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Bruce sat at his desk, idly listening to the conversations around him. He had been a bit uneasy over the situation with the U.A. barrier yesterday. He voiced his concerns to Aizawa-sensei, and the man reassured him that the heroes and police were looking into it. Still, he couldn't help but think about it.
"Alright everyone, let's get started," Dr. Mid-Nite called from the front of the room. After his students quieted down, he said, "Today's hero basic training will involve me and will be different from your last session." He pulled out a card displaying the name of their subject. "Rescue training. We'll exercise with natural disasters, villain attack aftermaths, and everything in between."
The students slowly grew excited. "Awesome! I'm hoping to become a rescue hero!" Clark proclaimed. Hal looked at him in confusion. "What? I thought you would become a hero who'd go after the villains." Clark grinned. "Well, I'll definitely still do that, but I want to specialize in rescuing people. That's my main goal as a hero."
"You can decide whether or not you will wear your hero costumes for this exercise," Dr. Mid-Nite continued. "The training is off-campus, so we're taking a bus. We'll be riding with another class though we will be training separately. I expect you all to behave. Understand?"
"Yes, Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei!" the class chimed in unison.
"Good. Start getting ready."
Bruce stood in his costume waiting for the final preparations for the trip to end. He looked over to the school's entrance to see the class they'd be traveling with. He perked up a bit when he saw it was Aizawa-sensei's class.
"Oh, Aizawa-sensei!" he called out. The man turned to see his student. "This is a nice surprise. I didn't expect the class would be yours. But now's a good chance to show you my hero costume." He spread his arms a bit and flipped his cape out a little. "So what do you think?"
Aizawa stared at Bruce when he made a sudden realization.
Predominantly black in color? Check.
Part that encircled the entire neck? Check.
Piece that only covered the eyes? Check.
Lightened with a splash of yellow? Check.
Aizawa twisted his head to the side and used his hand to muffle his suppressed laughter. Subtle, but obvious when noticed.
Bruce quirked an eyebrow at his teacher's actions. "Sensei?"
"Sorry, sorry," Aizawa said as he turned back with a smile. "So tell me the details of your costume." Bruce nodded with a smile.
He tugged up an edge of his cape. "My cape isn't just for show. It is made up of a sturdy, yet flexible material that is bulletproof, flame-resistant, and insulated against electricity." He gestured to his vest. "My vest is armored with a specialized lightweight material. It can stop bullets and knives while not hampering my speed." He adjusted his utility belt. "My utility belt has compartments for all my gadgets and any other tools I need. For security measures, it releases an electric shock if someone but me attempts to remove it." He pointed at his boots. "My boots are enforced with steel to add to my kicks. There is special padding to dampen my footsteps." He finally brought up his hands. "My gloves are insulated against heat and electricity. The spikes aren't for decoration either. They're sharp enough to cut through rope."
Aizawa nodded in approval. "Impressive. You thought thoroughly about your design."
Bruce smiled. "Well, Alfred-san was the one who ordered the materials it's made from. I just designed it and made notes on the side."
While the two were talking, Class 1-A stared in confusion. "Aizawa-sensei's having a pleasant conversation? Who is that?" Ochaco asked out loud. Izuku answered without thinking. "That's Bruce Wayne."
"EHHH?!" most of his classmates exclaimed.
"S-someone that famous is in U.A.?" asked Ochaco.
"How surprising. I didn't even know he was out in public," Tenya said as he brought his hand to his chin.
"Wow! What kinda Quirk do you think he has?" Eijiro enthusiastically wondered.
"Pfft! Who the fuck cares! Just because he's a rich boy doesn't mean shit. I bet I can blast the fucker away!" shouted Bakugo.
His outburst caught the attention of some of the Class 0-JL students.
"How vulgar! Such behavior is truly inappropriate for an educational place," Justin said.
"Seems he ain't got a filter on that mouth of his'n," Greg agreed.
Bakugo turned to snarl at them. "What you say, you damn midget and redneck!?"
