MHA: The Sentry

_____[POV: Third person]_____

Rice Cake was awakened by the smell of something delicious. She stretched out on her dog bed, yawning lazily before getting up and sniffing the air. The scent was tempting, promising something far better than the bland kibble Ryuji had been insisting on feeding her lately.

Following the aroma, she made her way to the kitchen and found Aiko preparing breakfast. Rice Cake approached and rubbed against her leg, letting out a small, hungry whine.

Aiko smiled tenderly. "Oh, are you hungry, sweetie?"

Rice Cake wagged her tail excitedly. Yes! Hungry! Good food!

However, her joy faded when Aiko placed a bowl full of that tasteless kibble in front of her. She stared at the dry, lifeless pellets with a deadpan expression, then looked up at Aiko, hoping she would realize the terrible mistake she had made.

Aiko tilted her head, confused. "You haven't been eating much of this lately... Do we need to buy a different brand?"

Before she could finish her thought, Ryuji entered the kitchen, already dressed for school.

Rice Cake sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent coming from his backpack. It was... it was something good! Something worth chasing! Destiny was calling!

As Ryuji thanked his mother and left the house, Rice Cake had already made her decision: she would follow him. Her goal? To discover and claim the culinary treasure hidden in that backpack!

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Ryuji and Izuku were walking calmly to U.A., chatting about trivial matters. Meanwhile, Rice Cake was embarking on an epic journey of stealth and endurance.

The first obstacle came quickly: a kind old man tried to pick her up.

"Oh, what a cute little puppy! Are you lost, little one?"

Rice Cake slipped between his legs, narrowly escaping. The old man blinked, confused, looking around. But she was already gone.

She followed Ryuji and Izuku to the train station, staying in the shadows (or at least, that's how she imagined it). However, a station attendant spotted her.

"Hey, dogs can't come in without an owner!"

Rice Cake dodged and jumped into the train car at the last second, but she realized a problem: she had boarded the wrong car!

As soon as the doors closed, several people noticed her. "Oh! A puppy!" "Who let this little dog in?" "Grab her!"

Rice Cake weaved through people's legs, jumping from seat to seat, leaping over bags, and slipping under coats. One of the passengers tried to catch her with a makeshift net made from her arm, but Rice Cake slid to the side, causing the woman to hit an unsuspecting passenger in the face.

Finally, the train stopped at a station a few blocks from U.A., and Rice Cake seized the moment to escape, darting out onto the platform at full speed. The security guard who tried to catch her tripped and fell face-first on the ground.

Now, back to the mission!

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Ryuji and Izuku continued walking calmly, oblivious to the chaos unfolding behind them. Rice Cake, on the other hand, was exhausted.

First, she was almost caught by a group of children who wanted to hug her. Then, she had to dodge an unaware cyclist, jumping onto a car and then down the other side. And to top it all off, a group of city pound workers had noticed her presence and started an official pursuit.

"There she is! Catch that dog!"

"Why is she so fast?!"

"Block the exits!"

Rice Cake ran with all her might. People lunged to grab her, but she dodged with the grace and agility of a ninja. One man tried to catch her with a jacket, only to get tangled in it himself and stumble into a trash can.

She leaped over a box, slid between a police officer's legs, and finally spotted her target: the gates of U.A.!

With one final burst of energy, she dashed toward Ryuji and Izuku, slipping through the gate just a second before it automatically closed behind her.

The pound workers slammed against the gate, panting. One of them fell to his knees.

"She... she got away..."

Inside, Rice Cake panted, completely exhausted, as she looked up at her owner.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Rice Cake just licked her snout and wagged her tail. Mission accomplished.

_____[POV: Ryuji]_____

The classroom was in complete pandemonium. But, for a change, it wasn't because of a class with All Might or a surprise test from Aizawa.

This chaos had a name.

Mochi.

