Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.
WORLD OF HEARTS
LINKED AS ONE
Act 1
Chapter 4
Trailblazing
Kizuna was walking along with Izuku, Madoka, Ruby, and Yoh. The group had split into smaller groups to make up a formation. He looked at his hand, still remembering the feeling of Mia's hand on his own. He remembered what she said to him while he was in the Station.
'Converting my memories into strength...' Kizuna thought. 'I wonder... could it be true?'
"Kizu-kun?" He heard Madoka talk to him.
She looked at her direction. She looked curious. He looked at his hand and puts it down. He locks eyes with her.
"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," Kizuna said, looking at her while scratching the back of his head. "What is it?"
Madoka taps her chin with her finger.
"Do you have any family other than your mom?" Madoka asked.
"Yeah, I do," Kizuna said. "I have another mom."
"Huh?" Madoka asked. "Another mom?"
"As in..."
"You have..."
"Two moms?" Yoh finished the thought.
"Yeah," Kizuna answered. "She's my birth mother."
Izuku, Yoh, Madoka, and Ruby looked surprised to actually hear that.
"Yeah, weird, am I right?" Kizuna said. "It's been like that since my dad died."
The color on Madoka's face was drained from her. She was as white as a sheet. The same would be the same for Izuku and Ruby. Yoh, on the other hand, looked at Kizuna with a neutral face. Amidamaru appeared beside Yoh and looked at Kizuna.
"I-I'm sorry!" Madoka was quick to apologize. "I didn't—"
"It's ok," Kizuna said, stopping Madoka there. "I didn't really get to know him outside of what my birth mother told me about him."
"What kind of man was he?" Yoh asked.
"He was a man of honor," Kizuna said. "He would jump into the jaws of death, only to come out unscathed."
He sighed, looking with a bit of sadness.
"I wish I could see him just this once, but my mother said that he's in the Otherworld now," Kizuna said.
"The Otherworld?" Izuku asked.
"It's the afterlife," Yoh said. "It's where people go when they die."
Izuku looked at Yoh. Izuku looked up to the sky.
'Sir Nighteye...' Izuku thought.
Sir Nighteye or Mirai Sasaki was All Might's former sidekick. He was known for his quirk, Foresight, which gave him the ability to see a person's future with great accuracy. He used this ability to predict a person's movement after touching that person and making full eye contact. He participated in the Shie Hassaikai Raid, but he was left mortally wounded in the end. He died from a combination of blood loss following being impaled in the abdomen.
That man was Mirio's mentor and Izuku was his intern.
Izuku remembered being there with Nighteye as the latter was slowly dying. Nighteye told Izuku that he had seen a vision of the future in which the latter would have died fighting against Overhaul, only for that future to be turned over by other people's wishes for a better future. At that moment, he had found peace, knowing that even if his visions are never wrong, that the future can be changed. With his dying breath, he uttered his last words to Izuku. Words would remain stuck in his mind for as long as he lived.
"Keep smiling"
Those were Nighteye's last words before drawing his last breath with a smile on his face.
'I wonder what it must be like for him to be up there...' Izuku thought.
"So what is your mom like?" Ruby asked.
"She's strict, stubborn, skilled with a keyblade, headstrong, a bit greedy here and there, swift as a fox, and not one to pull her punches," Kizuna said. "She may look mean and might even be a little harsh at times, but she's a good person if you get to know her."
"Huh..." Madoka said. "What does she usually do?"
"She works at her day job most of the time. She runs a dojo for people interested in Kendo," Kizuna said.
"Ah, so she teaches swordsmanship," Yoh said. "That's interesting. I may have to ask for a few lessons with her."
"I wouldn't recommend it," Kizuna said. "When it comes to training, she pulls absolutely no punches, and training with her is like living in hell..."
Izuku felt his Danger Sense go off. He activated Blackwhip and Float. He used the Blackwhip tendrils to grab the others and flew up, pulling his arms up to drag the others up with him. A tree came flying and barely missed the group. The group lands on the ground. Kizuna's keyblade materialized over Kizuna's hand. Kizuna grabbed the keyblade just as Yoh engaged his oversoul with Amidamaru. Ruby had her Crescent Rose fold out completely, swinging the blade into the ground, and anchoring it to the ground as Ruby was crouched. Madoka pulled the string on her bow until its flower went ablaze.
Out from the trees came a giant golem made out of rocks. There was a face on a large boulder. It had a bone-white mask, a black miasma, and a singular red eye staring back.
This was a Geist, a type of Grimm named after the poltergeist. Like its namesake, the Geist is known to possess objects. It then takes these objects and uses them as an extension of its own body. While they are practically harmless in their true forms, if there happen to be any objects surrounding them, they will possess them and form a body using whatever it can possess.
