Hey, thanks to everyone for the kind words! It means a lot that you guys care. I want to clarify that I wasn't hurt by the string of guest comments, more like amused. I found it fun. So, thank you again, and let's begin the next part.
Issue #8: It Happened on A Wednesday
Class 1-A sat down and waited. The familiar slamming of the door notified them that Aizawa was here. It was standard procedure as usual for the next generation of Heroes.
"Normally, you would be waiting for your Heroics teacher to come in now," Aizawa said. "Today's lesson will be different. You will be focusing on rescue missions."
That raised some excited chatter in the class.
"Since we lack the proper facilities to have it here, we will be transported to separate location." Aizawa paused for a moment. "This means a field trip."
Almost half of the class erupted in cheers. Even in Hero School, field trips were something to look forward to.
Kaminari raised his hand. "Please tell us we won't have to do schoolwork while on the trip."
"The field trip is the schoolwork." Aizawa stated. The enthusiasm died down a bit.
"For this trip, you can either change into your gym uniforms or your Hero costumes." Aizawa continued. "However, I would personally recommend you go with your costumes. The more accustomed you are to your suits, the more you will grow. Midoriya, since your costume is still under repair from last time, you will have to go with your gym clothes."
Izuku was still upset over how his costume got damaged during the battle trail. That suit was from his mom. He may not have thought it was the best, but it was still sentimental. At least he could redesign it to have more defense options.
"You have twenty minutes to change and meet up outside in the courtyard for the bus. Do not be late." Aizawa ordered.
The rest of the class changed and met up in the courtyard like Aizawa ordered. Meanwhile, Iida was trying to get everyone in line.
"Iida made seating charts?" Uraraka turned to Yaoyorozu. "Isn't that, like, your job or something?"
"Iida offered to make them when we were first told about the field trips," the Class Rep responded. "He was…very enthusiastic."
Iida managed to round up the class into forming a straight line. It was like herding cats, if the cats were super-powered teenagers more excited to use their powers than follow rules. However, Iida's satisfaction turned to despair over seeing the interior of the buses. See, instead of the normal school buses one would think of, UA decided to rent out or buy public transport-styled buses. Meaning that Iida's carefully crafted seating chart was for naught.
The students and Aizawa pilled in with Aizawa taking the seat closest to the driver. Izuku sat near the back along with seven other students. To his right was a tall muscular boy wearing a yellow bodysuit that left his eyes, nose, and the area around his mouth open. He wore white gloves, boots, and a belt. Izuku remembered his last name was Sato, at least. To Izuku's left was the frog girl, Asui, and the red-haired, spiky guy, Kirishima. Across from Izuku, going left to right, was Kaminari, Aoyama, the pink girl with horns, Ashido, and a despondent Iida.
Most of the ride was filled with Hero gossip, theories on where they were going, who looked cool in what, and so on and so on. Izuku kept quietly to himself for the most part.
"Hey, Midoriya," Asui turned to face him. "You know I'm pretty honest when I talk to people, right?"
Izuku, startled, turned to meet her. "I-I mean, I guess." Izuku was usually paying more attention to her Quirk than her interactions with people. Man, he needed to work on his social skills.
"Wh-what do you want to know, Asui-?" Izuku stammered before Asui cut him off.
"Just call me Tsu. Everyone else already does."
"Ok, Tsu, what do you want to know?"
"Well, it's not really a question. More of a statement really." Tsu elaborated. "Midoriya, your Quirk is deceptively overpowered."
"Huh?" Izuku questioned.
"Well, besides the general gist of telekinesis, you can fly, make yourself tough and strong, freeze people in place like you did with Bakugo, and make really powerful blasts." Tsu explained.
"Yeah, didn't you do the same thing with the zero-pointer back in the entrance exam?" Sato asked.
Izuku shrugged nervously. "I don't know. I was sort of…out of it both times."
"Still, mad respect to Bakugo for taking your attack like that if it could wreck the zero-pointer like that," Kirishima added. "That was pretty manly."
"Yeah, I guess." Sato replied.
