an ODST among Heroes.

11

Dr. Katherine Halsey stood in the center of the U.A. staff room, her gaze sharp as she addressed the group. Present were Principal Nezu, Detective Tsukauchi, several key U.A. teachers, and Monica Kaniyashiki. Halsey's tone left no room for debate. "Nothing discussed here is to leave this room," she stated firmly, setting the tone for what would be a shocking revelation.

Monica, uncertain but curious, frowned slightly. "What exactly is this about?"

"Corporal Halsey," Halsey began, "but tell me, Miss Kaniyashiki, have you ever heard of aliens?"

Monica's eyes widened slightly. "No... Aliens?"

"Aliens?" Nezu repeated, intrigued. "Interesting. Please, do go on, Dr. Halsey."

Dr. Halsey sighed, her expression grim as she began her explanation. "Where I come from, alien life forms are not only real but are humanity's greatest existential threat. They call themselves the Covenant." With a remote in her hand, Halsey clicked through images projected on the wall: various alien species, including Elites, Brutes, and Grunts. She then showed battle footage, holographic maps of lost territories, and the devastating aftermath of glassed planets, scoured to ruin by Covenant warships.

The room fell silent as the images told a story of merciless destruction. Some of the teachers visibly paled, understanding for the first time the magnitude of the threat. Tsukauchi clenched his jaw, while Aizawa's normally stoic expression tightened, his gaze fixed on Halsey.

Katherine continued, "The Covenant are bound by a theocratic belief system that places humanity as an obstacle to their so-called 'Great Journey.' And for years, they have pursued the annihilation of our species without mercy." She paused as the final image-of a once-vibrant human colony left nothing but scorched ash-sank in.

"What... what kind of monsters would do that?" murmured Present Mic, his voice barely above a whisper.

Halsey's expression grew somber. "It gets worse. Only a week after Izuku graduated from military academy, he was taken-abducted by the Covenant." At this, Monica gasped, her hand covering her mouth as Halsey continued. "He'd been using music to practice xenolinguistics, which somehow drew their attention. He was transported to Doisac, the homeworld of the Brutes, where he was forced to fight as a gladiator."

The teachers exchanged horrified glances as Halsey played footage Izuku had managed to bring back. The video showed him in brutal arena battles, surrounded by roaring alien crowds, fighting beasts and skilled warriors twice his size. Each battle was a fight to the death, and he emerged victorious every time.

Monica was visibly shaken, collapsing to her knees, her hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress the wave of nausea that hit her. The gruesome reality of what Izuku had endured was beyond anything she could have imagined.

"That... that poor kid..." murmured Midnight, unable to look away from the footage.

"As shocking as it may be, this isn't the end of his story," Halsey continued, as she clicked off the footage. "Eventually, he was released by certain individuals within the Covenant who seemed to oppose their extremist views, perhaps out of a sense of guilt or enlightenment. Regardless, he returned a changed person, with experiences that cannot be erased."

The room was silent, absorbing the reality of what they had just seen. Then Halsey turned to another matter. "Which brings me to Daisy. She is part of a special military program-the Spartan-II program. It involves extensive physical and mental augmentation, designed to create the ultimate soldier capable of countering the Covenant's immense power."

With another click, Halsey presented classified images of Spartans in the field, towering figures clad in powerful armor, wielding weapons and abilities that surpassed even the most seasoned soldiers. "This is what Daisy is. A Spartan."

An hour later, as the meeting wrapped up, there wasn't a single person in the room unaffected. Izuku's experiences, the existence of the Covenant, and the Spartan program left them all reeling.

Nezu broke the silence, a rare seriousness in his eyes. "Thank you, Dr. Halsey, for sharing this. It's clear that humanity's battles aren't as simple as we believed." He turned to the other heroes, a new resolve in his voice. "It seems we have much to learn from our newest students, and much to prepare for."

-----