Kizuna took a deep breath, thinking back to his training. It was all leading up to this moment, the moment where he would be fighting for not just his life, but for the lives of others. He kept his stance firm, leaving his left foot behind his right. He relaxes his shoulders and keeps his hips straight. His spine was perpendicular to the floor. The center of gravity was between his feet.
Flashback
A few months ago
"Attack!" His mother yelled.
Kizuna charged at his mother, holding a wooden keyblade in his hand. He swung the keyblade down as he got within striking distance. His mother tilts and pushes her wooden keyblade. The two blades clashed against one another. She had her right foot switch with her left foot. She then spun around using her left foot. As she spun, her arms swung to the left in time with her movement. She strikes his side, making him stagger. She then sweeps her keyblade at his feet, tripping him up. She lifts her keyblade up above her head and swings down.
The blade stops short from hitting him. She returns to her original posture and backs away, leaving the boy to get back up. He looked at her as she had a serious face. Her green eyes were staring back his eyes. He felt frustrated. That was the tenth time this month. He throws his keyblade down in frustration.
"Damnit!" Kizuna cursed. "This is impossible! You're better at this than I am!"
"That is what you think," His mother, Eva, said. "It is for that reason that you lost to me ten times."
Kizuna didn't understand a word of it. He thought this would be easy, having the memories of the Boy of Destiny himself in his own head, but now he wasn't sure of it.
"Who was I kidding? Balan had the wrong guy," Kizuna said. "I can't be anything like Sora. I barely know how to use a sword, let alone a keyblade. I only got lucky with that monster."
His mother looked at him with a disapproving glare.
"Those thoughts are the reason you cannot win," Eva said. "Get rid of those thoughts. They hinder your abilities. You're letting people's expectations muddle your concentration."
She tossed him a bottle of water. She opened hers and began to drink out of it. The heat was barraging the two, making them sweat. He started to drink out of his bottle.
"How am I supposed to pass the entrance exams if I can't even beat someone like you?" Kizuna asked.
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Eva asked.
He looked into her eyes as she looked into his eyes.
"You need only to ask yourself what it is that you want," Eva said. "Then you'll know the answer for yourself."
Kizuna looked at his mother. He began to ponder what that meant.
Present Day
'What I want...' Kizuna thought. 'Is to pass my exams. I want to pass my exams and go to Daybreak! To become a Keyblade Knight like my dad! To be like Sora and the Masters of Logos!'
Kizuna charged into battle, pointing his sword to the sky.
'Focus on that single desire, and then...' Kizuna thought.
"Come on!" Izuku said as he turned One for All on.
Izuku and Yoh went after Kizuna, running towards the Geist.
"Ruby!" Madoka said.
"Let's show it that we're not afraid of no ghost!" Ruby said.
Ruby began to fire her rifle as Madoka releases the arrow before firing another arrow. The Geist brought one arm around its face, taking the incoming bullets and arrows being shot at it. A tree was uprooted and it floated towards it. It held the tree in one of its hands. It swings the tree at the three boys. Yoh saw the tree coming and puts his right arm up. The tree hits Yoh's oversoul shield. Kizuna and Izuku jumped as Yoh was knocked back from the swing.
"Now!" Izuku said.
"Right!" Kizuna said. 'This is it!'
Izuku goes for an axe kick as Kizuna held his blade up high and swung down.
"Braver Slash!" Kizuna said.
"Manchester Smash!" Izuku said.
The golem raised its left arm. Both attacks hit, smashing pieces of the arm off. Another tree became uprooted and it flew to the golem. The golem took the tree and throws it down, making the two boys scatter. The Geist focused on Izuku, turning its attention towards him. The Geist goes for a kick. Izuku, sensing the danger, backflips away from the Geist. The Geist stood back on its leg and turned to Ruby and Madoka. The Geist throws the tree at the girls. Ruby broke down into petals and sweeps Madoka up, running as the tree came at the two.
Kizuna spotted an opportunity to strike it while it was distracted.
'Time to go for it!' Kizuna thought.
He strikes the Geist's leg, causing it to fall.
'Now for the finishing blow!' Kizuna thought.
"Go for it!" Sora said.
Kizuna jumped into the air.
"Formchange!" Kizuna said. "Second Form!"
The keyblade began to morph itself. The blade became a shaft as a giant sledgehammer forms. His clothes changed into Sora's clothes.
"King Hammer!" Kizuna said. "Megaton Slam!"
He swings the hammer down. The hammer strikes the golem, destroying it.
KING HAMMER
MEGATON SLAM
'Ok, now for its real body!' Kizuna thought.
He spreads his wings and flaps them to clear the dust. He looked for the Geist's true form. He couldn't see where it was.
'Darn, where is it?!' Kizuna thought.
He closed his eyes. He can't trust his eyes this time. Geists are fast in their true forms and they are often sneaky when it comes to making a getaway.
