Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, sending sharp needles of pain straight through her temples. Aissa squeezed her eyes shut, her long, furry grey ears pinning flat against her grey-blond hair. She clutched her head, her sharp claws digging into her scalp as she tried to block out the overwhelming noise of the school. "Keep moving," a tired voice grunted ahead of her. Shota Aizawa slouched forward, his yellow sleeping bag slung over one shoulder like a dead weight. He didn't look back, but his heavy footsteps echoed clearly in the empty corridor, a steady rhythm that did nothing to soothe her frayed nerves. "Everything is too loud," Aissa muttered, her voice a low, gravelly rasp. Her throat felt dry, parched from the anxiety clawing at her chest. Behind her, her long grey-blond tail thrashed, brushing against the polished linoleum floor. "You'll have to get used to it," Aizawa replied, his tone flat. "U.A. isn't a quiet alleyway. It's a circus. If you want to stay out of the juvenile detention center, you learn to adapt." Hearing his blunt words made her jaw clench. Aissa adjusted the oversized U.A. uniform, the fabric feeling stiff and unnatural against her light brown skin. Her hair, reaching all the way down to her ankles, swayed with every step, a heavy weight she had to carry. Memories of the dark alleyway where Aizawa had found her flashed in her mind. She had been starving, a runaway from a villain rehabilitation facility, surviving on scraps. Her life had always been a battleground, caught between the human world that feared her beast-like traits and the wild werewolf packs that despised her weak, human-like mind-control quirk. Now, she was supposed to be a student. Suddenly, a wave of voices hit her. Dozens of thoughts, loud and chaotic, began to leak into her brain. Her mind-reading quirk was always active, a constant, unwanted radio station playing in her skull. "I wonder what's for lunch... Did I lock my door? I need to train harder today..." Sweat beaded on her forehead. Aissa pressed the heels of her hands against her temples, trying to construct a mental wall. The sheer volume of human thoughts felt like a physical hammer striking her brain. "Stop thinking so loud," she whimpered, her canine teeth bared in a silent snarl. Her wolf nose twitched, catching the scents of copper, sweat, and cheap cologne wafting from the classrooms they passed. Aizawa stopped abruptly in front of a giant door labeled '1-A'. "This is your class," he said, turning his bloodshot eyes toward her. "They don't know your history. They only know you're a transfer student under my personal supervision. Keep your head down, control your quirks, and don't make me regret this." "And if I lose control?" she whispered, her grey eyes searching his tired face. "Then I erase your quirk and throw you to the police," Aizawa said without a hint of hesitation. "Simple as that." Taking a deep, trembling breath, Aissa nodded. She tried to steady her breathing, but her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Aizawa slid the door open with a sharp clack. Instantly, the chatter inside died down. Twenty pairs of eyes locked onto her. Aissa froze on the threshold, her tail curling tightly around her leg in a defensive reflex. "Sit down, everyone," Aizawa commanded, stepping up to the podium. "We have a new student joining us today. Her name is Aissa Lycan. Treat her like any other classmate." Whispers erupted immediately, buzzing through the room like angry hornets. "Whoa, look at her hair!" a boy with bright red, spiky hair exclaimed, leaning forward. "It goes all the way to her feet! And are those real wolf ears?" "She has a tail too," a girl with pink skin whispered, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Is she a mutant-type? Or is it something else?" Green eyes stared at her from the middle row. Izuku Midoriya had already whipped out a battered notebook, his pen hovering over the page as he mumbled under his breath, analyzing her physical traits. "Her physical mutation suggests a beast-type quirk, but there's a strange pressure in the air... is it telekinesis? Or maybe mind-control?" Midoriya's thoughts bled into Aissa's head, loud and rapid. Aissa winced, clutching her forehead as a sharp spike of pain shot through her skull. "Quiet," she muttered under her breath, though no one could hear her. "Go sit at the empty desk in the back," Aizawa instructed, gesturing