"Hey! Hey, are you okay?!"
The voice sounded faint, piercing through the layer of sharp buzzing in Fuse Yasushi's ears. The first sensation greeting his senses wasn't light, but a violent shaking that made his stomach feel like it was being churned. A pair of hands gripped his hard armored shoulders, rocking his body back and forth in a panicked rhythm with absolutely no grace.
"Fuse! Wake up! Hang in there, buddy!"
With a soft groan caught in his throat, Fuse's eyelids trembled. He forced his eyes open. The light from the USJ dome stabbed his retinas, making his head throb as if a sledgehammer had struck the back of his skull. His vision blurred, slowly refocusing, capturing Denki Kaminari's deathly pale face, drenched in cold sweat, and far too close to his own.
Seeing those glowing red eyes finally open, Kaminari's eyes widened. His mouth opened, exhaling a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! I thought your brain got left behind in that purple mist!"
Fuse needed a few minutes to calm the stormy sea of his consciousness. He blinked, piecing together the fragments of reality around him. Jagged rocks. Dry air. The scent of earth and fearful sweat.
"Ugh!" Fuse clutched his head with his left hand, encased in a steel gauntlet, feeling the sharp pulse of pain.
"How rude!" he grumbled, his voice hoarse but quickly regaining its sharpness. "How could a protagonist with a destiny as grand as mine die so stupidly just from the side effects of a cheap teleportation gate like this?"
Kaminari pulled his hands back, stepping away while scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
After his head stopped spinning, Fuse propped himself up with one hand, slowly rising to a sitting position. His eagle-like sharp eyes swept the surroundings. He wasn't in the same place as his last conscious moment. He was on a rocky cliff, and he wasn't alone. Besides the still-panicked Kaminari, two girls from his class stood there: Momo Yaoyorozu, her aristocratic face radiating controlled tension, and Kyoka Jiro, holding her earphone jacks like a pair of ready daggers.
"Explain the situation to me. Brief, concise, and without the seasoning of panic," Fuse ordered, his tone flowing calmly.
Yaoyorozu stepped forward, her posture straight despite the high vigilance in her eyes. "It seems we've all been forcibly relocated to different areas within this facility," Yaoyorozu explained, her voice slightly trembling but her articulation perfect. "That mist villain used a gate-type Quirk to scatter our formation, isolating us."
"And it looks like I was transported to your side in this Mountain Zone," Fuse interjected. He nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. "I see."
He should have placed me alone, or maybe not in this scene at all since I'm a character who shouldn't exist. But it seems Kurogiri underestimated me by putting me with them instead of leaving me by myself.
But Fuse let out an extremely long sigh of relief. He had to admit it—he was immensely grateful.
If Kurogiri had dumped him alone in a zone filled with dozens of villains, he didn't know what would happen to him. His current physical condition was a disaster. The effects of staying up all night and reckless training on the beach still gripped his nerves like parasites. His stamina was drained, and every time he tried to overuse his Quirk, a burning pain would tear through his arm. Imagining fighting an army of mobs alone under this severe debuff made one of his eyes narrow in horror.
Tch, in the end, I failed to interrupt Kurogiri's action of relocating Class 1-A at the entrance, Fuse lamented inwardly, feeling a bit disappointed. But Midoriya and the others should be fine. Their plot armor is thick enough to survive these small fries.
Fuse pressed his knee, forcing his stiff and aching body to stand.
The metallic creak of his exoskeleton armor sounded as he straightened his back. His body felt heavy, his bones as if replaced by solid lead, but he managed to stand tall, hiding every inch of weakness behind an arrogant posture.
"You're really lucky to have been transported with me here," Fuse said, his eyes sweeping over Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Kaminari.
Then, his gaze slid past them, staring toward the shadows of rocks around the cliff. There, figures with fierce appearances slowly emerged. Some held rusted iron pipes, others had hands transformed into bone blades, and some had eyes glowing in the darkness. Dozens of low-tier villains began encircling them, grinning like starving wolves finding lost sheep.
"And you're very unlucky, you little scums," Fuse smiled. Not a friendly smile, but a predator's grin. He turned back to look at his friends. "These people, my classmates, will defeat you without me even having to lift a single finger to help."
Fuse nodded to himself. This was a brilliant deduction. It made perfect sense and was efficient. Why waste his precious remaining magnetic energy when he could leave these small fries to Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro?
He could use this chance to rest a bit, recover his energy and stamina, lean against a stone pillar, and look like a mysterious figure too superior to bother with trivial matters.
