What If Deku Had a Wolf Pack Quirk but Refused to Fight Anyone

Blood.

 

That was the first thing Izuku Midoriya remembered about the day his life changed. Not the brilliant, blinding flash of cerulean light. Not the sudden, comforting weight in his mind, like a dozen doors suddenly swinging open to a house he never knew he owned. Just the blood.

 

He was four years old. The playground behind the neighborhood park smelled of damp woodchips and the sharp, acrid scent of burnt sugar—the unmistakable odor of Katsuki Bakugo’s nitroglycerin sweat.

 

Izuku stood trembling, his small arms spread wide in a futile gesture of protection. Behind him, another little boy was curled into a ball, weeping. In front of him stood Kacchan, grinning with a feral intensity that no four-year-old should possess, small pops and crackles erupting from his palms.

 

"You're so annoying, Deku," Katsuki sneered, stepping forward. "You don't even have a Quirk! What are you gonna do, cry on me?"

 

"T-That's mean, Kacchan!" Izuku stammered, tears prickling the corners of his large, emerald eyes. "Can't you see he's crying? If you keep going, I-I'll... I'll stop you myself!"

 

Katsuki laughed, a sharp, barking sound. He lunged, his hand drawn back, a localized explosion preparing to detonate right against Izuku’s shoulder.

 

Izuku closed his eyes. He braced for the heat, for the pain, for the inevitable impact that always came when you defied the strongest kid on the playground.

 

But the impact never came.

 

Instead, a sound tore through the quiet afternoon air—a sound like glass shattering, mixed with a low, reverberating frequency that made the very air vibrate. Izuku’s chest felt suddenly, violently warm. A surge of energy, completely foreign yet intimately familiar, ripped from his solar plexus and exploded outward into the physical world.

 

Izuku opened his eyes.

 

Standing between him and Katsuki was a monster. Or, at least, that was what it looked like to a four-year-old. It was a wolf, but not one of flesh and bone. It was massive, reaching Izuku’s chest in height, composed entirely of jagged, hard-light energy that burned with a fierce, golden-amber radiance. Its paws dug into the woodchips, not displacing them, but scorching them with ethereal heat.

 

The wolf did not hesitate. Driven by the sheer, unfiltered terror radiating from Izuku’s mind, the construct operated on a singular, primal instinct: Protect the master. Neutralize the threat.

 

Before Katsuki could register the blinding light, the golden wolf lunged.

 

It was a blur of motion. A heavy, glowing paw struck Katsuki in the chest, sending the blond boy flying backward. Katsuki hit the ground hard, tumbling through the dirt. The wolf was on him in a second, its jaws opening. It didn't bite down to kill, but its ethereal teeth caught the fabric of Katsuki’s shirt, tearing it to shreds and grazing the skin beneath.

 

Katsuki screamed. It was a sound Izuku had never heard before—a sound of pure, unadulterated terror from the boy who feared nothing.

 

"Stop!" Izuku shrieked. The scream tore from his throat, raw and desperate. Stop! Don't hurt him! No!

 

The command, echoing with absolute panic in Izuku’s mind, acted like a physical chain. The golden wolf froze inches from Katsuki’s face, its jaw locked open, glowing saliva sizzling as it hit the dirt. It looked back at Izuku, its glowing, featureless eyes tilting in confusion.

 

Slowly, the wolf dissolved, shattering into thousands of motes of golden light that drifted away like fireflies on the wind before vanishing entirely.

 

The playground fell deathly silent, save for the sound of Katsuki’s hyperventilating. The blond boy sat up, clutching his chest. Three shallow, bloody scratch marks trailed across his collarbone. They weren't deep—barely enough to require a bandage—but the sight of the vibrant red blood staining Katsuki’s skin burned itself into Izuku’s retinas.

 

Izuku fell to his knees, staring at his own shaking hands.

 

My power... hurt him. I did this.

 

He hadn't wanted to fight. He had just wanted to protect the boy crying behind him. But his power had acted as a weapon. A weapon that tore flesh and drew blood.

 

In that moment, staring at the terrified, furious eyes of his childhood friend, Izuku Midoriya made a silent, unbreakable vow. He looked down at his small hands, clenching them into fists, pushing them into the dirt.

 

A hero saves people, he thought, the tears finally spilling over. A hero makes people feel safe. I will never use my power to hurt someone. I will never fight.

 

 

 

Ten years later.

 

Aldera Junior High was an institution of loud hallways, apathetic teachers, and students whose aspirations heavily outweighed their academic focus.

 

Izuku Midoriya sat near the back of the classroom, diligently copying notes into his notebook, titled Hero Analysis for the Future, Vol. 13. He was a quiet boy, possessing a mop of unruly green hair, a smattering of freckles across his cheeks, and a demeanor so polite it bordered on apologetic.

 

He was also the most avoided student in the entire school.

 

Not because he was bullied. In fact, bullying Izuku Midoriya had been universally acknowledged as a terrible idea for nearly a decade.

 

This was entirely due to the presence of the two large, ethereal wolves currently asleep beneath his desk.

 

To the naked eye, they looked like holograms made of solid light. One was a deep, swirling amethyst color, curled up in a tight ball around Izuku’s left ankle. The other was a brilliant, blinding white, resting its large chin on Izuku’s right sneaker. They breathed, their sides rising and falling, emitting a faint, rhythmic hum like the purr of a high-end engine.

 

They were Lumos and Nox, two of the five entities that made up Izuku’s Quirk: Guardian Pack.

 

"Midoriya," the teacher’s voice droned, breaking through the low hum of the classroom. "You need to reign in your constructs. They're taking up the aisle again."

 

Izuku jumped, his face flushing violently red. "A-Ah! S-Sorry, sensei!"

 

He didn't need to speak to them. Through the intricate, deeply forged telepathic link in his mind, Izuku sent a gentle nudge of embarrassment and a polite request to move.

 

Beneath the desk, the white wolf, Lumos, opened one glowing eye, let out a huff of static-like breath, and fluidly dissolved into a mist of white light. A second later, the mist reformed on the opposite side of Izuku’s chair, out of the walkway, solidifying back into the wolf. It closed its eyes and went back to sleep.

 

The students around Izuku shifted uncomfortably. They always did.

 

"Since you're all third years, it's time for you to think seriously about your futures," the teacher continued, picking up a stack of papers. "I'll pass out handouts for your future plans now, but... you're all pretty much planning to go into the hero course, right?"

 

The classroom erupted into cheers, students showing off weak quirks—stretching fingers, tiny sparks of water, bouncing eyeballs.

 

"Yes, yes, you all have wonderful quirks!" the teacher placated. "But remember, using your quirks in school is against the rules!"

 

"Hey, teach!"

 

A loud, arrogant voice cut through the noise, accompanied by the harsh sound of boots kicking up onto a desk. Katsuki Bakugo leaned back in his chair, a smug grin plastered across his face. "Don't lump me in with these background characters. They'll be lucky to end up as sidekicks to some busted D-lister. Me? I'm aiming for the top."

 

The class broke into angry murmurs, which Katsuki ignored, relishing the attention.

 

"Ah, Bakugo. You're aiming for UA High, aren't you?" the teacher noted, looking at his clipboard.

 

The murmurs turned into gasps. UA? The national school? The acceptance rate is insanely low!

 

"That's exactly why it's the only place worthy of me," Katsuki boasted, standing up and slamming his hands on his desk, letting off a small, threatening explosion. "I aced the mock test! I'm the only one at this school who could possibly get in. I'll surpass All Might and become the top hero, and I'll carve my name into the annals of history!"

 

"Oh, right," the teacher added casually, flipping a page. "Midoriya wants to go to UA, too."

 

The classroom went dead silent.

 

All eyes slowly turned to the back of the room. Izuku froze, his pencil hovering over his notebook. He slowly lowered his head, wishing he could sink through the floor.

 

Katsuki froze, his back stiffening. Slowly, he turned around. His crimson eyes locked onto Izuku, filled with a complex, boiling mixture of absolute rage and deep-seated caution.

 

"Deku," Katsuki growled, his voice dropping an octave.

 

Before Katsuki could take a single step, the shadows around Izuku shifted. The ambient light in the room seemed to dim as an enormous, hulking mass of golden-amber energy materialized out of thin air, directly between Izuku’s desk and Katsuki’s line of sight.

 

It was Aegis.

 

The largest of Izuku’s pack. Standing nearly five feet tall at the shoulder, the golden wolf was built like a tank, its hard-light musculature pulsing with immense, protective power. Aegis didn't bark. It didn't lunge. It simply stood there, a towering wall of light, and let out a low, rumbling growl that rattled the windows of the classroom.

 

The students closest to Izuku scrambled backward, knocking over their chairs in a panic.

 

"Aegis, no," Izuku said softly, his voice firm but gentle. He reached out, placing a scarred, freckled hand on the golden wolf’s flank.

 

Through the mental link, Izuku felt the wolf’s overwhelming desire to shield him, a burning heat of protectiveness. Izuku countered it with a wave of cool, calm reassurance. I am safe. He will not hurt me. Stand down, my friend.

 

Aegis stopped growling. The giant wolf huffed, tossing its massive head, before dissolving into a shower of golden sparks that rained down over Izuku before vanishing.

 

Katsuki stood in the aisle, his fists trembling with barely contained fury. "You think you're better than me, Deku?" he hissed, keeping his distance. He remembered the claws from ten years ago. He remembered the sheer, immovable force of that golden beast.

 

"N-No, Kacchan! Of course not," Izuku waved his hands frantically. "I just... I've wanted to be a hero since I was little. You know that. And UA has the best Rescue Course in the country. I'm not... I'm not trying to compete with you in combat!"

 

"Rescue Course?" Katsuki spat, the venom in his voice dripping with disgust. "You have a quirk that could rip a villain's throat out, and you want to play crossing guard? You're a coward, Deku. A pathetic, pacifist coward. You think you're too good to get your hands dirty!"

 

"That's not it," Izuku whispered, looking down at his desk. "I just... I don't want to hurt anyone."

 

Katsuki scoffed loudly, turning his back. "Whatever. Just stay out of my way at the exam, or I'll blow your stupid mutts to kingdom come."

 

As the bell rang and the students eagerly filed out, giving Izuku a wide berth, Izuku packed his bag. He felt a soft, cool sensation against his palm. He looked down to see a sleek, silver wolf construct—Zephyr—nuzzling his hand. Zephyr was the fastest of the pack, the scout, and always the most sensitive to Izuku’s melancholy.

 

"I'm okay, Zeph," Izuku murmured, scratching the hard-light construct behind the ears. It felt like petting static electricity—tingly, warm, and alive. "Kacchan is just... Kacchan. He doesn't understand."

 

How could he? Society celebrated power. It celebrated explosive strength, devastating punches, and the glorious defeat of villains. Heroes were warriors. All Might, the Symbol of Peace, secured that peace with a pair of invincible fists.

 

But Izuku looked up at a poster of the Rescue Hero: Thirteen, tacked onto the inside of his binder. Thirteen’s quirk, Black Hole, was terrifyingly destructive. It could turn a person to dust in seconds. Yet, Thirteen used it exclusively to clear debris, to save people from disasters, to protect life.

 

If I fight, I might lose control, Izuku thought, the memory of Katsuki’s blood flashing in his mind. My pack reflects my emotions. If I give into anger, if I try to hurt someone... they become weapons. And weapons destroy. I won't be a destroyer.

 

 

 

Ten months later. The Morning of the UA Entrance Exam.

 

"Izuku! Do you have your tissues? Your handkerchief? Did you bring the energy bars?"

 

Inko Midoriya fluttered around the entryway of their apartment like a nervous bird. She was a slightly plump woman with the same green hair and anxious demeanor as her son.

 

"Yes, Mom, I have everything," Izuku smiled, adjusting the straps of his backpack. He was dressed in his standard middle-school uniform, though his physique beneath it had changed drastically over the last ten months.

 

Refusing to fight didn't mean refusing to train. If Izuku wanted to be a rescue hero, he needed the stamina to run for miles, the strength to carry grown adults out of burning buildings, and the mental fortitude to command up to five independent consciousnesses at once. He had spent his mornings jogging the beach, doing pull-ups, and practicing intricate, non-violent maneuvers with his pack.

 

"I just worry," Inko said, wringing her hands, her eyes darting to the empty air around Izuku. She couldn't see the wolves right now—Izuku had them dismissed to his subconscious to save energy—but she knew they were there. "You know how the practical exams are. They're going to test your combat abilities. If you just... if you just let the pack go a little bit, you could score so high..."

 

"Mom," Izuku said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We talked about this. I'm going to pass my way. The UA guidelines state that the exam tests 'heroic aptitude.' Saving people is heroic. I don't need to destroy things to prove my worth."

 

Inko sighed, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She reached up and cupped his cheek. "You have such a kind heart, Izuku. Too kind for this world, sometimes. Just... promise me you'll stay safe."

 

"I promise."

 

The walk to UA High was a blur of nerves and anticipation. When Izuku finally stood before the massive, towering gates of the school, he felt incredibly small. The H-shaped main building loomed against the blue sky, a monument to the greatest heroes in the world.

 

He took a step forward, his foot catching awkwardly on a slightly raised paving stone.

 

Gravity shifted. The ground rushed up to meet his face. Oh no, Izuku thought, squeezing his eyes shut. First day, and I'm going to faceplant. Aegis, catch—

 

Before he could summon his golden shield, he stopped in mid-air.

 

Izuku opened his eyes. He was floating horizontally, a few inches above the concrete.

 

"Are you okay?" a bright, cheerful voice asked.

 

Izuku scrambled to his feet, finding himself face-to-face with a girl possessing a round face, large brown eyes, and a permanent blush on her cheeks. She held her hand out in a gesture of release, and Izuku felt his normal weight return.

 

"I stopped you with my Quirk," she smiled warmly. "I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but I figured you wouldn't mind! It's bad luck to fall right before an exam, right?"

 

"I—uh—y-yes! Thank you!" Izuku stammered, completely unaccustomed to talking to girls, let alone one who looked at him without an ounce of fear or judgment.

 

"I'm super nervous, aren't you?" she continued, oblivious to his internal panic. "Let's both do our best! See ya!"

 

She jogged off toward the auditorium. Izuku stood frozen, his heart hammering against his ribs. I talked to a girl! Well, she talked to me, but still!

