The dome doors slid open completely with a metallic hiss that echoed through the air. Class 1-A crossed the threshold and every student stopped dead in their tracks immediately.
"WOW!"
"This is incredible!"
"It's huge!"
Ren looked up, feeling his jaw drop involuntarily. The images from the anime hadn't done justice to the actual size of this place. The vaulted ceiling rose dozens of meters above them, and the interior space was so vast it could have easily housed several apartment buildings.
"It's bigger than it looked from the outside," Momo whispered beside him, her eyes wide.
"Definitely," Ren replied, his voice breathless.
The interior of the USJ was a marvel of simulation engineering. From the entrance, Ren could see different clearly defined zones stretching in every direction around a massive central plaza. To the right, ruined buildings leaned precariously. Beyond that, a mountainous area with rocky cliffs rose dramatically. To the left, an artificial storm raged over urban structures, with artificial lightning illuminating the darkened sky. Directly in front of them, to the west, a partially sunken ship protruded from the water in what was clearly a shipwreck zone.
"Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint," a cheerful voice echoed from the stairs descending toward the central plaza.
Ren turned his attention toward the approaching figure. It was Thirteen, the rescue hero, dressed in her characteristic space suit. Her rounded helmet reflected the dome lights, completely hiding her face.
"It's Thirteen!" Ochako practically screamed with excitement, her eyes shining with admiration. "The space rescue hero! She's one of my favorites!"
"I am glad to have such enthusiastic fans," Thirteen said as she approached with a light gait. Her voice had a warm, maternal tone that immediately made everyone feel more relaxed. "It is an honor to meet the new generation of heroes."
Aizawa stepped forward from behind the group of students. His messy hair and perpetually tired expression contrasted sharply with Thirteen's energy.
"Thirteen," he said, "where is All Might? He was supposed to be supervising this with you."
Ren felt his stomach tighten. Here it comes.
Thirteen leaned slightly toward Aizawa, her voice dropping to a whisper that was barely audible to Ren thanks to his close position.
"He had too much work on the way here," she explained apologetically. "Apparently, he stopped several incidents and exhausted his time limit. He asked me to tell you he was very sorry."
Aizawa let out a long, frustrated sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.
"Always overdoing it. Tch, there's no helping it. We'll have to proceed without him."
Shit, Ren thought. Everything is happening just like it did in the anime... although I don't remember seeing Nemuri in the USJ arc.
Thirteen turned back to the class with renewed enthusiasm, her arms stretching toward the different zones of the dome.
"Alright, my young heroes in training, let me explain the wonders of the USJ. As you can see, we have multiple simulated disaster zones designed to train you in rescues under extremely realistic conditions."
She pointed toward the northeast where ruined buildings wobbled precariously.
"The Collapse Zone simulates an urban environment devastated by earthquakes or structural failures. The buildings are designed with advanced safety systems, but they are unstable enough to provide a real challenge."
Then she turned toward the east.
"The Landslide Zone recreates landslides over urban areas. You will learn to navigate unstable terrain while searching for survivors."
Her gloved finger pointed to the southwest.
"The Fire Zone maintains constant flames in a controlled urban environment. You will work on rescues under extreme heat and thick smoke."
Kaminari whistled, impressed.
"Is all of this real? Are they not holograms or anything?"
"Everything is completely real," Thirteen confirmed, "though with exhaustive safety measures, of course."
She continued her visual tour, pointing toward the south.
"The Mountain Zone has real cliffs and challenging rocky terrain. Perfect for high altitude and difficult terrain rescues."
To the northwest, where artificial lightning illuminated the darkened sky:
"The Downpour Zone simulates gales and intense rain. Visibility is minimal and the wind can reach dangerous speeds."
Finally, toward the west:
"And the Shipwreck Zone has a partially sunken ship in real water. It includes a rather dangerous slide and is designed for water rescue training."
"It's like having several different natural disasters under one roof," Momo commented with evident admiration. "The engineering required for this must be extraordinary."
"It is," Thirteen nodded with pride. "And furthermore, the entire building is equipped with state of the art sensors to detect any security issues or unauthorized intruders."
Ren felt a chill run down his spine at those last words.
"Now," Thirteen raised her right hand, palm open toward the students, "before we begin the practical exercises, I want to talk to you about my Quirk."
The class moved closer, paying full attention. Ren could see the fascination in Ochako's eyes.
"My Quirk is called Black Hole," Thirteen explained seriously. "As the name suggests, I can create a suction vortex at my fingertips that works similarly to a miniature black hole. Everything I catch with it is turned into dust."
There were impressed murmurs among the students.
"That's incredible," Kirishima said with admiration.
"It's terrifying," Mineta added with a trembling voice.
"It is both," Thirteen continued. "And that is exactly my point. My Quirk has immense destructive power. I could easily kill someone if I wasn't careful."