He had already lost too much energy!
"Hey! Hey! What do you mean leaving them to the three of us?!" Kaminari suddenly dashed closer, eyes bulging in panic. "What about you?!"
Kaminari, terrified half to death by the number of enemies, grabbed Fuse's armored arm, shaking his body back and forth until the red-haired youth swayed like a bobblehead doll.
"Come on, Fuse! Don't joke around now!" Kaminari whined, his voice pitching high. "You have the strongest Quirk in our class! You're the one who crushed Bakugo without blinking! You can beat them all in a snap, right?! Help us!"
Hey, can you shut up for a second, you electric creature, Fuse glared at Kaminari with a murderous look from behind his visor. My whole body hurts, you know?! Stop shaking me! My ribs feel like they're about to fall off!
Not satisfied with just shaking the arm, Kaminari—completely overtaken by a storm of fear—now dropped down, hugging one of Fuse's legs tightly. His face looked up, resembling a wet dog begging not to be left in a storm.
One of Fuse's eyes twitched hard at the sight. His pride as a protagonist rebelled at the embarrassing behavior of the supporting characters in front of him, especially in front of the villains.
"Let go of my leg," Fuse hissed, trying to push Kaminari's face away with his hand, but Kaminari clung on desperately. "You're seriously asking me for help while degrading yourself like this? You have no shame for someone aspiring to be a hero."
With one strong yank, Fuse finally freed his leg, stepping back and straightening his slightly disheveled jacket.
On the other side, Yaoyorozu held her temple with her slender fingers, closing her eyes while shaking her head slowly. "I really can't understand," the black-haired girl sighed, her breath heavy with mental exhaustion. "How can you two joke around and think about who fights in a critical situation like this? Our lives are at stake!"
Kaminari, now sitting on the ground, looked on the verge of tears from begging. "I'm not joking, Yaoyorozu! I'm just being realistic! He's overpowered!"
Hearing Yaoyorozu's rebuke, a small vein of anger appeared on Fuse's forehead. His red eyes stared sharply at the girl who could create anything.
"Joking, you say?" Fuse's voice lowered, becoming heavier and more authoritative. "Have you never heard the basic philosophy on the battlefield, Miss Yaoyorozu?"
Yaoyorozu tilted her head, her intelligent eyes radiating confusion. She was amazed at how Fuse could stand so straight, his aura so calm and relaxed, even though they were surrounded by dozens of armed villains ready to take their lives at any moment.
"If you act relaxed, smile, and appear completely undisturbed in an extremely difficult situation," Fuse began his lecture, arms spreading in a theatrical gesture, "it won't just calm your allies, but also make your enemies feel that you have absolute confidence. Fear is the first weapon you must defeat."
Fuse then turned slowly, looking at the crowd of villains encircling them. Strangely, the villains didn't attack immediately. They stood frozen in a circular position. Seeing two UA students bickering casually and one white-armored student talking philosophy as if at a cafe made them hesitate.
Beads of sweat appeared on some villains' temples. They swallowed hard, eyes watchful, not daring to take the first step forward. The psychological illusion Fuse created worked perfectly.
"For those losers, this is an ambush," Fuse continued, pointing at the villains with an arrogant chin gesture. "But for me, this situation is nothing more than a performance stage."
Fuse shrugged. "Don't you see their faces, Yaoyorozu? Jiro?"
"They look like a bunch of pathetic villains who don't even know how to hold weapons properly," Fuse smiled, a condescending grin that could ignite anyone's rage. He then spread both arms to the sides, opening his defenses wide.
"I'll give you one, and only one, chance to surrender," Fuse's voice echoed off the cliff walls.
The corners of Fuse's lips curved sharper, his eyes looking at them like sewer worms. "Please lay down your weapons, kneel, and cry regretting your actions… before I make you look even more pathetic and broken than you already are."
At that moment, one of the villains—a burly man with a scar across his face, holding a solid iron pipe—felt veins bulging on his forehead from rage.
His pride as a street thug was trampled by a snot-nosed brat!
"Nonsense! You arrogant damn brat!" the villain roared.
He leaped forward, running with heavy steps that shook the gravel, raising his iron pipe high, ready to split Fuse's head in two.
Seeing the enemy charge, Kaminari grew even more terrified; he screamed and crawled backward. "Fuse! Watch out!"
Fuse only glanced at Kaminari, his gaze conveying deep disappointment. Why are you such a coward? You have thousands of volts of electricity in your body, Fuse thought. He then looked back at the approaching villain. The distance was down to three meters. Two meters.
