My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

72. Hokkaido Arc Part 7 - To Take Flight

Hello again, everyone. Well, after three weeks of catching up with our detachment of The League of Villains over in Russia, and the situation they've now found themselves in, for the sake of overall narrative cohesiveness, it's time for us to at last return to Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka up in Hokkaido. It's been a long time of plot thread development and building, but now it's time for the ball of this arc's penultimate climax to start rolling.

From here, I hope I'll start to hear more feedback from you all, letting me know your thoughts on this overall story arc and original characters thus far, because I promise you all, I am still working on being able to integrate elements and characters from this arc into the rest of the overall story as time goes on, and I really want to know all your thoughts and feelings on that as we move forward.

I would like to give another grateful shout-out to my beta readers and consultants, Mizu and Jonny, as well as recent artwork collaborator on DA, Akane Kahomi. Chapter covers for the chapters covering the Sports Festival Arc have just been uploaded onto my corresponding account on that site, 'ubasnaga'; so do feel free to drop by there and check it out for yourselves, because her artwork is awesome.

If anyone among you would similarly like to contribute any fanart for this specific story of your own, feel free to personally message me and let me know, because it'd be nice to see if this story has connected with any other MHA fans to that extent.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. All I own is my original characters, the original events surrounding them, and the alterations of established events that result because of them.

A/N: [[]] indicates characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 73

To Take Flight

(Чтобы Взлететь)

Hokkaido, Friday, September 12th

The long-awaited train ride from Musutafu all the way up to Hokkaido carried just as much anticipation as it always did for the Yuuei students aboard, especially as Tenya and Momo had decided to fill their three classmates in on how their respective internships had been carrying on, as well as their respective progresses in working alongside their Class B peers. If anything, listening to their two presidents' respective stories of successful internships, on top of the reassurance of the situation regarding Valera and his parents being found, was leaving Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka anticipating the start of their days that much more.

After similarly sharing that whole specific story with their two class representatives, alongside the discovered fact of Pietro Dobrynich Granin actually being an old friend of Tunguska (along with Nikolay and Mina continuing to marvel over his bizarrely changing eye colors), their train had finally emerged out the other side of the undersea tunnel connecting Honshu to Hokkaido. With that, their train was already pulling into the Sapporo station, thus forcing Tenya and Momo to disembark; gladly wishing their classmates the best of luck on yet another exciting day.

As their train had begun to pull out in order to continue on to Arakisu City; Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka could even see their class president undoubtedly beginning to share all their stories with an especially excited-looking Tetsutetsu from Class B; leaving the three remaining 1-A students curious if he had somehow been watching or eavesdropping on them the entire trip.

"I really hope Leonid-san isn't feeling under the weather anymore," Nikolay eventually admitted after a few minutes of overbearing silence. "The translating isn't an issue, but it'll be nice if I don't have to focus so much on going back and forth for so long again. It makes it so much harder to concentrate on what De-Condenser-sensei's trying to teach us."

While Mina was nodding in empathy for his surprise position of responsibility from last time, Kyouka answered casually: "Well, all things considered, even if he isn't feeling all better yet, at least everything else up there sounds like it's as normal as ever."

"Yeah. You know, I'm super happy that that Valera kid and his parents got found a-okay, but it's gonna be so nice to not have to worry about that whole thing anymore, and just get back to learning how to be ultra-cool Heroes again." Mina stated, her smile reflecting enough excitement and hope for all three of them.

"Absolutely. In fact, I've actually been wondering, once this week is over and Gagaringrad duty gets shifted to one of the other Pros for the week after, just what other areas we'd be able to see and work in." Nikolay admitted, already getting both his classmates' imaginations running.

"Wouldn't hurt to ask, I'm sure. Although, if Blast Beat-sensei and I get sent out there next, I don't know if I'd be able to make the same kind of impression you two have." Kyouka similarly admitted, albeit with far more embarrassment evident on the nervous smile on her face.

Given how the purple-haired girl wasn't nearly as sociable as some of their other classmates, it was easy for Nikolay and Mina to understand Kyouka's sentiment. Of course, that still didn't stop the pink young Hero at the boy's side from visibly lighting up with an idea. "Hey, you know what, I can't believe I didn't even think of this! If we're all gonna keep interning together, maybe we could see if we're able to actually intern specifically under any of the other Pros, like a trade-off!"

All at once did Nikolay and Kyouka similarly go wide-eyed with the possibilities; the young Russian smiling with an anticipation of his own: "Yeah, that's a great thing to ask! I mean, surely the others have to have their own expertise on other aspects of Hero work; we could be able to learn so much while we're up here!"

GRRRMBLE!

All of a sudden, Nikolay's stomach let out an unavoidable groaning, snapping all three of them out of their heads and back to the moment, wherein the embarrassed young Slav now found himself being looked over worriedly by his ever-present and attentive pink best friend. "Kolya-kun, were you really in such a hurry, you didn't even think of eating breakfast before we left?"

Nikolay let out an awkward "yes", too embarrassed to admit further that not only had he done the dumbest thing a kid his age could do and skip the most important meal of the day, but also that he'd been so focused on pretty much everything else going on for the last several days, that he'd never even taken the time to try stocking his own dorm room's fridge like everyone else had.

With an exasperated sigh, Mina gave Nikolay the lightest playful bonk on the head before attentively looking up and down the aisle of their train car; soon noticing one of the serving ladies through the glass doors to the next car behind them. "Honestly, Kolya-kun, you've gotta keep your strength up, okay? Please don't make me start worrying if you're eating enough or not. What if we got caught up in a battle and you end up keeling over?"

Kyouka thankfully had the consideration to not start giggling and embarrassing Nikolay further, to hear Mina doting on him less like a mother to her child, but more like a big sister to her little brother…or perhaps more appropriately, something else that got the rocking young Hero's mind racing with curiosity.

"Alright, I know, you're right. I'll be right back, okay?" Nikolay ultimately relented in realization of Mina's overall point, finally leaving his seat and going to the next car back, leaving the two female students alone in another awkward silence. This left Kyouka momentarily surprised; having felt certain that Mina would've already been bending her ear for some details on her own internships and what she'd been doing in Arakisu City proper with Blast Beat. Not now, though.

And that was the opening Kyouka needed to finally get what was weighing heaviest on her mind out to her good friend in the row next to hers: "Hey, Mina-chan, can I ask you something?"

The sound of Kyouka actually asking her something so straightforward had Mina perk right up as she nearly leaned right across the aisle with an eager smile: "Sure, Kyouka-chan, you can ask me anything! You want advice on anything; you got secrets you wanna tell? C'mon, ask me, ask me, please!"

Mina's ever-present positive attitude was just about the perfect invite for Kyouka to finally ask: "Well...have you really been feeling okay lately? I mean, I've noticed you've been looking pretty thoughtful, maybe even tense the last couple of days, and you seemed really optimistic about your internships in the beginning; like you have been with pretty much everything else since we first met.

"I mean, let's face it, you're pretty much the biggest ball of sunshine in the whole class; so if something is able to actually visibly get you looking like that, it must be serious. So…is there anything on your mind, about internships or not, that you maybe wanna get off your chest, Mina-chan? I mean, if we're still all gonna be interning together, I guess it's only fair I take a helping page out of your book for once."

At first, Mina couldn't help but smile brightly at Kyouka's offer, before trying to shake her head or wave her hand in denial that anything was wrong. However, even she knew she couldn't keep that façade up for long at all; for once she did that, her eyes were busily looking back the way Nikolay had gone, and when it was clear he wasn't on his way back already, she clutched the arms of her seat tight, sucked in a deep breath, and looked Kyouka right in the eye. Immediately, the purple-haired girl reeled back when she saw the extent of inner turmoil reflected in Mina's black-gold eyes.

"Okay…I…I…Kyouka-chan, you and the rest of the girls were right." Mina was outright with saying this, but Kyouka clearly had to take a few moments to really think about just what she was referring to, leaving Mina running her fingers through her own hair anxiously, trying to work up the courage to just say it to one of her personal friends' faces.

"I mean…back around when school started again, and Kolya-kun and I were gone overnight and got house arrest with Midori-kun and Bakugo…well, in the end of everything that happened to us that night up till then…in the end, I started thinking back on absolutely everything we'd gone through together, from the very first time we ever met till then…and when I got to the end of all that, I finally realized…"

When Mina came to a stop, Kyouka could now see a deeply reflective look in her eyes, which was quickly complimented by the pink girl's cheeks turning a rosier shade, and her trembling lips stopping and slowly turning into one of the single most heartwarming smiles she'd seen from her friend yet.

"…no, I'm positive now I always knew, deep down; but this time I actually could admit it to myself. Kyouka-chan…I-I-'m…I-I'm in love with Kolya-kun. All of you were right." Mina looked so immensely relieved just to be able to say this out loud to one of her friends, and rather than the dumbfounded surprise she'd expected; Kyouka's triangular eyes were indeed wide, but the smile on her face that followed was one of full support.

"Wow, it's about time you finally just said it, Mina-chan. That was seriously a really long time coming. So what made you finally figure it out with the rest of us?" The moment she asked, Kyouka could once more see a wave of pure nostalgia wash over Mina as her eyes drifted upward, just picturing the defining moment as clear as day.

"When we'd gotten back for house arrest, shortly after you guys all left, Kolya-kun wouldn't stop apologizing for our…well, our date going as nuts as it did. I kept telling him throughout that he didn't have to, but he still did it anyway. I always thought it was so adorable, how much he always wanted to try and make things perfect for his friends and felt bad when they didn't…but I could also say the constant apologizing could get frustrating, cause he always beats himself up with it when he doesn't deserve it.

"But this time, there was something else I felt when watching him back there going on and on. Like I said, I just couldn't help but think about every moment we'd ever shared together from the beginning till then, and it just filled me with so much happiness like I'd never felt from someone before. And then…something happened that made me understand what I've really felt for him for so long."

Kyouka didn't even realize she'd instinctively been leaning in to try and hear as clearly as possible, unknowingly drawn in so much by Mina's recollection, and most specifically, the ultimate point that gave her this personal epiphany. It was only when Mina was starting to giggle at her friend's eagerness that Kyouka realized what she'd been doing, and immediately sank back into her seat with her face turning completely red. "So, what finally clued you in?"

Mina's smile was so bright and wide as she finally got to her favorite part of all. "Well, the way I always understood how two people know they're totally in love, was when I was real little and asked my mom how she knew she was in love with my dad, and she explained it as being completely overtaken by an impulse to do something she'd never done before; no time to think about it or plan for it or anything, like her heart took total control of her body and did all the driving. And…and I-I know that's what happened to me when I was with Kolya-kun in the dorm that morning, because I…*gasp* in the middle of all his apologizing, the only thing I felt in my whole body from the bottom of my heart was the desire to kiss him; like, full-on mouth-to-mouth. And…and I did, and it felt like my heart was flying the entire time and long after. It was the happiest I'd ever felt!"

Kyouka instinctively brought her hands over her mouth to stifle the immediate gasp that followed; the red on her face nothing compared to the glowing shade now adorning Mina's, once she'd gotten to the penultimate point. However, in the end, Kyouka's fluster turned once more into a truly happy smile for her friend finally realizing what she'd personally always felt was as obvious as ever.

"That's amazing, Mina-chan! I had a feeling you'd eventually figure it out! I'm really happy for you! But, if you finally know now that this is how you feel for Kolya-san, then why were you looking so tense and down through this week? You-!"

All of a sudden, Kyouka's questioning stopped, and her eyes widened with a further realization; one that she knew was proven when Mina stopped blushing, and instead looked down to the floor and clutched her hands tight together. "…you haven't told him yet, have you?"