'Remember your training...' Kizuna thought.
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
'Trust your feelings...' Kizuna thought.
Kizuna opened his eyes, quickly turning around. He changes his grip on the handle, holding it with the blade pointing down. He swiftly swings his arm in one fluid motion. He looks up and sees the Geist being split in half across the center. It dissolves into nothing. He took a few breaths before his keyblade vanished.
"You had me worried there," Yoh's voice caught his ears.
Kizuna turned to see Yoh come up to him along with Izuku, Ruby, and Madoka.
"I was just about to shoot that Geist that was right behind you," Ruby said. "But then all of a sudden, like in one of those samurai movies, you turned around and cut it in half before I could even pull the trigger!"
"You nearly scared me like that..." Madoka said, her eyes looking increasingly watery.
"I still can't believe you even caught onto it before it could attack," Izuku said.
Kizuna laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well uh... it's over now, so I think we should just move on," Kizuna said. "I mean, that little pipsqueak of a Grimm—"
Just then, he felt a sudden impact on his jawbone. He could have sworn he heard a voice yelling straight into his ear. Something among the lines of...
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK, JERK?!"
Kizuna rolled over the ground, feeling confused as to what, or even who just kicked him in the face. It took him a solid five seconds to get up and turned to his assailant to see... no one?
"Jiminy? Are you seeing this?" Kizuna asked.
Jiminy peeped out of Kizuna's front pocket and looked around before stopping to look down.
"Kizuna, you might want to look down," Jiminy said.
"Why? There's nothing—oh,"
He looked down to see a short young man wearing a red coat with a pair of black pants, black shoes, and a pair of white gloves.
And boy, he was angry. He looked like he was about to kill him on the spot.
His golden eyes were staring daggers of sheer rage in Kizuna's direction. He noticed what looked like a braid coming from some long blond hair.
Kizuna felt like he did something that he shouldn't havedone and now he has to make up for it.
"I think you owe him an apology," Jiminy said.
"No dip, Sherlock..." Kizuna said. "He looks like he could go full-on rabid..."
"Um... excuse me?" Madoka spoke up.
The boy menacingly glared in Madoka's direction, causing the girl to recoil from the menacing aura that was encompassing her.
"W-Why d-d-did you a-a-attack our friend like that?" Madoka asked.
"He called me a pipsqueak." The boy answered, pointing to Kizuna.
"Um... sorry?" Kizuna asked.
"Brother, wait up!" A younger voice caught the group's attention.
A metallic suit of armor came walking in. The boy turned to the armor. The armor had a pair of glowing eyes coming out of it. It had broad shoulder pads, a head with what looked like a mouth, a square-shaped head, and a waist cloth.
"Al! Oh man, I left you behind, didn't I?" The boy asked. "I'm so sorry Al, I didn't mean to..."
"I'm just glad that you aren't hurt or anything," The suit of armor spoke with a seemingly child-like voice.
The group looked confused and they looked at the armor and the boy. Kizuna was even more confused.
"Well, this just got interesting..." Sora said. "A short dude with anger issues and a suit of armor..."
'Name a more iconic duo...' Kizuna thought.
"Timon and Pumba."
'Really? That's best you got?'
"Woody and Buzz Lightyear."
'Mario and Luigi.'
"Sully and Mike Wyzowski."
'Link and Zelda.'
"Aladdin and Genie."
'Ash and Pikachu.'
"Mickey and Minnie."
'Hey, that's not fair! You can't include those two!' Kizuna thought. 'Ah forget it, I give up.'
"If I may ask, who are you two?" Yoh asked.
"Well—"
"I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my brother, Edward Elric," The man in the armor replied.
"Hey, Al!" Edward spoke.
The armor's eyes changed to an arch. It almost looked as if it were a smile. There had to be a person inside. Kizuna rejoined the others and looked at the two.
'There is something wrong with this picture, but I don't know what it is...' Kizuna thought. 'And I do not think I want to find out what it is.'
"Uh..." Izuku looked unsure. "So who's the eldest?"
"Ha! That's obvious!" Ruby said with confidence, pointing to the armor. "It's got to be him! He's clearly the taller one!"
Alphonse shook and looked at Ruby, shaking his hands and his head in denial.
"W-Wait! Hold on!" Alphonse said before pointing to his brother. "I'm not the oldest! He is!"
Everyone looked at Edward.
"But... he's so... short," Izuku said.
A vein popped off in Edward's head and clenched his fist, almost as if he were trying to restrain himself.
"I'm not short," Edward said with rage seething from within. "It just so happens that my bones haven't gotten longer yet, that's all..."
"But—"
"Ruby, Midoriya," Yoh butts in. "I think our friend here has small man syndrome."
Edward lunged at Yoh, only for Alphonse to grab hold of him, making Edward struggle to get out of his brother's clutches.
