grin of his own as Midoriya reddened again. Out loud, he said, "Sorry for the misunderstanding, then. Uraraka is right- it will be a good hero name. Simple, easy to remember, rolls off the tongue nicely."

"I know, right?!" the girl said excitedly. "It's great that Deku already has a name picked out for when he becomes a pro- what about you, Hikari?"

"Actually, I was thinking about calling myself K-"

The sound of a shrill whistle blast drew the attention of everyone to the bus door, where Iida stood resplendent in his polished armor, holding a whistler in his right hand as he shouted, "All right, everyone! Form two lines in the order of roll call so that we may load the bus quickly and efficiently."

"Where'd he get that whistle?" Midoriya wondered as they all began to do as he had commanded, since it seemed as though he would only blow the whistle at them louder and louder until they did what he asked of them.

"I got it for him as a joke…" Kurai muttered as he got into line.

"Seems like it flew over his head," Izuku laughed quietly.

"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy," Iida complained from where he sat near the front of the bus, dejected.

"You need to learn how to lighten up, Iida," Ashido giggled as she patted him on the back, though she did throw a wink at Kurai, who was seated right next to her. He managed to keep his reaction down to a faint grin, so that Iida wouldn't see.

"Well, if we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I wanna say," Asui asserted. She was sitting in between Midoriya and Kirishima, and turning to the former, she said, "It's about you, actually."

"Wha-? Me?!" he sputtered.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, her large eyes staring up at him unblinkingly. "Your quirk reminds me of All Might's quite a bit."

Kurai glanced over at his new friend as he heard that. He hadn't really thought about it that way, but it lent itself to the idea that he admired the Number One Hero a lot more than most people did, due to having a similar power. Izuku's startled reaction furthered the thought, since Iida had told him that the kid tended to get flustered whenever talking about his own power in comparison to any pros'.

"Hang on a sec," Kirishima said. "You're forgetting that Midoriya hurts himself if he tries to use his quirk too hard. All Might doesn't have any weaknesses like that."

"Still, the similarities are there," Kurai said, throwing in his two cents. "Maybe Midoriya and All Might are distant relatives?"

"You never know, sometimes people are born with random quirks that don't have anything to do with their parents," Mina asserted. "My cousin has a quirk that lets her make plants bloom when she sneezes on them, but her dad breathes underwater while my aunt can see the music notes of whatever song she hears."

"Yeah, that's right," Izuku nodded rapidly. "My dad breathes fire, and my mom has some telekinetic capabilities, but I got this power-up quirk."

"Must be nice, having something that simple and flashy," Kirishima said as he raised his arm and solidified it into the likeness of a living rock. "My 'Hardening' quirk is useful for smashing bad guys, but it's not very showy."

"No way, I think it looks great!" Midoriya countered. "With a quirk like that, you're easily pro material!"

"He's got a point, but if anybody here has pro quirks already, it's Hikari, Todoroki, and Bakugo," Kaminari said from the back half of the bus, having apparently been listening on their conversation.

"Yeah, but Bakugo's always angry, so no one's gonna like him," Asui said, causing Kurai to burst out laughing.

The blond boy, predictably, took exception to that. "The hell'd you say?!" he screamed as he jumped out of his seat and leaned over the railing to rant at the frog-girl. "I'll kill you!"

"See?" Asui said as she pointed at the rageaholic teenager.

"She's got a point," Kaminari said with a smug look on his face as Bakugo turned to glower at him. "It's pretty telling that even though we've only known each other for a few days, we can identify your personality as flaming crap mixed with garbage." This sent Kurai into another fit of hysterics, which did nothing to improve Bakugo's mood.

"You're gonna regret the day you applied to this school!" he roared at the both of them.

They managed to make it to their destination without Bakugo setting somebody on fire, much to Midoriya's apparent relief. Iida was apparently too busy sulking to notice the playful looks that Mina kept giving Kurai, so that was a relief off of his shoulders. Everyone else was too busy either laughing at Bakugo or getting excited for their upcoming training, so that they almost missed Aizawa's announcement that they had arrived.

Upon disembarking, the class was greeted with the sight of an enormous, domed building that must have been two miles in diameter. Once inside, an even more impressive view awaited them.

A massive set of stairs led down to a water fountain that branched off in seven directions. One area looked like a city in ruins, while others simulated natural disasters, such as fires, landslides, hurricanes, a shipwreck, and an area that sported some sheer cliffs.

"How'd they fit all of this in one place?" Kurai wondered aloud.

"Also, where do they get the cash for all this stuff?" Kirishima added.

