Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
"What the hell was that?!" Bakugou exclaimed as she looked around. "What the hell-" Bakugou muttered, growling in confusion.
"We're... we're inside the dungeon." Jinx asked as she looked around.
"Izumi… what did you do?" Ruby asked, sounding more confused than accusatory.
"Wait, you dragged us into the dungeon!?" Bakugou growled as she tried to grab the hem of his shirt.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya exclaimed as he tried to stop Bakugou. Bakugou growled in my direction before clicking her tongue and walking away.
"I've never been in a dungeon before... but shouldn't there be an exit portal?" Todoroki asked, looking around. Everyone froze in place.
"You put us… in a damn red Gate?!" Bakugou asked dangerously, her hands beginning to explode in threat.
"I'm- I'm sure Izumi has a good explanation." Midoriya said as he stood in the middle, his smile tight and nervous. Everyone turned to look at me. I grimaced.
"I panicked," I said honestly.
"panicked? Why? Why go through the Gate in the sky? " Ruby asked with a frown.
"You didn't intern with Draw Sword, Miyamura. Is... is there something we're missing?" Penny asked calculatingly. That made the rest of them frown, but they stared at me. I sighed.
"No, there wasn't anything special about the Gate. Well, maybe there was, I don't know. But I saw something, something with my haki." I said honestly as I sighed. I could still feel a throbbing in the back of my head.
"With your Haki?! What did you see! Was something wrong?" Ruby asked quickly. "Did you... Did you see the future?" Ruby murmured, almost terrified. That made the others gasp.
"for the love of- they're going to believe that-"
"What did you see?" Midoriya asked seriously, interrupting Bakugou. Bakugou looked at him in surprise.
"Do you believe him?!" Bakugou asked in exasperation.
"Yes." Midoriya said without hesitation. "His Haki has never lied, it's extraordinarily advanced, even… even Dad says so. His Observation Haki is better than his." Midoriya said solemnly. Bakugou's eyes opened wide.
"Even the uncle's!?" Bakugou exclaimed incredulously. She looked me up and down as if she didn't believe Midoriya's words.
"Remember the thing with Grandpa? With… with Tenko? The person who told us was Izumi," Midoriya said tensely. Bakugou froze before glaring at me.
"What the hell did you see?!" Bakugou asked, almost anxious. It was a complete 180-degree change.
"Okay, there's something hidden there, but I guess we have better things to worry about." Todoroki said almost boredly. Midoriya gave him an apologetic smile, nearly exhausted.
"We were up there, David was going back down to regain control of the security system with Midoriya's help, when... when the Gate broke open." I said solemnly. The gasps were loud.
"The portal broke!? Impossible! It should be open for a few minutes! It takes 10 days to break! " Ruby said, nearly panicking, I nodded gravely.
"A normal portal? Yes. It would take 10 days. But we don't know what Haywire created, or what that man with the mustache did while he was manipulating the device. The point is, the Gate broke; it broke immediately. The portal grew and spanned miles."
"The portal covered the entire center of I-island and… and monsters started falling. Metallic skeletons or zombies, set on fire. Bigger than a human, with swords and fire axes. Hundreds of them. They fell all over I-island and started destroying everything, killing everyone."
"Even if we freed the hunters and heroes, before we could act, the number of lives we were losing was too much." I said solemnly. Everyone stared at me, completely pale.
"That-" Midoriya choked out. I sighed.
"I had to find a solution; breaking the device wouldn't do any good. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I saw the red Gate and knew that if we went through it, the Gate would close while we were inside."
"I grabbed everyone who could fight and launched myself at the Gate without hesitation. Just as I expected, the Gate closed behind us. For now, the portal above I-island is contained as long as we stay here."
"Our options are: clear the dungeon and prevent the invasion of I-island, or die and let the monsters descend upon I-island." I said with deadly gravity. Everyone gulped audibly.
"You're not joking, are you? That... that sounds horrible," Midoriya muttered, clenching his fists. "That someone... that someone could do that, endanger so many lives... It's horrible," Midoriya said frustratedly.
"It is, but we can't worry about him right now. Our job is to clear this dungeon and keep it from breaking."Todoroki said as she looked solemnly at the hallways.
"All right, let's do this, damn it. We just have to blow up everything in our path." Bakugou said deadly serious.
"Okay! Let's go team! " Ruby said as she picked up Crescent Rose.
"I'm ready for combat!" Penny said seriously as the swords began to emerge from her back.
" Yeah, yeah, me too, but first. Izumi, you saw the monsters, right? Anything you can warn us about?" Jinx asked, frowning. "As much as I hated planning, I've seen firsthand what going into a dungeon unprepared can do, and we can't screw up this Raid." Jinx said. I nodded.
"Not much really, from the size of the Gate and the strength of the bugs I saw in that short time, it's definitely an A-rank dungeon, maybe a high A-rank, or a very low S-rank."
