Far away from U.A.'s lively halls—
Beyond the veil separating worlds, a cold mist spread endlessly beneath the glowing skyline of West City, swallowing the streets and lamplights in an unnatural fog.
Flicker.
Flicker.
Click. Click.
Traffic lights at the central intersection shifted from red to green.
Billboards buzzed endlessly with permanent advertisements, but one broadcast stood out among them all.
No—
multiple screens across the city displayed the same thing:
a live feed of an empty hospital room.
Cold.
Silent.
As if only days earlier it hadn't been used to lure in a wandering ghost desperately trying to save his unconscious wife strapped to the bed.
Meanwhile, far from the hollow center of the lifeless city, a genius worked in silence.
Sparks flashed across a dimly lit laboratory.
Mechanical arms rotated overhead while holographic blueprints flickered across dozens of floating screens.
Professor Utonium adjusted the lenses over his eyes before tightening another microscopic component into place.
Click.
A thin silver cartridge locked perfectly into position.
"…Honestly, I thought this would be harder."
He leaned back slightly in his chair while examining the compact device resting in his palm.
A web-shooter.
Not identical to the originals from the comics—
those relied on fictional materials and impossible chemistry—
but close enough.
"For now, this will have to do until I can create better synthetic materials."
He set the device down carefully.
"After that, I can return to reconstructing Compound V… or making Temp V safer for long-term use."
A faint smile crossed his face.
Nearby printers continued producing compressed silk-wire cartridges while several spider-themed suit concepts rotated slowly across a holographic screen.
The professor stood and moved calmly through the workshop.
His polished shoes clicked softly against the metal floor.
"It's been an eventful day…"
He passed rows of half-finished inventions.
Energy stabilizers.
Miniature drones.
Prototype chemical capsules.
Even a glass container holding a spasming Venom strain beneath the effects of Temp V, its body continuously decomposing and regenerating while a fifteen-minute timer counted upward beside it.
Then his eyes drifted toward the darker section of the laboratory.
"…But for the dawn of a new hero…"
A slow smile spread across his face.
"…shouldn't there also be a new villain?"
The hidden section of the lab illuminated instantly.
Hydraulic locks hissed open.
And slowly—
a spherical machine rose upward from beneath the floor.
Its metallic shell gleamed beneath the laboratory lights.
Four massive mechanical tentacles unfolded from its sides with a sharp metallic screech.
Each claw flexed independently.
Precise.
Dangerous.
The central monitor suddenly flickered to life.
A translucent green ghostly head appeared across the screen—
its face distorted beneath dozens of glowing wires embedded directly into spectral flesh.
Streams of bright ectoplasm flowed through connected tubes like living fuel.
Carl.
Or what remained of him.
The ghost's hollow eyes twitched weakly.
Professor Utonium clasped his hands behind his back proudly.
"Ah…"
His voice carried genuine satisfaction.
"The suit's systems are almost fully online thanks to you, Carl."
The robotic tentacles flexed again as power surged through the machine.
Carl's ghost convulsed violently inside the containment field.
"…Kill me…"
His voice sounded broken by terror and grief.
"I'm in so much pain…"
Professor Utonium sighed dramatically.
"Oh, come now."
He stepped closer to the screen.
"What happened to your determination?"
Carl trembled weakly.
Then the professor spoke again.
"What about finding Sandra?"
The ghost froze.
"…Or the real Ben?"
Carl's glowing eyes snapped upward instantly.
The reaction made the professor laugh.
"Oh?"
His grin widened.
"Now that got your attention."
The ghost slammed desperately against the containment barrier.
"Tell me where they are!"
The robotic arms surrounding him jerked violently with the outburst.
Professor Utonium calmly walked to a nearby desk before lifting a physical sketch file.
Then he held it toward the screen.
"If you want answers…"
The image displayed a woman with green hair and soft features.
Name:
Inko Midoriya.
"A Japanese housewife," the professor explained casually.
Carl stared at the image in confusion.
Professor Utonium's smile slowly sharpened into something colder.
"If you want your son back…"
He placed the file onto the table beneath the machine.
"…then I want you to capture her and bring her to me."
Carl's expression twisted in horror.
"You're insane…"
"Perhaps."
The professor adjusted one of the glowing control panels calmly.
"But unlike you, Carl…"
The mechanical tentacles slowly spread outward behind him like a metallic halo.
"…I'm still capable of saving my family."
The laboratory lights dimmed slightly as the machine fully powered on for the first time.
And somewhere far away—
completely unaware—
Izumi Midoriya laughed softly alongside her new friends at U.A. High School.