Chapter 304- Top Three
"Pardon us." A robotic voice called from the doorway. The Todoroki family turned to see Hawks and Best Jeanist entering the room, Hawks typing away on his phone while Best Jeanist fixed his hair. "We couldn't help but overhear, so may we accompany you on your family outing?"
Each of the Todorokis reacted in shock to the Number 2 and 3's unexpected arrival. None of them spoke a word as Hawks looked back down on his phone, typing more words, not noticing Rei suddenly bending towards the floor.
"Since I was discharged yesterday, I've been running around gathering some intel, and-" Best Jeanist stopped smoothing his hair to smack Hawks on the arm, who looked towards his partner with his eyebrows raised. Jeanist quietly pointed towards Rei, who had now lowered her forehead to the floor as she knelt, causing Hawks to stop typing immediately.
"I'm terribly sorry for what our son has done to you." Rei spoke, her voice steady but full of shame. Hawks typed furiously on his phone as he did his best to give her a reassuring smile through his mask.
"Nononono." His phone spoke as he typed. "I'm not here to give you any grief about that. Please don't apologize, ma'am." Best Jeanist quickly bent down to help Rei stand up, holding her gently as they both rose.
"We are only here to inquire about Dabi!" He quickly explained. "But eavesdropping feels rather criminal, like illegal denim."
'What's illegal denim?' Each of the Todoroki children thought.
"The root cause of your son's grudge could provide us a lead in this investigation." Jeanist continued as he turned to Enji. "We can ask him directly about how he survived his supposed death by flames and transformed into "Dabi"".
"I used to watch some old videos of yours, Endeavor." Hawke's phone spoke. "So hearing about your obsession from your younger days and how it manifested was shocking." Enji looked downwards at this. He expected Hawks to handle this situation with the grace of an elephant, always so blunt about how he truly felt. Hawks approached Shoto and leaned on his shoulder, causing the younger teen to cringe as his personal space was invaded. "Now this didn't come up in your talks about Toya, but Shoto's burn here- was that you as well, Endeavor?"
"That was me." Rei spoke without hesitation. Both Hawks and Shoto turned towards her, Shoto opening his mouth to protest, but he quickly realized that she wouldn't allow it, remembering her earlier words.
Hawks suddenly thought of his own parents, and their neglect towards him. 'I never got to face my folks like that.' He thought to himself.
"I see." His phone said. "Shoto, you're a class act." Shoto's eyebrows shot up at this, but Hawks continued towards the window, taking note of the crowd outside. It had only gotten bigger since the Todorokis arrived at the hospital, and was even more chaotic than before. He could see from here that hospital staff were having a hard time keeping people away from the entrance. A microscopic glimpse into the wider problem Japan was facing.
"Endeavor, it's hell out there."
"I know." Enji spoke.
"Shigaraki, Dabi, Spinner, Skeptic, seven Near High-End Nomu, and one-hundred and thirty two Liberation Front members managed to escape. Himiko Toga is somewhere out there, and we don't know where or when she'll strike. Furthermore, Shigaraki led his Nomu army to smash up Tartarus and six other prisons, freeing thousands of convicts in one night. With the core Safety Commission members either dead or in a hospital, there's nobody organizing Japan's heroes; at least the ones who are left, giving the mass amount of retirements in response to the criticisms and controversies.
"Villains are getting bolder, and the citizens who don't believe in heroes anymore are getting illegal support items to protect themselves, creating more damage in the process. Reportedly, there are some citizens planning riots, especially citizens in the heteromorphic community. Japan's put in a request for some help from heroes around the world; so far we've received verbal support from America, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Greenland, Egypt, Ireland, England, India, and Australia. But since the Safety Commission's been shut down, the necessary paperwork to get people moving isn't being done.
"All this in just two days. It's as your wife says; your only option is to get out there and fight." Hawks looked at Enji, who continued to cast his gaze downwards. "But we'll help too." He waved his hand between himself and Jeanist. "The responsibility isn't yours alone, number one. You and your family will receive our support until it's all over."
