Heya all! It seems like my brain went on overdrive because I never wrote a 6000 words chapter that fast... (And I think I fell asleep at 2 am this morning because of my concentration...)
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 11: A Nightmare Is Just Beginning…
/
"Remind me how we're supposed to get through already?", asked Honks as he readjusted his helmet on his head.
Indeed, a very good question, Lock noted, arms crossed, looking at the crowd of journalists who were pressing and jostling in front of the high school entrance. It had been like this for three days, a total mess after rumors spread that All Might was working at UA. The journalists had pounced on the affair like vultures on a carcass.
"We do it like usual," replied Momo, staring straight ahead.
"Okay, as you wish, vod.", replied the captain before turning to his brothers, "Alright, guys! In formation! If you see any of our classmates, pull them into the square, and don't hesitate to push."
The 62 clones quickly organized themselves. A double line of clones, with a space in the middle. The most numerous squads, namely Lambda, Eta, Gamma, and Epsilon-Delta-Tau, took the outer positions, and the less complete squads, Alpha, Beta, Iota, Zeta, and Theta, took the second row.
Lock and Momo positioned themselves in the center, and after Lock gave the signal, the armored square moved forward in a rhythmic step.
"1! 2! 1! 2!", shouted the captain, faster and faster, as the troopers accelerated. Some journalists turned upon hearing the shouts, and those who had experienced what would happen the previous days quickly stepped aside.
"Spear!" shouted Momo, and just before the contact with those who hadn't moved and were staring at them with fish-like eyes, the square deformed into a sort of spear shape. Then, the contact took place in a crash of armor and surprised and indignant cries as the clones collided with the group, pushing the journalists while being careful not to hurt them.
They moved two meters through the crowd before their momentum was cut off. The clones pushed harder but had more difficulty advancing. They managed to retrieve a few comrades, namely Koda, Tsuyu, Tokoyami, and Iida, whom they had to pull from the grasp of journalists while the boy monologued about his opinion on the matter.
Some later realized that he had sacrificed himself to let Izuku, who had been discharged from the hospital the day before, and Uraraka pass.
The problem was that now, the questions were directed towards them. Microphones and booms were shoved in their faces, hitting the helmets and causing aggressive growls from the clones. Moreover, the journalists' crowd grip tightened on the clones, and the double lines began to buckle under the pressure, losing men in the process, swallowed by the horde with plenty of swearing and curses.
"Come on, guys! Push!", encouraged Momo, speaking through a megaphone she had created to be heard. Her vods advanced step by step towards the entrance, where they could hear Present Mic's voice forbidding journalists from entering, causing protests. They were almost there...
"Just a little bit more!", shouted Momo as Bug was pulled from the line with a strangled cry by a particularly stubborn journalist.
This time was the final straw as the entire Eta squad broke formation to retrieve their missing brother, the journalists broke through the breach, pushing the Zeta men and entering the central perimeter of the formation, now completely broken.
"Kriff! REFORM!" yelled Lock to be heard, but to no avail; they were losing troopers left and right, swallowed by the fierce beast that was the crowd.
Only the Alpha squad, along with Mag and Canonball from Epsilon, managed to reach them. With one last push, the students were expelled from the crowd.
"Free! Delivered!" began Brexx, before falling silent as someone approached the group, congratulating themselves on having survived.
"You're almost late. If I were you, I'd hurry to class," indicated Aizawa, whose gaze perfectly conveyed that he wasn't in the mood to deal with a crowd of journalists fixed on their goal. Lock understood him... Journalists were the worst...
"Yes, sir.", replied the students who were with them. Lock was even shocked to see that Hagakure was among them. He turned to Hope and asked.
"When did Hagakure-san arrive?"
The clone sergeant shrugged and shook his head.
...
The door opened, and Aizawa entered, rubbing his eyes from fatigue while speaking to Ion.
"Next time, try to avoid attacking on a journalist while being nine. It gives you a bad image."
