Hello again, everyone. Man, what a speed bump last week was. Hopefully, this new approach of planning out an entire story arc, and then writing all of its chapters back-to-back will ultimately prove a more successful method of writing than what I've been doing, even for as long as that had managed to carry me. Whether or not real life issues like college continue to throw things off-track will also be a major deciding factor, as I've mentioned before. For now, let's all keep our fingers crossed.

I would like to sincerely thank every one of you who didn't just go and cancel your Favorites or Follows of this story just because of one week without a real new chapter, that kind of loyalty in the readership means more than I can properly describe. I would also like to thank anonymous reader, 'Kyler' for their continued reviewing of each story arc as they go along. I really wish they could make an account so that we could engage in discussion as to some of my choices and hurdles in trying to make this story the best I can make it with the guidelines I've set for myself. But either way, the effort is greatly appreciated, so don't let yourselves be intimidated into not sharing your own thoughts and feelings on this story as well. I welcome all of it, other than flat-out trolling or flaming.

Anyway, I hope this previous week has given a good number of you the opportunity to catch up, and I hope this new chapter ultimately proves worth the wait. I'm really trying to keep the heart of this particular story arc true, while still mixing things up enough to keep it fresh, new and interesting. i'd love to know how you all think I'm doing in that regard, covering this particular arc in this fashion.

I would also like to once more thank my beta readers and consultants, Mizu and Jonny, for their continuous support and assistance, as well as the hardworking and heartfelt efforts of DA fan-artists Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai and Eliza-Frost. Visit their profiles and give them some much-deserved love and patronage.

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 97

Men vs. Beasts

(Люди Против Зверей)

Thursday, September 18th, Yuuei Academy

After the massive perspective redirection that Nikolay had experienced over the course of yesterday, he'd thankfully managed to make a major recovery as far as his attitude and vital signs went, at least according to Recovery Girl's professional diagnosis when giving him his return check-up after the lunch period had ended that day. To his, and soon the rest of his classes' relief, this meant he'd officially been given the green light to finally return.

Of course, with Aizawa having had no extensive training exercises set up for the latter half of the day, it meant Nikolay was really only returning to a remaining day full of textbook work. But if he had to sit through all of that with Mina and all of their friends around, instead of having to catch up in the solitude of his dorm room after sitting everything out, then that was nothing for him to complain about.

This improvement had thankfully managed to carry him through all the way until bedtime as well, and by the time morning had finally come ringing in the new day, Nikolay felt well and truly rejuvenated, far more ready to face the new day with his head held high and his heart feeling just overall stronger. Of course, this didn't mean he was going to simply put his previous worries that had plagued him so immensely yesterday aside, as once he had gotten the sleep out of his eyes; one of the very first things he'd done was to check his phone for any kind of follow-up headlines regarding the Russia situation in the aftermath of the chain of disasters that had happened a week ago today, now that he thought about it. The fact that, in President Dmitri Zaitsev's continued absence, his position was currently being occupied by none other than Konstantin Khodamchuk; had Nikolay feeling more than a little anxious for some kind of announcement for an address to the nation.

Alas, nothing so far.

But this wasn't going to weigh him down when the day was just barely getting started, he wasn't about to let that happen again. All Might and everyone else had worked too hard to try and help him get back to his normal self for him to just let that all be for nothing. Of course, he was inevitably going to have to bring this up with his father when they would see each other later today or after school, assuming the other teachers hadn't told him already once he'd gotten back from wherever he had gone to yesterday.

Now wasn't the time to start dwelling on that; Nikolay kept reminding himself of this as he got out of bed and hurriedly changed into the freshest pair of clothes for his uniform, every now and then glancing at the time on his phone to make sure he hadn't accidentally slept in just a little bit.

Knock-knock

A sudden light wrapping at his door made the young man just slightly flinch with surprise, before common sense came rushing right back when thinking back on yesterday. After what a scene he'd made in the beginning, it was only to be expected that either Mina, Izuku, Tenya or Eijirou, if not all four or the rest of either of their groups, would want to check up on him first thing in the morning to make sure he was doing alright.

Straightening the tie of his uniform, Nikolay opened the door, only to be completely caught by surprise, as it was nobody else but Shoto Todoroki standing in his doorway, his expression completely unreadable as he wasted no time breaking the silence in his typically straightforward manner: "Good morning, Bezpalov. I didn't stir you awake, did I?"

Nikolay hurriedly shook away his surprise, which Shoto similarly took as a means of saying he hadn't intruded, to which he gave only the slightest nod. "Good. I'd heard about what had happened with you yesterday, regarding this recent Russia news online, and I'd been hoping to speak with you before Bakugo and I left for our remedial training today. I would've gone to you sooner, but our training unfortunately went considerably longer than it usually does."

"Oh, o-of course. Please, come in, Todoroki-san. I mean, I don't know what else I could tell you about it all that I'm sure Midoriya-san and near everyone else in class hasn't already, but I can try." As soon as Nikolay remembered his manners and invited Shoto inside, which he accepted with another silent acknowledgment; he proceeded to relay everything the news had said in specifics to his red-white-haired classmate, before proceeding to succinctly go over everything that All Might, Izuku and his group, and even Nejire Hadou and Tamaki Amajiki had helped him to recognize and remember in order to help bring all of his suffocating stresses and fears back under his control, instead of the other way around.

And all throughout that relatively short period of time in which Nikolay had squeezed in so much perspective, history and revelation, Shoto simply stood watchful and listening, never once interrupting so that his foreign classmate could get everything there possibly could've been to get fully off his chest; his brown and blue eyes reflecting his deep attentiveness the entire time.

Once it had become unmistakable that Nikolay had nothing more to say or elaborate upon, Shoto finally let out a contemplative sigh, forming only the faintest of upturned corners of his mouth as he spoke up: "You've certainly gone through a great deal in such a short time, Bezpalov. I can see why such news affected you the way it did after what you and Tunguska-sensei went through, and especially after this experience you all had up in Hokkaido.

"That being said, though, I'm glad to see you've clearly been taking your own advice in the end; the same you'd given me back at the Sports Festival: that of putting the past and the things that are out of our control behind us so we can focus on the present, in preparation for the future. It takes a great deal more to actually follow your own advice, instead of simply feeling the need to give it to others."

While Nikolay couldn't help but feel admittedly pretty damn good about himself to actually be receiving such recognition from one of his classes' most powerful students; the fact that Shoto actually brought up those old guiding words he'd so passionately tried to impart to him so long ago, made it impossible for the foreign boy to not ask: "Thank you for saying so, Todoroki-san. Speaking of which, how do you think you're doing about that whole thing? I know that over all the time since then, we haven't really had very much opportunity to talk one-on-one like this about…well, anything."

Paying no mind to how clearly awkward Nikolay felt about talking about such deep things in private like this, Shoto seemed to adapt a rather distant look in his eyes as he thought back. "Honestly…I think I'm slowly but surely getting to the point I want to be; mainly because for the last few days of training, I've noticed my father in the stands, watching me every step of the way. And, believe it or not; I haven't been feeling that blinding anger I used to feel from the mere sight of him anymore…well, at least not as often as before."

With a brief pause, however, Shoto's piercing gaze fell back down to his two empty hands. "Of course, the fact that I still sometimes feel that anger every once in a while proves that I still have a great ways to go before I can truly say I'm ready to become the Hero I want to be. Making peace with my entire Quirk was surprisingly easy, looking back on it now. Putting everything my father did to us behind me and keeping it there for the sake of our future is much trickier. I suppose you could say I've been trying to use you and Tunguska-sensei's visible relationship this year as something of a reminder of what I'm trying to get to along the way."

Now Nikolay couldn't even try to hide how awkward he truly felt, knowing now that he was unknowingly serving as a motivational example for someone like Shoto Todoroki; so much so that he immediately answered with a very uncomfortable sigh through his teeth. "I know I should just be grateful and leave it at that, Todoroki-san; but the fact is that I'm not nearly as far along that past-amending path as you might think I am. Yeah, things with my Dad have gotten astronomically better from what they used to be, but the fact that I was still able to let the pain of the past memories of what Russia is, especially in the wake of those recent disasters, diminish my sense of hope to the point that it made me have a full-blown panic attack; that should clue you in that I may actually be at the very same point on that road as you are, if not even further back.

"I don't want to forget everything I was helped to remember yesterday, but I still feel that lingering worry in my chest, that what good will towards Quirks and Heroes we'd managed to reignite in those Russian soldiers' hearts in Hokkaido, might still get completely erased by what happened back in Russia itself when they returned, especially if those rumors that the League of Villains could somehow be involved actually turn out to be true." Nikolay needed to take the next few seconds to try and not let his mind start running down that especially dark train of thought.

All the while, Shoto likewise seemed to be thinking back, before he finally lifted his gaze and answered in kind: "Yes, I remember hearing you all talking with Midoriya and his group the night you'd all returned, and you all started talking about how all your persistence managed to get through to the heart of that Volga character. What you're talking about now sounds very much like that example, as well."

Seeing the momentary flash of surprise on Nikolay's face, he continued unperturbed: "I saw how troubled all your recollections about that mission had left Tunguska-sensei, as well as yourself. I realize it was hardly my place to do so, but I simply couldn't help but at least listen in when you all actually went out after him, despite his assurances. Forgive me for eavesdropping, as late as it may be.

"But listening to all of that, and hearing what you're saying now, I figure I may as well level with you: just as all your examples up there helped your intentions reach the hearts of Volga and those soldiers and their leader, that Konstantin Khodamchuk I heard mentioned in these news stories; Bakugo and I likewise had our own recent experience with trying to reach the hearts of others through our training, in fact. The day you'd all returned, we all actually had to try and appeal ourselves to a whole class of Quirked elementary school children, since they're easily the largest demographic that admires Heroes as a whole. It wasn't easy at first, but in our own individual ways, when putting our heads and our Quirks together, we'd actually managed to pull it off."

Upon briefly recalling this training experience of theirs, Shoto could see that whatever point he was initially trying to make was clearly going over the confused young Russian boy's head. With only the faintest embarrassed smile and a sigh, he continued: "Sorry, I'm not really used to talking about this kind of thing.

"The point I'm trying to make is that, as Heroes, we all reach out to and connect through our hearts and our spirits to other people in ways entirely our own. It comes easier to some of us than it does to others, but none of those kinds of connections can be so easily broken, even by disastrous tragedies like what happened to your country, both recently and all those years back. You talk about how worried you are that the connection you made with that man and his soldiers before they went back home, and the potential good it could possibly do in the future, could be swept away when they see what happened while they were gone, but I don't imagine even such a thing as that could undo what you and the others managed to do for all their sakes.

"Yes, it's terrible what happened, and even just hearing the guesses as to how many people have suffered and are continuing to suffer because of it. But it doesn't undo the fact that you all ultimately helped to save just that many more, and that has to count for a great deal, regardless. It may not come clearly enough for you to immediately see, Bezpalov; but people like you and Midoriya have already started to form your own ways of getting your intentions and feelings through to other people, like you both had somehow managed to with me during the Sports Festival. And it was because of both your examples that I've been able to ultimately start discovering my own way of doing the same thing, as this training I mentioned has gone to show. I still won't forget you both doing so for my sake, just as I'm sure that, if he were still alive now, Volga wouldn't forget what you all did for him in the end, and I have confidence that the same goes for Khodamchuk and his men as well. So when I hear you talking about how shaky your sense of hope still is even now, I honestly struggle to see why that should be. Of course, I'm simply speaking from where I'm standing; you don't have to take my opinion as fact."

Even for as outwardly blunt and easy-to-hear as dismissive as Shoto's closing statement was, even Nikolay could thankfully see the more heartfelt motivations behind his words of encouragement, and that was what was ultimately able to help bring the smile of gratitude to his face. "Well, you say that, but I'm grateful for you saying so regardless, Todoroki-san. We both know you don't owe me anything, so you taking the time to see me like this means a lot."

Straightening his own tie, Shoto glanced aside, as though he were actually trying to avoid eye contact in an attempt to appear more dismissive of the sentiment than he really was. "Well, I won't say to keep such feelings to yourself. I just don't want any of our class to start slipping by the wayside once we finally get our Provisional Licenses like you all did."

Knock-knock-knock

"Kolya-kun, are you awake yet? Everyone's almost ready for cla-!"

Without even a second after knocking, Mina's voice immediately came through as she opened the door, poking her head through with a smile of expectation on her face, only to immediately be rendered silent when seeing Nikolay with Shoto of all people; both boys looking back at her in awkward silence before the latter simply raised a single hand in awkward greeting: "Good morning, Ashido."

Seeing just how surprised she still was, Nikolay immediately followed up: "Todoroki-san just wanted to check in on me after hearing about what happened yesterday, that's all. I actually thought he was either you or Eijirou-san when he knocked at first."

Of course, the needless explanations didn't even matter, as the moment Mina heard of Shoto actually checking in on Nikolay out of what sounded like the same kind of genuine concern as she had, her eyes and face almost literally lit up, just as her smile did as she immediately bounded across the room, grabbing onto both boys' shoulders as she began hopping in place excitedly. "Aww, that's SO sweet of you, Todoroki-kun! I just knew you couldn't really be so cold like you always look! I'll bet you've been like this ever since the Festival, right?! Right?! That kinda battle-forged buddy-buddy thing is so cool! Ooh, when you and Bakugo get your licenses, you won't have to be gone all the time! You should totally go out with us the next time we finally get a chance to hang out, do something fun! C'mon, I'll bet you'd really enjoy it!"

Already, Mina was mentally off on a tangent far beyond where either Nikolay or Shoto could get through to her, as she was completely deaf to the scarred boy's quiet utterance of: "You really don't have to go that far for my sake, you know."

Knock-knock-knock

"Hey, Kolya-san, what's going on with all the noise? Are you all right? Is A—oh, Todoroki-san! What're you doing here, man?" Like clockwork, with another three knocks at the door, this time it was Eijirou who took the liberty of poking his head in the door, undoubtedly for the exact same purpose as Nikolay's other two visitors. And just like clockwork, as soon as Mina filled him in on just what had her so giddy ("Guess what, Kiri?! Kolya-kun and Todoroki-kun are besties after all! He really does have a heart! He actually came all this way just to make sure Kolya-kun's okay, like us! Isn't that so cute?!"); the red-haired boy was quick to start smiling brightly before just as quickly inviting himself in and giving both his fellow boys a hearty elbow nudge to the arm, echoing Mina's eager offer to bring Shoto along for fun from now on, likewise ignoring his quiet protestations.

