Trigger Warning:

- stampede

- blood

If there is one thing I'll acknowledge the villains for, it is their ability to cause mass chaos.

Sure, their brute strength, scary quirks, and radical ideologies are also sources of fear.

But the power to spread that fear into hordes of people … only tyrants have that kind of power.

With each passing second, pandemonium ensues.

My classmates and I desperately try to guide the public to the transportation, but that comes with limited success. The civilians are understandably panicked. I don't think it helps that we are, too.

Old and young … male and female … everyone pushes against each other to be the first to board the shuttles. Those who are running in the middle of the road are shoved by those behind them. Sounds of bone snapping and subsequent cries echo off the walls of the remaining intact apartments as they get trampled over. Those who cling to the walls for support are not faring much better, either. Streaks of red mar the concrete where their bodies get pressed against it.

The little girl I had rescued treats me as her own support structure. She cannot possibly be more than six, yet this poor child has to witness something so horrific. Truly, humans are animals. Fear makes animals of us all.

The girl is incapable of turning away from the scene, despite how much it horrifies her. So I take it upon myself to shield her eyes. "We'll get you on a bus, safely. Okay?" I shouldn't have phrased that as a question. As a hero, I'm supposed to be the paradigm of confidence and strength. Doubt from me is the last thing a civilian needs. Even though in a situation like this, it's impossible to remain strong.

"My parents …" she begins to weep. "I couldn't find them. They must be looking for me, too." And although my hand is still acting as a barrier between her and the disorder in front of us, she twists her head back in that direction.

I force her to face me again. "Your parents are okay," I say. God, how many lies do I have to tell this poor girl? "They must have gotten on a bus already and are heading to a safe place. You'll see them there. Promise."

"Do you think so?"

No. I have no freaking idea. But I can't tell you that. Not when your eyes are brimming with tremulous hope. For some reason, the emotion in them reminds me of another girl around her age. They look nothing alike. In fact, the other girl threw a temper tantrum because she believed I stole Selene from her. However, they possess the same sort of innocence. The one I never had. The one Selene was deprived of.

Shame on me if another kid has their childhood stolen from them.

Another untruth slips from my tongue. "I know so. Give me a sec." I rummage my pockets for the macarons that kind baker gave me. Sorry, Selene. You'll just have to try the desserts some other time. Thinking of those biscuits incites one more reason to feel guilty. I promised that man that his bakery would survive. Now it got destroyed in Shigaraki's decay earthquake. At least he gave me his business card. I'm going to help him rebuild it. Then I'll bring you over for a date, Selene.

Finally, I find the vanilla confections. Waving the pouch in front of her, I ask, "Do you like sweets?" If the way her eyes dart around, following the trajectory of the pouch, I think I know the answer. She nods vigorously, expression gleaming in anticipation. I pass the sweets to her. "By the time you finish the last bite, you'll be safely in your seat on the way to meet your parents."

My attention returns to the stampede. It would be absurd to try to cross through that accident-prone area with a child. Instead, a platform of ice rises beneath my feet, shooting us five stories high. High enough to descend on the roof of the nearest apartment complex. "Hold on tight!" I tell her before using my fire to propel us toward the shuttle station. Jumping up and down from roof to roof, the gap between us and the goal diminishes. I'm sure I've left my own streak of color on the infrastructure, but I'm sure the municipality will forgive me.

Lo and behold, we reach the buses on time. She just manages to push the last morsel of macaron in her throat when we land. I managed to keep one promise. Once inside the vehicle, the girl points to an empty seat near the front. I set her down. Bending down to her level, I give her a head pat. "You've been really brave, you know that?"

"Really?" she asks in that cute manner that only children have.

"Absolutely. Now just hold tight for the bus ride. It won't be long before you're reunited."

I turn around to leave, but the girl reaches out and grabs the shirtsleeves of my jacket. "What's your name, Hero?"

"Shouto."

And for the first time since coming to this battle site, I see a smile. A pure, unfiltered smile. "Thank you, Shouto!"

The shuttle departs. The child waves me goodbye. I return the gesture, too. And watching her go, a weight seemingly lifts from my chest. Yes, Shigaraki's return was terrifying. It still is. We were caught off guard. But that can change. We're heroes. It is our responsibility to rescue innocent people like her so that they can live a bright future.

Once the vehicle is out of sight, I use the same rooftop route to return to my classmates. On the way, a voice I never imagined I would be relieved to hear emanates from the earpiece: Dad.

"Attention all!" he commands. "Endeavor here! I've engaged Shigaraki at the hospital ruins. Anyone who can move without touching the ground needs to form a perimeter." Immediately, the crashes and booms of battle reverberate from the small machine straight into my eardrums. I can only panic about one thing at a time. Right now, I'm just glad that Dad survived. A part of me had flash-backed to the Rankings Announcement ceremony, when Endeavor fought tooth-and-nail with noumu. I thought for sure he wouldn't make it. Now that sentiment had returned. I guess that's why I felt so bad for lying to the kid.

More fighting sounds echo until I am sure my eardrums will bleed. Then Dad says some weird words.

"One … for … All …?"

Like the Three Musketeers? What do the French have to do with this? Maybe it's not my brain that requires immediate treatment, but Dad's.

Leaping from the last rooftop onto the ice platform, I decide to reconvene with my friends to figure out what to do next.

Only to see that Midoriya and Bakugou are flying off in the opposite direction.

Incredulous, I shout at them. "Where are you going?!"

"I … I forgot something!" Midoriya replies. "I'll be right back!"

"That's a pathetic excuse to bail out!" I return. "We have a job to do!"

"Sorry!"

Screw your sorry! I debate between fighting back some more, but by then, the two of them are gone. Gritting my teeth, my attention returns to the people who need our help. In all the time I have been preoccupied, the stampede has not dissipated.

I scan the crowd for any humans less than one hundred and forty centimeters tall. No one. All the children must be headed to safety.

Descending from the platform, I find our class president, Iida, helping a pregnant woman onto a wheelchair. The man beside her - her husband, I presume, based on the matching rings - starts pushing the chair once she is seated.

"Will they make it?" I ask Iida once they are out of sight. "Or should I help?"

He shakes his head. "Burnin' is going to take care of it."

"Good. Because I have to bring back Bakugou and Midoriya."

"What?"

It's his turn to be shocked.

"I know this is an awful time, but those two are heading straight into danger, and it's not their place to."

They headed north.

So that is the direction I turn toward and start to run.

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapter is here:

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-274/