Hello once again, everyone, and welcome to the first chapter of this take on the Pro Hero Arc. I'm firmly of the belief that if you start subtly planting the seeds for major future events, especially in terms of divergences from canon, then a slower pace can be understandable. That being said, I'm hoping that the seeds I plant here will be considered worthwhile, and I do have a lot of credit to give to my beta readers for helping me to work with how to come up with said hints for this particular arc. As events are going to get bigger and more widespread, having separate viewpoints to work my ideas off of in order to mold into the best version of themselves they can potentially be, has become instrumental, and I can't thank them enough for their services as beta readers to run these ideas by.

Thank you all once again for your continued readership, and especially to those of you generous enough to have elft any reviews for last week's chapter. Please, if you all have anything you want to say about the chapters I put up, feel free to do so. Any feedback at all is greatly appreciated, and I want to know if what I'm doing each week, whether the changes or ideas are small or huge, is meeting any expectations or has anyone feeling particularly excited for what could come in the future.

Thank you once again to my faithful beta readers, consultants and friends, Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; and a major thank you once more to all the current DA artists who have contributed artwork for this story on that particular platform: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, Suki-Chan2509, AliceKuroCross, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Yumake and Vanera-Taro.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. May he recover over the course of this current two-week break in the manga's schedule. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them. However, the character of 'Jack' who appears in this chapter is the property of my beta reader Carlos; who has been included in this story as a show of gratitude for all his continuous support and help over these last several weeks.

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

Chapter 112

Rankings

(Рейтинги)

Yuuei Academy, Saturday, November 29th

Over the last more than two weeks, things at Yuuei had managed to transition back into normalcy for the students, regular classes and training and all; a comparably more calming sensation after the several weeks worth of stress that could only have come from festival preparations. Now, until the day would inevitably come that internships would return, there was nothing more than the day-by-day journey, which helped to ease and embolden everyone's spirits.

And all the while, despite their whole class now knowing the truth about the two of them; Nikolay and Mina had the good senses to keep their affectionate displays between the two of them in private in the mornings and evenings. Although, it would never live up to the active imaginations of their more daring classmates, as the evening's worth of especially daring hugs and kisses they had shared on Nikolay's birthday, had still left them both especially flustered since then at the thought of ever going that far again whenever they were alone together.

And now, despite today having been another all-around pleasant school experience from beginning to end, there was an undeniable energy hanging among all of Class 1-A after they had all returned to their dorms for the evening; namely because before they had all been given leave, they had been informed by Aizawa to expect, of all things, visitors intended specifically for the whole class.

And while that expectation was just as strong for Nikolay as everyone else; once he'd gotten dressed into his casual clothes and made his way back down to the commons area; that was the last thing he was focused on, as he made a beeline for Kyouka while she was busily talking with Mina, Ochako, Tooru, Denki, Fumikage and Momo; his presence very quick for them all to notice before the purple-haired girl nonchalantly greeted him: "Oh, hey, Kolya-san. Sato-san's made some cookies if you want some."

Gratefully accepting Rikido's offering once it had been brought up, Nikolay gladly took the spot Mina was offering at the foot of the couch with her, as he looked Kyouka in the eye. "Thank you. It's actually a good thing you're all here for this, cause there's something I've been thinking about that I wanted to run by you, Kyouka-san. I know you've pretty much taken to still teaching everyone here how to play music better and better; as well as Uraraka-san and Hagakure-san. I guess I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind taking on one more."

Indeed, even since the festival and their bit of playing for Eijirou's birthday a few weeks ago, Kyouka's enthusiasm and expertise for playing music had left many of her classmates more than eager to learn all they could from her on how to master the instruments they had grown accustomed to; whether it was Denki and Fumikage wanting to get even better on the electric guitars the same way Ochako and Tooru had wanted to learn to play the acoustic and the ukulele respectively, or Momo wanting to ensure her skills on the piano were as sharp as they could be, or Mina simply wanting to master her sense of rhythm in more ways than just her dancing.

And after Mina had told him over time of just how good of a teacher Kyouka was, and how much fun it was to play all together as one, it had become downright impossible for Nikolay to ignore his own impulsive desire to learn in this regard, too. And Kyouka and the others could all clearly recognize that spark, as Kyouka smiled approvingly. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind, depending what instrument has your attention of course. It's not like I have an infinite number of every kind, y'know."

While Mina and Denki were both the visibly most excited at the prospect of another of their friends joining in the fun, Nikolay happily answered: "To be honest, the guitars themselves seem a bit overwhelming for me, and I feel like I'd lose patience with the piano and the drums after a while. It's honestly the bass that I find myself listening for the most in a lot of the songs you've recommended I listen to, like the one you play. It seems like you're most comfortable playing that anyway, so you surely must have more than one in your room, right?"

On one hand, Kyouka clearly looked flattered that Nikolay clearly had a preference for the same instrument she did; the one that almost always got neglected when it came to people saying their favorite parts of every band. But on the other, her body gave a momentary shudder, as though she were going into some kind of protective state. "I'd be happy to teach you, but you gotta understand that I have my basses all tuned perfectly to how I want each of them to sound, and I don't want to risk messing any of them up. You should be able to buy one at one of the music shops in town for a decent price easy, or you could easily just order one to be brought here if you really want to go for it."

Considering the funds he did indeed have at his disposal, Nikolay gave no sign that he was about to start getting cheap when going after what he wanted in the moment. But before he could thank Kyouka for accepting him into the music class; she raised an objecting finger. "But this isn't for free, you know. I want you to help me sharpen my Russian pronunciations in exchange. Just because I've gotten the hang of the writing structure for my songs, as well as getting good on that balalaika, doesn't mean I'm ready to start singing it, and you're the best person here who can help me with that. We can talk about when we can work on that later. Deal?"

Nikolay didn't even hesitate to nod in acceptance of their arrangement; realizing he'd fallen on the wayside on his original linguistics lessons with her from so long ago in the first place. With that, Mina was already giddy as she started clapping with a big smile on her face. "And now the 1-A rock band is one person richer! We're gonna be, like, a totally rockin' super group in no time thanks to you, Kyouka-chan!"

With Momo, Ochako, Tooru and Denki all eagerly voicing their agreements, Kyouka was blushing awkwardly, before Nikolay followed up: "Is that true, what you said, about already getting so good with the balalaika, Kyouka-san? I have to admit I'd like to hear it some time, since you were already really impressive with it the evening after the festival; sorry I never said anything sooner."

"Are you kidding, man? Jirou's like a damn machine when it comes to those instruments, even the weirder-sounding ones! I'll bet she could probably self-teach herself to be a master of every single one on the planet if you put her in a room with them for a week at most!" Denki exclaimed in what he clearly intended to be encouragement and admiration of Kyouka's musical talents, even if the way she curled herself up into a strongly blushing ball on the couch didn't reflect as much appreciation for it.

"A-CHOO!"

Before anyone else could even say anything, Fumikage suddenly let out an especially powerful-sounding sneeze; leaving the crow-headed boy visibly embarrassed to break the atmosphere among his classmates, while Ochako immediately asked worriedly: "Are you feeling sick, Tokoyami-san?"

"Not at all, I'm in perfect health, and my mucus membranes are functioning perfectly as they should be." Fumikage bluntly answered in an especially vehement denial.

By contrast to Ochako's sisterly concern, Tooru was already forming a sly invisible smile. "Or maybe Tokoyami-kun's being talked about by some fans of his! Like whoever in the crowd was shouting Yaomomo's name during the concert!"

"P-please don't tease me, Hagakure-chan! I'm just happy to have an admirer at all!" While Momo was flustered as she chastised her invisible classmate, Ochako's worry instantly turned to an encouraging smile as she chimed in further: "Tooru-chan could be right, though! Tokoyami-san was interning under Hawks, the Number Three Hero in all of Japan, after all! I'll bet he already has a ton of fans talking about him!"

With that being brought up, though; the normally menacing-looking Fumikage now looked visibly downcast. "Impossible. That all went by rather too quickly for me to have garnered any such legion of followers."

