Chapter Text
One Minute Before the Event.
(Day One, Time 08:59)
“ Alright, my Listeners! ” Mic shouted over the video screens surrounding them, forcing them all to finally focus . “Everyone brace yourselves, the show is about to begin!”
Shouto glanced at his teammates, both braced and ready as Mic continued to explain the event and the rules. “You all know the basics! A free for all match with no rules except no serious injury or harm to your fellow contestants! Due to the nature of this event, the Commission has gotten permission via the Japanese Government to basically say that no other laws will hold you back within the confines of this mock city! Time to embrace your inner Villain and let loose!
Virtually all of UA’s Hero Course, all three years, were crammed into this city. Shouto’s eyes darted from team to team, taking in the groups that distanced themselves from the main cluster, the ones who seemed confident, who seemed nervous, who seemed weak .
A small flame flickered in his palm as he took note of who would be an easy target.
“Remember! Keep those monitoring devices on at all times!” He spared a glance at his own wrist where he had attached the small, watch-like device. Some people, due to quirks and gear, had opted to have their device hang from a chain around their neck, others tucking them away in a discreet pocket. “They include the basic information about who is still in play as well as a more detailed list of the rules of the event! Official teams are not included in this information, so be cautious. No telling who is really working with who!”
“Oh, I’m getting pumped!” Uraraka half whispered at his side, practically bouncing in place. Shouto was glad she was managing to compartmentalize her earlier worries for Midoriya.
Now, if only he could do the same.
“Ura— Radon , please focus!” Iida begged quietly, though his engines warmed slightly in preparation.
“You all will have free control of the city for the first two hours! Try and take out as many of your opponents as you can!” Mic continued to explain, gesturing wildly and dramatically on the screen while Shouto absently marveled at how the man always managed to keep his hair in place despite it all. “Ectoplasm will act as a neutral piece of the game to collect anyone who has been effectively knocked out! Any attacks against him will be considered immediate disqualification!”
“Can you blame me for being excited?” Uraraka crowed during Mic’s speech. “We are gonna kick some butt!”
“Otherwise, be warned! Once we hit the two hour mark, Patrollers will be set loose on the city!” Mic screamed, dropping into a pose like he was strumming a guitar. “We have kept a tight lid on our guest performers for this act, so who knows who is going to be stepping through those city gates to collect you evil doers! I can certainly guarantee that some of them are really topping the charts!”
Shouto’s eyes narrowed. The Patrollers were the only ones he was truly concerned about. They usually sent them in in rotations of three to four in various years, but each year, the candidates were more and more high profile due to the popularity of the streamed event.
And given that this year’s ratings were predicted to easily beat out the Sports Festival…
“And lastly!” Mic shouted with glee, arm sweeping out in front of him. “Keep an eye out for the Watchers .”
As if on cue, dozens of flying drones zoomed towards the field, circling the whole crowd and zooming in on various students.
“The Watchers will be filming the entire event and zooming by to get your close ups!,” Mic explained as a drone zoomed over close to Shouto, stopping almost directly in front of him. If he did not know better, he would have said that it…happy wiggled? Was saying hi? All he knew for sure was that he was confused, but the drone zoomed off before he could think more of it. “Destroying one on purpose is considered grounds for immediate ejection from the game! Accidental destruction will not dock you, but be cautious! Principal Nedzu is fond of these little guys.”
The drone that had flown into Shouto’s face did a little flip in the air before zooming back into formation with the others, soon to be lost amongst the mass of other drones.
“Now,” The boisterous blonde continued, leaning in close to the screen with a wild grin. “Are you all ready ?!”
“We’ve been ready!” Someone in the crowd shouted, followed by several other voices chiming in with whoops and hollers of their own.
“Well, alrighty then!” He shouted, dramatically pointing towards the camera. “Let’s start that countdown!”
It was then that a large, bright red number appeared on the screen, detailing the stylized ten over Mic’s visage. The screen began to split, and video footage of various students bracing for the impending attack began to show up from the film of the Watchers circling them like vultures. He could see flashes of other grades, of Class 1B, of his own classmates, all braced for the start.
“We start in T-minus ten !”
Shouto let ice frost over his palm.
“ Nine !”
Distant shouts of excitement grew over the crowd.
“ Eight !”
“Class 1B—“
“ Seven !”
“—shall be victorious!”
“ Six !”
“Shut the fuck—“
“ Five !”
“—up, Copy Cat!”
“ Four !”
“Found Bakugou,” Uraraka muttered.
“ Three !”
“As if that’s hard to do,” Iida quipped back, causing Shouto to smirk.
“ Two —“
The screen distorted, glitching over Present Mic’s visage.
“ O—on —“
The screens all suddenly froze on the eerily distorted image of Present Mic, and everyone just… stared . No one moved, no one acted, all caught off guard by the glitch.
“Is…is something wrong with the tech?” Someone shouted amongst the silence.
Another chimed in shouting, “Do we start?!”
Everyone still remained rooted in place, shifting nervously, sending unsure looks amongst each other as the Watchers continued to lazily circle overhead. Then, before anyone else could comment…the screen came back to life.
