"I really can't think of any limits when it comes to having a quirk like 'Zero-Gravity'. You can beat villains just by making them float; making them defenceless while they flail around in the air. Not to mention good for pretty much any other kind of hero work." Mina beamed to the brown-haired girl next to her who's cheeks were a little bit more red than usual. "Trust me, girl, you don't have anything to worry about. If anything, I should be the one who's worried." The pink-skinned girl leaned back in her seat to leave the conclusion hanging in the air.
"T-thanks for the compliment, Mina, but I don't think you should be worried either. Your quirk is plenty strong." Uraraka gave her own assuring smile. The brunette couldn't see how someone so confident would think their power wouldn't be good for rescue.
Mina on the other hand already knew of the drawbacks that her acid brought. The biggest one wasn't to herself, but to the people around her.
"Hmph, yeah, if everyone wore acidic proof clothing, then maybe." Mina made the tease in her tone evident as she outstretched her pointer finger towards the other girl; a small drop of pale-yellow acid hanging from the tip.
Uraraka squeaked from how close the dangerous substance was before realising that she actually wasn't in any real harm. The brunette chuckled along with Mina, who had found the reaction quite amusing.
"Yeah, I guess I never realized just how much of a double-edged sword it was." Uraraka confessed to the other teen. In Uraraka's case, the biggest drawback was inflicted on herself.
"Meh, it's all good." Mina waved off the girl. The atmosphere around them was friendly and exciting. How could it not be? They were on their way to their first rescue exercise, wherever that may be. The two girls sat next to one another on the bus as everyone fell into their own conversations. The very brief pause in their own chatter brought upon an idea for the black-eyed girl. "Speaking of swords."
Uraraka turned back to the other student who cast her a glance before setting her attention on the boy who had been idle the entire ride. Sitting next to Mina was the second black-eyed teen of class 1-A. His arms were loosely crossed, and his eyes closed in a form of relaxation. Just like everyone else, he was wearing his hero costume that hadn't yet failed to catch the eyes of some of the girls.
"What about you, Midori Scissor Hands?" It was almost impossible to not detect the humour in her voice as Mina nudged the boy with her elbow. Uraraka once again chuckled to herself as she was able to instantly understand the joke. By the reactions from some of the surrounding students, they had also heard.
Izuku opened his eyes and those who looked could see a hint of confusion in his expression. He then turned to face Mina who still had her cheeky smile that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Pardon?" Was all he needed to say for a few others to join in on the laughing. Mina took a second to get rid of her giggles before composing herself.
"What about your quirk? Anything about it that can be good for rescue?" Mina asked with real curiosity to learn more about her quiet classmate. Izuku continued to look at her for a second as he was actually asking about the odd nickname but decided to just go along with it.
"Hmm, there isn't much to it, to be honest. I haven't put much thought into rescue tactics using my quirk for a while. I think I might end up strictly on the side of heroism that doesn't involve interacting with civilians any more than necessary." Izuku explained without much hesitance. It was clear to anyone who heard that he'd thought hard about his plans.
"Huh. Well, even so, anyone with a quirk that gives them more strength is a near all-rounder. Something like that can easily be used for rescue." Kirishima piped in on the conversation from Izuku's left.
"I won't deny that having extra strength and a durable body makes for good rescue missions, such as moving rubble, carrying injured victims, and taking hits for them, but I would rather not deal with the complications that come with every reaction upon them actually seeing my quirk." Izuku replied in a way that made it seem he had expected Kirishima's statement. It was just that no one could really understand what the greenette meant by that.
"Complications? You've used your quirk in front of us multiple times. I don't remember seeing anything wrong with it." Kaminari was yet another to join in on the conversation with his own confusion towards the black-eyed teen's answers.
'Nothing that I haven't let you see.' Of course, Izuku didn't say that out loud, but it was a fact all the same.
"The problem doesn't come from my end, but rather from the people around me." Anyone who heard his response didn't say anything for a moment. No one was able to really comprehend what he was trying to imply. The greenette sighed upon realizing he was going to have to properly explain himself. "When you think of a pro hero, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"
"Cool." Sero commented.
"Shiny!" Mina accentuated the word.
"Glamorous." Aoyama posed in his seat with noticeable practice.
"Strong!" Kirishima pumped up his fist at the word. A few people were surprised that he didn't say 'manly'. "Oh! And manly!" There it was.
"Someone like All Might?"
*Snap*
Before anyone else could add to the growing list of attributes, Izuku suddenly snaps his fingers to point directly at Uraraka; the one who had mentioned the #1 hero.
