It'd been a few days since we had our Heroes versus Villains training. Word had spread that All Might was teaching at U.A. that year, and a bunch of the press showed up asking the students a bunch of questions about the number one hero. They were such fanatics, they ended up breaking into the facility and causing the school to go on lockdown. Luckily, Iida was able to calm down the herd of students, giving him the spot as our class rep.
As for what we would be working on that day, it was Rescue training; as the name would imply, we would be practicing how to rescue civilians during a natural disaster using the USJ, basically a big dome that simulated earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, and the like. All Might was supposed to be our teacher for this training, but there was a change of plans. Mr. Aizawa would be replacing him.
Once we'd arrived, we were met by this hero in an astronaut-looking suit. I couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman under that thing, but they said their name was thirteen. Uraraka and Midoriya knew about them, but I'd never heard of them.
The interior of the USJ looked a lot like an amusement park... It's funny that it shares the same initials as Universal Studios Japan; anyway, Aizawa played the role of buzzkill pretty quickly and told us all to stay focused.
"Everyone, pay attention," Thirteen said. "Each one of us has extraordinary powers that can be used to save people, but they can also kill. That's why it's important that we stay focused and ensure that we don't cause any collateral damage during a rescue situation such as the ones you will be experiencing today."
She's right. I'm glad the first time I went all out was against a robot. Had I punched a human with my full strength, I might've killed them. I guess it's a good thing my parents told me not to fight growing up; they wanted me to be responsible enough to hold back.
"Ensuring the safety of others should be your number one priority." As Thirteen continued, we noticed something peculiar happening at the center of the USJ. A black portal opened up, and a bunch of people we'd never seen before began to appear. We thought this was part of the exam, but when Aizawa put on his goggles and yelled at us to stay back, we knew this was something serious.
"Thirteen, protect the kids." Aizawa's speed when he took off was surprising, even for a pro hero.
"Wait, is this for real?" Kirishima asked me.
"I think so..."
There were three villains that stood out: this big guy with his brains sticking out, a shadowy man who looked like he was made of the same material as that black portal they all came through, and this guy with chapped skin and hands all over his face.
Aizawa was incredible, taking out dozens of villains with ease, disabling their quirks before attacking them with his scarf. He was outnumbered, but his skill was greater than any number.
Thirteen tried to escort us out of the building, but the smoky villain teleported in front of us. Before we knew it, we were all covered in smoke and teleported throughout the USJ.
I was lucky enough to find myself in a group of four with Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Jirou. I wasn't close with any of them, but I had a baseline for what their Quirks could do. I was just glad it wasn't Mineta or Bakugo.
Yaoyorozu was intelligent and could use her Quirk to create anything within seconds. Jirou had these auxiliary cords dangling from her ears and could use them as weapons or to hack into things. She could also fire off sound waves. Kaminari could use electricity, but if he used too much, he would become an idiot.
Before we could even say a word to one another, we were surrounded by a bunch of z-list thugs. If it was a one-on-one fight -- hell, even a one-on-five -- I could take these low-level hooligans, but there were too many to count. I could use my mobility to my advantage, but then I'd be leaving my classmates behind. I needed a boots-on-the-ground approach.
The four of us put our backs together so that our blind spots were covered before we played it defensively. My webs were my only ranged attack; even then, I usually used them to get in close.
As the girls and I fought using our fists and Yaoyorozu's weapons, Kaminari was cowering like a wimp.
"It's all up to you guys! If I shoot my electricity, it'll just go everywhere and I'll hurt you guys!"
I grabbed him by the hair and threw him at one of the thugs. Kaminari screamed as if his life were in danger.
"Then hit them point blank!" I yelled, and he did just that, zapping the z-lister with his hands as if using a stun gun. This jolted him with confidence, and he joined the fight alongside the rest of us.
Seconds turned to minutes, and I could sense that the others were becoming exhausted as the battle continued. If it wasn't for Yaoyorozu's quick thinking, we might've lost due to the sheer number of Z-listers attacking us.
"It's ready!" she said. When we turned around, we saw that she had created a blanket, and I immediately knew what her plan was.
She's so smart... I thought. Her Quirk was rather basic, but that wasn't why she was a top prospect; it was her brain, and I respected her for that.
I grabbed Jirou and lunged over toward Yaoyorozu. We wrapped ourselves with the insulated blanket, allowing Kaminari to go all out.
"Now, Kaminari!" I yelled, and we watched as he began to charge his ability.
"Stop them!" one of the villains yelled.
Just moments before Kaminari could let his attack fly, a villain grabbed the blanket and ripped it in half. Yaoyorozu was more than capable of making something more durable, but I'm sure she was only focused on it being able to protect us from Kaminari's lightning.
The world around me began to move in slow motion, and if I had my own hero theme, it would be playing right about now.
