My Toku to Hero Academia

by Tokuniverse 11

Izuku hopes to be born with a quirk and his wish would soon be granted much to the elation of both him and Katsuki that morphs the both of them greatly leading up to them enrolling in UA. Then things get interesting as Izuku starts facing many intense life-changing events and battles in his life, but with his unique powers Izuku will change the world forever. [AU, OP Izuku/Harem]

7. Unforeseen Classrooms Labyrinth Part 2

Me: Hello everybody, my name Tokuniverse and welcome back to My Toku to Hero Academia! Now we are at the final part of the Unforeseen Classrooms Labyrinth, which to tell you the truth I'm very excited to write about and yeah I changed the title of the arc because it just feels right since it's a school themed labyrinth. I also want to apologize for the long wait as I had real life stuff to do. But I'm still here, anyways how are things with you Milarqui?

Milarqui: Got a heat wave here, so sweating and staying in the shadow as much as possible. Also working on a few of my own projects.

Now as a reward for all of your patience the chapter we have here is our longest one yet! With all that being said by me and my absolutely reliable beta cleaner, action!

Chapter 7: Unforeseen Classrooms Labyrinth Part 2

---

After another hard working day as his heroic alter ego All Might, Toshinori Yagi was resting in his faculty room. Fortunately, his stronger variant of Star and Stripe's New Order had been working reliably, allowing him to keep his form and strength, even if at a slightly downgraded level: he hadn't asked for it, but he wasn't going to complain about it.

'The USJ training must be over by know. Midoriya-shonen and Bakugo-shonen's reactions when my son showed up as a guest instructor must have been entertaining,' he thought while giving a slightly mischevious smile. Tenko had insisted to be the one to teach the students for rescue training with Thirteen, in order to give him a day off to rest from hero and teacher work. Toshinori let out a deep sigh of relaxation – until he felt his phone vibrating.

"Hm?" he mumbled, pulling it out of his pocket. When he saw it was Tenko calling him, he quickly picked up.

"Hello, son?" he asked. Tenko's quick answer caused him to lose his relaxed state and he stood up. "What? Alright, I'll be there in an instant."

Hanging up, he let out a smoke cloud that surrounded him before it blew over, revealing All Might – but this All Might wasn't grinning at all. Opening a window, he jumped out of the building, and quickly headed to the USJ, where he found several police cars surrounding the area, and both Reactor and Principal Nezu checking a particular spot.

"I am here!" he announced, still keeping his serious expression as he noticed their dour faces. "What happened here?"

"Ah, All Might, you made it," Nezu stated. "It's something that Reactor should be able to explain."

Reactor, who had been squatting down, stood up to look at his father with a concerned glance.

"I hate to say this, Dad, but... after the rescue lessons were done, I sent the students on their way back to the main building, but I had a gut feeling that something had gone wrong and rushed to follow them. Something's happened, they have vanished without a trace."

"What?" All Might asked, surprised, as Reactor nodded in confirmation.

"They didn't get on the bus – it was still there, and the bot driver confirms he didn't see them at all," Reactor added. "This spot here is where I believe they disappeared from."

"How could this have happened?" the Number One Hero wondered, cupping his chin with his right hand.

"I believe I know the answer," Nezu said. "While we dealt with a security breach at our gates that allowed the reporters to cross into the campus, we found several probes interfering with the system, and the probes self-destructed after we removed them. This, I believe, is no coincidence."

"I have something to add to your suggestion, Principal Nezu."

All Might turned to look at Thirteen and a man wearing a tan overcoat and matching hat, the former holding up an empty canister in a bag for processing.

"Naomasa," All Might saluted the man: his old friend in the police was always a welcome sight, even in situations like this.

"Knockout gas," Nezu added, nodding at seeing the pieces fitting in with his deduction. "This was planned, after all."

"Why would they go after our students? First year students, at that," All Might questioned, examining the canister. It didn't have any obvious markings about its procedence, but he was certain the police laboratories would find more.

"This year's Heroics freshmen may be the strongest U.A. has seen in decades, and many of them are related to important figures," Nezu answered. "Endeavor's youngest son, the heiress of the Yaoyorozu Corporation, Ingenium's brother, the Vanquishers of Musutafu... these villains likely feel threatened by them, and intend to reach their full potential as heroes that can stop them. Of course, they likely formed this plan from hearing the media, they are known for overhyping things when they shouldn't..."

"That a villain, or rather villains, would be able to effectively plan this out and abduct our students under our nose!" the principal continued, huffing in anger. "We have the best security in the country, and this happened on our watch! Who are these villains?"

"We should check the video-vigilance security system," Thirteen suggested. "It is kept in a system separate from the rest, so manipulating it would have been harder."

The four men made their way to the USJ's security room and started to look through the camera footage, both within and without the USJ. With Thirteen handling the control board, the other three looked intently at the screens, seeking any clue that could lead them to the truth, when Nezu interrupted.

"Halt! Go back a few seconds."

Thirteen duly stopped the record and followed the Principal's instructions.

"Could that be a technical glitch?" All Might wondered.

"No." Reactor tapped the screen. "Here. Thirteen, can we get a closer look? I'm seeing someone I can't recognize."

The screen zoomed in where Reactor had pointed, and they saw a blurry figure holding several large objects in their hands that vaguely resembled the canister Tsukauchi had found. When Thirteen started the footage again, they saw the figure placing the canisters in hidden points near where the students would be passing by, and then it stopping for a moment before moving out of view.

"Alright, allow me to enhance the image resolution," Thirteen said, typing on the keyboard. Centuries before, such technology was only seen in films and police procedural shows. Nowadays, what they had was even better than that.

The blurry image became focused and revealed a smirking white-haired woman – one that everyone in the room quickly recognized.

"I can't believe it," Tsukauchi said, his stoic face turning to shock and fear.

All Might looked aside at his son, who was starting to scratch the side of his neck. Fortunately, he was still wearing his gloves, so he wasn't about to aggravate his skin once more.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the infamous S-rank villainess who wants to bring the end of society. Calamity," Nezu concluded.

All Might knew all too well about Calamity. He'd fought her multiple times in the past. And while, he would have normally treated her like he treated any other villain or monster, her unforgivable actions had earned her his eternal hatred, much like that other villain had when he killed his mother in all but blood and name...

"It's rather unusual," Tsukauchi pointed out. "Normally, she would be out in the open, using her Quirk to attack population centers. Why would she just sneak around U.A. and abduct the students?"

"Which brings us back to this morning's security breach," Nezu replied. "She likely had an associate, perhaps more, to cause the distraction while she planted the canisters there. Whoever helped her must have been a brilliant hacker to be able to mess with our system, even if it's temporarily."

"Will you excuse me? I need to go outside for a while," Reactor requested, walking out of the room before anyone could react.

"I'll go check on Reactor. Continue without me, please," All Might excused himself and followed. Saluting Sansa Tamakawa, one of Tsukauchi's most trusted subordinates, and who stood out due to his ginger tabby cat-like head, All Might walked after his son, noticing that the police had already cordoned the spot where the students had disappeared.

"Son, wait!" All Might called out, and Reactor stopped in his tracks. All Might took it as a good sign, even if his son was still looking ahead instead of turning around. "Tenko, you know this isn't your fault–"

"Don't you think I don't know that? But the fact remains, she still took the students when they were supposed to be safe, under mine and Thirteen's watch. It's just... the sight of her... it brings the worst of me, the side of me I've tried to keep hidden away," Reactor said, sadly. All Might knew what he was thinking about, and gently gripped his shoulder. "That... woman wasn't even bothering to hide herself. She wanted us to know she's behind this. She's clearly planning something big, and I know that, whatever happens, she's trying to use this to ruin U.A.'s reputation. And, damnit, how am I going to explain to the parents that the kids were kidnapped here? How am I going to tell David and Enji that I lost their children while they should be in class?

"You may be right about that, Tenko. Still, what worries me the most is what she intends to do to the students," All Might replied in a worried tone. Tenko recovered a bit of a smile at that.

"I am worried, too... but after seeing what those forty kids could do at the USJ, I'm wishing I could be there, if only to see Calamity's face when she realizes that she bit off more than she can chew."

His faith in the freshman Heroic students was great. Hell, even if it were just Midoriya and Bakugo, he was certain the duo would be able to deal with whatever stuff Calamity was trying to throw at them.

"I hope you are right about this..."

---

In the Classrooms Labyrinth, as the infamous S-Rank villainess introduced herself, the students reacted as any other normal person would have.

"N-No way," Nirengeki nervously said.

"I can't believe it's her..." Izuku muttered. He had seen and heard of her enough through the media that he knew her Quirk, 'Endbringer', was quite similar to his. He even had his own analysis of her in his villain notebook, the one he kept secret.

A purple portal (identical to the one Izuku vaguely remembered seeing before being knocked out) appeared in front of them, and out of it came a woman of clear Caucasian origin. Izuku judged her to be in her early forties. The thing that really stood out was her attire: a vibrant blue-red-white jacket with an apple sewed on it over a white office shirt accentuated with a red tie, a red skirt with playful black polka dots, and brown shoes with intricate blue embroidery on them. In short, someone trying too hard to look like the archetype of American preschool teacher... an effect ruined by her creepy, malicious grin.

"Well, well, well. So, these are the bratty adult do-gooders, Calamity?" Regardless of her appearance, she spoke Japanese fluently and with nary an accent, not that that did anything to reduce the image she produced as she leisurely strolled towards the students.

"Freshmen straight out of U.A. Do what you want with them, Ms. Delightful," Calamity called out from the balcony.

Meanwhile, the students were trying to escape, but somehow the bonds were resisting all attempts to break them. Even Setsuna, who was attempting to split herself, was unsuccessful. Ms. Delightful just twirled her pointer stick as she watched in delight.

"Why can't I use my Quirk?!" Ochako exclaimed: she was trying to use Zero Gravity to float and make it easier to escape, but something was blocking her.

"Specially designed chairs, my dearie," Ms. Delightful said as she leaned into Ochako's face, causing the latter to feel uneasy. "Can't have those nasty Quirks disrupting my lecture now, can I?"

"Get away from her!" Izuku yelled. For all answer, the villainess straightened up and thrust her pointer stick into his face. Izuku couldn't help but recoil from her glare.

"Now, now, I don't appreciate the disrespect, my little boy," she calmly said as she backed off. "Anyways, Calamity didn't go to all the trouble of filling that place with gas just to finish you all off so quickly, like my other students. No, that's not fun."

"Then, what do you want?" Momo asked.

"Simple, my dearie. To teach you lot a lesson before you die!" she replied, leaning into Momo's face before moving away. "Yes, I've been watching children from all over the world misbehaving. And you know? I just hate misbehaving children, especially the heroic kinds."

As she pointed with her stick to one side, a portrait picture of her turned around to show Endeavor beating up criminals.

"Fighting crime."

Another picture turned around, now showing Reactor cradling a child while a house burned behind them.

"Saving lives."

A third picture turned to show a DEFENSE mech and Mt. Lady destroying a kaiju.

"Slaying monsters."

A fourth picture showed All Might lifting up a defeated mad scientist villain, showing his trademark grin as he did so.

"Interfering with the plans of hardworking villains," Ms. Delightful continued, turning back to the students and randomly pointing at them with her stick as she spoke. "And what's more disgusting is that they have institutions that teach this very foul mindset! You children will be nothing but a bunch of troublemakers."

The students just reacted with anger and annoyance at her self-serving 'lecture'. Katsuki, in particular, was actually growling at the woman.

"You'll learn your place soon enough. Because we're older than you children, so we're bigger, badder, and better!"

"Fuck you–!" The villainess hit Katsuki with her stick. "OW!"

"Be quiet! I won't tolerate any more backtalk from any of you brats! You're in my labyrinth now, so you won't be getting out 'til all of you are in body bags to display!"

"Oh, we will get out, and when we do–"

The ringing of a bell drowned out Izuku's challenge, and Ms. Delightful faked disappointment, hands to the mouth and everything.

"Oh, dear, there's the bell, my children. Off to your last class. Oh, Kurogiri~" she hummed.

Below them, a purple mist appeared, and as if a trapdoor had been opened, everyone fell out of the room, several of them screaming in shock.

As his chair violently hit another floor, Izuku groaned from the pain of the sudden landing, and quickly looked around. Hitoshi, Neito, Melissa, and Juzo had been sent to the same room as his. And the room... well, it looked like another classroom. The board on the end wall was full of English words, flanked with two busts of Ms. Delightful, and the bookshelves on the sidewalls had several books on the language.

Just then, the villainess's face was drawn in chalk on the board, and her voice sounded out again.

"Welcome, children, to your last English lesson!" the simpering, condescending voice said, adding a touch of menace. "Today, we'll explore the magical world of words! Pay attention, or face the consequences!"

The five students ignored her, still working on getting loose.

"Not good listeners, are you? You're a lot like the other misbehaving brats in that way! Now, how can I teach you children anything if you won't sit still and listen?"

Wooden hands extended from each chair's top edge and grabbed their occupant's head. Izuku tried to wriggle out of its grasp, but it was pulling back on his scalp hard enough to force his eyes wide open.

"Alright, we gotta get out of this restraints quickly," Izuku said with urgency.

"I'm on it," Hitoshi said. Strangely, he still had his capture weapon on, and was trying to use it to reach what was restraining his movement. Meanwhile, Neito looked around.

"We have to be careful, she's watching what we're doing," he added.

Melissa concentrated. She knew that all Quirk-restraining devices had a limit on how much they could handle. Even the best of them had so much they could do against overwhelming power. So, she tapped into her Superhuman Factor and began to pull, thankful that her dual Quirk gave her an unique advantage.

"I can break this, but we need a distraction."

"I'll create an opening, Melissa-chan, just be ready," Izuku replied, and started to use his sheer physical strength, as much as he could without activating his Quirk.

As the chalk portrait turned into a chalk form, that tapped the blackboard to make glowing letters forming a riddle, Izuku took a deep breath... and strained with all his might. The wood groaned and cracked under the pressure, and with a powerful surge, the chair broke down, allowing Izuku to free himself from his restraints.

"NOW!"

Izuku quickly snapped Melissa's bindings, and she stood up, aiming at the blackboard with a hand.

"Take this!"