toward a seat near the window. Walking down the aisle felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of fire. Every student watched her. She could feel their gazes lingering on her tail, her ears, and the way she walked with a slight, predatory crouch. "Hey," a gruff voice spat as she passed. Looking down, Aissa met the fierce glare of a blonde boy with explosive hair. He sat with his legs propped up on his desk, his red eyes narrowed in deep suspicion. "She smells like the streets," Katsuki Bakugo's mind screamed, his thoughts violent and jagged. "Like soot, cheap trash, and blood. She's no hero." Hearing his internal monologue made Aissa's blood run cold. She stumbled, her foot catching on the edge of a desk. Desperately, she reached out with her mind. A nearby pencil holder floated into the air, hovering for a split second before she slammed it back down with her mind, stabilizing herself. "Did you see that?" a boy with black hair and elbows shaped like tape dispensers whispered. "She didn't even touch it." Bakugo's glare intensified. He lowered his feet from the desk, his jaw clenching as he stared her down. "Watch where you're going, extra," he growled aloud. Ignoring him, Aissa hurried to her desk and sank into the chair. She pulled her long hair over her shoulder, wrapping it around herself like a protective shield. A class representative with engines in his calves stood up, chopping his arms frantically. "Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa! Is it proper to allow a transfer student to skip the official entrance exams? U.A.'s prestige must be upheld!" Tenya, sit down," Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples. "The administration approved her transfer. That's all you need to know." Beside her, a boy with half-white, half-red hair watched her with a cold, analytical gaze. Shoto Todoroki didn't speak, but his mind was a quiet, frozen lake. "Another student with a forced pedigree?" Todoroki's silent thought drifted past her mental barrier. "Or is she just another weapon?" Shivering from the coldness of his thoughts, Aissa pulled her knees to her chest, her tail wrapping around her ankles. She wanted to disappear. "Now," Aizawa said, his voice cutting through the tension. "Change into your gym uniforms. We're heading to the training grounds." --- Locker rooms were always a nightmare for someone who hated being perceived. Aissa stood in the corner of the girls' changing room, her back turned to everyone else. She carefully slipped out of her uniform, exposing the light brown skin of her back, marked with faint scars from her time on the streets. "Need some help with that?" a cheerful voice asked. Turning slightly, Aissa saw the pink-skinned girl, Mina Ashido, bouncing over with a wide grin. "I'm Mina! Your hair is so pretty, but how do you keep it from getting tangled during a fight?" "I... I manage," Aissa whispered, her ears twitching backward. She pulled the blue and white gym uniform over her shoulders, her tail slipping through the custom hole she had cut in the back. "Don't worry about Bakugo," a brunette girl with round cheeks said, walking up to them. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka! Bakugo is just always angry. He treats everyone like that." "She seems nice, but I hope she's not dangerous," Ochaco's mind whispered softly, a gentle hum compared to Bakugo's roaring thoughts. "Thanks," Aissa muttered, offering a small, strained smile. She quickly tied her long grey-blond hair into a massive, heavy braid to keep it out of the way. Soon, they were all walking out onto the vast, dusty training field. --- Cool air brushed against Aissa's bare arms as she stood on the dirt field of Gym Gamma. Adjusting the collar of her U.A. gym uniform, she tried to ignore the stares. This blue and white fabric clung tightly to her, and she could feel the weight of twenty students watching her every move. "Today, we're doing basic quirk application," Aizawa announced, standing before the class with his hands buried in his pockets. "Since we have a new student, we'll start with a demonstration." "A demonstration?" Midoriya asked, adjusting his gloves. "Does that mean a mock battle, Mr. Aizawa?" "Exactly," Aizawa said, his eyes scanning the crowd before landing squarely on Aissa. "Lycan. Step forward." Her heart did a violent flip. She stepped onto the dirt, her bare feet digging into the cold ground, her tail