"He's just a small fry, you know?" Fuse said casually, his voice not rising at all.
As the iron pipe swung down toward his skull, Fuse didn't dodge. He didn't even blink. He simply raised his right hand slowly, and with an elegant, measured motion, he curled his index finger.
WUNGGGG.
Instantly, a dense, transparent magnetic field exploded from Fuse's body.
The iron pipe, swinging at full speed by the villain, suddenly stopped mid-air as if hitting an invisible steel wall. The man's eyes widened, his arm muscles straining to push the pipe down, but the metal refused to obey.
And in milliseconds, the pipe bent. The thick metal curved 180 degrees backward with a horrifying creak, then with a strong magnetic push, the pipe's end rocketed back and slammed hard into its owner's face.
BTAK!
"AARGGH!"
The burly villain was thrown backward, nose broken, blood spraying into the air before his body hit the rocky ground and he passed out instantly.
Fuse lowered his hand, slipping it back into his pocket. He rotated his neck, looking at Kaminari and the others.
"See?" Fuse sighed, as if he had just shown a cheap magic trick to a toddler. "Very easy."
The remaining villains who witnessed the absurd event felt horrified. Their neck hairs stood on end. How could an iron pipe turn and hit its owner's face?
It made no sense!
However, that fear was quickly replaced. They swallowed, exchanged glances, then their anger took over.
"Don't underestimate us, brat!"
"Attack him together! He can't hold us all!"
A dozen villains swung their weapons—mostly sharp and blunt ones made of metal—and charged from all directions.
Fuse shook his head dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest. "So that's your choice? Picking the path full of pain and suffering?"
Fuse smiled, his red eyes flashing coldly. "Well, I don't care."
At that moment, the single iron pipe that had just broken the first villain's nose, lying on the rocks, suddenly floated into the air. The pipe flew toward Fuse, hovering above his head. And with one command from the depths of Fuse's mind, the pipe began to spin.
Slowly at first, but in a second, its speed increased drastically. The pipe spun like a deadly helicopter blade, creating a whirring sound of air being sliced—wush-wush-wush-wush—until its form blurred like a steel disk.
Jiro, observing this, felt cold sweat slowly appearing on her forehead. The aura Fuse radiated now felt very different. It seemed extremely oppressive!
"Fuse…" Jiro warned, swallowing hard. "You shouldn't provoke them too much. If you let your guard down, we could all die."
"I didn't mean to provoke," Fuse replied with a nauseatingly innocent tone. "I was just stating facts."
Fuse swung his hand straight toward the incoming horde.
At that moment, veins in his arm tensed as if about to snap. He bit his lower lip hard, tasting the salty blood, holding back a scream to preserve his perfect persona. His stamina was truly at the red line.
Damn it! The pain is insane! But I have to finish it in one attack!
The pipe spinning at storm speed shot forward like a guided missile.
It didn't pierce but swept. The iron propeller moved in a circle, slamming into weapons, knees, and chests in the blink of an eye. The sounds of metal clashing with bone and screams of pain created a horrifying symphony of chaos.
BAM! KRAK! BUG!
In less than ten seconds, the metal storm had flattened the front and back lines of enemies.
All the charging villains now lay sprawled on the rocky ground!
Some clutched broken legs, others groaned holding their stomachs, and many passed out from the impacts.
Knowing the first wave of attack was totally crushed, Fuse let out a long breath, releasing his teeth's grip on his lip. At that instant, he cut his magnetic connection. The spinning iron pipe lost momentum, clanging to the ground and rolling resignedly to the cliff's edge.
"How annoying," Fuse muttered, his voice slightly trembling as he held his breath to dampen the pain surging through his muscles. "Making me move at all."
He turned his body slowly, walking with a casual but careful gait to avoid looking limp. He glanced back slightly to see his three friends' reactions.
Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Kaminari stood frozen. Their mouths slightly open, eyes wide staring at the battlefield settled by one person in seconds. The shock was so real they forgot how to breathe.
"Why are you reacting like that?" Fuse sighed again, brushing back his red hair falling over his forehead. He looked at the still-gaping Kaminari with an accusing gaze. "You're the one who told me to finish it quickly, Kaminari. Don't blame me if something happens."
What Fuse meant was his friends' character development. In a standard shonen story arc, dire, life-threatening, and desperate situations like this were crucial for triggering character growth. They were supposed to fight desperately, discover hidden Quirk potentials, and strengthen team bonds.
