The afternoon fell slowly, tinting the sky with a tired shade of orange as a true war-scale operation unfolded there. Patrol cars, drones, floodlights, barricades — everything surrounded by the massive presence of police, heroes, and rescue teams.
The NBC units — dressed in their heavy anti-radiation suits — advanced through the forest, the ruins, the scattered debris of the battlefield.
Entire teams in silver hazmat suits walked through the woods, detectors and cameras in hand, scanning every inch of the devastated ground. The glow on their yellow visors reflected the charred vegetation, the shattered ice… and the strange spherical holes in the earth.
Near the fallen Sentinel's carcass, three NBC members worked with extreme caution.
"Nothing… zero readings," one of them murmured, his voice muffled by the modulator.
He tapped the Geiger counter twice, as if he suspected it was broken.
"I don't know if I should be relieved or worried about that…"
A technician, kneeling inside the crater — a bit ahead of where the robot had collapsed — raised his camera to record the scene before him. The lens pointed first to the sky: clear, calm, as if nothing had happened.
But when he zoomed out…
the image changed completely.
A perfect trail of spherical holes, one after another, aligned in a straight trajectory of pure destruction — as if a beam had carved through the world, erasing everything in its path.
They were so symmetrical they looked like geometric artworks.
The technician stepped back. His breath fogged up the inside of his mask.
"It looks like… something erased everything in the way," he muttered, hardly believing his own words. "What kind of power does that?"
He looked at the destruction trail, then at the dead Sentinel.
"Good thing the angle of that… whatever it was… didn't hit any buildings."
Meanwhile, near the collapse zone, Nezu observed the chaos with his small, calculating eyes. Present Mic and Midnight stood beside him, both still visibly tense.
Ahead of them, surrounded by caution tape and specialists, was what remained of the Omnidroid — split cleanly in half.
"Seeing it like this… it almost looks like it opened itself," Present Mic said, scratching his chin.
"Yes," Midnight replied. "As if it were a cocoon designed to release the real threat."
The interior of the machine was being photographed, analyzed, dismantled piece by piece by firefighters and NBC units.
Nezu tilted his head.
"It's technology that shouldn't exist in this world…"
He glanced toward the forested zone, then at the perfect trail of destruction left behind by Ryo's blast — though almost no one there yet knew who was responsible.
"Whoever created these machines…" the principal continued, placing his little paws behind his back with refined, almost aristocratic posture, "…is the same one responsible for the attack in the United States."
Midnight turned to him.
"So this would be… a warning?"
"I'm afraid so."
He looked again at the Omnidroid split down the middle, at the heavy silence surrounding that machine.
"And if this isn't the warning of a greater war…"
His eyes glinted.
"…then it is the prelude to one."
And he was right.
Because at that very moment, the entire world was facing the same crisis.
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-France-
The Parisian sky was covered in smoke. Amid the devastated streets, France's number one hero walked with confident steps, facing the same crisis.
✦ LE ROI D'OR — Quirk: Midas Touch
The Omnidroid advanced toward him.
But the hero simply raised his hand.
"This place is a bit dull… let me add some shine."
As he touched the ground, a golden wave spread like a silent explosion, turning half of the square into solid gold. The Omnidroid was transformed into pure gold, like a museum statue.
"Et voilà…"
He struck his golden fist against his chest.
"France remains bright."
-Brazil-
In Rio de Janeiro, the heat seemed alive, pulsating. Brazil's number one hero emerged from the flames of a burning building:
✦ Igneel — Quirk: Igneous Body
The Omnidroid was reduced to molten metal, with the Sentinel half-melted and stuck in the concrete.
He floated with his body incandescent, the asphalt vibrating with heat.
"Step forward 'cause I'm on fire… in Brazil, there's no mercy."
Igneel assumed his physical form, smiling.
"Brasil é o melhor do mundo, porra."
-Russia-
The frozen tundra trembled as Russia's number one hero approached:
✦ Magnitov — Quirk: Magnetism
He raised his hands — the Omnidroid, hundreds of tons, hovered in the air as if it were a toy.
