[Lower Deck – Cargo Hold]
Thud.
All three pause.
Not loud.
But not part of the boat either.
The kind of sound that doesn't belong.
Senshi looks down first.
His shoulders tense immediately.
Senshi:"...That wasn't me."
Kazuto steps forward.
Between two shipping containers—
A figure rises from a crouch.
Same age.
Hero costume.
Already prepared for a fight.
No introduction.
No apology.
No embarrassment from being caught.
Kensukina Monoma.
Her eyes move between the two boys.
Calculating.
Waiting.
Kensukina:"...You're not supposed to be down here."
Kazuto:"Neither are you."
A brief silence.
She clicks her tongue.
Kensukina:"Just walk away."
Senshi:"...We can't."
Something flashes across her face.
Not anger.
Frustration.
Kensukina:"Then stop me."
She moves first.
Fast.
A punch straight toward Kazuto's chest.
He barely gets his forearms up.
Impact.
Orange energy erupts around her.
Two massive fists materialize from nowhere.
BOOM.
Kazuto slides backward.
Boots scraping metal.
He lowers his guard.
Kazuto:"Ah..."
Looks at his arms. Bruised.
Kazuto:"...that's dense."
Kensukina is already moving.
Turning.
Target changing.
She swings at Senshi.
CRACK.
The orange constructs form—
And immediately fracture.
Senshi barely shifts.
The fists crumble into sparks.
Kazuto:"You okay?"
Senshi nods.
Though he doesn't look comfortable.
Senshi:"Yeah..."
A pause.
Senshi:"...Not enough force, I guess."
Kensukina stares.
Kensukina:"That usually knocks people out. Even dad."
Her eyes narrow.
Kensukina:"You two aren't normal."
Senshi looks away.
Immediately.
Not because he's embarrassed.
Because he hates hearing it.
Senshi:"...I hate hearing that!"
She prepares another strike.
The boat suddenly lurches.
Hard. Everything rattles. Crates shift. Metal groans.
All three teens freeze.
A second impact follows.
Much stronger.
Water slamming against steel.
Then—
ALARMS.
Kazuto looks upward.
Kazuto:"...That wasn't you, was it?"
Kensukina's expression changes.
Kensukina:"No."
[Upper Deck – Moments Later]
The ocean looks wrong.
The surface twists.
Rotates.
Pulling inward.
A whirlpool forms off the bow.
Far too quickly.
Far too perfectly.
Captain:"Everyone up! We're getting dragged!"
The students rush topside.
Water explodes upward.
Something rises.
Long.
Dark.
Smooth.
Not quite fish.
Not quite serpent.
Its body moves with the whirlpool.
Feeding it.
Growing it.
The creature's eyes glow a faint blue.
Hariko:"Okay..."
She stares.
Hariko:"That's definitely new."
Tokoyami:"Stabilize the vessel first."
Nobody argues.
Hariko fires controlled bursts downward.
Scarlet sonic flames strike the water.
Short bursts.
Precise.
Keeping the boat from drifting further.
Kirutowa grips the railings.
Invisible tails anchoring themselves around anything stable.
His face is pale. Very pale.
The ocean rages again.
Kirutowa nearly stumbles.
Hariko:
"You look terrible."
Kirutowa:
"...Fight the fish."
He immediately leans over.
Kirutowa:
"Blegh!"
Hariko:
"OH MY GOD."
Meanwhile—
Senshi stares at the creature.
Frozen.
The thing is huge.
Much larger than him.
His hands tighten. Anxious.
He remembers something.
Photos flash in his mind.
Terrifying videos.
News broadcasts.
Buildings collapsing.
Cities destroyed.
People running. A sensation of crushing underneath his feet.
His breathing becomes uneven.
Senshi:"..."
???: "GROW"
A grumbled voice in the back of his mind says.
All he'd have to do is activate his Quirk.
Because every time he uses his quirk—
Kazuto: "SENSHI!!!"
Kazuto tries to get his teammate in gear.
The creature roars.
Senshi flinches.
And does nothing still.
