Is there something big with football going on today orrrrrr

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

"F U N. N." Hood said, before it held his hands out, fingers spread, as it copied Endeavor, "MY TURN!" Beams of cold fired out from its finger tips, forcing Endeavor to counter with larger beams of flame in order to take out multiple at once. Even when they were caught, more beams joined in from the tendrils the jutted out from Hood's back.

"FROST SPIDER," Hood growled.

This thing is more intelligent than we once thought, Albedo frowned. It replicated one of Endeavor's moves, reverse engineered it with his own powers...the Nomus at Kamino were barely coordinated. Clearly, this must be...the next stage of Nomu.

Endeavor slowly melted the ice off his body. "Disgusting...how are you able to learn that move so fast?"

"FROST SPIDER." The thing repeated, eyes glowing.

Beams of pure cold fired off from the Nomu's tendrils once again, now lashing out everywhere. Toshiko raced out of the way of several of them, two civilians in her arms. Albedo ignited his wings with Pyronite wings and cut through the beams of cold.

Hawks, still focused on the rescue efforts, shouted to Endeavor. "Hey, Endeavor! We need to find a way to take this thing down! Its abilities are adapting too quickly!"

Endeavor, his body still steaming from the ice, narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I know, Hawks!"

"Sweet!" Hawks said, giving a thumbs up.

Two powerful gusts of wind abruptly assaulted the Nomu, shattering its concentration. Down on the ground, several heroes provided additional assistance.

"Hey! We've got your back!" The hero exclaimed, his arms resembling cannons as he propelled two projectile fists forward. The Nomu visibly displayed its irritation in response to this intervention.

"DONT INTERFERE." The annoyed Nomu hissed, as his arms started to morph and meld into a similar cannonlike shape. It retaliated by launching a barrage of frozen projectiles towards the group. The icy attacks descended upon them like a fierce hailstorm- one especially large projectile smashed into the hero that initiated the assualt.

A horrifying snap told Endeavor that he didn't make it.

The Nomu's cyan patches began to pulsate and grow, indicating the release of stored beings within its body. Endeavor's eyes widened as he witnessed full-sized Nomu emerging from the grotesque creature, falling down to the city.

"We're facing a legion of them now," Endeavor muttered. It flies with shoulder mounted jets. It can transform its arms at will. It clearly has some sort of muscular enhancement and power enhancement to smash me through reinforced concrete. And regeneration...and storage...and cryokinesis! And it thinks and replicates attacks...this may even surpass the Nomu All Might faced at the USJ.

As Endeavor put all the pieces together, the Quirks the Nomu possessed, the mimicry, even diverting reinforcements away and keeping the fight just a one on one between itself and the top Pro. Endeavor might've underestimated the intelligence this Nomu possessed as he quickly realized that this beast was acting out a crude strategy. Down below, the lesser Nomu, all hybridized with various aliens, rampaged and threatened the citizens. One man ran away from a lesser Eye-Guy Nomu and a lesser Spidermonkey Nomu. The Spidermonkey hybrid fired off a web that would've connected with the poor man's head, but a few quick slashes knocked down the two monsters. Hawks stood over the abominations with a pair of giant feather-swords, as powerful as many metal blade. Feathers launched out from the winged hero's wings and took away any nearby civilians.

"Ok...just gotta get everyone out of the way," Hawks muttered, "Not much I can do against Nomu raw strength..."

Speaking of that raw strength, a Frankenstrike Nomu appeared behind the hero, arms raised up and ready to smash down on the winged pro. Whips quickly wrapped around the Nomu's arms and yanked him up into the air. A pair of red neuroshock blasts burned the monster's chest and sent it back down to earth, knocked out easily. Albedo landed next to Hawks, sporting the crest of an Aerophibian now.

"Oh hey, thanks for that," Hawks smirked.

As Hawks and Albedo dealt with the rampaging lesser Nomu, Toshiko engaged in a fierce battle with another Nomu- a Fasttrack Nomu. Toshiko activated her Engines, her feet propelling her into a burst of speed that matched the Fasttrack Nomu's swiftness. She darted around the battlefield, narrowly avoiding the Nomu's lightning-fast strikes. With precise timing and reflexes honed through training, Toshiko managed to land a powerful kick to the Nomu's side, sending it stumbling.

