AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, everyone!
Izuku knew that the first week would be eventful as they learned all aspects of being a hero, and that was going to continue today with their mini-field trip.
Once they were done with lunch, he and the other boys went to the locker room to change, eager to start their afternoon. As Izuku opened his case and stared at the empty spot in it he let out a soft sigh. While most of his suit had survived, his helmet had to be shipped off campus for proper repairs. The USJ would be a perfect place to test his helmet to see how it held up in different environments!
Maybe next trip.
Once everyone was assembled in the parking lot, Izuku directed his classmates onto the bus. Once everyone was accounted for, he and Yaoyorozu boarded last, and Izuku found that his friends had saved him a seat in the middle. Giving them a grateful smile, he slid into the seat next to Tenya right before the bus started moving.
It didn't take long for the students to break down into conversation, and they had barely gotten off the starting line when Ashido turned around in her seat.
"You're really excited about this class, aren't you Uraraka?"
"Yep!" Ochako replied as she pumped her fists in the air. "I want to be a rescue hero when we graduate. And Thirteen's one of the best! There's no better hero to learn from!" She flashed a bright smile at her classmate.
"I'm a little surprised," Ashido admitted. "I can't think of many dedicated rescue heroes."
"That's because their job isn't as glamorous," Izuku pointed out. His eyes darted to Bakugo, wondering if his classmate would interject with his own opinions on heroics.
"More like they're not good enough," Bakugo scoffed. "Who cares about a bunch of heroes who can't take down bad guys?"
"There's more to being a hero than fighting!" Ochako snapped back.
"Oh yeah? Then why don't we hear about them more often?"
"Contrary to your belief," Aizawa finally spoke up. "Sometimes it's more about what happens before the cameras start rolling… or after they turn off."
"Tch, is that how the underground heroes justify it?" Katsuki asked.
"Underground heroes?" Ashido asked as she looked toward the front of the bus.
"You don't know?" Izuku asked his classmate, only for the pink-skinned girl to shake her head. "Aizawa is the hero Eraserhead!"
"I see now," Todoroki mused from behind Izuku. "He specializes in ambushes and takedowns, often dealing with villains before they get a chance to act."
"I knew it!" Bakugo had a satisfied look on his face before he turned towards Ochako. "See? You'd be holding yourself back if you focused on rescue. You're all but admitting your quirk is weak."
"Don't listen to him," Izuku sighed as he turned toward the gravity girl.
"I'm not," Ochako growled as she folded her arms and intentionally turned her head away from Bakugo. "My quirk is meant to help people and that's what I intend to do with it!"
"I can totally see it!" Mina agreed. "Your quirk would be great for clearing debris and preventing buildings from collapsing!"
"Yep!" Ochako said far too loudly.
This sparked a conversation among most of Izuku's classmates where they discussed the pros and cons of each of the hero styles as it applied to them. Izuku let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and turned toward the gravity girl, but Tsuyu was faster.
"Speaking of the different styles of heroes," the frog mutant began. "Is there a reason you fight like All Might?"
"Actually yeah…" Izuku laughed nervously. "I'm kind of a fan of All Might?"
Nearby, Ochako could be heard giggling. "Kind of? I've seen your room Dekkun!"
"Ehe. ANYWAYS when my quirk manifested I… didn't exactly have a lot of time to figure out how to use it so I just sort of… copied his style?" Izuku saw Tsuyu was still staring impassively at him and wished he could get a read on her, especially since this was an important part of his cover story. "His style was actually really easy to replicate with my enhancement quirk – at least it feels that way! So I just kept using it?"
"I see, kero," Tsuyu croaked.
"Don't you want to have your own signature moves though?" Kirishima asked. "So people think about you as well, you and not as just another All Might? I mean, I want people to know I'm inspired by Crimson Riot! But I also want people to know I'm my own hero too, you know?"
