Himiko Toga was currently out of breath in a room with honeycomb textures all across the wall, ceiling, and floors, the room acted as an obstacle course, with parts of the honeycomb like walls coming out and forming various obstacles such as pillars that emerged from the floor or turrets that emerged from the walls that fired non-lethal laser like blasts her direction. some parts of the floor would open up to reveal white and black robots with red eyes which were by far the toughest challenge for her to overcome.
Once Toga had completed the course albeit just barely, she looked up at her score to see it was a 82, an improvement over her previous score of 77. Each time she did the course she had learned something new rather it was how to listen for the turrets to pop out the walls to see which way they would arrive from or managing to maneuver around the pillars at a quicker pace, or exploiting a blind spot the robots had, she would always learn something new and adapt each time she took the course.
Looking up she could see various students of Hive Academy looking at her from above on the bleacher like platform, most she didn't really recognize, however a few managed to catch her eye as she recognized some to be a part of the top class of the school, Alpha-1.
Being in the school for about a week now, she had come to put names to the faces of the Alpha-1 members, the members she noticed present were Mist, Livewire, Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth, Shimmer, Kyd Wykkyd, XL-Terrestrial, Frostbite, and Red X, All Watching her, some looked impressed, others didn't seem all that impressed, while some like Kyd Wykky and Red X had unreadable expressions, the latter due to the mask obscuring his face.
"She's not half bad." Shimmer remarked as she looked at Toga with the others.
"She's not all that." Gizmo said looking at Toga, his eyes narrowed.
"Don't be so tough on her Gizmo, for a newbie she did pretty good." Jinx said as she to looked at the girl with curiosity
"She didn't even destroy anything, what is her uhh what do they call their powers again?" Mammoth asked as he scratched his head
"Quirks" Shimmer answered before she laughed as a few of her classmates did as well
"What a stupid name for powers." Livewire said as her laughing slowed down before coming to a stop
"Yeah, can't believe we have to call it that." Frostbite said wiping away tears from the fit of laughter he was in only moments prior
"It's not that bad, I think it's kinda cute." Mist commented
"Yeah, and very childish too." XL Terrestrial remarked
"Who the hell even came up with that name?" Jinx asked
"Who knows, whoever it was must've been a total idiot" Livewire responded before shrugging
"Her ability allows her to turn into any person whose blood she drinks." Red X said bluntly in his modulated voice, not looking at any of his classmates and staring at the girl.
"Well, that would explain why she wasn't able to destroy of the robots or turrets" Shimmer said looking at the girl curiously
"In certain situations that could actually be a pretty useful power" Jinx said before smirking
"It isn't all that, surely there's better who are worthy of joining our class, like the guy with that knockout gas power or that girl who arrived from the showcases and was given some tech made by the science division" Gizmo said
"Yeah but some of us have no powers at all and are still pretty useful in their own way, hers may not have brute strength like Mammoth, or your intelligence, or Angel's flight, but I got a good feeling about this one, besides you heard what the headmaster said, the abilities of people here only get better with time and practice" Jinx said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
'Wow Jinx, didn't expect you to warm up to the newbie so quickly" Frostbite remarked
"I know good talent when I see it, she hasn't fully proven herself yet though, but she's getting there" Jinx said still looking at the girl with mild enthusiasm
"Guys stop fooling around, headmaster incoming" XL-Terrestrial said, causing the students to stop talking and stiffen up, all but Red X who showed no signs of fear at the mention of the headmaster.
A man who stood atop a floating honeycomb shaped platform stared at Toga as the platform ascended down toward her
As he came closer, Toga could get a better look at him, the fair skin man wore a white robe with golden trimmings, on top of his robes was a dark purple chest piece that extended to his shoulders with a golden skull like emblem on it.
Toga instantly recognized him to be the headmaster of Hive Academy, from what she heard from other students she had spoken to during her time here he was quite terrifying.
However, when she looked at him in the face, she didn't seem all that worried, he didn't seem like how the other students had portrayed him, he had blue eyes and his white hair which was balding, with his hair pointing outward from both sides of his head.
Toga could tell he must've been an older man, however he still looked quite capable for a man his age and Toga did not doubt his capabilities, to be the headmaster of a school with this level of technology, resources, and strong students that were well trained enough to defeat All Might, he had to have been pretty strong himself.