The little ball of white fur with crystal-blue eyes was nestled on my desk, as calm as if she hadn't just caused a massive uproar. Her expression? Pure canine indifference. Her goal? To create the biggest commotion possible without moving a single muscle.

And, oh, did she succeed.

The girls were in absolute hysterics.

"SHE'S SO CUTE!" Mina screamed, practically foaming at the mouth. "Ryuji, GIVE HER TO ME!"

"Excuse me, Ashido!" Momo gently pushed her aside, examining Mochi as if she were appraising a rare diamond. "Her fur is incredible! She must be a high-breed dog. Are you taking good care of her, Ryuji?"

"I really want to hold her," Tsuyu raised her hand. "She looks so soft, ribbit."

"I've already taken TEN photos!" Jirou waved her phone around as if she'd just won the lottery. "This is, without a doubt, the cutest thing to ever step foot in this classroom."

"Are you sure that's a dog?" Momo furrowed her brow. "She looks more like… a wolf."

I just sighed.

Of course, this would happen. I should've opened a portal and sent her back home the second I realized she'd followed me to U.A.

But… now that I think about it, she might actually be useful today.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the guys weren't nearly as excited. Kaminari and Kirishima were looking at me like I'd just discovered a cheat code for life and unlocked the secret route to the girls' hearts. Sero crossed his arms, slowly shaking his head, judging me as if I were some kind of villain.

"This isn't fair, man," Kaminari complained, throwing his hands up. "First, you're crazy strong, and now you have a pet that attracts all the girls? What's next? A sports car?"

"Hmph." Todoroki huffed, pretending he didn't care. He's not fooling anyone.

I swear I tried to ignore the chaos, but peace was already dead.

Mochi remained on my desk, fully aware of everything, yet maintaining that superior pose, granting mere mortals the privilege of admiring her divine presence. Typical.

That's when Uraraka, perhaps emboldened by the collective hysteria, decided to be bold. With a hesitant hand, she approached, determined to feel the angelic texture of that fur.

I already knew what was going to happen before she even touched her.

Mochi moved like lightning, dodging with the precision of a professional ninja. But not content with that, she used Uraraka's face as a springboard to propel herself and land gracefully on the teacher's desk. I give her 10 points for the performance.

"AH!" Uraraka stumbled back, holding her face. "She… she stepped on my face?"

The class froze for a second before erupting into laughter. Kaminari literally fell to the floor, Kirishima was pounding the desk as if trying to break it, and Momo tried to hide a smile… and failed miserably.

"That was an impressive move," Tokoyami murmured, arms crossed. "Like a true assassin of the shadows."

Todoroki kept his monotone expression, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. I know what I saw.

Uraraka blinked, still trying to process what had happened.

Izuku sighed heavily and shook his head.

"It's not even worth trying to touch her. I've tried… many times." He looked exhausted, as if carrying the weight of a lost war.

The class stared at him, shocked. Even I was surprised.

"Wait… you did what?"

Izuku looked at me like I'd just asked if the Earth was flat.

"I made a plan. A schedule. Studied movement patterns. Tested tactics." He pointed at Mochi, who was watching him from atop the teacher's desk, her tail slowly wagging in pure mockery. "That dog is way more skilled than you think! She anticipates every move! She predicts the FUTURE!"

I crossed my arms, looking at my adorable but devilish companion.

"That's because you haven't learned the number one rule of Mochi." I stood up dramatically, leaving a suspenseful pause. "If you're not me…"

I paused, letting the anticipation build.

"…You. Will. Never. Catch. Her."

Izuku grunted in frustration, admitting the inevitable defeat.

The moment was interrupted when Aizawa walked into the room, giving a blank stare to Mochi sitting majestically on his desk, as if she were the new teacher of the class.

He frowned.

"I'm not even going to ask. Just get that thing off there and return to your seats."

"That thing has a name, sir." I picked up Mochi, and she immediately curled up in my arms, purring as if she'd just won a great battle.

