Have you ever been listening to a track, and it gets you into this zone? Cause a new track from DPS dropped as I was working on this, and I listened to it while I wrote the beginning of this, and I was like, 'Yeah, this is that good shit!' But with the chapter itself, it was a lot of fun as we got some action to go along with the training.

Chapter 51: Hosu Ablaze

Endeavour had changed their plans by morning, though not on a whim. While he had sent Shoto home the previous night, he had—as always—stayed behind. Extra work wasn't a burden; it was a necessity. Patrols were just one part of it. More crucial were the reports, the orders only he could give, and the clarity his presence alone provided in moments of uncertainty.

Contrary to what some people assumed about him, Endeavour wasn't the kind of man to rage at paperwork or the tedious necessities of leadership. His temper flared only at incompetence—at those who lacked resolve, who wasted time with indecision. That was why his agency functioned like a well-honed machine. Every person, from his sidekicks to the janitors, was chosen for their ability to perform without needing their handheld. If they brought something to his attention, it mattered. If they sought his input, it was because they had already exhausted every other option.

Still, paperwork was an irritation—though no one could say he approached it carelessly. He would never submit a document unless he was certain of its accuracy and would never let tasks pile up simply because they were dull. It was during this routine that Burnin's report arrived.

A summary of her time training with Hebimi. He read it carefully, and what he found impressed him. The boy had potential—significant potential. It was raw, restrained by his limits, but he was pushing past them. Endeavor respected effort, but more than that, he understood how to cultivate it. Potential alone was meaningless without direction, without the right kind of guidance.

The new form the boy was working on had promise—something ideal for the field. But it couldn't develop properly if Hebimi was chasing after him. The boy needed space to refine it, so he adjusted. He sent Burnin an email with new instructions—she would continue Midoriya's training until he said otherwise. Despite being at home, her confirmation arrived within the hour. Efficient. As it should be.

It also gave him time to teach his rebellious son how to use his fire, as it seemed like Shoto didn't listen to a word he said about it over the years. Now, he had to force all that knowledge in a fraction of the time. Only his son could find a way to follow his instructions and still infuriate him while doing it, but he would take what he could get; his loss to Midoriya was enough of a wake-up call to him, and he was at least listening now.

As the afternoon sun dipped lower over Tokyo, its golden-orange glow stretched across the city like embers fading into twilight. While many wound down their shifts, Endeavour remained entirely on the clock—and today, so would Burnin.

Approaching the entrance to his training room, he moved through a building designed with the same precision and purpose as the people within it. Like a forge built to withstand its own heat, the agency was crafted by the finest architects and engineers money could buy. Tens of millions had been added to the budget for insulation alone—an essential investment when housing some of the most hyper-aware flame users in the country. Fire was their weapon, their nature, but the agency ensured it would never be their downfall.

Ignition was nearly impossible, and should an act of God allow a spark, the structure ensured it would never spread.

The doors within the agency weren't just barriers; they were safeguards. Each one was flame-resistant and airtight, designed to contain both heat and hazard. But the door leading into the training room—where fire-wielders pushed their limits—was built differently. It was three times as thick as the others, reinforced to endure the extremes within. From the outside, there was no hint of what lay beyond. The air was cool, untouched by smoke or heat, and the hallway remained deceptively still.

But when Endeavour entered the code and the heavy door slid open, a wave of smoldering air rushed out, thick with the scent of ash and smoke. Shoto flinched at the sudden blast as if stepping into the mouth of an inferno. But Endeavour remained unmoved. There was no alarm and no active suppression system—signs that this was controlled. His sharp gaze swept the room, past the exercise equipment, to the sparring space where Burnin and Midoriya clashed.

Green flames danced across the floor, flickering wildly as the two fought. Burnin wielded her fiery weapons, pulling clumps of her blazing hair free and shaping them into fiery, jagged blades. Midoriya, by contrast, fought with his fists, his new form leaving his body glowing like the lone ember in a dying fire. At the same time, his spine shined like the wake of a green comet streaking through the air.

