Hello everyone, and welcome to the final chapter covering the events of the second MHA movie: Heroes: Rising! I can only assume you all enjoyed the final battle last week, as now is a chance for us and our Heroes to finally exhale and prepare ourselves for what more is to come.
But with that being said, this is as good a chance as ever for me to give you all at last, a concrete idea of what plans for the future of this story are going to be, going forward.
Considering I'm going to now be covering the manga's spin-offs, which in the case of most of the School Briefs stories, unfortunately means backtracking through the timeline of continuity I've already long since passed, which necessitates publishing those as their own one-shots; I've decided I'm going to need to necessitate the occasional week-long break in chapter uploading here and there in order to make enough time for planning and writing those, so they can be uploaded on Saturdays in place of a normal chapter here; while the Team-Up Missions are going to be uploaded here as their own story arc in order to keep things a little simpler.
So to give you all an idea of what to expect for the near future, here's the schedule I have planned:
1. After this chapter, I'm taking a week break to finish planning out the first, second, and hopefully even third of the School Briefs one-shots, so I can then have the first one written up and uploaded on its own on the following week, on 06/10!
2. Afterward, I'll have also started writing out the Endeavor Agency Arc at the same time, so the chapters for that whole arc will then be uploaded at the regular weekly schedule, where I can then start planning out the rest of the School Briefs stories, save for the last one, which will be included here, as it'll take place further up the timeline than where we currently are.
3. After the Endeavor Agency Arc is uploaded in its entirety, I will take another week off to plan and write out this story's version of the third MHA movie: World Heroes' Mission. I will then upload the next couple School Briefs one-shots the following week, afterwards the third movie chapters will be uploaded in the following weeks, followed by another week break for further future planning, followed by the uploading of the last couple past School Briefs stories, then followed by the uploading of the chapters making up the Team-Up Missions Arc. There's simply no way for me to accurately give a date to every single one of those uploads, and for that I apologize.
I'll continue to give you all a clearer idea of just when to expect what as we go along. I just want to make this version of the continuity as complete as I can before we finally reach the point of no return. Either way, I hope you will all enjoy all of this and find it nearly as fulfilling. I'd appreciate some feedback on all of this if at all possible.
Anyway, thank you all for your continued readership; thank you to my three beta readers, consultants and friends: Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; and finally thank you to all the current artists on DA that have helped promote this story and create artwork for it on my profile, 'ubasnaga': Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro and Yumake.
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 129
Inheritors
(Наследники)
"C'mon, Sato-kun, you can do it!" "Yeah, who knows what the others could be up against out there by now!" "I'M TRYING!"
From deep within the caverns of Mt. Shiroyama, all that Rikido, Kouji and Tooru had been able to hear was the nonstop thunderous rumblings from outside. But now, even those bombastic noises had gone completely silent for the last few minutes. There was no telling if that was going to be a good or a bad thing, but the three Heroes couldn't bear the thought of sitting here on the sidelines while their friends were potentially in greater danger than they could handle. Even the numerous civilians they'd been put in charge of protecting never gave any such protest to the them digging their way out of this cave.
But as Rikido burned through the last seconds of his Sugar Rush in order to try and clear the entrance; the single large boulder that stood in their way suddenly began to grumble and groan with movement; movement that had to be coming from the outside, as he hadn't even gotten his hands on it yet.
This fact had the three Heroes already getting into their fighting stances; prepared to face the worst…until the blinding light of the sun came shining through once the boulder started to move aside; a far cry from the deathly-looking storms they had seen by the time the entrance had been buried.
And even that reassuring sight paled to the overwhelming relief they all felt, when they were met by the sight of none other than Tunguska and Aizawa standing in the entrance, both equally relieved to see their students and the civilians in here, visibly unharmed; both of them flanked by multiple men in military uniforms.
As the officers hurried their way inside to start evacuating and tending to the civilians below; the three young Heroes happily greeted their teachers; Tooru practically leaping to hug them both in her joy, only for Aizawa to use his Capturing Cloth to keep her from doing so to him; while Kouji nearly collapsed to his knees in relief that the battle seemed to finally be over. "Aizawa-sensei, Tunguska-sensei, thank goodness you're both here!"
"Thank goodness none of you here are hurt; that's much more important, malenkii Kouda. Now come, let's get you all out of this place." Tunguska extended an open hand, standing aside so the three students could finally see the real dawning of the new day behind him.
As they all finally stepped back out into the open with the flow of civilians; the three of them were stricken by the sight of multiple helicopters and military jets flying across both islands; with multiple parachutes unfurling throughout the air, raining down onto both.
"We received the call of what was happening out here from the Hero Public Safety Commission a few hours ago. With the reports of another Villain going around stealing several Heroes' Quirks over the past several days; obviously getting a warning call from Hawks that the same Villain was here with all of you; it obviously didn't take much convincing to bring Heroes from all over the country here to help. With the shape a lot of you are currently in, you're definitely going to need it."
As Aizawa explained all of this; the three of them looked across the remains of the battlefield. Scattered throughout, they could see the military and multiple Heroes transporting and tending to the visibly injured but recovering Mezo, Mashirao and Kyouka. Seeing the looks of encouragement on their faces when seeing their friends being tended to; Aizawa continued: "They're also tending to Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Kaminari, Mineta, Uraraka, Sero, Kirishima, Asui, Iida and Todoroki as well. We just need to find Bezpalov, Ashido and Tokoyami now."
Naturally, the mention of Nikolay's name, coupled with his unexplainable absence; made Tunguska noticeably tense up. Neither Tooru, Rikido nor Kouji could blame him. This was the single biggest battle the students had ever faced to date without any Pro Hero assistance; so to know his son had gotten involved, but so far had not been found; it was only natural for their Quirk History teacher to be nervous as all get out, despite his attempts to maintain a calm exterior.
And seeing that worry on his face; Rikido answered: "Ashido-san and Tokoyami-san were stationed in one of the caves on the main island as part of a distraction plan Bezpalov-san cooked up to make things a little easier for all of us…but he was stationed here to fight with Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san. If you find them, he surely must be close by."
A deep and shaky sigh from Tunguska was the first thing the three of them heard as he looked a ways towards another end of this smaller island. "We already did…but Kolya wasn't there."
From the inescapably deep void of unconsciousness that he had finally let himself slip away into, Izuku could, at some point, feel the warmth that could only have come from the presence of another actual person. With that warmth son came the burning light of the sun overhead, as he tried to open his eyes so he could see for certain what was happening.
And as his vision began to clear, and his ears could pick up the shrieking of jets flying just overhead; he could soon make out the overwhelming yet comforting sight of Toshinori's head of blonde hair hanging over him; his sunken blue eyes looking down upon the freckled boy with overwhelming concern. "A…All Might…?"
Even just hearing the utter strain that Izuku had to put forward just to be able to speak, was enough for Toshinori to speak up; unable to stop looking over how horrifically injured every single inch of his protégé's body was…just as badly as that of Bakugo; still lying motionless just behind him. The two boys were covered from head to toe in bruises and open lacerations; both their arms nearly rendered black with extensive bruising from how horribly broken every bone inside was. "Midoriya-shonen, sorry I'm late.
"W-what about…Kacchan?" The fact that this was the first thing Izuku could even think of asking, forced Toshinori to smile, regardless how unbearably heavy his heart was feeling now, to see these two boys in such a state. "You always worry about other people first. Bakugo-shonen is beat up, but he's going to be fine, otherwise."
"I'm glad…I made him do something crazy." Even for as weak as Izuku's voice currently was, Toshinori couldn't mistake the choking emotions working their way up his throat; momentarily alerting him as he saw a look of heartbroken acceptance welling up in the boy's eyes. "Bakugo-shonen? W-what exactly happened?"
Even if every muscle in his body was torn and frayed beyond the point of being able to move; that pain couldn't compare to the twisting in Izuku's heart as he began to tremble and bite his lip in an attempt to keep from shedding tears. "All Might…I…I transferred it. I transferred One For All…to Kacchan."
"O-One For All…?" The shock that coursed through Toshinori's body as he heard this was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Had this been coming from anyone else, or even just under any other circumstances, he would've instinctively thought he was just hearing things, or was even being messed with…but there was no mistaking the sincerity of the anguish barely noticeable in Izuku's words.
