12th of April, 20XX – Third day of school

01:16 p.m. at U.A. High School – Classroom 1A

"Quiet down, now," Shota said. "You are wasting our time."

It took about three more seconds for the chatter to die down. Shota was going to have that timespan halved by the end of the week. If it didn't, well, he'd just have to halve the number of students instead. That had proven to be an effective solution in more than one of his previous batches.

Had he asked (or, as was his wont, interrogated) his students, they'd have answered that the intimidating effect he was going for was diminished slightly by the sight of his bright yellow sleeping bag. No one was certain as to why their teacher carried the hideous thing with him everywhere, but that hadn't stopped them from theorizing before. Shota's personal favorite had been the graduate class four years ago, where someone had spread the rumor that his true Quirk would soon manifest in him pupating and gaining butterfly wings.

(Although he wasn't aware that Izuku had overheard it and was still debating it with his friends. The world had already seen stranger Quirk effects, after all.)

"Good. Today's training will be supervised by me, All Might and another teacher."

"Huh?" Sero asked eloquently. "Three teachers for one class? What's it about? Group killing?" The class laughed but at the same time furtively observed their teacher's expression in case his guess had been right.

"Preparing you for disaster relief," Aizawa stated and glared at the interrupter while the others tried to cover up their relief . "Rescue training, in short."

Instantly, everyone's spirits lifted considerably.

"Rescue training!" Ashido repeated enthusiastically and spun around on her chair. "That sounds awesome! Right, Midori-kun?"

"You bet," Kirishima stated before Izuku could come up with an answer. "Rescuing people is what a Hero's life really is about! I'm totally pumped!"

"You sure 'bout that?" Hagakure asked. "Not that I doubt your priorities, but Bakugo-kun at least seems more like the 'Fight first! Fight first! Boom, boom, boom!' type, y'know?"

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY, INVISIBITCH? YOU WANNA DIE?"

"Hey, that's funny!" Kaminari chimed in from behind. "I said something similar during battle training! We're on the same page, huh?"

"I wasn't done yet," Aizawa interrupted testily. He then extended the costume containers out of the wall. "It's up to you whether or not you wear your costumes, as some of them are ill-suited to this sort of activity." Then he shrugged. "Or that's what I tell my classes each year, but of course you won't even consider the notion either, will you? I wonder why I have to bother with it at all. It's a waste of time. Anyway, the training site is remote, so we'll be going by bus. That's all, now get ready."

"Contain your enthusiasm a bit, would you?" Ashido muttered.

"Did you have something to say?" Suddenly, Aizawa appeared right in front of her.

"Eeeep!" Ashido exclaimed. "I-I mean, uh, of course not! Ninja-sensei!"

"Great. Now get started."

As soon as everyone was fully equipped – as per Aizawa's prediction no one had wanted to miss the chance to wear their costume – and about to leave the building, Iida approached Izuku in the robotic fashion the latter had categorized as his signature feature. "Class President! Forgive my impertinence, but I have been thinking. Would it not be a good idea to let the students line up before entering the bus in order to ensure an orderly seating order?"

"P-please, Iida-san," Izuku said, just a bit mortified. "Just call me Midoriya like beforehand… please?"

Iida cocked his head before a look of understanding spread over his face and he bowed. "I apprehend! Please accept my apologies for not realizing that your superior position does not replace your status as a person and for not envisaging your wish to still be addressed like a regular student!"

"Do you hear yourself talking, Iida-kun?" Hagakure asked from the side. "That sounded… kinda ambiguous, y'know?"

Iida startled. "If that is true, then once again my deepest apologies! I shall strive to become a better interlocutor!" Then he paused. "What about the seating order, though?"

Two minutes later, Iida sat in a seat in the bus and vainly tried not to appear sulky. "Curse you, modern and innovative bus interior designer…"

"You truly are one to be commiserated," Tokoyami remarked from the seat next to him. "I find my own insight in the strange mechanisms that are at work behind the veil of this unfathomable world periodically shrouded by the fogs of incomprehension as well."

"I appreciate your kind words, Tokoyami-san. Thank you very much!"

Also seated in their compartment were Hagakure, Ashido, Kirishima, Bakugo, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu. The latter three had understood Tokoyami instantly while the others had needed some time to unravel his statement. However, Mineta, who was also (alone) seated near their group, perked up at the end of Tokoyami's statement.

"Hey? Periodi-" Asui slapped him with her tongue, cutting off whatever danger to Koda's innocent mind the short boy might have sprouted. Midoriya looked at him and frowned. He hoped Aizawa wouldn't wait much longer before deciding to have a talk with him, lest Kacchan considered taking matters in his own hands.