This thing is crazy. I don't like how the brain's all exposed...but it offers a great weak point. Toshiko thought.

The Fasttrack Nomu shook its head, trying to regain its bearings before it locked back onto Toshiko. It hissed, getting back into a running stance to try and counter her speed with its own. The Fasttrack Nomu lunged at the middle Ingenium child with a burst of speed rivaling her engines, but not by much. If this had been XLR8, she might have had a problem. With a quick boost, she leapt over the mockery of Ben's second speedster form right as the monster was mere inches away from her. She then dropped and landed an axe-kick to the exposed brain, downing this lesser Nomu with ease.

There's a reason I never took up the Ingenium name.

She looked around at all the other heroes, trying to stop the Nomus by restraining them or knocking them out somehow. It was easier said than done- even if they were weaker than the High End.

Heroes aren't always glamorous. Sometimes, you just have to know when to 'fold'- when to 'end something' before it gets worse.

Toshiko watched the Nomu stumble back, clearly dazed by the attack.

That's why I work under the cover of night.

Toshiko held up her foot, and deployed a leg-blade.

So no one really has to see the gory part.

She raced in and, with a quick slash, sliced into the Nomu's chest. The wound was deep, perfectly measured to be lethal. While most of the other heroes didn't notice, too absorbed in the chaos of the battle, at least one other did. Hawks bashed another lesser Nomu over the head at just the right time to see Toshiko kill Hood's minion.

I knew it was a good idea to bring her along, Hawks smirked to himself.

Toshiko huffed, as the leg blade retracted.

Ingenium is a name people should look up. Not see it covered in blood.

Toshiko was a bit different from the other members of the Iida family. While the others were a bit more proper about their appearances and always unfailingly polite, Toshiko gave 'no shits' and was oftentimes crass and rude to others. But her skills as on the field couldn't be questioned, as out of her siblings, she was one of the most skilled in combat and strategy.

But why the brutality?

Toshiko quickly learned that there were certain cases some of the top heroes wouldn't take, in spite of their severity.

In those cases, simply subduing the villain wasn't enough. And let's be clear here, those types of cases were not your average, everyday thug with aspirations of becoming a kingpin. The perpetrators in these cases can all be likened to Moonfish in terms of villainy, not exactly the same but the severity is similar. And while there are plenty of heroes who definitely feel that these villains should be taken down permanently, they can't. What kind of message would that send? The only reason Toshiko wouldn't be reprimanded for killing a Nomu is because of the questionable state a Nomu's in. Is a Nomu really alive or is it just a corpse brought into a mockery of light by unethical science? The Safety Commission subscribed to the latter position, as whoever the Nomu had been were no more.

Hawks didn't know this, but he got a feeling she and him would get along just fine.

Toshiko took a deep breath, another swig of her pineapple juice and flew off to find any other Nomu. There had to be some around-

Suddenly, something slammed into her- the body of some random hero. She caught it, and immediately checked him for injuries. There were a lot of contusions and some minor fracturing, but he was still breathing. Toshiko made a face, and looked up at what tossed him over- it looked like a yeti.

Small bolts of lightning jumped across its dark yellow and black coat as the Nomu looked over to Toshiko. Instead of eyes, the monster possessed two giant bolts in the side of its face that crackled with power. Maybe it was some kind of triple hybrid? Shocksquatch and Frankenstrike? If that was the case, this guy was lucky to be alive.

Toshiko placed the injured hero down gently, ensuring his safety, and then turned her full attention to the Nomu. I dunno what aliens are at work here, but I'm not gonna let some freaky ape rampage through the city.

Activating her Engine Quirk once again, Toshiko dashed forward with incredible speed, weaving through the air to evade the Nomu's lightning attacks. She utilized her agility and quick reflexes to dodge the bolts and get closer to her target-

And then the thing's jaw unhinged. Web spat out of its mouth, and wrapped around Toshiko's leg. Toshiko gasped, as the web started to retract back into the Nomu's maw. It's teeth suddenly started to sharpen and elongate...just like the criminal Moonfish.

