My Hero Academia: Nightmare Mode

The next morning, Kikidori's phone buzzed, pulling him from his usual silent routine. He glanced at the screen and saw a text from Toga.

"Come to these coordinates. I have something to show you."

He stared at the message for a while, debating whether to ignore it. Against his better judgment, curiosity got the best of him. He copied the coordinates into a map that is Japanese obviously and saw that the location was in Kamino, Yokohama. It didn't make any sense, but something about the vague nature of the text gnawed at him.

Later that evening, after making sure no one would notice his absence, Kikidori slipped out of the dorms and began his trek to Kamino. It took hours of walking, boredom and taking back streets to avoid detection, but eventually, he arrived at the address.

It was a bar. The neon sign above the door read *Kurogiri's Bar*. The place looked deserted and worn down, but something about it screamed danger.

Kikidori hesitated before knocking on the door. Almost instantly, it creaked open, and there stood Toga, her eyes lighting up when she saw him.

"You came!" she said, her voice filled with excitement. She threw her arms around him, pulling him into a loving tight hug before yanking him inside.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Kikidori found himself standing in a dimly lit room filled with people. His mismatched eyes scanned the figures: Twice sat in a corner, mumbling to himself, his split personality evident in his conversation. Dabi leaned against a wall, his intense blue flames flickering around his fingers. Spinner sat nearby, sharpening a blade.

And then there was Kurogiri, standing behind the bar with his smoky, swirling body, quietly observing.

"Everyone," Toga announced cheerfully, "this is Kikidori! My boyfriend!"

The room fell silent, every villain turning to look at him.

"Your *boyfriend* is a hero," Dabi said, his tone dripping with disdain. His piercing gaze bore into Kikidori.

Toga nodded, grinning. "Yup!"

Kikidori stood frozen, unsure of what to say or do. He felt like a lamb surrounded by wolves, each one sizing him up.

Twice suddenly clapped his hands. "A hero? No, wait—*a hero*! What are you doing here? No, you're fine, stay! Wait, no, leave!"

Dabi scoffed, his arms crossing over his chest. "Toga, you're crazy for bringing him here. If he rats us out—"

"He won't," Toga interrupted, her tone suddenly sharp. She turned to Kikidori, her cheerful expression replaced by something far darker.

"If you tell your hero friends…" she said, her voice light but laced with menace, "I'll slit your throat."

She smiled sweetly as she said it, but her golden eyes gleamed with a deadly seriousness that sent chills down Kikidori's spine.

Kikidori nodded slowly. "I won't," he said, his voice calm despite the knot of anxiety in his chest.

Toga beamed and hugged him again, her previous cheerfulness returning as quickly as it had vanished. "Good! I knew I could trust you."

Kikidori glanced around the room again. The League members were still watching him warily, their distrust palpable. He didn't blame them; he wouldn't trust himself in this situation either.

"What am I even doing here?" Kikidori asked quietly, turning his attention back to Toga.

"I just wanted you to meet everyone," she said. "You're important to me, so you're important to them too!"

He didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, he stayed silent, his mind racing. He needed to get out of there, but he also needed to be careful. If he made one wrong move, he might not make it out alive.

"Relax nightmare boy," Dabi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're not gonna kill you. Not yet, anyway."

The other villains chuckled, but the threat in Dabi's words was clear.

Kikidori clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten himself into this mess, but one thing was certain: this wasn't over.

End of Chapter 21