A bolt of lightning surged from her hand and struck the blackboard, creating a hole, while they moved to free their classmates.

"Naughty children," the villainess said through an intercom. "If you're going to destroy school property, school property's going to destroy you."

The chalk started to fly around. The letters on the blackboard started to become weapons, and a bomb was formed in the center of the room, complete with a timer reading 00:10.

"Right then, children! Let's count along with Ms. Delightful, shall we?"

Neito quickly copied Melissa's Star Light Quirk, and she fired a powerful burst of light that hit the letters-turned-weapons, causing the animated shapes to falter.

"Stay behind me! I'll clear a path!" Melissa shouted.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

Izuku activated Omnes Potestas, his body crackling with energy, and he charged forward, smashing through the letters with powerful, controlled strikes, combining Brute and Shaker to deal maximum damage in a minimum of time.

"Keep that light steady, Melissa-chan! We're getting out of here!"

"Seven! Six! Five!"

The five students continued using their Quirks to fend off the attacks, which was particularly successful as Neito used his copied Quirk to add up to the barrage of light and heat. However, that meant little when they were still in a room with a bomb.

Which was when Hitoshi realized that the hole in the blackboard led to another room. It was too small for them to jump through, but they had someone that could ignore that.

"Honenuki! Through the blackboard!"

The lipless boy realized, and ran to the wall to touch it, causing it to become less solid, enough for everyone to jump through.

"Four! Three! Two! One!"

BOOOM!

Just in time, Juzo had deactivated his Quirk, and the wall was solid enough to withstand the explosion while they all escaped it. The interior of the classroom couldn't say the same, as it was completely destroyed by the detonation.

"Everyone alright?" Izuku asked, panting.

"Yeah, we made it. Thanks, Izuku-kun," Melissa answered, grimacing.

"That was too close, we have to stay on our toes," Neito added, stretching.

"Agreed. That woman won't stop until we're out of here," Hitoshi said, checking that his capture weapon was in place.

"She wanted to teach us a lesson? Let's give her one she won't forget," Juzo finished.

"Don't be so sure, my children!"

A hidden door slid open, revealing Ms. Delightful herself, grinning mischievously as she waved at them, still looking like she was having a lot of fun.

"You may be out of the classroom, but class is never dismissed. The real lesson has just begun. Catch me if you can!"

With that, she turned and darted down the now revealed corridor, and Izuku glared at her back with anger and determination.

"Don't let her get away! Let's go!"

The five students promptly gave chase, sprinting down the corridor as the villainess's laughter echoed through the labyrinth, adding to the sense of urgency. The corridor became a maze of twisting hallways, all of them themed around English literature and grammar. Attempting to snipe the woman from afar was impossible, as not only was she surprisingly agile as she leapt and dodged around corners, the objects sometimes blocked the attacks.

"This place is really like a twisted school," Hitoshi panted.

"Be ready for anything!" Izuku yelled as they dashed through another hallway, lined with oversized books and grammar charts. Ms. Delightful remained ahead of them, knocking over stacks of books to slow them down, but Izuku just charged through and opened the way for the others to follow.

"She won't get away this time," Neito added.

The next corridor they found had giant, animated letters floating in the air, which quickly rearranged themselves to form barriers standing in their way – not that they had much to do, as Izuku and Melissa destroyed them using their super-strength to smash through, allowing them to continue the chase through the twisting English-themed hallways.

"There she is! Keep moving!" Juzo yelled as he saw the twisted teacher, who threw a switch – and suddenly giant inkwells appeared and spilled ink all over the floor.

"Oh, great, now the floor's slippery," Hitoshi groaned as he stopped to avoid it. Fortunately, Juzo quickly made that a non-issue by using his Quirk to soften the ink-slicked floor, causing the ink to fall through and allowing the group to push through once the floor was solid again.

The next hallway was a paper storm, with floating pages of what appeared to be classical literature fluttering around. Melissa just shot them down with her light, allowing the group to get through in time to see the villainess slipping through another door.

As they made it through, they found themselves in the same atrium where they had been held captive just a few minutes earlier, but this time it was Ms. Delightful that was at the top of the atrium, looking down at them with a smirk.

"You may as well give up, children! You can't catch the likes of me!" she teased.

Determined to prove her wrong, the five heroes-to-be charged towards the stairs, but then the villainess waved her pointer stick, and suddenly the staircases turned into escalators, running down faster than they could go up.

"Now, what did I tell you?" she continued, twirling her stick. "Children today won't listen to their betters! Have to learn everything the hard–"

She was promptly shocked backwards when Melissa shot a light bolt at her, only avoiding damage because it only hit the railing.

"Hey! No throwing things while the teacher is talking!" Delightful yelled, angry that her lecture was being interrupted.

"Don't let her escape! We have to get up there!"

"We need to time it right! Follow my lead!"

Quickly, the students went back to the escalators – but this time, rather than simply run up one, they kept jumping between them, avoiding the issues with the switching directions. And Delightful scowled as she realized they were actually reaching her.

"Up and down, round and round! You'll never catch me!" she sang, and twirled her stick again. Suddenly, the escalators were moving much faster.

Just as Delightful run through another door, giving them a mocking bow before disappearing, Hitoshi threw the end of his capture weapon, wrapping it around the railing Melissa had hit earlier and allowing him to pull in the others to the top. Rushing through the door, they only found a short corridor with a door at the other end... and they quickly found themselves at the same atrium they had just left, and the villainess nowhere in sight.

"What the –? We're back here?!" Neito asked, shocked.

"It's like a never-ending loop," Hitoshi said, frustrated.

"That – she's toying with us," Juzo added in annoyance.

"Don't lose hope, guys! We can outsmart her," Melissa said, attempting to cheer up her classmates.

"Melissa-chan is right. Alright, change of plans. We find our classmates, and then we go after her and put an end to this," Izuku suggested, and the others nodded, eager to force the villainess to eat her words. Whatever challenge came up next, they would surpass it, find their missing friends, and find their way out of the Labyrinth.

---

Camie, Yui, Kojiro, Manga, and Tenya landed in a room that was certainly strange. The ground was decorated with mathematical symbols, the walls were covered in chalkboard paint and scribbled with all sorts of equations... and several doors, each marked with a different equation.

Fortunately, the landing jarred the ropes binding Yui, who quickly moved to liberate the others before they beheld the situation.

"Clearly, these doors lead to different places," Tenya said, grasping his chin, "and the only way to get through them is to solve those problems correctly."

"Alrighty then, let's ace this math test!" Camie chirped.

"One step at a time," Yui softly spoke, as they approached the closest blackboard, which showed a simple question: Solve for x: 2x + 3 = 7.

"That's easy, x equals 2," Kojiro answered and picked a piece of chalk to write the solution on the blackboard. The door on their left opened, and as they stepped through, a massive golden hand emerged from up above, floating menacingly over them.

"Oh dear, looks like you got it wrong, children! Meet my hall monitor!" Ms. Delightful playfully said through the intercom.

"BACK, BACK, BACK!" Manga shouted as the hand swooped down, trying to capture them. The group scattered, and as soon as it flew up to attempt to capture them they ran back into the initial room.

"Oopsie daisy, looks like we need to try again," Camie said.

"But, why? It's the right solution!" Kojiro complained.

"It's school," Yui added, and Tenya nodded.

"I know. This villain expects us to write all the steps. Let's see. If 2x plus 3 equals 7, then subtracting 3 from both sides gives us 2x equals 4, and dividing by 2 gives us x equals 2," he said, and as soon as he finished writing the door to the right opened.

"See? I was right!" Kojiro yelled.

"You forgot the steps," Yui replied, causing Kojiro to slump a bit.

Behind the door was something completely different: a series of geometric platforms, each of them with different shapes and angles, floating over a dark, seemingly bottomless pit. And the platforms rotated or shifted positions, forming a complex pattern.

"We need to navigate these platforms carefully, one mistep and we'll fall," Tenya cautiously said.

Yui raised her hand.

"I'll go first. Can shrink if I need to balance."

She stepped onto the first platform, testing its stability before moving to the next, and the others followed, doing their best to replicate her moves.

"They keep moving, gotta time our jumps perfectly," Manga commented. The first few platforms were relatively stable, but it was obvious that, as they moved further, the rotation and shifting were becoming faster.

"Like, this is totally trippy!" Camie suggested as she leapt to the next platform. A BOING! heralded Manga's landing, using his created kanji to cushion his jumps.

"We've got this! Just keep moving!"

It wasn't an easy task, particularly as they added a new movement pattern and started to tilt back and forth, making it harder to maintain balance – Yui even shrunk herself to lower her gravity center and reduce the risk of falling.

"Stay close, everyone! We need to support each other!" Tenya shouted, treading along the platform with care.

Suddenly, one of the platforms began to crumble – and Yui slipped, her foot catching at the edge as she began to fall into the abyss.

"Kodai-san!"

Immediately, Tenya had activated his Quirk and dashed forward, grabbing Yui's arm in the nick of time as he jumped to another platform, as the others sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Tenya," she said, breathlessly.

"Stay focused, Kodai-san, we can't affort mistakes," Tenya firmly said, although there was a hint of a blush on his face.

Each set of platforms continued to add more difficulties to jumping – the next was several hexagonal platforms that spinned rapidly in opposite directions, meaning that timing was even more important.

"OK, let's, like, take this slow and steady," Camie said, and she jumped from one platform to the next, using the spinning to reach farther. The others followed, using their Quirks and abilities to follow her path, with Manga creating kanjis to mark the best landing spots.

Not that they weren't happy to get past that obstacle.

"Alright, keep moving, we are close!" Kojiro said as they arrived to the next challenge. Fortunately, there was no more spinning to be done. Unfortunately, the narrow beams ahead of them were still moving, meaning that this time balance would be more important. Tenya went first, using his engines to keep the balance as he stepped across, and landed a few seconds later.

"One at a time, we can do this," he encouraged the others. Yui was the next to cross, followed by Camie, Manga, and Kojiro, his heart pounding as he made the final jump to safety, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oh, bravo! How clever of you to survive my geometry platform lessons! But don't get too comfortable, children. If anyone deserves to die here, it's all of you!" Ms. Delightful said through the intercom, clearly enjoying everyone's suffering as they did their best to survive.

Tenya just glared at the nearest intercom before motioning his classmates to keep moving.

---

Momo, Mina, Reiko, Itsuka, and Ibara remained tied to their chairs within what looked like a library, with rows of desks set up in front of them. The towering bookshelves were lined with dusty tomes and ancient manuscripts, creating an oppressive atmosphere, as the girls thrashed from side to side in an attempt to get loose.

"I will not indulge in your twisted lectures, Ms. Delightful," Momo said in an annoyed tone, trying to find the end of her rope to loose it.

"Now, now, my love, it's for your own good! Nothing teaches discipline and respect like a brain-erasing lesson!" the villainess said.

Momo closed her eyes, trying to concentrate in what was important, but then a different sound made her look up and gasp in shock. Some of the ceiling tilings had opened to reveal a giant rubber stamp saying 'OVERDUE' in large, unfriendly letters.

"Besides, if you girls won't stop squirming..." The stamp suddenly pistoned down, crushing several desks to splinters. "Perhaps a little motivation will help you focus before I stop squashing!"

As the stamp rose and moved a bit closer, the girls renewed their efforts to get out of their chairs, doing their best to ignore the stamp as it destroyed more desks and chairs. When it crushed the desks in front of them, they actually felt the sharp splinters cutting their faces, and they struggled even harder. Finally, as the stamp positioned itself over them, Itsuka took a deep breath, pulled with all her might against her right, and finally broke the chair, freeing herself.

"COMING!" she shouted, enlarging her hands to push everyone away while she jumped herself, avoiding the large stamp in the last moment. Itsuka quickly crushed the chairs' backs with her hands, freeing her classmates.

"That was certainly too close," Reiko stated.

"Thank you for your aid, Kendo-san," Ibara added, letting her vine hair grow some.

But then came a new problem, as some of the books opened and let out their characters come out, as they ran towards them.

"Oh, great, now we have to deal with storybook characters," Mina grumbled in annoyance. "She's even ruining the heroes of the stories!"

"Stay focused! Fight them off and clear a path!" Momo ordered, creating a metal bo staff out of her skin: spinning it with her years of experience, she blocked a charging knight's sword and knocked it back with a powerful swipe. Her weapon quickly became a blur, as she deflected attacks and struck back with deadly precision. "Stay together and move quickly!"

Mina answered by letting acid seep through her hands and tossing it at a group of advancing monsters: it looked like they were like everything else, as the acid sizzled upon contact and ate through them, while she just dodged the enemies' attacks with the agility born from a decade-plus of dancing.

"Take that, storybook villains!" she taunted as she fired another glob of acid.

Reiko took control of the books nearby to hurl them at the attackers, knocking them off their feet with some of them as she kept others floating around for defense. The larger volumes she could grab, she sent them crashing down on the heads of their foes.

"That shall keep these literary creatures at bay," she replied in her usual monotone, although her glare could not be hidden.

Meanwhile, Itsuka had enlarged her fists again, to the point they were almost larger than she was. Wielding them as lethal weapons, she was able to punch through the book characters with nary an effort or smash them into the ground, and also help shield her classmates from enemy attacks before grabbing some of them and either squeezing them or pile-driving them.

"Keep it up! I'll clear the way!" she shouted as she drove more of the creatures away.

"Stay behind me, I'll hold them off!" Ibara declared as her vines wrapped around the legs of various characters and then formed barriers, blocking their enemies' path and giving the students the time they needed to move forward.

"We still need to find a way out," Momo added, looking around until she saw a flight of stairs with a 'Library: Quiet, Please!' sign next to it. "That way!"

The girls made a mad dash for the door, fending off what few attackers had bypassed their defenses. With a whirl of her staff, Momo knocked back several knights while Mina dissolved the barricade behind them. Reiko hurled a cluster of books orbiting around her into a monster that Itsuka grabbed to clear the final stretch, with Ibara opening it just ahead of them and Momo leaving a last surprise before they all crossed and Itsuka slammed the door shut. The explosive nearly pushed the door open again, and if not for Itsuka leaning into it with her full weight it would have succeeded. As smoke filtered through the cracks in the door, the five girls strode into the next hallway, lined with even more book-themed decorations, and paused to catch their breath.