As Nikolay eyed this unexpected change in his classmate's normally cold demeanor, Mina leaned in to him with a cheeky grin. "Hey, maybe that's the real reason you came down with that fever while training with Midori-kun, Kolya-kun! I'll bet everybody up in Gagaringrad and Erubi City are always talking about you; it just took a while for the effects to kick in, huh?"

Nikolay, however, exercised a great resistance to the otherwise normal sense of embarrassment he would have been feeling in response to such teasing, as he quickly answered back: "Well, I don't think any of us have seen you get remotely sick or sneeze even once all year, Mina. By that logic, do you think that could be because nobody out there has been talking about you, despite everything?"

But, as resilient as ever, Mina just answered with a snarky chuckle as she rested the back of her head upon her hands, rocking her body back and forth all the while. "Ah, I've always had a way stronger resistance to colds and stuff for as long as I can remember! I'm probably immune to that whole thing, even if everybody in the whole country was talking about me all at once right now!"

KLIK!

Amid all of the side-chatter, Tenya's ever-attentive ears suddenly caught the sound of the front doors to the dorms opening, and like a shot he was back on his feet. "THEY'RE HERE, EVERYONE! STAND AT ATTENTION TO GREET OUR VISITORS!"

Everyone quickly did as they were told, and as the doors opened, they were at first met by the sight of Aizawa as he nonchalantly made his way inside, but what came to followed had left all their simultaneous greetings silent in their throats.

"Rock on with these sparkling gazes!"

"We've come to lend a paw and help!"

"We've come from…somewhere…"

"Stingingly cute and catlike!"

"WILD, WILD PISSYCATS (DAY-OFF VERSION)!"

Indeed, to the disbelief and nostalgic shock of every single one of the students, they were being enthusiastically greeted by none other than their old mentors from all the way back at the Forest Training Camp: the brown-haired Mandalay, the suit-adorned and now makeup-deprived Tiger, the catty blonde-haired Pixie-Bob, and the wide-eyed and even wider-grinning green-haired Ragdoll, still striking the very same dynamic team pose they had from the very first day they had met the students of 1-A, only now in their own civilians clothes.

"PUSSYCATS-SENSEI'S! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" This was the general explosive consensus the students could all immediately express in their own overwhelming nostalgic joy at the sight of their unorthodox teachers back on their feet and smiling again; as they all hurriedly rushed to greet the team properly.

As Tiger happily offered multiple boxes of what Mina ecstatically cried out to Ochako and Tooru was Paw Pad manju; Nikolay was all but lost in the excited crowd of his classmates while trying to express his relief at the sight of them as well; somewhere in the process feeling a momentary but distinct smack on his behind from a brightly smiling Ragdoll amid the fray while Pixie-Bob greeted back: "I hope my little kitties have all been well! From what we've been hearing, a good number of you have been making quite a name for yourselves recently! The rest of you boys better not have been slacking on your growth into men while we've been gone!"

While Tiger instinctively apologized to Bakugo the moment he laid eyes on the boy; and Mina and Ochako were already enthusiastically passing out their gifted treats to all of their classmates and guests (or in Nikolay's case, getting one personally stuffed into his open mouth the moment Mina saw the chance to), Izuku's observant eye had quickly fallen upon one small-sized addition to the party, that immediately had his whole face, and those of the majority of his classmates, light right up: "KOTA-KUN! LONG TIME NO SEE!"

For standing awkwardly to the side of his aunt and her compatriots; the horned cap-adorned little boy they all knew as Kota Izumi, stood tall and semi-proud, clearly embarrassed at having so much attention suddenly heaped upon him, especially when Izuku started eagerly shaking his hand as though he were the fan greeting the Hero. "THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LETTER! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!"

As Nikolay watched this exchange with crossed arms and an approving smile, he could soon feel Tsuyu's presence nearby, as she observantly asked: "Didn't I hear that you got a letter from Kota-kun back at the hospital, too, Kolya-san? Maybe you should go up there and thank him too-kero."

With an understanding chuckle; as soon as Izuku had finally found the wherewithal to release Kota's hand, Nikolay likewise spoke up once he and the boy made momentary eye contact: "We both really appreciate it for that matter, Kota-kun. We're both holding onto your letters even now. Spasibo. Hopefully you're not hitting anymore people where you shouldn't?"

With Kota looking embarrassed enough, Mandalay couldn't help but start chuckling to herself as she began pointing back to the doorway. "Don't worry, you two; he's been much better behaved ever since what you all did. Hey, before you all get too caught up; Midoriya-kun, check this out. Kota-kun picked them himself, insisted they had to be that color."

"C-cut it out, Auntie Mandalay! That's not true!" As Kota immediately tried to protest, Izuku's curious gaze was quickly drawn to a pair of brand new-looking sneakers in a brilliant candy apple red; a shade that immediately had him and his friends stricken with a remembrance and realization that had many of the boys grinning knowingly, and Izuku looking like he was having to fight his emotions back, before finally looking upon Kota with an appreciative smile again. "Now we officially match, don't we?"

For once, the small boy couldn't find an answer, only able to look down at the ground in flustered embarrassment; a sight that Tooru couldn't possibly resist gawking at. "Awww, that's so sweet! Midoriya-kun's got his first super-fan!"

Elbowing Izuku in the arm, Denki likewise couldn't resist: "Hey, before you know it, you're gonna be like this kid's All Might before you even graduate! We gotta start working on catching up with you!"

"Please, why don't you all have a seat while we get you some refreshments?" Momo dutifully invited their five guests while Nikolay and Rikido were already fast and hard at work at gathering tea and baked goods from out of the commons area kitchen; all but deaf to Tiger's regretful response: "Thank you all, but we don't have that much time. We need to pay your peers in Class B a visit as well, after all."

"So what made you all suddenly want to visit us out of the blue like this?" Rikido asked as he and Nikolay began passing out a tray of cookies and tea respectively, which the Pussycats were grateful to accept as Pixie-Bob explained: "Oh, we were just really eager to let you all know that we're back, given how worried you all must've been since the attack at camp."

All at once, the whole of the class froze in their tracks, looking back at their four Pro Hero visitors in joyous disbelief, with Hanta and Mina all but simultaneously exclaiming: "YOU'RE BACK?!" "THAT'S SO AWESOME! CONGRATULATIONS, SENSEI'S!"

But among them, knowing what he did about what had truly happened, Izuku wasn't quite as off-the-walls with happiness, but rather confusion: "You're back too, Ragdoll-sensei? I don't understand; with your Quirk being stolen, I thought you quit."

To the contrary, the green-haired Pussycat was all reassuring smiles as she'd out-of-nowhere taken to pawing at a rigid and flustered Nikolay's head from behind, like an actual cat playing with a scratching post. "Well, I'm not back in action, per se. But I'll be back in the office, supporting the other three instead! Just call me the CAT-ministrative assistant!"

But despite how assured Ragdoll sounded, Izuku had ultimately brought up the one lingering element that nobody had the courage to bring up before, and now there was no ignoring or avoiding it, as Ochako likewise spoke up: "When we'd all heard about what had happened to you, Ragdoll-sensei; I don't think any of us could actually believe it. Is there any possible thing that can be done to get your Quirk back?"

Indeed, many of the students now looked very shaken by the notion of anyone actually being able to have their Quirk taken away from them…and for those among them who had actually been to the Kamino Ward and seen the Villain responsible in action; this was just bringing back so many horrifying memories, as Nikolay and Mina instinctively held hands for silent reassurance at the thought, even as Ragdoll was still mindlessly pawing away at his head.

And as this mood settled, Pixie-Bob's sunny disposition likewise dimmed as she answered: "As a matter of fact, we did hear from him pretty recently; the Villain who did it, in Tartarus."

As she, Mandalay and Tiger proceeded to recount all of what they had learned to their inquisitive former students (with Aizawa's approval, naturally), they could all distinctly recall everything they had heard the man known as All For One say in that interrogation room…and the mocking smile of victory he wore on his otherwise featureless face the whole way through.