"Quite an interesting display, for someone without a combat quirk, your ability to adapt in combat situations is quite interesting." The Man said as he looked at her with a somewhat intimidating glare before it changed into a warm smile
"Your ability to adapt in hostile situations and improvise on the fly is most impressive. Well done Ms. Toga well done"
Toga was somewhat taken aback by the quick change in his demeanor but was thankful for his praise non the less
"Thanks, I'm just giving it my all, I'm finally somewhere I can be myself, somewhere I feel more welcomed, a place I feel I may be able to call home."
"Yes, it is quite a shame what this world has been reduced to, it's worship of heroes has led to people with quirks that they deem villain quirks to be ostracized from this society, as a result talents like yours go unrecognized due to the way this society has been shaped and molded around heroes, at the expense of young minds such as yourself and many others"
Toga looked at him and nodded "all those heroes are stopping me from being myself and doing whatever I want freely! I want to see their blood! I want to drink their blood! Please tell me we get to confront those heroes soon"
"Ah, quite a eager one aren't you" The man said a smile still present on his face "no need to worry Ms. Toga, I can assure you that you will be able to have your fun soon, in fact, it will come sooner than you think, it's also funny you have a quirk that has to do with blood, considering that blood is my name, Brother Blood."
Toga's face turned into a wide smile that would be quite unsettling for the average person, but Brother Blood did not seem put off by it, in fact he seemed to be happy about her eagerness and excitement.
"Really? What a coincidence, Oh I'm just so excited! I'll finally get to have some fun with some heroes! Those heroes would look so much better if they just bled a little more!"
"Yes, you most certainly will, in fact I think you will be most pleased at what we have in store for you" Brother Blood answered
Toga looked up at the man with a curious expression on her face wondering what exactly he had in mind.
"And what's that?" the girl asked with her excitement growing by the second.
"Your test" The man answered back, the smile never leaving his face.
"A test?" The girl asked her curiosity spiking as her excitement did as well though she gained a bit of nervousness as well, after all the last time she had taken a test of any kind is when she was just a regular schoolgirl, before the incident that forced her to go on the run and become a villain.
"That is correct, you see we must determine rather or not you are capable of being in the top class, Alpha-1 so we shall test you to see if you are ready to be a part of class Alpha-1." Brother Blood responded.
Toga was shocked she was being considered for the strongest class in the entire school, while she didn't doubt her skills, she had only scored 82 in the obstacle course, there had to be people for fit than her, she was sure that even the people she arrived to Hive with had combat quirks more suited for the top class than she did.
Toga shook off the thought and her shock turned into excitement as now she was a final test away, her excitement turned into worry though as she pondered what the test could even be, but she was taken out of her thoughts as Brother Blood spoke again.
"Come Ms. Toga, we will go to where your test will be held." Brother Blood said as he gestured for her to step on the platform, he was on to which she complied, stepping on the platform as it went upward leading out of the training room.
The students of Alpha one already knew what was to come next after hearing the conversation between the headmaster and the newbie, they all began to make their way to where the test was to be held.
Toga and Brother Blood got off the platform and walked to a large elevator, as they did so, staff members in purple cloaks which largely obscured their faces stopped and bowed in respect as Brother Blood walked by with Toga.
Toga always found their appearances somewhat ominous but never thought too deeply into it.
As they got inside the elevator and began to make their way down Toga took note of how low the elevator was going, in fact she had never seen where this building actually was. there was no visible exit she had seen in her time here, nor was there any windows of any kind. It seemed everyone got in and out through those portals that she had walked through, she wondered who here had the quirk to do that, after all it had to be a warp quirk of some kind, sure the technology here was unlike any she had seen before but there was no way someone could just open a portal like that without a quirk.
Eventually the elevator stopped, and Brother Blood stepped out with Toga following behind as he began walking until they were in front of a giant yellow metal door with the Logo of Hive Academy on the front of it.
Brother Blood then turns to look at Toga before he spoke "I assume you are ready Ms. Toga?"
Toga nodded before she asked "wait, what is my test? What's on the other side of the door?"
