"Stain changed, that's what happened," Shigeo said.
The five teenagers and the other pro hero felt their legs be pinned to the ground, the bafflement of Stain's sudden change still affecting them all, but they decided to star moving and slowly paced behind Hawks and Stain. As soon as they did though, Midoriya started limping. Shigeo noticed the cut on his leg from the Hero Killer.
"Here, let me help you there." The esper lifted his finger to float his friend into the air.
"Thanks," Midoriya said with a voice not much louder than a whisper. As they were walking, none of them were really sure what to say to one another, how any normal conversation could take place now. After several more seconds of silence, Midoriya decided to talk about something more random and trivial.
"I didn't know you and Hawks were coming too, Tokoyami," said Izuku, "Actually, it wouldn't really make sense for Kageyama to just come here all by himself."
"Yes, we were all coming here to Hosu City to try and help Iida," he replied, "When Kageyama heard about the Hero Killer and where he'd look for his next target, he immediately pieced together that you would go after him yourself, Iida. You should've seen how worried he was."
The spectacled teenager gave a glance toward his psychic friend and felt his heart squeeze. "And then when Hawks called Manual's office and heard of creatures attacking the city that sounded like Nomu, he burst ahead with tremendous speed."
"Hawks' agency must be more than a thousand kilometers away," Todoroki said, "How long did it take you to get here?"
"A little less than two minutes."
Another round of shock spread through the group, one of many they had all experienced that night. "You were able to get here in less than two minutes?" Native interjected.
"Yea, but you saw how it drained my energy and left myself open to attack," Shigeo replied with a sour tone in his voice.
After this short conversation, they all made it to the clearing of the alleyway.
"What're you doing here, boy?" Everyone turned their heads to find a short, elderly man approaching from another narrow alleyway. The green-haired student was just about to start explaining things, but with impressive speed, the man blitzed forward and kicked Midoriya in the face. "I thought I told you to stay on the bullet train!"
"You're Gran Torino, correct," Shigeo said, assuming this based on this man's old age and the fact that he kicked his friend in the face.
"Yep, this is him. I don't get it, how did you know where to find us?"
"I was told to come here by someone else." Gran Torino took a look at the man bound in ropes, as well as the other injured teenagers and the injured hero. "I'm not sure what's going on here, though I'm glad that you're not dead at least."
"Me too, and I'm sorry," the teenager replied with his head lowering in respect and shame.
The elderly hero scoffed to himself, thinking of how much this side of Midoriya reminded him of All Might, before directing his attention to the esper. He was surprised that this child knew about him, considering he wasn't a well-known hero and had very little publicity. But before he could ask this child how he knew the hero, several more heroes came sprinting down the street.
"Endeavor told us there was a request for help here, but..."
"Those injuries look bad." One of the heroes looked to the right and noticed the Hero Killer tied up, with the number three hero beside him. "Hawks? You're here in Hosu City, and you caught the Hero Killer."
"Well..." The winged hero rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to explain what had really happened. Stain had completely ignored the arrival of these heroes. After having said everything he'd needed to say, he was now wallowing in total shame and guilt while thinking of the kind of person he could've become if he'd followed a path in life like Mob had done.
"I'll get the police on the line," one of the other heroes said.
"Don't bother. They're already on their way, along with an ambulance for the injured," replied Hawks. Seeing that the number three hero had things taken care of, the heroes who'd arrived just stood there in silence, waiting for the police like everyone else was. While this was happening, Shigeo asked his friend if he could still walk with his injury and if he wanted to be put back down on the ground. Izuku agreed and stood on both his two feet. It seemed as though things were finally starting to calm down, that the hectic night was finally over. But then...
Coming down from the sky in an erratic pattern, the flying Nomu that had been part of the League of Villain was rapidly approaching the heroes.
"Get down!" Gran Torino warned, trying to ensure that the other heroes not get attacked. However, that warning was relatively pointless, because the bowl-haired teenager quickly reacted and proceeded to paralyze the Nomu with his psychic powers. Hawks, nimble as he was, leapt into action, using the little strength and stamina he had left to fly up and finish off the Nomu. He hovered just above the winged monster and slammed it down to the ground as hard as he could. As he did, he took out two of his feather blades like he did when preparing to fight Stain and stabbed both of them down into the Nomu's brain.
Many of the spectating heroes were in awe at the way that he'd taken this abomination down so easily when they'd barely held their own against it. This was no news to Shigeo or Fumikage, who had both seen Hawks' abilities for themselves and knew that the speed he displayed was nowhere near his top speed. The hero quickly stumbled and took a moment to regain his footing, looking down at the dead creature with a neutral, if not slightly dim expression.
"My body's still exhausted," said Hawks, looking up at the psychic intern, "Mob, if you hadn't used your quirk to stop this guy, I probably wouldn't have been fast enough to react to it. Good job."