"I had no…other choice…if we didn't use two One For All's…then we couldn't save the people of the island. We couldn't have defeated the Villain. That's why…I don't regret it." As Izuku expressed all of this from the bottom of his heart; his mind likewise couldn't help but go back to the very beginning; just how much of his life he'd spent wishing and ultimately just dreaming of getting to become the same kind of Hero as All Might.
And knowing now that this dream would be forever impossible for him to obtain from hereon; Izuku's tears finally began to come out. "But…I'm sorry, All Might. Even though you chose me as your successor…even though you said I could become a Hero…but…I wanted to protect everyone, no matter what."
"Midoriya-shonen…" Toshinori muttered; half-wanting to tell the boy currently in his arms that he had nothing in the world to apologize for; having done what he thought was best in order to save everyone, just as a Hero was meant to do. But looking at the sadness in Izuku's eyes; knowing he'd forever lost his one chance at his dream…he simply couldn't do that.
"I'm sorry, All Might…I'm sorry…but…I…"
With the emotional pain paired with his physical damage, Izuku couldn't stay conscious from that point; his final words of apology falling silent as his body went completely slack in the arms of his lifelong idol; Toshinori only being left on his own to take in the weight of just what his successor had been forced to do for the good of everyone.
Placing his hand gently upon Izuku's; Toshinori answered just as deeply from his heart; unsure if Izuku would be able to hear him or not, but knowing it needed to be said, regardless, embracing him close. "Midoriya-shonen, I don't regret giving you One For All one bit…you used it correctly. The hearts of the brave that have been spun together…the power that is the crystallization of that…"
But even the former Symbol of Peace couldn't say anymore than that without feeling himself getting just as choked up; having to accept now that the boy he had chosen as his successor would no longer be able to fulfill the role he'd thought he would.
But then…the strangest thing of all occurred.
Even with his eyes shut tight; Toshinori could soon see a reddish glow breaking through; as well as the strangest warmth growing against his resting hand. This forced him to once more open his eyes and see what was going on…only to look on with widening eyes, as the familiar glowing red marks of One For All began to spread all across Izuku's entire body; shining as brilliantly as they ever had…like they had ceased to do for him after he'd transferred his Quirk to the boy in the first place.
"One For All…" Toshinori uttered breathlessly; instinctively looking back to see if the same thing was perhaps happening to Bakugo's body…only to see nothing; the unconscious young Hero looking just the same as he always did. This inconceivable change in what Toshinori had already been bringing himself to expect, had his mind utterly racing. "I see…before the transfer was completed, because Bakugo-shonen lost consciousness…"
But before he could go even a single word further with that train of thought; his mind steadied; his whole body loosening with an indescribable understanding that only he could conceive, as he finally reached and placed his free hand upon Bakugo's. "No…that's not it. For the one who risked his life to protect, and for the one who risked his life to win…One For All gave them a miracle."
As Toshinori lifted his gaze to the beautiful shining sun above, his eyes soon began to sting with the most emotional of tears, as though he could see it all so clearly for himself, even after having burnt out his final ember. "Master…all the previous Wielders…"
Bowing his head, he looked upon the two boys before him; these two examples of the heart and strength to become the truly greatest new Heroes; and the miracle that had been bestowed unto them in order for their victory to even be possible. And to simply think of it had his tears freely rolling down his face. "…thank you very much."
As Toshinori kept his head bowed down as he let this knowledge really settle within himself; he could soon hear an unmistakable set of footsteps hurriedly approaching him from behind, soon prompting him to look back and see Tunguska rejoining his side; the larger man looking especially distressed as he looked around. "Toshinori-san, are they all right? Were malenkie Midoriya or Bakugo able to tell you anything about Kolya? Malenkii Sato said he was on this island to help them fight, but I've looked everywhere here, and I haven't found him."
RRRRMMMMMMBBBBBLLLLL!
As soon as Toshinori began to open his mouth and express regret at having heard no such thing; the two men began to feel the faintest shaking resonate across the ground beneath them, noticeably growing in intensity and strength with each passing second; and yet with not a single person's earthquake or tsunami alerts on their phones going off.
From high up above; Hawks had been closely surveying the entire scene between the two islands; both taking in the scale of the damage left for the Heroes and emergency services to help repair, and also to try and catch the first sign he could of any civilians or the Hero students that had yet to be picked up. Throughout, he had attempted a couple times to call Fumikage and confirm his status and whereabouts, but he never received even a ringtone, let alone an answer.
But while everyone on the ground level was beginning to feel this growing shaking all across Mt. Shiroyama; the Wing Hero himself was likewise noticing a strange phenomena: the spreading ripples of waves moving outward from the island instead of the natural inward; like the shockwaves of a tremendous impact. And he didn't have to wonder long just where the source of it was coming from, as he could soon spy a growing cloud of dust emanating from the pile of collapsed rubble sitting at the foot of the western mountain of Nabu Island; which itself looked as though an F-5 level tornado had been laid right against it and carved through half of the whole thing.
With his concern for anyone having gotten caught in the middle of the battle that had ensued being here as high as it was possibly going to get; Hawks realized this was as good a clue as he could ask for as to where his former intern might've been, and so proceeded to flap his wings and dive down to it.
And back at Mt. Shiroyama; Tunguska and all the rest of the Heroes and soldiers had looked to see the same dust cloud starting to emanate from behind that same mountain. And seeing the distant crimson of Hawks' wings start gliding down towards it; Tunguska felt himself be overcome by an indescribable sense of certainty that what he was looking for would be there.
And so, without a word needing to be said to explain his intentions to his old friend; Tunguska proceeded to use the solar energy absorbed into his body to charge up the muscles of his legs, before ultimately launching himself high up and over from this ledge and across the land bridge to Nabu Island; meeting the ground in a mad sprint; silently hoping to whatever forces would listen that his son and the rest of his missing students would be there, and that they would be okay.
Whether it was the intense ringing resonating in the deepest depths of his head that stirred Nikolay back to consciousness, or whether it was simply a jump start to his heart rate from the overwhelming blanket of pain that still shrouded his entire body; he couldn't begin to decide. Because when his eyes had finally opened with a sharp intake of breath that quickly devolved into painful rasping coughs as his chest was tightly constricted; the very first thing Nikolay realized wasn't the burning sting of his blood from the grazing wound on the right side of his head having finally gotten into his eye.
It was the fact that there was no discernible difference in his vision between having his eyes shut and wide open. Everything around him was as pitch black as it could possibly be.
No sooner than this horrifying fact occurred to him, did Nikolay suddenly recognize the texture of frigid cold stone against his severely broken hands, his face and his chest; the suffocating smell of lingering crushed stone…and then finally, the fact that no matter how much he tried to move any part of his body, he simply couldn't; not for his injuries, but because he felt his entire being hopelessly pinned underneath a completely immovable weight situated just perfectly on top of him that it wasn't crushing him to death just yet.
But none of that mattered. All at once had the memories come rushing back to Nikolay of just what the last thing was that had happened, and most importantly where he was, and what now was happening. He'd been thrown all the way to Nabu Island, went landing through one of the multiple crevasses leading into the cave system across the island, and that the whole thing had come collapsing down on top of him…but not him alone.
"No…no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO! MINA?! TOKOYAMI-SAN?! HELLO?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
It was torture for Nikolay to try (and fail) to breathe in deep so he could call out for either of his classmates; his heart racing uncontrollably as his mind screamed with thoughts of horrified worry as to what had happened to them if he couldn't get an answer now of all times.
But as the terrifying reminder of his being completely trapped and unable to move at all within this suffocating darkness kept making itself more and more unavoidable in his mind; Nikolay couldn't keep thinking of his girlfriend or classmate; now trying so desperately to keep from falling apart into another claustrophobic panic attack again.
[[Come on…no, not now! Please, not now! NOT NOW! What…w-what are…what are five…five things I…I-I can see?]]
'Darkness, darkness, darkness, emptiness, and nothingness. That's all there is.'
The voice of his long dormant fear began croaking out from the depths of his head as Nikolay tried in unbearable desperation to try and make out anything at all to keep him from falling any further. [[Four…f-four…things I…things I can smell?]]
'Stone…ashes…smoke…blood…'
[[No! No, that's not real! It can't be real, I know it isn't! Come on, focus! GODDAMMIT, FOCUS! Three…th-three things I…I c-can touch?]]