Their conversation had quickly shifted to Quirks after Izuku had asked around about the particulars of the others' abilities – especially Yaoyorozu's.

"Yeah, versatile Quirks like yours are pretty awesome," Kirishima said, interrupting the interview Izuku had been conducting with her. "Gotta say, I'm a bit jealous. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like 'Hardening'! It's great in a scrap and pretty well-rounded… it's just not that flashy or interesting, that's all. Like, there are plenty of similar Quirks. Like, uh, Midoriya. Your diamond form is basically me in better, right?" He paused and blinked before laughing. "Did that really sound as bitter as I think it did?"

Mutual nodding.

"But, Kirishima-san," Izuku argued before the former could apologize, "please keep in mind that there is no such thing as 'identical Quirks'. A Quirk is always individual in some way! For example, you mentioned Hardening and Matter Adaptation! You can always use your Quirk and be sure it'll work as you're used to, right? Meanwhile I have to rely on exterior factors, namely the materials I have at my disposal, especially when it comes to managing the strength aspect of it. Since your Quirk doesn't have that kind of restrictions, I imagine it would be really useful in disaster management on top of fighting, you know? You could prevent getting injured while saving stuck citizens, even if it's short notice or a remote area! Although you should probably go for something that could act as cushioning since your Hardened arms are likely have sharp edges. It'd also be useful to test exactly how durable your Quirk makes you in order to gauge the scope of your-"

"Deku! Stop! Muttering!"

Izuku startled up. "Er, uh…" He sighed. "I'm sorry…"

„It's okay, bro," Kirishima said and grinned. "Thanks in any case!"

"But you weren't exactly wrong either, Kiri-kun," Ashido pondered aloud. "Hardening is pretty plain as far as your kind of Quirk goes, and I remember how your hair used to…" She stopped when Kirishima seemed to droop like a dried up flower.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Great job, Raccoon Eyes."

"Sorry," Ashido said and smiled apologetically (although she didn't look that sorry after he'd added the nickname).

"Talk about strong and cool though…" Hagakure pursued, "that'd be you and Izuku-kun plus Yaomomo, Tokoyami-kun and Todoroki-san, right?"

"Yaomomo?"

"Something Mina came up with."

"Please just call me Midoriya…"

"But she's right, duh," Kaminari chimed in from his own seat. "We only watched that one battle trial, but it's pretty clear already that the five of you play in another league, don't you think?"

Mutual nodding, again.

"I wouldn't put it like that," Yaoyorozu/Yaomomo objected. "I do believe that if we do our best, all of us can be great Heroes one day!"

"Well, yeah." Kaminari shrugged. "But you're not gonna tell us all of us are gonna become S-Rankers, are you?"

Unnoticed by everyone, Mineta suddenly stopped leering at Yaoyorozu's "assets" and looked at the floor, expression carefully neutral.

"But she's right!" Izuku insisted. "The person makes the Hero, not the Quirk!"

"Alright, that's just bullshit, Deku," Katsuki interrupted. "Doesn't matter how much you wanna be a Hero, if you don't have the Quirk to back it up, you can shove that pipe dream up your ass. Nothing's more annoying than some shit-for-brains who doesn't understand their place!"

"Such incivility!" Iida complained. "I am appalled by your foul mouth, Bakugo-san!"

"What a vulgar conversation…"

"Truly, a mad banquette of darkness."

He said it again!

And so on and so forth.

01:46 at U.A. High School – Unforeseen Simulation Joint

"Whoa!" Kaminari breathed. Izuku was inclined to share his sentiment. Most of their class had difficulties trying to close their mouths, really, faced with the truly enormous facility that was the USJ. Of course they'd known about the ridiculous amounts of funds U.A. had at its disposal beforehand (how else would the school be able to pull off the Entrance Exam, let alone events like the Sport Festival?) but… they'd known, and nothing more. They'd known about the kind of stuff U.A. was famous for, but it was one thing to know that there was a reality out there in which students trained in custom-designed, state-of-the-art facilities. It was another to have that reality slap you in the face, rip off your arms and use them to bash your brains out.

One part of the area looked like a fully burning city (never mind the way the venting system in here worked), another sported an artificial lake with what appeared to be a stricken ship in it, yet another resembled a mountain area… and of course there was also their teacher to be considered.

Izuku could have died a happy man now. "The Space Hero, Thirteen! They held the Number Eight spot in Japan's Hero rankings for three consecutive years before joining U.A.! A gentlemanly Hero specialized in rescue work! I've read every interview with him! Their Quirk, Black Hole, is-"

Katsuki put his elbow between Izuku's ribs with force, shutting him up. "I said quit the mumbling, Deku! You're freaking the small fries out!"

