The Emerald Prince

Chapter 19: Oncoming storm

The bus was noisy on the way to USJ, mostly teasing Iida until Asui spoke up.
"I usually say what is on my mind, kero."
Her voice was soft but apart from Kaminari and Mina's bickering it silenced the bus.
"Izuku."
The greenette could see it in her eyes, and mentally prepared for a war of words.
"You said Bakugou was a childhood friend of yours, yet why was he just as surprised when you manipulated Uraraka's quirk as we were, if not more so?"

Izuku was about to speak when both Iida and Bakugou interceded, paused, glared at each other, and then both realised they had no idea what to say so backed down.
Izuku winced internally at how suspicious it was, he could almost hear the cogs working in most of the classes' minds.

He smiled softly at Iida's concerned look and spoke calmly to the class.
"It's no great secret or old wound and I trust you all. Kaachan yelled your answer across the training grounds. I only discovered my quirk a year ago, and until that point I was misdiagnosed as quirkless, hence why Kaachan was so shocked to see me here."

She seemed taken aback by his calm, they all were.
Though he answered easily enough, they could feel they were approaching a boundary. Or the smart ones could. Besides that there was everything they knew of what being quirkless meant.

Ashido asked obliviously, "you and your family must have been so happy to discover you weren't quirkless!"

The rest of the class held a breath as one, and Ashido realised almost the moment she said it, the bloodlust Bakugou sent her way wasn't necessary to tell her what she'd just done. But to their surprise, Izuku's body language didn't change, he simply smiled.

"I was happy."
He did not elaborate though.

The conversation continued on, and once Izuku thought the atmosphere had settled enough, he spoke again, though his tone had lost its usual bounce, he still smiled.
"Do you guys mind if I listen to some music? I'm feeling a little sleepy."

Those involved in the conversation gave their consent and with that, he rose from his place and moved to an unoccupied window seat.
His gaze never left the view outside, and not even Ashido was foolish enough to comment on the earphones unused in the palm of his hand.

———

Aizawa's monotone brought them back from an in depth discussion on aspects of being a hero.
"We're here. Stop messing around."

They all rose, but did not forget Izuku in their haste to see the vast dome shaped building. They glanced back to find him still in his seat. Bakugou growled slightly, but it was Todoroki who rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"We're here, Izuku."
He spoke softly but the greenette still jumped slightly. The others hastily moved away and off the bus so he wouldn't realise and be embarrassed.

"Sorry." He said quietly and rose to his feet. He gave a warm smile before making it off the bus.

Yes, thought Todoroki, I can see it there.
Though Izuku buried it deep, those emerald eyes held pain. A lot of it.
The bicoloured male wished Izuku would talk to him. If it was about parents...perhaps he could understand? He hoped it wasn't Aizawa.

They disembarked together, joining the others, Izuku still slightly too out of it to notice their worried looks. The glares Bakugou was giving Ashido would have broken a weaker person.

———

USJ was large building with a huge glass dome... a strange material choice for a training centre but Izuku guessed it must be an alloy or something. The entrance was a vast blue gate, which led onto an elevated platform over looking the eight zones of the facility:
The Ruins Zone which simulated a destroyed urban environment.
The Landslide Zone which was a sloped terrain with scattered debris.
The Mountain Zone was as described, containing rocky cliffs.
The Conflagration Zone which by some means Izuku knew he'd be asking Aizawa about later, it was a permanently flaming urban setting.
The Flood Zone which looked like a nice lake with ship and a water slide.
The Downpour Zone which was like the conflagration zone but windy and raining. It looked horrible, his hair would take hours to re-tame if he went there.

Izuku banished thoughts of how much it must have cost to build and maintain. Pursuing that train of thought would only lead to misery.

He instead focused on Thirteen's speech with the rest, but, he had a great deal of respect for the hero, and he appreciated it that finally, one of their teachers had pointed out that most quirks could be used for evil as well as good.

What concerned Izuku more, was that he felt Aizawa had not taken his warning seriously. His father was powerful, but he wasn't vain.
He'd explained LoV to Izuku, and it was clear he and Thirteen could not handle an attack alone, even if Izuku helped. He moved over to his father, who, seeing his expression, sighed.

"All Might was due, but something has delayed him."
Izuku snorted. Then he froze. Aizawa caught his movement and followed his gaze.
The lights dimmed, the fountain faltered, the mass of black fog spread, and those gleaming golden eyes pierced straight through him.
"Villains."
"Izuku." Aizawa spoke his name firmly, laden with meaning.

The greenette nodded and raced toward his frozen class and Thirteen.
"It's the league." He said to Thirteen who sped back over to speak to Aizawa, his dad was fixing his goggles in place.

Izuku gazed at the mass of villains leaving the fog, then turned to the class.
He met their gazes, eyes blazing. "You need to stay close together, and let me protect you, I am speaking to you guys especially." He glared at Bakugou and Kirishima. "I know you want to fight, and with this many you'll likely have to. But for now, with what little trust I hope you have in me...please listen."

They nodded dumbly, though he saw hesitation in Bakugou and Todoroki's expressions.
He turned to Aizawa, "Let me take care of the class."
The man nodded without hesitation, the action itself affirming to the class that they could trust Izuku.

Returning his focus to them, the greenette spoke again.
"I'll be in front. Kirishima and Satou flank me please and focus on defending the group from long range attacks. Bakugou take Kaminari and cover the right, Todoroki and Ojiro to the left. If you have an offensive quirk and want to help, move to the outside, if your quirk isn't suited or you don't feel ready, move to the middle. There is no shame in knowing your own limits."
He sent a small smile to Uraraka before continuing.

"If anyone gets in trouble or gets injured, bring them to the centre. And...if anyone is taken, do not follow but tell me."
And with that, he began to turn and face the oncoming tide..
But he hesitated, turning back, this time to look at Iida.
"You see the portal villain, I'll bet he'll come for us, so don't go now. But, the moment you see an opportunity, run and get help. As fast as you can. My dad is fighting for our lives and his own down there, and there are plenty of people capable of fighting but none to match your speed."

He didn't even give the class president a chance to argue, turning away to focus his green eyes on villains around his father, to watch closely for changes in the tide.
He shut his fear deep down, it could erupt later, when all these people he'd grown to care about were safe.