Forgotten Invitation (UA Civil War game)

Teachers point of view

The teachers' lounge was alive with tension, the air heavy with frustration, anger, and something darker—fear. Vlad King's usually composed demeanor had shattered completely. His face was flushed with rage, veins bulging in his neck as he slammed his fist onto the table.

"This has gone far enough!" he roared, his voice echoing in the room. "Nezu, you're putting these kids' lives on the line for what? A damn experiment? A game?!"

"Vlad—" Aizawa began, trying to interject.

"No!" Vlad snapped, pointing a finger at Nezu, who sat quietly at the head of the table. "This is insanity! That thing—Usagi—isn't playing by any rules we can predict. He's out there breaking bones, spilling blood, and you're just watching like it's some kind of twisted show!"

The other teachers looked uneasy. Recovery Girl, normally the voice of calm wisdom, gripped her cane so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"I've seen enough," she said, her voice cold and sharp. "This has gone past the point of learning. Those children are traumatized. Some of them may never recover fully from this, physically or mentally."

Nezu's small paws rested on the polished table, his expression unreadable.

"And yet," he replied calmly, "no one has died. No one has been permanently incapacitated. Usagi has, surprisingly, adhered to the terms of our agreement."

"That's not the point, Nezu!" Vlad shouted again, taking a step closer to the small principal. His hand clenched into a fist, and for a terrifying moment, it looked like he might actually swing at him. "He's toying with them! Breaking them piece by piece!"

All Might placed a firm hand on Vlad's shoulder, holding him back. "Vlad, enough," he said, his voice steady but grim. "Violence won't help."

Recovery Girl wasn't as restrained. She stormed toward Nezu, her cane raised, and pointed it accusingly.

"You're a genius, Nezu," she said, her voice shaking with restrained fury. "But even geniuses make mistakes. Right now, you're so focused on seeing this through that you're ignoring the damage being done!"

Nezu looked at her, his calm mask slipping for the briefest moment. His black eyes flickered with something none of them expected—fear.

"You think I don't know that?" Nezu replied, his voice dropping to a grave tone that silenced the room.

The teachers froze. Nezu rarely showed anything but composure. This crack in his facade was unsettling.

"Usagi is dangerous," Nezu continued, his gaze sweeping across the room. "More dangerous than any of you truly understand. If I end this now, if I call him out and tell him to leave, what do you think will happen?"

Vlad King snorted. "He'll leave, and this nightmare will be over."

"No," Nezu said firmly, his small body seeming to grow larger under the weight of his words. "He won't. He will see it as a betrayal. An insult. And when Usagi feels insulted, he doesn't simply walk away. He retaliates."

There was a chilling silence as the implications sank in.

"Do you understand what he is?" Nezu asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Usagi isn't just some rogue villain playing games. He's a predator. An apex predator. Every action he takes is calculated, deliberate. He's been holding back. If he truly wanted to eliminate every student in this exercise, he would have done it by now."

"That's not a reason to let this continue!" Recovery Girl argued, though her voice had softened.

"No," Nezu agreed, "it's not. But it's the reality we face. If we push him too far, if we give him reason to unleash his full potential, then none of us—students or staff—will leave this city unscathed."

Aizawa, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. "You're scared of him."

Nezu nodded slowly. "I'd be a fool not to be. He's intelligent, far more than he lets on. Every word he speaks, every move he makes, is a trap. He doesn't just fight with his body; he fights with his mind, and that's what makes him unstoppable. Usagi is a monster, yes—but a thinking monster."

Vlad King shook his head in disbelief. "So we're just supposed to sit here and let him terrorize our students? How does that make us any better than him?"

Nezu's gaze hardened. "We're not like him. That's why we can't act recklessly. I understand your anger, your frustration, but if you truly want to protect these students, you'll listen to me."

"And what happens if you're wrong?" Recovery Girl challenged.

Nezu's ears flattened slightly, a rare sign of discomfort. "If I'm wrong... then we'll deal with the consequences together. But I don't believe I am. Not this time."

The room fell into uneasy silence once more.

Finally, All Might spoke, his voice heavy with regret. "We put those students in this position. We have to trust that they'll find a way through it. And if they can't..." He trailed off, his face grim.

"Then we'll intervene," Nezu finished for him. "But not before. Not unless it's absolutely necessary."

Vlad King shook his head again, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. "This is insane," he muttered. "We're trusting a psychopath to play nice."

"Not trusting," Nezu corrected. "Anticipating. And preparing."

Recovery Girl sighed, her grip on her cane loosening. "I hope you know what you're doing, Nezu. For all our sakes."

Nezu didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the city monitor as the figure of Usagi disappeared into the shadows. His heart raced, but his face remained calm.

He knew the truth—the horrifying, undeniable truth. If they pushed Usagi too far, there wouldn't be a game anymore. There wouldn't be a city. There would only be chaos.