"Bakugo! Stop your use of derogatory terms! They are our fellow schoolmates, and we should treat them as such," Tenya scolded him while making chopping motions with his hands.
"Shut up four-eyes!"
Bruce looked around Aizawa at the blonde. "Quite the character, Sensei," he said sardonically. Aizawa sighed. "He definitely has... attitude problems, but I believe he has potential." Bruce gave his teacher a mild Are-you-serious? face before nodding slightly. "Alright if you say so."
"I need to talk with McNider," Aizawa said, "We can talk after school." Bruce smiled. "Okay. I look forward to it." His teacher went over to his homeroom teacher. Bruce then noticed other 1-A students.
"Midoriya." The green-haired teen jolted at the sound of his name. He tensely watched as the other teen approached him. Soon he was looking down at him. Izuku suddenly felt very small, both because of Bruce's height and his neutral, intimidating expression. Bruce scanned his temp. costume. "Interesting costume, Midoriya."
Izuku came out of his stupor and stuttered, "O-oh! Well, my real costume got torn up a training exercise so this is, uh, just a substitute. Heh." He awkwardly waved his hands around. Bruce's icy gaze bore down on him, and he felt his unease building up. "So you're in the hero course, too. May I ask what your Quirk is?" the teen asked casually.
Izuku was once again surprised. "A-ah, well it's kind of a..." As Izuku explained how his Quirk "worked", he realized what Wayne was doing. The message he was sending. It was I will let the earlier event slide just this once. Don't ever bring up its subject again. He got the message loud and clear.
While those two conversed, other interactions between 0-JL and 1-A sprung up.
"Nice costume, Fumikage," Jason complimented. "Same with you, Jason," the bird-headed teen replied. "It is still regrettable that we are in separate classes." Jason shrugged. "We both managed to get into U.A. so I see that as a success. Let's keep working hard to becoming heroes." Tokoyami nodded. "Yes, revelry in the dark." He held out his fist. "Triumph through purgatory," said Jason as he returned the fist bump.
"So you're invisible all the time?" Vic asked. "Mmhm!" Toru replied, "Pretty useful for spying and surprise attacks." Vic tilted his head at the floating pair of gloves. "Have you ever considered using your body as a means of attacking?" Toru brought a gloved finger to her mouth. "Uhh, what do you mean?" Vic pondered how to explain. "You are invisible yet you clearly have a physical body. Just because it can't be seen doesn't mean it does not exist. Invisibility doesn't make something disappear, it creates the illusion of such. Invisibility works by warping electromagnetic radiation around an object, cloaking it from the visible spectrum. If you were to utilize this with your body, I'm sure you can use it as a method of attack." Toru's gloves hung awkwardly in the air. "... Huh?" Vic slumped a bit. "Use your invisible body to bend the light already bending around you, and maybe you can blind people." Toru perked up with a bounce in her sneakers. "Ooohh! That sounds like a great idea! Thank you!" As she calmed down, she tilted her head at Vic if the angle of her gloves were any indication. "By the way, I was wondering: how do you eat without a mouth?" "Isn't that a question," was the only reply.
Aoyama twirled and struck a pose. He dramatically gestured to Justin. "I see we have similar tastes, monsieur! Though my sparkle is-!" "So your Quirk allows you to harden and sharpen your body?" Justin asked Eijiro. The redhead nodded and demonstrated with his arm. "Yep, it even protects me against heat and shockwaves." Justin examined the transformation. "So you basically have natural armor." Eijiro smiled. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it."
