The roaring flames of Endeavor's quirk casted an orange glow across the training facility. Sweat beaded on Midoriya Izuku's forehead as he watched the Number One Hero demonstrate a combat maneuver, his notebook clutched tightly in trembling hands. Even after months at U.A. and surviving multiple villain encounters, the gravity of interning under such a powerful pro still overwhelmed him.
"Pay attention, Midoriya!" Endeavor's sharp voice cut through Izuku's thoughts. "Your analytical skills are wasted if you're daydreaming!"
"S-sorry, sir!" Midoriya straightened immediately, pen poised over his already crowded page of notes. His green eyes widened with focus, desperate not to miss a single detail. Despite his nervousness, his mind was already cataloging every movement, every technique—a habit that had served him well since long before he inherited One For All.
A few meters away, Todoroki Shoto observed the exchange silently, heterochromatic eyes betraying nothing of his thoughts. His posture was perfect—stance balanced, expression neutral—yet there was an undeniable tension in how he held himself in his father's presence. The scar that marked the left side of his face seemed more pronounced under the facility's harsh lighting.
"Your form is still too rigid," Endeavor commented, turning to his son. "You're holding back the full potential of your fire side."
Todoroki's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "I'm aware." The two words carried years of complicated history, delivered with a coldness that rivaled his ice quirk.
From across the training ground came the sound of controlled explosions. Bakugo Katsuki was decimating a series of training dummies, his movements precise and devastating. Sweat glistened on his palms before igniting into perfectly calibrated blasts.
"Is that all you've got for us?" Bakugo called out, a challenging smirk on his face as he looked toward Endeavor. "I could handle these exercises in my sleep!"
Midoriya winced at his childhood friend's brashness. Bakugo had always pushed boundaries, but taunting the Number One Hero seemed excessive even for him. Yet Izuku couldn't help but admire that unwavering confidence—the absolute certainty that Bakugo carried in every fiber of his being.
Endeavor turned, flame beard intensifying with irritation. "You have raw power and instinct, Bakugo. But a true hero needs discipline and strategy." He gestured toward a more complex training setup. "Perhaps you'd prefer something more challenging?"
Bakugo's grin widened. "Now we're talking!"
Midoriya watched the exchange with anxiety and admiration. That was Kacchan—always pushing forward, always demanding more, refusing to be overshadowed by anyone. So different from his own approach of careful observation and planning.
"Midoriya," Todoroki's quiet voice startled him. "You're muttering again."
"Oh! S-sorry, Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He hadn't realized he'd been voicing his analysis aloud—another habit he struggled to break.
Todoroki's expression softened slightly. "It's fine. Your observations are usually accurate."
That small acknowledgment from his usually reserved classmate made Midoriya smile. Their relationship had evolved significantly since the Sports Festival, when Todoroki had first opened up about his family situation and begun to accept his fire side. The progress was slow but meaningful.
"Alright, enough individual training," Endeavor announced, commanding everyone's attention. "Today's patrol will take us through the financial district. There have been reports of suspicious activity that might be connected to a new villain organization."
Bakugo immediately perked up at the mention of potential action. "Finally, something worth my time!"
"This isn't about glory, Bakugo," Endeavor reprimanded sharply. "It's reconnaissance. Observation. The kind of work that prevents casualties before they happen."
"I know that," Bakugo snapped back, though the slight flush on his face betrayed his embarrassment. "I'm not an amateur."
Midoriya quickly intervened, his natural peacemaking instincts kicking in. "What kind of suspicious activity should we be looking for specifically, sir?" he asked, redirecting the conversation.
Endeavor seemed to appreciate the focus. "Unusual energy signatures. Possible quirk usage in restricted zones. Three incidents in the past week, all following the same pattern but escalating in intensity."
As Endeavor outlined the briefing, Midoriya's mind was already mapping possibilities, his fingers flipping to a fresh page in his notebook. The hero noticed this and paused.
"Your analytical approach has merit, Midoriya. Today, I want you to lead the observation strategy."
"M-me?" Midoriya's voice cracked slightly in surprise. Leading wasn't something he was used to, especially not with Bakugo and Todoroki involved.
Bakugo scoffed. "Just don't overthink everything and slow us down, Deku."
Despite the harshness of the words, Midoriya recognized the slight shift in Bakugo's tone—not quite encouragement, but not the pure hostility of their earlier days either. Progress, however minimal.
"I'll do my best," Midoriya affirmed, straightening his shoulders. When he glanced at Todoroki, he received a small nod of support.
"Suit up," Endeavor instructed. "We leave in ten minutes."
******
The financial district buzzed with midday activity—office workers hurrying through lunch breaks, tourists consulting maps, and businesspeople engaged in intense phone conversations. From their vantage point atop one of the shorter buildings, the three U.A. students surveyed the streets below.
