Here it is, the ninetieth full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on the right day as promised. This is a standard transition chapter that takes the final two episodes of season 4 and puts them together from Marinette and Adrien's perspective, for the most part. There is still one more transition chapter before the next big arc to look forward to and then it's time for the first arc of season 5 with Marinette and Adrien present of course. The only other thing to add about this chapter is a slight spoiler warning as there are bits of Hawk's backstory and history that I don't think have been revealed in the anime yet (but have in the manga) so you have been warned. Lastly, there was a review that I can't personally respond to and wasn't really clear to me so if the reviewer could find a way to clarify that for me so I can properly respond that would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now though and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 90th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 90: Endeavors on TV
November was coming to an end and in the wake of the School Festival Class 1-A got some welcome news; Eri was coming to live on U.A.'s campus full time. She was going to live in the teacher's dorm where she could be monitored and Aizawa was going to be her primary guardian, but it was still good news to those involved in the raid to rescue her as they'd be able to see more of Eri when they had the time in the busy schedules to do so.
Naturally, those who'd been involved in the raid had been the ones who were told first of the news when Aizawa had called them to the teacher's lounge where the Big 3 and Eri were, the latter getting her hair done into a set of adorable twin tails by Hado and told about Eri's situation. They all hadn't known when to next see her, especially Izuku who'd bonded the most with her, so this had been great to hear. It was what Marinette, Adrien, and Momo had at least suspected but this was the confirmation of it.
The reason for it was that there really wasn't anywhere else for Eri to go. She couldn't stay in the hospital forever and her parents appeared to have abandoned her, so she didn't have any relatives that could take her in. The only known blood relative was her grandfather, the leader of the Hassaikai group who Chisaki had put into a coma and who was still in it, so rather than put her in the system she was allowed to move to U.A.
Well, that and the fact that she still had no control over her Quirk, which was a highly dangerous and powerful Quirk that only worked on organic life so she needed to be somewhere that could safely contain it. The only place was U.A. as Aizawa with his Erasure Quirk was the only one around who could stop Eri if she lost control again. Plus, there was no better place to help her learn how to use it that U.A. so it was a win/win situation for everyone involved.
They were told that the doctors had confirmed that Eri's Quirk was released from her horn which they all noted had gotten a little bigger since they'd last seen her. That was all that was really known about it, however, and while Aizawa had some plans for how to figure Rewind out that would have to wait as Eri needed to get settled in and the teachers had to come up with lesson plans for her as she would still receive a complete education while here.
Of course, that didn't stop them from fussing over Eri and how cute she was, especially with her temporary hairstyle. Tsu compared Eri to little sister and Marinette to a less excitable Manon though she explained that away as a family friend's kid she babysat back in Paris, which was true other than the fact that it had been over two centuries since Marinette had babysat Manon. They all wanted to help Eri in her adjustment but alas they were too busy to do much more than pop in from time to time and play with her, which they all planned on doing, while Togata was the main one due to his leave of absence.
In fact, he was to help her move in, which included playing some board games, and they wanted to help but Aizawa shut that down much to their surprise. Apparently they were going to have some visitors that night and had to go back to the dorms to get ready for them.
That confused the 7 but they all accepted it and headed back wishing Eri well and promising to see her as soon as they could. It was nice to see how well she was getting on and it brought them all hope to see her happy at last even if things were still a little overwhelming for her after everything she'd been through. They'd see her again soon but first they did have the visitors to prepare for, so they headed back to the dorm, told the others of Eri's move to campus, and got changed before heading down in casual clothes to chill in the common area while they waited.
Adrien was chilling on the sofas with some of the guys while Marinette worked on some macaroons and helped instruct Sato on the finer points of baking chocolate eclairs when the quiet of the room was broken by a loud sneeze. It seemed that Tokoyami was coming down with something and as it was getting cold outside these days it wasn't too surprising that some would get sick.
"I hope you're not sick Tokoyami." Ochaco, who was walking to the tables with a mug of hot chocolate said to him as she was the nearest to Tokoyami who was heading to the sofas when he sneezed. "I'm sure we can make some hot soup if you need it."
"I assure you that I am fine Uraraka but thank you for your concern." Tokoyami replied. "My mucus membranes are merely doing their job."
"Er…" Ochaco said unsure how to respond to that.
"Or someone is talking about you." Kaminari said from the sofa where he was between Adrien and Momo. "Maybe you got fans like the ones who showed for Yao-Momo at the concert. I bet they're hot too, lucky."
"Now don't you make fun of my fans Kaminari." Momo said defensively. "I'm lucky to have them supporting me."
"Well Tokoyami's probably had fans for a while now." Ochaco said while it was clear that Momo was oblivious to the deeper reason why she had so many fans. "He did do his work study with Hawks, so I bet he picked them up there. Plus, he was a semifinalist in the Sports Festival which is bound to have led to plenty of fans."
"No likely not, everything moved too fast there for me to gain any fans." Tokoyami said with a slight shake of his head. "And as for the Sports Festival, yes I distinguished myself by earning a bronze medal, but I really didn't show off the way others did in the Sports Festival."
"True you beat me and Yao-Momo like super-fast." Mina said from a stool she was on in the common area. "And then lost to Bakugo pretty quickly in return. It was just annoying that you beat us so quickly and then could best Bakugo, well it was until we learned that Dark Shadow doesn't like light."
"Tokoyami was a bad matchup." Bakugo grunted surprising a few with using Tokoyami's name though he'd done so during band practice so those in the band knew that Tokoyami had earned enough respect from Bakugo to merit the use of his actual name. "Once I figured out his weakness he was done for."