"It's not right, I know. When I see a good Quirk, I just need to have it. It's definitely a bad habit of mine. I'd love to return hers, frankly; but that would involve using my own Quirk…and therein lies the problem. Should I use it? Just say the word…though I don't know if I even can. That's the caveat of my Quirk, you see. After I've held onto someone else's Quirk for just long enough, I'm no longer able to transfer it, either to someone of my choosing, or to their original user. If you want me to give it back, you'd better decide quick…if it's not too late already."

For Izuku, Nikolay, Eijirou, Tenya, Shoto, Mina and Momo, but especially Bakugo; they could all feel both that old sensation of horror in the pits of their stomachs, as well as a simmering anger at just the implication of mockery in those shared words. Everyone else could only just feel the deepest kind of chills.

And seeing this among all these young Heroes, Tiger finished: "The authorities are still pressing him to find out just what kind of Quirks he's got locked away inside him, how many and for how long he's had them. So in the meantime, keeping him completely immobilized is the safest option we have."

"So then why are you choosing now to return?" Momo finally asked, and like the lighting of a match, Mandalay's expression brightened considerably, as though to inspire the kids to let their own spirits rise with hers.

"Because they're about to announce this year's second Japanese Hero Billboard Chart, and we're all listed on there as #411." At this very mention, Nikolay could just feel the atmosphere among his classmates completely shift, while he was left looking virtually clueless. "I-I'm sorry, what's the Hero Billboard Chart?"

He didn't even have time to feel embarrassed for asking what should've been so obvious before he found all eyes in the room fall on him in disbelief, before Tenya dutifully shot a rigid hand up into the air: "The Japanese Hero Billboard Chart is only one of the cornerstones of Hero society that helps recognize and establish the most effective and celebrated Heroes in the entirety of Japan, Bezpalov-san! When we all graduate and become registered Pro Heroes; through a nationwide survey held twice a year, which calculates our total numbers of incidents resolved, our contributions to society and our overall public approval ratings, that chart will be what ultimately helps us to know just how far along we come as Pros, reflected on the ranking board of 1,000! In a country of this many people, to have your name placed on that chart secures your place as a Top Echelon level of Hero, recognized for your ability to preserve the peace and keep the public smiling and hopeful!"

While some students were clapping in response to Tenya's enthusiastic lecture for Nikolay's sake; Izuku still couldn't hide the confusion on his own face. "I don't understand, though. You were all listed as #32 last year, and in that time you've somehow fallen all the way to #411?"

And as though a light bulb of realization had gone off in his head, Eijirou immediately jolted in enthusiastic understanding. "OH! I get it now! You're all announcing your comeback to put a stop to your steep decline, right?!"

WHAM!

Like an uncontrollable muscle spasm, Ragdoll immediately stopped her playful pawing motion at Nikolay's head and instead immediately shot her fists forward into the air like someone declaring their own victory or defiance to the powers that be; accidentally knocking the young Russian in the back of the head in the process. "WRONG, MEOW! WHY DO YOU THINK WE'RE STILL IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS DESPITE ZERO ACTION IN A FAST-MOVING PROFESSION LIKE OURS?!"

While Mina attentively pulled Nikolay away from Ragdoll before he could get accidentally hit again; Tiger went on: "You are indeed right that last year, our approval ratings were as high as ever."

"And the fact that we're still as high on that chart as we are, despite our lack of actions, is a surefire sign that the public is still counting on us…" "So we CAN'T stop moving forward!" As Pixie-Bob and Ragdoll finished their explanation, Eijirou had to immediately bury his face into his sleeve, so as to keep everyone from seeing how emotional he was getting in the face of their resilience as a team. "I HEAR YOU ALL! MAN, THE WILD, WILD PUSSYCATS ARE TRULY DUDES AMONG DUDES!"

At the same time, while Mina was already applying a tiny ice pack from Momo to the back of Nikolay's head, her eyes had likewise widened with a long-delayed remembrance, much like Mashirao and Rikido both were. "Wow, with everything happening so fast, I hadn't even stopped to think about the second Billboard Charts announcement this year! They usually do it way sooner than this!"

As Nikolay took all of this information in, clearly starting to truly understand how these Billboard Charts actually worked, he almost failed to see how Ochako was eagerly leaning in at the waist to try and get his attention with an optimistic smile. "Tunguska-sensei's been keeping really busy ever since he got his Pro Hero License, hasn't he? I know there's a lot more than 1,000 Pro Heroes in Japan, but he must surely have already done enough work to land somewhere on the Hero Billboard Charts, right, Kolya-san?"

And just as quickly as Nikolay had realized she was speaking to him; so too had Tiger suddenly ended up towering over them both from behind, a similarly optimistic shine to his eye. "That's right; as I recall, Bezpalov-kun, your father was once a Number One Hero much like All Might back in your home country! Ever since fighting alongside him and Endeavor back at the Kamino Ward, his name has certainly been orbiting around the web more and more often; especially now that he's worked with colleagues like Fatgum, Sir Nighteye and Crimson Riot! As Tunguska-san's son, I can only imagine how excited you must be to see the results!"

Before Nikolay could answer yea or nay to the sole male Pussycat's assumption; Mandalay, unable to help overhearing him as well, similarly chimed in to the young Russian herself: "As it turns out, a majority of the other countries in the world with established Hero infrastructures rank their best Heroes in a nearly identical way to ours…but funnily enough, Russia was never one of them, at least as far back as my research could get me. Maybe you can shed some light on that for us, since Tunguska-san isn't here."

Being put on the spot so suddenly, it was only to be expected that Nikolay wasn't exactly as verbose or prepared as Tenya had been; but the way he tried to carry himself still was admirable on its own: "Well, I was just a baby by the last time it had ever been held, but from what I understand of how Dad described it, it was actually pretty similar; revolving around a lot of surveys of public sentiment towards their respective region's assigned Pro Heroes. The only difference was that there was a lot more government oversight as well; mainly in ranking Heroes on how their actions and personal feelings towards the Union and its policies would affect the people's levels of patriotism, on top of the same factors that Iida-san described before. So, in a way, Heroes back then had to be even more careful about what they said in certain areas in regards to how it affected society, since it wasn't just the consensus of the people that they were being judged by. Honestly, this sounds way less stressful by comparison, and I imagine he feels the same way."

As soon as he saw the pensive looks on both Pussycats' faces in consideration of such a…frankly, restrictive form of Hero ranking, Nikolay's expression noticeably brightened. "But at this point, I think Dad is long since past the point of actively gunning for higher ranks, whether it was back in Russia or here. Still, I have to admit it would be pretty cool to see him somewhere on there already, no matter how high or low."

And mirroring that optimistic sentiment, Pixie-Bob all but literally burst onto the scene without warning: "And like I said before: quite a lot of you little kitties have been generating more than your fair shares of buzz over this year already! You might just be looking at getting quite the jump on the charts once you graduate as well! But don't you start letting that go to your heads now, understand?! Don't let us, your adorable teachers, down before you even truly get started!"

Despite this, Bakugo did indeed look utterly pumped to start powering his way through whatever of his Remedial Training was left so he could land on the charts in record time. In contrast, Izuku looked similarly emboldened, as did many of the students, while also having a very thoughtful intensity and nervousness in his eyes. Nikolay, at the same time, couldn't help but think back to all the old pictures and stories of his parents, how things were back when they had both been their own Number One Heroes together. The thought of being in any kind of similar place in a country like this did, indeed, have a certain allure to it.

And, naturally, Mina was especially expressive in answering the Pussycats' sentiments, as she happily exclaimed: "WE WON'T LET YOU DOWN, SENSEI'S! IF YOU ALL CAN SHARE THE SAME RANK AS A TEAM, THEN JUST YOU WATCH! CLASS 1-A IS GONNA BE THE FIRST EVER CLASS—NO! THE FIRST SUPER TEAM OF NUMBER ONE HEROES, JUST YOU WATCH!"

Such a bold proclamation immediately had Ochako, Eijirou, Tooru and Denki all wide-eyed with disbelief at such a lofty, nigh impossible-sounding goal, while Bakugo was shooting a disapproving sneer at the thought of actually sharing the Number One Hero spot with anyone. Similarly, Momo and Tenya both looked visibly impressed at such boldness, while Hanta, Fumikage, Kouji, Mashirao and Mezo all looked fairly convinced that kind of thing was literally impossible.