Watching them, Shoto couldn't ignore the similarity in their flames. Burnin's burned bright, almost electric—a lighter shade of green that cracked with energy. Midoriya's was deeper, darker, and smoldering like a forest fire at its peak. Their flames were like twin echoes of the same power, shaped by different hands but undeniably linked.

Even Midoriya's serpent coiled attentively, its sharp gaze scanning the battlefield, whispering guidance only its master could hear.

It took a glance for Burnin to realize they weren't alone anymore and cease their sparring match. "How's his progress coming along?" Endeavour questioned as Burnin, a little winded and sweaty from such an intense sparring match in a room as hot as this, gave him her signature salute. He stopped wondering why she did so; she seemed to enjoy it.

"Pretty good, boss. It took a while, but the kid's got into a nice groove with his control." Burnin praised her charge, who remained in his new form, so it was hard to tell that he blushed a little from her praise.

"I could probably take it higher, but we're trying to get me used to what I'm managing right now." Midoriya explained as he could feel that he could take it higher and that his new 'network' of vents could handle a greater steam output than he was creating now. But the key was control, as he had to learn to hold the form even when distracted or in a fight.

"Would you clear him for field work?" Endeavour kept his gaze on Burnin though he heard the boy well enough.

She thought about it for a moment, as any other hero would take things easy for the kid, but Endeavour would sooner smile for the cameras than do that, so she couldn't just try and throw the kid a bone of some kind; she had to be confident he could handle it. "Sure, maybe now we'll be able to keep up with you."

Endeavour nodded. "Good. You can get back to your regular duties, Burnin. As for you, Hebimi, get something to eat and fast; we're going out." As he turned his attention to Midoriya, Burnin gave the kid a wave and quick goodbye before she left the training room. She enjoyed their time together, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't itching to get some patrols done.

"Another patrol?" Midoriya asked though he didn't remain still. He jogged over to the side where he kept his towel and water bottle, dried himself off, and took a large gulp of the now-warm water.

"No, we're going on the hunt. Stain, for reasons we can't ascertain, always attacks at least 4 heroes before moving to a new city. He's only gone after Ingenium thus far, so we can expect he's still in Hosu waiting or stalking his next 3 victims, so we're going to Hosu to track him down before he can." Endeavour explained; Shoto, having already heard this, remained quiet as Midoriya digested that.

He quickly nodded before he rushed out of the room. He didn't have much time to shower, so he improvised by heading to the locker room, stripping, and ultimately changing before reverting. You can't be dirty when you're hot enough to boil water 10 times over. As for his gear, a quick body spray, and 6 large sandwiches later, he returned to the lobby in record time, finding Endeavour and Shoto waiting for him.

The number 2 hardly acknowledged him as he led them outside, though at least Shoto offered a greeting, so he'll take it. "Hosu's not close. Are we taking the train?"

"We're driving." At that moment, a black sedan pulled up. Endeavour took the front passenger seat while the two boys took the back. Pulling out, the car soon joined the evening traffic. Still, instead of getting stuck in a jam, the stern-looking man who must have had a good barber avoided all that ease that could only come through skill and experience. It wasn't long before they were on the highway leading towards Hosu, which didn't have too much traffic, so they could drive just under the speed limit without issue.

Of course, that speedy ride didn't change the fact that the ride was, in a word, tense. The driver was focused on his job, and Midoriya didn't fault him for it; if anything, it was admirable. But Todoroki and Endeavour?

Well, he didn't think they could get any worse. Still, it seemed like the father-son duo was on worse terms than he thought, as they didn't share a word, and when he tried to open a conversation, a look at either silenced it before it could make a sound.

Koharu was the only one he could converse with, but he kept his responses to non-verbal ones. However, he had to cover his snickering when she made a crude joke at Endeavour and Shoto's expense.

Without warning, Endeavour started to speak, never turning towards them. "Shoto, Hebimi, you will be aiding me in my excursion to Hosu. We're hunting for the hero killer, but that doesn't mean we'll ignore other crimes."