 

Inside the massive auditorium, the atmosphere was electric. Thousands of prospective students sat in tiered seating, murmuring excitedly. Izuku found his assigned seat next to Katsuki, who ignored him completely, staring daggers at the stage.

 

"WELCOME TO TODAY'S LIVE PERFORMANCE!"

 

The Voice Hero, Present Mic, exploded onto the stage, a beacon of leather, blonde hair, and sheer auditory volume. "EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"

 

Silence.

 

"Tough crowd! Well, let me lay out the rundown for the practical exam! You'll be experiencing ten-minute mock city battles! You can take whatever you want with you! After the presentation, you'll head to your specified battle centers, okay?!"

 

Izuku looked at his testing ticket. Battle Center B. He glanced at Katsuki’s ticket. Battle Center A. They were splitting up students from the same middle school to prevent cooperation.

 

"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center!" Present Mic continued, a massive screen behind him illuminating with retro-style graphics. "They earn points based on their level of difficulty! Your goal is to use your Quirks to incapacitate these faux villains and rack up a high score! But remember, attacking other examinees is fiercely prohibited!"

 

Izuku frowned, his anxiety spiking. Incapacitate. Attack. High score.

 

The entire framework of the exam was built around destruction. It was a combat simulator. How could he possibly pass if he refused to break the robots?

 

"Excuse me! May I ask a question?"

 

A tall, broad-shouldered boy with glasses stood up, his posture rigidly straight. A spotlight snapped onto him.

 

"On the handout, there are clearly four types of villains! If this is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed! Furthermore..." The boy turned around, pointing a stiff, chopping finger directly at Izuku. "You, with the unruly hair! You've been muttering to yourself this entire time! It's distracting! If you're here for a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

 

Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't realized he was doing his habit of murmuring his analysis out loud. "S-Sorry," he squeaked.

 

"Okay, okay, Examinee Number 7111!" Present Mic interrupted, throwing a thumbs-up. "Thanks for the great message! The fourth villain type is worth ZERO POINTS! That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle center. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to! I recommend you listeners try to avoid it!"

 

The bespectacled boy bowed deeply. "Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!"

 

Izuku slumped in his seat. The exam was a simple premise: destroy or be destroyed. Avoid the unkillable obstacle. Rack up a body count of machines.

 

He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. In the dark recesses of his mind, he felt the comforting presence of his pack. They were restless, sensing his anxiety.

 

We don't destroy, Izuku thought to them, feeling their consciousness brush against his own. We protect. We will find a way. We have to.

 

 

 

Battle Center B was a sprawling, hyper-realistic replica of a dense urban district. Towering skyscrapers, winding alleyways, and wide boulevards created a maze of concrete and glass.

 

Izuku stood at the front of the massive group of examinees gathered before the towering gates. He wore a simple green tracksuit, adjusting the fingerless gloves on his hands. Around him, teenagers were stretching, revving up their quirks, and psyching themselves up for violence.

 

"Right, let's get out there and smash some metal!" a boy with a hardening quirk yelled.

 

Izuku swallowed hard. He needed a strategy. If he wasn't going to attack, he had to focus entirely on crowd control and rescue. But would the judges even score that? If they only counted destroyed robots, he was guaranteed to fail.

 

No. I can't think about failing. I just have to do what a hero would do.

 

"RIGHT, LET'S START!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, catching everyone off guard. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! RUN, RUN, RUN!"

 

The massive gates began to grind open. Before they were even fully apart, the crowd surged forward like a tidal wave.

 

Izuku was swept up in the current, his feet pounding against the pavement as he entered the faux city. Immediately, the sounds of chaos erupted. Explosions rang out from the next block over. The grinding of metal on metal echoed down the alleys.

 

"Target acquired."

 

A mechanical voice droned from above. Izuku skidded to a halt. Dropping from the side of a building was a One-Pointer—a sleek, single-wheeled robot with a mounted laser cannon. It landed heavily, its singular red optic locking onto a girl running slightly ahead of Izuku.

 

The girl gasped, tripping over her own feet as the robot raised its cannon.

 

Izuku didn't think. He acted.

 

"Bramble!" Izuku shouted, thrusting his arm forward.

 

From his shadow, a burst of brilliant, emerald-green light erupted. A wolf made entirely of twisting, thorny energy vines materialized mid-leap. Bramble hit the ground running, moving faster than the robot could track.

 

Instead of attacking the machine, Bramble lunged past it, bounding toward the fallen girl. The green wolf opened its maw and fired a thick, glowing tether of energy. The tether wrapped securely but gently around the girl’s waist.

 

Pull! Izuku commanded mentally.

 

Bramble yanked its head back, pulling the girl out of the line of fire just as the robot fired its laser. The beam scorched the pavement where she had been a second before.

 

"Keep moving!" Izuku yelled to the shocked girl. "The center of the road is an open firing line! Stick to the alleys!"

 

The girl nodded furiously, scrambling to her feet and running.

 

"Target lost. Re-acquiring," the One-Pointer droned, turning its optic toward Izuku.

 

Izuku didn't flinch. "Lumos! Nox!"

 

Two flashes of light—one white, one purple—exploded from his shoulders. The twin smaller wolves hit the ground and immediately began running in dizzying circles around the robot. They didn't strike it; they merely acted as high-speed flares, leaving trails of blinding light in their wake.

 

The robot's visual sensors overloaded, spinning erratically as it tried to track the blinding anomalies.

 

"Good boys. Recall!" Izuku commanded. The wolves vanished into mist, returning to his mind, and Izuku sprinted down a side street, leaving the confused robot behind for another examinee to smash.

 

In the observation room high above the city, the UA faculty sat in a darkened amphitheater, watching hundreds of screens.

 

"This year's crop looks promising," a hero with blocky, cement-like features noted, watching a screen where Katsuki Bakugo was violently dismantling a three-pointer. "Lots of offensive potential."

 

"Indeed. But the ability to adapt to chaos is equally important," a small, mouse-like creature in a suit—Principal Nezu—said, sipping a cup of tea. His beady eyes scanned the monitors, catching sight of Sector B. "Hmm. Now this is highly unusual."

 

On the screen, Izuku Midoriya was running through the streets. He had not laid a finger on a single robot.

 

"Examinee 7112. Izuku Midoriya. Quirk: Guardian Pack," Aizawa Shota muttered, reading from a file, his tired eyes narrowing. "A hard-light construct emitter. Powerful. But he's actively avoiding combat."

 

On the monitor, a Three-Pointer cornered a group of students. Missiles deployed from its chassis. Suddenly, a massive, golden-amber wolf materialized out of thin air, standing like a fortress before the students. The missiles struck the wolf, detonating in a massive cloud of smoke.

 

When the smoke cleared, the golden wolf, Aegis, stood completely unharmed, its hard-light body shimmering. It let out a deafening, terrifying roar that caused the robot's audio sensors to glitch, making it stumble backward. Izuku, directing from the rear, waved the students into a safe building before recalling the giant wolf and running away again.

 

"He has immense defensive capabilities," the hero Midnight purred, resting her chin on her hand. "But he's not earning a single villain point. If he keeps this up, he'll fail."

 

"A hero who cannot fight is a liability," Aizawa said flatly. "Villains don't care about shields. They care about blood. If he refuses to go on the offensive, he won't survive out there."

 

"Perhaps," Nezu hummed, a small smile playing on his snout. "But the exam is not over yet. Let us see how they handle the true test. Release the obstacle."

 

Nezu pressed a large, red button on the console.

 

Down in Battle Center B, Izuku was panting heavily. The mental strain of repeatedly manifesting and dismissing his pack was taking its toll. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes.

 

"Five minutes left!" Present Mic announced over the city.

 

Izuku checked his mental tally. Zero points. I have absolutely zero villain points.

 

He had saved at least a dozen examinees from taking hits. He had used Zephyr, his silver scout wolf, to locate trapped students under minor debris and used Bramble to pull the rubble away. He had done exactly what Thirteen would do. But looking around at the ruined robots littering the streets, he knew he was far behind the rest of the pack.

 

Did I make a mistake? Doubt gnawed at the edges of his resolve. Should I just let Aegis crush one? Just one? It's just a machine.

 

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled.

 

It wasn't a minor tremor. The very foundations of the faux city shook with the force of a localized earthquake. The glass in the windows of the surrounding buildings shattered, raining down on the streets.

 

A shadow fell over the city blocks.

 

Izuku looked up, and the breath caught in his throat.

 

At the far end of the main boulevard, buildings were being pushed aside like cardboard boxes. A colossal machine, easily the size of a skyscraper, rolled into view on massive treads. Its head disappeared into the smoke and dust it kicked up. The sheer scale of it was incomprehensible.

 

"The Zero Pointer..." someone whispered nearby.

 

"Run! It's too big! You can't fight that thing!"

 

Panic erupted. The examinees, brave and confident moments ago, broke into a dead sprint in the opposite direction.

 

Izuku’s legs moved on instinct. He turned to run with the crowd. There was no point fighting a natural disaster. His quirk couldn't shield something that massive. He had to evacuate.

 

"Ow!"

 

A sharp, pained cry cut through the sound of grinding gears and falling masonry.

 

Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around.

 

Through the dust, lying in the middle of the street, directly in the path of the colossal treads of the Zero Pointer, was the nice girl with the round face. A massive chunk of concrete had fallen from a building, pinning her ankle to the pavement. She was struggling frantically, her hands pressing against the rubble, but she was exhausted.

 

The Zero Pointer raised a massive mechanical arm, preparing to smash the street in front of it.

 

The other examinees were already blocks away. Nobody was looking back. Nobody but Izuku.

 

In that fraction of a second, the world seemed to slow down. Izuku’s doubt vanished. The fear evaporated. There was no time to second-guess his philosophy. A life was in danger.

 

I won't fight, Izuku thought, his eyes burning with an intense, emerald fire. But I will NOT let you die!

 

Izuku didn't run away. He sprinted directly toward the towering mechanical titan.

 

"Hey! What are you doing?!" a boy yelled from down the street. "You'll die!"

 

Izuku ignored him. He slid to a halt ten yards in front of the trapped girl, placing himself directly between her and the looming treads of the Zero Pointer.

 

The machine was too big. Bramble wasn't strong enough to pull that much concrete. Aegis couldn't withstand a direct hit from something that weighed thousands of tons. Individually, his pack was useless here.

 

He needed to break his own limits. He needed the Pack.

 

Izuku spread his arms wide, planting his feet firmly into the asphalt. He closed his eyes and reached deep into the core of his mind, grasping the metaphysical tethers that bound him to his constructs.

 

"ALL OF YOU! NOW!" Izuku roared at the top of his lungs.

 

The air around Izuku practically exploded. A shockwave of pure, blinding energy blasted outward, shattering the remaining windows on the street.

 

Five distinct pillars of light erupted from the ground around him. Gold. Silver. Emerald. White. Purple.

 

Aegis, Zephyr, Bramble, Lumos, and Nox materialized simultaneously. The strain of summoning all five at once hit Izuku like a physical blow. Blood instantly welled up in his nose, trickling down his upper lip. His vision blurred, a localized migraine screaming in his skull.

 

The wolves didn't wait for a verbal command. The telepathic link was wide open, operating at maximum capacity.

 

We cannot stop it. So we move it. Grand Guardian Network!

 

The wolves moved with terrifying synchronization. They didn't run toward the robot; they ran toward each other.

 

Aegis let out a roaring howl and leaped into the air. Zephyr followed, crashing into the golden wolf mid-air. Instead of colliding, their hard-light forms merged, swirling into a mass of gold and silver energy. Bramble leaped in, adding thick, emerald tendrils to the mass. Lumos and Nox shot into the center, acting as a hyper-dense core of pure light.

 

Before the eyes of the stunned faculty in the observation room, Izuku Midoriya’s five constructs fused into a single, massive entity.

 

It wasn't a wolf anymore. It was a sprawling, hyper-dense net of braided hard-light energy, glowing with a prismatic intensity that rivaled the sun.

 

"What is he doing?!" Midnight gasped, standing up from her chair.

 

"He's creating a snare," Aizawa realized, leaning forward, his eyes wide.

 

Izuku screamed, dropping to one knee as the mental feedback threatened to render him unconscious. He thrust his hands forward, mimicking the motion of throwing a net.

 

The massive web of fused energy shot forward. It didn't aim for the robot's head or its chest. It aimed low.

 

The glowing, braided ropes of light wrapped around the massive right tread of the Zero Pointer, anchoring violently into the surrounding skyscrapers on either side of the street.

 

The Zero Pointer, operating on sheer forward momentum, didn't stop. Its massive tread hit the energy snare.

 

Physics took over.

 

The hard-light net, anchored by the unyielding will of Izuku Midoriya, did not break. The colossal forward kinetic energy of the machine was suddenly and violently arrested at its base. The upper half of the robot, however, kept moving.

 

With a sound like a bomb detonating, the Zero Pointer's center of gravity shifted. The colossal machine pitched forward. The treads screamed as they were forced to a halt, and the torso of the robot began to fall.

 

It was tripping.

 

Izuku watched, blood pouring from his nose, as the multi-ton machine tipped backward, its own momentum betraying it. It crashed violently into the street behind it, a massive, city-shaking impact that sent a shockwave of dust and debris hundreds of feet into the air.

 

The snare of light shattered, the energy dispersing into the wind as Izuku’s hold over the quirk finally broke.

 

The Zero Pointer lay on its back, its internal systems sparking and dying. It was completely incapacitated.

 

And Izuku hadn't thrown a single punch.

 

Silence fell over Battle Center B. The dust slowly began to settle, revealing Izuku kneeling on the cracked pavement, gasping for air, clutching his head.

 

"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the city, though it sounded strangely subdued.

 

Izuku slowly turned around. The girl with the round face was staring at him, her mouth agape in absolute shock. The concrete slab pinning her leg had been cracked by the shockwave of the robot falling, relieving the pressure.

 

Izuku tried to stand, to go check on her, to see if she was hurt.

 

"Are you... okay?" he managed to wheeze out.

 

His eyes rolled back in his head, and the world faded to black. He collapsed onto the pavement, completely unconscious.

 

 

 

One Week Later.

 

Izuku stared at the envelope sitting on his desk. It was a crisp, white envelope bearing the red wax seal of UA High School.

