My Hero Academia: Limitless

[Mountain Zone]

Kaori crouched behind a boulder, watching three villains pass below their position. The mountain zone's jagged terrain provided decent cover, but the exposed paths between rocks left them vulnerable. Behind her, Yaoyorozu was creating what looked like communication devices while Jiro kept her earphone jacks pressed against the stone, monitoring for approaching threats.

"Two more groups heading up the eastern path," Jiro whispered. "Maybe four or five each."

"They're being thorough," Yaoyorozu said, finishing another small radio. "But why split us up like this? If they wanted us dead..."

"Information gathering," Kaori said, eyes fixed on the central plaza visible in the distance. The masked figure hadn't moved, standing eerily still beside that hand-covered creature. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. "They're testing us."

Just like Fushiguro would.

The thought made her stomach turn. The Boss's methods were spreading, it seemed.

"Kaori?" Yaoyorozu's voice pulled her back. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She forced her attention to the immediate threat. "We need to contact the others somehow. Jiro, what's the range on those jacks?"

"I can hear pretty far, but..." Jiro shook her head. "There's too much interference. All these villains moving around, the facility's systems... it's like static."

Yaoyorozu handed them each a radio. "These should work for short-range communication at least. But we still need a plan."

"Yoichi would know what to do," Jiro muttered, then immediately looked embarrassed.

Kaori caught the slight tension in Yaoyorozu's shoulders at the mention of his name. Both girls had been stealing glances at him for weeks - Jiro hiding behind her snark, Yaoyorozu behind her textbooks. It would have been amusing if...

"You know, they'd probably have your eyes." Yoichi had said that night, stars reflecting in his eyes. "Our kids. They'd definitely get your eyes. And hopefully your memory - one of us needs to remember where we put things."

"We can't rely on others," Kaori said, perhaps too sharply. "We need to focus on what we can do ourselves."

"Right," Yaoyorozu straightened. "I can create some basic weapons, and with Jiro's hearing-"

"Movement!" Jiro hissed. "Big group, coming up fast!"

They pressed against the rocks as heavy footsteps approached. Kaori counted at least eight distinct gaits, plus something that sounded mechanical.

"Can you make smoke bombs?" she whispered to Yaoyorozu.

"Yes, but-"

"Do it. Jiro, when I give the signal, hit them with your heartbeat thing."

"How will I know the signal?"

Kaori allowed herself a small smile. "Trust me, you'll know."

The villains rounded the corner - a mix of mutation quirk users and what looked like a crude mechanical suit. Perfect.

Kaori vaulted over the boulder, landing directly in their path.

"Hey boys," she grinned. "Lost?"

The mechanical suit raised its arm, energy building in its palm. "Found one!"

"Now!"

Smoke bombs arced over her head as Kaori dropped and rolled. The villains' shots went wide, and then Jiro's amplified heartbeat slammed into them. The sonic attack, combined with the disorientation of the smoke, sent most of them stumbling.

Kaori moved through the chaos like a ghost, precise strikes dropping villains before they could recover. The mechanical suit proved more resilient, but a carefully placed kick to its joints solved that problem.

When the smoke cleared, twelve unconscious villains lay scattered across the path.

"That was..." Jiro emerged from cover, eyes wide. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Around." Kaori kept her voice neutral as she checked the villains for useful intel. Nothing but cheap burner phones and fake IDs. Amateur hour, except...

"We should tie them up," Yaoyorozu said, already creating capture tape. "But what's our next move? We can't just keep hiding up here while everyone else is in danger."

"Especially..." Jiro trailed off, fiddling with her earphone jack.

"Especially Yoichi?" Kaori finished. Both girls stiffened. "It's fine. I've seen how you look at him."

"We didn't- I mean-" Jiro stumbled over her words.

"It's not like that," Yaoyorozu said, but her cheeks were pink.

"It's okay." Kaori secured the last villain. "He deserves someone... normal. Someone who can give him that future he wants."

The words came out before she could stop them. Stupid. She was getting sloppy, letting her guard down around these girls who somehow felt like friends despite her best efforts.