The esper simply nodded his head as a thanks, feeling slightly unnerved by the way Hawks took out the creature, though rationalizing that the Nomu weren't real people: they were just dolls, artificial monstrosities.
"Why're you all standing there like fools?" Coming in from another alleyway after a short yet intense battle with the black Nomu, Endeavor was following the trail of the flying Nomu and ready to finish it off. "The villain must have-"
The number two hero's sentence faltered when he saw the hero directly below him in rank standing on top of the deceased winged Nomu. "Hawks. What're you doing here in Hosu City?"
"Yo, Endeavor," Hawks replied with a much more relaxed and casual tone of voice, "I was just coming to this city to catch the Hero Killer. Check it." The number three hero pointed to his left, and Endeavor gasped. A man was bound in ropes standing alongside the heroes he'd sent to this location and several familiar faces, one of whom was Kageyama.
"Is that really him?" The flaming hero growled to himself and felt the vein in his forehead throb. So Hawks had beat him to the punch and apprehended the Hero Killer himself.
Suddenly, all the people in the area heard the sounds of sirens rapidly approaching. Endeavor saw several police cars and an ambulance coming in from behind him and jumped out of the way to let them move. The police cars then stopped in front of the group of heroes, while some of the others stopped in front of the deceased Nomu, while the ambulance rested in the middle of these police cars. The police officers rapidly got themselves out of the car while the paramedics opened the back of the ambulance.
"It's the Hero Killer!" a police officer said, "Which one of you made the call?"
"It was my intern, Tokoyami." The blonde hero paced over to the police officers while pointing to the avian student. "I'll fill you in on what happened.
"All you guys, get in the ambulance. Tokoyami, you can go with them. I need to go to the police station and tell them everything. Once I'm done with that, I'll come get you."
"Understood." The injured group made their way into the ambulance, with the paramedics helping them into the back, while the police officers guided the silent and lifeless Hero Killer into one of the cars. When everyone got into the ambulance, some of the paramedics started to treat the blood wounds. But as they were doing this, the spectacled teenager began to feel the grief and guilt of his actions rapidly manifest itself, and he could hold it in. He looked to his friends who had fought alongside them and respectfully bowed his head.
"You guys. You were all hurt because of me. I'm truly sorry." The tears began to pool in the teenager's eyes, while his voice started to shake. "I was just so angry, I couldn't... see anything else."
The green-haired teenager's expression softened, while the esper's head bowed down. "I'm sorry too, Iida," replied Midoriya, "Just like Kageyama said before, you had to deal with all this anger by yourself, and I couldn't even tell it was bothering you, even though I'm your friend."
The tears flowed down the teenager's cheeks and dripped onto the ground, the sadness and despair intensifying.
"Come on. Pull yourself together," said Todoroki, "You're the class rep."
"Right." The spectacled teenager wiped his eyes and tried to get a hold of his emotions. Sitting adjacent to him, the esper placed his arm around his friend as a means to console him, but the fatigue from using his powers excessively started to build up all at once, and he felt his body go limp. Iida's front body jerked back up to allow Shigeo's body to collapse on his lap.
"Kageyama. What's wrong?" Tokoyami said.
"Sorry," replied the esper with a low voice and droopy eyes, "It's just that if I use too much of my power, I get really sleepy, and I already pushed my power past its limit when fighting Stain. I think I'll just..." Shigeo droned off, and he slowly shut his eyes as he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness. Iida decided to let his friend rest on his lap, while Midoriya's lips curved upward. The battle with Stain that had seemed like it lasted for a lifetime had finally come to an end, and now Kageyama could rest.
The next day had come, and the four friends were all resting in their hospital beds in Hosu General Hospital. Tokoyami had stayed with them as he'd been told to, but Hawks eventually grabbed him and took him to a nearby hotel to spend the night there. All of their wounds had been treated, and each of the students were wrapped in bandages. The friends were now sitting next to each other, having all woken up. Actually, most of them had been wide awake for much of the night, their minds still racing and processing everything that had happened the night before, the only exception being Kageyama, who slept because of pure exhaustion.
"Did you sleep, Midoriya," said Todoroki.
"Not really."
"It figures. I couldn't get much sleep either."
The green-haired teenager craned his head up toward the ceiling, replaying the memory of the night before in his mind. "Thinking about that fight now, I still can't believe how it ended. To think that the Hero Killer was able to change so quickly, to have his entire mindset shifted like that, to give up after he was so determined to kill Iida and the other pro and abandon his mission."
"Yea..." muttered the dual quirk-wielding teenager. As the two teenagers spoke to one another, Shigeo and Tenya sat quietly, but the esper gazed over and saw his friend's eyes focused on the ground, his body lightly trembling.
While the others had tossed and turned in their beds due to the shock of last night's surprise surrender, Iida had stayed awake due to a growing feeling of anger. Even though his desire for vengeance against the Hero Killer had faded from his heart, his hatred against him did not. Because of that hatred, Iida had still not come to terms with Stain's apology or decision to surrender, but perhaps more importantly, he still felt tremendous anger for the way that Shigeo had spoken to Stain.