What?! Toshiko mentally panicked. She brought the leg blade back out and swiped at the webbing, cutting through it and dodging away from the dagger-like fangs. Was this Moonfish's Quirk or just one like it? And if it actually was Moonfish's...then where did they get it from? Moonfish was locked away in the deepest levels of Tartarus!

Don't tell me they can recreate quirks somehow! Toshiko thought. Another blade deployed from the phalange area of her suit. This blade was a bit shorter, but just as effective. Good timing, too- the thing was about to swallow her leg up. She activated her Engines inside the mouth, burning her leg free from the web. Then, she brutally kicked upwards- into the roof of its mouth.

A small portion of the blade erupted from the top of the Nomu's head, piercing its brain. Toshiko pulled her leg free and jumped away from the beast's falling body.

Back up in the air, Hood and Endeavor were staring each other down, small trails of smoke rising off the Number One Pro's body. The High End tilted its head, its face distorting into an unnerving smile.

"NOT SHOOTING ANYMORE? W-W-WON'T? OR CAN'T?" Hood guessed.

Strategic thought and good intuition. It might not know the specifics of my Quirk, but it can tell I'm being careful. Flashfire condenses my flames to white points. Its meant to be my finisher, but overuse causes my body to overheat, other bodily systems slow down. It knows I'm at a disadvantage now... Endeavor thought to himself.

" IF YOU'RE THE STRONGEST...LET ME TRY MY NEW POWER ON YOU!" Hood roared as he raced towards Endeavor, lashing out with wild fury. On the ground a camera crew was catching every bit of the aerial clash as they could.

"As you can see ladies and gentlemen, Endeavor's up there, giving it his all against what...what appears to be a new version of the nightmares that attacked Hosu! From down here, he's like a second sun with how bright his fires are burning!" the reporter woman described.

I can't afford to let this thing go any further! This battle ends here! The intense heat radiating from his body intensified as he focused all his remaining strength and determination.

As Hood charged towards him with reckless abandon, Endeavor took a deep breath, inhaling the scorching air into his lungs. Flames engulfed his entire being, his body becoming a blazing inferno. The intense heat distorted the air around him, creating a shimmering aura of searing flames.

"POWER ! ! ! !" The Nomu roared. With a surge of fiery energy coursing through his veins, Endeavor channeled the full extent of his Quirk's might. Flames erupted from every pore of his body, intensifying to an unprecedented level. The scorching heat engulfed him, transforming him into an embodiment of unrelenting fire.

"PROMINENCE-!" Endeavor roared. "BURN!" The flames surged forward, engulfing Hood in an all-consuming inferno. The intense heat seared through the Nomu's body, lighting up the skyline with reckless abandon.

I told you all to watch me, Endeavor thought as his flames raged, SO WATCH!

The Nomu let out a slow and almost forced chuckle as the flames ravaged its body. Flesh was burned and blown away followed by the bone turning to ash in the wake of Endeavor's inferno. The top pro gave one last push of effort and Hood's body was incinerated. When the shadow of Hood's form vanished from within the flames, Endeavor halted his attack. He huffed from all the energy he put into that, and for a moment, he thought he won. But then he noticed something, a shape slightly falling in the air.

Was that...?

"TOO BAD," Hood smirked. From just a head, Hood's body began to regrow. A regrown arm unraveled into tendrils and surged out, coating their tips in icy points before they slashed at Endeavor's face.

"T-the...the head..." Endeavor said through the pain, "It tore...its own head off to save itself..."

The news caught the brutal shot- two sharp icicles, shredding part of Endeavor's face. And the world saw it.

Fuyumi saw it because she heard about the attack, and decided to watch it on her laptop during the ride back home.

Natsuo saw it because he would occasionally shoot glances over at the screen. When Fuyumi gasped...his eyes were glued on screen.

All Might and the teachers saw it- they were a tiny bit curious to see what was going on in the city. All Might's eyes widened as he saw the hero start to fall out of the sky.