Momo stared at the green rabbit while it sniffed Kyoka's fingers. "Amazing. It acts like it's alive." The other girl touched the animal's back and drew her hand back in surprise. "It even feels real," Kyoka said. Momo looked back at Hal. "How is that possible?" "Well, my Quirk allows me to create pretty much anything I want. However, they aren't really in a sense. They are solid and can affect their surroundings, but they're like... simulations." He gestured to the rabbit hopping around. "It looks, feels, and acts like a real animal, but it isn't alive." With a flick of his wrist, the construct burst into a flurry of green butterflies. Kyoka stood up to stare in awe along with Momo. "Still it has the same effect as the real deal," Hal said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Denki glared at the back of the brunette's head. "What a cheat! He's appealing to their love for cute and pretty things. Can you believe this guy, Mineta?" When he didn't get a reply, he looked down to see his classmate practically drooling a waterfall. He traced his gaze to a group of the other class's female students.
Mineta had steam pouring out of his ears. "Their girls are definitely Plus Ultra! Their costumes also allow a full view!" He continued ogling the group which consisted of Dinah, Mari, Zatanna, and Helena. "Strong plump thighs, wide defined hips, slender curves and waists, and total mountain-sized boobie-!" There was a red blur, and then Mineta felt something jam into his eyes. He let out a comical cry of pain. Denki stared in astonishment as Wally who still had a peace sign shoved into his fellow pervert's eyes. The redhead's cheeks were puffed out and his little glare utterly failed at being intimidating.
"Don't say such things about my classmates," Wally scolded. As he stood up, the girls approached him. "Aww, West. Were you looking out for us?" Dinah cooed. "You're a little sweetheart, aren't you?" Mari said. Helena sent a glare that caused Denki and Mineta to back away. "Thank you West," said Zatanna. She gave the redhead a light peck on the cheek, eliciting a small laugh from Wally.
Denki and Mineta glared with exasperation and jealousy. "He's so devious!" Denki exclaimed. "He played the hero and used his cuteness to woo them," Mineta said as he wiped his reddened eyes.
"That's a cool costume." Katsuki glared over his shoulder at the other teen. "I'm guessing your Quirk has something to do with explosions?" he asked, gesturing to Katsuki's Grenadier Bracers. "Tch!" the blonde scoffed and turned away. He didn't have time to talk with this damn extra. "As, I guess that was rude of me. Let's start over. I'm Clark Kent, nice to meet you."
Katsuki's eyes widened. That name… He remembered it from somewhere…
"Congratulations Young Bakugo! You excelled at both the written and practical portions of the exam."
Katsuki grinned at the projection of All Might. Of course he passed! There's no way he wasn't at the top.
"In fact you finished in 2nd place on the practical test results!"
… What? Katsuki's eyes snapped open, and he stared at the results shown on the projection. He saw his name.
2nd: Katsuki Bakugo
2nd
2nd
2nd
Bakugo could feel his temper reaching its breaking point. The other extras' names didn't matter. He focused on the name above his.
1st: Clark Kent
Bakugo gritted his teeth in a snarl. "Bastard…" he growled. How dare this extra think he could take his spot on the top? When he found him, he was going to blast the fucker's face off.
Katsuki spun around and blasted straight at Clark. The teen flinched but was stunned and frozen.
"You damn bastard!" he screamed, drawing everyone's attention. He brought his hand forward, ready to unleash an explosion at Clark.
Izuku felt a sudden burst of wind and turned to see Bruce was gone.
Katsuki stared in shock at the sudden appearance of Bruce glaring at him. He grabbed his outstretched wrist and shoved it up. He then brought his other hand back and drove the heel of his palm into Bakugo's sternum. The blonde grunted and fell back into the ground. He coughed and glared at Bruce. "What the hell are you doing? Stay out of this Rich Boy!" Katsuki stood back up, but Bruce remained in front of Clark. The teen glowered at the blonde and raised an arm to bar him from Clark. Bakugo snarled. "Fine then! I'll blast you to pieces, too!" he shouted as explosions popped in his palms. Suddenly they stopped.
"Bakugo! Enough!" Aizawa ordered, Erasure activated. He walked over with Dr. Mid-Nite close behind him. He glared at his student who begrudgingly lowered his hands. "Get on the bus. We'll discuss this later," he instructed. Katsuki growled and walked over to the bus. Aizawa turned to the rest of his class. "The rest of you, on the bus too." McNider looked to his students. "All of you as well." As the teens slowly piled onto the bus, Dr. Mid-Nite harshly whispered to Aizawa, "I suggest you control your students better." He then walked away without giving his fellow hero the chance to respond.
