Chapter 16
-A few days later-
-Late Morning-
-Class 1-A-
"I already feel like he'll pawn off all the work on me," Aizawa thought as he looked at a message from All Might that read, "I need to talk to you in my office." Aizawa sighed as he looked at the class; the bell rang soon after. He sighed once more. "Now, for today's basic hero training, All Might, another teacher, and I will be supervising you in rescue training," he began, causing the students to chatter among themselves.
"I'm not done yet," he stated, silencing them. "As you know, besides fighting villains, you as Pros should also be prepared to rescue civilians or allies at a moment's notice," Aizawa continued, taking out a remote and pressing a button on it. Shelves emerged from the right wall of the room, each holding metal briefcases.
"It's up to each of you whether or not you wear your costumes, as some are ill-suited for this type of activity," he added, moving towards the door. "The training site is a bit remote, so we'll be taking a bus. Meet me in the courtyard in half an hour," he finished before leaving the classroom, allowing the students to talk freely.
"Rescue training, that sounds like it's going to be hella rough," Denki complained, earning a toothy grin from Ejiro, who patted his shoulder.
"Don't be like that! This is what being a hero is all about!" Eijiro exclaimed, eliciting mixed reactions from the others—some excited, others less enthusiastic.
"Class, we shouldn't waste our time arguing about this!" Tenya shouted as he stood up from his seat. "We have thirty minutes to get ready and meet Aizawa-sensei in the courtyard!" His proclamation was met with groans.
"We know you're the class president and all, but come on, Aizawa-sensei is always late. I doubt today will be any different," Mina interjected.
"Even so, as students and heroes in training, we must comply with what is requested of us," Tenya insisted, prompting more groans as some students got up to grab their briefcases.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Izuku thought, being one of the few already retrieving his briefcase. "Rescue training—it's probably going to be the hardest one so far. If we're going to a remote site, we'll likely be isolated from the rest of the school," he mused while securing his briefcase.
"Midoriya."
Izuku glanced at his watch, not realizing someone was calling him. "This could be when the League attacks, or…" Izuku was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and startling him. He turned to see Tenya with Ochako beside him. "It's just them," he thought, calming down slightly.
"Apologies for startling you, Midoriya," Tenya said, removing his hand as Izuku gave them a sheepish look.
"It's alright, it's my own fault for zoning out. I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear you calling me," Izuku apologized.
"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about, Deku. You've been zoning out a lot lately," Ochako said. "More than usual."
"Oh, I didn't realize it was that bad," he admitted, getting a nod from Tenya.
"It has been, and as your friends, we want to know if something's wrong," Tenya said as he grabbed his own briefcase, with Ochako doing the same.
"Oh, it's nothing really. Just some stuff that happened recently," he continued as they started walking like the rest of their classmates.
"Did someone pass away?" Tenya asked, making Izuku quickly shake his head.
"No, it's not like that. It's just an issue I have with someone," Izuku answered, glancing at his watch again briefly. "It's a bit complicated to explain," he continued. "And I would most likely get arrested if I told you the truth," he thought, receiving nods from Tenya and Ochako.
"I understand. Since it's a complicated matter, I won't press further, it could negatively impact your ability in today's training, and that isn't my goal."
"I'll be alright, but thanks for asking. I didn't realize it was that bad," he said, a bit sheepish.
"It's alright, Deku. We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Ochako said with a smile, which made Izuku blush slightly and nod. "I'll meet you guys in the courtyard," she said, following the other girls into their changing room.
"Sometimes I really feel horrible. They care about me, even though they barely know me, and I'm holding one of the biggest secrets possible," he reflected as a sinking feeling hit him, making him clutch his briefcase even harder.
"Why did I think I could be a hero while living with a group of villains?" he thoughts but soon stopped to avoid getting lost in them, luckily catching what Tenya was saying.
"If you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask me," Tenya stated, getting a slight nod from Izuku.
"Thanks for the offer, Iida," as they reached the changing room. "I might need it soon."