Then he noticed Deku staring at Thirteen, his expression concerned. All Might was conspicuously absent, and their teacher holding up three fingers during his talk with Aizawa confirmed his suspicions. Katsuki's eyes narrowed and he whispered, "All Might fucked up again, didn't he?"

While Izuku probably wouldn't have put it like this, he nodded. As All Might's time limit after passing on One For All four months ago had steadily declined; he only had about two and a half hours a day in which he could use the muscle form. And it seemed he had used those up already.

All Might was the greatest Hero and the paragon of justice, but his skills with regards to setting priorities left much to be desired.

Thirteen then started to speak. "Before we get started, I have one or two points." They hesitated. "No, make that three… or four? Maybe…"

Seems like we're in for lots of points…

Finally though Thirteen launched their speech. "So. May I ask if anyone of you is familiar with the name 'Aerated'?"

"That villain from a few years ago?", Sato asked. "With that weird poison Quirk?"

Thirteen nodded. "An… immigrant from America, of sorts. Real name: Acy Dosis. She'd been a member of Draught up until the group's disbandment and settled over to Japan in the aftermath with the goal of starting her own group. In which she was quite successful, I might add. Only a month after her first confirmed sighting she'd brought organized crime around Kantonika Ward under her control and was expanding rapidly, usurping known local criminals who had been active in the area for decades. How did she accomplish that, I ask you?"

Heads turned towards Izuku, but Yaoyorozu beat him to it this time. "Aerated's Quirk allowed her to poison and subsequently kill everyone around her in a certain radius. It allowed her to single out enemy leaders with impunity because no one would risk getting near her and she would usually be accompanied by three of her subordinates with shielding abilities capable of fending off long-range Quirks. After taking out the leader she'd assimilate the group's underlings, who she was known to treat well even if they had done battle against her beforehand."

Thirteen nodded. "You know your history. Just like that, Kantonika had a crime lord. One with a seemingly invisible, invincible Quirk that projected a kill aura around her if she so chose. Now, my question to you: What do you think her Quirk specifically was? Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Iida, please remain silent. I would like to get your classmates' opinions. No, Bakugo, not you either. Does anyone else have an idea? Don't worry about being correct, just say what comes to mind."

Silence. Then Uraraka frowned. "Wasn't it like you and Sato-kun just said?" she asked. "She had some kind of really powerful area-of-effect Gas Quirk?"

Hesitant agreement from the others. But then Mineta of all people disagreed. "But if she did, how come she never poisoned her own minions? Those guys who protected her from the long-rangers must've stayed inside that kill zone; they'd have gotten mobbed otherwise. I don't think they'd have been able to shield themselves and their boss at the same time, right?"

"I also recall that she was known to focus on single individuals in her aura, instead of just killing everyone around her," Shoji added. "It must have been more precise than a simple gas cloud."

"Alright then," Sero said and shrugged. "How about this: She used microbes that she could, uh, remote control if they were close enough. That way she could choose whether people died or not."

There was some more discussion about the specifics of the Quirk, but in general most of them agreed with Sero's general idea. It was an unfair question anyway; how were they supposed to figure out the exact specifics of how the villain's Quirk had killed people? It wasn't like it mattered to the dead anymore, and apparently Aerated had died a few months ago, so it didn't matter all that much to the living either.

"Is that your final answer?" Thirteen asked and, after receiving confirmation, said, "Now, it should not come as a big surprise that you are wrong. I asked that to prove a point, after all." They sighed. "Specifically, Aerated's Quirk was not an overwhelmingly powerful ability like what you suggested. Remotely controlled pathogens? It would have drawn the attention of the Top Heroes in less than a week, no matter what other problems they might have had to deal with. No. In fact, Aerated's ability was… weak." She ignored the incredulous expressions around her as she turned to Izuku. "Midoriya. I heard you are a Quirk enthusiast. Would you care to present us with a short breakdown of Aerated's Quirk?"

Izuku nodded. "Sure. The Quirk was named Carbonate. It allowed her to… uh, well. To carbonate liquids."

"Wait, what?" The shout had come from more than one person. His classmates looked at him with a mixture of bewilderment and indignation.

"Hold on a second," Sero said slowly. "You mean, that villain who came this close to killing Crust before she was knocked out… had the power to, what, create fizzy drinks?"

A few people laughed, but Izuku nodded without as much as a hint of a smile. "Essentially, yes. She could imbue any liquid in a certain radius around herself with carbon dioxide."

"Bullshit," someone whispered. But Izuku shook his head.

"Blood."

And there was silence. "She… she could do it with blood," he continued. "Her Quirk… wasn't limited to water. She carbonated people's blood until the carbonic acid exceeded the critical point and they collapsed due to acidosis."