The sergeant grumbled, "He shouldn't have kidnapped Bug like that. What an idiot."
"We agree on that point..." replied the tired man with a sigh, eliciting some laughs from the clones who remained outside the room and a few students. Aizawa then looked up and stared straight at Lock.
"I had to wait ten minutes for them to get out of the crowd, then had to wait an additional fifteen minutes for an ambulance to arrive to take the journalist they had knocked down. And you say order is second nature to your clones?"
Lock glared at the sergeant, but then responded to Aizawa.
"There are some exceptions to those rules, especially in situations like this. We don't joke around when it comes to our brothers."
This surprised Aizawa, but he didn't respond; a glimmer of understanding even passed through his dark eyes.
"Alright. On another note... Today, we're going to do something special..."
The entire class held their breath in fear. Every time that was said, they suffered for the rest of the day...
"Today, you're going to elect your class representatives."
Silence... Until...
"Finally, a normal high school activity!", exclaimed Denki, after which the class erupted into a cacophony of voices.
"SILENCE!", shouted Aizawa as his eyes glowed with their intimidating red light, and his hair stood on end.
A fly scratched itself in the room.
"You have until the end of the class to elect someone. I don't care how you do it as long as you don't wake me up."
With that, the man took his sleeping bag from the desk, wrapped himself in it, and fell like a stone, snoring. No one spoke for a moment.
"So... How do we choose?", asked Mina, turning to look at the rest of the class.
"A FIGHT! THE WINNER IS CHOSEN!" shouted Bakugo, making small explosions crackle in his hands.
"So you can satisfy your thirst for domination and blood, Bakugo?", spat Izuku with a cold look.
"Got a problem, Deku?", replied the explosive blonde, turning to look at the green-haired boy with multiple burns on his face with a rabid dog look.
"Come on, come on, calm down, both of you, we're not here to fight.", Momo reprimanded them.
While Izuku nodded and fell silent, Bakugo turned his anger towards Momo.
"Do you want to fight?"
"If you touch a single hair on her head, you're dead, understood?", Lock intervened in a neutral voice. The blonde made a 'Tsk' sound but finally fell silent.
Iida spoke up.
"I propose we hold a democratic election!"
"Uh... Not to spoil the idea, but we don't exactly know each other very well. We only know each other's quirks; everyone will vote for themselves...", Kirishima remarked.
"The only one we have some idea about is Bakugo-san, the master of temper tantrums."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, PIKACHU?", shouted Bakugo, making an explosion while glaring at the electric blonde, who shrank in fear.
"Shut up pomeranian.", said Lock.
"And Lock-san, the military officer…", Denki finished in a small voice.
Izuku spoke up, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
"Exactly, that's what we're looking for. If someone gets more than one vote, it means people trust them more than the rest. The best thing is to see who wants to be a representative, then those who want to know them can come see them for about fifteen minutes before we vote."
Most of the class nodded, murmuring their approval, and then Iida clapped his hands and asked.
"Very well. Who wants to be a delegate?"
All hands were raised. Except for a few exceptions.
"Sorry... I don't believe I'm up to the task...", Ochako indicated.
"I don't think it's a role suited for me, to be honest. I'm not running.", Izuku said calmly.
"It's not that I'm not used to commanding, after all, I walk around with a company of clones created for war by my side, but I'd rather let others have a chance.", Lock said, leaning on his elbows.
Todoroki said nothing, as cold as a glacier as usual.
Then, to everyone's surprise, a hand lowered.
"I respect my brother's choice, and I understand it. I wanted to run at first, but after reflection, it's true that it's better to let others have the chance to prove their worth.", said Momo.
Lock slowly nodded, appreciating his vod's gesture.
With that, only 16 hands remained raised.
"I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU ALL, YOU BUNCH OF EXTRAS!" shouted Bakugo.
Izuku rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.