"But why would you help?" Enji asked, not looking at them.
"Even if what Dabi said about you and your family is true, I know things are different for you guys now. I'm going to lend my support to anyone who wants to try and be better." Hawks gave Enji a thumbs up, and Best Jeanist nodded in agreement. "On that note, I'm proposing a team-up of the top three heroes!"
"I've put my life in Hawks's hands from the start, and I'm accustomed to walking down hellish catwalks such as this." Best Jeanist spoke up.
"Now that us and your family have lightened your load a little, do you think you can stand up and move forwards?"
"...Yes…" Enji said through sniffles, as tears threatened to escape his eyes once again.
"This is only until we stop Toya, got it?" Natsuo said, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to another.
"Yes…!" Enji choked out.
"Sorry if I seem pushy." Hawks's phone said. "But first, you've got a duty to provide the people with an explanation. Now that Dabi's accusation is public, there's no avoiding it. I've drafted up a statement already, but there's one point I'm still unsure about. One for All- what is it exactly?"
"That reminds me…" Fuyumi spoke up. "When we were getting by the crowds outside, somebody mentioned that Shigaraki muttered that phrase… One for All. I wasn't really paying attention to them at the time, but…"
"We need to know what it means." Hawks typed. "If Shigaraki has a vested interest in it, then we need information on it as soon as possible."
Enji thought back on his fight with the young villain, and how he spoke those words to nobody in particular. Not soon after…
"Sorry for using a private line, but there's a chance Shigaraki is after me specifically!"
Deku.
"DAMMIT, FREAKING DEKU! WHY'D YOU GET TO SLEEP WHEN I'M AWAKE?!"
Bakugo had been secured with the help of Asui, who had wrapped her tongue around him and coated him with some paralyzed mucus to make him stop struggling. Sato and Mineta then elected to carry him back to his room (moreso Sato, Mineta only held Bakugo's legs together as he dangled in the air), putting the minds of the nurses who had come to help restrain him at ease.
"Little hard to grieve properly when this guy's up and about…" Sato grumbled as he walked off with Asui, who gave a despondent look to Uraraka and Iida as they made their way back to the explosive boy's room.
"I feared the worst when I saw those wounds, but…" Iida started.
"He's noisier than ever, huh?" Uraraka finished.
"Hey, prez!" Jiro called out, walking from the other end of the hall. "They're saying Kaminari and Tokoyami are good for release. What was all that about?"
"Thank you, Jiro." Iida said. "And nothing, just Bakugo foolishly putting himself at risk. He wanted to see Midoriya really badly, apparently."
"Is he doing okay, at least? Midoriya, I mean." Jiro said, a grimace on her face. Uraraka looked back at the door they were standing in front of- the door of Deku's room.
"That's what they say." Uraraka spoke, her voice flat. "But I'm worried."
"What's up?" A robotic voice called from down the hall. The three turned their attention to Hawks and Best Jeanist passing by Bakugo and the group carrying him.
"Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, you're all right!" Best Jeanist called out, relief coursing in his voice.
"DO I LOOK ALRIGHT TO YOU?!"
"We'd like to speak with Izuku Midoriya." Hawks typed out, turning towards Iida.
"Actually, All Might asked to be alone with him for now." Iida responded, still a bit shocked at the number two and three heroes casually approaching them. Hawks' eyebrows raised at this.
"All Might, you say?"
Inside Deku's room, Toshinori sat next to Deku's bed, holding his bandaged arm tightly. It had been dead quiet since he entered, and he hadn't spoken a word to the boy in his comatose state. He had so much to say and wanted the boy to wake up and recover as quickly as possible, but he knew he would have to wait. He could feel something inside of him, warm and comforting in some senses, but tense and grief-stricken in others. He knew exactly what this was, as he had experienced it a few times before.
'The version of me dwelling inside the boy… Inside One for All…' He looked once more to the boy's resting face, his brows scrunched as though he were focusing.
'Right now, you must be talking with the predecessors.'