Covered in static and producing the most ear splitting screech —
Shouto was quick to try and cover his ears, and distantly he could see several others trying to follow suit. Those with more sensitive hearing literally collapsed to the ground screaming , the few seconds of sound causing severe pain and left them highly disoriented. He thought of Jirou, of Shouji, both on Yaoyorozu’s team but nowhere in sight.
The pain they must be dealing with—
And then the sound ceased as suddenly as it began, and the static began to flicker away from the screen…only to reveal someone that was decidedly not Present Mic.
“Hello, little Heroes… I hope you do not mind the interruption.”
The figure was close to the screen and backlit, making it near impossible for Shouto to make out their features. All the while their voice was… distorted , pitched low and just sending chills up the ice user’s spine. Despite the distorted tone, however, the amusement was clear in the speaker’s voice. “I just had a little announcement to make before this event continued—”
“What the hell is going on?” Someone in the distance shouted.
The figure grew unnaturally still , the amusement dropping from his tone. “I would tell you if you would be quiet and listen .”
Shouto felt his stomach drop .
They had just replied . Whoever this was, whatever was happening, that was not just a video recording. That stream was live .
This person was watching them.
“This isn’t funny!” One of the 1B girl’s shouted at the screen, and Shouto glanced over to see her in the distance. Her face was hard to make out, but she was clearly disturbed. Which, for good reason.
“Who said this was a joke?” The figure shifted, holding his hands up at an angle that outlined them in the light as he slowly adjusted his gloves on his wrists. “I am merely here to guide you all…to act as a mentor of sorts. To give you all a lesson .”
Not being able to take it anymore, Shouto finally stepped forward despite his teammates whispering at him not to, and he resolutely shouted out, “What kind of lesson?”
The figure shifted, seeming to almost turn towards him on the various screens surrounding the field. It had to have been a trick of the eye, because there was no way he could face towards him on all of the screens, but the idea still floated in the back of his mind, still set him off, screaming danger, danger, danger —
“Oh, Shouto… ” His blood ran cold. The figure on the screen began to step backwards, stepping into the lights behind him, all while the distortion to his voice slowly flickered in and out. “You should know better…”
And then they could finally see him.
Standing in the light, the figure was clad in a relatively simple outfit, just dress slacks and a crisp white and tucked in button down dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, displaying well toned and muscular arms and all the scars he had accumulated over the past year. The gloves he had been adjusting were pure black leather, fitted and snug on his hands. The usual fluffy mess of curls seemed to have been cut and styled since the last time Todoroki had laid eyes on him, and an undercut shaved along the sides of his head. Even his ears, once devoid of anything, now both sported piercings.
And his eyes . The same familiar shade of green, but whether a trick of the light or a side effect of his quirk, seemed to glow, giving off an air that screamed predator. The small, coy smirk that replaced the usual bright and cheerful smile only served to solidify that feeling.
A large, black trench coat was tossed to him from offscreen, and Deku dramatically and smoothly swung it around to drape over his shoulders, framing him like a cape. Adjusting the coat as he moved back farther, he dropped into a previously unnoticed chair, one that looked more like a throne than anything else, crossing his leg in a casual pose as he leaned on the arm, his familiar bright red shoes on display.
Those shoes felt like a mockery on this… imposter .
Several gasps of shock and recognition broke out, cries of denial and outrage, Bakugou’s voice and quirk crackling amongst it all as he shouted out an enraged, “ Deku! ”
Dropping his cheek into the palm of his hand as he leaned casually against the arm of the chair, Deku’s smirk growing into a devilish grin. “Oh, the lessons I have planned for you all! I’ve grown quite weary of some of your behavior, how you tend to view society despite all that has happened in the past year, all that has occurred that should have pulled the wool from your eyes.” The grin slowly dropped, and something so unfamiliar , so cold and callous and apathetic and just not Midoriya appeared on his face. “It’s getting rather disappointing .”
All the whispering and denials ceased at that one word, replaced with nothing but dread .
Then, the smirk returned as if it had never left. “But you are all still students!” He threw his arms wide before clapping his hands together in an exaggerated fashion, as if he were giving a performance on a stage. Shouto supposed that in some ways, he was. “It is understandable that you are still learning, and I am more than willing to help! However unlike most Villains—“ The casual referral of himself as a villain had Shouto reeling back as if struck. “—with their usual grand displays and speeches about their cause, I have no intention of revealing too much of my hand so soon.”
Leaning forward, hands braced on his knees as he continued to grin at the camera with those glowing eyes and his face eerily lit by the overhead light, he cooed, “So, I urge you all to listen , to pay attention . I have so many plans! But first…an exercise to get your blood flowing and adrenaline rising!”
… oh no .
Suddenly, the sounds of mechanical whirring cued up from all around them, and they all watched in muted horror as remnants of Nedzu’s security system fired to life. Dozens upon dozens of machine guns popped out of the surrounding buildings and structures, all settling into place, all taking aim as the Watchers swirled in mass higher to the sky…
Out of firing range.
“And for the record, Deku isn’t here at the moment,” Midoriya said in amusement over the screen, his eyes glinting with mischief. “So please…”
The guns began to whir to life.
Shouto found himself shouting, “ Everyone move! ”
“Call me Sensei.”
And then the gun fire rang out, and the Event truly began.