…
Midoriya Izuku: 4 votes
Yaoyorozu Momo: 3 votes
Yaoyorozu Lock: 2 votes
Todoroki Shoto: 2 votes
Jiro Kyoka: 0 votes
Kirishima Eijiro: 0 votes
Kaminari Denki: 0 votes
Hagakure Toru: 1 vote
Aoyama Yuga: 1 vote
Bakugo Katsuki: 1 vote
Ashido Mina: 0 votes
Minoru Mineta: 1 vote
Koda Koji: 0 votes
Asui Tsuyu: 0 votes
Iida Tenya: 1 vote
Uraraka Ochako: 0 votes
Tokoyami Fumikage: 1 vote
Sato Rikido: 0 votes
Ojiro Mashirao: 0 votes
Sero Hanta: 0 votes
Shoji Mezo: 0 votes
The class was completely silent.
"WHAT?", Bakugo yelled, creating explosions in his palms, "ONLY ONE VOTE?! AND HOW DID THAT STUPID DEKU GET MORE THAN ME?"
"Of course, vote for the quiet little angel.", Izuku retorted sarcastically through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at the explosive blonde.
Meanwhile, Lock and Momo looked at each other, quite surprised by their results.
Iida, on the other hand, seemed quite disappointed with his single vote but quickly recovered. Just as he was about to speak, Aizawa stood up like a mummy, yawned, and looked at the board to see the results. The tired man nodded before announcing.
"Very well... Midoriya, it seems you are the class representative... As for the second representative, we'll have to—"
"That won't be necessary, I allocate my votes to my sister.", interrupted Lock, eyes closed, arms crossed, "As I already said, others must have the chance to prove themselves. I've shown my capabilities enough..." The captain opened his eyes and turned to look at his vod, "Vod, I trust you and will follow whatever you undertake."
Momo looked at her vod for a long moment before nodding solemnly. She had given up running for the elections, but that didn't mean she would let this influence her.
"Very well... Yaoyorozu, you are the second class rep.", sighed Aizawa, "Anything to say?"
The two newly elected class representatives stood up and moved to the podium. Midoriya spoke first.
"Firstly... I wish to thank those who voted for me. Secondly, you see me extremely surprised to have been elected; I honestly didn't expect it. In any case, I will do my best to represent you."
His voice didn't tremble, showing his determination to carry out his mission under his calm demeanor. In the hallway, Warden and Focus, who had been paying attention, gave each other a high-five. The confidence their friend's training had given him was noticeable.
Momo then took the floor... She inhaled, searching for her words for a few seconds...
"I thank everyone who voted for me for doing so. Like Midoriya, I am extremely surprised, and I also thank Lock, my brother, for supporting me as he does. I will do my best, rest assured."
The raven-haired girl stepped back, and the class applauded her and Midoriya, except for two very particular people, of course.
At that moment, the bell for the lunch break rang in the school, and Aizawa spoke.
"We will meet back here after the meal. This afternoon, another special exercise has been planned. Make sure not to be late."
…
Lock sat at a table relatively isolated from the rest with a sigh, in a corner where only the clones mostly sat. The few rare students who came had to endure the sometimes heated discussions and debates, as well as a particularly dark humor, which many tried to avoid.
Kriffin' hell he was hungry... Torda, Xyomm, and Dengloy joined him quickly and also sat at the table with their trays. The three lieutenants removed their helmets and placed them on the table next to their food trays.
"Anything new regarding the temporary accommodations that were mentioned?" Torda asked.
"Negative, I haven't received any news.", replied the captain, shoveling a mouthful of noodles into his mouth.
"He forgot. That damn womp-rat forgot.", Dengloy grumbled, rubbing his forehead.
"He didn't say it would be immediate. Be patient, my brothers. I'm sure we'll hear something soon.", Xyomm reassured.
Another tray was set down, and Momo slipped in beside Xyomm and Dengloy.
"Are you talking about the move?" she asked in a saddened tone.
"…Yes…" Lock replied. They tried their best to avoid talking about it around Momo and their parents because it was a sensitive topic that put the entire Yaoyorozu family in a bad mood. Even though they were adoptive, even though they were soldiers, even though they came from another universe, it hadn't stopped everyone from forming strong bonds, and seeing someone dear leave was always difficult. Even within the company, the subject was rarely broached.