No one really knew what to say to that, but that was where Thirteen nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Midoriya. Now, everyone. You might not believe it, but it's true. That was Aerated's power. A Quirk generally thought of as useless or at least highly situational, which was then turned into a weapon of mass destruction because its wielder was just a little craftier than ordinary citizens. And that is what I want to make clear to you all." They gave all of them a grave look. "There is no such thing as a 'harmless Quirk'. It doesn't exist. You may laugh. You may ask, how much damage could someone possibly cause with a power that amounts to a party trick at best? But before you do, take one look at a history book. Dervish. The Mother of Libraries. Isomer. Scintillant. Vaskaria of Wheels. The Small One. History is full of cases where seemingly minor abilities were twisted beyond recognition until they were powerful tools befitting villains of any rank."

"B-but…" Kaminari hesitated. "But what's the take home message there? I mean, I get that sufficiently advanced psychopathy is indistinguishable from genius or something like that, and my mom's told me some stories from work, so I know how bad people can get even with low-tier Quirks, but… what does that have to do with rescue training? If it's okay to ask."

"It is okay," Thirteen said, "and it is a formidable question as well. The answer to it is simple, deceptively so. Before the advent of Quirks – no, even during the time of the First Generation of Quirk holders – you would have needed a sizeable army to emulate the destruction a natural disaster is capable of, if you were inclined to. That, or certain truly powerful weapons. You couldn't achieve any of this," they gestured around USJ's numerous zones, "on your own, without weapons. And we do not allow people to walk around with bags full of grenades, do we? At least, that's how it used to be. And then the Second Generation of Quirks developed and with it came the end of that certainty. Why? Because it brought forth Quirks with the potential to cause the kind of wide-scale destruction you can see here by the dozens. In the present day I daresay you'd find at least one individual per street who wields one. And that's a conservative estimation. Now, if you only keep in mind one sentence from today's lesson, it would be this: That most of those people don't use their powers to this effect is not a given. It could change. Anytime. Japan is often criticized for its strict Quirk Regulation Law, but consider this: On average, twenty percent of the disasters that require the attention of specialized Rescue Heroes – that is to say, cases big or delicate enough that generalist Heroes are unable to manage them on their own – are born of Quirk-related accidents. Not villain attacks or Evolutions, but accidents. A telekinetic losing his temper and damaging a construction site. A light manipulator attacking her unfaithful husband. A physical enhancer experiencing a seizure. They are not planned out. They are not predictable. And it might not even be the person's fault. But they happen. Every day. And when they do, people die. Because in this age, we do not need to carry around grenades anymore. Our own bodies contain weapons, some more effective than anything people in the pre-Quirk era could have devised. Remember this: It takes only one bad day. One wrong move. One unpredictable Quirk. For people to die."

The students were so quiet you could have dropped a needle and it would have stayed in the air in order to preserve the silence. Unbidden, memories of Lime came to Izuku's mind. Of the burning sensation of helplessness as the skin on Katsuki's hands had started to disintegrate.

For a short period of time the doctors hadn't been sure whether Katsuki could be allowed to use his Quirk again, and it had been the most horrible feeling imaginable. If Gentle hadn't intervened then…

"But if that goes for average people," Thirteen continued, "you are something else. You have Quirks that can destroy easily, without needing to find loopholes in the ways they work. You have come to U.A. with raw power and you have come to learn how to wield it. Hone it, even." They raised one of their hands, with the iconic thick caps on top of each finger. "I'm sure most of you are familiar with my Quirk, Black Hole. What do you think is easier for me, saving someone or killing them?" No one answered. They didn't need to. And so the Space Hero went on. "There are few, very few people whose Quirks are better suited to Heroism than to villainy. You might be able to name Friedefürst, the only S-Rank Hero with one of those. Aside from him, though? Not many. Not many at all. And with U.A.'s Entrance Exam being what it is," both Thirteen and Aizawa looked decidedly miffed there, "no one of you is likely to have one. Your abilities are dangerous. They can kill people. We are going to teach you how to use them more efficiently. We are going to teach you how to become more dangerous."

One for All. One of those punches could break a wall. And Matter Adaptation. He'd broken Katsuki's jaw with a copper fist once. Could he kill with those powers?

He could. Without a doubt. It wouldn't even be that difficult.

"During Aizawa's physical fitness test, you came to learn of your own hidden potential. Through All Might's battle training, you experienced a bit of the danger your respective Quirks can pose to others." Izuku surreptitiously looked over to Tokoyami, who was fully focused on the Hero, and thought about all the ways the fight against Todoroki might have gone differently.

