The days fell into a rhythm. Kaito, now quietly thinking of himself as 'Chimera', continued to build his archive.
He'd replaced the depleted Creation quirk after a careful, apologetic handshake with Yaoyorozu the next day.
His two slots were now occupied by Acid which was from Ashido, a reliable, versatile tool for mobility and area denial.
And Hardening which was from Kirishima, a simple, sturdy defensive option that put far less strain on his body than the flashier quirks.
He was learning. Defense and control. Power was useless if it broke the user.
He'd watched Midoriya's fingers, still bandaged from the battle trial, and reinforced his own rule...
'No Emitter-Type Power Quirks. Not yet. Not until I'm stronger.'
The announcement of the trip to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, U.S.J. for rescue training was met with excitement.
Finally, something that played to his strengths.
Analysis, adaptation, and a focus on saving rather than fighting.
The facility took his breath away.
It was a massive dome housing a variety of disaster zones, a shipwreck, a landslide, a conflagration, a mountain, and a central plaza.
It was a testament to U.A.'s resources and the complexity of hero work.
Their teacher for the day was the Space Hero, 'Thirteen', whom Kaito respected immensely.
Their Quirk, Black Hole, was the ultimate rescue tool, capable of removing debris and saving countless lives.
It was also terrifyingly powerful.
'Another one to file under 'Do Not Touch,'' he thought with a internal shudder.
Thirteen began their lecture on the importance of using Quirks to save lives, a speech that resonated deeply with Kaito.
This was why he was here. This was—
The lights flickered.
A strange, static buzz filled the air. In the central plaza, the air itself began to warp and swirl, purpling into a dark vortex.
Aizawa's head snapped up.
"Huddle together and don't move!" he barked, his voice sharp with a tension they'd never heard before. He slammed his goggles over his eyes. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
From the vortex, figures began to spill out. Dozens. Then hundreds. Men and women in ragged clothing, covered in hands, blades, and grotesque mutations.
Their auras were pure malice.
Villains.
Panic seized the class. This wasn't a drill. The air grew cold with killing intent.
"Are these more of the training robots?" Kirishima asked, trying to sound brave.
"No," Kaito said, his voice low and grim. His eyes were scanning the horde, analyzing, categorizing. "They're real. Look at the center."
A tall, lanky figure with light blue hair and a severed hand covering his face stepped through the warp gate.
Next to him, the vortex solidified into a figure made of swirling, starry darkness with a metal collar.
And lurching behind them was a monstrous, bird-like abomination with an exposed brain.
Kaito's blood ran cold. His analytical mind, his greatest asset, was screaming at him.
The one with the hands was the leader, unhinged.
The bird monster was pure, mindless power.
But the real threat, the linchpin…
"It's the warper," Kaito hissed to anyone listening. "He's their transportation and control. He's the key to this entire attack."
Before anyone could react, the dark warp gate user expanded, blotting out the light above them.
"Greetings," a polite, disembodied voice echoed. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our intrusion. We have come to end the life of All Might."
The world dissolved into chaos. The warp gate enveloped them.
Kaito felt a nauseating sensation of being stretched and compressed, and then he was falling.
He landed hard on his side, the breath knocked out of him.
The humid air and the rocking motion told him where he was before he even looked up.
The Shipwreck Zone.
Treading water around the ship were villains, their Quirks clearly water-based.
One had shark-like teeth, another had webbed hands. They were laughing.
"Little heroes! Come out and play!"
Kaito made a decision. He had two quirks.
Acid was useless here; it would just dilute in the water.
Hardening was good for defense, but it wouldn't get them off the ship.
He needed a new tool. And one of the villains was offering it.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
He focused on the Hardening quirk, and a familiar, rocky texture spread over his skin. He looked like a statue of grey stone.
A villain with long, prehensile tentacles for arms lashed out, wrapping around Kaito's hardened torso.
"Gotcha, you little—"
'Perfect.' Skin-to-skin contact.
Kaito didn't fight the grip. He focused on the point of contact.
'Three… four… five.'
The electric tingle. A new data stream flooded his mind. It felt… stretchy. Elastic.
He now had 'Tentacles' in his slot, overwriting Hardening.
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Check out my original novel "Awakening: Starting With The Villain System"