"Of course!" Izuku said far too quickly. "But isn't that what we're here for? To figure that out? Besides…" Izuku looked down at his gloved hands. "You've all had years to figure out how your quirk works."
"You're learning fast though!" Ochako insisted. "I'm sure you'll catch up in no time!"
"Thanks, Uraraka."
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Tsuyu changed the topic of conversation, but Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. It was almost like the girl was searching for something, but he couldn't figure out what.
He just hoped it was his imagination.
The trip passed quickly and before they knew it, the bus had stopped in front of the massive facility. Under Izuku and Yaoyorozu's instruction the students of 1-A quickly exited the bus and followed Aizawa into the facility, where they were greeted by the rescue hero, Thirteen.
"Isn't All Might supposed to join us?" Aizawa asked as he walked over to his fellow teacher.
"He's tied up with paperwork," Thirteen replied, signaling the true answer with hand gestures. Thanks to his practice with Himiko, Izuku picked up the basic meaning behind her signs. All Might had spent far too much time helping people around Mustafu earlier and was near his limit.
"What a pain," Aizawa sighed as he reached his fellow teacher.
"He sent a message earlier saying he hoped to join us later for part of the class, at least."
"No point in waiting then," Aizawa grumbled before he spun around to face his students. "Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. So far you've been figuring out how to use your quirks to fight villains. Today there are no villains to fight. Instead, you'll be learning how to use your quirks in other ways."
Aizawa gestured to Thirteen, who stepped forward and bowed with a flourish. "I am Thirteen, the instructor in charge of the USJ." She held up a remote and with the press of a button, a holographic map of the facility appeared. "This facility has six different environments and is designed to simulate some of the most common disasters you will encounter here in Japan."
The hero then went on to explain both how the facility works and how the students would be using it for the afternoon. When they were done they waited patiently to see if anyone had questions, before they continued.
"One final word of advice before we begin," The hero began as they scanned over the class. "As some of you may know, my quirk lets me generate a black hole from my hands." The hero held up a gloved hand, and despite their steady tone, the class could feel the weight behind their words. "If I chose to turn this against another person, you can imagine what it would do to them. Instead, I decided to use my quirk to save lives. How you use your quirk is just as important as what your quirk is capable of."
"At the end of the day," Aizawa added, "As a hero, your job is to save lives. That doesn't always mean defeating a villain." He shot a glare at Bakugo as if to emphasize the lesson. "For the next three years, we aren't teaching you how to defeat villains, but how to save lives. Remember that."
When Aizawa finished, everyone heard a clapping sound coming from the base of the stairs. Quickly turning around, the two heroes and twenty students saw a smokey black portal. And in front of it were two people: the first was a gaunt figure covered in pale, preserved hands, and the second was a tall figure in a server's uniform surrounded by a thick black mist.
"What a wonderful cutscene!" The gaunt figure called out. "Too bad it was delivered to a group of NPCs."
"Sensei…" One of the students called. "Who's that?"
"I'm glad you asked," The gaunt figure bowed. "My name is Tomura Shigaraki, head of the League of Villains. Today we're going to announce ourselves to the world…" He stood up straight, and even beneath the mask glimpses of a manic smile could be seen. "...by killing All Might."
While a third of the class looked confused, all it took was one look at Aizawa to know that this wasn't some script or ruse.
This was real.
"But I don't see All Might," Shigaraki complained as he stepped forward and scratched his neck. "The schedule we stole yesterday said he was supposed to be here!"
"Sorry, but we're not going to cater to some villains with delusions of grandeur," Aizawa shot back.
"Very well, we'll just have to show we're serious," Shigaraki sounded almost resigned as he glanced over at his companion. "I guess we'll just have to kill these NPCs then."
As the students on the dais watched in horror, more black portals appeared as seemingly dozens of villains stepped out.
"Sekigai–" Aizawa called out.
