In the entertainment district, near the central fountain, a boy in a white fur-lined leather jacket sat idly, swinging his legs over the edge of the fountain.
His mission was simple: If Wolfram successfully completed his task, there was no need for him to intervene—he could just return on his own.
But if Wolfram failed, his job was to retrieve the Quirk Amplification Device and its related data or at least extract Metal Man from the scene.
He would receive further instructions via a micro-communicator when the time came, but until then, he was just waiting—and he was bored.
"It'd be nice if someone came to spar with me…" the boy muttered.
When he first arrived, he had hoped to fight a few pro heroes. But to his disappointment, Metal Man had wiped out all the heroes in one go, making him lose any interest in them.
"Useless heroes…" he thought to himself with disdain.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the sound of rapid bursts of air reached his ears. He looked up, the fur on his hood shifting slightly.
Under the bright moonlight, he spotted an approaching figure—a tall young man in a blue suit.
His legs, equipped with some kind of mechanical Quirk augmentation, emitted red exhaust fumes, propelling him forward at high speed.
"A hero? But he's not wearing a combat uniform…"
Still, the boy's eyes gleamed with excitement. Finally, a proper opponent.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out three cold ice cubes, and casually tossed them into the fountain pool.
Then, without urgency, he walked toward the route Iida was taking, blocking his path.
"Who are you?"
Iida, who had just rushed in from Exit 88-393, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he saw the mysterious figure standing in the deserted square.
"Are you a hero?"
"A hero?" Iida echoed, shaking his head honestly. "Not yet. I'm still a student."
The boy in the leather jacket smirked beneath his hood. "'Not yet'… which means you will be one in the future."
"That's right!" Iida replied confidently. "I'm a U.A. High School student, and I will become an excellent pro hero in the future!"
The boy chuckled. "Ahh, the famous Iida family. How wonderful. Actually, I need a favor from you. As a hero-in-training, you wouldn't refuse, right?"
"Of course!" Iida replied firmly, though he was eager to return to the central tower. "If you need help, I'll do everything I can!"
Helping others was what heroes did, after all.
"In that case… I won't hold back."
"What—?!"
Before Iida could process what was happening, a sharp, cracking sound filled the air.
Click, click, click…
He turned his head just in time to see the fountain's water freezing solid at an alarming speed.
"Not good!"
At that moment, even Iida, as naive as he could be, understood—this was an attack.
BOOM!
The frozen pool erupted violently, sending a massive ice palm surging toward Iida like a tidal wave.
BOOM!!
The giant hand of ice slammed onto the stone pavement, causing cracks to ripple across the ground.
Iida barely dodged in time, watching as the enormous structure shattered under its own force.
"What are you doing?! Stop this!!" Iida shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.
The boy in the leather jacket lowered his head and chuckled. "So, you really are a speed type..."
Raising his right hand, he gestured toward Iida.
"You said you'd help me, right?" He smirked. "Then fight me."
At his command, the shattered ice fragments reassembled, transforming into deadly ice spears that shot forward at an even faster speed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Iida accelerated, dodging at high speed as the ice projectiles rained down around him.
"Do you even realize what you're doing?! This is villain behavior!" he shouted.
Even now, he still believed that this was just a misguided kid who wanted to test his Quirk. He refused to attack and instead focused entirely on dodging.
"Tch… You still don't get it, do you?" The boy in the leather jacket sneered, unleashing another barrage of ice.
"I am a villain."
"What?!"
"Now that you know… you can fight me seriously, right?"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But still—Iida didn't counterattack.
This started to annoy the boy in the leather jacket.
"Fight! Why won't you fight me?!"
"Are you underestimating me, hero?!"
Frustrated, his attacks grew even fiercer. The fountain's entire water circulation system was now frozen, transformed into an endless supply of weapons.
Yet, Iida didn't respond.
He wasn't looking down on his opponent—he simply couldn't fight back.
"I won't make the same mistakes again. If I fight recklessly, I'll be no different from a villain."
Iida held this belief firmly.
And unlike Bakugo, Todoroki, or Midoriya, he would not break his own rules.
Even so, he refused to run.
Instead, he continued to dodge, circling strategically around his opponent, looking for an opportunity to capture him without harm.
Logically, his speed meant he could escape easily.
But he chose to stay.
Because if this boy was truly involved in the villains' attack, then his presence here was a threat.
Iida had to keep him occupied so he wouldn't reach the tower and endanger others.
"If the pro heroes were free, I'd lead him to them. But right now, I have to stall him myself."
His mission was clear:
Capture the opponent unharmed.
If that's impossible, stall him until the situation at the tower improves.
This was Iida's battle.
"You're really starting to piss me off."
The boy in the leather jacket scowled beneath his hood, finally understanding what Iida was doing.
"Tch… Stop looking down on heroes and heroes-in-training!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, all the ice shattered into tiny particles.
A mysterious force controlled them, making them spin at high speed—forming a giant frost tornado centered around the boy.
"Let's see how fast you really are."
"Ice Tornado!"
"Not good!!"
Iida's pupils shrank.
The speed of the approaching tornado was beyond his expectations!
"Piston Engine! Turbo Boost—Activate!"
But just as blue flames erupted from his exhaust pipes—
A cold voice stopped him.
"If you dodge…"
"I'll send this tornado into the living district."
"WHAT?!"
Iida's heart dropped.
All the pro heroes had been captured. If this massive ice storm hit a crowded area, the casualties would be unimaginable!
"Hahahahaha!"
The boy's laughter rang out over the square, blending with the tornado's icy howls.
"See how pathetic heroes are?"
"This world belongs to the strong. The weak are just ants!"
"Power, status, wealth—they should all belong to those with the strongest Quirks!"
"Should the weak even be allowed to live?!"
Iida's fists clenched in fury.
"People like you…" he growled.
"You're the exact reason I'm determined to become a hero!"
The boy sneered, standing atop a floating block of ice.
"Then go to hell, hero wannabe."
He commanded the Ice Tornado to crash down.
BOOM!
A frost storm engulfed the entire square, covering the ground, fountains, and surrounding structures in a thick layer of shimmering ice.
(To be continued.)
***
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