Chapter 03: Hellish intentions.
Death has a funny way of bringing people together, just about anyone has heard or uttered that sentence at least once and in Yoroi Musha's case that wasn't any different. While the old man had no family to speak of, at the very least none that the public or former colleagues knew about, said fellow professionals, both rookies and veterans alike, carried out the funeral rites as per tradition giving the old hero some semblance of rest. As the next couple of weeks passed the pro heroes who were assigned to the Mindhunter case kept investigating the mysterious figure and kept a lookout for him, roping the rest of class 1-A and 1-B into active duty according to their specialty and skill set covering as much of Japan as possible.
Somewhere on the streets of Kiyushu.
The retired pro hero Endeavor and former hero Hawks treaded old stomping grounds as the former accepted the invitation of the latter for a reunion.
" what are we doing here Takami? Reliving a nostalgic moment?"
Hearing the seriousness and frankly annoyance in Endeavor's voice Hawks answered in his usual obnoxious care free attitude.
" getting some fresh air… besides some noise is just what the doctor ordered after a stuffy and quiet funeral."
Endeavor at that kept a level head though his younger self would've incinerated Hawks by this point.
" honestly I don't care for funerals either, I've been in far too many in my life time."
In a more quiet and somber tone Hawks continued the conversation with.
" I sense a but is coming."
Endeavor didn't disappoint.
" walking aimlessly is counter productive and inefficient, you do remember how I feel about that."
Hawks at that let out a sigh before asking his childhood hero.
" I assume you went over the reports we've compiled on this Mindhunter joker so far?"
Without fail Endeavor confirmed.
" about 90% so far, now what's puzzling me is the question, what a retiree like me could do to help solve the crisis at hand?"
Hawks reverted back to his care free, often mistaken for a lazy attitude.
" I want you to put Shoto's mind at ease, he may not show it much but he is a worrywart when it comes to the people closest to him."
Sharp as ever Endeavor pointed out.
" somehow I doubt it's about Shoto, you want me to return to active duty."
Hawks snorted.
" you're as sharp as ever I see."
Endeavor remained quiet as the two former heroes kept on roaming the streets while coming across a few fellow familiar and new faces patrolling the area, keeping the streets safe as the former addressed his younger colleague and unironically, his number one fan.
" do you still remember the reason behind my retirement?"
Hawks nodded in approval as Endeavor wasted no time getting to the point.
" I still believe in what I said, my failures overshadow the few successes I accomplished in life, people need heroes who can make them aspire to do and be better, I am no such hero."
Hawks surprisingly didn't argue as he chose to approach the subject from the following angle.
" to say I'm a great believer would be a bold faced lie, if I was I wouldn't have to spend the rest of my life justifying killing Twice, but if life taught me anything…"
Endeavor, in his own way, urged Hawks to continue.
" I believe life gives us chances and opportunities, now you may no longer be an active hero but you are still a man and a father, now the question is, what will you do as both?"
Endeavor simply nodded as he noted.
" as usual you find new ways to provoke and annoy me."
Hawks at that replied jokingly.
" I aim to please."
With that the two former heroes conducted their lunch meeting as scheduled to throw Mindhunter's suspicions off just in case he was watching, in fact he didn't. What Mindhunter was doing at the moment would in fact be considered far more worse, he was gathering intel and visual cues as much as he could on four individuals, three men and one woman. Who they were at the moment will not be revealed, what will be though is what they have in common. A shared history and run in with a certain school for top tier heroes.
As Mindhunter roamed freely as a ghost around the halls of U.A he was privilege on eavesdropping on a conversation between the hero named Deku and principal Nezu, a creature often mistaken for a mouse or bear, though what wasn't mistaken about was the creatures mental capabilities which could rival his own.
" has the school's security been upgraded as I asked?"
Nezu replied as follows.
" I did even better, I upgraded our encryptions on every computer file at U.A."
Deku at that nodded as he started to think quietly for himself before he uttered.