 

The week following the exam had been agonizing. He had woken up in the infirmary, being kissed on the forehead by Recovery Girl, who scolded him for pushing his brain so hard he gave himself a minor hemorrhage. He had walked home in a daze, entirely convinced he had failed.

 

Zero villain points. He had tripped the massive robot, yes, but he hadn't destroyed it. He had done nothing but run, block, and dodge.

 

His mother hovered nervously in the doorway. "Do... do you want me to open it, Izuku?"

 

"No," Izuku said, his voice quiet but steady. "I need to do it. Whatever happens, it's my result."

 

He reached out and tore the seal.

 

Instead of a letter, a small, metal disc slid out, clattering onto the wooden desk. Izuku blinked in confusion. Suddenly, the disc whirred to life, projecting a massive, three-dimensional hologram into the center of his bedroom.

 

"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"

 

Izuku fell out of his chair. "All Might?!"

 

The Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace himself, stood in the projection, wearing a bright yellow suit.

 

"Young Midoriya!" All Might boomed, pointing directly at the camera. "You must be wondering why I am the one delivering this message! Well, the truth is, I have accepted a teaching position at UA High!"

 

Izuku’s jaw dropped. All Might? Teaching?

 

"Now, onto your results," All Might’s expression turned somewhat serious, though a warm smile played at the edges of his lips. "You passed the written exam with flying colors! Excellent work. However, in the practical exam... you scored exactly zero villain points."

 

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut. I knew it.

 

"If that were the only criteria, you would have failed. A hero must be able to stop villains, after all," All Might continued. "However... there is a deeper core to heroism. A core that many in our modern society have forgotten in their pursuit of glory and power."

 

The hologram shifted, showing a video feed from the exam. It was footage of Izuku. Not just tripping the Zero Pointer, but the moments before. It showed him pulling a boy from under a fallen sign using Bramble. It showed Aegis taking the brunt of a missile strike to protect a group of trapped students. It showed Lumos blinding a robot so a girl could escape.

 

"You refused to destroy," All Might’s voice narrated over the footage. "In a simulated environment designed to test destructive capability, you looked past the simulation and saw the people. You acted as a shield. You acted as a shepherd."

 

The footage paused on the moment Izuku threw the energy snare, bringing the colossal Zero Pointer down to save the trapped girl.

 

"A hero course that rejects people who do the right thing is no hero course at all!" All Might boomed, the pride in his voice unmistakable. "We are an institution that evaluates the spirit of rescue! Thus, we have a second, hidden metric! Rescue Points!"

 

A scoreboard appeared on the screen next to All Might.

 

Izuku Midoriya. Villain Points: 0.

 

The numbers below it began to spin rapidly.

 

"Given by a panel of judges! For extreme selflessness, for prioritizing the lives of others above your own score, and for the flawless, non-violent neutralization of an Omega-Class threat... Izuku Midoriya!"

 

The numbers locked into place.

 

Rescue Points: 75.

 

Izuku stared at the number. Seventy-five. It was a massive score. It was higher than any combat score he had ever heard of.

 

"With a total of 75 points, you have passed! In fact, you broke the all-time record for Rescue Points in a single exam!" All Might thrust his hand forward, reaching out through the hologram.

 

"Come, Young Midoriya. This is your Hero Academia."

 

The projection fizzled out, leaving the room in stunned silence.

 

Izuku remained on the floor, staring at the empty space where the Symbol of Peace had just been. Tears, hot and fast, began to stream down his cheeks. He brought his hands up to his face, his shoulders shaking with violent, silent sobs.

 

He had done it. He had proved them wrong. He didn't need to hurt anyone. He didn't need to be a weapon.

 

A gentle pressure pushed against his leg. Izuku lowered his hands.

 

Sitting before him were all five of his wolves. Aegis, large and comforting. Zephyr, sleek and attentive. Bramble, bright and earthy. And the twins, Lumos and Nox, resting their heads on his knees. They weren't weapons of destruction. They were his pack. They were his shields.

 

Izuku wrapped his arms around the massive, golden neck of Aegis, burying his face in the warm, hard-light energy. The wolf let out a deep, comforting rumble that vibrated through Izuku’s chest.

 

"We did it," Izuku whispered into the glowing fur. "We're going to UA. We're going to save everyone."

 

The path ahead would not be easy. He knew the world of Pro Heroes was violent and cruel. He knew there would be villains who could not be reasoned with, villains who would force him to the breaking point. He knew his pacifism would be challenged, mocked, and tested.

 

But as Izuku sat among his pack, bathed in their warm, prismatic light, his resolve hardened into diamond.

 

He was Izuku Midoriya. He was the Gentle Shepherd. And he would become a hero whose hands were never stained with blood.

 

 

 

The world was not silent when Izuku Midoriya woke up. It never was.

 

Even before his eyes fluttered open to the soft morning light filtering through his bedroom window, his mind was already abuzz with a symphony of wordless sensations. It was a chorus of five distinct frequencies, humming at the edge of his consciousness like the idle engines of luxury cars.

 

There was the deep, resonant thrum of Aegis, a sensation akin to the warmth of a heavy blanket. There was the high, vibrating static of Zephyr, eager and restless. Bramble felt like the winding, slow growth of roots deep in the earth, while Lumos and Nox danced at the forefront of his mind, twin sparks of bright curiosity and shadowed mischief.

 

Izuku sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and breathed out. "Good morning, everyone."

 

In response, the ambient temperature in the room spiked briefly. From the shadows beneath his desk, a swirl of amethyst light coalesced, solidifying into the sleek, vulpine form of Nox. The purple wolf leaped silently onto Izuku’s bed, its hard-light paws sinking into the mattress without tearing the fabric, and nudged Izuku’s chest with a cold, smooth snout.

 

Izuku smiled, reaching out to scratch the construct behind its glowing ears. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Big day today."

 

Today was his first day at UA High School.

 

The weight of that reality settled into his stomach, bringing a cocktail of profound excitement and paralyzing anxiety. He was going to be a hero student. He had defied the odds, shattered the rescue point record, and earned a place among the elite. But as he pulled on his new uniform—the crisp white shirt, the red tie, the sharply tailored gray blazer—the anxiety began to win.

 

He looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look like a hero. He looked like plain, ordinary Izuku. And worse, he knew who else had been accepted into UA. Katsuki Bakugo’s name had been plastered all over the local news as the prodigy who topped the practical exam's combat scores.

 

If Kacchan is there... he’s not going to be happy about me, Izuku thought, adjusting his tie with trembling fingers.

 

"Izuku! Breakfast is ready! You don't want to be late!" his mother called from the kitchen.

 

"Coming!" Izuku replied. He took one last look in the mirror. He tapped his chest, directly over his heart, establishing the firm mental boundary he had practiced for years. Stay close today, he projected to his pack. But stay quiet. We don't want to cause a scene.

 

 

 

Causing a scene was, unfortunately, unavoidable.

 

Standing before the towering door of Class 1-A, Izuku felt his breath catch in his throat. The door was comically large, clearly designed to accommodate students with gigantification or mutation quirks.

 

Just open it, he told himself. Just walk in, find a seat, and be normal.

 

He slid the massive door open.

 

"Remove your foot from that desk immediately!"

 

The loud, commanding voice echoed through the spacious classroom. Izuku peeked inside to see the tall, bespectacled boy from the entrance exam auditorium—the one who had scolded him for muttering—chopping his arm through the air with mechanical rigidity.

 

Sitting at the desk in question, leaning back with his feet propped up and a sneer on his face, was Katsuki Bakugo.

 

"Huh?" Katsuki growled, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do, Four-Eyes?"

 

"I am Tenya Iida, from Somei Private Academy!" the boy declared proudly. "And it is an insult to the upperclassmen who used these desks, and the craftsmen who made them, to treat school property with such disrespect!"

 

"Somei? So you're a stuck-up elite, then?" Katsuki chuckled darkly, small sparks popping off his palms. "I should have fun crushing you."

 

"C-Crushing me?!" Iida gasped, taking a step back. "You truly intend to become a hero with that attitude?"

 

Izuku stood in the doorway, frozen. It was exactly as he had feared. Kacchan was already picking fights. He debated slowly closing the door and hiding in the hallway until the bell rang, but before he could retreat, Iida turned and spotted him.

 

"Ah!" Iida marched toward the door, leaving a seething Katsuki behind. "You're the boy from the entrance exam! The one who realized the hidden nature of the practical test!"

 

Suddenly, the entire classroom turned to look at the doorway.

 

"Oh! The falling boy!"

 

From behind Iida, the girl with the round face—the one Izuku had saved from the Zero Pointer—jogged over, a bright, bubbly smile on her face. "You made it! I'm so glad! I tried to talk to Present Mic about giving you some of my points, but he said you didn't need them! That punch—well, that weird rope-thing you did to the big robot was amazing!"

 

Izuku felt his face erupt into a violent shade of red. "O-Oh! Um, thank you! I-I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to officially m-meet you."

 

"I'm Ochaco Uraraka!" she beamed. "This is gonna be great! I wonder who our teacher is?"

 

As Izuku stepped fully into the classroom, the ambient light in the corridor seemed to warp. His anxiety, peaking from the sudden center of attention, caused a subconscious slip in his control.

 

From the shadows trailing behind his heels, two distinct shapes materialized.

 

Lumos and Nox stepped into the classroom. The pure white wolf and the deep amethyst wolf flanked Izuku’s legs, their hard-light bodies pulsing with a soft, ethereal hum. They weren't large—only about the size of standard huskies—but their sudden appearance, accompanied by the distinct smell of ozone and the visual distortion of solid light, was jarring.

 

The classroom went dead silent.

 

A boy with spiky yellow hair and a black lightning bolt streak jumped onto his desk. "Whoa! Dude, what are those?!"

 

A girl with pink skin and small horns squealed, clapping her hands. "Oh my gosh, they are so pretty! Are they ghosts? Can I pet them?!"

 

Iida adjusted his glasses, looking incredibly stern. "Midoriya! While I commend your heroics at the exam, bringing unauthorized pets onto UA grounds is a severe violation of school policy! Furthermore, their strange luminescence implies they have been exposed to something hazardous!"

 

"T-They aren't pets!" Izuku waved his hands frantically, completely overwhelmed. "They're my Quirk! I-I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous, so they manifested on their own!"

 

He nudged the twins with his mind. Nox let out a soft huff, dissipating into purple mist, while Lumos simply melted into the floor like a puddle of milk, vanishing from sight.

 

"Whoa, an emitter-type construct quirk?" a boy with half-red, half-white hair murmured from the back of the room, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing slightly. "Impressive manifestation speed."

 

Katsuki sat frozen at his desk, his feet slowly lowering to the floor. He stared at Izuku, his jaw tight, his hands clenching into fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He’s here, Katsuki thought, his pride stinging like a fresh burn. The coward actually made it in. He thinks he can stand on the same stage as me without fighting.

 

"If you're just here to make friends, you can pack up your stuff and leave."

 

The voice was tired, flat, and came from the floor outside the classroom.

 

Everyone turned to see a yellow sleeping bag inching its way through the doorway like a giant, synthetic caterpillar. The zipper descended, revealing a haggard man with messy black hair, severe bags under his eyes, and a gray scarf wrapped around his neck.

 

He stood up, shedding the sleeping bag, and pulled a juice pouch from his pocket. "It took you all eight seconds to quiet down. Time is a limited resource. You kids aren't rational enough."

 

A teacher? Izuku thought, his mind racing. He looks so exhausted. But that scarf... wait. Those goggles hidden under his hair! That’s the underground hero, Eraser Head!

 

"I'm Shota Aizawa. Your homeroom teacher," the man stated, walking to the podium.

 

The class gasped collectively. A pro hero as their homeroom teacher?

 

"Right, let's get to it," Aizawa said, pulling a blue bundle of fabric from his sleeping bag and tossing it onto the front desk. "Put these on and head out to the P.E. grounds."

 

 

 

The sun was high over the expansive dirt field of UA's training grounds. Class 1-A stood in their blue and white P.E. uniforms, looking at their teacher in confusion.

 

"A Quirk Apprehension Test?!" the class shouted in unison.

 

"What about the entrance ceremony? Or guidance sessions?" Uraraka asked, looking concerned.

 

"No time to waste on that subjective nonsense," Aizawa replied, turning his back to them. "UA's selling point is its unrestricted traditions. That also applies to how the teachers run their classes. You've been doing these fitness tests since junior high, right? Pitching, long jump, 50-meter dash... but you were always prohibited from using your Quirks."

 

Aizawa held up a smartphone. "The country still uses averages taken from results devoid of Quirks. It's irrational. The Department of Education is procrastinating."

 

He turned his tired gaze toward the students, his eyes locking onto Katsuki. "Bakugo. You finished first in the practical exam combat scores, didn't you? What was your best result for the softball throw in junior high?"

 

"Sixty-seven meters," Katsuki replied smoothly.

 

"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk," Aizawa instructed, tossing a baseball to Katsuki. "Step into the circle. As long as you don't step out of it, do whatever you want. Don't hold back."

 

Katsuki grinned, a feral, terrifying expression. He stretched his arms, stepping into the chalk circle. He wound up his pitch, his palm sweating nitroglycerin.

 

"DIE!" Katsuki roared.

 

With a deafening BOOM, a massive explosion erupted from his hand as he released the ball. The shockwave blew the hair back from the faces of the students. The ball rocketed into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke before disappearing into the clouds.

 

Izuku flinched at the word 'Die.' It was a stark reminder of Katsuki’s approach to heroism—domination through sheer, overwhelming violence.

 

Aizawa looked at his device, which beeped a moment later. He turned it around for the class to see. "Know your own maximum first. That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero."

 

The screen read: 705.2m.

 

The class erupted.

 

"Seven hundred meters?! That's insane!" Kaminari yelled.

 

"We can use our Quirks as much as we want! This looks like fun!" cheered Mina Ashido.

 

Aizawa’s eyes darkened, the bags beneath them seeming to deepen. The atmosphere on the field instantly dropped ten degrees.

 

"'It looks like fun,' you say?" Aizawa’s voice was dangerously quiet. "You have three years here to become heroes. You think it's all going to be games and playtime? Idiots."