"Exactly. When a normal person hears the word 'hero', they think of the one man that stands above all others. The great Symbol of Peace is what gives people their hope. His great stature is enough to make them feel safe. The power he wields is what anyone would imagine a legend would use to defeat his foes. In the eyes of society, he is the epitome of heroism." As the words rolled effortlessly off his tongue, Izuku remembered the one time he had met the hero himself. Everything Izuku had said was based off that one experience of being saved from the sludge villain.
However…
"Now then, when you think of a hero, do you think of this?" The feeling of power surged forth over Izuku's right arm as he held it in front of him. Every speck of anything that wasn't his bones diminished all the way up to his elbow. The tips of his fingers elongated and sharpened into that of claws that could easily rip anything apart.
Small black cracks spilt out from the colourless voids of his eyes, bringing further attention to the powerful glow of his tiny green irises. His expression was cold and lifeless. One that could make anyone question if looks could kill.
There was no answer to his question.
They were all thinking the same thing, but no one could really say it out loud.
It had become quite clear behind why Izuku thought this way.
Out of pure respect, and perhaps even a little bit of fear, they all kept the thought to themselves that rather than a hero, Izuku looked like a villain.
"Anyway, just proving a point." There couldn't have been a faster flip to Izuku's personality as he was once again completely relaxed, not a single sign of his previous intimidating appearance.
It was enough to replace the dark atmosphere to where it once was after nearly everyone sweatdropped at the short performance their green-haired classmate pulled off.
'Maybe I went a little overboard.' Izuku can't help but think to himself.
"Well, heroic looking or not, it's definitely a strong quirk that's just as flashy." It seems that it takes quite a bit to throw off Kirishima's high-spirited attitude. Just a few seconds later, the redhead has taken the centre of attention. "I don't know about showing my bones, but I would for sure like to have a flashier quirk. My 'Hardening' is cool and all, but I would much rather have something that can give a real bang, ya know. Like Bakugo or Todoroki." As an example, Kirishima activated his quirk on his left hand, which he then used to gesture towards the mentioned duo. Both hardly acknowledged their names being called out as they kept to themselves near the back of the bus.
"Whether your quirk can catch the eyes of others is needless." All eyes were back on Izuku who didn't at all agree with what the other boy had said. "All that matters is your ability to do your job as a hero. If you can do that, then you're a good enough hero. And as someone who has a comparable ability, I'm sure you can achieve that just fine."
"Wow, man! You really think so!?" Kirishima couldn't look any more thankful for the words that Izuku had shared.
"You're in UA, aren't you?" With that simple response, it wasn't just Kirishima who was affected by the five words. It reminded everyone that they had this opportunity to be a great pro hero.
Yes, they were in UA.
"We're here."
.........................................................…
"Oh my gosh! It's Thirteen!" Uraraka managed to restrain her discovery to an excited whisper but was still plenty loud to catch the attention of the hero anyway. "She's my favourite hero!" Despite the brunette easily being the most hyped up about their presence, many other students were just as thrilled.
"It's always lovely to meet a fan. Now then, let's get moving. I can't wait to show you what's inside." Thirteen even had a hint of her own excitement as she led the eager class through the large gate.
Once they passed the excessively massive doors, they were greeted with a sight that reminded them that they were indeed in UA. Upon entering the dome that could rival the tallest of skyscrapers, they were astonished.
The open space that stretched across that land could have fit at least a hundred football fields. In various places of the gargantuan open area, there were various smaller domes and unique environments. Placed right in the centre was a highly decorated fountain with professionally trimmed trees surrounding it in a circle.
Overall, the place was… well, what you would expect of UA at this point.
"Welcome, students." Thirteen grabbed the attention of the awestruck teenagers. "What you see before you are specialized scenarios in the form of environmental situations. The shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etc. This facility was created by me in order to prepare heroes in training to be able to handle whatever disasters you may encounter. I call it the 'Unforeseen Simulation Joint'. But for short, you may call it the USJ." The Space Hero practically performed the introduction to the facility. It's blatantly obvious that she took pride in the structure.
Izuku could easily see why. He couldn't even begin to imagine the time, energy, and money it must have taken to construct every piece of land, equipment, technologies, and possibly anything else that was used.
"Hey, Thirteen?" It was also obvious that Aizawa couldn't care less as he instead approaches the other hero.
Seeing as it had nothing to do with him, Izuku zoned out rather than listening in. What he needed to do was make sure to be able to keep his quirk in check. So far, he's gotten lucky with all the close calls recently. Especially with the two he's had today. If that many people hadn't been in the cafeteria, then he wouldn't have been provided with enough cover.