" do you think that will be enough to stop him?"
Nezu in turn told him the hard and cold truth of the matter.
" with a quirk like his?, those are just stall tactics."
Mindhunter at that kept on roaming the halls until he found a computer terminal in the teacher's lounge where he could and should access the files he needed and per to the principal's words manipulating the computers took more time than usual, mostly due to his quirk's limitations and partially the updated boost in security although the intruder eventually got in as he committed the info required into memory.
" excellent, that would be quite enough for now."
Just as Mindhunter was about to leave Deku walked into the teacher's lounge looking around to see if everything was alright. Noticing the computer files being accessed Deku immediately went to alert security, however Mindhunter has already disappeared convinced that even if the heroes knew there'd be little they could do against him and the kind of quirk he possessed.
Later in that afternoon Endeavor returned to his estate with Rei attending to their garden.
" you don't have to say anything."
Endeavor's only response was.
" maybe, but I would like for you, Fuyumi and Natsuo to stay clear of me as far as possible."
Rei at that finished tending to her garden as she addressed Endeavor, Enji directly.
" what have you've gotten yourself into this time?"
The former hero was about to answer as the phone from inside the house began ringing as he excused himself.
" I'll tell you in a moment."
As he picked up the phone deku's voice came on the other line as he gave a possible update on Mindhunter's next movements.
" Deku, listen carefully, do not rush in there to stop him, do not even attempt to face him head on, just delay him long enough for me to get there, understood?"
Deku confirmed the order as Endeavor hanged the phone, walking out of the estate as he told Rei.
" I wish I could say that I love you, but our relationship wasn't build on that, it was built on respect and trust."
Rei at that replied evenly.
" if you believe it to be true please don't talk as if you're not returning."
Endeavor, unfazed by the prospect of dying in battle, countered his wife by saying.
" with a villain like the one i'm about to face?, that is most likely what is going to happen."
Rei at that tried to keep her cool, however her emotions started to get the better of her.
" why do this when Shoto will still need you in his life?, what about Fuyumi or Natsuo for that matter?"
Endeavor took a deep breath as he chose to confront his wife head on.
" there are pro heroes that are probably better suited for this with quirks more versatile than my own but I've been granted an opportunity to make up for my past mistakes… I've let my actions be as destructive as my flames, the only thing I could reasonably ask for is to let my flames be used just once to provide true warmth and comfort." Arguing with Endeavor at this point would be both tedious and tiring as Rei yet again chose to put her trust in her husband as she picked up the land line calling a specific number. As the call connected trough Rei began cutting to the chase.
" I'm terribly sorry for the short notice but Endeavor needs your aide once more."
The voice on the other line responded as follows.
' I presume that I should bring that suit as well?'
Rei confirmed the man's assumption as he told her he will be there in thirty minutes or less as she ended the call while Endeavor spoke up, bowing slightly.
" thank you, for everything."
Rei at that raised Enji's head a bit as she placed a small and chase kiss on his right cheek.
" you said before that your flames never gave anyone comfort, that's not true, every civilian you saved, every hero you've lend a hand to and even securing a future for myself, those were moments were you gave comfort to every one of us, now go and do that again Endeavor."
A little touched and surprised Endeavor gave a nod as he bid farewell to his wife as he exited the estate. Just as he exited the front of the house an all too familiar car with a man who could be just as blunt as him, Untenmaru Kurumada, stopped next to him as said driver greeted his boss.
" couldn't hack it as a civillian anymore?"
Endeavor's only response was.
" an opportunity arose that I couldn't ignore, could I count on you once again old friend?"
Untenmaru's only response was.
" you don't have any other friends."
With that said and done the two didn't waste any time with pointless chatter as Endeavor instructed Untenmaru on where to go and how fast he needed to be there. As Endeavor donned his hero suit once again the flame hero inspected the suit to see if his prosthetics got in the way, in terms of design the new suit matched the previous ones with it being, navy blue, orange with a touch of silver on the shoulder pads with one slight difference, his artificial limbs being covered in silver armor matching the rest of the gear, now the man in question would oppose unnecessary bulk but said attachments were specifically made to withstand the Hell flame quirk.