"We have no idea what will be at our disposal. We're already considering assigning several troopers to learn how to cook so we can be self-sufficient in terms of food, as well as setting up guard and sleep shifts."
Momo let out a laugh that was anything but joyful.
"You're already reverting to your soldier habits... Guard shifts and chores..."
"It's unfortunately necessary, vod... We need to make sure nothing and no one from the outside can get into our area.", Xyomm said.
"You're at UA... You have nothing to fear..."
"There's always something to fear. If it's not external dangers thanks to the security here, then it's internal dangers.", Dengloy remarked, looking left and right to make sure no eavesdropping ears were around, "I don't trust anyone in this establishment. Everyone is a threat to our cover. We'll have to be very careful about what we say and show."
Momo remained silent for a while before asking, "Lock, you were aware of the risks, weren't you?"
The captain nodded, staring straight ahead.
"Why did you suggest this if you knew?"
The captain remained silent before raising two fingers.
"First point, logistics. Transporting us every day is not exactly ideal, for both us and you. Second point, security. If, unfortunately, our cover is blown, you won't be safe. The risks are unacceptable. Here at UA, we have relative security provided by the establishment. At the mansion, we won't be safe from infiltration or assault attempts by both villains and special forces or foreign secret services."
The raven-haired girl remained silent...
"But we can protect you from that..."
"Negative, vod. You might be able to protect us legally from the villains or government forces , but when you're protecting aliens, the world's governments won't care how they get us. Believe me, I've read things—FBI, KGB, and others don't hesitate to eliminate people they find inconvenient for their plans. An 'unfortunate' accident is all they need, and they're capable of causing it, especially with the asset provided by quirks.", Torda responded.
Momo turned her head, not wanting to confront the truth her vod had just exposed... She knew he was right... But that didn't stop her from being sad and not accepting this change in her life...
/
"Congratulations, Midoriya-san!" Iida exclaimed, setting his tray down at the table in front of the green-haired boy.
"Thank you, Iida-san," Izuku replied, nodding slightly with a friendly smile. "I hope you're not disappointed with the result?"
The blue-haired boy hesitated a bit before responding.
"I admit, I was a bit disappointed. However, I'm happy because my vote went to you."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly.
"You voted for me?"
"He wasn't the only one!"
Ochako approached, holding her tray, and sat down next to Izuku. She placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him blush slightly.
"U-Uraraka-san? You also voted for me?"
The brunette nodded with a smile.
"I spoke with one of the mediclones after the fight three days ago... He... enlightened me..." a slight blush appeared on Ochako's cheeks, causing her to look away to calm down.
"Personally, I voted for you, Midoriya-san, because you showed a team spirit and a mentality to fight to the end no matter what. I find that admirable. I have no doubt you'll make a perfect class representative, even if you think you're not capable.", Iida explained.
These encouraging words brought a smile to the green-haired boy's face... He was surrounded by good friends...
"I might as well admit it now… I voted for you, Iida-san.", said Izuku, "You have a very organized and responsible personality. I think our class needs that."
Iida nodded, a look of surprise on his face.
"Thank you Midoriya-san."
Then...
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! LEVEL 3 SECURITY BREACH!"
The cafeteria became very silent all of a sudden... an oppressive and extremely tense silence.
-CLACK-
All eyes turned to where the two Yaoyorozus and the clones usually sat. They had all stood up, weapons in hand, some even charging their weapons.
"Epsilon! Gamma! Move and check out what's going on!" yelled one of the clones sitting at the table with the two Yaoyorozus. The reaction was instantaneous; two squads of clones ran out of the cafeteria. And as if their exit had broken the calm...
The screams began.
People got up, succumbing to panic, and started running toward the exit, pushing, stumbling, getting compressed between two people, sometimes falling and getting trampled by the panicked crowd with strangled cries of pain.