"The monsters looked like undead, zombies, or charred skeletons, almost melted, with metal armor all over their bodies, burning eyes and mouths, literally fire coming out of both of them. They had weapons, swords, axes, spears, and shields. All red-hot, as if they were at their melting point."
"So basically, it prevents you from getting hit with that. Even with our aura, the heat can be horrible." I said seriously.
"Then I guess my ice will be the best option against them." Todoroki said as she flexed her arm. I hummed lightly.
"Logically, yes. Your fire will definitely do little to nothing to them, as will Bakugou's explosions, although as long as they're more destructive than anything else, it'll be fine." I said in confirmation, Bakugou clicked her tongue.
"Skeletons, zombies… You didn't mention you ran into a dungeon with a lich, and the lich kept reviving them." Ruby said worriedly. I grimaced.
"Yes… That's what happened. If we're facing a necromancer, then that's what happens during the boss battle." I confirmed with a grimace. "Worst case, I'll start throwing corpses at my shadow so it can't revive them."
"I knew I was forgetting something, dammit!" Bakugou exclaimed suddenly. "Shadows?! You can manipulate shadows?! " Bakugou asked, almost indignant. "Were you hiding a quirk while fighting us!? Were you looking down on us!? " Bakugou growled furiously. And here we are again.
"Not really." I began slowly and looked at Ruby. She seemed to understand as she grimaced. After a few moments, she nodded confidently. I sighed. Well, I guess most of them could keep a secret. "It's something recent, something I got from a runestone I got while doing my internship." I confessed honestly.
Everyone froze as their eyes widened slightly as they digested the information.
"Damn, lucky dog." Jinx growled angrily.
"Talking about winning the lottery," Todoroki agreed.
"That's amazing! What did it feel like to gain a quirk!? What can it do?! Did you say manipulate shadows?! Can you move them? Attack or defend with them?! Or can you only store things inside your shadow!? Is it an inventory? What is the limit? Is it for space? You put us inside your shadows, so living beings can enter them. Can you enter too? Can you move to other shadows? Teleport? Could be -"
"Izuku!" Bakugou exclaimed, cutting off Midoriya's rambling. Midoriya closed his mouth tightly and blushed slightly. He coughed lightly.
"My apologies." Midoriya said, embarrassed. I laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, and yes, I can manipulate them. I'm still learning the exact limits of what I can and can't do with them. Inventory is the most basic thing I've discovered. I can store anything I want without space limitations, but I have to support the weight of everything I put in there."
"Then… there are some more special things, but you'll find out soon enough." I said with a wink.
"Wait! The rabbits! The shadows! It's what you used in our fight during the final exam against All Might!" Midoriya said, finally connecting the dots.
"Wait, you knew it all along and you just realized it now!?" Bakugou exclaimed incredulously, and Midoriya laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head.
"Well... It's just that the exam kept me nervous, and then I also had to fight against All Might. Additionally, I discovered new ways to use my quirk thanks to Izumi, which distracted me. I'm sorry! " Midoriya said apologetically. I snorted amusedly.
"But yeah, since the rabbit's out of the bag, I guess I can tell you." I said playfully. Ruby groaned loudly. The others gave me a flat look, except for Penny, who had laughed; she was really becoming my favorite.
"That was horrible." Ruby moaned. I laughed lightly.
"I can summon rabbits that can multiply." I said simply and looked at my shadow. "Escape Rabbit," I said clearly, my shadow seemed to bubble before a dozen rabbits burst out of my shadow and piled up on the ground.
"Rabbits? How weak." Bakugou snorted almost contemptuously.
"I think they're adorable." Midoriya laughed as he bent down and carefully grabbed one.
"Okay, that's weird. Are they good for anything? " Jinx asked as she grabbed one by the ears and examined it closely. The rabbit swatted her in the nose, making Jinx growl. "Fucking furball with legs." Jinx growled as she dropped the rabbit. I snorted in amusement.
"Not really. They're just normal rabbits, but I can create tens of thousands," I said playfully. The others looked at me incredulously. I laughed. "Their name is Escape Rabbit. They serve as a distraction, overwhelming the enemy so you can escape or get some distance. They're not really useful against experienced people, but against dungeon monsters? They should be quite useful."
"That's all? I guess it's a good support quirk. I guess your fighting style hasn't changed, and you mainly use your swords." Todoroki said as she gazed curiously at the rabbits. I wrinkled my nose.
"For the most part, yeah? I have a few little tricks up my sleeve with my shadows, but overall, my fighting style hasn't changed." I said honestly. "In theory, I should have more summons, other animals I can summon, but so far I haven't really been able to pull it off." I added.
"Then it's no use. Can we start clearing this dungeon?" Bakugou grunted. I hummed. The rabbits melted into shadows before disappearing.