It also helped that everyone had their focus on the exit and not the one teen who was on the verge of snapping. Way too many close calls recently. He's been telling people that he would rather be an underground hero because of bias towards his quirk. It worked out rather well so far, but the real reason was to prevent himself from becoming a danger instead of a saviour.
The more he secludes himself from as many people as possible, the better. All it falls down to was whether he can pass these four years of high school without any problems. Getting a stronger control of his cursed power would also be very much appreciated, but he really couldn't see Grimm working with him any time soon.
Only time will tell.
"Alrighty then, before we get this show on the road, I only have one last thing to say. Okay, maybe two, perhaps three, actually four?" Izuku didn't have to even look around his class to know that they were all wanting Thirteen to get on with it. "Anyway, I need you all to listen to me carefully. As some of you may know, I possess a powerful quirk called 'Black Hole'. Once I activate it, anything that I suck up turns to nothing." Thirteen explained the basic principle of her quirk. Izuku knew it well enough as he'd seen it a few times on the internet. The vigorous nodding from the second space-themed individual next to him told him that she had too. "But just know that even though I use it for rescue, my quirk can be easily used to kill."
'So… that's what this was about.' Izuku didn't let the grimace show on his face. Of course Thirteen's quirk can kill. A lot of people's quirks can kill. Some better than others. While Izuku was yet to take a life, he was surely going to keep it that way.
Everything that came after was like hearing Izuku's own words played back to him. Thirteen's speech was what Izuku had told himself on multiple occasions. His own power was deadly enough as it was, but if he were to lose control, then who knows what would happen. Who would be safe? Could he be stopped?
These were all questions that had been asked over and over again. Izuku had only fully lost control once in his life. The memories of that night didn't exist. His only fears were that of the words of his mother and that awful night he spent in the dark forest.
But that was eleven years ago.
What would happen now?
Izuku was suddenly jerked out of his daze when he heard the sound of clapping and cheers around him. His classmates were applauding Thirteen who was currently bowing. He must have missed the last part of her speech. Oh well. Sure it wasn't-
…
"Well then, now that's over- "
Aizawa wasn't able to speak another word before everything went dark. The loud noise of technology powering off rang throughout the building in all directions. It was quickly followed by a few surprised gasps from the students as they were completely swallowed in darkness.
"H-hey! What's going on!?"
"Why did the lights go off!?"
"This is totally what would happen right before the movie monster appears!"
"Shut it, Kaminari!"
The students were confused by the sudden change that had happened without warning. They were turning in all directions with hopes to find anything their eyes could pick up. However, their efforts were in vain. The only thing that greeted them was the sound of their equally confused classmates.
"Everyone, calm down! If you're training to be a hero, then panicking is no longer an option." Aizawa shouted above the rest of the teens. His command had worked well enough to silence them. "Thirteen, what's going on?"
"I don't know. I had all the circuitry checked before the beginning of the year. As far as I know, there shouldn't be any problems at all." The Space Hero could be heard answering from within the dark. "But for whatever reason, the light panels on the inner side of the dome seemed to have just stopped working."
"Can you get them working again?" Aizawa asked back.
"The emergency generators should be coming on any second." Thirteen's answer brought relief to many students and their teacher. The last thing they needed was to head straight back to UA the moment they had gotten there.
Aizawa sighed into the lightless structure. This would hopefully just be a temporary setback. If he could just go one exercise without anything getting out of hand, then he would have a field day.
Not to mention his 'special' student.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, Aizawa could still see the glowing green dots of Midoriya's eyes among his class.
Whatever it was that the boy was hiding, Aizawa would find out sooner or later.
Let there be light.
Another loud noise rung out through the facility. This time, it ended with the sound of the lights above them powering up from the generators kicking in.
However, Aizawa couldn't bring himself to avert his attention from the bizarre sight before him.
Just like this morning, Midoriya looked to be stuck in place. Before, all Aizawa could see were his irises. But now, he could see the trace of fear in his eyes. His body was held stiff, but also twitching rapidly as if some invisible force was constricting him.
But above all that, it was one final detail that set the hero off.
Again, Midoriya was looking over his shoulder.
However, it wasn't just him this time. Everyone had odd expressions as they looked to whatever was behind Aizawa. He really didn't need any more of a warning than that to spin on his heel and face the centre of the USJ.
The scene he was met with sent chills down his spine.
In front of the fountain, a black mass with a purple haze surged with life. But by far the worst part was the horde of people emerging from the mist-like substance. By the second, a swarm of dozens, no, maybe even close to a hundred people appeared from within the dark cloud.
However, these were not ordinary people. Aizawa could tell instantly just by looking at them.
These were villains.