"All questions will be answered once you enter" Brother Blood replied as he looked with her with a stoic all be it somewhat kind expression.
At this Toga nodded once again before the doors began to open and as she was about to skip her way inside, she stopped and looked at the sheer sight before her.
In Front of her was a Giant city, or at least what looked like a large city, looking up it appeared to be Nighttime, however a moment of concentration at the sky revealed that that wasn't actually the sky but rather a mock sky, still she had to admit that this was extremely impressive. She had heard of U.A. doing things like this in their entrance exam but this was shocking even to her.
the city appeared more western in nature, different than what she was accustomed to, she had never been out the country before so seeing a city like this, or at least a mock one was surprising.
'They really weren't kidding when they said they were the greatest school in the world' she thought as she observed her surroundings however a voice that echoed around the city cut her thoughts short
"Alright Himiko, you've done well in our obstacle courses, and you've improved in your short time here, hell from what I've heard you even got a few kills to your name, but to roll with us you gotta be the best of the best, so let's see if you've got what it takes" The familiar voice said
Toga instantly recognized the voice as that of the girl in Alpha-1, Jinx, after all who could forget such a voice, the same one that taunted All Might and the young heroes in training on national television, she was the girl who along with her classmates made a fool out of the symbol of peace and number one hero All Might, along with the other staff members of U.A.
"In this mock city are heroes, these heroes were captured and delivered here in order for us to conduct test, actually you are the first student of Hive Academy to partake in such a test and for that I congratulate you. As of now there are currently three heroes in this mock city, all from different places, all with different quirks, your job is to hunt down and neutralize all three of them."
"You will be graded and judged not by the staff, and not by the headmaster, you will be judged by us, after all it's only fair that we get a say in which newbies get to join our class. Parked on the first street you're on, on the left side of the street is a black sedan, in the trunk are some items you may find of use. And to the heroes below if the three of you succeed in killing your pursuer you will be set free, I give you, my word. Now with that being said let the hunt begin." Jinx said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Toga wasted no time and booked it to the car and opened the trunk, which had various items inside, Toga smiled wildly at the items they had given her
In another part of the mock city, the American pro hero Blitz woke up only to find himself in unfamiliar territory.
At first, he had assumed that he was in Orlando Florida, the city he normally operated out of, but a quick glance made him quickly realize he was not in Orlando, it was then that he remembered what had happened before he had woken up in this unfamiliar place.
He, along with several other pro heroes as well as a team of officers had partaken in a raid that took place in a Abandon Mall, according to intel provided by underground heroes and local authorities it was connected to Hive Academy, the apparent villain school whose students had taken down All Might.
When word had gotten out over what had happened it shocked everyone, he remembered vividly where he was and what his reaction was, it was a little over midnight and he had just finished some paperwork and was getting ready to clock in for the night when his phone blew up.
People he knew from fellow pro heroes to his little sister, to his grandmother, hell even his ex was messaging him about it. And when he went to check what they were sending him it horrified him, while the feed had only originally been broadcasted in Japan alone, people began to rebroadcast the feed worldwide and it didn't take long for people to see the feed being live streamed across various social medias and across the internet in general.
What he saw on that feed caused his heart to sink in his chest, not only had these villains beaten down All Might to his last legs, but they had exploited a weakness that was previously unknown to the public.
He remembers the way that they had hoisted All Might's frail and bloodied body in the air for the entire world to see, the end of the symbol of peace.
And then when the other teachers arrived and were instantly taken down, but when they killed the pro hero power loader, that was one of the most jarring parts of the entire ordeal.
That day the entire world went still after what they had seen, and then almost instantly the crime rates went up, not only in Japan but in America as well, He remembered how he had to work much harder now, how the gangs and organized crime, as well as the small time crooks looking to make a name for themselves had all become emboldened by the fall of the symbol of peace.
And then he got word he was to partake in the raid with other pros and the local police, apparently it didn't take long for these people to begin to try and recruit more children in order to exploit them. It truly made Blitz angry that people would be willing to exploit children like that for their own gain, while what the kids had done was certainly wrong, no kid just up and becomes a villain, especially villains as powerful as themselves, someone was exploiting these children for their own sick and twisted goals.