" are you alright in the head?"
Endeavor evenly asked.
" are you asking if I finally lost my mind or if I'm doing it for the right reasons?"
Untenmaru responded without fail.
" both."
Any other boss would find this kind of attitude as grounds for dismissal however Endeavor wasn't any other boss.
" both seems like a fair answer."
As the Car neared the first of what would become an emergency site Endeavor ejected out of his driver's car using his Hell Flames as make shift jet engines as he noticed pro heroes evacuating as many as they can mainly Grape juice, Sugarman, Cellophane, Red Riot and Ingenium evacuating civilians.
" how the evacuation efforts are going?"
Red Riot was the first to answer.
" if everything keeps going at this pace then we should be done in twenty minutes sir."
Endeavor gave a slight nod before taking charge.
" try and cut it down by half while trying not to overuse your quirks."
Everyone nodded in agreement as the former number one continued.
"Red Riot, leave the rescue for the rest, you're coming with me."
Red Riot only gestured silently ' lead the way' as Grape juice broke the silence after the two left.
" would it be considered a dumb question if I asked how can we shave ten minutes out of a twenty minutes operation?"
Ingenium answered that question with.
" no it's not, and as for how will do it?, I'm sure we'll find out."
With that the present heroes got back to work.
Speaking of job, the rest of the hero teams deployed were well on their way to evacuate all civilians from where Mindhunter was sighted as the following heroes, Earphone Jack, Tentacole and Jet black Tsukuyomi were scouting up ahead, keeping a watchful eye for what the villain could send their way and to the hero with the bird's eye view it spelled trouble.
" my friends, do any of you know what Draugr are?"
Earphone Jack replied through a shared comm link between the three.
' I can take a guess this isn't something good.'
As Tentacole got a clearer view through the extra eyes growing out of his multiple arms he confirmed Earphone Jack's fears.
' zombie like creatures.'
Earphone Jack swallowed her fears as deep down inside she still had some nerves about battles on the front line as she pointed out.
" what are we waiting for?….. let's make sure they'll regret coming back to life.
Tsukuyomi replied sternly.
' no, make sure you evacuate every innocence to the last one.'
With that Earphone Jack and Tentacole did as they were told as Tsukuyomi psyched himself up for a battle silently saying.
" the weak shall not suffer Ragnarok!, not under my watchful eyes."
As the creatures made of bones and rotting muscle fiber kept their march throughout the evacuated residential areas Tsukuyomi declared while flying with Black Fallen Angel.
" dark shadow…. Multiple wombs!"
With that said and done Tsukuyomi landed gracefully on the ground as his quirk an companion Dark Shadow expended through the darkness available by the setting sun as it expanded on multiple targets trapping about 80% of the enemy forces. As there were some stragglers that escaped their confinement Tsukuyomi was preparing himself for combat while he heard the following.
" hey black bird!, duck and cover."
That voice belonged to no other than Lord Explosion God Dynamight as he flew through the air at dizzying speeds as he prepared an attack especially for the undead bastards wreaking havoc on the streets.
" this next one wasn't made with precision aiming in mind!"
By this poinnt Dynamight began rotating in mid air like a drill as sweat began flying at various spots while Dark Shadow and Tsukuyomi retreated with those spots being the zombies in mind. Just as the sweat made the tiniest bit of contact Dynamight declared in a loud voice.
"Howitzer… Point Blank….Impact!"
At this point in time multiple detonations occurred blowning every undead bastard in sight while doing minimal damage to the houses surrounding the areas, at best knocking down glass around windows and entrances while an all too familiar and even voice asked.
" was it necessary for you to use an imprecise move like that?"
Dynamight responded with a calm yet still irritated tone.
" you do realize that I'm still recovering from the last war right?!…. I can't just drag out a fight even for fun Icy-hot."