The kids of Class 1-A saw it, when they were watching it in the common room. Ochako and Izuku's jaws were agape. Even Bakugou looked pretty shocked.

Iida turned around to see Todoroki.

He had seen everything.

Endeavor landed on some debris- from what the camera captured, he had serious frostbite around his eye. He looked weary and injured. Blood trickled down his face, mingling with the frost that clung to his skin.

The Nomu slammed on the ground, and hissed. "BORING. WHERE IS THE STRONGEST ?"

Hood's answer came in the form of a powerful flaming fist connected to its jaw and sending it flying. Albedo stood there, his arm having morphed into that of a Pyronite.

"Bored? Allow me to remedy that," Albedo said.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Hood asked with a tilt of the head.

"Someone as strong as Endeavor. Possibly even surpassing him." Albedo said, trying to remain modest.

"... W E A K." The Nomu hissed.

"Is that so? Okay. I'll humor you." Albedo reverted back to his human form, and showed the Ultimatrix. "I only use my Ultimate form for my convenience, but for this..."

Albedo dialed up a form, and slapped down the dial. His form began to grow, limbs stretching and muscles bulging. His skin darkened to a deep shade, the plating on his shoulders and arms growing as his body became armored. His feet and tail elongated, just like the spikes that now ran down his back. With a guttural roar, he felt the transformation complete.

"Is this strong enough for you?" Albedo asked, eyes glowing.

"L E T' S FIND OUT!" Hood roared, charging at Albedo like a wild animal. Answering the challenge, Albedo charged towards Hood, each step shaking the ground as he set up his next move. The High End Nomu leapt into the air, ready to pounce at Ben's counterpart, but Albedo counted on that. The mutated Vaxasaurian form slammed his foot into the ground and spun on the spot, moving to bash Hood in the face with his mace-tipped tail. The Nomu crashed into the ground, letting only a second of silence hang in the air before its arms unraveled into Murrian tendrils, each tipped with Necrofriggian ice spears. The blades lashed out and whipped against Albedo's armored hide to little effect. The Nomu was smart, sure, but it wasn't a genius.

"And I believe...we now have," Albedo smirked as he grabbed hold of the tendrils and pulled Hood in close. The scaly fist of Humungosaur smashed into the hooded face of the Nomu, the impact sending him flying back and ripping apart the tendrils Albedo held. Hood coughed as his limbs regenerated, the flesh stitching itself back together.

"NOT THE STRONGEST...BUT YOU'LL DIE WITH ENDEAVOR!" Hood roared.

This thing is tenacious. I have to wonder if that personality of theirs is the only thing left of something that used to be human. Albedo frowned. Saddening.

Hood forced its tendrils out again, which began to quickly frost over. Albedo knew what was coming- beams of ice suddenly shot out, before they quickly converged to form one giant laser of ice.

"HELL BLACK WIDOW!" The Nomu yelled, as Albedo barely jumped out of the way- his tail and arm were frozen solid, making him wince in pain.

First it was repeating attacks, now it's doing variations!? Albedo thought, as frost started to form around Hood's feet- it propelled itself forward to tackle Albedo into a building.

"ARMOR...OPENINGS!" Hood guessed, as its tendrils began to probe at the scaly hide Albedo sported. Most of the attacks just bounced off the armor, but soon it started to get lucky. Just one icy spear found a chink in the armor he could exploit. When it found one crack, it quickly started to find more. Albedo winced as the icy spear tips stabbed into him again and again, coupled with the impacts of crashing through walls.

"BLEED DRYYYYYYY!" the High End promised.

Albedo needed to shift forms- and that's what he did. His scaly form was quickly reinforced by gunmetal armor with a 'devil' inside of it. The containment suit had a handle on the head and bolts on the shoulders. There were three more bolts on each hand, and two on the chest.

"Good luck," Albedo said, in a cold Russian accent. The metal grate on his face suddenly launched a powerful beam of radiation at the creature. His attack hit the brain of the Nomu head on.

