Months had passed since the attack on UA, and the world only seemed to be getting worse.

It was difficult to say what aspect of the ongoing battle had traumatized the nation more. The death of Endeavor, which meant that Japan had lost yet another Number One Hero in less than a year. The death of All Might, who, though powerless and retired, had still been a beacon of hope for countless citizens and a reminder of when things were better. The destruction of UA, one of the nation's premier Hero schools, and the safe haven for scores of would-be Heroes. Or the fact that Shigaraki still had yet to be captured.

The League had continued to make its presence known to the world, but the successor to All For One had not stepped out to take a place under the light. Though most of the nation knew his name and all had seen the devastation wrought by hands that could seemingly do naught but destroy, he remained in the dark, only showing himself when the time came to take down another Pro, slowly eroding society's foundation one brick at a time.

It was wrong to assume he was in hiding, however. He wasn't keeping low because he was being cautious, or because he was concerned about over-extending himself. He did it because he thought it was fun.

The MLA had changed significantly since Shigaraki's take over, and in more ways than just its name. Before, though Destro's ideology had been extolled with religious zeal, though secret meetings had been held throughout the city, though they'd all been unified behind clandestine leaders who plotted behind the scenes for wide-spread national reform, everything had still felt… mostly normal.

People still worked soul-crushing nine-to-five jobs then went out to drink afterward. Teens still flirted and fought and ditched class to hang out in abandoned lots. Middle-aged women argued over bargain-bin prices. Children chased each other down the street, shouting and playing games.

They'd been a city of rebels, but they'd still been a city. A city full of ordinary people with ordinary problems, even if they had extraordinary dreams.

Now, however, with Shigaraki leading the PLF into battle, targeting Hero agencies or police headquarters in surprise guerilla-style raids, killing Pros, killing cops, killing random bystanders… the air that surrounded those who claimed to follow Destro's rule had shifted.

For most, this manifested in a sort of pathological terror. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to look closely enough that Shigaraki did not care about Destro's teachings. Though he would certainly bring about the destruction of society most believed necessary, he had no intention of building it back up again as anything 'better'.

Destruction was his end-goal, his reason for being, and anyone who disagreed or got in his way turned to dust.

This meant that, even if members of the PLF disagreed with him, most were too terrified to voice any level of dissent. Shigaraki alone was a terror to behold; he'd allegedly killed hundreds of MLA members before defeating Re-Destro and taking over, and that was before he'd received All For One's power. Now, he was a literal one-man army, and with villains like Gigantomachia and Dabi at his side, or Toga who could disguise herself as literally anybody, speaking out against him was tantamount to signing your own death warrant.

Not everyone was opposed to his takeover, however. Some PLF members embraced his new, more violent methods. There was no doubt he was getting results, after all, and a constant influx of new villains rallying behind society's new shadow leader, mixed with PLF members occasionally falling to Heroes in their skirmishes, meant that there was steady turnover in their organization. Any devoted member with enough talent and effort could rise through the ranks to become a new leader.

Many, especially his own mother, had expected Denki to be one such leader. After all, he had skill and a powerful Quirk, and in an elitist meritocracy like the one they were apparently becoming, the latter was really all that mattered. On top of that, he had training both from the MLA and from the Heroes, and he'd played such a big role in the fall of UA. Surely he would rise up alongside the likes of Skeptic or Geten to help lead the PLF towards achieving Destro's dreams.

That wasn't what Denki wanted, however.

Honestly, even after nearly half a year had passed, as the country fell to pieces around them, he still couldn't articulate what it was he actually wanted to do. Not even to himself.

Oh, he participated in fights when he had to. What choice did he have, when one wrong move could see his father or mother or sister disintegrated right in front of his eyes, or burned alive, or crushed beneath a mighty, titanic fist?

