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?

86. Hokkaido Arc Part 21 - Reformation

Hello again, ladies and gentlemen! Well, here we are now, able to breathe again for now, now that the final battle against Pietro Granin has finally ended, thanks to Volga's timely return and ultimate sacrifice. Now it's time for our Heroes and the allies they've made to start picking up the pieces left over and start rebuilding in preparation for the trials and tribulations that we instinctively know are to come. And let me tell you all that I already have a good number of ideas on how to approach future events. I hope that excites the veteran MHA fans among you to hear.

Thank you to all my continuous readers, including those kind enough to leave feedback, as well as my beta readers and consultants, Mizu and Jonny. And another big thank you to current contributing artists through my DA, Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, Suki-Chan2509 and AliceKuroCross. Here's to hopefully more genuinely wanting to express their enjoyment for the story I'm trying to tell here in the same way for the foreseeable future.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

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

Chapter 87

Reformation

(Исправление)

Sunday, September 14th

Nikolay knew he'd been in and out of it inadvertently a few times since the end of the Gagaringrad mission, but that still didn't help him to really know just how much time had passed by the time he'd finally regained consciousness fully. When that had happened, instead of the expected inside of a hospital room, he instead found himself to be inside a white canvassed tent filled with the same hospital beds and medical equipment; a field hospital tent if he had to guess.

"KOLYA-KUN! HEY, HE'S AWAKE!" "Bezpalov-san, are you alright?!" "Don't crowd him all at once, everyone; he could still be—"You were out like a light, man! How're you feelin'!?" "Please, try to be patient, kids. He still got it the worst out of all of you."

Not that he would've had a chance to even ask, as the moment it had become clear to the attending doctors that he was back for good, he was joyously being greeted by the whole of his friends and schoolmates and their mentors; with Mina naturally being the quickest to come rushing to his bedside with a grateful ear-to-ear smile offsetting the tears in her eyes; Momo and Tenya trying to manage their schoolmates from crowding, only for Tetsutetsu to just as eagerly butt in, and finally Whiteout taking command of the ruckus.

From the most emotional smiles and expressions of relief on his Class A fellows and friends, to the widely diverse range of excited to restrained yet approving smiles from his Class B partners, to the stoic yet similarly proud smiles he could see on Whiteout and High Noon, Nikolay could already see they were all wearing matching hospital gowns in place of their Hero costumes, and as such, he could likewise see the assortment of bandages they were all wearing; most notably Mina having bandages all over her arms and legs and a band-aid on her left cheek, Tenya having his left arm in a sling and a bandana of gauze wrapped over his forehead, Tetsutetsu nearly being mummified in bandages all over his torso and limbs, Pony likewise having her right arm in a cast and sling, Monoma having both his hands in casts, and lastly Whiteout wearing a heavy wrapping of gauze over her right eye. Everyone else still had a number of band-aids and medical patches visible as well.

"Everyone, I understand your desire to confirm Bezpalov-san's condition for yourselves, but we need to make sure he's fully fit to speak and has full cognitive awareness, ourselves." One of the doctors immediately took charge, ushering Nikolay's friends to take a step back as they started looking the young boy over, shining lights in his eyes to make sure they were responsive, all while he visibly tried to work up the strength to speak once Kyouka had handed him a glass of water for his throat.

"Your eyes are responding properly, so it doesn't look like you suffered any extensive brain damage, and you seem to be cognizant of your surroundings. I wouldn't suggest trying to move just yet, though. It took us just about an entire 24 hours to properly treat all of you, but your body was in a real state for us to work with."

In spite of the presiding doctor's advice, Nikolay tried to look down to see just how bad the damage was, and upon seeing this, Momo hurriedly created a small hand mirror which she held up, revealing it for him.

The poor boy almost couldn't believe it, the extensive array of bandages and casts his body was all wrapped up in, especially his hands and right leg. Even as he breathed, he could feel a distinct hard stiffness plastered all around his torso. "Is…is that feeling…what I think it is?" He finally asked, his voice still scratchy and dry.

Considering the history between the young Heroes present, the doctor didn't have to guess what Nikolay was referring to. "If you're referring to Ashido-san's self-titled healing salve, then yes, it is, along with some ointment provided by Yaoyorozu-san as well. Thankfully it didn't take long for us to attend to their wounds, and as soon as we said they were cleared, they both immediately volunteered to help with your laceration wounds and chemical burns as much as they could. You'd lost a great deal of blood already, so their timing was just about perfect.

"Thankfully we've gotten you all closed up and refilled with the right blood type, so you should be feeling especially better by this time tomorrow. Still, I strongly recommend you don't move around too much for a little while after so that your more extensive injuries finish healing. You still suffered several badly broken ribs and a nearly destroyed right clavicle and shoulder blade, all on top of a broken left kneecap and a very badly broken right tibia, knee and femur. The laceration wounds to your palms and fingers were very bad all around, but those impalement wounds to your right hand were especially nasty, to the point I'd dare say you could be looking at extensive nerve damage in it if you aren't careful."

Nikolay was momentarily too shocked by hearing the full extent of his wounds as the doctor described them, in order to notice how the specific mention of 'chemical burns' got an instinctive flinch and gasp out of Mina. In all honesty, his brain was still trying to fully catch up with just where they were. "This…this isn't the same as the rooms in the Arakisu Hospital."

With a muttering of understanding to the long-out cold boy's confusion, the doctor approached a nearby tent flap and pulled it aside, revealing a multitude of similar tents sitting outside for Nikolay to see, with a part of the actual hospital visible just at the corner. "That's right. There was an unfortunate incident yesterday that forced us to seal off a couple parts of the hospital for repairs and patient safety, and the influx of patients from Gagaringrad for us to look over forced us to make this field hospital as an extension so everyone could be looked over and evaluated as soon as possible.

"Thankfully, you Heroes' use of sleeping gas to avoid having to physically incapacitate them for their sake means a good amount of them were able to be given the most rudimentary physical and psychological treatments before we could send them off to the authorities for proper investigation, testimony-gathering and sheltering. So, hopefully by tonight, there'll be enough room in the hospital proper for us to place our original patients back in, as well as the rest of you. Just because the rest of your injuries aren't nearly as debilitating as Bezpalov-san's, doesn't mean you don't need rest, yourselves."

However, the mentioning of Gagaringrad and people in relation to sleeping gas had Nikolay's eyes go wide with remembrance. "Doctor, there was a foreign girl with us at Gagaringrad until the end; a Polish girl, Maja Kieslowska that was being held here previously. Is she alright? What about her friends? We had to fight them in order to free them."

This time, though, Tenya was the one to answer; with his rigid way of speaking thankfully doing nothing to lessen the sincere tone of reassurance in his voice: "You don't need to worry, Bezpalov-san. Kieslowska-san and her friends are safe and sound in the hospital. The doctors have already confirmed they're all going to be alright."

"Yeah, Maja-chan even went and just gave herself right back to the police when it was all over, looking all serious and cool like Todoroki-kun while doing it." Mina's interjection made it clear she was just as relieved that their friend and her friends were all going to be alright as the rest of them…but Nikolay could quickly see a more worried look cross her eyes as she hesitantly continued: "But…they've also got those actual soldiers of Pietro's held there with them, too, in separate rooms. They've got tons and tons of police watching them all, though, so I'm sure it'll be totally okay."

To this, Tetsutetsu proudly slammed his fist into his waiting open hand, grinning bright even despite the pain doing so sent up his arms. "Even if there weren't, I seriously doubt those bastards would be able to even try anything! That guy with the Blackout Quirk's been blindfolded ever since, and with that Grenade Launcher guy's arms gone and Ashido-san burning that Puppeteer lady's hair off, what could they possibly be able to do?"

At that moment, the daylight came pouring in, drawing all attention to the now-familiar sight of the senior police officer making his way inside, with a look on his face that clearly showed he'd overheard everything. "When it comes to securing and immobilizing Villains, young Heroes; it pays to know never to underestimate their craftiness. That being said, I'm glad to see you're all visibly on the road to recovery."

The return of this leading officer clearly came as a surprise to Whiteout and High Noon, as the latter Pro Hero immediately asked: "What are you doing back so soon, officer? I thought you and your men were conducting testimonies with that Konstantin character and his men."

This reveal of what was happening with Pietro's prisoner and unwilling lackeys likewise took Nikolay and his friends by surprise, which the lead officer easily noticed: "There's no need to get worked up, all of you. Khodamchuk-san and his men are simply giving us all the appropriate information regarding Pietro and his group's actions, both in Russia and here; as a means of providing context as to why they came here off the record to try and stop them themselves. I'm having officers I know and trust similarly make contact with the proper authorities in Russia's military that Khodamchuk-san has personally requested so that we may come to an agreement on how to disclose necessary information to the public on both sides."

As soon as the very idea of cherry-picking information came up, a clear look of distaste fell upon Mina, Tetsutetsu, Kyouka and Monoma specifically, with the normally loudmouthed blonde boy being the one to actually speak out: "Are you saying that a handful of lethally-armed foreign soldiers are just going to have their trespassing into the country just swept under the rug?! That doesn't sound right at all!"

"This is a matter that goes beyond textbook definitions of right and wrong though, Monoma-san. It's about what ultimately serves a greater good." Tenya suddenly interjected, with Monoma looking to the Class A president as though he'd genuinely lost his mind, before Momo likewise clarified: "It's true, whether we like it or not, which I personally don't, either. There's been a great deal of bad blood expressed and shed throughout this entire incident, and far too many innocent people caught in the crossfire in both countries. If there's a way that everything can be rectified in the wake of this that doesn't require or risk more people getting hurt or worse…then we need to be willing to let both presiding authorities see it through. We've already stopped the Villains' schemes, so what happens next is ultimately out of our hands."

Even for as much sense as Momo's explanation made, it still didn't sit right with her or any of her schoolmates, the idea of people being denied even a fragment of the truth behind everything that had happened in Gagaringrad for all this time.

However, the senior officer momentarily cleared his throat in order to have the room again: "Well, even if what Yaoyorozu-san has said is technically accurate, that the proceedings are in the hands of us and our respective governments now, that doesn't necessarily mean that all of you no longer have a role here. After all, Khodamchuk-san has actually expressed a desire to meet you young Heroes as soon as you'd all regained consciousness, and he and his associates were done giving us their full testimonies."

At that moment, just the fleeting thought of actually meeting and speaking to a fellow Russian of what seemed to be such high-standing from what he vaguely understood, made two synapses in Nikolay's brain suddenly fire; the realization making him nearly jolt in his hospital bed, and resultantly let out a groan of immense pain before Mina and Kyouka both helped settle him back down and lie still.

