The morning after the Battle Training felt like my nervous system had been replaced by live wires and wet cardboard. I was back in my bedroom at the Arisawa estate, sprawled across the silk sheets in a three-way pile of limbs. Earth-Kenji was using my leg as a pillow, snoring with the frequency of a low-magnitude earthquake, while Wind-Kenji was literally hovering six inches above the mattress, his hair ruffled by a localized draft.
"Wake up," I—the Lightning-Original—groaned, poking Earth-Kenji in the ribs. It was like poking a bag of concrete. "We have school. And Aizawa definitely isn't the 'excused absence' type."
"Five more million years," Earth-Me rumbled into the mattress.
"I'll shock you," I threatened, sparks dancing between my fingers.
"Do it. The voltage might actually wake my legs up," he countered.
Eventually, we managed to merge—a messy, dizzying process that felt like three different radio stations trying to play over the same speaker. By the time I walked into Class 1-A, I was back to being "One Kenji," though I walked with the slight stagger of a man who hadn't quite figured out which foot belonged to which personality.
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The Morning After: Class 1-A's Class
The classroom was buzzing. The high-definition footage of yesterday's battles had been analyzed by everyone. As I walked in, the atmosphere shifted. It wasn't just "awe" anymore; it was curiosity.
"Arisawa-kun!" Momo Yaoyorozu was the first to approach. She looked as composed as ever, though there was a soft light in her eyes. She held out a thermos that smelled faintly of lavender and high-end chemistry. "I spent the evening researching cellular exhaustion related to multi-core quirks. This is a blend of high-density electrolytes and lipids I created. It should help stabilize your 'Sync' fatigue."
"Yaoyorozu... you didn't have to do that," I said, taking the warm thermos.
"We are a team, are we not?" she replied, her smile small but genuine.
"Hey, Triple-Threat!" Mina Ashido bounced over, her pink skin practically glowing. "The girls were talking in the dorms—we want to know, when you're 'Blaze,' do your clothes melt, or is the suit really that good? Because that fire was hot."
"The suit is high-grade carbon fiber, Mina," I laughed, feeling a bit flustered. "And trust me, 'Blaze' is more of a 'last resort' unless I want to turn the classroom into a kiln."
"Whatever! You looked like a total badass!" Kyoka Jiro added, leaning against her desk and twirling an earphone jack. "Even if you did faint like a Victorian lady in the cafeteria afterward."
"I was rebooting," I defended weakly, making the girls giggle.
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The peace was shattered when the door flew open and Shota Aizawa shuffled in, looking even more like a disgruntled caterpillar in his sleeping bag.
"Decide on a class representative by the end of the period," he grunted, falling onto the floor. "I don't care how you do it, just don't wake me up."
The room exploded into a shouting match. Everyone wanted the position.
"Pick me! I'll make everyone wear sparkling capes!" Aoyama cried.
"I HAVE THE DISCIPLINE REQUIRED!" Iida shouted, his arms moving like windshield wipers.
"SILENCE!" I stood up, my voice carrying that triple-layered authority. The room went dead quiet. "We're heroes-in-training, not a pack of kindergartners. We'll do this democratically. Everyone write a name on a slip of paper."
When the results were tallied on the chalkboard, the room gasped.
• Kenji Arisawa: 4 Votes
• Momo Yaoyorozu: 2 Votes
• Izuku Midoriya: 1 Vote
"Wait, four?" Kaminari whispered. "Who voted for Arisawa?"
"I did," Mina raised her hand.
"Me too," Jiro muttered, looking away.
"He showed the most composure," Momo added, her cheeks pink.
"And I voted for myself," I said flatly. "Someone has to keep you idiots from burning the school down."
Thus, the "Power Duo" was formed: Class Rep: Kenji Arisawa. Vice-Rep: Momo Yaoyorozu.
The responsibility hit home sooner than expected. During lunch, the "Level 3 Security Breach" alarm went off because the press had broken onto school grounds. The cafeteria was a mosh pit of panicked teenagers.
"Everyone, calm down!" Iida was trying to shout, but he was being trampled.
"Wind! Earth! Out!" I commanded.
I split right there in the hallway. Wind-Kenji used a massive updraft to hover above the crowd, shouting directions. Earth-Kenji grew to seven feet tall and acted as a literal breakwater, pushing people back with gentle but firm strength.
"IT'S JUST THE PRESS!" I (Original) shouted, standing on a table. "LOOK OUT THE WINDOW! THE POLICE ARE ALREADY THERE! STOP ACTING LIKE VILLAIN FODDER AND SIT DOWN!"
The sight of the three Kenjis—one screaming from the ceiling, one acting as a stone wall, and one leading from the table—brought the room to a standstill. Order was restored in seconds.
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Next Morning
The morning had started with the mundane politics of high school. I stood at the front of the class, the silver "Class Rep" pin catching the light. Momo Yaoyorozu stood beside me as Vice-Rep, her posture perfect, though I could see her fingers fidgeting with her notebook—a rare sign of nerves.
"We're going to be doing rescue training today," I announced, my voice steady despite the 'Sync-hum' in the back of my head. "Please follow Aizawa-sensei's instructions and board the bus in an orderly fashion."
The bus ride was a cacophony of teenage energy. I sat between Tsuyu and Jiro, trying to focus on the conversation while Earth-Kenji was internally grumbling about the lack of legroom and Wind-Kenji was mentally tracing the aerodynamics of the bus.