-All Might's office-
Aizawa entered the office to find All Might on the couch, reading some papers in his debuffed form. "I assume you have news about the results?" he asked, closing the door behind him. All Might nodded.
"Indeed. Your assessment was correct," All Might said as Aizawa sat on the other couch. "Those smoke bombs were infused with a virus that has partially repaired the damage to my respiratory system and is boosting my body, which is why I've been getting extra time," he handed the papers to Aizawa, who began reading them.
"With this, and what happened to Toxic Chainsaw, we can conclude that he has access to biological weapons. Even more worrying," Aizawa noted, causing All Might to grumble slightly.
"Indeed. It makes me wonder how he could gain access to such technology while maintaining a low profile," All Might muttered as Aizawa continued reading the documents.
"Given how specific these results are, I assume he has access to a laboratory and someone capable of making these weapons, whether through a quirk or other means. The likelihood of him randomly purchasing such weapons is extremely low."
"I'm inclined to agree. Naomasa recently informed me that the foam Omuni used on me and Endeavor was designed to solidify upon contact with heat."
"Did he manage to find any leads on a suspect? Maybe Titan, since they produce a type of restrictive foam?" Aizawa suggested.
"He already compared the foam Omuni used to the one produced by Titan, and they are vastly different."
"Well, there goes half of my theory," Aizawa muttered, earning a quizzical look from All Might.
"Are you suggesting they have ties to Omuni?"
"Yes, something about that company just feels suspicious to me, and it doesn't help that new owner took over around the time, Omuni's acts became more frequent," Aizawa stated.
"Naomasa and I had the same suspicion when he was handling the case. But besides their approach of acquiring many companies in bursts, including some affected by Omuni, there wasn't anything that tied them to the case," All Might explained, raising an eyebrow from Aizawa. "Even monitoring them after a few months, there wasn't any alert."
"That makes sense," Aizawa admitted. "Besides that, is there any other news? Any progress on finding the Red Lotus traitor?" he asked, receiving a shake of the head from All Might. "So, aside from confirming his access to resources, there's nothing else?"
"Essentially. Minister Hado has scheduled a meeting in a few hours."
"And I assume it's right after the rescue training?" Aizawa asked, prompting another sigh from All Might. "I had a feeling you'd pawn off most of the work on me."
"I apologize, Aizawa. I'll try to show up before the end," All Might suggested, only to receive a wave of the hand from Aizawa.
"Since you'll need as much time as possible for that meeting, and you've been working since five, I imagine you're close to your limit, if not already?" he asked, receiving a muttered confirmation from All Might.
"Even with more time, you still struggle with rationing," Aizawa thought with another sigh. "I'll take that as a yes. It would be better for just me and Thirteen to handle the training, but keep an eye on your phone," he stated.
"Having a bad feeling about today?" All Might asked, receiving a nod from Aizawa. "So, I'm not the only one with that feeling."
"It might just be our paranoia acting up, but going to an isolated location for training might be the perfect opportunity for an attack."
"Have you mentioned that to Principal Nezu?"
"I have. He's already taken measures to double security at possible weak points, but there's still a nagging feeling that we should be on alert," Aizawa said. "If you can't reach me or Thirteen after a few attempts, assume I'm right and we need backup."
"No one available for backup?"
"Everyone is busy with their own classes. I considered bringing someone from outside UA, but it would likely make the students as paranoid as I am," Aizawa answered as he stood up. "Like I said, it's probably just my paranoia, but keep it in mind. I'll take care of the rest."
"I will, Aizawa. Thanks again," All Might said, getting another lazy wave from Aizawa.
"Don't mention it," Aizawa said before leaving the room. "I really hope it's just my paranoia at work," he thought as he made his way to the courtyard.
-At the Courtyard-
- Near the Bus -
"See, Aizawa-sensei is nowhere in sight!" Mina complained as the rest of the class approached the bus to the training site. "I told you he would be late as always," she added, while Tenya maintained his posture.