 

He smiled, a terrifying, predatory grin. "Fine. New rule. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential... and will be punished with expulsion."

 

"EXPULSION?!" the class shrieked.

 

"You can't do that!" Uraraka stepped forward, her fists clenched. "It's the first day! Even if it wasn't, that's entirely unfair!"

 

"Natural disasters, massive accidents, ego-maniacal villains," Aizawa listed, stepping closer to the students. "Calamities whose time and place cannot be predicted. Japan is covered in unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations. If you wanted to talk with friends at McDonald's after school, too bad. For the next three years, UA will throw hardship after hardship at you. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you've got."

 

Izuku felt a cold sweat break out on his neck. Expulsion. This wasn't a game. This wasn't a simulation where he could just focus on rescue points. This was raw, measurable athletic performance augmented by Quirks.

 

Aizawa’s eyes swept the crowd, lingering on Izuku for a fraction of a second longer than the others. Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa thought. The boy who scored zero villain points but saved four students and disabled a zero-pointer. I've watched the tapes. You have the raw power of a high-tier emitter, but you use it like a shield. Let's see if that pacifism of yours can survive a real pressure test.

 

"Test 1: 50-Meter Dash."

 

The students lined up in pairs. Izuku found himself paired with Katsuki. Of course he was. The universe had a twisted sense of humor.

 

Katsuki stood at the starting line, his palms sparking, not even looking at Izuku. "Don't get in my way, Deku. You're going home today."

 

Izuku took a deep breath. He didn't need to fight Katsuki. He just needed to run. But he couldn't beat explosions with his own two feet. He needed speed.

 

He closed his eyes. Zephyr. I need you.

 

A sharp, crackling sound filled the air. A collective gasp rose from the students watching. Izuku’s shadow stretched unnaturally, and from it leaped Zephyr. The silver wolf was sleek, aerodynamic, and crackled with residual kinetic energy. It stood beside Izuku, its bright white eyes locked on the finish line.

 

"Ready?" a robotic voice called from a camera drone hovering nearby.

 

Izuku reached down, wrapping his hand firmly into the scruff of Zephyr’s ethereal neck. The hard-light energy didn't burn; it felt like gripping a taut, vibrating steel cable.

 

"Go!"

 

Katsuki blasted off the starting line, explosions rocketing him forward like a human missile. "Burst speed!" he yelled, shooting down the track.

 

Simultaneously, Izuku commanded Zephyr. The silver wolf launched forward with the speed of a bullet. Because Izuku was holding on, the sheer kinetic force of the construct pulled him along, his feet barely touching the ground as he was dragged in the wolf's slipstream.

 

Whoosh!

 

"4.13 seconds!" the robot announced as Katsuki crossed the line.

 

"4.20 seconds!" the robot announced a fraction of a second later as Izuku slid past the finish line, dropping his hold on Zephyr to avoid face-planting.

 

Izuku tumbled into the dirt, panting. Zephyr circled him once, nudging his shoulder affectionately before dissipating into silver mist.

 

"Tch," Katsuki spat, looking at his time, then glaring at Izuku. "Cheating with your stupid mutts."

 

Izuku ignored the jab, brushing the dirt off his knees. It was a good time. Not first place, but far from last.

 

"Test 2: Grip Strength."

 

The students gathered around digital grip meters. Mezo Shoji, the tall boy with multiple arms, crushed his meter, scoring a staggering 540 kilograms.

 

"Wow! Are you a gorilla? An octopus?!" Mineta, a short boy with purple spheres on his head, cried out.

 

Izuku looked at his small meter. His physical strength had improved immensely over ten months of training, but his raw grip was maybe 50 kilograms at best.

 

"Midoriya, your turn," Aizawa called out, leaning against a fence.

 

Izuku stepped up. He couldn't physically crush it. So, he would use the pack.

 

Aegis, Izuku thought.

 

The air grew heavy. A massive golden paw manifested from the ether, followed by the hulking, muscular chest and immense head of the golden wolf. Aegis towered over the class, letting out a low, rumbling growl that made several students instinctively step back.

 

"Good boy," Izuku murmured. He held up the small digital device. "Bite."

 

Aegis lowered his massive, glowing head. He opened his jaws, revealing rows of blunt, glowing hard-light teeth, and gently took the digital meter from Izuku’s hand.

 

Squeeze, Izuku commanded through the link.

 

Aegis bit down. The machine groaned under the immense pressure. The digital counter spun wildly before letting out a sharp beep. Aegis opened his mouth, dropping the completely intact but heavily abused meter into Izuku’s hand before dissolving into golden rain.

 

Izuku looked at the screen. 980 kg.

 

The class was dead silent.

 

"N-Nine hundred and eighty?!" Kaminari shrieked, grabbing his own hair. "That thing has the bite force of a hippopotamus! And you just let it walk around?!"

 

"It's not dangerous!" Izuku defended quickly, his face flushing. "Aegis has perfect control! He would never bite someone!"

 

Aizawa jotted the number down on his clipboard, his expression unreadable. Perfect control, Aizawa mused. A construct with that much force could sever a human in half. Yet he uses it like a vice grip. Fascinating.

 

The tests continued.

 

Test 3: Standing Long Jump. Bakugo used explosions to fly over the sandbox. Izuku used a synchronized leap, having Lumos and Nox manifest mid-air beneath his feet to act as hard-light stepping stones, propelling himself over the sand.

 

Test 4: Repeated Side Steps. Mineta dominated this test by bouncing between his sticky spheres. Izuku summoned Zephyr to pull him back and forth rapidly, scoring in the upper percentile.

 

By the time they reached the fifth test—the softball throw—Izuku was breathing heavily. Commanding the wolves required immense mental focus. Every time they manifested, a small portion of his stamina was drained to maintain their physical density in the real world.

 

He was currently in the middle of the pack on the scoreboard. He wouldn't be expelled, but he hadn't truly stood out either.

 

"Ochaco Uraraka," Aizawa called.

 

The brunette stepped into the circle. She tapped the baseball, removing its gravity, and threw it. It sailed into the sky, never coming down.

 

"Infinity," Aizawa announced, showing the screen.

 

The class cheered. Izuku smiled, genuinely happy for her.

 

"Izuku Midoriya."

 

Izuku’s smile faded. He walked to the center of the chalk circle, the baseball feeling heavy in his hand. He looked out over the massive expanse of the field.

 

He had to get a good score. But how? He couldn't throw it normally. He didn't have Bakugo's explosive propulsion or Uraraka's zero gravity.

 

I need force. Non-explosive, directional force.

 

Izuku closed his eyes. The mental strain was giving him a headache, but he pushed past it.

 

"Aegis. Bramble."

 

The field illuminated in a clash of gold and emerald. To Izuku’s right, the massive, tank-like golden wolf materialized, its paws scorching the dirt. To his left, the twisting, thorny, vine-like wolf of green energy appeared, snarling silently.

 

"Whoa, two at once?!" Kirishima gasped. "He hasn't done that yet!"

 

Aizawa watched closely, his hand creeping toward his capture scarf.

 

"Bramble," Izuku said, pointing to the ground. "Anchor."

 

The green wolf opened its mouth, firing two thick tethers of emerald energy into the dirt behind the throwing circle, burying them deep into the bedrock. It then fired a third tether, looping it securely around Aegis's massive golden torso.

 

"Aegis. Pull."

 

The golden wolf clamped its jaws onto the center of the emerald tether. With a heavy grunt, Aegis began to walk backward, straining against the supernatural elasticity of Bramble’s energy vines. The green tethers stretched, glowing brighter as potential kinetic energy built up to terrifying levels. It looked like a massive, glowing slingshot.

 

Izuku walked over to the apex of the stretched tether and carefully lodged the baseball into the cradle of energy.

 

He looked at Aegis. The golden wolf was digging its paws into the dirt, holding back thousands of pounds of pressure, its eyes locked on Izuku, waiting for the command.

 

"Release!" Izuku yelled.

 

Aegis opened its jaws.

 

The snap of the energy tether breaking the sound barrier echoed across the field like a thunderclap. The baseball was launched forward with the force of a heavy artillery shell, leaving a visible shockwave in the dirt as it rocketed into the stratosphere.

 

Izuku stumbled back from the wind pressure, watching the ball disappear.

 

He waited for the beep. He waited for Aizawa to announce his score.

 

Instead, a dry, grating voice spoke from right behind him.

 

"You're relying entirely on parlor tricks."

 

Izuku spun around. Aizawa was standing mere feet away, his hair floating wildly in the air, his eyes glowing a fierce, demonic red. The grey scarf around his neck was levitating like a nest of angry snakes.

 

Izuku gasped. He reached out to his pack—to Aegis, to Bramble—but there was nothing. The warm, humming sensation in his mind was gone. It felt as if a heavy iron door had been slammed shut on his soul. The wolves had vanished instantly, not even leaving mist behind.

 

"My... my quirk?" Izuku panicked, grabbing his head.

 

"I erased it," Aizawa said flatly.

 

Suddenly, the grey scarf whipped forward, wrapping tightly around Izuku’s torso. With a sharp tug, Aizawa pulled Izuku out of the circle, yanking him forward until they were inches apart.

 

"Hey! What's the teacher doing?!" someone yelled from the crowd.

 

"Quiet," Aizawa snapped, not looking away from Izuku. He lowered his voice so only the green-haired boy could hear. "I've watched the footage from your entrance exam, Midoriya. You scored zero villain points. You broke the rescue record. The judges were moved to tears by your 'heroic spirit.'"

 

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed, drilling into Izuku’s soul. "I was not."

 

Izuku trembled, the cloth squeezing his ribs tight. "S-Sir?"

 

"Your Quirk is immensely powerful. A hard-light construct emitter capable of producing multiple independent entities with extreme durability and force," Aizawa analyzed coldly. "And yet, you treat it like a shield and a tow rope. You actively avoid combat. You refused to strike a single machine in the exam."

 

"Because they were machines!" Izuku countered, finding a sliver of courage. "I don't need to destroy to save people!"

 

"Are you truly that naive?" Aizawa’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Do you think villains are going to line up and let you shepherd civilians to safety? Do you think a serial killer with a hostage gives a damn about your golden retriever?"

 

Aizawa yanked the scarf tighter. "A hero who refuses to fight is a liability. If you encounter an overwhelming threat, and your shields aren't enough, what then? Will you ask the villain politely to stop? Or will you stand there and watch people die because you were too arrogant to get your hands dirty?"

 

Izuku’s breath hitched. Aizawa's words hit him like physical blows, echoing the exact insults Katsuki had hurled at him for years. Coward. Arrogant. Pacifist.

 

"If you cannot neutralize a threat, you cannot be a hero," Aizawa stated, his glowing eyes unblinking. "If your philosophy is to never attack, then leave this school right now. I have no time for children playing dress-up."

 

The silence on the field was absolute. The class watched the tense exchange, unsure of what was happening.

 

Inside Izuku’s mind, behind the iron door Aizawa had shut, he could hear them. The pack. They were howling, a muffled, desperate sound. They wanted to protect him. They wanted to break out. But without his conscious will to force the door open, they were trapped.

 

Izuku looked into Aizawa’s glowing red eyes. He saw the logic there. The cold, brutal pragmatism of a man who fought in the darkest alleys of the city.

 

But Izuku also remembered the playground. He remembered the blood on Katsuki’s chest. He remembered the terror in his childhood friend's eyes.

 

"You're wrong."

 

Izuku’s voice was quiet, but it didn't tremble. It held a steady, immovable weight that made Aizawa pause.

 

"Excuse me?" Aizawa said, his grip tightening.

 

"You're wrong," Izuku repeated, his emerald eyes locking onto Aizawa’s red ones without flinching. "You think I don't fight because I'm arrogant. Or because I'm scared of getting hurt. I'm not."

 

Izuku reached up and grabbed the capture scarf wrapped around him. He didn't try to pull it off. He just held it.

 

"My Quirk is tied to my emotions," Izuku explained, his voice ringing with absolute clarity. "My wolves are extensions of my will. If I give into anger, if I use them to attack, to hurt, to break people... they become weapons of mass destruction. I've seen it. I know what they can do."

 

Izuku took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and his teacher, undeterred by the erasure of his quirk.

 

"A hero saves people," Izuku said, the vow from ten years ago echoing in his chest. "If a villain has a hostage, I won't kill the villain. I'll blind them. I'll disarm them. I'll rip the hostage away from them and put an unbreakable wall between them. There is always another way. Always. And if I have to sacrifice my humanity, if I have to become a monster who tears people apart just to win a fight... then I'm no better than the villains."

 

Aizawa stared at the boy. For a long moment, neither of them moved. The wind blew across the dirt field, rustling the fabric of the capture scarf.

 

Aizawa searched the boy's eyes for weakness, for hesitation, for the naive idealism that got rookie heroes killed every day.

 

He didn't find it.

 

He found a wall. An ideological fortress built on trauma, molded by a decade of unyielding resolve, and forged in the fire of absolute self-awareness. Midoriya Izuku knew exactly how dangerous he was, and had made the conscious, difficult choice to sheathe his fangs.

 

Aizawa blinked.

 

His hair fell back to his shoulders. The red glow vanished from his eyes. The iron door in Izuku’s mind flew open, and the warm, comforting hum of the pack flooded back into his consciousness, stronger than ever.

 

The capture scarf loosened, uncoiling from Izuku’s torso like a tamed snake, retracting into Aizawa’s collar.

 

Aizawa sighed, rubbing his dry eyes. "Your slingshot mechanism registered. Look at the screen."

 

Izuku turned. The device in Aizawa’s hand displayed a number.

 

706.1m

 

He had beaten Bakugo by less than a meter.

 

"Your methods are convoluted, Midoriya," Aizawa said, his voice returning to its normal tired drawl, though there was a hint of something else beneath it. Respect? "You prioritize defense over offense, containment over elimination. In a real combat scenario, that hesitation to strike will cost you time. Time costs lives."

 

Aizawa turned his back, walking back toward the class. "But... you have power. And you have resolve. Let's see if that shield of yours can truly protect everyone when the real villains come."

 

Izuku let out a shaky breath, placing a hand over his heart. He had passed the test. He had stood his ground.

 

"Hey."

 

The voice was low. Guttural.