"This class," Thirteen finally announced, "will show you a new perspective! You will learn how to utilize your Quirks to save lives. Because your powers are not meant to inflict harm. I hope you leave here today with the understanding that their purpose is to help people. For that is what you aim to be. That is what makes you Heroes instead of villains. And it will be an uphill battle for you. You'll fight people whose Quirks are every bit as powerful as yours and who aren't shackled by having to worry about civilian lives. You'll fight uncaring nature for which they are even less relevant than for villains. You'll fight time, in every situation, because every second wasted is a cost paid in blood. Rescue Training will take up more than a third of your practical exercise at U.A., and Rescue Training is what separates a Hero School from a Fight Club. That is all! I thank you for your listening."

For a few seconds, the students were stunned. Their hearts seemed to beat out of their chests. And then Koda started applauding. Hesitantly, softly… but noticeably. Jiro was slow in bringing her hands up to join him, as was Aoyama, and Izuku, and Yaoyorozu. But they did, one after another, until the whole class was clapping, whistling and shouting "Bravo!" (Iida again).

Aizawa just sighed and waited until the applause died down. "Great. Now that that's out of the way…"

And that's where it all went wrong.

Izuku's attention snapped to the black vortex that took shape at the giant fountain on the plaza below them. They even had a Teleportation user at U.A.? Amazi-

Then he froze. Aizawa had turned around, his eyes wide in alarm. And suddenly, Izuku was very afraid.

Slowly, a man emerged from the gate. His head and arms were covered in what appeared to be disembodied hands, and in his eyes lay something terrible.

"Huddle up and don't move!" Aizawa bellowed while putting on his goggles. "Thirteen! Protect the students!" Izuku's blood was ice. He couldn't move. His thoughts progressed at a snail's pace. Not again. Please, not again.

"Those are villains!"

The black mist that had formed the vortex now assembled itself to a vaguely humanoid shape with two yellow eyes that made it look like a corrupted version of Dark Shadow. "Thirteen… and Eraserhead, is it? According to the curriculum we received the other day, All Might is supposed to be here as well…"

The incident with the media… could it have been them? Izuku's eyes darted around. His classmates had started to snap out of their shocks and some were getting battle-ready. Sato inserted some candies, Mineta grabbed two of the spheres on his head, Jiro plugged in her Earphone Jacks. "No!" Thirteen shouted. "Don't pick a fight! All of you! You are to leave this place immediately!"

Simultaneously, the hand-man had started mumbling. "Where is he? We've come all this way, even called for a damn team-up… we assembled enough AD Carriers… so where the fuck is the final boss? All Might, where is he?"

All Might? What do they want with him?

The answer came swiftly and it came from behind them. They had hesitated for too long, lingering while Kaminari had unsuccessfully tried to get through to the school and Aizawa had rushed down to face the villains emerging from the portal. Then they'd wasted precious seconds watching their teacher's awe-inspiring fighting style. And then…

"Evacuation? I am afraid I cannot allow that."

The mist-like villain suddenly appeared at their backs, spreading out and separating them from the exit like a sinister fog bank.

"A good day to you all," he said. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but today, we have come here to U.A. High School, this bastion of Heroism," unnecessarily dramaturgic pause, "to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace."

Izuku stared at the villain. Blinked. Stared some more. He tried to grasp what he'd said, but the mere concept of it was so foreign to him that he couldn't seem to process it properly. Dumbly he repeated, "End All Might's life?"

"Precisely," the villain continued, voice impeccably courteous. "We were under the impression that he would be here today, but it seems his schedule was revised? Well… no matter."

Tungsten filled out Izuku's body to just below the skin. Was the villain going to attack? If yes, where? But wait. He stood alone in front of them, and if he was going to attack them with his Quirk, the best strategy would be-

"My role remains unchanged." With that, the black mist spread out around the class. Izuku barely held back Katsuki and saw Iida doing the same to Kirishima. "Think!" he hissed in his friend's ear. "And look!" True to his words, Thirteen had already taken action. Their Black Hole was quick to suck in the mist, weakening the villain at an alarming rate. It was a great counter, it really was. Only…

Only Izuku had figured it out now. He had gone through countless strategies, countless matchups of even the most outlandish Quirks. He could anticipate what the villain was about to do, what the logical move would be. He could anticipate it.

But not fast enough.

A portal formed behind the Space Hero and suddenly their suction power was turned against them. The Hero screamed in agony before slumping, their armor crumbling away like dust.

"Bad luck, it is," the villain stated, unaffected. "It seems Thirteen's focus on Rescue work came with a lack of combat experience. A pity, really. Now… where is the one she demanded? Ah, yes. Well then, I will fulfill my duty. That being, verbatim, 'to scatter you and torture you all to death'."