Now, the sparkling joy in Mina's eyes had changed back to that dimmer troubled light in her golden irises. "From the start of this week when we'd gotten accepted as a team for our internships, I promised myself I was going to tell him by the end of this week, no matter what happened next! I'm not backing down from that, not by a long shot! But I…I-I'm so damn nervous how I tell him, Kyouka-chan!"

Kyouka sank back into her seat, shaking her head with a look of what had to be total disbelief on her face, seeing Mina in a position like this. "I'm sorry, but this…this is just so surreal to hear, let alone see, Mina-chan. I mean, you've been so gung-ho this whole year, trying to get Ochako-chan to admit that super obvious crush she has on Midoriya-san…not to mention all that damn prodding and poking you kept doing to me when it came to Kolya-san before. I would've thought that if anyone knew how to approach admitting romantic feelings for someone, it would be you more than any of us."

Mina shot up straight in her seat; a look of similar self-frustration written all over her face. "I know, right?! I mean, c'mon, I pride myself on totally being able to tie anything and everything to romance! Being a matchmaker for my friends was probably the one thing I dreamed about almost as much as becoming a Hero! But…ever since I admitted to myself how much I've come to love Kolya-kun, I've realized that…I've always been so obsessed with helping build the love lives of all my friends, but I never even once before stopped to think about the possibility of being in that kind of relationship with someone, myself.

"I mean, I'm not blind, I've totally been able to notice boys before! I mean, I can totes see how tons of girls could completely turn into melted butter for a guy like Todoroki-kun with that pretty boy face of his; and every time I think Kolya-kun can't get any cuter, he completely blindsides me and it makes me just wanna hug him tight, never let go and scream how adorable I think he is!"

Already, Mina was getting so wrapped up in all her memories and daydreams that she was squirming with delight in her seat and hugging close to herself a someone that wasn't even there. In order to snap her out of this little episode of hers, Kyouka went the only direction she could logically think of: "So…did you ever once find yourself maybe having those kinds of thoughts or the feelings that followed for…I don't know, Kirishima-san? I mean, he's got the whole old-school chivalrous thing going for him, and he's got the whole 'manly' physique a lot of girls would immediately jump onto."

This thankfully did manage to bring Mina back into reality; but instead of the moments of silent contemplation Kyouka was expecting; the young pink girl's answer was surprisingly immediate and completely sure in how she said it: "Honestly? No, I never found myself feeling those ways for Kiri. And that's the thing: I was already able to notice boys by the time we first met in middle school, but I really never found myself feeling anything stronger for him than us being the absolute BFF's.

"I mean, yeah, I love Kiri the exact same way I love you, Kyouka-chan; the same way I love the rest of the girls and all our classmates; the same way I love all my friends. I wouldn't trade a single one of you guys for anything in the world. But I've just never felt the same kind of feelings towards Kiri like I've felt towards Kolya-kun through this whole year. And, honestly…I'm willing to bet he feels the same way, himself. His Quirk is Hardening, and he's hardheaded in his determination like anybody else, yeah; but he's not literally dense in the head. I've never seen or heard him show any interest in all the romantic lovey-dovey stuff like me."

Kyouka thankfully looked satisfied with Mina's answer as she leaned back in her seat, still watching her body language closely. "Okay, that's all well and good. But if you're so confident and sure about your love for Kolya-san, then why haven't you just told him already? You've been so forward and open about everything else up to now; for someone so into all the lovey-dovey stuff, I'd thought you'd jump on the chance to tell him the moment you knew."

Mina kept her hands folded together, held close over her mouth as she leaned forward; eyes staring ahead in deep and anxious contemplation. "This is just the kind of thing that should only come once in a lifetime, Kyouka-chan; I don't wanna back down from finally telling him by the time this week's over, but I wanna know what to say and when so I can make it as perfect as possible. If I slip up and say something wrong and embarrassing, I feel like I'd just die, you know? That's why I actually went looking for advice on how to tell him yesterday, I got so desperate."

Kyouka was obviously taken quite by surprise to hear Mina admit her own cluelessness for personal romance this thoroughly, and now her curiosity was particularly piqued; the roles between them officially being reversed at last: "Wow, who did you go to for it?"

Mina sucked in another deep breath, visibly debating whether to actually give Kyouka all the details or not of the fateful little meeting she'd had in secret yesterday, if just for the worry of Nikolay coming back and accidentally overhearing any of this conversation.

---

Yuuei Academy, Thursday Evening, September 11th

When the bell signifying the end of the school day had finally rung, and all the students of Class 1-A were packing up their books and bags to head back to the dorms; to many of their surprises, Mina actually didn't end up heading back with the rest of them; hiding her true intentions by expressing a desire to try and stock up on any leftover natto packages from the dining hall, and taking off like a flash before anyone could try to talk her out of it.

Of course it hurt for Mina to actually have to lie to all her friends, especially about grabbing some of her all-time favorite food, but there was no way she could be 100-percent upfront and honest about something this embarrassing, this deeply personal; especially not with Nikolay right there with the rest of them.

Hopefully, all of her uncertainty and nervousness would be a thing of the past once she got what she'd really been looking for; bringing herself to a stop so hard that the leather of her school loafers almost squealed against the hard tile floor once she reached one of the doors to the faculty offices. She took only a moment to try and catch her breath before she swung the door open fast; her eyes scanning one end of the office to the other in search of the one face she needed to see most.

"Good evening, Ashido-chan. Trying to run a marathon this far into the day, are you?" The naturally sultry yet kind sound of Midnight's voice suddenly called out from Mina's right side; forcing her to look back into the hall to see the Yuuei Art History teacher and 18+ Hero having stepped out the other door the very same moment the pink student had poked her head in; an amused smile on her mature lovely face.

"If you're looking for Tunguska-san, he's still out on Pro Hero duty at the Fatgum office; he didn't come back with Shota-kun, unfortunately. I know how close you and a good number of your classmates are with him. Did you need his advice for something? You may really just know me as your teacher; but I can give you Hero advice just as valid as his, if not more so in some cases."

Midnight honestly didn't expect Mina's reaction to be so animated and relieved as it was, as the horned girl nearly sprinted up to her; her face the very picture of desperation. "Midnight-sensei; you're actually just who I was looking for! I really do need your advice; you're the best Hero I can think of to go to with this! Can you help me? Please, please, pretty please?!"

Thankfully, the dominatrix-like female Hero could easily chuckle away the awkwardness of this interaction as she gently inched Mina back so she wasn't quite as in her face. "Well, I have to admit I'm not used to the girl students coming to me like this after school's let out. I was honestly expecting at least one of your cuter boy classmates would come rushing to at least express their desires to me by now; but far be it for me to turn down anyone looking for my help. So why don't you have a seat and tell me all about it?"

Motioning her into the faculty office invitingly, Midnight took her spot back at her personal desk while Mina nervously took the seat opposite from her; momentarily looking around to make sure no other teachers were nearby to overhear them. Once she was satisfied they had a modicum of privacy, she breathed in deep, puffing her chest out in preparation, while knowing she should at least still try to be somewhat delicate.

"Well…the thing is, Sensei…what's been bothering me isn't really anything to do with….well, Hero work. It's just that this really close friend of mine…well, she's recently; like, really recently found out she's totally fallen in love with a boy that she's really, really close friends with, and she wants to tell him, more than anything in the world…but she just doesn't know how to say it right without maybe giving him the wrong idea, or making it all embarrassing, and—

"So you finally figured out the truest extent of your feelings for Bezpalov-kun, is that it?" Midnight suddenly interrupted with all the swiftness and precision of a surgical scalpel, leaving Mina wide-eyed and a paler shade of pink with disbelief that the teacher and Pro Hero before her was able to see right through her so completely. At the same time, Midnight herself had a smirk on her face that showed she knew she'd just hit the nail dead center in the head. That realization left Mina practically mouthing the word "how" over and over again.

At the sight of the young Hero student's amazement, Midnight instinctively rested her head back into her hands as she sat back, folding her legs over each other in a seductive pose entirely out of force of habit. "Oh, please, don't act so surprised I figured it out, Ashido-chan. I've had more than my fair share of experiences with love; I get regular love letters from my most loyal fans to this day, even. That being said, though; I could already tell this isn't your typical schoolgirl crush, what you've got going on right now. No, I know a young maiden whose heart has found the one truly meant for her when I see and hear it, and it's as plain as the smile always on your face.

"Honestly, I was waiting for a moment like this between you two ever since the Sports Festival, if not even the very start of the year; not only with how you two are always so closely attached to one another's side at every chance you're given, but especially that little glimmer I spy in your eyes along with that precious smile on your face whenever you look his way during class, no thanks to that double desk you two share."

While Midnight continued to lay down a heaping helping of pure facts at Mina's feet; the pink young Hero herself still couldn't remove the stunned look from her face. "That's amazing, Sensei! I-I didn't think you or anyone else could actually see something like that, that long ago. I didn't even think I felt that way for him back then!"

At this, Midnight let out another amused "tsch" as she rolled her eyes in response. "Honestly, I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out for yourself; you're probably one of the easiest students I've been able to read yet. No need to be embarrassed about that, though; from one woman to another, I couldn't be happier for you that you're clearly brave enough to let yourself feel this way for one of your fellows like this, Ashido-chan. Not a lot of female Heroes in your position would be, typically. Frankly, I think it's just downright adorable, seeing your relationship towards one another bloom like this; a pair of dearest friends and fellow Heroes, bound by the red string of fate in both their dreams and in love! It'd certainly make an amazing romance movie for the Hero world, if I may say so."

Midnight wasn't sure at what point in her own self-explanation she'd risen back onto her stiletto-clad feet, but when she'd finally taken a pause to breathe and saw Mina looking straight up at her in equal shares of fluster and amazement; the teacher hurriedly sat herself back down in a more professional posture, clearing her throat so she could get her head back in the moment for the young girl's sake. "So, if you've managed to finally figure out your feelings for yourself regarding Bezpalov-kun, then what exactly is it you need my advice or help with?"

With her full secret officially out between them and no longer having to try and play it all secretive, Mina felt considerably less awkward as she got to her point: "Okay, well…since we got accepted together for our internships this week, I've promised myself that I would just tell Kolya-kun how I feel for him at the end of this week. But the thing is that while I love romantic stuff, I never really thought of being a part of it personally, and I don't wanna give him the wrong idea by saying or doing the wrong thing.

"You saying earlier how you still get love letters from your fans, proves that I was right to go to you, Sensei. I wanted your advice on how I should tell him, since you're obviously a Hero still with a lot of appeal for guys all over; you probably had even more tons and tons of love confessions in your prime. You're the perfect person to help me with this!"

CRACK!

The very fraction of a moment after Mina had reached the end of her last sentence, Midnight had shattered the silence with the deafening sound of her trusty leather cat o' nine tails slapping against her desk; a distinctly irked look in her blue eyes and an off-putting twitch in the corner of her mouth. "And what exactly do you mean by 'in my prime,' Ashido-chan? I'm not even past 30 yet; don't go talking like I'm some granny who just happened to age extraordinarily well, understand?"

Mina gave a very intimidated nodding of her head in response under the insulted Hero's gaze; which thankfully managed to calm Midnight down to where she was back to her smiling normal self, tucking her leather tool of discipline away. "Alright, so all in all, your reasons for looking for me make sense. Why don't we start with giving me an idea of some ways you were thinking of telling Bezpalov-kun your feelings when the time finally came?"

