Chapter 16: The Bus, The Dome, and The Void
The bus to the "Unforeseen Simulation Joint" (USJ) was a noisy metal box filled with teenage excitement.
Kuma sat near the back. due to his immense size, he occupied two seats by himself. His knees were pressed slightly against the seat in front of him, and he had to hunch his shoulders to avoid brushing the overhead luggage rack.
"Hey, Kuma-chan," Tsuyu Asui called out from across the aisle, her finger on her chin. "I usually say what's on my mind. Can I ask you something?"
Kuma turned his head slowly, the small bandage on his forehead crinkling slightly. "Go ahead."
"You're very mysterious," she said bluntly. "You're huge, your Quirk is strong, and you always carry that book. Are you writing down our weaknesses?"
The bus went quiet for a second. Even Bakugo stopped scowling to listen.
Kuma adjusted his round glasses. He held up the thick "Bible/Atlas."
"This is merely a travel log," Kuma replied with a faint, gentle smile. "I enjoy documenting beautiful locations and interesting geography. I hope to visit many places one day."
"See! I told you!" Midoriya interjected enthusiastically from the front row, turning around. "He's just really into tourism! It's a hobby! Not everyone is constantly analyzing combat data like... well, like me."
The class laughed, easing the tension.
"Tch," Bakugo scoffed, looking out the window. "Boring. A giant like you shouldn't be wasting time on sightseeing. You should be crushing things."
Kuma didn't respond. He simply turned his gaze to the passing scenery outside the window—the highway stretching under the blue sky. His silence was not an admission of defeat, but a wall that Bakugo's aggression couldn't breach. It only made the explosive boy grind his teeth in annoyance.
The Dome of Rescue
The bus came to a halt.
When the students stepped out, they were greeted by the massive, dome-shaped facility. Waiting for them was the Space Hero, Thirteen.
"Welcome, everyone!" Thirteen's voice was polite and welcoming.
Inside, the facility was a marvel of engineering. Zones simulating floods, landslides, fires, and storms were arranged around a central plaza.
"Incredible..." Uraraka gasped.
Thirteen gathered them near the entrance stairs.
"Before we begin, one lesson," Thirteen said seriously. "My Quirk is 'Black Hole'. It can suck up and disintegrate anything. It is a power that can easily kill."
The students swallowed hard.
"But," Thirteen continued, "I use it to save people from disasters. In a superhuman society, Quirks are often certified for combat, but please do not forget: Your powers are not meant to hurt others. They are meant to help."
Kuma listened intently. He looked at his own hands—the hands that could repel pain, air, and people. The hands that had hurt Todoroki yesterday, but saved Midoriya from agony.
He opened his book and wrote a single line:
True power lies in restraint. To save is harder than to destroy.
The Shift in Pressure
The lights in the facility flickered.
Kuma felt it before anyone else.
It wasn't a sound. It was a shift in the atmospheric pressure. The air in the massive dome suddenly felt... heavy. The natural flow of wind stopped, replaced by a stagnant, killing intent.
"Sensei," Kuma said, his deep voice cutting through the chatter. "The air... has changed."
Aizawa turned sharply just as the fountain in the central plaza sputtered.
Down below, a small black dot appeared in space. It expanded, swirling into a massive vortex of purple and black mist.
From the void, a pale hand reached out. Then a face covered by a severed hand. Then a body.
And behind him, dozens of monstrous shapes emerged.
"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa shouted, putting on his yellow goggles. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
"What is that?" Kirishima asked, squinting. "Is this part of the training? Like the entrance exam?"
"Don't move!" Aizawa's voice was desperate. "Those are... Villains."
The word hung in the air like a guillotine.
Real villains. Not robots. Not students. Killers.
Shigaraki Tomura stood in the center of the plaza, scratching his neck. "Eraserhead... and Thirteen. According to the schedule we received, All Might was supposed to be here."
The purple mist (Kurogiri) expanded beside him. "He is not here. Perhaps we should kill a few kids to lure him out?"
Aizawa didn't hesitate. "Thirteen, take them to the exit! Kaminari, try to contact the school!"
Eraserhead leaped down the stairs, his capture scarf flying, engaging the army of villains alone.
The Void Approaches
The students ran toward the exit, but the ground before them suddenly warped.
A wall of purple darkness rose up, blocking their path. Yellow eyes glowed from within the mist.
"Nice to meet you," the mist spoke elegantly. "We are the League of Villains. We have come to extinguish the Symbol of Peace, All Might."
"Not on our watch!" Bakugo and Kirishima shouted in unison.
They lunged forward. Bakugo unleashed a massive explosion, and Kirishima hardened his arm for a smash.
BOOM!
Smoke covered the area.
"Did you get him?" Kirishima asked.
"My job is to scatter you," the mist's voice came from everywhere. "To torture you to death in separate environments."
The mist expanded, wrapping around the class like a blanket of darkness.
Kuma reacted instantly.
If it is gas, I can repel it.
He thrust his open palms forward.
"Pad Ho!"
A visible cannonball of pressurized air shot toward the mist. It was powerful enough to shatter concrete.
But it didn't hit.
The air pressure wave passed harmlessly through the purple void, entering a warp gate and vanishing, only to reappear behind the students, knocking Shoji over.
It is not gas, Kuma realized, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. It is space itself.
"Begone," Kurogiri whispered.
The darkness swallowed them.
Gravity vanished. The sensation of falling took over.
.
.