My Hero Academia: The Dragon's Quirk

The days leading up to the School Festival were a haze of organized chaos. The Alliance Heights dorm transformed into a bustling beehive. In the common room, the dance team led by Mina would practice late into the night, their laughter and frustrated cries mixing into one. From the music room, I could hear the drumming of Bakugo, becoming more in sync with Kaminari's guitar and Jiro's bass each day, a testament to Jiro's incredible patience and skill as a teacher.

I was immersed in my own world: a world of cables, lights, and calculations. Together with Momo, we designed a stage system that far surpassed what was expected of a school performance. We didn't just use ordinary spotlights. Momo, with her Quirk, created mini holographic projectors that we could program to create stunning visual illusions—a fiery dragon snaking across the stage, a shower of glittering cherry blossom petals, and even a replica of a galaxy spinning above the dancers.

"This is... a bit overkill for a school festival, isn't it?" I asked Momo one evening, as we were reviewing a 3D simulation of our stage effects.

Momo looked at me, her eyes sparkling with the passion of an engineer proud of her work. "There is no such thing as 'overkill' in creating happiness, Tatsumi-san," she replied with a smile. "Our goal is to make them forget all the bad things, even for just an hour. For that, we must give them a miracle."

I couldn't argue with her logic. She was right. This wasn't just about a show. This was about creating an unforgettable experience, a beacon of light in the midst of the darkness we had been through.

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, I continued my secret training. I started to be able to manifest the sword blade on my arm with less pain and could maintain it for almost a full minute before my stamina was drained. I also began to experiment with Incursio's adaptive ability. I asked Todoroki to launch stronger, controlled ice attacks, and I focused not just on withstanding them, but on 'absorbing' a small part of their coldness. I felt my armor vibrate, as if it were 'learning' the energy structure of his ice Quirk. It was a very slow and exhausting process, but I felt like I was opening a new door to the true potential of my power.

One afternoon, as I was training alone in Gym Gamma, a familiar voice startled me. "You're looking stronger."

I turned and saw Akame standing in the shadows, wearing ordinary civilian clothes that made her look like a student from another school. I hadn't sensed her presence at all.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, immediately on guard.

"U.A.'s security is good," she said with a flat face. "But not good enough." She walked closer, her red eyes looking at my arm, which had just retracted my sword manifestation. "You're starting to control it. The echo of the original soul... it's getting stronger within you."

"What do you want, Akame?"

"I came to give a report," she said curtly. "My hunt for Yozakura has led me to some interesting places. They're not just dealing with the Hassaikai. They also have connections to several other factions in the underworld. Including... the remnants of the League of Villains."

The information made me freeze. "Shigaraki?"

"Not him directly," Akame replied. "But some of his lieutenants. It seems Yozakura is trying to become a power broker in this new underworld, selling information and weapons to whoever can pay." She looked at me sharply. "They're dangerous. Far more organized than the League. Don't underestimate them."

"I won't," I replied.

"Good," she said. Before I could ask further, she threw a small object at me. It was a black flash drive. "The information I got on some of their smaller operations. Might be useful for your mentor, the Dragon Hero." With that, she turned. "And Tatsumi... be careful of Humarise. They won't stop just because one of their facilities was destroyed. They're much bigger than you think." She leaped into a vent in the ceiling and disappeared without a sound, leaving me alone with more questions than answers.

On the last day before the festival, we held a dress rehearsal. The entirety of Class 1-A gathered in the gymnasium, which had been transformed into a grand concert stage. The dance team, in their glittering costumes, looked amazing. And the music team... they truly surprised me. Bakugo, with a rare look of focus, beat the drums with perfect power and rhythm. Kaminari and Tokoyami played their guitars with passion. And Jiro... she stood in the center, holding her bass guitar, her melodious and powerful voice filling the entire room. She no longer looked like a shy, hesitant girl. She was a rock star.

I stood at the control panel backstage with Momo, activating the effects we had planned. As the song reached its peak, I gave a signal, and Momo pressed a button. Our holographic projectors came to life, creating an illusion of thousands of butterflies of light flying around the dancers. The entire class stared in awe.

Even Aizawa-sensei, watching from a corner, looked slightly impressed, though he tried to hide it with a yawn.

That night, as I returned to my room, I felt tired but satisfied. Everything was ready. I looked out the window, toward the forest at the edge of the U.A. campus. Everything seemed calm. But I knew that this peace was fragile.

Somewhere in the city, Gentle Criminal was sipping his tea for the last time before his grand mission. "It is time, La Brava," he said dramatically. "It is time to show the world true elegance!"

At the League of Villains' hideout, Shigaraki stared at a monitor, observing the movements of Gentle Criminal, whom he had been tracking. "Idiot," he hissed. "He thinks he can steal the stage? He knows nothing of true chaos."

And in a very distant place, in a hidden base of operations, The Curator from Humarise stared at a large incubation tube. Inside, a vague shape floated, pulsing with a dark energy. "The data analysis from the Anomaly Specimen is almost complete," she said to a robed figure beside her. "The power of that 'Teigu'... is far more interesting than we anticipated. We must acquire it. Soon."

I knew nothing of all that. All I knew was that tomorrow was the day of the festival. Tomorrow was the day we would try to bring back a smile to our friends' faces, and especially, to Eri's face.

I held the Yozakura wooden token in my hand, feeling a faint warmth from it. I took a deep breath.

'Whatever happens tomorrow,' I thought. 'I will protect this stage. I will protect their smiles.'