Being put on the spot to further open up once more, Mina clutched the hem of her uniform's skirt nervously as she had to think back. "Well, my mom and I used to watch rom-coms a lot together, and I actually started thinking of some of our favorites when thinking of how I'd tell him. I'd thought of maybe getting a stereo or my phone and some little speakers and blasting some of my favorite love songs outside his dorm room window; or maybe even writing on a whole bunch of poster cards everything I'd want to say, knocking at his door, and just flipping from one to another so he could read it all."

Already, Mina could feel her words dying in her throat when she saw no sign of an approving reaction from Midnight as she kept listening in. Desperate to keep going and hopefully reach an idea that was even partially on the right track, Mina hurriedly cleared her throat and went for the one idea of hers she felt even a modicum sure of: "Well, another idea I had was that, maybe to transition to showing him how I feel a lot easier, I'd thought of maybe throwing a slumber party for the whole class, and then in the middle of it, suggest playing Spin the Bottle, and once it'd be my turn, I'd spin and it'd land on Kolya-kun, and when we'd kiss, I could do it in a way where he'd…have to be able to figure it out."

The further she went, the less sure of this last plan the pink young lady felt under Midnight's judging gaze. When it was clear she had nothing left, the teacher knew it was time for her to take the responsibility of her position and give the girl the honest truth. "Okay…first things first, Ashido-chan: don't take ideas for love confessions from movies, especially really old ones like what those first two ideas of yours came from. Not only has everybody tried them since then, but it instantly shows a disingenuousness, in that you didn't try to think of something wholly unique to yourself that would express what you're trying to tell him.

"And that whole idea of a slumber party in order to ease into confessing to him is also, frankly, a terrible idea. This is one of the most personal moments of both your lives; do you really wanna rope your entire class into it as well? Not only would that be wholly uncomfortable and awkward for every single one of you involved; but what would you do if you got your turn, and the bottle didn't end up landing on Bezpalov-kun, hmm? You really need to take those kinds of risks into consideration, otherwise the entire situation could royally explode right in your face."

Mina's head was already long since bowed in great shame by the time Midnight had reached the end of her lecturing. Seeing this, she let out a remorseful sigh as she leaned forward with a much softer and assuring smile; forcing the student before her to lift her head so their eyes could meet.

"The fact of the matter is, Ashido-chan, that I can't really tell you exactly what to say to Bezpalov-kun, or how, or when. This is a situation involving feelings that are 100-percent entirely your own, and as such, only you will be able to really know when the time is right, and how to express your feelings for him. It may come to you gradually, or it could hit you like a sack of bricks in an instant, and everything will immediately become crystal clear when it seemed like it never would before. Normally I would've suggested against you setting a deadline for yourself and thereby putting that much more pressure on your shoulders; but it is still a pleasing sight to see you taking such initiative over your life. Most girls your age would be so much more passive, thinking that it's entirely up to the boys to figure everything out and take the first step for them both. What you're going through right now; it's one of the single most powerful experiences of a young woman's life, but it will come to you; make no mistake about that."

Mina genuinely looked split between being further upset that she wasn't getting the kind of advice she'd originally wanted; and actually understanding of just what it was Midnight was ultimately telling her; that this was her challenge alone to overcome, and she needed to look inward in order to do so.

In the end, though, even as she had to bite her lower lip and suck in another steadying breath to keep from getting overtaken by all her conflicting emotions, Mina was able to get back on her feet, smile with a deeper sense of understanding to counterbalance her remaining uncertainty, and give Midnight a deeply grateful bow. "Thank you so much, Sensei! I'll keep what you said in mind, I promise! I knew you'd be able to at least give me something to work with!"

With that being said, and Midnight calling out to her as she took her leave not to rush herself or bite her tongue trying to practice what to say; Mina finally left for the dorms again; her heart once again pounding hard at her chest, but with the foundations of some kind of an idea having now finally taken shape in her head. If simply trusting in her own feelings and sensibilities as when and how to tell Nikolay her feelings was really the best kind of advice Midnight felt she needed, then who was she to argue? After all, Midnight was a Pro Hero whose entire look was about stealing the hearts of the opposite sex; surely she had to know exactly what she was talking about.

---

Hokkaido, Present

By the time Mina had finished recounting her meeting with Midnight yesterday, she looked and sounded no less conflicted than she had already; but Kyouka looked similarly as skeptical as the teacher herself had then at the sound of her friend's previous confession ideas. "Well, I have to agree with Midnight-sensei; that spin the bottle idea would've turned into a hot mess way too easily, and the whole blasting music outside his window thing, while cool, could've likely gotten you pelted by Bakugo before you'd even get a chance to tell Kolya-san anything. You definitely did the smart thing, going to her. So have you thought at all of how you're gonna actually start talking to Kolya-san when you're ready to tell him?"

At this, Mina was now trying to look as self-assured in her own planning as she could, but it was hardly a change from just how conflicted she'd been consistently looking thus far. "Yeah, and right now I've got it down to what I think could be the two best times: maybe I could ask Kolya-kun to come up to the dorm rooftop with me tonight after we get back; you know, go stargazing and stuff. That sounds so romantic, doesn't it? But then maybe I should wait until tomorrow night when we've had the whole day to unwind from work already. I mean, starting next week, our internships will just have us working in Arakisu City alone, and not Gagaringrad, so that's gotta be way less stressful, right?"

Kyouka could already tell that, even when expressing her own ideas, Mina was anxiously looking for a second opinion from her friend. With a roll of her eyes, she began to answer: "Well—

"Sorry that took so long, you guys." Nikolay's voice suddenly interrupted so unexpectedly that both girls nearly jumped from their seats with surprise; leaving the solitary Russian boy looking momentarily perplexed and curious on just what he'd missed out on that would leave them so unaware of their surroundings.

In the end, though, with a shrug of his shoulders, he took his old spot right beside Mina as he suddenly handed her an especially fresh-looking strawberry muffin, and Kyouka a blueberry one. "I know you both had breakfast before me, but I thought you'd both want to keep your energy up for today, too. The server had so many options, I was seriously struggling to try and pick something for all of us I was semi-sure you'd like."

As Nikolay hurriedly gave his apologetic explanation and was already beginning to eat his fill he'd already missed out on back at the dorms; both Mina and Kyouka knew they couldn't carry on this kind of conversation with him around now. If they were lucky, they'd have a chance to once they got to the Kapenta Agency and changed into their Hero costumes. Either way, after having filled her friend in on what had been weighing on her mind and heart the most, Mina was feeling steadily surer of her intent to finally tell Nikolay the truth; the idea of doing it tonight instead of waiting a whole other day sounding better by the minute.

---

Once the train had pulled back into Arakisu City; the three made a straight beeline for the Kapenta Hero Agency's offices, and once they had made their way up to the third floor to officially clock in together and change; they were immediately met and greeted happily by all their Pro Hero mentors, save for The Giver.

"Welcome back; you three! You certainly wasted no time getting here bright and early! You're finally getting the hang of it!" De-Condenser greeted the three students once they had shown up, with Nikolay and Mina happily greeting their mentor back:

"We're all glad to be back, Sensei! We were still pretty disappointed after the way we left last time, but now it sounds like we can finally get things moving forward again!" ""Yeah, have things in that town gotten back to normal after they found Val-kun and his parents? Please say yes, Sensei; those people deserve a break, don't they?"

At the same time, even Kyouka couldn't help but get in on the excitement between her two classmates: "What about anywhere else? Have things still been pretty quiet or is there anything real curious you all wanna check out going on around here? Any Villain activity we should look into?"

To this, the students immediately saw the same look of regret fall over all their mentors' faces, just as Blast Beat answered: "I'm afraid you won't be getting the answer you're looking for from Mitsudo-kun; Solovei-kun, Pinky-kun. We all had another situation we had to work together to deal with yesterday."

De-Condenser immediately followed up when he saw the confusion apparent on the three interns' faces: "It's true, it happened pretty much the moment after I'd sent you that photo Maja-chan had sent me, saying they'd found Valera-kun and his parents. This huge forest fire had popped up practically out of nowhere on the other side of town, and we all needed to help the fire department contain it before it could reach anyone's homes. It took us pretty much all day and well into the night."

While the initial news of a forest fire was of course one that left Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka visibly surprised and worried for anyone having potentially gotten hurt; it was at least a reassuring sight that nobody looked to have visibly gotten hurt. at worst, they just looked a little sleep deprived.

"If there's no other situations going on anywhere around here, then could we be able to head over there today, Sensei?" Nikolay less asked with unmistakable childlike eagerness; Mina wholeheartedly nodding in agreement with her hands clenched into excited fists.

"We haven't gotten any kinds of updates from Father Sergei-san regarding Linguist-san's condition, but we should at least reach out and check." High Noon admitted; with De-Condenser already way ahead of her as he had his phone out and half-dialed to the local priest's personal number. as he answered his interns in kind: "As soon as Erumi-chan gets here and clocks in, we can head right out, you two. In the meantime, you all might as well go ahead and change into your costumes."

After the few minutes it took for the three students to change out of their uniforms and into their Hero costumes, the could all see the confusion on their mentor's face, as he received no answer in those couple of minutes. "This doesn't make sense. He may be a man of the cloth, but he always at least has his phone on him, and kept on so we can at least leave messages for him. I didn't even get that."

"Is it possible he may have overslept? I mean, no disrespect, but the guy isn't exactly a spring chicken, you know?" Blast Beat ultimately asked, going with the theory that made the most sense to himself. De-Condenser looked from him to the intern trio to the rest of his colleagues, and could see they all had similar theories in mind; himself included. "I can't say for sure, but I don't think it's anything to jump the gun over. We can check on him as well as Linguist-san once we get there. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and text Erumi-chan, let her know we're all heading out to Gagaringrad now so she can catch up. Solovei-kun, Pinky-kun, let's go."

"YES, SENSEI!"

From there, bidding their fellow Pro Heroes and Kyouka the best of luck on their duties, the Yuuei duo and their Pro Hero mentor hurriedly made their way back down to the lobby and the front door…

…only to come to a screeching halt of surprise as, when they least expected anything of the sort, the double doors burst open to reveal none other than De-Condenser's sidekick, The Giver herself,; her face wrought with immense worry as they then saw she was carrying along the limp, dirtied, tattered, noticeably bloodied form of the bearded old man they all immediately recognized as Gagaringrad's linguist, Leonid Viktorovich Briner, looking downright haggard, dehydrated, and completely unconscious. "Everyone...I need your help!"

The moment the Pro Hero sidekick exclaimed this, Nikolay and Mina immediately dashed forward to keep the elderly man upright once it was clear The Giver was about to lose her grip on his arm over her shoulders; supporting his arms with their own, before De-Condenser similarly rushed in and took Leonid into his arms. "Linguist-san, are you alright?! What happened?! Can you hear me?! Erumi-chan, what is going on here?!"

Unfortunately, the young black-haired sidekick looked just as clueless and frantic as Leonid himself, looking at the bloodstains on her own civilian clothes in the process. "I-I don't know, Mitsudo-san! I...I-I was on my way here from home, and Linguist-san just came stumbling out onto the sidewalk like this! I'm on the outskirts, so he had to have come from the nearby woods! I offered to get him to the hospital, but he was so insistent on me bringing him here because he said he needed to tell us all something really serious!"

"Did he actually say what it was?!" Nikolay immediately asked as they all started to hurry after De-Condenser, who was already rushing for the nearby elevator.

"No, he lost consciousness almost immediately after, if not on the way here! I didn't know what else to do, so I brought him here!" The Giver admitted as they all stepped inside; Mina and Nikolay looking at the large bloodstain on Leonid's once pristine white dress shirt.