He was never a stand-out in these fights, however, even with his new support gear, courtesy of Detnerat inc. He would hang back, only use enough power to zap an opponent unconscious and only in self-defense, never going all-out, never pushing himself to stand out among the crowd. Every fight was terrifying, but not because he was scared for himself. His true fear was that he would come across one of his classmates. One day, it was going to happen. And then what? What would he do then?

Dabi liked to pay him visits on occasion, with his knowing looks, his condescending smiles. Or else Toga and her intimidating stares, or Compress and his sly jokes. They weren't being friendly, of course. He could call these visits thinly-veiled threats, but that would imply that any attempt was being made to disguise their intentions.

They knew he had regrets. They knew he second-guessed. And they also knew he was too much of a coward to do anything about it. It was just fun to watch him suffer.

The result of his desire to avoid interacting too much with League members, or really anyone particularly devoted to the PLF, was that he spent most of his time hiding away. If he stayed in his room for too long, however, his mother would come after him. And in those days, talking to her was almost as bad.

He could remember one evening, sitting up on the roof of his parents' house, hiding from his mother's judgmental eyes and not-so-subtle questions, watching the sky and wishing he weren't in the middle of such a large city. The stars were barely visible and the moon had waned to the point where barely a sliver still glowed, but the intermittent cloud cover kept him from admiring it.

His thoughts, as always, had been on his friends. Wondering where they were, if they were all still alright. Surely, Dabi would have mentioned something if one of them had been killed. He wouldn't miss the chance to relish in Denki's pain. The thought was almost comforting.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the footsteps approaching him from behind.

"Not a great night for stargazing."

Denki jumped, twisting around only to relax as his father sat himself down beside him, offering him a can of soda.

"It's not every day I see you looking so pensive."

Denki accepted the can but refused to meet his father's eyes.

"I came up here to be alone, you know."

His father chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. Why do you think I'm here? It's the last place your mother would think to look to find me."

Denki's comment hadn't been intended as an endorsement for his father to use his hideout, too. He'd been trying to get him to leave. Still, knowing his dad, there was little chance of that now.

"Hiding from your wife? Sounds like a picture-perfect marriage…"

His father laughed again, taking a sip of his drink and gazing up at the barely-visible moon.

"Mmm. Thanks, we try." After a moment of silence, he turned to his son and said, somewhat abruptly, "Did I ever tell you why I fell in love with Sora?"

Denki turned and shot his father a disinterested look.

"Remind me why we're talking about this… now?"

"It was her Quirk," he continued, pretending as though he didn't hear him. He must have caught the baffled look on Denki's face, though, because he burst out laughing.

Unfortunate thoughts of Todoroki's father and the rumors he'd heard about Endeavor crept into his mind, but those led to thoughts of the attack on UA, which made him feel nauseous, so he quickly shook them off.

"What can first attract a person varies wildly," his father continued. "Sometimes it's their appearance, sometimes their voice, sometimes their personality… but at its core, it's always the same thing: compatibility. People are attracted to traits that they find compatible. And I knew from the moment I saw your mother in action that she and I... were compatible."

Denki turned away to stare back up at the still-shrouded moon. Utter randomness of the conversation aside, he could see where his father was coming from… kinda.

His mother's Quirk wasn't all that impressive. She could create clouds that would sort of hover around her, obscuring people's vision. They had a diameter of around thirty meters, which was nice, but acting as a smokescreen was about all they were good for.

Her Quirk had a secondary application, however; whenever people or objects moved around within her cloud, they would gradually develop a static charge. If the charge built up enough, his mother could generate a lightning strike with that person or object as the focal point.

Her Quirk had multiple drawbacks, however. First, though she could sense everything moving in her cloud, which was great for her, it blinded allies as well as enemies. Second, she couldn't control who built up the charge or when the lightning strike would happen - meaning her allies were as likely to be hurt by her as her enemies were. Finally, the rate at which the electrical charge built up was very slow. It was all too easy to find her within her cloud and take her out before enough electricity was generated for her to call on the lightning, and since she was always as the center of the cloud, it was pretty easy to figure out where she was.