It wasn't much longer after, that Class 1-A finally had to bid the Wild, Wild Pussycats and Kota farewell once more, with more than a fair number of wishes to stay in touch being thrown around from both sides. And it wasn't until evening had finally started to fall, when Tenya had made the announcement for everyone to return to the commons area, as the time had finally come for the Japan Hero Billboard Charts announcement to finally air; everyone quickly gathering around the single flat-screen TV and watching, waiting with ever-rising anticipation once the broadcast finally came on.

Much like their teachers, who were all watching on the TV's in their own dorm rooms or on their phones, and like virtually everyone else from end to end of Japan; everyone was keeping their ears open and their eyes glued to the screens, eager to see just how the future Hero landscape of the country was going to change from this day forward. After all, this was going to be unlike any Hero Billboard Chart event that any of the students had ever witnessed before in their lives for one very painfully obvious reason.

Finally, the live feed had commenced, showing a single large stage in the middle of a bustling convention hall, where a very energetic but tense anchorwoman was already shooting off with her commentary. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! We are reporting to you live, here at the first Japan Hero Billboard Chart event since the harrowing Kamino Ward incident a few months ago, wherein we were ultimately forced to bid our once immovable Symbol of Peace, All Might, farewell when he sacrificed the entirety of his power to save us all! And it is for this historical reason that the organizers for the event have decided to hold this year's second announcement right here in the very same Kamino Ward that now lives embedded in all our memories!

"But the fact that this is our first Billboard Chart announcement wherein All Might will not be listed is not the only reason this will be an event of firsts for many of our young viewers! With the growing uncertainty in the capabilities and presence of our Pro Heroes in the wake of All Might's untimely retirement, it has likewise been decided that, for the very first time ever, all our Pro Heroes listed in the Top Ten places will be here in personal attendance to give some personal words to the people watching live and from home, in the hopes of instilling some of that hope and confidence we all once had, once again. This is indeed a period where we all very much need it!"

As the reporter went through all of this, all of the students were busily keeping their eyes on the scrolling listing of all the other ranked Pro Heroes from 1,000th place all the way down to the 11th. Nikolay was keeping his eyes peeled especially for those with their Hero names written in katakana, and no sooner than he set eyes on a name beginning with the character for 'Ta', than Eijirou practically leapt up from his seat and nearly yanked him up by the collar alongside him, pointing frantically at the screen while Ochako was likewise already clapping happily. "DUDE, CHECK IT OUT! Tunguska-sensei made the cut after all! #747 already! Damn, what a jump, right?!"

The smile that quickly came to Nikolay once he saw they weren't simply hallucinating amid the scrolling list of names pretty much answered Eijirou's question for him, as Tenya and Bakugo both ordered for the two boys to get back in their seats. As the rest of the listing went by, Nikolay felt practically lighter than air for his father, already wondering what Tunguska had to be thinking when seeing his name on a Hero Chart again.

Finally, once the last of the runner up names had gone by, the broadcast finally focused upon the stage, where a single array of spotlights was set at the center, as the echoing voice of the announcer finally resonated through the entire hall. "Before we officially announce our official selections for the Top Ten Pro Heroes in Japan for the second half of this year, let us all take a moment to remember our fallen protectors that have given their all to protect the public from Villain-kind up to this point. Across Japan, we have lost far too many brave and selfless Heroes in the protection of justice. Not only have we had to suffer the retirement of beloved Heroes like Ragdoll of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, Sir Nighteye and…and All Might, himself; but so too have we had to bid a mortal goodbye to the Heroes that did their best to give us hope and reasons to smile as well, such as the Asteroid Hero, Knightfall; the Sand Hero, Snatch, and our previous holder for the title of Number Nine Hero: the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu. Their losses are a deep and painful loss felt by the people of Japan all over.

"But we must honor the sacrifices they ultimately made when answering the call to Heroics, and not allow ourselves to lose hope now. That is why we must keep our spirits high, and welcome the Heroes that have fought tooth and nail; given blood, sweat and tears abound in order to protect and contribute to our society, and keep our homes safe for us and the generations to come, including the aspiring young Heroes that will ultimately learn from them and take up their mantles in kind. And so, let the honorary naming of our new official Top Ten Heroes of Japan commence with our new Number Ten: the Lightning Hero, Livewire!"

Stepping at last onto the stage and humbly waving in greeting to the applauding crowd, was a middle-aged man in a Hero costume that comprised of a yellow and silver body suit, with his ankles and forearms strapped in what almost looked like miniature cylindrical generators; his facial features narrow yet pointed, with piercing orange eyes underneath a tinted single-pane pair of sunglasses, and a head of long glowing blonde hair that extended straight out from the back of his head in a jagged shape of a lightning bolt.

As the new Number Ten Hero stoo proudly on TV; Denki suddenly felt a light nudging on his arm from a slyly grinning Minoru; the tiny boy muttering: "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you getting up those ranks after all, Kaminari. Electricity is such a basic Quirk when you really think about it, after all. You gotta figure out a way to really stand out that much more, huh?"

While Denki instinctively began grinding his knuckles against Minoru's scalp in retaliation; the announcer on TV had continued: "And now, our new Number Nine Hero: one who fell down a rank from last time; quite an unprecedented turn of events: the Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha!"

Just as soon as Livewire had left the stage; there now stood a towering hulk of an old man with a white beard, dressed in a heavily armored getup that made him resemble an old school samurai.

Once the new Number Nine Hero departed from the stage, he was replaced now by a Hero that could only be described as a washing machine with arms, legs, and a pair of large and intense-looking eyes peeking out from within its opened lid, speaking out in what sounded like gibberish at the same time as the announcer carried on: "Number Eight: you know him from all those popular 'Clean 'n' Shiny' commercials; a Pro Hero with one of the highest approval ratings from children; the Laundry Hero: Wash!"

Nikolay could only assume nobody else could understand what Wash was saying on stage any more than he could; but it ultimately didn't matter, for the ceremony was continuing on with haste once the Laundry Hero had taken his leave.

"Number Seven: it's a great leap forward for this up-and-comer: Kamui Woods!" And just like that, Nikolay and his friends found themselves looking upon a much more familiar face, dating back to their watching the unfolding of the Kamino Ward incident: a young Hero in a dark blue body suit, adorned with a helmet, mask, gloves, boots, knee and elbow pads and shoulder straps all made of wood.

As he simply waved to the crowd and bluntly stated his feeling of honor at receiving such a high ranking, the broadcast suddenly switched over to yet another familiar face from what had to be somewhere else in the building: that of a young woman with long platinum blonde hair and orange eyes, with a large pair of dark purple horns affixed to the top of her head, a purple eye mask, and a skintight suit of cream and purple; yet another unmistakable face from the same incident.

"We have with us here today, the highly esteemed #23 Hero, Mt. Lady in attendance with us today as well; undoubtedly to send well wishes and support to her professional partner, Kamui Woods. Mt. Lady-san, can you please tell us, how does it feel to see your teammate rise so high up in the national Hero Billboard Chart in such little time?"

With a humble smile and an air of similar humility, the female Hero simply answered: "Naturally, it's an honor to see him obtain such success so soon into our career. I'm just as honored to work alongside him as often as I do."

With no hesitation once she'd answered, another reporter suddenly blurted out: "Is it also true that the two of you have often been seen socializing together in public in your off-time? Quite a rare sight between working Pro Hero partners, wouldn't you say?"

And with an exercise in composure and grace that would have made any interviewed professional proud, Mt. Lady simply answered: "No comment."

However, as that air of calm, cool and collectedness quickly vanished when she began complaining of her own lack of rank ascension like a child; Tooru had taken to suddenly ask: "Do you think it's ever happened that Heroes who are in a known relationship have ended up on the charts together; maybe even as a team?"

Surprisingly, nobody had an immediate answer; not even Izuku. But that didn't stop Mina from quickly answering as she rested her head on Nikolay's shoulder with another teasing smile: "If not, then that might change before too long; maybe not even by us…though that'd be pretty cool if we broke the mold, right, Kolya-kun?"