"Still, I wish I had a flashier Quirk like Bakugo, or you, Midoriya. All I can do is harden my skin and make it spiky."
"I mean, that's still a good Quirk," Izuku reassured. "You can shield people from debris while being strong enough to lift any rubble or fight against a Villain."
"Yeah, but I need something that makes me stand out more." Kirishima bemoaned.
"Besides, if anyone has the flashiest Quirk, it would be moi," Aoyama sparkled. "My Naval Laser practically calls to being a ray of elegance."
"Yeah, until you get a tummy ache for using it too long." Ashido teased.
This earned giggles from most of the audience.
"Speaking flashy Quirks, I would definitely say Bakugo and Todoroki are big candidates for future Top Ten Pros." Kirishima said. "You guys saw how Todoroki froze that warehouse. He's uber powerful!"
"Too bad we barely know anything about besides being 'Mister Ice Prince'," Ashido added.
"Plus, Bakugo is way too angry to be the Number One Hero," Tsu commented.
"What did you say about me, Frog Face?!" Bakugo yelled from up front.
"Yeah, too bad Bakugo has the charm of stinking dumpster fire!" Kaminari heckled, earning him some laughs.
"You think you're funny, Thunder Bolt?! Why don't you say that to my fist?!"
"Don't make me come back there." Aizawa warned from the front.
Bakugo turned back, and the noise died down. Izuku smiled, but on the inside, he was astounded. This would have never happened a year or two ago. Kacchan's Quirk and popularity made it so that everyone would be laughing with him and usually point their jeers at someone else, namely Izuku. Now, the situations were reversed. Kacchan was the fool, and Izuku was part of the crowd laughing at him. It felt, really weird…and sort of satisfying at the same time.
Eventually, the bus arrived at its destination. While Izuku was getting off the bus, he started to hear a quiet ringing noise in his ears. Uraraka noticed this and approached him as he stepped down from the door frame.
"Hey, are you okay? You look a bit light-headed." Uraraka asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Izuku reassured. "I probably got up too fast."
As the rest of the class made their way inside, the ringing never left Izuku.
Outside, the building was a massive opaque dome with silver color. Inside was just as impressive. Numerous different zones simulated natural disasters from ruined urban environments to landslides in rural areas. At the center stood a person wearing a bulky astronaut like suit.
"Oh my gosh, that's Thirteen!" Uraraka squealed with glee. "She's one of my favorites!"
The Space Hero herself waved to the class.
"Hi, kids! And welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or just the USJ for short." Thirteen greeted the class.
Several students made comments about how the acronym was very similar to Universal Studios Japan. Aizawa pulled Thirteen aside for a private conversation.
"Where's All Might?" Aizawa whispered. "He was supposed to be here already."
"He got caught up with some early morning Hero work," Thirteen replied. "I got a message that he's recovering in the teacher's lounge. I'm sure he'll be back shortly."
Aizawa sighed. "Fine. We'll pull double duty on supervising until he shows up."
Thirteen nodded as she turned her attention back to the class.
"Before we get into specifics, I want to bring a question to the class. Does anyone know what my Quirk is?" Thirteen asked the students before giving her own answer.
"My Quirk is called Black Hole. I can summon black holes at will through my suit. While it is incredibly useful for removing debris, it can also be extremely dangerous to civilians. Fighting Villains isn't the only way a Hero can use their Quirks."
Thirteen waved to the environments behind her. "The USJ was designed to simulate many disasters you will face in your future Hero careers. Our goal is to help you expand your Quirk and skills into rescue missions. You all know how your Quirks can harm people; by the end of today, you will know how to use your Quirks to help people."
Izuku would have really liked to have been concentrating on Thirteen's speech. However, ever since he got inside, the ringing in his head got louder and louder. It was harder to push aside and ignore.
Uraraka noticed his condition first.
"Oh my, Deku, your nose! It's bleeding."
Izuku raised two fingers to check. Yep, it was his blood alright. Luckily, he packed a pack of tissues with him. However, as he began to clog his nose, the ringing became too much, and Izuku grasped his head in pain.
"Deku, are you okay?" Uraraka asked with panic in her voice.