"It's not about Aizawa-sensei being late or not. It's about us disobeying a direct order from our teacher," Tenya replied. "If he were early, it would create a poor image for our class, and we would be reprimanded," he added, causing Mina to tsk while a few classmates behind them snickered at their interaction.
"Do you think Iida would come to UA dressed as a prime minister if he could?" Denki asked Izuku, who shrugged.
"He already tries to talk like one, so it would probably suit him," Izuku replied.
"That's true. I bet he will dress up like one during—" Denki was cut off by the sound of a loud whistle, causing some to flinch and look toward the front of the bus to see Tenya at the entrance.
"Line up according to your ID numbers to fill those seats in an orderly fashion!" he shouted. The class grumbled but complied, only to realize the seating arrangement was different, demoralizing Tenya.
As they waited for their teacher, the class engaged in small talk, while Izuku remained mostly silent, lost in thought.
"If they do attack, will it be where we're going or somewhere else in the school?" Izuku pondered. "If they attack elsewhere, how would I know about it... Maybe I should check if I can call someone—" He stopped when he heard his name called by someone beside him.
"I apologize if this sounds rude, Midoriya, but I usually speak my mind," Tsuyu stated, causing Izuku to look at her, unsure of what she would say next.
"Oh, what is it, Asui?"
"Call me Tsuyu," she corrected him. "I've been thinking about this for a while now: your quirk resembles All Might's," she said, making Izuku somewhat startled, though he quickly composed himself.
"Ah, I've heard that before. It isn't really. It's just a simple strength-enhancing quirk," Izuku replied, to which Tsuyu nodded.
"Maybe, but what you did to the zero-point robot isn't something I've seen from someone with just a simple strength-enhancing quirk," Tsuyu added.
"I'm honestly surprised she even remembers that," Izuku thought to himself, considering his reply. Before he could respond, Eijiro cut in with his question.
"Hold up, Tsuyu. All Might doesn't get hurt, though. And Midoriya was pretty banged up when he took down that robot, right?" Eijiro questioned, receiving a nod from Izuku.
"Yeah, I broke my arm and legs," Izuku answered, thankful that Eijiro brought it up first.
"So, they're already different in that way," Eijiro added, making Izuku even more grateful. "But no dissing on it, Midoriya. What you did to that robot was still pretty cool, man. Your quirk is pretty awesome," he said with a smile.
"Well, thanks, though it has some drawbacks since I can get hurt from overusing if I'm not careful," Izuku explained, piquing the others' curiosity. "But you shouldn't sell yourself short. Your quirk is also pretty cool, especially in fights," Izuku reassured his classmate, who laughed.
"Yeah, but still, you can probably use it in a lot of cool ways. Meanwhile, mine, besides fighting or breaking through stuff, is kinda boring," Eijiro said, raising his arm as it hardened, turning the limb sharp and edged. "Probably still good enough for me to go Pro," he added, eliciting another chuckle from Yuga, who was dressed like a medieval knight.
"To be a pro, you have to remember that heroes also need to worry about their popularity," Yuga stated, drawing attention from the others. "Something that isn't an issue for me," he added, striking a pose as glitter started to sparkle around him. "My Navel Laser is both strong and cool. Perfect for a pro."
"I agree, as long as you don't blow up your own stomach," Mina said, deflating Yuga's morale and making the sparkles disappear. "Besides, if you want to talk about strong and cool quirks that don't have bad drawbacks, it would probably be Todoroki and Bakugou."
"I'm leaning more towards Todoroki, since I'm not sure about Bakugou," Izuku said, annoying Katsuki.
"I agree. He is so unhinged. I doubt he'll ever be popular," Tsuyu stated, making Katsuki get up from his seat and glare at her.
"What the hell did you say, frog-face?" he yelled, making Izuku internally chuckle.
"See," Tsuyu added, which only intensified Katsuki's glare.