"Kendo-san, I wish to thank you for rescuing us –"

"Don't thank me yet, Yaoyorozu-san, we're still in danger," Itsuka replied.

"You're right," Momo admitted. "I know we could take Ms. Delightful if we could only get our hands on her. But the problem is..."

A door was destroyed to their right, and the girls looked – with Mina gasping in shock at the sight. Four knights, wielding different weapons (a battle axe, a double-headed axe, a flail, and a longsword) had crossed the threshold and were now bearing on them.

"C'mon, we already got rid of you guys!" Mina complained, while Momo felt her tension spike.

"... that there's still traps waiting."

As the knights advanced, the five girls realized that it was a good time to run, so they did, still chased by the knights.

"Run, my dearies! Run all you like, but you'll never get out! You will all die!" Ms. Delightful taunted.

"Ignore her," Itsuka said, rolling her eyes. "We are going to do this, we just need to stay ahead and keep moving."

The others nodded in agreement and kept running through the hallways. They knew that they would find the others sooner or later, and then they'd be able to plan their escape.

---

Katsuki, Eijiro, Tetsutetsu, Hiryu and Nirengeki found themselves in a large cafeteria, with several serving tables laden with food that looked good enough to be served in a gourmet restaurant. While the atmosphere was vaguely reminiscent of U.A.'s own cafeteria, none of them took the bait, knowing all too well that there was no chance of it being inoffensive.

"Ignore that shit, it's a fuckin' trap," Katsuki growled, scowling as he walked past the table.

"Yeah, Bakubro's right, let's just keep moving," Eijiro agreed. "Let's just keep moving, we can't let our guard down."

"Agreed. Let's get out of here," Nirengeki nervously said, feeling his hair stand up at the sight.

The group cautiously proceeded through the cafeteria, aiming for the only door they could see, but then Ms. Delightful's voice crackled over the intercom, her tone dripping with condescension.

"Oh, come now, boys! Don't you want to try some of my delicious gourmet food? It's nutritious and oh-so-good for your health!"

The students ignored her (save for Katsuki, who flipped the bird at the intercom), choosing to focus on getting through the room without incident, leaving everything else untouched. However, as they reached halfway through the room, Nirengeki stepped on a hidden pressure plate, and suddenly the cafeteria rumbled, while the sound of rushing liquid filled the air.

"Oh, great, what now?!" Hiryu questioned, alarmed, as parts of the ceiling opened up – letting out a white liquid.

"Milk! They're trying to drown us in milk!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed as the streams of milk quickly started to flood the room.

"Looks like you boys are in a bit of a 'dairy' situation! Better swim fast, if you don't want to get 'milked'!" Ms. Delightful said, laughing as the students scrambled to escape the rising tide.

"Fuckin' death traps and fuckin' dumb bitch villains!" Katsuki shouted before looking at the others. "Move it, idiots! We're getting the fuck away from here!"

As the milk flood reached their knees, Katsuki used Explosion to jump over it, temporarily blasting the liquid back and giving the others a bit of space. Eijiro and Tetsutetsu hardened their bodies and started to clear the way, while Hiryu used his scales to move things away and Nirengeki... lamented that his Quirk wasn't useful right now, as he did his best to stay above the liquid.

"I swear, when I get my hands on that twisted bitch, I'm blowing her to fuckin' pieces!" Katsuki cursed as he blasted things apart. With the door in sight, the only issue now was poor Nirengeki, who was now suffering from his short stature as Hiryu used his scales to help support him.

"C'mon, don't give up! We're almost out!" the Chinese boy encouraged, as the milk began to reach his chest. It was pure determination and a bit of teamwork that allowed them to reach the exit door, leading into another room. The five of them promptly closed the door behind them, fighting against the current to achieve it, and they took a short breath before they noticed they had arrived into another dining area, but this one only had several tables and empty trays scattered about.

They quickly began to move once more, but the door behind them began to crack from the pressure, even as milk seeped through.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

"The trays! Grab a tray!" Eijiro suggested. "We can use them to ride the wave!"

Even as they run, each of them picked up a tray and kept moving ahead, hoping to put as much space between them and the current danger source. With a resounding CLANG!, the doors opened, releasing the white tide that quickly engulfed the closest part of the room. Just as it was about to reach them, though, they jumped on their makeshift surfboards and let the wave carry them through the dining area at breakneck speed.

However, that soon brought both an opportunity and yet another danger: the exit door was right ahead of them, but between them and it was a wide drain pit that might possibly be bottomless.

"Any ideas on reaching that door?!" Tetsutetsu asked.

"Bakugo-san! Can your explosions propel us across the pit?" Hiryu asked.

"I can use Twin Impact to give us an extra boost!" Nirengeki added.

Katsuki silently nodded: he wasn't in the mood to argue about being ordered around, so he just had the others grab onto him as he gathered as much sweat as he could.

"Hang on, dumbasses!" Katsuki roared, and sparked his sweat. The detonation sent the group flying just ahead of the wave, but when Nirengeki used his Quirk, they were soon flunged well ahead, with the door just in sight.

"Put me ahead!" Tetsutetsu yelled, and the group pushed him, just in time to allow him to ram the doors open, allowing them to tumble through the doorway into dry ground.

"This fucking labyrinth! Those fucking villains! I swear I'll make that bitch pay for this!" Katsuki cursed as he spat out milk and shook some more off him.

"I won't be able to drink milk for a long time," Nirengeki complained as he wrung out his costume.

"Oi, no use moping and standing around, the sooner we move the sooner we'll be out of here," Eijiro suggested, shaking his hair before starting to walk.

"Yeah!" Tetsutetsu agreed, clenching his fist as he followed his red-haired 'twin', with everyone else coming up behind.

The five of them emerged from the hallway, still dripping milk but determined to put an end to everything, only to find themselves in a vast gymnasium. The walls were lined with sports equipment, and a dodgeball court had been set up in the center, with the only light in the room being a spotlight shining upon the center of the court.

"What the fuck now? Another trap?" Katsuki scowled, clenching his fists.

"Welcome to my gym, boys! Here, we will have a little dodgeball game! You'll be playing against my champions! They've dispatched quite a few victims before you," Ms. Delightful announced as five robots stepped into the court. All of them had clearly been made to resemble a buff athlete trying to be intimidating. Their eyes gleamed with predatory intent, and their metal bodies rippled with lethal power. Only the fact that an energy barrier had lifted prevented them from just skipping the trap.

"Oh, great. We have to play this game," Eijiro said, clenching his fists.

"We'll just have to show them what we've got," Nirengeki added, showing a bit of confidence, while Tetsutetsu just matched Eijiro's resolve.

"We'll take them down, together!"

"Let's see if you can actually win, which I doubt, boys! I wonder if your screams will sound like theirs, too? I look forward to finding out!" Ms. Delightful replied, laughing maniacally as the intercom glitched, giving her voice a distorted tone.

Katsuki just blazed with fury, his bloodlust palpable even as his fists crackled with explosive energy and he stepped into the court, a feral grin on his face.

"Listen up, you twisted old bitch! I don't give a damn what kind of fucking sick game you're playing. All you've done is to talk down to us, like we're a bunch of helpless brats! But guess what? I'm gonna blow apart your stupid weakass robots, and when I'm done, I'm coming for you, and I'm gonna show you what it means to mess up with the future Number One Hero! You think you gonna hear us scream? The only one that will be screaming will be you after I break out of this shithole and bring your ass down! You want us to play ball? Then we'll play fuckin' hardball!"

Everybody else exchanged worried glances, as Katsuki seemed close to snapping there, but still they steeled themselves – they had a fight to win, after all.

"Let's do this," Hiryu said with a nod.

A whistle blew, and several balls appeared at the feet of all the players, who quickly picked them up to play. The robots were able to act first, and hurled their balls with incredible force, enough that each of them could be a deadly projectile. But the boys... they were training to be heroes, and they weren't about to let the balls touch them.

"Keep moving!" Eijiro shouted. Ironically, he (along with Tetsutetsu) wasn't moving at all; instead, they were using their Quirks to block the balls and then grab them without hurting themselves. Katsuki was simply dodging with his explosions. Hiryu had sent his scales in droves, using them to block or parry any attack, while Nirengeki simply countered the robots' throws using Twin Impact.

"They're strong... but we're stronger together!" Tetsutetsu yelled, grinning, as the group went into the offensive. He and his fellow tough future hero went all into blocking strikes to then pass the balls to the others. Hiryu used his scales to deflect the balls back at the robots. Nirengeki used Twin Impact to amplify the effect of any throwing. And Katsuki...

"Get ready! I'm taking these damn tin cans down!" he yelled, feeling the power that was ready to be used in his hands as he kept throwing more and more balls.

The robots answered by visibly increasing their aggression levels, their eyes shining as they kept moving. One of them even began to charge at Eijiro, who gave a shark-like grin at the artificial being.

"I'm not going down that easily!" he shouted, as the robot halted and threw the ball. This time, though, Eijiro chose to punch the ball, causing simple physics to make the ball bounce back at the robot much harder than it had thrown it – it was left staggering. Seeing this, Tetsutetsu waited until another robot attempted the same with him and followed through.

"Take this, you hunk of junk!" he roared. In his case, though, the reply ended up hitting the robot in a point between armor plates, creating an opening to its electronic guts. Hiryu and Nirengeki saw that... and promptly moved to do the same.

"Now, Shoda-san! Hit it!" Hiryu commanded, taking a short run and throwing a ball at another robot's weak point at his full strength.

"On it!" Nirengeki replied, nodding, as he activated Twin Impact. The ball's speed suddenly doubled, and the ball ended up dislodging a plate. With those three robots temporarily out of combat, the other two attempted to push back, but Katsuki was ready to put an end to this stupid game.

"Let's finish this!" he roared. With a powerful explosion, he sent himself into the air, rapidly spinning around himself with a ball in his hands, as the air itself seemed to crackle with energy. "Die, you fucking metal freaks! Howitzer Impact!"

The resulting blast nearly deafened everyone in the room, but Nirengeki was quick enough to use Twin Impact to double the power behind this attack. Before the robots could even react, the ball struck one of them so hard that it hit its battery in such a way it exploded, taking out all the robots at once in a combination of a blinding flash of light and a thunderous boom that caused the students to dive to the ground in order to cover themselves. When the dust finally settled, all the robots were down for the count, and the barrier line deactivated.

"That's how it's fuckin' done," Katsuki said, panting, yet his voice still filled with triumph. The students caught their breath, battered but yet unbroken, as Ms. Delightful spoke through the intercom.

"Don't think for a second that you're done, boys. You all will meet your end soon," the villainess said, trying to act mocking and murderous, but the annoyance in her voice was obvious.

"Heh, we're getting on her nerves. Let's keep moving, we're not out of this yet," Eijiro said.

Nirengeki nodded.

"Whatever she throws at us, we'll stop it."

"How many of our classmates do you think have already destroyed her traps?" Tetsutetsu asked, as they pressed on. Katsuki huffed.

"All of them. This fucking bitch doesn't know who she messed up with."

---

Denki, Kyoka, Hanta, Kosei, and Ochako had been taken to what appeared to be an arts-and-crafts-themed section of the labyrinth. Cautiously stepping into the room, they noted the walls, adorned with paintings and musical instruments, that created an atmosphere that seemed whimsical but actually looked ominous. And, in front of them, a door with a sign.

"Well... this doesn't look too bad, right?" Denki asked, looking around and letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Welcome, my children!" that voice that all of them already hated said through the intercome. "To proceed, you must solve my delightful arts and music puzzles! But be careful! Get one wrong, and you might find yourself... well, let's just say it won't be pretty. Let's see how well-rounded your education is!"

"Great, more of her so-called education nonsense," Kyoka grumbled, holding off her desire to flip her off. "Let's just get this over with."

Approaching the first door, they found several paintings and artists. Kyoka stepped forward, examining the options.

"OK, this one's easy. Van Gogh painted 'Starry Night', 'Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa' is from Hokusai, Leonardo da Vinci did 'The Last Supper', and 'Guernica' was made by Picasso."

A musical jingle played as the door unlocked.

"Nice one, Jiro-san! That's one down," Hanta said, relieved that no traps were triggered.

The next door held another sign, this one showing a pentagram with several notes and a list of composers.

"Oh, do try not to hit a sour note!" Ms. Delightful teased, while Kyoka rolled her eyes.

"Could you be any more cliché?" she muttered, before quickly inputting the answer: anyone with a minimum of musical training could easily identify the notes as the beginning of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Another jingle, and the door opened.

"You're doing great, Jiro-san! Keep it up!" Ochako chirped.

The third door's puzzle appeared to be identifying musical instruments based on sound clips. It only took a second for her to identify each of them – their sounds were easily distinguishable from all other instruments in the list.

"Violin, trumpet, and piano," she said, and the door opened with a jingle.

"Bravo!" Ms. Delightful's voice sounded out, demonstrating a great level of sarcasm. "You're quite the virtuoso, aren't you? But don't get too cocky, my dear, because there's more to come!"

"She's really getting on my nerves," Kosei whispered, and everyone else agreed with him.

The next door changed the theme, as it requested to arrange pieces of famous sculptures. Admitting sculpting was not in her portfolio, Kyoka stepped back and let Denki and Hanta take a crack at it.

"Alright, this one looks like... Michelangelo's David?" Denki asked, squinting at the pieces.

"Yeah, and this one's Venus de Milo, I think," Hanta replied.

The two of them quickly fit the pieces together, but before someone could input the final answer, Denki somehow tripped and knocked a piece out of place – causing an alarm to blare and several panels on the walls to open, showing several (possibly lethal) guns.

"Watch out!" Ochako shouted, using Zero Gravity to jump to the ceiling and avoid the guns.

Quickly, Denki and Kyoka used their Quirks to attempt to disable some of the guns, while Hanta and Kosei formed barriers around themselves to stop the bullets – paint bullets, as it turned out, which still went fast enough to hurt – as Kyoka looked at Denki.

"Why is it always something with you, Kaminari-san?" she grumbled.

"C'mon, it was an accident!" Denki replied, firing more electricity at the targets. Fortunately, they were able to disable the trap and as soon as the sculpture pieces were in place, another jingle preceded the opening of the door.