Especially the man with the many hands attached to his body, as well as the hulking dark figure of a behemoth standing next to him.
"What's going on here? Who are those guys?" Kirishima was one of the few who hadn't seemed to realize the situation quite yet.
"Stay back!" The class jumped at the serious tone of their teacher. "This is no longer a rescue exercise! This is real life, and those are villains!" With that last sentence, the stumped expressions of the teens turned terrified.
"Tell me, heroes." The villain with the abundance of hands spoke. His raspy voice easily managed to chill the class down to the bone. Well, almost everyone's. "Where is All Might?"
At that moment, Aizawa got a clear picture of what this villain wanted. Either way, his students weren't safe.
"Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?" Aizawa asked sternly. He couldn't waste a single second in this situation.
"U-um. The generators! They're only hooked up to the lights, but not to the communication or security systems to prevent an overload." The Space Hero almost sounded guilty with the realization that a flaw in the USJ had been taken advantage of. "They must have known about the building's power supply and directly targeted them, in order to prevent us from alerting the outside."
"Great. Just what we needed." Aizawa grumbled with annoyance. But anyone who listened close enough could hear the worry in his tone. "Kaminari, use your quirk to try and contact the school."
"Yes, sir!" Kaminari quickly got to work with his earpiece.
"Everyone else, get back to the bus immediately!" At his command, Thirteen led the students back towards the gate and out to the bus. If everything went well, then they would get there undisturbed. Aizawa put on his yellow goggles that he always had hidden underneath his scarf.
With that, he charged down the long set of stairs to fight the villains.
.........................................................…
Iida hadn't managed to get fifteen feet before skidding to a stop. The reason for this was because their group was currently lacking one.
"Midoriya!" Iida found the missing student by turning around, only to find the greenette hadn't moved an inch. "Midoriya! We can't stay here! We have to go!" His shouts brought no reaction from the boy. "Midoriya!" He was just about to run over to the other student, considering his commands weren't getting him anywhere.
Before he could take the first step…
"S-sorry, Iida." His words sounded strained but were just loud enough to reach Iida's ears. Shakily, heFth saw Midoriya's head turn towards him. A smile that more resembled a grimace spread across his face. It was too easy to notice that it was completely forced. "I-I'm just a l-little worried is all."
At that, Midoriya moved. It started off as a jog which quickly turns into a sprint. The way that he did it was strange to Iida. It looked… off.
Despite that, it doesn't take Midoriya long to catch up with the blue-haired student. After that, they were both making good time on the group up ahead. Running alongside Midoriya, Iida was convinced that there was indeed something wrong. The black-eyed boy's movements almost looked to be stiff. Almost like he was trying to restrain himself.
The next thing he knows, both Midoriya and he skid to a stop to prevent themselves from crashing into the back of the class.
"What's going on!? Why are we- "
*Boom*
Iida is interrupted by the familiar sound of an explosion ringing off not thirty feet in front of him. Looking ahead of the group, they could see the aftermath of none other than Bakugo's quirk. Why he had used it, neither of them knew. It was still a mystery to why they stopped in the first place.
"My, my. Such powerful abilities you have."
That was when they heard it. A voice that set off every signal in their mind that they were in danger. From the cloud of smoke and dust, two yellow eyes peered with evil intent. A new cloud began to form to that of a thick black mass. This was the same substance of the weird portal that brought the villains here in the first place.
"You truly live up to your title of number one hero school in all of Japan." Standing before the completely unharmed amorphous body of the mist villains, Bakugo and Kirishima looked bewildered to see neither of their attacks worked in the slightest. "However, you must not forget that you are but children." Whoever this villain was, he was obviously confident to stand against this entire class of students.
The same couldn't be said for all the teens as some wobbled on weak knees. Fear in their eyes looked straight into the ominous yellow eyes that had seen the death of many.
All it did was make Izuku's bones howl with hunger.
"You two! Get back, now!" There was no room for argument in Thirteen's command. The lid on her finger had been secretly opened and readied to activate their quirk.
But it was already too late.
"Our mission will not be foiled until we see the death of All Might! Now, begone!" The villain's voice rang in their ears just as quickly as the swarm of black tendrils swept over their bodies. Their vision was obscured by the thick waves of dark mist. It became hard to breathe as the oxygen had been replaced by the cool mist.
However possible, the students of class 1-A reacted to the best of their abilities. Some managed to escape the boundaries of their prison. Other's could do nothing but hold onto whoever was closest. The last simply had to let it happen as the ground beneath their feet was suddenly gone.
Izuku was one of those last people.