"Astute as I'd expect even if it was brutal." Tokoyami said with a nod. "The other three medalists showed off more than I did."
"Dupain-Cheng advanced faster than you did though." Kaminari pointed out as Marinette and Sato came over with the latest baked goods to put them on the table before Marinette sat down next to Adrien and snuggled up to him ignoring the mix of jealousy and love by proxy looks she got from it but ever since the School Festival she'd been more comfortable with being couplie with Adrien in front of her friends. "She bested me in seconds and Ida even faster than that."
"You were too predictable Kaminari." Marinette said as she tried one of the eclairs, they were certainly good though she would have one or two small pointers for Sato later that would really improve them. "You can't just go full voltage right away especially against someone with my Quirk. With the right tactics you could have been a real challenge to me but at that point in your training you were too straightforward in your attacks, so I won that match the moment we entered the ring."
"Hey." Kaminari protested popping a macaroon into his mouth and enjoying it, Dupain-Cheng's baking skills dwarfed Sato's, so her baked goods always went quickly when she made them. "I could have gotten you."
"Keep telling yourself that." Jiro said with a roll of her eyes. "After that stunt with the cheerleader outfits you were doomed and being drawn against Marinette only ensured it. Maybe now you'd last a little longer in a rematch, but you'd still lose to her I'd say, pretty much only Bakugo, Todoroki, Agreste, and Midoriya can challenge Marinette in combat at the moment."
"It was unwise of you to not factor in how Lucky Charm works." Momo pointed out in her usual observational manner. "All Marinette needed was an item to negate your electricity and she got it. I've faced it in training, and I can say that it's a really hard Quirk hard to overcome but I have a few ways should I ever face Marinette in a future Sports Festival. Not that I expect it to be easy mind you."
"We've all improved so rematches will be interesting for sure." Marinette said. "And I'm going for gold next time. The bronze medal was nice but it's just a taste of what is to come."
"Todoroki managed to beat you though." Kaminari pointed out. "Ida couldn't which did surprise me."
"I wasn't fast enough." Ida admitted. "Next time though I will be, that loss taught me a lot and now I'm even faster, so I'd like to test myself against you again Dupain-Cheng."
"I look forward to a rematch." Marinette said with a smile as she rested her head on Adrien's shoulder. "With all who I faced then and anyone else."
"A rematch between you and Todoroki, that will be something to watch." Mina said causing Todoroki to look up from a table though he didn't feel like joining in as he basically agreed with the general conversation, he would enjoy testing himself against Dupain-Cheng again one day. "That was an epic fight to watch, as good as the one Todoroki had with Midoriya only without the self-inflicted injuries."
"It showed me my own limitations for sure though I did injure myself when I ripped my burning top off, it made things worse apparently, but it was for the best at the time." Marinette admitted. "And that spitting isn't a great tactic when you need to land a slap right afterwards."
"Still, you tanked his fire." Jiro pointed out. "That must have earned you some fans. A strong ass kicking woman, especially one not afraid to show some skin and with a little hidden surprise is bound to get fans of both genders though for different reasons."
"I met a few female fans at the mall which was nice." Marinette admitted deciding to ignore the whole part of her being in just her bra or Kyoka's not so subtle reference to her piercing as it didn't merit a response. "But in time we'll all get our own fans. Who knows some of us…"
Before Marinette could finish there was a sudden knock on the door. That must be their visitors and instantly Ida went to it to open it as the class stood up to politely greet whoever had come to see them at this late of an hour.
"Your feline fantasies are here again." A familiar female voice said as the door was opened and a brunette woman in her early 30s or burst in to pose.
"Allow us to lend a helping paw." A second, still familiar, female voice said this time from a green haired woman.
"We're champions serving up justice, with our tails." A male voice, the only one that would be though the man behind the voice was born a woman, said.
"Purrfectly cat like heroes." The final voice belonging to a blonde woman said as the quartet finished their entrance and then all together they said. "We're the Wild, Wild, Pussycats!"
"How unexpected." Ida said with a smile as the rest of the class looked in surprise at the pro hero team that had helped train them briefly at the summer camp. "Where so glad to see you all. Thank you for coming to see us."
All Marinette could do was repress a sigh as she looked at the quartet who seemed strange to be out of their usual costumes and face paint and in everyday clothes that didn't make them look like the famous team of heroes that they were. They weren't expected and while Marinette liked the heroes that had trained them their habit of cat puns tended to get Adrien in the mood for them as well and those got old to her fast. She'd endured them for two years in France, so it was nice when he wasn't constantly cracking them.
"Seems our little kittens are doing well." Pixie Bob said with a smile as Mina and Toru ran up to Tiger to take the small box he'd brought them as a welcome gift from him and bow their thanks. "You're all growing nicely though too young for me just yet and I need a mate now."
"Course, the litter has grown well thanks to such great momma cats and Tiger." Adrien said a grin that Marinette didn't like on his face while most ignored the still apparently mate needy Pixie Bob. "We're paw-sitively great after the School Festival."
"Oh, I remember you, you're the French kid who's Hero name is black cat in French." Pixie Bob said with a smile at the blonde foreigner though she did note that the black haired, slightly oriental, girl with twin pigtails took his hand as he spoke and interlocked their fingers. "You were impressive, and we respect a fellow cat lover, but you already have a mate despite being a good specimen."
"Please don't encourage him ma'am." Marinette said to Pixie Bob the distinctive accent to her Japanese reminding the older woman that there were two French transfer students in this class. "Once Adrien gets started on the cat puns it's not going to end."
"Are you kitten me, m'lady." Adrien said with fake hurt in his voice. "My puns are claw-some thank you very much."