Aizawa just gave me a tired look and turned back to the desk in the center.

"For today's Hero Foundation class, you will be supervised by a team of three teachers. Me, All Might, and a third instructor." 

There was a moment of silence before the room erupted into excited whispers, as if Aizawa had just announced they were getting free pizza. 

Now, I already knew who the third teacher was. No. 13. Which, by the way, still caught me a bit off guard. Not because of the name or the quirk—but because she was a woman. Not that that was a bad thing, of course. It's just that, as someone who hasn't watched the entire anime and has been bombarded with unsolicited spoilers, my mental image of her was always a… well, who knows what. 

"And what exactly are we going to do in this class, sir?" Sero asked, raising his hand in a somewhat controversial manner. (Seriously, dude, lower that hand. That gesture didn't age well.) 

Aizawa rolled his eyes and pulled out a card with the word "Rescue" written on it, holding it up as if it were a final move in a poker game. 

"We will be conducting rescue training. You will learn what it means to be the kind of hero people need in times of crisis. Whether it's floods, fires, or any other disaster." 

"That sounds amazing!" Kirishima punched the air, clearly thinking he was going to save a burning building all by himself. 

"Ahhh, I hope there's nothing too wet!" Kaminari grimaced. "I don't want to end up frying the people around me!" 

"Then try not to fall in the water," Jirou smirked, crossing her arms. 

"Wow, you're already predicting I'll end up frying someone?" 

"Just considering the statistics." 

On the other side, Todoroki muttered something about how rescue must be very different from direct combat, and Momo had already activated substitute teacher mode, explaining strategy and emotional control. 

It's not like this whole thing was news to me. I've literally lived more years than everyone here combined, and I've seen more of the first season of MHA than I ever expected. 

Aizawa waited for the noise to die down before continuing: 

"If you want, you can bring your hero costumes, but it's not mandatory." 

"Great!" Sero smiled. "My costume is perfect for this kind of thing." 

"The training area is far, so we'll take a bus to get there," Aizawa concluded, already heading for the door. "Don't take too long." 

Chaos broke out immediately. Backpacks flying, people talking over each other, the typical excitement of those who haven't yet realized that, in practice, rescue training can be as exhausting as carrying bags of cement. 

I simply leaned back in my chair, glancing at Rice Cake, who was still curled up on my desk as if there was nothing more important in the world. 

Well, this day is about to change, my friend...

_____[POV: Third person]_____

The bus swayed gently as the students chatted excitedly about the rescue training. 

"Do you think they'll put us in real situations? Like, actual fires and earthquakes?" Kaminari asked, tapping his foot impatiently. 

"They'd hardly put teenagers in real danger," Momo said, crossing her arms. "It's probably something controlled to simulate a disaster." 

"I hope there's something awesome!" Kirishima grinned. "Rescue is part of hero work, so I want to learn how to do it right!" 

"I just hope it doesn't involve diving into freezing water…" Jirou commented, fiddling with one of her earphone jacks. 

"Or riding a boat!" Mineta added, laughing nervously. 

"You're not even here," Ryuji said out of nowhere. 

Silence hung in the bus for a second, but since no one knew exactly who he was talking to, the conversation quickly returned to normal. 

— U.S.J. — 

When they arrived, the students stepped off the bus and were met with a massive dome-shaped structure. It looked like a huge theme park, but instead of fun rides, the place seemed designed to simulate natural disasters. 

A figure in a spacesuit approached the group, waving in a friendly manner. 

"Welcome to U.S.J., also known as Ultimate Space Jams!" Nº 13 announced enthusiastically. 

"Whoa, this looks like something out of a movie!" Kaminari's eyes widened. 

"It's even bigger than I imagined." Asui remarked, observing the different sections of the facility. 

Uraraka, on the other hand, looked like she was about to faint from excitement. 

"N-Nº 13!" she stammered. "I'm a huge fan! I really admire your work, especially how you save people! You're amazing!" 