The reason behind this was because he's now twenty feet in the air and closing in on the ground fast. That ground was actually a small body of water, which he learned when his body was enveloped by the cool liquid. Upon him breaking the surface, Izuku makes hardly any effort to swim for air.
His mind was instead occupied with the fight for control. No matter how hard he tries, his skeleton continues to thrash against his will. Its screaming to be let out. To be freed from their flesh prison. But Izuku would not give.
He was quickly losing oxygen. His lungs were beginning to burn just like the rest of his body. His throat screamed to inhale the air that would satiate his instinct to survive.
But anything that could possibly distract him from keeping the cage closed would result in punishment to everyone around him.
Including the figure of someone swimming towards him.
…
Wait, who?
Izuku nearly coughed at the sight of a man with a fish-like head rushing straight for him. Again, Izuku's survival instincts flare. The feeling of helplessness was only exacerbated by being trapped underwater with someone who obviously has the advantage.
Fear strong enough that the hold on the cage loosens ever so slightly.
.
.
.
.
.
K̵̢̧̧̨̞͇̟̜̥̭͉̲̘̥͚͕͎̦̖̪͉̩̠͈̺̘̥̏̃̉͛̈́̾͊͒͋̔̐́̂̓̕͠͝ͅͅi̸̠̰̽̊̈̋̿̅͆͐̅̒̿̽̌͊͂͋̑̋̎̉̆̂͛͜ļ̵̢̨̦̘̬̭̫̟̱͇̻͎̜̬̮͈̰̯̗̞̣̱͇̮̘̤̟̭̥̺͈̦̜̋̊̏l̸̨̧̨̧̢̛̝̘̲̼̼̞̬͉͇͔̲͍̣̣̲̭͎͔͙͌͐̓̈́̾͗̋̅̌̿́͊̈́͛̊̉̕
.
.
.
.
.
Izuku feels both his mind and body overwhelmed by a presence. It was similar to what had happened in the cafeteria earlier today, but much stronger than ever before.
For just a moment, Izuku lost control of himself.
His right arm didn't shed his muscles and flesh because he activated his quirk. The exposed bones didn't shift and transform because Izuku wanted it to. A beastly arm reared back with its claws ready to tear into the incoming villain, but not due to the struggling boy's commands.
Izuku felt his shoulder shoot forward. Along with it came the deadly attack that was aimed straight for the villain's throat. For the life of him, Izuku could not regain his control fast enough before that strike landed.
Even underwater, Izuku could hear the villain yell in pain. However, it was not from his bones, but rather from the blind-sided attack of his classmate.
Tsu!
The girl had appeared from nowhere and sent a powerful double kick to the shark-man's jaw. Somehow, by seeing one of his classmates, he was able to get a better grip on his frenzied quirk. At least enough to not retaliate when Tsu shoots out her tongue to wrap around his chest. Using the villain's face as a launchpad, the girl rockets towards the surface with Izuku in tow.
The natural need for air was beginning to scream in his mind. As the light became brighter the further they rose, the quicker Izuku realized just how close he was to drowning.
At long last, the weight of the water on his body was relinquished and his lungs were refilled. He took in deep greedy breaths, causing his chest to press against the tongue wrapped around him. It then lifted him up higher until he was placed down on the boat that he had seen from the entrance.
From there, he doesn't move much or focus on anything else other than to catch his breath and calm both himself and his quirk. He could feel each beat of his heart. A small puddle of water began to form beneath him as he sat still on the wood floorboards.
Just how many close calls was he going to have in one day?
*Thump*
Izuku's inner crisis was interrupted by the sound of a thud to his left, shortly followed by a grunt. Turning to look, he found Mineta on his back, just as wet as he was. Now that he thought about it, he did see what looked like Mineta's hair in Tsu's arm. As quickly as he appeared, the small boy sat upwards while rubbing the back of his head.
"Ooow. It was a compliment." Mineta complained while eyeing the frog who had climbed over the rail of the boat.
"Just stop talking, Mineta." She croaked. Izuku may have not known her for long or had many interactions with her, but he knew it wasn't normal for her tone to have much noticeable emotion to it. And right now, it was quite evident that she sounded stressed.
Mineta was obviously taken aback by the sudden harshness. His only response was a squeak of fright before staying silent. Although it was understandable, the two of them must be on edge. A normal school day ending up with an unexpected visit from villains of all things.
"Tsu." Izuku says the name of his classmate as she hopped down from the railing. The look she gave him made him hesitate. Tsu was one of those people where you could almost never tell what she was thinking based on her facial features. But Izuku could recognize that look of worry and caution anywhere. He couldn't help but feel that this expression was directed towards him. "…U-um… Thank you."