He knew that it was important to find the people responsible for this whole operation and shut it down as soon as possible. If the raid managed to be a success not only would they potentially be able to learn more about this Hive Academy such as where their base of operations was located and who was behind this villain school, but they would also be able to prevent kids from making what would be the biggest mistake of their lives.
But things clearly did not go to plan, he remembers entering the mall with the other pros, the detectives, and the swat team that had accompanied them, but after that it was fuzzy, he remembers seeing only a pale man in a hoodie, and then everything went black.
Now Blitz was beginning to panic somewhat, what happened? Where was he? What happened to the pro's he went with? Or the officers? Or the children? Were there any children there to begin with? It had to have been a setup of some kind, it was like they were waiting for them, like they anticipated the heroes and police would arrive.
'It doesn't matter' Blitz thought. 'Right now, I need to figure out where I am and how I can get out of here.'
Blitz was then jarred out his thoughts by the voice that echoed throughout the whole city as if it were an intercom.
"Alright Himiko, you've done well in our obstacle courses, and you've improved in your short time here, hell from what I've heard you even got a few kills to your name, but to roll with us you gotta be the best of the best, so let's see if you've got what it takes"
Blitz recognized this voice instantly and it made his blood run cold, how could he forget it? How could anyone forget it? The same voice of the girl that had made the presence of Hive Academy known to the world, the same voice that challenged the symbol of peace, and the same voice that had berated the students of U.A for what she considered to be cowardice on their part for not helping All Might and their other teachers.
"In this mock city are heroes, these heroes were captured and delivered here in order for us to conduct tests, actually you are the first student of Hive Academy to partake in such a test and for that I congratulate you, as of now there are currently three heroes in this mock city, all from different places, all with different quirks, your job is to hunt down and neutralize all three of them."
"You will be graded and judged not by the staff, and not by the headmaster, you will be judged by us, after all it's only fair that we get a say in which newbies get to join our class. Parked on the first street you're on, on the left side of the street is a black sedan, in the trunk are some items you may find of use. And to the heroes below if the three of you succeed in killing your pursuer you will be set free, I give you my word. Now with that being said let the hunt begin." the girl said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Blitz quickly took in everything that was said, it managed to paint a clearer picture of what happened and the current situation he was in.
'So that's what's going on here, we are only here to serve as a means of initiation to this Hive Academy, specifically this class Alpha-1.'
'It seems the goal of this test is for this Himiko person to kill me and by the sound of it me and the other two heroes here won't be the kids first lives she's snuffed out in her life. I won't let that happen, first things first, I need to find the other two heroes in this place so we can work together and coordinate a plan. first, we have to put a quick stop to this Himiko person, then we need to figure out where exactly they were so they could not only alert the other pro heroes as well as local and federal law enforcement but escape this place.'
If it was just himself and two other heroes, they wouldn't be able to take this entire operation down by themselves, it would require a lot, maybe every top 10 hero from every country involved or even more, these guys could potentially be the biggest threat society has ever seen since the dawn of quirks if the past few days are anything to go by.
Blitz finally deciding it's time to move makes his feet into steel looking orbs appear on his feet as he begins to run, he didn't want to tire himself completely, so he refrained from going full speed, instead he stayed at around 42 miles an hour as he ran through the streets looking if he spot anything.
Elsewhere the Australian Pro hero Gladiator was cautiously making his way through the streets.
He bore large metal armor around his entire body including a helmet that bore metal horns, his shoulder pieces bore spikes as well, along with that on his helmet was a T shaped opening for him to see through, despite this opening his face was not visible, along with this he also bore a red cape. In his hand was a large battle axe, his quirk allowed for him to create a large metal armor over himself, with it acting more as an exoskeleton rather than just armor, his axe was not a part of his quirk but rather a support item.
Similar to Blitz, he found himself in this place due to a raid gone wrong, one minute he was walking into the suspected meeting location, the next one man emerged from a corner with his hand stretched out and before he or anyone else could do anything about it everything went black.
Now he found himself here, wandering the streets of a apparently fake city, all for the sake of being a part of some test, he would not allow it, he had been a hero for close to two decade now and in his prime was at the top 10 in the Australia hero rankings, however those days were long gone, he had been planning to retire soon as the ware and tare of being a pro hero for such a long time had begun to catch up with him.
