Morning sunlight lit the quiet office of Nezu inside U.A. High School.
Most people would assume the principal was reviewing paperwork.
He wasn't.
His screen glowed with something far more disturbing.
A classified archive.
PROJECT CALDEN
Nezu's eyes narrowed slightly as he bypassed another encrypted lock.
"…Now let's see what you were hiding."
The folder opened.
Inside were several files.
Documents. Experiment logs. Research notes.
But one tab caught his attention immediately.
Images
Nezu clicked it.
The first photo appeared.
Photo One
A sterile laboratory room.
Cold white lights.
Metal tables.
Wires running everywhere.
In the center of the room sat a small containment pod made of reinforced glass.
Inside was a child.
The image was blurry, clearly taken during testing.
Tubes were attached to the child's arms.
Medical monitors surrounded him.
Across the glass container were large warning labels.
QUIRK INTERACTION TEST — PHASE 3
Nezu leaned closer.
"…Multiple quirk integration…"
Photo Two
This one was worse.
Much worse.
The lab looked damaged.
Tables overturned.
Equipment scattered across the floor.
A hole had been burned straight through a metal wall.
Charred marks covered the ceiling.
In the middle of the chaos, scientists in protective suits surrounded the containment pod.
Inside the pod…
Flames flickered around the child.
Not small flames.
Wild ones.
Uncontrolled.
The photo caption read:
SUBJECT ENERGY SPIKE — UNEXPECTED
Nezu's smile was gone now.
Photo Three
Nezu hesitated before opening the next file.
The picture loaded slowly.
And when it finished…
Even he went quiet.
The laboratory was almost destroyed.
Walls cracked.
Ceiling panels collapsed.
Emergency lights flashing red.
Several scientists lay on the floor.
Not dead.
But unmoving.
Frozen.
As if their bodies had suddenly stopped responding.
In the center of the room stood the containment pod again.
But the glass had shattered.
And the child inside…
Was gone.
The caption below the image read:
INCIDENT REPORT — SUBJECT RESPONSE EVENT
Nezu read the final line carefully.
"Subject displayed simultaneous quirk activation."
Below that were three partially visible words before the file ended.
Combustion
Neural Influence
Hemoglobin Response
Nezu slowly leaned back in his chair.
"…Three quirks."
The mouse cursor hovered over one final file.
But before he opened it, his phone buzzed.
A message from Shota Aizawa.
Training session starting. Testing Ren.
Nezu looked once more at the photo of the destroyed laboratory.
Then quietly closed the file.
"…Yes," he murmured.
"Testing would be wise."
Meanwhile — Training Field
Outside at the U.A. training grounds, students from Class 1-A gathered near the mock city.
Ren stretched his arms while Kaito, Kirishima, and Denki argued about who would win the next exercise.
Then Aizawa spoke.
"Calden."
Ren looked up.
"…Yeah?"
Aizawa gestured toward the center of the training field.
"Step forward."
The other students grew quiet.
Ren walked into the open space.
Aizawa's tired eyes studied him carefully.
"Show me your quirks."
Ren scratched the back of his head.
"…Both?"
"Both."
Ren took a breath.
A small flame ignited in his palm.
The familiar orange glow danced across his fingers.
Some students murmured.
Then Ren pulled a small needle from his training kit.
He pricked his finger.
A tiny drop of blood formed.
Kirishima shifted nervously.
"…Uh. Is that normal training?"
Ren flicked the drop of blood toward a metal practice dummy.
The moment the blood touched it, the dummy's moving joints froze completely.
Locked in place.
Aizawa watched carefully.
"Duration?"
Ren shrugged.
"Usually… three minutes maybe? Five if I really focus."
Aizawa nodded slowly.
Still unaware of the photos Nezu had just seen.
Still unaware that Ren might have a third quirk.
But something about the boy made Aizawa uneasy.
Not dangerous.
Just…
Unknown.
Ren wiped his finger and smiled casually.
"…So, did I pass the test?"
Aizawa stared at him for another second.
"…We'll see."