"I thought it would take more to annoy him," Izuku thought, tempted to add more fuel to the fire, but Denki was quicker to speak up.
"We've only just started socializing, and already, you've made it pretty clear that you have a turd of a personality," Denki said, making Katsuki aim his glare at him.
"Keep talking like that, sparkplug, and I will bash your face in like a banana!" Katsuki snapped as Aizawa walked into the bus.
"Enough, Bakugou. I can hear you from outside the bus," Aizawa stated in his tired tone, stopping Katsuki from continuing his tirade making him tsk and sit down. "Good," Aizawa said as he looked at the class. "I see that all of you are here, and no one was left behind. So, it means no one will have to walk to the training site," he said, heading over to the driver's seat.
"See, it was better to arrive on time than possibly be late," Tenya said, making some of his classmates to groan at his comment.
"Man, you are such a rule stifler. That's why you died eight times in the first round of the game," Denki commented, making Tenya's eyebrow twitch slightly.
"If playing by the rules leads to my character's death, that's an issue with how the game was structured, not my ability to play," Tenya countered, making Eijiro and Izuku laugh.
"That's an interesting way to say you can't think outside the box, so it's the game's fault," Eijiro replied, prompting Denki to join in the laughter. "Why are you laughing, Mister Sore Loser?" he asked, quickly shutting Denki up as he looked miffed.
"It's not that I'm a sore loser; it's that Midoriya is a cheater!" Denki pointed at the green-haired teen.
"I already told you, I have a crippling hero addiction," Izuku answered back, making Denki glare at him with a competitive stare.
"I will beat you this time, Midoriya, after the rescue training. I'll topple you from your spot!" he exclaimed, receiving a shake of the head from Eijiro and stares from the others, at least those interested in the conversation. "Ah, actually, it's still on for today, right?" he asked a bit sheepishly.
Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Well, I did bring the game, but since we are going to take a while, we'll see if there will be enough time for us to play," he answered, getting a nod from Denki.
"I'm curious, what are you guys going to do after training?" Mina asked. "And why is Kaminari so determined to beat Midoriya?"
"Iida gave me a tabletop game where you can make your own hero character and pick a mentor, with the goal to stop a villain depending on how and where you set the scenario," Izuku quickly explained. "And Kaminari is mad because, in our last session, I was beating everyone."
"Oh, that sounds kinda fun. How many people can play it?" Mina asked. "I'm sure others are also interested," she said, as Tsuyu raised her hand.
"I'm also interested in playing if I'm allowed," Tsuyu said, as two other classmates also raised their hands.
"Yeah, sounds like fun. I think I know what game you are talking about!" Hanta stated, with Yuga following him.
"I'm more than sure that my character will be the most dazzling one," Yuga said.
"With this many people, I should probably just play as the villain," Izuku thought to himself. "Well, there isn't a limit on how many people can play, but it will be a bit hard to keep everyone in check, and also explaining the rules is going to take a bit of time," Izuku said, making some consider lowering their hands.
"That won't be an issue, Midoriya. I will help you keep control of the game, and I can explain the rules to our classmates since I've memorized them from our last game," Tenya said, making Izuku internally sigh.
"Just great," he thought, with a slightly forced smile aimed at Tenya. "Thank you, Iida. Then I guess we can all play after training," Izuku said, getting some cheers from the others.
"Actually, Midoriya, I wanted to bring up something."
"What is it?"
"On Monday, you showed me through your deduction that you knew my family lineage," Tenya said, making Izuku tense up slightly. "And also, the mention of your quirk being this powerful and your knowledge of heroes made me wonder if you are also from a hero family or something along those lines?" he asked.
Izuku took a bit to reply, feeling a few eyes on him. "Okay, you don't need to lie on this one," he thought to himself. "No. I'm pretty much the first hero in my family," he answered, getting a nod from Tenya.
"That's exceptional Midoriya, I assumed with your quirk and the control you have. You'd be from a hero family too."