"I still don't understand, Kageyama." The other two friends turned their heads toward Iida, and took note of the rising anger, the features of fury being etched onto his face. The spectacled teenager looked at his psychic friend, who shifted back in unease. "Why did you try to reason with the Hero Killer at all? Why did you talk to him the way that you did?" Iida's hands clenched into fists, and his eyes sharpened with animosity.
"WHY would you actually offer him a hand of support, to a murderer like him?" Shigeo could see the fire burning deep in Iida's eyes. In response to this, the esper let out a soft sigh and averted his gaze from Iida.
"Because at that moment, I wasn't thinking of him as a murderer. Instead, I thought of him as a person who was trying to change society, who had an important message to convey, but who had no one to listen to that message.
The young esper sighed. "You have a right to hate Stain for what he did." Iida loosened his clenched fists, and his eyes began to simmer down. "He still killed people, and he still crippled Ingenium, an amazing person who you love and admire. Like he said, apologizing doesn't change that." Mob's eyes were now pointed in between his legs.
"I have a brother, too. If Stain did that to Ritsu..."
The esper imagined his brother lying on the ground in a pool of blood, then watching him hooked up to life support in a hospital bed. The image of this caused Shigeo's entire body to shake. "Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. If Stain hurt my little brother like that, I'd likely be just as angry with him as you are."
The spectacled teenager's eyes went back to normal, now actually looking on in concern. This reminded him of what Kageyama had said shortly after he'd arrived at the fight, something that seemed to have truly haunted his friend.
"Kageyama, I realized that you've never talked about your family with any of us before. Are they all ok? Are they all..." Iida hesitated to finish this next sentence, for he knew how unbelievably hard it must've been to ask.
"Are they all alive?"
"Oh." Kageyama momentarily struggled to answer that question, "Yea, my family's perfectly fine." Judging by his face, Iida felt as though this wasn't true, that something had indeed happened to his family that he wasn't telling them. Midoriya knew that explaining this would be complicated, but he likewise had no knowledge of the event Kageyama was talking about beforehand.
Todoroki curved his eyebrow up in confusion. "What kind of question is that? What brought that up?"
"You weren't there to listen to this part, but Kageyama spoke of his own moment with anger. He said how one time, he had found his house burned to the ground, and inside it... his family was burned along with it." The dual quirk-wielding teenager's eyes opened up, and he peered over at the psychic student. "He said that the fire building up inside him was so blistering hot that... he felt he was ready to cover the entire world with it."
Shoto gasped, while Shigeo lowered his head in shame and pain. His family had been burned alive? But Kageyama was claiming that they were all perfectly fine, so what really happened then? The teenager was about to inquire about this, find out what that was about, but before he could, the door to their room opened, and in came most of the heroes the students were interning with. The only one who wasn't here was Endeavor, who was still at the police station and giving the police more details about the Nomu that had attacked the city.
"Looks like you youngins are finally awake," said Gran Torino.
"Gran Torino."
"Hey-yo." Among the heroes entering the room was Hawks, who had decided to bring Tokoyami along since he'd been there to see Stain surrender and because he also wanted to see how his friends were doing.
"Hawks, Tokoyami..."
"Idiot!" The elderly teenager waved his cane at his intern, "I could yell at you for hours, but before I do, you have a visitor."
The last one to enter the room was a very tall man with a suit consisting of a dress shirt, waistcoat, and a black blazer, all of which seemed perfectly normal, but as it happened, this man had the head of a beagle, possessing a mutant-type quirk which gave him the appearance of a canine. "This is the Chief of Police, Kenji Tsuragamae."
All of the students immediately stood up in respect, but the police chief put his hand out. "Please, don't worry. You can remain seated. So you're the four who fought the Hero Killer.
"There's a lesson you should've already learned: when quirks became the norm, the police force sought to maintain the status quo. They decided that quirks wouldn't be used as weapons. That's when heroes came in: they could do what they couldn't if they had the proper licenses. It would be impossible for the police to condone the use of deadly quirks. After all, we're here to stop such harm from being done. The only reason heroes are able to use their quirks now is due to the strict code of ethics put in place. That's why it's against the law for uncertified individuals to use their quirks to cause injury. Whether you were up against the Hero Killer or not, none of you had the authority to harm the villain. This means that the four of you and your supervisors, Endeavor, Manual, Gran Torino, and Hawks, should receive proper punishment."
Shigeo, Izuku, and Tenya were all grasping the severity of their actions and began to feel gravely concerned for how it would affect the heroes they interned with, but Shoto was growing hostile at the way the police chief was completely ignoring the good they did by using their quirks. "Now wait a minute. If Iida hadn't stepped in, Native would've been murdered. And if not for Midoriya and Kageyama, both of them would've been killed. Are you saying that would've been preferable?"