"LET ME AT HIM AL! HE CALLED ME A MICRO-SIZED WALNUT!"
"Ed! No! Remember what that scary lady would do if we got into a fight with all the other applicants?! We'll get disqualified and thrown out the front door!"
The group just looked at Edward in shock. That small man can jump. If Alphonse hadn't caught him, Yoh would certainly have gotten himself a knuckle sandwich.
"So... he's got a Napoleon complex..." Kizuna said.
"Isn't that what I just said?" Yoh asked.
"No, you said he had—"
"Guys, I think we're forgetting something..." Madoka said.
Kizuna took a moment to think, only to gasp.
"GAH! What's the time?!" Kizuna asked.
"Well... it's been about two hours already since the exam began," Yoh said. "Don't worry, everything will work out just fine. We just gotta move faster."
Kizuna sighed in relief.
"Ok, let's just get moving..." Kizuna said. "So uh, Alphonse, was it? You wouldn't mind coming along with us, right?"
"Oh uh... sure, me and Ed would like to come along!" Alphonse said. "R-Right Ed?"
Edward began to simmer down. He looked pouty, crossing his arms and looking away.
"Fine..." Edward said, sounding petty.
The group continued on their way.
-1-
Todoroki, Weiss, Sayaka, and Mami were walking together. The group was walking about toward the rendezvous point. The place seemed calm as there were no monsters or Grimm to see. Weiss looked at Todoroki. She heard much about the son of Japan's Number One Hero: the Flame Hero Endeavor. For one thing, Todoroki was a brilliant boy, although he flunk his first Hero License Exam. He seems calm and collected. Maybe a bout of conversation would interest him.
"Say, Todoroki," Weiss said.
Todoroki looked back at Weiss in response.
"Yes?" Todoroki asked.
"What's it like in UA?" Weiss asked. "I never got around to asking you that when we were on the ship on the way here."
"Hm? UA? Well, there wasn't a dull moment in class," Todoroki said. "My homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, is a hero by the name of Eraserhead. He is... interesting for a person."
"Wait, Eraserhead? Seriously?" Sayaka asked, letting off a chuckle.
"Yes," Todoroki said. "What's so funny about a name like that?"
"I thought he was called Eraserhead because he had a pencil eraser for a head," Sayaka said.
Todoroki looked confused.
"I was joking," Sayaka said. "Can't you take a joke?"
Todoroki was silent. Sayaka sighed.
"Hmm... interesting," Weiss said.
"Well... on the first day of school, he had done a little series of tests on our Quirks, testing out the positives and the negatives of everyone's Quirks," Todoroki said.
"To measure your abilities," Weiss said. "Right?"
"Yes, up until he decided to expel the one person who so much as comes in dead last," Todoroki said as if nothing was wrong with that statement.
"Expulsion?!" Weiss exclaimed.
"On the first day of school?!" Sayaka joined Weiss.
"At first I thought he was playing a clever ruse like he was making that statement just to rile some of my classmates into maximizing their potential," Todoroki said. "As time went on, I started thinking that he was actually serious about doing it. But then he proved my earlier assumption true by saying he really wasn't going to expel anyone."
'What kind of teacher does that sort of thing?! No one in Vale, let alone, Atlas would do that!' Weiss thought.
"Out of curiosity, who was dead last?" Mami asked.
"Midoriya," Todoroki answered immediately.
"Wait, Midori? The guy who can apparently fly and shoot dark spider webs out of his hands? That Midori?" Sayaka asked.
"You're making this up, aren't you?" Weiss asked.
"Who he was then is vastly different from who he is now," Todoroki said. "Back then, he couldn't control it. He said that if he tried to use it throughout his whole body, his body would have exploded everywhere."
"Scary..." Sayaka said.
"Well, what about the headmaster?" Weiss asked.
"Principal Nezu?" Todoroki asked. "Well, he's a nice person who cares about the students. But there was this one time where he was... very eccentric, as it were."
"How so?" Weiss asked.
Todoroki paused for a moment before he sighed.
"During my class' midterm exams, he was operating a crane with a wrecking ball attached to it," Todoroki said.
"WHOA!" Sayaka exclaimed.
"Oh, dear!" Mami said.
"HE WHAT?!" Weiss asked.
"He was having a lot of fun swinging that thing around, demolishing an entire arena," Todoroki said. "Not that he was intentionally trying to kill anyone. That I can sure you."
"How... How are you not disturbed by any of what you just said?" Weiss asked.
"Because I've seen worse," Todoroki nonchalantly said. "Now then, why are you interested in knowing more about me?"
"H-Huh? Oh, uh... no reason," Weiss said.
Sayaka suddenly had an idea.
"So... Weiss, what's it like in Beacon?" Sayaka asked.