Nikolay's smile in response was as encouraging as could be for her, as he was still trying to stay as focused on the rest of the announcements as he could; just in time for the announcer to continue: "Number Six: rock steady as ever, this orthodox Hero has managed to maintain his rank from the last event; the Shield Hero: Crust!"

Now standing upon the stage was an especially powerful-looking middle-aged man with greased back black hair with a streak of grey running down the center. He was wearing a black and grey eye mask, a dark green cape and a suit of armor that looked especially Greek by design, and with patches of what looked like stone hexagons lining the back of his fists as they shook; the Hero himself visibly crying with overwhelming emotion.

But Crust was quick to graciously take his leave, and with no hesitation, the announcer went on: "Number Five: this unyielding bunny was bumped up in the rankings! The Rabbit Hero: Mirko!"

Bounding onto the stage now was an especially strong-looking young woman with very long white hair and a matching pair of rabbit ears and little white cotton tail; her skin a darker tan color that easily contrasted with her fiery red eyes and single elongated eyelashes. Her Hero costume consisted of a sleeveless white leotard with a dark purple trim around her shoulders and waist, a wide yellow crescent moon symbol upon her sizable chest (an observation Minoru couldn't not comment on if he'd tried), a single metal plate wrapped around her midriff, dark purple thigh-high boots with yet more metal plates around the toes and heels of them, which ultimately gave her feet even more of a rabbit look; and lastly her hands were adorned with thick white gloves with long cuffs that ended in triangular-looking edges.

She had an intimidating but confident smirk on her face that perfectly matched the powerful stride she walked onto the stage with, as well as her figure; which on top of the large chest her costume very clearly emphasized, also boasted a pair of visibly muscular arms and powerful-looking legs, and upon looking closer, the students could even make out that she had visible abs underneath her leotard. And yet, even this extensive muscular build of Mirko's didn't diminish the extremely curvaceous shape she had altogether. She was clearly a Hero who was just as terrifyingly strong as she could potentially be at the top tier when it came to beauty and sex appeal.

And as the Rabbit Hero stood on the stage with the most self-assured and confident smirk one could possibly have in such a moment, she bluntly stated with no hesitation: "Joining teams is for weaklings only!"

This statement was the last thing any of the students had expected to hear, and as Nikolay instinctively looked to see if Mina had been as put off by it as he was, he was stricken by the glimmer of inspiration that was now visible in her black-gold eyes. "Mina…that doesn't sound like the right kind of attitude to you, does it?"

Mina was already shaking her head, but that light in her eyes, and the smile beginning to pull on the corners of her mouth remained. "No, but you can't say she doesn't look super cool up there, right? I mean, she looks so strong, so confident! She says that, but maybe she just hasn't found the right kind of Hero to team up with…yet."

And it was that last word, together with her smile and all-too familiar energy, that made it all click together in Nikolay and the others' head. "Are you saying you would actually want to intern under Mirko, Mina-chan?"

As soon as Ochako asked, the pink young girl was already nodding in excitement. "Heck yeah, I am! Maybe I could be the student she needs, to know teams are just plain awesome no matter what! Plus, I'd love to be able to look that strong once I'm a Pro, y'know?"

Already, many of the students were sharing both their shares of optimism in the idea, and skepticism in equal doses, with many of them simply unsure if pursuing an internship with such a highly ranked Hero was possible for her; with Fumikage crediting his landing an internship with the Number Three Hero, Hawks, as plain and simple luck.

And amid all of it; to see and hear how motivated Mina was in this new internship goal of hers, had left Nikolay visibly pensive and at a loss for immediate words.

By now, Mirko had already proudly raced off the stage, and was just as quickly replaced at the announcer's next call: "Number Four: the mysterious shinobi whose incident resolution rate and public approval ratings are simply continuing to skyrocket; the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot!"

As the crimson-bedecked and spiky silver-haired ninja-masked Hero made his appearance onto the stage from literal thin air with the use of his Quirk, the announcer finally gave voice to the same observation many of the students and other viewers had by now come to: "It seems that any Hero involved with the Kamino Ward incident has seen his or her fortunes rise; especially with the rising ranks of Mt. Lady and Gran Torino, as well as the official appearance of Russia's former Number One Hero, Tunguska, upon the entirety of the Japan Hero Billboard Charts to further prove this development! Which brings us to the next Hero! Still at Number Three: even though he's been taking time off as of recently! With a higher public approval rating than anyone, it's the Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist! We eagerly await his return to the field and wish him the very best!"

Over that announcement for the absent Number Three Hero; Nikolay was once again simply stricken with a shuddering sensation of pride for his father, now having his own suspicion for his quick ascent in the overall ranks confirmed, as well as for simply hearing his name be acknowledged out loud in such a widely-viewed ceremony as this. And once this train of thought had come and gone, his gaze once more returned to the TV, just in time to see the next Hero take the stage: a young adult man with a scruffy short beard upon his chin and a dark-tinted visor over his frankly bored-looking eyes, with messy short dark blonde hair that perfectly matched the tan pilot's jacket and pants he wore; topped with black gloves and boots, with an undershirt that was primarily black, with gold-colored inlays that emanated from a diamond-shaped crest on his chest, with his waist lined with a utility belt that had two embossed capital Latin 'H' letters at the center.

But by far the most standout feature were the large pair of crimson red wings that stretched outward and around him from his back; a display that left Nikolay silent with both awe and the faintest sense of painful nostalgia, while the announcer finally broke the air: "Number Two: He does things his way, but always fiercely! With unstoppable momentum, he's made it to second place: the Wing Hero: Hawks!"

While Nikolay and everyone else were already congratulating a clearly proud-looking Fumikage for his former mentor's ascension in the ranks; if they had all looked much closer, they all would have seen just how clearly there was an inflection in the Wing Hero's face that gave off the impression he would have preferred to be anywhere else but here. As such, his departure from the stage with nary even a word was swift, and as a result, so too was the announcer's penultimate declaration:

"And finally! This guy's been on top for a little while now, due to All Might's retirement! But today, it is finally official! He's waited and struggled for a very long time to claim the throne and become…NUMBER ONE: THE FLAME HERO: ENDEAVOR!"

Finally, blazing upon the stage like a freshly fallen shooting star or a miniature sun, was none other than the man himself, now officially confirmed the new living legend: Endeavor, with his eyes focusing intensely ahead amid the flames masking much of his face as he stood before his now rapturous public in a brand new Hero costume of a similar dark blue suit with white inlays across his broad chest, large white shoulder plates and bracers with vent openings to aid the spread and control of his flames, and fingerless gloves with small vented metal plates upon the backs.

Such a symbol of pure unfiltered strength on that stage was nothing short of foundation-shaking for the students looking upon him; yet all the same, they were all quick to finally congratulate Shoto among them for his father's once-impossible accomplishment finally having been reached. In particular, Eijirou was especially bold in his declaration: "Looks like we've got TWO sons of super-manly Number One Heroes in our class now! I feel like I can't even look at you two right now!"

But despite how shaken Shoto was in his core at the reality of what was happening; he continued to simply observe his father's demeanor on that stage with an almost frigid cold air of apathy that made it impossible for any of his peers to tell if he was as excited as they were or not.

With the official Top Ten Heroes of Japan having officially been named, they all now stood side-by-side at the back of the stage, just as a single older woman with slicked back pale blonde hair and pale blue eyes, wearing a strict business-like suit with an expression to match, took her place at the podium.

"I understand many of you are still curious as to why we decided to change the format of the Japan Hero Billboard Chart announcement so suddenly. Well, I am here to tell you all now, that we decided to hold this elaborate presentation of our new Top Ten Pro Heroes, because deep down, we all know what a critical juncture in time this now is. It's been around three months since All Might's retirement, and word on the street is that our society is still missing an icon we can rally behind; one that can inspire hope and peace like he did. But the Heroes all standing before you now are ready to take on that mantle. So let us all join them in their quest for a truly peaceful society."

As this sharp-dressed woman addressed the crowds; behind her back, Hawks was nonchalantly popping the stiff joints in his neck, before casting a prying sideways glance at the stoic Endeavor at his side. Finally, with a snide smirk, he muttered just enough for the new Number One Hero to hear: "So, how's it feel to finally be at the top?"