"I don't- I can't-," Izuku winced from the pain. "Can't you hear it? It's so loud."
"Deku, I don't hear anything. What's going on?"
By now, some of the other students started noticing.
"Seriously, how can you guys not here that?!" Izuku was panicking. "I don't – something's wrong. I don't know, but – Argh! It's the ringing. You have to hear it, right?!"
"Midoriya, you need to chill." Jiro, the girl with the headphone jack earlobes, tried to defuse the situation. "None of us hear anything."
The noise was deafening, all encompassing, yet Izuku could plainly see the confusion in the faces of his peers.
"Please, you have to listen to me! Something's wrong, I don't know why but-" Izuku cried in pain. "Seriously, it's so loud! Why can't you hear that?! Please tell me I'm not the only one who hears the ringing!"
Faster than one can blink, the ringing ceases in Midoriya. Before anyone can comment, dark portals appear on one of the hills overlooking the grounds. Out stepped hundreds of dangerous looking men and women.
"Whoa, I didn't know we were going to deal with prop Villains so early." Kirishima commented.
"Those aren't fake." Aizawa confirmed. "They're real Villains."
Izuku turned towards three individuals who were on top of one of the higher cliffs. In the middle stood a tall lanky man who wore a black body suit. He had light grey hair and stood in a slouched position. What upped the creepiness factor was the discolored hands gripping the man's arms and face. To the left of the man was what seemed to be a black and purple mist with yellow eyes in a bartender's suit. To the right was what could only be described as a monster.
It was a huge hulking thing. Its overdeveloped muscles bulged under black skin and even tore through it. What was most horrifying was the head. It had a large beak filled with teeth, beady yellow eyes, and an exposed brain that took up the top half of the head.
Izuku knew, instinctually or not, that those three were the most dangerous out of them all.
"Where is he?" The man with the hands growled. "It said he was supposed to be here. Why isn't All Might here?!"
"Master Shigaraki," The shadow in the suit said. "Perhaps the schedule was incorrect. Or the faculty changed it after your break-in."
"Great, and just when I went through the trouble of bringing all my friends to kill the Number One Hero." Shigaraki spread his arms to indicate the hoard of Villains.
Meanwhile, the Heroes were forming an escape plan.
"Thirteen, take the kids and make a run for it." Aizawa ordered. "Try and call the school. Use your Quirks if you have to."
"But Aizawa, sir! You're an Underground Hero! You can't take on all of them at once!" Izuku protested.
"You don't get to be a Pro by being a one-trick pony, Midoriya," Aizawa put on his googles. "Now, go!"
As the Villains charged at Aizawa, Izuku wanted to stay behind and help. However, he knew better than to disobey his teacher. Izuku followed the rest of his classmates along with Thirteen to an upper exit. Izuku looked back to see the Villains attempt to use their Quirks, only to find them erased.
"Hey, what the hel-!" Their questions were cut short by Aizawa's assault. The man moved like a fast-paced river, taking down Villain after Villain with his superior fighting skills. Izuku would have enjoyed seeing this if he wasn't in a life-or-death situation right now.
"Anyone have anything to communicate to the outside world?" Thirteen asked the students.
"I can use my Quirk to power a radio." Kaminari answered.
"Do it and call for help."
Kaminari tested his headset gear before replying.
"All I'm getting is static! They must be jamming us or something!"
Thirteen cursed. "Everyone, head to the exit, now!"
As the group made their way to the exit, a familiar portal blocked the way. Out stepped the man in the suit, blocking the exit.
"I apologize, but we can't have any guests leave early." The wispy man said.
Thirteen stopped along with everyone else.
"What do you want, Villain?" Thirteen asked.
"How rude of me not to introduce myself," The shadowy man took a bow. "My name is Kurogiri, of the League of Villains. I welcome you to witness the completion of our goal, that is," Kurogiri stood back up, "Killing the Symbol of Peace."
Thirteen shielded the kids as much as she could.
"Ok, out of all of you, which one is the fastest?" Thirteen whispered.
"That would be me, Ms. Thirteen," Iida answered.