Izuku rushed forward, as did Kirishima, Katsuki and Todoroki, all pretenses forgotten as his skin turned glistening and crystalline. But it was already too late.

"Begone!" With that, the swirling black haze shot around them anew, covering them in a black dome. The fog was everywhere, obscuring their vision, suffocating and oppressive. Katsuki shouted an expletive as he and Kirishima were swallowed up by the mist. Izuku could do nothing but watch in horror, too slow, too slow, too slow. The fog villain's Quirk was Warp Gate, but they didn't know anything about its range – could he have thrown his friends into the ocean? Into a volcano? Then Kaminari, Koda and Aoyama disappeared to his left and he was powerless again. Then were Shoji, Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, Mineta, Todoroki…

Izuku looked around and jumped towards Tokoyami, whose Quirk had barely managed to prevent him from falling into a portal that'd opened directly underneath them. Only then… "I am deeply sorry, but this of all things is not acceptable."… the portal's size doubled, and it was non-substantial mist Izuku's hands touched before the two of them plunged into the vortex.

At the Ruins Zone…

Shoto reacted as soon the portal ejected him mid-air over the faux ruins.

Ironically he was lucky in that said portal was high enough for him to take countermeasures. Had he been teleported only three or four meters aboveground, he might have taken more serious damage. Like this? All it took was a quickly created ice chute. He slid down with practiced ease and faced the villains that had encircled his position, advancing on him from all directions. Shoto frowned. So the attack was planned and implemented well in advance… but you are no match for me.

He was even more right than he'd anticipated. The villains proved to be little more than common street thugs. Nuisances, really. Both their Quirks and their bodies were so underdeveloped that he mainly felt embarrassment while subduing them. Not one of them was able to avoid any of his attacks, so it took only about twenty seconds before all of them were encased in ice.

Then he became aware of some movement two blocks away from him. He quickly identified the other recommendation student, Yaoyorozu, who came over bearing a serious expression and a bo staff. "I dispatched another group over there. Were yours just ruffians as well?" Todoroki nodded curtly. "In that case, maybe we should question one of-"

"Waitaminute. U srsly wanna cut short the real fight? C'mon, u gotta be kidding me!"

Both of them whirled around, taken aback. Up the street, another villain had appeared, so quiet that they hadn't noticed him at all. And, though they couldn't have known it, both of them were thinking the same thing.

This one is not like the others.

At the Mountain Zone…

Katsuki grew increasingly irritated as he fended off yet another idiot who was stupid enough to try his luck at them. Him and Kirishima had already brought down around thirty other lowlifes and yet they kept coming. The two of them had brought themselves in a good position, at the top of the mountain, and were kicking down everyone who tried to reach them. So his problem didn't have anything to do with being overwhelmed. It had everything to do with the fact that they kept losing time! If those pushovers didn't sprout a brain soon and continued to attack, he'd blow one of them up for real! A villain attackat U.A. of all places, and he'd bet money that the dangerous ones were at the central plaza. That was where he was supposed to be – fighting the actual threats, not fucking around with wannabe chameleons!

Kirishima hurled a villain with blade arms off the mountain, his expression mirroring Katsuki's thoughts. "Seriously, don't these guys get it? This doesn't feel manly to me, really."

He nodded. "Oi, fuckwits! None of you is a match for us, so can it already! We've got other fish to fry! Got it? Fuck off already if you know what's good for you!"

"Să începem deci. I understand. I, too, like a good fried fish from time to time."

"What?" Suddenly, something came hurtling at him with high velocity and connected with his chest, sending him staggering backwards and off the mountain's edge. Only his quick reflexes prevented him from falling down to the villains.

As he propelled himself upwards again, Kirishima plummeted from the mountain top in a similar fashion, only that he didn't have explosions to catch himself.

Well, he did. But only because Katsuki caught him.

"Go… on a diet… Shitty Hair!" Navigating with one hand was impossible, as was getting up. The only thing he could accomplish with the rock that was Kirishima clinging to him was to slow down their fall, so when they landed it was without major bruises. They did get surrounded by eight or nine hoodlums, though, which meant he broke a bit of a sweat for ten seconds before all of them were unconscious. That was, until another high-speed projectile hit him in the stomach, making him double over in pain. "What in the name of fuck…?"

"Bună ziua, prieteni mea! Shall we begin?"

The projectile hovered in front of him, and Katsuki realized that it was a bone.

A. Fucking. Bone.

He stared at it incredulously. Was he going crazy? Nope, it really was there. A bone, probably a shinbone, blank and clean and with an ivory shine. A bone. Which had just attacked him.

Then his mind kicked back in and he looked around, scanning their surroundings for the motherfucker who'd ossaulted them.