'Stone…blood…cold, dead flesh…'
Every word was tearing through Nikolay's heart and mind far worse than any physical injury, as the more his eyes searched, the less of the inescapable blackness of the collapsed cave could he see…now instead replaced with the torturous memory of himself, once more unable to move or breathe; crying out for help that wasn't there; surrounded by long extinguished ashes, distant flames and acrid smoke; all while he could only see with his own two eyes, the empty lifeless face of his mother before him.
Such a sight consuming every ounce of rational thought alongside all his senses, finally reduced Nikolay to hysterical wailing in the dark; trying and failing to thrash about in his confines with all his injuries; the countless stone weights bearing down on him ultimately exacerbating his injuries as he tried and failed to break free; all the while slowly but surely asphyxiating himself as he struggled to breathe and cry out: [[HEEEELP! SOMEBODY! HELLO?! SOMEBODY, PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME! PLEEEASE! HEEEELP!]]
"K-Kooo…Koo…lya…san…?"
Even as his screams, pounding heart and frantic mind were deafening in his still-ringing ears; even as his own tears and blood together burned in his eyes like nothing else…Nikolay could still make out the barely noticeable sound of a weakened voice calling out to him.
Even through the dizzying haze of intrusive traumatic memories and the rate of his heart nearly feeling like it was going to give out from inside his chest; Nikolay looked, and he could just see clearly enough, a severely shrunken down and frail-looking Dark Shadow, barely bigger than his own thumb, as it slowly struggled to try and wriggle its way towards him through the tiniest gap between some of the boulders that felt like they'd been encroaching towards the terrified and panicking Russian Hero.
"D-D-Dark…Shadow…?" Nikolay could barely slow his shallow hyperventilating enough to even speak to make sure he wasn't hallucinating any further. The moment he called its name; the shadowy bird Quirk locked its glowing yellow eyes on him, tiredly crawling towards him with a worried-sounding cooing sound.
"Fumi's hurt really bad, Kolya-san. This is the best he can do for me where he's at. Please, they both need your help." As Dark Shadow explained its current miserable state, it motioned one of its wings back the way it had come; drawing Nikolay's half-blinded eyes up to see for himself.
As a single ray of sunlight managed to pierce through the openings in the cave-in pileup; Nikolay could finally see something for the first time in all this darkness; a perfectly opportune hole in the rubble allowing him the chance to see.
To see something he'd hoped never to see.
Just visible enough, barely halfway across the span of the cave-in; Nikolay could see what was unmistakably Fumikage's body lying unconscious from under the black cloak draped over the rest of his body…with Mina's legs (one of which was nearly covered in her own blood) and boots protruding out from underneath it, also lying completely motionless underneath the precarious boulders overhead. Even the slightest movement from anywhere else could've caused them to fall the rest of the way and crush the two of them right before his eyes; never mind all three of them.
But his own safety wasn't his concern anymore. Nikolay couldn't take his eyes off the motionless bodies of Mina and Fumikage, and with each passing second, it was sending his already frantic breathing into something beyond a frenzy. Even with every bone in both his hands severely broken, his muscles were trying to clench them into the fist he so desperately wanted to make, just to try and fight his way to them, regardless of the weight bearing down on his body.
Nikolay's blood and adrenaline were both running so hot and fast in his veins as he strained fruitlessly; gritting his teeth as he tried to move forward, it genuinely felt as though his body would burst into flames from inside. Still, none of this worry stopped him.
'How? How can you possibly save them like this? You're trapped, you're broken; one wrong move and you'll be crushed like a bug. You can't even lift a finger to save yourself, let alone anyone else. Face it, you're going to die here, and so are they. It's inevitable.'
The fear-filled voice that had still continued to clamor about against his inner drive to act, had now gone from sounding doubtful and terrified, to downright mocking of Nikolay himself. As he continued trying to simply crawl with nothing but his muscles to move around his broken bones; Nikolay could feel the blood from his head wound flowing more and more with every ounce of physical effort he put in; gritting his teeth to the point he could swear he felt several of them start to crack.
But with every passing moment that he tried with everything he had left to move, only to still remain hopelessly buried alive and trapped in here; the more he could see Mina and Fumikage in front of him, beginning to disappear into the flames of his memories; the cave-in once more starting to filter in and out between the present, and the ruins of his old home; the boulders pinning him now resembling his mother's body, from which that accursed voice was once more starting to emanate:
'How do you plan to save them in the state you're in? How do you even know your Quirk as it now is would be powerful enough to make a difference? You know what that doctor said would happen if you tried to push yourself to how you were on I-Island! Your body will tear itself apart before you can even get to them! What kind of Hero gets himself killed without even being able to save anyone?!'
[[I DON'T CARE! I HAVE TO TRY!]]
As Nikolay shouted this defiance to no one anyone else ever would've been able to hear; he could feel the pulsation and vibration of his Kinetic Quirk starting to emanate from the pit of his chest; rippling all throughout his body, up to his head and all the way out to his fingertips and feet; emanating from out every inch of his body and into the stone below, around and above him…and already growing exponentially more powerful with each increasingly fast beating of his heart…but none of that even registered to him, as his eyes continued to burn with blinding tears as he kept trying to move.
[[Mina…Eijirou-san…Midoriya-san…every one of my friends…my teachers…Dad…Mom…every one of them has been there for me, cheering me on, helping guide me along my way…because they all saw the Hero in me that they knew I was capable of…even if I couldn't see it myself at first. I want to become a Hero…because they gave me hope again…and I want to give that hope to everyone in return…but how can I do that, if I can't save the ones that believe in me the most?]]
By now, it was as though Nikolay's own consciousness was outside of his own body, as with every word and every second of pure physical struggle, the Kinetic frequency building, spreading and emanating from all over his body, was starting to produce an actual sound of pure vibration through all the boulders and rocks spanning the entire cave-in; like the combined sounds of a thousand tuning forks ringing clearly against each and every one. Even Nikolay's body itself had a blurry near aura of vibration power surging from it that was even visible to the naked eye as he continued to try and fight against the now-vibrating weight upon his back.
But within; Nikolay nearly felt like he was drowning; not simply because the Kinetic frequency continuing to increase inside of him was causing him to now profusely vomit and bleed out his ears and nose; but because in his head, he was still in that fiery hell of his old home ruins; now being pulled into a veritable sea of blood and mud from below; that same voice of pure fear now ringing with a demonic edge of hate.
"You're no Hero, and you know it! You, your friends and your pretty little girlfriend are all going to die here no matter what you do, and there's nothing more you can do to change it! All your life has just been a constant struggle with your fears and weaknesses! Just give up and let that darkness finally take you like it should have all those years ago! Either die in peace, or die in an agony unimagined, trying to simply delay the unavoidable! Your choice!"
But as Nikolay's full-body Kinetic releases were now so frequent that they pretty much bled into each other as one continuous vibration ringing; and had now grown as strong as his recent limit jump, causing his already severely damaged muscles to tear and fray from the power coursing through them endlessly, and his weakened joints to start snapping and exploding from within, one after the other…his will to fight was only growing that much stronger.
As the dust of crushed rock from all around began to rise up into a building cloud through all the cracks and openings of the cave-in as a result of the insane shaking and rumbling that was now channeling all through the ground from Nikolay's body; the most unexpected sound began to echo out as well: that of the largest boulders, not just the one on Nikolay's back, but all the ones subsequently touching it, and the ones touching them and so on…all beginning to fracture and crack as the vibration frequency channeling through all of them was becoming too much for their reinforced physical shapes to withstand before breaking apart.
Finally, with his mind having completely cut itself off from the agonizing damage being wrought to his already broken body as his Kinetics tried to speed up and strengthen even further than their new limit; Nikolay's body was finally beginning to actually rise up; pushing himself up from his prone position as his Quirk was weakening and breaking the boulders down.
And as he could see all the cave-in likewise starting to break and unsettle from this one simple point of touch to his imperceptibly fast and powerfully-vibrating body; something else had suddenly started to speak out from within Nikolay's overwhelmed mind that drowned out that voice of fear and self-deprecation into pure silence: two voices that brought a universal inner peace, and an irresistible feeling of confidence altogether.