"See." Marinette said as Tiger apologized to Bakugo for failing to protect him, but he dismissed it as having already forgotten about it. "It's going to be like this all night now."
"Despite Agreste's bad taste in puns, I agree with Marinette on that front, we are all doing pretty good." Jiro said coming over a smile on her face. "The festival helped a lot after everything we'd been through."
"Paw pad buns!" Mina, Ochaco and Toru all said excitedly as they realized what Tiger had brought them with Mina holding the package high. "They brought us paw pad buns!"
"Great." Marinette muttered seeing the look on Adrien's face. "Alright kitty, I'll see how well I can replicate them while adding my own twist, just keep the puns to a minimum."
"No pro-meow-ses, bugaboo." Adrien said grinning broadly at his latest pun.
"It's a good thing I love you." Marinette said with a smile.
"You two can be so cute when you get like this." Jiro said as Adrien let go of her hand and put arm around Marinette's waist and held her close. "It's part of why I wanted you to sing Marinette."
"And I'm glad we did." Marinette said with a smile at her friend. "Thank you, it was needed for sure."
It was mainly thanks to their song that they could be like this. Before they'd been as respectful as possible, and of course they weren't going to be making out in the common room or anything, but now they would cuddle up when they could as at this point everyone was used to it and after learning what they had sung many in the class understood their need to be closer at times. Some like Mineta and Kaminari got jealous but most just ignored it or looked forward to the day that they might find that love.
"Make yourself at home." Shoji said to the pro heroes bringing their attention back to their guests. "It's no trouble to us at all to host you."
"No, thank you for the off but we can't stay long." Mandalay said politely declining the offer on behalf of her team.
"We need to visit Class B too." Tiger said before looking to his side to reveal that Kota was with them. "Plus, we can't stay too late."
"Kota! I'm so happy to see you again." Izuku said rushing over and kneeling down to take Kota's hands in his and shake them up and down and smiling at the boy he'd saved so many months ago and now he got the chance to thank him. "Thank you for your heartfelt letter, I'll treasure it forever, I promise. It meant so much to me that you wrote it."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kota said not looking at Izuku and trying to pretend like he didn't care which with his parent's cousin here wasn't going to last long, family was like that after all.
"Do his shoes look familiar Midoriya." Mandalay interrupted with a smile as she pointed to their row of shoes by the door. "Kota picked them out himself, he specifically asked for the red one by the way. Can't imagine why he wanted that color in particular, can you?"
"It's not what you think!" Kota said waving his arms frantically and trying to deny it though there was no way to deny what they symbolized.
That was because the shoes in question were a pair of blood red boots that were very similar to the shoes Midoriya usually wore only these were for a little kid. That got a smile out of him at the matching pair and negated any points Kota would make as it was clear that after the Summer Camp, Deku had become his favorite hero.
"See, the class is already gaining fans." Marinette said smiling at the sight. "Midoriya has one already and I'm sure Kota isn't the only fan of the hero Deku."
"In time we will have them as well and unlike last time we can be more open with them." Adrien whispered to her in French making sure Aoyama wasn't in earshot, which he wasn't, before speaking. "This time we can be more active in how we handle our fans."
"True and at least we're used to it given how popular we were back in the day." Marinette whispered back sticking to French as well while any who could hear just thought they were being couplie again and gave them some space, or in Momo's case was actually in the know about what they were talking about but pretended that it was just sweet French nothings between the couple. "But in time, we have guests so let's avoid French while they are here."
"It's great to see you, but why are you here?" Sato said still in his apron from baking and carrying a tray of tea cups for the Pussycats. "Here's some tea by the way."
"We're here to let you know that we're back in business." Pixie Bob said though she declined the tea.
"Seriously?" Ida asked.
"That's wonderful, you were such a great team that it would have been a shame to lose you." Momo said smiling at the older women.
"Does that mean you're back at work again as well Ragdoll?" Izuku asked the green haired Pussycat, the one they all knew who had had her Quirk stolen by All for One. "I know you took time off after what happened so…"
"Still powerless!" Ragdoll said in a sing song voice showing more acceptance than most would, similar to Togata's attitude to losing his Quirk though in his case there was a potential chance of getting it back where as that was less clear with Ragdoll as she'd had it stolen not rewound like Togata had. "So, I'll be working behind the scenes to support the other three as they are in the field. It should actually make us more efficient to have one back coordinating while they work in real time. I'm the office cat now."
"We did receive a report from Tartarus prison however." Pixie Bob said her tone getting serious. "That monster All for One spoke about Search and taking it. He taunted us by claiming to feel terrible about taking it because he couldn't help but desire any good Quirks he sees, and Search has uses that would be bad in the hands of a villain. He claimed to be happy to return it to Ragdoll, but it would require him to use his power to do so."
"Thing is, they still don't know how many powers he has given his apparently enhanced age and the years he's had to build his arsenal of Quirks." Ragdoll said. "Which means that the only smart way to contain him is to not let him use his any abilities. I'd love to have Search back but it's not worth the risk so I'm going to remain Quirkless."
"Then why choose now to go back into action?" Momo asked.
"This will be announced later but you guys and Class B deserve to get the preview before it becomes official." Mandalay said placing a finger to her lips conspiratorially. "It's because we're ranked 411th this term on the upcoming Japanese Hero Billboard Chart."
"The Japanese Hero Billboard Chart?" Marinette asked. "That's coming out soon?"
"Yeah it's the official rankings of all the heroes in Japan." Izuku said suddenly going into hero fan mode. "Rankings are based on a mix of the total number of incidents resolved, a hero's contribution to society, and the hero's approval rating amongst the citizens. The ranking occurs twice a year and the second ranking is coming up really soon."