Shoto unbothered by the vague insult disguised as a nickname continued the conversation with this.
" just try not to complain when you go down in the rankings again."
Dynamight at that grinned as he countered with.
" the rankings won't mean anything if there are no people left alive to rank us."
Before the banter could continue the surrounding area came to life as concrete, dirt and even trees began distorting into humanoid figure as they roared into life becoming into creatures like Golems, Trolls and Cyclopes as Dynamight snorted.
" are you waiting for an invitation? Or are you going to show this losers what you've got half and half?"
Shoto opted at this point to let his actions do the talking for him.
" ColdFlame's Pale Blade."
Using his Phosphor technique Shoto combined both his flames and ice to create specifically a lance like object, throwing it at the creatures. Just as one of the creatures got hit Dynamight wasted no time as he closed the gap between him and the hit monster as he detonated his sweat while holding on to elemental lance therefore creating enough force not to only send the creature even further than the hit it already absorbed but the projectile shot clean through its body hitting another enemy and sending it with just enough force as the previous one.
" hey Deku, are you slacking off back there?!…."
Deku, the hero with the trademark green lightning effect ran across the streets taking down multiple enemies with precise kicks and punches to strategic locations as he stated.
" no….. just keeping the suit intact so I can properly upgrade it later."
At that Dynamight took offense to that statement while pointing out.
" I poured every Yen and Dollar I could scrape into making that suit for you…. In fact I even went and asked your friends to chip in….. so don't tell me this suit is less than perfect… got it nerd!?"
Deku nervously laughed as he sweat dropped.
" they're your friends too."
Before this conversation could continue a mashup of zombies and elemental creatures materialized though the latter seemed to be a bit more unstable than the first batch.
" Deku, half and half you make sure these small fries don't get in my way I'm going to send those big ones to hell where they belong."
At that the two agreed with the temperamental blonde as they resumed their fight with Shoto even going as far as to make a battle axe out of fire and ice. As the trio fought, Dynamight took at least four all in once, however some managed to evade him while "zombie's" managed to swarm him until Endeavor made it to the scene.
" flash fire bow….. arrows of Apollo!"
With that a barrage of fiery arrows shot out of a bow made out of pure fire as every shot incinerated the targets with Dynamight commenting.
" figured you were still too young for the pipe and slippers old man Todoroki."
Endeavor didn't say a word towards Dynamight as he simply asked.
" have you gotten them all?"
Shoto nodded.
" so far."
Endeavor in turn relayed the following commands as he mirrored his son.
" make sure that the rest of your friends by=usy with rescue and evacuation are well protected."
Dynamight pointed out the following.
"a nd who's going to protect you since you weren't active for 8 years?!"
Deku was about to scold Dynamight for the unnecessary rude comment however Endeavor kept moving forward to the next battlefield with Red Riot bringing up the rear while also matching the elder's hero pace. As the day continued on and dusk settled in Mindhunter's silhouette came into view.
" Red Riot, you know what to do."
Red Riot took a deep breath as he hardened himself and without a second warning began gouging out Endeavor's eyes as the latter cauterized the wounds just as quickly.
" if I survive this I won't hold you accountable."
As Endeavor made a literal blind assault on Mindhunter as said villain tried to concentrate on the hero, undoing the self inflicted damage so he could control him just like his other puppets, the closest "ally" to him now was a certain young boy turned into a vengeful villain Dabi, however there was one element that escaped him, or rather one hero.
" go my feathered friends….. obstruct this evil doer's sights….. go Hitchcock's birds."
Just like the movie this ultimate move was based upon the classic thriller, the skies got crowded with birds as they attacked and swarmed both villains, distracting them until Dabi used his blue flames incinerating some of the birds, he would've gotten them all that is if not for Endeavor grabbing his face as he shouted one of his iconic ultimate moves.
" Flash Fire Fist….Jet burn!"
With that a stream of concentrated flames engulfed the villain's face turning his head into nothing but ash as Dabi's body went limp.