She could be situationally useful, sure, but compared to most of the other higher-ranking members of the PLF like Geten or Trumpet or Re-Destro himself, who excelled in raw power or technical skill, she couldn't hold a candle. Her general weakness played a large role in why she was never promoted to a higher level of leadership like she'd always wanted.

That being said, his father was right about their compatibility. Renjiro Kaminari's Quirk was fairly weak as well, all things considered. He could absorb electrical charges, hold them in his body for a time, and then release them at point of contact. He was like a human stun-gun, essentially, but could throw a punch with the force of a lightning bolt if he had enough juice in him.

The problem was, he couldn't generate his own electrical current the way that Denki could, meaning he had to wear batteries when he went into battle, and once those were exhausted, he was basically Quirkless. Enter his mother, whose cloud cover could generate all of the electricity his father needed - and since he wasn't hurt by it himself, her Quirk wasn't a threat to him. He could hide in her cloud cover, constantly generating the electricity he needed to fight while she directed him to where any opponents were. They made a great team.

And he had no idea why his dad was bringing this up.

"The point is," his father continued as though he could read Denki's mind, "up until I met your mother, I didn't really have much going for me. I wasn't the brightest student, didn't have any aspirations, my Quirk was nothing all that special, and my dedication to the cause… Well, anyway. Once I met Sora, though, all of that changed. My outlook on the world changed. And even though times are hard now, well… I found my reason to fight."

He was skirting awfully close to a dangerous topic. 'Times are hard now' was vague enough to potentially refer to anything, but they both knew he was talking about the direction that Shigaraki had taken them. They were technically out in the open, where anyone could be listening. They'd need to choose their words with care.

The only problem was, Denki still wasn't in the mood for this impromptu heart-to-heart.

"That's great, dad," he said, staring down at his still-unopened can of soda. "I'm real happy for you."

His father gave a defeated sigh, accepting the dismissal and climbing to his feet. But he hesitated before walking away.

"I know you've had it rough, Denki," he said softly, barely loud enough to be heard over the breeze, "and I know you've been questioning your place here. You don't want to talk about it, and that's ok. But until the day comes when you find that person or place that you're compatible with, well… I hope you don't ever feel like you're not compatible here, with the people who love you. Don't forget who it is you're fighting for."

He reached out, squeezing his shoulder, before turning and walking away.

A moment later, Denki Kaminari was alone again.

He was talking about their family, Denki knew, not the MLA or PLF or whatever they called themselves now. His father had found his reason to fight, and that reason was his wife and, now, his kids, and he was trying to tell him, without directly saying the words, that he wasn't fighting for Shigaraki or the PLF either. He was just trying to protect what mattered.

The problem was, Denki had already found the place where he was most compatible. It was a high school, with his stupid friends and uptight teachers. A place that stood diametrically opposed to what his family was fighting for. And he had already betrayed them.

So what was he supposed to do now that he'd already thrown them away?

It had been a few days since his run-in with Emi, but Denki hadn't heard a peep from her since.

Without any way of contacting her himself, and with the police and Heroes still waffling over whether they'd agree to use him as bait, most of Denki's free time had been spent stewing in poorly-concealed frustration over his utter lack of agency.

He wasn't a Pro, like his wife or his friends, who could actively spend their time hunting down Denki's father and the PLF, taking the fight straight to them. He was just a civilian and an ex-convict at that. He didn't have the right to take this fight into his own hands, for all that the fight was centered around him anyway. He knew the law - he even agreed with it - but it was still incredibly frustrating to know that he was essentially being told to sit tight and let the grown-ups handle things while he twiddled his thumbs in the corner, useless.

And it didn't help that he'd received a call earlier that week from his translator job, telling him the company had decided to 'go in a different direction' and that he was being laid off. Denki's work ethic had been fine, better even than some of his peers - something he knew from past performance reviews. No, the timing of this made the actual reasoning clear.