"So you're saying it's ok to break the law as long as it goes your way? This is why you aren't licensed pros yet: it's obvious that Endeavor hasn't been teaching you near enough." The dual quirk-wielding teenager's entire body tensed up, and he bared his teeth at the police chief.
"You damn mutt!"
"Wait, listen he's right!" said Iida. But before Todoroki could make any rash actions, the elderly hero got in front of him and held his hand out.
"Stop there, kid. You'll wanna hear him out until the end."
"This is the official stance of the police department," the police chief continued, "But any punishment would only be applicable if this went public. However, we could say that Hawks saved the day and apprehended the Hero Killer singlehandedly, woof."
The canine's eyes wandered out into an empty space, contemplating his thoughts. "There are times that the truth is stranger than fiction, and this is one of those times. Even if the truth came out, I doubt many people would believe it, woof. I've heard the truth myself, and part of me still doesn't believe it."
The police chief's eyes now went to the esper. "Shigeo Kageyama. You're the one, correct? The one who changed the Hero Killer?"
The other two heroes, Gran Torino and Manual, were puzzled by the police chief's statement, for they hadn't been informed of all the details regarding Stain's arrest.
"Hold on. What d'you mean by "changed" the Hero Killer," Gran Torino asked.
"Hawks told me everything that happened, woof. As soon as he arrived, the Hero Killer immediately surrendered, even though Hawks was exhausted and could've been an easy target to be killed. He spoke about passing his mission to change society onto you, while also apologizing for hurting all of you, expressing sincere remorse for all his crimes and the people he killed, woof."
"Huh?" The other two heroes were completely floored by this revelation, both of them taking a step back and staring at Shigeo with gaping mouthes the same way everyone else had done when they saw Stain surrender and speak to Kageyama. "You can't be serious."
"Swear to god, old timer," said Hawks, "I saw it all happen in front of me. Stain just completely gave up." The number three hero took a step forward his psychic intern, his expression becoming more dramatic.
"Mob, I gotta know: what the hell did you do? Native said how Stain gave some sort of speech about two minutes before I got there, where he talked about reclaiming the word "hero" and that he'd fight however many heroes to do it. From what it sounded, this guy was gonna keep on fighting 'till his last breath. So how, HOW, were you able to get him to completely abandon his mission, to suck all the fighting spirit out of him, in the span of TWO MINUTES?"
The esper felt every pair of eyes in the room lock onto him, a nervous bead of sweat falling down his face. "...Stain was convinced that the only way to fix this society was by killing the people he thought were evil. I just showed him that there was a better way to improve society: by changing people. I helped him to see that people are able to change themselves: I showed him the ways that I had changed, the ways that I had changed others. And he chose to accept it. He chose to believe in a person's ability to become better, and it was through understanding this that Stain was able to change."
"But in just two minutes..." muttered Hawks.
"Indeed, this is quite an unimaginable, seemingly impossible feat, woof. Even if this was revealed, how would one go about explaining it? "A young boy talked to the villain and magically convinced him that killing heroes was wrong after one conversation." That sounds like something out of a fairy tale, woof. Even if we get a confession from Stain now, most people will likely be convinced that it's some sort of attempt by the police or Hero Public Safety Commission to ease panic or decrease his popularity, which has been steadily on the rise for the past week ever since..." The police chief did not want to finish the sentence and remind Iida of the injuries his brother had sustained.
"If video proof of his sudden change were shown, then that would change things, and if this went public, you'd probably be praised by astounded citizens for doing something so unbelievable while diminishing the influence the Hero Killer has begun to spread, even if you'd be reprimanded for using your quirks illegally. However, as I said before, the other option would be to say that Hawks saved the day and defeated the Hero Killer by himself. This would mean that no one would be aware of your actions and what you did that night, and you would receive no praise."
"It's a total crap move, I know," Hawks said while shaking his head and running his hand through his hair, "I don't deserve any credit for it, especially since all of you were able to fend off against the Hero Killer by yourselves. All of you, not just Mob, really pulled your weight out there last night."
"Personally I know where I stand," the police chief said, giving them all a thumbs up, "I don't want to damage any promising young careers."
After shaking his head to get over the shock of Stain's surrender, Manual's head drooped down while a comedic tear formed in his eye. "Either way, we'll need to take responsibility for being negligent supervisors."
Iida approached the hero and respectfully bowed. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you."
Manual lightly chopped the teenager's head. "Yea, you caused us a lot of trouble. Remember that, and don't do it again."
The other teenagers followed Iida's lead and bowed toward the heroes except for Tokoyami.
"I know it's not fair. None of you will receive the credit and praise you deserve." The police chief mimicked the teenager's own movements and bowed for all of them. "But allow me, as the Chief of Police, to thank you."