"Your Quirk is so flashy, Arisawa-chan," Tsuyu blurted out, her big eyes fixed on me. "In a good way. But it's also kind of scary, ribbit. If you lose focus, do you... disappear?"
"I don't disappear," I replied, leaning back. "But the 'noise' gets loud. Imagine having three different dreams at the exact same time. It's a lot of data for one brain."
Jiro looked at me, her earphone jack twiddling. "Is that why you're always eating those high-protein bars? You're literally fueling three people?"
"Pretty much," I chuckled. "My grocery bill is the real villain here."
Arrival at the USJ
The Unforeseen Simulation Joint was breathtaking—a massive dome housing simulated disasters. We were greeted by the Space Hero, Thirteen, who began a solemn speech about the responsibility of Quirks.
But then, the air in the central plaza curdled.
A swirling vortex of purple mist opened, and a hand—cold, grey, and necrotic—reached through the void. Then came the eyes. Tomura Shigaraki stepped out, his presence like a shroud of death. Behind him, a small army of thugs emerged, followed by a mountain of black muscle with an exposed brain: the Nomu.
"Aizawa-sensei... the sensors didn't go off," I noted, my Lightning-self already sparking.
"Stay back!" Aizawa shouted, his goggles snapping into place. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
Before we could retreat, the mist user, Kurogiri, appeared before us. "I am afraid I cannot allow that. We are the League of Villains. We've come to kill the Symbol of Peace... and it seems he isn't here."
The mist surged. It felt like being swallowed by cold water.
"SPLIT!" I roared, the command ripping through my mind.
The Landslide Zone: The Anchor
Earth-Kenji slammed into a pile of rubble. The impact would have broken a normal person's ribs, but his skin was already turning into dense, jagged shale. He rolled to his feet, catching Momo by the waist just as a villain with a giant hammer swung at her.
"Careful!" Earth-Kenji rumbled, his voice like grinding stones.
Momo gasped, quickly creating a flash-grenade. "Arisawa-san! Where are the others?"
"Busy," Earth-Me grunted. To our left, Shoto Todoroki stood amidst a dozen villains. With a flick of his wrist, he encased half the mountain in ice.
"Don't get in my way," Todoroki said coldly.
"Watch your flank, Ice-Prince!" Earth-Kenji shouted. He slammed his palms into the ground. "TECTONIC BURST!" The earth beneath a group of sneaking villains erupted, sending them flying. Earth-Kenji stood like an immovable pillar between Momo and the chaos. But internally, I felt a sharp pang of pain.
Something is wrong at the Shipwreck, I thought.
The Shipwreck Zone: The Gale
Wind-Kenji was underwater. The pressure was immense, and the sight of shark-mutant villains circling him was enough to trigger a panic attack.
Focus, Kenji! I screamed at myself.
He kicked toward the surface, breaking the water just as Tsuyu pulled Midoriya onto the deck of the sinking yacht. Wind-Kenji shot out of the water like a cork, propelled by a blast of air from his feet.
"Midoriya! Tsuyu!" Wind-Kenji yelled, landing beside them. He looked down into the water. "There are at least thirty of them down there."
"They're waiting for us to jump," Midoriya said, his face pale. "They have the advantage in the water."
"Then we take the water away," Wind-Kenji said. He closed his eyes, his blue-finned boots glowing. He began to spin, faster and faster, creating a localized cyclone. The water began to rise, caught in the centrifugal force.
"Tsuyu! Grab Midoriya and jump when I say!"
Wind-Kenji was pushing his limits. He could feel the Original's rage building at the plaza, and it was making his winds violent and erratic. "NOW! GO!"
The Central Plaza: The Spark
Back at the fountain, I (Original-Lightning) was the only student who hadn't been warped. I stood twenty feet away from Shigaraki. Aizawa was a whirlwind of combat, taking down thugs left and right, but he was being baited.
"You're fast, Eraser Head," Shigaraki rasped, scratching his neck until it bled. "But you aren't the main event. Nomu... show him."
The Nomu didn't run. It simply arrived in front of Aizawa.
I saw it happen in slow motion. The Nomu's fist connected with Aizawa's arm. The sound of the humerus snapping was like a dry branch breaking in the winter. Aizawa screamed—a sound I'll never forget.
"SENSEI!" I screamed, launching a massive bolt of white lightning.
The Nomu didn't even flinch. The electricity danced over its skin, absorbed by some unknown Quirk. It grabbed Aizawa by the head and slammed him face-first into the concrete.
"20 seconds... 10 seconds..." Shigaraki muttered, looking at the door. "Still no All Might. What a letdown. Nomu, kill the brat. He's annoying."
The Nomu turned its hollow, mindless eyes toward me.
In that moment, the connection between my three bodies didn't just 'hum'—it screamed. I felt Momo's fear in the Landslide Zone. I felt Midoriya's desperation in the Shipwreck. And I felt Aizawa's blood hitting the floor.
The "Adult" in me died in that moment. Only the "Hero" remained.
"Sync... Level 3..."
The air in the plaza didn't just heat up; it vanished. I drew all the oxygen toward me, feeding a fire that hadn't been lit since the dawn of time. My skin turned the color of a dying star.
"You want the Symbol of Peace?" I said, my voice vibrating with a thousand overlapping echoes. "He's not here. But I am."
I stepped forward, and the concrete beneath my feet liquefied instantly. Shigaraki's grin vanished. For the first time, the Villain looked afraid.