"Why are you asking me?" Weiss asked.
"Indulge me," Sayaka said. "I want to know if you had a crush on anyone at Beacon."
"W-W-What?!" Weiss looked flabbergasted.
Todoroki stopped and looked at Weiss.
"What's a crush?" Todoroki asked.
The girls looked at Todoroki in disbelief. Sayaka's jaw went slack and dropped. Weiss looked flabbergasted still. Mami just stood there.
"You... don't know what a crush is?" Weiss asked.
"Seriously?" Sayaka asked.
Todoroki looked at the girls.
"Do you know what a crush is?" Todoroki asked.
'He really doesn't know what a crush is...' The girls all thought. 'That's something...'
They heard the bushes rustling. The group turned their attention to one of the bushes that were rustling a lot. They were quick to ready themselves. Is it an enemy? Is it another applicant?
Out from the bushes came a boy with disheveled brown hair, wearing a pair of yellow goggles on his head. His eyes were squinted. He was wearing a baggy blue and white sweater with some pants and orange shoes.
"So uh... where are you all headed?" The boy asked as if he were trying to ignore the fact that Mami had a musket aimed at his head.
"We're headed to the nearest nav point," Todoroki said. "Now, who are you?"
"Uh... could you guys maybe settle down before I answer?" The boy asked.
The group calms down. Mami and Sayaka put their weapons away as Weiss puts her rapier away. The boy sighed in relief as he sat down.
"The name's Leonardo Watch," The boy said. "So, who are you guys?"
-2-
Bakugo, Yang, Blake, Homura and Kyoko were moving together. They had been traveling within reachable proximity with the other two groups. Yang was making a bunch of puns, much to the discomfort of the others who were not content with all her bad puns, with Homura being an exception.
"Why are pirates called pirates?" Yang asks. "Because they just arrr."
She laughed at that one. Bakugo was trying his best not to turn around and fire an explosion to her face.
"Come on guys, don't you have any sense of humor?" Yang asked. "My dad loves my jokes."
"Not funny didn't laugh," Kyoko said.
Homura stayed silent.
Yang wasn't much of a fan of tough crowds. It ruins the mood. She looked at Bakugou and a thought crawled into her head.
"Say, Bakugo, do you know anyone else from UA?" Yang asked.
"Is this a setup for a pun?" Bakugo asked.
"Nope," Yang said. "I'd just like to know you better."
"Hmph!" Bakugo scoffed. "If you want to know so much, fine. I'll bite."
'Now we're cooking,' Yang thought.
"You already met Deku and Icy-Hot," Bakugo said. "They're my classmates, in case you didn't know or anything."
"I watched the UA Sports Festival from start to finish," Blake said. "Especially the part where you were chained to the podium, acting like a wild animal for absolutely no reason—"
Bakugo looked straight into Blake's eyes. Blake could feel the anger coming from his glare.
"That's because that Icy-Hot bastard didn't go all out on me at the final round of the damn tournament!" Bakugo exclaimed. "Even when I threw my best move at him, he just straight up gives up when he could have gotten the upper hand against me! It's like he just—! It's almost as if he—! He could have—! I didn't deserve a win like that! He goes full force against that nerd, but when it's me he's up against, he doesn't even try to fight me?! What a load of bull—"
"Lookout!" Blake yelled. "Behind you!"
Bakugo turned around as a black boar suddenly charged at him. He didn't have time to react. Suddenly, a big spinning piece of metal came out of nowhere and cuts the boar in half. Bakugou fell onto his butt as the boar disintegrates.
"YAHOO!"
Some landed right in front of Bakugo, making him stand up on his feet. He looked at the person. The person was a boy with spiky bright blue colored hair. He had a star-shaped tattoo over his exposed shoulder. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with a funnel-like collar, with white trousers that are black from the knee down and just a little short of being full-length jeans. Strips could be seen around the waist and the neck, forming a belt and a scarf. His shoes were black with white tips on them. The boy turned around to face Bakugo with a cocky smile.
"Say, was I cool or not?" The boy asked.
Kyoko, Yang, and Blake stood there, gawking over what happened in mere seconds. Homura showed little interest.
"Who are you?" Homura asked.
The boy stood proud and pointed a finger to the heavens.
"Who me? I'm the guy who's going to surpass god and become the biggest star in the world! That's me—!"
"SHUT UP!" Bakugo yelled, firing off a blast from both hands. "You almost cut my head off, dumbass!"
"Hey, why are you yelling at me for?!"
"I was going to blast that thing to kingdom come before you threw that ridiculously huge ninja star at me!" Bakugo said. "You could have chopped my arm off!"
Yang, Blake, Homura, and Kyoko looked at the boy as he and Bakugou started arguing. Yang was focused on the boy's tattoo.
"Not the best-looking tattoo I've ever seen," Yang said. "I've seen guys with better tattoos than just some star."