 

Izuku turned his head. Katsuki Bakugo was standing at the edge of the class group, his head lowered, his bangs casting a dark shadow over his eyes. His entire body was trembling, small, localized explosions popping off his palms in a staccato rhythm of barely contained fury.

 

706.1m.

 

Deku had beaten him.

 

Deku, who refused to fight. Deku, who played with glowing dogs and talked about saving people like it was a cartoon. Deku, who looked down on Katsuki’s strength, had just outperformed him without throwing a single punch.

 

To Katsuki, it was the ultimate insult. It was Izuku saying, I am so much better than you, I can beat you while tying my hands behind my back.

 

"Deku..." Katsuki’s voice vibrated with a rage so profound it felt tangible.

 

"Kacchan, I didn't—" Izuku started, holding his hands up defensively.

 

"DON'T MOCK ME!"

 

Katsuki snapped. The rational part of his brain, the part that knew this was a test, that knew teachers were watching, evaporated entirely. All he saw was the green-haired boy who thought he was a god among men.

 

Katsuki lunged.

 

He exploded off his back foot, clearing the distance between himself and Izuku in a fraction of a second. He drew his right arm back, a massive, lethal explosion charging in his palm, aimed directly at Izuku’s face.

 

"Bakugo, stop!" Aizawa yelled, his eyes flashing red, his scarf whipping out.

 

But Aizawa was a second too late. Katsuki was already inside Izuku’s guard.

 

Izuku’s eyes widened, but he didn't move. He didn't try to dodge. He didn't even raise his hands to protect his face. He simply stared at Katsuki, his emerald eyes calm and sorrowful.

 

Because Izuku didn't have to defend himself. The pack wouldn't allow it.

 

Before Katsuki’s palm could make contact, the air between them shattered.

 

With a sound like a thunderstrike, Aegis materialized. The manifestation wasn't slow or gradual. It was instantaneous, driven by the absolute, primal instinct to protect the master from a lethal threat.

 

The massive golden wolf didn't just appear; it intercepted. It threw its hulking, hard-light body directly into Katsuki’s path.

 

BOOM!

 

The explosion detonated point-blank against Aegis's golden flank. Fire, smoke, and concussive force washed over the wolf and Izuku, obscuring them from the class's view.

 

"Midoriya!" Uraraka screamed.

 

The smoke cleared a second later.

 

Katsuki stood panting, his arm outstretched.

 

Standing before him was Aegis. The golden wolf hadn't moved an inch. The explosion had hit its side, but the hard-light construct was completely unblemished. Not a single ethereal hair was out of place.

 

But Aegis was not passive.

 

The wolf's eyes burned with a terrifying, blinding light. It bared its fangs, letting out a roar that shook the very ground beneath their feet—a sound so vicious, so filled with raw, unadulterated intent to kill, that Katsuki instinctively took a step back, his breath catching in his throat. Aegis crouched, its massive muscles coiling, preparing to lunge forward and tear the blond boy limb from limb for daring to attack its master.

 

"No."

 

The word was spoken softly, but it cut through the tension like a blade.

 

Izuku stepped out from behind the towering golden construct. He reached forward and placed his bare hand directly onto Aegis’s glowing, snarling snout.

 

"Stand down, Aegis," Izuku commanded, his voice devoid of anger, only filled with an ocean of calm.

 

Through the link, Izuku felt the wolf’s fury. Threat. Eliminate. Protect.

 

No, Izuku pushed back, flooding the bond with soothing warmth. We do not hurt him. We do not fight. He is not an enemy. Rest.

 

The transformation was immediate. Aegis stopped snarling. The terrifying, blinding light in its eyes softened to a warm amber. The massive wolf closed its jaws, leaning its heavy head into Izuku’s hand like a massive, docile dog, letting out a soft whine of compliance.

 

Izuku looked past the wolf, locking eyes with Katsuki.

 

Katsuki stood frozen. He looked at the invincible shield that had effortlessly tanked his strongest blast. He looked at the terrifying beast that could have ripped his throat out in a millisecond. And then he looked at Izuku, who had tamed that beast with a single word.

 

Katsuki felt a profound, sickening sense of powerlessness. He couldn't hurt Deku. He couldn't break his shield. And worse, Deku wouldn't even deem him worthy of fighting back.

 

"I'm not fighting you, Kacchan," Izuku said quietly, the golden light of Aegis illuminating his face. "I never will. So please... stop trying to make me."

 

Suddenly, Aizawa’s capture scarf wrapped tightly around Katsuki, pulling him back violently and binding his arms to his sides. Aizawa’s eyes were glowing a brilliant red, erasing Katsuki’s quirk.

 

"What did I just say about time being limited?" Aizawa growled, marching over to the restrained, seething blond. "Attack another student unprovoked again, Bakugo, and you're expelled. I don't care how high your combat scores are. Am I understood?"

 

Katsuki didn't answer. He just glared at Izuku with a hatred so deep it bordered on despair, before looking away and clicking his tongue. "Tch. Understood."

 

Aizawa released him, blinking away his quirk. He looked at Izuku, who was gently petting the massive golden head of Aegis.

 

He has absolute control, Aizawa thought, a shiver running down his spine despite himself. A construct that operates on lethal defensive instincts, and he overrides it with pure empathy. The kid isn't a coward. He's a monk sitting on a powder keg, choosing peace every single second.

 

"The tests are over," Aizawa announced loudly, pulling out a small holographic device. "Here are the final rankings. I'm not going to read them out; just look."

 

Izuku dismissed Aegis, the wolf fading into the wind, and walked over to the projection.

 

He scanned the list.

 

1. Momo Yaoyorozu

2. Shoto Todoroki

3. Katsuki Bakugo

 

He kept scrolling down. He found his name near the middle.

 

11. Izuku Midoriya.

 

He let out a massive sigh of relief. He wasn't last. He was safe.

 

He looked at the bottom of the list. Minoru Mineta was in 20th place. The short boy dropped to his knees, openly weeping. "I'm going home! It's over! I didn't even get to touch any boobs!"

 

"By the way, I lied about the expulsion," Aizawa said, flipping his device closed and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

 

The class froze.

 

"What?" Mineta squeaked.

 

Aizawa smiled his terrifying smile. "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks. Nobody is going home."

 

"WHAT?!" half the class shrieked.

 

"Of course it was a lie," a tall girl with a ponytail, Momo Yaoyorozu, sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "It was quite obvious if you just thought it through."

 

Izuku slumped, the adrenaline finally leaving his system, leaving him exhausted. He felt a soft nudge against his knee and looked down to see Lumos and Nox sitting together, looking up at him proudly.

 

"You did good today, Midoriya," a gruff voice said. Izuku turned to see the red-haired boy, Kirishima, grinning at him. "That slingshot move was super manly! And that golden wolf? Seriously intense!"

 

"T-Thank you," Izuku stammered, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima," he offered a fist bump, which Izuku awkwardly returned.

 

"I'm Mina Ashido!" the pink girl bounced over, immediately crouching down to look at Lumos and Nox. "Can I pet them now? Please?"

 

Izuku smiled, his anxiety melting away in the face of their genuine acceptance. He sent a mental nod to the twins. Nox let out a happy yap, bouncing over to Ashido and rubbing its hard-light head against her hand.

 

As the class began to walk back to the locker rooms, chatting excitedly about the day, Izuku looked over his shoulder.

 

Katsuki was walking alone, his back rigid, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. The space between them felt wider than it ever had in the ten years since the playground.

 

Izuku felt a pang of sorrow, but he turned back around, facing forward.

 

He was here. He was at UA. He had drawn his line in the sand, and he had defended it. His fangs were sheathed, and they would remain that way.

 

The Gentle Shepherd had survived his first day. Now, he just had to survive the rest of the year.

 

 

 

 

"They say the clothes make the pro, young men and ladies! Be fully aware that from this moment on... you are heroes!"

 

All Might’s booming voice echoed off the concrete walls of Ground Beta’s underground staging area. He stood before Class 1-A in his Silver Age costume, an imposing mountain of muscle and charisma, his trademark smile blinding in the fluorescent lights.

 

Izuku Midoriya stepped out of the tunnel, adjusting the collar of his new hero costume.

 

He had spent weeks designing it, prioritizing function, survivability, and his core ideology over flashiness. The result was a sleek, tactical uniform. He wore a heavy-duty, dark teal jacket lined with impact-resistant Kevlar plating, paired with dark grey cargo pants heavily padded at the knees and thighs to withstand harsh falls. His boots were steel-toed and deeply treaded for maximum grip, and a sturdy utility belt hugged his waist, stocked with first-aid supplies, a collapsible baton for prying debris, and spools of high-tensile capture tape.

 

Around his neck rested a thick, protective collar, and atop his head was a reinforced helmet with a tinted visor. It wasn't meant to hide his identity; the visor was polarized to protect his eyes from the blinding, prismatic light his own constructs emitted in enclosed spaces.

 

He didn't look like a warrior. He looked like a rescue operative.

 

"Wow, Midoriya! Your costume looks super practical!"

 

Izuku turned to see Ochaco Uraraka jogging toward him. Her own costume was a skin-tight pink and black suit with large, rounded boots and bracers. Izuku’s face immediately flushed, his brain short-circuiting slightly at how form-fitting her attire was.

 

"Y-Yeah! T-Thanks, Uraraka! Yours is... very, um, functional for your Quirk, too!" he stammered, pulling his visor down slightly to hide his red cheeks.

 

"Right, let's get down to business!" All Might called out, holding up a small script. "Today's lesson is Indoor Combat Training! The scenario: Villains have hidden a nuclear weapon inside their hideout! The Heroes must infiltrate and either secure the weapon or capture the Villains! The Villains must protect the weapon or capture the Heroes!"

 

Izuku swallowed hard. Combat training. Aizawa’s warning from yesterday echoed in his mind. Villains don't care about your pacifism. Today, he would be graded not on his ability to save, but on his ability to defeat.

 

"We will determine the teams by drawing lots!" All Might announced, holding out a yellow box.

 

Izuku stepped up and drew his letter. Team A.

 

"Hey, we're on the same team!" Uraraka cheered, holding up her own Team A ball. "This is gonna be great! We can coordinate perfectly!"

 

Izuku smiled, some of his anxiety melting away. "Yeah. I'm glad I'm with you, Uraraka."

 

"Now, for the first match of the day!" All Might reached into two separate boxes, pulling out two balls. "Team A will be the Heroes! Team D will be the Villains!"

 

Izuku’s blood ran cold.

 

He turned his head slowly. Across the staging area, standing in a menacing, grenade-themed costume with massive metallic gauntlets, Katsuki Bakugo was already glaring at him. Beside Katsuki stood Tenya Iida, clad in shining, knight-like armor.

 

Team D.

 

Katsuki didn't shout. He didn't explode. He simply stared at Izuku, his crimson eyes burning with a dark, suffocating intensity, before turning and walking into the mock building to prepare.

 

"Midoriya?" Uraraka asked, noticing his sudden pallor. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

 

"I... I'm okay," Izuku breathed out, forcing his hands to unclench. He tapped his chest, reaching inward to the mental sanctuary where his pack slumbered. Wake up, everyone. We have to be sharp today.

 

A warm, vibrating hum flooded his mind in response.

 

"Villain Team, go inside and set up!" All Might instructed. "Hero Team, you have five minutes to strategize!"

 

 

 

Inside the dim, concrete stairwell of the mock building, Izuku and Uraraka looked over a blueprint of the facility.

 

"Okay," Izuku said, his voice steadying as his analytical mind took over. "Iida is highly mobile, but he's a stickler for the rules. He'll likely stay on the top floor to guard the payload, treating it as his absolute priority. Kacchan... is different."

 

"Bakugo? The guy who throws explosions?" Uraraka asked, her brow furrowing. "He seems really intense. Do you think he'll stay and guard with Iida?"

 

Izuku shook his head, looking down at the blueprint. "No. Kacchan has something to prove. He hates me. Or, more accurately, he hates the way I choose to use my Quirk. He thinks my refusal to fight is an insult to him. He won't stay with the weapon. He's going to hunt me down the second the timer starts."

 

Uraraka gasped. "Hunt you down? But the objective—"

 

"To Kacchan, defeating me is the objective," Izuku interrupted softly. He looked up at her, his emerald eyes deadly serious. "Which is why we're going to split up."

 

"What?! But Midoriya, if he comes after you with those explosions, you'll need backup!"

 

"If we stay together, he'll catch us in a narrow hallway and blast us both," Izuku explained. "I need to act as bait. I'll draw his fire and keep him occupied. While he's focused on me, you need to find the stairs, bypass him, and get to the top floor to secure the weapon from Iida."

 

"But can you hold off Bakugo by yourself?" Uraraka asked, worry lacing her tone. "You didn't fight back at the Quirk Apprehension Test. If you don't fight him here..."

 

"I won't," Izuku confirmed, his voice unwavering. "I made a vow. I don't throw punches. I don't attack. But that doesn't mean I can't survive."

 

Izuku took a deep breath and extended his hands.

 

"Lumos. Nox."

 

The air in the stairwell distorted. A blinding flash of white light, followed by a deep swirl of violet, illuminated the concrete walls. The twin wolves materialized by Izuku’s boots, sitting obediently.

 

"They're so cool," Uraraka whispered, watching the hard-light constructs hum with energy.

 

"They're going with you," Izuku said.

 

Through the link, Izuku sent a wave of instruction to the twins. Protect her. Guide her. Distract the enemy if you have to, but do not bite.

 

Lumos trotted over to Uraraka, rubbing its glowing white flank against her leg, while Nox sat attentively, its purple eyes glowing in the dark.

 

"They act as flashlights, scouts, and they can blind sensors or cameras," Izuku explained. "They'll lead you to the payload. I'll handle Kacchan."

 

A loud buzzer echoed through the building.

 

"HERO TEAM, INFILTRATE!" All Might's voice blared over the PA system.

 

"Go," Izuku said. "Good luck, Uraraka."

 

She nodded determinedly, turning and running down the opposite corridor, Lumos and Nox bounding silently ahead of her.

 

Izuku watched her go, taking a deep breath of the dusty, concrete air. He was completely alone. He walked forward, his steel-toed boots clicking softly against the floorboards. The corridors were a maze, lit only by emergency lights that cast long, ominous shadows.

 

He didn't need a scout to find Katsuki. He just needed to wait.