To say the bus ride was awkward would have been an understatement.
The Class 0-JL students had claimed the front of the bus, leaving the back to Class 1-A. There was no chatter. Just the low hum of the engine. Izuku fidgeted his hands. Kacchan's outburst has caused a lot of tension. Wonder if there's any way to ease it a bit?
"Hey, Wayne."
Almost everyone looked to who had spoken. Arthur was seated across from Bruce. "When something's on my mind, I've gotta say it. Do you not have a Quirk?" he asked nonchalantly.
That drew everyone's attention. Most stared at Arthur and Bruce. Some stared at Arthur for asking such a strange question while others stared at Bruce. They were stunned at the possibility of someone Quirkless among them. Dr. Mid-Nite and Eraserhead both glanced over their shoulders, the latter more panicked. However, Bruce remained stone-faced.
"No, I have a Quirk, it's just one that isn't very visual," he answered.
"So it's a Quirk like mine?" Vic interjected.
"Not really. It is a Mutant-type, but it affects my internal anatomy. Not flashy at all."
Izuku stared at Bruce in shock. Bruce had… a useless Quirk? And he had gotten into U.A.? How was he able to do everything he did earlier? He was able to get across the several meters between him and Katsuki in a few seconds without making a single sound. He then knocked Katsuki back with a single strike. Bruce stood his ground against the blonde, too. Not once did he flinch during the short confrontation. If he had some sort of defense Quirk that would make sense. But he didn't. It was like he wasn't afraid of Katsuki at all. Izuku trembled as that thought. Someone like that actually exists. That's U.A. for you!
"You're so awesome, Wayne! You did so well during the training exercise," Clark praised his friend.
"I was certain you had some sort of speed Quirk while watching the video," Shayera said.
'Even without a flashy Quirk, you'll definitely pass as a pro," Diana added.
There was a loud "SMACK!", and everyone looked at Bakugo who had stood up in front of his seat and struck the handrail in front of him. His lips were pulled back into a snarl.
"Who cares about what he can do!? He shouldn't even be in this school! He's practically fucking Quirkless!" the blonde shouted.
Clark glowered at him. "What is your problem? First, you charge at me for no reason, then you go on to insult my friend."Arthur let out a disinterested huff and glanced out the window. "With that attitude of his, he'll never be a popular hero."
Katuski felt a vein pop on his forehead. "The fuck you say Sharkboy! You wanna fight?!"
Arthur didn't bother looking at him. "My point exactly."
Vic leaned back in his seat. "It's remarkable that despite this being our first encounter, we all know that your personality is about as pleasant as steaming dog waste on a hot summer day."
Oliver laughed. "I'd think I'd rather deal with that than him."
"I'll kill you No Face and Cross Eyes!"
Nathaniel turned to the blonde. "Can you stop threatening my classmates with death?"
"Shut it, Blind Boy!"
Nathaniel jerked a bit. "B-blind!?"
"Bakugo! You shouldn't insult people for their disabilities," Tenya scolded.
"I'm not even blind!" the silver-haired teen shouted. Tenya turned to him and frantically waved his hands.
"A-ah! I apologize for my assumption."
Aizawa stood up. "We're here. Settle down. My class, this is our stop."
The doors of the bus opened, and Class 1-A filed out. As Bakugo walked by, he sent a glare at Bruce. His blood pressure rose when he saw the other teen wasn't even glancing at him, but before he could make a scene, Kirishima ushered him off. Soon the bus started again, and Class 0-JL went off to their destination.
They drove for a good half hour, and then Dr. Mid-Nite announced their arrival. As the students got out, they looked up in awe at the white tubular tower. It reached high into the sky. At the top, structures extended and formed an incomplete circle as there was a gap between the ends.