"I don't know about his tattoo, but that giant shuriken over there is something," Kyoko said. "Look at the size of that shuriken. It's unlike anything I've seen before."
"The center of the shuriken has a hole in it," Blake said. "It looks big enough for someone's hand to go right through it."
"And where do you get off acting like some big shot?!" Bakugo said. "I'm number one around here! You're just some extra side character!"
"No! I'm number one around here!"
"No, I am!"
"No, I am!"
The shuriken started to give off a yellow glow, dragging Bakugo's attention. The shuriken shrinks down into a ball before expanding into a more... humanoid shape. The light fades away, revealing a tall, attractive, and well-endowed Japanese girl. She looked to be around Bakugou's age. She had long, black hair styled into a ponytail. She was wearing a pale yellow sleeveless outfit with a skirt. It had a yellow star emblazoned on the right side of the chest. She had two bangs framing the sides of her face, where a pair of indigo-colored eyes were seen. The girl also wore a dark brown scarf around her neck and a tight, dark brown colored stocking going down her right leg, starting at the knee. She wore white boots. Everyone looked at her. Yang and Blake looked at the girl, shocked by the transformation while Kyoko dropped her spear and looked on with her lower jaw hanging out. Homura didn't seem surprised. Bakugou could only gawk.
"Are you seeing this?" Yang asked.
"I am, and I still don't understand what's going on," Kyoko said.
"A Demon Weapon," Homura spoke up.
"Demon? Weapon?" Blake asks.
"In short, they are humans that can transform into weapons," Homura said. "The Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) take these weapons in and help them to control their powers. The school is in the United States, more specifically, in Death City, Nevada."
"Wow..." Blake said.
The well-endowed girl turned to Bakugou and bowed apologetically.
"You two mustn't fight over this," The girl said. "I know my partner comes off a little hotheaded but—"
"Don't even try to calm the Primeape here," Kyoko said. "He's in a bad mood."
A vein popped on Bakugo's head as he glared at Kyoko.
"DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING POKÉMON TO YOU?!" Bakugo yelled.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Kyoko said. "You definitely look like a Primeape!"
"Don't make me come over there!" Bakugo yelled.
"So who are you?" Homura asked.
"Oh! I forgot my manners," the girl said. "My name is Tsubaki Nakatsukasa."
She then pointed to the boy next to her.
"This is Black Star," Tsubaki said. "He and I are students from—"
"DWMA," Homura said. "Correct?"
"Yes," Tsubaki said. "How did you—"
"I did my homework before the exams started," Homura said. "You are his weapon and he is your meister, yes?"
"Yes," Tsubaki said.
"And with her at my side, I will become a big star that will surpass God!" Black Star said before laughing.
"Surpass God? As if," Bakugo scoffed. "You still have to pass the exams first, moron."
Black Star stopped laughing and grabbed Bakugo by the collar of his costume. Bakugo immediately responded by pulling back on one of the bracers back, exposing a pin.
"You want to go punk?!" Bakugo yelled.
"I'm not afraid to throw down with you!" Black Star yelled back.
"Black Star, wait—!"
POW!
A loud gunshot gets the attention of the two boys. They both turned to the source of the sound to see Homura holding what looked like an anti-material rifle with a smoking barrel. The two boys backed away from each other. The two boys felt a menacingly cold glare looming upon them.
"Stop it, both of you," Homura said.
"I'm sorry..." Black Star apologized quickly.
Bakugo turned away from Homura, feeling annoyed.
-3-
Up in the observation room, Toshinori was watching everything going on in the entrance exams. In the room with him were other teachers, some of which are his colleagues. Sitting next to him was a woman by the name of Ursula Callistis. She was wearing a witch's hat and a pair of glasses. She had red-colored eyes and blue hair. Toshinori glanced in her direction.
"So uh... how's life been treating you?" Toshinori asked.
"It's been fine, but you know how life tends to throw a curveball at you when you don't see it coming," Ursula said. "Especially when you're teaching a new generation of witches."
He chuckled at that.
"Well, I've had curveballs thrown at me from every conceivable angle," Toshinori said. "Still, you look good for your age."
"Hey, watch it, Toshi," Ursula said. "You're not supposed to talk about a woman's age. Remember what happened to you after you joked about Tsunade's age?"
"Yup," Toshinori quickly answered. "It was still worth it..."
"Even after she nearly turned you into a woman?" Ursula asked.
"Yup."
Ursula giggled. Toshinori chuckled before he ended up coughing. Blood shot out of his mouth. Ursula held onto him as he lurches.
"Take it easy Toshi," Ursula said. "Breathe. Breathe."
He took a few breaths, coughing still, before finally catching his breath. Ursula looked at him feeling a bit sad as he looked at his abdomen.