If it wasn't awkward before, then the silence that came afterwards made sure it was. Izuku was actually unnerved by the unblinking stare of the girl who seemed to be searching his entire being.
"Yeah." Was all she said before breaking eye contact.
Things had just gotten really strange.
"Uuuh, when you two can stop being weird, can we please figure out how to get out of here!?" Mineta was only able to keep the first half of the question in a normal voice before squealing the second half in fear.
"Mineta, calm down. We won't get anything done by freaking out. Especially in this situation." Izuku spoke so that the other two teens would give him their attention.
"Huh!? What about the situation!? Isn't it already about as bad as it gets!? What could possibly make this any worse!?" At this point, the purple-haired boy wasn't making any effort to control his voice nor his emotions.
"Mineta!" Having raised his own voice, the other boy once again recoiled into silence. "Now listen; the both of you." Izuku briefly made eye contact with the duo. One was scared out of his mind and the other seemed to be more alert of Izuku than the villains. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this situation is very real. Just now, that villain had every intent to kill me. If we're not careful, we could all die." Izuku let his own words sink in for a moment. Maybe not the best thing to do when one of them looked like they were about to wet themselves.
"W-wh-what are we g-gonna do?" Mineta's voice shook just as much as his body. The boy might as well have his own picture next to the definition of fear in the dictionary.
"I don't know for certain yet, but I do know that we have the upper hand." At that statement, Izuku finally hoisted himself from the floor to stand. From there he could see that over the railing were many villains, floating on the water's surface. He had to admit, there were more than he thought, but that didn't change anything.
"What? How can you say that? We are literally surrounded by people who want to kill us. What 'upper hand' could we possibly have?" Mineta wailed with desperation. Again, Izuku couldn't help but question once more how he managed to pass the entrance exam.
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Mineta. Even though my frog quirk makes me good in water, I don't think there's much I can do against all of them. Ribbit." Tsu gave her own two cents. It just so happened that it was exactly what Izuku wanted to hear.
"Exactly." Izuku turned his head to face the girl. There was a look in his eyes that spelled out a plan as the frog's eyes hinted that she was confused. "It's obvious that the black-mist villain had brought them here; in an environment where their quirks would be best suited. But Tsu, if they wanted the best tactical advantage, then why did they send you here?" Both Tsu and Mineta reacted at that realization. What Izuku had said was very true. "That's where we have the upper hand. The villains may have known the student's schedule, but they didn't know the students themselves. Our quirks are completely unknown to them, and that's exactly why they haven't tried to attack us this entire time."
All three students turned back towards the villains. Each had their eyes trained on them as the three stared back. Yet, not a single one made any sort of attempt to attack. But for sure, Izuku could tell that several of them were closely watching his right arm. It was still transformed and ready to be used as a weapon.
But that was only one of the abilities in his arsenal.
"You sound like you have something in mind" Tsu said next to him. The boy could tell that she was keeping a small distance between them, but he could also tell that she was curious to what he was brewing.
"Yeah." At Izuku's response, you could say that Mineta was overjoyed for whatever it was that could save his life. "Hey!" That joy was quickly shot down as Izuku yelled out to the villains. The ones who weren't paying attention to the black-eyed boy now had their gazes set on him. "Here's the deal! You're going to let us go and no one will get hurt!"
It was… understandably quiet after that.
Both Mineta and Tsu just stared wide-eyed at the greenette who had just demanded over a dozen villains to let them go . Said villains mirrored the expression. This singular kid with black eyes and a freaky looking arm didn't look afraid of them in the slightest. He even had the guts to make it a one-way deal.
This single kid… in front of a bunch of villains…
And that was when the shock passed.
The large pond which was dead silent erupted in laughter. It was a chorus of chortles, chuckles, and anything that could describe the humorous noises each of the villains made. In their amused presence, Tsu and Mineta felt their hope dwindle a bit.
Izuku simply narrowed his eyes at the scene.
"Hahaha! You're just as stupid as you are freaky looking!" One of the criminals shouted through wheezing laughs.
"You seriously think that we're just gonna let you go!? Another yelled.
"I can't tell if this brat is serious or just dumb!" A man with an angler fish head joked to his colleague next to him.
"No matter what you say or do, you and your little friends are gonna die! Might as well jump in the water while you're making a fool of yourself!" One by one, the demeaning insults and threats just kept coming.
Even though Izuku expected this reaction, he could feel his blood boil from just how easily these people could speak of their death as if it were some sort of game.
"So, you're saying that there is no way at all that you will let us go?" Izuku asked a final time.
It was more of a warning than a question. The villains were too busy thriving in their self-confidence to even realize it.
But each word was able to send chills up Tsu's spine.
