Notes: Darn it! 3 weeks again since an update! I wish I could've gotten this faster, but was out of state for a week, then sick... and then just had trouble with writing this. But here we are now! Right on Christmas Eve!

(Now I have a very special announcement at the end of the chapter)

Any who, here we go!

Flying through the air, Endeavor growled as he watched the nomu chase him down. Charging his fist, he thrust his arm forward and unleashed his strike.

"Flashfire fist; Jet Burn!"

Endeavor's fire fist blasted out at the large nomu, his attack landing directly into the nomu's stomach. Much like the other attacks earlier, however, the large beast shrugged off the strike as if nothing had happened. "Damn it, this creature is far different than those others from Hosu!" he said to himself, his flames propelling him out of the way as the nomu's arms extended out and crashed into the building beside him.

"You… strongest hero here…" the nomu gurgled out, tilting it's head as the jet propulsion out of it's back kept it hovering in the air. "Fight… more!"

Endeavor gritted his teeth as he readied his fists, still in shock from the fact this creature could speak unlike the other creatures he faced. Not only that, the moment it burst from the truck, the creature immediately put it's focus onto him, seemingly determined to go towards the strongest opponent there. He couldn't help but feel that this wasn't a mindless beast, but it actually could think.

From below, Gang Orca skidded to a stop as he looked up to the pair above, glaring as he wiped the blood from his eyes as he looked to the others behind. "Get everyone out of here and head towards Fujiyoshida!"

The sidekick Kido stopped at the demand. "What?! But we can't leave you and-

"None of you are capable of taking on that thing. You will be in our way. You need to get back as fast as you can to aid the others!" Orca turned back up as a powerful blast of fire ripped through the sky. "We will finish off this thing here."

"Jet burn!" Endeavor yelled as he launched forward and drove his fist into the creature's chest once more, blowing flames through and out the back of the beast. To his shock the nomu's fist rammed into his chest, launching him back and crashing through the skyscraper behind. Breaking out the other side, Endeavor growled as he saw the beast charging through the building after him. Bringing his arms back, he ignited his fingers and swung forward. "Hell Spider!"

The flame tendrils ripped through the air and shredded the building apart, dicing the steel and concrete like butter and cutting through the nomu's limbs. Even as the building collapsed, Endeavor watched in shock as the nomu burst out of the rubble, its limbs already grown back and charging at him. "The hell is this thing?!"

The sonar blast from below bellowed through the sky and struck the nomu, the force enough to distract it and look down towards Gang Orca. "In… way of me…" Hood growled out, turning and bursting down towards the whale hero.

"Orca, get out of the way!" Endeavor yelled as he burst after the creature.

Unleashing another sonar blast, Orca watched in shock as the nomu still barreled through his attack, bracing himself as the beast crashed into him. Even as he dug his claws into the nomu, Gang Orca was pushed back across the street, his legs ripping through the street attempting to slow the creature. "Grrr… Come on!" He shouted as he unleashed a full powered sonar blast at point blank, this attack causing Hood's eyes to shake slightly.

"Orca, move now!" Endeavor yelled as he ignited his hands, growling as he thrust his hands forward. "HELL'S CURTAIN!"

The wave of flames rushed out from Endeavor, barreling across the road and torching everything in it's path. Orca quickly released his claws and leaped out of the way, the immense flames engulfing the nomu and spiraling up. Covering his face from the burning heat, Orca gritted his teeth as he stood back up. "That thing's power is insane. I couldn't even stop it."

"It's far different than the nomu's I've come across before. It's regeneration is also instant," Endeavor growled, stretching his sore shoulder from the impact earlier. "We need to hit it with something bigger to take it out instantly."

Orca glanced over at the flame hero, noticing the sweat falling down his face already. "If you're planning what I'm thinking, it's too risky. Your temperature is already rising high."

"It doesn't matter," Endeavor hissed, ignoring the intense heat rising in his core. "If we don't finish this fast, we are leaving the others in danger with those hunters. We end this now!"

The fire burst outward from the center, revealing the nomu glaring at the pair of pros. "Fire weak… so weak…" hood hissed out, its skin already growing back over itself. "Want stronger hero!"

The fire exploded out of Endeavor's back, rising his power level higher as the nomu rushed forward. Orca roared out as he charged first, slamming into the beast and driving his fist into the creatures stomach launching it up. Endeavor blasted up and slammed his own burning fists into the nomus back, engulfing it in his intense flames. "Flashire- Gah!"

The large hand shot latching onto his face through the flames cut off Endeavor's words, gasping as the beast chucked him down to the street, shattering the road from the impact. "Endeavor!" Orca shouted, grabbing the light pole beside himself and ripping it from the ground. "You damn monster!"

Hood turned and was cracked across the face with the steel pole, growling and opening it's jaws and latching onto the next swing as it came in. Hissing, Orca broke off the pole and jammed it into the nomu's side and unleashed his sonar blast once more. Unlike before though, the nomu's body reformed shielding itself from the attack and shot it's arm, slamming into Orca's face dazing him. As it went to land another strike, it was halted as a flame spear struck through its neck, it's eyes turning to see Endeavor glaring through the blood running down his face.

