Chapter 4 - The First Glimpse of Darkness

A few days after the media incident, life resumed to its normal schedule and Class 1-A was on their way towards their first rescue training course at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. It was meant to be a class hosted by three teachers - Aizawa, Thirteen, and All Might. Aizawa took the class to the facility; Thirteen received them at the facility; All Might was strangely missing.

Much to Tomo's disappointment, it turned out that All Might was not planning to make a surprise entrance at the start of their class. He held onto the hope that the surprise entrance was coming in later on when the class had already started. Their other new teacher for the day, Thirteen, began to explain to them about the various zones within the facility. Then, she started a speech about Quirks.

"Everyone, I'm sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole."

Black Hole is such a powerful Quirk. It could probably absorb Darkness so I'm no match for her. Thirteen could easily beat many of the top tier villains with that kind of power. If only she were a combat hero instead of a rescue hero.

"It's a power that can easily kill," Thirteen continued. "Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?

Her words seemed to give some of the students a reality check on what powers they were really playing with. Tomo watched some of the smiles from his classmates disappear as they pondered the destructive capabilities of their Quirks.

Thirteen continued, "There are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step."

Tomo listened in half-interest. I guess for some of these guys, they're hearing this kind of warning for the first time ever. Makes sense. As kids, they were probably told to have fun and explore their Quirks. No need to fear your own powers when they're with you for life.

The class broke out into applause and cheers as Thirteen finished the rest of her speech. Even Tomo had to admit that it was a bit inspirational and well-spoken.

Aizawa then began to instruct them on what to do next when the lights started flickering. Everyone looked around with curious gazes as the facility seemed to flicker. In the center of the room, a black portal appeared and with it, a large number of people.

What's going on? Is this where All Might comes in with some flashy entrance? No. This isn't a part of the class. Those people… they look… evil?

"Don't move! Those are villains," Aizawa called out to the class before leaping into action.

Tomo watched Mr. Aizawa in awe as he immediately went straight into action in the middle of the crowd of villains and, despite the overwhelming numbers disadvantage, took down all of them one by one. Wow. He's stronger than he lets on. He's… amazing.

While he would have loved to continue watching, Tomo, and his classmates, quickly realized they should try to escape so that their teacher could retreat as well. As everyone turned towards the door, a new portal opened up in front of them. The portal could apparently speak and introduced himself and his group as the "League of Villains" and announced their plan to defeat All Might.

They want to… defeat All Might? They must be either very strong or very stupid to make such a claim. As much as I want to believe that they're very stupid, I can't just assume that and treat them like jokes. Does this mean we have to fight our way out of this? A chill ran down Tomo's spine as he thought about combat, a small smile threatening to overtake his face.

The portal is his Quirk. He's trying to contain us within the facility so we definitely have to get past this guy. I can probably overwhelm him with Darkness if I can flood the portal. That should let everyone else escape. But…

His small smile vanished as he continued observing his opponent.

There's something else about him that's unsettling. The longer I look into the portal, the more I'm sure that there's a darkness within this guy. He's dangerous.

Tomo, quickly readjusting his priorities, slowly inched towards Toru. While he moved in a way to not spur the villain into action, Angry Blond and Red Hair did exactly the opposite as they ran at the portal villain to attack. It proved to be of no effect though and then Tomo suddenly found himself engulfed in a new portal along with several of his classmates. A dreadful chill went down his spine as he felt the cold embrace of the villain's portal.

In one moment, Tomo was by the entrance of the USJ. In the next moment, he found himself in what he assumed by the constant rain and wind was the Squall Zone, alone except for villains who surrounded him in an instance.

"They only sent us one? Let's just kill him quickly and see if the other places have more kids to kill," one of the villains, a lizard-like man, said to the others.

"What's that costume supposed to be? A mage?" another blue monster-like villain asked condescendingly.

"Look at him! He must be terrified right now. He can't even say a word!" a third villain mocked.

Tomo eyed all of his opponents one-by-one, assessing their battle strength. Weak. Weak. Weak. One. They're all weak but one. No matter. Darkness will win.