"Don't they have a system like that in France?" Ida asked the pair. "I know America is really big on the rankings, but I'm not as well versed in how the European countries do it."
"Sort of though it's not official like they are in Japan, just basic unofficial rankings amongst fans really." Adrien said picking up and using the knowledge they'd been given to help avoid issues though playing dumb with Japanese things would probably still fly for them when it came to things unique to Japan. "Japan's is probably the most efficient of the lot though America always loves a good hero so ranking high there means a lot as well. Honestly, it's a good idea I'd say."
"It's a clever system that allows the people to see heroes more." Momo said to help the explanation and just in case be ready to assist the French couple in their cover. "It reassures people and gives them something to enjoy when the event happens though it's going to be bigger than usual this time around. By having it a three-part system with weights more on the first two parts than the popularity, though that does play a factor, we get a more rounded view of who the top hero is. All Might has held the spot for decades so this is a big one as it will officially confer the top spot to Endeavor given his incidents resolved number and the contribution he makes to society."
"My father wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the first two categories, he usually ranks 4th or 5th in popularity." Todoroki said bluntly. "But he's well above the other top heroes in the other categories, other than All Might that is but that's moor now."
"It will be a change for sure." Izuku said. "A new era without All Might and the rankings should change a fair bit. Last time the Pussycats were ranked 32nd so that's a big drop for them."
"That makes sense then, you're coming back because your rank went down so much." Kirishima said. "I can get behind that for sure."
"No silly that's not it." Ragdoll said with a smile that shot Kirishima's point down hard. "Don't you find it weird that we're still in the triple digits even though we haven't done any hero work since Kamino? There are thousands of heroes in Japan at the moment so three figures for no work is unreal."
"Which means that we're only even ranked because of our approval rating with the public." Tiger said inadvertently showing how it still carried some weight if that was they had to be ranked and were still 411th out of at least 4,100 based off the number of internship offers Todoroki got after the Sports Festival. "That number gave us a big moral boost."
"It tells us that there are people out there who are waiting for us to return." Pixie Bob said. "We can't let our fans down."
"There's no way that we can just stay on the sidelines and snooze in the sun." Ragdoll said. "We've got to be active cats again."
"So, you're doing it for the public." Kirishima said before crying manly tears. "You're so manly Wild, Wild, Pussycats, that's what a hero should be."
"Dude cool it." Kaminari said.
"Again, most of them aren't men." Marinette pointed out though it had been a while since Kirishima had forgotten about gender. "But that is still a very noble thing to do, and we all support your return."
"Thank you, we won't let the people down." Mandalay said seriously. "The Wild, Wild, Pussycats will be back and as strong as ever."
"With all that's been going on I kinda forgot that they haven't announced the results yet." Mina said still holding the paw pad buns. "These would be the second half of the year results."
"And so much has happened in that time." Tokoyami said.
"As Midoriya pointed out, a chart without All Might at the top will be strange." Ojiro said. "I can't imagine what it will even look like."
"The top spots won't change too much." Izuku said starting to really analyze it. "The top 5 will be the ones right below All Might moved up one spot even with Jeanist out since Kamino, his popularity was second to All Might's in recent years. It's the rankings from 6 onwards that will be interesting as some may have shifted though the actual event only really honors the Top 10."
"It's on tomorrow so you should watch it as the heroes in the Top 10 will actually go on stage for once." Mandalay said to them as the Pussycats turned to leave. "We have to go see Class B now, keep up the great work Class A."
With that they all said their goodbyes to the Pussycats and watched them and Kota leave before enjoying the buns with tea that Momo recommended and made for them and heading to bed when that was done. The reveal of the first new Number 1 hero in decades was tomorrow so they would all be up to watch it though Todoroki was in deep contemplation about it wondering how his scumbag father would handle officially becoming Number 1 after 20 years of trying to surpass All Might.
The next day many of the class, though not all of them, had gathered in the common area to sit around the TV and watch the official reveal of the new Japanese Hero Billboard Chart. There had been leaks online about it, but this would be the official confirmation of the Top 10 heroes for the term. For Adrien and Marinette, it was a first-time thing so they were looking forward to the reveal but for the others it was more about the change without All Might than anything else.
Like in years past, the event was a grand televised one in a large auditorium where many heroes were in attendance however, as Mandalay had said the night before, this for the first time ever the top 10 would take the stage when they were announced. They would then get a few moments to speak to the crowd after the new Number 1 was announced if they so choose to.
It was certainly going to be interesting and there was a lot more to it than just the rankings, it was also great exposure for those in the Top 10 to land side gigs and deals and showed the public who to look to in the coming months. Being in the spotlight would be good and bad for these heroes.
The class just watched and listened waiting for the announcement of the Number 10 hero that would kick off the Top 10. Already they knew that there would be new heroes in the Top 10 as Gang Orca, who had been the 10th ranked hero in the last chart, had been ranked 12th this year showing a drop of at least one of the previous Top 10 meaning that with All Might's retirement at least 2 were new to the rankings. Other heroes ranked that some of them knew were Mt. Lady who was 23rd, Fat Gum at 58th and Manual at 222nd.
It would another hero that some of the class knew who was announced as the new Number 10 hero. That hero was the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu. She'd lost one spot on the chart from the last ranking, and she even admitted she felt she didn't deserve it as she walked up on stage but was otherwise humble and grateful in her ranking. With her announcement the Top 10 began in earnest.