"Well done, my musical prodigy! But can you handle one more challenge?" Ms. Delightful said, now barely able to hide her annoyance behind her teeth.

This time, the door combined art and music: several famous artworks had to be matched with classical music pieces. Kyoka took a deep breath, focusing intently as she attempted to make a sense of the apparently nonsensical elements.

"Let's finish this."

Eventually, she matched 'The Birth of Venus' with 'Clair de Lune', 'The Persistence of Memory' with 'Boléro', and 'The Scream' with 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'. As soon as she was done, the door opened with one last jingle.

"Finally! We're through!" Hanta cheered.

"Great job, Kyoka-san! You really know your stuff," Kosei complimented, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get out of here before she gets pissy about it and throws another trap at us," Kyoka deadpanned, although she, too, was smiling.

However, that was when the intercom crackled.

"You think you're so clever, don't you? Well, I have to 'hand' you all an F!" Ms Delightful screeched, furious. A mechanical whirring filled the room, and a trap door opened to pave way to a giant golden hand, which moved ominously towards the group.

"Oh, great, this thing again!" Denki said, alarmed.

"Leave it to me!" Ochako shouted, using her Quirk on herself and jumping towards the hand. As it felt like time stopped while she flew towards the hand, Ochako held onto one of its fingers and activated her Quirk again. The hand began to thrash violently, trying to regain control, but it was useless – programmed to fly under normal gravity, its programming was unable to deal with the sudden loss.

"Be careful, Uraraka!" Kyoka shouted.

Ochako gritted her teeth, feeling the strain of keeping her Quirk working. Flashing back to all her training sessions, her desire to become a hero that could stand alongside her friends, her wish to provide for her parents and pay them back for their struggles... she persevered.

'I have to do this, Plus Ultra style!' she thought.

"Uraraka-san, watch out!"

She looked, and realized that the fingers she was grabbing on was trying to move in order to crush her against the palm. Quickly, she took advantage of her lack of gravity to swing to another finger, sweating from the effort of keeping herself and the hand affected.

"No! That's not fair! You little cheat!" Ms. Delightful screamed.

"Cheat this, you psycho!" Ochako roared back. She swung again to destabilize the hand – and deactivated her Quirk.

The hand promptly lost any semblance of control and crashed against the ground with a resounding CLANG! The joints started to spark, and parts of the fingers tried to move, but it was no longer able to fly, at least.

"Nice one, Uraraka," Kyoka complimented, impressed.

"Call me a cheater, will you? I haven't even started t' cheat, you bloody b– er, let's keep going, we're getting out of here and then we're taking turns in breaking her hands," Ochako said, defiantly.

The rest of the group watched in awe – and a bit of fear – as Ochako stood up again, panting but triumphant.

"Don't think this is over, my little miscreants! I hate cheaters! There are still plenty of ways for me to kill you all painfully!" Ms. Delightful screeched, seething.

"Takes one to know one, sadistic witch! We are ready for anything you throw at us!" Kosei fired back, and the team moved towards the next door, eager to reunite with their classmates and leave.

---

Shoto, Tsuyu, Mezo, Jurota, and Setsuna stood before a set of doors, each of them marked with different symbols that appeared to apply to corresponding scientific disciplines.

"Welcome, my children! Each of you must retrieve a special item from your assigned lab to unlock the door to the atrium! But be warned, these experiments aren't for the faint of heart. Good luck, you're all going to need it!"

Shoto glared over at the intercom before turning to the doors.

"Let's get this over with."

Everyone nodded, and went through the door they had picked.

Shoto entered what seemed to be a chemistry lab. Glass beakers, Bunsen burners, pipettes and other assorted equipment were joined by shelves lined with chemicals, air thick with an acrid smell and a dim light that he was certain didn't fit what should be a lab. Never mind the bubbling cauldron that seemed to be more fitting for a fantasy story.

"Welcome to my little chem lab, Todoroki! Your task is simple: create a compound to retrieve the glowing vial in the cauldron! But, beware, one misstep and... you won't like the results!"

Shoto narrowed his eyes, approaching the central table, where a set of instructions had been laid out next to various chemicals and equipment.

'She's rigged this for sure. I have to be careful.'

Quickly, he started to mix the chemicals following the instructions, his movements calculated and deliberate. However, as he went down the list, he noticed several inconsistencies: there were missing steps, and some of the measurements were clearly incorrect.

'Nice try, but I'm not falling for that.' His pre-U.A. studying had given him more than enough background to know where the instructions were wrong. So, he continued to work, but replaced the wrong parts with what he knew was correct, and used his Quirk to control the temperature of the different elements. At one point, the cauldron started to bubble violently, hissing steam and clearly threatening to overflow, but he just cooled it down with his ice while he adjusted the flame with his fire.

"Oh, dear, it looks like you're in a bit of a pickle, boy. Do you need a little help?"

"No. I have this," he calmly replied, and one last adjustment stabilized the reaction. With a set of pincers, he retrieved the glowing vial that was his target and dried it off.

"I'm more than willing to tear this place apart if it gets us out of here, villain," he declared.

"Ufufufufu, I'd love to see you try. I made sure the perils are quite lethal for disobedient brats like you," the villainess taunted, but Shoto rolled his eyes as he made his way to the exit. As he approached the door, though, the ceiling began to lower rapidly, threatening to crush him. "Time's up, little Todoroki! Let's see how you handle this.

Shoto rolled his eyes again and produced a pair of pillars made of ice, blocking the ceiling and causing several gears to grind against each other as they tried to keep pushing, while he just melted the door hinges and kicked it open, allowing him to walk through, unscathed.

Meanwhile, Tsuyu was dealing with a biology lab, her large eyes blinking as she surveyed the room. Specimens in jars lined the shelves, anatomical models hung from the walls, and complex equipment rested on the tables.

"Welcome, my little amphibian friend! Your task is to synthesize a serum that can retrieve the specimen contained in the chamber! But be careful, you won't like what happens if you make a mistake!"

Methodically scanning the lab, Tsuyu felt focused in her quest. She found the containment chamber in the far corner, its glow casting an eerie light across the room, but she moved to the central table, where she found ingredients, tools, and a set of instructions.

She ignored the villainess's babbling as she checked everything, and quickly noticed that some of the labeled chemicals had been incorrectly labeled. No doubt, Ms. Delightful expected her to just follow the instructions and mix the wrong thing. She considered herself fortunate that biology had always been a passion of hers.

'So, I have to neutralize the toxins and create a stable serum? I can do that.'

Grabbing a few safe compounds, she began to mix them carefully, moving her hands with precision as she worked. She ignored Ms. Delightful's voice, although she noted she was growing impatient.

"Why so silent, my little tadpole? A little ribbit here, a little croak there? It's rather rude to ignore your teacher, you know."

She briefly wondered if it would be worth it to toss some of the mix at the intercom and just destroy the intercom, but she tossed the idea aside as she finished the base mixture and added a few drops of a last compound, stabilizing the solution into a serum.

"You're not following the instructions!" Ms. Delightful shrieked, ignoring the fact that her 'instructions' were faulty. "That's disrespectful, you little frog! Do you think you can just hop your way through my labyrinth without consequences?"

Sucking the serum with a syringe, Tsuyu approached the containment chamber and injected the liquid into the designated slot, causing the chamber to open and allowing her to retrieve the glowing specimen.

"Got it," she told herself, retrieving the object and turning to leave the lab – only for the door to lock down, and a nozzle showing up to fill the room with gas.

"How dare you disobey me! Let's see how you handle a little poison!"

Tsuyu took a deep breath, silently thankful that her amphibian physiology gave her an improved respiratory system, and looked for the ventilation system control, which she activated so it would pull the gas out of the room.

"I've seen better traps in the fair, Delightful," Tsuyu said calmly, before walking to the door and jumping to grab an emergency release lever. As the door opened, she decided to make her way through with a little hop.

Mezo had picked the physics lab, and he moved his arms to survey the room, filled with multiple apparatuses: Van de Graaff generators, Tesla coils and a partially-assembled circuit surrounded by small boxes. The air hummed with energy, and the lighting was flickering.

"Welcome, Mezo! Your task is to complete the circuit to power the generator and retrieve the glowing capacitor! But, don't be shocked, the wrong connection will fry you!"

He remained stoic as he examined the entire setup. Quickly, he noticed that several of the wires had been intentionally mismatched, and some of them were even exposed. She wasn't even bothering to hide she had designed it to be lethal.

"Come on now, don't be shy! Show me those marvelous arms in action! Or are you afraid of a little... zap?"

Ignoring her with years of experience, he quickly focused on the problem. His Dupli-Arms allowed him to inspect multiple parts of the setup, allowing him to identify the potential problems and the safe points.

'I'll have to reroute the power safely while I fix this.'

He started to rewire the setup, holding multiple wires at the same time and making precise adjustments. With two arms testing the voltabe using a multimeter, another working to strip the wires, and yet another to hold the instructions, the task was easy to carry out.

"Oh, using all those arms, are we? That's cheating! This isn't supposed to be easy!"

Mezo didn't even bother pointing out that she had been demanding to see him at work. Instead, he completed the circuit and powered up the generator, making the target capacitor begin to glow. However, before he could pull it out, the room's lighting turned to an ominous red, and a trapdoor opened.

"Let's see how you handle this! Zap zap, my little multi-limbed friend!"

Mezo retracted his hands and quickly created a protective barrier around himself using his arms and one of the tables. Once that was done, he touched the ground with one arm and used another to act as a lightning rod, doing his best to isolate those two arms from the rest of his body. While it did hurt a lot to channel that much electricity, it certainly beat taking it through his entire body.

"NO! How are you... you shouldn't be able to do that! This is not how it's supposed to go!"

For someone that claimed to be a teacher she sure had a bad grasp on basic physics, apparently. Mezo just waited until the electricity stopped flowing, and retrieved the glowing capacitor before starting to leave the room.

"You insolent brat! Do you think you can just waltz through my labyrinth by cheating?! I should have you electrocuted right where you stand! I will kill you, and it will be slow and painful!"

Mezo chose not to point out that it was just another hypocritical statement on her part. Instead, he glared at the intercom.

"You're going to need more than that to stop me," he calmly said, and grabbed the emergency lever he found to unlock the door, ignoring the villainess's shrill voice as he left the room.

Jurota's lab was filled with geological speciments, from rock samples to interactive terrain models, and the door locked as he entered.

"Ah, Jurota! Welcome to the Earth Sciences lab! Your task is to retrieve the key from the volcanic core model. But if you aren't careful, you might trigger an eruption! Isn't that exciting?"

Jurota didn't even bother to answer, instead observing the model. Its complex setup, with several levers, switches, and pressure plates, told him everything was designed to mislead and harm whoever tried to handle them.

"I'm not playing your game, villain," he gruffly said.

"Oh, come now, show some respect for your teacher! Or should I say... former teacher?"

His answer was not made of words, but of actions. In this case, he transformed into his beast form: his muscles began to bulge, his features turned beast-like, his fingers became sharp claws. With his enhanced senses, he was able to distinguish the real key, and he promptly started to rip the model apart.

"What are you doing? You can't just brute-force your way through! That's cheating!"

Jurota ignored her. Instead, he ripped apart all the pieces he found, and the moment there was enough of an opening, he reached into it and grabbed the key.

"You are throwing bricks from your crystal house," he rumbled.

"You insubordinate beast! How dare you defy me! I'll skin you alive for this!"

Jurota smirked, his beastly features making the expression all the more intimidating as he walked towards the exit.

"You'll have to catch me first," he replied, adding as much disrespect to his tone as he could.

Suddenly, the room began to shake. The model started to spew smoke and lava, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open, revealing a chasm.

"Let's see how you handle an actual eruption! You won't escape this time, cheater!" Ms. Delightful yelled, her voice echoing with maniacal laughter.

Jurota simply shifted into full Beast mode and leapt across the chasm, using his claws to climb up the walls while he dodged falling debris and spewing lava, before he reached the emergency lever and yanked it down.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked with a growl, before jumping through the door.

Setsuna had entered her laboratory, and her eyes immediately took in the elaborate setup. The only illumination came from the soft glow of the constellations projected onto the ceiling and walls, and there were telescopes, star charts, and planetary models scattered around.

"Ah, Setsuna! Welcome to my Astronomy lab. Your task is to align the planetary models correctly and unlock the key. Just have to be careful, the stars can be quite volatile if you make a mistake!"

Setsuna rolled her eyes, and her lizard-like grin widened.

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of a few twinkling lights!" she smugly said, and she approached the central model. It was a complex, mechanized representation of the solar system, and she could easily tell the planets were misaligned. Several dials and switches were scattered around the base.

"Such confidence! Let's see if you can back it up!"

Detaching several parts of her body to reach multiple controls simultaneously, Setsuna began to manipulate the dials and switches. One by one, the planets began to move into their correct positions under her guidance, and she nodded as she got close to completing everything.

"Careful now... one wrong move and the stars might just explode!"

Setsuna paused her actions. She could easily sense the tension in the woman's voice... so she decided to press her buttons even further.

"What's the matter, Ms. Distasteful? Losing your touch? Maybe you're just scared that a student is outsmarting you?"

The planetary model began to tremble, and a low hum filled the room. Setsuna just adjusted the final dial, and the planets clicked into place with a soft chime, opening the locker with the key.

"You insolent brat! You think you're so great, don't you? I will see you dead for this!"

The room began to shake, and the projection of stars on the ceiling shifted into a chaotic swirl. The ground beneath Setsuna's feet started to give way, and she jumped just before the pit with sharp, jagged rocks was revealed.

"Come on, Obnoxious Lady, I thought you were a big bad villain! Not even a B-movie could have this hack of a trap!" she fired grinning, as she floated all of her body parts to the nearest telescope, where she attached everything back into the right place.

"I'll tear you apart myself if I have to!"

Setsuna just sent a hand to retrieve the key at the other end of the room, and held it triumphantly as it flew back to her.

"You'll have to get in line," she taunted her, jumping to the exit and opening the door. "Thanks for the challenge, I almost didn't get bored at all!"

"You won't be so smug when I have my hands around your neck!"

Setsuna laughed, closing the door behind her, and meeting with the others in her group, who produced their corresponding objects.