"You guys don't seem to understand the situation," Tomo declared confidently as his voice boomed across the zone like thunder. He put his hood up to both shield him from the rain but to also help hide his facial features.

They're looking at me like they're serious about wanting to kill me. These are real villains. Murderers and criminals who won't show me any mercy if I don't fight back. I can feel the power of Darkness rising here. I have to find Toru and the others. Fast. Tomo felt his heartbeat pick up at the thought. Toru. Where is she? Is she safe? I swear she was right next to me but I guess that portal guy can choose where to individually send us.

The longer he stood there, waiting for something to happen, the greater his sense of urgency felt.

I can't waste time.

He suddenly lunged at the guy in front of him, swatting the air in front of him with his hand and aimed a thin slice of Darkness at the villain's eyes, blinding him on impact.

"What? I can't see!" the villain exclaimed in surprise as he wildly swung his knife at the air in front of him.

Tomo jumped at him, one arm grabbing the knife arm, the other palming the villain's face as his knee slammed into the villain's stomach, sending his enemy straight to the ground.

Weak.

He looked at the others, seeing them all recovering from their surprise and running towards him. With a wide swing of his arm, Tomo threw a wave of Darkness towards the villains' ankles.

"WHY YOU LITT-"

Tomo looked down at the man he was sitting on. The man tried to raise an arm at Tomo but before he could, Tomo punched him again in the face, knocking him out cold. Why would he yell before attacking? Weird, I was sure I got him with the first attack. Must have not put enough power into my attack. Which means…

More.

It was the first time he ever agreed with the stupid voice in his head.

Beneath his hood, Tomo showed the faintest hint of a grin. A more feral and hungry look engulfed his face as he got up from the man to look at his other opponents.

He needed more. More opponents. More fighting. More domination.

His Dark Slice bought him enough time to take out the first villain but he had already used his only surprise attack on the first villain. He still had at least six more to worry about.

"Who wants to go next?" Tomo called out to the villains as they all carefully eyed him, wondering how to approach.

Two villains rushed him at once. Both of them were shirtless but very different in build. The first was the generic muscular type while the other was a slimmer and faster type. Tomo looked towards the muscular villain and traced a square in the air with his hands, palms facing forward. Darkness answered his summoning and manifested into a large Dark Wall. Then, he swung his hands outward to his sides, expanding the Wall, and pushed. The Wall was launched into the air and moved towards the villain, wrapping around him like a blanket as soon as it made contact.

While he was trying to delay the muscular villain, the slimmer villain reached Tomo and threw a punch towards him. Tomo reacted by raising his left arm and exploded Darkness out of his palm, quickly spawning a Dark Shield on his forearm to block the hit. As soon as his enemy's fists touched the shield, Tomo used his other hand to push the Darkness of his shield onto his opponent. The Darkness enveloped and held the fist in a tight hold.

"W-What?" the slimmer villain said in a worried tone as he struggled to free his hand. The villain put his other hand on the Darkness to try to push off of it, which was exactly what Tomo was waiting for. The moment the other hand touched the Darkness, it also got enveloped, trapping the villain by both hands.

Weak.

Tomo braced his body by clenching his arm and leg muscles. In one quick maneuver of strength, Tomo lifted his left arm and used the momentum to throw the villain over his body by dragging him by the hands attached to his Darkness. The villain could do nothing but yell out in alarm as he was slammed straight down into the concrete and was knocked out cold.

Two down, five more to go.

Give in.

His Quirk's pestering voice was getting louder.

The muscular villain seemed to finally break through the Dark Wall by shattering it with his brute strength. Tomo turned to face him but three other villains chose this time to engage him as well. What Tomo managed to so far contain as a well-managed skirmish turned into a full-out brawl with the six of them.

The muscular villain let out a roar as he threw heavy swings at Tomo. Despite the fact that a single swing from this opponent would knock Tomo out cold and would result in his likely death, he didn't lose the slowly growing feral smile on his face. His brain worked in overdrive as he calculated each movement of himself and the villains and as he planned his counterattack. He was beginning to enjoy himself.

MORE.