"You're done, you abomination!" Endeavor shouted as he threw a flaming uppercut, unleashing a torrent of flames up into the nomu's face. Despite the fire it took, the nomu spun like a top, slamming Orca through the side of a nearby building before shooting part of its arm out and spearing Endeavor through the shoulder. Ignoring the pain he felt, Endeavor's entire core began to glow, the fire engulfing even his own body.

"Prominence Burn!"

The gargantuan stream of flames burst out from the center of Endeavor's chest, engulfing the whole street and vaporizing everything behind. Part of the far building caught in the blast was torn straight through, the blinding attack slowly dissipating and leaving Endeavor standing there, breathing hard as he stared at the destroyed street. With only scorched chunks of the nomu's body left smoldering. "It's done…" Endeavor panted out, looking over to see Orca crawling through the crumbling building. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Orca grunted as he cracked his neck, feeling the pain build up from the hits he took. "That thing was far different than those in Kamino."

"Yeah, it-

Endeavor's eyes burst open when he saw the movement from the side, and the twitching nomu head bursting out and rapidly regrowing the entire body. 'It ripped off his head and threw it out of the way?!' "Shit, get back!"

Orca couldn't move fast enough as the nomu rushed and slammed into the hero, smashing him into the ground splitting the ground in all directions. Endeavor attempted to fly up out of the way from the creature, but he was quickly hunted down as the nomu blasted up after him and weaved around the flames shot out by Endeavor. "Damn it! Hellfire Stor-

The tendril bursting out from the nomu's hand ripped across Endeavor's left side of his face, making him gasp out in pain as it now expanded its other arm and smashed into the hero's chest. Endeavor flew like a bullet through the sky and slammed through an entire building, smashing into a parked car and crashing into the street. In fact, he was sent so far that he crashed into a business district, with several passing by civilians gasping out from the loud crash nearby.

"Holy shit, what was that?!"

"Something just blew through the building!"

"Hey that… that's Endeavor! The hell happened?!"

As the smoke cleared, one of the civilians pulled out their phone and began recording, their eyes widening as they saw the injured hero sprawled inside the crater.

In Tokyo General, Rei Todoroki smiled softly as she read another letter from Shoto she had received. She always loved hearing his progress in school, happy to see he was doing better and better everyday. But what she loved more than anything was hearing he finally acted on the feelings he had with his classmate. After everything he had dealt with, she knew he deserved someone special, and from what she had heard, this Katara was certainly someone special.

She turned and looked at the photo she had received from him a week ago, a picture of Shoto, Katara and their two friends at the dinner they had together. When she asked to see what this girl looked like, she was even prettier than she had expected, and couldn't help but giggle seeing how happy Shoto looked beside her. She even was hoping Shoto could've brought her by so she could've met her, but since the school changed their policy, she hadn't even seen him in some time now. Sighing, she then turned towards the window, her eyes locking onto the blue flower in the vase beside her.

The flower given to her by her husband.

Apparently, Enji had been delivering flowers to her recently, but she hadn't seen him once yet. The doctors notified her that they believed it would be best that they still didn't come into contact with each other yet, so these gifts were the only thing she had been getting. It was also so interesting how while Shoto hadn't passed the license exam, Katara had and was now working under Endeavor once more, making her wonder what that young girl was doing under her husband. "Shoto says she is quite the feisty one sometimes," She chuckled to herself as she imagined Katara's personality in person.

She grabbed the remote next to her and turned on the television, scrolling through until something caught her eye and she scrolled back. When she found it, her eyes widened in shock as she dropped the remote, seeing Endeavor sprawled out inside a crater.

Coughing out blood, Endeavor struggled to his knees and nearly collapsed onto the ground once more, feeling like his entire body was screaming in pain. The burning sensation on his face made him reach up and rub at the blood over his eye, unable to even see his hand on that side of his face. "Shit…" he grumbled out, glancing around at the people looking at him, seeing the panicked and confused looks he received from them.

He looked up to the loud rumble, gritting his teeth as he watched the nomu flying towards him. Screams from the people around made him panic, forcing himself up and igniting his hands once more. "Everyone get back now! Hellfire Storm!"

Despite the flames he unleashed, Endeavor watched at the nomu seemed to barrel right through it and crashed straight into him, slamming him into the side of the building shattering the glass along the entire face. Gasping out and grabbing at the arm gripping his throat, he unleashed his fire and burnt through the limb freeing himself and slamming his other fist into the creatures chest blasting it backwards. He collapsed to his knees gasping for air, unable to get a moment before the nomu rushed him once more.

BOOM!

The van flying through the air and crashing into the nomu's head stopped it's charge, turning to see just as Gang Orca slammed into the beast and through the street. "Endeavor, get up, come on!" He called out, roaring out as he drove his claws into Hood's belly and slashing across the monsters face with his other hand. "Get up now! We need you!"