"Good job, everyone," Shoto said, nodding.

"Nice work, kero," Tsuyu added.

"Indeed," Mezo said.

"Impressive as always," Jurota finished, grinning.

"Thank you, thank you! Now let's get out of here and show that woman what real U.A. students are made of," Setsuna finished, and the group moved to the central lock, inserting their items in place. They all braced themselves, knowing that Ms. Delightful would likely have more traps waiting for them, but all they got was a shriek through the intercom.

"You think you've won? This is far from over! I will see you all suffer!"

"Better villains than you have tried," Shoto said, and the door clicked open.

---

Izuku's group was back in the main atrium, trying to catch their breath. They had had no luck in finding the villains or their classmates.

"Ugh, no signal yet," Izuku said as he tried to call for help with his gear. "Any luck, Melissa-chan?"

Melissa shook her head, pressing the star symbol over her left chest area: it was meant to be a distress beacon for situations like this one, but it wasn't getting a ping back, meaning there was no communication.

"No luck. Whoever built this place made the effort to block all potential signals. So, either we find the jammer, or we get out of here on our own."

"Well, if we don't do something, we'll be trapped in here forever," Hitoshi said, sitting on the floor in a crumple.

In the silence that followed, they all heard a door opening.

"Someone's coming, come on," Izuku said, waving a hand so everyone would follow him to hide behind the staircase. "If it's a villain, we can just take them by surprise and grab them."

The others nodded, and Izuku peeked out, seeing a shadow approaching. Ducking back briefly, he gave the others a quick sign and leapt out, ready to stop–

"Hey, Green!"

Izuku quickly stopped his intended attack, seeing that it was Shoto, Tsuyu, Mezo, Jurota, and Setsuna that he had nearly attacked. The group had also been ready to defend themselves, until they saw him and the others and relaxed.

"Hey, Deku!"

Looking over the shoulder, Izuku saw as more doors opened to allow the rest of their classmates in, much to everyone's cheer.

"It's amazing to see you guys again!" Melissa exclaimed, smiling.

"Yeah, this place is making me crazy!" Izuku added, looking in disgust at the labyrinth.

"Indeed, Midoriya-san. Ms. Delightful's technology class was a true land of eldritch terror that threatened to drive our minds to insanity," Fumikage said, with the boys in his group quickly agreeing. Some of the others looked at the last group to arrive, the one formed by Yuga, Togaru, Kinoko, Toru, and Pony.

"Where were you sent?" Ochako asked, and Togaru groaned.

"Fuck Social Studies," he just said.

"Very well. Now that everyone is here, we can try to locate the exit," Momo suggested.

"Or," Katsuki interrupted, his hands smoking as he grinned, "we keep blasting 'til we make one."

Izuku jumped in front of his friend.

"Woah, easy there, Kacchan. We tried to smash one thing and it tried to smash us back. This place is booby-trapped to the gills."

"Then how're we supposed to get out?"

"We aren't."

Everyone turned to look at Kyoka.

"Don't you guys get it? Those two villains are going to keep messing with us."

"Until we mess with them. I'm sure that stick Ms. Delightful has controls everything in this labyrinth. If we take the stick..." Izuku said.

"We take control..." Neito continued.

"... and we take them down!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Come on."

They all turned to see Ms. Delightful rise into view through an opened panel on the floor, twirling her pointer stick.

"Won't you lot ever learn? You're in my world, children. You 'heroes can't win," she said, pressing a button on her stick. The door behind her opened, and she ran off immediately, laughing out loud.

"Catch her!" Izuku yelled, and the students began their pursuit of the villainess.

The room Ms. Delightful was (somehow) riding a scooter through was filled with oversized mathematical symbols and equations. The students had to duck and weave to avoid being smacked by spinning multiplication signs and bouncing algebraic formulas. Katsuki and Melissa attempted to blast a path open, but the numbers multiplied faster than they could destroy them, which also kept Neito from just copying anyone else's Quirks. Ibara was having a full time trying to pull her classmates out of harm's way with her vines.

As soon as they crossed that one, they found themselves into a geography-themed room, the walls covered in detailed maps and globes floating and spinning erratically. Ms. Delightful's scooter made its way through, only for the floor to tilt and shift, turning into a rolling globe. Tsuyu and Hitoshi anchored themselves with their tongue and capture weapon, and Shoto froze a section to provide a stable path while Yosetsu created handholds for everyone else and Setsuna just disassembled her body.

Those who managed to catch up dashed through a history-themed room, with several animatronic figures from different eras that promptly moved to hinder the students' progress, forcing them to dodge swinging swords from medieval knights or galloping horses of ancient warriors. Eijiro hardened his body to shield his friends and Kosei used his Solid Air Quirk to block the advancing figures, allowing them to continue advancing as Ms. Delightful slipped through the chaos, laughing heartily.

The chase continued through a language arts room, with giant floating kanji forming words that shifted and morphed, letting Ms. Delightful skip by before rearranging themselves to block the students' path. Kyoka tried to blast them with her quirk while Denki attempted to destroy the letters with a discharge, but they just reassembled themselves, spelling out 'NICE TRY' before the villainess disappeared through another door. Fortunately, Juzo softening the ground to trap the letters while Pony used her horns to help everyone cross did the trick.

And then it was a gym, filled with sports equipment. Ms. Delightful leaped onto a trampoline and bounced high enough she could grab a high bar and flip gracefully over it. Izuku tried to follow using Mover to jump high, only to get tangled in a net – one that also grabbed Camie as she tried to follow. Mina's attempt to use her acid to create a slick path wasn't enough to reach the villainess, who cartwheeled out of reach and left through another exit before Shihai could use the shadows to grab her or Tetsutetsu could break through the obstacles with his steel body.

After that, the chase took them through a home economics room, filled with oversized kitchen utensils and sewing machines. Momo created a giant spatula to try and flip the woman into their grasp, but she just pirouetted away past several mixing bowls, causing Momo to crash into a mountain of flour that left everyone coughing and covered in white power. Kojiro attempted to slow her down with a glob of glue while Kinoko tried to make mushrooms grow on her body to drain her, but it wasn't enough.

An art room was the next in the list, splattered with colorful paint and multiple sculptures. Sliding across the rainbow-painted floor, Ms. Delightful left a trail of slick colors behind her, making the students slip in their attempt to keep their footing. Ochako tried to skip the problem by floating with Zero Gravity, but the villainess just threw a bucket of paint at her, causing her to lose her balance and spin out of control. Reiko tried to use her telekinesis to hold her back, but to no avail, as she disappeared through another door. It took Jurota barreling through the room in his beast form for everyone to be able to reach their target.

Izuku was the first to reach the hidden door, moving a bust's head to reveal a button that was quickly pressed, opening the door...

"No way!" Kyoka said, surprised. At the other side of the door stood a city that resembled Musutafu.

"Are we finally done?" Yui asked, but some of the others were doubtful.

"Only one way to find out," Izuku said, crossing the doorway ahead of everyone else.

"It... looks like the real deal," Jurota said after a few seconds, but then Izuku grabbed something from apparently mid-air and pulled, tearing it and revealing what it was: a fabric screen. Everyone glared at the reveal, annoyed, frustrated, and angry.

"Fucking hell, not again!" Katsuki exclaimed, and Izuku punched the floor with his right hand – revealing they were back at the atrium once more, to their absolute dismay.

"Right back where we started," Izuku groaned. Then a section of the floor flipped over, bringing Ms. Delightful, Calamity, and Kurogiri into the room.

"Of course, my children. Did you honestly think we would let you all go freely? We only let you think that for the amusement your looks would provide us," Ms. Delightful explained, giggling. A tap to the tiles with the stick, and the three villains were carried high into the air. "Class is over, and none of you brats didn't die in the painful and gruesome manners I designed this labyrinth for. That's a failing grade for every single one of you. There's only one thing left for it."

Suddenly, all the doors swung shut, alarming the students. The stairs retracted up to the first balcony, and the walls fell outward to expose a curving black-and-white sunburst pattern all around, only broken by doors and paintings. And then several Latin alphabet-like forms moved in, sporting a nasty variety of weapons.

"You're all just die here and now! Time for a slaughter class, my children! Get those body bags ready, Kurogiri!"

"Everyone! Get that stick!"

Reiko tried to say something, but Katsuki, Jurota, Togaru, Eijiro, and Tetsutetsu drowned her out with a hearty yell and charged. Rallying together, their combined efforts were able to push the animated letters back, and Izuku took advantage of the path to dash through the atrium with Mover, leaping into the air to dodge several razor-sharp edges that threatened to slice him.

"Iris Rider Impact!" he shouted, delivering a powerful kick to several 'A's that promptly shattered in pieces.

Jurota, still in his beast form, charged into a cluster of club-wielding 'B's, tearing through them with his immense strength, while Togaru slashed through the rest of them with his sharp blades.

Katsuki jumped in the air with his explosive blasts, weaving through the air and avoiding several projectiles.

"Die, you damned letters! AP Shot: Auto Cannon!" he roared, launching a barrage of blasts to obliterate the letters in his path before going for Ms. Delightful, twisting in the air to gather the oxygen and momentum he needed to fuel the explosion. "Howitzer Impact!"

Everyone covered their ears just before Katsuki unleashed his attack, but the moment they looked back they found that Kurogiri had managed to open a portal in front of Ms. Delightful, neutralizing the attack.

That didn't mean the students would give up. Ochako used her Quirk on several letters and threw them against the ceiling.

"Take that!" she said, panting.

"May the Lord's will guide us," Ibara said, crushing several letters with her vines and throwing the remains at other letters in order to protect her friends.

Shoto just kept doing what he had been, creating ice walls to block incoming enemies before slashing them with his flame-engulfed katana. Neito quickly copied him, figuring that they would need as much power as possible. And Setsuna just disassembled her body again, dodging all the letters' attacks as she struck on all angles – and reformed.

"Can't catch me!" she laughed, hitting another letter that hadn't realized she was there.

"Hey, no roughhousing! Do I have to separate you brats?" Ms. Delightful said, pressing the white marker on her pointer stick.

Ochako had just grabbed a large desk in order to send it flying at the villains, hoping to disrupt their balance, but suddenly the tile underneath her feet shook and pushed her up. The shock was enough to make her lose concentration, and the desk crashed into the ground as she was taken up against her will. Katsuki, who had been trying to find another turn at blasting off the villains, crashed head-on against one of the other columns, and Neito found himself carried towards the ceiling.

When the movement stopped, the tiles were now forming a staggered pyramid, putting the students at different levels of the structure. Neito didn't have time to ponder on the geometry as laser shots forced him to quickly jump between different tiles. Seeing a passing 'F', he jumped to hold onto it and led it towards the villains' balcony, jumping off the letter to make it crash against a wall while he shot a fire blast at Ms. Delightful. Unfortunately, she was able to leap out of the way and into another misty portal, which left her on another floating platform.

"Kurogiri, bring out the Nomu!" she ordered.

"Oh, pulling the big guns, huh?" Calamity wondered, looking over at Ms. Delightful.

Whatever the Nomu was, the students quickly found out, as another misty portal formed – and an absolute monstrosity came through. The only thing that resembled humanity was that it had a basic humanoid form. Everything else, from the dark purple skin to its grotesque appearance to its wide-open brain only showed the horror that had just entered the room.

"Nomu, can you permanently silence these brats for me?" Ms. Delightful asked.

The abomination roared and jumped down onto the tile where Melissa stood. Without hesitation, Melissa stepped forward, using the enhanced physical attributes she had from Superhuman Factor to deliver a powerful punch to the monster's torso – but, even though it was something that could have destroyed a wall of rock, the Nomu barely even flinched.

"Not one scratch?" Izuku wondered.

"His Quirk is Shock Absorption, he can tank all of your attacks without getting hurt at all!" Calamity explained, reveling on the student's reaction.

Melissa quickly switched tactics and activated her Star Light Quirk: her body quickly glowed with intense energy, and she fired a concentrated beam of light, aiming to burn through its exterior. The Nomu roared, momentarily staggered by the heat and light, and attempted to attack Melissa, but the American girl continued her assault, firing rapid energy bursts while dodging the Nomu's heavy swings. However, every time she landed a blow, the Nomu's wounds regenerated almost instantly.

"No way, its Quirk's supposed to be Shock Absorption, not regeneration," Izuku said, but then he realized. "It has more than one Quirk!"

"Correct!" Ms. Delightful replied, grinning. "The Nomu was bio-engineered to carry multiple Quirks! Its original purpose was to kill All Might, but now it's designed to kill powerful misbehaving brats like you!"

The Nomu lunged at Melissa, its speed surprising for its size, but Melissa was faster and evaded its attacks before countering with a barrage of powerful photonic energy-infused kicks and punches. While momentarily blinded from the light, the Nomu quickly recovered as its regenerative ability worked overtime.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" Melissa yelled, feeling her stamina waning from the continuous use of her Quirks, but still determined and gritting her teeth. "Shooting Star Cannon!"

The Nomu stumbled as parts of its body were left charred and smoking, but it wasn't enough to put it down, as the regeneration kicked in again.

"Melissa, fall back!" Izuku called out. "We have to regroup and find another way!"

Reluctantly, Melissa followed the command and hid behind a black tile, breathing heavily as she attempted to recover from her upsurge of activity.

"It's too tough," she told herself. "We need to hit it harder, and all at once."

The Nomu turned around, trying to find another victim, but Camie had been quick, and had used her Glamour to make it look like the atrium was empty. Meanwhile, Reiko was hurling heavy objects at the attacking letters, paying particular attention to the 'Q's, which were carrying laser chainsaws. Fumikage had summoned Dark Shadow, who was now rampaging through the letters, tearing them apart, while his fellow dweller in the darkness, Shihai, used the shadows created by the towering tiles to ambush letters and destroy them.

Neito, landing on the ground, looked over at the tear Izuku had made on the 'wall'.

'Wait, is that machinery? Damn, this entire labyrinth is fake to begin with!' he thought, looking around until he managed to spot Toru, who was taking advantage of her innate invisibility to confuse the letters and dodge their attacks. Neito dashed over to her, avoiding a flying 'A' that tried to jab him with a sharp end.

"Hagakure-san! I need to borrow your Quirk!" he shouted over the noise.