Izuku reacted instantly.
"Stay calm and get on the table.", ordered Izuku, looking at Ochako and Iida. They hesitated, then followed his order. Izuku joined them, and looked around the cafeteria... The panic was complete... He saw some of his classmates in the middle of the crowd, and in their corner, the clones were organizing themselves in an orderly manner... Crowd panic... He knew how to handle this...
...
Flashback
"Often, during a calamity, whether it's a fire, a villain attack, or any kind of disaster like that, the chances of a panic or crowd movement occurring are as high, if not higher, than the disaster itself.", All Might began, "As heroes, we sometimes have to manage them before the calamity itself."
Focus adjusted his position on the box he was sitting on.
"Crowd movements are the most dangerous things that can happen. People push, crush each other in a primal fear action, prioritizing their own lives above all else."
"The main causes of death in a crowd movement are often compression asphyxiation and trampling. The body density causes people to get stuck to the point where they are deprived of oxygen, and others fall and get trampled by the crowd.", Warden concluded.
Izuku looked at them in horror; he had never thought it could go that far... All Might sighed and crossed his arms, a pained expression on his face.
"I have... already failed to save more than one person in such movements... Calming a panicked crowd requires a big effort. First, staying calm is key. If people see you're panicking, it will cause a chain reaction, even if you try to calm them. Then, give a tone to your voice, make them understand that you're in control, make them listen to you."
End of Flashback
...
Izuku heard a scream to his right from a familiar voice. He turned his head just in time to see Ashido Mina disappear in the middle of a group.
He filled his lungs... and shouted...
"STOP!"
His voice echoed like a thunderclap in the cafeteria, and silence fell in the room... All eyes turned to him...
"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING! LOOK AROUND YOU! YOU'RE ACTING LIKE ANIMALS! LOOK AT YOUR FEET! SEE THE PEOPLE YOU'RE STEPPING ON! SEE THE PEOPLE YOU'RE SUFFOCATING!"
The other students looked around, and he saw movement in certain parts of the crowd. The sounds of labored breathing and sobbing soon filled the room.
Another voice rose.
"Moreover, it's not an attack, but the journalists outside who managed to get in."
Yaoyorozu Lock's voice was calm, authoritative, as his brown eyes scanned the room. Beside him, his clones were lined up in squads, waiting for orders, calm.
"Now we are going to ask you to sit calmly on the floor and report any injured. Make sure to leave space between you so the medic clones can reach your classmates as quickly as possible.", Momo instructed gravely, and the students slowly obeyed.
"We will set up an improvised medical station at my position.", Lieutenant Dengloy, whom Izuku had spoken to once, began, "Stay calm and everything will be fine. Now, those near an injured person, please raise your hand."
A dozen hands went up all over the room, and immediately the medics moved, leaving the ranks and heading toward the nearest raised hands.
Izuku sat on his table, massaging his sore throat after shouting like that...
"And you say you're not suited for this role.", Ochako teased, giving a light elbow jab to the green-haired boy's ribs...
"It's the training," Izuku simply replied, "Nothing exceptional."
"Nothing exceptional my ass!", Ochako exclaimed in a mocking tone, "Don't be so humble, that was fucking amazing!"
Izuku felt flattered.
A cry of pain caught his attention, and he turned his head just in time to see two medic clones lifting a boy by the shoulders and carrying him to the improvised station.
A heavy silence fell over the cafeteria, only punctuated by the groans and whimpers of the injured and the soothing words whispered by the medic clones.
Some staff members arrived quickly, namely Midnight, Ectoplasm, Nezu, Vlad King, and Recovery Girl, followed by the Epsilon and Gamma squads who went to join their brothers in their corner. The staff members were very surprised to see everyone sitting on the floor, and Nezu sighed with relief...
"It looks like a tragedy has been avoided..." murmured the white chimera.
A medic clone raised his hand and called for Recovery Girl. The nurse spotted the improvised station and, after apologizing, headed there...