It had nothing to do with the company moving in a different direction, or with his performance. It was because, when word of his father's escape from prison hit the news, a resurgence of stories about Denki's stint as the UA Traitor rose to the surface, replaying on news stations across the nation, and the company didn't want to be associated with that.

In a removed way, he couldn't exactly blame them. But in a much more personal way, he could and absolutely did.

He didn't need the job financially. In fact, Kyouka was constantly reminding him that, between her Hero work and her side gig as a musician, Denki didn't need to work at all. He could be a full-time stay-at-home dad or devote his extra time to his talents or passions if he wanted. Honestly, he was incredibly lucky, and he knew that… but what his wife didn't seem to understand was that Denki didn't work because he wanted to. He did it because he needed to.

He needed to keep himself busy. To stave away the feeling that he was a drain, on her, on their friends, on society. His life, up to this moment, had been a steady stream of failures. He failed to become a Hero. He failed to protect his friends. He failed to protect his family. His failures had made him a literal menace to society in the past and, in the present, made it hard to hold down a job.

Denki didn't need a successful career. He just didn't want to feel like a failure anymore.

Luckily for him, his second job as a backup electrician didn't seem to care about Denki's past, or maybe they just didn't pay any attention to the news. Regardless, it seemed as though the number of calls he'd been getting from them had risen in the past few days, and as this coincided with his release from his other job, he couldn't have been happier about it.

Whenever he got a call, he'd leave his kids in the company of his in-laws (either by having them come over or by dropping them off at their house) and head out, grateful to be out of the house. He was supposed to have a bodyguard, he knew, but honestly, it was such a hassle and it made people give him weird looks on the street. Plus, if he were being honest, having a tag-along might dissuade his father from making a move on him, and the sooner he did, the sooner they could get this all over with. He was growing tired of waiting.

On the way back after one such call, Denki decided to make a pit stop at a run-down old mom-and-pop convenience store on the corner of an old alleyway. It was hot out, and he'd promised the kids he'd pick them up some ice cream on the way home, and right about now, he could really use one too.

It was a small store, no bigger than your average gas station, manned by a singular employee who was flipping through a magazine behind the register, hardly paying him any notice. He didn't mind. He wasn't much in the mood for conversation right now anyway.

Grateful for the soothing gust of the air conditioner, Denki made his way to the row of freezers in the back of the shop, examining the various shelves of frozen treats with a critical eye. Rai liked anything that was chocolate, so he was easy. Aika liked caramel or strawberry… but weirdly, it didn't seem like this store had any. Would macha be ok? Hopefully. He'd get some for himself, too, so with any luck, she'd be ok with it.

He was just turning away from the cashier and ready to head out of the door when it happened.

The electric doors slid open, and in walked a pair of sour-faced, middle-aged men. The one in front was a short, stockier fellow with a patchy crew-cut, a tacky golden necklace, and no irises. The second was lanky, thin like a pole, with a head like an earthworm and a shock of bright green hair.

Both men smiled unpleasantly when they saw him.

"Found you, Kaminari."

Every muscle in his body went rigid.

The shorter man's voice was raspy and thin, like a career smoker, and as he spoke, his too-fat lips parted to reveal several golden teeth sparkling behind his satisfied smirk.

"Pretty ballsy of you to be struttin' around without a care in the world. Livin' free, when so many of your brothers and sisters are locked up in prison."

Denki licked his lips, trying to calm his racing heart and consider his options.

"Miss," he said, voice low, addressing the cashier who still hadn't caught on to what was happening, "the cops. Call the cops."

"What?"

The earthworm man sneered contemptuously.

"Call the-!"

"Banzai!"

Denki threw himself to the side at the last second, hitting the dirty linoleum hard and sliding partway down the aisle as literal lasers erupted from the shorter man's eyes, lighting up the store in a blinding phosphorescent glow and burning furrows into the floor from exactly where Denki had been standing all the way back to the wall. The cashier's scream was drowned out in the wail of the fire alarm as the acrid scent of smoke and melted plaster filled the air.