Endeavor gritted his teeth as he crawled back up, feeling his body ready to just keel over at any moment. Never had he felt pain like this before, and he hadn't been able to do anything against this monster. He watched as Gang Orca struggled to keep the nomu back, its raw power simply too much even for the whale hero. He stepped forward, but when he caught his reflection in the shattered glass… seeing his left eye covered by a massive gash over his face, the blood flowing down his face reminding himself of his son's injury that happened so many years ago.

Time seemed to freeze as he stared at the blood covered eye, his mind replaying the night he found Shoto burned. While he tried to move on from that night, he couldn't help but feel the emotions begin to flood into him now. His thoughts went back to his wife, and the look on her face when he came in seeing his prize injured. For the first time, his mind replayed the look of fear she gave when he stormed inside, his only concern then for the effect the accident had on Shoto's training. All he cared about was when Shoto could be the strongest that he could be, nothing to what he was feeling or what he wanted for himself.

"All you cared about was working to get to that spot, but when you didn't you forced that goal onto your family, trying to live that stupid dream through Shoto!"

Katara's words replayed in Endeavor's head, her scolding of him having never left his mind. But now, they seemed to be even stronger than ever, looking out to the street as Gang Orca was thrown into street once more, his dorsal fin bent over and gashes all over his body. The nomu growled as it grabbed the down hero and threw him through another building, the beast not letting up as it continued hunting down it's prey. As he stared at the nomu, Endeavor realized it's only goal and drive was power, to have the strongest challenge and kill both Orca and himself.

He had a sickening feeling as he saw the single track mind beast… reminding himself of what he was before.

"Tell me, how does it feel as the number one hero now? What is even different now than to where you were before?"

Endeavor's body engulfed in flames as he stood up from the ground, gritting his teeth together and clenching his fists. "Damn girl… and her criticisms." he growled out, but not at anger at her. For the first time in his life, he was analyzing his own life and what he had done, and now, he realized the number he was ranked at meant nothing. He now knew he had to become more than the man he was now, and he had to be something he had never tried to be before; A father.

First, he had to finish this here and now.

As the nomu picked up the coughing Gang Orca, it tilted its head in curiosity to the limp hero. "Where… stronger heroes? You… not strong."

Fighting through the pain, Orca still managed a small smirk and dug his claws into the nomu's arm. "You… have no idea how strong we heroes can be!"

The intense fire erupting behind made the nomu turn, watching as Endeavor was flying down the street towards him. Hero… back up!" It roared out, launching its tendril limbs at Endeavor and piercing him in the leg. Despite the hit, Endeavor pushed through and expanded the flames around his body. "Hero still fight…. More!"

"Flashfire fist!"

The nomu prepared to launch another attack, but the intense sonar blast from Orca knocked it off balance, causing it to drop the hero just as Endeavor's arms thrust forward.

"Hell's Curtain!"

The flames engulfed the nomu as Endeavor slammed into it, but the creature fought through the attack and latched it's large jaws onto the hero's shoulder. Gasping in pain, Endeavor latched his arms onto the nomu's neck and pinned it there, igniting his flames and bursting up into the sky. Orca spat out blood as he looked up to the rocketing pair, his eyes widening as the two went higher and higher. "Endeavor, are you…"

Endeavor hissed as the nomu screeched out as it bit harder, the flames still scorching it as it healed just as fast. The mad beast now dug it's claws into his back, but the flame hero almost felt nothing at this point. He stared down at the growling monster, flying higher so he was out of range of the buildings and civilians. But in some way, he felt pity for the creature, seeing it was designed to be nothing more than a killer. A drive inside it's heart that gave it only one desire; something he himself had for the last twenty six years.

"I get it now. You… are me… from the past… or some distant future." he said out loud, shutting his good eye as he saw his reflection before him. "Be gone now. Be at rest."

The loud yell was followed as the column of flames erupted high into the sky, ripping through the clouds and illuminating the entire city. Endeavor screamed out as he unleashed his flames to their max, his own body steaming from the immense heat coming out. 'I always hated that school motto… but it feels appropriate now…'

The fire burst up like a volcano, the light becoming almost blinding to everyone around.

"PLUS ULTRA! PROMINENCE… BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRN!"

Gang Orca covered his face from the blinding light, feeling the heat all the way from the street. He struggled to see what was happening until the light faded away, watching as something fell through the smoke and dropped through the sky and smashed into the street. Limping down the road, Orca saw the smoldering pile in front, concerned with what he would find. But the fire dispersed outward, revealing a sight that made the whale hero's heart skip a beat.

Standing there was Endeavor, bloodied but victorious over the torched corpse of the hood nomu.

"You did it…" Orca muttered out as he ran up and caught the stumbling hero, shocked to see him even conscious after the injuries over his body. "I ordered a jet here to get the others. We have to get you to a hospital and-

"No…" Endeavor coughed out, limping off the nomu and stumbling forward. "We have to get back to Mount Fuji."

