Chapter 14: Encounter with the Unknown
"Huh? Villains? Are they dumb?" Kirishima said incredulously. "They're stupid enough to break into a hero school."
Yaoyorozu stepped forward, "Sensei, isn't there a trespassing sensor?"
"Of course we have them," Thirteen answered, his tone grave.
Todoroki's eyes narrowed, "Did they only appear here, or are they attacking the whole school? Either way, they must have someone who can send them in without being caught by the alarm. In a building far from the school, right when a class is in session… They're fools, but not dumb. There is a motive behind this carefully planned attack."
A motive… but what could they possibly gain by attacking a group of high schoolers and some teachers? Teachers…
Mirai's eyes widened, they can't possibly..
"No. Thirteen, start evacuating," Mr. Aizawa commanded. "Call the school. They were prepared for the sensors, so they may interfere with the signal. Kaminari," he turned to the blond student, "use your quirk to make a call."
Midoriya jumped in, "Will you fight them by yourself? Even if you erase their quirks, Erasure Head's method is to erase them, then capture them. Close combat is…" He trailed off, the implication hanging in the air.
Mr. Aizawa's expression remained stoic. "Heroes need more than one trick. Take care of them, No. Thirteen." With that, he leaped down to face the villains.
The villains grinned as they prepared to attack, but their stances faltered when they realized their quirks wasn't working. In an instant, they were wrapped by bindings and tossed into the air, smashing into each other.
The surrounding villains stepped back, surprised. However, their hesitation was short-lived as one of them rushed forward, attempting to punch Mr. Aizawa. The pro hero dodged and evaded the attack before landing a powerful punch of his own, sending the villain flying.
Mr. Aizawa ducked from behind then kicked the villain into his companions, he then wrapped the flying villain's ankle with his bindings and threw them onto the small group. Crashing from the impact.
Mirai watched in awe, having never witnessed such impressive close combat skills before, especially against such a large number of opponents.
"Guys! Stop analyzing and get over here!" Iida called out, snapping Mirai out of her trance. She urged Midoriya to follow the rest of the class.
They were halfway there when a dark hole opened up in front of them, halting their progress. "I won't let you," a deep voice spoke as the darkness sprung upward, yellow eyes gleaming from the very top. "Nice to meet you all. We are the Villain League. We've humbly let ourselves into UA High School, the nest for heroes, to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."
The dark figure continued, "I heard All Might was supposed to be here, but has there been a change? Well, besides that issue," the darkness spread, "this is what I came for…"
Everything happened in a blur. Bakugou and Kirishima lunged forward, with Bakugou's explosion causing dust to obscure their view. Yet, it did nothing to deter the villain.
"Dangerous, so dangerous," the darkness took form, unfazed by the attack. "Yes, although you're still students, you're gifted golden eggs."
"No! Move away, you two!" Thirteen ordered, but it was too late. The darkness engulfed them, pushing them with a force stronger than any wind Mirai had ever felt before. She covered her face with her arms, but then she felt a sensation of water surrounding her.
Opening her eyes, Mirai found herself amid tall, dilapidated buildings loomed overhead, their windows shattered and facades crumbling. The sky was a menacing gray, with dark storm clouds swirling above. Rain poured down in sheets, the droplets stinging her skin as they pelted her relentlessly.
"I'm… in the Downpour Zone?" Mirai muttered, her voice barely audible over the howling wind.
She gritted her teeth as she marched forward, looking as best as she could through the harsh weather, she thought about teleporting but then was against it. Her teleportation doesn't work well unless she has a better grasp of the layout, more so she rather saves for better usage later on. If…
She shook her head.
She'd rather not think of the worst yet.
Mirai forced her eyes open as she pushed her body forward. Then, she heard it—a faint cry, barely audible over the raging storm.
Her head snapped in the direction of the sound. Through the curtain of rain, she saw a peach-colored figure, their form blurred by the downpour. As she squinted, she recognized the distinctive shape of her classmate's head, which resembled a rock, unevenly shaped and pointed at the top, with a square-shaped jaw.