Both confirmed that, though only Midoriya used words as Todoroki nodded. His father couldn't have seen it, but he probably expected he would comply and continue. Hebimi, you've already confronted villains before, correct?" That was when Endeavour turned to look over his shoulder towards the young student, who recalled both the USJ, yes, but also the two other times he fought villains before he got into U.A.

Seeing him nod, Endeavour continued, "Well, this will be something comparable to that. However, you should know that villain activity at night is much more intense than in the day, as most criminals wait to strike under the cover of darkness, the smart ones anyway, so you'll find that it'll be harder to handle them."

"Is that why we didn't join you for night patrols," Todoroki asked.

"Yes, but also because you're inexperienced to the stress of working long hours like any proper hero should. Also," Endeavour turned to gaze at his son, both meeting the other's eye without giving an inch, just a reminder that this family was just…broken.

"Shoto, under no circumstance, are you to engage with the hero killer should we find them; you're to strictly provide support. If you can't, I'm ordering you to retreat." Endeavour ordered.

"Why just me?" Todoroki pressed, his brow creasing in irritation that he was being sidelined. It wouldn't have been as insulting if they had been treated as such. But they weren't and Midoriya, who embarrassed him at the festival, getting special treatment only made the pill all the more bitter.

Endeavour turned back, grunting as he replied. "Because from what little we know about the hero killer, he favors close-quarters combat and bladed weapons. Hebimi has a form that makes him highly durable, something none of Stain's prior victims could claim."

"So if I see him, I will fully transform so he can't hurt me." Midoriya surmised, which he supposed helped explain why Endeavour was bringing him along when he wasn't as effective with his yet-to-be-named form as his steam and fully transformed states. "Understood."

Around that same time, Manual led Iida down the streets of Hosu. The city had been pretty quiet so far, as the two hadn't had much to do outside training and debates on standard hero protocol and morality. Manuel was split on that. He would never want crime, as crime meant someone could be hurt or that someone had been pushed to that extreme. But on the other hand, a lack of much to do made it hard to show Iida the ropes of hero work.

"All right, before we head back, we'll patrol around Kyoto for a bit. I'm sorry if things seem monotonous." Manual apologized.

"It's no problem, Manuel-sir. It helps build a routine." Iida's response was polite as always, but Manual didn't need to have even a fraction of his experience as a hero to pick up on how distracted Iida was, and it wasn't the first or the tenth time, either.

"Hey," Manual called out, as he didn't look forward to this, but it had to be done. "It's a little hard to ask, but I can't ignore it any longer."

The man lost his jovial smile, his face as passive as stone, giving nothing away. "You're chasing after the hero killer, aren't you?"

"That's…" Iida started.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that there had to be a reason you picked my agency when you must have got better offers, not that I'm upset with you; I'm glad that you did, but," Manuel started before he got back into serious mode. "You shouldn't act on a personal grudge. Heroes don't have the authority to arrest or punish, and we can only use our quirks to save lives, stop crimes, and minimize damage from incidents."

Iida remained silent as the pro reminded him of their role. "We exist to serve others and can never use our quirks for ourselves. To go against that would be a serious breach of our founding principles." It went unsaid that if Iida went against that, Manual would arrest him if it came down to it.

Iida looked away, contemplative under his helmet, as Manual tried to see things from his point of view. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not defending Stain or anything. He's a villain and needs to be caught before he can hurt anyone else and be punished, but you shouldn't let that anger blind you, you know?"

Iida shook his head. "No, Manuel-sir, it's I who should be apologizing. You're right in my reasoning for choosing your agency. I was…I needed to be the one that brought Stain to justice for what he did to me, brother, but.." Iida wondered how there was a time when he thought Midoriya was just too immature with his attitude towards flames. Perhaps it was cosmic karma for those unkind thoughts that Midoriya would be the same person who could embody such a core tenet of heroism.

"I saw for myself that such reasoning was unbefitting for a hero because of the actions of a friend. He used his powers to heal someone just because that person needed to be healed. Because heroes exist to help, not harm. It reminded me how far I strayed from the path and nearly did something I couldn't forgive myself for." Iida bowed toward the man.