"Everyone, head inside," Dr. Mid-Nite ordered.
"Yes, Sensei!" his students chorused.
On the first floor, the walls and floor tiles were pure white. There was a long rectangular pool of water in the center. Windows made up the top half of the floor, allowing sunlight to stream in. Ahead on the farthest side, there were two large dark blue cylinder elevators. In order to liven the place a bit, well-trimmed potted trees lined the edges. The students continued to stare around in awe as the automatic doors shut behind them.
Dr. Mid-Nite turned to his class. "On each floor, there is a stimulation of accidents and disasters. Earthquake, flooding, fire outbreak, etc. This facility is a state of the art training ground, built to serve as the Japanese branch to the Welfare Alertness of Transgressions against Community Health. Welcome to the W.A.T.C.H. Tower."
The teens grew more excited at the prospect of training in the floor simulations. Of the several Towers built throughout the world, the one in Japan was one of the highest levels in terms of equipment and technology due in part by the funding from Wayne Enterprises.
I need to make sure to keep J'onzz out of the Fire Floor, the hero casually thought. "I'm sure you're all eager for rescue training. However, learning how to properly save people isn't the only reason we're here." He stood firmly in front of his students. "Many of you have Quirks excellent for rescue, but some of your Quirks can kill easily."
The teens quieted down. Dr. Mid-Nite continued. "In our superhuman society, Quirks have been strictly regulated, so that seems to take of it. But there are many Quirks that can kill with one misstep. You all now know the possibilities of your powers and have experienced using them against others. You'll all leave this class understanding your powers are meant to help others. Let's begin."
"Yes, Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei!" his students cheered.
Then there was a crackling sound, and the lights overhead flickered. Suddenly, metal security plates slid over the automatic doors, locking in the middle. Red lights flashed above the elevator doors, and they locked shut.
Everyone looked around in bewilderment.
"What's happening?" Zatanna asked frightfully.
"Everyone, stay calm and stay together! I'll-!" Dr. Mid-Nite was cut off when he began falling through a purple mist surrounding him. "What the hell-!?" The hero fell into the mist, and he disappeared along with it.
"Sensei!" the students shouted. All of a sudden, more purple mist appeared and began swirling around them.
"What the hell's going on!?" Hank cried out.
"Everyone! Try to stay together! Don't let this separate us!" Nathaniel called out.
That was quickly shown to be futile as the mist started to form a sphere around them. Then large piercing yellow eyes opened in front of them. The students gasped in fright and shock.
"Apologies for the rushed introduction," a deep voice said. "I am Kurogiri of the League of Villains, and my jobs is to scatter and torture you all to death!"
As the overhead lights began to disappear, Bruce knew he had to make a move. I can only save one person in this short time. I've got to move now! He grabbed a grapple and fired it through the mist. He then allowed it to pull him forward. He hooked his arm around the waist of the person he passed by.
Bruce and Clark tumbled away from the vortex. They could only watch in horror as the purple mist dissipated to reveal emptiness.
"Everyone!"
Dr. Mid-Nite grunted when he hit the ground. He sat up and looked at his surroundings. He was encircled by trees and other vegetation with sunlight barely peeking through the foliage. He was in some sort of forest. He pulled out his phone and cursed. No bars. He must have been in real deep.
"I have to get a signal and contact the school. My students are in danger."
He heard a snapping to his side. He glanced over and activated his Quirk. The world became colored in blue, green, yellow, and orange.
Charles McNider
Quirk: Infrared
He can see his environment in infrared
vision up to a 25-meter radius.
His eyes are sensitive to sunlight and need constant protection.
Among the green and blue of the shadows and trees, Dr. Mid-Nite could see the hulking warm figure of something sprinting towards him. He dodged out of the way when the figure lunged at him from the trees. The here rolled to his feet and deactivated his Quirk. Now he could clearly see what the thing looked like.