" I misjudged you, to think that you wouldn't hesitate to kill your own son."
Endeavor showed no visible emotion however his words carried unmistakable anger and malice.
" whatever you brought back wasn't my son….. Toya would've never allowed anyone to give him orders, much less work with someone else unless he wanted it."
Clearly amused Mindhunter stated.
" clearly you're a lot sharper than I gave you credit for."
Without a second warning Mindhunter transported a couple more of his "allies" to the battle field, one was a newly reformed R rated hero Midnight although with a costume reminiscent of lady Diana Rigg from the British TV program The Avengers, or to those who wouldn't get the reference, a skin tight body suit evoking a classic dominatrix with plenty of exposed skin for the newly resurrected female corpse to use her quirk, the other one was a tall young man with a muted blue hair, wearing what can described as amartial arts uniform mixed in with classic aviator gear complete with goggles and a brown leather jacket, a promising hero cut down before his prime named Loud Cloud.
" have you no respect for anything?, what kind of a cheap move is this?"
Mindhunter ignored Red Riot's comment as he created a few more elemental monsters while stating.
" let the children play while the adults have their discussion."
With that both Mindhunter, his hired help and Endeavor have all disappeared as though they were made of sand. The rest of the heroes present couldn't even ponder about what happened as the creatures, while simplistic in nature and design were just as relentless as the ones attacking Deku's group.
" Anima, go find Shoto and make sure to call for reinforcements while I act as both shield and sword around these guys."
Anima was about to retort as a wave of energy spiraled across them piercing the creatures dead on.
" Neji-wave pike, output 60…."
Knowing what that meant, the following heroes emerged on the scene, the current number one hero Lemillion with Sun Eater and Nejire-Chan right besides him.
" wow, nice timing you guys."
Sun Eater cut off Red Riot saying.
" there will be plenty of time to talk later, find out where this menace has taken off to."
Red Riot nodded as he gestured Anima to go along, finding Deku and the rest of their friends in record time Anima was the first to charge into battle as he made sure that the monsters trying to brutalize his classmates were distracted enough to give Red Riot a clear opening as the latter shouted.
" Red Riot…. Indestructible…!"
The move Red Riot unleashed was an upgraded version of his signature move Unbreakable, in terms of scaling think of it as 10 times more powerful while unfortunately the drawback is a short time span where the hero in question could use it. Getting a clean hit Red Riot managed to pierce the monster attacking his friends clean through the chest as Dynamight pointed out.
" don't expect a thank you."
Shoto at that butted in to the conversation asking.
" what are you doing back here, where's….."
Before the conversation and the question could continue, a monster that slipped by Anima's defenses rushed the group heading straight for Red Riot but before anyone knew what's going on a familiar pink skinned heroine unleashed an attack of her own.
" Acid Buck Shot!"
A large projectile of acid destroyed the elemental monster in a matter of minutes before Pinky declared cheekily.
" you owe me one Red….."
Red Riot simply smiled stating that he would pay her back as usual for those two in particular before he focused his attention on Shoto.
" I was with Endeavor but this Mindhunter creep transported him somewhere and even worse he's not alone….."
Shoto didn't lose his cool as he asked Anima.
" did he indicate where he was going?"
Anima sadly nodded a 'no' as Shoto began thinking out loud.
" let's review what we know, he disappeared with my dad because he doesn't want to be disturbed right?…. Now we also know he has a flare for… oh no!"
Without a second warning Shoto began sprinting off as Dynamight ever so delicately stated.
" hey dumbass, you forgot to fill us in on your Eureka moment!"
Outside of Endeavor's Hero agency, Naruhata city.
As Mindhunter and his cohorts materialized with Endeavor the former hero stared at his old headquarters as he asked sarcastically.
" don't tell me you did all that for an autograph and a photo-op…"
Mindhunter, a bit amused, returned the sarcasm back.
" not exactly, I needed a suitable place reminiscent of Kamino ward without letting history repeat itself."