"What? You can't go on with those injuries! The others can-

"No!" Endeavor shouted as he grabbed Orca's' shredded shirt. "We can't leave the others! We are going back now!"

While he wanted to argue, Orca saw the look of determination in Endeavor's eyes, and saw there was no getting him to listen. Reaching up, he hit the communicator he had and ordered the jet to grab them now, knowing it would be faster than getting a car or a train. Endeavor himself panted as he tried standing up, the pain making it near impossible for him to do that. But he didn't care; he had to get back to help the others before it was too late. He had to help those he put in danger.

The officers, the heroes and the students.

And Katara.

As he limped down the street, Endeavor could only think about helping her. He had to make up for how he treated her before, not knowing the kind of brave girl she was. And while he knew if she was hurt the hero commission would blame him, but he didn't even care about that. He needed to help her before something bad happened. Especially with the league of villains involved now, it was much larger than they could've predicted. They needed to call in other top heroes, and pray that some were close enough to make it in time.

He knew if she was taken under his watch, he would never be able to forgive himself… and neither would Shoto.

"Luna Arc!"

Haraka sped out of the way as Mirko spun through the air crashing into the ground where he was. The crazed rabbit immediately burst off the concrete chasing him down, the pair of them zipping through the area cracking the concrete every time they kicked off. "Come on, kitty cat! I thought you wanted to play!" Mirko shouted at him as she closed the distance on him.

Hissing to himself, Haraka quickly skidded to a stop and swung his claws backwards to catch her off guard, but only swiped air as she flipped over his arm and hooked under his neck with her left calf. Yanking him up and launching him across the warehouse, Haraka gasped before he flipped himself and braced his legs to catch himself off the side wall, baring his teeth and sprinting at her once more. "Damn it…. She's much faster than she was earlier!" he growled in annoyance as Fisi leaped from the side, unable to land his claws on the evading Mirko.

"Ohh hoo hoo! She's a firecracker for sure!" the hyena man cackled out as he caught up, having just reached the racing pair after the last skirmish. While he didn't show it due to his cackling nature, Fisi was honestly surprised how well Mirko was doing fighting against both of them and Muscular. Sure, the league of villain member didn't work well with their style of fighting, his raw power and speed would've certainly overwhelmed a lot of pros just by himself… and they could barely do anything with three of them against her. Although Muscular seemed to be enjoying the challenge himself.

"Come on Bunny, let's see what you got!" Muscular yelled out as he exploded forward, his engorged body shattering the concrete as he rushed towards the rabbit heroine. His large arms crashed into the ground as Mirko flipped over him, spinning mid air and driving her foot downward into Muscular's back. The league member gasped as the force coming down on him nearly made him collapse, only still standing from his body's muscle usage already near its maximum power. He chuckled as he flexed his legs, screaming out as he pushed back against the force and threw her off.

"You can take quite the hit, can't you?" Mirko grunted as she landed back down, spinning around and using her knee to block an incoming kick from Haraka, before flattening her ears and ducking underneath Fisi's snapping jaws.

As Mirko continued to combat the pair of hunters, Muscular only laughed as he clenched his fists. After feeling how that damn Leopard seal pierced his defense with a focused attack, he had now made sure to increase the thickness of the muscles around his torso even further to shield his body from attacks, and now he felt like he could take a hit from anything now. "More… more… I want more now! Hahaha!" Muscular laughed out as he engorged his body to the max, the muscle fibers rippling out around himself now. "Give me more!"

The sudden force rushing at Mirko surprised even herself, the rabbit woman turning to block the rushing villain to be smashed backwards into the side wall. The two hunters looked at each other in amusement as Muscular's huge form crushed into the wall more, bending the metal of the building in further. "Maybe we can use this chance to get out of here," Haraka suggested, "Let's ditch the league guy and let him distract her."

"Oh, rude but smart, ohoho!" Fisi cackled out, his ears twitching from the cracking metal from the wall. "She should be tired enough now for us to get out of here."

"Hahaha, you aren't so tough, rabbit! I thought you had a lot more in you!" Muscular roared out as his body rippled out from the force, backing up to look at the hero begging for her life… only for his smile to disappear as he saw the blood dripping down Mirko's face, and the massive grin on her lips as her rippling leg pressed against his body stopping his momentum.

"What was that? I thought you were going to crush me?! Why don't you show me what you were going to do?!" Mirko taunted, her massive thigh muscles pulsing as they pushed against the large villain.

Gritting his teeth, Muscular pushed with everything he could, going as hard or even more than when he tried crushing the teen in the forest. To his shock now, he wasn't gaining more than an inch as he pushed against the woman, and now actually felt her pushing him back. "What the hell?! How the hell is this happening?!" he yelled out, only making her grin.

"You think all that synthetic and fake muscles on your body means shit?" She growled as she gripped the wall around her, bracing back while pushing herself out from the crater formed. "I've been working my ass off everyday to get this strength, and your replica bull shit will never compare to the real thing!"