"I still can't believe that you managed to keep going despite those horrible injuries you got after that huge fight..." Ursula said. "I thought you were going to die and I did my best to heal you with magic, but not even healing magic could fix the damage done to you..."
"Don't feel bad about it..." Toshinori said. "I got reckless and I paid the price for it. I knew what I signed up for the minute I walked through the front entrance of UA."
Ursula looked at the monitor.
"Do you think they'll make it through the exam?" She asks.
"They have to," Toshinori said. "If we're to stand against All for One, Tomura Shigaraki, and this Eternal Darkness, we need a strong generation of heroes."
-4-
Yujo and his friends came out of the forest to see a mountain ahead of them.
"This must be it," Yujo said.
"Are the first people to make it here?" Yuji asked.
"I don't see anyone else here," Nobara said.
"It looks clear," Megumi said.
The four got out of the forest and into the open. Yujo took a few steps before stopping. He takes a deep breath.
'We can't be the only ones who made it this far...' Yujo thought. 'I should try to feel out for anyone or anything that might be here as well.'
He opened his eyes and began to concentrate. As he began to concentrate, he began to feel multiple energies. He looked to the mountain and felt those energies converging at a spot.
'Yes... that must be where it is.' Yujo thought. "We need to head up the mountain."
"Hold it, Yujo," Megumi said. "Don't you think we should rest?"
"I feel just fine," Nobara said.
"Me too," Yuji said.
"Well, I'm tired!" Megumi said.
"You have your shikigami, use them," Yujo said.
"Tch..."
Megumi puts his hands together to form a pair of wings. A bird-like creature with a white mask came out of Megumi's shadow. Yujo looked at the mountain with unyielding determination.
"Just answer me one question," Megumi said. "Why the rush?"
Yujo looked at Megumi.
"Kizuna Daichi..." Yujo said. "I want that upstart to see the difference in our power levels. I want him to see just how wide the gap between us really is."
-5-
Ai and the girls made their way to the foot of the mountain. They saw several girls just ahead of them. They all had colorful outfits. Of them was a girl in a black outfit and a girl in a white outfit. Most of them had pink, blue, yellow, green, and red outfits.
"Hey, who are they?" Ai asked.
"Friends?" Akko asked.
"Nagisa and Honoka..." Ami said. "I didn't think they'd be here."
"And they brought their kouhais with them," Makoto said.
Usagi was out of breath, panting from all the monster fighting and walking. She took a few breaths, raising one finger.
"T-They made it... w-wow..." Usagi said. "That's good..."
"Oi! Girls! Over here!" Minako said.
"Ah! Minako-chan!" The girl in the white outfit said.
The girls went over to the group. Nagisa and Honoka got over to Usagi, who was still exhausted.
"Have you forgotten to exercise already, Usagi-Senpai?" Nagisa said with a cheeky smirk, only for Honoka to pull on her cheek. "Ow! Ow! I'm sorry!"
"You know it's rude to say things like that, Nagisa," Honoka said before releasing Nagisa.
"You know I can't run a marathon like you girls can..." Usagi said. "That and I don't have to get the same advantages you girls have..."
Honoka looked at Ai with curiosity. "Say, who is that girl?"
"Oh, her? She's a keyblade wielder..." Usagi said. "Goes by the name of Ai Nami.
"Ai Nami?" Nagisa asked. "Is she a friend of Kizuna's?"
"You know, that is a good question, but..."
"But?"
"I didn't ask if she and Kizuna knew each other," Usagi said.
"Haa..." Honoka sighed.
"Classic Usagi, as usual..." Nagisa said.
"I'm guessing you girls know her?" Ai asked.
"Yup, we do," Nagisa said. "My name is Nagisa Misumi, otherwise known as Cure Black!"
"And I am Honoka Yukishiro—"
"Otherwise known as Cure White!" Nagisa interrupted. "And together, we are Pretty Cure!"
Ai stood there, trying not to giggle.
'God, this feels like Kamen Rider.' She thought. 'My little brother fell in love with that show along with grandpa.'
"Akko, does every person in Japan wear costumes like that?" Diana asked.
"We have kimonos and yukatas, Dianna. Not everyone in Japan is seen wearing a costume." Akko retorted, feeling somewhat offended by Diana's crude remark.
"I mean, they look cute..." Lotte said.
Sucy was picking up mushrooms from the surrounding area. The other girls went over to Ai. Two of them were in pink clothes, but one of them had blonde hair while the other had completely pink hair.
"So you're a keyblade wielder right?" The pink-haired girl said. "The name's Miyuki Hoshizora! Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Mana Aida, nice to meet you!" The blonde said. "We're Pretty Cures like Nagisa and Honoka-Senpai."
"Ai Nami," Ai said. "Pleasure to meet you, girls."
Ai looked at the mountain. Ami went over to her with a visor on and was holding a handheld device.
