The heroes took nearly fifteen minutes to secure the perimeter and organize the students into groups far from the area where the unconscious villains lay. All Might stood near the frozen Nomu with his arms crossed, watching every corner of the facility while steam kept rising from his tense muscles.
Nezu approached All Might while adjusting his collar with smooth movements. His expression was pleasant and serene, but there was a sharp, calculating gleam in his eyes.
"Excellent work, All Might," he said, observing the inert creature. "Your participation was exactly what we needed to draw them in and keep their attention fixed on the wrong threat."
All Might relaxed his posture slightly while catching his breath. The steam thickening around him made it clear that his transformation was beginning to falter under the weight of exhaustion.
"Principal Nezu... That thing," he said, tilting his head toward the Nomu. "What exactly are we dealing with? I've never come across a Quirk combination like that before."
Nezu turned his gaze toward the still body and kept his fingers laced behind his back.
"Neither have I," he said quietly, "and that's what I find truly alarming."
He walked slowly toward the creature, fully focused on solving the problem.
"This isn't the result of natural evolution," he explained. "Shock absorption, rapid regeneration, overwhelming strength, and blind obedience to someone else. Someone built this thing with a very specific goal in mind, All Might."
All Might took that in silently before asking, "Do you think the target was me?"
"Without a doubt," Nezu confirmed while contemplating the creature's inert body. "They planned the infiltration knowing exactly that the Symbol of Peace was here, and they sent this specimen with the direct and premeditated goal of killing you."
A chill ran down All Might's spine despite the heat radiating from his fatigued muscles.
"If this is just their opening move..." he began.
"Our only real alternative is to anticipate the next one," Nezu concluded. "The mastermind behind this specimen has a massive infrastructure and a ruthless intellect whose scale should put all of us on maximum alert."
He turned away from the Nomu and faced where Shigaraki lay unconscious, bleeding from multiple wounds on the cement.
"Stabilizing the scene and securing the students is our logical priority at this moment," the principal explained with complete calm. "So Snipe will hold his strategic position, Midnight will make sure both suspects stay unconscious until the transport units arrive, and Aizawa will lead the coordination of personnel for cleanup and documentation."
He looked back at the Nomu and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"As for this creature, we need to transfer it to a high-security laboratory," he said, walking slowly around the body. "It's a fabricated creature that only obeys direct orders, which means that away from whoever controls it, it poses no immediate threat. But we need to study it to understand how it was created."
The sound of sirens started filtering through the entrance as police vehicles came to a stop outside. Detective Tsukauchi crossed the threshold with his phone pressed to his ear and a serious expression on his face. He assessed the damage in a matter of seconds without stopping, then walked straight toward Nezu.
He slipped the phone into his pocket as he stopped in front of the principal.
"Principal Nezu, I just finished my call with the Public Safety Commission," he reported, watching the officers approach the criminals. "They briefed me on the situation during the drive over. They're treating this incident with the highest priority."
Nezu nodded calmly. "That's the logical response. A coordinated attack against one of the most secure facilities in the country isn't something the Commission can take lightly."
Tsukauchi gestured to the officers behind him to start securing the unconscious villains.
"Given the previous reports and the danger of the Quirks they used to break in here, the Hero Commission issued an extraordinary order for both of them," he explained, directing his gaze toward Shigaraki and Kurogiri. "The usual detention process is completely suspended. They'll be transferred immediately to the maximum security prison in Tartarus while the investigation continues."
Several heroes exchanged looks at the mention of Tartarus, the facility reserved for the country's most dangerous villains. Midnight raised an eyebrow as she watched the prisoners.
"Well, that's certainly skipping the preliminaries, Detective, especially when they haven't even been formally charged yet."
Tsukauchi kept a professional tone as he reviewed his notes.
"The Commission considers them an active threat to national security and determined that the usual measures aren't enough, so they'd rather err on the side of caution than risk any escape attempt."
Nezu observed the two unconscious villains for a long moment before nodding.
"I agree with their assessment," he said. "The spatial manipulation Quirk alone presents too many risks for a normal detention. And if our theory about how they control the creature is correct, we can't allow the individual covered in hands to regain consciousness anywhere that isn't built for the worst."
Midnight stepped forward and rested a hand on her hip while fixing her gaze on the two villains.
"I'll go as escort," she said with a bold smile. "My Quirk will keep him in a sweet sleep for the entire trip, and they won't get the slightest chance to wake up."
Nezu glanced at her briefly before nodding slowly.
"That's a good plan, Midnight," he said. "If the villain leader can't wake up, we eliminate the risk of any rescue attempt during the transfer."
He laced his fingers as he thought about how to organize it.
"Even so, we'll need a full escort team. A transfer of this kind requires covering several fronts."
He scanned the heroes present, one by one.
"Snipe, you'll go with her," he said.
The revolver hero gave a small nod, one hand resting on the grip of his weapon.
"You can aim from a distance that wouldn't give the mist villain any room to maneuver. If he tries to activate his Quirk, a single shot to his metal armor will stop him on the spot."
Nezu continued. "Kamui Woods, you'll go too," he said. The hero with wooden armor straightened up at the mention of his name. "Your Quirk can create a containment structure over the sedated villains that holds them firm even if they wake up."
"Understood, Principal," said Kamui Woods.