Haraka's mouth dropped in disbelief as the wall around Mirko shattered outward, stepping back as Muscular was thrown back several paces. Before any of them could see, Mirko screamed out as she burst forward and drove her leg into Muscular's stomach, tearing through his fibers and connecting into his core. Blood rose up from the villains mouth as he felt his insides buckle, unable to yell out as she quickly unloaded several more kicks tearing through his defense even further.

"I said to get out of my way, and I meant that!" Mirko yelled as she dropped back on her hands and drove both of her feet into the man's chest, launching him across the lobby and smashing through the crushed van before he flipped and smashed through the far wall, landing with a loud thud and sliding across the ground… fully unconscious and unmoving.

"Holy shit…" Haraka muttered, too stunned by the sudden shift in the fight as he looked back to Mirko, the woman brushing aside her hair and locking gazes with the other two members.

"Now… How about you tell me if Muteki is at Mount Fuji or not, and I may let you get out of here with a limp." she warned, arching her knuckles and cracking them.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Haraka glanced over to Fisi beside him and watched him chuckle and scratch at his cheek… and he only did that when he became nervous. They both knew Muscular was going to be their distraction for a few minutes, but with him gone now, they had nothing to keep Mirko's attention, and they knew they both couldn't beat her without their powerhouse now.

"Gotta say…. She's tough. Hm hm hmm!" Fisi forced chuckled as he licked his jaws. "She's probably gotten stronger than he expected."

"Maybe… or Muteki figured we were going to be a test run for her…" Haraka hissed out, imagining the crazed raptor actually planning it that they weren't going to get out of here. 'Did that bastard know she had become this strong?' He hissed internally, taking a step back again as Mirko came closer. "Shit… I don't know about you… but I'm out of here."

Mirko's ear twitched as she overheard his statement, laughing and cracking her neck. "If you think you are getting out of here, go ahead and dream on. I said I was going to make you both break, and I keep my promises!"

Both Haraka and Fisi jumped apart as Mirko burst towards them, her foot shattering the concrete before ripping a chunk of the ground up and kicking it at the cheetah man. Quickly zipping across the warehouse, Haraka increased his speed until he was practically a blur, rushing straight at her and slashing across her blocking arms. Even Mirko was slightly surprised by his speed, her eyes struggling to follow him as he sped around to the other side.

"I'm still the fastest creature on land," Haraka taunted as he burst forth faster, the gust behind him like a hurricane at this point. "No one can match a cheetah's top speed!"

As Mirko turned to chase him down, her ears twitched as she heard Fisi charge at her from behind, flipping around and using her leg to block a kick from him. Before she could strike back, she winced out as Haraka sped by and slashed at her back, giving the hyena the opening he needed. "Try running on one leg now!" he cackled out, his jaws opening up and snapping down on her leg just above her knee. Blood ran into his mouth as he clamped down, ready to tear through and take the rest of her leg.

Only… It didn't.

Fisi had no problem biting through steel itself, his jaws far beyond what was necessary for that. But now, he felt like his teeth were unable to go any further, her leg muscles feeling as stiff as woven steel cables. He could only look up in shock to Mirko grinning down at him.

"That hurts, shithead!" she shouted as she slammed her thighs together, clamping down hard on his head and pinning him there. Fisi felt like his head was ready to pop off, digging his claws into her thighs trying to break free, and yet it only felt like the grip increased further. Even as Haraka sped by and slashed across her shoulder, Mirko refused to let up, growling as she increased her squeeze and causing the hyena to squeal out in agony.

"You crazy bitch!" Haraka yelled out as he rushed at Mirko once more, extending his claws out and sprinting forward. Before he reached her though, Mirko flipped back onto her hands and launched Fisi towards the cheetah, the cat man whipping out of the way and swiping at the rabbit. Her reaction time was simply too much, however, dodging and ducking back and forth as he only hit air. As she spun and threw a kick at him, Haraka hissed out and quickly sprinted away, sensing Mirko sprinting after him as he tried gaining distance between her. While he was able to stay away, he soon felt the one problem about the animal ability he was born with.

He was beginning to pant.

"What's wrong?" Mirko shouted as she charged after him, pushing her legs harder and harder. "Need to catch your breath? I always heard cats aren't good at long distance sprints!"

Haraka gritted his teeth as he pushed himself, beginning to feel his chest tightening more. Despite his speed being near the top of the hunters, his maximum speed drained him far too quickly to use for a while. And as he was evading the crazed rabbit, he was now struggling to keep his space as she seemed to have endless stamina.

'What the hell is with this woman? She hasn't slowed down one bit!' He screamed inside his head. 'She has been slashed, bit, and slammed through this building and is still coming! She's far stronger than we thought! We should've sent the whole damn group at her!"

As she kicked off harder, Mirko saw him stumble slightly, using the opportunity to launch forward and ahead of the panting hunter. She yelled and swung her leg out, clotheslining the cheetah and making him wheeze out from the impact. "Time to take your nap, you pussy! Luna Ring!" she roared out, spinning mid air and driving her other leg into the back of Haraka's head and slamming it straight into the concrete shattering the ground. Haraka's eyes rolled over white as his entire body shook, the hit reminding him of the one time he challenged Muteki.