/
A tap on their shoulders caught the attention of Momo and Lock, and they both turned in unison to face Riot, sergeant of Gamma squad.
"Yes, Sergeant?" Lock asked, raising an eyebrow.
The clone signaled them to be quieter...
"Shh, I need to talk to you."
The raven-haired girl and the captain exchanged a glance, then nodded. The sergeant motioned for them to follow, and they found themselves behind the group of clones, quickly joined by the Lieutenants who had been informed by other troopers.
"What's going on, Riot?" Momo asked, slightly worried but serious... It wasn't normal for the sergeant to be so grave, he was usually serious, tho rebellious, but not to that extent. Riot seemed to search for his words for a moment... before whispering.
"We have a mole. Or a double agent inside the institution. For whom they work, we don't know."
It hit like a bomb, shocking everyone.
"Are you sure about this, sergeant?" Lock asked after regaining his composure.
"Affirmative, Captain. Joker and Hellinnk's audio systems detected voices in the nearby trees and reported it to me. After activating the thermal functions of our helmets, we managed to discern a silhouette moving away among the trees, but no visual contact was established with the interlocutor. The identity of the silhouette could not be determined either."
"Were you able to determine their gender?" the captain asked.
"Negative."
Xyomm gritted his teeth.
"Kriff..."
"That's one way to put it... Sithspit... Well, the good point is we can say that those who are here don't need to be suspected," replied Dengloy.
"And if they returned while we weren't looking?" Torda intervened, "It's possible after all."
Lock remained silent...
"We can't trust anyone, the only ones we can trust are Midoriya-san, Uraraka-san, and Iida-san from our class because we saw them during the panic."
"Ashido-san can also be cleared.", Dengloy indicated, "She was brought to the improvised station because of a big bruise on her forehead after getting kicked while on the ground."
"Bakugo-san, Kirishima-san, Kaminari-san were together the whole time, Sero-san joined them before the alarm," Xyomm said.
"Jiro-san was right in front of me in line and took a food tray." Momo said.
Silence fell over the group.
"With us, that makes eleven people less, but that leaves ten from our class... not to mention the rest of the institution..." Lock concluded.
"We're making great progress, aren't we!" Torda ironized.
At that moment, the bell signaling the end of the lunch break rang, ending the discussion. Lock watched people slowly get up to leave the cafeteria, then looked at the group.
"Keep an eye on everyone, be wary."
"Affirmative!"
With that, the entire company left the cafeteria and headed to the classroom. Lock and Momo entered the classroom and sat in their places. They were the second to last to arrive, and Mina came in a minute or two later with a patch on her temple where she had a bump.
They waited a little longer before Aizawa arrived...
"Alright... We won't talk about the incident that occurred, just know that it was only a few journalists who managed to get in, nothing serious..." he yawned before continuing, "Now, let's talk about what's planned for this afternoon..."
The lockers containing the suitcases of their costumes emerged from the wall.
"We'll meet behind UA next to Gym Gamma in 15 minutes. Be on time."
"YES SENSEI!" the class exclaimed as each student stood up, took their case, and headed to the locker rooms. Lock took his last and left, his brothers who were waiting outside stood up silently and followed him.
When he arrived, he ordered his vods to wait for him at the exit, and he went inside. Immediately, his inquisitive gaze fell on Mineta, who was approaching the infamous hole in the wall, discouraging him from getting any closer. The little pervert backed away with a lump of fear in his stomach. The clone captain quickly changed and put on his helmet before heading out.
Three buses were waiting near the gym, and Lock approached them. His brothers had already boarded two of them, using the radio to talk, joke occasionally, but mostly to check their equipment and account for everyone.
Soon, the rest of the class showed up, each dressed in their costume. Momo stood next to him in her custom ARF armor.
"Ready vod?" Lock asked.
"Always!" Momo replied.
"Silence," Aizawa ordered, and when everyone quieted down, he continued, "Get on the buses."