SLAM!

"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT THE HELL UP, ALREADY?! IT'S WAY TOO EARLY FOR YOU ALL TO BE PRATTLING ON LIKE THIS!" Without even the courtesy of a knock, Bakugo nearly kicked the door right off its hinges, screaming at the top of his lungs before he could even lay eyes on anyone inside.

To no one's surprise, his fiery temper was able to render all four of his present classmates silent, and soon his red eyes were laser-focused on Shoto between them. "Dammit, Half-and-Half, we don't have time for you to be making house calls on people, you get it?! We got training to get to, so move it!"

Before either Eijirou, Nikolay or Mina could try to explain themselves, Shoto nonchalantly began to follow after the fuming blonde boy, answering just as casually: "Apologies, Bakugo. I simply wanted to make sure Bezpalov was recovering from that incident yesterday, that's all."

Bakugo didn't necessarily stop in his tracks, but he did at least slow down some so that he could look back to Nikolay over his shoulder, observing him for but a moment before letting out a bored-sounding 'tsch.' "Well, he may have collapsed like a pile of bricks, but if he's actually keeping himself here instead of running away this time, I guess that's about the best we could expect. Just has to get strong enough to back up that kinda grit now…not that it'll make any difference once I get my damn license."

By this point, such backhanded dismissal of Nikolay's clear emotional growth didn't end up getting any of the other three students' skins as they watched Bakugo and Shoto take their leave. Just the fact that he wasn't slamming the young Russian boy down with a barrage of his typical insults, and was noting his sticking around, was about as close to an actual acknowledgment or compliment from him as Nikolay had gotten so far, and right now, that had him, Eijirou and Mina all smiling pretty damn happily to each other. Perhaps, in Nikolay's mind at least, this was a really good sign as to just how the rest of this day could possibly go.

After the rather off-kilter way their day had ultimately started as a result of Shoto's concerns; once he and Bakugo had left the 1-A dorms to once more leave for their remedial training, it genuinely felt like any other day, even down to his spiky-haired compatriot's constant angered rapid-fire mutterings to himself; something he'd quickly come to recognize as simply Bakugo's way of getting himself especially jazzed up for whatever the day had in store for them this time.

However, all of that silent mutual personal preparation on both their parts instantly went away the moment the two boys had finally reached the typical meeting spot where one or more of the Yuuei teachers was typically waiting for them for escort purposes…only to this time find absolutely nobody there.

While Shoto was checking the time on his phone to make sure they weren't too early (which as far as their teachers saw it, didn't seem possible), Bakugo's narrowed eyes were only growing more and more intense with his own sense of impatience, just about ready to say 'screw it' and demand they both simply head for the train station to take them to training alone.

"Ah, Bakugo-kun, Todoroki-kun, there you both are! Looks like Eraserhead was right on the money with how predictable you two would be." All of a sudden, the sound of Ectoplasm's voice greeted the two, as they both swiftly turned to find their mathematics teacher materializing from behind a nearby tree, with nobody else around.

Not that this mattered none to Bakugo, as he immediately dispensed with any kind of formalities, especially compared to Shoto's instinctive polite bow in greeting: "Oi, Sensei, what the hell gives?! It ain't time to start re-setting any clocks, so where the hell is everybody? We got training to get to!"

Thankfully, Ectoplasm's expression was impossible to change or read, as he didn't look to be remotely put off by the blonde boy's abrasive excuse for a greeting, instead giving an understanding nod: "Yes, I can understand both your confusion. It's fortunate I caught you when I did. You see, there's been a very important decision recently made between Yuuei Academy and all its fellow Hero schools, the police and all of Japan's Pro Hero Agencies as of last night. Allow me to take you all back to your homeroom class. You deserve to be informed just the same as the rest of your classmates will."

He wasted no time turning heel and making his way for the main Yuuei building, prompting Shoto and Bakugo both to hurriedly follow after him, both boys exchanging suspicious and confused looks with each other every step of the way; both at a complete loss as to what could possibly be going on.

Once it had been made undisputably clear that Nikolay was in much better spirits today than before, it didn't take long for the rest of Class 1-A to get themselves together and set off for class. However, with the morning rush to get there on time quickly dispersing once they had actually gotten there, something very quickly became apparent soon to all of them once they had taken their seats and could actually take in their surroundings.

"Hey, what gives, I thought you guys had your internships today!"

This was the sentiment soon being echoed by many of the students as they saw that, for once, not a single one of their desks was sitting empty. What was more, the students in question who were usually scheduled to be gone for their internships on this day of the week (barring Eijirou, Ochako and Tsuyu, in light of their recent experience), looked no less confused than their peers, with many giving the same explanation that they had received texts from their mentors not to come in to their respective offices today.

Observing and listening to all of this, Nikolay regretfully had to admit he was just as clueless as anyone when Mina instinctively asked him what he thought was going on that would keep their classmates from going to their internships. And that confusion only multiplied tenfold when the door eventually opened to reveal, for the first time in nearly two weeks, Shoto and Bakugo filing in to take their spots among the rest of them. Seeing the visibly concerned look on Shoto's face alongside Bakugo's barely restrained frustration; Nikolay couldn't help but feel a very nervous twist in the pit of his stomach. Internships was one thing, but for even heavily guarded and supervised remedial training to apparently be put on hold, whatever was going on couldn't possibly be anything less than deathly serious, and he could just feel that many of his more attentive classmates were getting the same notion.

And this apparently was getting so intense amid the whole class, that with no warning, Tenya had taken it upon himself to ultimately get up from his desk and approach the front of the class, arms raised high as his voice bellowed: "Everyone, please refrain from uncertain conjecture and worry! I know we all are aware that there is bound to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this sudden change-up in our plans! Please, keep any of your guesses or theories to yourselves, and let us simply remain calm and await our teachers' instructions!"

Thankfully, his taking charge had managed to get everyone before him to reel themselves in, as with a grateful faint smile, he began to return to his seat, even as the rest of the class once more began whispering about any number of things amid themselves in wait for Aizawa's eventual arrival. And just like their classmates, Nikolay and Mina were ultimately no different, as she almost immediately whispered cheekily into her boyfriend's ear: "Iida-san's really getting good at being all bossy loud without being all head-ringing loud, isn't he?"

Just as Nikolay was already nodding in agreement; the two nearly jumped from their double desk when seeing their very same class president looming over them without either of them even having heard him approach; the morning sunlight through the windows casting a reflecting glint off his glasses that made it impossible for them to read just what he was feeling, especially if he'd ended up overhearing them.

However, with yet another push of his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, that glint vanished, and the pair felt an immediate sense of relief when they couldn't glean any frustration or impatience in Tenya's gaze. And just as soon as they began to ask what was up, he just as swiftly broke the silence much more quietly: "Forgive me for intruding, Bezpalov-san, Ashido-san. I simply wanted to take the opportunity, since you've both made it abundantly clear you've been worried for my sake ever since the fact, regarding my own internship future; to let you both know that, just last night, in fact, I received a full invitation by another Pro Hero Agency to intern with them…and, as fate would have it, it was actually by none other than the very same Agency you both carried out your Field Training assignments with earlier this year, the Kamuron Hero Agency."

While Nikolay and Mina both couldn't help but smile in relief that their old mentors had actually followed through and extended their open arms invitation to their friend and president; they still weren't seeing the same sentiment on Tenya's face at all, even if he wasn't necessarily looking disapproving, either. Finally, he made the point of his approaching them unmistakable: "It seems rather…strange, doesn't it? Out of all the abundant other Pro Hero Agencies in this country, I actually manage, this far into the internship period, to receive an invitation from the very same Agency that took you both in, when you've both easily been the most vocal about my prospects in light of what happened to Knightfall-sensei. Have either of you heard of something on such an astronomical scale actually happening?"

Tenya didn't even have to put the metaphorical screws to either of them, before Nikolay and Mina both brought their hands together and gave simultaneous bows of apology to him where they sat; with Nikolay even answering: "Please forgive us, Iida-san! We know you told us to simply focus on ourselves and let you handle this whole thing yourself, but we just couldn't help it!"

"Yeah, please don't be mad! We just saw how sad you were inside about what had happened, and you're not just our president, you're one of our besties! We just didn't want you to go around feeling like you shouldn't go interning with anybody else! That wouldn't be fair if you're trying to become a super cool Hero like the rest of the class! We just wanted to try helping you out because we're friends, aren't we?"

As Mina and Nikolay both continued trying to plead their case, Tenya's naturally intense gaze did seem to visibly soften as he took their viewpoints and feelings into genuine consideration. However, before he was able to finally answer them once they had said everything they could think to; the door to the class finally opened, as Aizawa stepped in with only slightly more energy in his step than he usually did; taking his natural place at the very same podium before the class that Tenya just had.

"All right, everyone; this is very important, so I need all of you to quiet down and listen up. There's been a sudden change in plans, not just in terms of your internships, but also in terms of today's regular schedule in relation to that. The Headmaster has called for a school-wide gathering at the entrance hall for all students from all departments, so all of you follow me in an orderly fashion."

He didn't even give his students the chance to even ask a single syllable of a question before he began making his way right out the door. And just like that, with confusion and concern abuzz in all their hearts and minds, the whole of Class 1-A hurriedly rose from their seats and loyally followed after their teacher.

Within minutes, they all found themselves caught in the throngs of youthful humanity that had filled the entirety of the Yuuei entrance hall from corner to corner; the very same place where the ceremonies kicking off this current semester and the last had ultimately taken place. The air was humming with countless voices, as everyone was asking or explaining to each other their own theories of just what was going on that would call for them all to be here instead of their opening homeroom classes. Alas, nobody had any clearer idea than anyone else, and they all naturally knew that anything they could say or hear would ultimately be nothing more than speculation…at least, until the entire hall went deathly silent.

Without anyone having even taken the time to look and notice, they suddenly all found themselves looking upon Headmaster Nezu, standing at a single podium upon the stage, while every single one of Yuuei's teachers and staff were standing dutifully behind him from one end of the stage to the next, shoulder-to-shoulder. And it was quickly apparent to everyone who looked closely, especially the students of both Hero Course classes, that all of their teachers and their principal looked considerably worried…and they were all naturally quick to follow suit when noticing this.

In those few seconds of silence before Nezu cleared his throat and began to speak into the microphone; Nikolay's wandering gaze tried to look over the rest of his classmates in order to try and get an idea just what any one of them might've been thinking in that moment; and as soon as he was able to spot Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako and Tsuyu, he could quickly see that there was an even greater intensity of worry evident in their eyes than the rest of the students…almost as though they actually had some kind of concrete idea as to just what was going on. And when seeing this revelation reflect in his green eyes before following his line of sight, Mina was quick to notice this among their close friends as well.

"Good morning and good day, everyone; thank you all for coming, and I would like to start by apologizing for interrupting your scheduled classes before they've even started. It was not any of our intention to do this, however recent events across the board involving many of our students and staff have brought some very serious news to our attention, and as such have forced us all to make an equally serious decision; the kind that ultimately does not solely effect this school and all of you, but the safety of virtually every student and Pro Hero in every Hero school and respective Hero Agency across the country. You can all rest assured that, as we speak, this very same announcement is being given to every one of those same students. Unfortunately, I don't expect this to provide you any kind of comfort, however. But you all need to know that this is all for the sake of helping you all properly prepare for the coming weeks, if not longer, depending how things develop."

The entirety of the hall was already beginning to echo with countless confused, worrisome murmurings, but Nezu thankfully didn't put his foot down to demand silence, instead simply choosing to let the students get their pieces out to their friends and peers before finally continuing: "I understand you all must have countless questions, so I shall try to make this as succinct as I possibly can. I have no doubt that virtually all of you have been hearing the rumors and news reports all over the internet, regarding some recent incidents that many of your fellow Yuuei students have gotten caught up in over the previous week; namely the incident in the Hokkaido refugee town of Gagaringrad, as well as the recent coordinated Hero/Police strike on the headquarters of the organized crime group known as the Shie Hassaikai.

"The fact that both tremendous events directly involved our own students and even select members of our faculty have been cause enough for considerable concern going forward, but further recent developments in said news have similarly been forcing us, as your educators and guardians, to reevaluate how we go about things on campus from now on in order to better ensure your safety. With the recent actions of the organization known as the League of Villains in connection to both the Hero/Police raid, and potentially the disastrous chain of events that recently occurred all the way in Russia, if public discourse in that region is truly to be fully believed; it is no secret that nowadays, Villains and their activities are becoming far more abundant and bold than they have been over the last several years, ever since our colleague, the Symbol of Peace, All Might, announced his retirement. This fact was what ultimately drove us to instate your current on-campus dormitory living situations in the first place. With increased Hero presence protecting these grounds, we believed it would be completely safe for all those of you applicable to get out into the field and carry out your official Hero internships.

"However, an unforeseen and very grim bit of news has only recently been brought to our attention by none other than our colleague, Tunguska-san; that has now forced us to backpedal and seriously reconsider what we must do in order to ensure you are all kept safe. You see, it has recently been discovered that the Villain known as Vukodlak, the Hunter of Heroes, has actually managed to escape from the maximum-security Villain prison within which he was being held…and that he may in fact have joined forces with the League of Villains, themselves, as well as apparently having come into possession of a number of new Quirks from what we knew on record for him to have.

"With his years of experience in stalking and killing fully established and powerful Quirk-users, the fact unfortunately remains, that it is simply not safe at this moment for you all to go out into the field, where you and your mentors are running the risk of landing in his sights, wherever he may be. If these rumors of him being part of the League now are true; he has become that much more substantial as a threat, as have they all. We have likewise shared this very same information with all other schools, Hero Agencies and law enforcement stations across the country, so that they can make the same informed decisions and keep their eyes and ears open for any and all potentially related Villain activity in any corner of Japan.

"As a result of this disastrous turn of events, it has ultimately come to a unanimous decision between Yuuei Academy, the Police forces of all of Japan, and every Pro Hero Agency with which you are all currently contracted to intern for…to have your internship contracts voided until further notice has been confirmed that it is safe for you to continue your services with them, effective immediately."