Magnitov Tsar clenched his fist, and the robot was crushed, bent, twisted like aluminum foil.
"Never underestimate Mother Russia."
-China-
On top of the Guilin mountains, dust rising around him, stood the legendary number one hero:
✦ Wukong — Quirk: Monkey King
He was kneeling, blood dripping from his nose and mouth, breathing heavily.
The Omnidroid lay destroyed behind him.
The Sentinel crushed in half in front of him.
He leaned on his golden staff, missing a leg.
"Hah… I'm still the strongest…" he murmured with a weary smile. "…even if I'm old."
He spat blood to the side.
"Come at me, as many as you want. I'm still standing."
-South Korea-
The coastline was swallowed by the roar of something colossal.
The number one hero emerged from the sea like a deity:
✦ Yongwang — Quirk: Great Tide
The battlefield looked more like an execution ground.
The Omnidroid was split into pieces so cleanly by the pressurized water that they resembled sashimi.
Yongwang, impeccable, posed for the cameras and phones the crowd aimed at him.
"YONGWANG!!!""YONGWANG! LOOK AT ME, PLEASE!!""I LOVE YOU, YONGWANG!!"
He ran his hand through his hair before looking at the robot's carcass, speaking in a calm, serious tone:
"Don't bring trash into my waters."
-Philippines-
In the middle of a devastated field, the number one hero of the Philippines calmly chewed on a piece of hay while standing atop the Omnidroid's open carcass.
✦ Lapu-Lapu — Quirk: Molten Blades
He cracked his shoulder as the Sentinel dragged itself, missing half its legs.
"Ugh… such a hassle."
He stomped on the Sentinel's head.
"Done already?"
The machine tried to fire one last laser beam.
But Lapu-Lapu quickly drew his katana, the metal rapidly heating to extreme temperatures, and sliced the robot to pieces.
He sheathed his weapon and spat the hay aside.
"Not bad… he made a decent mannequin…"
There were many others who achieved victories as well, such as Austria, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Morocco and several more.
But not all of them were as fortunate. Some smaller countries, with weaker defenses, lost their main heroes. Streets became deserted, cities were devastated, and the global sense of insecurity deepened. The attack that once seemed distant now had international reach — a warning that the world was about to change.
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The silence in the room was almost absolute—the soft, padded kind typical of hospitals. Only the rhythmic beeping of a monitor and the distant whisper of footsteps echoing down the hallway filled the air.
Ryo opened his eyes slowly, feeling the world tilt slightly, as if he were surfacing from underwater. He blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts, then lifted a hand to his forehead.
A light but persistent sting.
"Where…?"
Before he could finish the thought, a lively, surprised voice came from the other side of the curtain to his left:
"Ah! You finally woke up!"
The curtain was pulled aside, and Ryo froze for a moment.
The woman in the bed next to him had short navy-blue hair with a spiral blonde streak, hazel eyes with concentric rings—like stylized black holes—and hands wrapped in a black layer, ending in capped, sealed fingertips.
She looked tired… but radiant all the same.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice soft with concern. "Headache? Dizzy? Dehydrated?"
Ryo lifted a hand in a casual I'm fine gesture.
"I… I think I'm okay." He tilted his head. "But… who are you? Have we met before?"
The woman blinked, realizing her slip.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I almost forgot…" She put her hands together shyly. "I'm Anan Kurose. But you know me as… Thirteen."
Ryo's eyes widened.
"I… thought you were a guy."
She let out a bashful, embarrassed laugh.
"I'm used to that—it happens more often than I'd like to admit. My costume doesn't help at all."
He let out a soft, amused sigh.
"Yeah, I can imagine."
But then his expression shifted. His focus drifted to her torso and back—bandaged, rigid, wrapped in layers of dressing.
"You… you're really hurt."