The atmosphere became more somber. Several students exchanged uncomfortable looks.
"Quirks like mine, or Bakugo's explosions, or Ashido's acid, all have lethal potential," Thirteen explained gently. "But true heroes use their Quirks to save lives."
Nemuri, who had been observing silently from the side, nodded in approval.
"Thirteen is right," she added with her velvety voice. "Power without purpose is just violence. The purpose of this training is to learn how to rescue better."
"Exactly," Thirteen gave a small bow. "Please remember that during today's activities. You are not here to prove how strong you are. You are here to prove how many lives you can save."
There was a respectful silence. Even Bakugo, who usually would have grunted something about being the strongest, stayed quiet.
Aizawa stepped forward, his expression more serious than usual.
"Alright, enough inspiring talk. Let's begin with..."
CLUNK
All the lights in the dome went out simultaneously. The objects that ran on electricity stopped working. Fortunately, natural light entered through the dome windows, so the interior was still visible.
"What was that?" Kaminari asked nervously.
"A power outage?" Jiro suggested.
Ren felt his heart start to race. It's time.
"Everyone stay together," Aizawa ordered in a sharp voice, his eyes already glowing with the characteristic red of his Erasure Quirk activating. "Thirteen, check the emergency systems."
"Got it," Thirteen started moving toward a nearby control panel.
Nemuri approached Aizawa, her usually playful expression replaced by professionalism.
"This isn't normal," she whispered. "The backup systems should have kept the main lights on."
"I know," Aizawa replied in a low voice.
Then Ren saw it. In the center of the central plaza, right in front of the decorative fountain, the air began to distort. A dark purple mist materialized out of nowhere, expanding and swirling like a liquid whirlpool.
"There!" Kirishima pointed.
"What is that?"
The purple mist expanded to form a massive portal. And from that portal, figures began to emerge.
The first figure that crossed the threshold made Ren feel like his blood was freezing. Pale hands covered his face and body, his bluish gray hair falling messily around his head. Behind the hands, Ren could see his red eyes glowing with murderous insanity.
"Hello," Shigaraki said with a voice both raspy and childlike at the same time. "We're sorry to interrupt, but... where is All Might? We carefully checked the itinerary provided to us and it said he should be here."
More villains began to emerge from the portal. Dozens of them. Some with grotesque mutations, others with weapons, all with expressions hungry for violence.
And then it appeared.
Ren had seen the Nomu in the anime. Nothing had prepared him for the reality of that thing.
It was huge, easily three meters tall. Its skin was an unnatural black, with its exposed and pulsing brain visible through its partially open skull. Pupil-less yellow eyes stared ahead with no sign of intelligence. Its bulky muscles tensed and relaxed constantly, as if it could barely restrain itself from tearing everything around it apart. Its sharp beak opened and closed with audible clicks.
"My God," Momo whispered, horrified.
"What the hell is that thing?" Bakugo growled, but Ren noticed a hint of unease in his voice.
Nemuri stepped forward, her eyes quickly analyzing the situation. Her brain connected the dots almost instantaneously.
"You," she said coldly, "were the ones who destroyed the UA security gate; you let the reporters in."
Shigaraki laughed, a raspy and disturbing sound.
"Oh, you figured it out already? How clever. Yes, that was our little test. And now that Kurogiri was able to verify the class itinerary..."
"They have internal information," Aizawa finished in a deadly voice, "the activity schedule."
"Bingo!" Shigaraki clapped. "You're smarter than you look, sensei."
Aizawa turned to Thirteen and Nemuri, his expression completely serious.
"Thirteen, Midnight, evacuate the students. Now."
"Evacuate?" Bakugo protested. "We can fight..."
"SILENCE!" Aizawa roared with an intensity that made Bakugo flinch. "This is not a training exercise. These are real villains. Thirteen, Midnight, move."
Nemuri nodded sharply.
"Understood. Class 1-A, evacuation formation, now!"
Ren felt his legs start moving automatically, following Thirteen and Nemuri toward the dome entrance. His mind screamed. This is happening. This is really happening.
Shit, shit, shit.
Aizawa was already running toward the horde of villains, his special bandages unwinding from his neck.
"Aizawa-sensei!" Iida shouted with concern.
"Go!" Aizawa shouted without looking back as his bandages caught three villains simultaneously and slammed them against the ground.
Class 1-A ran toward the exit. They were halfway to the stairs leading to the entrance when the purple mist materialized directly in front of them, completely blocking their escape route.
Everyone stopped dead.
The mist condensed, taking a more defined shape. Glowing yellow eyes appeared in the center of the dark mass, and a deep, reverberating voice spoke.
"Greetings, young students of UA. We are the League of Villains. We apologize for interrupting your class, but we have pending business with All Might. Please, do not resist. This will be easier for everyone if you cooperate."