The all-around explosion of shocked and protesting outcry from all of the students (all nearly drowned out by the sound of Bakugo's bloodcurdling roar of rage at the sound of his potential internship and subsequent progress being snatched away from him once again) was hardly surprising to Nezu and the rest of the teachers. They had all worked so hard in their own rights to finally be able to gain this valuable field experience. To have it all be cut off from them after all that effort was indeed a cruel punishment, but they all knew that it paled in comparison to the consequences and torment if any one of these youths were to end up getting hurt…or worse, out there.

All the while, amid that deafening cacophony of disappointment and disbelief, the only thing Nikolay and Mina could feel was horror; not at the thought of their internships being cancelled, but at the revelation that somehow, by some unholy method, Vukodlak was now roaming free somewhere out there in the streets of Japan, potentially with those psychopaths from the League of Villains, and that he somehow now had more than one Quirk at his disposal; a concept they couldn't even begin to comprehend. Hell, even after having seen such a nightmarish spectacle from the Villain that nearly killed All Might and Tunguska in the Kamino Ward, such a concept still felt so far removed from reality.

And in truth, the two of them were hardly the only ones feeling the stomach-churning fear of knowing that such a smart and ruthless Villain was out of prison and nowhere to be found. Across the entrance hall, Denki, Minoru, Tooru and Setsuna Tokage were all feeling their blood go utterly cold with remembrance to that fateful confrontation all those months ago. Ochako was hardly any different; her hands clenched into trembling fists, just like it was for Tsuyu, Eijirou and Izuku as well.

However, it was the fact that they didn't look nearly as dumbstruck or shocked as everyone else in the brief moment Nikolay and Mina could glimpse them amid their classmates; that made a particularly damning thought take root in both their heads, a thought which Mina was the first to express: "Kolya-kun…you don't think…you don't think they actually knew this already, do you?"

It was only through a miracle that Nikolay could hear her ask him this, but even the wall of noise from their schoolmates didn't stop him from answering in a steadfast and focused tone: "There's only one way to find out…and we will."

Even before the clamoring could eventually die down, Nezu finally took the initiative of clearing his throat, regaining the attention of the whole room. "I understand all of your disappointment, boys and girls. Please, believe us when we say that we never wanted to have to make this decision, but your safety as our students, and as children, are the absolute priority of Yuuei and the Pro Heroes out there looking to bring all these threats to justice, so that everyone can continue to live in peace, and your educations can carry on properly. I know it is of little consolation, but be assured that your Hero training on campus will continue unperturbed, and that goes the same for those of you who are in remedial training, as well. Such training programs set outside campus will be placed under much greater security starting tomorrow. However, until then, I ask that you all please make peace with your thoughts and emotions, and carry on through the rest of this day with your heads held high, and your hearts and spirits burning strong. As future Heroes, Supporters and Managers, it is imperative that you all not let one setback like this dampen your drives to continue to become the best that you can be.

"In fact, this is as good an opportunity as there will be for me to inform you all that, even should this postponement of your internships persist over the next several months; there will, in fact, be an opportunity for you all to exercise your gathered experience from out on the field, still. It has recently been agreed between all of Japan's Hero schools and the Hero Public Safety Commission, to instate a new educational program for instances much like this.

"They're calling it the Hero Work Recommendation Project; wherein if a situation arises in a select location anywhere in Japan that requires the presence of more Heroes than that area already has available, then any volunteering Hero school will send an entire class from their respective Hero Courses, to attend to all needs in that area until a permanent new Agency of licensed Pro Heroes can officially set themselves up there. This will be a great opportunity for those of you with your Provisional Hero Licenses to really put everything you've learned from your teachers and field mentors thus far to the test, as your entire classes that are chosen will be forced to account for and carry out all aspects of Pro Hero work; both on the field and in terms of professional Agency management; all without the guidance of Pro Heroes or your teachers to hold your hands. You may consider it a true trial by fire, but such circumstances are where real Heroes are forged.

"Alas, no such situations have arisen as of yet, but I hope that this will at least ease some of your frustrations, and reassure you that your chances to prove yourselves are far from over. Do please keep the existence of this project in mind, as there's no telling when an opportunity will arrive for you and your colleagues at your sides right now. With that, you are all free to return to your classes, everyone. Thank you all for your time."

Despite their headmaster's impassioned pleas for the students to keep their spirits up, and even the exciting new possibility of the Hero Work Recommendation Project; the crushing news of their internships and prospects officially being put on indefinite hold made doing so far more difficult than it normally would have been. From their return to their classes, through their lessons and all the way to lunch period, all of Class 1-A had been consumed in a general feeling of both malaise and frustration (primarily on Bakugo's part) that no amount of lectures or pep talks could do away with. And, of course, was simply that overhanging fear that such dangerous Villains were now apparently working together.

And all throughout that period until it was finally time to reunite for the daily recounting of Izuku and his group's whole mission; Nikolay couldn't take his eyes off any of them, his and Mina's minds and worries running as one the more they thought about their general lack of a vocal reaction compared to everyone else. And what was more; when they had all finally gotten their food and rejoined together as they called out to get their four friends' attention; they could both see, just from the looks on their faces; that they had been well aware of the deeply worried looks the two specifically had been sending their way.

"So…I guess it doesn't make sense to ask if you guys are all ready to hear more, huh? I can only imagine what you must've been thinking today." Izuku ultimately asked when seeing the contemplative looks on Nikolay and Minas' faces, along with the confused ones from Momo, Tenya and Kyouka, since they had been far more focused on their lessons throughout the day by comparison. "Bezpalov-san, Mina-san, what is he talking about?"

Switching his watchful gaze between Izuku's group and the understandably confused Momo, Nikolay couldn't help but be as upfront as he was: "I'm sorry, everyone. I know we're supposed to be focusing on our lessons here and now…but didn't any of you notice how Midoriya-san and the others didn't react nearly as much as everyone else when Nezu-sensei said Vukodlak had actually escaped and joined the League of Villains this morning? That kind of restraint when knowing someone so dangerous is on the loose with such a powerful group shouldn't be possible, especially with that crazy bit about him somehow having more Quirks."

To this, Mina surprisingly started nodding in agreement, looking at Ochako specifically: "Yeah, that shouldn't be possible especially from you, Urara-chan! You know how scary and strong that guy is just as well as us, I'd think knowing he escaped would be just as terrifying for you as it is for me! But you didn't even make a peep."

Listening to all of this, Tenya dutifully stepped in: "Now, everyone, this is hardly the time or place to start making any kind of baseless accusations of each other. As Heroes, we need to serve as stalwart examples of emotional control when things look their darkest; it only makes sense that they would be trying to embody that example in the face of such disastrous news."

However, to Tenya and everyone else's surprise, Izuku actually started to shake his head in refusal. "They aren't throwing baseless accusations though, Iida-san. They actually have every right to be thinking what they are right now. You see…the truth is…we did actually know, before."

Now, all eyes of Nikolay and his group were upon Izuku as he looked back to them all with a clear apologetic glimmer in his eyes; just as clearly reflected on Ochako, Tsuyu and Eijirou's faces as well. "We knew about Vukodlak's escape long before…but Tunguska-sensei and everyone else didn't want word about it getting out until he'd confirmed it for himself."

On one hand, the fact that their friends had been hiding such a bombshell from them for this long had Nikolay and the others reeling from a sense of adolescent betrayal, like they'd been left out of something that directly impacted at least a couple of them. But on the other, their common sense could at least help them justify just why their teacher, Nikolay's father and their friends would think to keep this under wraps.

And that was made abundantly clear, when from practically out of nowhere, Tunguska came to their side, catching Nikolay's group by surprise, while he'd been listening in mournfully on the entire discussion before motioning for them all to go back outside with him. "I'm afraid it's true, everyone. I'd wanted to tell you all about this long beforehand once you'd returned; we all did. But considering just what kind of abilities our enemies have at their disposal, especially back at that time…I didn't want to make any rash assumptions without knowing for certain that we were dealing with what I felt we were…at least, in the circumstances I feared."

The pain of the constant air of secrecy aside, Nikolay especially just couldn't keep the words coming to mind to himself as he looked imploringly up to his father and to his friends on his side of the discussion alike: "Nezu-sensei said that the news of Vukodlak escaping came to them from you, Dad. Is that what the Pro Hero business you guys said he was doing yesterday was about; following a hunch about something that serious?"

Nikolay hated having to sound so accusatory, but after only just getting used to the idea of only being given these bits and pieces of info on what his own friends had gone through on such a painstakingly slow basis, he'd been hoping that secrecy, no matter the reasons for it, wouldn't become a part of the bigger picture. As they finally took their seats at the same outdoor table as every other day so far this week; Tunguska's sigh was as weary as could be. "I'm afraid so, Kolya. I'm truly sorry I didn't come clean to you with this information the moment I confirmed it yesterday…that I didn't just tell the truth to every one of you that had gotten involved with that psychopath, and let you know first thing.

"You all deserved to know just as much as anyone the moment I knew for certain…but knowing the inherent risk letting you all continue your internships unawares would pose, now that Vukodlak is out with the abilities he now has, as well as the backup…I'm sorry, but as your teacher and as a Hero, I couldn't afford to not immediately act on it by informing the rest of the teachers, and the rest of our professional network from there. I was the one who called for the meeting that led to this decision last night, and I take full responsibility for that. You all heard Nezu-san before: we can't allow you all to take those kinds of astronomical risks until we know for certain exactly what we're dealing with out there. None of us wanted to cut your internships short, but this is ultimately going to prove to you all to be for the greater good. It can't possibly go on forever; you all must realize this."

However, none of these face-value platitudes that Tunguska tried to give his son and his friends in the wake of their future internships' cancellation even registered. It wasn't out of spite for having been kept in the dark, no. Right now, all any of them could think, now that they knew their suspicions had been ultimately confirmed, was just how badly they wanted to be 100-percent on the same page as their friends on the other side of the table.

And thus, Nikolay sighed and finally looked his father and friends dead-on after exchanging a contemplative looks with his friends, to which they all gave him a single confirming nod of their own while mulling over everything they'd just been told: "I understand all of that, I know we all do. Hell, for the longest time after what had happened in Hokkaido, I'd even been debating whether to bring up everything about Uncle Volga in front of you, Dad. You can just ask; they would all prove it for you.

"Right now, I just want to know all there is that you know about this. Since you guys didn't look nearly as shocked as us when Nezu-sensei said Vukodlak had escaped, or that he'd apparently teamed up with the League of Villains…and especially considering what you'd told us you'd discovered at the end of your share of the story before, Uraraka-san, Tsuyu-san…then please just answer us all this: was Vukodlak actually there during your mission against these yakuza?"

Now it was Tunguska, Izuku and his group's turn to clearly start thinking about how best to answer such a loaded question. And just as it had ultimately turned out for Nikolay and his group; it ultimately came down to deep and unreadable glances exchanged between them, ultimately culminating in Eijirou and Tunguska both giving an acquiescing sigh of their own; the red-haired boy opening up: "Okay…you're right; you guys do deserve to know what we know. I've hated having to be quiet about this; keeping secrets from your friends just isn't manly at all. But, here we are now. So, I guess we should just start from when we had to go ahead of Amajiki-senpai and Fatgum-sensei while they were holding off those three yakuza thugs for us."

Shie Hassaikai HQ, Saturday, September 13th, 8:34AM

It had only been a minute since the rest of the Heroes infiltrating the Shie Hassaikai's headquarters had gotten dropped into the next floor below as a result of the man called Joi Irinaka, or Mimic's Quirk manipulating the already maze-like environment around them. And it had been even less time since they'd likewise been forced to continue on ahead while Tamaki Amajiki and Fatgum stayed behind to hold off three more of their soldiers.

However, even in that little of time; Tunguska, after having already tried to encourage Eijirou and Izuku to continue onward with the rest of them, had now been the one to start feeling his confidence in their fellow Heroes turn into immense concern, looking back the way they had come every other step, looking for some sign of them. And, of course, the two young Heroes at his side couldn't help but look upon him just as worriedly. "Something's not right. We read what those three men's Quirks could do, and I know Fatgum-san's capabilities well enough by now; with him and malenkii Amajiki working together, they should've been able to wrap things up and catch up with us by now."

Eijirou couldn't begin to echo back exactly what Tunguska had just told him moments before in order to try and bolster his spirits, before Rock Lock answered grimly: "There' no reason to think Irinaka Joi's Quirk only applies to the upper floor. For all we know, Fatgum and Suneater have already won, but he's started manipulating the labyrinth behind us, cutting them both off, just like the rest of the police above."

At that moment, as the small contingent of Heroes and their police counterparts rounded another corner, Sir Nighteye in the lead came to s kidding stop. "Look, a staircase to take us back up!"

However, even despite the fortunate sight of a clear way forward, none of the other Heroes could reflect the same cautious optimism, as Aizawa's eyes were busily scanning their surroundings from behind his visor. "If Rock Lock's theory is correct, doesn't it seem odd that we haven't seen any sign of that guy's Quirk around us since we separated? You would think he'd be trying to separate us from each other every step of the way, make things easier for the rest of the thugs in wait. The fact that he hasn't done so, must mean he doesn't have complete awareness or control over the entire basement."

Indeed, the fact that someone with such a wide-ranging Quirk wasn't somehow acting to continuously attack them was a great cause for concern, as the rest of the Heroes and police alike quickly huddled closer together in a form of defense, just waiting for the hall around them to start twisting and warping further.

"So what are you suggesting, that there's a limit to how much he can monitor and control at once?" Rock Lock asked, his eyes scanning every inch of the floor, walls and ceiling, while Tunguska was slowly building up a good amount of his solar energy into his prosthetic fingers, just waiting for the word.

All the while, Aizawa was keeping his eyes peeled, not daring to look away as he answered: "Admittedly it's just a theory, but I'm thinking he may have dove into the surfaces of the basement in order to control it; not become the basement itself as a whole. Rather, I think he may be sneaking through the walls, watching and listening in on us. So when he shifts things around to slow us down, there's a good chance his real body is nearby. He must stick his real eyes or ears out in order to observe."

At this point, Tunguska was beginning to channel yet more of his power into his other hand in preparation as well, taking advantage of the lights above while he still could in order to keep his power levels up. All the while, he began uttering quietly over his shoulder to Aizawa: "If that's indeed the case, then the moment we see the environment begin to warp, I suggest we throw everything we have into that exact area and all around it, reduce his number of escape paths and try to close him into a single corner of the environment, leave him more focused on getting to safety than manipulating the environment against us. If we give him no other choice, he'll have to try and spring out, reveal himself in a desperate attempt to escape. That could give you the opportunity you need to shut off his Quirk, Eraserhead."