"You know, you could've started with that," said Todoroki while awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. Shigeo and Izuku both looked at the dual quirk-wielding friend with shaky smiles, relieved to know that despite having broken the law and going against the wishes of the heroes they were interning with, they were still being praised for their actions, for the way they'd stood tall and chosen to both defend others and the way that Shigeo had changed Stain. In the end, it looked like everything had worked well for them after all.
It was now the afternoon. Midoriya and Todoroki decided to head off to the cafeteria to get some food; Kageyama followed shortly after since the doctors wanted to treat the deep gash on his right arm from Stain's attack, while Iida was having tests performed on his arms due to the horrendous damage inflicted upon them by Stain. While Todoroki and Midoriya were walking, the fanboy told him to not inquire more about the incident Mob had spoken of because it was very hard for Mob to recount it, ensuring that Shigeo's secret not be leaked in any way.
The two friends were now sitting next to each other in an isolated table, while the esper was still waiting in line to get his food. But as he was waiting in line, Kageyama was greeted by someone cutting into the line, someone who he hadn't expected to see here.
The people waiting in line with Kageyama all took a step back, immediately recognizing the number two hero and feeling his strong presence.
"Endeavor?"
"Kageyama..." The number two hero felt somewhat awkward at that moment, unsure of how to go about things. After he'd finished informing the police of the Nomus he'd fought and telling the sidekicks of his agency of his venture to Hosu City, the number two hero decided to return to the hospital to visit his son before going back to his agency. However, before that, he noticed Shigeo standing in this line and decided to approach him first. "If it is alright with you, I would like to talk with you in private."
"Sure thing." The psychic saw no problem with the hero's proposition, for he still had many things he wanted to say to Endeavor. The flame hero nodded, and Mob decided to follow right behind him.
Mob's two friends noticed Endeavor and Shigeo walking together, and both of them exchanged confused looks with one another. "Where is my father going with Kageyama?" Todoroki said.
"I have no idea," replied Midoriya, "What could he possibly want with him?"
"I don't know..." Todoroki paused for a split-second before making a suggestion. "I want to follow them, see what my father has to say to Kageyama."
"Me too. Whatever Endeavor has to say to Kageyama, it must be important, and I feel it's something we need to hear about for ourselves." Midoriya was equally curious about this and didn't really think too much about privacy. Todoroki didn't mind his friend tagging along to listen in, so they got out of their seats and kept a good distance away from Endeavor and Shigeo while tailing them from behind.
While the number two hero was walking, he was having a small internal battle with himself. What was he doing? Why did it matter so much to him to talk to this child, to ask him the questions that were most prevalent in his mind, especially after the way that he had insulted Endeavor as a father? Though he didn't realize it himself, Endeavor had actually grown to respect this child not just for his power, but for having the stomach to so openly confront him and tell him the ways he was letting Shoto down. Eventually, the number two hero and the psychic teenager made their way into an isolated hallway with only a few doors and a single bench. Shoto and Izuku hid in the corner of this hallway; they also grabbed two nearby chairs to make themselves less suspicious.
The hero and the esper stood in front of one another, and Mob couldn't help feeling slightly put-off and intimidated by Endeavor's silence and general aura. "You said before at the Sports Festival that you wanted to resume our conversation, so that's what I brought you here for.
"But before we pick up where we left off, there is something that I must know, a question that has been bothering me this entire week: why did you surrender at the Sports Festival?" The esper's eyes widened slightly, not having expected this question to be brought up. He didn't understand just how much his decision stood contradictory to everything Endeavor knew and had worked for his entire life. "In the final match, you had the advantage over my son. Despite using both sides to their fullest, he was unable to get the edge over you, and your strength and speed far exceeded his. You could've blown him out of the ring easily, but you didn't, and I don't understand why. You could've taken the number one spot, proven to the entire world that you were the strongest, that you were undoubtedly the best student there."
""Being the number one, being the strongest, proving you're the best, surpassing everyone else." That's what I hear from everyone these days, as if that's the only way to show that you're worth something, that it's the only way for you to be proud of yourself. Is that the reason why you're doing this, training your son so hard and putting in all this effort to become the number one hero? Because you think that being the strongest is the only way for your life to have any meaning?"
The bowl-haired teenager placed his hand on his chest. "I don't need to be the number one hero to know who I am. I don't need to be the strongest to give my life meaning. Even when I was just living the life of a regular middle schooler, with no big dreams or ambitions, I was still happy with myself, and my life had meaning because I had my friends and family with me, the people around me to be there by my side and give me support. At U.A. High, I've been able to find new meaning and happiness in my life, and it hasn't been because of how amazing of a school it is or how great the hero course is: it's been because of my classmates who I've helped.
"Take your son, for instance. I was able to be there to help him through some of his internal conflict, and through that support, I can see the ways he's changed, how he's begun to open himself up to others. For me, knowing that I helped him to open his walls and understand the value of bonds, to enjoy the company of the people around you, that's given my life meaning.