"Alright, I'll distract the Villain. As soon as you see an opening, you use your Quirk to get out of here. Get to UA, get the teachers, and get back as fast as you can."
"I can't leave all of you here to fight these Villains on your own!" Iida protested.
Thirteen sighed. "Listen, Iida, right? I understand where you're coming from. You want to stay by your friends no matter what. But being a Hero means acknowledging that sometimes the most important thing you can do is find help. Strength in numbers, right? Do you understand?"
Iida nodded. "Yes, sir, I do."
Thirteen turned her attention back to Kurogiri. The two stood poised, ready for action. Before Thirteen could make her move, the sound of an explosion took everyone's attention. Bakugo and Kirishima rushed forward to attack Kurogiri.
"Die, you shadowy freakshow!" Bakugo roared as he thrust an explosive-laded punch. The portal user swiftly moved out of the way of the explosion before also dodging Kirishima's Quirk-enhanced punch.
"Annoying brats. Away with you!"
With that, Kurogiri threw multiple portals at the direction of the class. Bakugo and Kirishima were hit instantly. Several got in the crowd and teleported other students. And for Izuku, he got an up-close and personal look as one enveloped him.
Izuku struggled inside the inky darkness. It wasn't long before he felt open air and the rushing wind. Speaking of the wind, Izuku barely had enough time to recognize that he was falling through the air. He screamed as he hit the water hard.
Landing in the water hurt way more than it was supposed to be. At least, from Izuku's limited experiences in pools. He strained his eyes to see under the water. Blue filled his vision on all sides. Izuku then tried to swim up, hopeful he would surface before drowning.
Muffled sounds alerted Izuku to something in front of him. It was a Villain, decked out in diving gear, gunning right for him. Izuku tried to swim faster, but his bulky clothes made it harder for him.
He tried to call on his Quirk. He knew he needed breaks after nosebleeds, and Izuku hoped enough time had passed. Under water, his Quirk felt off. It wasn't as precise as it was on land. Instead of pushing the Villain, Izuku mentally moved the area of water before him like a kid splashing in the ocean.
The Villain was shoved off course by the invisible hand. However, Izuku found it harder and harder to hold his breath. Dread gripped him. Was he going to drown? As Izuku felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, he suddenly felt something sticky wrap around his waist. He was then pulled swiftly out of the water and onto something solid.
Izuku coughed out the water in his chest before looking into the eyes of his savior. It was Tsu! And Mineta was there too.
"Hey, you ok?" Tsu asked.
"Yeah, yeah," Izuku nodded before sitting down. "Are you guys alright?"
"Alright? You think this is alright?!" Mineta exclaimed. "We're being attacked by Villains on a field trip, got portaled and nearly drowned, and now we're surrounded by bloodthirsty Villains who want to do horrible, unspeakable things to us. And you ask us if we're alright?!"
Izuku and Tsu looked at each other.
"We're fine, for now." Tsu answered.
Izuku looked past the boat they were currently standing on. Kurogiri apparently teleported them to the Shipwreck Zone. Boats floated above the water as other zones appeared in the distance. It would be serene if not for what was happening above and under the water.
"Ok," Izuku controlled his breathing. "I saw one Villain while I was underwater. What about you two?"
"I saw a good chunk, about four or five of them underwater." Tsu explained. "Some of them had aquatic Quirks. Some had scuba gear. What about yours?"
"Mine was in scuba gear as well. Mineta, what about you?"
"I saw about, what, two?" the diminutive boy answered. "It's not like I checked them out. I climbed up on here for dear life."
"So, there's about eight or so Villains underwater right now." Izuku summarized. "Did you knock any of them out, Tsu?"
"No, they didn't see me. Plus, I was too fast for them to keep up." Tsu remarked. "If it was that guy's intent to send us to our deaths, he did a pretty bad job at it. I mean, if he wanted to kill me, then he would have sent me to one of those burning zones not a lake."
"Speaking of that," Mineta commented. "So, are you like a frog with human traits or a human with frog traits?"
"The latter. Why?" Tsu side-eyed him.