With that Mindhunter concentrated on Endeavor's prosthetic limbs as they began malfunctioning as he next ordered his cronies to do the job they were made, or more accurately, remade for. With that Midnight and Loud Cloud unleashed their quirks as the former's didn't cause men to fall asleep any more, instead causing strong paralysis instead while the latter's was a cloud carrying a deadly toxin attacking the body from inside out.
Feeling the effects kicking in Endeavor scoffed.
" couldn't….. win….. in a…. fair fight?"
Mindhunter countered.
" believe me, this wouldn't be much of a fight…. This is the beginning of a new era and you're going to usher it in, but first….."
Mindhunter, a bit slowly this time, focused on Endeavor's fresh wounds as his eyes began to heal themselves.
" are you going to torture me like the Greek Titan of flames Prometheus?"
By this point both Toxins took effect as Mindhunter levitated himself and Endeavor so that anyone could see.
" I was not wrong while asserting that you are an educated man however you've never given a single gift to the world."
Endeavor gave him a murderous look as he fought valiantly against the poisons in his system as Mindhunter ignored him.
" let's review the facts, you haven't arrested or caught corrupt politicians from swindling their voters on a regular basis, you haven't done anything to lower suicide rates, you haven't used your quirk to solve any major energy crisis and that's just to name a few, shall I continue?"
Endeavor gave him a confident look saying.
" by all means, you're just giving real heroes the opportunity to defeat you."
Mindhunter did not entertain him this time as he began torturing the former hero while a crowd of onlookers gathered around the hero agency in the droves while Endeavor tried to free himself by using Hellflame.
" you'll only hurt yourself and others by doing that"
With this the tortured continued and like Prometheus himself just when the pain and poison would claim Endeavor Mindhunter would cure him only for the process would start again as the former hero's only thoughts were.
' I have to wait for the right moment.'
As though the universe heard him Emergency services arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd gathered as Mindhunter got distracted just enough for him to use his quirk to float up to the roof with Midnight and Loud Cloud on his trail.
" don't worry you'll soon get to rest peacefully once more."
Endeavor at that pulled back both of his arms before launching them forward shouting.
" Hell Curtain!…"
With that a stream of concentrated flames were released covering the two reanimated corpses as the flames ate away at their flesh while the former hero in question noticed how badly his prosthetic fore-arm was acting.
" at this rate it wouldn't last for too long, can't let him catch wind to that fact."
With that said and done Endeavor wasn't going to let this Mindhunter character corner him as he began sprinting inside to his former hero agency, finding a secluded spot away from the villain's prying eyes as a near by inline office began ringing. Acting quickly Endeavor picked it up as Shoto's voice could be heard.
' he took you to your old agency didn't he?'
Unfazed by the blunt greeting Endeavor replied.
" indeed but I managed to slip out of sight, no matter how painful it may be for me to admit that."
Shoto on his end continued straight on to business.
' I managed to gather up a few heroes and sent them your way, please think of them as newly recruited sidekicks.'
Endeavor in turn did not protest or dismissed the idea since his son proved time and time again that his instincts made him a better hero than he was in more ways than one.
" understood, I'll give them clearance on my end."
True to his word Endeavor allowed the backup team to enter the building covertly once they arrived, all without alerting Mindhunter, though honestly it stood to reason that either he didn't fully recover just yet to pose an actual threat or he's doing it out of a twisted sense of good sportmanship. As the backup team finally met with Endeavor in the flesh he noticed that the team consisted of three promising pro heroes , Can't stop twinkling, Illusio-Camie and Invisible Girl.
" I'll cut straight to the point, I'll need a solid distraction from you three while I would approach him as close as possible to apprehend him, don't let me down."
Noticing the state of his prosthetics Camie blew a large amount of mist as it covered the four of them as she stated.
" that creep won't be able to spot us for at least a couple of hours so you can like get your gear patched up and working."