"Can I have your attention, please?" A strange, static-riddled voice got the attention of the students, most of whom had been admiring the impressive establishment. When they looked at the top of the stairs in front of them, they saw a short person in what looked like a space suit, topped by a black bowl that seemed to be staring at them with two large, white eyes. "Hi there!" the suit waved.

"Oh, wow!" Midoriya immediately exclaimed. "It's the Space Hero, Thirteen! She's saved hundreds of people from natural disasters!"

"Are there any of these guys you don't know about?" Kurai asked his friend with a chuckle. "Or are you a walking encyclopedia of hero profiles?"

"Sorry…" the other boy mumbled.

"Don't be."

"This is gonna be so great!" Uraraka exclaimed, resembling her green-haired friend in attitude at that moment. "Thirteen is one of my all-time favorite heroes!"

"I'm glad to see you all here," the heavy-set hero said in a friendly tone. "I've been wanting to show you this: the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" Waving her arms to indicate the disaster zones within the dome, she added, "But you can just call it the 'USJ'!"

Like Universal Studios Japan? Kurai thought, unknowingly echoing the thoughts of just about every member in his class.

"Hey, Thirteen," Aizawa said as he walked up to be in front of his class with the other teacher. "Where's All Might? Did he book an interview and forget that he had class?"

Kurai didn't hear the teacher's answer, but he hardly cared at the moment. Whether or not All Might was present, he could tell that his was going to be an exciting lesson.

Thirteen- having apparently finished her private conversation with Aizawa- moved a few steps forward, saying, "Okay, kids. Before we begin, there's just one thing I want to say. Well, two. Maybe three? No, wait, four or five-"

"We get it," class 1-A said in unison.

"All right," Thirteen began. "I'm sure some of you know about my quirk, Black Hole. I can use it to suck up any matter within range and turn it to dust in my hands. While this power has allowed me to save a lot of people, it's important to remember that such an ability could very well kill somebody if used improperly."

She allowed the students a moment to consider the implications of what she was telling them, then continued her lecture. "In our superhuman society, all quirks are registered, and stringently regulated, which often makes us unaware of just how dangerous they can actually be. But, thanks to Aizawa's quirk assessment and All Might's combat training, you have an idea of your limits, and what harm you could potentially cause others if you use your quirks recklessly. So I advise you to carry over what you learned from those lessons to this one."

Giving them all a funny little bow, the pro hero declared, "That's it from me! Thanks for listening, guys."

As the class applauded her, Aizawa muttered, "Great… Now that we're done here, we should get-"

Fzzt!

Whatever else it was that his teacher said, Kurai didn't register. A loud buzzing sound coming from the lights that illuminated the dome caused him to look up with a frown, elbowing the person to his right as he did, which happened to be Kirishima. At the same time, a strange shiver raced down his spine, serving to put him on edge.

"What's up?" the red-haired student asked as he followed his classmates' gaze. "Huh? Why are the light-?"

"What in the heck is that?!" Kaminari asked with no small amount of surprise, pointing down at the water fountain, which was now only sending out spurts of water, instead of maintaining a steady flow. In front of it, a dark shadow was growing rapidly, and Kurai felt that shiver go down his spine again.

"I don't get it," Kirishima said as the void began to vomit out freakish-looking monsters and people armed with deadly weapons. "Is this part of the training?"

"Are we getting started already?" Kaminari added as he took a step forward. "I thought we were rescuing people."

"Stay back!" Aizawa barked with more intensity in his voice than his students had ever heard from him.

Oh boy, Kurai thought, a horrible suspicion coming to the forefront of his mind. Almost unconsciously, he held out his left arm to keep Mina from advancing to get a closer look.

"What's going on?" she asked him- or Aizawa, he wasn't sure since he was keeping his own eyes fixed on the ever-growing mass of nightmares. Among them stepped two figures from the darkness that could only be described as demonic. One, pale and thin, with what looked like severed hands gripping him at his elbows, shoulders, neck, and face. The other, a black and red hulking brute that surpassed All Might's size with jagged teeth coming out of a beak that sat underneath his… Is that his brain?!

"This is real," Aizawa said tightly as he slipped on his yellow goggles without looking at them. "Those are villains."

Crap.

"How'd they get in here?!" Ashido asked in a frightened voice.

"Good question," Thirteen muttered, looking around her. "The alarms aren't going off, either."