"Forgive me if I've been off as of late, but I've been trying to…reconcile those two things and find a way to make it up to you for using your generous offer for such selfish ends." Iida finished as Manual sighed. There was a story there—he just knew it—but he was happy that the kid was aware enough to know his plans were a bad idea and seemed to have sworn them off.

"Hey, no sweat, kid! You were in a really bad place. No one can blame you for your thoughts, and you said it yourself: You realized you were heading down a bad path. Listen, after we finish this patrol, we can just talk about it later. I'm no therapist, but I'm a great listener. We can even watch some terrible old-school anime while we do so." Manual offered.

"I'll like that…" Iida nodded, his shoulders not as stiff as the two continued on their little patrol before changing their evening run locations.

'Stain…You'll be defeated, maybe by me, but…I realize now it doesn't need to be me. But if you present yourself, I'll do as my brother would and fight you with all I have to protect others.' Iida promised, as perhaps it was foolish to still entertain thoughts of fighting Stain. Still, he wanted to think he was a different person than the one he was not even a week prior. He could be the type of hero his brother was and the kind he wanted to be.

Not long later, crouched on a water tower, Stain watched as the last moments of sunlight dripped like molten gold and liquefied rubies over Hosu's rooftops, stretching its long lingers of yellow and red across the streets. Neon signs flickered to light, their artificial glow lighting up spaces in alleys and back streets, but they were nothing compared to the light of the sun and would leave him plenty of options for how and where he would hunt his next false hero.

Behind the hero killer, a familiar sound was heard, yet he didn't move as Kurogiri's portal formed. His gaze continued to peer over the city that was his hunting ground, trying to spot which one of its many false heroes would fall by his blade before the sun rose again. Stepping out of that portal, Shigaraki also looked over the place, wondering if Stain had come up here for the view.

"Hosu looks nicer than I thought, and you got front-row seats to this sunset; you might want to get a picture," Shigaraki commented, Kurogiri closing the portal behind them. "That is if you're just going to continue to sightsee."

"I have no interest in that; my purpose here is to reform this city, and to do so, I need to ensure the blood of false heroes flows like the sun's rays on the roads below," Stain replied, his gaze like a hawk searching for its ignorant prey.

"I see, so this is what you meant about having business the other day, then?" Kurogiri asked.

"At least one of you understands." Stain shot back as Shigaraki's eyes narrowed behind his hand mask.

"Don't forget I can do to you what I did to your knife, asshole," Shigaraki warned, though he was still healing from how poorly their last conversation had gone.

Stain stood to his full height and held his arms to the side, presenting the city to the two. "The title of 'Hero', has lost its meaning. Once, it was given only to those select few who had accomplished great deeds! That protected and served for the benefit of the people. They embodied humanity's virtues of prudence, temperance, charity, patience, justice, hope, and diligence!" His words came out in a passion that Shigaraki couldn't ignore, but also a great degree of fanatism that reminded him of cultists he killed in games.

The type that took their worldview so seriously that nothing could shake it. Nothing.

His arms lowered as his words gained an edge of frustration and anger but also insane duty baked into a murder-flavored cake if Shigaraki had to describe it. "Now…there are too many…far, far too many who pervert that title. Fools and charlatans ruled by ignorance, recklessness, greed, and callousness. And yet this world allows such filth to pervert the meaning of hero by allowing them to call themselves such."

"Until this world and its people realize that folly, I'll continue my crusade." With that, Stain gripped his blade and took off; back on, he hunted.

"He talks way too fancy, but I can get the gist. He's trying to start a grassroots movement to change the world. Wow, what a noble guy; it almost makes me forget how much I want to kill him for stabbing me." Shigaraki snorted, as all that seemed like some high-minded excuses for him.

So what if heroes weren't angels in human form? If the sheep accepted and wanted that, Stain was fighting a losing battle as far as he was concerned.

"However, one can't ignore that the crime rate has fallen in every city that Stain has appeared." He turned his irritated gaze to his faithful right-hand man. "Some accredit this to a rise in the heroes' consciousness."