The next hero announced had also slipped in the rankings and that was the Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha who looked like an old school samurai in full arm with a magnificent white beard. He was clearly an older hero, the oldest Marinette and Adrien had seen in Japan, who only stated that the outside the Top 3 the rankings were meaningless as they were just based on the times. It was a strange statement, but Adrien had remembered what Mage had said about the man when he'd offered Adrien an internship, he wasn't one to bear tough times.
All that was forgotten with the sheer oddity of the number 8 hero, the Laundry Hero: Wash, when he took the stage. Marinette and Adrien had seen some strange people in the future thanks to the nature Quirks had on human evolution but, well, the sentient looking washing machine was odd even by current standards. Add in that he seemed to only say 'wash' or something with that word in it and it was strange to say the least.
Surely it was a costume of sorts that played to whatever Wash's Quirk was but if there was one hero they wanted to know more about it was Wash. He was also the first of the two new members to the Top 10 though he'd only risen a few spots since the last ranking.
After Wash was the other new member of the top 10 and the one with the largest leap up the charts, mainly because of his prominence during the initial raid of the League of Villains' bar in Kamino, Kamui Woods. It was such a rise that one of the reporters asked Mt. Lady about it and she praised him and denied any dating rumors, but she was clearly upset by how he was the only who made it into the Top 10 of her, Kamui and Death Arms since joining Edgeshot on a team.
No one saw Mt. Lady's freak out however as the list moved on to one of Kirishima's favorites due to his manliness and a Top 10 regular in Shield Hero: Crust. He'd moved up one spot to 6 though all he seemed concerned about was that he didn't get to see more of All Might in action when both were active together. Then it moved onto the new 5 and another hero one of them knew.
"Well, I knew that Mirko would move up at least one rank and it seems to be just a single place up." Marinette said as her intern instructor was announced as the 5th ranked hero though all she said at her rise was to call the new number four hero Ninja Hero: Edgeshot weak for forming a team. "Though that doesn't surprise me, Mirko isn't a team player."
Few really knew Mirko other than by reputation, but the rest of the class nodded at that as they knew that the strange, battle crazed, and highest ranked female hero was a solo act with no agency or sidekicks who just hopped around from place to place preferring where the action was thickest. Mirko certainly had a few screws loose and with All Might retired she was now the designated door kicker it seemed.
Edgeshot for his part just kept his mysterious aloofness and told Mirko to compose herself as he was introduced as the new Number 4 hero which like Mirko and Crust was a rise of one place in the charts. It was clear that their personalities were at odds with each other, but both were highly accomplished and skilled heroes so could share the stage for the moment. Besides, it was time for the top 3 reveal which was what everyone was really looking forward to.
The first of them and Number 3 overall, with as Midoriya had predicted the highest approval rating in the rankings, it was the Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist though he was on hiatus due to his injuries at All for One's hands. There was hope that he'd return soon, though no one knew that Bakugo of all people was more keen than anyone to see Denim Head as he called Best Jeanist return but that was for reasons unique only to Bakugo and tied to his internship with the man. The support of the crowd was clear for Jeanist as they wished him well wherever he was recovering and moved onto the new Number 2 hero.
As expected the number 2 hero was the Wing Hero: Hawks. Little was known about the man who didn't attend U.A. or Shiketsu, a rarity in the Top 10 as only Mirko was also not an alum of the either school, and who'd risen through the ranks faster than any other hero in recent history. However, he was clearly a charming and charismatic man who's popularity was second only to Best Jeanist and he'd more than earned his ranking.
This was the first time that Marinette or Adrien had seen him, and he looked like a mid-20s bro with blond hair, light brown soft looking costume that seemed to be designed after an aviator's leathers, cool headgear with a yellow visor over his eyes, and large red wings sprouting from his back, but they knew his reputation by this point. Hawk's Fierce Wings Quirk was versatile and useful, and he showed that unlike All Might and Endeavor, speed and precision could be key to winning as much as raw power not that the others lacked for speed.
All Hawks did was mutter about feeling like a rebel before the ranking moved on and the lights went out. It was time for the official announcement and onto stage walked the Flame Hero: Endeavor a serious look on his face, new additions to his costume and his fire burning bright as he was finally the official Number 1 hero in Japan.
Today was the dawning of a new age in the hero world, the Age of Endeavor in a sense and the event showed that as there was a brief break before an announcer came onto stage to stand before the 9 of the Top 10 present. The announcer was actually the woman in charge of the HPSC who talked about how the event was special today due to the critical junction in the world with All Might's retirement but to not worry as there were still heroes to guide them into the future. To add to this the heroes in the top 10 would be allowed to say a few words if they wanted to.
The class watched as a reporter with a microphone went up to Ryukyu to start the statements with the lowest ranked hero on the stage. Ryukyu did not make a good start to it as she stated she would have refused the honor of Number 10 if she could seeing as they'd lost too many people who she couldn't save and promised to do better going forward.
"She's talking about Nighteye, ribbit." Tsu said sadly as they watched Crust talk out of place on TV to call for unity though he was being a bit melodramatic it seemed. "And how we lost him in the raid."
"We all failed that day." Marinette said as Crust was chastised on screen. "And we will honor Nighteye by being there for Eri and getting stronger so that it doesn't happen again."
The others in the raid team just nodded as the reporter moved onto Yoroi Mushi who simple stated that the objectives of heroes hadn't changed despite the world doing so and then onto Wash who again only said 'Wash!' thus allowing the reporter to quickly move to Kamui Woods. He had more to say as he honored the heroes before him and thanked Edgeshot for inviting him onto his team while the cameras showed Hawks getting antsy by this.
This again set off Crust, though at least now it was his turn to talk, and he clearly was upset at not being at Kamino to help the other heroes out. That was all he got before the reporter moved onto Mirko who simply told any villains scheming out there that she'd send them flying.
