Chapter 23: USJ: The Calm Before the Storm

The morning in Class 1-A was buzzing with its usual pre-class energy. Students gathered in groups, chatting about Present Mic's English homework and the rumors surrounding the upcoming sports festival. In their usual corner, the trio of Izuku, Ochako, and Momo were speaking in low voices.

"I still think the application of fluid dynamics to emission-type Quirks is fascinating," Momo said, showing Izuku a page from her neat notes. "Air resistance isn't a constant, but a variable that can be manipulated."

"Exactly!" Izuku whispered with enthusiasm. "If a hero like Endeavor can control the air temperature around him, he could create low-pressure zones to increase the velocity of his fire projectiles. Thermodynamics as a weapon!"

Ochako watched them, blinking slowly.

"You two and your science. I'm just thinking, 'Don't let the bad guy hit me!'"

The classroom door slid open and in walked Shota Aizawa, looking like he'd gotten even less sleep than usual and dragging his sleeping bag as if it were another limb. The class chatter died down instantly.

"Good morning," he said, his voice a monotonous growl. "Sit down. Today, we're doing rescue training."

The word "rescue" sent a wave of excited murmurs through the room.

"Awesome, rescue training!"

"That sounds like real hero work!"

Aizawa ignored them.

"It will be at an off-site location, so we'll be taking a bus."

Chaos erupted. The excitement of their first U.A. field trip was uncontainable.

"A field trip!"

"Where are we going?"

"I hope it's somewhere cool!"

Aizawa sighed, a sound of pure, absolute resignation.

"Put on your hero costumes. Or don't. I don't care. Just make sure they're suitable for any type of disaster. Meet at the parking lot in ten minutes. Don't make me wait."

With that, he slid out of the classroom, no doubt to find a dark corner to sleep in until the bus arrived. The class erupted in a frenzy, everyone talking at once and getting out of their seats.

"Everyone!" Iida's voice tried to cut through the uproar, but it was swallowed whole.

Izuku stood up. He didn't shout, but his voice held a new, quiet authority.

"Guys!"

The noise dropped a few decibels.

"You heard Aizawa-sensei. Ten minutes. We don't know where we're going, so think logically about your costumes. Be prepared for anything," he said, his gaze sweeping across the class.

Momo stood up beside him, backing him up.

"Midoriya is right. Preparation is key. Let us proceed to the changing rooms in an orderly and efficient manner."

The combination of his calm and her formality worked. The chaos morphed into purposeful movement. Izuku smiled to himself. Maybe this class rep thing wasn't so hard after all.

The bus was a metal tube filled with teenage chaos. Iida, true to his nature, was trying to organize the seating by student number.

"Classmates! Orderly boarding is essential for a hero's efficiency and discipline! I suggest we sit according to our student ID numbers to facilitate a smooth roll call!"

"Easy there, Iida," Izuku said, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked past. "It's not an evacuation drill. I think we can all find a seat. Relax and enjoy the ride."

Iida stood frozen, processing the logic of the situation, before sitting rigidly in the first empty seat he found. The rest of the class spread out as they pleased, conversations overlapping in a cheerful cacophony.

Izuku, Ochako, and Momo found three seats together. The conversation soon drifted to an analysis of their classmates. It was Tsuyu Asui, sitting in the seat across from them and turned in their direction, who started the most interesting topic.

"Uraraka," she said, her index finger on her chin. "I was thinking about your match the other day. The way you made the whole room float was incredible, ribbit."

Ochako blushed, a bright pink that rivaled the accents on her costume.

"Oh, thanks, Tsuyu! It was no big deal, I just…"

"But to be honest," Tsuyu interrupted with her unshakeable frankness, "it was also a little scary. The idea of floating helplessly, completely at your mercy while you move around freely… It's a terrifying tactic."

Several nearby students, including Sero and Ojiro, nodded silently, having overheard the conversation. Ochako's smile faltered.

"I-it was no big deal!" she repeated, waving her hands. "It was Deku's idea! He's the scary one!"

All eyes turned to Izuku.

Kaminari laughed from across the aisle.

"It's true! The brains of the operation! Hey, Midoriya, how do you come up with that stuff? Is that your 'Coach' Quirk? Does it give you super-tactical intelligence or something?"

Izuku shook his head, his answer fluid and rehearsed.

"I wish it were that cool. No, my Quirk just helps me understand behavioral patterns, like when you teach a dog not to chew on the furniture. The rest is just studying a lot of physics and observing people. Ochako's strategy worked because she has incredible control over her power; I just gave her a little theoretical nudge. She did all the hard work."

"A very effective nudge," Kirishima said from two seats back, grinning. "It was super manly watching you two take control! Though, speaking of awesome Quirks for going pro, Bakugo's explosive power and Todoroki's ice are on another level!"

Hearing his name, Bakugo, who had been ignoring the world with his headphones, slowly took them off. The mention of Todoroki seemed to have struck a nerve.