FWOOOM!

In that instant, in the blink of an eye, the wall to the whole group's left suddenly exploded outward like an elongated arm, slamming straight into Aizawa specifically while his eyes were elsewhere, taking him right off his feet at the same time the opposite wall began to open up into a large man-sized hole.

"Thinking back on it now, I have no doubt this Irinaka character had indeed been listening in on us the whole time…and I suppose Aizawa-san's suggestion of his Quirk having limits really got under his skin. Either way, none of us had time to think about that; we couldn't afford to be separated any more than we already had, not while Fatgum-san and malenkii Amajiki were working so hard for our sakes. So…"

WHAM!

Running on pure muscle instinct, being the closest to Aizawa, Tunguska had been the first one to act; springing right off his feet and throwing all his body weight into his fellow teacher in order to get him out of the line of attack. However, Mimic's own action had resultantly slammed into Tunguska in kind so quickly, that he couldn't even have time to think of firing his light blasts into the wall-arm before finding himself getting completely swallowed up into the opposite hole, tumbling this way and that through the impenetrable dark, before finally feeling the confining walls around his large frame open up, ending in him tumbling hard onto the floor of a room completely enshrouded in shadows.

Of course, he couldn't even focus on this for long, as he felt a pronounced painful prodding into his abdomen before he began to pick himself back up. The moment he did, the foreboding silence was broken by the sound of Eijirou taking in a deep breath from below; taking the veteran Hero by complete surprise. "Man, Sensei, you're a lot heavier than you look!"

"Red Riot, what are you doing in here?!" Tunguska didn't even bother to hide his scolding teacher's tone the moment he'd gotten Eijirou back on his feet; both their eyes only just now starting to adjust to the darkness.

"Sorry, Sensei. I just wanted to try and help save Sen—I mean, Eraserhead, too, since I knew I wouldn't get hurt. You were just that little bit faster than me, that's all. The floor lifting me up from below and throwing me into that hole definitely didn't help, either," Eijirou answered as casually as could while rolling one of his shoulders after having gotten nearly crushed under the Russian Hero's weight. All the while, he was completely ignorant to the disapproving look on Tunguska's face, even if he was ultimately giving in to their circumstances.

"Your bravery is commendable, Red Riot, but you need to take in your immediate surroundings and the risks more before you act. Your Quirk can't protect you from all harm forever, we both know it." Thankfully for both of them, Eijirou didn't argue, definitely seeing his teacher and partner's point.

However, he couldn't even think of expressing such understanding, as his nose immediately picked up on a heavy and overwhelming stench that practically filled this whole room, forcing him to bring a clamping hand up to try and keep from breathing it in more than he already had. "Oh, geez…what is that smell?"

However, where Eijirou was only feeling confused disgust, in the darkness next to him, Tunguska's eyes had grown wide, his blue irises constricted as his hands immediately clenched into ready fists. "It's blood. Stay close and keep your guard up, Red Riot."

The moment he could hear Eijirou's Hardening activate, Tunguska focused his Quirk into illuminating the floating disk behind his head, as well as his eyes and his fists, if just for the sake of giving them an idea of the layout of the room they were stuck in. And unfortunately, the very first thing they were met with, to the young redhead's horrified disgust, was the sight of a veritable lake of blood spread all across the floor, with a single adult man's motionless body lying face-up in the middle of it, with another adult man's body slumped listlessly at the foot of a huge impact crater in a nearby wall.

Upon closer inspection, Tunguska and Eijirou both were quickly able to recognize both of these men from the briefing earlier today; the one lying in the blood with unmistakable mauling wounds to his torso and throat had long reddish-brown hair and cast-iron knuckled gauntlets on his fists; Kendo Rappa. And the other (whom they could both now clearly see was at least still breathing, even if he too was considerably beaten bloody and unconscious) had short blonde hair and wore a dark Shinto monk's robes; Hekiji Tengai.

"Sensei…if these…if these guys were part of the Hassaikai…t-then who did this to them?" Eijirou was clearly struggling to try and maintain a courageous façade the further he looked upon the wounds adorning Kendo Rappa's body. As for Tunguska, his mind was instinctively going somewhere he knew with all his reasoning couldn't have been possible. However, the ferocity that was clearly evident through those wounds made that one possibility feel more and more unanimous.

But before he could even begin to answer his frightened student, Tunguska could hear only the faintest rustling in the air coming from just behind them and overhead, and the fact that neither of them had heard such a thing once before when they had gotten here, sent all of his muscle reflexes into immediate overdrive. With only a frantic "GET BACK" to be shouted with no warning, the veteran Hero immediately pushed Eijirou aside away from himself with all the strength he could muster before springing himself backward off his heels, just as a figure clad in black came darting from out of the shadows once behind the pair; a single glimmer of light flashing by as but a few strands of Tunguska's beard came flying clean off.

Both Heroes barely managed to land staying on their feet, just the same as their mysterious attacker; both their hearts racing with sudden alertness as they looked upon this unidentified stranger, currently still hunched over as he let out what sounded like a satisfied sigh before standing straight up. [[Well, well, well…looks like the months of reclaimed success haven't dulled your skills after all…so far. Eh, Tunguska?]]

The sound of their attacker speaking in his teacher's language now of all times had Eijirou's surprised confusion at the same kind of fever pitch as his fear…but Tunguska looked as though he were hearing the voices of the dead at the sound of a voice he couldn't have mistaken for anyone else.

And it was when their attacker finally turned around, revealing a man just about ten years younger than the Sun of Justice, with graying black hair, matching stubble, razor sharp silver eyes and a set of glinting steel claws adorning his fingertips and bare toes; that Tunguska looked completely beside himself, to Eijirou's growing worry. [[No…no, not you, it can't be! It's not possible for you to be here! HOW ARE YOU FREE, VUKODLAK?!]]

Eijirou still had the longest way to go towards being able to pick up on Russian, but the name of the Villain standing before them came through loud and clear, as did the overwhelming shock he felt as he looked to his wide-eyed teacher in horrified disbelief. "What?! 'Vukodlak'?! You mean THIS is the guy that attacked Kolya-san and the others in Erubi City?! I thought he got put in prison! Sensei, what do we do?!"

Unfortunately, Eijirou didn't immediately realize the horrible spot he'd just put himself in by addressing Tunguska as such…until he'd cautiously looked back to see Vukodlak fully again, only to see that this time, the Villain was watching him specifically; a sly smirk stretching across his face, revealing an unmistakable pair of sizeable sharp canines in his mouth. "'Sensei'? Oh, Tunguska, what a foolish move that was, bringing another starry-eyed little puppy with you into the battlefield. You just don't learn, do you; and after your own flesh and blood had been in such a position, too.

"Oh well, killing this one in front of you will make for good practice for when I finally finish business with little Kolya himself. I've been waiting and preparing far too long for this rematch with you; so saving the boy for last in your place will have to do!"

This declaration, spoken with the utmost malicious anticipation, sent the greatest chill through Eijirou's body where he stood, before Tunguska's radiant glow only began to grow that much brighter, to the point it was starting to illuminate the entire room like a miniature sun. With his teeth gritting and his fists trembling, the larger man declared with just as much gusto: "I don't care how many times we've fought before now, how it is you've managed to get your eyesight back, or whoever the hell you're siding with by being here! If you think I'm just going to let you escaping from prison and threatening my students and son go unpunished, then you're the one who hasn't learned anything, Vukodlak!"

Thankfully, this defiant outcry from the paragon of true manliness burning bright at Eijirou's side; was just the motivation he needed to finally swallow that suffocating lump if immediate fear that had been weighing down in his chest, and instead take one fearless step forward, focusing as best he could, before his already Hardening skin began to clump up, poke in angles and reinforce against itself more and more. Before Tunguska and Vukodlak's eyes, there was now standing the red-and-black-clad literal human shield that was Red Riot: Unbreakable!

Behind his crossed arms, his sharp teeth bared and his widened red eyes burning into the Villain that stood alone, Eijirou cried out from the bottom of his heart, every fiber of his being burning with confidence that they could both be able to end this battle before his Hardened heart would risk giving out on him: "You tell him, Sensei! We know what his Quirk can do; it won't help him against real men like us!"

Even to his own inescapable ears, Vukodlak couldn't detect a single falsehood in either of the two Heroes' declarations of intent to fight him right here and now. Tunguska's bull-headed personality had clearly gripped this boy to the fullest. But, rather than the typical annoyance such displays usually brought out in him whenever he would think about it for too long…this time, Vukodlak could only feel that much more excitement building in his chest, smiling wide enough so they could both once more see his canines, while he silently began focusing on exactly how to finally begin this fight. "That's good to hear, you two."

WRAAAM!

In less than the blink of an eye, Vukodlak suddenly bound forward from where he once stood, zipping unseen like the wind itself as he threw his entire body weight and momentum into a glimmering spin that collided dead-center with Eijirou's crossed arms; resulting in a deafening impact that sent the young Hero flying like the human cannonball he'd finally gotten used to being when need be; only this time slamming back-first into the opposite wall with enough power to still leave his ears ringing and his senses momentarily dulled.

"RED RIOT!" Tunguska cried out in shock and horror at the sight of his powerful partner and loyal student getting man-handled so easily even at his strongest state, while Vukodlak was eagerly hopping in place from one foot to the next while stretching his arms out to get rid of any possible stiffness.

And the entire time, he still had that same infuriating smile of expectation on his face as he met Tunguska's emotional gaze. [[I'm hardly the same Villain you've fought all those times before, you fool; just lashing out and wandering blindly with a rudimentary goal post in mind! I'm new and improved, in more ways than one, with an actual goal and the means to reach it! Now I'm strong enough to take on any idiot Hero who gets in my way…INCLUDING YOU!]]

Tunguska could feel his racing heart leap into his throat, just one muscle spasm away from charging into his enemy and annihilating him with everything he had. However, the sound of strained movement from his left stopped him from doing so, as he knew it could only have meant the single best thing he could hope for right now. "How are you holding up, Red Riot?"

Indeed, across the room, once Eijirou's head had stopped ringing, his first course of action had been to pry himself free from the new crater he'd left in the wall, breathing raggedly from the force of the impact that had plowed into him so quickly. Just by the fact he was still standing on his own two feet, his instinctive thought was to let his teacher know he was okay and still able to fight…until a flash of horrible pain suddenly flared up and down both his arms and legs.

Completely frozen with shock, Eijirou looked down, and was met with the sight of a set of four deeply gouging and profusely bleeding clawing wounds running across his forearms and upper legs; the warmth of his own blood already soaking into the pants of his costume and dripping onto the floor. 'I…oh, God…I-I'm actually HURT! I couldn't take that hit!'

The look of true horror evident on Eijirou's face was gut-wrenching enough, but the sight of his trusty student so clearly injured, even after having been in his Unbreakable stage when hit, had Tunguska seeing pure red. With a bellowing battle cry, he immediately launched himself like a human artillery shell straight for Vukodlak, swinging both his blazing fists right for his head.

SLAM!

Only for both fists to meet nothing but solid air just inches away with but a flick of Vukodlak's wrists. Tunguska couldn't even clear the rage in his head long enough to realize his opponent had somehow managed to erect an invisible shield, a Quirk he knew for a fact the man hadn't possessed before; while the Villain himself kept smiling every second of it, relishing in the anger and the confusion on the Hero's face.

[[I guess I spoke too soon, after all. Even with that fancy new toy arm of yours, your strength isn't what it used to be, Tunguska. Even that knuckle duster-wearing bastard over there was a bigger challenge than you are right now. But letting those two get involved in our final fight would've just gotten in my way!]]

WRAM!

With that, and with a single rising roundhouse kick, Vukodlak drove his right foot straight into the same Air Shield that had just saved him from Tunguska's attack, with the added power of his silently building Strength Augmentation Quirk behind it, to turn it into yet another invisible battering ram that plowed into Tunguska with enough force to leave a third huge crater in a third wall.

However, unlike Eijirou, Tunguska's adrenaline was keeping his senses sharp, as the moment he made impact, he was already reacting with a quick solar blast from his right hand aimed right for the Villain; who swiftly ducked to his right just out of the way, his claws once more at the ready to swipe for his midsection.

All the while completely unaware that Tunguska had been counting on his bloodlust to drive him so aggressively, as without warning, several plates of his prosthetic left arm simultaneously opened up, immediately firing out a multitude of similarly charging and waiting solar blasts, far more than Vukodlak had expected.

BSSSHTT!

In a blinding array, Vukodlak was plowed into by the burning fury of Tunguska's nifty new technique for his Quirk, sending him tumbling and rolling back across the room before ultimately bringing himself to a stop, digging his claws into the floor to bring himself to a stop. With every heaving breath of pain and matching adrenaline, the Villain's smoking, burnt and battered form was slowly standing back up straight, much to Tunguska's shock, as he knew that had been a nearly overwhelming amount of power he'd been building up for just that moment, more than enough to take any other Villain down for at least a solid minute if they were on the more resilient side.

And this surprise only turned to yet further horror, as before his eyes, Vukodlak's wounds visibly began to weave themselves back together and heal with every step the Villain took; chuckling all the while before he finally stood before Tunguska with nary a single scratch visible on his body, as though nothing had happened to him at all.

Holding his arms open to his sides just to prove that Tunguska wasn't seeing things, Vukodlak answered back mockingly: [[I'll admit, I didn't expect that…but please don't tell me that's the only new trick you've got up your sleeve, Tunguska. Don't leave me this disappointed so soon.]]

FWOOSH! SLAM!

Gritting his teeth, Tunguska didn't even bother to engage in yet more banter with his opponent; opting instead to charge like a bullet, kicking himself up and over the invisible shield Vukodlak instinctively swept into existence in front of himself. The moment he was back on his feet behind Vukodlak, Tunguska immediately followed up with a blindingly fast descending punch aiming for the back of his head, only to be met in kind with Vukodlak's own fist; both slamming painfully into each other knuckle-to-knucle, but with neither man backing down as they soon found themselves in a close-quarters martial arts fight; Vukodlak throwing up shields and super-strengthened punches and kicks at every opportunity, and Tunguska soldiering through every successful hit landed on himself, and relishing in the ones he himself could connect.