Shigaraki laughed at that piece of knowledge. "Well, ain't that peachy? Heroes working extra hard to bring down the cost of bread. What a joke! The hero killer is little more than a hero spawner." He kinda wished the bastard was still here; he could rub it in his face that his goal of making the 'perfect' hero was spawning more 3-stars.

He shook his head instead. "It's too roundabout for me; we'll never click when we disagree on basic points." Well, he got over that to do what he had really come to Hosu far.

"Kurogiri, bring out the Nomus." At his order, Kurogiri obeyed without complaint, opening three portals. From these, Nomu of different sizes and colors walked out; one with wings floated out, and all their empty eyes stared at nothing.

One, the bulkiest of them, didn't even have eyes as was the size of its brain, though Shigaraki didn't know why. Things were nearly brain-dead; you could probably run Nomu's software on a goldfish's hardware.

"Stain thinks we can stab me and get away with it? I'm going to make him and his self-satisfied bullshit suffer for it. If I want to kill, I will. That's all. I don't need to hide behind some cause or reason." Shigaraki stated, looking around the city for the perfect place to send his toys to create chaos. "Let's make this a one-day event, Stain. We'll see which of us wins, but I will enjoy crushing your honor and pride."

Night had fallen, but that didn't mean the city had stopped; it had merely switched operations. Still, that didn't mean that folks who would typically be safe at home weren't out and about for one reason or another. One such was an elderly woman and a small child who had been in the process of being mugged.

A mugging that had stopped when the number two hero had appeared, a human rocket and handled the threats with as much ease as someone doing the dishes. He left the restraining of the villains to his sidekick, Onima and Todoroki, the former having been sent ahead of them, while Midoriya saw to the two would-be mugging victims.

"Oh, thank you, dearie." The old lady thanked him as Midoriya had quickly and carefully gathered her dropped shopping, packing it back into her bags with care before gently handing it to her.

"It was nothing, mam. I just wish we got here in time to save you and your eggs," Midoriya told her, looking at the carton of eggs. Most of them couldn't be salvaged, so he had to improvise and create a holder for those that could out of the stone of his body, handing that to the little kid to hold.

The woman, old enough to be his grandmother, laughed it off, reaching up with aged, wrinkled hands for his face and pinching his cheeks. "Nonsense, all were amazing. Because of you, my granddaughter and I can return home, just without eggs for tomorrow, but I'm sure the grocer will understand."

The child, who wasn't older than 8 and looked so scared, had been looking at him with stars in her eyes since he arrived. The only times she looked away was when she looked towards Endeavour. She was probably a fan, going by the fact she was wearing his shirt.

Pointing at him, it seemed whatever patience she had had burned away. "I remember you from the TV! It was so pretty!"

Midoriya felt just a little warm inside hearing that. She was the first stranger who watched his performance and could still treat him like any other student. Kneeling, he made sure to give her his best Hado smile. "Of course it was. Fire is a wonderful thing, you know."

Her response was drowned out by an explosion in the distance, rattling the buildings around them and shaking the ground beneath them. They had been left fine by the sudden shock, but the two civilians weren't trained for such.

"Oh dear!" The old lady would nearly tumble if not for Midoriya's quick reflexes catching her while his leg shot out to keep the little girl on her feet, and this time, he saved their shopping as well.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he looked them over. Endeavor, for his part, turned away from the conversation with the arresting police and towards where he could see the rising smoke and familiar glow of fires, and for them to be visible even with buildings in the way…this wasn't some car explosion.

"An explosion, now?" Todoroki asked. He and Onima were quick to join Endeavour, Midoriya doing the same as he bid the two goodbye and let the police handle their safety now.

"This is Endeavour, what's the situation?" Endeavor was already speaking with the response center.

"We're not sure; reports indicate villains on the rampage in sector 14." The number two's gaze narrowed.

"Understood, Onima, Shoto, Hebimi, on me!" Endeavour didn't wait for a response; he never did as he took off, his flames propelling him forward like a human comet. Todoroki slid forward, propelled by his ice, while Midoriya felt steam coursing through his spine and then across his body before he took off, moving much faster than his old steam form could manage.