"What do you mean?" Yaoyorozu asked carefully.

A distant explosion saved her from answering. Jiro pressed her jacks to the ground.

"That came from the Ruins zone," she reported. "I think... I think I hear Bakugo."

"Then that's where we go next." Kaori stood, pushing away thoughts of masks and organizations and futures she couldn't have. "We clear a path down, help who we can reach."

"But the villains-"

"Will be expecting us to stay hidden or run." Kaori checked their captured phones one last time before crushing them. "So we do neither. We hunt them instead."

Yaoyorozu nodded slowly. "I can create some additional support items. Maybe some climbing gear..."

"And I'll keep monitoring movement patterns," Jiro added. "If we time it right..."

"Good." Kaori took point, scanning the paths below. "Stay close, stay quiet, and remember - they might be testing us, but we're not here to pass their exam."

"We're here to win," Yaoyorozu finished, steel in her voice.

"Exactly." Kaori led them down a narrow path between boulders. "Stay sharp. This is just the beginning."

And if it is you, Fushiguro, she thought, if the Boss really is expanding... then I'll deal with that too. Somehow.

But first, they had classmates to save. The rest could wait.

It had to.

[Ruins Zone]

Aoi Todo's fist connected with the villain's jaw, sending the man sprawling across the debris-strewn ground. He barely had time to admire his handiwork before ducking under a wild swing from another attacker. These small fry were becoming tiresome.

"Oi, Explosion Girl!" Todo called out, spotting Katsumi Bakugo unleashing a barrage of blasts nearby. "I'm setting you up!"

Without waiting for a response, he clapped his hands together, activating his Quirk. In an instant, he swapped places with a villain who had been sneaking up behind Bakugo. The unfortunate criminal found himself directly in the path of Bakugo's next explosion.

"What the hell, Topknot?" Bakugo snarled, her eyes fierce. "I had that under control!"

Todo grinned, sidestepping another attacker. "Sure you did. But my way was more fun, right?"

A flash of red caught his eye as Kirishima barreled through a group of villains, his hardened skin deflecting their attacks. Todo's mind raced, analyzing the flow of combat. There was a pattern here, something just out of reach...

"Kirishima!" he shouted. "On your six!"

The redhead spun, catching a villain's weapon with his hardened forearm. "Thanks, man!"

Todo clapped again, this time swapping Kirishima with a chunk of fallen concrete. The villain's weapon shattered against the unexpected obstacle, leaving him open for Kirishima's counterattack.

As the fight progressed, Todo found himself paying less attention to individual opponents and more to the overall situation. These villains, while numerous, lacked coordination. It was as if they'd been given a general objective but no specific plan.

"Hey, ugly!" Todo called out to a particularly brutish villain. "What's the deal here? You guys job hunting or something?"

The villain sneered, charging forward. "We're here to kill All Might, you brat!"

Todo easily sidestepped the attack, using the villain's momentum to send him crashing into a wall. "All Might? That's a bit ambitious for you lot, isn't it?"

He filed away the information, pieces slowly falling into place. As he maneuvered through the chaos, he kept his ears open, catching snippets of conversation from both allies and enemies.

"Where's the Symbol of Peace now?" one villain taunted.

"We were promised a challenge!" another complained.

Bakugo's voice cut through the din. "You want a challenge? I'll give you a fucking challenge!"

Todo clapped his hands again, this time swapping himself with a villain who had been flanking Bakugo. As he took down his new opponent, he called out, "Hey, Explosion Girl! Wanna play a game?"

"What?" Bakugo snapped, her palms crackling with barely contained energy.

"Let's see who can take down the most villains," Todo grinned. "Loser buys dinner."

For a moment, he thought she might blast him instead of the villains. Then a predatory smile spread across her face. "You're on, Topknot. Hope you've got deep pockets!"

As Bakugo threw herself into the fray with renewed vigor, Todo's mind continued to work. The villains' fixation on All Might, their lack of cohesion, the sheer number of low-level criminals... It all pointed to something larger at play.