"Damn straight!" One of the killers bellowed out.
"This water will be red with your blood sooner or later!" That last sentence was the last that Izuku needed to hear.
"Damnit, Midoriya! Why did you have to do that!? Now they really want to kill us- "
"I apologize in advance for what's about to happen." Izuku's cold words cut through the sobbing shouts of Mineta. Only the boat's occupants were able to hear his ominous expression of regret. Even the purple-haired boy was finally able to realize at this point that something was about to happen. Tsu could only wait in suspense as everything in her body told her that Izuku was dangerous.
'Alright, you psychotic demon. Since you're so hell-bent on coming out…'
Izuku remained still. His body was relaxed, and his breathing slow. He had managed to get his quirk under control enough to where he could risk this. His eyes slowly closed; his lids blocking the world from view. Just as he did, that familiar feeling of an indescribable sense leaked from his voids. Without a doubt, cracks were tracing around his eyes.
By snapping his eyes back open, Izuku loosened his grip on the leash.
An unbelievable amount of fear-inducing killer intent spilled from the boy like a dam breaking after a storm.
In less than a second, the laughter-filled pond went void of any sound. The adults that were previously laughing to their heart's content didn't so much as utter a single noise as their hearts now thumped in their chest with adrenaline. The hopeless feeling of being before someone or something that could undeniably kill you was an agonizing sensation that everyone endured every second they looked back into the boy's green irises.
His eyes were unmoving. They were as merciless just as they were serious. Each glowing eye shone with such vigorous life yet held no emotion.
It was all they could see, for they could not look away. The villain's bodies were locked in place. Their survival instincts had completely taken over. They knew that if they moved, they would surely die.
"You will let us go… You will stay exactly where you are and not attempt to hurt anyone else. You will regret it if you so much as even try to disobey me. Do. You. Under. Stand?" Every single word from the boy echoed like ghostly cries in their minds. The villains felt sick by simply remembering those words, but their brains wouldn't stop replaying it until they couldn't help but submit.
And submit they did.
One by one, they lowered their heads. The eye contact that they were so keen on keeping before broke without another second of hesitation. They had accepted that their lives were in the hands of this monster.
"Good." Just like that, the aura was gone. Izuku re-tightened his hold and shut off his quirk before Grimm got any funny ideas. The cracks around his eyes subsided back to where they belong, before he turned to Tsu and Mineta. "Alright guys, I doubt…" Izuku cut himself off when he saw the looks that both of his classmates were giving him. Although he shouldn't be surprised, it still hurt to see just how terrified they were.
Mineta was actually so scared shitless that he was just as still as the villains. Tsu couldn't even bother to be frightened of the villains anymore or even care that Mineta was clinging so closely to her.
This was exactly what Izuku was afraid of, but he didn't have time right now to prove to them that he was no threat.
"Tsu." By simply saying the girl's name, she tensed up. "I've seen how far you can jump. I want you to get us as close to the coast as you can. Think you can do that?" Neither Izuku nor anyone else can afford to waste any time. He spoke quickly and clearly, hiding how much he was affected by their expressions.
"…Y-yeah." Tsu seemed like she was able to compose herself, at least maybe just a little, but it was enough. She gripped onto Mineta who was already clinging to her side; not even caring at this point where his hands were. There was only a small amount of hesitation as she used her tongue to wrap around Izuku's torso once more.
Without so much as another word from the trio, they leapt into the air.
As they flew high and far above the surface of the water, Izuku could see the villains below. Just as he had told them, they stayed put. Their heads didn't even rise to see the students go. Even if Izuku had stopped using his quirk, the villains were still just as afraid as they had been.
He had managed to use his cursed quirk to save his classmates, but at what cost?
That's something he'll worry about later.
For now, he needs to focus on what to do next.
"We're about to land." Tsu's warning came just in time as the water began to close in on them. For a second time, they disturbed the water's surface with their fall. From here, Izuku could tell that it wasn't as deep anymore. They were near the bank.
The tongue around his body uncoiled and returned to its user. Side-by-side the two greenettes swam the rest of the way back to shallow waters; Tsu holding onto Mineta who was not-so-discreetly keeping an eye on Izuku.
They continued to swim in silence that was only accompanied by the sounds of the water splashing away in their wake. Eventually, they were able to get to the point where they could stand on the ground. The trio made their way on foot long enough to where they were only about fifteen feet away from the bank.
This was where Izuku stopped.
"Midoriya?" Tsu questioned as she noticed that the other greenette had stopped walking.
"Tsu, Mineta. If you follow the coast, you should be able to get to the exit without being spotted by other villains." It was immediately clear that they could tell that Izuku wasn't going with them.