"Thanks, I was just born with an odd quirk, and had my brother give me some pointers here and there," Izuku said, hoping that it would be enough to stop Tenya from asking further questions. He was tempted to glance over at his teacher, who was driving but paying as much attention to the conversation as to the road. "Or I'm getting paranoid."
"Oh, my brother was a major help for me to control my quirk, especially in stopping me from running into walls," Tenya said with a slight chuckle, calming Izuku down slightly. "Then your family must be proud of you."
"Yeah, they are proud of me," he said. "Ben is, my dad, doesn't give a shit, and my mom would be terrified if she was still alive and knew what I'd gotten myself involved in," he thought to himself as he felt the bus stop.
"We are here!" Tenya shouted as he stood up, making some cover their ears. "Look sharp, everyone," he stated as they all got up and started leaving the bus.
"At least he didn't ask any deeper questions," Izuku thought, while following the group of his classmates as Aizawa led them to the entrance.
"Now I'm wondering what were those pointers," Aizawa thought to himself as he looked at the large double door giving them access to the massive building.
Just by entering the building, the students could already see the many hazard zones from floods, landslides, and many others. They were amazed as they kept walking further until they stopped. Someone using a costume similar to a spacesuit approached them.
"Welcome, students, to the training facility that I made myself with the goal of preparing the pro heroes of tomorrow to deal with every disaster and accident you can imagine. Welcome to the unforeseen simulation joint!" stated the person in the spacesuit. Before they could continue, Izuku interrupted.
"It's the space hero Thirteen, best known for her work in rescue scenarios!" Izuku exclaimed, going into his fan mode once again. It took a lot for him not to barrage the heroine with questions, but it solidified the comment about his crippling hero addiction to his classmates.
"He has a problem," Aizawa thought, already seeing the boy trembling in excitement. "At least it isn't with me," he thought, approaching the other teacher.
"Thank you for showing that you know about my work, Midoriya," she said, making the green-haired boy even more charged with excitement with the possible questions he could ask afterwards.
"You are going to have a big task ahead of you if you give him the chance to ask questions," Aizawa commented, which was waved off by the heroine.
"Nonsense, Aizawa. I'm always open to answering questions from my students."
"Of course, it will be your headache after all," Aizawa said. "Anyway, I want to give you a heads-up that All Might won't be showing up."
"I'm aware. He called and explained the situation," Thirteen replied, making Aizawa sigh.
He turned to look at the students. "Then we should probably get started."
"Before we do, I have a few points that I would like to bring up," Thirteen said, causing Aizawa to step to the side and head towards the railing to lean on it. She stepped forward, capturing the attention of the class.
"As I'm sure many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. It can suck in and tear apart anything. I've used it to save many people, from allies to even enemies, but something to mention is that my power could easily kill someone. Just like how some among you have powers with similar capabilities," she stated, making some of them consider their quirks, even taking Izuku out of his fanboy mode.
"In our superpowered society, the use of quirks is heavily restricted and monitored, which to some might sound unfair and to others might sound like a stable system. I believe it's a somewhat stable system, but it can easily turn into disarray as it only takes one wrong move with an uncontrollable quirk for people to die," she added, then gestured to Aizawa.
"During Aizawa's physical fitness test, you came to learn of your own hidden potential," she said, lowering her arm.
"Through All Might's battle training, you experienced the dangers your respective quirks can pose to others. But today, I hope to teach you a new perspective on learning how to use your quirks to save lives. I believe that every quirk, even those with a lot of destructive ability, can be used to save lives, and as future pro heroes, I hope you understand that you are meant to help as many people as possible," she finished with a showman's bow. "That is all; I thank you for listening."
"Bravo! Bravo!" Tenya stated as he clapped, while a few others also clapped for the teacher, and some got pumped by it.
Izuku, like the others, was clapping after the speech, but something in it stuck with him. "As future pro heroes, you are meant to help as many people as possible," Izuku reminded himself. "Would that also include, people who aren't innocent," he wondered, as he sneaked a glance at his classmates who were oblivious to what could be happening somewhere else in the school or might happen.