"Back!" Thirteen placed herself protectively in front of the students.
Ren's brain went into survival mode. I can make this work.
"EVERYONE!" Ren shouted with all the authority he could muster, his role as class representative finally showing its purpose. "FORM THE TEAMS WE DISCUSSED ON THE BUS!"
For a second, everyone looked confused, turning toward him with bewildered expressions. Then Ren saw the realization light up their faces one by one.
Oh? Kurogiri thought, his yellow eyes blinking with surprise. Did they already have contingency plans?
"Understood!" Iida was the first to react, his engines making a characteristic noise as he moved. He immediately reached Ojiro and Koda. "Mobility and communication group!"
"Detection group!" Jiro extended her hand toward Shoji, who grabbed it firmly with one of his multiple arms.
"Dynamic mobility!" Mina extended her hands toward Tsuyu, her eyes glowing with determination. Hagakure appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Tsuyu's hand.
"Defense and support!" Kirishima shouted, taking Sato's hand while Sero joined them.
The students moved with surprising coordination, forming small groups just as they had planned.
"The trackers!" Ren shouted. "Don't lose them!"
But Kurogiri was already expanding, clearly annoyed by the unexpected organization.
"Impressive," he admitted in a deep voice, "but useless."
His mist exploded outward in multiple directions simultaneously, enveloping the groups of students.
"Don't let go!" Ren shouted desperately.
"Keep your teams!" Nemuri added urgently.
Ren reacted by instinct. Using his telekinesis, he pushed himself backward, away from Kurogiri's main portal. His hand reached Mina, who was nearby. He felt other hands grabbing his clothes. Ochako had jumped toward him at the last second. And although he couldn't see her, he knew Hagakure was there too, along with Tsuyu.
The mist enveloped them all.
Groups of students were swallowed by dark portals, disappearing into whirlpools of purple mist.
For an instant, everything was darkness and a sensation of falling for Ren. His stomach churned. Then his feet touched solid ground with an impact that almost made him stumble.
He blinked, recovering his orientation quickly. They were... still near the entrance.
He looked around quickly, doing a mental count. Nemuri was a few meters away, looking alert and already in a combat stance. Thirteen was closer to the main door. Mina was clinging to his left arm, her yellow eyes wide. Ochako was right behind him, breathing heavily alongside a panting Tsuyu.
"Hagakure-san?" Ren called.
"Here!" Hagakure's voice came from his right. "I'm okay!"
Ren let out a sigh of relief before turning toward the central plaza. The rest of the class had been scattered.
At least most are in groups, Ren thought with relief. They aren't completely alone. The GPS trackers should fulfill their role right now.
Kurogiri materialized completely in front of them, his glowing yellow eyes fixed on Thirteen.
"Ah, the space rescue hero," he said in a tone almost polite but clearly threatening. "Your reputation precedes you. But I'm afraid I cannot allow you to interfere with our plans."
Thirteen stepped forward, placing herself protectively between Kurogiri and the remaining students. Her right hand began to rise, and the fingertips of her space suit started to open.
Shit! Panic exploded in Ren's brain. I must hurry, this is the main reason I decided not to be teleported.
"Black Hole!" Thirteen shouted.
The hatch on her finger opened completely, revealing the dark void beneath. A massive suction vortex exploded from her hand. The air distorted visibly as it was dragged toward the point of origin with tremendous force. The ground beneath their feet began to crack. Small debris was ripped from the floor and turned into dust instantly.
"THIRTEEN-SENSEI, NO!" Ren acted. His telekinesis exploded outward. He grabbed Thirteen's arm with his mental power and pulled it down with all the strength he could gather.
Thirteen's arm moved sharply downward. The diverted vortex passed several meters to the right of Kurogiri, shattering part of the concrete floor.
"What?" Thirteen turned to Ren with absolute confusion. Her voice sounded almost offended. "Why...?"
"He's your natural counter!" Ren shouted. "His Quirk creates portals! If you use your Black Hole on him, he'll just open a portal behind you and attack you with your own power!"
The eyes behind Thirteen's visor widened with horrified realization.
"I... hadn't thought of that," she admitted with a trembling voice.
Nemuri cursed audibly from her position.
"Shit. The brat is right. Thirteen, back off."
Kurogiri had fully recovered, his form reconstituting into its normal state. His yellow eyes were now fixed on Ren.
"Impressive," he said in a deep and calculating voice. "A first year student who can analyze combat tactics under extreme pressure and predict counterattacks in fractions of a second. Not only that, but he organized his entire class into coordinated teams before I could completely disperse them. You are very dangerous, young man."
Ren felt a chill run down his spine.
Think, Ren. Think fast. Kurogiri is dangerous, but he has a weakness. If I can let the others know...