He didn't have to wait long: Next to the mountain they'd just been knocked off of stood a figure wearing a brown cowl. The bone floated over to them and slid down under the heavy fabric, vanishing from their sights.

"The fuck you…"

The figure folded back their hood and revealed a bare skull with two greenish, chthonic lights shining from the eye sockets. "You desired a stronger opponent?" he spoke with a notable accent. Something East European. "Ce zici de mine?"

Oh, fuck me sideways.

At the Conflagration Zone…

The spy was transfixed with fear; fires blazed around them and heat clung to them like an arid blanket. Why? Why are they doing this? This can't be real. Please don't let it be real. "T-this wasn't part of the deal!"

"Well, that's true. The thing is… the deal has changed, hm?" In front of them stood a figure, grotesquely short next to the tall Shoji. He wore an attire resembling a clichéd French musketeer, with an épée and a plume hat that cast a shadow over his expression. His right hand rested on Shoji's forehead and the boy's eyes were shrouded over in horror.

"Oh dear," the villain said mockingly, in a voice that was silk but seemed like nails on a chalkboard to the spy. "Such a poor boy, really. Steadfast and full of the right ideals, and yet he got nothing but tough luck all his life. It gave him a lot of fears, at least… say, how many minutes do you give him before his mind can't take it anymore?"

"What do you want?" the spy shouted, blinking away the tears. "You said you'd leave me alone if I gave you the stupid schedule! And I did! So… why are you… you promised!"

Their counterpart chuckled. Then, he began laughing. "Oh my… haha… oh, you, you are just too funny… pfft… HAHAHAHA!"

"What's so funny?" the spy asked angrily.

The other one composed himself with difficulty, still chuckling.

At the Landslide Zone…

Hagakure set her steps carefully, slowly, and anxiously. The villains scattered over the field couldn't find her. They weren't going to notice her. They were wary after the portal had opened seemingly without someone stepping through it. But still – they weren't going notice her! They weren't.

Quiet, quiet, quiet. Her whole life she'd been quiet. It was second nature to her. But she was afraid. No, afraid didn't even begin to describe it. She was wholeheartedly, completely terrified. Her muscles felt like stone spires after yesterday's training. Her body ached. Her arms gave her hell. She couldn't move with the smoothness she was accustomed to and she knew that if the villains spotted her she wouldn't stand much of a chance. But she didn't have a choice. So go. Slowly, quietly, as quietly as possible. Don't make a sound.

But then! A flash of light in the distance, on the other side of the faux landslide. The villains looked around in confusion before heading towards the beam's origin, as did Hagakure, for she'd recognized it. And when she arrived at the slight incline of the battlefield she could've cried in relief. Asui, Mineta and Aoyama were there and fighting. And their opponents were notably weaker than she'd feared, if the two dozens of passed-out gangster were any indication, with more joining them by the second. As she watched Asui grabbed Mineta with her tongue and pinwheeled around while the grape boy hurled his spheres in all directions, trapping four villains at a stroke. At the same time Aoyama's laser hit two incoming thugs with pinpoint accuracy, felling them instantly.

Hagakure ran up to them in a mad dash, shoving three villains on Mineta's traps on her way before reaching them. "Hey… guys!" she wheezed and despised how winded she sounded, because she felt winded, already, even though she hadn't thrown a single punch yet.

"Hi, Hagakure-chan. Good that you found us. There doesn't seem to be a limit on these thugs, even if they seem fairly low-level. Ribbit."

And because Asui had challenged the gods of irony, that was the moment where it all came crashing down.

"You see, you're probably right. Those pushovers aren't much of a hindrance for you."

It was a woman's voice, loud, clear, commanding, and suddenly a surge of killing intent rushed over them like a torrent, freezing them in place like rabbits faced with the hawk.

Where? Over there. The half-buried house. On the roof.

A person.

"Gluttony is a sin. I'm your judge today, you see?"

At the Downpour Zone…

Izuku and Tokoyami fell down in a heap with Dark Shadow cushioning their fall. A bit dazed but nevertheless wary, Tokoyami pushed himself up and looked around.

"Midoriya-san. It seems Fortuna's wheel spun in our favor."

As Izuku rose, he could see what he meant. Dark Shadow had grown to four times his height, eyeing their surroundings and brandishing his claws. Their environment was gloomy, so the Quirk should be able to… well, not shine, but… darken? What was the chuunibyou equivalent to shining? He'd think about it later.

And then he breathed in relief a second time, because he could see the ceiling of a giant dome over their heads. They were still at USJ. So the teleportation didn't have unlimited range. That's good. We'll just have to make it back to the entrance and then we can… wait a second. Something's off.