And every step of the way, there was but one goal ringing clearly in his mind as their melee carried on: 'This can't be possible! This kind of physical strength he suddenly has isn't achievable through simple exercising! And those Air Shields are nothing like what I've seen him capable of using before! How is it possible he's able to use multiple Quirks and not break down from the inside like anyone else?! All this, on top of him even being here to begin with when he was secure in prison before! Is it actually possible he's with—no! Dammit, that doesn't matter right now! I've got to keep his focus off of malenkii Kirishima! If I can beat him down into unconsciousness, he shouldn't be able to use this regenerating power of his anymore! The quicker I can end this battle, the better!'

With another burning hot fist flying high and close enough to leave a smoking grazing scar up the right side of his face, Vukodlak's bloodthirsty grin only seemed to be growing that much more excited. [[Looks like even in your old age; you just need the proper motivation to get remotely serious! But you're not there yet! So long as you keep focusing on protecting someone else instead of defeating your enemy, you'll never have the guts to go all out like I know you can! Finally killing you won't properly clean away my failures and leave me ready to dive towards the future…if it's not when you're at your strongest!]]

The moment Vukodlak brought a defiant arm up over his head to block a speeding elbow drop from Tunguska, he suddenly felt an especially powerful slamming object drive into his back, actually forcing his body to bend some and knock the air out of his lungs, much to his genuine surprise, and Tunguska's relief.

While the Villain had been keeping his attention and taunting and fighting Tunguska; Eijirou had finally managed to ignore his residing shock and pain from his own injuries, and actually observe just what kind of threat his teacher was up against. Even as his Hardened right elbow was driving straight into Vukodlak's back, his mind was still racing: 'Sneak attacks are completely not manly…but if Sensei's in danger, I gotta do something to help! Who knows what other sly cheap tricks this guy has waiting up his sleeves otherwise?! Who cares if this still hurts?! Now for the follow-up!'

Gritting his teeth against the pain of his bleeding wounds, Eijirou immediately began to throw his ready left fist straight for the back of Vukodlak's head while he was still bent against his elbow, all the while hoping this would likewise be enough to put him down for the count.

SLAM!

But instead, the moment Vukodlak instinctively flicked his hanging left hand up towards his back, Eijirou's charging Red Bullet punch instead met another resonating invisible shield, much to his and Tunguska's visible and respective surprise and dread; the perfect kind of pause in the action for Vukodlak to hurriedly create a second shield with his other hand between himself and Tunguska.

BKOOM!

And with both defenses quickly formed at both his sides, Vukodlak finally followed through on the lightning-quick plan that had taken shape in his mind once Eijirou had gotten back into the fight, by driving his charged up legs straight into both in a quick hopping split-kick, driving both invisible walls hard into teacher and student alike like an oncoming freight train. With a pair of deafening crashes, Tunguska and Eijirou were left splayed out on opposite walls from each other; with the red-haired student groaning in genuine pain as he found it shockingly hard to breathe.

Finally, taking the chance to look down, Eijirou felt his blood go cold when he saw that his Unbreakable torso was left with a multitude of serious cracks across it, the shards of his own reinforced skin piercing painfully into his chest, and that wasn't even considering the agony of what had to be nearly all his ribs being cracked, if not fractured or broken.

Looking between the currently downed Tunguska and Eijirou, Vukodlak actually started to slowly and mockingly clap his hands, especially when looking to the visibly terrified student. "Hmm, he called you Red Riot earlier, yes? All brawn, brashly rushing into the heat of battle, acting as though raw Quirk strength is all you need to win? Whoever you are under the moniker, boy, you make a much more appropriate son for Tunguska than his own son does. Still, that bravado and Quirk won't save you now."

However, Vukodlak's menacing words were falling on completely deaf ears, as Eijirou still wasn't able to take his eyes off the unmistakable signs of serious damage he was now bearing. It was only through the blinding light of Tunguska's Quirk and his accompanying roar of righteous fury, that he was finally able to actually lift his gaze, seeing now that his mentor and partner had thrown himself back into the fray and was hurriedly throwing Vukodlak back the way he had come, forcing himself between his student and his opponent, even despite his now clearly visible multiple injuries.

Unfortunately, though, this time the sight of his most admired teacher standing defiantly in the face of evil for the sake of protecting others, didn't fill Eijirou with inspiration and hope like it always had before.

No, this time, he couldn't even bring himself to actually focus on what was unfolding before his eyes right now. For all his mind could keep coming back to was one horrible realization that only dug deeper with every piercingly painful breath he tried to take: 'I don't understand! I thought my Unbreakable was just that! But it completely folded under that Villain's attacks! Have I…have I seriously not gotten any stronger at all?! Sensei needs my help, I just know it…but I…if I get back up and throw myself in there…I-I don't know if I'll be able to take another hit like that again! DAMMIT!'

"Don't let yourself be discouraged yet, Red Riot!"

The sound of Tunguska's commanding voice calling to him managed to swiftly silence all of the echoes of doubt and fear that had been clamoring in Eijirou's head; forcing his attention back to the Pro Hero's muscular frame. Even if his eyes were still focused on the cocky Villain standing before him, Eijirou could somehow just feel that he was the sole focus of Tunguska's attention as he clarified the meaning of his words.

"It doesn't make a difference if his attacks are able to get through your defenses; this is the time when you must continue to drive yourself back onto your feet and prove yourself unbreakable, not simply in terms of your body, but in the way that all men must be unbreakable before anything else: in spirit! Even if you may not be able to win this fight, you must never allow Villains to break your spirit, never allow them to convince you to simply give up; for if a Hero loses their spirit, then what do they truly have left? If he breaks you here and now, then everyone else who's counting on us will be lost, here and everywhere else!"

That painful reminder, that it wasn't simply the three of them caught in this battle, but every one of their friends and allies all scattered to the winds across this compound, was what hit Eijirou like a thunderbolt from the heavens. Like magic, he could feel that tenacity, that unwillingness to simply fold and surrender begin to reclaim its rightful spot in his heart, as Eijirou resolutely forced himself back up to his feet. Yes, his injuries flared and nearly made him want to cry out in agony with every movement, but his deep-rooted sense of principles was so emboldened by Tunguska's faith in him, in everyone's faith in him in this moment, that the pain meant nothing to him.

Keeping his Unbreakable activated, Eijirou bared his teeth once more, ignoring the sting of the pained tears in his eyes as he defiantly slammed his fists together in a declaration of battle to the now-visibly impressed Vukodlak, who could only watch and listen to this clearly strong dynamic between his old enemy and his apparent loyal pupil with increasing intrigue.

"Let's put an end to this, Sensei…and GET BACK TO THE OTHERS!"

With both their hearts burning hot, Tunguska and Eijirou came charging Vukodlak from both sides as fast as possible, both of them fortunately managing to duck and leap around the instinctive Air Shields the Villain swung up around himself, even as he managed to swing his whole body around in order to make an all-encompassing one the moment after; Eijirou just barely managing to baseball slide through at the last moment, using his momentum to drive a Hardened kick into his side, just as Tunguska came descending from below and landed a blazing fist into the side of his face.

As his body was sent spinning in the air like a ragdoll from both immense momentums driving into him from two opposing directions, his two Heroic opponents capitalized on their advantage by driving one of each of their high-flying fists into his back, sending him flying across the room and into one of the many craters in the walls like a cannonball.

Before the dust could even settle, though, he came darting right back out for them, his injuries healing as fast as they'd even been inflicted. At the sight of their persistent incoming threat, both Heroes began to charge his way likewise with their fists at the ready, but at the last possible moment before they could begin to swing, Vukodlak swung two Air Shields into formation between them, sweeping in a complete circle to make them wide and tall altogether.

But neither Tunguska nor Eijirou followed through on their previous attacks; instead having just been waiting for Vukodlak to do this very thing. After having been on the receiving end of this Quirk of his multiple times, they'd finally started to form a rudimentary understanding of just what it was they were dealing with…and most importantly, how to use it to their advantage. The moment they knew he'd finished making a shield to take their attacks, it was time to follow through on their real plan.

Grabbing onto one of Eijirou's gear-shaped shoulder pads, Tunguska proceeded to swing him like a human flail; his determined student using that boosted momentum alongside Hardening his right foot as much as he could, to drive a devastating kick into that shield, sending it flying point-blank back into Vukodlak's face; hoping to give the Villain a taste of his own medicine.

BKOOM!

But Vukodlak's reflexes and perception was just as sharp as theirs, as the moment he'd seen the two pull back their original punches and instead go for this surprise tactic, he proceeded to dig in his heels to stop his charge, and use that momentum and the power he'd been building into his right fist, to send a point-blank cannon-level punch right into the Air Shield at the exact same time, resulting in a devastating shockwave that left a clean crack in the floor, walls and ceiling all around, and sending Eijirou and Tunguska flying back, barely managing to catch themselves.

But Vukodlak was long past the point of giving his opponents a moment to breathe, as he was already dashing in, ready to drive his claws or teeth into either one of them, but the moment he leapt up for the killing strike, Tunguska immediately countered by launching multiple pieces of his prosthetic arm straight into the air into the Villains' ribs, each one hitting as hard as a bullet, and sending him twirling listlessly back through the air, where Eijirou had already rushed over in order to drive another Red Bullet punch into him the moment he got close enough.

Unbeknownst to both Heroes, though; was that even in the heat of this intense battle, Vukodlak's senses were never waning, especially his ears. And even as his heart and blood raced, his wounds mended, and the air rushed around him as he flew from the impact of the multiple surprise hits, he was still listening intently to everything going on with his two opponents. And right now, as his body slowly but surely closed the distance between himself and the anxiously waiting Eijirou; he could hear just how ragged the boy's breathing was, and how fast and hard his heart was racing. And with that, he could easily picture just how exhausted Tunguska's student was at this very moment.

'You should've taken the time to teach your pup here how to pace himself, Tunguska! That hardheaded desire to rush into a fight over and over, as injured as he is already, is tiring him out…and now you're both gonna suffer the consequences for that! His left arm is the one reared back, so I should just need to…'

'RED BULLET!"

Eijirou's mind was all but screaming for his high-flying left fist to connect and finally bring this battle to an end. The bleeding from all his wounds was already starting to make him dizzy, but he knew he couldn't afford to let that get to him now of all times.

Alas, before his slowly widening eyes, even as the rest of Vukodlak's body continued to roll through the air listlessly, the Villain proceeded to lean his head back, causing his punch to miss by mere millimeters, only to then follow up by hooking his right arm around Eijirou's extended left, using it as a grappling point from which to swing the rest of his body with all of that forward momentum, driving a Strength Augmentation-aided knee straight into the same series of piercing cracks around the young Hero's torso, cracking his defenses and damaging his insides even further. The pain that ignited inside was so immense, Eijirou couldn't help but break the momentum of the fight with a piercing pained howl of agony and frustration.

A frustration that drove him to just as immediately follow up by sheer muscle memory, with a fast-flying Hardened uppercut aimed for Vukodlak's head with his free hand. This time, for whatever it was worth to him, even if the Villain once more managed to weave his head to his right in order to avoid the full impact, he was still able to leave a considerable gouging slice up the left side of his face.

FWIISH!

And with an instantaneous glint of light, Eijirou felt a similar physical impact slam hard into the side of his face, as Vukodlak had reciprocated with an Augmented uppercut of his own, his claws providing that extra bit of power needed to shatter half of Eijirou's face guard before the rest of him went listlessly smashing back into another wall with the rest of that impact power.

Seeing their enemy turn the table so suddenly on his student, Tunguska came flying like a shooting star, not even wasting a fraction of a moment once he managed to grab Vukodlak by the back of the neck and slam him face down into the floor; immediately taking off into a mad sprint while dragging his face across the ground the entire way before ultimately slamming him head first into another wall in a massive explosion of concrete and dust. And he didn't even stop there, as the moment he knew he'd made impact, he proceeded to just as quickly turn and throw Vukodlak straight into the opposite wall with another deafening and devastating crash.

Ignoring the pain of his own laceration wounds to his legs and midsection he'd already suffered over the course of this fight, Tunguska immediately took the time he'd bought himself, led by his fatherly instincts, to rush to where he'd seen Eijirou get slammed into. "Red Riot, speak to me! Can you still stand up?!"

However, just as he managed to reach his panting and visibly badly bruised up student; Tunguska could hear the chilling sound of Vukodlak's laughter echoing from just behind his back. Immediately turning around with his fists ignited, he watched with increasingly reddening vision as the Villain was already back on his feet; all visible wounds mending before his eyes.

The only reason Tunguska wasn't driving him back into the wall with multiple punches, to his burning rage, was the fact that Vukodlak was lifting up the bloodied body of Hekiji Tengai before himself, clearly as a last second human shield.

That knowing fanged smirk his old foe was wearing as he observed Tunguska's anger only made it burn that much worse, while Vukodlak himself let out another skin-crawlingly satisfied chuckle. [[What are you waiting for, Tunguska? You originally came here to bring this man and all his comrades to your precious justice, didn't you? You could be killing two birds with one stone if you come at me right now! Oh, but that's right, you Heroes aren't supposed to put the lives of anyone else at risk at any cost, even those of your enemies. That goes against this society's soulless definition of justice, doesn't it?"

"Such…a cowardly trick…that's…that's not manly…at all…"

The unmistakable pain and struggle in Eijirou's voice did little to diminish his need to express himself when seeing such a tactic being used against his teacher. While Tunguska couldn't risk taking his eyes off Vukodlak for a moment, he could still hear his student's strain, as though he were actually trying to get himself back on his feet through sheer physical will alone.

At the same time, listening to such pitiful attempts at spiritual defiance from such a badly beaten youth had Vukodlak's once-amused smirk quickly descend into a disgusted sneer. "I swear to God, there really is no shortage of idealistic idiots in any corner of the world, is there? You children go around using such simplified blanket terms like justice and manliness as some kind of quick and easy way to determine what's right and what's wrong in society, or in how to do things; instead of actually taking the chance to think critically and question what you've been told is right and wrong. You can't possibly hope to grow up to be a real person of sheer indomitable will if you can't even think beyond black-and-white.

"If you really want to try and change the world as you see fit, you need to be willing to cast aside these paltry ideals and reach out to achieve it by any means necessary, no matter how distasteful you might think it is. Otherwise you're just holding yourself back." Upon completely rebuffing Eijirou's criticisms, Vukodlak turned his attention back to Tunguska; reading his anxious body language as a sign that he was just looking for a fraction of an opening to attack.