Hood tilted its head in surprise as the last of its piercing attacks bounced off cold hard steel, before its brain was struck. It lurched backwards, pushing Albedo back with its feet, sending him through more walls. Its arms jutted up and held its brain, whimpering like a scared animal.

"HURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURTHURT!" Hood hissed.

Its resilience is an understatement- even a brief second of radiation would have killed it. The regeneration quirk on this thing is its deadliest asset. An undying, power crazy engineered human... Albedo thought. Let's test its limit.

Albedo let loose another radiation beam, this time hitting Hood's chest. The creature screamed like a banshee.

Hood quickly formed a shield of ice to try and protect itself, but the radiation and heat were too much for it to really defend against. The frosty barrier shattered into pieces and the beams from NRG continued to slam into the mutated abomination.

Outside, people could hear the Nomu's screams and roars, mixes of rage and pain, along with the flashes of Albedo's radiation energy. Above, a helicopter crew was catching all of the carnage they could.

"Mere moments ago, an unknown villain arrived and attacked the new Number One Hero Endeavor, three days after he got the ranking! We're also receiving unconfirmed reports that the bio-engineered super soldiers, the Nomu, are present as well! Could this be another attack by the League? Is this their true comeback?" the anchorman asked as he reported, "Several heroes are on the ground, including the Number Two Pro Hawks, and are either engaged in combat or aiding in evacuations. The top pro himself was among the first to render aid but now he's...he's..."

The cameraman turned and zoomed in on Endeavor's seemingly unconscious form, part of his face covered in blood.

"The scene here...it's all so similar to the nightmare from three months ago. Are we about to lose another Number 1 Pro?"

Albedo stopped his attack. I can't afford to use my powers any further! Any more exposure, and I could irradiate this place. The next best option is...

Albedo's Ultimatrix lit up, shifting him into his own version of Echo Echo. Albedo spread out his clones and began to coordinate their movements. If I can rupture him somehow, maybe with his resonant frequency...this fight will be over rather quickly.

"WHICH ONE...?" Hood asked. It decided to find out by just attacking the clones. A collection of tendrils wove together, coating themselves in a massive ice spearhead that rushed out and impaled one of the clones, pinning it to the ceiling for a moment. Hood waited to see if the other clones disappeared and tilted its head when it saw no change. Before it could try again, Albedo's duplicates readied themselves.

"WALL. OF. SOUND!" the clones shouted, before unleashing a sonic assault from all directions. Soundwaves slammed into Hood, forcing it to cover its ears. It thrashed around like a wild animal, groaning as its ears suffered under the screams of the Echo Echo clones.

"SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!" Hood begged.

As the Hood Nomu writhed in agony, its frustration mounting, it resorted to a desperate and chaotic display of power. Tendrils erupted from its body, lashing out in all directions with deadly precision. The clones of Albedo's Echo Echo were quickly overwhelmed, impaled by the merciless strikes of the Nomu's icy tendrils.

The scene became a flurry of motion and destruction as the tendrils snaked through the air, puncturing and freezing everything in their path. The area was transformed into a frozen battlefield, the temperature plummeting as ice spread across the ground.

"QUIET," Hood sighed, relieved that the sound was over. He looked to the real Albedo with a renewed fury. Albedo quickly turned the dial as Hood's jets began to roar to life. The High End launched itself towards him and tackled Endeavor's ally out of the other side of the building. The mutant gripped Albedo by the shoulder with one hand, while the other morphed into tendrils and began to squeeze his neck. Hood grinned...only to miss two discs positioning themselves right next to where its ears should be. Ultimate Echo Echo activated the discs and sent concentrated soundwaves right into the High End's brain making it shriek in pain.

Come on- why won't you die!? Albedo cursed, as the Nomu screeched out. Hood's body temp started to drop drastically, almost as if it was absorbing all the heat from around the surroundings.

"STRONG...STILL FREEZE!" as Hood roared that last word, a shockwave of cold mist fired out from the High End's body. Anything that was caught in the mist was flash-frozen.

Albedo steeled himself for the inevitable attack, fully prepared to become a frozen statue. His eyes slammed shut...