After a few minutes of fighting, of the seven villains that ambushed Tomo, six of them were on the ground, all knocked unconscious. There's one more left. He's the One. He's been carefully watching me this entire time.

He glared at the last villain. His last opponent was a bipedal blue creature. The look on his opponent's face was one of careful consideration, nothing like the unfound cockiness of the previous villains.

Despite how tired he was from the fighting, Tomo was slowly beginning to experience a new sensation. Adrenaline was pumping throughout his body quickly. Blood pounded loudly in his ears. His senses felt more alive than ever. The ability to focus on his task was unlike anything he had ever felt before. There was a clarity in his mind that he didn't not have before.

For the first time in his entire life since he awakened his Quirk, Tomo Hagakure was wide awake.

He basked in the new feeling as a fog crept into his mind. It was a fog that helped him focus purely on fighting and surviving. He had honored his last opponent with the title of "One." This villain was the one who would satiate his hunger to win.

"You think you can take me on? After all your friends just got destroyed?" Tomo asked cockily. His slowly growing grin was a full smile now. He was feeling a euphoric high from the battle and he planned to ride it through to the end. The second voice in his head was also encouraging him way more than he would care to admit.

ANNIHILATE.

"You definitely are more skilled than I thought, boy, I will give you props for that," the villain replied raspily. "But, I am not like my associates."

"Try me," Tomo said before he ran at his enemy.

As soon as he did, he realized he made a mistake. The subtle grin his opponent had after his charge alerted Tomo's senses that he was in trouble. The villain smirked at him and waved his hands. Suddenly, the raindrops around them changed and Tomo was pelted by small, sharp needles of water. It only took him a single second to realize what was happening before Tomo covered his entire body in an armor of Darkness. That one second, however, was enough to cover him with cuts and holes as the needles stabbed him. It wasn't enough to cause serious damage but it hurt.

"As you can see, I am not like the others, boy. You will die here. You have earned that honor at the very least. Then, I shall go and assist in the defeat of All Might. My name will go down in history! Prepare yourself, boy."

As Tomo stood there in his armor of Darkness, his mind was racing. He can control the rain. He has a huge advantage in this environment. I can't even see him since I had to cover my eyes to prevent the rain from seeping in. I need to beat him fast. But how? I'll get hit the moment I expose myself.

"What's the matter boy?" the villain laughed. "Afraid to come out? I thought you were a fighter like me. I saw the ways your eyes analyzed everyone else. You like fighting, right? Come out and fight me! Or, wait! Should I go and drag one of your classmates here first? Maybe you need a little motivation to come out?"

I need to decide quickly. Who knows how much danger everyone else is in. All Might's not even here but people like this won't be enough to take him down even if he was here. Is Toru okay? I can't lose another member of my family. I can do this. I have to. But… there's only one way. I don't see any other options that'll resolve this quickly. I'll have to give in. Darkness will win. It always does. Total Darkness. Only a little bit. Okay, I can do this. Only for a little while. There's nothing to be afraid of.

Tomo focused on the space around him and listened to the environment. The sound of rain and needles slamming onto his Armor. The sound of the villain's footsteps as he walked towards Tomo. The… the sound of the voices whispering to him from the shadows.

Come.

Give in.

Let go.

For the second time in his life, Tomo did exactly that. The one thing he feared doing all his life. The only reason he never allowed himself to sleep through the night, the fear that he would accidentally do it in his sleep keeping him wide awake. He listened to the voices and let it seep into his very being. He felt it slipping into his mind and body both. The feeling of being slowly suffocated as he gave in to the power of Total Darkness was overwhelming.

Until it wasn't.

It was like a switch was flipped in his head. The difference was like night and day. The voices got louder but at the same time, quieter. It transformed from whispers in the shadows around him into an ever constant buzz in the back of his mind. It gave him a sense of calm unlike anything he's ever felt. A sense of calm so peaceful that it was dangerous. In that moment, he was one with Darkness. And Darkness was powerful.

He sensed the space his enemy in front of him occupied. The space that Darkness surrounded because it could not penetrate solid mass. He smiled at the new feeling. It was one a predator felt when it finally reached the prey it had been stalking.