"For so long, I thought simply strengthening myself and using all the tricks I knew before would ultimately be enough to help me achieve my goal of ridding this world of all you pretend Heroes, so the people at the bottom of the social ladder wouldn't have to live in fear of such power and oppression anymore. But ever since I met my new comrades, they've finally given me a clear path to the very same goal we're all striving for: a world of absolute equals, without Heroes to stamp down on us and keep us from living as freely as we all wish to. With their help, I can finally wash away the one remaining blemish of the past that you left on me, Tunguska…then the future will truly be mine to reach out and take…starting today!"

FWOOSH!

With no more hesitation, Tunguska activated his Flash Bang special move, flooding the entire room in blinding light, immediately following up by springing forward with his left leg reeled back, ready to drive his foot into the side of Vukodlak's head and get him away from Hekiji Tengai's body.

But just as quickly as he had moved in, his eyes were quickly able to spot a forming human form flying his way through the wall of light, but not in the tight-fit clothing that Vukodlak was wearing.

Yes, through sheer luck in terms of his timing, Vukodlak had figured out what Tunguska was most likely to do in the situation he was in, and at the last possible moment had ducked his head down behind Hekiji's body, effectively saving himself from the blinding effects of his Flash Bang. The moment he'd done so, he'd then proceeded to throw his lifeline right for Tunguska himself, knowing that he would either get thrown off his attacking path by catching the unconscious man with his large bulky frame, or his insufferable Heroic instincts would drive him to catch him in order to keep him from getting hurt any further.

Either way, it still gave him the perfect opportunity to follow his own strategy, as the moment he'd thrown Hekiji Tunguska's way, he was ducking down low and sprinting forward with his claws at the ready, watching with growing excitement as Tunguska's form was already taking shape before him; arms spread open to catch Hekiji's body in mid-air. 'So bloody typical of you.'

KRRRSSSH!

Just as Vukodlak began to swipe his claws for Tunguska's stomach, a black-and-red blur threw itself right in the way from just out of the corner of his eye; and from there, claws and the great physical force building behind them, drove straight into the now-familiar Hardened hide of the boy he only knew now as Red Riot. To his and Tunguska's mutual disbelief, Eijirou had instinctively forced himself back up and threw himself in front of his teacher the moment he and Vukodlak began to move.

As the sheer physical impact drove deep into his already badly injured torso; cracks and fractures spreading all across, just like they were with his already damaged ribs underneath; and his whole body resultantly began to fly back straight into Tunguska behind him; the only thing Eijirou had been able to desperately think that could get him to move through all his pain had been this: 'A shield…if nothing else…my Unbreakable's gotta at least make me good enough for that!'

WRAAM!

Without even flinching, the moment he felt Eijirou's body fly back from his strike, Vukodlak had mercilessly followed up by kicking himself into a flip, creating another large Air Shield between himself and his two opponents along the way, and the moment he was back on his feet, he drove both his Augmented fists straight into it, sending it slamming with a devastating strength into both of them, sending Tunguska slamming painfully back into the wall, and driving Eijirou's still-Hardened body right into his chest, immediately fracturing a number of ribs in the process; as teacher and student alike immediately began hacking up blood upon impact and landing.

And it was the sight and sound of this that finally had Vukodlak do away with all professional pretenses, and instead start breaking into genuinely joyous laughter. [[What bad luck must you have, Tunguska; to have such a thickheaded fool following you around so loyally, even when he can barely even stand up anymore?]]

As much as Tunguska's head was throbbing in piercing pain as his vision struggled to clear, his attention was immediately upon Eijirou on the ground beside him, struggling this time just to move at all, with a multitude of bloody streaks leaking from the numerous cracks all over his immensely bruised Hardened body. And just like that, the same crystallized texture of his skin began to vanish before Tunguska's eyes, as Eijirou finally deactivated his Hardening, his attempts to try and get his breath back carrying immense difficulty and pain.

But whatever physical pain he could only imagine his partner and student was experiencing, it all undoubtedly paled in comparison to the pain Tunguska could see in Eijirou's eyes: that of fundamental failure.

Another mocking chuckle from Vukodlak forced Tunguska to lift his gaze from Eijirou's battered and bloody form on the floor, as he saw the Villain's merciless silver eyes boring into the student like the predator he was. [[I guess your skill for motivating speeches has lost its sheen. You know it just as I do; you can see it clear as day: that boy's spirit is completely and utterly broken. His fight might as well be over already.]]

Looking back down to his loyal student, Tunguska could see how Eijirou's previous intensity in the rest of his face and body was completely gone, down to his mouth even beginning to tremble as his eyes stared off somewhere countless miles away. Looking further down his body, especially upon the numerous awful bruises and open lacerations all over his torso and limbs, it was clear that if Eijirou were to try anything like he had been up to this point again, he would be liable to pass out from blood loss…and if he couldn't end this battle with Vukodlak quick when that happened, he didn't even want to think of what could've happened after.

And so, with his hands, eyes and floating disk all beginning to grow increasingly radiant, Tunguska slowly got back up to his feet, ignoring the warm and damp feeling of his own bleeding wounds running down his costume as he stood tall and vigilant. "You've carried yourself admirably, like a true man, Red Riot. I can't ask you to do anymore, so you stay here and rest. I'll finish this fight…for the both of us."

This further declaration had Vukodlak smiling in satisfaction as he cracked his knuckles and bared claw and fang alike, before Hero and Villain came charging into one another in a vicious and claustrophobic melee; Air Shields, light blasts and the sneaky glowing disk as a melee and projectile weapon all flying about and slamming and crashing into one another at rapid speed, with every impact resonating all across the room as they both flew and ricocheted from one corner of the room to another, both men fighting with every bit of fire they had to put the other down once and for all.

But none of this spectacle even registered to Eijirou in that moment. No, for as he lay bleeding and shaking upon that floor, staring listlessly through blinding tears into nothing, his mind could only echo the trembling voice of someone who had truly lost all sense of life direction for the first time in what felt like ever:

'Goddammit…GODDAMMIT! What the hell else can I possibly do?! I thought my Unbreakable could protect me, protect others! If it can't help me to fight, it could at least keep my friends and everyone else safe! But I…I-I can't even do that! It's completely useless! Everything I've done has just been putting me in Tunguska-sensei's way! The reason he's as beaten up as he is…is all because of ME! What the hell kind of manly Hero am I?!'

All at once, Eijirou felt as though he were watching his entire life start flashing before his eyes: every moment of fear, uncertainty, confusion and hardship he had gone through in order to get to this point. But there was no nostalgia to be felt here. For him, there was only that crushing sense of hopelessness and despair.

'I hated my Quirk at first, because I thought all it would ever do is hurt me or others. That was why I was such a coward for so long. Even when I tried to put on a brave face and try to act like the Heroes I loved watching or listening to on TV, I could never get rid of that fear of getting hurt, or that my getting hurt would lead to others getting hurt, too. When I decided to try and get stronger and live a different way, I thought I'd be able to finally put that fear behind me and start becoming the manly Hero I wanted to.

'But look at me! Even after everything I'd put myself through, every single word of encouragement my parents, friends and teachers have given me to keep going, keep getting stronger…I haven't gotten a single inch closer to it! I haven't earned any of that faith from anyone! I've wasted all of it! If I can't fight one Villain, or even protect one person…then how could I ever deserve to be called a man, let alone a Hero?!'

Present Day

The entire table had been left deathly silent as Eijirou sat with his gaze cast downward, the rest of his former partners and Tunguska watching this descent in his body language and attitude with sympathetic gazes, while Nikolay and everyone on his side could only watch him with the same sympathy, and surprise.

"I…I have to confess, I didn't think it was possible for anything to bring you down like that, Kirishima-san." Kyouka finally broke the oppressive silence, clacking the ends of her earphone jacks together awkwardly as she struggled for anything further to say to not sound remotely judgmental.

But with her having broken that silence, it made it easier for the rest of her peers to speak up as well, as Momo similarly opined: "I'm ashamed to admit it, but after seeing how…well, forward and selfless you've been throughout this year in terms of taking on our challenges, I likewise had come to think you were at least someone who could easily bounce back from any kind of emotional low. If only I'd taken the time to even ask before."

But where Kyouka and Momo were trying to remain as casual and professional as they respectively could be; Nikolay and Mina were far more expressive, as the young Russian exclaimed: "Eijirou-san, if you'd been so horribly injured over the course of that mission and had been brought that far down, why did you tell us you were all good the night we'd come back?! We even asked you in full honesty, too!"

"Yeah! It doesn't matter what it is you're ashamed of; keeping that kind of stuff from your friends isn't okay! Whether you're getting to the point of being good or not, you should be able to feel like you can be totes honest with us, no matter what it's about! Don't you know how worried we'd been when we heard about what you guys got caught up in before?! Don't you?!"

In all honesty, Eijirou himself was still reeling with shame from having even felt the need to try and keep this a secret from all his friends, let alone actually following through with it. Clutching his pant legs in anxiousness, he waited for a moment of silence before he could finally lift his head, look all of his friends in the eye and answer in all the honesty he should have from the start:

"I agree with you guys, seriously! Keeping secrets from your friends isn't the manly thing to do! But I…when I said I was getting to the point of being good back then, I was thinking about it from the point of it all having been after everything was said and done. I wasn't truly lying back then…but you're right! I should've just sucked it up and said it! It's just that…in that moment, looking at and feeling just how hurt I'd been, how much I'd kept getting in Tunguska-sensei's way and allowing him to get hurt too…seeing how nothing we did was keeping that Villain down, I…I-I felt like…I felt just like I used to all the time before and all the way through middle school. That was the last thing I ever wanted to feel like ever again!"

Any answer his friends could've had was instantly washed away, as while Eijirou's partners, Tenya, Momo, Kyouka and Tunguska all looked confused by this sudden subject shift; it was Mina and Nikolay who actually had looks of a serious remembrance, something Eijirou could clearly see as he went on.

"Back in those days, I couldn't have been any more different from how I've been trying to be this year. I was a coward, always afraid of getting myself hurt, or hurting anyone else with my Quirk. I wanted to try and become a Hero for as long as I could remember; I'd collected every bit of Crimson Riot merch, recordings and interviews as possible, in the hopes that if I tried training myself to them all the time, it'd help me become a manly Hero just like him.

"Outside of that, the only real example I even had to try and catch up with or emulate was yours, Ashido. I never once saw you back down when confronted by anybody, or even when you saw anything happen that didn't even involve you. I thought your level was a good starting point for me to work myself toward, before I could eventually try and really live up to Crimson Riot's example.

"Then, once I got into Yuuei and saw all of you guys and everyone else in class, across the whole school, in action over and over again, and even heard you all cheering me on every step, I realized that all of you were just as good examples for me to try and live up to…but down in that room, having had my Quirk get broken through so easily so many times…I felt like I'd wasted everyone's time and effort in giving me that encouragement. I felt like all the strain and hard work I'd put in towards bettering myself was just a stupid dream…and that hadn't even been the worst of it yet."

"GAAAAAAAAHH!"

The pained outcry that Tunguska bellowed with, hit Eijirou's ears like a perfect haymaker, the one thing able to break through the suffocating fog of self-pity he'd started letting himself wallow in. As soon as he was able to roll himself over to try and see what was happening, he was met with a sight more terrifying than he ever could have expected even in this lowest of moments.

In the mere seconds that had passed, Tunguska had managed to find a lucky opening that even Vukodlak hadn't spotted, which had allowed him to nail a genuinely devastating hit across his torso with his glowing disk in hand. When he'd felt that connection, the Russian Hero had felt all the confidence in the world that he had finally managed to break through the natural protection Vukodlak's new healing Quirk had granted him. If he could capitalize on that new crack in the armor further, it could finally be his chance to end this battle.

Alas, that was not what had happened. Yes, the hit was a far more damaging one than Vukodlak had expected would be possible to land on him with all the new Quirks he had, and the burning pain of that gouging disk strike up and across his torso had ultimately managed to serve as the perfect amount of fuel to the fire that was his rage…the rage he needed to finally cross the last threshold he'd been holding in as a true surprise for his long-time foe.

With not nearly the same amount of time as had been needed when he had first managed this feat, Vukodlak had focused all of that rage and desire to survive, to win, into every fiber of his physical being, and let that rushing flow of inhuman energy start to take hold and change him piece by piece as his body flew through the room in the wake of that hit.

And in that one watershed moment of Tunguska feeling certain that his eyes were playing tricks on him amid the heat of battle, Vukodlak had finally taken a grip of and activated the newly named Fenrir Quirk that had been the culmination of his own and all his extras evolving into one.

With horrifying speed and precision, the once man-sized form of Vukodlak had practically exploded into a colossal snarling white wolf bounding his way; its bloodthirsty silver eyes striking a bolt of confused terror into the Sun of Justice, just as its now enlarged steel claws and matching now-steel bared fangs tore through the air and ripped through Tunguska with the utmost ease, with an especially deep slash to his right eye being what produced the bellowing cry of enraged pain that had snapped Eijirou back to reality.

The speed and ferocity with which such a massive beast was able to move in such cramped quarters was utterly unreal, as the moment it had already baptized its claws and fangs in Hero blood; the bestial Vukodlak was far from finished, as it immediately followed up landing back on its paws, but driving its tremendous body weight and momentum into Tunguska's mass dead-center, hammering him mercilessly into another wall, driving yet another several wheezing and raggedy coughs of blood from out of him as he fell to his knees with numerous shattered ribs and countless lacerations.

It was impossible to tell if it was through actual thoughtful action, or simple knee-jerk reflex, but Tunguska had quickly followed up by aiming and firing all of the detachable projectiles from his prosthetic arm the moment the Vukodlak wolf had taken a step back, hoping to at least nail it in the eyes so he could utilize its blindness for even just a moment.

WRAAAM!

And yet that last-ditch effort was swept aside as quickly as it had even started, as with an earth-shaking and blood-chilling howl, the wolf somehow managed to create a fast-flying Air Shield/Battering Ram before Tunguska could even try to get out of the way, hammering him even further and harder into the wall, and worst of all, destroying every one of those expendable pieces like insignificant little toys.