"Poor Linguist-san, he looks like he's been running through the woods all night. No wonder he looks so beaten up. Are we gonna be able to help him, Sensei?" She asked worriedly, while De-Condenser's own eyes reflected a steely intensity his interns all quickly realized they'd never seen from him before; even when Valera and his parents had gone missing.

"The worst injury isn't from running through trees, you two. I'd recognize that kind of injury anywhere: Linguist-san got shot at some point."

The instant he stated this, all three of his fellow Heroes once more looked to the wound in Leonid's midsection, and immediately could Nikolay and Mina recognize the small round hole in his shirt and hide; the young Russian instinctively shuddering as his fingers began reaching for the bullet scar upon his own chest.

"Did you see if there was anybody following after him on your way here, Giver-sensei?" He immediately asked as soon as he snapped back to reality; only for their sidekick mentor to firmly shake her head.

Before anything else could be said, a single ding sounded, and the elevator doors opened once more, allowing them all to hurriedly file out into the security of Chiaroscuro's office; all of the expected expressions of surprise from the other Pros instantly turning into exclamations of shock once they saw the state the unconscious Leonid was in.

Once they had him laid on the sofa, they proceeded to quickly fill Kyouka, Blast Beat, Chiaroscuro and High Noon in on just what had happened, while Mina quickly got to work applying her healing salve to all of Leonid's open wounds.

Once she had finished closing up his injuries as best she could, this allowed Kyouka to start applying bandages from a nearby first-aid kit. all the while, Chiaroscuro quickly took charge, standing tallest amid the rest of the Heroes as The Giver told her of Leonid's supposed urgent news that superceded the need for a hospital. "I don't recall hearing news of any particularly violent Villain activity in the woods recently that Linguist-san could've gotten caught up in. I've never even known him to be a man who could be as shaken up as what you describe, Erumi-chan. If what he has to tell us is as serious as he says, then we need to figure out what it is sooner rather than later."

With the Agency head sounding as cryptic and serious as she was, it was no surprise how swiftly Nikolay and Mina had answered her: "Sensei, we can't just hit him with an adrenaline shot! Who knows if he'd be able to handle that in the state he's in?" "Yeah, first he goes for several days all sick and then comes out all beaten up, shouldn't we just give him the time he needs to rest and recover already?"

However, Mina's specific choice of words had Kyouka's own curiosity piqued. "Hey, that's right...first you say he locks himself up cause of some vague sickness from out of nowhere, and then he suddenly comes out looking like this. Doesn't that whole chain of events sound sketchy as hell to anyone else?"

She could already see her two classmates were starting to think along the same line, with many of the Pro Heroes following suit; their gazes all fallen upon the unconscious old community leader before them. Not a single one of them had ever known Leonid Viktorovich Briner to be the kind of man to shirk his responsibilities over something like a period of being sick, and neither did they know him to be the kind of person to take physical risks by doing something like trekking through the woods.

Both of these things together were only leaving them all the more curious and worried about just what on earth could have been going on that would make this man so desperate for their help to do such things. Needless to say, it was very disconcerting for them all, and knowing they had no means of getting answers from him in this moment was only making the apprehension that much worse. They could only hope right now that Leonid would regain consciousness soon so they could finally know, and from there be able to actually act.

---

Gagaringrad, Thursday, September 11th

The last two days in which Leonid Viktorovich Briner had been hiding out inside Father Sergei Cherenkov's church felt like they had passed by in some kind of impenetrable fog; the very passage of time failing to register in his head. The entirety of that time, all he could describe the pain in his skull as, was as though the frayed synapses of his brain were forcefully rewiring themselves to one another, and a part of his mind that he hadn't even realized felt completely frayed or scattered, was slowly but surely coming back together.

However, when this day had started, for what felt like the first time in ages, the pain in Leonid's skull had vanished, and his mind felt completely whole again. Of course, he was only able to relish in this feeling in relative peace for but a minute; for when he'd finally opened his eyes to retake his surroundings, he was immediately met by the sight of the kindly old blue-eyed priest kneeling at his side on the worn old sofa; a look of equal parts relief and imploring visible in his gaze.

[[God be praised, it seems like the worst of your ailment has finally passed, Leonid Viktorovich. How are you feeling?]] He immediately asked once it was clear the man who had come to him for shelter was no longer in any visible anguish.

Slowly trying to get himself back up into a sitting position, Leonid struggled to find the words to properly describe what it was he'd been feeling before in comparison to how he felt now. [[Much, much better, Father. Thank you so much for keeping me here. For the first time in…I don't even know how long, my head feels like it's actually in one piece.]]

However, his answer only seemed to spur the old priest's curiosity and need for answers that much more, as his eyes never lost their intensity: [[Leonid Viktorovich, what exactly happened to you that would have left you in the state you'd come here in? What would have driven you to come to me through those old tunnels to begin with? Why on Earth did you ask me to tell people that story of you simply being ill and carrying on the façade of you being home, instead of simply telling them the truth? What exactly is going on with you?]]

With every question that Sergei asked; more and more long-lost memories, and months-worth of realizations and worries that had been deeply buried within his subconscious, came rushing back to Leonid. His relative calm immediately turned into a look of purely horrified panic as he suddenly grabbed Sergei by the shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet. [[Father…I couldn't begin to tell you the entirety of the truth, for the safety of you and your son. So much has been coming back to me over these last few days; things I wasn't sure ever would. Please, right now you just need to know that there is something deeply illusory going on behind the scenes here in Gagaringrad, something to do with the kids that have gone to train at the old hospital, and their families…and Pietro Dobrynich Granin is at the dead center of all of it; him and the Serbian, Czech and Bulgarian who came with him with that large influx of new citizens from back then.]]

It was only natural for Father Sergei to look completely blindsided, and most of all confused, by what Leonid was suddenly saying. However, he could clearly see that the fear in Leonid's eyes was as genuine as the sun rising at this very moment; hence he didn't immediately react by treating the man as though he'd lost his mind. [[My friend…what exactly is it that you're trying to tell me? If there is something that poses a threat to the good people of this town, then I need to know.]]

Unfortunately, despite how much he wanted to do just that; Leonid grimaced with painful regret, finally taking his hands off his shoulders. [[I…I can't. Don't ask me to put you and your child's lives in danger, Father. I've no doubt he'll eventually come here…looking for me specifically. That's why I need to get out of here now, get to Arakisu City and tell the Kapenta Agency Heroes what I remembered. From there, they can reach out to all the other Heroes across Hokkaido, maybe even onto mainland Japan as well. We need all the Heroes we can to get up here soon…because I can't shake the feeling Pietro and his people are bringing something terrible this way.]]

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, a resounding knock at the hardwood doors to the church echoed all the way back to this little room, and the suddenness with which Leonid flinched with fright was like that of a cornered and terrified animal, especially when the sound of Ljubomir Milošević's voice followed: [[Father, could you let us in, please? There's something important we need to talk to you about.]] However, there was an unmistakable edge of tension lining the large Serb's tone that neither of the men listening could mistake for anything else: the preparedness for conflict.

Sergei couldn't glean any falsehood in what the man was telling him, and that alongside the look of utter fright in his eyes filled the old priest with a sense of resolve. [[If you're truly feeling well enough now, Leonid Viktorovich…and if what you're remembering and telling me is indeed the Lord's honest truth…then it is my obligation to help you. I'll try and distract them while you do whatever you can to get out of here. Some of the old tunnels should lead a good way out of town.]]

Sergei's resolve was so strong; he left to confront those at his church's door before Leonid could even attempt to talk him out of it. The man was going out of his way to do what he knew in his heart was right, and come whatever consequences may; it was Leonid's responsibility now to make sure none of it would be in vain. The gratitude he felt in the pit of his chest was immeasurable as he did what he'd been asked, and hurriedly made his way through the same tunnel he had previously arrived here through.

As he navigated his way through the darkness, he knew without a doubt that if any of Pietro's people were now turning their attention to the church, then he would no doubt have people just waiting for him outside and inside his own home, just looking for any sign of how he'd gotten in and out without them spotting him.

As such, having thankfully memorized the passages over the years, Leonid knew where to turn and when in order to come out one of the tunnel mouths that led out into the surrounding woods. They were all thankfully thick enough that he could make his way through without anyone on the outside spotting him right off the bat. Once he'd be outside, he would just need to be careful to not draw too much attention to himself, and from there make a beeline for Arakisu City.

After a good several minutes of navigating his way through the shadows and silently hoping that Pietro's clearly closest followers weren't doing anything to hurt Father Sergei; Leonid could finally catch the scent of fresh air down the tunnel, along with just the faintest trace of light through one of the foliage-covered doors.

With his heart catching in his throat, he scrambled forward and, after listening carefully for any kind of sign that someone was out there that shouldn't have been; namely the lack of any birds singing or anything of the like, he was satisfied that he was currently in the clear. As such, he slowly and quietly pushed the door open for probably the first time in decades, stepping out into the early morning light deep in the forest just outside the town proper.

Looking all around and finding no signs of trouble, Leonid let out a shaken, genuinely fear-based sigh of relief before getting back onto his feet, using the direction of the rising sun to judge which direction he needed to go in order to get to Arakisu City and the Kapenta Hero Agency. This was ultimately the home stretch.

[[I FOUND HIM! HE'S OUT HERE!]]

The sudden heart-stopping sound of the Estonian girl, Tuule Koppel's voice shattering the natural peace of the forest from the treetops nearby nearly gave Leonid a heart attack. Instead, however, his fight-or-flight instincts kicked into overdrive and sent him sprinting as fast as his old joints could carry him in the direction he knew he needed to go; his veins running with the adrenaline of pure desperation.

FWOOSH!

In an instant, the old man's entire field of vision was enshrouded entirely in blackness, sending his trajectory askew with confusion, before Tuule quickly warped right in his direction and brought Leonid to the ground with a single well-aimed clothesline. Before he could even try to get up and keep running, he felt another pair of feet approach before planting themselves right on his upper back, keeping him pinned down.

The overall pain of having been practically thrown to the ground left his still slightly-muddled head swimming in delirium, but not enough that he couldn't still make out the sound of Eliška Horáčková's voice speaking from above him: [[Good work, you two. Let's get him back to HQ before anyone comes snooping around here. Tell the others to check out these tunnels, too.]]

With that, the swimming sensation in Leonid's head ultimately caused him to black out; allowing the three of Pietro's soldiers to carry him away, with Father Sergei and the rest of the Gagaringrad townspeople never being aware of just what was truly going on.

---

There was no way for Leonid to know just how much time had passed by the time his senses had returned to him. At first, all he could experience was a frigid cold against his skin, a pounding pain in the back of his head, and the smell of mildew and accompanying moisture all around. When he opened his eyes, at first all he could see was pure darkness. Initially, upon remembrance of just what had happened to him last before losing consciousness, and knowing just what the Quirks of Pietro's loyal followers were by now, he couldn't help but feel his heart rate rise with panic that Hristofor's Quirk was still having an effect on him.

That was when he realized the hard way that he'd actually been blindfolded and gagged in the meantime, for with the sound of approaching footsteps, the cloth tightly wrapped over his eyes was forcefully ripped away, momentarily blinding him as the overhead lights burned his retinas.

After a good few seconds to recover, the old man finally managed to lift his head to try and get an idea of just where he was. Immediately was he greeted by the realization that not only was he in a damp and bare concrete room adorned with only a single fluorescent light tube overhead and one rusty metal door; on top of the single old wooden chair he just as quickly realized he was bound to…but also that he was not alone. None other than Pietro Dobrynich Granin stood alone before him, practically towering over him and casting a shadow over his form; a deceptively casual smile on his stubble-adorned face.