As Endeavor cast a disapproving glare right back at the Number Two Hero that would have terrified any other person into trembling silence; their distinguished host suddenly stepped away from the podium, extending an encouraging arm their way. "And now, let us hear some words from our brave Heroes!"

When Livewire was the first to accept the invite, he almost looked as though he considered himself completely out of his depth in front of all these people and peers before him. But, with a white-knuckled grip upon the podium, he threw his head up so he could meet their gazes head on. "Thank you all for this honor! We've all fought and bled to try and keep our cities and the people that live in them safe…and that struggle will only continue to intensify in the days ahead! But I'm not going to allow those odds to scare me away from my part in upholding our sworn duties as Pro Heroes! I won't make any of you regret having brought me to this level!"

With the applause that followed serving as a good sign for the rest of the event to come, it was now Yoroi Musha's turn, and as the samurai-looking Hero took his spot, there was an unmistakable trembling of emotion racking his aged body, before his noble-sounding voice finally echoed out: "If I could trade places with the previous holder of this distinguished Number Nine ranking, Ryukyu-san, I would gladly do so. But such a thing is sadly impossible…but do not take this as my way of saying I'm giving up. Ryukyu-san never gave up; she embodied all of the core values that we as Heroes hold dear: kindness, strength, and bravery in the face of evil. She lived…and died, for the sake of the innocent…and I make a solemn oath here today, that I will do everything in my power to uphold those same values and protect the people of this land enough for the both of us and more!"

As the crowd applauded Yoroi Musha in his departure from the podium, and Wash proceeded to follow; in the 1-A dorms commons area, his speech and tribute to Ryukyu had Ochako and Tsuyu both visibly and audibly choking back their tears; not just those of renewed sadness, but even more so of motivation and inspiration. He had been absolutely right, and both girls and their classmates could feel the similar fire within their chests, to do everything they could to similarly honor Ryukyu's memory and dedication to the responsibilities of Heroes.

In the time that passed as Mirko listened to her ranking predecessors give their own respective words of encouragement to the crowd until she could finally have her turn; she could feel the faintest humming at multiple back-to-back points from within a well-hidden pocket of her costume. This left her giving but only the faintest of annoyed grimaces that she was very quick and skilled to hide before the cameras could even notice; all the while thinking to herself: 'Can't that idiot wait two lousy minutes before he starts bombarding me with congrats?'

But the moment it was finally her turn, the bold grin on her face perfectly hid that annoyance, as she all but slammed her feet down onto the stage in an excited jump, pointing one defiant finger out to the horizon and one confident thumb back into her chest. "TO ALL YOU SCHEMERS AND PLOTTERS OUT THERE, I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR ME TO KICK YOUR BUTTS!"

And all the while as these Heroes all gave their speeches, none of them ever even noticed, or simply chose to ignore, the increasing expression of boredom and exasperation on Hawks' face with each one.

As Mirko took her place back in the line, and Edgeshot proceeded to follow up with a far more humble speech of working for the sake of preserving law and order instead of seeking fame; the Wing Hero suddenly spoke up before his Number Four peer could even finish: "Who the heck do you think wants to hear all that crap?"

Like magic, all the energy in the air across the convention hall had vanished, and all had gone silent; all eyes now fixated in confusion and shock at Hawks for speaking out so suddenly and abrasively; a display that admittedly earned him an approving smirk out of Mirko alone. "Ooh, sassy! I like it! You always were one to rock the boat, weren't ya?"

"Ah, I just don't like filtering how I feel." As he gave this answer as an aside, the Wing Hero quickly took the microphone from a nearby speechless announcer; finally proceeding to step up to the forefront with that same apathetic boredom in his eyes; perfectly mirroring his languid posture and body language. "Don't take this as some kind of declaration of breaking from the fold, people! I just couldn't take listening to the same melodramatic altruistic nonsense anymore! You all want to talk about public approval? Let's face the facts here: Best Jeanist would be the Number One Hero if that was all that mattered, thanks to that boost he's gotten as a result of his absence! By that same token, I'd be second, Edgeshot would be third, Endeavor would be fourth, and so on and so on."

Hawks was in full swing by this point; never even paying mind to the smoldering and disapproving glares he was getting from those very same Heroes behind his back; instead focusing on how his words were sinking into the heads and hearts of the public before him. "Public approval? Sure, it means a lot more now than it ever did before; but come on! We all know deep down inside that this isn't the time to be dwelling on the past! Our Symbol of Peace that we've had to rely on for years on end is suddenly gone, and you're all saying that staying the course we lived under when he was around is the answer?"

Without warning, his crimson wings suddenly began to flap in broad and mighty strokes, lifting Hawks' body into the air, and drawing all eyes in the building to him in turn. "All Might is gone, and the era of peace he gave us is gone with him. It's a painful fact, but it's a fact all the same, and we need to accept it and the changes that come with it; change ourselves in kind in order to survive it, to help everyone survive it! The announcers even said it themselves: today is a turning point, so what I don't wanna hear is a bunch of the same All Might-esque platitudes and PR-friendly sound bites from the guys and gals ranked below me! All that's going to do is drain what confidence the people have in us to be able to adapt to the ever-changing playing field between us and all the Villains out there! Why don't you all try actually coming up with something TRULY Heroic to say to these people?!"

As the convention hall could be heard growing with the buzz of countless side chatter among the audience as Hawks hovered high overhead; the dorm commons area was likewise shaken by the gravity of what he had just said with such boldness in a time that had just been said to be for putting the public's minds at ease.

"Damn, Tokoyami, you never stopped to tell us what an edgelord Hawks is! No wonder he picked you for his intern!" Denki ultimately broke the silence while approvingly nudging Fumikage in the arm; his crow-headed classmate currently bowing his head in respect for his former mentor's courage in speaking what had to be on the minds of countless others who were simply hesitant to do so, themselves.

"I can't truly say that Hawks is wrong, but he should at least exercise more tact with the people in sensitive times like this." Tenya otherwise stated, especially after seeing the conflicted looks on many of his classmates' faces.

Finally, thinking it all over, Nikolay looked to Izuku. "If this Hawks was already so high on the charts before, then you surely must know a lot about him, Midoriya-san. Where the heck did he come from?"

Izuku, meanwhile, never took his eyes off the screen as he immediately answered: "I don't know the literal answer to that…but there's definitely very good reason why Hawks is as high up as he is. He's only 22 now, but he managed to break into the Top Three during the first rankings of last year, after already breaking a record as the youngest Pro Hero to start his own Agency at just 18, and then making it into the Top Ten within six months of that. He's the very first Pro Hero to make it into the Top Ten in Japan as a teenager. When it comes to speed, in both his Heroics and his progress, I'm willing to say he might just be incomparable to anyone else here."

From up on high, Hawks couldn't necessarily make out the specifics of what everyone in the crowd was starting to say in response to his incredibly bold words…but the fact he was getting people talking was good enough for him, as with a sly smirk on his stubble-lined face, he finally descended back down to the stage before unceremoniously handing his microphone to the still silently-simmering Endeavor. "Well, that's all from me. You're next, big shot who's still lower ranked than me, Mr. New Number One."

With the microphone now in hand, Endeavor's steps to the head of the stage felt as though they carried all the weight in the world; his burning eyes looking upon the countless expectant stares of the countless others now standing in shaken silence, all clearly chomping at the bit to see just what on earth he could possibly say to upstage Hawks' outrageous declaration.

With his grip on the microphone tightening, the Flame Hero quickly found himself replaying the ultimately wise words of All Might in the back of his head, back when they had first run into each other during Shoto's Remedial Training, and he had truly been in need of a direction to pursue in his new role. Now, when they had once seemed mocking or just plain meaningless, he could finally start to feel a connection to what the Symbol of Peace had said then: "What purpose does our strength serve? The answer is really a simple one."

It hadn't been the advice Endeavor had been seeking, but he could now start to see because it wasn't a universal answer, but one he needed to figure out on his own. And even now, he couldn't say he'd found it…but he was on the first step towards it, and that was the most important step of all. And he felt this resolution settle within his entire being as he clenched his free hand into a determined and fiery fist.