But the pain was the last thing he wanted to discuss, as his eyes darted to either the officer or the presiding doctor: "We're…we're all finally speaking Japanese again! That old man from Gagaringrad that came with us after the Agency attack, Leonid Viktorovich Briner, he used his Quirk to help us all communicate with each other and the townspeople if we had to yesterday! When Maja came to us, she said he'd been shot during the attack here! Is…is he…?"

In a moment that felt completely detached from reality, the doctor let out a tired-sounding sigh, before turning to face the similarly worried young Heroes with a wise-looking smile. "I won't lie, it was very touch-and-go there for a while…but we've finally managed to stabilize him and close him back up. His loss of consciousness before the surgery was the only reason his Quirk lost its affect on all of you.

"He's still unconscious, but we have every confidence Briner-san is going to ultimately pull through. Some of my fellow doctors are undoubtedly informing Kieslowska-san and her friends of the very same news. That young man with the Gun Barrel Finger Quirk could do nothing but express worry and regret for putting him in that situation while under that Villain's influence, so I imagine this news is going to be even more relieving for them than it already is for you."

Nikolay and all his schoolmates let out a sigh of relief in near perfect unison, while the police officer dutifully summarized: "Yes, at the end of it all, this entire mission of yours ultimately only resulted in three casualties, two of which ended up being two of the Villains turning on each other. As regretful as any loss of life is, it's frankly a miracle things didn't go nearly as terribly as they could have…although, the one other casualty is still an immense tragedy for us."

Looking back to his friends, Nikolay could see a very heavy-hearted look of mourning hang over Tenya, Tetsutetsu, Pony, Yui and Reiko, as the loss of Knightfall came rushing back to the young Russian's memory. Having listened to the bespectacled boy speak so admirably of him in the days of the previous week, he could scarcely imagine the sense of loss they were all still reeling from…as well as the distinct loss he could already feel within himself when thinking about who he had personally seen die yesterday as well.

But before he could even think further on that, his wandering eyes went back to the similarly mournful Whiteout and High Noon, only to finally realize another grave absence he couldn't ignore: "Hey, where are the rest of the Pro Heroes? Blast Beat-sensei, Chiaroscuro-sensei, De-Condenser-sensei, Giver-sensei? Are they all right?"

Once more, the doctor's body language was strictly professional, but the restrained slight smile on his face conveyed so much: "Admittedly, their insistence on heading into the field to help you all with Hatsume-san's mobilization inventions ended up reopening a fair number of their wounds, but Chiaroscuro-san and Blast Beat-san will still recover. Giver-san's hands will need a good while of healing before she'll be able to use her Quirk properly, but she will ultimately pull through. De-Condenser-san will eventually be back on his feet as well…although, as to whether or not he'll be able to continue Pro Hero work afterwards…I can't rightfully say."

That lack of a concrete answer visibly did not sit well with either Nikolay or Mina; ultimately pushing High Noon to wipe the oncoming tears from her eyes and clarify for the doctor instead: "That poisoned bite wound Mitsudo-kun received over the course of the mission had taken a hell of a serious toll on his left arm by the time I'd finally gotten him here. They…they said it was beyond saving and would've killed him if they didn't…if they didn't…!"

It ultimately proved too much for her to actually finish, but she didn't need to. The interns had all seen just how bad the Density Hero's left arm had gotten by the end, so they all could naturally assume and understand just what had to be done in order to save his life…even if the thought of it left Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka and High Noon looking like they could throw up at any moment.

For what it was worth, the moment Momo saw how downtrodden this news was leaving her friends; she'd taken it upon herself to stand tall and assuring as she proclaimed: "It is very unfortunate that our involvement in this situation led to this happening to a good Pro Hero like De-Condenser-sensei, but we've all seen for ourselves how much medical technology for Heroes has advanced in such a short time already, simply through Tunguska-sensei's example. I have no doubts that he'll likewise be provided a prosthetic that's specifically attuned to his Quirk as well. I feel we would all do well to be wishing all of our sensei's today the best of luck and our support in their recoveries."

Thankfully, the Class A vice president's encouraging words of hope looked to visibly lighten the emotional burdens of her friends and schoolmates; just before a pair of clapping hands sounded from outside the tent, drawing everyone's attention once more to find, to their relief, the wheelchair-bound duo of Chiaroscuro and Blast Beat themselves; both smiling at the sight of all the young Heroes and their fellow Pros conscious and recovering.

"Sorry for the intrusion, everybody. We just couldn't stand waiting around in that hospital room anymore, so we wanted to see how you all were holding up." Blast Beat explained as the two wheeled themselves in further, while Chiaroscuro had a much more focused sharpness in her eyes.

"Plus, after listening to all of you carry on like this just now, I just couldn't help myself! You young Heroes shouldn't be wasting all the pain you went through yesterday by fretting over us! We've been Pro Heroes for years; it's going to take a lot more than gunshots, broken bones and amputations to keep us down! Mitsudo-kun will be back to his old self in no time, just like the rest of us, you'll see!

"And as for Knightfall-san…yes, there's no denying his loss is a real painful one for us, not just in Hokkaido, but the whole Japanese Pro Hero world itself. But if I know our community on this island anywhere as well as I think, then I know there'll be more than enough Pros around who'll be willing to step up and fill in the void he's left, who can do the job of protecting the people in a way that'll do his legacy proud!"

With that, the reflecting look in her eyes vanished, and Chiaroscuro immediately had her eyes on the interns themselves, which only made the proud smile on her older face that much brighter. "And speaking of proud, every last one of you should be taking this chance to feel proud of yourselves and each other! You're not even official Pro Heroes yet; hell, you're all still in your first years, and yet by working together, you managed to keep your promise to save Maja-chan's friends, their families and all the people of Gagaringrad—

"AND even manage to save a whole other nation from a potential invasion and nuclear war in the process! They oughta make a title for 'Most Metal Hero Student Accomplishments', because every last one of you freakin' earned it a million-fold!" Blast Beat's enthusiastic interjection earned him a momentary glance of annoyance from his Agency head, while the whole lot of young Hero interns all looked similarly awed by this summation of all they had truly managed to accomplish together; with her specific mentor's praise leaving Kyouka looking especially happy.

Of course, it didn't take long for the mention of the potential nuclear threat to make Nikolay and his friends to not only think back to their witnessing the three fired warheads getting knocked out of the sky and back into the ocean with lightning…but also of the ultimate sacrifice made by Volga in order to do it and remove Pietro's threat once and for all. All at once did the painful realization that his godfather was dead and gone forever come racing right back into Nikolay's heart as his vision once more began to blur with saddened tears…but so too did the feeling of complete empathy and pride in the hearts of his classmates as they all looked to him; Kyouka speaking up encouragingly:

"H-hey, it's okay, Kolya-san. Yeah, it's sad…well, really sad what happened to Volga-san for it, but don't you see what everything he did for us all means? It means that you were right about him after all. The old Hero he once was really was still in him, and you were able to bring it out when we needed him the most. We all had our doubts, but you didn't stop holding onto that hope in him, and it saved everybody in the end."

Straightening his glasses, Tenya similarly espoused: "That's right. It's a tragedy that he had to give his life…but I believe it would honor his memory better for us all to hold onto the fact that in the end, his turn to Villainy wasn't enough to stop the great Hero he once was from coming back to do what was right. I think we can all agree that there's something truly inspiring and hopeful about that…and we all ultimately have you to thank for helping bring him back to save the day, Bezpalov-san."

The pain of losing someone who was so personally close to him and his family didn't wane, but Nikolay being able to work his way through the oncoming sobs in order to nod in understanding of his friends' sentiments was a good enough sign. They were right; in the grand scheme of things, Volga making the ultimate Hero's sacrifice for the good of all was a truly inspiring thing to witness; and their remembering his example from this point forward would be the best way to make sure the price he paid wasn't for nothing.

Of course, that didn't make it any easier for him to think of just how he was going to tell his father about all of this the next time they saw each other.

And before that, the more practical side of this little discussion came back to the forefront of his mind as he turned to the police officer: "What about the nukes themselves, or the submarine? I know I saw it go down before I blacked out. What's being done about all of that?"

To this, the officer looked noticeably at a loss. "I'm afraid the arrangement for the recovery of those things goes well above my head; it's much more in the hands of government and military higher-ups…or at least, if this weren't being discussed with just these enigmatic contacts that Khodamchuk-san asked for, that would be my natural guess. If I had to come up with a real answer with those details, I would imagine they're going to organize some kind of secret joint-operation between Japan and Russia to facilitate the recovery and return of those wares to their rightful owners. It would only seem natural to me that many of our water-based Heroes will want to assist, but given current attitudes towards Quirks coming out of Russia, I can imagine that will make ironing out the details a little more difficult than it needs to be."

Nikolay and his friends all looked regretfully understanding of just how complicated such negotiations would be, facilitating the further involvement of Heroes in aiding a country that still openly despised all people like them; but before the mood could be further soured, the officer cleared his throat once more for attention: "But you kids don't need to worry yourselves about such complicated things. It doesn't change the fact that you all ultimately helped save countless people through what you all did yesterday, and already things are slowly but steadily returning to normal."

Taking the opportunity, Whiteout further clarified: "That's right, we've been keeping up with the news all throughout while you were all getting your injuries treated. Not only is every Quirked construction company in Hokkaido pulling out all the stops to assist in rebuilding Gagaringrad as a whole from the ground up, as well as the Kapenta Hero Agency, but they've already managed to repair the Hero Network tower back in Asahikawa City, and have used it to get in contact with every other Hero Agency across the rest of Japan, letting them know of everything that's happened here.

"There are already a large number of other Heroes and emergency services working on draining and repairing the Sapporo Undersea Rail Tunnel at record speed full-time. They're confident that by tomorrow morning, repairs will already be completed and systems restored so that Hokkaido can be fully connected to the rest of the country again."

Following on the Blizzard Hero's explanation, especially upon seeing the generally relieved looks on the interns' faces, the police officer continued: "On that note, we've likewise established contact with and informed your teachers at Yuuei Academy of everything that's happened. We've already received word that your headmaster and several other faculty members will be expected to come here first thing in the morning to help hasten your recoveries and see you all back to your school as soon as the rail tunnel is operational. With the repairs and recovering that still needs to be done around here, I think it's safe to say a fair number of you won't be able to continue your original internships for a little while."