twitching nervously behind her. "You'll be facing one of your classmates," Aizawa continued. "This is to gauge your current control and see how you match up against U.A.'s standards." "I'll do it," Bakugo barked, stepping out of the line before anyone else could speak. Tiny explosions popped in his palms, sending small puffs of grey smoke into the air. He grinned, a dark, predatory smirk that made Aissa's instincts scream in warning. "I want to see what this stray dog can do," Bakugo sneered, his red eyes locking onto hers. "I'm going to blast her to pieces," his mind roared, the thought so loud and chaotic it hit Aissa like a physical punch. She gasped, clutching her temple as a fresh wave of agony washed over her. "Are you alright, Lycan?" Aizawa asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He knew about her headaches, but he wasn't going to coddle her in front of the others. "I'm fine," she gritted out through clenched teeth. She forced her hands down to side, her claws digging into her palms until she felt the sharp sting of pain. "Good," Aizawa said. "The rules are simple. No lethal force. First to immobilize the other wins. Begin." Without a second's hesitation, Bakugo launched himself forward. Explosions roared from his palms, propelling him through the air like a rocket. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, his right hand pulled back, ready to strike. "Die!" he yelled, unleashing a blinding flash of light and heat. Panic seized Aissa. Her werewolf instincts took over, and she threw herself to the side, rolling across the dirt just as the explosion scorched the earth where she had been standing. Coughing from the smoke, she scrambled to her feet. Her grey eyes flared, and she focused her mind on a large boulder sitting near the edge of the field. "Get up!" Bakugo roared, spinning around in mid-air to launch another blast. With a sharp flick of her wrist, Aissa lifted the heavy boulder into the air. She hurled it directly at him, using her telekinesis to drive it forward with terrifying speed. "Too slow!" Bakugo screamed. Bringing both hands together, he unleashed a massive explosion that shattered the boulder into a hundred tiny fragments. Dust and debris rained down on the field, obscuring everyone's vision. Aissa strained her ears, listening to the rushing wind. Her werewolf senses picked up the faint sound of boots scraping against dirt behind her. Turning sharply, she caught sight of Bakugo lunging through the dust cloud, his hand outstretched to grab her face. Instinctively, she reached into his mind. "No, don't!" her inner voice screamed, warning her of the pain. But it was too late. She breached his mental defenses, seeking to paralyze his movements. Immediately, her brain was flooded with a blinding, white-hot rush of pure fury, memories of burning playgrounds, and a desperate, suffocating need to win. "Ah!" Aissa shrieked, dropping to her knees. Psychic backlash ripped through her mind. It felt as if a branding iron had been pushed directly into her cerebral cortex. Blood began to trickle from her left nostril, staining her light brown skin. "What the hell are you doing?" Bakugo yelled, freezing mid-stride as a strange, invisible force gripped his limbs, halting his movement. "My body... I can't move!" "Get... out..." Aissa gasped, her vision blurring as the headache reached an agonizing crescendo. In her state of sheer panic and pain, her telekinesis flared out of control. Rocks, dirt, and heavy training equipment began to lift into the air all around the gym, swirling in a chaotic, gravity-defying storm. Ground beneath them groaned and cracked under the intense pressure. "Hey! Stop this!" Bakugo roared, struggling against the mental bind, his eyes widening as a massive metal beam lifted above his head, pointing straight down at him like a spear. "Lycan, stand down!" Aizawa's voice boomed, his hair floating upward as his eyes glowed a menacing red. Pain racked her body, her mind trapped in a terrifying loop of Bakugo's chaotic thoughts and her own traumatic memories of the villain rehab facility. Suddenly, her mind snapped to a hidden memory buried deep within Bakugo's mind—something he had never told anyone, a dark fragment of a conversation about a quirkless boy and a rooftop. "You..." Aissa whispered, her grey wolf eyes locking onto his wide, terrified gaze as the massive metal beam began to fall.

Chapter 2: Dangerous Minds