"After my junior colleague fanned the flames like that, I don't have much to say…except…JUST WATCH ME!"

And as though a bomb had just been dropped, all of the uncertainty and expectation in the air of the convention hall had vanished, and Endeavor resolutely towered over the crowd, as they and all the other Heroes in attendance could only let the heart and soul he had put into that one simple statement weigh down on them, mouths agape in speechless shock…soon followed by deafening applause, including from a genuinely smiling Hawks behind him.

With the students themselves having been all but literally flattened by the conviction in Endeavor's official first words as the new Number One Hero, the second Japan Hero Billboard Chart announcement had officially come to a close. With that, and after having taken a moment to let everyone catch their breath, Tenya and Momo once again were quick to start motioning their classmates to turn in for the night in preparation for their free day tomorrow.

Everyone began to once more wish each other good night, after many of them likewise took the chance to once more congratulate a silent and passive Shoto on his father's success once again; including a particularly thoughtful-looking Nikolay. "I guess we might end up having more than a few things in common before too long, Todoroki-san. I hope you don't hesitate to talk to me if you ever want to, about whatever might happen."

While Shoto didn't give an immediate answer; the momentary pause in his stride to the boys' wing was at least a sign of something, and Nikolay was happy to accept that much. With that, he then hurriedly turned to find Mina already on her way to the entrance to the girls' wing. "Hey, Mina, can you wait a second?"

The swiftness with which Mina stopped and turned around on her heels with a smile made it clear that she was just waiting to hear his voice again. "Man, I thought you'd lost your voice for a little while there, you'd gotten so quiet, Kolya-kun! Had me starting to worry with how serious you were looking. Anyway, what's up?"

Looking her in the eyes, Nikolay struggled to try and stand up straight, but even as his face turned darker and darker red, he had to physically fight his natural nervous stuttering. "Right, I just didn't want to risk missing anything anyone said up there. Anyway, since tomorrow's a free day, I was just wondering if maybe…I mean, if you're not already busy with other plans, if maybe you'd wanna go out with me tomorrow…assuming Aizawa-sensei and Nezu-sensei say yes, of course. It just feels like we haven't actually gotten to officially do that since…well, since Hokkaido, you know?"

Mina's instinctive reaction to practically throw her arms around Nikolay, nuzzle her face into his neck and pepper his face with countless joyous kisses, managed to even outpace the widening of her eyes and ecstatic smile. "Oh, Kolya-kun, of course I do! I was just waiting for something like this ever since we got back! You've gotten so brave and sure of yourself, I swear I could start crying! Oh, our first official couples date, this is gonna be so awesome!"

Of course, even ignoring the staring eyes of some of their classmates with emotions all across the board; to be holding each other and exchanging numerous kisses like this could only naturally start bringing back rushing memories of that incredibly flustering evening on Nikolay's birthday; which managed to snap the two back to immediate attention, and swiftly release each other; their faces both utterly flushed red as they hurriedly wished each other good night, 'I love you,' and assured wishes of looking forward to whatever on earth tomorrow was going to hold for them, before both racing up to their respective rooms past the watchful eyes and knowing smiles of their friends along the way.

In the Yuuei faculty dorms, Oleg had long since received an invite from Toshinori to join him for tea in his own room; both men already having heard of and subsequently prepared for the second Hero Billboard Chart announcement for the year. To say they were excited wasn't exactly right, but neither were they apathetic. After all, with All Might no longer being the Number One Hero, it had changed the playing field for the Heroes the people had to count on the most tremendously.

And after Toshinori had gladly congratulated Oleg upon finding his name so far on the listing already; they had both ended up watching the announcing of the Top Ten with anxious eyes and bated breath, neither willing to voice their feelings too early when Hawks had given his impromptu speech.

And by the end, with Endeavor simply telling his peers and the people of Japan to simply watch him in action from this day forward; both men had let out a deeply shaken breath they had long since forgotten they were even holding in.

At first, Oleg could only watch as Toshinori took a deep and pensive sip of his tea; his already sunken eyes somehow coming across as more tense than usual, especially when he could see the blonde-haired man's hand just barely shaking. "A yen for your thoughts, my friend?"

Chuckling briefly at the attempt at levity, Toshinori's gaze remained fixated forward, to something only he could truly envision. "I'm just trying to paint a picture for myself of just what the whole of Hero society here is going to look like without their Symbol of Peace to look up to anymore. We've both seen Endeavor-san in action, myself more than once. We've seen many of those Top Ten Heroes in action by now, and we both know just how skilled, capable, and most importantly dedicated they are to their jobs. But that doesn't make it any easier for me.

"All Might brought about a period of peace that many of these people hadn't been able to experience for so long before…and now that he's gone, that peace will soon disappear with him, just like Hawks-san said; and Villains will catch wind of that very soon and try to fill the power vacuum that my retirement has now left. People are going to get hurt…people are going to get killed, Heroes and civilians alike…and if they want to try and keep civilian casualties to an absolute minimum, there will be a good number of Heroes willing to consider crossing that fatal line in the course of the fights to come. The whole of Hero society is ultimately going to be forced to adapt to the times, for better and for worse. *sigh* I guess I'd been holding that realization in for so long…and it only chose now to really sink in."

Oleg thoughtfully watched this grim consideration reflect in Toshinori's thin face; before, without a word, he proceeded to reach down into the small bag he had brought along with him, producing and planting a single medium-sized bottle of vodka (which still looked humorously small in his large hands), which earned him a look of slight surprise from his friend. "It's an understandable worry to have, Toshinori-san, and not the kind of worry that can be dealt with by tea. At least have just one."

With a resigned sigh and a thankful slight smile, Toshinori accepted Oleg's offer, taking a single drink and coughing heavily from how strong it tasted immediately after, while the large Russian leaned back in his own seat; looking distantly up at the ceiling as he thought back. "Honestly, I thought a lot of the same when I'd first forced myself into hiding after the Siberian Flash. I was certain that whatever Villains were still out there; imprisoned or not; or whatever new ones would come to light, would start wreaking havoc with the New Bogatyrs gone, and that the young Heroes still in education would be forced to cross lines they never should have had to in order to try and keep things afloat. Of course, now we know I was worrying over the wrong outcome. But this…even if the mortal wages weren't nearly as high, this is indeed something that people and our students are going to be feeling the effects of for a very long time."

As Toshinori proceeded to slide the bottle back to Oleg so that he could have a drink as well, he clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on the table as he continued to think. "Hawks-san was right; the times are changing, and one way or another, Heroes need to change with them in order to protect the public most effectively, and help them and those students out there to adjust to the change as well…and honestly, I think Endeavor-san may be the best Hero for the job of helping reflect that change. His attitude aside, there's no questioning that his heart is in the right place in the end…so he may just be able to make the title of Number One Hero entirely his own when the time is right."

Taking a swig of his own, Oleg couldn't help but smile thoughtfully in response to Toshinori's confidence in their newly promoted colleague. No matter how sure they felt about the difficulties ahead; there was ultimately no knowing for certain just what the future without All Might was going to look like until the day came when Izuku, Nikolay and their classmates would graduate. As such, the best they could do was to be cautiously…very cautiously optimistic.

As soon as the ceremony had been announced over, Mirko had wasted no time mingling with her fellow Top Ten rankers, and instead had made an impatient rush for her assigned dressing room in the back like everyone else had gotten. The moment she knew she was finally alone, she finally got her cellphone out and rolled her eyes at the frankly obscene amount of English text messages filling her inbox.

Rather than waste her time scrolling through every one, she instead hit the auto-dial for the number she knew they were all coming from, and before the first ring could even finish, she could hear the other end getting picked up, and didn't even hesitate to stop the person on the other end from answering; instead snapping at them in surprisingly good English: "Dammit, Jack, would it kill you to wait until the show's over before you start blowing up my phone like that? Not only is it annoying at the best of times, but it makes you look desperate."