Aizawa watched them and waited until they were done to speak up. Before he could, he heard a swirling sound, which made him look at the source, seeing a black fog appear in the center of the plaza. "Shit, I was right!" he cursed, already taking out his phone to call for backup only to get static in response. "They jammed communications,"
"Thirteen, evacuate the students, quickly!" he barked, catching the attention of both students and teacher. Izuku's heart sank, even making his hands shake, as he saw the fog at the plaza spread with Tomura emerging from it, a severed hand covering his face and many others grasping other parts of his body. Soon after, more villains walked out of the mist.
"We haven't been speed blitzed yet, which means he really isn't here," Tomura thought, scratching his neck. "Damn it, that means we have to wait," he thought as his eyes landed on the students who looked frozen in place, making his lips twist into a wicked grin covered by the hand on his face. "But that also means I can kill a few of them before he shows up."
"Students, head to the entrance quickly," Thirteen urged, taking the lead to run at the entrance with the students following her.
"Stay together and move fast!" Aizawa ordered, running beside them. "They jammed communication, we need to get them out of here as fast as possible," he added, getting a nod from Thirteen.
Seeing the class run away made Tomura chuckle slightly. "We just arrived, and you are leaving? Shame on you, heroes. Villains! Go ahead and kill as many as you can. The one with the highest kill streak wins a prize!" he shouted loud enough for both villains and the class to hear, and with that, the villains started heading towards the class.
"Damn it," Aizawa thought as he looked back, seeing that some villains were already reaching the stairs. He looked forward, seeing there was still a distance to the entrance. "I have to buy them some time," he thought. "Thirteen, get the students to a safe place and call for backup as soon as you can," he ordered, getting a nod from the heroine while the students were a bit confused.
"Sensei, you can't fight them off by yourself!" Izuku shouted at the man, while Aizawa put on his goggles. "You can't nullify all of their quirks; they'll outnumber you."
"I have more tricks than that," Aizawa retorted before turning and running towards the approaching villain group, something Izuku couldn't stop himself from looking at as his mind went to the worst but most likely outcome.
"He won't make it if he doesn't get backup," Izuku thought, his mind quickly going to his watch. {Atlas, use the anti-communication jammer at full capacity,} he ordered, causing his watch's display to turn on and show a half-minute timer. "This better work."
"This is bullshit! We should turn back and make those villains regret attacking us!" Katsuki shouted, getting the attention of his classmates. "We are heroes in training; we shouldn't be running with our tails between our legs!" he spat.
"This isn't the moment to act recklessly, Bakugou! We have to get out before we can form any kind of offensive plan," Tenya replied, making the blond scoff.
Before Katsuki could reply, the same black mist blocked their path, making Thirteen stop and hold back the students behind her as yellow eyes formed within the fog, looking down at them.
"I apologize, but I can't allow that to happen," Kurogiri said as the mist spread and surged towards the class like a crashing wave, impeding their vision and sense of coordination.
"Get out of the mist!" Thirteen announced, but it was too late. The mist quickly enveloped them and then disappeared, leaving Thirteen to look back and see that half of the class was gone. "Hell, they could be anywhere now and be attacked by villains," she thought as those who remained regained their bearings and noticed their missing classmates.
"Where is everyone?! Can we confirm their locations?!" Tenya shouted, looking for any sign of their missing classmates.
"They are probably still in the facility, but in different areas, hopefully," Thirteen stated, getting the students' attention. But before she could further organize a plan, more warp gates appeared at the entrance as villains walked out to block the way.
Thirteen saw the groups of villains blocking the entrance, making her tsk at the sight. "Students, group up. We need to take care of them as soon as possible to get backup," Thirteen announced. "If we don't get out and get backup, we'll probably get swarmed," she thought as the students once again followed the teacher's orders, grouping up and readying themselves for the villains' attacks.