[[Glad to see you're awake again, Leonid Viktorovich. I was starting to worry Gust had been too rough when immobilizing you, being as old as you are. I'll see to it she's disciplined accordingly. The last thing we need is for something unfortunate to happen to you. You're too important to us and the town for that to happen.]] Despite how welcoming Pietro was presenting himself through the softness with which he spoke, he could clearly see Leonid wasn't buying a word of it.

Keeping in mind the delicate nature of this particular objective of theirs, Pietro was still as calm as ever. [[Is there something on your mind you wish to share with me, my friend?]]

When Leonid sat himself up straight to look Pietro in his eyes; he was barely able to successfully hide his surprise at the sight of the man's once-orange eyes having now turned blood red, on top of the grotesque new scar running diagonally across his scalp, splitting his short graying black hair. Instead, he continued to look into his gaze with an air of defiance as Pietro finally removed the gag from his mouth. [[If I'm that important, Pietro, then why haven't you just gone ahead and rewritten my memory and left me to wake up in my bed without a clue? You did it before, after all.]]

Pietro took a deep inhale through his nose as he continued to meet Leonid's gaze. The fact the man was no longer referring to him by his name and patronymic like the norm, made it clear that Leonid clearly had no such pretensions as even a semi-friendship with him now that his real memories had come back, clearly having been building in the depths of his brain over the months, the more he'd blindly taken notice of what had actually been going on around their town because of him.

Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he took a step back, letting his rigid posture slack some. [[You're right about that. However, the fact you managed to keep yourself hidden for as long as you did after my Quirk's connection to you had been severed on Monday night, inherently means I need to exercise caution. I can't just set you back to the state you were in and just go on my way, assuming you didn't go and tell the truth to anyone else out there in the meantime. I need to be able to cover every step of my tracks, and I can't do that if I just go out into town and use my Quirk in broad daylight on everyone I see.

[[So if you could just tell me who exactly you spoke to in that timeframe, we can all move on from this that much more smoothly.]] Pietro, of course, believed his demeanor to be completely welcoming and trustworthy. Had he been much younger and in Leonid's position, even he felt he would have believed that.

Unfortunately, it was clear that Leonid wasn't nearly so foolish, as he continued to stare back his way defiantly. [[Why are you doing things like this at all, Pietro? What could you possibly have to gain from brainwashing these kids, holding their parents captive and convincing everyone else they moved away? That's what you've been doing with them, isn't it? Why else would nobody in town see their faces around, and yet not ask questions?]]

The fact that the door to this cell was locked up tight kept Pietro from reacting to Leonid questioning him about something so secret so forwardly. Fortunately for himself, he'd prepared himself for a moment like this, from anyone essentially. As such, his answer took no time to come to him: [[This isn't about what I have to gain, Leonid Viktorovich, but what we all stand to gain. It isn't even about something as paltry as riches or the like. This is about my teaching the people of this town to know they no longer have to fear for their lives; to know that if they follow me, we could be able to finally start taking our fight back to the tyrants that drove us out of our homes to begin with; to know we can finally take back a piece of the land that is rightfully ours…and that's just the beginning.]]

PTOO!

At that moment, Leonid suddenly spat at the ground just before Pietro's feet, stopping his increasingly grand speech dead in its tracks, as his red eyes fell upon the old man in shock and growing anger, burning just under the barely calm façade he somehow continued to wear.

The expression in Leonid's eyes was pure and simple spite. [[You actually believe all the bullshit you're telling me, don't you; about you being some kind of brave and good leader for those people. I've seen men like you before, Pietro Dobrynich Granin; I've read and heard about people like you that have gone back centuries, and you're all truly the same. You think that by suffering alongside the rest of those people after the Siberian Flash, it makes you some kind of messianic figure; a symbol that can unify people and use their shared suffrage to justify violent retaliation. But I see through you…and I don't see a leader, let alone a Hero. All I see is just another warmonger and a Villain…just having waited for the excuse and the chance to lash out, just like the rest of them.]]

There was only silence to answer Leonid's declaration of defiance. Whether it was the light behind Pietro's head making it harder for him to make out a specific expression, or if he was simply exercising masterful control over his emotions was anyone's guess. All Leonid knew was that, for that first minute, he was becoming increasingly sure that he'd just signed his own death warrant. Somehow, he could feel the aura radiating off the man he didn't even recognize anymore; this was a man who was willing to kill even those he would've rather not if he had to.

If he had only known just what kind of chord he had stricken inside Pietro Dobrynich Granin; the kind that cut him down to his core, and left him with an overwhelming urge to make the man suffer for his insolence and his choice of words, even if only for a second.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of a resounding knock at the metal door finally broke the suffocating silence, and spurred Pietro over to it, before finally sliding open the metal slot that adorned its face at eye level. With his back to Pietro; the old man couldn't make out who was on the other side, although he was quick to recognize Ljubomir's voice echoing in: [[Sir, is everything alright in there? Do we know who to go after?]]

Despite Pietro keeping his own voice down, the acoustics of this cell were thankfully good enough that Leonid was able to make it out, if just barely enough: [[No, he's more willful than I gave him credit for…but that's nothing time and the right kind of pressure won't fix. Let me out. I'll try my hand with him later on. Don't let him try to trick you into anything, though. He's a crafty old devil, to have tried what he did.]]

The moment the door finally groaned wide open and Leonid could get a view into the hallways outside, he could barely make out Ljubomir's muscular frame half-poking out from the door frame, but noticing how Pietro was clearly looking to address two people on both sides of the door, he couldn't make out whoever was on the other side.

However, that concern could only occupy his mind for so long, for the moment there was any kind of silence, his ears picked up the echoing sounds of several adult voices speaking from up and down the hallway; specifically voices that he was quickly able to recognize once their specific words sank in: [[Please, Mr. Granin, why won't anyone tell us anything?! It's been months, why have you been keeping us here? At least let us see our children, please! We beg of you! Tell us you won't hurt them, sir, please!]]

With his worst suspicions now confirmed, and with a resounding slam, the door was shut in Leonid's face; and yet curiously, the little window was left open, allowing him to overhear the three men outside; the third one he couldn't recognize, but could clearly tell was speaking through some kind of electronic filter: [[So what's the next step, Pietro Dobrynich? People are bound to start asking questions if he's gone from town for too long. His little trick of having that priest tell everyone he was sick already doesn't help.]]

[[Don't worry about that, comrade. As long as Grenadier and his team did as they were told, and not say anything to tip Father Sergei Cherenkov off and not drag Leonid Viktorovich unconscious through the middle of town, then we should have a slightly larger window of opportunity. I'll simply have to go to the old priest myself and make sure we have a little further insurance here.]]

The sheer confidence with which Pietro spoke hardly seemed anything like the man Leonid had first met those several months ago. Although, now knowing and remembering all of what he knew over all that time, it was growing further difficult to tell which of these two displays was the real Pietro Granin all along.

[[What about Konstantin Khodamchuk and his comrades in the cell two doors down? Has there been any notable change with them?]] Pietro suddenly asked, catching Leonid's attention, as he didn't recognize that name.

The filtered voice out of view answered: [[Nothing yet, comrade. We've checked on them every hour, and they still remain as forlorn yet defiant as they have been. Their will is certainly strong, I'll give them that.]]

A troubled sounding mumbling of contemplation was all Pietro initially answered with, before Ljubomir distinctly cleared his throat to get his leader's attention: [[Sir, is it really wise to be talking about all this with the window open?]]

Leonid felt a momentary chill shoot through his veins at the realization of his captors knowing he'd no doubt been listening in on them. However, after Pietro stared into his eyes through the opening for several seconds; his gaze narrowed and he let out the driest-sounding chuckle. [[It's not a problem, Grenadier. His Quirk does nothing for him as far as physical strength goes. Besides, by the time this is over, he'll only remember what I want him to remember, and it'll all be like it was before…or even better.

[[I'm going into town to talk to the priest. You two stay here and make sure none of the prisoners try anything clever. And remember, nobody but Petto and Blackout are allowed down here. Don't let any of the other recruits in under any circumstances.]] With those final orders, the window on the door slammed shut, once again leaving Leonid in dreadful apathetic silence. A few minutes of desperately trying to fight against his binds quickly made it clear that even if he were once more in his physical prime in his youth, he'd hardly be able to budge an inch tied into his chair like this.

As he let his head bow down in momentary defeat, knowing all he could realistically do right now was hope that Father Sergei would do the smart thing and take his son and leave town while he had the chance; Leonid Viktorovich Briner never knew that, just two cells down from where he was restrained, the aforementioned Konstantin Khodamchuk and his few remaining injured soldiers were currently in the middle of putting a desperate escape plan into action, slowly but surely working away at their own shackles in preparation, as they already had been for so many hours that they'd since stopped counting, focusing only on perfecting their timing so that when any of their guards checked on them, nothing was out of place.

---

For the last several hours inside the confines and once-perceived security of his church, Father Sergei Cherenkov had been continuously pacing about in his personal office, silently hoping and praying several times that Leonid had managed to make his way to the Kapenta Hero Agency, and that help was on its way. He still had his fair share of doubts as to just how dangerous a man who was as seemingly approachable as Pietro Granin could be; but the sheer authenticity of the fear in Leonid's voice when he'd shared his suspicions was simply too much for him to just brush off and ignore. If he, a man who had dedicated himself for decades to serving the people of this town, believed that man to be a threat, then Sergei had a similar duty to take that threat seriously in his absence, as another figurehead of the community.

And it was with that continuous reminder of his duty that the old priest often found himself cursing his cowardice when it came to telling his son, Andrei, of what he'd been informed of. As a parent, he had an even greater duty to keep his son out of harm's way, but the fact was that the boy was too hardheaded and over-eager to put himself out there when a situation presented itself. He'd recently gone out to perform some of his regular food delivery chores for the townspeople an hour ago, and Sergei ultimately had no choice but to let him go, and simply pray that none of Pietro's people went after him.

He knew that if he'd suddenly forbid the boy to go, he would've asked questions; leaving his father no choice but to tell him exactly what Leonid had, and from there it would be an unwinnable battle of convincing Andrei not to go confront Pietro directly. Now he could only continuously hope he would be back soon.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sudden knocking at the church doors immediately told Sergei that whoever was at the door, it wasn't his son. He knew better than to track his dirty shoes through the church itself when coming back from his chores; that was what the back door was for. This realization left his heart pounding, his balding forehead beaded with cold sweat as he tried to re-compose himself, approaching the doors and silently hoping it was simply one of the townspeople wanting to just come and pray for a few minutes.

[[Good evening, Father. I hope I'm not interrupting in the middle of anything important.]] Pietro Dobrynich Granin didn't even hesitate with this greeting the instant Sergei opened the doors, finding the man he'd been told to worry about standing all on his own at the church doorstep.

It took every ounce of willpower Sergei had to keep a calm outer composure as he stepped aside and extended a welcoming arm inside, as a man of his station was always expected to when people came to the house of God. [[Of course not, Pietro Dobrynich. I was simply in the middle of preparing my next sermon. Please, come in. I imagine a man like you must also find a need to pray every now and again.]]

Sergei could only hope his attempt at forcing out a good-natured laugh would be enough to convince Pietro that nothing was amiss here, as the man himself gratefully accepted the invitation; his red eyes scanning the interior for any signs of someone hiding. [[I appreciate that, but I often find myself too busy to speak with God. That's why I'm glad we have you to take up the role in His place. Would you mind if we spoke personally in your office? There are some very important questions I have that I'm hoping you might be able to answer for me.]]