Onima was behind, but not by much. Even without a speed-centric quirk, the flaming sidekick hadn't lasted this long in Endeavour's employ by being slow. Still, the trio lagged behind Endeavour, who made his way over the center of this mess, civilians in the street looking in the direction with any number of emotions.

"This doesn't make sense. Isn't Hosu supposed to have low crime rates?" Todoroki stated as they got closer to the chaos, hearing that it wasn't just an explosion but seemed to be several smaller ones, and the sound of screeching and roars over the confused and terrified cries of the people actively running away from the danger.

"It really doesn't. It can't be Stain; it doesn't fit his description…" Midoriya replied, looking at Koharu as she added something that got him to nod. Yes, he's decided on using explosives or maybe a quirk like Bakugo's."

"I'm not in the mood to contend with someone like that," Todoroki stated, though now he and Onima found themselves slowing down because of the crowds, where they switched to the road where Onima took the lead, jumping from car to car like a frog. At the same time, Todoroki had to account for the vehicles in his way. Midoriya just avoided the people altogether, his steam-enhanced legs propelling him over them to walls, balconies, and flag poles he could run or grab onto.

However, as they approached, he didn't know why, but something about those screeching disturbed the flames at his core. They touched a sense of familiarity he couldn't place.

Endeavour, who, as always, was far ahead of them, turned the corner and saw something they didn't as he pulled out one of his signature moves. Midoriya paid close attention, seeing him concentrate his flames into white-hot points on his fingers before he let loose.

"Flashfire fist: Hellspider!" Endeavour called out as he swung his hand forward, sending rope-like beams of laser-hot flames through the city bus that had been sent his way, chopping the vehicles into what had to be at least a dozen pieces, all of which exploded, leaving only smaller debris to reach them.

Midoriya wondered why Endeavour didn't just dodge, but he saw that there were still people present. The man had chosen to minimize collateral in what had to be moments, and being the first to turn the corner, Midoriya could see that this was just getting started.

The street was already engulfed in flames, storefronts burning or destroyed while overturned and wrecked cars littered the road. In that mess were several heroes battling against monsters, which Midoriya instantly recognized both as the cause of this and as the cause for that disturbance in his flames.

'Just like the USJ…but how can so many of them be?' He asked, as just one of them was able to nearly kill him and the others. Where did the League get their hands on at least another 2?

"Focus on the task at hand; you must keep to civilian rescue and recovery. I'll handle the fighting, understand?" Endeavour called out to him as Todoroki and Onima arrived; Endeavour charged into the fray, punching the skinny, mustard-skinned villain in the face, causing it to release its grip on the hero it had been trying to carry off, where the number two caught the man and brought it low enough that he could drop him without worry.

"Yes, Endeavour!" Midoriya replied as he turned and went to aid the people. The crowds had given way to panic, and he could see someone tripping and jumping in. His sudden arrival scared the civilians enough to freeze, giving him time to help the middle-aged salary man to his feet.

Seeing the man wince, he looked him over and couldn't see any visible injuries. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, so he picked the larger man bridal style and charged off, using the less crowded road. "Here, let me help you, Todoroki. Can you clear the way?"

"Got it." This being an emergency, Todoroki placed his ice hand on the ground and shot out, creating frozen platforms and hills down the entire road, each one carrying a car and clearing the way. A quick burst of flames melted the frost building up on his body.

"Please don't push, people! There's trouble, but we're here to help!" Onima called out, making sure that his voice was calm and loud enough to be heard over the fighting as Endeavour realized that the threats weren't behaving normally, especially the black-skinned one, which seemed to have some sort of regeneration-type quirk.

Midoriya, upon his return to aid people, called out what they were.

"So, they're just mindless beasts then?" Endeavour asked himself as the flying on managed to get past him, making a mad beeline towards them.

'It got through?' Midoriya was opening his jaw, about to unleash a fireball; Todoroki was moments away from blocking the Nomu's path with a giant ice wall when a spear of flames came crashing into the Nomu, piercing through its chest all the way through, knocking it off course where it crashed into a car, smashing the roof and triggering its alarm. "Guess not." Midoriya closed his jaws and went about helping people.