Midoriya adjusted his mask, the familiar weight of his hero costume providing some comfort as he scanned for anything unusual. His costume's design had evolved since his early days at U.A., now incorporating reinforced gauntlets that better supported his arms when using higher percentages of One For All.
"See anything yet?" Bakugo's voice was impatient. His own costume gleamed in the sunlight, the grenade-shaped gauntlets on his arms ready to channel his explosions.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Midoriya replied, continuing his systematic scan. "But the reports mentioned the incidents occurred around the same time each day—between 12:30 and 1:00 PM."
Todoroki stood slightly apart, his divided costume of ice and fire reflecting his dual quirk. "It's 12:25 now," he observed quietly.
Endeavor's voice came through their communication devices. "I'm patrolling the east quadrant. Keep your positions and report any anomalies immediately."
"Yes, sir," they responded in unison.
Midoriya focused his attention on a busy intersection below. Something about the traffic pattern struck him as unusual—subtle, but to his trained eye, it seemed as though pedestrians were unconsciously avoiding a particular corner.
"Todoroki-kun, Kacchan," he said, pointing toward the spot. "Does that area seem strange to you? The way people are moving around it..."
Before either could respond, a faint shimmer appeared in the air—almost like heat rising from asphalt in summer, but more structured, with geometric patterns forming and dissolving rapidly.
"There!" Midoriya activated his earpiece. "Endeavor-san, we've spotted something unusual at the southwest intersection!"
"I see it," Todoroki confirmed, his right side already frosting over in preparation.
Bakugo grinned, palms crackling with small explosions. "Finally, some action!"
"Wait for Endeavor's instructions," Midoriya cautioned, but the distortion was expanding rapidly, now the size of a small car and beginning to emit a high-pitched whine that had pedestrians below looking around in confusion.
"Evacuate the civilians," came Endeavor's voice, urgency evident. "I'm three minutes out."
Midoriya didn't hesitate. "Todoroki-kun, can you create an ice barrier to direct people away from that area? Kacchan, we need to alert everyone—small, controlled explosions to get attention but not cause panic!"
To his relief, both acted immediately. Todoroki sent a precise wave of ice that formed a curving barrier, naturally redirecting pedestrian traffic. Bakugo launched himself upward, creating a series of bright but relatively small explosions in the air that had everyone looking up—and consequently noticing the strange distortion.
Midoriya activated One For All, green lightning crackling around his body as he prepared to leap down and assist with evacuation. But before his feet left the rooftop, the distortion pulsed violently.
A figure stepped through—humanoid but with an unnaturally elongated form, skin shifting between visibility and transparency. Its eyes found them immediately, multiple irises contracting within each socket.
"Heroes," it spoke, voice resonating strangely as if coming from multiple throats. "How predictable."
"Who are you?" Midoriya called out, mind racing to catalog the villain's appearance and potential quirk properties.
The figure smiled, revealing too many teeth. "A traveler between realities. And you three—" its gaze fixed specifically on Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo, ignoring the civilians now fleeing below, "—are exactly what I've been searching for."
"Like hell we are!" Bakugo launched forward without warning, palms extended for a direct attack.
"Kacchan, wait!" Midoriya called, but it was too late.
The villain's body distorted further, stretching impossibly as it avoided Bakugo's explosion. Then, with movements too quick to follow, it reached out with elongated fingers that began to glow with pulsing energy.
"Young power. Untapped potential. Perfect catalysts," it murmured, voice echoing.
Todoroki reacted instantly, sending a massive wave of ice toward the villain while simultaneously raising a fire barrier to prevent it from escaping backward.
The villain laughed—a sound like glass breaking in reverse. "Fire and ice. Destruction. Creation. Yes, you'll do nicely."
Midoriya leaped forward, channeling 20% of One For All through his body. "Whatever you're planning stops now!" he shouted, aiming a kick at what appeared to be the villain's center mass.
But the moment his foot connected, everything went wrong.
The villain's body seemed to implode around the point of contact, creating a vacuum that pulled all three students inward despite their resistance. Midoriya felt Bakugo grab his arm, trying to pull him back, while Todoroki attempted to create a barrier between them and the collapsing villain.
"Catalysts activated," the villain's voice came from everywhere and nowhere. "Reality bridge forming."
The distortion expanded explosively, enveloping them in swirling energy that burned cold and hot simultaneously. Midoriya tried to call out to his friends, but his voice made no sound in the void that surrounded them.
The last thing he saw before consciousness fled was Endeavor arriving on scene, flames roaring as he launched himself toward them—too late.
Then darkness. Falling. Spinning between realities.
And somewhere far away, in a different universe entirely, the skies above New York City began to tear open as an alien army prepared to invade Earth.
The collision course was set.