Though he looked like a brute of a man Endeavor had the foresight to learn the inner workings of his prosthetics to be able to make repairs and maintenance when the ocassion called for it. Finishing in record time of twenty five minutes Endeavor inspected his gear one last time before he said.
" listen carefully because I'll say it only once, Twinkling and Invisible Girl, head downstairs towards the middle floors of the building, once you get Mindhunter in sight use your quirks to blind him for as long as possible, Illusio-Camie, you're staying close to me, use that mist of yours to keep me covered just in case that villain manages to recover too quickly got it?"
With that said and done the impromptu hero team executed their plan as Mindhunter got distracted long enough for Endeavor to return to the roof with Camie hot on his trail saying.
" not to be a pain but I can't go along with what you're doing."
Knowing exactly what she was talking about Endeavor acknowledged her by saying.
" from the moment I've read the files I knew we were dealing with a serious threat so I can't let anything get in the way of putting this guy away for good, even my own life….. besides Shoto and everyone I knew for my entire life are worth risking my life over."
Illusio-Camie relented saying.
" I can go along with it better if you promise me one thing."
Endeavor nodded as she exclaimed.
"give him hell."
Endeavor smirked.
" I'll give him ten hell's worth."
Endeavor at that reached the edge of the roof as he floated towards Mindhunter, catching him off guard as the flame hero began taking him high into the sky.
" that plan of yours won't work, the poison and paralysis agents alone should have weakened your flames along with your age."
Endeavor retorted as follows.
" it doesn't matter…. I don't intend on giving you anything but my best…"
before Mindhunter could respond Endeavor exclaimed while holding the villain with his entire body in a vice grip.
" Prominence burn…. Supernova!"
Like it's namesake, the attack began with multiple small fires engulfing Endeavor's body gradually gaining heat much like the hero's iconic move only this time the heat kept rising up never letting up from its intensity causing pain not only to Mindhunter but to it's originator as well, though for an odd reason neither of them showed any outward reaction to the sensation currently at play.
In Endeavor's case, not only did he built an immunity to the pain his quirk gave him each and every time he called it into use but at the moment he was contemplating on a number of different memories mixing all together, the first were a few interactions he had with his wife in both their younger and older years, pleasant memories of little moments which at the time didn't amount to anything, the second were the births of every one of their children, the next was the unfortunate loss of their eldest both as the kid and the desperate psychotic villain Dabi, then the unfortunate death of Enji's old man, finally, it was the dream that haunted the former hero for a while of his family being happy discussing about mundane topics with him never at the table.
An odd sense of calmness washed over Endeavor as the flames engulfed both him and Mindhunter only growing stronger and stronger in intensity as the hero could be literally seen for the better parts of Japan just like the namesake of his final attack, a literal supernova.
Down on the street's level Shoto along with his friends and a few other pro heroes, chief among them were Eraser Head and Phantom thief making sure they did their best with crowd control since a panicked population was one thing, a panicked population unable to get a hold of their quirks was a nightmare no one wanted to think about.
It's no secret that Shoto, both the hero and the son didn't always get along with his father Endeavor, things always ended up just a bit to tense for either to their liking but in this specific case the son in question felt tense because in practice he should do something to help his dad but for the first time in a while he didn't know what. At this point Shoto felt a hand resting on his shoulder as Dynamight of all people gave him a silent but reassuring stare to which the former gave a small quiet nod in return.
" everybody listen up, remain calm and move your asses, this isn't a fireworks festival."
A random citizen replied to Dynamight.
" thanks."
Dynamight's only response was.
" you got wax in your ears?!… I said move it."
Deku could only sigh and sweat drop at the interaction as the light from Endeavor's attack began dying down.
Just before Endeavor's attack died down Mindhunter finally tried to speak.
" you do realize that once I'm dead there will be no one powerful enough to resurrect you, much less….. save your pitiful life…."
Endeavor scoffed.
" you overestimate your ability….."