But just as quickly, a sweltering heat engulfed him. Blinking furiously, Albedo caught a glimpse of Endeavor, battered and bruised, hurtling towards the Nomu with fiery determination. Adrenaline pumping, he unleashed a scorching blaze from his knuckles, but it narrowly missed its mark. Without warning, the Nomu's flailing tentacles ensnared Endeavor and flailed wildly, causing chaos as they destroyed everything in their path.

Every punch, every hit, every blow that came his way only fueled his determination and made him even more relentless in his attacks. Flames raged around him, casting a warm glow that danced with the shadows on the walls. But the Nomu's strength was impossible to ignore - its unyielding power was enough to crush even the most formidable opponent.

Despite this, Endeavor never slowed down. He fought with everything he had, refusing to let the Nomu claim victory. Albedo could feel the heat from the flames growing more intense- if he didn't die from his injuries, he could very well die from self induced heat syncope.

A few cops watched the news footage off of someone's phone. "Jesus...look at that thing. If we don't evacuate the whole city...it's gonna make Kamino look like nothing!"

Evacuation protocols were immediately put into action. Emergency services and heroes were mobilized to ensure the safety of the citizens. As the sirens blared through the streets, people were directed to designated evacuation zones. Everything got lost in the chaos. As they scrambled to find safety, people were overwhelmed with panic and fear. The streets were filled with chaos as people frantically tried to escape the danger that was approaching.

Natsuo and Fuyumi continued watching the footage from the car, still horrified and disturbed by the Nomu. The intensity of the fight was so palpable that it sent shivers down the spines of those who bore witness to it, leaving them on edge and breathless with anticipation- it felt like they were really there, amongst the wreck of the city.

"The hell is he thinking!?" Natsu cursed. "If he can't fight it, wait for backup! He's not gonna be the next All Might...just...give up and run, you bastard..."

Fuyumi took a deep breath. "...I think he knows that."

"What?"

"Just because you understand something doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it, right? He never gave up. I think...that's the worst thing about him." Fuyumi frowned.

Natsuo fell silent, absorbing Fuyumi's words as they resonated within him. Deep down, he knew she was right. This desire blinded him to his own limitations and the consequences of his actions...and destroyed him.

This might have been the end of the next Number One.

Amidst the panic on the streets, random heroes rushed to maintain order and assist with evacuations, trying to guide the citizens out. Despite their efforts, the situation was overwhelming and it proved challenging to cater to the needs of every individual. There were not enough resources to provide assistance to the multitude of people in need, leaving the heroes feeling like their efforts were just a drop in a vast ocean.

People were shoving and pushing and screaming, kids were separated from their parents, people were getting trampled. It was a madhouse. The heroes, strained to their limits, tried to calm the situation and provide guidance, but their voices were drowned out by the cacophony of screams and the sound of crumbling infrastructure.

"W-without a symbol of peace..." A thrashed news caster screamed over the sea of frightened citizens. "T-the heroes are struggling to contain this situation! We need someone to...to lead us!"

Class 1-A was abuzz with horror and confusion. Watching it from the TV in their common area was hard- especially with a lot of the Kamino Ward comparisons being thrown around. Ochako felt sick. Her last encounter with a Nomu led to a nasty scar on her arm and Endeavor was getting it far worse here.

"The League's stepping up their bullshit..." Bakugou muttered.

Aizawa entered the hall, to see everyone gathered around the TV. He flinched- Todoroki was already watching. Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he observed the worried expressions on the students' faces. He really wished his class would stop living through historic events, but he couldn't control that.

"You gotta be kidding me." Todoroki said, a weird...feeling forming in his stomach.

Down on the streets, the panicked citizens had fully embraced their flight instincts and were just running, no matter what the heroes or other law enforcement said to try and keep them calm.

"Remain calm, please! Everything's going to be fine, just follow the instructions from the pros or other officers!" one policeman said over a megaphone, but his words fell on deaf ears or maybe they were drowned out by the people's self-preservation impulses taking center stage.

"H-hey, outta the way!" one man yelled, trying to move ahead in the sea of people.

"What're you doing?! Don't shove! We're all trying to get out!" another civilian reprimanded him for his selfish behavior.