"Already on it," Kashiko replied curtly, her arm already raised and displaying a map of the USJ. As Izuku watched, he saw her eyes go wide, panic and horror filling them as her Chart gave her a better picture of the forces arrayed against them. Her head shot up to look at the teacher. "There's about eighty villains! Spread out across the facility!"
"Denki, can you contact anyone at UA?"
"I've been trying," Izuku's electric classmate admitted. "But someone's jamming us!"
Aizawa sighed and loosened his capture scarf, revealing a pair of goggles hidden within. "Thirteen, you know what you need to do."
"Of course," his fellow teacher replied. "Will you be okay?"
"Just make sure they get out."
As the students watched, Aizawa leaped down the stairs, knocking a villain down as he landed on top of them before he regained his footing and engaged three nearby opponents at once.
Not wasting any time, Thirteen jogged over to the students gathered around Kashiko as they tried to understand the readings on her Chart. "Only a few of you are prepared to take on villains yet. Our first priority is to retreat and let the other teachers know what's happening," The teacher pointed toward the door. "Let's fall back. The sooner we escape the sooner we can help Eraserhead."
"Right," Izuku said as he straightened up and looked over to Yaoyorozu, "Let's go. Everyone stay close to Thirteen!"
As one the class began to move, but they barely got halfway to the massive double doors when they saw the same black smoke congeal in front of them, and the mysterious mist-covered figure stepped out.
"I'm so sorry, but even if the main event isn't happening, I cannot allow you to leave."
"Like hell if you think you can stop us!" Bakugo roared as he charged forward. As soon as he was clear of his classmates he fired a pair of explosions to propel himself faster. His actions appeared to inspire Kirishima as well, who was hot on his heels as he charged toward the villain.
For a brief moment, Izuku wondered if Bakugo would succeed as he held his hand in front of him and hit the mist-shrouded figure with an explosion, disrupting his form as the mist scattered away from the blast. That hope was short-lived, however, as Bakugo's attack dissipated and the black cloud snapped back into its original shape.
The eyes of the mysterious figure narrowed as he looked at the student in front of him. "What a nuisance," With a dismissive wave of his hand, a patch of black fog stretched out in front of him, and as Izuku and his classmates watched both Bakugo and Kirishima were pulled into the portal and sent elsewhere.
"Now then, before I was rudely interrupted." The figure placed a hand on his chest and gave a polite bow. "I am Kurogiri of the League of Villains. I've been instructed to ensure that nobody leaves. Now, would you please be good guests and enjoy everything we have to offer you."
As he spoke the black fog that was on the ground stretched and expanded as it raced toward the remaining students.
"Everybody watch out!" Izuku yelled as he leapt out of the way of a black portal that tried to trap him. He was on high alert as he looked at his classmates and saw several were trying to escape the fog as well.
He also noted grimly that several students were missing – and others weren't going to make it in time.
Calling upon One For All, he put five percent of its power into his legs as he took a standing leap across the sea of fog and shoved Ashido and Hanta out of the way, saving them from an encroaching portal. Unfortunately, he misjudged his landing, and he landed at the edge of an open portal, his momentum threatening to send him into the black abyss below – and the unknown destination beyond.
"Midoriya!" Kashiko's voice could be heard from nearby.
Izuku felt a pair of hands wrap around his left arm, but it was too late – the black portal continued to widen, and Izuku felt himself falling, his classmate getting dragged in after him.
Seconds later Izuku found himself racing toward a lake of water. At least Kashiko seemed to recognize the inherent danger of staying attached to him and let go. He impacted with enough force to momentarily daze him, and by the time he shook himself out of it, he was already underwater. He began to orient himself and look around, spotting Kashiko nearby as she did the same.
And then they saw a shark mutant circling around them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Kashiko panic, her mouth open as she started flailing in fear. Not that he was doing much better – he was pretty sure his concern for her was the only thing overriding his own fear at the moment.