Koda.
But he wasn't alone. Surrounding him were a group of villains, their menacing grins visible even through the gloom. They were closing in on him, their intentions clear.
Mirai reached for her throwing daggers, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent them flying, the blades sliced through the air and embedded themselves in the ground between Koda and his attackers.
The villains stumbled back, momentarily startled. Mirai seized the opportunity, teleporting herself in front of Koda, her remaining dagger held at the ready.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of the villains sneered, his eyes glinting "Another little hero trying to play savior?"
Mirai remained silent as she adjusted her stance, mimicking the movements she had seen Mr. Aizawa use earlier.
It came faster than she anticipated, a blur of motion as one of the villains lunged forward, his fist aimed directly at her face. Mirai twisted to the side, barely avoiding the blow, and countered with a swift kick to his midsection.
The villain grunted, stumbling back, but his companions were already moving in, their quirks at the ready.
Mirai teleported again, reappearing behind them and striking out with her dagger. She managed to land a glancing blow on one of them, but the others were quick to adapt, their attacks growing more coordinated and precise.
Just as she was about to teleport again, she felt a sudden pressure around her ankle. One of the villains had managed to grab her, his grip like a vice.
Panic rose in her throat. She struggled, pulling to break free, but the villain's hold was strong.
But then, out of nowhere, a fist smashed into the villain's face, sending him flying backward. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Mirai turned, her eyes wide to see Koda standing there, his fist still raised.
She blinked then shook her head as she said, "Thanks," She smiled slightly, "You're… Koda, right?"
Koda nodded, his own smile shy and hesitant. His shoulders hunched forward, as if he wanted nothing more than to disappear, to sink into the ground and vanish from sight.
It was endearing, Mirai thought, almost reminiscent of Midoriya when he was younger. And even now, to some extent.
But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts. The remaining villains were already regrouping, their expressions twisted with rage and humiliation.
"You little brats," one of them snarled, "You'll pay for that—"
A shadowy fist connected with the snarling villain's face, knocking him out cold before he could finish his threat.
Mirai recognized the dark appendage as she turned to see Tokoyami Fumikage standing there, his dark cape billowing in the wind with most of his features obscured by his bird-like head.
"So you guys have warped here as well?" he asked.
"Yeah," Mirai nodded, "Thanks, by the way. Now we'd better—"
But before she could finish her sentence, a swirling mass of dark purple mist materialized before them, its tendrils writhing and twisting in the air. The mist seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, a silent threat that set their nerves on edge.
Mirai, Koda, and Tokoyami immediately snapped to attention, their bodies tense. They watched, transfixed, as the mist began to take on a more tangible form, its edges sharpening and solidifying.
For a moment, it seemed as though a figure might emerge from the depths of the fog. But just as quickly as it had appeared, the mist began to dissipate, its form losing cohesion and fading back into the shadows.
Standing in its place was a gaunt, wiry man with a face that seemed to be all sharp angles and deep shadows. His eyes were sunken, and a tattered black cloak that hung loosely from his thin frame, its edges frayed and fluttering in the wind.
Mirai steadied her grip on her dagger, beside her, Koda trembled only slightly as he shifted his stance into a defense, while Tokoyami stood firm, his dark shadow at the ready.
The dense fog engulfed the area, shrouding Mirai, Koda, and Tokoyami in an oppressive blanket of purple haze. They stayed sharply alert, their eyes darting from one shadowy corner to another, their muscles tensed and ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of danger.
But then, without any signs at all, a powerful force struck Tokoyami, sending him reeling backward. He stumbled, his feet scrambling for purchase on the slick ground as Dark Shadow shuddered and flickered, its form wavering like a candle flame caught in a gust of wind. Tokoyami grunted, his brow furrowing as he fought to regain control, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
Koda's eyes widened as he watched his classmate struggle. His gaze darted around the area, his senses stretching out into the fog.
"Mirai, to your left!" he shouted, his voice ringing out with a clarity and strength that belied his usual timid demeanor.