"No reason." Mineta said while looking at Tsu's chest.
"Stop it."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Look, we can't let those Villains go free under there. We have to stop them." Izuku said.
"We?! Are you insane?!" Mineta questioned. "We're just kids, and they're trained supervillains! I know your Quirk is cool and all, but you can't fight all of them and win. We have to wait till the Heroes come and save us!"
"That's why I'm not fighting alone. I need both of your help too. Besides, fighting Villains is what we're learning to do. Just a bit earlier than we'd like."
"Plus, who's to say by the time rescue arrives, we'd all be dead?" Tsu added.
Mineta whined but wordlessly agreed to help.
"First, we need to know what we can do. I'll go first," Izuku said. "My Quirk is telekinesis. I can lift multiple objects with my mind. The heaviest object I moved was the one-pointers back in the entrance exam, but I think can move bigger stuff than that. What about you?"
"I can do anything a frog can," Tsu added. "I'm as good underwater as on land, I can jump pretty high, and my tongue is elastic."
"Mineta?" The boy did not respond. "Mineta?!"
Mineta turned to face them. "Fine. I can detach my hair as sticky balls and throw them at people. I don't see how that's going to help here!"
"Sticky, sticky, sticky," Izuku mumbled to himself before snapping his fingers. "Mineta, you're a genius!"
"I am?" Mineta asked. "I mean, I like to think I am, but why?"
"Everyone, group huddle."
The three of them scooted closer together.
"Okay, I think I got it. I'll use my telekinesis to sense the Villains. It covers a wider area underwater than above. Once I hook all the villains in my grasp, I'll launch them above water. Tsu, you lasso Mineta and throw him high up. That's when Mineta will launch his balls at the Villains. If we get this right, all the Villains will be stuck together and captured, just like the Battle Trail." Izuku explained.
"And what if that doesn't work?" Mineta questioned.
"I know it's not exactly foolproof, but it's what we got. Can I count on you?"
Mineta hesitated but nodded.
"Tsu?"
Tsu smirked. "And you're the one who gave up the role of Vice-Representative because you thought you weren't a leader."
Izuku blushed. "Honestly, I'm not good at leading. I'm just good with Quirks."
Tsu elbowed Izuku. "I got your back."
The three prepared. Tsu wrapped her tongue around Mineta. Izuku placed his hands on the bow and concentrated. He channeled his telekinesis to move through the water and lock on to the villains underneath.
"Hey, Mineta, how many balls can you rip off?" Izuku asked.
"A good chunk before my scalp starts to bleed." Mineta answered. "Good thing I don't do that anime nosebleed thing you do, huh?"
"Get ready."
All three tensed. Izuku waited until…
"Now!"
Izuku lifted his hands up. At the same time, the Villains all rose out of the water. They looked on in surprise as they dangled in the air. Tsu whipped her tongue forward, sending Mineta skyward. The boy let out a war cry as he flung ball after ball onto the Villains. They let out a gasp as they were pelted with sticky ball after sticky ball. Most got on their torso, but some covered limbs as well.
"Back!" Izuku cried as he brought his hands together.
The Villains were pulled together like they were caught in a singularity. They all stuck to each other while they squirmed and tried to break free. Izuku let go of his grip, and the Villains fell into the lake, trapped as a grape looking buoy. Tsu reeled Mineta back in as he rolled onto the deck.
"We did it! We freakin' did it!" Mineta celebrated.
Tsu off handly wiped her tongue as she turned to the sitting Izuku.
"You ok? You're not bleeding again, are you?" Tsu asked.
"I'm alright, just need a few seconds to catch my breath." Izuku answered.
The trio took a moment to relax. However, outside of their little zone, battles were still raging. Izuku looked towards where Aizawa was still fighting.
"We need to get off this boat and go help our classmates." Izuku said.
"Whoawhoahwhoa, whoa," Mineta made a stopping motion. "I agreed to help defeat these Villains. I did not agree to go risk my life fighting every single Villain in this building."
"How can you say that? We're Heroes in training. It's our responsibility to fight against evil and helping others." Izuku said.