"Kirishima!" he called out. "How you holding up?"

The redhead flashed a sharp-toothed grin. "Never better! These guys aren't very manly, are they?"

Todo nodded, swapping places with another villain to give Kirishima a clear shot. As they fought back-to-back, he asked, "Notice anything weird about these guys?"

Kirishima's brow furrowed as he hardened his fist for another punch. "Besides the fact that they're attacking a school? Not really."

"Think about it," Todo pressed, clapping his hands to swap two villains into each other's attacks. "They're after All Might, but does this look like a group capable of taking him down?"

Understanding dawned on Kirishima's face. "You think... this is a distraction?"

Todo nodded grimly. "Or a test. Either way, we're not seeing the whole picture."

Their conversation was cut short as a massive villain, easily twice Todo's size, lumbered towards them.

"Bakugo!" he shouted. "I need an explosion, right above Meathead here!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugo snarled, but she was already moving into position.

Todo clapped his hands, swapping himself with Kirishima. "Get ready to hit him low!"

As Bakugo's explosion rocked the air above the villain, Todo swapped himself back, appearing behind the disoriented criminal. Kirishima, catching on quickly, charged forward, aiming low. The coordinated attack sent the hulking villain crashing to the ground.

"Not bad, Topknot," Bakugo grudgingly admitted, landing beside them.

Todo grinned, but his mind was elsewhere. The pieces were coming together, forming a picture he didn't like. "We need to get to the central plaza," he said. "That's where the real threat is."

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. "What makes you say that?"

"Think about it," Todo explained, gesturing to the chaos around them. "All this? It's too disorganized. Where's the leader? Where's the endgame?"

Kirishima nodded slowly. "You think whoever's behind this is waiting there?"

"Only one way to find out," Todo said, cracking his knuckles.

[Conflagration Zone]

I stared at the burning buildings around me, the heat almost unbearable. Thirty-five villains down, and honestly? They weren't much of a challenge. Behind me, Hagakure's floating gloves shifted slightly - at least she was taking this seriously.

"Hey, invisible girl," I said, keeping my voice low. "You've been pretty good at the whole stealth thing. Maybe stick to that?"

"But I want to help more directly!"

"You knocked out what, six of them? That's more than helping." I ran a hand through my hair, scanning the area. "Someone's still here. I can feel it."

A slow clap echoed through the burning street. "Bravo, bravo! Thirty-five takedowns. Very impressive."

A man stepped out from behind a burning car, his plain features twisted into a smirk. Nothing special about him - average height, average build, brown hair. The kind of face you'd forget in a crowd.

Then he split into five identical copies.

"Ah," I said. "That's new."

"Like it?" all five spoke in unison. "My Quintuple quirk. Good luck figuring out which one's real!"

"Yoichi-"

"Stay back," I muttered. "Let me handle this."

Two of the clones rushed me, fists raised. They hit my barrier and stopped dead, like they'd run into a wall. Which, technically, they had.

"Heh." I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. Their faces were priceless.

"What the-" The clones stumbled back, shaking their hands. I flicked my wrist, and they burst into smoke.

"What the hell kind of quirk is that?" one of the remaining three demanded.

"Think of it as Achilles and the Tortoise," I said, stepping forward. "No matter how fast you run, you'll never reach me. There's always another half-distance to cover."

"That... that doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither does making four copies of yourself, but here we are."

The three remaining figures spread out, trying to surround me. Smart, but pointless.

"You know what's bothering me?" I asked conversationally. "If you're here to kill All Might, why send such weak villains? No offense."

"We're just the first wave!" one clone boasted. "The real heavy hitters are-"

"Shut up!" another snapped.

"Central plaza, right?" I sighed. "Yeah, figured. Kind of obvious, really."

The two clones charged again. This time I didn't bother with the show - just took both out quickly leaving just the original, who was already running.

"Rude," I muttered. "Hagakure, you still here?"

"Y-yes!" Her voice came from somewhere to my left.

"Good. Listen, I need you to do something important." I kept my eyes on the fleeing villain. "Go to the entrance and find thirteen. Tell them what we learned. The real threat's in the plaza."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to have a chat with our friend here." I cracked my neck. "About proper villain etiquette. Like not running away mid-conversation. I'll find you after."

"Be careful!"

I smiled. "Always am. Now go."

I heard her footsteps fade away as she ran. Good. She'd be safer away from what came next. I turned my attention back to the escaping villain.

"You know," I called out, "running just makes this more annoying."

I stepped through space, appearing in front of him. He skidded to a stop, eyes wide.

"How-"

"Same principle as before. You're just far too weak." I shrugged. "Want to try those clones again? Maybe all five at once this time?"

He swallowed hard. "You... you're just a student."

"And you're just a distraction." I took a step forward. He took one back. "But that's okay. You can still be useful. Tell me about the real plan."

"I don't know anything!"

"See, now you're lying." Another step. "You mentioned heavy hitters. Who are they?"

"They'll kill me if I talk!"

"They're not here." I gestured around us. "I am. And trust me, I won't go easy on someone who endangered my classmates."

He broke. They always did. Told me about the weapon they'd brought - some kind of artificial human, engineered to kill All Might. About the warp gate user who'd brought them here. About the man with hands all over him who seemed to be in charge. About the man in the mask who seems to be hand faces bodyguard.

"Good talk," I said when he finished. A quick chop to the neck, and he slumped unconscious. "That makes thirty-six."

I stood, looking toward the central plaza. The real fight would be there. The one they'd actually planned for. This whole setup - splitting us up, testing our abilities - it was too organized for a simple attack.

They weren't just after All Might. They wanted information. About us. About our quirks. About our responses to crisis.

I pulled out my phone. No signal, of course. They wouldn't be that sloppy. But the others would figure it out too. Kaori definitely would. Todo probably had already. Even Bakugo, under all that rage, would see the pattern.

The question was: what would we do about it?

I started walking toward the plaza, my quirk humming around me. Thirty-six small fry down. Time to see what these "heavy hitters" could do.

Whatever waited in that plaza, whatever their real plan was, they'd made one critical mistake.

They'd given me time to warm up.

==========

[Next time on "My Hero Academia: Limitless"]

"And that's why we've gathered here today in the recording studio," Yaoyorozu said, adjusting her mic. "The producers wanted a special preview segment about the USJ incident."

"Right," Jiro twirled her earphone jack. "Because apparently our classmate diving headfirst into danger wasn't dramatic enough."

"That idiot." Kaori's hand drifted to her stomach. "He better survive this."

I leaned into my microphone from the sound booth. "What do you mean by that? Why are you touching your stomach, Kaori?"

"Focus on not dying first, then we'll talk." She smirked at the booth window.

"You can't just-"

"Anyway," Yaoyorozu cut in, "Next time: 'USJ Incident {4}!'"

"Really? That's the title we're going with?" Jiro raised an eyebrow.

"The marketing team insisted." Yaoyorozu sighed. "Something about appealing to Todo's demographic."

"Speaking of Todo," Jiro leaned forward, "Did anyone else see him when Nakamura teleported straight into that Nomu thing's punch?"

"Pretty sure the whole USJ heard him screaming 'BROTHER!'" Kaori shook her head.

"Can we not spoil-" I started.

"Oh please," Jiro rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows you survive. The real question is whether Kaori kills you afterward for that stunt."

"Bold of you to assume I'll wait until afterward." Kaori's tail swished dangerously.

"Ladies," Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, "Perhaps we should stick to the script?"

"There was a script?"

"Will our heroes survive the villain invasion?" Yaoyorozu pressed on. "What sinister plot lurks behind this attack? And why does Kaori keep touching her stomach?"

"That's not in the script," I protested.

"No, but it's definitely more interesting than whatever marketing wrote." Jiro grinned.

"Don't miss the next chapter!" Yaoyorozu tried to wrap up.

"Kaori, seriously, what's with the-"

"Stay tuned!" All three girls chorused, cutting off my feed.

Through the booth window, Kaori winked at me, her hand still resting deliberately on her stomach.