The first burst of heat came before I could think.
A red beam, dense like plasma, tore through the air toward Kairon — but he deflected it with a casual flick of his wrist, redirecting the sound around his body. The beam distorted as if absorbed by a liquid mirror, evaporating in a harmless flash.
He smiled.
"You're stronger than anyone I've ever faced… but still predictable."
Before I could react, he snapped his fingers.
CRRRRRRKKKKKK.
The sound was like a thunderclap inside my skull. Vibrations invaded my body, trying to throw off my spatial perception. My vision shook. My balance failed. Floating became a challenge.
Mirio was the first to try getting close, phasing through the ground to catch him by surprise — but Kairon simply sidestepped, modulating a resonance wave that caused him to lose control and re-emerge disoriented.
"You're good," he said, unhurried. "But this isn't just strength. It's a war of convictions."
Nejire launched a spiraling energy blast, and Tamaki tried to trap a group of drones with his mutant tentacles. But they quickly realized: every time they approached him and me, Kairon used sound as a trap — redirecting attacks, increasing the risk, disorienting everyone.
"If we stay here, we're just going to get in the way !" Mirio shouted, retreating with an injured student in his arms. "Revan, try to hold him off until help arrives. We'll take care of the others !"
They understood what I didn't want to admit:This fight was mine.And not just because of power… but because of what it meant.
Kairon attacked with a sharp whistle — and the ground cracked around my feet. Vibrational frequencies were altering matter, disintegrating concrete and steel as if they were made of sand.
I activated my super speed, moving in a circular pattern to confuse his auditory sense. His sound waves were directional — if I moved fast enough, maybe I could wear him down.
But he adapted.
With each passing second, he recalibrated the frequencies. He began using the sound of my own body against me — the rhythm of my heart, the flow of my blood, the displacement of air with every step.
My super-resilient body endured it. For now.
I let out a primal scream, channeling the energy built up in my skin. Heat beams slashed through the sky in zigzags. Kairon dodged most, but one hit the ground mere inches from his foot — exploding in a blazing shockwave.
He was thrown back, rolling across the floor, his coat on fire.
For a moment, I thought it was over.
But he stood up. Hair messy. Eyes white as wet glass. And the smile… intact.
"You're fighting like a hero," he said, spitting blood. "And that's going to get you killed."
He snapped his fingers again — and this time, the world disappeared.
I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. Nothing.
A field of absolute silence surrounded me, as if every vibration had been stripped from the air. It was more than deafness. It was like being in a sensory vacuum. An oppressive void.
My legs trembled. The lack of auditory reference disoriented me. I was floating… but I didn't know if I was rising or falling.
That's when I felt the first real pain of the fight.
A shockwave hit my right side — pure vibration compressed into a punch. My body was flung across meters, slamming into a simulated building. The wall cracked. My chest burned.
He's breaking me from the inside.
I breathed. Forced myself to remember.
The garden.My mother.The calm touch of her hand on my forehead.My father saying: "You only need to stay in control."
I activated x-ray vision despite the burning in my eyes. I saw microfractures in the environment. I saw sound distortion like cracks in the air. I saw him, approaching with an outstretched hand, vibrating like glass about to shatter.
I focused.
Felt the air around me.
And exploded everything at once.
A thermal wave burst from my body — like a mini supernova. The silence field shattered like a bubble. Windows blew out. Sound returned violently. The ground shook.
Kairon's clothing — or what remained of it — was in tatters. Blood poured from his nose, mouth, and ears. But he was still smiling.
"You're almost there, Revan," he said, his voice faltering. "But do you have the courage to destroy me ? To end someone like you… who only wanted to change the system ?"
I took a deep breath. Walked toward him. Not flying. Not running.
Walking.
With every step, I stopped being just a superpowered boy.
I became what he feared most: someone who chooses.
"I don't need to destroy you, Kairon," I said, activating thermal vision inches from his face. "I just need to prove I'm still me."
He stared at me for long seconds.
And then… collapsed.
The sirens came too late.
U.A. arrived, with teachers, containment teams, and licensed heroes. They found the injured students being cared for by my friends. The simulation field… was in ruins.
But the real damage wasn't in the walls.
It was in the narrative.
The whole world saw.
Revan Whitmore… fighting alone. Using powers that looked otherworldly. Against a villain who knew the system's flaws better than any politician.
And winning.Not through sheer destruction.But through choice.
It took five rescue helicopters, three medical teams, and two sound-containment units to handle the aftermath.
Kairon — or Vox — was taken unconscious, bound in synthetic steel restraints and isolated in a reinforced chamber. Even while unconscious, sensors picked up microsonic vibrations in his body. The fear of him waking was so great that U.A. didn't even risk transferring him to authorities immediately.
Because now, he was more than a villain.
He was an inverted symbol.
The living proof that the world had created its own rebels by keeping heroes too tightly leashed. Someone who saw in me… not just an opponent, but a potential heir to his distorted vision.
The news spread within minutes.
"Revan faces Vox alone and saves students.""U.A. student defeats sonic terrorist in direct combat.""Revan disobeyed orders… but saved lives."
The world was divided — again.
Some called for my immediate expulsion. Others demanded I be made a provisional hero. International agencies contacted U.A., offering "assisted containment" programs. Some governments wanted to bring me back. Others wanted to keep me under close observation.
But there was no punishment.
Because deep down, no one could pretend anymore that I wasn't necessary.
Not even U.A.
[End of day – U.A. Administration Office]
Nezu's office was as calm as always. A low table, freshly served tea, a wide window overlooking the training fields — now devastated by the battle just hours earlier.
Nezu was there. Sitting calmly. Paws crossed. That wise rodent stare that never let a thought escape.
"I'd like to say this was all unexpected, Revan," he began, swirling his tea. "But that wouldn't be true."
I stood before him, still dusty, uniform collar torn, eyes burning. Part of me wanted to scream. Part wanted to collapse.
But all I said was:
"I didn't want it to be like this."
Nezu nodded.
"And yet… it was. Because you're the kind of force that can't simply be indoctrinated. You challenge not just evil… but order. And that… that's revolutionary."
He paused for a long moment.
Then continued, quieter:
"You have the power to change the world, Revan. And when the world can't control something, it tries to delegitimize it. Villainize it. You understand that now, don't you ?"
I nodded. Silent.
"But today," he said, raising his gaze, "you chose not to be a weapon. Not to be a symbol of rebellion. You chose to be human. And that… is rarer than any Quirk."
He handed me a tablet. On it, a new internal U.A. document opened. A protocol, stamped in gold at the top:
"Status: Special Authorization – S Category (Provisional)""Field deployment permitted under ethical review and autonomous decision, validated by trusted leadership.""Conditional autonomy: granted."
I read it twice, in silence.
"You're saying… you're going to trust me ?"
"Not completely," he replied, smiling with the cup at his lips. "But enough to stop containing you. And start listening."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
The breeze from the window was gentle. For the first time in days, I was able to breathe deeply… without feeling the air as a prison.
[Night – U.A. rooftop]
I sat on the tallest rooftop on campus. The wind cut sharply. The city lights shimmered in the distance, like little worlds in motion.
Below me, hundreds of students dreamed of becoming heroes.
And me ?
I just wanted to keep being Revan.Not the weapon.The choice.
I picked up my phone. A message from my mother. Short.
"We saw what happened. We're worried. But you did the right thing. We're with you. We love you."
I smiled.And, for a moment, allowed myself to believe it.