However, while the officer and doctor looked equally pleased at the progress of reconstruction all around, a fair number of the young Heroes looked noticeably worried; namely Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka and Tetsutetsu. Up to this point, the idea of their teachers coming all this way for them naturally felt like a harbinger for their getting in big trouble, regardless of permissions, licenses and the like; even if Tenya, Momo and Reiko were all clearly of a much more realistic mindset, that this was simply for the sake of making sure they would all be okay.

Of course, High Noon was quick to notice even one of the troubled looks on their faces, and thus a knowing smile crept across her face. "I know this is a whole lot that you've been having to take in all at once, and it's pretty typical for kids like you to focus more on the negatives coming your way than the positives…at least, for most kids. But I think it's a good time for you all to finally know for certain just what good you've done here."

With that, she gave the doctor and the police officer a knowing nod, and with a returning nod of their own, they both hurriedly left the tent, only to return barely a minute later. Both men had pleasant smiles on their faces, just before the tent flaps opened to reveal a sizeable gathering of unmistakable faces.

Looking upon the gathering of visibly surprised Yuuei students, all with deeply grateful smiles on their faces, were Father Sergei Cherenkov, his son Andrei, the fawn-headed school teacher and orphanage runner, Olga Fedorova; accompanied by nearly a dozen children, including the all-too familiar trio at the forefront (cat ears and paws, unicorn horn and six arms) whom Mina immediately spotted amid the bunch; both of Valera's parents, and a whole gathering of adults behind them who, upon looking over their features and mentally comparing, the teens were quickly able to realize were the parents of Maja and most of her now-freed friends.

Andrei wasted no time breaking the awkward silence; the smile on his young face almost perfectly mirroring that on his father's: "Many of the others have already left for the town shelters here in Arakisu until repairs to Gagaringrad have been completed, but all of us here wanted to be able to express our utmost gratitude to all you young Heroes before anything else. We only awaited the word."

With a hand on his son's shoulder, Father Sergei himself stepped forward; his old eyes visibly shimmering with emotion: "The people of Gagaringrad owe their lives to all of you brave Heroes. You risked your lives for all of us, even when we were being forced to try and eliminate all of you. In all the years that many of us had settled here, conditions back in Russia had made us forget just what it was truly like to see Heroes fight for the safety of others they have no personal connection to…but seeing you all uphold your sworn duty like that…I know the people of our town all too well, and I know your examples yesterday have given every one of us a great deal to think about for the future…mainly in regards to the inherent responsibility our Quirks and those of our children give us."

A momentary clearing of the throat from behind the priest's back forced the crowd to part only slightly, revealing a middle-aged couple with similar wax hair as Maja's, who proceeded to step forward; the mother barely managing to keep her emotions together as she finally addressed them all: "You Heroes…you're the reason our children are all finally free from that Villain. For that alone, you all have our undying gratitude. Our town will forever cherish your names for everything you've done for all of us."

Emboldened by their having taken the first step, Valera's parents were just as quick to anxiously speak out: [[That's right! We nearly lost our baby boy forever…but he's back and he's going to be okay now, because of all of you. Solovei…you and your friends are true Heroes if I've ever seen them, just like your father, Tunguska! You all do him and all his fellow Heroes from the past proud, we just know it!]]

The rest of the parents of Maja's friends were all but cheering the same sentiment from the back; their emotional weight and enthusiasm all but shaking the whole tent as Nikolay and his friends felt their lungs fill with an air of unbelievable weight and accomplishment.

"Yes, and speaking of children, I know that many of my children from the school here would all like to say something to you as well, young lady." The fawn-headed Olga suddenly chimed in, clearly looking at Mina specifically, who looked even more shocked than the rest of her schoolmates did.

Before she could even stutter out a response, the numerous children all nervously stepped forward; still struggling to make eye contact with her, but displaying much less outright fear than before. If anything, the rest of the teens could see that they all looked to be hiding something behind their back as they stood in a row.

The moment their little eyes fell upon the numerous band-aids and bandages wrapped along Mina's arms and legs; the littlest of the trio with the car ears already began to cry, but the girl with the unicorn horn just as quickly began comforting her before finally speaking up: [[W-we…we're real…we're really s-sorry for hurting you, Ochi Chyornye. W-we didn't…we didn't *sniffle* *sob* we didn't m-mean to.]]

Many of the other children present likewise began to voice the very same emotional apologies, all of them similarly referring to Mina by the very same nickname only she and Nikolay knew by heart (as well as Momo and Kyouka to an extent). Ultimately, the six-armed boy tried to put on a brave face as he stubbornly wiped away at his own tears: [[You were so super brave back there! One day…o-one day, I wanna be a brave and strong Hero just like you!]]

This last sentiment visibly hit all the young Heroes right in the gut of their emotions; but none more so than Mina herself, who was already trying to fight back the deeply touched tears welling in her eyes as well.

While tending to the children as they began to cry in regret, Olga spoke with the most heartfelt gratitude: "We all remember how you all carried yourselves during the whole situation yesterday when it came to us. Even as Pietro was forcing us to try and hurt you all, you never once raised a finger against any of the children, even for the pain it ended up costing you to help us in the end, Ochi Chyornye-chan, and you have my sincerest gratitude for that. These children have never even had a Hero to look up to, hence why they were as nervous around you as they were before…but yesterday, you all gave them something truly irreplaceable in that. In fact, since none of them had injuries for the doctors to look at, the children have actually all been working on something they wanted to give you all."

At their teacher and caretaker's instruction, the children all proceeded to finally bring forward an elongated line of stapled together papers, all adorned with one large crayon mural of what were clearly Mina, Nikolay, Pony, De-Condenser and every single one of the Heroes before them; all smiling and holding hands underneath a smiling sun, a rainbow, and a scrawled on and admittedly misspelled message across the top that Nikolay was happy to translate as 'THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING! YOU'RE OUR HEROES!'

By now, nearly all the attending Heroes found themselves getting especially misty-eyed, not just at such an incomparable gift of appreciation from so many young children for their efforts; but for the all around cementing of knowledge of just how many people they had managed to not only save, but even do the most important thing of all: give them hope; some for the first time in years, and some for the first time ever in their lives. That was something that simply could not be topped.

That single moment of having at last achieved even a fragment of her lifelong dream as a Hero, had finally brought Mina to joyful sobs and tears as she gratefully accepted the children's mural for her and all her friends, before finally kneeling down and spreading her arms to try and hug as many of the teary-eyed yet smiling children as she could. "Thank you all so much, that's so sweet of you all! I'm so happy you're all okay! I promise, if any of you are ever in trouble or need help at all; The Ridley Hero, Pinky or Ochi Chyornye, you can all call me anything you want; me and all my besties here will come running, no matter what! And one day, I'll bet you'll all become totally awesome Heroes too!"

Even with the language barrier between them, every sentiment the children had expressed had come through loud and clear for Mina; and fortunately the same went for the gratitude, bravery and heartfelt kindness and protectiveness she expressed to them in return, as with that encouraging grin on her face, soon all of the kids were reflecting the same wide-eyed hopeful look that she always did.

Watching this moment between them, Nikolay and the rest of his friends present couldn't have looked more moved and inspired by their pink friend's natural charisma and sweet-hearted Hero's nature when it came to finally being able to connect with all these children who'd never had a Hero of their own to look up to before.

Of course, this didn't stop Monoma from shooting up to his feet energetically and nearly throwing his back out as he nearly threw his upper body backwards with a hearty gloating laugh. "You hear that, Class A?! We're all considered Heroes here now! Your days of hogging the entire spotlight for yourselves are over and done with! Class B has finally gotten its chance to outshine you all in every way that matters! Oh, it must utterly burn you, right?"

Tenya and everyone's initial reaction was to instruct the blonde boy to calm himself and stop making a spectacle, but were all surprisingly stopped from doing so when Yui gave a simple hand gesture to just not say anything, with Reiko even uttering: "Just let him have his moment, he'll die down soon as always."

"Ho-ho-ho-ho! It sounds like Classes A and B aren't the only things that were shining bright yesterday!"

Without warning, the hearty and eager chortling of Mei Hatsume suddenly sounded from the opposite end of the tent; startling everyone inside as the brightly grinning pink-haired inventor hurriedly made her way to all the bedridden and bandaged Heroes and their civilian guests; paying injuries and other parties little to no mind as she was already in the middle of unlocking yet another steel suitcase she'd been carrying with her.

"I got to see more than enough of the news footage of everything that happened during your mission yesterday, and my babies all performed exquisitely, wouldn't you all agree?! I know you do, you'd all probably be in much worse shape if not! Speaking of shape, I've already made some fine tunings to another of the mobilizing rigs I made for Chiaroscuro and Blast Beat! You, Bezpalov, you're in pretty bad shape like they were; why don't you give it a try? I'll bet this new baby can have you up and kicking again like nothing even happened!"

Nikolay's still-dried throat made it difficult for him to try and talk Mei out of doing anything regrettable with the wiry metal body cage she was already pulling out; while she was completely ignoring how Monoma was trying to reprimand her for her supposed protective shield-producing wrist equipment running out of power far too soon into the mission.

Thankfully the doctor was quick to intervene even before High Noon or Momo could. "Now, Hatsume-san, as much as we can all truly appreciate your eagerness to continue providing support for our Heroes here, the fact remains that Bezpalov-san's wounds are much more immobilizing and serious than even Chiaroscuro-san and Blast Beat-san's were. Slipping him into that thing isn't going to do him much good for now, I'm afraid."

Mei was pouting like a little kid being denied a chance to open their birthday gifts early. At the same time as this, however; the doctor's reminder of the extent of Nikolay's injuries, especially in comparison to everyone else's, had spurred the beginnings of an emotionally pained look on Mina's face as she naturally looked back to the Russian boy in his hospital bed, buried under so many bandages and casts.

Unfortunately for her; this visible downswing in her mood, especially after having experienced such an incredible high point, was immediately noticed by civilians and her schoolmates and friends alike, as Pony immediately chimed in: "Hey, hey, Mina-chan, what's da matter? Weren't ya super-duper happy just a sec ago?"

Realizing what a scene she'd been about to make, Mina anxiously tried to clear the tears from her face, but it was ultimately of no use as she finally admitted: "I-I'm sorry, you guys, really! I-I don't wanna…I don't wanna ruin the moment; I mean we did it, right? We should all be, like, totes celebrating right now! But I just…I know I didn't wanna give up, but I was just…all throughout, I was just so scared what could've happened to us several times, y'know? I couldn't stop feeling like there were moments where any of us could've died, and all the time I was super scared…just like I've always been whenever we get caught up in all the dangerous Hero stuff, right? And Kolya-kun…seeing you…like this, just makes me unable to just not think about that! I can't help it!"