"Look, I'll admit: Defeating those Villains," Mineta pointed back to the lake, "Was pretty cool. But we're kids! We're not supposed to deal with this! You can run off and get yourself killed out there. I'll stay here and wait till help arrives."
Izuku wanted to say some unflattering words to Mineta, but he was beat to the punch by Tsu.
"I'm going with Midoriya." Tsu stated.
"What?" Said Mineta.
"I said I'm going with Midoriya. Maybe you're right and we should sit and wait till the Heroes arrive. But who knows how many of our friends are going to get hurt if we do nothing? I'd rather fight as a Hero than stay here with a short pervert who wears a diaper."
Mineta, unable to think of a retort, crossed his arms, scooted away from Tsu, and pouted.
Izuku, on the other hand, had something else on his mind.
"Is that a diaper?" He asked.
"It's supposed to be a bowl," Mineta pointed to his hair. "Like a bowl of grapes! Besides, the diaper enhances my cuteness."
"Mineta, I'm going to be honest with you: that diaper does not make you look cute." Tsu stated.
"Aw…"
"So, how do we get across the lake?" Izuku asked.
"I should be able to leap to shore." Tsu answered. "What about you?"
"Hey, don't forget about me," Mineta piped up, approaching the two. "Someone needs to make sure you two don't kill yourselves out there."
Izuku smiled at the boy's change of heart.
"Well, I can fly," Izuku's face burned in embarrassment. "But it's like my third time trying and the first time with passengers."
"I vote flying." Mineta spoke up. "I always wanted to fly."
"Yeah, but maybe Midoriya should save his strength," Tsu countered. "After all, his Quirk's more powerful than ours."
Izuku reluctantly nodded.
"You're right, Tsu. So, how are we going to-?"
"I call dibs!" Mineta instantly latched onto Tsu's back, like a spider monkey baby on its mother.
Tsu was less than amused.
"Watch the hands, buster."
"Got it."
Tsu turned to Izuku.
"Hope you don't mind the tongue." She said.
Izuku shrugged. "It saved my life the first time. I think I can deal with it."
Tsu wrapped her tongue around Izuku (Man, did it feel weirder when he wasn't preoccupied with drowning). Tsu squatted and leaped like a frog. Izuku felt a tug as he got pulled along. The trio sailed through the air before landing on the shore. Tsu dropped Mineta and lowered Izuku down before unraveling him. The three of them stared into the open space where their field trip turned into a battlefield.
To be continued! Yes, the USJ will be split into two chapters. Hopefully, it'll allow me to post more without it being too much. Next chapter is going to be better than this one, so hope you're ready! Also, keep in chapter titles are an irregular occurrence for this story. Titles are hard, man.
Once again, thank you to all the positive support! It means so much to me that you all care. Plus, this story exceeded a thousand views on its first day last time! I never had this before! Thank you to everyone who reads this! You guys are the best.
Thank you to those who favorite, follow, and comment. It's great to hear feedback from you guys. Speaking of feedback, let's answer some comments.
InsertBadassUsername: Didn't know that was going on, but guess I wasn't alone. Still, those comments didn't hurt me. I found them kind of funny.
NinjaFang1331: Thanks for the compliment.
Guest: I've been thinking about using TASM 2's Electro as a character. Then again, I have been playing his theme over and over again on Youtube. Most likely, I would have taken his character arc and apply it to an older Izuku. Still, who's to say when or if that should ever happen.
Guest: Thanks, Ultron, I guess…
Guest: Thanks for the kind words! And I agree with you with not giving Izuku OFA makes a nice change of pace. Yes, there will be a rampage, but not from who you'd think ;)
AnimeFan13579: Yeah, I've been thinking about this. You've got some good points, but in the end, it's my story and it's how I write it. Don't worry, these points will be addressed in the coming chapters.
Logical-Tadkins: Thanks for the glowing review! Should I have kept Izuku as Vice-Representative? Maybe. But I'd like to think he's confident in his Quirk, not himself, if you get what I mean.
Sorry, these take a while to come out. School's always a pain in my back. But what can you do?
That's all I've got for now. See ya next time!