Sergei's expression thankfully didn't betray the apprehension that clutched his heart in that moment. He knew he'd taken care to hide the door to the tunnels especially well after Leonid had left, and he had nothing else worthy of rousing any suspicion left lying around in his room. As long as he kept a cool head, he knew he might be able to pacify his last-minute visitor and be able to send him on his way.

Once the two sat themselves in the old priest's office, Sergei tried to remain as jovial as he ever was, to keep up the illusion. [[So, what spiritual ailments might I be able to help you with, my so—[[You can drop the façade, Father. I just didn't want to risk making a potential scene in the most public part of the church. I know you helped Leonid Viktorovich Briner in hiding from me and my people these last few days. One of them came to me a few hours ago, saying some very interesting things about a whole network of underground tunnels most likely centuries old that run under nearly the whole town; a very interesting little detail, indeed. I'm honestly surprised I hadn't considered that before now; given Hokkaido's history between the Russians, the Japanese, and the Orthodox church and all.

[[Right now, I'm only curious just what on earth it is Leonid would've told you that would make you, a man of the cloth, actually lie to the townspeople who came looking for the man, telling some ridiculous story of him coming down with a fever. It must've been something quite serious to make you stoop that low.]] Despite his choices of words, Pietro wasn't coming across as sarcastic, mocking, or even angry. The fact he was able to say these things in these circumstances and still sound so completely composed was, honestly, more frightening than anything else he could have done.

Sergei momentarily struggled for a response that could even remotely have a chance of convincing Pietro, but the priest knew his silence would only prove him right, and thus he went with the first thing his gut told him: [[He didn't have to tell me anything, Pietro Dobrynich. He came to me seeking aid when he was in no state to help himself. As a servant of God, it's only my sworn duty to give aid to those that seek it, and the fact he had such a demanding position in this town, but was in no state to speak or work with any of the people; it only seemed right that I try to keep that kind of stress away from him. God will be able to forgive me that simple trespass once I pray for His forgiveness. Of course, why Leonid Viktorovich would come to my church using the tunnels instead of simply walking the streets like everyone else is beyond me.]]

Pietro simply leaned forward in his seat at first; his hands folded and held over his mouth as he looked Sergei dead in the eye. He had the gaze of a hawk when it came to trying to find any kind of physical telltale sign that the man was hiding something. It was a rare gift he possessed that had nothing to do with his Quirk. Everyone had a tell; that was one of the most important things he'd learned in his experience, and even a holy man like this would eventually do something outside of his own awareness that would give him away.

CREEAK

[[I'm back, father. Oh, good evening, Mr. Granin. Didn't expect to see you all the way out here from the old hospital.]] The sudden opening of the back door, followed by Andrei's unassuming voice, immediately made Sergei unwillingly fidget with frightened surprise; barely managing to maintain his approachable smile as he turned to address his son.

[[Good work, Andrei. You can leave the last of your chores for later; just go on to the kitchen and I'll be there to assist you shortly.]] As he ushered his smiling child onward, Pietro put on a similarly pleased face as he gave the boy an acknowledging nod.

As soon as Andrei was gone and out of earshot, Sergei let out an automatic sigh of relief, only for his eyes to widen with the realization that he'd just given away his single greatest weakness in this confrontation, and Pietro knew it far too well. [[That boy is a truly good kid, Father. He does everything he can to help those who need it, just like you. He'll make a fine replacement for this church when that day inevitably comes, Heaven grant not for a long time…of course, that's assuming he doesn't get himself caught in something unfortunate in the meantime.]]

Sergei could feel chills going up his back as he hesitantly turned to look the now-standing Pietro in the eye. His face was still wearing the same inviting smile, but there was something about how he said those last few words that couldn't help but give the priest a feeling of something truly sinister threatening to come into play.

Pietro could see this new realization dawning on the old priest's face, as he made his point unmistakably clear: [[I don't believe I need to tell you exactly what it is I want from you now, Father. It's the only thing you have to do in order to secure that boy's future for the better, after all.]]

For the first time in his entire life, Sergei was silently praying for God to show everyone in this town mercy and strike him dead so Pietro would learn nothing of the truth. It would be the only way for him to keep from caving in to his parental instincts, and simply giving the man before him what he wanted, and just keep hoping on the chance of Leonid having somehow made it.

Alas, that fatal salvation never came, and thus Sergei, all the while silently begging his old friend for forgiveness, finally told Pietro the full truth: [[He told me that you've cast a web of deception upon Gagaringrad and its people…that you've done something to several of our children, the ones who went to that old hospital you've claimed for their apparent training; them and their families. But that is all he told me before he left, I swear upon the cross.]]

Pietro suddenly closed his eyes and leaned his head back with a deep inhale, a contented smile upon his face. When his eyes opened again, all the burgeoning intensity had vanished. For all intents and purposes, he seemed to embody the welcoming kindhearted man the priest had once believed him to be; the veritable wolf in sheep's clothing Sergei had always warned his congregation of.

[[Thank you, Father; that was all I needed to know. I can understand why such words from a frightened old man would leave you so fearful of me. However, I can promise you that you have no reason to fear me. After all…]]

THOOM!

The swiftness with which Pietro suddenly closed the distance between them came so that the old priest couldn't have possibly been able to get out of the way of his lightning-fast hand before it grabbed onto his head, and his thumb fazed into his forehead, leaving a resounding stillness inside his brain, almost as though Sergei were floating listlessly in an infinite black ocean far below the surface.

[[…we have been the closest and most loyal of friends and confidantes for years, have we not? Was it not I and my comrades who helped you and your son escape Russia to the sanctuary of this town so we could lick our wounds and one day return home? You gave me your solemn oath as a man of God that you would provide any and all of your services as necessary when I needed it, after all.]]

With that, Pietro removed his hand, and let Sergei collapse in exhaustion into his chair. It would be a little time before his senses would return, and his mind would have been successfully remolded by his dictating words. With a satisfied grin on his face, he proceeded to where he had seen Andrei depart, ready to tie that one last loose end before returning to his headquarters. This little visit had ultimately proven far more fruitful than even he had hoped.

---

The awful silence and sparse nature of his holding cell made it surprisingly easy for Leonid to lose further track of time when Pietro had suddenly returned far sooner than he had expected. Of course, that dreadful realization paled in comparison to the twisting in his gut when he saw the smirk of pure arrogance adorning Pietro's face as he looked upon the silently defiant old man before him.

[[It's over, Leonid Viktorovich. That old priest friend of yours was hardly the unbending oak you were hoping for. As I've always said: everyone breaks when given time and the right buttons to be pushed. He told me exactly what it was you'd told him in your desperation. He's on my side now…and soon enough, every single person in this town will be as well; all those who can already fight worth a damn…and with the right training, even those who can't, even you.]]

The pit of despair that befell Leonid's shoulders almost made him deaf to the echoing of another metallic knocking coming from somewhere outside the cell, since the door was still left open. It was the fidget of surprise that Pietro gave in reaction that drew his attention, as the man hurriedly stepped out into the hall and turned to address the still-unfamiliar individual standing guard alongside Ljubomir. [[Go see who it is, and don't let them in here if it's not Blackout or Petto.]]

Leonid felt awash with unfamiliarity even further when he saw a hulking individual in thick black armor and an almost illuminated orange dome helmet where their head should have been. Their every footstep echoed with incredible weight and intent behind them.

Leonid's natural curiosity couldn't help but have him listening close as the footsteps sounded like they were ascending stairs, before the sound of another door opening punctuated it, immediately followed by the same electronically filtered voice expressing unmistakable surprise: [[Knot? What are you doing here?]]

[[I'm sorry, Comrade Ocean Master; I know we're not supposed to go down there, but I was just wondering if Commander Pietro is alright. It's just that I haven't seen him since our last mission.]] Even with the pounding of his heart against his chest leaving his ears rumbling, Leonid couldn't possibly mistake the sound of Maja Kieslowska's voice echoing from up above. His gut instinct told him to shout up to her, no matter what consequences would befall him in the process. She needed to get away from these people; this was all he knew for certain; her and all the rest of her fellow unwitting recruits.

Of course, he also couldn't help but feel a very dreadful curiosity as to just what kinds of 'missions' she was referring to that a man like Pietro Granin would have innocent children embark on.

At the moment Pietro looked as though he was about to actually follow after his unidentified comrade; the sound of a barely muffled violent commotion suddenly began echoing from further down the hall, drawing both his and Ljubomir's attention; as the leader immediately turned to his burly Serbian soldier. [[That came from Konstantin's cell. Go check it out, but be careful. Damn the fools who let this building fall into such disrepair, we couldn't even have someone keeping watch through those two-way mirrors, let alone have all the doors have observing windows.]]

He muttered this inconvenience angrily to himself as the white-haired young muscle head hurriedly made his way to the door two spots down from Leonid's. Both men were so focused on this sudden interruption; they'd momentarily all but forgotten Leonid's cell door was still wide open.

[[Hey! What the hell are you all doing in there?! Shut your mouths!]] Ljubomir's angered voice could be heard loud and clear as he closed the distance to the door. Immediately after, the clicking of the locks being undone could be heard; immediately followed by a deafening burst of numerous cacophonous voices simultaneously crying out in desperation as the door all but flew wide open, catching Ljubomir off-guard enough to allow himself to get plowed straight into the opposite wall by what sounded like a whole group of people.

Leonid couldn't see a thing that was going on out there, but he could clearly see the look of pure shock on Pietro's once confident face; the man genuinely frozen with disbelief, even when the sound of an unfamiliar adult woman's voice cried out from the direction he was looking: [[YOU'RE DEAD, YOU GODDAMNED MONSTER!]]

The sound of several men's voices calling out the name Elena immediately followed, as a single pair of frantic heavy footsteps started practically flying down the hall toward Leonid's cell; finally spurring Pietro to react frantically as he hurriedly reached for the pistol holster on his belt.

Further down the way she had just come from, Konstantin Khodamchuk and his two comrades, Anatoly Grischenko and Ilya Toptunov, were desperately calling for their enraged comrade, Elena Ustinovka, to stop, all while desperately trying to keep the muscle-bound young Serb from interfering.

Unfortunately for them, Ljubomir was essentially the essence of a berserker, for even though he could see Pietro was actually reacting in the face of a threat; the fact he'd been caught so thoroughly off-guard and was now being attacked by those he knew to be their enemies, had driven him into a blind rage that allowed him to ultimately overpower the much less powerfully built Konstantin and still-injured Anatoly; throwing them both like ragdolls back into their cell, re-opening the latter's wounds to his legs in the process.

The much bigger Ilya was a different story, however. Even though Ljubomir was still fighting back against him tooth and nail, repeatedly punching and head-butting him in the face like a machine, the man would not go down, even managing to ultimately get a good grip around his thick neck from behind, squeezing with every ounce of strength his tree trunk-like arms could exert with just as much intent to kill.

Unfortunately, even as he could feel the muscles in his neck and his vertebrae start to give to the insane pressure, Ljubomir still had the wherewithal to know the advantage his attacker had unwittingly given him, as there was now no one in front of him to stop him from intercepting their female comrade in the most permanent way.

Ilya just as quickly realized his mistake in his frantic actions the moment he saw Ljubomir's arms both lift, his hands dislodging at the wrists, and the barrels of his arms both already glowing bright as they were about to fire two full explosive barrages straight into Elena's fully exposed back; already in the process of leaping down the hall to tackle Pietro to the ground once he had his gun drawn.

BKOOM! BKOOM! KRRRAAAK!

The instant after Ljubomir fired both payloads from his arms, sending himself and Ilya flying back into the wall at the end of the hallway; the muscular grip around his neck had finally applied that last ounce of pressure needed, resulting in Ilya snapping the Serbian soldier's neck with a resounding crack.