"And then there's a new club I've formed, the Body Improvement Club, a club which your son also happens to be a part of. It's comprised of a lot of my classmates and a few students from other classes, and we're all working together. We're all pushing our bodies while being there to support one another and help us all improve ourselves." The esper smiled warmly, fondly remembering the past memories of the Body Improvement Club and the new memories of the Body Improvement Club. "Seeing the way the club is bringing us all closer together, looking at the smiles on their faces as we run and lift weights, it puts a smile on my own face. Helping others is what gives my life meaning, what should give all our lives meaning.
"Besides, being the strongest never helped with what mattered most to me, and it certainly hasn't helped with what should matter most to you." The hero's eyebrows lifted upward, with the eavesdropping teenagers doing the same. "Let's say that the day finally does come where you become the number one hero, and by some chance, you become even stronger than All Might. When that day comes, tell me: who's going to be there to celebrate your achievement?"
Endeavor's head jerked back while he let out a small gasp. "In your quest to become the number one hero, you've given up everything else. You've put the rest of your family aside, ignored all of their wants and their needs, and put your youngest son through terrible training without thinking about what he wants with his life. You've made it so that when the time comes that you'll need them by your side, and you WILL need them one day, they won't be there. You might not have realized this, but right now, you're alone."
The esper's head went down slightly, recalling his own moments of solitude in his life. "Being alone is a really sad, painful feeling, one that I'm all-too-familiar with." The atmosphere around them quickly became sour, but Mob quickly brought the energy back up and tried to end this conversation on a more positive note, looking back up at Endeavor with a brighter expression.
"But I still think there's something you can do: all these years, you've had this undying determination to be the number one hero by being the strongest hero you can possibly be. If you can put the same amount of effort and determination you do in being a good hero and transfer that into being a good father, then I'm sure you'll be able to do great things for your family. Who knows: with enough time, you might even take the title of number one father. That's my advice, at least, and hopefully you'll take it."
Having said everything he needed to say, Kageyama decided to walk through the hallway, the opposite end from where he'd come from, but not before giving Endeavor one final smile and a positive comment. "I'm glad we had the chance to talk again."
With that, the esper left the number two hero to stew on everything that'd been discussed. As Endeavor watched Shigeo walk away, he felt too hard-hit by everything that had just been thrown at him and sat down on the single bench in the hallway. Midoriya and Todoroki, on the other hand, knew they had to make it back to the lunch table before Kageyama noticed they were missing, so they went as fast as they could. Thankfully, they both made it to the tables before Kageyama could notice them. The esper got back into the lunch line, which had shortened significantly, allowing him to get his lunch tray and sit at his friends' table. As he sat down with his two friends, he immediately noticed a different expression on Todoroki's face.
"Todoroki, what is it?" Mob asked.
"You know, Kageyama, I realized that I've never formally apologized to you for the way I treated you before, or properly thanked you for being there to help me." The teenager let out a soft sigh of shame and momentarily averted his eyes away from Shigeo.
"I really am sorry for the way I acted towards you, the way I kept on refusing your attempts to form a friendship with me. I was just too focused on rejecting that bastard for me to accept your kindness." Then, Shoto's lips curved upward again, something which was especially rare for him, while his eyes began to glow with an even rarer luminescence.
"And thank you, truly, for choosing to speak to me and be there by my side in spite of the way I challenged you and treated you so coldly. You too, Midoriya." The green-haired teenager lightly gasped when Shoto looked at him with those same compassionate eyes. "You also helped open my eyes to important truths, about who I could become and how using my left side didn't mean following my father's path. Both of you... really helped me become better, and I owe you both a great debt."
Shigeo and Izuku exchanged some nominally shocked looks before their faces split into wide smiles as well. The bonds of friendship that held these three together had only deepened, and Shigeo's compassion is what deepened it. Working together, they would continue to support one another and become better heroes.
The three friends had a good, hearty meal with one another which was more enjoyable and lively thanks to Todoroki's momentarily brightened mood, and they all returned to their hospital beds. When they entered the room, they found Iida sitting alone in his bed, with a neutral expression across his face..
"Hey Iida, how'd everything go with the doctors?" Mob asked.
"I got the test results back from the doctors."
"And...?" Midoriya inquired.
"My left hand... may have damage that's permanent." The pupils in all the teenager's eyes dilated, and they all took in sharp gasps.
"Permanent?" said Mob.
Iida gave a more in-depth explanation of his injuries. "Both my arms were pretty torn up, but the damage to my left arm was especially severe. The damage was to my brachial plexus, which means I'll have trouble moving my fingers, and my hands might feel some numbness. Apparently, there's a chance it can be healed with nerve transplant surgery."
The teenager looked down upon his injuries, reflecting on the actions he'd taken the night before. "When I came across the Hero Killer, I stopped thinking rationally. The first thing I should've done was call Manual, but I got lost in my own anger."
Stain's words echoed in his mind. "I hate him so much, but I can't deny he spoke the truth, which is why until I'm able to call myself a real hero, I'll leave my left hand as it is.