Fortunately, salvation came in the form of their classmate as Tsuyu slammed into the side of the villain. Her leg shot out and she kicked him in the face with practiced ease, making Izuku wonder where she learned such a move. Opening her mouth, her tongue flew out and wrapped around Kashiko, before her eyes made contact with Izuku. She pointed upward with a free hand and Izuku nodded in understanding before she rocketed toward the surface, carrying their classmate in her wake.
Izuku followed much more slowly, breaking the surface long after the two girls had left. He looked around to get a sense of things only to feel a massive tongue wrap around his waist. His head jerked up in surprise and relaxed slightly as he saw his friend soaring overhead. She landed in the water several feet away from him and pointed towards the ship on the lake. Realizing what was about to happen, he gave her a thumbs-up before she leaped out of the water, dragging him along with her.
As they soared through the air Izuku saw several villains floating in the lake before the deck of the ship rushed up to meet him. He landed with far less dignity than he would have liked, but he recovered quickly and stood up to face his classmates.
"This-this is bad," Kashiko said as she looked out over the water. Izuku could tell she was breathing heavily, and not because of taking in lungfuls of water earlier.
"Sekigai," Izuku said as he approached her. "Breathe. We can get through this."
"How-" Kashiko turned towards Izuku, and he could see the fear in her eyes. "How're you so calm right now? This- This is real!"
"Ehe," Izuku gave her a nervous smile. "It helps that I've seen a few villain attacks up close." He looked out to the water. "The truth is I'm terrified, but I want– no, need to keep smiling."
"W-why?!" Kashiko's eyes went wide at the confession.
"A hero once told me that he tries to smile no matter what. And whenever he's scared or hurting, he smiles more. Because he doesn't want the villains to know how he is really feeling. And he wants the civilians to feel safe because he is there."
"Huh," Kashiko closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. When she opened them she appeared much more in control of her emotions. "All Might told you that huh?"
"Hu-how?!" Izuku backpedaled defensively.
Kashiko giggled at that. "You're so easy to read sometimes."
"Kero," Tsuyu agreed from the side.
"I–" Izuku held his hands up "C-can we talk about that later? And maybe not mention that to our classmates…"
"Of course," Kashiko said as she forced herself to smile. "Thank you."
"So what are we going to do, kero," Tsuyu asked, returning their attention to the problem at hand.
"Right," Kashiko held up her left arm and brought up her Chart. "It looks like there's about ten villains in the water around us in the water."
"What about our classmates," Izuku asked as he peered over her shoulder.
"They're scattered around," She continued. "It looks like a group managed to stay by the entrance as well. And Aizawa…" She clicked on an Icon and a small display appeared. Eyes narrowing in concentration, she began to read the colors and symbols that were a mystery to Izuku. "...is still holding his own! He's getting worn down though – I'm not sure how much longer he can keep this up."
"We need to help him!" Izuku said as he pulled back.
"What about retreating?" Tsuyu asked.
Izuku gestured towards the cluster of lights by the entrance. "There's only one villain there and about a third of our class. They're in a better position to escape than us."
"Midoriya's right," Kashiko agreed. "Aizawa won't be able to hold out long enough for us to help at the entrance. Besides… they don't know about our quirks."
"You caught that too?"
"If they knew they would have sent me to the conflagration or landslide zone, kero," Tsuyu added. "Instead they sent me here." Closing her eyes, she let out a soft croak. "As much as I don't like it, you're right. We should go help Aizawa and trust our classmates."
"Thanks, guys," Izuku gave them a wet smile as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "Now we just have to–"
Izuku was cut off as the boat shuddered underneath them before the deck tilted at an angle.
"They–" Kashiko's eyes went wide. "They cut the ship in half!"
"That takes a lot of power," Izuku's own eyes went wide. "We've gotta get out of here."
"But how?"
"I can get us away, but how will we keep them from following us?" Tsuyu asked.
Izuku looked down at his hands.
A lot of power huh… but if I do that…
"Do I have a choice?"
"Huh?"