 

He walked down a long, narrow hallway, approaching a sharp corner. His mind was hyper-focused, the link to his remaining three wolves pulsing like a second heartbeat.

 

Step. Step. Step.

 

The silence was deafening.

 

Then, the smell hit him. The sharp, sweet, acidic scent of burnt sugar.

 

Now.

 

Izuku didn't see the attack; he felt the intent. From around the blind corner, a terrifying, guttural roar erupted, accompanied by a blinding flash of orange light.

 

"DEKU!"

 

Katsuki vaulted around the corner, launching a massive right hook powered by a localized explosion. He was aiming directly for Izuku's chest.

 

"Aegis!" Izuku shouted.

 

CRASH.

 

The explosion detonated in the enclosed hallway, shaking the very foundations of the building. Smoke billowed outward, filling the corridor.

 

In the observation room, the rest of Class 1-A gasped.

 

"A surprise attack right off the bat?!" Mineta shrieked. "He's gonna kill him!"

 

"A sudden ambush is a valid villain tactic," All Might said, though his hands gripped the console tightly. Young Midoriya, hold your ground.

 

Back in the hallway, the smoke slowly cleared.

 

Katsuki stood with his right arm extended, his gauntlet smoking.

 

A foot away from his fist stood Aegis. The massive golden wolf had materialized in a fraction of a second, completely blocking the hallway. It stood like a glowing, insurmountable wall, taking the full brunt of the explosion without a single scratch on its hard-light fur.

 

Izuku stood safely behind the beast, his visor pulled down, shielding his eyes from the glare of Aegis’s manifestation.

 

"I knew you wouldn't stay by the payload, Kacchan," Izuku said, his voice calm, amplified slightly by the acoustics of the helmet.

 

"You sent the round face away," Katsuki sneered, lowering his arm and cracking his knuckles. "Good. I don't want any distractions. Tell your mutt to move, Deku. It's time to find out who's really better."

 

"There's nothing to find out," Izuku replied softly. He placed a hand on Aegis's back, feeling the wolf's aggressive instinct to counter-attack. He quelled it instantly, projecting absolute calm. "You want to prove your strength by breaking me. I want to pass this test without hurting anyone. Only one of us is acting like a hero right now."

 

Katsuki’s eyes widened, a vein popping in his forehead. That was it. That was the arrogance he despised.

 

"Stop looking down on me!" Katsuki roared.

 

He lunged. Not with a single blast, but with a rapid-fire sequence of explosions, using them to propel himself off the walls, ricocheting down the narrow hallway like a deadly pinball to bypass Aegis.

 

Izuku didn't flinch.

 

Zephyr.

 

Aegis dissolved into golden sparks. In its place, the sleek, silver form of Zephyr materialized. The silver wolf didn't attack; instead, it bit onto the thick Kevlar padding of Izuku’s shoulder and yanked violently backward.

 

Izuku was pulled out of the way just a millisecond before Katsuki crashed into the space he had been standing, a fiery explosion melting the floor tiles.

 

Katsuki immediately pivoted, using his left hand to fire a blast that sent him rocketing toward Izuku, right hand cocked back for a brutal haymaker.

 

"Fight back!" Katsuki screamed.

 

"No."

 

Izuku commanded Zephyr. The silver wolf darted between Izuku's legs, crouching low. Izuku stepped onto the construct's back. Zephyr immediately stood, launching Izuku upward.

 

Izuku flipped backward through the air, completely avoiding Katsuki’s punch. While airborne, Izuku thrust his arm out.

 

"Bramble!"

 

A burst of emerald light flashed. The green, thorny wolf materialized in mid-air above him. It opened its jaws, shooting a thick tether of energy that wrapped around an exposed overhead pipe. Izuku grabbed Bramble's tail—a solid cable of light—and swung like a pendulum, flying over Katsuki’s head and landing silently behind him.

 

In the observation room, the students were dead silent, their eyes glued to the monitors.

 

"What... what is he doing?" Kaminari muttered in disbelief.

 

"He's playing with him," Kirishima said, his jaw slack. "Bakugo is going all out, and Midoriya is just... dancing around him."

 

"It's not just dancing," Momo Yaoyorozu interjected, her dark eyes wide with analytical awe. "Do you realize the level of multitasking required for this? Midoriya is reading Bakugo’s movements, calculating the trajectory of the explosions, maintaining his own balance, and telepathically commanding two independent entities to alter his physical momentum. All simultaneously. His tactical processing speed is monstrous."

 

"And he hasn't thrown a single strike," Todoroki noted quietly, leaning forward. "He's using a quirk designed for combat strictly for evasion and mobility."

 

In the hallway, Katsuki spun around, his rage boiling over. He wasn't just missing; he was being outmaneuvered by someone refusing to fight.

 

"Stop running!" Katsuki fired a continuous blast from both hands, creating a torrent of fire that filled the entire width of the hallway.

 

There was nowhere to dodge.

 

"Aegis!"

 

The golden wall of light appeared again, but this time, Izuku commanded a different shape. Aegis didn't just stand there; the wolf leapt forward, pressing its massive, glowing chest against Katsuki’s hands.

 

The hard-light absorbed the explosion entirely, acting as a dampener. But more importantly, Aegis used Katsuki's own kinetic force against him. As the explosion pushed against the unbreakable golden shield, the recoil shoved Katsuki backward. He slid across the concrete, losing his footing.

 

Izuku recalled Aegis immediately, letting Katsuki fall onto his back, completely unharmed but utterly humiliated.

 

"I'm not running, Kacchan," Izuku said, breathing slightly heavier, the mental strain of rapidly switching between three wolves beginning to show. "I'm surviving. You're wasting time. Uraraka is probably at the payload by now."

 

Katsuki scrambled to his feet. His breath was ragged, his chest heaving. He looked at Izuku, standing calmly at the end of the hall, his visor hiding his eyes, his hands resting at his sides, completely relaxed.

 

He won't fight, Katsuki realized, the thought tasting like ash in his mouth. He'd rather die than hit me.

 

A dark, terrifying shadow fell over Katsuki’s face. He slowly raised his right arm, placing his left hand on the large, metallic pin attached to his grenade-shaped gauntlet.

 

"You think you're an immovable object, Deku?" Katsuki whispered, his voice trembling with manic intensity. "You think your stupid mutts can protect you from anything?"

 

Izuku’s posture stiffened. He recognized that stance. He had analyzed Katsuki’s quirk for years. The gauntlets weren't just decorative; they stored nitroglycerin sweat.

 

"Kacchan, don't," Izuku warned, his voice dropping. "In an enclosed space, a blast that size will destroy the structural integrity of the building."

 

"They designed these gauntlets to hold my sweat so I can fire it at max power without blowing my own arms off," Katsuki said, his grin returning, wide and unhinged.

 

In the observation room, All Might grabbed the microphone. "Young Bakugo, stop! Are you trying to kill him?! Use that, and the match is over!"

 

"He won't die if he dodges!" Katsuki roared back, gripping the pin tightly.

 

Izuku looked behind him. The hallway was long. If he dodged, the blast would carry down the corridor, destroying the support pillars at the far end. The building would collapse, potentially dropping the ceiling on Uraraka and Iida on the floor above.

 

He couldn't dodge.

 

"Kacchan, you're being irrational!" Izuku yelled, spreading his feet wide, planting them firmly on the ground.

 

"I'm forcing your hand!" Katsuki screamed, pulling the pin.

 

A blinding, cataclysmic light erupted from the gauntlet. It wasn't an explosion; it was a localized sun. A torrential wave of kinetic force and superheated plasma tore down the hallway, melting the concrete floor, vaporizing the emergency lights, and obliterating everything in its path.

 

"MIDORIYA!" the class screamed in the observation room. The monitors in the sector went to static, overwhelmed by the sheer force and light of the blast.

 

All Might stood frozen in horror. I didn't stop it in time.

 

Inside the hallway, the world was fire and sound.

 

Izuku didn't run. He didn't close his eyes. In the fraction of a second before the blast hit him, he threw open the gates of his mind. He didn't just summon his pack; he forced them into a state of hyper-density.

 

"AEGIS! ZEPHYR! BRAMBLE!"

 

The three wolves materialized simultaneously. But they didn't stand in front of him.

 

Driven by Izuku’s sheer, desperate will to protect not just himself, but the building behind him, the three constructs leaped into each other. Gold, silver, and emerald light smashed together, warping reality.

 

Formation: Absolute Shield.

 

The hard-light constructs fused, expanding outward to touch the ceiling, the floor, and the walls of the corridor. They formed a massive, thick, prismatic dome of solid energy around Izuku, sealing the hallway entirely.

 

The blast hit the dome.

 

The impact was unimaginable. Izuku fell to his knees inside the dome, screaming in agony. The physical force wasn't touching him, but the mental feedback of his constructs absorbing that much destructive energy was like having hot iron poured directly into his brain.

 

Blood burst from his nose, splattering against the inside of his visor. The dome cracked, golden and silver light flaking off like broken glass, but Izuku poured every ounce of his soul into holding the line.

 

I won't break. I won't fight, but I WILL NOT BREAK!

 

The roar of the explosion dragged on for what felt like an eternity before finally sputtering out.

 

Silence rushed back into the hallway, heavy and ringing.

 

The smoke was so thick it was impossible to see more than a foot ahead.

 

Katsuki stood at the end of the hall, his right arm throbbing violently, smoke pouring from the barrel of his gauntlet. He breathed heavily, staring into the impenetrable gray fog.

 

Did I... did I kill him? A sudden spike of genuine terror pierced Katsuki’s rage. He hadn't meant to kill him. He just wanted to break his shield. He wanted him to fight back.

 

Slowly, the smoke began to thin.

 

Through the haze, a dim, prismatic light pulsed.

 

Katsuki’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

 

Standing in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by scorched walls and melted concrete, was the dome. It was heavily fractured, glowing with a dull, dying light, but it remained intact. The hallway behind it was completely untouched.

 

As Katsuki watched, the dome slowly dissolved, shattering into thousands of motes of light that rained down onto the floor.

 

Kneeling in the center of the destruction was Izuku Midoriya. His head was bowed, blood dripping steadily from his chin onto his Kevlar vest. He was shaking uncontrollably, gasping for air like a drowning man.

 

But he was alive. And he hadn't moved an inch.

 

"How...?" Katsuki whispered, taking a step back, true fear creeping into his heart. "How are you still standing?"

 

Izuku slowly raised his head. He reached up with a trembling, blood-stained glove, and pushed his visor up.

 

His emerald eyes were completely devoid of fear. They shone with a terrifying, unyielding resolve.

 

"Because... I protect," Izuku gasped out, wiping the blood from his mouth.

 

Katsuki gritted his teeth, raising his left arm this time, palm sparking. "You bastard! I'll just blast you again!"

 

"It's over, Kacchan," Izuku whispered.

 

"It's not over until you FIGHT ME!" Katsuki lunged forward, ignoring the pain in his arms.

 

Izuku didn't summon Aegis to block. He didn't summon Zephyr to dodge.

 

Instead, from the shadows clinging to the ceiling directly above Katsuki, a flash of emerald green erupted.

 

Bramble.

 

The green wolf had not been fully dismissed when the dome broke. Izuku had held onto the connection, letting the construct slither through the smoke while Katsuki was distracted by the dome.

 

Before Katsuki could fire, Bramble dropped from the ceiling. The wolf didn't bite or slash. It wrapped its long, vine-like body entirely around Katsuki’s arms and torso, pinning his explosive palms securely to his sides with unbreakable energy tethers.

 

Katsuki yelled in frustration, thrashing violently against the hard-light vines. "Get this off me! Fight me with your own hands, Deku!"

 

Izuku stood up, his legs trembling but holding his weight. He walked forward, stepping over the scorched concrete.

 

He didn't raise a fist. He reached to his utility belt.

 

He pulled out a spool of thick, white capture tape.

 

Katsuki could only watch, immobilized by the emerald wolf, as Izuku stepped within striking distance. Izuku’s face was bruised, bloody, and exhausted. Yet, his hands were steady.

 

Izuku quickly and efficiently wrapped the capture tape around Katsuki’s forearms, looping it tightly to secure the restraint.

 

Once the tape was set, Izuku stepped back. He looked at Katsuki, his expression filled with a profound, quiet sorrow.

 

"I win, Kacchan," Izuku said softly.

 

Over the PA system, All Might's voice broke through the static, sounding breathless and awestruck.

 

"T-The weapon has been secured by Uraraka! THE HERO TEAM WINS!"

 

The buzzer sounded.

 

Izuku immediately severed the mental link. Bramble dissolved into green mist, vanishing entirely. Izuku’s knees finally buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his throbbing head, the adrenaline leaving him completely.

 

Katsuki fell to his knees as well, the capture tape binding his arms. He stared at the floor, his entire worldview shattering into pieces.

 

He had gone all out. He had used lethal force. He had tried to break Izuku’s pacifism through sheer, overwhelming violence.

 

And Izuku had beaten him. Not by being stronger. Not by hitting harder.

 

Izuku had beaten him by being an immovable wall.

 

 

 

Back in the observation room, the silence was palpable.

 

The monitors had cleared just in time to show the capture. The students of Class 1-A stood in shock, trying to process what they had just witnessed.

 

All Might stood silently, leaning against the console. He had chosen Izuku as his successor because of his heroic spirit, but he had harbored doubts about the boy's refusal to fight. He had worried that Izuku’s pacifism would get him killed.

 

But watching Izuku form that dome—watching him endure an attack that would have leveled a pro hero, solely to protect the structural integrity of the building and the people inside—All Might realized something profound.

 

Izuku wasn't a pacifist because he was weak. He was a pacifist because his will to protect was stronger than his instinct to destroy.

 

"Well," Yaoyorozu finally spoke up, her voice steadying the room. "I believe the MVP of that match is definitively Midoriya."

 

"Are you kidding?" Kaminari yelled. "He got blasted to hell and back! Bakugo owned that fight!"

 

"Did you watch the same fight I did?" Asui Tsuyu interjected, placing a finger on her chin. "Midoriya controlled the entire engagement."