"Are you sure?" asked Todoroki. Similarly, both Mob and Izuku were feeling some great doubt over Iida's decision. Both of them felt like they took some responsibility for how things turned out: if they'd been there for him to help him through those emotions, things wouldn't have turned out like this. But they ignored those self-pitying doubts: this was Iida's decision, not theirs. Besides, this damage wasn't permanent, so they both knew that one day, he would be back to normal.
"I feel the same way." Midoriya looked down at his own scarred hand, since it was a reminder for him as well, and held it out in the form of a fist. "Let's get stronger, together." The two acknowledged the resolve in each of their eyes and nodded in agreement. While this was happening, Todoroki's face began to pour with sweat, coming to a rather bizarre conclusion based on what had happened.
"I feel... kind of bad," he said while staring at his hand the same way Iida had a moment ago, "Every time I'm involved, someone's hand gets all messed up. Is something wrong with me? Am I cursed?"
Tenya and Izuku both widened their eyes before breaking out in laughter. Shigeo, on the other hand, due to his rather emotionless nature and his inability to properly laugh, didn't partake in this boisterous howling and tried to take Shoto's suggestion more seriously. "My hand isn't messed up, and you've interacted with me a lot before."
While this might have killed the mood for Izuku and Tenya, Shoto's serious nature found the esper's reaction to be more appropriate and supportive. "Yea, I guess you've got a point there."
Izuku and Tenya looked at one another and let out comedic sighs. Sometimes, those two were too dense for their own good.
The number two hero was left in a very emotionally traumatized and deeply affected state from what Shigeo had said to him. After sitting on the bench for about ten to fifteen minutes, Endeavor decided to find his son and say farewell before going back to his agency. The entire drive back, Endeavor had barely said a word, and upon arriving at his hero agency, all of his sidekicks could tell that something was off about him, the fierce and determined look in his eyes completely absent and the flames that usually surrounded him as a means of power and intimidation having been snuffed out.
The hero was now sitting in his office by himself, staring emptily at the ceiling while he continued to digest everything that Shigeo had said. Endeavor's whole life had revolved around becoming stronger, increasing the power of his quirk and doing as much as he could to ensure that he take the number one spot away from All Might. He believed that this was what separated the worthy from the worthless, the thing that would undeniably prove his strength to the world, the thing that every person would strive to achieve but fail at achieving. He wanted to take that number one spot to prove himself...
But Shigeo Kageyama had no such dream, no such desire to prove himself. Even though he had an unbelievably powerful quirk that already put him on All Might's level at such a young age, the idea of taking the number one spot had never occurred to him. If Endeavor had such an amazingly powerful quirk, he would've done whatever he could to increase that power, to make sure that it stood far above every other hero in the world. For Kageyama, what he instead tried to focus on was interacting with the people around him, being there to support those people when they needed him and create fond memories with them. He'd already done that with several of his classmates and been there to help his son with problems Endeavor never even knew he had. Not only that, but Shigeo acted as if Shoto's happiness were his own happiness, an idea that had never once crossed the hero's mind.
Endeavor's teeth mashed together, and shot forward from his inclined position, slamming his desk hard enough to fracture it into several pieces. Did that mean everything Endeavor had ever done to become the number one hero was wrong? That couldn't be true: he'd learned how to become an efficient and diligent hero, having saved thousands upon thousands of lives over the many decades he worked as a hero. He had the record for most resolved criminal cases in history, far exceeding that of All Might. He'd done so much for the country on his quest to become the number one hero! That counted for something!
Alas, the number two hero could not escape the fact that he had almost never bothered to learn anything about his family or support them in any way. For so many years, he'd devoted himself solely to training Shoto, honing him into a hero that could surpass All Might, and had not paid attention to his development as a person in the slightest. Hell, Kageyama had been there for Shoto more than Endeavor had. Not only that, but he'd put Rei in a mental hospital, where she'd stayed for ten years, and the hero had completely blocked her from his mind, too focused on his mission to think of her. But... but it was all done for the sake of his goal! They were all necessary sacrifices to ensure he become the number one hero! That was all that mattered... right?
Endeavor clasped his head with both of his hands, aggressively running them through his hair. These questions were changing his views everything he'd focused his life on, uprooting all the ideals and principles he'd worked towards, and the hero had no answers to any of these questions! He didn't know what to do with these building emotions, how to deal with this rising confusion! There had to be someone here, someone who he could talk to in order to help him through this!
And that was when it hit him, the truth that he'd ignored for so many years, the reality that Kageyama had spelled out for him: he had no one. There was not a single person he'd ever actually talked with on a deeper level, no one who he could count on to express his inner thoughts and feelings towards, who he himself knew on a deeper level. He'd been so driven by his goal, he'd never thought of anything else.