Looking upon the sight of his teacher on his knees, with this growling monstrosity towering over him and slowly opening its jaws, had Eijirou's already weakened heart racing, his adrenaline trying to rush through his veins; his mind clamoring for him to get up, get back in there and do something, anything at all. He could feel the sensation of his fists clenching in preparation to fight…but despite all of this, he was still lying on that same spot of the floor, the same bruised and bloody mess, now grinding his sharp teeth while his eyes burned with agonizing emotional tears.

'There wasn't anything I wanted to do more in that moment than throw myself into that fray, and hit that monster with everything I had, do what I knew I had to do as both a Hero and a man. I could've sworn I was commanding myself to do it out loud, even…but thinking about it now, that might have just been the blood loss messing with my head. But no matter how much I was trying to command my body to just move…it wasn't just the pain that kept me from doing it. It was like my heart was taking full control and telling me not to do it, not to risk getting myself killed in the process. I was…I was terrified; too terrified to even move anymore…just like I was that day back in middle school.'

Once more, this sudden divergence to a time further back before the majority of his present friends knew him, had left the whole table silent with shock and empathy. Eijirou could once more see the pained looks of remembrance on both Nikolay and Mina's faces at this example; the former hitting him surprisingly hard with just how much it looked like he could truly picture and understand his feeling then, despite having only been filled in on it secondhand from Eijirou himself.

When seeing the curious yet respectful looks on everyone else's faces, though, he knew he couldn't have left them all hanging, clutching onto the edge of the table tight as he forced himself to recall…only for Mina's voice to suddenly speak up, with not a sign of the usual peppy enthusiasm that she usually had:

"I know just what Kiri's talking about, guys. See, one day, when we were all on our way back to our houses, me and some of my friends got approached by this really big, scary-looking Villain, who was asking us for directions to a local Hero Agency. The way he was staring at us when we didn't answer at first…God, it still gives me chills just thinking about it. That was easily the scariest moment in my life before this year had started. I don't think I'd ever cried out of fear harder before then, once the whole thing was over."

Miraculously, Mina managed to realize what she'd just unintentionally done, intruding into the discussion without warning, before giving an apologetic glance and bow to the watchful and reluctant Eijirou, who once more found himself too ashamed to look anyone in the eye as he continued from where she left off: "It's true…I was there and saw the whole thing; how huge that guy was, how he was threatening them…and just like in that basement room, I wanted to step in there and do something, anything to try and help. I kept asking myself what Crimson Riot would've done, thinking that would be enough…but in the end, no matter how much I wanted to move in there…I-I just froze up.

"I just stood there, scared stiff and useless…while Ashido stepped up and turned the Villain around with fake directions. Yeah, I know she was just as scared as her friends and I were, but she still stepped forward and did something that saved them all in the process. That was both one of the manliest things I'd ever seen by then…but also one of the most crushing moments in my life."

The looks of surprise at just what a vulnerable side Eijirou was exposing to them, was clear as day on everyone's faces; save for Mina and Nikolay. The young Russian especially looked regretful that he couldn't say anything more for this, as he knew what a personal moment this was for his red-haired friend, and he had no right to try and chime in like he truly knew anything about what Eijirou had gone through in that moment, even if he himself could easily relate to what paralyzing fear and the subsequent guilt of it felt like.

Mina, on the other hand, was far different, as she looked seriously at Eijirou, speaking up imploringly: "Oh, c'mon, Kiri, we talked about all this the first day of school this year, remember? It's okay to admit when you're feeling scared. That doesn't change the fact that you still wanted to try and do something, that's important too. You said you weren't going to keep beating yourself up about that anymore."

Emboldened by her example, Nikolay finally found it in himself to try and reach through to their mutual best friend as well: "And besides, you've come charging into battle for the sake of others numerous times since this year started, on top of all the other things you've done to help so many of us. That sounds like a huge improvement to your courage and willingness if you ask me."

Unfortunately, even the support of two of his friends; soon being similarly echoed by everyone else, simply left Eijirou's face grimacing with further anguish, clenching his hands into fists as he finally lifted his head back up so they could see the pain in his red eyes. "You guys just can't understand exactly what it felt like for me, either of those times, though! I promised that I was going to keep trying to get past my old self and not succumb to my fears again! For all that time, I thought I'd actually been keeping that promise! But when I still couldn't get myself to move and fight back, even when seeing Tunguska-sensei was in danger and needed my help…I felt like I was still that same scaredy cat nobody with a dull and boring Quirk who couldn't even try to help his schoolmates! I mean, God; all the way back then, that Villain hadn't even noticed I was around, and I was still too scared to move! But when it was just us and Vukodlak…when I saw him towering over Tunguska-sensei like that with that huge gaping mouth of fangs…I-I felt like I was right there in his place, about to get eaten whole! Even if all you guys have also felt scared, I've never seen any of you freeze up like I did! You can't understand what that kind of failure truly feels like!"

To hear Eijirou speak so earnestly, and with such regret in his voice, was nothing short of heartbreaking for everyone around who was listening to him pour his heart out. Nikolay and Mina both exchanged deeply saddened glances, wishing there was anything at all they could've possibly been able to say to try and make him feel better…but they all knew that he was right. Yes, they had all been stricken with fear like what he was talking about before, but it was also true that, in the end, they'd also never let themselves become paralyzed with it, no matter how easy it could've been to do that. So, as much as they wished it were otherwise, the fact was that they all couldn't relate to where Eijirou was coming from 100-percent.

However, all of that anguish and shuddering breath on Eijirou's part was immediately silenced, when Tunguska finally decided to step in, placing a single large hand upon his shoulder, prompting the red-haired student to look up to his teacher in confusion, only to see a deeply compassionate light about him.

"It's alright to let this pain out however you see fit right now, malenkii Kirishima…but don't let that make you forget just what happened in the end. No matter how much you feel you should beat yourself down for those moments of hesitation on your part, that doesn't change the fact that it's because of you that we're both still alive to even tell everyone this. It's time to stop weighing yourself down with your past missteps…and start focusing on your present triumphs, wouldn't you say?"

Like magic, this simple reminder to bring himself down to earth, had managed to help Eijirou finally think to steady his breathing again and wipe the beginnings of anguished tears from his eyes…before finally beginning to form that same inspired sharp-toothed grin that always managed to lift everyone's spirits, giving his teacher a deeply grateful nod of agreement as he looked to his friends again, looking almost completely rejuvenated.

"That's right. It's so easy for me to forget…but I gotta get this all out in the open first. For the longest time, I only had Crimson Riot as my model for how I wanted to be in the end, while Ashido's example was like the starting point I wanted to be able to spring off from. After that day with that Villain, I'd gotten so frustrated with myself, that I accidentally ended up digging up an old interview with Crimson Riot I'd never truly understood before.

"In it, someone had actually asked him if he ever got scared, and to me, I didn't think such a thing was possible for someone who embodied so much manliness to me. But…he didn't even hesitate to say that he was always scared when going into battle…but it was because he'd lost or failed to save people before, that he chose to always act as a Hero despite that. That hit me really hard, and that was what made me finally decide that if someone as manly as Crimson Riot could still act when he was scared, then it was only to be expected that I try to force myself to do the same thing.

"But ever since this year started, every one of you has been just as inspirational in my eyes…if not even more so, if I'm being totally honest. I mean; Midoriya-san, Uraraka-san, seeing you two keep pushing yourselves to get stronger, even when your Quirks were constantly hurting you, I don't know how anyone couldn't get totally pumped to do their best when seeing that. Or Bakugo, how that abrasive-as-hell attitude of his gives him the guts to take charge and fly headlong into every single obstacle in his path, that's a manliness entirely his own!"

While it was a great relief to see Eijirou's spirit being restored the more he spoke, that didn't stop his friends from instinctively feeling a twinge of embarrassment for having any kind of credit given their way…but even that air managed to completely change, when Nikolay found Eijirou was now focusing squarely on him, with a smile on his face that didn't resonate that childlike excitement and drive…but a much deeper sense of connection, of understanding and respect.

"But, as long as we're all being completely no-holds-barred honest right now…I have to confess that you and Tunguska-sensei both have been one of the biggest inspirations for me through all this, Kolya-san. I don't just mean that in terms of Sensei being super old-school All Might/Crimson Riot levels of manly. I don't even just mean that in terms of your Quirk being super freaky strong when you're pushed enough, either. This is me talking right now; you know I know what I'm talking about when I say that, so you know I'm not just talking you up for nothing.

"No, you guys have both given me so much to look up to and work toward, because I know just how much you've both suffered and lost before you ended up coming here by now. Hell, we all know it! You guys lost so much more than I think anyone we know elsewhere ever has…and even despite that, you both still found the courage inside to get back up and fight for what you both know is right! I mean, that whole chain of events relating to Sensei alone is one of the most inspiring, manly things I've ever heard or seen!

"And you, Kolya-san…even after going for so long hating not just your own Quirk, but all of them and everything having to do with them in general…I'll admit it, when you blew up at all of us after what Kaminari-san and I accidentally did at your old house…I didn't blame you for it for a second. I had no idea then, and I seriously felt that I deserved it. I couldn't even blame you when we'd heard about you having run away afterward."

This always-painful reminder had left everyone silent with remembrance and mourning, just thinking back to when Nikolay had been brought to his single lowest point. And it was the crystal clear memory of how much everyone had hurt back then in the wake of his meltdown, and knowing why he'd gone through it in the first place…that made the returning light in Eijirou's expression that much more powerful as he kept looking his foreign best friend in the eye.

"And yet…even when all that sadness, fear and anger at everyone and everything had driven you to that point, you still ended up rediscovering and reclaiming that strength, that inner courage, and that sheer manly willingness to try and chase after your old dream of becoming a Hero, and putting all that pain behind you finally! Forget stuff like Quirks, attitude, physical strength or social principals for a minute; THAT is without a doubt, one of the single manliest things I've ever seen on the most fundamental level there is, if not THE most. If I couldn't be as inspired as I possibly could be when seeing you go through that change, Kolya-san, then I'd have no right to call myself a man at all."

Even for as deeply touched as Nikolay and Tunguska both felt, to finally know with unmistakable words, just what an influence they'd both ultimately had on Eijirou, that didn't make the young Russian's face any less deep red, to receive such abundant praise, only made that much more overwhelming when he could actually see similar glows of agreement in everyone else's eyes, with Ochako and Izuku going the extra step and nodding with Eijirou's sentiments, while on his side of the table, Tenya and Momo were soon doing the same, and Mina was once more smiling glowingly with loving pride in Nikolay's direction beside her.

While seeing Nikolay squirm with embarrassment in his seat, Eijirou was still completely lost within his self-reflection, as he proceeded on with expressing every one of his thoughts and feelings from that distant moment: "Ever since I'd made up my mind to apply for Yuuei, I was convinced by Crimson Riot's words that the real way to possess a truly manly spirit and become that kind of Hero was to live without any regrets, so I never wanted to think about my weakness that day and every other day before, so I couldn't be bogged down with regret for any of it.

"But after hearing and seeing all this time, how Tunguska-sensei has been continuing to live and fight for himself and others, even with so many regrets on his shoulders; and seeing how Kolya-san made peace with his own regrets for his losses and the pain that came with it all, just so he could be able to focus on becoming the best Hero he can; I see now that there's more than one way to truly embody a true manly spirit, and I want to be able to show that very same kind of strength as you guys, as every one of you and every single other person in this whole school does every single day, wherever I possibly can.

"The fact is, you guys altogether are an even greater inspiration to me than even Crimson Riot is these days…not in the words you say, but just in how I see you all carry yourselves, never folding in the face of danger, and always being there to pick each other up and help each other forward through it all, no matter how. It's all because of that spirit you all have inside. And…in that room, when I felt like I hadn't advanced a single inch from the start…it was because of the thought of every one of you in this school; that everything changed."

In this ravenous bestial form towering over the bloody and fading Sun of Justice; the scent of his open wounds had Vukodlak's already inescapable senses going into complete overdrive, as the taste and scent of blood were sending him into an absolute bloodlust, barely even able to string together a cohesive thought as he opened his gaping steel-lined maw in preparation, ready to close those last steps of distance and bring those jaws snapping shut on his old foe, snuffing out that last persistent light once and for all, just like that. Victory, the longest-sought victory of all, was but a single muscle movement away.

But as a fierce growl emanated from the depths of his throat, and the colossal wolf finally lunged and brought its fangs down, instead of the enormous satisfaction of feeling flesh tear and bones snap within his mouth, he was instead met with a sudden surge of jamming pain shooting all across the bones of his jaws, unable to bring them down the rest of the way, as though something were forcefully barring his snout wide open.

And as he tried and struggled against the unseen barrier standing between himself and victory, Vukodlak could see that Tunguska himself looked just as shocked as he was. And indeed, the Sun of Justice could scarcely believe what he was seeing right now, as he too had been preparing himself for the weight of those jaws to come crushing down onto his neck; too weak in that moment to try and fight back again.

And yet, in that very next moment, with neither of them managing to catch the oncoming sound in the chaos and adrenaline of their fight; Tunguska now found himself gazing upon the miraculous sight of the still bleeding (even more profusely now) and bruised Eijirou Kirishima, having reverted back to his Unbreakable form, jamming both his hands and feet to their fullest extent against the steel fangs of Vukodlak's wolf snout, effectively serving as a human crowbar to keep it open as far as he could get it.

"Red…Riot…?" Tunguska muttered in shock, while Eijirou barely managed to turn his head so that he could look back to his teacher over his shoulder, not willing to risk being distracted enough that his limbs even start to give. Even he knew that this was the last possible action he could take, so he was giving it every last bit of strength and concentration he could in the painful state he was in.

"Sensei…hurry, please! I'll keep…his mouth open…so you…shoot those blasts…of yours! He can't…possibly heal…so fast from the…inside!"

Every word was strained through Eijirou's clenched teeth as he continued to try and fight against the weight of Vukodlak's jaws, but it still came to Tunguska loud and clear, but as he looked down to his open hands, his instinctive protective instincts were the first thing to come rushing up his throat as he looked uncertainly to his student. "But if I do, there's no telling if your Quirk will protect you from it in your condition!"

At the same time, Vukodlak's silver eyes were staring down his snout in rage, having heard Eijirou's voice, and realizing he was still persistently getting in his way. And so as another furious growl emanated from out his throat, he began to channel his Strength Augmentation Quirk into his jaws, increasing the physical strength of his biting force exponentially with each passing second. 'You insufferable, stubborn little shit! I am DONE playing with you! I'll break you into a thousand pieces and devour every one if I have to!'