 

"Asui is correct," Yaoyorozu explained, stepping forward to face the class. "Bakugo was driven entirely by emotion. He abandoned his objective, wasted his stamina, and caused massive collateral damage. Midoriya, on the other hand, executed a flawless tactical plan. He successfully diverted the primary threat, preserved the lives of his teammates, minimized structural damage at great personal cost, and neutralized the villain without causing a single physical injury."

 

She looked at the screen, showing medical bots carrying a semi-conscious Izuku away on a stretcher.

 

"To defeat an opponent of Bakugo’s caliber without ever throwing a strike... requires a level of mastery and mental fortitude that is, frankly, terrifying. He is the ultimate shield."

 

Todoroki closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. A hero who doesn't fight. My father would despise him. He opened his eyes, staring at the screen. But I think... he might be the strongest one here.

 

Down in the infirmary, Izuku lay on a pristine white bed. Recovery Girl had healed his ruptured blood vessels, but the mental exhaustion meant he had to sleep it off.

 

The door creaked open.

 

Aizawa walked in, his hands in his pockets, his capture scarf loose around his neck. He stood at the foot of the bed, looking at the sleeping boy.

 

Aizawa had watched the feed from the staff room. He had seen the absolute defense. He had seen the restraint.

 

"I told you a hero who refuses to fight is a liability," Aizawa murmured to the quiet room.

 

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, metallic object, and set it on the bedside table. It was a brand new, highly advanced earpiece communicator—standard issue for elite underground rescue operatives.

 

"It seems," Aizawa continued softly, turning to leave, "I have vastly underestimated how heavy your shield truly is. Rest up, Midoriya. The real trials haven't even begun."

 

As the door clicked shut, the shadows beneath Izuku’s bed shifted. A soft, warm, white light spilled out onto the floor, and Lumos curled up next to the boy’s boots, keeping watch over the Gentle Shepherd as he slept.

 

 

 

The soft hum of the UA bus engine vibrated through the floorboards, a steady, rhythmic sound that should have been calming. For Izuku Midoriya, however, the vibration merely served as a backdrop to the relentless churning of his own thoughts.

 

It had been three days since the combat trial. His ribs still ached faintly where the shockwave of Katsuki's gauntlet blast had bruised him through his Kevlar vest, and a dull phantom throb occasionally pulsed behind his eyes—a lingering reminder of the sheer mental toll of fusing his constructs into the Absolute Shield.

 

Yet, physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional whiplash of the past seventy-two hours. He had defeated Kacchan. The realization still felt surreal, like a dream he might wake up from at any moment. He hadn't fought back. He had simply refused to yield, and in doing so, he had shattered Katsuki’s worldview. Since that day, Katsuki hadn't spoken a word to him. He hadn't even glared. The blonde boy simply existed in a state of quiet, simmering contemplation, which, to Izuku, was far more terrifying than any explosion.

 

Izuku reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the cold metal of the earpiece Aizawa had left on his bedside table. It was a tangible token of validation from a teacher who had, mere days ago, threatened to expel him for his pacifism.

 

"Midoriya," a blunt, slightly croaky voice called out, pulling him from his reverie.

 

Izuku blinked, looking across the aisle of the bus. Tsuyu Asui was staring at him, her large, dark eyes unblinking, a finger resting thoughtfully against her chin.

 

"Ah, yes, Asui?" Izuku replied, sitting up a little straighter.

 

"Call me Tsu," she corrected smoothly. "I say whatever comes to mind, Midoriya. Your Quirk... it’s really something else. During the quirk apprehension test, and the combat trial, those wolves of yours... they feel almost alive. Are they sentient, or is it just a reflection of your own subconscious?"

 

The entire bus seemed to quiet down, leaning in to listen. Izuku’s quirk had become the subject of intense fascination among Class 1-A.

 

Izuku’s face flushed red at the sudden attention. He looked down at his lap. Curled up invisibly in the shadows beneath his seat, he could feel the distinct, separate consciousnesses of his pack.

 

"I-It’s a bit of both, Tsu," Izuku explained nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "They are made of my energy—hard-light constructs. But they aren't just remote-controlled drones. They have basic instincts. Mostly, they reflect my emotional state. If I’m scared, they want to protect. If I’m calm, they are docile. We share a telepathic link, so I don't always have to speak to command them, but they do have their own distinct personalities."

 

"That’s so incredibly manly," Eijiro Kirishima sighed from the seat ahead of them, leaning over the backrest. He activated his quirk, his arm turning into jagged, grey rock. "My Hardening is strong, sure, but it’s completely un-flashy. You get to summon glowing spirit animals! That’s pro-hero tier stuff right out of the gate."

 

"I think your quirk is amazing, Kirishima-kun!" Izuku defended quickly, his hero-analyst brain immediately engaging. "Hardening is one of the most versatile defensive and offensive quirks out there! You could act as a human shield, break through reinforced structures, or survive extreme temperatures! It's a top-tier quirk for a frontline vanguard!"

 

Kirishima’s eyes sparkled with anime-esque tears. "Midoriya... you're a good dude!"

 

"Still," Denki Kaminari chimed in, leaning across the aisle, "Midoriya's got that crazy defense, but Bakugo's got the raw firepower." He glanced toward the front of the bus where Katsuki sat in aggressive silence. "Though, considering Bakugo's personality, you'd think he was the one with the rabid wolf quirk. The guy is basically a feral Pomeranian."

 

"What did you say, you static-brained extra?!" Katsuki erupted, leaping out of his seat and grabbing the railing, small sparks popping from his hands. "I'll kill you!"

 

"See? Point proven," Kaminari laughed, pointing a thumb at the enraged blonde.

 

The bus devolved into lighthearted bickering. Izuku smiled, looking out the window at the passing city. He let his hand drop to his side, projecting a quiet hum of contentment into the mental link. A cool, smooth snout nudged his palm. To the naked eye, there was nothing there, but Izuku felt Zephyr resting against his hand, the silver wolf sharing its master's peace.

 

"We're here. Stop messing around," Aizawa’s tired voice cut through the chatter.

 

The bus pulled to a smooth halt. Izuku stood up, adjusting his heavily padded, dark teal jacket. Today was Rescue Training. This was his element. This was what he had trained for.

 

As Class 1-A filed off the bus, a collective gasp swept through the students.

 

Before them stood a colossal, domed structure composed of steel and glass, sprawling across a massive acreage. It looked like an indoor theme park, pristine and imposing against the blue sky.

 

Standing near the massive entrance doors was a figure clad in a bulky, white spacesuit-like costume.

 

Izuku’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He immediately began vibrating in place.

 

"Hello, everyone! I've been waiting for you!" the figure called out, their voice muffled and friendly through their helmet.

 

"It's the Space Hero, Thirteen!" Uraraka squealed, bouncing on her heels, matching Izuku’s enthusiasm step for step. "The chivalrous pro who has rescued tons of people from disasters!"

 

"Oh wow, I love Thirteen!" Izuku gasped, his hands flying to his cheeks. "They're one of my absolute idols! A hero entirely dedicated to rescue and disaster relief! This is a dream come true!"

 

Thirteen waved the students inside. As they entered the central plaza, the sheer scale of the facility became apparent.

 

"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, and more!" Thirteen announced, sweeping their padded arm across the vast, simulated environments. "This is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters in mind! It's called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! Or, USJ for short!"

 

It really is USJ... just like Universal Studios Japan, Izuku thought, a sweatdrop forming on his brow.

 

Aizawa walked up to Thirteen, looking around. "Where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

 

Thirteen stepped closer, holding up three fingers and whispering something to Aizawa. Izuku couldn't catch the words, but he saw Aizawa’s shoulders tense, the underground hero letting out a heavy, irritated sigh. "That man is the epitome of irrationality. Fine. We'll begin without him."

 

Thirteen turned back to the class, their posture shifting to something far more serious.

 

"Before we begin, let me say one thing... or two... or three... or four," Thirteen started, counting on their fingers before dropping their hands. "Everyone, I am sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust."

 

"You've used it to save people from all kinds of disasters!" Uraraka cheered.

 

"Yes," Thirteen nodded slowly. "But it is a power that can kill easily."

 

The excited murmurs among the students died instantly.

 

Thirteen looked across the crowd, their helmet visor seemingly locking directly onto Izuku. "Some of you also have Quirks that can kill. In our superhuman society, Quirks have been heavily restricted and regulated. It is easy to forget how fragile human life is, and how easily our powers can end it."

 

Izuku’s breath hitched. He thought of the playground. He thought of the golden fangs at his command, capable of tearing through flesh and bone in a millisecond.

 

"Aizawa-sensei's physical fitness test revealed the limits of your potential," Thirteen continued, their voice echoing solemnly in the massive dome. "All Might's combat trial taught you the danger of using those powers against others. But this class is a fresh start. Today, you will learn how to use your Quirks to save lives."

 

Izuku felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. He clenched his fists, overwhelming gratitude swelling in his chest. They understand.

 

"You do not have powers so you can harm others," Thirteen finished, bowing deeply to the class. "I hope you leave here today with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others. That is all. Thank you for listening."

 

The class erupted into applause. Izuku wiped a tear from his cheek, grinning widely. He was exactly where he was meant to be.

 

But heroism, as he was about to learn, was rarely as pristine as a classroom lecture.

 

Suddenly, the massive overhead lights of the USJ flickered. A loud, electrical buzzing sound echoed through the dome. The lights died completely, plunging the facility into dim, ambient sunlight filtering through the glass roof.

 

Down in the central plaza, the water in the central fountain began to sputter and die.

 

Aizawa spun around, his tired eyes suddenly wide and feral.

 

In front of the fountain, a small speck of darkness appeared in the air. It wasn't a shadow; it was an absolute absence of light. Within seconds, the speck tore open, expanding rapidly into a massive, swirling vortex of deep, violet-black mist.

 

"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa roared, his voice carrying a raw, terrifying authority that Izuku had never heard before. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

 

"What is that?" Kirishima asked, stepping forward, trying to peer into the plaza. "Is this like the entrance exam? Does the rescue training start with a faux villain?"

 

Izuku took a step forward, his analytical mind racing. His breath caught in his throat. The air pressure had dropped. The ambient temperature was plummeting. The hum of his pack in his mind, usually a calm baseline, suddenly spiked into a frantic, deafening roar of primal alarm.

 

Danger. Lethal threat. Protect.

 

"Don't move!" Aizawa yelled again, ripping his capture scarf from his neck, pulling his yellow goggles over his eyes. "Those are... real villains."

 

From the swirling purple mist, a hand emerged. It was pale, gaunt, and deathly looking. A man stepped through, covered head-to-toe in disembodied, grey hands clutching at his face and arms. His pale blue hair fell over wide, bloodshot eyes that stared hungrily at the students on the stairs.

 

Behind him, dozens of figures poured out of the portal. Men and women armed with mutations, weapons, and cruel smirks.

 

But the most terrifying thing wasn't the man with the hands. It was the creature that followed him. A hulking, unnatural behemoth with jet-black skin, exposed brain matter, and a beak full of razor-sharp teeth. It stood silently, an abomination of biology.

 

"Eraser Head and Thirteen," the man covered in hands scratched his neck furiously. "According to the teacher's schedule we retrieved the other day, All Might is supposed to be here."

 

"Where is he?" the purple mist spoke, coalescing into the shape of a tall, elegantly dressed man with glowing yellow eyes. "I went through the trouble of bringing this whole crowd, too... All Might... the Symbol of Peace... I can't believe he's not here. I wonder if he'll come if we kill some kids?"

 

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

 

Kill some kids.

 

Izuku felt a cold spike of pure terror drive itself into his heart. This wasn't a test. This wasn't Kacchan trying to prove a point. These were murderers.

 

"Villains?! No way!" Mineta screamed, falling to his knees. "How did they get into a UA facility?!"

 

"Thirteen, begin evacuation," Aizawa commanded, not taking his eyes off the mob below. "Try calling the school. These villains had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible someone with radio-wave type powers is interfering."

 

"What about you, sir?" Izuku yelled, taking a step toward his teacher. "Will you fight them all alone?! With that many, even if you erase their quirks, Eraser Head's fighting style is capturing after erasure! A frontal battle is—"

 

"You can't be a hero with just one trick," Aizawa interrupted sharply, looking back over his shoulder. For a fleeting second, the underground hero’s eyes locked onto Izuku’s. The look was complex—a mixture of warning, expectation, and duty.

 

"Take care of them, Thirteen."

 

Without another word, Aizawa leaped off the stairs, plunging directly into the heart of the villain mob.

 

Izuku could only watch in awe as his teacher moved like a demon, his scarf whipping out, erasing quirks and breaking bones with brutal, surgical efficiency.

 

"Midoriya, come on!" Iida yelled, grabbing Izuku’s shoulder. "We have to evacuate!"

 

The class turned to run for the massive doors, but before they could take ten steps, the ground in front of them erupted in violet mist.

 

The warp villain rose from the floor, his glowing yellow eyes locking onto the students.

 

"I won't let you," the mist rumbled. "Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to the home of the heroes, UA High School, in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."

 

Thirteen stepped forward, opening their fingertips to unleash Black Hole, but the villain was faster.

 

"My job," the warp villain said, the mist expanding violently, rushing over the students like a tidal wave, "is to scatter you, and torture you to death."

 

The world went dark.

 

Izuku felt the ground vanish beneath his feet. The sensation of falling was absolute, accompanied by a nauseating twist in his gut as space bent around him. He couldn't hear Uraraka’s screams, or Iida’s shouts. There was only the rushing void.

 

SPLASH.

 

The shock of freezing cold water hit Izuku like a physical blow.

 

He was fully submerged. Panic flared as water rushed up his nose. He opened his eyes, the salt stinging them immediately. Bubbles clouded his vision, but as they cleared, he realized he was deep underwater, sinking fast.

 

Where am I? The shipwreck zone?

 

Before he could process his location, a shadow moved in the murky depths below him.

 

A villain with the head of a massive, scarred shark was rocketing upward, a cruel, jagged knife held tightly in his webbed hands. His jaws were parted, revealing rows of serrated teeth, aimed directly for Izuku’s legs.

 

Izuku opened his mouth to scream, only swallowing more water. He reached for his mental link, desperation flooding his mind. AEGIS!

 

But before the golden wolf could manifest in the water, a sleek, green blur shot past Izuku from above.