Toru turned to look at him (he guessed).

"What? Why?" she asked with urgency.

"I think I know how to get us all out of here," he said, making sure no one that shouldn't was listening. "I need to sneak around undetected, and yours is the only one that could work."

Toru hesitated for a moment, but seeing he was being genuine, she took off a glove and reached out for his hand.

"Okay, but be careful, Monoma-san."

Monoma quickly copied Toru's Quirk, and started to take off his clothes as soon as he felt the effect of being invisible take him. He knew he had a time limit for this, and he would have to be fast if he wanted to take advantage of it.

"Thanks, Hagakure-san. I'll make this quick."

He ran as silently as he could through the battlefield, slipping past his classmates, the animated objects and the Nomu. He felt a bit apprehensive at the fact that he was completely naked, but he felt that the possibility of helping everyone was worth a bit of shame. A quick look showed him there was a vent on the wall, partially hidden behind a bookshelf. Fortunately, it seemed to be large enough for him to slip inside, like in the movies, although quite tight. A contrast with the chaos outside, but at least it gave him the opening he needed for his plan to work.

Izuku, meanwhile, was using Mover to jump between tiles, making his way quickly towards the platform used by Ms. Delightful. As soon as he reached, he pulled from Striker and launched a barrage of punches and kicks, but somehow the villainess managed to sidestep all of it.

"Oh, give it a rest, broccoli, just accept the inevitable," Ms. Delightful said, gesturing with her pointer stick. Izuku looked down, and noticed that his classmates were starting to get tired. Regardless of their strength, they were only human, while the enemies were apparently limitless, and on top of that there was the Nomu, who was able to take on Katsuki, Eijiro, Tetsutetsu, Jurota, and Mezo, at the same time, while they struggled to fight it off. Izuku turned to attack Ms. Delightful –

"SHE'S A HOLOGRAM!" he heard Reiko yell, all of a sudden, making the villainess put an angry face. Izuku fired a Blaster projectile, which went through Ms. Delightful, who didn't bother to dodge.

"What?" he said in surprise. Ms. Delightful just did a little twirling, as Izuku processed the truth.

"Oh, great. We've wasted twenty minutes chasing an hologram of a coward that is as fake as this labyrinth." As he noticed a hole in the wall that wasn't covered by the illusion, he realized what he had to do. "I guess it's time for a reality check."

With a yell, Izuku leapt at Ms. Delightful's image and ran through it, before flinging himself over the edge with a yell.

"Kurogiri! A little help here?!" the villainess said, sending two letters after Izuku with a thought. When Kurogiri didn't act, she turned, finding him standing still, his eyes blanked out, as if he were in a trance. "Kurogiri! What are you doing?!"

"Sorry, but your friend is not available at the moment," someone else said. That someone was Hitoshi, who was now stepping from behind Kurogiri and smirking. "I can leave a message for him if you want."

Ms. Delightful growled as she looked at Calamity, who sprouted a set of wings from her back.

"I'm on it," she said in an annoyed voice, starting to chase after Hitoshi, who wisely chose to jump off the platform.

---

Izuku quickly flew towards the rip made by one of the 'Q's in the wall. Noticing the following letters, he covered himself in a cloud of black energy and disappeared from sight, allowing him to tumble into a small service duct just as the ordnance fired at him exploded around the duct.

'I barely get to use Stranger,' he thought, crawling further into the duct. Hopefully, he would reach his target soon.

Elsewhere in the labyrinth was the real Ms. Delightful, sitting in front of a bank of monitors showing the students from many angles, along with a complex array of controls. As she sipped from her cup of Earl Grey tea, she eyed the silver serving tower of finger food, sweets, scones, and savories, letting her enjoy the chaos and terrorize the hero students without having to leave the room.

"So amusing, this should teach those bratty hero trainees," she said aloud, giggling, before she looked and realized there was a problem. "Wait a moment, I'm missing a few boys."

That was when one of the monitors turned black even though it was on, followed by the others winking out one by one, until only one, the large one in the middle, remained working.

Behind the walls, Neito was still crawling through the labyrinth's narrow ducts, ripping any handful of wiring he could find, making lights flicker and causing traps to malfunction. While the ducts were tight, he was thin and flexible enough to navigate through them, allowing him to mess with everything he could find.

At the atrium, the students had kept fighting with the letters only for the latter to suddenly shut down and collapse, while the image they had been surrounded with turned completely white, catching everyone by surprise. Calamity ceased in her flight as she looked around in dismay, realizing everything was going down the drain.

"This – this is impossible!"

The fake Ms. Delightful was the last thing standing, and she was barely able to react before she spluttered and blinked out – all while the real one backed away, as the screens and control panels started to smoke and short-circuit.

"My machines! My lovely labyrinth! Whatever brat did this they're going to pay–"

"'Sup."

Ms. Delightful gave a shriek as she turned around and saw Neito, wearing nothing but an improvised loincloth crafted with the cables he had ripped out. Not the best option, but he guessed it would be enough until he could recover his clothes.

"You underestimated us, Delightful. Now, it's time to end this," Neito said, getting ready, as Ms. Delightful picked her pointer stick which transforms into a spiked mace.

"I'm not going down without a fight," she growled, and she lunged at Neito, her movements swift and precise – but Neito easily dodged her attack and countered with a low sweep that almost tripped her. Her frustrated and angry attack was easily avoided by Neito, who, even though he wore no clothes, had no problems with keeping her from hitting him.

And then he launched himself at her. Ms. Delightful barely managed to parry his first attack, but Neito was pragmatic, and he wasn't afraid to use every dirty tactic in his hand, from tossing debris at her to try to trap the mace with more cables.

"You're just a child playing hero," the woman taunted, swinging her stick.

"Well, you're a bully with a fancy stick, so I guess you lose," Neito shot back, grabbing a chair and hurling it at her as hard as he could. Her attempt to parry the attack was insufficient, and she got hit, leaving Neito an opening to kick her in the mid-section and send her to the floor.

Ms. Delightful scrambled to her feet, her face twisted with rage.

"You think you can defeat me with such cheap tricks?!"

Neito smirked, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow.

"Pot, kettle, black. Plus, here and now? The important thing is winning."

Lunging forward, he made a faint to the left before delivering a right hook that caught her square in the jaw, causing her to bit her lip and making start to blood.

"You're nothing!" the woman shrieked, charging at him with her mace raised. Neito saw it coming and simply sidestepped her charge, tripped her and followed up with a series of quick jabs, trying to reach her pressure points. Her retaliatory wild swing was so telegraphed that Neito was able to duck under it and kick her on the side, sending her crashing into the control console – something that didn't agree with her, as she got heavily shocked before she could push herself off.

"Your tricks won't work on me, brat!" she snarled, getting back to her feet... again.

"Says the woman who got tossed around by someone a third her age," Neito taunted. "Is this the best you've got? I expected more from someone who prides herself in being so 'delightful'."

The mocking tone in that answer hit home, and Ms. Delightful found herself overcome by rage. But, as she kept failing to touch Neito or hit him, her confidence was shaken and she was thrown off balance. Dodging one wild swing, Neito grabbed a piece of the broken control console and swung at her head, hitting her straight and knocking her to the ground. Quickly, Neito pinned her down, and picked more cables to tie her hands and ankles and keep her from moving.

"It's over, Delightful," Neito stated, his voice steady and triumphant. "You're done."

'Now I just need someone to find my clothes and bring them to me – these wires aren't exactly covering everything...'

---

"Are you seeing this?" Momo asked, looking around at the sudden switch to the situation.

"Yeah... I guess this labyrinth wasn't as real as we thought, Itsuka commented, looking at the plain white walls around them.

"It doesn't matter."

The students looked up to see Calamity descending, staring back at them with palpable bloodlust in her eyes.

"Ms. Delightful and this labyrinth may have failed to kill you all... but I'm going to achieve my objective and do it instead. None of you are leaving," she declared, her voice echoing with authority, her eyes glinting with the promise of destruction.

"Objective? Who are you working for?" Shoto asked, preparing his sword.

"Why should I tell you? You'll be dead soon."

While relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with the animated letters, they knew they would still have to deal with the infamous S-rank villainess and the Nomu, and that was certainly something they were unsure they could survive. Before the villains engaged in battle, though, they felt a rumbling coming from one of the walls – until it blasted apart, revealing Izuku.

"Izuku-kun!"

"Green!"

"I was about to deal with an issue, but Neito-san got ahead of me. Can someone grab his clothes and give them to him? I don't think he's ready to show off."

Nobody chose to comment on that, but Setsuna found them and (smirking as she imagined what had happened) used a floating hand to carry them to the hole Izuku had come out from.

Meanwhile, Izuku walked in front of the his classmates and stared down at the villains.

"Everyone, just go, I'll hold them off," he ordered.

"Fuck, no!"

Izuku didn't even need to turn to know who was speaking.

"I want to take these fuckers down, too, Deku!" Katsuki said, stepping up next to him. "We've been doing this shit since we were kids, and I ain't gonna let you do it alone!"

"Don't count us out, either. We're joining in," Shoto said, standing next to Katsuki.

"Yeah. I want a rematch with the Nomu," Melissa added, stepping up to Izuku's other side.

Izuku looked back at the classmates, who were hesitant.

"The rest of you, go and follow Monoma-san, we have found a tunnel that leads outside."

"Please... come back to us," Momo begged, looking hopeful at the four that were willing to hold the line. While Katsuki was too fixed in his idea of fighting the villains, the other three nodded in agreement. That was all that was needed for the group to carefully retreat towards the opening Izuku had made, where (a fortunately dressed) Neito was waiting with the rather annoyed (and tied-up) Ms. Delightful, whom some of them glared at as they passed by. But still, most turned a worried glance at their friends.

Calamity activated her Quirk, Endbringer, making her the embodiment of three Biblical beasts: she had the strength and weight of the Behemoth, the winds and air control of the Ziz, and the water shroud and fluid movements of the Leviathan.

"Let's do this," Izuku said, clenching his fists and activating Brute, Mover, and Striker. The air around him crackled with energy as he prepared to face the S-rank villainess. With a burst of speed, he launched himself at Calamity, aiming a powerful punch at her – which she blocked effortlessly, her strength matching his own.

"You think you can defeat me, little hero?" Calamity taunted, mixing amusement and disdain in her voice. "I've seen your kind fall before."

"I could say the same," Izuku fired back, gritting his teeth, and followed up with a series of rapid punches, each infused with the full power of Brute and Striker. Unfortunately, Calamity was able to dodge and weave through the barrage with the agility granted to her by her Ziz wings.

"You'll have to do better than that," she sneered, turning her water shroud into tendrils of water that lashed out at him. Izuku dodged the first few strikes, but got caught in one that sent him crashing into a wall. "Nomu, Kurogiri, take care of the other three."

"DIE!" Katsuki yelled, unleashing an explosion that was big enough to bring down all the villains, but once more Kurogiri teleported the blast away. "Damn it! These two are just a pain in the ass!"

"We have a creature that can absorb impacts and regenerate, and a mist villain that can warp away anything you throw at him," Melissa replied.

"Do you think I give a fuck about how powerful their Quirks are? I'm not going to lose to these bastards! Everybody's got a weak point, and either you fight with me or stay out of my way!" Katsuki shouted, shooting forwards towards Kurogiri with an explosion.

"Idiot," Shoto muttered, using his Quirk to propel himself forwards towards the Nomu, along with Melissa.

Meanwhile, Kurogiri looked at Katsuki, finding his explosions amusing.

"Teenagers these days, you just don't learn, do you? Can't you see that your attacks do absolutely nothing to me?" he said, preparing to warp Katsuki away – only for the blond boy to suddenly use two explosions to dodge the gate and instead grabbing the metal collar he used to anchor his body. Before he could react, Katsuki had already pinned him down hard against the floor, immobilizing him with a savage grin on his face.

"Hah! You thought I'd fall for the same trick? I'm not dumb, you know! And you must have a physical body somehow, so all I had to do was to find your weak spot and pound on it! How does it feel to be completely defenseless, huh, gasshole?" Katsuki taunted, smirking at his own pun as he kept a tight grip on Kurogiri's collar.

Meanwhile, Shoto and Melissa were ready to fight the Nomu. The former channeled fire through his katana, while the American girl powered up.

"Ready?" Shoto asked.

"Absolutely," Melissa replied.

The Nomu roared and charged at them with astonishing speed. Not fast enough, though, to keep Shoto from stepping forward, hiw katana blazing, as he prepared his own attack.

"Way of the Flame: Blazing Slash!" he shouted, swinging his weapon, The slash created a razor-like flame that cut through the air, prompting the Nomu to try and block it. The force of the attack was enough to push it back in spite of its Quirk, but the flames barely did any damage. That was when Melissa leapt into action, her enhanced strength and agility allowing her to close the distance as she channeled Star Light through her fist.

"Blazar Punch!" she yelled. The impact on the Nomu's chest was strong enough to cause great damage, but once more its Hyper Regeneration closed the wounds.

"We need to hit it harder and faster," Shoto said, trying to come up with a strategy.

"We are doing that already, it's regenerating too fast!" Melissa replied, frustrated.

Meanwhile, Izuku had used the wall he had crashed into as a springboard to propel himself back into the fight using Mover, as he poured Blaster into his next attack, aiming for a decisive blow.

"Iris Metal Blast!"

The energy blast hit Calamity square in the chest, but she barely flinched, absorbing the impact thanks to her Behemoth aspect, before she countered with a powerful punch of her own that Izuku blocked with a Shaker shield.

"You can't win," Calamity said with a cold, confident voice. "You're just delaying the inevitable."

Izuku's mind race as he took a glance at the tunnel, smiling as he saw that the others had already gone down the tunnel. Seeing that he could now go beyond, his body surged with multicolored energy before he dashed for Calamity, shattering the ground beneath him. Calamity barely had the time to react before Izuku was on her, unleashing a flurry of blows that somehow became faster and stronger the more it grew, forcing her to acknowledge she was getting overwhelmed. Her attempt to use her water shroud to protect herself wasn't fast enough: Izuku just broke through the barrier and punched her straight in the jaw, sending her flying against the wall, where her body left a crater as she crashed with a thunderous impact. For a moment, she laid there, stunned by the power behind Izuku's attack.