With that he once again attacked the villain giving one final push, one final plus ultra to an attack who could be categorized as a beyond plus ultra. With that the flames that erupted consumed both villain and hero as nothing remained of them both but burnt remains with Mindhunter disintegrating before he could hit the ground as Endeavor's remains were caught by Shoto who caught him as he used his ice to propel him off the ground before he manipulated it yet again so he surfed on it all the way to ground level where the heroes and EMT's were stationed.
" make….. make sure…. The public doesn't see him like that….. he deserves to be remembered as a hero."
With that everyone agreed with the sentiment as the EMT's left just as the local policemen began swarming the area, marking the Endeavor hero agency as a crime scene, collecting evidence and eye witness statements from the heroes present. Without anyone noticing Dynamight approached Deku.
" should we be worried about all of this?"
Deku catching on to Dynamight's thinking replied.
" it seems too easy for you too isn't it?"
Dynamight replied.
" a villain like that would and should've put up more of a fight, he didn't….. now why is that?"
Deku acknowledged his rival's suspicions as he said.
" we can think about it later, we need to make sure Todoroky will pull through with this."
Knowing Deku had a point Dynamight sighed as he stated.
" just don't go poking around into his life, I know how you can get sometimes."
Deku at that asked.
" do we really have to talk about this?, I got better at reining that habit in…"
Dynamight's response was as follows.
" yeah well controlling it isn't better than not letting it happen to begin with!"
With that said and done, despite the sudden loss of the former number one hero, life went on as if it was a minor foot note as the heroes went their separate ways. On his way home Shoto called home.
" mom…. I'm on my way back home….."
Rei's voice could be heard from the other line as she replied evenly.
' that's good to hear…. What about your father?'
Shoto at that was at a lost for words for a little while.
" dad…. Dad saved all of us…"
Rei, at hearing that, took a moment to compose herself replied with.
' let's talk about it more at home.'
Agreeing to it Shoto Todoroky ended the conversation as he pocketed his cellphone choosing to take the scenic route home. Eventually he made his way home as Rei welcomed him with a warm hug, embracing her he finally let the weight of what happened sink in, allowing himself to be vulnerable.
" I….. I failed mom…. I'm so sorry…."
Soothing him just like he was the little five year old boy all over again Rei gave him comfort by saying.
" you've done the best you could at that moment and so did he… nobody could've asked better from the two of you….. I couldn't have asked for better."
Shoto took a few deep breaths before he said.
" thanks mom, but there's still some things I need to do before I could take comfort in your words."
Rei at that nodded as Shoto went on to take care of business. That evening Shoto contacted Keigo, letting him know what happened but for once Deku and Dynamight beat him both to the punch already informing the young H.P.S.C head with the events of the day as he reassured the young hero.
" we'll continue the investigation until we exhaust every lead we can find, in the meantime take a few days off, be with family, friends and loved ones."
Shoto at that thanked Keigo as he hung up the call as he scrolled through his contacts until he found Momo's sending her a quick message.
' about what we arranged earlier, I'll need a little time for myself for a little while… once I feel better I'll contact you promise.'
Momo's reply came after a minute as it read.
' take all the time you need, you can call me if you need someone to talk to….. I'm here for you and so's the rest of us.'
Shoto's last reply was.
' thanks.'
At this point in time Shoto informed his mother that he would be practicing with his quirk on something for a little while before retiring to bed. Once in his room Shoto concentrated on a mental image, a very specific hair pin as he tried to recreate it to perfection with both his ice and flames. Awhile practicing for well over an hour eventually Shoto felt the fatigue settling in as he laid down on his futon thinking about the man he finally got around to calling dad.
' don't worry old man…. I'll make sure you didn't die in vain….. and I'll make damn sure to keep making you proud….'
Shoto closed his eyes as he fell asleep in a relative sense of comfort knowing that Endeavor managed to avert what otherwise could've been a disaster, little did he know however that the disaster was merely postponed as a small sliver of Mindhunter's body was slowly but surely recovering and reconstructing itself piece by piece.
Next Chapter: Resurrection.