"Please, let me carry you, you're hurt." Midoriya found a young woman dressed for a night in the town and wearing just a little too much make-up if he felt honest. Her heel seemed to have snapped as she was in the process of removing them.

"T-thanks." She replied that Midoriya had someone in his arms again as he took off.

"I'm happy to help!" He cheered, channeling more of Hado's cheerful attitude and beaming smile. Things were scary enough as is, and it was their job, his job, to be to these people what Hado and Ryukyu were to them. He'll leave the fighting to the pros, and with Endeavour on the scene, they had some pretty good chances.

Todoroki looked back and saw that his father was handling things, tackling the largest Nomu threats, as Midoriya called them, and incinerating its head with flames so hot, they burned blue. Todoroki would have been horrified that his father would escalate to murder if he didn't already know that it wasn't people they were fighting but things.

But just because the biggest threat was handled didn't mean there weren't others; as debris and sparks were still flying about, Todoroki saw one go flying and crash into the side of a building, where it had to have struck a gas line. Not even a moment later, the entire thing went up in flames that poured into the street right where Midoriya was, along with two dozen people. "Midoriya!"

The flames never reached them; people, as Midoriya, quick on the situation, leaped towards them and devoured them; the intense heat and flames just sucked into his slacked jaws like Thirteen's black hole. Was…was he always able to just devour flames.

"Wow…" Someone in the crowd said in awe as Midoriya swallowed up the last flames, not even embers behind. He turned to them and was scared most by how badly burnt his law was, though it was healing and fast even for him.

That healing restored enough muscle function for him to talk in less than 20 seconds. "Is anyone hurt? I was caught off guard there."

"We're good." Someone offered a shaky thumbs up as Hebimi, with a fully healed face, smiled as bright as the sun as he continued leading people along with Onima and Todoroki. "Did he just eat those flames?" another asked, but no one really offered any responses as the trio kept up to that job.

"Those were the last of them." One of the other heroes, who they had found fighting, called out the second of the Nomu, who had been despatched by Endeavour. Unlike the larger of the two, it didn't seem to have regenerative abilities, as the injury from Endeavour's fire spear hadn't healed. Still, it was something else, as it still kept moving even with what should have been a lethal move, so they restrained it.

The trio returned in time to catch up, with Endeavour looking over the area for more, a task they all joined as they could pick up fighting in other parts of Hosu, but where to head next? It was they were looking that Midoriya spotted something on the nearby roof, watching them.

Koharu confirmed they couldn't see details with all the smoke, but they would bet it was another Nomu with how it looked. 'Wait, what's that Nomu doing?' Midoriya wondered, as it wasn't attacking them, just…watching. That didn't seem right; they all seemed to be brainless. Was this one different? Was it ordered not to fight?

"Todoroki, you saw that, right?" Midoriya nudged Todoroki, pointing in the direction of the threat as the bi-colored teen followed his finger and also saw the strange shape, but the creature pulled back before he could make out much detail.

"It vanished," Todoroki replied, not liking that one bit.

"Yeah, Koharu, I don't like this either." They all agreed on that as Midoriya turned to Endeavour and yelled. "Endeavour, sir! A nomu is getting away; I will chase it down!"

"Be quick about it; wasting time is for fools!" Endeavour replied that they had just received a report of another Nomu in the opposite direction. He wouldn't have allowed such and gone after it himself if not for that and just how incapable these local heroes seemed.

"I'll send a message when I corner or kill it," Midoriya replied as he took off, jumping for someone's balcony. He pulled himself up and started rapidly ascending the building to the rooftops, where he, too, vanished.

And we're done! I must admit, I was planning for the trio to have a bigger role in the fighting, but when I rewatched Endeavour's scenes in Hosu, I realized he's too capable. He defeated the biggest threat there with ease. All three could have jumped him, and he could have bested them with one arm tied behind his back. So, as you'll see in the following chapter, I had to get creative with scenes around that.

The next chapter will be out March 18th

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