"Of course, but before that." I placed my hand inside my shadow and pulled something out before throwing them to Ruby. "I think you'll find these useful," I said amusedly. Ruby took them unsuspectingly, and her eyes widened.
" Yay! Combat boots! No more women's stilts!" Ruby chirped before immediately taking off her shoes and throwing them aside. I laughed lightly.
"I have more clothes if you want to change into something comfortable. I have several dozen UA uniforms." I said honestly as I pulled out several sets of clothes. Bakugou was the first to snatch my clothes.
"You should have started with this, damn it." Bakugou said almost cheerfully, the happiest I've ever heard her. Then, without any shame, she took off the dress she was wearing.
"Kacchan! It's Miyamura! " Midoriya said, embarrassed.
"We're heroes and hunters, Nerd. Inside a dungeon, a little nudity is nothing." Bakugou grumbled as she finished dressing. He had to give her credit for that. But her words seemed to go down well, so everyone grabbed a set of clothes before changing.
The only one who was embarrassed about changing was Midoriya, who turned the girls around so they could change quickly. I guessed that, even though they could struggle in suits and dresses, the UA uniforms were much more comfortable. I had also brought boots and sneakers, which I handed over as well.
It was a good thing I'd stocked up on several changes of clothes and shoes for any emergency or eventuality. As I said, if I was going to have a nearly infinite inventory, I'd be well prepared for anything.
"Now, damn, much better!" Jinx said, stretching happily. The Piltover dress she'd been wearing was lying to the side.
"Thanks, Miyamura!" Penny said cheerfully.
"Thank you." Todoroki said, nodding. I shook my head in amusement as I absorbed the clothes they took off.
"It's not important, it's better if you're comfortable for this. However, one more thing: it's best to cool off. We've been running and fighting, so it's better to replenish our energy." I said as I reached back into my shades and pulled out several bottles of water and protein bars.
"Okay, this is useful." Jinx said amusedly as she grabbed the water bottle and took large gulps. I grabbed one of the bottles and threw it at Bakugou.
"Drink lots of water. You'll start sweating profusely soon, and we don't need you to get dehydrated." I said. Bakugou clicked her tongue, but started drinking without reply.
"Speaking of sweating, is it just me or is it starting to get really hot?" Midoriya said as he fanned himself.
"The temperature is almost 40 degrees," Penny confirmed, almost worried.
"And it'll get higher the further we go, for sure." I confirmed with a grimace. "Traditional dungeons are usually caverns and caves, but that's only true up to B-rank dungeons. A or S-rank dungeons start to get themed. If my vision of Haki is correct and they're some kind of charred zombie, then expect an environment filled with fire." I said with a grimace.
"So what? Lava everywhere?" Jinx asked with a grimace. I hummed and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, looking around. We were in what looked like a cave, and there was only one path to follow. A path that looked like the entrance to a castle? A tower? A similar structure. A large entrance, quite worn, and what looked like it had been melted in some spots.
"Anything else we should know about the dungeon?" Todoroki asked as she bit into the protein bar. I frowned and extended my haki. I grimaced.
"They seem to roam around in groups of 4 to 8 monsters. And there are a lot of groups." I said with a grimace.
"Mmm, there are 7 of us, so one for each of us, who gets the eighth?" Jinx asked while doing the math.
"Leave it to me," I said immediately.
"Can you handle them? You said they're A-rank, didn't you? You cleared several A-rank dungeons with Draw Sword, right? " Ruby asked directly, I grimaced.
"If they were other monsters, I could kill them easily. But from what I saw, they have too much metal, too much armor to kill them easily, and I don't trust it to be regular metal, dungeon materials rarely are. So I expect them to be many times stronger than normal metal. If I used Haki, it would be really easy, but I don't want to use it until I get to the boss." I said honestly.
"What a bad time not to have my weapons." Jinx growled angrily.
"We just have to kill them all; they're arguing so much." Bakugou growled.
"I guess that's the best way to do it. We can attract a small group and test the monsters' capabilities. We don't have a time limit, right? " Midoriya asked as he looked at me.
"Not really, as long as we're alive, the dungeon will remain closed on both sides. Normally, the time limit is the supplies they brought with them; it's a clock against time in those cases. But in my shadow, I have several days' supply for the seven of us."
"While the dungeon is A-rank or higher, it doesn't really seem that big. Once we get into the swing of things, it should take us a few hours to reach the boss. At worst, a day." I said honestly.
"I'll say it one more time, your new quirk is crap." Jinx snorted amusedly.
"It's convenient." I agreed with a smile.
"Enough talk! Let's get this over with! " Bakugou said, finally losing her patience. I nodded.
"All right, let's go!" Midoriya said with a serious expression. I grabbed Wado Ichimonji firmly, and we all turned towards the tower to begin the dungeon.
We had a dungeon to clean.