"What are you going to do?" The frog asked. She couldn't see any reason why he would want to stay behind and risk being caught, or even worse, killed.
Rather than giving an immediate response, Izuku turned away from the two. His eyes were set on the one place he knew the true danger was. The other two followed his gaze, finding the centre plaza being the focus of his attention.
"Aizawa might need help." Izuku finally said in an eerie tone. For whatever reason, he had a bad feeling that wasn't his quirk trying to break free for once.
"W-what!? Are you crazy!? You just got away from villains, and now you want to jump right back in!?" Mineta screamed with disbelief at the girl's side.
"I don't mean to doubt our homeroom teacher, but I really don't think that he can handle all those villains by himself. Especially that weird beaked one." Izuku couldn't openly admit how he knew, but his quirk had blatantly warned him of the monstrosity that emitted an evil presence without even trying. Not to mention the suffocating amount of killing intent that came from the mist villain and the man with the several hands attached to his body.
Other than that, Izuku's quirk pretty much ignored everyone else. If Grimm was able to get so riled up from just three figures out of dozens, then Izuku had every right to be as cautious.
"Even if our super scary teacher isn't able to beat them, what makes you think that another super scary kid is gonna be able to!?" It would definitely seem that fear had completely destroyed Mineta's filter. Too bad the small boy realized it too late before clamping both his hands on his mouth.
Izuku didn't even bother to visibly react to the name, although that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Just another reason why he was considering becoming an underground hero.
"I'll do whatever it takes." They widened their eyes at that powerful statement. Izuku meant it when he said those words, but just how far will he actually have to go? To the point of no return? It almost seemed too soon to be including himself in such an exciting situation when his quirk ws at the ready to leap forth. However, the thought of their teacher fighting for his and his student's lives while Izuku could do something to help was something he can't ignore.
All three were quiet after that. Izuku had not taken his eyes off the central plaza; the sounds of combat could be heard in the very distance, drawing him in. Neither Tsu nor Mineta could bring themselves to say anything further as they stood idly in the water.
Seeing as no one else was going to say anything, Izuku began to walk towards the central plaza.
He didn't get very far though.
"Midoriya." He stopped in his tracks. He turned back around to face Tsu. She couldn't quite meet his eyes. A moment of hesitance before both their green eyes met. "I'm going with you."
Both boys were understandably stunned by her announcement. It really wasn't something they were expecting given the situation.
"You…will?" Izuku questioned. The disbelief was detectable in his tone.
"I don't think confronting the villains, let alone even going near them, is a good idea. We could end up getting in Aizawa's way. But if something were to happen to you, then I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I had known I could have been there to help." Once again, both boys were in awe at her reasoning.
Izuku simply respected the resolve of the girl. She truly wanted to be a hero, and by going with him, she had proved it. Mineta had a different reaction, however.
"What about me!?" The smallest student shouted. Both greenettes looked to him confused.
"Do you want to come with?" Izuku asked. Honestly, he doesn't know why he asked the question as the answer was obvious.
"Hell no! But I also don't want to go alone! What if I run into bad guys along the way!?" Mineta restrained his shouts to a low yell. Didn't mean that he wasn't still being loud though.
"For wanting to be a hero, you sure don't act like one." Tsu stated bluntly. It caught the smaller boy off guard enough to shut him up for the time being.
"Well, whatever you two decide in the end, I'm going. Follow at your own risk." Izuku didn't wait for a response from either of his classmates. Instead, he turned and quickly walked towards the ongoing battle.
The two he left behind only stayed still for a second before Tsu began to head in the same direction. All that was left was the small purple-haired pervert who barely had their head above the water. His look of horrified disbelief didn't leave his face. Even as he struggled to catch up to the first two.
Despite going to the exact same place, there was an undeniable distance between two of the teens and the black-eyed student.
Tsu gave the boy a long thoughtful look from behind. So far into the year, he had mostly acted like just another teen with the goal of becoming a hero. Of course, there were things that stood out, such as some of the things he's done. But nothing that could really accuse him of being anything sinister.
Then why was it that every time she got remotely close to him; a sense of impending dread followed? Her quirk gave her a weak form of basic instincts, as it was an animal mutation. But never had she had this strong of a feeling telling her that there was a threat to her life.
Even so, Tsu had to overcome this sensation. If she wanted to become a pro hero, she needed to be able to face the toughest of challenges. She just never thought that one of them would be her own classmate.
Little did she know that this fear was nothing but a small hint of the vast amount of horror that loomed behind Izuku's green irises.
However, very soon they would find out.
And Grimm couldn't wait.