Thirteen smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah… I ended up being ambushed while trying to ensure your classmates' safety," she said with a sheepish smile. "I tried to fight back, of course… but the villain managed to use my quirk against me."
Ryo saw the way she looked at her own hands—a distant expression, as if she could still feel the weight of possessing such a power.
"It must've been the mist one… The same one I almost… the same one who… Damn… why can't I remember…"
The pain struck suddenly, sharp, cutting the thought in half. He pressed a hand to his temple.
Anan immediately straightened.
"Tanaka-kun? Are you okay? Do you want me to call someone?"
"I'm… I'm fine." he replied quickly, breathing slowly until the pain faded. "How long was I out?"
"Two days," she answered plainly.
His eyes widened.
"Two days?!"
She nodded calmly, as if it were normal.
"And… my class? Are they okay?"
"They are." Thirteen replied with a reassuring smile. "Bakugo has bruises and burns, but he's fine."
"The real problem was with us, the teachers," she continued, more serious. "Aizawa was in critical condition. And All Might… he lost part of his left arm."
Ryo went still.
Each word seemed to echo inside his chest with a delay.
Thirteen, noticing the silence, softened her voice:
"But the most important thing… is that all of you are safe. For pro heroes like us, getting hurt is part of the job. You'll see that a lot in the hero course."
His gaze dropped to the sheets covering him.
And the question came out in a whisper—meant for her, but also for himself:
"I… I don't know if I want to keep going in the course."
Anan turned toward him quickly, surprise clear on her face.
"What? Why?"
Ryo took a deep breath, trying to organize thoughts he himself barely understood.
"It's not because of what happened," he murmured. "Not because of what happened to me there. It's just… U.A. isn't what I expected. Actually, I didn't expect anything from the start. And somehow… I haven't found the vision I wanted to see."
"Vision?"
He looked at her.
"What you said… about quirks."
Anan raised her eyebrows, listening in silent attention.
"I… was disappointed by that." he admitted plainly. "You said quirks don't exist to hurt anyone. But what about cases like mine? My power feels made to kill. I don't see how it could help someone… save someone. I've brought death just by being born, to innocent people who never should've died."
His breath trembled.
"So I… I got irritated with you in that moment. I was disappointed."
He looked down.
"Sorry if that was rude."
Thirteen smiled in a way so gentle, so warm, it felt like a hug through her eyes alone.
"That wasn't rude, Tanaka-kun."
She slowly shook her head.
"It was honest. And honesty is… very rare. Most people would carry that weight their entire lives."
She rested her bandaged hands on her lap.
"Hearing someone else's perspective is essential to understanding them. And you showed me something clear: Your past still chains you."
Ryo lifted his gaze.
"But…" she continued, meeting his eyes with quiet firmness, "a lot of what you said is contradicted by your actions. You say your quirk is dangerous, that it can only kill and never save… but you used it to protect your classmates and teachers at the USJ. Your actions speak louder than your words, Tanaka-kun."
He froze, as if her words had disarmed him.
Thirteen took a slow breath and smiled kindly:
"I understand if you want to leave the course. I won't force you, or try to change your viewpoint."
Her voice softened—almost maternal.
"But I want you to… at least follow the instinct that brought you this far."
She reached out and pointed to his chest.
"Because it's what kept you standing when you needed it most."
The silence that followed was comfortable. The noise of the infirmary, the beep of the monitor, the distant footsteps in the corridor formed a small melody.
"I see…" he murmured, barely audible. "Thank you… Thirteen."
Anan smiled, satisfied.
"You're welcome."
Ryo looked at Anan again.
"Perhaps fixing things wasn't about erasing the past, but about learning to build something new upon its gaps."
He let the thought linger, continuing to gaze at the woman who would be his future mentor.
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(Note: I ended up taking a while because some delays came up, I didn't quite reach my goal of 3k words, but I hope you're happy with these 2.2k. I moved the revelation of the MC's identity to All Might to the next chapter; it would be too rushed if I put it here. If this chapter isn't good, I can change and rewrite it at any time if most people want.)