My Hero Academia: New Students and Unexpected Love

Chapter 16: Facing the Holographic Villains

The cityscape simulation flickered to life around us, and almost immediately, the sounds of sirens, distant explosions, and shouts filled the air. The atmosphere was tense, every detail so finely crafted that it felt as if we had truly been dropped into the middle of a city under attack. The sky above was a shade of stormy gray, making everything feel even more ominous.

I stood next to Gino, Momo, and Shoto as we prepared for the challenge ahead. Midnight’s voice crackled through the intercom, echoing across the simulated city.

“Alright, everyone, your objective is simple: neutralize the enemy threats. But be warned, this isn’t just about brute strength. You’ll be facing duplicates of real villains—each with their own quirks. Stay sharp and work as a team.”

As if on cue, holographic enemies began to materialize from the shadows of the city streets. At first, they were faceless, basic figures, but soon they shifted into familiar forms—replicas of the League of Villains. Dabi, Toga, Shigaraki, and even Twice stood before us, their eerie likenesses sending a chill down my spine. Despite knowing they were simulations, the realism made it hard to ignore the danger they posed.

Gino clenched his fists, sparks of electricity crackling between his fingers. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but these guys? Talk about throwing us into the deep end.”

“Stick together,” Shoto said calmly, already summoning a wall of ice between us and the advancing villains. “We need to figure out their attack patterns and strike strategically.”

Momo, ever the strategist, nodded. “Right. I’ll create defensive weapons for us in case things get too close. Takadoshi, Gino—you two focus on offense. Use your range.”

I felt my heart pound in anticipation as I let my quirk flare to life. Flames ignited at the tips of my horns, flickering wildly as I summoned fire into my hands. Simultaneously, the air around me buzzed with the crackle of electricity, my horns sparking with thunderous energy. Controlling both at once was exhausting, but I knew this was the perfect time to push my limits.

“Let’s do this,” I muttered to myself, focusing on the Dabi duplicate heading our way. His flames roared to life, blue and ferocious, matching the intensity of the real thing. I launched a fireball straight toward him, the two flames clashing in mid-air. The impact caused a burst of heat, but I could feel the strain of keeping my fire and thunder in sync.

Gino, meanwhile, had locked onto the Shigaraki duplicate, launching waves of magnetic energy. “I’ve got this creep!” he shouted, focusing his power on ripping metal from the nearby environment—manhole covers, street signs, and even broken car parts flew through the air, crashing toward Shigaraki. The villain’s duplicate tried to disintegrate everything in his path, but Gino’s precise control overwhelmed him.

Momo kept her distance, creating a large shield out of reinforced steel. She handed it to Shoto, who quickly used it to block a barrage of attacks from Toga. The clone of the knife-wielding maniac lunged at us with her blades flashing, but Momo’s quick thinking and Shoto’s ice-covered shield held her at bay.

I launched another fireball, this time at Twice, who was trying to multiply himself. His duplicates scattered around the street, making it hard to track the real one. I switched to my thunder, feeling the electricity course through my veins. With a quick flick of my wrist, I sent a bolt of lightning crashing down into the center of the Twice clones, electrifying the area and eliminating most of them.

“Nice shot!” Gino called out, sending a wave of metallic debris toward the last of the Twice duplicates.

Suddenly, the simulation shifted. The city around us trembled, and new enemies materialized—stronger, faster, and more coordinated than before. Holographic Nomus, towering and terrifying, stomped onto the scene, their brute strength shaking the ground beneath us. Their lifeless eyes locked onto us, and their grotesque forms lurched forward, ready to strike.

Shoto didn’t hesitate, unleashing a massive wave of ice that shot across the street, freezing two of the Nomus in place. “We need to focus on these now,” he said, his voice calm despite the chaos. “Their strength will be a problem if we don’t take them out quickly.”

I nodded, trying to keep my balance as I switched between fire and thunder, launching flames at one of the Nomus while preparing another bolt of lightning. The constant switching was wearing me down, but I wasn’t about to back off now.

Gino, on the other hand, seemed to thrive under the pressure. His electromagnetism allowed him to send metal debris flying toward the Nomus, keeping them distracted while Shoto froze their legs in place. “Let’s see how these overgrown monsters like being grounded,” Gino said with a grin, sending a large piece of metal straight into one of their chests.

Despite the damage we dealt, the Nomus were relentless. One broke free from the ice, charging toward us with terrifying speed. Momo reacted instantly, creating a massive metal barrier that shielded us from its crushing blow.

“We can’t let up,” she said, her voice strained from the effort of creating so many defensive tools. “We need to finish them before they overwhelm us.”

I gritted my teeth, pushing through the exhaustion. My horns flickered between fire and thunder, the strain becoming more apparent with each passing second. I raised both hands, summoning as much energy as I could.

“Let’s take this thing down!” I yelled, unleashing a massive combined attack—a swirling inferno of fire and lightning that collided with the charging Nomu. The blast was powerful, engulfing the creature in a brilliant explosion of flames and electricity.

The Nomu staggered, its body smoking and charred, but it wasn’t done yet. It let out a roar, charging at me with renewed fury.

Before it could reach me, though, Shoto stepped in, freezing its legs again. Gino followed up with a final wave of metal debris, slamming into its torso and sending it crashing to the ground.

As the Nomu lay still, the simulation flickered, and the holographic villains began to fade. Midnight’s voice echoed through the city streets.

“Excellent work, everyone. You’ve completed the simulation. Head back to the starting point for a debrief.”

I let out a sigh of relief, my body aching from the intense use of my quirk. Gino walked over, giving me a tired grin. “Man, that was intense. But we nailed it.”

“Yeah,” I said, catching my breath. “We make a pretty good team.”

With the simulation fading around us, we regrouped with the rest of the class, everyone looking equally exhausted but satisfied. As we headed back to the starting point, I couldn’t help but feel proud of what we’d accomplished. This was only the beginning, and I knew we had much more to learn—but for now, we had proven ourselves in the heat of battle.