Panic-stricken, Denki forced himself up on all-fours, abandoning his plastic bag of ice cream and hastily scrambling down the aisle, throwing himself forward around the corner of a shelf as his unnamed assailants began their pursuit.

Whoever they were, he didn't recognize them, but the shorter man had said 'Banzai'. That was proof, as if he'd needed any, that he was an old member of the PLF. 'Banzai for the Liberation of Super Powers' had been the catchphrase of some of the more radical MLA members, back before Shigaraki had taken over. He must be an older member, then. But one who had escaped being arrested? Or was he one who had broken out with his father?

Desperate to stay out of sight lest he take a laser straight to the face, Denki stayed low, struggling to quiet his breathing so they wouldn't hear him.

The convenience store was pretty small, however, with only about five rows and two columns of shelves between the outer windows and the wall of refrigerators in the back. Two against one, with the enemy blocking the exit… his odds weren't looking too hot.

He heard a scuffle by the register, followed by a muffled scream.

Crap… the cashier. He could hear Aizawa's voice echoing out from his memories, teaching, chastising. Protecting civilians was a Hero's number one priority. He'd neglected the most basic of basics.

Except… he wasn't a Hero. He was just another civilian. There was no reason he should be feeling guilty about not immediately going to help her. Well, except for the fact that these idiots were only here because of him.

He shook his head, chasing the thought off. That wasn't his fault, either. More importantly, they weren't going to hurt her. At least, not yet. If they were from the PLF, then they knew all about his Quirk - which meant they knew that he could take them both out easily if he wanted to with a full-powered electric blast, but doing so would harm the cashier too, so long as she was still around. They were likely using her as a shield.

With a hostage at play, being out-numbered, and not being able to fully use his Quirk, his best bet was to wait for help to arrive. The cashier hadn't called the cops, but the laser blast had triggered the fire alarm. Surely someone would be here soon… but unless they got here in seconds, they weren't going to be of any help to him.

Casting his eyes about frantically for anything he could use to buy time, he spotted a rickety door in the corner that led to the bathroom. Well… it was better than cowering behind a shelf. And maybe the bathroom had a window? A man could dream.

Denki crouch-ran to the door, which was about as awkward and uncomfortable as it sounded. The earthworm gave a shout when he saw Denki move, but there really had been no hope of him getting to the bathroom without being spotted anyway.

He threw the door open and scrambled inside, relieved and surprised that he hadn't immediately been met by another laser blast, and, after trying to lock the door only to realize the lock was broken (because of course it was), he turned to quickly assess his new surroundings.

The bathroom was small, dingy, and gross. And there were no windows.

There was, however, a small pile of cleaning supplies in the corner, including a mop and a bucket, a wet floor sign, a small metal step-ladder, and a plunger.

Great.

The door behind him burst open, revealing the short, white-eyed man and, behind him, the earthworm, who had his wriggly hands wrapped over the cashier's mouth. Her eyes were practically bugging out of her head, tear-filled and frantic above her muffled whimpers as she struggled in vain to escape her captive's clutches.

Desperately, Denki reached out behind him and grabbed the first thing he touched, whipping it forward and holding it aloft between him and his pursuers like a sword.

It was the plunger.

"Get back!" he shouted, hoping he sounded less ridiculous than he looked.

The shorter man snorted a laugh, implying to Denki that, yes, he did sound as dumb as he felt, but Denki was more focused on the man's eyes.

They were red-rimmed, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. That laser blast… did using it hurt him? Was that why he hadn't fired a second one the moment Denki ran to the bathroom? Did that mean he maybe needed to rest between blasts, and, if so, did Denki still have a chance to escape?

"A plunger?" the shorter man sneered. "Is that really the best you got?"