Mina personally felt ashamed carrying on like this in front of everyone, especially the children, and her friends could all feel their hearts similarly wrench seeing her like this, since they could all easily relate to that fear she was expressing now; they'd all been carrying it with them ever since starting the mission itself; accomplished or not.

"Nobody ever said that it's not okay for Heroes to feel scared though, Ashido-chan." Chiaroscuro suddenly chimed in; drawing all eyes to her as she sat resolute in her wheelchair. "Any Hero who says they don't feel even a little bit scared whenever a situation arises is either a fool, a liar, or both. All the field experience in the world doesn't change the fact that we feel even a twinge of fear, for ourselves and others when things get dangerous. What matters most is how you handle it and carry yourself…and in all honesty, you worked through your fear splendidly."

With a reassuring nod, Blast Beat similarly added: "Damn straight; every last one of you was probably scared out of your wits, but not once did a single one of you ever buckle or give up. Instead, you let the fear you feel for each other's safety and that of every civilian drive your actions in order to resolve every situation that came your way, and as Pros and your teachers, we couldn't be more proud of you all for that. Don't ever let yourselves forget that admitting fear to yourselves and each other is nothing to be ashamed of; admitting any emotion isn't; just so long as you don't let yourselves get consumed by them."

Blast Beat's parting lesson resounded clearly within every one of the listening interns, while Mina could admittedly feel her blinding fears start to dissipate. She almost wanted to laugh with embarrassment now at what a scene she'd been making of herself, when she could distinctly remember being given a very similar lesson before, and yet having allowed herself to forget it when they'd already managed to accomplish what had once seemed impossible just a day ago.

It did nothing to quell the emotional fragility she was still reeling from when seeing the condition Nikolay was in, but knowing now that she needed to take her own emotional support advice just as much as any one of her friends was a good enough start towards really being able to get a better handle of herself from now on…at least, for now she could only silently hope so.

Injuries aside, none of these young Heroes had any rights to let themselves forget what a monumental thing they had all managed to accomplish together here, and they weren't about to let that happen so long as they were together.

With those emotional ups and downs ultimately having ridden their course, and with all of the visiting Gagaringrad locals having finally taken the chance to all voice their gratitude and admiration for the Heroes' actions; Nikolay was now feeling particularly emboldened, as were soon many more of his friends, as he addressed the doctor: "I'm sorry, doctor…but is it at all possible for us to maybe check in on Maja Kieslowska and her friends? They're still ultimately victims of Pietro's Quirk, and we just wanna make sure they're going to be okay."

With Mina and Kyouka both agreeing with considerable eagerness, the doctor looked to be deep in considerate thought, before ultimately giving a resigning sigh. "I'll see about getting you a wheelchair, Bezpalov-san. We can't have you moving around too much and potentially undoing the surgeries we had to do for you."

---

True to his word, the doctor was ultimately able to get a wheelchair down for Nikolay to be moved around in, and under the presiding police officer's attentive eye, soon all of interns and their present mentors were being led through the hospital to the section Maja and her friends were being looked after and guarded in.

However, before they could get to the room they were all recovering in, they first ended up having to cross a series of three separate rooms under especially heavy police presence. Given the circumstances all over, it didn't take a genius for them to guess who was in here, to which Nikolay ultimately asked the doctor to stop, just so they could all see for themselves that their true remaining Villains were indeed not in a position to hurt anyone.

Looking through one door after another, they could all see and confirm that Hristofor was heavily blindfolded and restrained to his bed; Eliška was similarly restrained with her hands in thick and confining gloves, her mouth was sealed shut, and her head of once luscious red-and-gold hair was now nothing more than a visibly singed scalp with nary a strand of hair sticking out of it. She had already since regained consciousness, and when she'd noticed the youngsters watching her through the doorway, one could just feel the murderous intent fill the air around her.

Finally, there was the large form of Ljubomir lying motionless in his hospital bed, hooked up to several machines monitoring his vitals in the wake of his two arms having now been reduced to intensely bandaged stumps.

Looking upon the white-haired Serbian, however, one of the more pressing details regarding him from Leonid's story at this very hospital two days ago had come rushing back, as Nikolay suddenly asked: "I don't understand. Leonid said that said that he'd seen Ljubomir die right before he'd made his escape from Pietro's basement prison at that old hospital. If Valera used his Quirk to resurrect him just like he did to Pietro all those times; but the effect of his Quirk was clearly not permanent, then how is it possible that he's actually still alive after this much time and everything he's been put through?"

Looking back, the doctor could see that Nikolay had ultimately asked what had been silently brewing in his schoolmates' heads when seeing Ljubomir as he was. With a tired sigh, he answered: "Well, there's still a great many details about Valera-kun's Quirk that we just don't know for certain, so a lot of what I'm about to say is ultimately little more than speculation. According to Ashido-san and Kieslowska-san's recounting of the days leading up to your mission, they both came to the conclusion that Valera-kun's Quirk isn't permanent, due to having witnessed him using it to resurrect a dog that had been hit by a car, only for that same dog to later simply die of natural causes only a few days later.

"Now, the schoolteacher Fedorova-san informed us that, despite being in perfectly good health otherwise, this apparent dog was also quite old, so it's not impossible that it would've been nearing the end of its natural lifespan soon, regardless whether it had been hit by that car beforehand or not. As for how that ties into the question regarding Pietro's multiple needs for resurrection outside of his most serious physical injuries; according to Kieslowska-san's friends; compared to Ljubomir's continued longevity…well, that's where the only reasonable theory I've been able to come up with finally comes into play.

"Given Pietro's older age alongside the initial wound to his head and the subsequent brain damage it might have caused that started him down this path, it's likely that he too was nearing the natural end point for his life span when Valera-kun used his Quirk on him for the very first time. It could've been a matter of weeks or months, there's no real way of telling. From what the boy was able to describe, it sounds as though his Quirk really only restores life to its intended target merely through healing whatever physical injuries they may have, as opposed to things like disease or natural aging. So if he were using his Quirk on a notably older individual like Pietro, who may have been nearing his natural end, he was really only restoring an amount of life that didn't have much more time left to begin with. Without being able to really examine the man's body for any potential signs of terminal illness, there's no real way of proving this theory, though.

"But by following that same line of reasoning; by comparison, Ljubomir is still a young and overall healthy and fit young man whose life was merely ended prematurely by the injury to his neck. If my theory is correct, and Valera-kun's Quirk revives through forced physical healing, then it's possible that Ljubomir is still ultimately looking at a naturally long lifespan. Thankfully, with his Grenade Launcher arms out of the equation, he's become far less dangerous for us to keep an eye on while the rest of his injuries recover.

"There's still a great deal of questions about Valera-kun's Quirk in regards to all this, but the poor child has been put through enough as it is." With the doctor's thorough theorizing making a considerable amount of sense for everyone listening; they finally continued the rest of their way to the much larger hospital room, where Maja and all of her friends were trying to rest in their beds, only to all visibly flinch (and brighten up in Maja's case) at the sight of their numerous young visitors once the doctor had announced their intentions and arrival.

"Hey, you guys are all okay! Oh, thank god, I wasn't so sure after everything that had happened yesterday." Maja initially greeted the young Heroes; even urging the rest of her freed friends to properly say hello as well. However, to nobody's surprise, the air around Danila, Gazsi, Tuule and especially Jozef was far less upbeat, as they all were hanging their heads in total shame.

Finally, the scrawny Slovakian himself broke the suffocating silence: "T-the…the doctors told us that…t-that Linguist is going to be okay. I-I was so…s-so worried that I'd done something I'd never be able to take back. But I know I've already done all that before…I didn't deserve to be helped by anyone like you or Maja."

"None of us did." Danila suddenly stated in grim agreement. "Maja was frankly lucky that she didn't end up in a position that made her take someone else's life…but Pietro, that bastard, he had already gotten the rest of us to do it by the time you'd all finally met us. There are people who are genuinely dead because of us. We're nothing more than criminals now."

Gazsi shifted uncomfortably in his own bed as he struggled to meet all the Heroes' gazes. "And yet, despite all that, you all still fought with everything you had to try and save us from him anyway. Honestly, I…I think we've all been trying to think just…well, just what the hell we could possibly say to that."

Tuule was clutching her blankets tight and trying to fight back the deeply emotional tears as she too spoke out: "I mean, y-you all ended up saving our parents; saving the whole town even! I don't care what you had to do to end up stopping and saving us to do it; we can't ever thank you enough for saving everyone else. Even if we have to go to prison when this is all over, I can at least be happy knowing our families are gonna be okay, y'know?"

Even if they had just recently been pitted as enemies, the sight of these teens all looking so utterly defeated by guilt didn't sit well with any of the Heroes, as Nikolay, Mina and Tenya all likewise started to speak up: "Hey, it's alright, you don't have to apologize to us, it was a situation beyond your control!" "Yeah, it was all Pietro's fault that you did those things! We're just glad that we saved you guys, too!" "Surely if the authorities are given all the proper details of your circumstances, they would surely be willing to show you some measure of leniency for ultimately being victims the same as everyone else!"

Maja looked especially grateful right alongside her friends for the young Heroes speaking so encouragingly while they were plummeting into an otherwise inescapable despair. "You see, you guys? Even after everything we'd all ultimately done to them against our will in battle, if they can still say such things so genuinely for us, then how can we possibly not bring ourselves to believe them even a little bit?"

At that moment as they were all trying to ease the spirits of Maja's friends alongside the Polish girl herself; the presiding police officer took a glance down the hall, and his body language visibly stiffened as he announced to the interns seriously: "You may have all just picked the most opportune time to make the point of their circumstances clear, kids. Your other visitors are finally back."

Noting the edge in his voice, the students all took a step back and followed his gaze to find the purposefully striding Konstantin Khodamchuk, accompanied at both his sides by Ilya, Angel's Eye and the finally revived Anatoly Grischenko; all accompanied by a detail of police officers as well. What was more, the man of the hour at the forefront had already clearly locked eyes with Nikolay specifically from all the way down the hall; the boy could just feel it, and it left him and his friends all visibly uneasy.

