Let's dive...Into Madness! (UA War Game)

The silence in the teachers' lounge was suffocating. The screens showed Izuku standing amidst the wreckage of the battlefield, his posture relaxed, his grin wide, and his eyes glinting with something unrecognizable—something far too sinister for a student.

He stood there, motionless, almost as if daring someone to move, to break the spell his performance had cast. His words still echoed in the room, dripping with mockery and malice. "Did I do good? Did I play the villain well enough?"

No one answered. No one moved.

They were frozen, eyes glued to the screen, watching as Izuku finally turned his back to the camera, walking away with a nonchalance that made chills run down their spines.

It was Nezu who broke the trance.

His voice crackled over the speakers, firm but with an edge of unease. "And that concludes the exercise. All participants have been eliminated. The villains are victorious."

The announcement hung in the air, heavy and surreal.

No one reacted. Not immediately.

Nezu's eyes scanned the room, taking in his staff's faces—each one pale, wide-eyed, their mouths slightly agape. Present Mic's hand was still frozen mid-air, as if he'd been about to say something but forgot how. Midnight's fingers trembled, her face unusually devoid of her playful smile. Cementoss looked like he'd seen a ghost. Hound Dog's fur was bristling, his ears pinned back.

Even Aizawa... Nezu's eyes lingered on him the longest. The man who was usually so composed, so unshakeable, was gripping his scarf so tightly his knuckles were turning white. His eyes were hard, his jaw clenched, and yet, there was an unmistakable flicker of fear beneath his stern exterior.

Nezu cleared his throat. "We should begin retrieving the students. They'll need medical attention and recovery after this... intense exercise."

No one moved.

He blinked, tilting his head. "Ahem. Perhaps now?"

Still nothing.

The silence was deafening.

Nezu's paw tapped the desk, irritation seeping into his voice. "I do believe that means now."

Like marionettes suddenly given life, the teachers jolted into motion. Cementoss stumbled to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor. Midnight blinked rapidly, shaking her head as if trying to clear a fog. Present Mic muttered something under his breath, his voice hoarse and shaky.

Hound Dog growled, his tail stiff. "That... That was a kid." His eyes were wide, still locked on the darkened screen. "That was a sixteen-year-old kid who just... who just did all of that."

Cementoss swallowed, his face pale. "He... he didn't even use a Quirk."

Midnight looked nauseous. "No Quirk... and he eliminated all of them. Without mercy."

Present Mic let out a nervous laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Isn't this supposed to be training? Not... not psychological warfare?"

Aizawa finally moved, letting out a long, shuddering breath. He ran a hand through his hair, his shoulders tense. "That... That was something else. He's always been smart, always been capable of thinking ten steps ahead, but that?" His eyes flickered to Nezu, a silent accusation in his gaze. "That was... cruel."

Nezu didn't flinch, his expression unreadable. "He was playing his role."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "You made him the villain. You gave him permission to be that... monster."

Nezu's whiskers twitched. "I gave him a scenario, and he performed within the rules." He looked back at the screen, his eyes darkening. "I didn't expect him to play the role so convincingly."

Present Mic shivered. "He really sounded like he meant it. Like he... enjoyed it."

Aizawa didn't respond, his mind replaying the way Izuku's eyes had gleamed, the way his laughter echoed through the forest, the way he taunted and toyed with his classmates like they were nothing more than pawns on a chessboard.

Midnight's voice was small, uncertain. "Do you... Do you think he went too far?"

No one answered. They didn't know how to.

Nezu's eyes flicked to the clock. "We need to move. The students will be waking up soon. Recovery Girl will need help, and we should be there when they realize what happened."

His words seemed to snap them out of their paralysis. Cementoss nodded, his movements robotic as he started for the door. Midnight followed, her face pale, her shoulders tense. Present Mic stumbled after them, his usual bravado nowhere to be found.

Hound Dog hesitated, his eyes lingering on the darkened screen. His fur was still standing on end, his tail rigid. "How... How did we not see this coming?"

Aizawa sighed, his eyes heavy. "Because he's always smiling. Always laughing. We forgot that he's not just some innocent kid." His voice dropped, haunted. "We forgot that he's been fighting against the odds his whole life. That he's never played by anyone's rules but his own."

Nezu watched them file out, his eyes lingering on Aizawa. "Will you be all right, Eraser Head?"

Aizawa's shoulders tensed. "I knew he was capable of being dangerous. I just never thought... never imagined he'd be like this." His voice was low, haunted. "I never thought he'd be more terrifying than any villain I've ever faced."

Nezu didn't respond, his gaze thoughtful. "Midoriya is an enigma. A brilliant strategist, a powerful combatant... and someone who's willing to do whatever it takes to win." His eyes flickered, a strange glint of curiosity in them. "Perhaps we underestimated him."

Aizawa's jaw tightened. "Underestimated him? We created him. We turned him into this."

Nezu's face remained neutral. "He was given a role. He chose how to play it."

Aizawa's fists clenched, his eyes burning with frustration. "Then why does it feel like we just unleashed a monster?"

Nezu didn't answer. He watched as Aizawa turned on his heel, his coat billowing behind him as he stalked out of the room.

Only then did Nezu allow his mask to drop, his eyes narrowing, his paw tapping rhythmically on the desk. He looked at the dark screen, at the empty battlefield where Midoriya had stood victorious, laughing into the void.

He had wanted to test the boy's mind, to see how far his intelligence could stretch, how far his strategic prowess could reach. He hadn't anticipated the darkness lurking beneath that bright, innocent smile.

Nezu's eyes glinted. "Interesting."

The speakers crackled, echoing with the last remnants of Midoriya's laughter.