Feeling his body lock up, Haraka struggled to remain focused as Mirko's foot slammed into his back, making his exhausted lungs struggle even more. He couldn't even crawl away as she pinned him there, hissing and attempting to swipe backward at her, but she caught his hand and pinned it to the ground as her other hand grabbed his hair and yanked backward making him yelp out in pain. "You really are just a sprinter, aren't you?" she taunted, making him hiss back at her.

"Shove it, you damn rabbit!" Haraka wheezed out, gasping as he slammed his face into the concrete, breaking his nose.

"Only one shoving something will be you." Mirko growled as she moved off him, driving her foot across his face and knocking him out. Huffing out, she turned to the sound of crawling, glaring as she saw Fisi scooting across the ground through the opened warehouse doors. Stomping over, she slammed her foot down onto the hyena's injured leg, her ear twitching as he screeched out. "Now tell me you bastard… is he at Mount Fuji?"

Fisi simply cackled out through the pain as he grinned up at the rabbit hero, spitting up blood before he spoke. "Your old buddy sure is. I bet he is having the time of his life with those idiots that went there."

Mirko's breath quickened as he laughed, clenching her fist and slamming it into his face making him bleed out, and laugh more. "So all of this shit was your guys' plan? How did you know where we would all be?!" she questioned.

"Oh, heroes are so easy to predict…" Fisi snickered out, spitting out a tooth as he giggled. "You are so concerned about your reputation that you put all the students in the "least dangerous" area. Can't have an injured kid and make you look bad, huh? Endeavor of course is so eager to look like the best hero he had to go where our boss was… and you… you, who was so prideful to meet your class time pal, just had to go wherever you heard he'd be. Hm Hmm HM HAHAHA! You left your little students in the hands of-

Mirko's foot to his face cut off the rest of his words, knocking out her final opponent and leaving the warehouse in an eerie silence. She looked around to see the downed forms of Muscular and Haraka, but didn't care about staying here now. She didn't even look at the multiple injuries across her body, her focus instead shifted to Fujiyoshida and everyone else, knowing if the rest of the hunters were close to on par with these guys… then there wasn't much time left.

"Endeavor, you there?!" she shouted into her ear piece. "Endeavor! I'm done here! I'm heading back to Fujiyoshida!"

"Mirko, you're alright?!" Endeavor wheezed out, "We got through over here as well, but I haven't heard from Kunamora. Where is he?"

Mirko frowned as she looked towards the building in the distance, knowing what the silence meant. "I don't think he made it."

"… they just got a jet here for me. I'll send one to you for pick up to-

"Save it. Just send the police to pick up the bastards here. I'm heading to Fujiyoshida now."

"What?! It's ninety kilometers back! It will be-

"eighteen minutes for me…" She growled as she took a deep breath and stepped over Fisi's unconscious body. "We better hope they can wait that long." Mirko shut off the communicator in her ear despite his protest, needing her focus to be on her legs. She winced slightly at the bite above her knee, but ignored it as she flexed her thigh muscles and burst forward, her legs launching her outside and back towards Fujiyoshida.

"Hang on, you little shit…" She hissed to herself thinking of Bakugo and the others, before her mind went back to her old friend. She gritted her teeth as she bolted down the road, knowing the only one there who stood a chance against Muteki was Shishido. "Just hold on, kid!"

Mount Fuji cavern. Ten Minutes Earlier

Facing off against the raptor man, Shishido stared down the hunter as they were now alone in the cavern area. He felt beyond guilty that the other hunters had gone after the others down the tunnels, but he had no other option now. He knew if he took his focus off of Muteki for one moment… it was going to be his life on the line.

Muteki however only felt enjoyment given the opportunity here; It had been a long time since he had faced such a high ranking hero, and in terms of strength, this may have been the strongest one yet. He chuckled as he took a step closer, watching the lion hero tighten his stance. "You sure you want to leave the others without your protection? That's not very heroic of you." he taunted.

"They are plenty strong enough to take care of your lackeys. Once I take care of you, then your boss is the one going down next." Shishido growled back, earning a snicker from his opponent.

"Oh, so confident, aren't we? You act like this is going to be a walk in the park for you." Muteki joked, "And you think those kids of yours are going to make it back out of here?"

"Those kids are far stronger than you could ever imagine," Shishido smirked as he extended his claws. "You were the fools thinking they were going to be easy to get."

"I'm shivering at the warning," Muteki laughed and flexed his legs. "I can't wait to see who struggles the longest!"

Bursting forward, Muteki's forearm slammed into Shishido's before he unleashed a four hit combo, the lion hero countering them with his arms as he threw out a front kick, but it was quickly redirected by Muteki's sweeping arm before he spun and threw a sidekick directly into the heroes side. Gasping, he fought through it as he dropped his elbow into the hunters leg making him yelp out before slashing his claws across Muteki's chest. Jumping back, Muteki grinned as he went in again, flipping over the lion hero and kicking down at the maned man and striking his guarding arms.