Nº 13 chuckled softly, waving her hand. "Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear my approach inspires new heroes." 

Aizawa cleared his throat, catching his colleague's attention. "Where's All Might? He was supposed to be here." 

Nº 13 hesitated for a moment before replying in a quieter tone: "He had to act as a hero on his way here… He ran out of time and is resting now." 

Aizawa sighed heavily. "As reckless as ever… Well, it looks like we'll have to handle this on our own." 

Before he could continue with the instructions, a strange sound echoed through the area. 

*SFX: VSSHH*

Aizawa stopped abruptly. His gaze turned to the center of U.S.J.'s plaza, where a black mist began to spread like a dark veil. A pale hand emerged first, followed by an entire figure. And then… dozens more. 

Kirishima and Sero were the first to notice. 

"Hey, what's that?" Kirishima frowned. 

"That doesn't look like part of the training…" Sero murmured, a chill running down his spine. 

Before they could move, Aizawa raised an arm, blocking any attempt to advance. His expression turned stern, his voice cold as ice: 

"Stay back!" 

From within the mist, a figure with blue-gray hair scratched his neck frantically, his fingers brushing against the strange hand covering his face. 

"So… All Might isn't here, huh?" Shigaraki muttered, his voice dragging and disinterested. "After all the trouble we went through to bring this crowd… what a disappointment." 

"Don't worry," Kurogiri's calm, velvety voice echoed from the mist. "We have the backup plan provided by the master." 

Shigaraki stopped scratching his neck, tilting his head slightly. "Oh, that's right…" He chuckled softly. "I almost forgot." 

The mist began to twist again. And then… 

Three monstrous figures emerged from it. 

They were enormous. Much larger than anyone there. Their bodies were excessively muscular, their black skin covered in grotesque scars. Exposed brains pulsed atop their heads, while their wide eyes darted around frantically. They had beak-like mouths filled with sharp teeth and wore only beige pants with metal kneepads shaped like skulls. 

The one on the left had membranous wings, like a gigantic bat. 

The one on the right had four arms, each one pulsing with veins. 

And the one in the middle was the largest of all. Bulky, massive, with a chest that made even All Might seem small. 

Shigaraki laughed, raising his arms as if he were about to receive a gift from the heavens. 

"The master is so kind, giving me toys like these!" He turned to the students, his smile beneath the hand covering his face widening insanely. 

"Now, tell me…" His voice turned cold and threatening. 

"How long will it take All Might to show up before I kill all his precious students?"

_____[POV: Ryuji]_____

Ah, fear. That emotion that paralyzes, that makes your knees tremble, that makes your heart beat so fast it feels like it might explode. That was all I could see around me. My classmates were terrified. Some tried to hide it (poorly), others were one step away from running off screaming "MOMMY!".

Calmly, I patted Izuku on the shoulder. "You better suit up in that old tin can soon."

Izuku, who was holding a large black briefcase (and for some reason still hadn't done anything with it), blinked before finally activating the mechanism. The DEKU armor began to assemble around his body, a process that almost made me hear an epic soundtrack in the background.

As he got ready, I turned to my favorite little white wolf.

"Rice Cake, stand guard."

She perked up her ears, her gaze sharp. Anyone who knew her "non-cute" version probably wouldn't believe how deadly this ball of fluff could be.

Then, without even moving my lips, I telepathically spoke to Lucifer.

[Three Nomus, huh? I was expecting one, maybe two. All For One is feeling generous today.]

The reply came with a tone of amusement. [Perhaps we've been feeding our little glutton too much, Master.]

I rolled my eyes. [Well, that doesn't really change much with me here.]

[I'm just saying our spies had already reported he was preparing heavy weaponry. But I admit… this twist caught me off guard too.]

Before I could respond, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Izuku. Now fully equipped, his armor emitted a faint blue glow from its circuits.

"Jarvis, call for reinforcements."