"Then it's likely that they have someone among their number that has a quirk capable of jamming the security measures," Todoroki said as he took a few steps forward. The normally reclusive boy was now showing a steely resolve as he looked down on the villains that were presumably coming after them. "They are fools for trespassing here, but it's clear they've thought this out. The only thing that I don't understand is what they hope to accomplish by attacking us here."

"Whatever it is, it's none of your concern," Aizawa asserted as he walked up to the first step on the staircase. "Thirteen, get outside with the students and alert the main camp- On second thought, if they're jamming our security measures, then I'd be willing to bet that they disrupted our long-range coms, too. Kaminari, try to use your quirk to get a signal through to the rest of the school faculty."

"Yes sir," the boy answered, his brow immediately bending downward as he tried to do what the teacher was ordering.

"Wait, are you planning on fighting all of them by yourself?" Izuku asked the black-haired man nervously. "Your quirk isn't suited for that! Your specialty is one-on-one, maybe a group with an ambush tactic! Not a small army like that!"

Aizawa looked over his shoulder at his student and said, "You can't be a pro if you only have one trick." To his peer, he said, "I leave them in your hands, Thirteen. Keep them safe." With that, he launched himself down the stairs at surprising speed, black hair and scarf flying as he went out to meet the dark forces.

Kurai: Well that turned around in a hurry.

Mataras: Eh, that's kind of my specialty. You get used to it after a while- just ask our readers.

Deku: I'm interested to see who Kurai gets to team up with during the attack once the villains come after us. Since he's replacing... a certain someone whose name I'm apparently not allowed to say... is he gonna be fighting alongside Asui and me? And you hinted at his hero name, are we gonna get to see that soon?

Mataras: It's possible that he'll fight with you, but I wouldn't hold my breath on learning his hero name just yet. There's no real reason to unveil it yet, it was just a topic of interest for you and Uraraka.

Kurai: Dammit, I wanted to know! Let me see the script!

Mataras: No!

Deku: I gotta say, the date portion of the chapter was kind of unexpected from you, Mataras.

Mataras: I thought it would be good to have a chapter that fleshes out the fact being a hero isn't every part of your guys' lives. You're still high school kids, and I imagine that every once in while, you guys do normal teenager stuff. ...Wow, I sound like an old guy.

Kurai: You're not even in your mid-twenties yet.

Mataras: Age is just a number, my friend- I feel old.

Kurai: I can't wait to see what you look like when you're in your sixties, if that's how you're acting already.

Mataras: ...Moving on, there is a new poll I put up on my author's profile that you guys should check out. The TLDR version is that I have decided to try my hand at drawing a short comic (maybe four or five panels) and see how people like it. If it's well-received, I'll keep going at it, but I need your guys' help to figure out which topic I should illustrate.

Deku: That's awesome! Has anyone voted for us, yet?

Mataras: Eh...

Kurai: I'll take that as 'no', then.

Mataras: Well, that's why we're telling people about it now! If our readers like this story and where it's going, they can put it to a vote against some of the other stories.

Deku: I hope we win- it'll be really cool to see me and Kurai teaming up against the League!

Mataras: I didn't even confirm if that was gonna happen or not!

Kurai: Next time- Fatal Risk... Wait, am I gonna die already?!

Mataras: See you guys in two weeks! Go Beyond!

Deku: Plus Ultra!

Kurai: Don't say 'plus ultra' to that!

Next time on Your Hero Academia...

"Hrah!"

"DIE!"

Bakugo and Kirishima launched themselves forward, the former unleashing a devastating explosion while his comrade hardened his body to both protect himself from Bakugo's blast and tear through the dark villain.

"Kirishima, Bakugo, DUCK!" Kurai roared as he thrust his hands forward, sending out a barrage of yellow energy blasts into the smoky haze that Bakugo's attack had left behind. Even before the assault connected with their enemy, the two students had rolled backwards, out of harm's way.

Unfortunately, Kurai realized that none of their attacks had been successful when his Energon bursts slammed into the wall and door behind the villain. "No good!" he growled. "I don't know that we can hit this guy!" But I'll bet that he can hit us.

His suspicions were confirmed when the dark mist reformed from the remnants of the smoke, something metal glinting from within its depths. "You live up to your school's reputation," it said ominously. "But I have no time to waste on playing games with children. Now I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades- and your deaths!" Shadowy tendrils shot out from the void, reaching for each of the students, even as the darkness itself washed over them. On reflex, Kurai shut his eyes and braced himself for a physical impact.

"Hikari!" he heard someone shout, just before he felt a jerking sensation, followed by a brief sense of weightlessness. The instant he opened his eyes, he was slammed on his side into a rough, rocky terrain.