'He's fast as well…' Muteki snickered internally as he landed and threw a hook kick, grinning as his foe blocked it once more. The pair collided several times before Shishido yelled out and brought his hands down slamming into the ground, the shockwave pushing Muteki back several paces before laughing and spinning forward and slashing with his claws and dodging Shishido's incoming punch. "You're really good!"

Growling, Shishido grabbed the incoming punch and threw his own, their fists colliding before they broke apart. As they engaged once more, Shishido shouted as he spun around throwing a roundhouse and charging forward, but as his punch was redirected, his eyes went wide as Muteki's hand thrust forward aiming a pistol directly between his eyes. The air went still as they both froze their movements, Shishido swallowing as he stared at the weapon pointed at his face, lowering his fists as he now sat at the hunters mercy.

Muteki however sighed out, having been given this weapon by Itkomi as an easier way to deal with the top pro heroes. Apparently there were special rounds in here she purchased that would change the tide of any fight, and he was to use it to make their job so much more simple. But as he held the weapon, he just felt… off. His pride may have been considered a hindrance, but he didn't care. He didn't want this, lowering the weapon and stepping back. Shishido's head tilted in confusion, standing silently as the hunter clicked his tongue.

"I've always hated using these things," Muteki sighed out, ejecting the magazine and cocking the gun back, spitting out the single round in the chamber, "It takes away the fun by earning a win."

Shishido watched as Muteki tossed the gun to the side, his own competitive instinct knowing exactly what was happening.

"Now I know the big girl is going to be pissed… But I don't care," Muteki continued, cracking his knuckles and walking up to the hero once more. "I've heard you are a strong hero… perhaps towards the top when it comes to combat. And that's what excites me the most right now…" He paused as they stood within a meter of each other, taking a final deep breath before nodding. "And I want to see how good you really are."

…

…

…

Shishido gasped as the front kick came so fast he barely saw it, blocking it before the three punch combo came at him. He blocked them before throwing his own punch combo, but the straight kick to his stomach sent him back onto his rear. He quickly stood up, blocking the pair of kicks from the right while just trying to keep his footing.

'He's even faster than before!' Shishido shouted internally as he struggled to simply keep up with the man's strikes, catching one of them and tossing the villain over his body towards the wall. He growled and ran after him, but as Muteki kicked off the wall back towards him, he tried slashing at him, only to have Muteki grab it and land a spinning elbow to his face. Stumbling, he roared out and slashed several times, able to push Muteki back against the wall and claw across his forearm once.

"Tsk…" Muteki hissed as he uppercutted, hitting Shishido's arms up and threw a heel kick at the hero. While his kick was blocked, he grinned as his large raptor claw flexed downward, digging straight into Shishido's forearm. Fighting through the pain, the lion hero dug his claws into Muteki's leg and spun him around, slamming the villain's body into the stone wall and driving his fist into his stomach. Growling at the hit, Muteki kicked him off before flipping back to his feet, running forward and unleashing another barrage of punches.

Shishido punches slammed into Muteki's own, ducking underneath an incoming strike and grabbing the villains arm. Flipping him over his body, Shishido was caught off guard as Mueki's knee came slamming into the side of his head knocking him to the ground. He quickly shook his head as he got up, only to be blocking another fast kick into his chest slamming him against the far wall. He grasped at the slash across his chest, coughing as he lunged forward to strike back only to have claws slash across his cheek and part of his mask. "Damn it…" he hissed out, countering the next few hits before he was punched directly in the chest slamming him back once more.

As he continued attempting to block the incoming strikes, Shishido was now seeing why this man was such a threat. He himself was a black belt in Judo, kenpo and kickboxing, with only a few heroes above him able to keep up with his combat speed. But now, he was being completely overwhelmed; The speed, the power, and the skill… it was beyond any villain he had ever faced before. Even as he landed a powerful cross across the hunters face, Muteki spun forward past his arm and threw a backwards elbow sending him stumbling. Spitting out blood, Shishido growled and crossed his arms blocking the incoming ax kick, the impact forcing his feet to split the ground outward.

Muteki himself was grinning even wider as he threw another switch kick, slashing his claws out with every strike. Even after Shishido was able to land a powerful knee to his stomach, the hunter coughed out but laughed as he saw he was still in the advantage. He couldn't get enough of the thrill as he dodged several strikes before dropping down, driving his elbow into Shishido's knee and an uppercut into his chin. As Shishido stumbled backward, Muteki laughed and popped his neck. "Come on, you better not disappoint me now!" he shouted and charged forward and-

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

The bellowing roar from Shishido caught Muteki off guard, his head ringing from the deafening shockwave. The entire cave shook from the scream, the hunter clenching his ears as he stumbled from the dazing hit. Seeing his chance, Shishido charged and latched onto Muteki's neck and lifted him up, yelling as he slammed him down onto the ground, shattering the area from the impact. After another powerful punch to the stomach, Muteki coughed out a bit of blood as he gritted his teeth, catching the next incoming punch. Flipping his legs up, he slammed his right shin against Shishido's head and sent him to the side, leaping back to his feet and launching himself at the dazed hero.