The A.I. blinked on Izuku's visor. "Attempting to establish connection with U.A. headquarters."

Seconds passed.

"Connection failed. Signals are being blocked by external interference."

Izuku frowned. "So they've cut off our communication… This isn't good."

Before we could discuss a plan, Aizawa interrupted everyone.

"Thirteen, get the students out of here. I'll handle the villains."

And without further ado, he leaped toward the villains, his tactical scarf moving like serpents. The moment he landed, he had already erased the quirks of at least five idiots who thought they could play tough. The first one tried to shoot fire from his hands. Nothing happened. The second tried to grow in size. Also nothing. The third simply face-planted when his body lost the levitation he was using.

Aizawa, ladies and gentlemen. A teacher who makes you feel ashamed of even trying to be evil.

Meanwhile, Thirteen tried to gather the students to leave the U.S.J. "Come on, head for the gate! Now!"

Which would have been a reasonable plan… if a certain shadowy villain hadn't had other plans.

Kurogiri appeared right in front of us, the dark mist swirling.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that."

Now, let's be clear. A normal group of students would have hesitated. Tried to think of a plan. Done something rational.

Except for a certain group of three among us.

Izuku launched a jet booster straight into the mist. Kirishima punched with the full force of his hardening quirk. Sero shot out tape, trying to bind the thing.

And it all… went straight through. At least they tried, right?

Kurogiri laughed, his voice dripping with condescension. "We don't have time for games."

Then his mist began to spread, surrounding the entire group.

"I will separate you. And then, one by one, you will be tortured and killed."

A great villain speech, if it hadn't been interrupted by a deafening roar that literally dispersed his mist like a fan on full blast blowing away barbecue smoke.

Kurogiri froze.

Everyone froze.

And there, in the middle of the students and Thirteen…

…stood a gigantic three-meter-tall wolf.

Eyes blue as ice. Fur white as snow. A monster. A legendary beast.

Or, as I like to call her, my dear Rice Cake.

I gave her a few pats on the fur. "Good girl."

The silence was so absolute that I could hear the mental gears of my classmates trying to process what they were seeing.

"Wait a minute…" Kaminari was the first to break the silence. "Is that… Rice Cake?"

"H-How long has she been able to do THAT?!" Uraraka stammered.

"Is that a wolf or a Kaiju?" Sero asked, stunned.

"Don't tell me this is normal…" Asui blinked slowly.

Izuku crossed his arms. "Well… now I understand why she only eats high-quality meat." I knew it wasn't just Lucifer! Izuku, you jerk!

While my classmates tried to wrap their heads around how the small, cute "Rice Cake" had turned into a wolf version that looked capable of devouring a truckload of beef, I just turned to Kurogiri, who remained motionless.

"So…" I smirked. "Who was going to separate who again?"

_____[POV: Third person]_____

Before Kurogiri could even process what had just happened, Ryuji appeared in front of him, gripping the metal plate around his "neck" tightly and, with a "gentle" push, launched him like a humanoid projectile through the air.

The misty villain shot toward the center of the plaza, crashing into the fountain with such force that the structure burst as if it had been hit by a meteor. Water and chunks of stone flew in all directions.

Not far away, Shigaraki watched the scene, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Huh…?" He blinked, seeing Kurogiri floating unconscious in the water.

There was a moment of awkward silence before he realized what had actually happened.

"Okay, what the hell just—"

And then, he was interrupted.

Izuku flew through the air, the DEKU armor glowing as he shouted:

"Jarvis, bombard that family of 4!"

The compartments on Izuku's armor shoulders opened, releasing a barrage of missiles that tore through the sky before hitting Shigaraki and the Nomus with successive explosions.

The entire plaza shook. A curtain of dust and fire rose, covering everything.

Izuku began analyzing the vitals inside the armor.

"Confirming signals—"

Then, something emerged from the smoke.

With a violent beat of its wings, the flying Nomu shot out, heading straight for Izuku.