The first thing the Rabbit Hero was answered with was a hearty laugh, before she was finally met with the sound of a young adult man's heavy Australian-accented voice, carrying a fine tinge of all-around calm with it: "Ah, don't get all bent outta shape, love. Ya really think I'm not gonna ring my favorite sheila and give her congrats for reachin' the Five spot? Not even in yer dreams. And don't think I didn't catch that little flinch in yer face on the telly when I did…or how yer hands were fidgetin' to pick up. Might wanna rethink who's the real desperate one here. But in all seriousness, you did a real ace job, making it that high all on yer own, you beauty! Yer oldies must be feelin' right proud of ya right now, too!"

This Jack person on the other end already started laughing before Mirko could even think of answering, as though he could just instinctively tell she was rolling her eyes with an annoyed sneer on her face while he got it out of his system. "Look, if you're just gonna laugh, then hang up already, instead of making my ears bleed with that outback gibberish of yours! Besides, you're the one supposed to be keeping that inhospitable dirt clod of a country safe right now, aren't you?"

Finally, the laughter came to an end, but she could still hear how Jack was trying to catch his breath as he spoke: "Oi, oi, pump yer brakes there; no need to start acting all agro; I know you miss it here! Besides, for once, things have been real bloody quiet like. Good thing for me, too; I got half a mind to call in a sickie, make a blidger of myself and kick back with a coldie after the fight with the blokes I just had; buncha bogans with all these different Spider Quirks decided to try and ravel up a whole town up on the Top End. Had a real bonza time with that one, but I know you'd have made it even more fun for me. That Hawks bloke made a good point that things are gonna get right nasty up there without All Might around...but for a little while at least, he may be wrong. Maybe if things keep goin' so smoothly, I might be able to hop on a sky gator, head over there, meet ya with a pash or two. God knows I've been needin' it; you too, probably, with all the yakka you been puttin' in to get up so high so soon."

As wall-to-wall as Jack's use of his people's slang was, and as borderline incomprehensible as it was to Mirko's ears, she at least could still understand what he meant, hence why her annoyance ultimately turned into the arrogant bemused smirk that these calls always left her with, as she finally answered: "You got that damn right, but don't go letting yourself fall by the wayside waiting for the chance, pal! I got some serious rank climbing of my own to do before then. Now stop flapping your gums and do your thing out there."

With that and a defining click, Mirko finally hung up on him, and with a confident deep breath, she finally made her way out, ready to race out into the open and get to work like she'd had a whole second shot of pure adrenaline injected into her veins, smirking from ear to ear. So much so, that as she passed the door labeled for Endeavor, she didn't even take note of the glow emanating from behind it, or the growth in heat that came with it.

For inside, the Flame Hero had demanded for Hawks to meet him in here once the ceremony had ended, and the moment he had shown up, he'd immediately found himself getting yanked up off his feet by the collar of his jacket, which was now already starting to sizzle in Endeavor's furious fiery grip.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF, KID!" Endeavor's fury was nothing short of terrifying up close like this, but Hawks was hardly the kind of Hero to ever show fear to anyone, as he still had the same laid back smile on his face; leaving his colleague looking at him as though he were being mocked.

"Yikes! Sorry for putting you on the spot like that back there! Everyone was just rattling off all the same lines we'd heard over and over again when All Might was on top, so I thought it'd just help to shake things up a bit." The moment he'd explained this, he finally felt his feet meet the floor again, as Endeavor let him go at last.

But his fiery face still showed nothing but coldness and anger as he stared the young Pro down. "So…you were just looking to test me, is that it? Wanted to see if I could embody the same presence as him by even a fraction?"

With his hands raised up in a playful show of surrender, Hawks answered: "Not at all, man! I was just…think of it more like I was assisting you. I mean, it did the trick for those people out there, didn't it? I left them all feeling scared, and there you were to help put their fears to rest. What better impression could the new Number One Hero possibly make?"

Endeavor's flames were finally starting to visibly lower, but that wasn't the end that Hawks was looking for; his casual demeanor suddenly switching as he finally removed his visor. "To tell you the truth, I was never a big fan of All Might at all. I never wanted to be like him; unlike so many other Heroes out there. But even so, him stepping down like that was just as shocking for me.

"I'm no fool; I know you'll never be idolized the same way he was. See; that's the difference between you and Heroes like All Might or that out-of-nowhere dug-up fossil, Tunguska; they serve better as icons, and that's the last thing Heroes and people need right now. What we need right now, undeniably, is a new leader…and that display, that impression that you made out there was a real reassurance for me…so thank you for that. You were really damn cool."

If Endeavor was having any kind of immediate reaction to what Hawks was saying; then the Wing Hero had to admit he was impressed, because the colossal fire-covered man was not showing any of it. Truth be told, the new Number One's mind was simply racing at the utterly frustrating enigma his new peer was. 'This punk…is he mocking me? Or is he actually being serious?'

Of course, there was but one way that Endeavor could be able to determine that for himself: the one question that any sensible Pro Hero in this day and age would have to answer honestly: "And you're telling me you've never desired the Number One spot for yourself?"

Hawks' laughter was sudden and uproarious, leaving him blind to the piercing and angered glare Endeavor was all-but literally burning into his back. "Do I seriously look like the type to you? To tell you the truth, I would prefer to be even lower in the ranks; there's way more personal freedom down there. Somewhere between the 20th or 30th places would suit me just fine."

With a spiteful grunt, Endeavor was already heading straight for the door. "I despise immature folks like you the most. All this talk of leaving good impressions; the one thing you haven't left me with. You're a complete disgrace to the job. We're done here. Go make your rounds and apologize to all the others for your immaturity before you even think of leaving."

Hawks was already reapplying his visor as he ran out the rest of his laughter, finally reaching out for his departing senior: "Hey, hold on a second! I was just getting to the really good part!"

"I DON'T CARE! GO AWAY!" Finally, Hawks' persistence had gotten on Endeavor's last nerve. The sooner he could leave this place and really get to work with his new official title, the better.

But standing unperturbed, Hawks spoke out loud and clear with that same persistent grin: "I'm thinking you and I should team up. Back in my neck of the woods, there have been some very concerning sightings recently."

Still, Endeavor did not stop…and neither did he.

"I'M TALKING ABOUT THOSE NOMU THINGS. REMEMBER THEM?"

At last, even amid the raging flames, Hawks could see that Endeavor had gone still; slowly turning his head back to look the Number Two Hero in the eyes, as though trying to measure every detail of his body language to make sure he wasn't lying.

And that reaction told Hawks everything he possibly needed, as his smile turned into another satisfied smirk. "Yeah…you definitely remember them."

In a heartbeat, Endeavor was right in Hawks' face; his eyes reflecting pure focus and restrained fighting will, while still managing to keep his flames under control. "Explain. NOW."

With a bemused snicker, Hawks suddenly stepped around Endeavor's sizable frame, all but beckoning the Number One Hero to come with him. "Why don't you come meet me at my official stomping grounds first thing in the morning? You've still got a first days' impression to make for a lot more people until then…and we'll have plenty to discuss once you show up."

Before Endeavor could say any more, Hawks launched himself high up into the air with a single flap of his crimson wings once he was back outside; all but disappearing from sight once Endeavor had hurried after him; leaving the Flame Hero simmering with rage and concern altogether. If Hawks was indeed telling the truth…then incredible danger was truly wasting no time rearing its ugly head now that he'd officially been named as All Might's successor.

And there is this week's chapter for all of you, everyone. I know not a whole lot was changed from how they played out in the manga, but like I said: this chapter is to serve the purpose of laying out some seeds for future developments that will provide considerable changes to the way things play out as we know them already. I'm very excited to ultimately bring that to life, and I can only hope it will be satisfying for all of you when it finally comes.

I hope I didn't unintentionally insult any Australian readers out there with the dialogue from the Jack character. The only thing I was requested by my beta reader whom he belongs to as of now, was to try and utilize Australian slang where I could, and since I'm not Australian and know nobody from Australia, I had to make do with what resources or common slang listings I could find. If anybody out there that reads this story is from that region, maybe you'd be kind enough to give me some pointers as to how Australians realistically speak in terms of slang.

Anyway, with that all being said, I hope you all enjoyed what you read here today, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 02/11!