Damn it! There's only enough room for two of us. If he lets this attack fly, Yaoyorozu and Jirou could get seriously injured! I'm more durable than they are, so I think I can take the attack. Even if I can't sacrifice is what makes you a hero, right? All Might would do the same -- hell, even Midoriya would.
The villain who took half of the blanket wrapped himself with that half. I didn't have enough time to take his half for myself; even if I did, I needed to make sure the girls were safe first.
"Wrap yourselves, now!"
The girls reluctantly covered themselves with the blanket.
"But what about you?" Yaoyorozu asked me.
"I'll be fine," I lied beneath my mask.
An explosion of electricity shook the Earth, and I could only watch as the villains around me were fried into unconsciousness. My body was assaulted with lightning, and I could feel every nerve -- every bone in my body tremble. My heart started to burn, it felt as if its flesh was replaced by flames. It was unbearable, but I knew that I needed to stand tall if I wanted to protect the girls from Kaminari's attack, just for a few more seconds!
This is what it means to be a hero, Miles! Just hold out a little longer! Protect your classmates with your life!
When Kaminari's attack was finally over, my well-being was at the back of my mind. I peered into the blanket to check on the girls, sighing in relief seeing that they were unharmed. Their eyes were trembling, and their breaths were shaky, but they were safe. I would've collapsed onto the ground if they hadn't caught me in their arms.
"Morales!" they both called out. My costume was completely ruined, barely clinging onto me like a torn, used napkin. Strangely, when I looked down at my body, despite the pain, I was completely unscathed. The only oddity in my appearance was that my body was letting off steam. Come to think of it, the pain I felt wasn't necessarily the sensation of getting shocked; it was a unique feeling.
My body felt like a car that was once frozen over, and my heart felt like the engine that was able to start after being inactive for years. With every second passing, my nerve endings felt as though they were healing themselves. Among my dozens of abilities, my body healed faster than normal; however, this was different.
"And just like that, ladies, the boys that wanted to protect you oh-so-badly are out of commission," I heard a voice say. It seemed as though Kaminari left some guys standing.
"How!? How did you withstand that attack!?" Yaoyorozu asked him.
"You think this chump is the only electric type in the world?" he said, holding up Kaminari, who was still conscious but acting lobotomized.
Damn it... I need to get back on my feet...
I pulled myself from the girls and faced the villain. He was shirtless, wearing a skull-like mask over his face. His palm was aimed at us. When I took a step forward, the girls tried to stop me.
"Morales, no!" Jirou said, but I shrugged her off.
"You better listen to her, boy! Take one more step and I'll zap you to all hell!"
I couldn't help but laugh as he said this. The pain was steadily fading, feeling more like a satisfying sting. Electricity was dancing between my fingertips, and I could feel my heart pumping even more lightning into my body. That feeling I felt, that pain, that shock -- it wasn't because Kaminari's attack hurt me. It was because he'd jump-started a latent property of my Quirk, and my body needed to adjust!
It's just like Midoriya... His Quirk activated so late in life that his body couldn't handle suddenly having Quirk, so his bones broke when he used it. As for me, well, I've had superpowers my whole life, so my body was able to adjust to this new power rather quickly. Still, it did need to adjust, hence the pain...
I clenched my fist, creating a clap of thunder and lightning. "You think you're the only chump that's an electric type?" I said with All-Might's smile.
"Make one move or I'll-"
Head full of steam, I stepped toward the electric villain. He fired a shock at me, but my body simply absorbed it.
I reeled my electric fist backward with enough power to make sure he'd never hurt anyone again! I could feel the current of lightning surging from my heart, traveling through my veins, and collecting at my fist. The lightning wouldn't hurt him, but I didn't care; I wanted to unleash the thunder from within me. Besides, my raw power was more than enough to knock this guy out, the lightning was just the exclamation point at the end of the sentence!
One punch caved in his chest and sent him flying across the USJ. There were other villains surrounding us, but after seeing that, they turned tail and ran off.
Electricity was still wildly flowing through my body as the girls ran to help Kaminari. The way that Kaminari released his energy, an uncontrably surge of lightning, was happening inside my chest.
As the girls helped him up, Yaoyorozu looked at me with eyes of what can only be described as pure admiration.
My body still shone, such that you could see my heart and bones through my skin. Despite the body horror of it, the girls were looking at me as if I were their Light of Hope.
"You're incredible..." Yaoyorozu said. Jirou nodded in agreement.
"I guess Todoroki isn't the only one with multiple Quirks, huh?"
"I guess not. Though I imagine once Kaminari is done being lobotomized, he won't be too happy about no longer being the only electric type."
There was a huge explosion toward the center of the USJ, and I saw the villain with their brain sticking out, flying through the air, punching a hole through the roof with their body.
There was only one person who had the power to pull that off.
"All Might," I said. "He's here."