Nearby, Kusukuru turns to him, but says nothing.
Instead—
She raises glowing hands.
A giant manta ray forms.
It glides over the water.
Beautiful.
For a moment—
The whirlpool weakens.
Then the creature still hidden by the waves, snaps a large tail.
The currents erupt.
The Light Beast shatters almost instantly.
Lux Fen is brought to her knees.
The creature turns toward the ship.
A direct attack. The ship won't hold from it.
Senshi, still frozen, is smacked in the back of his head. Barely felt it.
Senshi:
"That didn't hurt last time."
Kensukina:
"Good."
She steps past him.
Toward the bow.
Kensukina:
"Because this should hurt whatever THAT is."
Orange energy erupts.
Two enormous fists appear.
Almost the size of cars.
The deck shakes beneath their weight.
Her Quirk (Counter-Fist) - when her hands come into contact with a surface or opposing force, she can generate orange fist-like constructs made from energy around her person to perfectly counter it with opposite but equal to the force initially felt. There is a limit to how much force the constructs can withstand until they shatter.
Even Tokoyami glances over.
Tokoyami:
"Impressive."
Kazuto is already moving.
Green plasma tears open.
A staff appears.
Jump.
Another staff.
Jump.
Another.
He runs through open air.
Using summoned footholds over the ocean itself.
The creature finally emerges enough to reveal pieces of itself.
Tentacles.
Claws.
Scaled armor.
Nothing natural or familiar.
Kazuto strikes.
The staff slams into its skull.
CRACK.
The creature recoils.
Dark Shadow surges beside him.
Massive claws tearing through spiraling water.
The creature retaliates.
Three whirlpools form simultaneously.
One beneath Kazuto.
One beneath Dark Shadow.
One beneath the yacht.
Captain:
"THREE?!"
Hariko grins.
A dangerous grin.
Hariko:
"Good."
Scarlet flames erupt from both wrists.
Hariko:
"Because I've got two hands."
She launches herself forward.
Sonic blasts hammer into the whirlpools.
Disrupting their rotation.
Forcing openings.
Dark Shadow lunges.
Kazuto follows.
Kensukina plants both feet.
Her fists intercept a massive tentacle strike.
BOOOOOOM.
The orange constructs crack.
Strain.
Shatter.
But the force returns.
The tentacle snaps backward violently.
Opening the creature's guard.
Tokoyami:
"NOW!"
Dark Shadow descends. Using the dark clouds formed to give his Quirk more power.
A massive claw tears into the creature's exposed side.
The whirlpools destabilize.
The ocean erupts.
Kazuto appears above it.
One final staff.
One final leap.
Then—
A direct strike.
Straight between its glowing eyes.
CRACK.
The blue light fades.
The whirlpools collapse.
The ocean settles.
Silence.
Only waves remain.
[Deck – Aftermath]
Everyone breathes.
Some harder than others.
The captain stares at the ocean.
Then at Kensukina.
Then back at the ocean.
Then back at Kensukina.
Captain:
"...We left with five students."
Nobody says anything.
Kensukina crosses her arms.
Kensukina:
"...Six now."
The captain groans.
Tokoyami walks forward.
Looking over the damage.
Looking over the students.
Then finally—
Looking at Kensukina.
A long pause.
Tokoyami:
"You boarded this vessel without authorization."
Another pause.
Tokoyami:
"You disobeyed direct orders."
Kensukina stiffens.
Tokoyami:
"And you helped save everyone aboard."
Silence.
Then—
Tokoyami:
"You will remain with the group under my supervision, until we reach America."
The captain sighs.
Captain:
"Guess I'll search for more snacks."
Hariko immediately points.
Hariko:
"See? I told you snacks solve everything."
For the first time since the start of the trip—
Kensukina almost smiles.
Almost.
Across the deck—
Senshi stares at the ocean.
The others celebrate.
Talk.
Laugh.
Recover.
But Senshi is still looking at the water.
At the place where he froze.
Again.
The place where everyone else acted.
And he didn't.
Senshi: "I don't belong on this trip."