The gravity of this truth sent a very deep, freezing chill throughout his entire body that his maximum firepower could never hope to heat. The pain of this loneliness was just as terrible as Shigeo described it to be, creating a dark, empty pit in his soul. The number two hero slumped back into his chair and placed a hand over his eye, truly comprehending the heinousness of all his actions as his eyes were opened to the truth.
"What have I done..."
A lot happened in the days that followed. The Hero Killer's arrest in Hosu City only brought more attention to his name, especially since the number three hero himself had apparently been responsible for his detainment. Because of that, the video of Stain's victory and speech against Ingenium continued to grow in popularity. In fact, there had actually been a few recordings of Stain's speeches that had been posted online several years ago, with only a few thousand views. But eager fans of Stain had found those speeches, and within hours, those videos racked up millions of views. The websites tried to remove those videos, but no matter what, people kept on reposting them. Had Stain known his actions would've left such an impact on the world, he would've made more of an effort to ensure that the world knew of his changed nature and how he now rejected the ideology he'd based his life upon.
Meanwhile, at the Hosu City Hospital, Iida had been sent home to his family the same day the results of his tests had been given to him. The day after that, Shoto also decided to return to his father's agency, resolute in his decision to learn as much as he could from his father. However, the dual quirk-wielding teenager wondered what kind of an impact Shigeo's words had left on him. Shoto was sure that his father wouldn't completely change himself after that one conversation, but he still felt that it may have led him on a different direction at the very least.
When he returned to his father's agency at around 12:30 in the afternoon, he was greeted by one of his more energetic sidekicks, Burnin'. Befitting her name, she had long, flaming-green hair and a fiery personality with brimming enthusiasm.
"Hey Shoto, Endeavor wants to see you alone in his office," she said.
"He does? What for?"
"Dunno. It's funny, though: he's been acting really weird ever since he came back from Hosu. He actually broke his desk apart!" Todoroki's eyebrows perched up, and his mouth opened with mild astonishment. It's prolly because he didn't get the Hero Killer himself. Anyway, you better get to it. You know how much he hates having to wait!"
The teenager nodded and headed for his father's office at a faster, more brisk pace. Though Burnin suspected this new attitude to have stemmed from failing to apprehend Stain, Shoto knew that it had more than likely been Kageyama's words which had brought about this behavior. But what did it mean? How deeply had Kageyama's words affected his father? Surely they hadn't completely changed his attitude... right? That question seemed somewhat ridiculous to ask, considering how he'd seen a serial killer have a change of heart through a single interaction right before his eyes, but still, Shoto knew his father better than anyone else, as much as he hated to admit it. The bastard had a singular goal he'd spent his entire life chasing, and Shoto felt his father wouldn't suddenly abandon that goal now...
Shoto opened the door to his father's office, and found him sitting at his desk by himself, staring at it in an empty haze. Endeavor was snapped out of this haze by the sound of the door.
"Shoto. I've been waiting for you. Come, take a seat." The teenager slowly walked toward the desk, and as he did, he noticed some food sitting on both ends of the desk. When he got to his chair, he realized that it was cold Soba.
"Since I'm assuming you didn't have lunch on the way here, I thought we could eat together. This is your favorite food, is it not?" The teenager was amazed by the fact his father knew this, that he'd bothered to pay attention to this detail. After spending so many days training his son, teaching him everything he knew while eating alone with him, he'd picked up these little facts along the way.
Shoto silently and hesitantly took a seat at the desk, and the number two hero proceeded to dig in. The intern took his cue and took the chopsticks that were beside the bowl of Soba. As they were eating, the teenager never took his eyes off of his father. This was so bizarre: not only to bother having some one-on-one time together like this without any actual training, but the look in his eyes as well. The fierce, burning passion that had become his trademark look vanished; instead, his eyes were softer, like the flame of a hearth. Never, in his life, had Shoto ever seen his father with such eyes. Endeavor broke the silence, but when he spoke, his tone was laced with a softness and tranquility that his son had also never seen from him before.
"I want you to know how proud I am of you, son, of how much you've grown and developed," he said, "Because of that, I swear I'll become someone you can be proud of too, as the man you call "father"."
The teenager's eyes bulged to tremendous sizes, and the shock of this was grand enough that he choked on the Soba he'd been eating. The veins in Shoto's eyes bulged from disbelief and the food stuck in his throat, and he rapidly began to pound his chest.
"Shoto, are you-" The hero reacted the way a normal father would and got up from his seat to try and help his son, but Shoto held his hand out to stop him. After a few more seconds of pounding and coughing, Shoto calmed himself down and got the food out of his throat. He couldn't believe it: Shigeo had done it again. Those eyes, that voice, the cadence of his words, they were all signs of a man who regretted what he did, who had reflected on his actions and realized the ways he had been wrong. There was no other way to describe it: his father had changed. Shigeo made him change.
Looks like another change of character! I assume there will be some people who're disappointed by the fact that Stain's surrender doesn't leave any significant impact to the outside world, but rest assured, his surrender will have larger implications for the future. Until Chapter 27!