That of Lyudmila Bezpalova, his mother: [[Kolya, you are a Hero that is driven and empowered not only through the love of those you hold dearest in your heart, and the hope that kind of love brings out in all people who would otherwise be lost…but through the love you yourself feel for them and all those else in the world in need of hope for those they care for. All of our love and hope has lifted you so high at this point in your journey, but not nearly as much as your own, even if you don't know it. Let all of it fill your heart and guide you through even your most challenging times, my dear sweet boy. As long as you keep it within you, you will always have the power and strength to overcome and save all those you can. We are all with you, my little Kolya.]]
And finally, the same unknown man's voice that had guided him through the strengthening of his Quirk back at the Joint Training Exercise: "The ember of power that resides in you has just as much potential to fan into a flame that can grant you the power to save all those you can save, just like any other great Hero out there. You can feel it even now; I know you can; just as much as I can feel it, myself. Your Quirk has so much more potential for you to one day harness…so let any pain in your body simply wash away, and let that power encapsulate you, become one with you. With your desire to protect, save and give hope to others…you can harness an inferno of a Hero's spirit within you even now."
With those two voices filling his heart and soul; with the countless irreplaceable happy memories of Oleg, Mina, Eijirou, Izuku, and every single one of the friends he'd made that had helped to lead him to this very moment; Nikolay could finally see as clear as day; his spreading and worsening injuries practically forgotten in his mind, as he looked to Mina and Fumikage before him; the boulders between them starting to collapse, split and crack with each passing second as his Kinetics continued to resonate, echo and spread through boulders, ground and air alike at a frequency impossible to be generated from the human body.
With his heart pounding and resonating this still-growing power through the confining physical vessel of his body, just waiting to finally reach its peak amount of power to at last be released; Nikolay declared, not with frustration and desperation, but with a heartfelt declaration of hope with all his heart and soul that could nearly be felt echoing through the heavens above:
[[I don't care what happens to me…I'm not letting it end like this for them! I can't! I won't! They have all the hope in the world to give to so many others out there…they all do…and I'll give everything I have to help them see their dreams through…and give the love, peace and hope to the world and its people that they so dearly want to!]]
And before Nikolay's eyes, he for once could see the sparks of a single flame starting to flash in his vision between himself and those he sought to save…before it began to grow and ultimately explode into an inferno of a mystical light that filled every fiber of his being with a warmth that felt as though it was imbuing him and his Quirk alike with all the power there possibly could be for him to wield in just this one crucial moment…all coming together in one concentrated Kinetic frequency about to ripple and explode from out his body in one final incomparable pulse.
[[EVEN IF I'M NOT THE ONE TO DO IT MYSELF; I'LL BE THE HERO THAT HELPS SPREAD LOVE AND HOPE TO EVERYONE! GO BEYOND…PLUS ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAA!]]
In one final and incredible spike upwards into a Kinetic frequency unrecorded in all scientific history; Nikolay's body, even for but a moment, vibrated at a speed and power that rendered the massive boulder at his back into an instant cloud of dust, before just as quickly spreading to every other boulder across the entire cave-in; reducing the once crushing mass into one giant cloud of dust in the blink of an eye; that singular transferred frequency moving all around as though Nikolay's heartfelt will was driving it, as it masterfully moved itself all around Mina and Fumikage's place on the ground; leaving them completely untouched.
And finally, with all of that culminated vibration power having gotten to the point it could no longer be physically contained…
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Nikolay's whole body finally fired off one gigantic Refracting Blast of that very same godlike frequency through the air up into the skies; blasting all of that suffocating stone dust sky-high in the blink of an eye; that pulse spreading through the air like a inverted shockwave, as all of that dust expanded outward the higher it went along with it; resembling the most powerful of volcanic eruptions in the eyes of all the astonished soldiers, officers and Heroes across both islands that could see and hear it.
As the dust proceeded to dissipate across the stratosphere; all that was left on the ground below was an extensive crater; wherein Hawks finally proceeded to touch down in, just around the same time Tunguska had finally come to a skidding halt on his feet at the rim of it; both Pro Heroes looking in with shock clear as day on both their faces.
Emerging from the thinning dust; Nikolay was barely managing to limp his way forward towards them; his eyes having rolled to the back of his head; the blood from his head wound rendering his right eye completely red, while blood was still running from both his ears, his eyes, nose and mouth. The entire rest of his body, under the few mere tatters his Hero costume had been reduced to, was likewise covered in every possible color of deep and extensive bruises and open bleeding lacerations and punctures. He was unable to lift his own two feet, but instead simply drag them, with the bones in his legs practically shattered, just like both of his shoulders, nearly all his ribs, and every bone in his arms and hands.
But despite all of the damage wrought to his body; his pain receptors having long-since burnt out as a result of suffering so much of it; Nikolay's body stubbornly continued to move forward on autopilot, as he carried the still-unconscious bodies of Fumikage upon his back, and Mina in his arms; keeping both their arms securely draped over his shoulders as he tried to get them to anything resembling safety through sheer muscle memory…before ultimately succumbing to the physical exhaustion, and collapsing listlessly onto his knees; his arms and shoulders refusing to let his two partners touch the ground.
"KOLYA!" Tunguska's outcry was as much that of a devastated father as there could ever possibly be, as Hawks watched the former Number One Hero of Russia come rushing down the slope of the crater to his broken down son; nearly rolling head first on the way down in his hurry; ultimately proceeding to come running down the rest of the way alongside him to check on the three injured students.
But as the two Pros made their approach, and Nikolay remained motionless and weakly wheezing upon his knees; Mina let out the faintest groan, as the light of the morning sun overhead was finally helping stir her back to consciousness; her first initial reaction being to close her eyes to avoid being blinded; before just as quickly wincing in pain from the bleeding wound on her head, and the three puncture wounds to her left leg.
But when she was finally ready to open her eyes and see for herself just how bad the damage was; she immediately forgot all about her own injuries, as she saw the horrific shape that Nikolay's body was in; quickly taking in the position they were all in, of Fumikage draped unconscious upon his back, while he was still managing to firmly hold her in his arms; her arms around his shoulders managing to keep her supported.
But Mina's mind was simply rushing too much for her to be able to focus on any one thing. The more she saw just how horrible Nikolay's injuries were over every single inch of his body, the more she went back to the fact that he'd still pushed himself to God-only-knew what kind of physical limit to try and get her and Fumikage out of that cave-in…and, of course, with that whole dreadful memory of the entire battle in the cave until the very end; Mina could feel the most powerful swelling of astonishment and pride in her chest as her eyes blurred with overflowing tears.
"Kolya-kun…you…you really did it, didn't you? Y-you must have…how else could we be out here? Oh, I just knew you could do it, I knew it! You finally fought through that old fear of yours…just to save us! I'm so, so, so proud of you, Kolya-kun! You're amazing; you're so awesome! You're…Kolya-kun?"
Before she could go a word further with her heartfelt thanks and praise for this incredible leap her boyfriend had taken for them; Mina realized the completel emptiness in Nikolay's unconscious and bloody expression; how stone-still, limp and cold his body had become, even though she could hear the ghastly wheezing of his faint attempts at breathing in this state.
Still being held so close to him while realizing how completely and utterly out cold Nikolay was; Mina was finally able to really feel and notice just how faint his heartbeat was against her chest…to the point it almost felt like his heart would give out at any second; a realization that made her own body go frigid with horrified despair, and the tears already flowing down her face change from those of pride, joy and love; to desperation and heartbreak.
As she proceeded to pull herself even closer with her arms already around his shoulders; Mina's own heart was racing as she struggled to put the words together; sobbing in hysterics as it all became too clear just how truly bad Nikolay's health was after pushing himself so far to save them both. It was like they were back at the forest training camp all over again:
"No, no, NO, NO, NO! Please, Kolya-kun, please don't give up! You just saved us, so let us save you, okay? Please open your eyes and speak to me! Say something, anything, I'm begging you!"
With no other idea of what she could possibly do in the state any of them were in; Mina did the only two things she could think of that sounded like they could even remotely work.
On the practical side, she already was trying to focus her Quirk into building up as much of her healing salve in her hands as she could on such short notice; hurriedly smearing and rubbing it all over as much of Nikolay's upper back and shoulders as she could reach, even if she couldn't begin to say just what she was hoping it would be able to do for the injuries he had.