Class 1-A obeyed and boarded the bus. Lock and Momo sat at the back, next to each other, right behind Midoriya and Tsuyu, and opposite Kaminari and Bakugo. The bus started, and Lock closed his eyes and rested his head against the headrest of his seat...
"Company, we're moving..." the captain signaled on his radio, which was met with affirmative responses before silence fell on the radio again...
In the bus, conversations started, some talking about anything and everything, others asking questions about what they would do when they arrived at their destination, but suddenly.
"Hey Midoriya, I have a question."
Tsuyu's voice rose.
"Yes, Asui?" the green-haired boy replied. Lock opened one eye to look at the two just in front of them.
"Call me Tsu. Anyway, I've noticed that your quirk is a lot like All Might's."
"Ah- Uh, y-you think so?" the green-haired boy stammered. This did not go unnoticed by the captain, who opened his other eye, now fully alert.
"All Might doesn't break his bones, though." Kaminari remarked.
"Finally a good comment!" Jiro teased from the front of the bus, "I thought it would never happen!"
"Hey!" Kaminari pouted.
"CAN YOU SHUT UP? I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" Bakugo shouted.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Grumpy, we get it, you're not in a good mood, actually, you're never in a good mood." Midoriya retorted. The explosive blonde's eyes immediately snapped open, glaring at the green-haired boy.
"OH? YOU WANT ME TO KICK YOUR ASS, DEKU?"
The green-haired boy gave him a fierce look.
"Bring it on! If you want to kick my ass so bad, I'm waiting for you, Boom-Boom!"
"We've arrived.", Aizawa announced, ending the dispute even though Bakugo continued to growl like a feral animal, "Get out."
The students stood up and exited the bus one by one. When the captain got out, the first thing he saw was a gigantic dome-shaped building. The letters USJ were marked above the entrance.
"Universal Studios Japan?" Mina asked with a slightly confused expression.
Aizawa seemed to ignore the remark.
"This is the USJ, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. This will be the place for your training today."
Four pairs of tires screeched as the buses transporting the clones stopped and the clones disembarked. Eyes turned towards them, before Aizawa brought the attention back to himself.
"Come on, we are expected inside."
The tired man indicated as he climbed the steps, followed closely by the excited class.
The doors creaked open, and the group entered. Lock was amazed... It almost looked like Kamino's facilities, though not a faithful and natural reproduction of environments... A woman dressed in an astronaut costume, with a black dome-shaped helmet and large yellow boots, was waiting for them.
"Welcome, Class 1-A, to the USJ."
The heroine looked at the group for an additional moment before asking.
"Is All Might not with you?"
Aizawa sighed.
"Something came up... He couldn't come..."
Uraraka made a small noise of excitement.
"It's No. 13! The space heroine! She's my idol!"
Ah... A fan meeting their idol... Lock held back an amused smile, others chuckled to themselves, these reactions were always amusing to see...
However... He had a feeling... A bad feeling... His smile soon disappeared, and his hands tightened around the grip of his carbine...
When he looked at his vods, he noticed that they too seemed to have the same feeling...
"Lock? Is everything alright?" Momo's voice asked, worried. Some of their classmates looked at him, confused and surprised, and it was only then that the captain noticed he was as rigid as a board...
"I have a bad feeling about this place.", admitted the captain...
"Eh, it's nothing," Sero said, dismissing the remark with a wave of his hand. Lock hoped he was right...
No. 13 began to explain.
"The USJ, or Unforeseen Simulation Joint, was built under my supervision four years ago, and has been equipped with faithful reproductions of terrain and devices, all to accurately recreate a natural disaster. The purpose of this building is to train you, young future heroes, to face all kinds of calamities. Today, you will be separat—"
The lights flickered, as if suddenly disturbed. The reaction of No. 13 and Aizawa did nothing to ease the feeling Lock had...
"Look!" Kirishima called out, pointing to the central area...
And there, indeed... The ambient temperature seemed to drop as the air twisted, wavered, shriveled, and folded in on itself...