However, he would have to put all that to the side in order to focus on the current situation, he knew that there were two other pros in this place as well, he knew it was best to attempt to find the other two, he could only hope they were alright, he himself kept his guard up. It was very quiet other than the sound of his own footsteps to break the silence.
With no idea of who this Himiko person was that was hunting him and what their quirk could potentially, but he had to be ready for anything, if there is one thing he has learned throughout his long hero career it's to always expect the unexpected.
He was careful to observe his surroundings, he noticed a large number of the buildings appeared enterable, some of them appeared to be stores with actual items such as food, water, various isles, registers, etc. It was eerie, the whole place had electricity, parked cars, enterable buildings, hell even the traffic lights worked, and yet there was nothing but silence and the sound of Gladiator's two feet.
All he could do for now was to continue to make his way through the streets and keep his eyes open for anything.
The Chinese pro hero Short Circuit was running around the city, looking either for a means of escape or that villain who was hunting him, he knew that there were other heroes here, but he didn't care, for all he knew they could be dead already. His current goal was to take down this operation that was going on here.
Whoever this Himiko was wouldn't stand a chance against him, as far as he was concerned, she was just some street urchin who he would neutralize without a second thought.
He was a young up and coming hero having just graduated from the top hero school in China, at the top of his class, he was quickly out to make a name for himself. When he had gotten called to be a part of a raid that was related to Hive Academy, the same group that had taken out All Might he wasn't concerned or cautious like many of the more veteran heroes were, he was ecstatic, it would finally be his chance to lead the charge against these villains and make a name for himself.
He didn't care how young these villains were or what their reasonings were, they were villains, and they would be punished for even considering the thought of joining these filthy terrorists.
That raid was his chance to make a name for himself, at the rate he was going he would have surpassed Hawks as the fastest growing hero and the youngest with a hero agency, however the raid didn't go to plan but to him it didn't matter, if anything this situation was preferable.
Instead of killing him when they had the chance, they decided to bring him back to their lair, and now he would make them pay for it.
As he ran about the streets, he could only think about the glory he would receive from being the one to take down the worst villain organization ever seen most likely in all of history, the group that took down All Might would be taken down by him, and he would be not just the number one of China, but the world.
However, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the sounds of a giggle that sounded like it came from a teenage girl.
He quickly snapped his head around to see a figure running into a grocery store.
"Get back here! You can't run!" Short Circuit chases after her and he finds himself in a grocery store, not seeing anyone he walks deeper in, past the checkout isles and down one of the aisles.
"This game of hide and seek won't save you so come on out already and make this easier for the both of us you little shit!" He shouted
He keeps walking until he reaches the middle of the store as he looks around "come out come out wherever you are" he taunts with a grin on his face as electricity sparks through his hands
'I'll snuff the life out of this little bastard and then I'll move onto her little buddies.' he thought as he looked around and listened for anything. Inside the grocery store music was being played which made it somewhat difficult to hear.
"When I kill you and your buddies, the people will praise me for it! Worship me for it! I'll become the next symbol of peace! I'll become the richest hero, no, the richest man on the planet!" A large grin forms on his face.
"Weak trash like you exist to benefit the strong like me! I can see the headlines already, young hero Short Circuit single handedly takes down the most dangerous villain organization the world has seen, ushering in a new era of peace!"
However, he turns to see a shopping cart moving on its own slowly out of another aisle further down as it then hits the wall coming to a stop.
Short Circuit quickly rushed over to the isle the cart had been pushed from and ran down it only to see nothing.
"Show yourself you filthy street urchin!" He yelled with a hint of panic in his voice.
He turns his back facing one of the aisles as he looks back and forth at both ends of the aisles.
It is then that Toga jumps from the top of the aisle his back is facing and lands right on his back wrapping her legs around his waist and she covers her hand over his mouth as his eyes widened like dinner plates.
"Today things change, today I get a chance to become a naughty little schoolgirl, one who will take as much blood as she wants with no hero telling her what to do." Toga said, her voice filled with both excitement and malice as she was grinning ear to ear.
"You don't have to worry about becoming the next symbol of peace, that won't be happening in this life or the next."