Now that they were all in cleaner clothes and properly washed up and cared for; the once pitiful air about Konstantin himself was nonexistent, now replaced with the same serious and focused air of professionalism and authority that he'd perfected over many years in his career. It was so acute, in fact, that it almost felt physically crushing for Nikolay and his friends to be in the man's presence as he and his men all finally came to a stop, looking the young Heroes over with a surgically precise and discerning eye.

However, wanting to avoid the air growing much more tense, especially with Maja and her friends bearing witness from within their room, High Noon cleared her throat and proceeded to step forward, giving a polite bow in greeting, prompting everyone else to immediately o the same. "We're glad to see you're all back on your feet and in one piece, Khodamchuk-san. Our only regret is that we couldn't have saved you all sooner."

Konstantin gave only the slightest of nods of acknowledgment of what the Pro Hero was saying, even answering in surprisingly good Japanese: "Yes…what happened to the rest of our comrades is indeed very regrettable. I will have to see to extending condolences to the family of at least one, personally. I'm just grateful the rest of my men here were able to be saved, at least."

However, despite his saying this, the rest of his expression was still unreadable in the worst possible way. Regardless of the Heroes having all given so much in order to rescue him and his men in the grand scheme of things, that didn't make it any less awkward for the four of them to actually be sharing this kind of presence in non-hostile terms with even more Quirk users. They could all definitely say they were feeling the same way as well, only being able to imagine just what kind of role this man in particular had in Russia's removal of Quirked people from its lands.

As the older man's piercing eyes fell upon Nikolay specifically, everyone else could just feel the electricity between them arcing through the air; none of them sure if the two were even going to say anything, or perhaps start fighting.

But, unwilling to stay silent, Nikolay finally breathed deep and spoke up in Japanese for the sake of his friends: [[Forgive me for asking this, Mr. Khodamchuk…but if Pietro was holding you prisoner for as long as he did, even through the battle yesterday…he must've told you who I am, right?]]

Thankfully, Konstantin didn't keep the boy waiting in anxious curiosity for long, as he cleared his throat and stood tall, never breaking eye contact all the while: [[He did…even though I also recognized your face from the news back home last November; that incident involving you and Tunguska back in Vladivostok. I won't lie, after you two had fled the country; I'd never expected to see either one of your faces again. You can probably imagine my surprise when I saw you fighting in that town for the sake of me and my men and all those people, especially when Pietro Dobrynich confirmed it for me. I won't ask why Tunguska himself wasn't there; it doesn't make a difference now.]]

None of Konstantin's remaining men dared to interrupt, and Nikolay's friends were all visibly debating whether or not any of them should have said something, themselves, thanks to High Noon volunteering to act as translator while Nikolay was engaged with talking to the man. Then, a very surprising thing happened: Konstantin Khodamchuk actually let out a very exhausted-sounding sight, his shoulders dropped, and a look of genuine resignation now filled his eyes. [[Forgive me, this is a very…awkward position I've found myself in, Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov. I don't think I need explain details to you and your compatriots here, but with things the way they have been back in the Motherland in regards to Quirks and the perceived risks they hold for our home, as well as my role of responsibility in enacting those policies for the sake of national security for so long…it goes without saying that I'd never expected to find myself here…wishing to express my thanks to all of you for all your work, hardships and sacrifices for the sake of our people yesterday. I…owe all of you a debt of tremendous gratitude, on behalf of the Russian people.]]

Konstantin and his men from there proceeded to give an in-unison but clearly heartfelt military salute to Nikolay and all of the accompanying Heroes, to all their visible disbelief. Just as the man himself had come to expect when realizing what he had to do here, Nikolay looked like he was about to be completely knocked back in his wheelchair from the weight of just what they were witnessing and receiving from an official of Russia's Anti-Quirk government, out of all people in the world.

The moment he lowered his saluting arm, Konstantin promptly cleared his throat and proceeded to switch languages for the sake of all of them: "Of course, for the sake of maintaining stability and faith in government back in our country, especially in light of the things Pietro and his people did on our soil, since that was the whole reason we came all this way in the first place; it stands to reason that a few certain details of what happened in Gagaringrad will need to be kept under wraps from the general public…and, of course, we will need to facilitate the transfer of Pietro's soldiers so that they can officially stand trial and face proper justice back there as well."

In an instant did the cautiously optimistic air over the Hero interns plummet into a frigid air of grim realization; one that none of them could stay silent to, as Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka, Momo, Tenya and Tetsutetsu were all simultaneously exclaiming in one way or another: [[What?! Are you serious?!]] "Most of you were put under Pietro's Quirk's affect just like they were, you must know they didn't do the things they did by their own choice any more than you did! You're seriously going to put them on the chopping block after we saved them and everyone else?! These are still innocent people's children, how could you suggest doing something so cruel?! Yeah, we've heard all kinds of stuff about what's happened to people with Quirks back in your country, you can't seriously expect us to just sit here and let that happen for something they had no control over!"

While the police officer and doctor, alongside Whiteout and High Noon, were already trying to urge the teens to all calm themselves in the midst of this emotional outburst; Konstantin and his men remained steadfast and unexpectedly calm. Only when their protests had finally started to quiet down, did the leader himself continue: "Try to understand this not just from our perspective, but those of the people we directly have to serve and protect back home, you kids. Yes, these individuals have parents still; but think of how many fathers, husbands, sons and brothers the majority of them have literally killed in their two attacks on our Motherland's soil.

"If you have indeed heard stories of the aftermath of the Siberian Flash through Tunguska, then you must know that we understand especially well, just how volatile a nation's people can be when their grief, anger and desire for justice goes unanswered. We were barely able to rebuild ourselves into the entity we are now the last time; if the people lose faith in us again, there's no telling if we could ever be able to restore order and civility again. It's for that reason alone, that an example needs to be made of the Villains directly responsible, so that the people can be assured that our justice still has some kind of power to it."

Even if none of the teens were exploding into emotional protestations again, showing that deep down they did indeed understand the sentiment, they were still no closer to just plain accepting it. How could anyone who genuinely wanted to think of themselves as a Hero possibly give the okay to the out-and-out death penalty for anyone?

All the while, Maja and her friends could all hear the entire conversation from their shared room loud and clear; hence why when Maja was about to voice an argument of her own, she was swiftly cut off, and caught by complete surprise, by Danila suddenly speaking up: "He's right, you guys."

Everyone in the hall looked to the young Ukrainian as though he had lost his mind, but while he could only solemnly nod to confirm they weren't hearing things, Jozef similarly echoed: "Yes…the whole reason this all happened was because we'd always wanted to try our hands at becoming Heroes…and Pietro used that to take complete control over all of us. It's because of our own single-mindedness that people who had nothing to do with us died, and their loved ones will suffer forever because of us."

Fighting back regretful tears, Tuule chimed in: "We have no right to even think of ourselves as ever being able to become Heroes after everything he tricked us into doing. I know our parents will want to try and stop it from happening…but the least we can still do is face the consequences, show at least some measure of respect for law and order; whatever ends up happening."

Finally, with his arms resolutely crossed, Gazsi concluded: "Heroes are always going on about how their penultimate duty is to protect society through the lives of the people that make it. If us standing trial can keep more people from getting hurt in the middle of complete anarchy…then that's reason enough for me."

Admittedly, even Konstantin and his men were visibly surprised that not one of the young fugitives in question were even putting up something resembling a fight, with the exception of Maja of course. Having likewise taken in their stoic example, Whiteout finally cleared her throat in order to have the hall in this conversation. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I'm just thinking: would it perhaps be of at least some considerable comfort to know that this bunch was at least serving their proper sentences here in Japan before anything else could be discussed? As a Hero, I too can't simply condone carting youths off for trial and potential execution, regardless the crimes they commit. But we aren't simply ignoring the severity of their actions, either. They are going to have to serve considerable time. Wouldn't that at least be a start?"

If Konstantin or any one of his men had accused Whiteout of simply patronizing them, it honestly wouldn't have been too surprising. However, the man himself actually looked to be contemplating things as his eyes continuously drifted between the Heroes gathered, and the convicted youths in the next room. Finally, he stood firm. "I admit, with their circumstances being so similar to what my men went through, and along with the fact they have only just recently been reunited with their families, no thanks to Pietro's actions…your suggestion does warrant a little merit.

"However, if nothing else, we would require that we be able to take the identified Villains Alyosha Stepanovich Mikhalkov, Eliška Horáčková, Ljubomir Milošević and Hristofor Stoyanov back with us to stand trial as soon as possible. We already have Alyosha Stepanovich being held in custody in your local jail for now, since he hasn't received any injuries. Unlike these youths, the latter three came to Gagaringrad with Pietro and his accomplices Alyosha and Ocean Master, or Volga, entirely of their own free will from the start. They knew full well just what they were doing and made the choice anyway. Had things played out just a little differently, we would've been more than satisfied with simply taking Pietro and Volga on their own, regardless of the latter's last-second return to Heroics. However, with their both having passed away, then his direct accomplices will have to suffice for our needs."

Frankly, it felt like a miracle that Konstantin was considering Whiteout's suggestion at all. The Heroes all knew that realistically, they should've all just been grateful for getting the man to budge on his decision even this much. But Konstantin could clearly see there was still a troubled look in Nikolay's eye, and he was not about to let anything go unsaid: [[Is there something else on your mind, Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov?]]

Had it not been for the heavy-duty casts immobilizing his still-healing hands, Nikolay would have been clenching them into fists with just how much tension was building up in his body in response to the words he was having to force himself to finally say, in light of everything that had happened; in light of everything that those who actually were directly responsible had done.

[[I just…after all this time, I just don't understand why every matter like this back home has to still be settled by nothing less than some kind of bloodshed. That's the whole reason a monster like what Pietro, Volga and those four became, even came to exist in the first place; can't you all see that yourselves?]]

Konstantin and his men all looked visibly taken aback that the heavily injured boy was still arguing with them even further; even Nikolay's friends and partners all looked especially surprised that he wasn't backing down. Given the way things ran in Russia, the way the people looked at them and all others with Quirks; some of the more fearful among them were even preparing themselves for any one of these men to just outright try and attack them in response to this.

However, even for as nervous as he himself felt right now, Nikolay couldn't stop himself as his words became steadily more impassioned: [[I mean you must've seen so many examples of what I'm talking about, Mr. Khodamchuk! All this nonstop violence in the first days after the Siberian Flash, all born from grief, anger and fear! If that was ultimately able to make a person like Pietro, Volga and those four turn into full-fledged Villains capable of doing what they almost did yesterday, then how can you possibly know for sure that parading them through the streets for a glorified public execution won't ultimately spur someone else inside your borders with a potentially even more devastating Quirk to do the very same thing, if not a whole bunch of them? Yes, it's nothing more than an assumption in the end, but are you really okay with just leaving that kind of thing to chance after all of this?]]