"We're in a public restroom," Denki replied, breathless, casting about wildly for something to say and desperately praying to every Shinto god he could think of for help. "Do you have any idea of the horrors this plunger has seen?"

To his complete and utter disbelief, this seemed to actually give his assailants pause.

After a moment of eyeing the plunger distastefully, the shorter man nudged his friend and said, "Hey. Switch with me."

"What?"

"That's gross, man, I don't wanna touch it."

"So? Neither do I."

"Yeah, but you're a worm. Isn't this, like… normal for you guys?"

The taller man spluttered indignantly.

"I… Wha… That's discrimination!"

Deciding that his totally-intentional distraction tactic was a spectacular success, Denki threw the plunger at his would-be attackers and watched as both grown men shrieked in terror and jumped away. Impossibly, the earthworm even let his hostage slip through his fingers. Who were these idiots?

Though… maybe his hands were just naturally slippery. He was a worm, after all. That had to be rough.

Before they could recover, Denki reached for another object, foregoing the mop and instead grabbing the step-ladder, which he awkwardly swung at the shorter man like a club.

White-eyes had recovered by this point, however, and easily caught the ladder in both hands, snarling up at Denki.

"Enough games," he spat. "We've got you right where we want you."

Still breathless, Denki smiled.

"Ditto."

His Quirk activated, electricity coursing through his body, traveling through the metal step-ladder and into the shorter man's body.

All at once, his body locked up, his muscles going rigid, his limbs jerking and spasming wildly before slumping over sideways when Denki released his Quirk. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, still twitching, his face disgustingly close to the bottom of the toilet.

Satisfied, Denki turned his attention to the earthworm, who was staring, stupefied, at his unconscious companion, and hefted his step-ladder like it was a legitimate weapon.

"One down," he said, praying he sounded intimidating.

Then, without warning, a figure burst in through the front door.

"It's alright, everyone!" an overly-enthusiastic voice shouted, it's owner pausing in front of the sliding glass door for dramatic effect, "Your Hero has arrived!"

Denki, the earthworm, and the cashier all turned to stare.

Whoever she was, Denki didn't know her, but she was clearly a Pro - and a new one at that.

She had healthy brown skin the color of a hazelnut, with wild black hair tied up with colorful feathers stuck through the bun. Judging from the tribal face paint, the brown vest, leather pants, and moccasins, she was… clearly supposed to be themed after some indigenous tribe from… somewhere. Not Japan, at any rate. Also, she had a series of small throwing axes and knives strapped to her waist and back.

After a moment of awkward silence, she finally noticed the trio in the back corner of the store.

"Aha!" she shouted theatrically, snatching one of the throwing axes off of her hip and giving it a practiced toss, "I've got you now, villain!"

The earthworm gave a yelp and ducked low, but he shouldn't have bothered. The axe arched through the air with supernatural grace, never coming close to him. Instead, it zipped around him and collided painfully with Denki's hand, eliciting a sharp cry from the blond, knocking the step-ladder from his hands.

"What are you doing?!" Denki snapped, irate, as he massaged his sore wrist. Had she just chucked an axe at him? Was she crazy?!

"Uh-"

"HE is the villain! Not me!"

The earthworm stared dumbly at Denki for a moment, before snatching the step-ladder up from off the floor.

Desperate, Denki threw himself in front of the cashier as though to shield her with his body, but the earthworm turned back and hurled the makeshift weapon through one of the large window panes separating the inside of the store from the deserted street outside. A moment later, he was leaping through the newly-formed hole, vanishing down the street.

"Stop!" the Hero shouted in vain, chasing after him, while fumbling at her waist for another weapon, and a moment later, Denki was left alone with the cashier.

Denki sighed. A large part of him wanted to give chase too, but… Well, now that a Pro was on the case, his work here was done. If he tried anything else, it'd be considered vigilantism, and he'd get arrested.