And on the side driven by sheer desperation, Mina proceeded to repeatedly bring her tear-wetted lips to Nikolay's cheek and mouth with all the love, gratitude, and sheer desire to try and help get through to him in his unconsciousness, as she could physically muster; her heart feeling like it was on the verge of breaking with every one that didn't manage to bring him back to consciousness.
But Mina Ashido would be damned if she was going to let that stop her.
Between every one of her countless heartfelt kisses to however much of Nikolay's face as she could reach like this; Mina was continuously stuttering out through her inconsolable tears: "Please…*gasp*…please don't leave me, Nikolay! You mean…so, so much to me! *sob* I know you can hear me…so please…*choke* *sob* please wake up! Please stay with me! I promise…*sob* *sniffle* *gasp* I swear I'll always be here with you; now, always and forever! I love you, Nikolay; so much more than I can ever say! Please…*sniffle* *sob*…please don't go!"
As Mina continued to desperately kiss and try to revive Nikolay; Fumikage had by then finally started to regain consciousness as well; the first thing he noticed being the familiar sight of two pairs of red and black boots approaching. Even with the pain in his head, he was already starting to tense up in preparation for yet another fight, only for that adrenaline to stop just as quickly as it had started once he looked up and realized just who it was, just as Mina realized he'd woken up, and subsequently followed his line of sight.
"Tunguska-sensei…Hawks…you made it?"
Meeting his former intern's surprised gaze; Hawks could feel relief wash over himself…at least, as far as Fumikage himself was concerned, as he answered: "Thank whoever sent some fishermen out there to call us for help. You did real well, holding your own out here, Tsukuyomi. Good work."
As grateful as Fumikage could already feel for his former mentor's congratulations; the sound of Mina's despairing tears quickly pried away all their attention, as there was no ignoring the terrible shape Nikolay was in. "Sensei…Hawks…please help! Kolya-kun…he…h-he saved us…but he's barely breathing! I-I don't know what else I can do!"
Tunguska similarly fell to his knees; feeling his heart shatter and his mind and mouth both go blank for answers as he saw the utter state Nikolay was in; choking down the need to scream to the skies as his own tears began to run down his rugged face, now simply wishing he'd gotten here so much sooner.
But thankfully, there was no need to worry for wasting time any further. With the noise and incredible sight that Nikolay's rescue had drawn; by now multiple Heroes, soldiers and first-responders had arrived at the crater, and upon seeing all the trio's injuries, quickly descended onto the scene; instantly bandaging whatever open injuries they could see, before hooking Nikolay up to an IV and mobile respirator.
With that, they already began to carry the three to the nearest field hospital to properly treat all of their wounds on three side-by-side stretchers. Even despite all the doctors' assurances that they would get him back to normal; Mina refused to let go of Nikolay's hand next to her the entire way; even as she tried so hard not to start breaking down into tears again when finally turning to address Fumikage.
By now, Dark Shadow had regained enough strength to emerge from him at its normal size; bowing its head in what sounded and looked like shame when seeing his two partners' injuries…only for Mina to smile in gratitude while patting its head with her free hand. "Thank you for having our backs in there, Dark Shadow-kun. You did awesome…pinkie swear."
This thankfully seemed to be enough to lift the shadowy bird Quirk's spirits as it let out a slightly happier coo, while Mina proceeded to give Fumikage himself an equally grateful and reassuring thumb-up; all the while tightening her hold on Nikolay's hand just that much more; silently praying for him to pull through.
As they watched the soldiers and emergency workers carry the three students to proper medical care, Tunguska stood back up, hurriedly clearing his throat and breathing in deep in order to recompose himself. There were still so many people across these islands that would still need his help as much as the rest of the Heroes, and he needed to stay strong for them and his son alike. Besides; now that they were getting help, he knew Nikolay would be in the best possible hands; since Recovery Girl had naturally come along with the rest of them once she'd heard the news.
So, knowing that he needed to get back to being a professional, even as he anxiously tried to wipe the remaining tears from his blue eyes; Tunguska finally turned to look upon Hawks next to him. "My apologies; I realize this is the first time we've actually gotten to meet face-to-face, Hawks-san. I-it's nice to finally make your acquaintance. I'm—
To his surprise, Hawks let out a casual-sounding sigh; the smile on his young and stubble-marked face looking equally as much so as he met his towering gaze. "Likewise, Tunguska-san. Hearing so much about you online over the last few months, it's pretty embarrassing it took this long for the opportunity. After all, it's not every day you get to work with the Number One Hero of a whole other country, former or otherwise. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from you. Being a big softie, even if it is for your own kid, definitely wasn't what I was envisioned; since people love to think of you Slavic types as being all cold and stoic. You know: all business all the time. The reality's certainly a welcome change; a complete opposite from Endeavor-san, that's for sure."
The Number Two Hero in all of Japan being this chill and relaxed, even when considering the work they still had to do, was likewise the opposite of what Tunguska had expected. It had honestly left him at an especially awkward loss for words.
But as Hawks took in the sheer scope of the destruction Nikolay's actions had left here, he let out an impressed-sounding whistle. "That boy of yours, he's certainly packing a much bigger wallop than I expected; especially compared to what he showed back at the Sports Festival. Y'know, I actually considered recruiting him for Field Training shortly after that, myself; potential internship, even. But…Tokoyami-kun has been more than a proud enough achievement for me as a mentor by now. I'm willing to bet whoever took your son on is feeling just the same right now; assuming they aren't down here helping out somewhere already."
Looking back to take in the size of it all himself, and especially considering the circumstances of what was here mere minutes before; Tunguska had the deepest shimmering of emotion in his eyes; talking more to himself than to Hawks; though that didn't stop the Wing Hero from still listening. "It's all his friends. They've helped Kolya along in becoming a great Hero far more than any one teacher…including me. I just didn't know if he would ever truly be able to…to get to this point. After what he'd gone through, he'd been petrified of tight or underground places more than anything…even if it was for malenkie Ashido and Tokoyami, I can only imagine what must've gone through his head to finally help him overcome it."
Clearly, Tunguska was reflecting on something far more personal than he had any right to ask about, so Hawks was at least respectful enough to keep any such questions to himself. But now, taking in this along with all the other tremendous destruction that had been left across both islands at the hands of both the young Heroes and Villains alike; he silently wondered to himself: 'Considering the sequence of events, and the fact the Villain responsible for this was also able to steal Quirks like All For One…if he had managed to get his hands on the Quirks of even one of the student Heroes here, he could've become a greater problem than any of us could've been able to handle. Good thing it didn't come to that; we've got his three accomplices in custody, but there's no sign of the leader, himself. Just what exactly was the League of Villains hoping to accomplish by helping such a monster break free?'
A relatively short distance away from Nabu Island and Mt. Shiroyama, stood an even tinier uninhabited island known only for its veritable ocean of beautiful flowers surrounding the smallest patch of forest. It was a nice spot for seafaring tourists to take pictures of, but no one ever had reason to actually set foot on it.
Hence why it was such a fortuitous place, as there were no eyes on it to see the single black ooze portal opening up in the middle of it; from which nobody but Tomura Shigaraki himself emerged, quickly taking in his surroundings before glancing aside and noticing a short drag tail cutting through the middle of the flowers…and at the head of it was the battered and broken body of Nine alone; his entire body now darkened from the combination of his injuries and the blood poisoning resulted from his far-worsened illness.
As the defeated Villain pathetically tried to crawl wherever he could reach while his legs no longer worked, he could barely even hear the sound of Tomura's approaching footsteps. He didn't even realize he was no longer alone on this isolated patch of earth…before the hand-masked Villain towering over him finally spoke: "So, you're still alive, like I thought."
Nine could barely even manage the strength to lift his head to see just who was foolish enough to stumble upon him at his most desperate moment…only to be stricken with recognition when he saw the young man before him; vaguely recognizing him from several years back when seeing him through the glass of his life support tank within Doctor Ujiko's lab. "S…Shiga…raki…"
"So, did you have a good life?" Tomura asked apathetically as Nine started crawling to him with even greater visible urgency.
"No…it…it's not over…it's only begun…it's only…-"Don't worry. I'll take over your dream." Tomura swiftly cut him off as he began to close the rest of the distance between them, before finally kneeling down so they could actually look each other in the eye.
