Chapter Text
According to the butterfly effect, the smallest action can lead to the most catastrophic of consequences. There is certainly merit to this idea, but often the more you narrow the definition of “smallest action,” the more it seems that these individual changes don’t have much of an effect on the world. So perhaps the flap of a butterfly's wings may not be enough to cause a hurricane. But combined with the slightest increase of water as an iceberg collapses into the sea, and the wind blowing off of a mountain at just the right angle and temperature, perhaps that is enough. Or perhaps it’s not.
Either way, three simple small changes were all it took to drastically alter how the attack on the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ) by the previously unknown League of Villains ended.
One, it started with a car crash. There were no fatalities in this car crash, and All Might was even there to assist the victims! And of course with time everyone involved made a full recovery. But in the moment, early that morning, a man whose name is ultimately unimportant received a call that his wife was in the hospital in critical condition. He informed Principal Nedzu of UA Highschool that a family emergency had come up and he wouldn’t be able to drive the bus holding class 1-A to the USJ that day, nor would he likely be able to go and drive them back afterwards. A tad inconvenient, but that was hardly worth mentioning when the man’s wife was in the hospital, and besides, Eraser should be able to drive a bus just fine.
All it meant was that All Might didn’t have any time left, and thus never left for the USJ after being lectured by Nedzu on the proper way to balance being an educator with hero work.
All it meant, was that no one outside the USJ had any reason to go and check on anyone there.
Two, Iida Tenya never managed to escape and run for help. Instead, one of his legs fell into a portal of purple mist that closed instantly, severing flesh and bone and metal and sending the child sprawling across the floor screaming in pain and terror as his horrified classmates and injured teacher watched on.
All it meant was that the students of 1-A who hadn’t been scattered by Kurogiri were frozen in overwhelming terror and desperation.
All it meant was that Iida could only sob as he slowly bled out.
All it meant was that no outside help was coming.
Three, Hagakure Toru got just a bit closer to Todoroki Shouto, and found herself frozen head to toe in ice. Todoroki never even noticed.
All it meant was that Hagakure, the one student who had a chance at hiding long enough to escape, suffered horrible frostbite before dying of hypothermia.
And just like that, with no means of escape and no help on the way, the death of every teacher and student in that building was sealed.