Dante slowly lowered the phone, his eyes lingering on his trembling father for a moment longer.
That's when a crackle of the intercom broke the silence.
"That will be all," came Nezu's voice, polite as he could. "Please escort Dante out."
The guards moved swiftly. The reinforced door unlatched and Dante was guided out, giving one last wave to his father before they wouldn't see eachother again. His father pressed his hand against the glass as the door shut behind his son.
Outside, in the observation room, Dante stepped in. Aizawa stood nearby, arms crossed, looking at Dante's teary face.
They started walking side by side, flanked by quiet guards and Nezu.
"…You okay?" Aizawa asked flatly, but there was a sliver of concern behind his tone.
"Yeah, I'm good." Dante muttered.
A pause.
"Look, what he told you… it could have been distorted. People lie. Especially villains. They make excuses to feel better about themselves."
Dante glanced at him, nodding just once.
"Yeah. I know."
Another pause.
"You can't trust his version of things," Aizawa continued, eyes narrowing slightly. "There's no police report that matched his story. It's all been buried, and it might stay that way, but still… keep in mind that he could be manipulating you, he could be more dangerous than you think."
Dante looked ahead. "Yeah, you're right."
But inside?
He didn't believe a single word of what Aizawa was saying. His gut, his intuition, told him that his father was 100% telling the truth. Every detail, his father was a kind man, just broken
But Dante kept his mask on. That was the game, he learned it well.
"Thanks, teacher," Dante said quietly
They kept walking down the hallway toward the awaiting helicopter.
…
…
When they landed, no one was waiting around, no heroes or anything. Just a single black car that dropped Dante off outside his apartment.
He stepped in, shut the door behind him and locked it shut.
He didn't have any words. No thoughts either. He was just really sleepy.
The apartment was dim, bathed in the lush gray light of the sky. Dante tossed his shoes aside, walked past everything and just collapsed on the couch. He was still bandaged and very sore. The painkillers had worn off during the flight, but that wasn't important.
He just lay there for what felt like hours, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
Everything his father had said. It was just as he'd expected it.
Dante turned to his side, curling up slightly. His body felt heavier than ever.
The next day passed with no movement. He still ate a lot, enough to heal some of his wounds. His phone would buzz here and there, a checkup from kendo, another checkup from Kazuya and even Mirko emailed him to see if he was coming to spar.
He didn't respond to any.
He was just so sluggish.
He spent the night tossing and turning. Nightmares invading his head. His fathers face, little Dante's desires. Screams. Him absorbing people. His head was so clouded.
The day after was better. The pain had dulled and Dante managed to get up, shower and throw on some clothes that weren't dirty. He made more food today, sat at the table and stared at his phone again.
He still hadn't replied to anyone.
But he opened Kendo's message again. Just looking at it.
Then he typed. "I'm alive, I'm okay. Just a bit drained."
He sent the message.
That's all he could be bothered to do today.
The next day went the same, and the next.
And then he was in school.
Everyone's chatter was annoying him so much, everyone was talking non stop about their internships.
Todoroki was going over his experience at hosu with Iida. Uraraka and Tsuyu were exchanging stories about their agency work. Even Bakugo, sitting with an even angrier scowl was surrounded by many classmates making fun of his new hairstyle.
And in the middle of it, Dante was slumped over on his desk, one arm dangling loosely off the side, cheek pressed into the cool wood. His jacket was draped over him like a blanket and his eyes were barely open, unfocused and heavy.
He really wasn't looking too good, still very pale, lips dry, sweat clinging to his brow despite the room being fairly cold.
"Hey… Dante," Izuku said gently, leaning over with a concerned look. "You doing okay? You don't look so great."
Without lifting his head, Dante slowly raised one hand from under the jacket and gave him a weak thumbs up. "I'm good," he mumbled, voice rough. "Fire took a lot outta me, that's all…"
Izuku frowned. "You mean your final attack? You think that was overusing it?"
Dante didn't answer right away, he just closed his eyes again. "Something like that… I'm still… still figuring it out."
All Might hadn't arrived yet. The chatter kept going, but Dante was locked in his own little world, trying his best to recover fully.
Suddenly, Iida stood up sharp, adjusting his glasses with a glint of urgency in his eyes and small bandages around his forearms.
"Everyone!" He called out, loud enough to cut through the chatter. "We've been summoned. Change into your hero gear and meet me outside the locker rooms. Our lesson will be outside today."
Groans, surprised murmurs and whispers rippled through the class. Everyone started rising from their seats, grabbing their gear and heading out in waves. Dante stayed seated for a bit longer, then sighed and pushed himself to his feet. His body was aching slightly but he could deal with it, he wasn't about to fall behind.
Inside the locker room, everyone scrambled into their hero costumes. Dante reached into his locker and pulled out the standard U.A. training uniform, his only option, considering his original outfit had been destroyed, again. The training uniform was still a bit torn in places, a little scorched here and there and the fabric around the calves had seen better days. Still, it fit, and it was better than nothing.
Outside the huge training field, a towering maze of steel pipes, containers and metal walkways stretched out like some kinda futuristic labyrinth. It looked like the skeleton of a massive industrial complex, all narrow alleys, dead ends and layered levels.
All Might stood just before the entrance, arms crossed, beaming with energy, looking as muscular as ever.
"WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE!" He bellowed, voice echoing across the training zone. "I HOPE YOUR INTERNSHIPS WENT WELL!"
He gestured to the complex behind him. "Today, we will be doing a race rescue exercise! This will test your movement, coordination, search skills and speed!"
Several students perked up with interest. Others, like Dante just groaned.
"This place," All Might continued, "is Field Gamma, an industrial style simulation zone filled with obstacles and terrain meant to represent an urban disaster environment. You'll be split into groups of five, placed in random positions throughout the training area. Once you hear the distress signal, your job is to locate me as quickly as possible. The first student to rescue me wins out of their group."
Mina raised a hand. "Wait, like… we actually have to find you? You're not gonna move, right?"
"Correct! I will remain in a trapped state. Your job is to locate me and perform the appropriate rescue procedures. Treat this like the real thing!"