But even as he looked into Tomura's one visible blood red chilling eye, Nine instinctively reached up to him; whether to ask for help, or to try and take his Quirk; even he couldn't decide. "There…needs to be…but only one ruler…of the…new world…"
CLASP!
With the swiftness of a snake, Tomura suddenly clutched onto Nine's face, before summarily removing the hand from his own face, so the beaten man before him could see the lack of mercy in his gaze. "That's right…only one; now and forever."
Looking into those eyes, Nine was stricken with a horrifying clarity of what was about to happen to him at last…and like any other person driven into their most desperate corner, he began to speak with building desperation: "Those young Heroes out there…one of them has a Quirk…unlike anything I've ever seen…but another one, a foreign one…it's small, but I saw it myself, the exact same Quirk, shining just as brilliantly. I can't take the full one myself…but together, we could take them both!"
KRRRRRCCK!
The moment that last syllable passed his lips; the last ounces of air and life in Nine's body instantly vanished, as Tomura finally activated his Quirk; his Decay instantly spreading all throughout the desperate Villain's body, before a timely gust of wind disintegrated his physical form into a meaningless little cloud of dust.
"Thanks for the heads up. Sensei will be glad to know our clues led to something real."
With that uncaring farewell, Tomura turned around, ready to make his exit through the new portal already opening up before him.
"Do you really think it wise to have killed that one, my boy? Ambitions aside, his powers he already had would've been quite useful."
Despite Koschei's voice reflecting no such sentiment, there was no denying he didn't fully approve of Tomura's murderous impulse. But despite that, the young Villain was grinning confidently while re-applying his hand mask to his face. "It's fine. His ego and goals were too big for me to be able to rein in and control, unlike that blowhard Re-Destro. Besides, if I'm going to gain Sensei's power, I want the original, not some weak imitation like what Ujiko-san was able to make for him."
"That Doctor…he said that you and your followers freeing his subject was the last thing before he could finally make you strong enough for all our powers. Does this mean you're finally going to approach him for it?"
Stepping into the portal and finally being whisked away with not a single Hero being any the wiser; Tomura could feel a great anticipation building within. "Do you really still feel the need to ask?"
Wednesday, December 17th
After all of the tremendous hardship the Hero students had put in through their battles against all of the Villains; spending the next day being treated for their injuries and going on to help the rest of the Pros and recovery workers in repairing the damages wrought to Nabu Island and its people was nothing short of a walk in the park by comparison. Even better, Izuku and Bakugo had both managed to regain consciousness and get their injuries treated by the next morning.
Unfortunately, Nikolay wouldn't have been able to attest to that, as with his injuries being inarguably the most life-threatening and extensive of all of them; it obviously took a far greater amount of time for Recovery Girl to properly treat all of his injuries to the point he could finally be considered stable again. To have even once heard the Yuuei Academy nurse openly express her own confusion as to how he was still alive after learning how terrible his countless internal injuries had been; had left an especially dire air over all of Class 1-A, as well as the civilians that had wished to thank him just as much as they already had the rest of their young saviors. Naturally, such news had particularly upset Katsuma and Mahoro; considering Nikolay had played such a big part in protecting all of them alongside Izuku and Bakugo until the end.
Even when the Shimano siblings' father had finally been cleared to return to the island that morning, and their family had finally been reunited in overwhelming relief that they were all okay; just knowing that even one of their Heroes was in such a precarious state was borderline torturous. But that didn't mean nobody was going to still keep trying.
Between the efforts of Recovery Girl, all the local and visiting doctors, and even Katsuma insisting on using his Cell Activation Quirk at several different points even after doing the same for Izuku and Bakugo previously; it still wasn't until late into that same Wednesday evening, that everyone was informed of Nikolay having finally regained consciousness; even if it was simply as a result of overhearing the simultaneous overjoyed outcries of Mina and Tunguska, who had both been consistently orbiting his bedside at the Yuuei Hero Office in what little spare time they had between their mutual reconstruction efforts.
Of course, their ecstatic happiness couldn't necessarily be echoed by Nikolay himself, as when he'd finally woken up, he found himself still unable to move, as Recovery Girl and the other doctors had all deemed it necessary for him to be wrapped in a nearly full body cast for his injuries to reset properly with the help of hers and Katsuma's Quirks.
But with the doctors confirming his most recent X-Rays had shown all of his internal injuries to have already finished healing, the green light was officially given for Nikolay to be freed from those restraints, all while he was being relentlessly showered with Mina and Tunguska's expressions of overwhelming relief in his restored health; his girlfriend needing to be restrained from throwing herself at him and raining endless overjoyed kisses on his face more than once until he'd finally been let free.
It wasn't long after that, that the rest of Class 1-A had finally come alongside Aizawa and Toshinori to see their friend and student finally back to normal; with Tooru, Momo, Denki, Eijirou and Izuku all having easily been the most outwardly emotional behind Mina and Tunguska, as the invisible girl had made undeniably clear: "We didn't know what was going to happen to you, Kolya-kun! Thank goodness you're finally awake! We were all so worried!"
Even as Eijirou was likewise trying to wipe away the beginnings of relieved tears from his eyes, he couldn't hide the enthusiasm on his face, and especially not in his tone: "The way we've been hearing it, it sounds like you pulled a freakin' miracle at the end, man! Not only do you somehow manage to help Midoriya and Bakugo get the last hit on that Villain leader all the way from the main island, but you even conquered that claustrophobia of yours in order to save Ashido and Tokoyami-san! You've become, like, even manlier than usual, Kolya-san! I wish I could've been there to see it!"
However, his and everyone else's enthusiasm (as visibly varied as it was) was only met with clear confusion on Nikolay's face as he tried to reflect on it. "I think you may be right…but for the life of me, I can't remember exactly how I did it. I mean, I remember getting so…so angry and everything else when I saw that lady Villain hurt Mina and Tokoyami-san…and I remember getting stuck in that cave-in…but after I saw them stuck in front of me…I don't think it's like I fell unconscious, that wouldn't make sense for how we got out…but everything from that point until now is a blank. I'm sorry."
While most of his classmates looked clearly worried as to just how much of an injury Nikolay had to have suffered to his head in order to forget doing something so incredible; the more enthusiastic among them looked notably disappointed, as they'd been starving for details as to what it had been like for him to have harnessed such a power as to reduce an entire cave-in to dust in a matter of seconds.
On the other hand, Izuku could feel a deep understanding, as though he'd expected a result like this. After all, not only had Toshinori long since informed him of his still somehow retaining the core of One For All within himself after he'd regained consciousness, himself; but ever since Bakugo had woken up after the battle, he'd likewise completely forgotten everything about having been transferred his Quirk in order to win the battle. As far as he knew, he'd been completely blinded by the rush of battle, and had simply fought through it in his desire to win. All things considered, allowing him to live with that belief was for the best; he, Toshinori and Tunguska had all ultimately agreed on this.
But unlike with Bakugo and his knowledge of the overall truth of One For All; with Nikolay still knowing nothing of his connection to Izuku's Quirk; it was likewise for the best to simply allow him to think the same thing of his own circumstantial victory and rescue of Mina and Fumikage, upon hearing Bakugo's explanation of how the two of them had won against Nine.
In the end, none of that mattered, as Nikolay ultimately rose from his apologetic air of not having any real answers; only able to give a trembling smile of overwhelming emotion. "I'm just so glad you're all okay…that we finally won. What about Katsuma-kun, Mahoro-chan and the rest of the islanders? Are they all right?"
Stepping forward, Aizawa answered straightforwardly: "The islanders are all just fine. The plan to keep them out of the line of fire in the caves was ultimately a good call on all your parts."
"And as for the children; now that their father's back home, they're all going to be just fine. But why take my word for it? Why don't you ask them for yourself, Bezpalov-shonen? After all, Shimano-shonen played quite a big part in helping you, Midoriya-shonen and Bakugo-shonen heal from all the injuries you'd gained in your battle."
As soon as Toshinori announced this; Aizawa, Nikolay, Tunguska and all the rest of Class 1-A turned back to the entrance to his makeshift hospital room, to find the Shimano siblings having just arrived; both of them looking immensely relieved to see that every single one of their Heroes was now up and about again. "You're finally awake, Mr. Kolya! Are you okay? Mr. Deku and Bakugo were both hurt so bad, but everyone said you were even worse!"