Quickly checking the bathroom to make sure White-eyes was still out, Denki stooped down to pick up the discarded throwing axe (the edge was blunt; maybe this Hero wasn't a complete moron) before turning his attention to the cashier, who was still leaning back against one of the many refrigerator doors, looking shell-shocked.

"Are you ok?"

The woman, who looked to be in her mid-forties, jumped in surprise.

"O-oh, um… Yes, I… I think so."

She was in shock. He needed to get her out of here. The wail of the fire alarm wasn't helping, and it was starting to give him a headache.

"Come on," he said, doing his best to sound comforting and flashing her his brightest smile. "The police should be here soon. Let's wait for them outside."

Plus, it would be better to get away from ol' White-Eyes in case he got up again. But he didn't need to put that fear into this poor woman's head, so he left that bit unsaid.

Outside, in the early evening, away from the burning smell that permeated the inside of the convenience store, it was almost peaceful. Well, other than the fire alarm, that is. The sound had begun attracting a few bystanders who were gawking at the ruined window, but the street was still mostly empty.

Carefully, Denki led the frightened woman across the street and sat her down on the curb.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, trying to remember how Aizawa had taught him to deal with frightened victims after an attack. "Water? I can snag one from the store for you."

"...No, thank you."

"I didn't mean I'd steal it," he laughed. "I'll totally pay, I swear-"

"No, really. I'm alright."

She seemed to be coming around, at least a little, but she looked exhausted now in addition to being frightened.

Denki gingerly sat down beside her while they waited. There had to be something he could do to help.

"You know, you did a pretty good job back there."

The woman turned to him in surprise, and Denki smiled.

"I just mean, most people completely fall apart in situations like that. I'm impressed with how well you're keeping things together."

The woman looked down at her shoes.

"You sound like you have experience."

He winced. Dangerous territory.

"Ah, well… I'm not a Hero or anything, but… let's just say I've been in a scrap or two. I know what I'm talking about."

"I believe it." She looked back up and offered him a small smile. "You handled yourself pretty well. With a powerful Quirk like yours, you could probably be a Hero if you wanted."

Denki turned away, letting out a polite chuckle and trying to fight down the wave of bitterness that came over him as he remembered the actual Pro who came to help and wound up attacking the wrong person. Then again, who was he to judge? His first instinct should have been to help this woman when the attack started, and he failed at that. Then he only barely managed to take down one of the attackers, and the second one had escaped.

If anything, tonight had demonstrated just how surely that ship had sailed. Bakugou, Kirishima, Mina, Sero… any of his old classmates could have done better than he had.

"I was useless," the woman continued, sounding tired. "If I had a strong Quirk like yours…"

"You Quirkless?" Denki asked, grateful for the change in topic.

"I may as well be," she replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. "My Quirk just makes me smell like kiwis."

Denki could only stare, flabbergasted, as the strong smell of kiwis suddenly flooded the air.

That had to be the most useless Quirk he'd ever heard of.

"Well," he said after a moment, desperately racking his brain for something positive or encouraging to say, "at least you… don't ever need to buy deodorant?"

To his complete surprise, the woman broke down laughing.

"I'm sorry," she gasped after a moment. "It's just… for a moment there, you sounded just like my son."

He watched, bemused, as the woman doubled over, trying and failing to hide her laughter behind her hands. It was probably stress. His joke hadn't been that funny. Still, the sight of her smiling left him smiling, too.

Around the distant street corner came the rapidly-nearing sound of a police siren, followed by the flashing lights that heralded the arrival of the first responders.

Encouraging the woman to stay seated for now, Denki stood up, waiting for the police and firefighters to draw near so he could give his account about what happened. As he did, his eyes drifted to the convenience store, with its shattered window and the chunk of wall he could see that had been taken out by that villain's laser blast.

The police were right. The PLF really was coming after him. This woman had been put in danger simply because he'd chosen to stop here on a whim for some ice cream.

How much longer until it was his kids who were caught in the crossfire?