The next thing Y/N knew he had landed flat on his face, in a puddle no less. There wasn't really a way for him to get clear of the stampede before they had surged forwards and into that purple mist, taking an involuntary Y/N with them. And it was definitely more than just a smoke machine, seeing that walking through it had magically teleported him to some city.
Wherever it was, he knew it wasn't around his neighborhood. If it had been, it wouldn't have been pouring down rain like it was. In fact it was pretty sunny before he had crawled down into those filthy tunnels, the sky was bright blue and lacked even the slightest indication of foul weather. So wherever he had ended up, it had to be far.
With soaked feathers and clothes, Y/N hoisted himself up off of the pavement. The pain from the mid-air drop that throbbed in almost every part of his body gradually subsided as it always did, allowing him to focus more on his surroundings. He expected to see the others from the meetup that pushed him into what must have been a portal, and he hoped to see Koyama so he could give him a well earned smack. But no one was around. Not just speaking of Brazen's crowd, but no one in general. The street was entirely devoid of pedestrians, cars, everything.
It was a little uncanny, but Y/N pushed that senseles feeling aside. He just needed to get out of the rain and figure out how to get home from there. His mother was probably already back to watching the TV, so being back there beat getting drenched. But with waterlogged wings and winds that constantly barraged his face with pellets of rain, flying back home wasn't an option. So waiting out the storm in one of the nearby stores was the best thing he could do.
He tried the first door. Wouldn't budge.
Sighing, he stomped back out into the cold rain and over to the next doorway. Also locked, as was the one after that. It seemed like the whole street had gone out of business or something. Even the door that finally opened must have been left that way as a mistake, because there was nothing to buy inside. Nothing at all for that matter. No shelves, no counter, not even a light. Just dust and cobwebs.
It may have been empty, dark, and a bit creepy, but it was out of the storm that howled outside and pelted the windows. Without wasting any time, Y/N pulled out his phone and opened the maps app. At least that could tell him if he was even still in the country. But instead of relief, he only had the desire to throw the piece of junk across the room after reading the words "NO SIGNAL".
Slicking his soaked hair back and out of his face, Y/N looked out the window and up at the black, mean sky. The storm was showing no sign of easing up anytime soon, so it looked like he'd be hanging out in that empty building for a while. Maybe with any luck someone would show up eventually.
No sooner had he made that thought, a portal reappeared in the middle of the street. It had closed up and left before he could run out and jump back through, but it wasn't gone without a trace. It had dumped out two more people, ones he didn't recognize from the gathering. He definitely would have remembered those crazy outfits.
Y/N wasn't one to go begging people for help, and certainly not for rescue. If there was a solitary course to take, no matter how inconvenient it may seem to others, he'd take it. He had learned that the only one you can ever truly count on is yourself. And asking these guys for directions wasn't out of desperation. It was more like asking someone to borrow their lighter. It was just convenient in the moment.
"Hey!" He called out as he flung open the door. "Do you guys know-"
"Dark Shadow!"
Out of nowhere and without warning, the shorter one of the two had summoned some kind of beast that was almost as dark as the sky, aside from its glowing, haunting yellow eyes. The thing levitated and zipped through the air towards Y/N, extending a massive hand that he just barely dodged.
"HEY!" He yelled, angry at the unprovoked attack and at the fact that he had once again fallen onto the wet ground. "What the hell was that for?"
But instead of getting an answer or an apology, Y/N was grabbed by the creature and dragged across the ground to where the two stood. It seemed to be attached to the one who wore a cloak that enveloped his body and had a head that resembled a bird. The one who had summoned it. He stared down across his beak with unwavering determination and resolve.
"Tell me, villain, where have you taken us and the rest of our classmates. Answer wisely."
His warning was made clear as the shadowy creature tightened its grip.
"Villain? What's your deal man, I'm just as confused as you are!"
It would be safe to assume that the other two boys were roughly Y/N's age based on their height and builds. But it was slightly difficult to tell given that both of their faces were abnormal as a result of their quirks. The bird-like one may have been coming to the same conclusion, but he was not ready to yield just yet.
"I have no time to waste. Your face is unfamiliar to me, so I will ask you this; Just how did you arrive here?"
"The same way you guys did! I got shoved into a portal with my friend, and then I ended up here alone."
The other boy did not respond. He stood there, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at Y/N. He was considering every possibility, weighing all the details of Y/N's story. He was calculating, and honestly intimidating.
"Very well. Though your explanation is perplexing, I will accept it as truth." He conceded, and Y/N was released. "We are in danger. I suggest we take cover in the building you emerged from."
"I am Fumikage Tokoyami, and this is Koji Koda. We're heroes in training at UA high school."
Now that they were sheltered from the raging elements just beyond the glass, Y/N could finally put names to faces. And as eye-rolling as it was, it wasn't surprising that they were heroes. It sure explained their getups. Though Koda's was ironic, seeing that his bright red and yellow costume had an open mouth logo over his chest, while he had yet to even speak a word.
"I'm Y/N. Just call me by my first name." Keeping his introduction shrto and sweet, the winged boy moved on to business. "Can one of you tell me what city this is?"
"We're in Musutafu, and after more consideration I believe we are still within the USJ."
"I somehow feel you're not talking about Universal Studios."
"No. This is a special facility operated by UA. Koda and I were here along with our fellow hero course students to undergo rescue training throughout the several natural disaster simulators, until a group of villains infiltrated the grounds."
I'm in UA?
That was a weird thought. He had always heard of the place, but Y/N never really cared much about it. Would probably be the only time he ever went there. No wonder everything on that street was empty though. It wasn't a city at all. It was just a mock up for heroes to play around in. But that wasn't the craziest part to Y/N.
"Villains? No way." He laughed in disbelief. Maybe fifty years ago villains could overrun a place like UA, but these days they'd be lucky to steal a candy bar. They were street thugs, not organized criminals who could pull something like that off.
But Tokoyami didn't share his humor.
"Unfortunately it is the truth. We were separated from our classmates shortly after the power was cut and signals to the outside were jammed. We were split up in order to pick us off one by one, presumably an action carried out by the same villain you encountered. These villains have a plan and a clear goal..."
Tokoyami's words were ominous and carried a dark undertone. Like he had learned a grave secret, one that bore a curse or deadly warning that if not heeded, could have dire consequences. His statement was open ended and begged a question to be concluded.
But Y/N waved it away.
"Yeah that's scary and all," He commented with his usual lack of concern for problems foreign to him. "But how do we get out?"
Tokoyami sighed, but answered nonetheless. "I don't believe egress from the USJ is a possibility. The main entrance has been blocked, and the plaza flooded with criminals. It appears we will have to wait until backup arrives."
Y/N huffed and kicked the floor as he slowly paced the room. "If the service has been knocked out by those guys, it could take a while. I doubt anyone on the outside even knows what's going on here."
The situation was bleak and out of the boy's hands, plain and simple. They were locked inside, outnumbered, alone. Being helpless wasn't a feeling Y/N enjoyed being subjected to, ever. And who's to say that these "villains" would even attack him? He had nothing to do with the school they were attacking. He could probably walk right out of there without a-
A sudden gasp brought his attention to Koda, who was staring out the window and shaking in his boots. It wasn't hard to tell what had frightened him either. Two people were stalking down the street, hunting. Hunting for hero students who looked to be the age of all three boys...
Yeah, there was no walking out of this one.
"Okay, so, uh, what do we do?" Y/N asked, moving closer to the two students.
Without removing his stare from the two criminals, Tokoyami had concluded their best course of action. They could not hide forever. Sooner or later there would be a confrontation. And the element of surprise was always a good ally.
"We fight."