Nikolay's shoulders trembled as his whole body was overcome with relief to see them both unharmed; smiling gratefully in response to Katsuma's expressed worry. "I'm perfectly fine, thanks to you, Katsuma-kun. We all are. It looks like you're the real Hero here right now. I hope you didn't push yourself too far by trying to help us. Last time it looked like using that Quirk of yours took a lot out of you."
But unlike that last time, Katsuma looked as though his entire person was swelling with a deep pride in himself as he looked from Nikolay to Izuku and Bakugo. "After you all did so much to protect and save all of us, no matter how much you got hurt, I didn't want to stop until I knew you'd all be okay. After all, Heroes never give up, right?"
As Izuku, Nikolay and many of the other students all instinctively nodded in confirmation of Katsuma's selfless belief; Mina suddenly spoke up: "Hey, what's that you got behind your back there, Mahoro-chan?"
Mahoro instantly flinched with surprise that she was suddenly the center of attention; her face turning deep red before she finally revealed a messily bundled together bunch of wildflowers. "I-I just thought they'd make it smell nice in here once Mr. Kolya woke up, that's all."
Immediately, Ochako and Tooru were both swooning over something so precious; the rosy-cheeked girl even noting: "That's so sweet for you to have done for everyone! You're the one who left the same flowers for Deku-kun and Bakugo when they were unconscious too, weren't you?"
But while Mahoro was anxiously trying to avoid making eye contact now that she'd been figured out; Mina was likewise hugging Nikolay over his shoulders; giving him another one of her trademark cheeky grins, even as she was affectionately rubbing her cheek against his now that he'd gone two days without shaving; giggling at the sensation of faint peach fuzz. "That's so adorable, isn't it, Kolya-kun? It looks like you, Midori-kun and Bakugo all got your first big-time crushing fangirl."
Naturally, such a bold declaration had Nikolay, Tunguska, Izuku, Bakugo and Mahoro all nearly jumping with embarrassed, parental and angered shock across the board; while Katsuma simply looked clueless as to what such an implication was supposed to mean (and Minoru naturally looked jealous just from the suggestion).
This ultimately prompted Mahoro specifically to come rushing forward and all but force the wildflowers into Nikolay's empty hands before he could even say anything; both of them still blushing immensely. "T-that's not it at all! I just…I just wanted to be able to say…t-thank you…to all of you…for helping me finally see what Heroes can really be…what they really are."
Already, Nikolay was thinking back to the heart-to-heart he'd shared with Mahoro that night before the battle, quickly followed by the memory of how naturally proud of her he'd felt when seeing how bravely she'd stood up to protect Katsuma when things were at their most terrifying. That thought had his embarrassment quickly turn into a similar smile of pride that had Mahoro momentarily confused and flustered.
"I have no doubt Midoriya-san has already said this far better than I ever could…but I should be thanking you too, Mahoro-chan. No matter what, you still acted with a bravery that would make every Hero infinitely proud of you…both of you did. You and Katsuma-kun are going to be just fine if you're looking out for each other against all odds, like you did back there."
Indeed, Izuku was nodding; both in confirmation of Nikolay's assumption, as well as in agreement with his sentiments, as he likewise knelt down so Mahoro and Katsuma could see the heartfelt sincerity in his eyes. "That's right. No matter what your Quirks are; that courage you both showed, as well as your desire to help each other and everyone, whether in battle or in the aftermath, is the sign of true Heroes."
As both Nikolay and Izuku's words resonated with Katsuma and Mahoro; the two little kids looking especially emotional as they looked to each other, as well as the universally approving smiles on most of the students and their teachers' faces; Tunguska took that chance to properly chime in: "Indeed it is. You've both been admirably pulling your weight everywhere you thought you could in order to help since then, even for as young and little as you both are. You're both going to be truly fine grown-ups when you get older, if nothing else, I'm sure of it."
But while Aizawa and even Shoto couldn't help but look to the large Slav like he was laying it on a touch too thick; Katsuma and Mahoro both looked especially inspired just to be receiving the same kind of praise and recognition from what looked like a big-time Pro Hero alongside the Hero students that had helped save their home. To know his words could still seem to visibly resonate with children like these after all this time did bring a relieved smile to Tunguska's face.
All the while, Nikolay looked confused all over again. "Wait, has everyone been helping with repairs while I've been lying here?"
"You were out cold for over a whole day, dumbass; what do you think?" Bakugo instinctively answered as abrasively as ever, before Nikolay tried to get back on his feet, only to collapse right back into his bed with Mina supporting him. "We're supposed to be going into all our work while we're out here together. I gotta make up for not helping you all out with it somehow."
STOMP!
With an unexpected fierce anger, Bakugo nearly snapped to the point Tenya and Eijirou were about to step in to restrain him: "ARE YOU TOUCHED IN THE HEAD WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT, RUSSKIE?! YOU ALMOST GOT YOURSELF KILLED, DOING EVERYTHING YOU DID BACK IN THAT BATTLE; NEVERMIND GETTING RACCOON EYES AND BIRDBRAIN OUT OF A DAMN CAVE-IN! DON'T YOU DARE START WITH ALL THAT SELF-BASHING CRAP AFTER YOU ONLY JUST WOKE UP, OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS RIGHT BACK TO SLEEP, GOT IT?!"
But while Tenya and Eijirou handily got Bakugo to take a step back and calm down; Izuku decided to once more be the approachable version: "You know that's not exactly what Kacchan means. It's like Hagakure-san said; we were all really worried about you while you were out, Kolya-san. You don't have anything to make up for with any of us, okay?"
Unexpectedly stepping forward, Fumikage suddenly added on: "Agreed. You did a great deal, whatever that may have been, to help Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san against that multi-Quirked Villain…and you pushed yourself even that much further in order to save Ashido-san and myself, when we'd both been too hurt to do anything about it ourselves. You've pulled your weight with us out here and then some, if I may say so freely, Bezpalov-san."
As everyone else across the class looked to be of the same mind, Nikolay let out a tired-sounding sigh of acceptance, before finally starting to smile again; realizing the truth to all their feelings.
Seeing his foreign student's mind put at ease, Aizawa nonchalantly cleared his throat to get all their attention: "Since Bezpalov is so insistent on helping pull his share of the recovery workload; I must let you all know right now: we've recently received word from the Hero Public Safety Commission. Considering the sheer scale of the Villains you were all forced to go up against on your own, and especially considering the fact you were all given your assignments here specifically because of the intended lack of serious danger; it's been decided that the Hero Work Recommendation Project is officially being suspended. First thing tomorrow morning, we're all to return to Yuuei Academy and continue your regular school routine."
Thursday, December 18th
With his injuries having finally healed, but with it already having been so late at night once he'd regained consciousness; Nikolay wasn't able to do what he could with repairing the last of the damages on Nabu Island alongside his classmates and the residing Pro Heroes; even though the Pros themselves had already managed to get a majority of the clearing and repair work done by now. When hearing how more than half the national park had been laid to waste as a result of both the initial Villain attack and the entire battle in the cave and its aftermath; he'd been left feeling especially guilty, but thankfully, the presence of a few Pro Heroes with plant-based Quirks had helped to quickly restore the majority of the island's natural beauty as a result.
The time Class 1-A ultimately had left on Nabu Island came and went far too quickly for any of their liking; especially when that final Thursday morning had finally come, and they'd all woken up to the sight of nearly all the islanders wishing to bid them farewell, yet another encore of gratitude, as well as numerous parting gifts for everything they'd done. Such heartfelt goodbyes were inevitably emotional, but with many of the students, Nikolay included, promising to come back and visit again someday; they were all able to leave for the ferry with their hearts and spirits soaring high again.
But one thing that many of them couldn't help but take notice of was how none of the Shimano's were there in that final farewell.
By the time they had finally made it to the boat and it was starting to take off, Nikolay and his classmates were all feeling downright rejuvenated, knowing that all things considered, they had managed to do exactly as Heroes were supposed to, and had ultimately managed to save all these people and stop a bunch of truly terrifying Villains from being able to hurt anyone ever again. Injuries aside, if their overall performance from all their time on Nabu Island wasn't a good enough sign for Yuuei or the Hero Public Safety commission to officially lift the ban on any of their future or returning internships, then not a single one of them would've had a clue what would be.