However, it was still ultimately too late, and not just for Elena herself, for the moment she'd heard those resonating booms from behind her backs, and noticed the rapidly approaching glow emanating from the same direction, she became overcome with a sense of not only knowing what was about to happen to her…but also the strangest and most serene sense of genuine acceptance. If she was going to actually die here, then there was at least the comfort of knowing Pietro would be going with her, and that she would finally get the one thing she ultimately wanted more than anything else in the world.

That was exactly what was going through her mind as she closed her eyes, smiled in that last fraction of a second she had of her life left, and let all the years of anger and sadness wash away with one final thought: 'Anya, Yulia…Mommy's finally coming home.'

In that solitary moment that impact was finally made, a multitude of things happened all at once. The mysterious woman whose name Leonid didn't know was hit square in her back by two quick-flying glowing balls of pure explosive energy that he knew by now to be the workings of Ljubomir's Quirk; and at the very same moment that she grabbed onto the collar of Pietro's suit.

As a result, when the blinding and deafening explosion rang out; not only was the woman herself completely disintegrated into nothing by the sheer heat and power of the blast itself, but because she had inadvertently made herself into his human shield from the full brunt of the explosion at such close range, Pietro hadn't suffered the same fate.

Instead, the sheer concussive force had managed to rip and tear through his body to the point that, even though Leonid never got the chance to see it himself in full detail; the man had ultimately been left blown completely in half, dead before he even hit the ground.

And lastly, the blast wave from the explosion had miraculously managed to send Leonid himself flying back in his chair, smashing hard into the wall behind him. It had left his head ringing with incredible pain, but more importantly than that, it had left his chair smashed to splinters. For all intents and purposes, he was finally free.

The fire and smoke resulting from the explosion resulted in a deafening cacophony of fire alarms just before the sprinkler systems suddenly activated, raining down from one end of the hall to the other. As Leonid tried to pick himself back up, he could hear a multitude of desperately confused and panicked voices echoing up and down the hall, as the dome-headed stranger came sprinting down the stairs and was practically howling the moment he saw the state Pietro had been left in.

In his own delirium, he hadn't even stopped to realize he'd given Maja and the rest of her fellow recruits free rein to come rushing down right with him; all of them similarly horrified the moment they saw Pietro's bisected, lacerated and burnt body, and then again when they looked to the opposite end of the hall to find Ilya trying to similarly regain his bearings, with Ljubomir lying lifelessly at his feet with his neck twisted at an unnatural angle; his purple eyes completely empty.

None of them paid the open door to Leonid's cell a single moment's thought as they all came sprinting down the hall for the man before them, all of them screaming with the bloodlust that only the most loyal dogs of war could express.

However, just before they could quell said bloodlust, all of the water raining down and filling the hall suddenly began to float as thought it were in zero gravity, before it all came rushing right past them and straight into Ilya, pinning him to the wall in a nearly complete cocoon of increasingly heavy water.

The dome-headed man they knew as Ocean Master slowly but steadily made his way down the hall towards the gathering of younger soldiers. Under the mirror-like surface of his dome, the man was filled with the blinding desire to maim and kill in every conceivable way, the man responsible for making this disaster happen. He may not have been Konstantin Khodamchuk himself, but it would be close enough.

At the same time this had all been going on, Leonid had finally managed to regain his senses, and upon realizing he was no longer being watched, he took that moment to run out his cell and up the nearby stairs he'd heard with all the speed and strength his old body could muster; not even sparing more than a passing glance at all the damage that had been wrought to Pietro's body as it lay slumped in two pieces against the wall at the foot of the stairs.

Leonid couldn't even pause long enough to feel regret or relief at the man's obvious death, let alone the quickly-registering pain all across his body. Clearly being so close to that huge explosion had taken its own toll on the old man; and it was his sheer adrenaline that was keeping him from collapsing. As far as he was concerned, right now there was still a great and terrible threat present here, and the only hope he'd have of containing it before it exploded, was the Kapenta Hero Agency.

What he never realized, however, was that the sound of his frantic running footsteps had managed to actually catch the attention of the young soldiers and their infuriated senior, as he too looked back just in time to see Leonid disappear behind the wall of the stairway.

And looking that way had forced him to once again look upon Pietro's body, and in that moment of completely overwhelming emotion and desperation, Ocean Master focused his Quirk, and practically wrangled Ilya right back into his cell with Konstantin and Anatoly, before slamming and locking their door tight once again.

The numerous questions of confusion as to why Leonid was here, why he didn't just kill the three men in the cell right there, and what they were supposed to do next, all fell upon deaf ears, as Ocean Master's anger drew his Quirk into sending all the water in the sprinklers flying at immense speed in all directions, tearing the pipes asunder like wet tissue paper, and effectively silencing all of them.

Even with his furious rage, he was still a man of considerable focus, as he immediately regained control of the single worst situation they'd found themselves in yet: [[Knot, go up to Misha's room and get him to Alyosha's lab! We need his Quirk now more than ever! Backtrack, Blowback, help me get Pietro and Grenadier over there as well! The rest of you, get after that man and bring him back here! We can't let him escape, not now! MOVE!]]

Thankfully, the sight of his temper in full swing, on top of their desperate desires to make themselves useful in a time of sheer crisis, had taken the right kind of toll, as every one of the young soldiers did exactly as they were told, with a whole handful of them angrily chasing after Leonid with everything they had. God willing, they would manage to catch him and drag him back here by the beard if they had to. Right now, Ocean Master was so enraged, he was about ready to use his Quirk to take the heads off the shoulders of just about anyone dumb enough to waste his time or stand in his way. His comrade's chances of being resurrected again were right on the line here, and he knew he had to do everything in his power to get them back.

---

What should have normally been a straightforward rush back ended up turning into a nightmarish race of pure desperation, as Leonid knew he couldn't risk the safety of the townspeople by cutting through Gagaringrad in his escape. With night having long since fallen completely, the best he could hope to do was use the light of the nearly full moon to make a run straight for the forested hills next to the hospital.

He never realized just how lucky he was to have been driven to go as fast as he was, for the moment he'd managed to make his way out the courtyard gate and into the open, the sniper known as Angel's Eye had long since heard the commotion from atop the building, and gotten the fleeing old man in his sights, aiming squarely for his leg.

In an insane twist of events, however, in Leonid's rush, he ended up accidentally tripping over a rock the moment the shot had been fired; causing him to fall flat to the ground, and the bullet to just barely miss its mark and plant itself in the ground right beside him. The discovery that he was genuinely being shot at had Leonid take off at last into the safety of the foliage, out of the sniper's line of sight.

By then, the group of young soldiers that had been sent to get him back had all come racing out into the open as well; just barely able to catch sight of him before he'd disappeared into the shadows. Of course, this didn't stop them as they all began to fan out as they chased after him into the dark woods in this impenetrable night.

The coverage of the trees was so dense, and his sense of panic was so thoroughly ingrained into his brain in this moment, Leonid couldn't even begin to navigate precisely what direction he was going. All he knew was that if he kept going straight, he would eventually end up in Arakisu City, and from there it would hopefully be no further trouble for him to finally get to the Kapenta Hero Agency and start to make everything right again.

SHHWING!

The sound of a razor's edge cutting through air and trees alike rang in his ears, and gut instinct told him to dive down just in time before said line slashed through the trees where his head had just been. Once the trees stopped crashing down around him, he scrambled through the fallen foliage like a wild animal; just as Danila, Eliška, Hristofor and Jozef emerged from their own section of the shadows, spotting the man making a break for it.

[[You idiot, we're supposed to bring him back alive!]] The Czech woman immediately scolded their Ukrainian counterpart before she plucked one of the strands of her hair, closed one eye to better focus her aim as Leonid continued to run for the trees ahead, and then finally flicked her fingers, sending it right for him.

However, having heard her voice behind him, and knowing what her Quirk was, had Leonid's senses of alertness at an all-time high, for the moment he was within jumping range into the further coverage of the woods, he took a forward dive, causing Eliška to actually miss, to hers and her partners' disbelief. By the time she plucked another hair and aimed, Leonid was already completely out of sight.

With a frustrated growl, her eyes turned to Hristofor. [[Your Quirk is all about eyes and darkness and shit like that; can't you see in the dark and tell us where he is or something?!]]

[[No, my Quirk doesn't work like that! We're not gonna get anywhere arguing, we have to get him!]] With Hristofor for once taking the reins; he and his three compatriots, and ultimately the rest of their small unit, carried on dogging Leonid further and further into the woods, with the old man's racing heart being the one thing keeping him from keeling over from the sheer exhaustion; especially as navigating these rocky woods in the pitch blackness of night was only further exacerbating his injuries from the explosion already.

The entire experience felt like a fever dream in essence; as pain, exhaustion, panic and determination all in one left Leonid fading in and out of genuine consciousness; each time leaving his body running on complete autopilot. It was honestly a miracle that he managed to stay ahead of his pursuers the entirety of the time.

At some point in the night, by a time he'd long since lost all sense of direction, Leonid felt that instinctive jolt that someone had eyes on him; and since he couldn't hear the sound of numerous angry cries, orders or footsteps behind him, that gave him a rather good idea of just who it was.

The old man immediately bolted for the first opening in the trees he could find, and his suspicions were immediately proven true when he could hear Tuule's voice emanating from one tree to another behind him: [[You can't get away, Linguist! Just come quietly!]]

He realized she had to have been toying with him if she wasn't just instantly warping herself in front of him to cut him off. He couldn't dwell on that for long, though, for somewhere in his mad dash to escape, he ended up stumbling down a slope he never would have been able to see in this darkness, ultimately coming to a stop at the bottom, just behind some extended branches of some leaning trees that completely cut off that slope for anyone who hadn't been rolling prone like he had.

Having followed the sound of Leonid falling, Tuule found herself at the top of the slope, but thanks to the darkness under the foliage, she couldn't make out said branches, instead deciding to cut the chase short and blinking while looking straight down the slope where he had to have landed.

WHAM!

Only in the very next instant to find her whole body slamming hard into that same set of branches, knocking her flat and delirious on the ground. When Leonid got back to his feet and looked back to where he'd heard the impact, it became clear that the young Estonian's Quirk wasn't textbook warping, but rather an incredible form of automatic super speed that clearly wasn't immune to the old problem of things getting in her way.

Of course, he couldn't dwell on this discovery long, choosing instead to continue onward deeper into the woods.

That pursuit from Tuule seemed to be the last great obstacle Leonid had to deal with besides being lost for a while. Thankfully, after just over an hour once the sun had started to rise (making him wonder once more just how long he'd truly been unconscious in that cell for), he could finally have some idea where he was and which direction to go. After having run himself ragged through these woods and hills in his condition, he could tell he was truly on his last legs until he could get some kind of sustenance; and even that needed to wait. His objective was far too important. Thankfully, with the light, he was finally able to determine which direction to go. Thankfully, Arakisu City was just big enough, and in the right kind of terrain, to where one would be able to spot it easily, even in forested mountainous regions like this.

And lo and behold, after another hour of running in the direction of the rising sun, he could start to make out the beginnings of buildings through the tree coverage down this last particular hill. From here, once he got back out into the open, it would be a comparative cakewalk to get to the Kapenta Heroes.

BRRRRAK!

A sudden burst of machine gun fire tore from out of the bushes, blasting a ring around Leonid's feet, cutting him off and making him look back in surprise, only to find the gaunt, curly-haired, goateed Slovakian boy, Jozef Mečiar, stepping out of the bushes with his gun barrel fingers extended and smoking.