But because of Fuse's interference, the battle that should have been their evolutionary milestone turned into a boring solo show. Fuse secretly worried. If he kept solving every problem and stealing their EXP, he feared Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro wouldn't develop like in the canon story. In the end, their weaknesses would burden his future path and make upcoming obstacles much heavier for him to bear alone.
As for Fuse, he actually cared quite a bit about his classmates' character growth. Individually, setting aside the main plot, he knew if he kept taking an excessive savior role, he'd only create a generation of spoiled heroes dependent on him.
"But…." Fuse said softly, pushing the complicated thoughts to the corner of his mind. He walked toward a pile of rocks on the cliff's right side, eyes narrowing sharply. "What's done is done. History can't be rewound."
His boot steps crunched on the gravel. He stopped right in front of a mound of earth that looked slightly unnatural among the hard rocks.
He stared at the ground with a cold gaze that could freeze blood.
"I know you're hiding down there like a mole rat," Fuse said, his voice pressed low, laden with deadly threat. "The metal aura from your belt buckle and the nails in your shoe soles resonate with my field. Come out now. Stand on your own two feet… before I pull the iron in your shoes and drag you out in a way that'll make you lose your legs."
At that moment, the atmosphere fell silent briefly. Wind blew, carrying dust.
Then, the ground began to tremble. Slowly, the mound opened, and a pair of dirty hands emerged, raised high in absolute surrender. The villain crawled out, his face hidden by a mask, but his neck clearly drenched in fearful sweat. He had seen his comrades mercilessly slaughtered from his earthen gap.
"Good," Fuse praised in a condescending tone, smiling smugly at the fear in the villain's eyes. "It seems you understand your situation very well. I don't hate villains who have the intelligence to know their place in the food chain."
The villain fully emerged and knelt on the ground, not daring to make eye contact.
Fuse raised his finger, controlling two thin iron pipes from the scattered weapons. The pipes floated, then wrapped tightly around the villain's wrists behind his back. The metal twisted and tightened by Fuse's magnetic force, locking him like unbreakable handcuffs.
At that moment, Fuse's shoulder twitched. He closed his eyes, jaw clenching again to hold back the stinging wave of pain in his arm. Damn, seriously, twisting metal hurts more than throwing it…?! he winced inwardly.
After ensuring the captive was secure and his friends protected, Fuse turned. He walked toward Momo Yaoyorozu.
The girl stared at him, still trying to process her class rep's actions.
"Yaoyorozu," Fuse called, his sharp eyes staring straight into hers. "Can you create an iron sword? Long, solid, and very sharp."
Yaoyorozu tilted her head, a bit confused by the specific request when the battle seemed over. "Of course I can create it, by manipulating the lipids in my body. But… what do you need a sword for, Fuse-san? All the villains in this area are already incapacitated by you."
Instead of answering, Fuse smiled mysteriously. He turned his head, staring straight at Denki Kaminari, who was still sitting on the rock.
Seeing Fuse's smile slowly blooming—a smile that seemed too eager and a bit insane—Kaminari realized the meaning of that gaze. His neck hairs stood on end, and he shivered with cold.
"H-hey, Fuse…" Kaminari backed up a little, raising his hands defensively. "Y-you're not planning to use that sword to chop me up, right?! For God's sake, I'm your friend! Don't look at me like that!"
Fuse laughed softly, a deep laugh echoing off the cliff rocks.
"Don't be stupid, Kaminari. A protagonist doesn't chop up his allies," Fuse replied, his eyes shining with uncontainable enthusiasm. "I just suddenly remembered your brilliant words on the bus this morning."
Fuse paused, letting the dramatization hang in the air. His white armor gleamed under the USJ lights.
"We," Fuse said, pointing at Kaminari then at himself, "will do it. The elemental collaboration project you dreamed of. Prepare your electricity. We're going to make a lightning sword."
…
A/N: Not much I want to say. This chapter just follows the canon arc but with slight changes due to Fuse's interference. The next chapter is still action, against Shigaraki and Nomu; I think it'll take two chapters, but I'll try to make it one to avoid being too boring. Btw, I just watched A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It's so interesting that it made me lose track of time lol. Anyway, if you guys are too tired waiting for the next chapter… please check my Patreon, where I update much faster than on this platform! (Now there are already 3 chapters updated after this one!)
You can see the next chapter sooner on my patreon whose link is below:
https://www.pâtreon.com/Junxt
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