"Crap."

Izuku tried to dodge, but the Nomu's speed was absurd.

On the ground, Shigaraki tried to disperse the dust around him, annoyed.

"Tsk! Nomu, deal with the students escaping through the gate!"

The four-armed Nomu crouched primitively, like a predator about to pounce on its prey.

And then, it exploded forward in a monstrous leap, heading straight for the students.

But before it could even reach its target, something intercepted it mid-air.

Or rather, someone.

Ryuji appeared like a blur, delivering a brutal kick to the Nomu and launching it with such force that it flew like an out-of-control sack of meat straight into the forest zone of U.S.J.

Ryuji then floated slowly, landing a few meters away from Shigaraki and the last remaining Nomu—a monster even larger than the others.

"So…" He pointed at the villain, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "What's your deal with those hands on your face? Do you like smelling mold all the time, or is that just a weird fetish?"

Shigaraki's face twisted in anger.

"That's none of your business!" He snarled.

And then, he pointed at Ryuji.

"Nomu! Kill him!"

The monster disappeared from sight in an instant.

"Oh. You're fast."

The exact moment the Nomu appeared behind him to crush him, Ryuji vanished in a golden blur, reappearing behind the monster.

"You're faster than that idiot I fought before... But nothing that impresses me."

And then, with a slap, he buried the Nomu's head with such force that the monster was driven into the ground as if thrown by a giant.

*SFX: CRACK!*

The impact created a massive crater. The ground crumbled, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.

The colossal body of the Nomu was buried up to its waist, its legs sticking out of the crater.

For a few seconds, no one said anything.

Shigaraki stood frozen, his mouth slightly open in shock.

Even Aizawa, who was busy knocking out more thugs, turned his head upon hearing the crash.

Ryuji crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all you've got?"

Shigaraki took a deep breath, his expression growing darker.

He slowly raised his hands.

"You're strong. I'll admit that."

Ryuji snorted. "Good, I was starting to worry you were dumb too."

"But…" Shigaraki curled his lips into a sinister smile. "The Nomu behind you is also strong."

Ryuji blinked.

He looked down and "realized" the crater was empty.

Before he could "realize", something grabbed his cape and hurled him into the sky at an absurd speed.

The wind roared in Ryuji's ears as he rose higher and higher.

And then, the Nomu appeared above him.

The monster's two gigantic hands were raised, ready for a hammer strike.

*SFX: BOOOOOOM!*

Ryuji was thrown straight to the ground like a human meteor, the impact devastating the area.

The ground exploded in all directions. An even larger crater formed, sweeping the surroundings.

The Nomu landed shortly after, landing next to the hole and advancing toward the buried figure of Ryuji.

It began delivering relentless punches.

Each blow reverberated through the ground like an earthquake.

Each impact made the crater expand, cracks destroying even more of the environment.

The Nomu didn't stop.

Until…

A fist emerged from the dust.

And then, with a direct punch to the creature's chest, Ryuji launched the Nomu flying like an out-of-control rocket, straight into the rocky zone of U.S.J.

The dust slowly settled, revealing Ryuji emerging from the rubble.

He shook his suit, dusting it off as if nothing had happened.

Then, looking at the spot where the Nomu had disappeared, he let out a mocking sigh.

"I guess I 'felt' that one."

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(A/N: Second longest chapter I've done, still falls short of chapter 4, which has over 5,000 words. We've finally reached the USJ incident, and new variables have emerged on both sides of the coin. This will definitely give me some work in the second part, so I might not update tomorrow. Changing the subject, regarding the new student in Class 1-A. I had mentioned considering adding a lamia, like Miia from Monster Musume, but then the idea of a lazy cat girl came up. I could very well have let you all decide with votes, but I know the lamia would lose badly because cat girls are EXTREMELY popular. That's why I decided on the offscreen defeat of the dear lamia—she simply couldn't compete... I'll stop here for now. See you in the next update.)