However, unlike the rest of his compatriots, his expression wasn't filled with rage, but rather a kind of pleading. Leonid remembered him to always have been a very put-upon kind of boy, never the very strong-willed kind. This kind of reaction was only natural. [[P-please don't keep struggling, Linguist. You've always been good to me; I-I don't want to have to hurt you. We're just supposed to bring you back to the hospital.]]

Leonid was frankly too exhausted to try and fight back. A man his age against someone still so young who by now had likely had a good share of combat training with a Quirk like his; it was only obvious how well such a choice would turn out for him.

When it was thankfully clear the man wasn't about to take off running again, Jozef let out a sigh of genuine relief, closing the rest of the distance and reaching to grab Leonid by the wrist and escort him back, no matter how far that would take them (which ultimately wasn't as much as Leonid had convinced himself, since much of the night had been spent with all of them rushing about in every which way they could in complete states of blindness.

However, that was the moment Leonid was waiting for. Just because he was too tired and hurting to make another spirited sprint, that didn't mean he didn't have at least one more desperate trick up his sleeve. 'The last time this happened was an accident…I just hope it really works like I think it does.'

The moment Jozef's hand grasped his wrist, Leonid suddenly smacked all five of his free fingertips directly into the young man's forehead, sending him reeling as though he'd just gotten sent flying at the speed of sound straight into a pocket of pure weightlessness, he was so unbelievably dizzy.

As his hopefully last pursuer fell to the ground writhing in mind-warping disorientation, Leonid made a break for the city with everything he had left. This was the literal home stretch, he couldn't allow himself to get cut off or captured again. This was their only remaining hope.

BRRRRAK!

Another momentary burst of automatic gunfire erupted from behind Leonid's back, which only caused his adrenaline to spike even higher than it already was; to the point that, in his mad rush for the Arakisu City outskirts, he never even registered how one single reactionary bullet had managed to find its mark, and punch through Leonid's right side and out the front; causing the already bleeeding old man to start pouring out even more as he raced down the hill.

Back in the woods, it wasn't long before Jozef was able to finally get back onto one foot, just as the rest of his comrades managed to catch up, having overheard his instinctive groans and cries for help, at least before Leonid's little desperate trick finally began to take effect.

[[What the hell happened, Spitfire? Did you find him? Did you seriously let that old fossil give you the slip?!]] Eliška exclaimed in genuine rage, only for her and the rest of her partners to double back with shock when Jozef tried to tell them, only for his words to come out as a nigh inhuman-sounding mish-mash of a number of different languages none of them could even begin to pick one out of.

[[That crotchety son of a bitch!]] Hristofor muttered angrily to himself at the realization of what a disadvantage Leonid had just put them in, rendering one of their own completely incapable of communicating anything at all.

[[We can't go into the city and grab him out of broad daylight. We'd draw the Heroes' attention our way for sure.]] Danila noted regrettably, hating the fact he'd proven so ineffective in catching a single old man in the woods.

[[What the hell are we going to do now?]] Hristofor asked, only for his Czech comrade to stamp a foot and render them all silent.

[[Right now, the only thing we can do is get back to headquarters and put together a plan…and hope that…Misha got our people back up on their feet. He did it before, he's gotta be able to do it again. But rest assured, we're not done just yet.]]

In the end, realizing Leonid had managed to make it after all, they all quickly retreated back into the woods for the hospital. Right now, the best they could hope for was that Maja had managed to get Pietro back to life through Valera (or Misha as all but Hristofor, the late Ljubomir and Eliška knew him), and that their leader would somehow have a course of action for them to take that could still somehow salvage this seemingly hopeless new situation.

And, of course, there also came the issue of time. If they weren't able to get Pietro back, then his Quirk's effect would eventually wear off on all the other recruits and everyone else; then they would have a much bigger problem on their hands personally.

---

Kapenta Hero Agency, Present

Everything was fuzzy when Leonid had started to regain his senses; especially when he could immediately make out what sounded like multiple voices speaking around him. Of course, he wasn't able to focus on what any of them were saying, let alone who they were, before he felt a horrible aching pain all over his torso that drew a severe pained hiss through his teeth; made worse when his body instinctively flinched at the feeling, further exacerbating it.

However, this involuntary kneejerk reaction of his was enough to silence all of the Kapenta Heroes in the room, as they all at once realized that their old acquaintance and help-seeker was finally regaining consciousness.

Immediately, De-Condenser proceeded to take charge, kneeling at Leonid's impromptu bedside one one of the sofas in Chiaroscuro's office. "Try not to move around too much, Linguist-san. You're very badly hurt, but you're safe now."

All at once did it finally occur to Leonid that it was one of the very Heroes he'd been looking for that was addressing him right now; spurring him to once more try and sit himself up, only to collapse with another painful grunt once more, urging the rest of the attending Heroes to come in closer as well.

"Leonid-san, please, you need to lie still! You're going to reopen your injuries if you don't!" Nikolay tried to voice how serous he was, while Mina was already starting to coat her hands in her healing salve again in preparation. "Yeah, I can try sealing it up again, but please try not to hurt yourself worse, okay?"

This all thankfully seemed to finally get through to Leonid as he stared up at the ceiling in a cold sweat, trying to catch his breath and calm himself down. "How...h-how long have I been here?"

Many of the Heroes let out an immediate sigh of relief once Leonid could start talking again; as The Giver quickly answered: "I only got you here less than twenty minutes ago. You were in terrible shape when I found you, but you insisted I take you to the Agency instead of a hospital. We've done all we can for you here, but I've already called for an ambulance to come pick you up and take you there. You'll be in far more professional hands now, Linguist-san."

However, before Chiaroscuro could follow up by asking just what it was Leonid had needed their help with from the start; the old Russian's eyes went wide with the very same urgency the young sidekick had seen from the start: "No! No hospitals, not yet! You all need to know something first, something of the utmost importance!"

Already the atmosphere around the entire office was changing, as the Kapenta Agency head firmly answered: "That's what I was hoping you could tell us, Linguist-san. I've never known you to be someone who would come running out the woods and risking yourself to the point you'd come to us in this state. Whatever is going on right now, don't spare us any of the details, please."

"Yeah, Sensei says that you actually got shot. Who would've done something like that to you?" Nikolay immediately followed up, earning several agreeing responses from his classmates and the Pros alike; while Leonid's eyes clearly showed a momentary surprise as he looked down to see the red all over the lower right side of his shirt.

Of course, that surprise barely lasted before he once more turned to look them all imploringly in the eye. "Nevermind me for now. It's the rest of the people in Gagaringrad you need to worry about. They're all in terrible danger right now...as they have been for months without ever knowing it. Pietro..."

Of course such words couldn't be said without all of the Heroes looking like they'd just been hit with a massive electrical bolt, as Kyouka and Mina both instinctively answered: "What do you mean?! What's going on over there that could put them in danger for that long?!" "Yeah, and what happened to Pietro-ojiisan?! Is he okay? Are Maja-chan and the others all okay?!"

"Leonid-san, are they all in trouble? Please, tell us!" Nikolay encapsulated all his and his fellows' worries, almost imploring for further details...only for them all to feel their stomachs turn when they saw an intense darkness fall over Leonid's gaze as he looked them all dead-on.

"No...Pietro Dobrynich Granin...he IS the danger; don't you understand?"

THUNK!

The sudden sound of something large and fast slamming straight into the window to the office shattered the stillness that had fallen over the whole office in the wake of such a cryptic warning. Everyone inside immediately turned to see what on earth it was; only to all feel their blood go cold when they saw the unmistakable image of a heavy-caliber bullet lodged halfway into the window; its trajectory showing it had been flying right where Chiaroscuro's head had been at that very moment.

The fact it had been stopped before it could take her down left everyone cautiously relieved; but Nikolay, in that moment, couldn't hide his curiosity: "How is that possible? The glass is too thin to stop a round that huge, you can tell that even from here."

At this, De-Condenser actually let out a shaky sigh of relief, looking so to the three teens and his sidekick. "I take security very seriously, you three. When I first started working here as a certified Pro Hero, one of the first things I did was use my Quirk to fully reinforce every single window in this building. It's going to take something far stronger than a high-caliber sniper round to get through to us."

However, his confident smile was completely offset by the panic on Leonid's face, as he hurriedly got off the couch, even despite the pain such movements put him in, and began to try ushering everyone he could towards the elevator. "No…no, you don't get it; this is too simple a tactic for someone like him; especially with what resources he has! There's gotta be something more to it! We can't stay out in the open like this! I almost got shot when I fled the old hospital! He's somehow gotten some kind of a master sniper I never knew of in his ranks over all this time!"

ZZT!

All of a sudden, before a single one of the Heroes could finally ask Leonid just what the hell he was going on about; the well-lit office suddenly plunged into complete darkness, only now illuminated by the morning sunlight. In the very next moment, the bullet still lodged in the window suddenly began to flash with a little red light, with a piercing beeping sound that was somehow able to penetrate through the glass and into the room.

BKOOOM!

In a heartbeat, that once tiny little black lead pellet suddenly burst into a blinding flash of light accompanied by a deafening shockwave of pure destruction, blasting the entire reinforced window into supersonic-flying shards that flew inward into the office, right towards the Heroes all caught right in the fiery explosion's trajectory.

The only reason they weren't all immediately blown away full of holes in that moment, was because thanks to her incredibly quick thinking once the power had gone out, High Noon had hurriedly gotten herself into a position that, when illuminated by the light of the explosion, allowed hers and everyone else's shadows to get projected onto the wall behind them that led straight to the elevator.

As such, when the bullet finally exploded, she immediately threw herself with closed fists towards the elevator, ultimately reeling the rest of her fellow Heroes and Leonid by their shadows straight in with her, avoiding the majority of the shrapnel that now embedded into the wall where they had stood just a second ago, and only avoiding the rest because De-Condenser was quick to grab the doors to the elevator and force them closed just in time, even though the heat of the explosion and one tiny piece of glass shrapnel still ended up getting him in his left shoulder.

The whole elevator continued to shake for a good couple of seconds as the explosion continued to run its course and annihilate Chiaroscuro's office. All of the people inside were visibly shaken and broken out into their own frigid sweats; especially Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka; who, despite their attempts to try and stay on their feet and maintain brave stances, couldn't stop shaking or hide the primal fear on their faces when realizing how close they'd all been to getting blown to smithereens before they could even do anything.

"W-w-what the hell is going on?!" Mina instinctively asked; her voice shaking like a leaf, even as Nikolay and Kyouka tried to assuage their fear right alongside hers by holding onto her shoulders and speaking as calmly as either of them could to calm them all down.

As though to answer her question, a multitude of similar, albeit this time muffled, explosions began echoing from all across and around the Kapenta building; no doubt in any of their minds now just what those were, and what they signified.

This was all made abundantly and undeniably clear to them when Chiaroscuro got up onto her feet, straightening the collar of the cloak draped over her shoulders, and cracking her aged knuckles. "It's very clear what's going on right now, kids…and you all need to steel yourselves. You're officially full-time working Heroes like the rest of us until we see this situation through to the end. Whatever Leonid-san says is going on in Gagaringrad with Pietro doesn't matter right now, not until we resolve this situation now. The only thing that does matter as of this moment, is that the Kapenta Hero Agency...we are under attack."

And there you go, everyone, the new chapter for the week. The truth of Pietro Granin and his scheme is finally out in the open between our Heroes, and his forces have already proven themselves bold enough to launch an all-out assault on the Kapenta Hero Agency!

If you all liked what you read here today, please be kind and leave a review sharing your honest feelings on the story thus far, specifically this original story arc. The effort of making it has been exponential, and reader feedback is so dearly needed and appreciated.

I hope you all have a great rest of your weeks, stay safe and healthy, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 04/23!