 

Tsuyu Asui, entirely in her element, kicked her powerful frog-like legs. She didn't hesitate. She slammed both of her feet squarely into the shark-villain's face with bone-crushing force. The villain’s eyes rolled back, and he sank into the depths, unconscious.

 

Tsuyu looped her long, prehensile tongue around Izuku’s waist and kicked upward, breaking the surface.

 

Izuku gasped for air, coughing violently as Tsuyu dragged him toward a large, rusted yacht sitting in the center of the massive artificial lake. She threw him over the railing, where he landed hard on the wooden deck.

 

A moment later, Tsuyu hauled a blubbering Mineta over the railing as well, before gracefully vaulting over and landing in a crouch.

 

"Thanks... Tsu," Izuku coughed, spitting up lake water. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the glass dome.

 

"This is bad, ribbit," Tsuyu said, her voice remarkably calm, though her large eyes darted around the surrounding water.

 

Izuku sat up, looking over the railing.

 

The water around the yacht was boiling with movement. Fins, scales, and glowing eyes broke the surface. There were at least twenty villains circling the boat, laughing and taunting them.

 

"They threw us right into the water," one villain with scaly, blue skin laughed, treading water. "Looks like Kurogiri was right! Just a bunch of helpless kids!"

 

"Let's sink the boat and drown 'em!" another yelled.

 

Mineta grabbed his purple hair, hyperventilating. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! They're gonna kill us and eat us! Did you see that guy's teeth?!"

 

Izuku’s heart hammered against his ribs. He forced himself to take a deep, steadying breath. Panic was the enemy. He needed to think.

 

"Tsu," Izuku said, his voice dropping into a focused, analytical cadence. "They threw us into the shipwreck zone. You have an aquatic Quirk. That means the villains didn't know our Quirks before they warped us. They just threw us in blind."

 

"That makes sense, ribbit," Tsuyu agreed, watching the water. "If they knew I was a frog, they would have thrown me into the fire zone."

 

"Exactly. That means the villains out there have aquatic advantages, but they don't know what we can do," Izuku muttered, pacing the deck. "They think they have us cornered."

 

THUNK.

 

The yacht shuddered violently. A massive, metallic tearing sound echoed from below deck.

 

"What was that?!" Mineta shrieked.

 

"They're breaking the hull," Izuku realized, his eyes widening. "They aren't going to board us. They're going to sink the ship and force us into the water, where they have absolute mobility."

 

Water began to pool on the lower deck, rising fast. They had less than two minutes before the boat went under.

 

"Midoriya!" Mineta grabbed Izuku’s collar, shaking him frantically, tears streaming down his face. "Use your wolves! Summon the giant golden one and the spiky green one! Have them rip these guys to shreds! Bite their heads off!"

 

Izuku looked at Mineta, then down at the dark, swirling water filled with killers.

 

His pack was screaming in his mind. The psychic pressure of their protective instinct was agonizing. They wanted out. They wanted to tear the throats out of the men threatening their master. It would be so easy. A single mental command, and the waters would run red. He could end this in ten seconds with lethal force.

 

Izuku reached up and gently, but firmly, removed Mineta’s hands from his collar.

 

"No," Izuku said, his voice hard as steel. "We don't kill, Mineta. We are heroes."

 

"Are you insane?!" Mineta screamed. "They are going to kill US!"

 

"I won't let them," Izuku promised. He turned to Tsuyu. "Tsu. With your leg strength, if you were carrying me and Mineta, how far could you jump?"

 

Tsuyu thought for a second. "With both of you? I could clear the water and reach the shore of the plaza, but it would be close. And the villains will definitely attack us while we're in the air or as soon as we land."

 

"Mineta," Izuku turned to the trembling boy. "Your spheres. They stick to anything, right? Do they work on each other?"

 

"Y-Yeah! Once they stick, they don't come off all day! But what good are grapes against a shark?!"

 

"They're going to win this for us," Izuku said. He stepped up to the railing, looking down at the mocking faces of the villains below.

 

Izuku closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, centering his mind, burying his fear beneath a mountain of absolute resolve.

 

He didn't need to fight them. He just needed to control them.

 

Izuku threw open the mental gates.

 

"EVERYONE."

 

The air around the yacht literally cracked, a sonic boom of displacing air echoing across the lake.

 

The villains stopped laughing.

 

The sky above the yacht illuminated in a blinding, prismatic explosion of solid light.

 

From the shadows of the sinking deck, five massive entities materialized simultaneously. The sheer ambient heat of their manifestation caused the water pooling on the deck to vaporize into steam.

 

Aegis stood on Izuku’s right, a hulking golden tank of a wolf, roaring so loudly the water rippled.

Bramble crouched on his left, its emerald, thorny body pulsing with kinetic energy.

Zephyr stood at the bow, sleek and silver, crackling like a live wire.

Lumos and Nox took the stern, their brilliant white and deep purple forms glowing with ethereal intensity.

 

Mineta fell backward onto his rear, his jaw unhinged. Even Tsuyu’s eyes widened in awe.

 

Izuku Midoriya stood amidst his pack, the tinted visor of his helmet shielding his eyes, looking like a mythical beastmaster.

 

The villains in the water recoiled, their confidence evaporating instantly.

 

"What the hell is that?!" a villain yelled. "I thought they were just kids!"

 

"Don't panic! He's just one kid! Sink the boat!" the scaly villain ordered, diving under the water.

 

Izuku moved his hands like an orchestra conductor.

 

"Lumos. Nox. Dive."

 

The twin wolves didn't hesitate. They leaped off the back of the yacht, plunging into the dark water. Because they were made of hard-light, they didn't need to breathe, and water resistance didn't apply to them in the same way.

 

Beneath the surface, the villains were swimming toward the hull. Suddenly, the water illuminated with blinding white and deep violet flashes, like underwater strobe lights.

 

"My eyes! I can't see!" screams echoed from below the surface as the twins darted between the villains, moving at blinding speeds, disorienting them entirely, causing them to crash into each other.

 

"Zephyr. Surface," Izuku commanded.

 

The silver wolf leaped off the bow. Instead of sinking, Zephyr hit the water running. Its hard-light paws, moving with immense kinetic speed, allowed it to run directly on the surface tension of the lake.

 

Zephyr darted around the perimeter of the boat, a silver blur. It didn't attack. It barked, snapped, and ran in tight, aggressive circles.

 

"It's on the water! Get away!" The villains at the surface began to swim backward in terror, instinctively fleeing from the supernatural predator.

 

Izuku was herding them. Just like a shepherd with his sheep.

 

"Tsu! Grab us! Get ready to jump!" Izuku yelled, feeling the mental strain pulling at his temples. Maintaining five constructs while issuing independent commands was pushing him to his absolute limit.

 

Tsuyu didn't question him. She grabbed Mineta by his cape and wrapped her tongue securely around Izuku’s waist.

 

"Mineta! Start pulling spheres! When I say throw, you throw them into the water where they are grouped up!" Izuku ordered.

 

"R-Right!" Mineta sobbed, ripping the purple spheres from his head, his hands full.

 

The yacht groaned, the bow dipping dangerously low.

 

"Zephyr! Push them to the center!"

 

The silver wolf tightened its circle, driving the terrified villains into a tight cluster about twenty yards from the port side of the boat. Lumos and Nox surfaced, barking furiously, keeping the villains boxed in from the rear.

 

They were all grouped together, perfectly contained.

 

"Aegis! Bramble!"

 

The massive golden wolf and the thorny emerald wolf stepped up to the edge of the sinking yacht.

 

"Now, Tsu! Jump!"

 

Tsuyu’s powerful legs coiled, and with a massive, explosive kick, she launched the three of them into the air, soaring high above the lake toward the distant shoreline.

 

As they flew through the air, Izuku looked down at the cluster of villains.

 

"Bramble! Anchor Aegis!"

 

The green wolf fired a massive, thick tether of energy, wrapping it securely around the golden wolf's waist, anchoring the other end to the mast of the sinking yacht.

 

"Aegis... DROP!"

 

The giant golden wolf leaped off the boat, soaring directly over the clustered villains. But Aegis didn't attack them.

 

Aegis plummeted past them, diving deep into the water right in the center of their group. The sheer weight and density of the golden construct displacing that much water in an instant created a massive, violent crater in the lake.

 

"Bramble, SPIN!"

 

From the deck of the ship, Bramble yanked violently on the tether attached to Aegis, running in a rapid circle around the mast.

 

Below the water, Aegis was pulled in a violent, high-speed rotation. The massive golden body acting like the blade of a colossal blender, stirring the water at terrifying speeds.

 

The result was instantaneous.

 

A massive, roaring whirlpool erupted in the center of the villains. The current was far too strong for even their aquatic quirks to fight. They were sucked into the vortex, spinning helplessly in circles, screaming in terror.

 

"Mineta! NOW!" Izuku roared from mid-air.

 

"EAT THIS!" Mineta shrieked, throwing dozens of his sticky purple spheres directly into the swirling vortex.

 

The whirlpool did the rest of the work. As the villains were spun around in the chaotic water, the sticky spheres collided with them. Arms stuck to legs. Heads stuck to backs. Within seconds, the entire group of twenty villains was glued together into a massive, tangled, floating ball of humanity.

 

The yacht finally gave way, sinking beneath the surface with a loud gurgle. The mast snapped, breaking Bramble’s anchor.

 

Izuku instantly severed the link. Aegis, Bramble, Zephyr, Lumos, and Nox dissolved into harmless prismatic mist, vanishing entirely.

 

The whirlpool lost its momentum, the water slowly calming down.

 

Floating in the center of the ripples was the giant ball of villains, completely immobilized, groaning in dizziness, completely unable to move a single muscle.

 

THUD.

 

Tsuyu landed perfectly on the solid concrete shore of the central plaza, gently dropping Izuku and Mineta.

 

Mineta immediately fell to his knees, kissing the concrete. "Land! Beautiful, solid land!"

 

Izuku stumbled forward, dropping to one knee, clutching his head. His nose was bleeding again, spotting the concrete. The headache was blinding, his brain screaming for rest. He had maintained all five wolves in complex, independent combat maneuvers for over two minutes. It was a new record, but the cost was severe.

 

Tsuyu walked over to him, her large eyes looking back out at the lake.

 

She looked at the floating, immobilized ball of villains. They weren't bleeding. They weren't burned. Not a single one had a scratch on them from the wolves.

 

Tsuyu turned to look at the green-haired boy gasping for air on the concrete.

 

During the ride here, she had wondered if his pacifism was a weakness. She had wondered if a hero who refused to fight could truly survive in a world filled with monsters.

 

But watching him orchestrate that absolute, terrifying domination of the battlefield... she understood.

 

He didn't just use his quirk as a shield. He used it as a psychological weapon. He commanded the environment. He manipulated the villains' fear, herding them exactly where he wanted them, and used his allies' quirks to spring the ultimate, bloodless trap.

 

He was a master tactician.

 

"Midoriya," Tsuyu said softly, placing a comforting hand on his trembling shoulder. "That was... incredible, ribbit. You saved us without hurting a single one of them."

 

Izuku looked up, giving her a weak, exhausted smile. "A hero’s job... is to make sure everyone goes home... even the bad guys, if we can help it."

 

"You're going to be an amazing hero, Midoriya," she stated, absolute conviction in her voice.

 

"G-Guys?" Mineta stammered, his voice trembling as he pointed toward the center of the plaza. "I don't think we're safe yet."

 

Izuku’s smile vanished. He slowly turned his head.

 

They had landed on the edge of the central plaza. Fifty yards away, the battle was raging.

 

Aizawa was fighting like a man possessed, his scarf whipping and tearing through the mob of thugs. But he was slowing down. He was panting. And standing at the edge of the fountain, watching with bored, dead eyes, was the man covered in hands.

 

"Eraser Head is holding them off," Izuku whispered, forcing himself to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in his skull. "But he's outnumbered. And those two... the warp villain and the guy with the hands... they haven't even moved yet."

 

As if hearing Izuku’s thoughts, the man with the hands began to run. He sprinted with terrifying, unnatural speed directly toward Aizawa.

 

Aizawa threw his scarf, wrapping it around the man's arm, but the man didn't stop. He let Aizawa pull him in, his hand reaching out.

 

"Tell me, Eraser Head," the man whispered, his voice carrying across the quiet plaza. "Your quirk doesn't work on mutations, does it?"

 

The man's hand clamped onto Aizawa’s elbow.

 

Before Izuku’s horrified eyes, Aizawa’s sleeve, and the flesh beneath it, began to crumble into dust.

 

Aizawa gritted his teeth, punching the man away, but the damage was done. The skin on his elbow was decayed, exposing raw muscle.

 

"He's destroying him," Mineta whimpered. "We have to run! We have to get to the exit!"

 

Izuku knew Mineta was right. Logic dictated they flee. They were students. They had survived their zone. They needed to find Thirteen and the others.

 

But as Izuku watched Aizawa struggle, bleeding and exhausted, fighting solely to buy time for students who were already safe... Izuku’s feet wouldn't move backward.

 

The vow in his heart burned brighter than the pain in his head.

 

A hero protects.

 

Suddenly, the massive, bird-like monster with the exposed brain moved. It didn't step; it simply blurred. In a fraction of a second, it appeared directly behind Aizawa.

 

"Nomu," the hand-man commanded.

 

The monster raised a massive, black fist and brought it down on Aizawa’s head with the force of a falling meteor.

 

The sound of shattering bone echoed through the plaza. Aizawa’s body was driven directly into the concrete, a massive crater forming beneath him. The pro hero went completely limp, his blood pooling on the ground.

 

"MR. AIZAWA!" Izuku screamed, his voice tearing from his throat.

 

The hand-man, Shigaraki, turned his head slowly, locking his bloodshot eyes onto the three students standing at the edge of the lake.

 

"Oh," Shigaraki smiled, a grotesque, horrifying expression beneath the disembodied hand on his face. "Looks like a few of the kids got away. Nomu. Hold the Eraser. I'll handle the trash."

 

Shigaraki turned and began to walk toward them.

 

The true test had arrived. The pacifist was now face-to-face with a monster who existed solely to destroy.

 

Izuku Midoriya stepped in front of Tsuyu and Mineta, wiping the blood from his nose, and reached into his mind one last time.

 

He didn't know if his shields could hold. But he knew, with absolute certainty, that he would die before he let this villain touch his friends.