Tsuyu, oblivious to the danger, continued her analysis.

"Bakugo's really strong, but with that aggressive, angry attitude all the time, he'll never be popular with the citizens, ribbit. Heroes have to be personable, too."

A tense silence fell over the bus. Bakugo turned; his red eyes held no fury, only a cold, cutting contempt.

"Popularity is for clowns and weaklings," he growled, his voice a low murmur that chilled the air. "When you're the strongest, indisputably the strongest, respect comes on its own. The rest of you are just extras in my story."

He put his headphones back on, ending the conversation. The silence was uncomfortable, until Mina Ashido, ever the one to lighten the mood, grinned mischievously.

"Well, speaking of tactics that ARE popular…" she said, looking directly at Izuku and Ochako. "Your 'Ultimate Trust Maneuver' from combat training was the talk of the class for days. Some people are already calling it the 'Midoriya Contact Play'!"

Ochako groaned and hid her face in her hands, her cheeks burning. Izuku tried to stammer out a scientific defense about energy transfer and contact points, which only drew more laughter.

"It was a valid application of shock psychology to create a tactical opening," Momo intervened, trying to defend them with a flawless logic that no one bought.

"Yeah, right," Kyoka Jiro deadpanned with a smirk. "A 'tactical opening' you got a good 'handle' on."

The bus filled with laughter, breaking the tension Bakugo had created. As the conversation drifted to other topics, Izuku's attention focused on the silent figure staring out the window: Shoto Todoroki.

He doesn't need tactics, Izuku thought, his smile fading. His "Coach" mind activated, not with excitement, but with a cold sense of dread. He doesn't need a team. He doesn't need psychology. His fight wasn't a fight, it was a statement. A mathematical equation where his power was the only variable that mattered.

He remembered the ice flooding the building.

Brutal efficiency. No wasted energy. Control so absolute it's almost insulting. How do you train for something like that? How do you counter a power that redefines the rules of engagement?

His Quirk showed him manuals, evolution paths, weaknesses to exploit, strengths to enhance. But what kind of manual would someone like Todoroki have?

It would probably say: "Page 1 of 1: Freeze everything. The end."

The power gap he had felt before was no longer a gap. It was a chasm. And he was standing on the wrong edge of it.

"Everybody off. We're here."

Aizawa's voice pulled them from the relaxed atmosphere of the bus. As they stepped out, a collective gasp swept through Class 1-A. Before them stood a glass dome so massive it seemed to contain its own ecosystem.

"IT'S HUGE!"

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"

A figure in a bulky astronaut suit waved at them from the entrance.

"Hello everyone, welcome! I've been waiting for you!"

"It's the Space Hero: Thirteen!" Ochako exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration. "She's one of my favorite heroes!"

As the class marveled, Aizawa approached Thirteen.

"Where's All Might?" he asked quietly. "He was supposed to meet us here."

Thirteen leaned in, her voice muffled by the helmet.

"About that… it seems he overdid it with his hero work on the way here. He's used up his time limit. He's resting in the faculty lounge."

Discreetly, Thirteen held up three fingers. Aizawa's face darkened.

"The height of irrationality… That man is a logistical disaster. Well, we'll start without him."

Thirteen nodded and addressed the students.

"Before we go in, I have one, no, two, no, three… well, I have a lot of important things to say to you!"

Her speech was inspiring, talking about the purpose of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ). But her tone turned serious at the end.

"My Quirk, as you know, is Black Hole. It's a power that can suck up anything and turn it to dust. It's a power that can kill people very easily. I'm sure some of you have Quirks that can also be easily lethal."

The class's excitement faded, replaced by a sudden solemnity.

"In this class, you will learn to use your Quirks to save lives. Not to harm others. You will learn that the power you hold can be dangerous. The purpose of this facility is for you to leave here understanding how to be heroes who help, not heroes who destroy. Thank you for your attention!"

Respectful applause filled the air. But just as Thirteen finished, the lights inside the massive dome flickered erratically, and a second later, they went out completely.

The enormous fountain in the central plaza sputtered, the water flow stopped. Everything fell silent. And from that stillness, in the very center, a pinpoint of darkness began to swirl; a sickening purple smudge expanding like a wound in reality. A portal.

A pale, bony hand was the first thing to emerge. Then a head covered in light blue hair. And then, dozens, hundreds of figures began to pour out, their silhouettes framed against the dim emergency lights.

Kirishima, confused, smiled.

"Awesome, is this part of the exercise? They even have fake villains! U.A. really spares no expense!"

Aizawa didn't smile. He spun around, his body coiled like a spring. He pulled his signature yellow goggles over his eyes as the fabric of his capture weapon unwound from his shoulders.

"Nobody move."

His voice was no longer tired. It was heavy. Deadly.

The students froze, their smiles stuck on their faces as they saw the look on their teacher's face: that of a professional confronting a real threat.

"Those… are real villains."