"Come on!" Shishido scraped his claws across the ground, sparks flying as he leaped at the hunter once more. The pair continued exchanging blows, with Shishido taking the brunt of the impacts. Even his usual insane durability was being broken, the hits even greater than the ones he felt from Gang Orca. Another powerful kick to his stomach took all the wind out of him, he immediately was reminded of the kicks he took from Mirko… and his felt as strong as hers.

"Let's go!" Muteki yelled out as he flipped forward, throwing another ax kick. His blocked attack was immediately followed by his other leg coming in from the side and cracking Shishido across the jaw, the shot causing his vision to haze over momentarily. Seeing him stumble back, Muteki clenched his fist and drove it straight into the heroes chest, feeling several ribs crack underneath his knuckles. Shishido's eyes burst open from the burning pain ripping through his body, blood rushing up his throat and spilling through his teeth. As he dropped towards his knees, Shishido was now helpless as Muteki's claws gripped onto his head and drove his knee into his face, shattering his mask and breaking his jaw underneath, ending the fight as the lion hero collapsed on his back gasping.

Standing above the barely moving hero, Muteki took several deep breaths as he tilted his head back. Feeling the blood drip down the side of his head, he couldn't help but chuckle in pleasure to the fight he just finished, having to put in much more effort than he had in a long time. Licking at the gash inside of his mouth, he snickered as he spit out some of the blood and knelt down over Shishido, reaching down and patting the hero on the chest. "Thank you for that… It's been a while since someone actually gave me such a strong challenge. In fact, I think none of the lower members would actually stand a chance against you."

Shishido struggled to keep his focus, the blood gurgling out and his shattered jaw making it hard to breathe. He gasped out as Muteki grabbed his hair and lifted his head up, weakly grabbing at the hunters arm in defiance.

"It's such a shame none of those heroes or kids you brought are close to your level. I was hoping for more of a challenge for the others, but it seems we have to settle with what we got…" Muteki cracked his neck and chuckled, "Not like it matters anyway. Once we are done today, you better hope your hero association is willing to pay a lot for you and the others. I bet those kids may fetch a better price than you."

Before Shishido could process what he heard, the powerful chop to his throat took out every last gasp of air he had, coughing out and feeling his vision go black. Falling back to the ground, Shishido's last thought was the safety of the others, thinking of Kendo and her training under him. He hoped she got out with the others before everything went dark, his mind slipping into unconsciousness.

Seeing his target finished, Muteki sighed out as he stood up, stretching his arms and walking over to the discarded gun. "Glad I chose not to use this thing," he said as he reloaded the strange red bullet and the magazine. "I would've missed out on that fun."

Walking back over to the unconscious hero, Muteki slipped the gun back into his waist belt and hoisted Shishido up onto his shoulder. "Time to pick up the rest of the baggage. Those bastards should be done with the others by now as well." he muttered to himself, in some way hoping they weren't. He still hadn't got his itch out of his system.

Ever since this morning, he had been on edge wondering if his old pal had grown as strong as he had expected. He knew of the members here, he needed the fastest two to go along with the juggernaut Muscular to combat her. But while he knew the trio would've given any hero trouble, he had to be honest and think they still wouldn't be able to stop her. He knew they had probably twenty minutes or so before she was here, plenty of time for the others to take hostages and disappear from here. Even if they weren't gone by then, he laughed to himself wondering how it would go down.

"She'll be injured and exhausted after traveling back here," he said to himself in amusement. "Perhaps I can finally get a win over her after all these years."

Chuckling, he adjusted the limp hero over his shoulder, walking down the cave towards the rest of their targets to capture anyone who slipped by the others.

This day had only just begun.

Notes: (WOW, pure hand to hand fights get difficult to write!)

Well well well, we have the major pro hero fights finished up, with none of them coming out unscathed. And it looks like the top hero at Mount Fuji has been taken out, leaving the others at the mercy of the Hunters.

(And Yes, Hood also had a storage quirk to release smaller nomus. just chose to not include that here)

And look... I know all of you are going to be upset I didn't show Katara or the others in this chapter. With everything that happened recently, I just didn't have time to finish all of them. And... that would've made the chapter huge, but I wanted to really put focus on our waterbender and the others next, since all the build up for her has been made for this. so be ready for that chapter during the first week of the new year!

and with everything that's been developing with Dabi in both the anime and manga, it gave me another idea... something I was already going to do was similar, but now it's inspired me to something even bigger now.

Now... I had promised once I hit either 2,000 followers or 2,000 reviews, I would do a special small chapter answering any and all questions you have for me. Ideas for the story, choices I made, things I added or took out. you name it. (unless it diverts to full spoilers to what I have planned.) I will answer all your questions. So after you leave your review, go ahead and PM me your question and I will answer them in a special chapter before the next one goes up.

So go on and leave your thoughts/ reviews on the final chapter of 2022! Till next time