Meanwhile, the Nomu continued fighting, trying to reach Shoto and Melissa with its powerful punches. However, Shoto was able to parry and deflect the blows thanks to the shimmering barrier he could create with his fire, while Melissa just used her enhanced speed to dodge and weave around the attacks.

Then Shoto kicked the ground.

"Freeze Frame!" A sheet of ice was created under his foot, which stretched out until it was right underneath the Nomu's feet – and then grew upwards, encasing its legs and immobilizing it, at least for a moment. "Shield-san, now!"

Seizing the opportunity, Melissa channeled all her energy into the next attack.

"Shooting Star Cannon!" she yelled, firing a beam of concentrated Star Light straight into the Nomu, causing a massive explosion of light and heat to surround it. However, this ended up distracting Katsuki, who felt Kurogiri slip as he warped away.

"FUCKING GODDAMNIT!" Katsuki shouted, livid. "I let my guard down for ONE FUCKING SECOND and this shit happens!"

Kurogiri appeared in another platform, near Cataclysm.

"These students are stronger than expected. We must finish this quickly, or they will overwhelm us," he said, catching Katsuki's attention as he zeroed-in on his target.

"That's right, assholes! You messed up with the wrong school!" he yelled, firing another explosion to catch up to the Warp Quirk wielder before he could react. Kurogiri reacted by putting up a portal to warp Katsuki's attack away, but Katsuki had only been feinting – he quickly changed directions mid-air and reached Kurogiri's exposed side.

"You think you're clever, huh?" he said, unleashing another explosion that hit the metal collar, making him stagger and grunt in pain, his form flickering as he struggled to maintain control.

"Persistent brat," the villain muttered, surrounding himself with portals in an attempt to confuse and trap Katsuki.

Not that it worked – Katsuki simply launched several smaller, rapid explosions, that disrupted the portals faster than Kurogiri could react.

"You aren't getting away this time!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the atrium as he took advantage of a gap to push forward and try another direct hit on the collar. Kurogiri attempted to stop it by creating a large portal beneath him, but Katsuki just used an explosion to jump over the portal and then sent a concentrated blast straight at Kurogiri.

The explosion connected. While his gaseous form held together, the crash of his metal collar against the wall caused him to violently flicker around, as he moved in obvious pain.

"You... you think you can defeat me?" he hissed, his voice filled with venom. "I am the gateway to 'his' power!"

"Then 'he' can come here and I'll blow him up like I just did you!" Katsuki spat back as he landed a few feet away. "You're just another obstacle in my way!"

And he charged again, even more explosions as he prepared to attack again.

Meanwhile, Izuku was watching as Calamity struggled to her feet, eyes burning with fury. Unfortunately, Izuku's attack hadn't been enough to keep her down, and she activated her Behemoth aspect once more, making her muscles bulge with renewed strength.

"You thought that was enough to stop me?" she snarled. "I'll show you what true power is!"

Launching herself at Izuku, she launched a punch at Izuku like a meteor, but Izuku was faster, dodging using Mover and leaving her punch to create a crater in the ground. He countered with a swift kick to the side, but the watery shield created by her Leviathan aspect absorbed the impact.

"Is that all you've got?" Calamity mocked, her voice dripping with disdain as she went back into the offensive, lashing out with a flurry of punches, much like Izuku had done earlier. Unlike her, though, Izuku was able to block or dodge every attack with easy, even as the relentless onslaught continued.

He steadied himself, knowing that he couldn't afford to let up. Forcing her back with a push, he activated Mover again, his body crackling with green lightning, and closed the distance to unleash another Brute/Striker punch into her.

"Iris Robo Wrecker!"

Calamity couldn't even react before the punch connected with her face, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air.

Elsewhere, Kurogiri was still trying to warp Katsuki's explosions away, but it was all a distraction – the moment he could, he simply jumped into the air and aimed down.

"Got you now, damn purple crap mist!" he yelled, pushing himself and creating yet another explosion – but this time Kurogiri managed to avoid it by using a warp portal, one that let him appear right behind Katsuki, who was suddenly in a weak position, unable to dodge or get out of Kurogiri's way as he prepared another warp.

"Pay the price for dropping your guard in a life and death battle!" Kurogiri announced – only for Calamity to crash into him, sending him flying away and tumbling in the floor while she hit the ground with another thunderous impact, obscuring her beneath a cloud of dust and debris.

Katsuki didn't waste a second and dove, aiming for Kurogiri as he struggled to regain his form.

"You aren't slipping away again!" Katsuki roared. Kurogiri attempted to open a portal, but Katsuki was too fast: he reached out and grabbed the collar, yanking him back and into the ground. "Stay still, damn it!"

And, to prove that he wasn't joking around, he fired a concentrated blast into the collar. While the metal collar resisted, Kurogiri struggled to maintain cohesion and attempted to open a portal, but with the blond aware of it, he just kept blasting the collar.

"You're finished!" he exclaimed, his eyes blazing. "You thought you could mess with us?! With me?! Think again!"

Kurogiri attempted a last resort move, as he tried to envelop Katsuki in a cloud of dark mist, hoping to kill or at least warp him away – but he was too fast to let that catch him, and he unleashed one last explosion, cracking the metal. At which point, Kurogiri lost his battle.

"This... isn't over..." he managed to say, his voice weak and faltering.

"Yeah, whatever, keep telling yourself that," Katsuki replied as Kurogiri's form dissipated.

Nearby, the Nomu kept going after Shoto and Melissa, who were at an impasse: while they were able to keep it from hurting them, all of their attacks were quickly healed.

"Way of the Flame: Heavenly Strike!" Shoto shouted as he sliced through the Nomu's shoulder, severing the arm. The creature's regeneration meant he could just recover it, however, much to their chagrin.

"What does it take to stop this thing?" Melissa asked, panting from the exertion.

"Can you amplify my fire with your light? I have an idea," Shoto answered.

"Sure," she replied, preparing her energy again.

Shoto quickly channeled his fire into his katana, so much that the blade was glowing white-hot. Melissa charged her own attack, her hands now glowing with photonic energy. And, at once, they released the energy.

"Way of the Flame: Solar Strike!" they yelled in unison, as the katana's fire merged with Melissa's energy to create a beam of fiery light. The combined attack struck the Nomu, burning through its flesh and bone and causing it to scream in agony as its regenerative abilities went overdrive. They had hoped this might have been what put down the creature, but it was but a hope spot as the regeneration kicked in again. The attack had, however temporarily, crippled the Nomu, giving them precious seconds to prepare.

"Let's give it everything we've got," Melissa said, and Shoto nodded.

"Anything, to finish this now."

Once again, both of them channeled their Quirks' power through his weapon and her fists, and as the Nomu tried to stand up, they unleashed what were probably their most powerful attacks, simultaneously.

"Way of the Flame: Dance of Wrath!"

"Supernova Cataclysm!"

Unable to dodge, the Nomu attempted to resist the attack, but it was so intense and lasting that it overwhelmed any resistance it had, and it was reduced to ashes, leaving Shoto and Melissa tired, battered, but victorious.

Meanwhile, Calamity had managed to stand up again. Izuku knew his attack had dealt damage, as she wiped blood from the corner of her mouth, but he was nowhere close to done.

"Impressive," the villainess admitted, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "But not enough."

Spreading her Ziz wings, she created a powerful gust as she took to the air, above Izuku, from where she summoned a storm of feather-like projectiles, all of which were aimed at Izuku.

"Feather Storm!"

Izuku's eyes widened, and he promptly began to dodge and deflect all the feathers. While one sliced across his right sleeve and another grazed his leg, he wasn't actually hurt by them. Calamity then tried to sweep down and kick him, but he just braced himself, caught her leg, and used her momentum to piledrive her into the ground. Calamity recovered quickly, but it was obvious the fight was starting to take a toll on her.

"You're starting to annoy me," she hissed, activating her Leviathan aspect to create a watery shield. This time, though, she summoned a massive wave that she shot at Izuku. "Tsunami Crush!"

Izuku grimaced as he realized he had no time to dodge: instead, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and used Shaker to split the wave in half. As he did, Calamity attempted to take advantage of his distraction to charge at him, her fist glowing with a dark energy, but Izuku had seen her coming and was ready: the moment she tried to punch him in the chest, he turned and hit her in the gut, following it with another series of punches as she lost her concentration, all of them hitting the mark, until an uppercut sent her flying into the air.

"You... won't... defeat... me," she struggled to say, embodying the aspect of Behemoth and causing the ground to shake with the force she used to charge at Izuku – who just used Mover to maneuver around and avoid her attack. "You think you can stop me, boy? You're nothing compared to the destruction I can unleash!"

Izuku replied by jumping in the air and aiming a powerful Blaster attack at her head, which she managed to block – the force of the impact sending ripples through her flesh, but not stopping her from grabbing Izuku and throwing him across the room, where he hit a wall but landed on his feet.

"Your strength is impressive, certainly," Izuku admitted, coughing up a bit of dust, "but nowhere enough to keep you from hurting my friends!"

Calamity smirked, shifting into Ziz even more, knowing it would make her faster. Jumping into the air, the gust of wind nearly knocked Izuku off balance, as she prepared to use one of her most powerful attacks.

"Sky's Wrath!" she shouted, and a rain of energy blasts began to fall down on Izuku, forcing him to put everything into dodging. In spite of his immense agility, one blast caught his shoulder, burning his armor and hitting him hard enough that he was certain he'd be left with a big bruise at best. Still, he was in the fight, and as soon as Calamity was in range, he jumped and kicked her in the midsection, sending her sprawling.

Not hard enough, though, as Calamity quickly transitioned into Leviathan, as her body became more fluid and her limbs extended and twisted like water. Lashing out with tentacle-like appendages, she attempted to ensnare Izuku, but he fought back and dispelled each limb as it came with careful application of force.

"Abyssal Grasp!" Calamity yelled, and all the tendrils converged into a massive hand that caught Izuku off and grabbed him. She immediately began to crush him, but he activated Breaker and managed to escape her grasp, sending shockwaves through the air.

"Enough!" Izuku yelled, charging his arms with glowing energy before forming a plus sign. "Iris Ultra Beam!"

The beam connected with Calamity's chest before the villainess could even comprehend what had just happened, creating a massive shockwave and sending her flying against the wall again. Barely conscious, she tried to stand up again, but her body refused to obey: in fact, she was starting to flicker between her Quirk aspects, a clear sign of strain.

"You... you're stronger than I expected," Calamity admitted, a hint of respect in her voice. "But this isn't over."

"It is," Izuku replied, his voice steady, as he moved forward to capture Calamity. Before he could reach her, a purple portal opened behind her, and Kurogiri limped through, clearly injured from his fight with Katsuki.

"We must retreat, Calamity," Kurogiri weakly said.

"Where's the Nomu?" she asked, and Kurogiri pointed at Shoto and Melissa.

"Dead."

Calamity glared at Izuku, frustration and anger in equal parts.

"Next time, hero," she vowed, standing up to step through the portal, "Next time, I'll defeat and kill you."

Izuku rushed to try and reach her, but Kurogiri closed the portal before he was halfway there, forcing him to stop. At least, he could look at his classmates, all of whom were tired and banged up, but still standing.

"Great job, everyone," Izuku said, panting.

"Thanks, you did a great job," Melissa replied, smiling.

"As if there was any doubt, Deku," Katsuki replied, grinning.

"Let's go find our classmates, then. We must return home," Shoto finished, and they all agreed, making their way to the tunnel.

---

An overhead hatch creaked open, and Jurota cautiously poked his head out, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air all he could see was a steel platform, bathed in the dim light of the setting sun – and, beyond that... the sea. He climbed out, and helped his classmates follow – along with Ms. Delightful, who had been tightly bound and gagged and had no hope of escaping them.

"Yeah, this is definitely the real deal," he said, listening in all directions and taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"How the hell did they manage to find an abandoned oil rig? I mean, weren't they all dismantled after the Dawn of Quirks?" Sen asked.

"Like, I still can't get a signal here," Camie lamented, trying to move and see if she could do something with her phone. "So not fetch."

"Well, at least we're outside, after that whole mess down below," Ochako commended, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Yeah! That labyrinth messed up with my brain," Denki groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Wait, you have a brain?" Kyoka deadpanned, smirking as she passed by him.

"Oi! That's not funny! I totally have a brain!" Denki protested, looking offended at his fellow rockstar classmate.

"Alright, guys," Izuku intervened, hoping to avoid chaos. "We're in the middle of the sea, and no way to call for help. We're going to build a boat."

"Great! I have plans for boats in my database, there's bound to be one for a ship large enough to hold all of us," Melissa suggested, starting to check in her phone.

"You have boat plans in your cellphone?" Kosei asked, surprised.

"Hey, I have to be ready for anything!" she excused herself. "Alright, I have one option. We're going to have to rip this rig apart for materials, and Yaoyorozu-san, I'm going to need your help to build the engine because I don't have the tools for it."

"Perfect! Tell me what you need, and I'll provide!" Momo asked, smiling as she approached the American girl.

"It's nothing too fancy, so it should be well within your limits," Melissa replied. "Anyone that can cut through steel, I need you to start looking for steel sheets that are loose or that you can cut off walls for the ship. Awase, I'm going to need you to get ready, because your Quirk will be the most important. Everyone else, just give a hand to whoever needs it."

"Like, we need to make it super cute, though!" Camie added, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

"Totally!" Mina agreed, bouncing with excitement. "A cute boat for our heroic escape!"

"Function over form, girls," Melissa warned. "Worrying about aesthetics will only make us take longer in getting back home."

The two girls pouted, but they went to follow Melissa's instructions. Momo studied the engine (a simple steam-powered engine who stood amongst the most efficient ever designed) and created it in one go, while everyone else began to bring what they would need for the hull.

Jurota took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the ocean.

"I can't wait to get back and have a proper meal," he said, his stomach growling.

"Same here, bro," Eijiro added, patting his friend on the back. "But first, let's make sure we all get back safely."

Melissa began to mark the sheets to show where she needed them to be cut, and as the pieces were made, it was Awase's turn to weld them together with his Quirk in the right angles.