"Screw that! Not even the new Number 1 can hold that thing off! It's only a matter of time until-!"

Flames shot up into the sky, getting someone's attention. In a way, the news reporters were right. This is what a society without a symbol looked like.

But they had a symbol.

"Maybe you should open your eyes before you starting spouting about how its the end of the world!" someone shouted from the crowd. It was that Endeavor fan from earlier, the one who'd acted very...contradictory when Endeavor greeted him rather kindly all things considered.

"Look! Don't you see the flames?! As long as they're burning, he's still fighting for us! Don't give up cause All Might's not in the field anymore! We still have heroes! We still have a Number One! He's giving it all he's got for US! Can't you people see that?!" the guy ranted on, not just to the crowd, but everyone watching the report.

"Give it up, man!" One of his friends yelled, trying to drag him back. "We gotta run! Come on!"

"CAN'T YOU SEE!?" The kid yelled, before he got pulled into the crowd. His words were brief...but his impact was massive. The news footage cut back to the helicopter, which was focusing on something emerging from the smoke.

"There's the villain!" The news anchor gasped, as Hood flew out of the smoke with something chasing after it. "But in hot pursuit is...ENDEAVOR!"

Endeavor's body was igniting the sky like a human torch. He careened through obstacles, scorching everything in his path as he showed no signs of slowing down. The High End Nomu stared in disbelief.

"You can also...regenerate?" The Nomu asked, curious.

"Nothing of the sort… my body gave up on me a long time! I'm just FORCING IT TO MOVE!" Endeavor roared, as he hurled another jet-fueled assault at the Nomu, unleashing a fiery explosion that rocked the ground beneath them.

Hood roared, spinning around and launching a counter assault of tendril, but Endeavor's flaming strikes managed to perfectly counter the hordes of appendages. True, they'd regenerate, but this was still putting the Nomu on the backfoot.

"This eye's giving out, but I can still see victory ahead, and there's only ashes left of you, NOMU!" Endeavor roared, "More...MORE FIREPOWER!" The flames around the top Pro's body began to truly rage, almost like the flames of a small sun as he continued his assault.

You idiot...you exposed your weakness. The whole time you protected your head. Even Albedo landed some good hits on you after he aimed at your brain. So all I need to do is ensure your head's GONE! the fiery hero mentally strategized.

With each strike, Endeavor aimed to disable Hood's regenerating capabilities, focusing his attacks on the Nomu's head. The intense heat of his flames scorched through the air, engulfing the area in a blazing inferno. He unleashed a relentless barrage of fire-powered punches, his fists connecting with precision and force.

The Nomu, caught off guard by Endeavor's fierce onslaught, struggled to defend itself. Its regenerative abilities were overwhelmed, and its movements became slower and more erratic. Any ice it tried to counter with was melted instantly- Endeavor had truly gone above and beyond with this technique of his.

My Flashfire Embodiment. Endeavor thought. My inextinguishable light-! Unyielding! Unrelenting! UNFORGIVING!

To tip the scales even further in his favor, a blast of Pyronite fire slammed into Endeavor's back, mingling with his own powerful flames and amplifying them to an incredible degree. Albedo looked up at the raging Endeavor, his Pyronite arm still outstretched from giving the new Top Pro a portion of his own power. Then, a barrage of feathers slammed into Hood's face, distracting him long enough for a larger flock to move and connect with Endeavor's back, pushing him along further.

"Feathers won't dent this guy, but they're damn fast. My speed, your power...your body's out...so I'll push you forward to the win, Number One!" Hawks called out.

Despite feeling overwhelmed, the Nomu summoned its last reserves of strength and launched a desperate counterattack. In a sudden, agile motion, it lunged forward, sinking its jaws into Endeavor's outstretched arm. His fiery limb was pierced by the sharp fangs, sending waves of searing pain coursing through his body. Endeavor was struck with an intense wave of agony as the forceful bite reverberated through his body, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"G-GODDAMN IT!" The Pro cursed. It was like the Nomu had gone full feral; it began breathing erratically, trying to cool Endeavor's body off. It expelled a chilling blast of icy breath, aiming to extinguish the raging flames and nullify Endeavor's embodiment. The freezing air enveloped Endeavor, causing his flames to flicker and wane momentarily.