Before Short Circuit is able to do anything she drives a knife into his back as Short Circuit's scream is muffled by the hand over his mouth.
Inside the grocery store a camera watches her as she snuffs out the life of the pro hero.
In a room full of monitors, the entirety of class Alpha-1 is watching, many are impressed by the skills on display by Toga.
"Looks like the girl's got some real skill." Jinx said with a smirk.
"She might not have snot for brains after all." the small boy with the green jumpsuit said with an amused look on his face.
"She's good, she managed to get the jump on him and bait him into a trap and it worked flawlessly" the girl with white wings on her back said with an amused look on her face as well.
Billy Numerous and his various duplicates sit around scattered about the room as they spoke.
"And she strikes!"
"Whoo doggy now that's some impressive stuff."
"She's a crafty one ain't she."
"a pretty one at that."
"Yeah, I like her, I say we let her join."
"don't get too attached just yet, I mean I get it you aren't wrong but we still gotta see more from her." Mammoth said as he looked down at Billy Numerous and his various duplicates.
"Did you guys hear that hero? Ugh the nerve, I don't think I've met someone that arrogant, I'm not one to hate or hold a grudge but I generally hate that guy, glad she gave him what he deserved" Mist said with a scowl on her face, a rarity for the girl with her often bubbly personality which many believed clashed with her actions as a villain.
"Are all of them like that?" She asks, her facial expression never changing
"Not sure, though it wouldn't surprise me if they did." See-More answered as he looked at all the screens
"This one was arrogant and overconfident; it reminds me of one of the U.A. students I took down" Red X said in his modulated voice before continuing. "There's no guarantee the other heroes will make the same mistakes this one did; she may be able to get the jump on one with her quirk, but it may only be a matter of time before she has to take one in a direct confrontation."
XL-Terrestrial looked toward Red X before nodding in agreement. "You have a point there, luring people into traps is one thing, but can she handle herself in an actual combat situation rather than an ambush."
"Yeah, not to mention that guy doesn't know how to utilize electricity for shit." Livewire added before crossing her arms.
"I saw we can never have too many beauties in our class." the spikey haired teen said while looking at the monitors.
"The hero with the speed ability is getting closer to the one covered head to toe in armor" Holocaust answered before speaking again. "Wonder how she'll kill that one."
"I'm sure she can manage, she seems pretty creative, actually she seems like the type to work for the league of shadows, like Black Spider or uhh, what was the name of the girl with the mask?" Mist said as she cupped her chin in thought trying to remember the name.
However, before she could figure it out Red X answered for her "Cheshire, she was a member of the league of shadows before her betrayal."
"Oh." was all that Mist could say in response, now feeling stupid for bringing her up in the first place.
"Actually, with her personality she would fit better with someone like the joker or Victor Zsasz." Shimmer said before shivering at the two names she just uttered as several of the Alpha-1 students did the same."
"I hope we never have to work with either of them especially Victor Zsasz." Jinx said with a slight shiver at the thought.
"Yeah, their pretty freaky I can't lie, you know I've seen the joker in person and oh boy, that guy is a piece of work." Frostbite added.
"I don't think Victor Zsasz is here, I can't say the same about Joker though, I heard some rumors but that's about it." Jinx said to her fellow classmates who became somewhat uneasy on the thought of the Joker being in this world with them.
"Guys shut the hell up, looks like things are about to get interesting." See-More said as the members of Alpha-1 all turn their attention to the screens as they look forward to watching what comes next.
Note: I again Apologize for the long wait, I have been busy with school among other things, this chapter was originally going to be longer but I have decided to choose to split this into two parts, will begin work on the second part as soon as possible, Also to respond to one of the reviews, Terra as of now is sixteen, however her documents show her as fifteen and everyone is under the impression that she is 15. Also, I intend to go back and add and rewrite certain scenes in the previous chapters, I honestly don't like certain things and I intend to correct this error.
Also, I hope you guys don't mind the OCs, I mainly make OCs for heroes and its highly unlikely that I will make any for villains, in fact I may end up making some verisons of DC villains apart of the MHA verse, so far, I only have one in mind, but more ideas may spring up in the future. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter.