The training grounds were in chaos.
Explosions echoed across Ground Gamma as Kael's corrupted flames carved spirals of violet heat through the metal catwalks. Steel beams twisted and melted under the unnatural fire. The simulated "civilian" dummies had become the new targets, and the mist entity wove between students like smoke on the wind, disrupting every rescue attempt.
"Keep them away from the civilians!" Iida shouted as he sprinted across a collapsing bridge, shielding one of the dummies with his armored frame.
"Tch!" Bakugo snarled, recovering from his earlier hit. "You're gonna regret sneaking up on me, tin can!"
He launched into the air, palms erupting in controlled blasts, aiming directly for Kael. But Kael was ready this time. With a sudden spin, his armored gauntlet clashed against Bakugo's explosion, redirecting the force downward.
"You're nothing like him," Kael sneered. "All noise. No fire inside."
Bakugo growled, trying to swing again, but Kael moved too fast, vanishing into the smoke above.
"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu's voice came through the comms. "The mist's moving toward Sector Four!"
"I'm on it!" Midoriya replied, activating Full Cowling at 15%.
He zigzagged across the platforms, his body crackling with green lightning, dodging debris and fire as he raced toward the vulnerable side of the simulation zone. Below him, the mist had nearly reached a group of trainees acting as support staff for the scenario—first years too new to handle a real fight.
"I've got to push harder!" Midoriya muttered, eyes narrowing.
The mist turned, forming a vaguely humanoid shape with burning blue eyes. "Ah… the inheritor of something stolen."
"What?" Midoriya paused mid-run, surprised by the words.
"One For All was meant for someone else," the mist whispered. "But you cling to it… as if you've earned it."
The mist surged forward like a wave.
But Midoriya gritted his teeth and kicked off the ground, smashing the mist with a shockwave of wind from a concentrated 10% flick. The entity dispersed temporarily, its form unraveling in the air before reforming farther away.
"That's not just mist," he realized. "It's emotion… regret. Maybe even envy."
Elsewhere, Todoroki joined Kirishima in protecting a downed section of the field. Kael's flames had cut off the exit path, leaving several students stranded.
"We need a new path!" Todoroki shouted.
"On it!" Kirishima called out, hardening his arms and punching through a weakened wall with brute force.
"I'll clear the flames!" Todoroki said. He stepped forward, summoning a freezing gale across the fire. The ice crawled outward, hissing as it met Kael's violet flames—neutralizing them for a few precious seconds.
Back in the air, Sabo and Kael clashed again. The heat of their firestorms warped the sky above Ground Gamma.
"You're attacking students now, Kael?" Sabo shouted as he ducked a fiery punch.
"They're part of this world," Kael growled. "The world that let us suffer. That forgot our cause."
Sabo parried with a flaming arc from his pipe, twisting the weapon and slamming it into Kael's side. Sparks erupted.
"This world gave me another chance!" Sabo said. "A chance to protect people instead of destroy them!"
"You think that makes you a hero?" Kael spat. "You were never a hero. You were a symbol. Empty."
Sabo's flames surged hotter, bursting in golden arcs that forced Kael backward.
"I may not be from this world," Sabo said, voice shaking with conviction, "but I've fought for freedom long enough to know what I stand for."
Kael roared, charging forward—but this time, Sabo didn't meet him alone.
"AP Shot: Auto-Cannon!" Bakugo's voice rang out from behind as he launched a precise blast at Kael's leg, forcing him to stumble.
"Red Riot Unbreakable!" Kirishima joined, tackling Kael from behind and pinning one arm for a moment.
Kael struggled, his armor flaring with unstable heat.
"Now, Sabo!" Kirishima shouted.
Sabo didn't hesitate.
He poured his will into his pipe, heat flaring into a bright golden blaze. He spun once and struck down across Kael's chest armor. The strike rang like a gong, echoing through the air—and the armor cracked. Violet flame seeped through the fracture like blood from a wound.
Kael dropped to one knee, panting. His fire dimmed slightly.
"Why?" he whispered, barely audible.
"Because I still believe in you," Sabo said, kneeling beside him. "This isn't you. This is what the Rift did to you. Come back, Kael."
For a brief moment, Kael's expression softened.
But the mist figure arrived, wrapping around him like a shroud. "Not yet," it whispered. "He's not ready."
"No!" Sabo leapt forward, grabbing Kael's wrist.
The mist snarled. "You want to save him? Then burn for him!"
A blast of cold fire erupted, forcing everyone back. Midoriya and Todoroki threw up walls of wind and ice, shielding the rest of the team.
When the light cleared, Kael and the mist were gone.
Only scorched metal remained.
Later, in the U.A. control room, Principal Nezu reviewed the footage with grim focus. Aizawa stood nearby, arms crossed.
"They're accelerating," Aizawa said. "Whatever their goal is… it's not far off."
"Agreed," Nezu replied. "And Sabo may be the key to stopping it."
Back in the dorms, Class 1-A gathered around Sabo, who now wore a fresh training uniform, bandages replaced with new resolve.
"We trust you, Sabo," Yaoyorozu said quietly.
"You're one of us now," Jirou added.
Sabo looked around the room, firelight flickering behind his eyes.
"Then we fight together," he said. "No more ghosts. No more shadows. We burn through the dark."