"Finally time to leave, huh?" Izuku asked nobody in particular as he joined Bakugo on the top deck of the ship; unable to hide the air of regret in his voice as he took in the slowly departing sights of the island; while Bakugo kept his back to it, hands in pocket; the perfect picture of the stoic badass he always played the role of. "Good riddance. But…I'm surprised you, the Russkie and nobody else went tearing all over the place looking to say goodbye to those kids, Deku."
And that reminder finally brought the faintest hint of Izuku's regret to his face; before bowing his head in acceptance. "I did have some things I wanted to tell them…I'm sure everyone did. But it's fine. I have a feeling those two are already on the right track."
At the same time on the next deck below, as Nikolay rested himself against the railing, breathing in the pleasant early morning seaside air, he didn't want to think about the possibility of their internships or leaving this place without truly saying goodbye.
Knowing he'd managed to somehow fight his oldest fear and save someone was the kind of proud sensation he wanted to hold onto for everything it was worth…and perhaps even try his luck at again if the circumstance ever came again. If he would be able to handle claustrophobic conditions when rescuing somebody with none of that difficulty he'd had before; then he would be happy enough, even without an internship.
And that emboldened smile currently on his face was far from unnoticeable, as Mina quickly saw it and leaned in with another encouraging grin. "You're looking ready to take on the whole world right now, Kolya-kun." "Yes, are you sure you're feeling well enough for that?"
As surprised as Nikolay was by her sudden arrival; quickly joined by Eijirou, Denki, Tenya, Momo and Kyouka; he was quick to get back to normal, still smiling with anticipation. "Never better. Recovery Girl-sensei's Quirk was strong enough, but Katsuma-kun's Quirk still has me feeling like I'm raring to go."
"Yeah, speaking of whom; I'm surprised he, Mahoro-chan and their dad didn't come to say goodbye to us." Kyouka added in, sounding noticeably disappointed or unfulfilled, since pretty much everyone else from the island had come to do so.
"Maybe they're both trying to practice getting the right Heroic attitude for when they get bigger. I mean, leaving for another adventure without saying goodbye is pretty manly in its own right, y'know?" Eijirou suggested; getting some amused chuckles out of all his friends, before Denki replied: "You're getting Heroes and cowboys mixed up there, man. Those two don't really seem like the quiet and stoic types, no matter how you slice it."
Eijirou was already chuckling in embarrassed realization of how much more sense that made; while Nikolay couldn't help but take that moment then to glance down at Mina's left leg, looking none the worse for wear as it ever did. "You're feeling all better too, Mina? It all happened so fast, but when I saw you get hit by that Villain in the cave, I could've sworn one of those things hit you in that serious artery."
Thankfully, Mina's encouraged smile was enough to dim her boyfriend's worries, as she quickly pulled off a perfect twirl on the toes of her shoes. "Not a problem that I know of anymore, Kolya-kun! I'll be cutting a rug and bringing the groove as good as I ever have, don't you worry. Maybe we can throw a party at the dorms tonight and I can prove it!"
While Kyouka, Momo and Tenya were all naturally put off by the idea of throwing even a random party on an even more random day of the week for no reason; Nikolay, Denki and Eijirou both were especially excited by the idea; Nikolay mentioning: "I see no reason why not. Besides, I could really go for keeping up the practice, make sure my injuries haven't cost me any flexibility, healed or not."
Nikolay couldn't even blink before Mina eagerly had him in a playful headlock; her face positively glowing at the suggestion of them getting to dance together. "Heck yeah, I wanna see that for myself! We may not have all gotten to have a day at the beach, but this'll definitely make up for it! Besides, I've been meaning to ask you to help me practice some of your old country moves, too!"
Nikolay wasn't the only one looking surprised that Mina would be asking him for dancing practice; considering how naturally adaptable she was to every style she'd tried up until this point. But their surprise didn't embarrass her one bit. "What? There's way more than just what you showed us during School Festival training and ballet. I've been watching videos of some of your people's different folk dances, and some of those moves are totally nuts! I'd love to be able to do that, too! Can you imagine how cool it'd be; being a Hero who can break down into literally any dance style while in the middle of a battle to help you fight? No Villain would ever be able to get a bead on me!"
And of course, that kind of forward thinking had all her present friends similarly looking inspired and supportive, with Nikolay looking especially excited. "Sure, I'd be happy to help where I can. I've honestly been trying to think of how I could do some of your break-dancing moves with my fighting style as well; since I feel like my normal moves are too uniform and predictable."
"Say no more, Kolya-kun! Starting today, Pinky's Dance Floor is officially open forever! It's gonna be so much fun!"
"Hey!" "HEY!"
Suddenly, two pronounced voices started echoing over from the direction of the island; snapping all of the students' attention to the wharf.
Rushing to try and keep pace with the ferry; glistening tears of emotion in their eyes while waving their arms frantically in the air to get all their attention, was none other than Katsuma and Mahoro; their father watching from the other end with a pleased smile on his face, seeing his children finally have their chance to say their goodbyes.
"MR. DEKU! BAKUGO! MR. KOLYA! EVERYONE! THANK YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING EVERYONE! WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU! PLEASE VISIT US AGAIN SOME DAY!"
The two siblings continuously echoed one call off of each other; eager to say everything they had to say to their departing Heroes; the whole class already eagerly waving farewell to the two children.
In a surprising burst of greater energy, Katsuma started sprinting a good leap ahead of Mahoro; practically crying in his eagerness as he called out to them: "MR. DEKU! BAKUGO! MR. KOLYA! I PROMISE I'LL BECOME STRONGER! STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT DADDY AND MAHORO-NEECHAN! THEN I'LL BECOME A COOL HERO LIKE ALL OF YOU!"
Izuku, Bakugo and Nikolay could all feel their chests swell with a pride and confidence in hearing the emotional sincerity in Katsuma's words. At the same time, even after the rush had caused her sun hat to go flying off her head, Mahoro likewise kept trying to run fast enough to catch up with her brother; catching him just before they could risk running over the edge of the wharf; the ferry now officially heading into open water.
But as they stood on the edge, watching their Heroes continue to wave goodbye, Mahoro called out: "THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR HEROES! I PROMISE I'LL NEVER BE AFRAID AGAIN! I'LL BECOME A HERO THAT CAN PROTECT EVERYONE, JUST LIKE YOU! WE BOTH WILL!"
Unable to resist answering their heartfelt words anymore, Nikolay finally hurried his way to the furthest back point of the ship, calling out to the two children as loudly as he could: "WE KNOW YOU WILL! WE'LL BE CHEERING YOU BOTH ON THE WHOLE WAY!"
Even though Bakugo never turned around to face the two; he did still form an expectant smirk as he glanced back from over his shoulder. "'Strong enough to be a Hero like me', huh? Don't you forget that and start slacking off, ya damn kids. I wanna see what that looks like."
And with his heart in full agreement with both his friends' parting words, Izuku likewise called out: "KATSUMA-KUN! MAHORO-CHAN! YOU CAN BECOME HEROES ONE DAY! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU AT YUUEI ACADEMY WHEN YOU'RE BOTH READY!"
And with the three Heroes' parting words washing over them like a tidal wave; Katsuma and Mahoro stood in silent awe, even as the young girl continued to wave goodbye to the parting class enthusiastically. Their eyes were both alight with gratitude and inspiration, with the most truly joyful smiles on their faces. If Heroes like them truly believed Katsuma and Mahoro had what it took to become Heroes nearly as great as them, then there was no reason not to give it their all from this day forward, so they could all one day meet again as equals.
Starting on this day, the Hero students of Yuuei Academy's Class 1-A had truly sewn the seeds for the birth of two truly outstanding future Heroes on this tiny, quiet little island. Now it would just be a matter of doing their best to protect and cultivate a world ready for them to take their place at bat when the time would finally come.
And there you all have it, everyone. I hope you all took the time to read the foreword in regards to the future schedule. I won't be uploading the next chapter or the first of the School Briefs one-shots next week. I will instead be uploading that on the following week, on 06/10, with the first School Briefs one-shot. Afterwards, I'll start uploading the chapters of the Endeavor Agency Arc over the course of the following weeks.
So until then, I hope you all enjoy and are intrigued by what I've written for you all here. Please share your thoughts and questions in either a PM or a review.