The fluidity, pace and clear passion behind Nikolay saying all of this, drew expressions of nothing short than amazement from his friends as they all listened and watched every possible reaction Konstantin had. The man himself, in a very subtle way, looked quite impressed with just how naturally well thought-out Nikolay's reasoning was. In fact, the boy was even giving off an air of someone who truly believed in justice, in a manner that left him feeling the strangest sense of nostalgia.

In his own way, it was almost as though he were hearing the powerful and awe-inspiring voice of the old Tunguska himself from so many years ago.

However, this didn't mean he wasn't willing to try and see just how far Nikolay's convictions were able to take him in this little confrontation: [[So what exactly is it that you're suggesting? That we should simply return home empty-handed, and ask an entire nation that's already scared, angry and on edge as it is, to simply take it on good faith that the criminals responsible for so much destruction already, are simply serving out their prison sentences in a whole other nation?]]

To this, and Konstantin's surprise, Nikolay resolutely shook his head. [[No, that's not what I'm saying at all. All I'm saying is that it's been thirteen years already since the Siberian Flash. Thirteen years of everyone taking out all that emotion on people with Quirks, and it almost led to a nuclear war that could've killed so many more innocent people. I just…I just think that maybe this whole incident could be a chance for everyone. A chance for everyone back home to really take the time they never did before to really look at themselves, and maybe decide that it's time for them all to finally start truly healing from the pain the Siberian Flash left them all in, instead of choosing to fester in it and letting all their grief turn into something so ugly as the hate you've seen over all that time.]]

Konstantin took in a deep, steadying breath as he let Nikolay's pleas for change hang in the air. There was no way he could lie and say he hadn't seen just how ugly people's emotions had become over the last thirteen years. He'd simply kept himself from truly dwelling on it by always reminding himself that what he was doing was for his country, for the safety of the people. But by now, he'd since lost track of just where the line between that reality, and the delusion part of it, came into play.

With the man and his soldiers not giving an immediate answer, Nikolay likewise breathed deep in order to steady his own emotions; momentarily grimacing at the sharp pang from his recovering right shoulder. [[I have no reason to think you'd believe me, given how the whole country's turned against my father and all other Quirked people over all these years…but the fact is that despite all that, deep down, I do still love my home country. That's why I don't want to see it or the people in it turn against each other or get divided any more than they already have; hell, I don't want to see that kind of thing happen to anybody anywhere! These friends of mine here, among so many other people, have helped me to remember just how good people can be, how wonderful life itself can be…but I just don't see how division and even more suffering can be avoided back in Russia if the pervasive attitude across the whole country is still nothing but fear and anger after all this time. The people, they can't truly want to just stay like that, can they? Can any of you?]]

Once more, these very heavy questions had left everyone visibly shaken by just what Nikolay was looking for out of the future. But as he and Konstantin never broke eye contact as his final question burrowed deep, Maja suddenly spoke up from within her room, looking at Angel's Eye specifically: [[You can't possibly…I can feel it.]]

The Polish girl's sudden interjection caught the sharpshooter and everyone else by surprise, while she sat herself up straight and looked him in the eye. [[Yesterday, after I'd spoken to you and your comrade about why I wanted to help; when I'd said everything I needed to say and took off after Jozef, I know you had a perfect chance back then to put a bullet in my back and put me down for good…and I didn't hear the click of your gun jamming or anything. That has to mean you actually chose not to pull the trigger, doesn't it? You must be just as tired of all the constant killing, hate and violence as the rest of us were…aren't you?]]

Angel's Eye could feel Konstantin and Anatoly's eyes fall upon his back as he gave a solemn nod of confirmation, to Maja and them alike, before finally looking his boss dead-on. [[She's right, Konstantin Alexandrovich. You know me, I'm a professional. For the longest time, I only ever viewed my days as a soldier, a mercenary, or even a sanctioned assassin as just that: work that simply needed to be done. But over all those years since the Siberian Flash; I don't know exactly when or where…but at some point in all that time, I'd started viewing my killing Quirked fugitives as less of a job…and more of just a plain habit. I was actually thinking of taking lives as a habit, the same way a man would view drinking or watching football on weekends as a habit…and that realization finally hit me yesterday, and it's been haunting me ever since then.]]

Angel's Eye admittedly couldn't even feel remotely surprised by the momentary look of genuine betrayal evident in Konstantin's eyes. However, even despite the chain of command between them, the sniper didn't let up or back down. [[Don't misunderstand me, sir; I understand what's driven you so intensely in our carrying out these clearing operations for all this time. We've all lost people we loved as a result of the Siberian Flash, that boy included.

[[But we gotta ask ourselves: how many Quirkless people have lost people they loved, just as much as we loved our own lost, precisely because of men like us? I can't even begin to count…and frankly, I fear I'd never be able to look myself in the mirror again if I were to. We need to ask ourselves this while we have the chance, Comrades: where does all that killing finally end? How can we possibly know that it would actually end once the whole of the Motherland has been completely sealed off from the rest of the world? What kind of life would we even be able to lead in that kind of place to begin with? That kind of path can't really be the only option Russia's people have left, can it? There's got to be a path to something better for all of us…and I, for one, want to try and find it.]]

Konstantin soon spotted Ilya giving a nod of actual understanding out the corner of his eye; from the last man he'd ever expected to see this sentiment coming from. Before he could even ask if both men were serious in this decision of theirs, Anatoly gave an attention-grabbing cough from behind, drawing his leader's eye while he tried to stand at attention like the soldier he was. [[With all due respect, sir…I honestly can't help but wonder if perhaps the boy, Angel's Eye and Ilya don't all have a good point to make with this way of thinking. The fact is that I've battled against these young Heroes, both alongside my two comrades here, and on my own while under Pietro's influence. I never once pulled any punches against them, I fought with the intent to kill just like we've always been trained to…and yet, despite that, not once did any of the Heroes here that I fought ever exercise the same kind of lethal intent, even though they would've been well within their natural rights of self-defense to do so. Even if doing so would get them hurt, they still went to every length they could to take us down peacefully and free us.

[[After all the years of the government telling us how all Quirked people were an inherent threat and to be treated as such…I too had forgotten just what it was to really see Heroes actually in action, fighting for a good bigger than themselves, fighting for the sake of everyone…and it really has been leaving me shaken recently, sir. Maybe…maybe these kids are right. Maybe it's time everyone back home started being reminded of just what Heroes meant for us before the Siberian Flash happened. Thirteen years is such a damn long time as it is, and now that I think on it, there are children who've been born in that time, who've pretty much only ever been raised amid all that fear, sorrow and anger. Is that really the kind of world we want to raise children in, sir; a world completely devoid of the kind of hope Heroes used to give us? Do we really want to deprive them of that because of one incident, no matter how big it was? What is it that we're actually protecting otherwise?]]

Despite maintaining as much of a stoic front as he could, the discerning eyes of the Pro Heroes and their interns could see how Konstantin's right hand was beginning to tremble, even before he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. A momentary reflexive swallowing motion in his throat preceded Konstantin instinctively turning away from the watchful crowd, blinking away the beginnings of painful old tears. The fact was that Anatoly and Angel's Eye's shared sentiments were piercing especially deep in places he hadn't wanted to go back to for a very long time.

Finally, his whole body went still before finally letting out a weighty sigh and turning back to address the Heroes as a whole. "In the Siberian Flash itself, and the aftermath of it, people lost children, parents, loved ones, siblings, everywhere you looked there was loss and sorrow. But me? I…I…*sniffle*…I'd lost everyone; my wife, my brother and sister…and both of my children."

Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka, Momo, Pony, Tetsutetsu and Tenya could all already feel their hearts wrenching for the man before them and the painful weight he'd had to carry with the loss he'd just shared. But Konstantin was far from finished after having had to force himself to finally bring this up again for the first time in years:

"In the days that followed since then, I'd completely isolated myself from anyone and everyone I even remotely had left, including my own comrades in the army I had once thought of as my brothers. Even when I finally had the strength to go back out into the field, I felt like I was somewhere else entirely, and before long the only thing I could feel anymore was sadness and anger; anger at Quirks, at the world, at God for allowing it all to happen. In no time at all, that anger and that sadness had entwined to the point I couldn't even differentiate one from the other.

"One day, my anger at everything had blinded me to the point I could no longer think with reason, and ended up turning on my old commander and one of my oldest friends, someone I had once even come to see as an actual father figure in the battlefield: Pietro Dobrynich Granin. I had come to learn that he had possessed a Quirk, and thus my anger had tempted me to jump on the first chance I had to get rid of him right alongside Volga on the day we'd ultimately found him."

The reveal of Konstantin and Pietro's true history had left all the teens visibly dumbfounded, but Konstantin didn't give them a chance to break his confessions with their questions: "I did this because I had convinced myself I had the people's best interests at heart, that I was ultimately saving us all from future potential disaster…and in so doing, I'd ultimately turned a man I once greatly respected, and a renowned national Pro Hero, into a pair of monsters driven by the very same hate I had been, and whom years later nearly brought ruination upon us and dragged an entire town of otherwise peaceful people into the fray with them in the process.

"I've lived my entire professional life assuring myself that I was driven by a desire to protect, and a patriotic love for my country, my countrymen, and everything we could aspire to be, both before and after the Siberian Flash. It was pretty much what I had to do after what I did to Pietro and Volga that day, because no matter how far up the ranks of the military and the government I went over the years, I could never truly free myself of the guilt of a traitor for what I'd done, no matter how justified I'd felt then…and the countless instances after, of all the families I'd seen my actions tear apart as their Quirked loved ones were taken away, only made that guilt so much worse."

There was no telling if the trembling white-knuckled fist at Konstantin's side was a conscious choice to try and fight through that swelling of guilt as he admitted his worst actions; or simply a muscle reflex. Nikolay couldn't even dwell on the question, as he could feel a near physical impact as Konstantin's thoughtful gaze fell upon him specifically: "I still consider myself a patriot at the end of the day. However, after seeing you and your young friends here risk life and limb to save people like me, my men, all those civilians, and an entire country that had openly called for you and Tunguska's heads with those of every other Quirk user…it's likewise forced me to remember just what it was that Heroes originally meant for us, just as they have continued to represent for the rest of the world. For someone as young as you to show such selflessness, and ultimately forgiveness as you did, has left me wondering just what my personal sense of patriotism even means anymore."