"Mt. Lady," Nezu turned to the heroine who was already adjusting her gloves with a confident smile. "If something goes wrong during transport, your size gives you the ability to block any escape attempt or to take on whatever shows up."
"You can leave this in my hands," Mt. Lady assured him while brushing a strand of hair aside. "I don't have the slightest intention of letting those two ruin the big debut that's about to launch my career straight to the top."
Finally, Nezu turned his gaze toward the edge of the group to focus on Aizawa, who had been standing with his arms crossed throughout the entire conversation.
"That leaves us with only one logical alternative, Aizawa," Nezu said, his tone more decisive. "Your Erasure Quirk is the only one capable of completely neutralizing both villains with just a look. If they wake up and manage to free themselves, you're the one who can cut off their powers before they have a chance to use them."
Aizawa ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. "Guess the paperwork's gonna have to wait a little longer."
Nezu offered a small smile while watching the specialized transport vehicles parking outside. "I trust that all of you can handle the transfer without incident. We have someone keeping the main villain asleep, someone restraining them, someone aiming from a distance, backup muscle, and Quirk erasure as a last resort, guaranteeing that not a single variable is left floating at random."
Tsukauchi observed the gathered hero team and nodded with approval. "The Commission will be satisfied. We'll proceed with the transfer immediately."
Snipe stepped back from his position while the officers approached with reinforced cuffs designed to block Quirk usage.
All Might watched as both prisoners were loaded onto separate armored vehicles under strict security measures, while the escort team prepared to depart.
"This doesn't feel like the end, Nezu," he said in a low voice. "It feels like the beginning of a new storm."
"That's a completely accurate read," Nezu agreed. "Because this only represents their opening move on the board, which means the mind behind the operation must already be plotting the next play, with the enormous advantage of having gathered direct intelligence on our immediate response capability."
He surveyed the destroyed facility around them, the shaken students, the frozen and motionless Nomu against the cracked wall.
"The game has changed, All Might," he continued. "We just don't know all the rules yet."
The Symbol of Peace said nothing. He closed his fists at his sides and kept watching.
Whatever happens, he thought as he looked toward his students heading for the bus, we'll be ready. I'm not going to let them threaten these kids again.
Izuku watched as the escort team organized themselves around the convoy, trying to make sense of how quickly everything had happened, from the opening of the first portal to the moment the creature stopped moving.
"Midoriya-san." Momo's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was standing next to him with her hands clasped in front of her chest, her expression still reflecting the tension from a few minutes ago. "Are you okay?"
Izuku blinked a couple of times and realized he had probably been completely still and silent for a good while. He rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said while watching the last officers secure the perimeter. "Just trying to make sense of what happened."
Ochako appeared at his other side, her eyes still a little red. Her voice was firmer now, though there was a slight tremor when she spoke.
"Izuku-kun, did you really see the way All Might was fighting that monster? I've never seen anything so terrifying in my life," she said, hugging herself while staring at the smoking crater where the hero and the creature had traded blows.
Momo's brows furrowed as she analyzed what she had observed.
"The way it combined all those Quirks during the fight implies an extreme level of intervention in its body, nothing that happens naturally, probably from the deepest..."
She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the confused looks around her, pressed two fingers to her temple, and gave a silent sigh.
"Sorry," she said. "What I mean is that someone designed that thing specifically to kill heroes."
Ochako hugged herself as she watched the armored vehicles drive away down the road. "That's horrible... Who would want to create something like that?"
"Someone who, without a doubt, has no problem crossing every imaginable line to achieve their goals," Momo answered, smoothing a wrinkle in her hero costume.
"The principal is scary," Izuku said in a low voice.
Momo turned to look at him. "I'm sorry?"
He course-corrected quickly, gesturing toward where Nezu was moving calmly among the officers. "I mean... Nezu's extraordinarily intelligent. He predicted the attack, set the perfect trap, positioned the staff to cover everything, and neutralized the entire threat without a single student getting hurt."
Kirishima appeared suddenly behind them, a grin on his face despite everything they had just been through. He planted himself in the middle of the group with his arms spread wide.
"Did you guys see how All Might destroyed that giant monster? That's gotta be the manliest thing I've ever seen in my life!" he said, punching the air.
"I almost had a heart attack when all those villains popped out of nowhere," Kaminari admitted, shuffling along behind him while scratching the back of his neck. "Honestly thought my hero career was about to end before it even started."
"At least the teachers knew what they were doing," Kyoka commented, shrugging as she watched the officers handle the last prisoner. "Though I would've appreciated a heads-up that we were walking straight into some secret mission."
Aizawa appeared at the front of the group, completely unharmed despite everything that had just happened. He gestured toward the bus with a tired wave.
"Everyone, back on the bus," he ordered, rubbing one eye. "We're evacuating the facility immediately."
Iida raised his hand from the front of the group with impeccable posture. "What about the rescue training, sensei?"
"Canceled until further notice," Aizawa answered dryly. "The USJ will remain closed until the investigation concludes and the structural damage is repaired. Now move."
The students headed for the exit in small groups, murmuring to each other about the chaos they had just witnessed. Izuku walked in complete silence, flanked by Ochako on one side and Momo on the other, with Kyoka following close behind, hands in her pockets, the same seating arrangement as the ride in but under an atmosphere that now felt completely different.
We came here to learn how to save people, Izuku thought as he settled into his seat by the window, and we almost ended up being the ones who needed saving. There's probably something ironic about all this.
*********
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