"I detect several other life signs somewhere in the mountain," Ami said. "It seems a few people have made their way up. I've also noticed some sort of cave network inside the mountain."
"A cave network? You mean we have to go into a cave?" Ai asked.
"It looks like it," Ami said.
"So how do we get up there? We could make it up on foot, but that might cost us time," Ai said. "If we could just fly over there..."
"Hm... that might actually work," Ami said. "But not everyone is capable of flight."
"Not all of us... but I think we can compensate," Ai said, before looking at Akko. "In fact, I think I know just how."
-6-
Kizuna's group made it to the foot of a mountain. Bakugo's group and Todoroki's group had made it. Kizuna sighed in relief that the other two groups made it out.
"Looks like everyone made it," Yoh said. "And that there must be where we need to go."
The group got together with the other two groups and they all looked at the mountain. Kizuna couldn't believe just how big this mountain was. It's got nothing on Mt Fuji, but it was big.
'We have to climb up this mountain to make it to our destination?' Kizuna asked himself.
"You're telling me... I get goosebumps just remembering the climb to Mount Olympus..." Sora said. "You got this. I believe in you."
"That looks like one hell of a climb," Kyoko said.
"Not unless you can fly," Mami said.
"But we can't take everyone with us," Kizuna said.
Mami shakes her head.
"You needn't worry about us," Mami said. "All we need is a giant cannon that can shoot people out."
"I'm sorry, what?" Yang asked.
"Well... if it's cannon you want, it's a cannon you'll get."
"Huh?" Kyoko began to look around for the source of the voice.
"Um... down there?" Sayaka said, pointing to where Edward was, which was right next to Alphonse.
The group saw Edward and looked perplexed.
"Wow! I didn't see him!" Black Star said. "He's so small!"
Edward snapped in Black Star's direction with a glare. "I'm not small, I'm fun-sized."
"Isn't that just saying that you're short—"
"Can shorty do this?!"
Edward clapped his hands and touched the ground. Blue sparks of electricity came off his hands. The dirt suddenly turned into a fist and gave Black Star and mean right hook to the face.
"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Black Star yelled.
"I'm so sorry for my brother's actions," Alphonse said apologetically. "He just doesn't like it when someone makes fun of his height..."
"Well, he didn't have to do that weird thing he just did!" Black Star said.
Kizuna looked at Edward with amazement. He had never seen anything like that before. Izuku had an inquisitive look on his face.
"Was... was that alchemy just now?" Izuku asked.
Edward looked at Izuku, completely calm this time, as if he forgot he was mad for being called a shorty.
"Yes, I'm surprised you knew that," Edward asked.
"Alchemy?" Ruby asked. "What's that?"
"Oh, for the love of Oum..." Weiss said. "The short of it is that it is a form of metaphysical science that involves the manipulation of matter using natural energy. It only requires a set amount of materials, a proper transmutation circle, and the natural talent needed to pull off the transmutation."
"So you know how it works," Edward said.
"Yes," Weiss said. "But now that begs the question as to how you managed to do it without a transmutation circle."
"It's... a long story," Edward answered hesitantly.
"Hm..." Todoroki said. "Has anyone else made it here or is it just us?"
"I'll check," Leonardo said.
Leonardo opened his eyes, revealing a light blue glow with a symbol on them. Everyone looked surprised (and a little freaked out) by Leo's eyes.
"Whoa..." Madoka said. "Those eyes look pretty..."
Leonardo was looking at the mountain.
"There are several people up there," Leonardo said. "And it seems like they're making their way up the mountain."
"Really?" Kyoko asked.
"These eyes of mine can see everything," Leonardo said. "They haven't let me down yet."
"Then we got to get moving," Izuku said. "Some of us can fly over there and I can take you guys with me."
Izuku looked to Kizuna. Kizuna took a deep breath as his wings manifested again. Izuku activated One for All and started floating. Black tendrils came out of his back and his hands. Izuku grabbed Madoka, Yoh, Ruby, Weiss, Kyoko, Edward, Alphonse, Sayaka, Mami, Homura, Todoroki, Leonardo, Blake, and Yang.
"On second thought, maybe walking and climbing up the mountain isn't such a bad idea after all..." Kyoko said.
"You should have said that before Midoriya grabbed us," Todoroki said.
Bakugou blasted off the ground and used his explosions to fly forth. Kizuna jumped, flapping his wings, and started flying toward the mountain with Izuku behind him.
Elsewhere
Inside a large cave was a massive beast. It had a fish-like fin on its back and two bull-like horns adorning its head. Its body was shaped like that of a canine with a heavily muscular build and a mohawk-shaped mane. The tail was thick and the end resembled that of a fish's tail. One of the horns, however, seemed to have been snapped off and there was a scar over its right eye.