The growing power and weight instantly became apparent to Eijirou, as the incredible strain he was putting himself through to try and keep the wolf's mouth open, was now having to be pushed further and further, causing him to break out into a desperate running sweat. His heart was pounding painfully against his cracked up chest as he tried to channel all the strength he possibly could to keep his limbs rigid and outstretched.

But alas, even as he roared in adrenaline-fueled rage against the Villain trying to bring its fangs down upon him, and he could feel every muscle in his body all but igniting into flames with just how much they were hurting; Eijirou's valiant efforts were quickly proving themselves close to being undone, as he could still feel both jaws slowly but surely starting to inch that much closer to each other against his Unbreakable arms and legs, and every millimeter, then centimeter of give was answered by him trying to force that much more strength into each limb that he could. This desperate last stand was giving way moment by moment, and just when Eijirou wasn't sure how much more he could be able to maintain this rigid state of his against this crushing power on both ends of his body—

K-KRAK! K-KRAK!

The lightning bolts of agony that erupted all over every inch of Eijirou's body from his right arm and leg were unlike anything he'd ever felt before, beyond anything he thought he'd be capable of feeling once getting accustomed to his Quirk. But, thanks to Vukodlak's overwhelmingly reinforced biting power against his Unbreakable state, Eijirou had just been given the worst first-time experience to date, as with just the slightest added pressure against his already straining limbs, he'd felt both limbs on his right side finally give and break from inside, rendering his resistance down to half as he howled in anger and unimaginable pain alike, piercing through Tunguska's heart as he watched this unfold.

But, it was only through his endless tenacity and stubbornness (and an equally great share of desperation and luck), that his left limbs were still managing to keep Vukodlak's ever closing jaws open just that little bit, even if he knew he was pretty much running on less than fumes by this point. Either his remaining arm and leg would give, or his Hardened heart would. Either way, the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against the red-headed young Hero, but he was continuing to fight through it regardless, as he cried out through his pain in answer to Tunguska's fatherly concerns, Vukodlak's silent spite, and his own lack of confidence and persistent self-deprecation:

"I don't care! I might never be able to use my Quirk in a flashy, showy or creative way like so many other people can! I may only be limited to serving a small number of ways in any situation…but whether I'm a spear, a cannonball, a shield…or a wedge; if it'll help the greater justice get served to Villains like this…THEN I'LL DO IT WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT! REAL MEN ACCEPT THE PAIN AND FIGHT THROUGH IT, SO I'LL DO JUST THAT WITH MY HEAD HELD HIGH!"

The absolute passion that resonated in Eijirou's declaration could have shaken the entire compound to its foundations and beyond, with just how touched Tunguska was by his student's selflessness and courage, even through the countless wounds he'd taken up until now. And it was that resonation deep within his powerful heart, that finally brought Tunguska to start glowing brighter and brighter once more, as his stores of solar energy began channeling into both his ready hands in such tremendous amounts, that now his arms in their entirety looked like they were about to explode at the seams, to Vukodlak's visible disbelief reflected in his eyes as he tried harder and harder to finally break the last of Eijirou's resistance.

"It's over, Vukodlak…but this time it wasn't me that beat you, it wasn't even Kolya. No…you can go the rest of your days, knowing that your defeat…WAS AT THE HANDS OF RED RIOT!"

BWOOOOOOSH!

With that, and not a moment longer, Tunguska fired a double dose of tremendous light beams from both his hands, with Eijirou's exposed but reinforced back taking a great brunt of that burning power dead-on, while the rest flew right around his outstretched frame and into the depths of Vukodlak's gaping maw, hitting him literally in his core with such power that it managed to knock the towering wolf off all his paws, and go plowing through several concrete walls behind him in a matter of seconds, to the point that the roof between the room he ultimately stopped in, and the room Tunguska and Eijirou were still in (the young Hero having used the moment of impact to finally release his grip and throw himself out of the Villain's mouth with the last ounce of strength he had) to come collapsing down, effectively cutting them off from each other.

As the last trickles of his collected light energy came steaming off of his hands, Tunguska finally let all of the collective pain of his injuries bring him collapsing down to a single knee on the floor, before his exhausted and strained gaze lifted to find Eijirou lying motionless on the floor before him; his Hardening once again deactivated and showing the awful full extent of the injuries all over his body…and all offset by the single most contented, peaceful smile he could've possibly had, stretched across his unconscious face.

Even with his right eye blinded by a sheen of his own blood from the lacerations lining that side of his face, Tunguska couldn't have mistaken the emotions behind that smile for anything else, for it easily mirrored the proud smile he was also wearing instinctively after taking in the full extent of just what his loyal student had put himself through for both their sakes, for that of everyone here.

Gritting his teeth in order to fight through the pain all over his own body, Tunguska scooped up Eijirou's limp body into his arms before just as swiftly doubling back and slinging the still-unconscious Hekiji Tengai over his right shoulder; breathing hard and ragged as he began scanning their surroundings, looking for some kind of sign of an actual exit, or at least a potential first-aid office.

And all the while, there was but one thought on his mind that echoed louder than any other: 'You've done beautifully today, malenkii Kirishima. I can only hope you realize this just as much, yourself…but you're the true manly Hero in this room between us today. Otlichnaya rabota (Well done).'

The air of absolute pride everyone at that table felt to hear Eijirou and Tunguska both finally finish recounting this portion of the whole story, was so thick it could almost physically be felt. To have heard such a harrowing recounting of the red-haired student's descent into utter despair, only for the inspiration of every one of his friends and the teacher sitting at his side in order to bring himself back up and go through hell in order to secure a Hero's win, was an experience like very few others, especially when seeing the utter emotion evident in his and Tunguska's eyes.

But with the pride they all felt in his regaining his courage and putting himself on the line for others, there also came the instinctive outburst of worry and shock, especially from Nikolay and Mina when it came to the point of his talking about his arm and leg breaking in Vukodlak's jaws.

"Oh my God, and I thought breaking my leg to get that last hit on Pietro was terrible; but for your arm and leg to both break while you were supposed to be in Unbreakable mode? That sounds like it would be so much worse!"

"But when we saw you the morning we came back, you barely had more than a couple band-aids and a patch on you, Kiri! You didn't even look like you had any scars! Just how strong is Recovery Girl-sensei's Quirk, anyway?!"

As Mina pointed out Eijirou's apparent lack of scars, while eyeing the scars adorning the inside of both Nikolay's arms by comparison (which he now found himself doing as well), Eijirou himself let out another heavy, regretful sigh…right before glancing Tsuyu's way. "Asui-san, would you mind lending me a tissue?"

"You can just call me Tsu, you know, Kirishima. But okay." At that brief little insistence of hers, Tsuyu proceeded to rummage through her backpack before pulling out a small paper square, which Eijirou gratefully took. Taking another deep preparatory breath, he proceeded to start rubbing it up and down his right forearm. Within seconds, to the wide-eyed shock of all his friends across the table, a series of surgical scars began to appear; very nasty looking ones like Nikolay's, in fact.

"Believe it or not, I actually asked Hagakure-san for a little foundation to try and cover it up. I know, and this is after I'd even told you that wearing battle scars was manly, too, Kolya-san. I just…I didn't want any of you guys to worry a bunch over me if you saw them." With this, Eijirou let out an embarrassed chuckle, hoping that would be able to start a chain reaction among his gathered friends that would be able to offset the tension in the air.

BOK! BOK!

With not even a single laugh given in return, Eijirou flinched as Nikolay and Tenya both instinctively gave him a simultaneous pair of light knuckle wrappings to his forehead, leaving him wincing. "OW! What the heck was that for?!"

"What do you think?! You got hurt that badly by a Villain we all thought was in jail, and you tried to cover ALL of that up from us?! Knowing we would be as worried about you all as we were while we were gone?!" "This kind of breach in class-wide trust is just unacceptable, Kirishima-san! If you can't trust and at least accept the extent of our feelings this much, then how will we ever be able to all work together to the best extent we can?!" "Friends don't keep that kind of stuff from each other, Kiri! If you put yourself in the kind of danger that got you that badly hurt, then dammit, you gotta tell us right out the gate! It's only natural for friends to worry about each other; who cares how embarrassing it makes you feel?!"

Nikolay, Tenya and Mina respectively were just letting the understanding-looking Eijirou have it, since he clearly knew this had been a dumb call of his to make even when doing it. That stubborn childish sense of maintaining a manly exterior had just been too stubbornly attached for him to just let go of like that. But, in the end, simply knowing that he was still okay in the end was what it had taken to get all of the frustration, disappointment and scolding out in the open, so everyone could finally be able to smile and breathe easily together in peace again, with Nikolay ultimately breaking the silence with a tired sigh from such an explosive emotional outburst: "We're just…it's just good to know you're okay again, Eijirou-san. That's all I think there is to it."

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Just as the rest of the students on his side of the table were nodding in agreement to that bottom-line sentiment, the bell signifying the end of the lunch period finally rang, and with everyone's spirits at least settled, while still at least a little shaken from Headmaster Nezu's news in relation to everything Eijirou and Tunguska had shared, they all began to dutifully make their way back for class.

However, now knowing everything that they did in regards to Vukodlak now being free, it made it impossible for any one of the students to truly consider this a full-on happy ending. Clearly he had to have escaped the compound somehow after that fight, otherwise they never would've gotten this morning's news to begin with, because he would've been thrown right back into prison under even heavier guard and key. And with that realization, too, came the utterly confusing question of just how he had managed to get out of prison to begin with. Just what had the League of Villains done in order to sneak him out from under all of that security, without the authorities being alerted immediately? And how long ago had it actually happened? How long had he been running free with that bunch of psychopaths without any one of the police stations or Hero Agencies finding out?

All of these questions, as far as the students were concerned, ultimately amounted to being secondary, as it was because of his escape and joining forces, that they all now had to kiss their potential Hero Internships goodbye for the foreseeable future. The sting of that personal loss was still deep, and if they were to go through school from now on without that reprieve, that chance to gain invaluable field experience, then these escapes into the imaginary field through the recounting of Tunguska and Izuku's group were the best they could possibly ask for anymore.

And it was precisely because of that understanding that Mina finally broke out with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know how much longer I can keep going with these lunchtime-only stories, you guys! C'mon, can't you at least tell us more when we're all ready to turn in for bed at night? Y'know, gather round the commons room when everyone else is asleep, and just go from there? If we can't do internships, it's gonna be soooo boring otherwise! Please, you guys?!"

Kyouka, similarly, looked a good bit similarly anxious, while at least having the wherewithal to not just start childishly begging for more details, like Mina was. With Tunguska, Ochako, Tsuyu and Eijirou having all clearly told what sounded like clear beginning, middle and end stories about their portions of this whole mission, it was only natural that the eyes of Nikolay and his little group were all focused squarely on Izuku, and he could just sense it, too.

However, instead of the greatly embarrassed and nervous babbling they had instinctively been preparing themselves for…there was now instead a deeply contemplative, regretful look in his eyes as he finally met their gazes. "I'm sorry, everyone. I understand how frustrating this must feel. I wouldn't be any different if you guys had decided to share your whole mission experience with us the same way, I just know it. I'd like to tell you all you want to know…but unfortunately, there's actually something really important that Tunguska-sensei and us have to attend to tomorrow. Aizawa-sensei's already approved it."

On one hand, it was only natural for Nikolay and the others to feel the sneaking suspicion like this was a convenient excuse for Izuku not to tell them his share of things…then on the other, this was sounding more and more like something that would be taking him and Tunguska off of Yuuei's grounds, and with Nezu's announcement still very fresh in their minds, it was just as natural for them to feel that twisting sensation of worry for their teacher, father and friends to be doing something so risky.

And because he could so easily sense when Nikolay was feeling worried, Tunguska simply gave them all that same warm smile of reassurance. "You all don't need to worry about us, Kolya, everyone. Nearly every Hero that was involved in the mission is going to be with us, so there'll be all the security we could possibly ask for. In fact, I believe Aizawa-san will be the only one not attending, simply for the sake of not wanting to throw your educations off-track. His words, not mine. Believe me, I asked. So let's all put that aside, take a deep breath, be grateful for each other's continued health, and try to get through the rest of this day as positively as we can. Such is the inherent responsibility of Heroes, isn't it, malchiki i devochki (boys and girls)?"

Not wanting to potentially disappoint their teacher when they knew he was simply trying to help lighten the mood as best he could in the wake of losing their internships, it was only fair that Nikolay and everyone else raised a determined fist into the air and gave a resounding cheer of agreement in kind, all feeling a newly returned drive in their chests to give their all to whatever was waiting for them from this point on, until the time would hopefully come that they could finally regain those internships.

But no matter what Tunguska or anyone else could have said otherwise, there was simply no getting rid of the lingering unease that had taken hold in Nikolay and Mina especially, just knowing that Vukodlak was still somewhere out there with so many new Quirks at his disposal. They could both instinctively feel the once-forgotten pain of the wounds he had left on them from their fateful battle in Erubi City so long ago.

That physical sensation rippling up their backs alongside that subtle fear, led the young couple to instinctively take each other's hand into a firm, protective, supportive hold as they made the rest of their way to class. And for Nikolay, even if what Izuku and Tunguska were saying was true, that they would all be gone for some more undisclosed mission-related business tomorrow, that didn't leave him any less determined to try and get whatever more information about that mission as he could, when he could. He knew there was always a means, so long as one knew where to look.

And as they returned to Class 1-A; outside, the skies over Yuuei Academy and Musutafu City were growing dark with the onset of a great number of dark and rumbling storm clouds, almost as though the very heavens themselves were sending forth a harbinger of the threat that Vukodlak's freedom would now constantly present to all those inside.

And there you have it, this week's new chapter.

I certainly hope I was able to provide an alternative to Kirishima's standout fight in this arc that can be just as satisfying to you real veteran MHA fans, especially those of you for whom he's your favorite character. While I personally may not be someone who sees the romantic potential between him and Mina (Please don't misunderstand, I can absolutely see why people out there would, I just personally see the dynamic and time spent between them, and while I can easily see the influential best friend relationship, I just personally can't see it going any further than that), I still wanted to do justice to the established character history between them, and how it, in relation to every other character we've seen him get close to over the course of this story, all ultimately helps him to grow into the manly Hero we all know and love. Hopefully I was able to do that part just as well in your eyes.

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and I will hopefully see you all on a return to a regular uploading schedule with the next chapter, next week on 10/15!