Piece by piece, the boat began to take shape. The same camaraderie and teamwork that had seen them through the labyrinth was now fueling their determination to return home. Ms. Delightful, still securely tied up, but now gagless, watched them with a mix of frustration and grudging admiration.

"You're a resilient bunch, I'll give you that," she muttered. Izuku glanced at her.

"Us heroes, we need to be. We never give up, no matter the odds."

Shoto was charged with providing the water they would need to feed the engine, as well as the fire to power it. It took a few tests, but eventually he found a way to balance fire and ice to avoid overheating. And Setsuna helped put the pieces in place, taking advantage of her ability to disassemble her body to push them to a better place without having to put herself in an odd way.

Connecting the engine to the screws was a delicate thing, but the collaboration of several of them was enough to do so and they sighed in relief as they saw it turn with the engine. Finally, they assembled the last pieces, and Awase affixed the last part of the welding.

Once the boat was complete, the students stopped to admire their handiwork. While crude, it was a testament to their skills and unity, a symbol of their triumph over the horrors they had gone through. Perhaps they could ask to keep it in campus?

"Amazing job, everyone!" Izuku said, smiling. "Let's get this boat in the water and head back home!"

"Yeah! Let's do this shit!" Katsuki shouted, moving to grab one end of the boat.

"Uraraka-san, do you think you can use your Quirk on it?" Melissa asked. The other girl looked a bit queasy at the idea, but nodded.

"Maybe... Not for long, though, but perhaps enough to put it on water."

"Excellent. Whoever can fly, once Uraraka's done her magic, grab the boat and lower it. Tsuburaba-san, once that's done, create platforms so we can jump into the boat without getting hurt," Izuku finished.

It was easy. Ochako used her Quirk – leaving her close to the limit – and the ones that could fly brought it to the sea, where they tested it was seaworthy before giving the OK for everyone else to come down.

"Like, let's sail back in style!" Camie cheered as Shoto began to heat water to make the engine run.

"Keep an eye on your phones! When someone gets a signal, call ahead!" Itsuka added, and finally they were on their way home, cheering with a sense of accomplishment and relief. They had faced unimaginable challenges and emerged victorious, ready to face whatever awaited them back on shore.

---

As night began to fall over Sagami Bay, an old fisherman was comfortably reclined at the edge of the pier, his long fishing rod casting a thin line into the water. Perhaps that night he would get a good catch, instead of the random junk that usually got hooked.

However, that night he was about to catch a surprise.

As he looked into the horizon, he realized there was something peculiar – a boat. One he was certain he had never seen, and given the many years he had been fishing at the bay, he knew all the ships that used the bay's ports as refuge. Plus, it was nothing like any other ship he had seen before.

The boat passed nearby, and the distance he was able to make out a large number of passengers on board, who had apparently seen him as well and were now waving at him and shouting something he couldn't understand.

He quickly picked up his phone and called someone that would be interested.

"Kanagawa? I think you're about to receive a strange visit to your docks."

---

With the help of the dock guide ships, the unnamed ship found its way to an empty dock and halted its movement, with the people on board using ropes thrown at them to affix it and allow them to disembark.

One by one, the forty Heroics 101 students stepped on terra firma, with their prisoner dragged along by the strongest of them, and they were swiftly brought in by a contingent of assorted heroes, police officers and emergency doctors so they could be treated while the final situation was evaluated.

As the doctors checked them over, the students recounted their harrowing tale, from how they were knocked out by gas to their final fight against Calamity, Kurogiri, and the Nomu. Special attention was paid to the villainess they had captured, who was promptly taken into custody and sent to the closest police station before preparations were made for transport to National Police Headquarters and interrogation.

Meanwhile, news reporters had flocked to the scene, barely held back by a police cordon, while the U.A. teachers and the students' families arrived, warned by Nezu as soon as the principal received the message about the students' situation.

Shoto was glad to see almost his entire family had come, but before he could react, his mother had already enveloped him in a tight embrace, her eyes brimming with tears of relief, while he hugged her back just as tightly. Endeavor stood by, his usual fiery demeanor replaced by a softer, more fatherly presence.

"Are you alright, Shoto?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine now, father."

Endeavor nodded.

"You have become strong, Shoto. I'm proud of you."

Shoto nodded back.

"Thanks... dad."

Fuyumi soon joined her mother in hugging the daylights out of her little brother, while Natsuo just clapped his shoulder.

"We were so worried when we got the call. Thank goodness you're back."

Just a few meters away, Izuku had his hands full trying to contain his mother Inko, who was in full motherly mode, wrapping him in a bear hug and sobbing dramatically.

"My baby! I was so worried!" she wailed, making him feel slightly embarrassed, but still happy about her overwhelming affection.

"Mom, I'm okay, really," he reassured her, doing her best to calm her down.

In the next place over, it was a different reunion that took place.

"What were you thinking, getting yourself kidnapped?!" Mitsuki Bakugo shouted, her voice a mix of anger and worry, as she beheld her returned son.

"You think I had a damn choice, old hag?!" Katsuki snapped back. Meanwhile, Masaru Bakugo was trying to calm them down, a difficult task given the kind of temper both of them had. Eventually, though, Mitsuki's relief won out and she pulled her (protesting) son into a hug.

Ochako was engulfed into a hug by her parents, whose tears of joy were streaming down their faces as they embraced their daughter.

"We're so glad you're safe," they said, their voices choked with emotion as they took turns kissing her brow.

"I missed you guys so much," Ochako cried, hugging them tightly.

Melissa was standing to one side, a phone pressed to her ear, as she listened to her father.

"Dad, we're okay," she said again, her voice steady in spite of the chaos surrounding her. "Yes, we're safe in the mainland right now. Also, Uncle Might just arrived."

Indeed, All Might, along with Reactor, had just arrived to the scene on Hercules, and the latter quickly approached Izuku and Katsuki.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't there to stop this," he said, his sense of guilt evident.

"It's okay," Izuku replied, patting his arm. "It's thanks to what you and All Might taught us that we managed to handle it."

"Yeah, we're good," Katsuki added.

Finally, All Might brought all of his students together and looked over them, his heart swelling with pride.

"You have done magnificently," he stated, his voice strong and reassuring, as he beheld them all. Exhausted, battered, injured... but victorious and better prepared for the future. "You've proven yourselves as true heroes."

The students took in the praise from their teacher, and at a sign from All Might, they went back to their loved ones, continuing to share their story of what they had gone through. All Might, observing the scene, felt a sense of hope for the future: these students had just gone through hell and not only survived, but won. What they'd be able to do after a few years of training... perhaps they'd be able to become the foundations of a new era of peace.

---

After hours of treating their injuries and resting, Calamity and Kurogiri returned to their base, the weight of their failure heavy on their shoulders. As they entered the dimly lit foyer, the atmosphere was thick with tension, and Calamity chose to make her way to the main hall and light the fireplace with an energy blast before collapsing into her favorite armchair. Relaxing to the sound of the crackling fire, and the shadows produced by what was the only source of light in the room, she waited for the expected call, which wasn't going to be a good one.

"Calamity, how did the operation go?" a deep and resonant voice asked from Monitor 1, breaking the silence. While the monitor was only projecting sound, she was well aware of who was at the other side of her connection. Still, she managed to retain her stoic expression.

"The U.A. students proved to be stronger and more skilled than anticipated. While the rig is still standing, the Labyrinth was destroyed, and Ms. Delightful was taken into custody." Her eyes narrowed, and her voice hardened. "I also had the displeasure of being defeated by a green-haired kid that was more powerful than he had any right to be."

Her gaze shifted to Monitor 2, which had also turned on, her anger palpable.

"Hunter, your tech failed us! It was supposed to ensure those brats' demise, but it didn't even come close!"

"I only provide the technology, I am not to blame for its misuse!" A feminine voice, cold and calculating, replied. "Which is what Delightful did, she failed to use it to its full potential. She chose to blind herself with her arrogance, and ignored what she could have done. And now those students have taken her prisoner. Next time, remember that my tech is beyond cutting edge, and that it shouldn't be entrusted to idiots like Delightful."

"Yes, we underestimated them," a third voice, this one sounding younger than the others, spoke up. "What happened to the Nomu? He should be with you, yet I don't see our joint creation."

"It was, unfortunately, killed," Kurogiri intervened, his voice calm and measured.

"Killed?" the third voice asked, as if unable to understand what he had just heard.

"I was too busy dealing with a persistent boy to prevent it from happening. It was Endeavor's son and Shield's daughter that did it."

"After all we did to make him as powerful as All Might... and he is defeated by a pair of Hero students?" the voice muttered, breaking. "They took down my most precious creation..."

"Oh, my? This is indeed surprising," the first voice commented, remaining composed.

"Surprising? All this planning and preparing, and it was all for nothing," Calamity replied with a growl.

"Well, I suppose it cannot be helped. That's very unfortunate," the first voice continued. "But understand, this was not a futile mission. We proved that U.A. wasn't an inassailable fortress. And the next step will make it worse. Calamity, Hunter, gather Fiend, Brute, the elite. Take all the time you need for the next event. We cannot move freely, which is why we need you, Calamity, to be our symbol. Next time, you will show the world that you are to be feared, as you keep destroying society beyond repair."

"Sure, whatever," the second voice – Hunter – replied before shutting off the connection, followed by the other monitors, which were turned off, leaving Calamity and Kurogiri alone once again. Calamity leaned back in her chair, her right fist pressed against her right cheek as she absorbed All for One's words.

"Kurogiri, please, make me a strong drink," she requested. The mist-like villain nodded, and teleported to the private bar, leaving Calamity to her thoughts. All for One was right: this wasn't the end, just a setback. She would rise again, and the world would tremble before her terror. She envisioned the chaos and destruction she would bring. She could already feel the thrill of the next battle, the rush of power and adrenaline. And then, Izuku Midoriya would be unable to fight back before she killed him in the most painful way she could.

---

Several hundreds of kilometers away, an ominous figure stood over the rooftop of a large building, staring down at the city before licking his lips...

---

U.A. gave its Heroics 101 students three days to recover from the harrowing incident, along with orders to take it easy and a schedule to meet with the college's counselor. It was at the fourth day that they made their way back to their classroom, where they felt they could finally settle back into a semblance of normalcy. They all chatted among themselves, making plans or coming up with ideas for future activities.

The clock ticked closer to the start of their next lesson, and they all awaited the arrival of All Might to continue his Heroics lessons. Instead, when the door creaked open, it was the somber, sleep-deprived visage of Shota Aizawa that appeared. Which set off the students into whispering.

"Why is Aizawa-sensei here? Where's All Might?" Ochako asked, her brows furrowing in concern.

"Maybe... something happened?" Kyoka suggested, tapping her jacks thoughtfully.

"Or it's a surprise test, wouldn't be the first time," Neito said.

"Settle down," Aizawa commanded as he stepped to the front of the room, as unenthusiastic as ever, but still enough to silence the murmurs. "I have an announcement for you. The fight is not over yet."

The room fell into a tense silence. What kind of fight was their teacher speaking of? Could it be a mission they could help with? A new villain threat to be dealt with?

"What do you mean, sensei?" Tenya asked, his hand shooting up with typical formality. "Is there another threat we need to be aware of?"

Aizawa sighed, closing his eyes as if bracing himself for the inevitable reaction.

"Nothing like that. There is a challenge ahead of you. The U.A. Super Sports Festival is coming up."

A stunned silence fell over the students. And, when the words finally sank in, a collective groan filled the room, with some of the students actually slamming their foreheads into the desks.

"C'mon, we got out of a battle to death with some villains, you come here like that, and it's all a normal school event?"

"Thank goodness, I thought we'd have to deal with another attack..." Hanta muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Katsuki was the first to smirk.

"Great. More chances to show everyone who's the strongest."

"It's going to be lit!" Camie exclaimed, adding a light-hearted tone to the room with her slang. "Time to show off our moves, fam!"

"Ugh, Aizawa-sensei," Mina complained, lifting her head from the desk. "You really had us worried there for a second!"

Aizawa's lips twisted into what some people might have believed to be the simulacrum of the ghost of a smile. None of the students accepted it as anything like that.

"Consider it training for your nerves. You never know what to expect in this line of work. The festival will be a chance to showcase your skills and see how much you've grown. So, prepare yourselves. There is no lesson for today. Dismissed."

Aizawa left the room, leaving the students to chatter excitedly about the upcoming event. While it was true they were still reeling from facing the worst, now it was time to show what they could do.

---

Soundtrack:

K2G by Puffy AmiYumi when the 40 UA students chase Ms. Delightful sequence to they reach the hidden door.

You Say Run when Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto, and Melissa fight and eventually defeat Calamity, Kurogiri, and Nomu.

---

Me: And cut! Soooooooo, Milarqui, your thoughts on this monster of a chapter besides your signature brand of correcting.

Milarqui: This could have gone in two parts – one for the 'labyrinth' part (which could have used a bit less repetition) and another for the fight, it would have been better for my mental health (ain't easy to fix 52 straight pages, let me tell you). Also, having to fill up the plot holes isn't easy (poor Monoma, he was pretty much naked during his fight with Delightful...). And also also, quite a few things that got repeated multiple times.

TV Tropes:

* Berserk Button: Ms. Delightful has a special hatred towards anyone who cheat through her labyrinth.

* Break The Haughty: Calamity gets humble pie from being defeated by Izuku, whom had no damage or scratch from the fight.

* Expy: Ms. Delightful's appearance is themed after Miss Delight from Poppy's Playtime. Her personality is based off of Dolore Umbridge and Ms. Frizzle.

* Land, Sea, Sky: Calamity's Endbringer quirk lets her have powerful abilities of the Three Great Beasts in Behemoth (Land), Leviathan (Sea), and Ziz (Sky) from The Bible.

* Master of Illusion: Ms. Delightful's quirk is called Educational Mind, which lets her create holographic illusions based off of school subjects but she can also make fake copies of herself to stand-in.

* Whole Plot Reference: This original My Hero Academia arc is a combination of the first half USJ with the Mad Mod episode from Teen Titans with a little hint of If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? from Batman Animated Series.

NO FLAMES or NEGATIVE COMMENTS! I can absolutely see and take criticism that's fine.

That's all for now folks and thanks for reading everybody, we'll be seeing you in the next chapter, buh bye!