"His weakness!" Ren suddenly shouted, making everyone turn toward him with surprised looks. He pointed directly at the center of Kurogiri's mist mass. "The vessel! The metal plates on his body! That is his weak point!"
The effect was immediate.
Kurogiri stood completely still for a fraction of a second. His yellow eyes widened with what could only be described as absolute shock.
"How...?" His voice lost all its polite composure. "How the hell do you know that?"
Then his tone became furious, almost violent.
"It doesn't matter! I will not allow you to use that information!"
Kurogiri's mist exploded violently, expanding in all directions. He lunged directly at Ren like a dark wave of murderous intent.
"Ren!" Mina screamed, horrified.
"WATCH OUT!" Ochako extended her hands instinctively.
But before the mist could reach Ren, something invisible hit Kurogiri from the side with considerable force.
CLANG
The impact was solid and metallic. Kurogiri's form distorted violently and the mist separated for a moment. And there, visible for a fraction of a second, was the metal vessel wobbling inside the mist mass.
"I hit him!" Hagakure's voice came out of nowhere, triumphant and gasping. "I hit the vessel directly!"
"Excellent work, Hagakure-san!" Ren shouted as he stepped back several paces, putting distance between himself and Kurogiri.
Kurogiri recovered quickly, but now his attention was divided. His yellow eyes moved erratically, trying to locate the invisible girl while also keeping watch over Ren and the others.
"Damn invisible girl," he growled with evident frustration. His polite composure had completely vanished. "Where are you?"
Nemuri saw the opportunity. She stepped forward, her hand reaching for the whip coiled on her hero suit. Her expression was lethal and her blue eyes shone with professional determination.
"Enough of this," she declared in a cold voice. "I'm going to finish..."
"Midnight-sensei, no!" Ren interrupted her. "Don't fight him now!"
Nemuri looked at him with surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"What? Why not? You just revealed his weakness. It's the perfect time to..."
"You need to contact UA!" Ren insisted. "Use the emergency communicator Yaoyorozu created! Call for professional reinforcements now!"
"But..." Nemuri hesitated, looking between Ren and Kurogiri.
"I can handle him!" Ren interrupted her again. "My telekinesis Quirk is perfect for keeping him at a distance! But we need professional reinforcements now or we're all going to die! Look at how many villains there are!"
He gestured wildly toward the central plaza where Aizawa was fighting dozens of villains simultaneously. The teacher's bandages were flying in every direction and his Erasure Quirk was activating repeatedly, but he was clearly outnumbered.
"They have a giant monster down there," Ren continued desperately. "And they scattered all our classmates across the dome. We need professional help NOW!"
Nemuri processed the information in seconds. Her eyes moved quickly: Kurogiri blocking the exit, Aizawa being overwhelmed, the students scattered, the Nomu waiting in the central plaza as a silent threat.
"Damn it," she cursed vehemently. "Alright. But be very careful."
She pulled out the emergency communicator Momo had created on the bus. It was a small rectangular device, but at this moment it seemed like the most important thing in the world.
"This is Midnight," she spoke quickly into the device as she retreated several steps toward a safer position. "The USJ is under attack by the League of Villains. I repeat, villain invasion at the USJ. Multiple hostiles. Requesting immediate reinforcements. The students have been scattered."
Kurogiri watched with evident frustration as Nemuri communicated. His mist expanded again, but this time with more control.
"I will not allow..."
His movement toward Nemuri was interrupted when Ren extended his hand and a nearby trash can flew toward the center of Kurogiri's mist mass.
CLANG
The can hit something solid in the center of the mist. Kurogiri twisted, distorting again.
"Stay focused on the vessel!" Ren shouted. "It's his only physical weak point!"
Mina reacted instantly. Her hands glowed with an acidic shimmer as she launched a stream of corrosive liquid directly at where the trash can had hit.
Kurogiri opened a portal in front of him, diverting the acid, but the effort clearly distracted him enough for Nemuri to continue her transmission without interruption.
Ochako touched several pieces of debris on the floor, making them float. With a coordinated movement, Tsuyu launched them at Kurogiri from multiple angles.
"Good job!" Ren encouraged them.
It was coordinated chaos. They weren't causing real damage to Kurogiri, but they were keeping him busy enough so that he couldn't interrupt Nemuri's communication or attack them effectively.
Kurogiri growled with growing frustration.
"Troublesome kids," he muttered as he opened multiple portals to divert the incoming attacks. "Why do you have to be so problematic?"
******
Author's Note:
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Power Stone Challenge!
Unfortunately, we were just shy of our goal last week, but don't worry! I'm back with a new, more achievable challenge.
The Goal: If we hit 800 Power Stones this week, I will immediately release 3 bonus chapters this Sunday to kick off the new week!
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Thank you all for the incredible support. Let's hit that goal!