"Again, that is just like her." Marinette said as Edgeshot spoke about his lack of concern with such numbers, he was third in the approval ratings so above Endeavor there, as he wasn't concerned with notoriety but about bringing peace. "She sent many flying that week and I could barely keep up with her."
Before anyone could comment on Marinette's words or Edgeshot's humility Hawks butted in and called out the stuff as canned crap that no one wanted to hear and even invoked Stain who might have actually wanted to hear it which surprised those watching the event. Naturally, this annoyed Edgeshot but intrigued Mirko who was a hero who preferred action to words and didn't really care about her public image.
This led to Hawks walking forward, taking the mic and extending his wings so that he could take to the sky. He began to talk about the approval ratings where Jeanist was one, he was two, Edgeshot 3 and Endeavor fourth and at times like this approval should be the big one so shouldn't the charts be overhauled to match that. He continued to point out that All Might was no more and that they were playing things safe with rehashed PR lines so why should they stop pretending but just say what's on their minds.
It was clear that this was annoying people in the crowd and the members of Class A watching were confused by all this. Even Tokoyami who knew Hawks though he didn't know the man beyond being his mentor, so this stuff was new to him as well. This clearly wasn't planned so no one had any idea what Hawks was up to.
Hawks of course had his own plans and motives but those were his own. No other hero knew the full extent of his role with the HPSC, what he did for them, or what he was doing to try and bring down the League of Villains and a far larger movement based of an old philosophy from the early Quirk days that had been hiding in the shadows but were about to make a move it seemed.
The Wing Hero had his own way of doing things though as the only hero to crack the Top 10 before the age of 20 he was seen as too fast by some, but Hawks didn't mind that as he flew back to the stage and ended his speech. As he did he handed the mic to Endeavor while hovering next to him and pointing out the approval rating difference once again.
The crowd was confused by all this though it was clear that Hawk's words rang true so how could Endeavor follow it? What none of the crowd knew, though at least part would soon be revealed to Endeavor, was that Hawks wasn't a hero who looked up to All Might as he'd soon tell Endeavor. What he wasn't going to tell Endeavor was that the hero who Hawks idolized when he realized that heroes were real, and still did, was actually Endeavor himself.
There were reasons for this, mainly that it had been Endeavor who'd finally caught Hawk's scumbag, murderer, of a father which given that Hawks only saw heroes as fictional characters at the time. Add in that his one possession as a kid was an Endeavor plush he carried at all times that his mother had bought him the one time they left the house because it was cheaper than the All Might one, and he became an Endeavor fan when the man freed his family from Hawk's abusive father.
Thus, Hawks actually strove to be like Endeavor. Sure, his personality was vastly different to Endeavor's but there was a very significant reason for that that he couldn't go into as it was classified but now that Endeavor was the Number 1 hero it was time for him to rise up to the rank as Hawks knew he would.
All Endeavor did was take the mic, pissed at Hawk's words, and thought of his recent chat with All Might at Shoto's remedial lesson that he'd watched. All Might had given him some advice on what it meant to be a symbol and he put that to use now. All he said was that they should watch what he did and left it at that.
The crowd was a little stunned by this brief statement and only Hawks clapped at it. His clapping was genuine however, not that Endeavor would believe it after the shit Hawks had just pulled, and the event ended. The Class turned off the TV to discuss it a bit before heading out to do their morning training.
The show had been odd to say the least, not really reassuring or anything but it at least showed what the new era without All Might would initially look like. What none of them knew was that backstage Endeavor was confronting Hawks about his speech. That confrontation would very soon lead to events in Kyushu that would be more impactful to hero world than any event could be as it would come to be the moment that the Age of Endeavor truly began.
"Turn on the TV!" Someone said as Marinette and Adrien got back to the common room ready to relax and maybe do some homework when the shout came. "Endeavor, he and Hawks are fighting a Nomu and it's different from the others."
That got their attention right away. The pair had just finished an intensive strength workout as part of their training, the class had done their own training in the wake of the Hero Billboard Chart event as it was a day off school so they were expected to do their own training, and just finished showering after getting back. Now anything else they had planned was on pause as they joined Midoriya, Kirishima, Ochaco, Tsu, Momo, Kaminari, Tokoyami, and most notably Todoroki in the common area staring at the TV.
"What happened?" Adrien asked as they watched what looked like an airborne battle between a burning figure that had to be Endeavor and a black thing that had to be the Nomu. "And why are those two together, aren't their agencies in different parts of the country?"
"Endeavor went to Kyushu where Hawk's agency is located after the Hero Billboard chart for some reason." Tokoyami explained as they watched it. "But they were attacked by a Nomu almost immediately it seems which naturally got the news cameras involved. We don't know much more than that at the moment."
"This isn't good." Marinette said as the battle raged, and a building smoked from the top half being completely destroyed but no one was sure how as the news cameras hadn't gotten to the scene in time to show it. "If the Nomus are back then that means the League has to have something planned again."
No one spoke to that, but they all agreed that it wasn't a good sign that this was happening. Nomus were genetically altered creatures designed to house multiple Quirks and created to oppose top heroes and it looked like the one fighting in the air was one of the regenerative ones based on its color. True of all the heroes to face it Endeavor was the best as his flames burned hot enough to negate the Nomu's regeneration if he burned the right part of the body away but still it wasn't going to be an easy fight even with the Number 1 and 2 heroes against it.
Of all of them Todoroki was the one watching it the most intently. He knew his father was trying to make amends and be better, do better, show Todoroki that he was worthy of being his father, and he'd said as much just hours ago at the Hero Billboard chart event, but Todoroki knew his father's limitations, it was why he was created after all.