Konstantin quickly spied a look of similarly considerable thoughtfulness in Nikolay and his friends' eyes altogether. All the while, Whiteout and High Noon had since taken to stepping back with the doctor so as to allow the students to all go through this increasingly heavy discussion with no pressure or intrusion.

Finally, Nikolay nervously cleared his throat, not looking nearly as certain in his words as he sounded: "To be completely honest…I don't think what I did has anything to do with patriotism. Like I said, I still love my home country, and I want to help the people there whichever way I can…and right now, with the way things are, I think the best way to do that and help them all heal is to help them remember what it feels like to have hope for the future. I want to believe that maybe, just maybe, being shown that there are still Heroes willing to give their all to protect them, even after everything they'd allowed to happen through their fear and anger to their own countrymen with Quirks, could be a good start to that…or maybe even better, if they were to start seeing that hope be spread to them from their own neighbors and countrymen, so they could be able to start doing the same as well."

At this, when Nikolay looked up to meet Konstantin's observant eyes once more; the older government official could somehow just feel a whole new understanding begin to build within his heart, as though he and the young boy before him were actually beginning to see what Nikolay was trying to get at.

[[How exactly are you envisioning that kind of thing happening after our people have lived this way for so long, Nikolay Olegovich? You expect someone like me to just one day go up, address the entire nation, and just pour out every detail of what happened here, and expect that to actually convince them to start opening their perspectives again? Are you truly naïve enough to think such a drastic change could happen so easily?]]

Nikolay did look admittedly embarrassed, much to some of his friends' visible concern. But his expression never fell as he answered with surprising certainty: [[No, I don't think I am. But since you brought up the idea yourself, why couldn't you be that person to take that first step, Mr. Khodamchuk? You're clearly a well-recognized figure in the government back home, surely there would be at least some people who would hear you out if you did.]]

Now it was Konstantin's turn to look taken aback by Nikolay calling him out so openly like this. He was honestly struggling for a response to such a forward idea. At the same time, though, the more he thought about everything Nikolay had just said, about hope being the catalyst to the much-needed change Russia and its people needed, he once more couldn't help but so clearly hear Tunguska's voice saying the very same thing. Had he not been so surprised, he almost would've wanted to laugh at just how clear it was that this was truly Tunguska's son.

But laughter was something he simply couldn't afford, as this radical idea was something that couldn't be allowed to be left to any kind of doubt or speculation if he were to actually try for it. "While you are correct in the authority my position has given me, it's hardly that simple. Grief is a very strong emotion, as you well know. As such, a good deal of my colleagues in the government, are very hard set in their ways when it comes to their views on Quirks and the people who use them. Convincing them to actually reconsider our laws against Quirks is going to be nigh impossible."

"Please don't misunderstand, Khodamchuk-san; none of us are trying to force you to find a solution to this." Momo suddenly interjected, to everyone else's surprise. Standing tall and genuine in her feelings, even in the face of such imposing authority, she continued with a heartfelt and faithful smile: "Forgive me; I just believe that it's important for us all to remember that this isn't about trying to force a change in all the people's opinions about Quirks. It's about helping them remember what it means to be a Hero; mainly that Quirks aren't what defines someone as a Hero, it's their actions."

Emboldened by where she was clearly going with this, Tenya similarly stepped forward: "That's right. In our world that places so much stock in the powers of Quirks and their relation to Heroes, it's become unfortunately very easy for people to forget that; for far longer than Quirks have been around, normal people were, and ultimately still are, just as capable of becoming Heroes as well. Their inherent duty and purpose ultimately remains the same as it's always been: to make the world an overall better place, and to inspire hope in people where there is none."

To this, Mina visibly lit right back up as she suddenly stepped in: "Yeah! It's just like Kolya-kun said; if you can talk to everybody back there and help them feel hope again, you could totally be an amazing Hero for them just as much as Tunguska-sensei once did, but in a totally different but just as awesome way! Doesn't that sound like it could help bring a better change to everything back home for everyone, doesn't it? Doesn't that sound like it's absolutely worth trying at least?"

As initially overwhelming as the pink-skinned Hero's energy was at first, it did little to convince Konstantin otherwise of one very essential thing he had finally come to the conclusion after observing this lot for as much as he had. "You all have an incredible maturity about you; not in your trying to act like adults, but because of just what a broadened understanding of just what it is you're all trying to accomplish, even now. Many Quirkless children back in Russia could take an example from you lot. And then there's me. You all know by now just what I've done to numerous other Quirked people just like yourselves, and yet you still speak to me with as much honesty, humility and trust as I have no doubt you would anyone else.

"I've kept up with the news coming out of this country ever since it had hit the internet in full force. I've come to understand just what Tunguska himself is doing out here, hence why I find his son fighting alongside so many other young Hero students. So let me just ask you all this: this mentality of yours; is this all coming from things Tunguska has taught you?"

Looking to each other, the students all seemed to be of the same understanding as to just what the most honest answer would be. And so, Kyouka was the one to ultimately begin: "Yes…but also from many more of our teachers at Yuuei as well. They've all helped us out a ton in our growth in their own special ways."

With that, Tetsutetsu thankfully continued in a much more restrained answer than usual: "And it's not even just the teachers at school, either. We've also got all the Pro Heroes all over the place that we've been looking up to who deserve thanks as well, not to mention our…internship instructors."

The reminder of Knightfall once more had him, Tenya, Pony and Yui bowing their heads in remembrance. Not wanting the sadness to risk souring the air, Nikolay finally finished, just before Monoma could risk running his mouth too far: [[But even more, alongside our teachers, instructors and the Pros out there…we've also got each other to thank for helping us grow this much, too…especially me. My friends here, and so many more back at Yuuei itself, they've all helped me in too many ways I could possibly count right now, especially in my idea of just what it really means for someone to be a Hero…as you've already witnessed. In a way, you could even say we've all ultimately even helped my father grow beyond the point he once was as a Hero, as well. Maybe you'd struggle to recognize him if you were to see him again these days, Mr. Khodamchuk. I don't know if that's a good enough answer like you were looking for…but it's the honest truth from where we're all standing.]]

As Konstantin took in everything the Hero interns before him had said, he kept a pondering fist poised below his grizzled chin…before, when everyone else had given up trying to guess just what his or his men's reactions were going to be, the man actually gave the slightest of smiles, complete with an approving nod.

"Truly, if you lot have already grown enough to exhibit such strength of character as to actually make men like us remember what things used to be like…then maybe there truly is hope for us after all. You truly are the disciples of Tunguska, the Sun of Justice as I remember him, no doubt about it. I can't promise if I'll be able to initiate some much-needed change back in the Motherland like you imagine…but if you all carry on and help each other to become the Heroes you wish to be…then perhaps one day, your examples may just be able to even echo to our little corner of the world, and begin the return of hope anew yourselves."

Needless to say, for a bunch of first year Hero school students to actually be receiving such praise, not only from a clearly high-ranking government official, but one who represented a government diametrically opposed to their very existence, was a sensation none of them could properly find words to describe. On one hand it made them proud to know they had done well enough to gain such recognition, on top of just the feeling of relief to know they had saved so many people. On the other, there was just enough of a discomfort to know just what the man praising them had done to people just like them in the times leading up to now.

However, while the students themselves were processing Konstantin's heartfelt expressions of optimism for them, the leading police officer finally took the chance to ask the most pertinent question: "With you having said all of these things, Khodamchuk-san; we're still establishing the details for the recovery of your navy's wares from the coast of Gagaringrad, but what exactly are you going to do as soon as everything here has been settled and confirmed?"

To this, Konstantin instinctively straightened his collar, regaining his strictly professional stance and air about him. "Well, as I said, if we're going to be able to maintain order back home, then the people need to have a face to see rightfully punished for the damages and loss of life incurred…although, Nikolay Olegovich was correct in that I do have some considerable pull with some of the most effective people back in the Kremlin, including the President Dmitri Zaitsev himself. If I were to speak to them personally of everything that's happened here, and everything that's been discussed while you were to, say, hold the fully willing participants in Pietro's schemes in maximum security designated for genuine Villains in the meantime, it would buy me the time to at least have the seeds planted among them to see about considerable judicial reform in regards to Quirks. From there, it would effectively be out of my hands what they would ultimately decide to do with it, you must understand."

However, this final detail amounted to barely a footnote, as Nikolay instinctively asked: "So then what would become of Maja and her friends?"

His own personal urgency was visibly reflected in the eyes of all his fellow interns; to which the police officer gave an aged-sounding chuckle. "Well, they'll obviously still need to serve the appropriate sentences for their involvement, but given that they've clearly expressed genuine regret, and considering the actual circumstances under which they carried out their involvements in Pietro's crimes, it's not impossible that the courts would be willing to grant them the leniency of serving their sentences in much less suffocating settings as the facilities we have in place for unrepentant Villains and the like. Make no mistake, it is still legitimate jail that they will ultimately have to go to, but the comparisons are like night and day…believe me."

While it was undeniably regrettable that Maja and her friends would still ultimately have to spend time behind bars for their actions that were beyond their control; the officer was definitely right in that it was a far sight better than what was ultimately awaiting Villains like Ljubomir, Hristofor, Alyosha and Eliška. Even she and her friends actually looked to be coming to the same conclusion, as those like Gazsi and Jozef could actually be heard letting out shaky sighs of relief.

Nikolay and his friends looked considerably grateful for this whole situation having taken the turn that it had as well, to the point the boy couldn't help but address Konstantin once more: [[I know you had no reason to in the end, but I still want to thank you for at least considering our words, Mr. Khodamchuk.]]

Before Mina, Tetsutetsu or anyone else could echo their agreement as soon as High Noon finished translating; Konstantin turned to look them all over once more, naturally exuding another intimidating air. "Your overall sentiments had merit to them, that and all your displays of courage were the only reasons for that. However, while I can only promise to try and help my colleagues try to see the bigger picture with your added perspectives once we return home; now you kids need to simply focus on upholding your end of this overall bargain from now on. Continue to dedicate yourselves to helping each other become the kind of Heroes this world really needs, and see if your examples and dedication to real altruistic justice can truly help our people to feel hope again. If you can, then Mother Russia's long-needed healing will truly be able to finally begin."

There was of course a real weight of responsibility that the interns could all feel settle within themselves at just what the man they had worked so hard to save was truly asking of them. However, none of them felt even slightly intimidated by it, as much as they were ultimately inspired. This was truly an unspoken promise between all of them, if not between them and every single one of their friends and peers waiting for them back at Yuuei as a whole.