I'm roasting him from the inside! I have Hawks and Albedo's extra power- but he's still regenerating! Endeavor thought.

"That's still not enough?! My feathers...most of 'em are all burned up now..." Hawks muttered, unsure of what his next move should be.

"HAWKS!" Endeavor yelled, looking at the feathers pushing on his back, almost like Endeavor was sporting flaming wings of his own, before he turned back to the Nomu, "A Nomu...a bio-engineered freak meant to possess multiple Quirks, obsessed with strength, writhing and torn up but still fighting. You're me."

"W H A T?" Hood asked.

"My past...or a future that could've been," Endeavor mused, "but not anymore!"

The flames around the pro's body roared and acted as powerful jets, carrying the both of them into the sky like a hypersonic rocket.

"Higher...HIGHER! Higher so I don't need to worry about collateral! Where I don't need to hold back!" Endeavor said as he and the Nomu flew further and further into the sky.

Hawks and Albedo watched Endeavor soar up into the air, high above the city. "I get it." Hawks muttered. "He doesn't have to hold back up there. He can unleash all that heat..."

"And hopefully burn the Nomu away." Albedo frowned.

"Hopefully?"

"I still feel like there's one more trick up its sleeve..." Albedo said. "But I don't know what."

"I always hated that old...school motto," Endeavor growled, the words drowned out by the roar of his flames, "Plus...Ultra...PROMINENCE! BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRN!" A massive cone of flame emerged from the pro's hand and the flame burned away at the flesh of the Nomu. Hood actually writhed and screeched in pain as the flames slammed into it, burning away flesh and bone. The Nomu's eyes focused on Endeavor and huffed, clawing at the new Number One.

"ENDEAVORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" the High End roared before flames consumed its head...and the beast was disintegrated.

The fiery remnants of Endeavor's attack dispersed, leaving a trail of smoke and glowing embers in their wake. The city below, witnessing the spectacle from afar, held its collective breath as the destructive force dissipated. The world seemed to stand still. Everyone was glued to their TV screen or phone as Endeavor fell to the ground.

The Todoroki siblings held their breath-

And the world suddenly cheered as Toshiko caught Endeavor.

"Gotcha!" Toshiko grinned. Endeavor just patted her shoulder, signaling for her to let him down. She nodded and helped Endeavor to his feet before he struck a familiar pose, a single fist raised to the air, his head bowed from exhaustion. Nearby, the charred corpse of Hood lay unmoving on the pavement.

"He did it! He won! Endeavor won and he's doing the pose in victory!" a reporter cheered, "No, not in victory! To signal his new start as Number One!"

The world seemed to breathe again as Endeavor stood, bloodied and bruised. He huffed- his vision was blurred, his bones ached and he was severely dehydrated...but he won. The world had seen that first hand.

All Might gave a sigh of relief as Endeavor stood. "Oh, thank god..." He muttered.

Todoroki dropped to the ground, and took some deep breaths. That was...more stressful than he thought it'd be. His classmates swarmed around him, ready to comfort him if need be.

But Endeavor had won.

Hawks and Albedo rushed over, just in time too. Endeavor was looking ready to fall over.

"Woah woah woah, easy!" Toshiko said, catching the fiery hero as he started to tilt over, "I gotcha."

"All Might's pose, huh?" Hawks asked.

"No...different...different arm. All Might...uses his left," Endeavor corrected.

"An inconsequential difference. You won," Albedo said.

"Poor start though...zero points," the top pro coughed.

"I'd disagree," Hawks said, "Victory today was massive, you just don't see it. Now come on, let's do something about your woun-"

"Now wait just a minute there," a raspy voice called out, its owner walking down the streets with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, "None of this went the way I planned it, especially with the newcomers...but ya know what? I can handle this."

"Oh you've gotta be kidding..." Toshiko muttered.

"Well, Endeavor…should I say nice to meet you?" Dabi taunted.