Yes. Something was off. Tokoyami seemed to think similarly, as he had yet to move, his eyes darting over the empty holes in the surrounding buildings instead.

Then Izuku realized it.

"Why isn't anybody here?"

It may have sounded weird, being bothered by that, but… this was a coordinated attack. The intruders were prescient enough to gather intel and to find someone who could shut down the building's security, they were resourceful enough to assemble enough villains to stall Eraserhead, and the three ringleaders seemed more than just a little capable. There was no way they'd be so careless and just teleport students less than two hundred meters away, into a facility they'd barely need more than a few minutes to get out of. He could even hear the fighting outside, if he listened hard enough.

There was no way.

Unless…

A noise from above. Flashing light. Heat. Someone pushing him aside. Someone screamed. Who? He himself? A silhouette of something flying over them. Darkness. Pain. More light, more heat. Then darkness. A crashing sound. Dark Shadow howling. More crashing. Something grazed his side. A cone of light in front of him, so bright it seemed to sear itself into his retinas. Darkness again.

Izuku was disorientated. The fourth attack would've hit him if it wasn't for Dark Shadow, who picked him up and pulled him into an alleyway. His vision was full of fuzzy blotches, grey and white and black and pink (whyever). He couldn't see clearly. The rain was cold on his skin. It pattered on the ground and masked their opponent's movements. Someone was talking.

"No… that's not possible. Not here… not her… not now. It can't be. It can't. No! I'm in control. I'm in control!"

Dark Shadow had started casting spikes and tendrils, his eyes bearing the slightest hint of orange. As Tokoyami struggled to keep himself together, Izuku did something he disliked under normal circumstances. He turned over to where the voice was, grabbed his classmate – his friend, Tokoyami was his friend – by the shoulders and made him look straight at himself, doing his best to smile despite the mask that concealed the lower half of his face and hoping their eyes were meeting.

"Tokoyami-san! Everything will be alright! I won't let you come to harm! Don't worry! I'm here!"

Slowly, the blotches were diminishing again and so he could see the suppressed panic in Tokoyami's eyes. They told him that something terrible was out there, and that it wouldn't be long until it found them.

At the Flood Zone…

Kyoka, Kaminari and Koda got up after a moment of hesitation. At least the portal had deposited them above the ship instead of the water where they could see the villains lurking. Kyoka suppressed a shudder. That could've turned out shit. "Alright, except for these fifteen-second introductions from yesterday we don't really know much about each other's Quirks. And those guys don't seem like they'll waltz around long," she stated. She was proud of how level her voice was. You'd need her hearing to pick up on the trembling in it. "I mainly rely on directed soundwaves for attacks, but I'm not sure how well that'd work in the water. And I bet the villains all have Quirks suited for water combat, so I'm not about to go down there and test it out. That said… you got anything that could be of use? I'm open for suggestions."

Koda closed his eyes for a while before reluctantly shaking his head. No animals nearby, he signed.

"Yeah, same here." Kaminari sighed. "I can only emit electricity, I can't control it. So unless I got to touch them, I wouldn't-"

Suddenly the expressions the two other inhabitants of the boat bore became very unnerving. They looked at each other, nodded once and then smiled at him.

A few seconds after that a scream echoed from the Flood Zone. A flash of yellowish light blazed over the area, then there was silence.

"…alright," Kyoka said. "If the others have it as easy as this, it's gonna be a dadrock festival."

A/N: Aaand that's it for today's chapter! Hope you liked it!

OCs incoming, as you may have noticed. Why you ask? Well, that's simple. In my opinion, the USJ arc felt always kind of… well, off, for me. I mean, come on! A supervillain like All for One with genetically modified humans and whatnot at his disposal, and he gives Shigaraki two strong companions and a bunch of small fries to invade Japan's top Hero School? Seriously? If he wanted his little student to gain some experience, he could've at least ensured he makes it back. That encounter could've easily ended with Shigaraki captured, really. Also, no offense, but I don't buy them underestimating the students. Not U.A.'s in any case.

So sorry, folks, but we ain't havin' no pushovers in 'ere, so better be prepared! And if OCs are not for you, just… er, well, don't read the next couple of chapters, I guess? Still, as stated in chapter 1, the OCs are not the main focus of this story. But they're not the first in it and they won't be the last.

Next time: Todoroki and Yaoyorozu team up against a most dastardly danger to spellchecking! The spy learns something from their unfriendly neighborhood villain, and ShojiSuffering™ (sorry Shoji. I still love you)!

Again, constructive criticism is welcome, flames aren't. Also, if the Romanian is off, please let me know.

Remember to go beyond…

PLUS ULTRA!

Ramses, over and out.