Mirai vanished in a flash of blue light, reappearing just as another punch whistled through the space where she had been standing a heartbeat before. She whirled around, her eyes locking onto Koda's, a silent question hanging in the air between them.
"I can sense it," Koda said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. "The slight movements in the fog, the shifts in the air currents. I can guide you to where you need to be."
Mirai smiled as she nodded, then teleported again and again, her form blinking in and out of existence as she danced around the villain, drawing their focus away from Tokoyami. With the helpful guidance of Koda, and it now came to her this was the first time she heard him speak a word.
Tokoyami straightened as he felt Dark Shadow's strength surging back to almost its full strength. He caught Koda's gaze, a silent nod of thanks passing between them before he turned his attention back to the fight at hand.
The villain, spouted frustrated rants, "How is this girl so fast?! Stay the fuck still!"
Until he finally spotted an opening. He lunged forward, his form solidifying as he aimed a decisive stab at Mirai's exposed back.
"Behind you!" Koda's shouts cracked, and Mirai vanished once more, reappearing a safe distance away.
Tokoyami unleashed Dark Shadow in a powerful surge, the shadowy entity enveloping the villain in a cocoon of inky tendrils. The villain struggled, his mouth opening in a silent scream as Dark Shadow tightened its grip, squeezing the air from his lungs until his body went limp.
As the trio caught their breath, Mirai's eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on a point in the distance. She raised a hand, pointing towards the looming figures that emerged from what little fog there was, their forms growing clearer with each passing second.
Mirai blinked rapidly as her vision started to blur, the two glanced at each other before nodding and deciding to make a retreat for now, and so they ran until they lost the tail of the villains and made a small resting position inside the buildings, where Mirai sat against the cold wall as she shivered slightly.
She glanced at her classmates. Tokoyami also sat across from her with his arms folded and eyes closed, showing no signs of struggle, though there was a bruise where the side of his beak was. Then there was Koda, who looked a bit alright until he let out a raspy cough.
"Are you alright?" Mirai asked.
Koda didn't speak a word. Instead, he raised his right hand, palm facing inward, and gently tapped his chest twice with his fingertips. Then, he shifted his hand to his throat, his fingers curved as if holding an invisible ball. He moved his hand gently down his throat while slightly squeezing his fingers together
Mirai only tilted her head, not understanding the gestures.
"He said he is fine," Tokoyami explained, "But his throat is sore. I suppose he isn't used to screaming."
"Oh," she said, "You know sign language?"
Tokoyami nodded, "Yes, I… I learned it when I was younger."
"Did you have a friend you wanted to communicate with? Or was it simply a skill you wanted to learn? That's still pretty cool you two know sign language."
"I… Well, I, uh…" Tokoyami scratched the side of his neck.
Mirai and even Koda stared at him. "You don't have to explain, but I am good at keeping secrets," Mirai said, "I think the two of us are."
Tokoyami was silent before sighing, "When I was younger, I had difficulties pronouncing words and speaking the human language in general, it used to hurt truth to be told. So, I just learned other ways of speaking."
"So… when you were a kid, you used to chirp and stuff?"
For the first time, he had a visible expression of embarrassment. "You said you were good at keeping secrets, yes? Then…"
"You have my word," she swore with a hand on her chest as Koda signed the same words as hers.
Then there was silence, a comfortable one, not the kind that makes your throat dry. But Mirai had been wondering, "So… I don't know how long we're going to be here for, so… I mean, if it's alright with you, could you… maybe teach me some basic phrases in sign language?"
Koda smiled and held out his palm, facing upward, and used his other hand to trace a circle on his palm twice.
Mirai didn't know what that meant, but the smile and an obvious gesture for her to come closer let her know that it was alright with them.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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Haha_I_write Please PLEASE for any person who knows sign language please correct me if I'm wrong I am not knowlegable in that department but I wanted to write a cute moment for them and if it comes off as offensive like I am very sorry also this was meant to be the last chapter but I guess the next chapter or so will the end of season 1.
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