Izuku blinked and felt his cheeks heating up as he realized he was talking out loud. "M-my quirk. I can hit the water with enough force to cause a shockwave. It'll be enough to disorient the villains long enough for us to escape…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Hopefully."
"Won't that hurt you though?" Tsuyu asked.
"Yeah," Izuku admitted nervously. "I'll break my hand but…" He looked at the other two. "...what other choice do I have?"
Both girls looked like they wanted to protest but another shudder reminded them that they only had a few seconds to come up with an alternate solution. Finally, Tsuyu shook her head. "What's your plan?"
"I um," Izuku pointed over the deck. "I'm gonna jump and punch the water, and then I'm gonna let you catch me with your tongue?"
"That's your plan?" Kashiko asked in disbelief.
"I can do that, kero," Tsuyu turned to her other classmate. "Mind if I carry you?"
"Oh– No," Kashiko shook her head. Walking over to the other girl she let out a small squeak as she was picked up and held in a princess carry. She turned to look at Izuku. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Izuku said nervously as he gave them a broken smile. Taking a deep breath he looked at the frog mutant. "Ready?"
"Kero," Tsuyu nodded.
"Here goes nothing," Izuku said, mostly to himself, before he charged One For All. Taking a deep breath, he pushed its energy into his legs and jumped.
He felt the air against his face as he reached the apex of his jump before gravity reasserted itself and sent him racing toward the water. As he flipped himself upside-down, he saw several villains beginning to form a loose circle around his point of impact. They must have thought he missed his jump, he realized and thought he'd be easy prey.
Well, time to show them.
Extending his left arm forward, Izuku chambered his index and middle fingers and started channeling One For All's power. He felt a familiar stinging sensation as he summoned more and more energy, going beyond five percent… ten… twenty… one hundred percent. He felt his fingers stinging as the barely contained energy danced through the fingers, begging to be released.
Now
"Delaware Smash!" Izuku announced as he flicked his fingers.
The effect was immediate and even more than he could have hoped for. He felt his body lift from the massive backlash of force, his body temporarily suspended in the air as he saw the bottom of the lake – and a brand new impact crater that he just created. The water had all been shoved away by the force, forming a massive wall of water on all sides as time seemed to momentarily slow to a halt.
Izuku felt time start back up as he felt the sensation of Tsuyu's tongue wrap itself around his waist, carrying him forward as the water crashed down. The villains were helpless against the force, getting dragged along and colliding with each other, disorienting them and tangling them into a massive pile of limbs in the center of the lake as Tsuyu carried them to the shore.
Izuku felt the tongue retract as he hit the water. Quickly orienting himself, he slowly paddled toward her as she landed on the nearby shore. Once Kashiko verified that they hadn't been followed, Izuku offered his hands to the girls.
"Midoriya!" Kashiko gasped at the sight.
"So this is what happens when you go all out, kero."
The two fingers of Izuku's gloves were gone, revealing the blackened and swollen digits underneath, the fingers resting at an odd angle.
As gently as they could, Kashiko held Izuku's arm steady while Tsuyu retrieved a pair of splints and tape from her costume. Izuku bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out - he knew the girls were trying to be quick and gentle, but they were still bandaging broken fingers in the middle of a battlefield.
Once she finished, Tsuyu finally looked up, her eyes meeting Izuku's. "I'm starting to wonder who, between you and your sister, is scarier." She then gave Izuku what he thought was the close approximation of a smile. "And I'm glad you're on our side."
AN: As a head's up, I'm considering stopping updates and removing my stories from FFN. Recently there has been a wave of youtube channels that has been stealing stories from this site, running them through a text-to-speech filter, and posting them on youtube and profiting off of the efforts of fanfic authors. So far I've found three cases of this with my own stories as well as a dozen other cases among my friends, and they all point to FFN as the source.
While I haven't made a final decision yet, I did want to make everyone aware that you may have to migrate to another platform if you want to continue reading this and my other stories.