A black-purplish portal appeared in the middle of this distortion, a thing made of pure darkness devouring the surrounding light. It seemed more like a tear in the fabric of reality, oozing a malevolent aura that made the air almost difficult to breathe. A cold shiver ran down the students' spines as their eyes fixed on this aberration.
The first things to emerge from the void were fingers. Pale fingers with yellowed, curled nails, gripping the edge of the portal as if trying to pull an abominable creature from an abyssal hell. The silence became heavy, each breath held, each heartbeat echoing like thunder in the students' chests. Blanched hands, covered in scars, followed, contorting in jerky, almost insectoid movements as they pulled something their owner out of the darkness slowly.
Then came the face. A masked figure, the outline of a head covered by a skeletal hand, fingers clenched on a skull covered in blue-silver hair, almost entirely hiding its features. Except for one detail that instilled pure fear in the hearts of those present: a red eye, almost incandescent, piercing through the gaps between the fingers, casting a demented, mad glow on the world around it. That gaze alone seemed capable of plunging anyone's soul into the depths of fear.
The man extricated himself from the portal like a ghoul from its dark grave, his body wrapped in a black costume, dotted with skeletal, decaying hands clinging to him like so many morbid trophies, as if trying to restrain his madness, to hold him back from committing the irreversible. Each hand seemed to exude a dark and terrifying story, like fragments of broken souls imprisoned in an eternity of torment, screaming their last moments.
The mere presence of the man was enough to twist the atmosphere, to transform the serenity of the place into a nightmare. His hunched form took a step forward, each movement laden with menace, each gesture imbued with unfathomable malice.
All were frozen except for the two heroes, their bodies refusing to respond to the call of flight or fight. Lock and his brothers, who had faced more terrifying things, remained paralyzed... The aura the man exuded was one of eternal torment, of an inescapable death, of an inevitable carnage... An aura they had never encountered before. The man's presence seemed to annihilate all forms of resistance, turning the students' wills to ashes before they could even rekindle.
His glowing red gaze fell on each student in turn, evaluating, weighing, savoring the fear he inspired. The skeletal hands clinging to his body seemed to almost quiver with excitement, as if they shared the same thirst for destruction as their master.
He reveled in every moment, every second of passing anguish. He was the ultimate predator, and them, his helpless prey. The scene was frozen in time, a vignette of incarnate horror. The man that transformed the USJ in a promised grave for the students in mere second with just his presence tilted his head…
When he spoke, the shadow of a twisted grin could be heard behind the grotesque mask. He seemed to enjoy this, the terror he was instilling, the anxiety his presence insinuated into every corner of his adversaries' minds.
"So, these are the future heroes?" he murmured, his voice raspy and honeyed, like a hissing snake.
His words, as he continued, resonated like a funeral bell. Each word pronounced by his mouth bore a promise of suffering, a prophecy of destruction.
"Ah, the youth of UA... so innocent, so naive. Do you think you're safe here? You're just prey in a slaughterhouse."
Sato, desperately trying to regain control of his emotions, dared to move, taking an uncertain step backward. But the man, without even looking directly at him, raised a hand in the young hero's direction. The movement was slow, almost lazy, but it carried with it a promise of death. Before the student could make another move, the black portal expanded again, releasing an even more intense wave of malevolence.
"No, you will not move. You will stay here, to contemplate the inevitable. Every single one of you are spectators of what will be done here… And you won't manage to do anything to stop my plan…"
He then spread his arms, throwing his head back and letting out a psychotic laugh.
"For today, your end has come!"
The man looked back at them, his arms falling by his side as he red eye seemed to glow from pure insanity...
"Your nightmare is just..."
"Beginning"
I tried to make Shigaraki introduction's from the anime more... Nightmarish and scary as much as I could... Damn, it took me around 2 hours just to find the ideas and transform the guy into a literal human monster, and the double to write and word it like I wanted...
Also, maybe try to read the intro with some scary music or the villain theme from the anime, for me at least it worked.
Seeya next time! ;)