With their hearts alight with drive, Mina and Nikolay both eagerly turned to address Maja and her friends as well: "Do you hear that, Maja-chan?! In the end, you're all gonna actually get off the biggest hook! God, I'm so happy for you guys!" "Agreed! I think we're all equally feeling just as relieved as we can be for you! I can't even imagine what you all must be thinking right now."

With a smile of both relief and resignation on her face, Maja finally answered: "Well, I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to jail time…but in comparison to being expected to just go free and act like we hadn't done the things we'd been forced to do, I can actually say I'll be able to rest much easier in the end, doing things this way."

Danila, Tuule and Gazsi all looked to be in full agreement with her opinion on the matter, as the shorter Hungarian spoke with a shaky sigh: "I agree. Plus, it'll be good to know we'll at least be reunited with Marius once we're there, since I can't imagine they'll want all the suspects of one singular group to be kept separated. I haven't been able to stop worrying about him waking up all confused on his own."

The reminder of their long-absent and arrested Romanian counterpart back in Asahikawa City had hit Momo, Monoma, Reiko and Whiteout considerably. With everything that had happened since the attack at the Hero Network tower, they had all but removed him from the forefront of their minds entirely. However, while they, Nikolay and Mina were all still processing his absence from everything amid all that previous pressure and stress; they nearly missed how the leading officer and his fellows had all visibly flinched upon hearing the name 'Marius.'

So much so, in fact, that the leading officer couldn't help but clear his throat to regain everyone's attention: "Actually…there's admittedly been some troubling news in regards to the individual suspect, Marius Lazarescu-kun. You see, yesterday, shortly after your mission had ended, we'd received word from our fellow officers in the Asahikawa City police department that…that he had actually vanished from his holding cell in their medical wing without a single trace. They suspect it to have happened right around the same time your mission itself had actually started, but they haven't been able to discern where in the world he could have possibly disappeared to. All we know is that he's still at this moment unaccounted for."

To nobody's surprise, least of all that of the police; the news that one of Maja's friends, and one with potentially one of the most powerful Quirks among the bunch, had disappeared before Pietro's ultimate demise, had left every one of the Heroes, as well as Konstantin's group, visibly unsettled.

Thankfully, the confusion didn't last long, as the announcement spurred an especially intense jerk out of Jozef in his hospital bed, catching everyone's attention. "I-I know how it happened! I-I'd h-heard Pietro talking about it right before he'd sent me to try and k-kill Maja, those soldiers and Linguist! O-one of the Gagaringrad locals, Yulina Zabarovka; we all call her 'Doorkeeper;' she has a Quirk that allows her to draw a doorway that can lead to anywhere she wants! Pietro had sent her to go and snatch M-Marius out of his cell all the way in Asahikawa City, and then sent me away with her before I even knew whatever else he was going to do with him."

Considering just how Jozef's mission to try and kill Maja had ended, with that miracle doorway being left open between both hospital; naturally everyone's eyes shifted to Maja herself, but the poor Polish girl gave a solemn shake of her head. "I'm sorry, everyone…but by the time I'd chased Jozef and Doorkeeper through the doorway into Alyosha's lab, there was no sign of Marius anywhere. I honestly have no idea where they could've taken him if he wasn't on the submarine."

With Tenya, Tetsutetsu and Kyouka likewise voicing their confirmation that there was no one in the submarine matching Marius' description; the air among the Hero students had once more sunken. Even if Pietro was gone forever and the people were freed, there was no telling what he could've done with Marius after getting him out of jail, or where on earth he was now. All at once had their feeling of victory just as quickly descended into a feeling of abject failure that there was one person they weren't able to save.

"Have your officers been able to dig up any clues at all as to where Marius Lazarescu could possibly have been taken?" High Noon asked the officer, to which he too bowed his head in remorse.

"No, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop looking. I have numerous men searching all the beaches and seaside caves in the Hokkaido area for some kind of sign of the boy, as well as patrol cars searching all the streets in every major city and small town. We even have a handful of Japan's aquatic-based Pro Heroes scouring the sea itself for any potential clues as well. Rest assured, everyone; we're going to make sure we find him and bring him back safely, no matter what."

However, even for as reassuring as the police officer was trying to sound in this declaration of intent; it did little to ease the nervousness among Nikolay and his friends. After seeing the sick lengths Pietro had put himself and others through in order to try and gain some kind of an advantage, there was no telling just what on earth the Villain had likely done to Marius in the short time he'd had him to himself.

---

A few miles outside the Gagaringrad limits…

At that very same moment, a detachment of police had come racing up the coastline at the request of the coast guard and one of the Pro Heroes that had already managed to make their way up all this way in order to assist in recovery and investigation work: a humanoid seal in a wetsuit and yellow goggles whom the people of Japan recognized as the Sea Rescue Hero, Selkie.

According to reports over the radios, Selkie had managed to spot something most unusual, which had by now brought a good portion of the police presence to this one isolated stretch of sand a good ways away from the Gagaringrad area: an empty cylindrical vessel devoid of oars or an engine. The coast guard and Selkie himself had already identified it as a one-man emergency escape vessel that had likely originated from the submarine at some point shortly after it had set out on its ill-fated voyage; particularly judging by the presence of Cyrillic writing imprinted along its sides.

However, even if they had discerned what it was and where it had most likely come from, the fact that there was no sign of anyone in it was of considerable concern. In fact, the only potential clue they had to work with was a single trail of footprints that ran across the beach into the thick of the forests on the other side; footprints that, upon further investigation, proved to have already been more than a full day old.

Of course, this wasn't going to stop the police from mobilizing further search parties to see if there was any more of a trail beyond these footprints that could've led them to whoever had left them there.

---

Inside a small rural home nestled comfortably in the thicker woods of Northern Hokkaido, a humble working class family of three were currently in the middle of eating lunch while the father was busily listening to the news broadcast currently playing on the TV. "Thank goodness those Heroes have been working so hard on getting that rail tunnel fixed up. I can't even imagine how many people from here or Honshu have been displaced from their homes or jobs because of that whole Villain attack, honestly."

While the wife and mother among them voiced such sentiment, the husband and father was every now and again glimpsing towards the medium-sized white box truck sitting out in front of their home. "Let's hope they'll be able to make that promised deadline of opening by morning. The sooner I can start running deliveries down to Sapporo to get transported through the rails, the sooner we can start breathing a little easier money-wise."

While the family continued to mindlessly prattle on about this and that from discussing the repairs of the undersea railway; none of them were ever aware of the well-hidden presence of a single tired-looking, bearded young foreign man with short dark hair kneeling beneath their living room window, listening in to their conversations. Even if he wasn't an all-around expert with Japanese, he at least had a good enough understanding to identify the overall gist of what the people inside were saying.

However, even after having run himself ragged through the forested hills by some invisible sense of purpose for the past day, he knew he still couldn't afford to have anyone else see his face out here. Thankfully, this family had a small but accommodating supply shed mere feet away, which he had already claimed for his own for now while they had their backs turned.

Quickly retreating inside, his first instinct was to check the tiny little hiding place he had found behind some rice barrels, within which was a single small steel suitcase he had discovered lying with him when he had first woken up a day ago. Momentarily taking the chance to peek inside, he was filled with an inexplicable relief to find there were still ten secure little glass vials of a luminescent blue agent inside, just like the last time. He knew; more than anything; that these vials and their contents were the most vitally important thing he had on him, and that he needed to protect them with his life, even if for now he didn't have a very concrete idea as to where he would ultimately take them.

As a matter of fact, as he closed the suitcase and slipped it back into its hiding spot again, the young foreigner was once again hit with a splitting pain in his head; a result of simply not being able to connect his current whereabouts with where he had originally come from. He knew exactly who he was, but there just felt like some kind of nonsensical blank space somewhere in the story of his life; something he begrudgingly knew he couldn't afford to waste time dwelling on.

He also knew that if he was going to have any real chance of escaping Hokkaido to some form of safety, his best bet was going to be stowing away in that truck outside come morning, so for now all he could resign himself to do was to try and get some food and sleep in this shed for the night. As he instinctively went for a nearby vat of collected water in order re-hydrate himself after all the heavy-footed trekking through the woods he had recently done, the young man took a few precious moments to fully take in his reflection, as though making sure that the face staring back up at him was truly his own.

The more he took in his young yet rugged features, he could already hear the voice of the man he knew as his father speaking to him from within the back of his mind: the recitation of a solemn life's oath that he knew he carried with him every minute of every day, the elusive sense of purpose that drove him this far after having woken up confused and frightened inside what he could only have described as a one-man escape vessel with that little suitcase at his side.

He could distinctly hear his father's voice speaking to him from within the fog of his mind, gradually clearing it away with every word: [[Never forget just who you are, no matter what happens or what anyone tries to tell you otherwise. This world is full of snakes, liars and traitors, and you must forever stand firmly by my word; I am the only truth you've ever needed since the day you were born. That is why you must always remember who you are…my son. Remember these words, even if you must recite them to yourself every day so as not to veer off the course of your destiny. Remember who you truly are.]]

With those words, that imploring resonating within every fiber of his being, the young man that others in Gagaringrad knew as Marius Lazarescu, proceeded to recite the words his father had imbued into his heart, reinforcing this irrefutable truth to himself as he looked into his reflection's eyes: [[I am Marius Petrovich Granin, son of Pietro Dobrynich Granin; a decorated and betrayed commander of Russia's military…a young military strategy protégé who will avenge his betrayal, carried out by cowards, turncoats and the so-called Heroes of this land that destroyed our dream to reclaim our homeland from the tyrants who now rule it with an iron fist.]]

As he continued to recite his father's final instructions, Marius momentarily turned back to his hiding spot with the suitcase and the luminescent vials inside. [[The Heroes of Japan and all those who aspire to follow in their footsteps will pay the price for standing in the way of the delivery of true justice…and those vials in that case, the Quirk Explosion formula; they are the key to our revenge. I just need to find the right kind of people who would be willing to work with me in order to do it…and there may be just the person somewhere out there to help point me in their direction.]]

And just like AFO himself, even when we think the Villain has been truly and utterly defeated, they always manage to eke out even the slightest victory that ensures their wills continue on, and it will fall to our young Heroes to mobilize and act to stop it once it reveals itself. Rest assured, I've got my fair share of plans for this little development.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the reprieve it's begun to provide us, all things considered. I hope you all have a good rest of your week, and I will see you all with the next chapter, the final chapter of the Hokkaido Arc on 07/30!