Endeavor was a powerful hero with a strong Quirk, but his body had a limit to the heat it could handle before it began to shut down. That was why he'd married Rei, so as to produce the desired Quirk that could fully handle his fire. He'd failed with his first 3 kids, though Toya's flames had been stronger than Endeavor's, not that Todoroki really knew his now dead oldest brother, but his constitution was their mother's so could handle extreme colds not extreme heat. Shoto had been the success of it all, he could handle it with proper regulation of his sides, but in a fight like this Endeavor might have to go past his limits.
That was shown a moment later when they all gasped as Endeavor unleashed an inferno from while he was in the air. It looked like he was now a flying ball of intense flames floating in the air, though it was more he wasn't falling rather than floating or fire, and burning past his limits. Then he unleashed his strongest ultimate move, Prominence Burn.
The blast hit the Nomu and incinerated it in seconds. However, the kids watching saw something ripped off it and tossed aside right before the fire hit it in a move that came off as too clever for a Nomu. It was, though none knew yet that this Nomu could talk and think to some extent, because the move had been the Nomu ripping its own head off and tossing it to the side to regenerate from the neck down and still fight though it did show its weakness in that move as well.
The fight continued when a sudden blast of black flesh from the Nomu that struck Endeavor in the sides and face. Only a last second move saving him but leaving a deep cut that would scar from just below his lip to his forehead.
It caused Endeavor to fall to the ground and crash as the Nomu fully regenerated and returned to the fight. As a result, there was a lull in the fight as they all looked at the screen in horror, smoke billowing up, and people evacuating. Then the smoke cleared, and they saw, from a distance, Endeavor on his back, bloody and the Nomu over him. It was a hard scene, and it was currently being shown around the nation on live TV.
"Mage." Fei said to her boss in the teacher's lounge where the TV was on and they were watching with All Might, Present Mic, and Thirteen who were on the sofa's by the TV while the two foreigners were standing at the back of the room. "Should…"
Before Fei could finish Mage shook his head and drew his knife in a flash. A second later time seemed to stop except around them and only then did he speak.
"Remember where we are Fei." Mage cautioned her. "This is serious, so I need to make precautions before you can speak freely. All Might is fully in the know but not the other two, so I have to do this if what you want to say is what I think it is. I can't hold this for long, I'm using the gift Dominus bestowed upon me but it's a strain."
"Right, sorry." Fei said she'd been so used to always being around those in the know or alone undercover over the last several decades that she'd had a brief relapse in the room with some not in the know of the truth of the Guardians. "But should I go?"
"How fast can the eagle get there?" Mage asked.
"Not sure but I can go all out and be there within a few hours at the latest as Lady Eagle." Fei admitted. "Faster if I went as Lady Dragon or if you just sent me with Bright's power."
"I can't, if it comes to it we're going to need full transparency which means full believability and right now you're known to be here with me and nowhere near where that battle is taking place." Mage said shaking his head. "I don't have a teleporting power and while the full scope of your Quirk is known the dragon form isn't authorized except in emergency, so we play this by the book. Go to Kyushu in eagle form and watch from above. I have to make a call and get the authorization but only if Endeavor and Hawks fall. Make sure you are there though because this is almost certainly a threat that would require Lady Dragon to handle."
"Got it." Fei said setting her mind and turning into Lady Eagle next to Mage. "You can release it."
Mage just nodded as he released the time bubble around them and grimaced at the effort he'd used as he put his knife away. As that was happening Fei turned and flew out of the open window and towards the fight as fast as she could towards Kyushu as the crow flew, once she ensure she knew where it was that is.
Thankfully, the other teachers were too focused on it to realize that Fei had gone or that Mage slipped out to make some calls. He needed to get HPSC authorization to engage a fully domestic enemy and more to allow Fei to use her strongest transformation but there were protocols in place to allow for both situations. Best to get that first and hope it wasn't needed as a flash of fire appeared on the screen and Endeavor showed that he wasn't out of the fight just yet.
Back in the dorm they were all watching and hearing the reports of other Nomus, gray ones this time, on the ground that the heroes were facing but the focus was on Endeavor. The Number 1 hero appeared to be on the ground and out which worried them mainly for Todoroki's sake but then there was a flash of fire and suddenly Endeavor was back in the battle.
They couldn't see too clearly, neither the ground or helicopter were able to safely get close enough to show it, though they all saw Kamino in the fight and the similarities to it. The one good thing was that they could see that Endeavor was still in it thanks to the helicopter camera managing to zoom into Endeavor who was now sitting up, his face covered in blood and his flames not burning, but not out of it as he coughed out blood from where he was.
Todoroki knew that look on his father's face, he was still fighting, and he wasn't going to give up, that wasn't something Endeavor did. He was too stubborn to give up until he was out of the fight completely, and he was proven right as the flames reignited on Endeavor as the Nomu leapt up to oversee the fleeing crowd from above.
"This is what it looks like when there is no hope." The reporter on the ground said as the camera showed her in the midst of the terrified civilians trying to escape as the Nomu floated above them. "This is what happens without All Might when a major villain attacks us."
"You've got to be kidding me." Todoroki said his eyes wide at both the scene and the reporters words. "That's not going to help the situation at all."
"It's chaos.' Tokoyami added as Aizawa came into the dorm having come here as soon as he heard of the fight that was going on between Endeavor and the Nomu. "Utter panic."
"I see you know Todoroki." Aizawa said though all Todoroki could do was nod.
"It's bad." Sero said as he and Bakugo joined them as well. "Really bad."