Tomo lifted his right palm in front of him and shot a beam of Darkness right where he knew his enemy was. He uncovered his eyes from his Dark Armor to see the beam connect with the enemy's torso. Tomo quickly turned the end of the beam into a Dark Claw to grab the enemy and pulled him closer.

"Wha- NO. YOU WON'T BEAT ME!" the enemy screamed as he waved his arms to attack.

Tomo released his Armor. Darkness did not hide from anything. There was a dull tingling throughout his body as Rain Needles pierced him. He did not pay the tingling any more care than one would do to a piece of dust landing on their skin.

He continued pulling the enemy towards him. Slowly. Fear overtook the enemy's eyes as he was being helplessly dragged towards an opponent who did not even flinch at getting pierced. His pitiful cries were music to Tomo's ears. The sound of prey screeching helplessly when it knew the end was near.

Finish him.

End him.

Kill him.

Tomo's eyes narrowed as he considered his options. The Needles were causing him the smallest amount of annoyance. The same amount one would feel when an ant was crawling up their arm. He would deal with that first.

With a quick maneuver of his hand, the Dark Claw made two protrusions out of the sides and cut the arms cleanly off of the enemy. The Needles that were making its way towards Tomo turned back into normal raindrops as the enemy cried in pain. Tomo continued pulling the now armless enemy towards him and used his hand to grab the enemy by the face and slam him into the ground. The enemy was already defeated and on the verge of losing consciousness, but Darkness did not show mercy.

More.

More.

More.

...NO!

The fog that clouded Tomo's mind during the battle disappeared and a wave of total exhaustion rolled over Tomo as he came down from his high. He looked around to see the carnage he created. Seven villains were on the ground around him. All of them were unconscious from their injuries. Blood, both his and theirs, was everywhere. His vision blurred briefly as a sharp pain ran across his head. His body ached. All of his limbs felt very numb. His costume and body were full of small holes from the rain villain's attack. He stumbled his way towards the side of a building to lean on it for support. I used too much Darkness. I gave too much. Not… good. So… tired. I should… check on the others. Where's… Toru…? Can't… sleep now. Not when… Darkness is so powerful. Toru… I have to find Toru…

Despite his efforts, Tomo fell down against the building. His last act in his final moment of clarity before he gave in to his exhaustion was to create a Dark Blanket to cover his whole body from the sight of any lingering villain.

Tomo awoke screaming. For the first time since he was eight years old, he slept with the cold embrace of Darkness. It wasn't like the times he slept under a Dark Blanket. This was something much, much worse. It was just as horrifying as he remembered it. His mind felt numb as he tried to forget the horrible images and sensations he saw and felt during his nightmare. The inner domain of Total Darkness was not meant for the human mind to comprehend.

Despite his best efforts, he could not stop his rapid breathing. It was just a dream. It wasn't real. None of it really happened. It was just Darkness.

The images flashed through his mind again and Tomo screamed again in pain.

It's not real. It's not real. It's all in my head. It's not real pain.

Another flash. Another stab of pain.

He continued screaming as the nightmare played on loop in his head. He could do nothing but relive it over and over and over again. Images and ideas so horrific that it was more of an understanding than a thought because words could not properly describe it. He wanted to scratch himself bloody just to feel something but couldn't even muster the mental coordination to move his arms with that much purpose.

Then, despite already being awake, he somehow woke up again and the cycle repeated itself.

Eventually, the line between reality and fantasy reappeared as Tomo woke up for real and escaped the endless loop of nightmares. The power of Darkness was finally weak enough for him to exercise some sort of control over it. He passed out again from sheer exhaustion. Luckily, this time it was into an unconscious, dreamless state.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. We get a glimpse into Tomo's powers and combat prowess when he's serious. Luckily for me, the USJ arc has enough no-name fodder villains to let me flex his powers a bit. I also took the creative liberty to isolate him into his own zone and gave the villains he fought against some basic powers to make it more engaging. Any thoughts, comments, or feedback are always appreciated. See you next Friday.