It was tall, easily towering over him. Its skin was a sickly green, and it had a wide open mouth of uneven jagged teeth. It was muscular but lean, and its limbs were elongated. Most disturbing were its dead yellow eyes bulging from its exposed brain. It wore a pair of dark purple pants.
Dr. Mid-Nite stared at the creature in terror. "What the hell is that?"
The creature screeched and rushed at him. The hero dodged to the side and kicked it in the face. His kick sent it into a tree. It twitched and then began crawling up on all fours. Then Dr. Mid-Nite heard more snapping behind him. He turned to see two more creatures running at him. He leaped out of the way and felt his panic rising when his ears registered more sounds around him.
"Dammit, I don't have time for this."
Clark turned to Bruce, his face panic-stricken. "Wayne, what's going on?" The other teen gritted his teeth. "I'm not sure," Bruce said, "Somehow a villain invaded this place. He got the lockdown to activate without setting off the alarms. We're basically trapped in here, and nobody knows."
Bruce got to his feet and checked his phone. "No signal. They've cut off all communication." He began thinking back to yesterday. "I get it. They must have caused that chaos with the media to slip in and get our schedules."
Clark stood up. "But why are they just attacking us? Or is it possible they're attacking the other hero courses, too?"
Bruce pondered. Are they hoping to destroy the new generation of heroes? No, this is much too complex for that. If they wanted us dead, then they could have targeted the bus. Unless we aren't the targets but rather close to it. Suddenly he made a realization.
"All Might…" he whispered.
Clark looked at his friend in concern. "Wayne…?"
Bruce started putting the pieces together. The villain said he was a part of the League of Villains. An obvious target would be All Might. Whether it's because his presence deters villains or because he's the Symbol of Peace, I'm not sure. But everyone knows he is a U.A. teacher, and the schedules would show that he will be teaching Class 1-A at the USJ. He thought some more. There are at least two simultaneous attacks: one on us and one on Class 1-A. With the latter, All Might is there so the reason is obvious. As for us,... it's to ensure that even if he wins the head-on fight, he'll still lose because we'll be dead.
Clark backed away a bit at the sight of Bruce's face twisting in pure rage.
"They think we'll just roll over and act as sacrifices?" the teen hissed. He quickly turned to his friend. "Kent, we have to get out of here and get help!"
The two boys ran to the plated front door, but before they reached it, purple mist swirled in a portal in front of them. They immediately brought their guards up. They then realized in alarm that even more portals were opening up all over the floor. Creatures of varying sizes crawled out. Some had razor sharp teeth, others had multiple limbs, and a few had several eyes. The one distinguishing feature they shared was the exposed brain.
Bruce and Clark were back to back as the things surrounding them screeched. "Wayne, what do we do?" Bruce readied two explosive bats. "We're going to fight, and we're going to win." Clark looked at his friend with a slightly frightened and surprised expression. "Because right now, we're the only ones who can help save our classmates!" Clark stared at Bruce's determined face before nodding and bringing up his fists.
It's just a hunch, but I think everyone has been scattered throughout the W. A. T. C. H. Tower. Why lock it down if you're just going to scatter everyone out of it? Please be okay everyone.
Eraserhead panted as he flung another villain away. Things had escalated so quickly. First, All Might couldn't show up to the lesson, then villains invaded the USJ. And one of them managed to scatter most of his students throughout the facility. He forced his red eyes open as he erased another villain's Quirk. He had to keep fighting until he could ensure his students' and co-worker's safety. As he punched another opponent, his thoughts wandered to a dreadful notion. If they were being attacked, what of the class they rode with?
Wayne… please be safe.
Now for the Preview!
We are facing death head-on, and I don't know if we'll get out unscathed.
But it appears more surprises are coming.
Next time: Power to Be No. 1
I'm not sure it'll be enough.
Here is the beginning of the USJ arc. Or in this case, the W.A.T.C.H. arc. So that "Graphic Depictions Of Violence" warning? Yeah, that's finally going to put in effect.