"Don't just say whatever you want you fool." A young male voice said from the screen that got all their attention back to the screen to a collage aged teen with pink hair yelling at the camera from a few people back. "Do you think scaring people makes for good TV? You're making this worse!"
"You gotta chill dude." One of the boys friends said to him as they tried to calm him down and evacuate with him.
"Look over there!" The boy yelled doing his best to point towards where Endeavor was. "Endeavor's flames are still burning bright for us! Don't you see? Don't you see that his fire hasn't been extinguished!"
The camera panned out and they all saw flames raging up from where Endeavor had fallen. He was still strong enough to produce them, so he was still strong enough to fight and the boy just kept talking about what was going on.
"You know what that means, right?" The boy said, clearly he was an actual Endeavor fan given the tone of his voice as the camera panned back to him. "Endeavor is still alive and fighting for us! Don't you dare say that there's no symbol just because All Might's not here. Look at Endeavor! He's our Symbol now, his flames are burning bright for us so show him some damned support!"
That really got to them as they watched the boys friends try to get him out of there but clearly he wasn't done or going anywhere anytime soon. He was a serious Endeavor fan despite living in Hawk's city, so serious in fact that he didn't like the slight change when Endeavor offered to shake his hand when he finally met his hero in Kyushu of all places, and he was using his love for his favorite hero to boost him in the public's eye when it was needed. The boy just wouldn't shut up.
"Do you know what he's doing?" The boy asked ignoring all efforts to get him away. "Endeavor is risking his life for our sake! Look at him! That is our Symbol now, look at his flames and let them inspire you the way All Might's strength did!"
On the screen they now saw that Endeavor was back in the air and propelling himself forward and at the Nomu in the air, the fire burning from his back and feet. Even as the Nomu launched more strikes at him, Endeavor didn't stop, he just kept going as he approached the Nomu going faster and faster until the fight just became two blurs, one of red and the other blue/black, on screen in a dogfight in the air as Endeavor gave it his all and then some to end the Nomu.
They couldn't make out much more than that, but they were all glued to the TV as the fight seemed to reach it's apex as wings of fire formed around Endeavor, his speed once again increased, though none yet knew that it had been some of Hawk's feathers that had provided the final boost Endeavor needed, and at last they saw the two blurs on the screen collide as Endeavor reached the Nomu.
They didn't know that he'd grabbed the Nomu's head in his hands and was using the last of his strength, but they could tell that it was nearing the end, to end this at last. That was made clear, however, when suddenly there was a powerful gust of wind on the screen that blew whipped at the reporter and those still with her.
"It's, it's Endeavor." The reporter said. "That kid was right, even as he suffers and struggles he's fight still fighting, still protecting up with all his strength. Endeavor's not giving up just like All Might use to do."
"Old man…" Todoroki grunted out at the screen though no one spoke leaving it to him as this was his father so his moment. "Come on, I'm watching, show me that you mean your words."
That was all Todoroki got out before they saw more flames and suddenly the burning combination of Endeavor and the Nomu was rocketing up to the sky, to the upper atmosphere where Endeavor wouldn't cause collateral damage with his flames, where he didn't need to hold back, where he could end this. All they could do was watch eyes wide and mouths agape as Endeavor embodied U.A. and went Plus Ultra with a second Prominence Burn high in the sky while holding the Nomu and unleashed one final inferno of intense hellfire for all to see.
The result was a blazing ball of fire that began to fall, burning brighter than anything they'd ever seen as it fell to the ground. Then, still high enough to be clear, the flames fell away and they saw the disintegrating body of the Nomu, still held by Endeavor, for one moment before both were lost by the cameras as they fell behind a building and then slammed into the ground with enough force to crater it and send nearby parked cars flying from the shockwave.
Finally, it subsided and there before them was a burning patch of road where Endeavor and the Nomu had landed. A second later the flames extinguished to show Endeavor standing on the road, the body of the Nomu blackened behind him and his right fist clenched and raised above his head. The rest of his upper body was slumped forward, his head down, his flames out and clearly the man needed a hospital as soon as possible but for the moment he was still on his feet standing victorious the way All Might had in Kamino and for the first time truly showing Japan that he was the new Number 1 hero.
"Endeavor, he's still standing!" The reporter said amazement and awe in her voice. "He did it, he's on his feet, fist raised high, it's a sign of victory! A sign that peace still has a champion in Japan! It's a symbol of a new beginning, the Age of Endeavor is here!"
Back in the dorm Todoroki had almost collapsed to his knees as he crouched down, head bowed, hands up in what looked to Marinette and Adrien like some kind of prayer as he panted from what he'd watched. The rest of the class present and Aizawa had gathered around Todoroki to make sure that he was ok after what he'd just watched, but Marinette paused as she noticed both Midoriya and Bakugo looking to the TV where Endeavor still stood serious expressions in their eyes.
She understood what that look was and turned to the TV herself and looked at the new Japanese Number 1 hero. All Might, the Symbol of Peace, had retired but the villains and evils of the world were still out there so the heroes had to keep moving forward as well. One day it would be their turn to shoulder the world but for now it was Endeavor's, and those other top heroes and Marinette was ready for what was to come in this new era she was in. Little did any of them know what was on the horizon for all them.
Ah a nice little bit of foreshadowing though of course that is still a fair bit away, but we all know what is coming for the heroes. Before then there is a lot more growing to be done and we have one more transition chapter based off an anime only episode before we get into the next big arc and all the fun that that one entails. That is all I really have for this chapter, there isn't much to really comment on this as it's more just them watching the events on TV before the next arc, so I'll leave the chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog
