The USJ's entrance doors slid open with a soft hiss, revealing the most incredible training facility any of them had ever seen.
"Whoa," Kaminari breathed, his mouth falling open. "This place is huge!"
The domed structure stretched out before them like an entire world contained under glass. Multiple zones were clearly visible from the entrance platform—a flood zone with a partially submerged ship, a conflagration zone with buildings designed to burn safely, a landslide zone filled with carefully constructed rubble, and at least half a dozen other disaster scenarios.
"Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" The space hero Thirteen greeted them with obvious enthusiasm, her bulky rescue suit making her movements slightly awkward but endearing. "USJ for short!"
"It's like a theme park for heroes!" Uraraka said excitedly, bouncing slightly on her toes.
"That's exactly the idea," Thirteen replied. "Here at USJ, we can simulate any type of natural disaster or emergency scenario you might encounter as professional heroes. Shipwrecks, building collapses, forest fires—all in a completely controlled environment."
Anim found himself genuinely impressed despite his usual cynicism. The scale of the facility was incredible, and the attention to detail in each zone showed serious thought had gone into making the scenarios as realistic as possible.
"Where's All Might?" Aizawa asked Thirteen quietly, though several students were close enough to overhear.
"He should be here by now," Thirteen replied, looking concerned. "He was patrolling nearby but he should be on his way"
Thirteen explained. "Don't worry, we can proceed with the basic rescue scenarios without him."
"I was really hoping to see All Might in action," Midoriya said, his disappointment obvious.
"You'll have plenty of opportunities for that," Thirteen assured him. "Now, before we begin, I need to explain something important about my Quirk."
She gestured to her suit, which Anim now realized wasn't just for show—it was designed to contain something dangerous.
"My Quirk is called Black Hole. I can create suction vortexes that can tear apart anything at the molecular level. It's incredibly useful for clearing debris and saving people trapped under rubble, but it's also incredibly dangerous."
"Like, accidentally-suck-someone-into-oblivion dangerous?" Jiro asked, her voice slightly strained.
"Exactly. That's why I wear this suit—to limit and control my power." Thirteen's tone became more serious. "This is an important lesson for all of you. Quirks aren't just tools for fighting villains. They can save lives, but they can also take them if you're not careful."
"My Quirk could totally kill someone if I'm not careful," Kaminari said thoughtfully. "I've always been scared of going full power around people."
"Same here," Jiro added quietly. "Sound waves can rupture eardrums or worse if I do it loud enough."
Anim found himself thinking about his own abilities. The protective energy was one thing, but if he really was developing the powers he remembered from his past life... some of those abilities could be terrifyingly destructive or just... alienating... that cookie... maybe he could only use it with the Nomu's.
"That's exactly why we train here," Thirteen continued. "To learn control, precision, and most importantly, how to use your powers to help people rather than harm them."
"This is so cool!" Ashido said, practically vibrating with excitement. "Can we try the earthquake simulator first?"
"We'll start with basic rescue scenarios," Aizawa said dryly. "Nobody's ready for advanced disaster simulation yet."
"Aw, come on, sensei!" Kirishima protested. "We handled the battle trials just fine!"
"The battle trials were controlled combat. This is about saving lives, which is infinitely more complex." Aizawa's expression softened slightly. "But you'll get there."
As Thirteen continued explaining the different zones and their safety protocols, Anim found his attention drifting. Something felt off about the whole situation, though he couldn't put his finger on what.
"You okay?" Jiro asked quietly. "You look tense again."
"Just... I don't know. The timing feels weird." He glanced around the facility, noting how isolated they were from the main school. "Media breaks into U.A. right when we're going to have off-campus training?"
"You think it's connected?"
"Maybe I'm being paranoid, but—"
The lights flickered.
It was subtle, barely noticeable, but Anim's enhanced senses picked up the rhythmic pulse of something interfering with the power systems. And in that moment of dimmed lighting, he saw movement in the central plaza that definitely wasn't supposed to be there.
A dark portal was forming in the middle of the fountain area.
"Thirteen," he said quietly, trying not to alarm the other students. "Look at the central plaza."
The space hero turned, and her helmet immediately started scanning the area. "What am I looking at?"
"That," Anim pointed as the portal expanded, revealing swirling darkness that seemed to eat light itself.
"Oh no," Thirteen breathed. "Everyone get back! NOW!"
But it was too late. Figures were already emerging from the portal—dozens of them, all clearly hostile. At the center of the group stood someone who made Anim's protective energy flare instinctively: a pale figure covered in disembodied hands, with blue hair and red eyes that radiated madness.
"Thirteen! Protect the students!" Aizawa shouted, his capture weapon already unfurling.
"What's happening?" Midoriya asked, his voice high with panic.
"Villains," Aizawa said grimly, stepping toward the edge of the platform. "Real ones."
The hand-covered figure in the plaza looked up at them and grinned. "Where is he? We came here to meet All Might, but I don't see him anywhere."
"This can't be happening," Uraraka whispered. "This is supposed to be a safe training exercise!"
"There's so many of them," Kirishima said, his hardening Quirk already activating unconsciously.
Anim counted quickly—at least thirty villains, maybe more, with what looked like a massive creature still emerging from the portal. Something dark and powerful that made even looking at it feel dangerous.
"Everyone stay calm," Thirteen said, though her own voice was tight with tension. "We're going to evacuate in an orderly fashion—"
A figure made of dark mist materialized directly in front of them.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," the mist-villain said in a cultured voice. "We have come too far to leave empty-handed."
And then space twisted around them, reality bending as the villain's Quirk activated. Anim felt himself falling through darkness, his classmates' voices fading as they were scattered across the facility.
The last thing he heard before hitting the ground was Iida shouting something about getting help.
Then everything went black.