Chapter Text
The episode started right where the last left off. Amajiki told the three yakuza members that the octopus poison should be affecting them now, and that it would make them unable to walk for a while. He also took their masks in case they had more stuff hidden inside. He turned to leave, thinking about how the fight had taken too long, but suddenly collapsed at the door.
The students sat up in alarm upon seeing their upperclassman collapse.
“He's okay right? He just needs a minute to rest after that big fight.” Hagakure said, trying to reassure herself as much as anyone else. Some of the students murmured in agreement while others looked uncertain.
“Yeah, that could be it. I mean, we didn't see him take any hits that would result in him bleeding a lot right? And even if he does need medical attention, then Bubble Girl and Centipeder should be down there pretty soon right? Or some of the police officers.” Midoriya's rambling did give some support to Hagakure's words, and helped further soothe the students' fears.
The scene changed to the rest of the group running down a hall. Kirishima expressed worry for Amajiki, and it made Fat Gum think that the underclassman didn't trust Amajiki. He scolded Kirishima and said that he should be man enough to trust the one they left to guard their backs. Kirishima immediately said Amajiki would be fine! Midoriya pointed out that just made him sound easily swayed and Kirishima said he could have faith in him and be worried about him. But either way he wouldn't waste the time he was buying them!
“My thoughts exactly, little listener! Worry and trust don't have to be separate. I mean, I trust Shouta here with me life, but I'm still gonna be worried about him if he's out on a dangerous mission, ya dig?” Present Mic backed up Kirishima's words.
“Just don't let that worry stop you from getting your own job done. Which Kirishima seems to be doing here.” Aizawa added.
“I guess it's better to be easily swayed about that kind of thing than for your coworkers to need to spend a lot of time reassuring you.” Shoji mused. “Probably makes it easier to reassure yourself too.”
Aizawa was suspicious that Mimic hadn't made any more moves on them, despite how far they'd run. He and Midoriya theorized about what that might mean and how much Mimic could sense. Rock Lock asked if that meant that Mimic couldn't keep track of the whole basement at once and Aizawa said that was likley and that the method he was using would allow Aizawa to see him if they caught him at the right moment. Mimic was shown angry over the fact that three yakuza members only stopped one of the heroes and then showed him moving somewhere else.
This gave the audience a boost of hope. The students knew how skilled Aizawa was, and were sure he would take advantage of whatever window Irinaka would be clumsy enough to leave. Not to mention how satisfying it was to see Irinaka so angry about Amajiki's hard won victory.
The scene changed to Bubble Girl and Centipeder, They were at the basement entrance, and something seemed to be blocking it.
Some of that hope was immediately dampened again when they saw that the entrance to the basement had been blocked, presumably by Irinaka. That whittled down any potential rescuers for Amajiki, as well as back up for the rest of the group.
Bubble Girl wondered about if all the people fighting them were sane. A yellow masked yakuza member said they were sane, they just knew Overhaul would kill them if they didn't fight. Yellow mask went on to say that Chisaki started going by Overhaul when the old boss got sick. The old boss valued chivalry and the old ways of the yakuza, but Overhaul started going against that and bringing in villains after he got sick. They were loyal to the old boss, not Overhaul!
“Well, that's certainly a different outlook compared to the three we saw earlier.” Nedzu mused. His eyes glittered with possibilities as he added this new factor into his potential plans.
“Yeah! With different factions of them singing such different tunes, that leaves us open to create disharmony before we go in for the main attack!” Present Mic quickly agreed.
“We'll have to look into whether or not the old boss is still active once we get back, or if he's already out of commission.” Aizawa said. Given the knowledge and control that Chisaki had displayed so far, he now had suspicions about the old boss's 'sickness'. If the old boss had a code of honor he followed, that could give them an opening to convince the man of his subordinate's ill intentions.
Kirishima's ears caught on the word 'chivalry'. He knew what that word meant to him, but what did it mean to the leader of a yakuza family?
Bubble Girl pointed out that they didn't seem to think Overhaul would be caught, despite hating him. The one next to Yellow mask said they had to think about the future. The ones who didn't were the real crazy ones!
“Hm, I guess you don't have to like someone to know and fear how strong they are.” Tsuyu mused.
“Definitely. I mean, just look at Bakugo! His lack of popularity around here doesn't stop him from being one of the strongest members of the class!” Kaminari joked.
“Watch it Bolt for Brains!” Bakugo glared at the other blonde.
“We were worried about Shigaraki learning how to manage a large group from Overhaul. But if his group isn't as united as it first seemed then perhaps that's not as big of an issue as we feared. “ Momo mused.
“Or it's even bigger because now we know that Overhaul can get people to follow him even if they don't actually like him. Shigaraki could still lead a large force if he tapped into fears surrounding his own power or All for One's.” Todoroki countered.
“A fair point, but I think the difference is that Overhaul still technically has the backing of the one those men are truly loyal too. Shigaraki's backer is now in prison, and we have yet to see any evidence that any of All for One's subordinates will be going to Shigaraki out of continued fear or loyalty to him.” In fact, they hadn't really seen any of All for One's followers aside from Kurogiri and that doctor. Did All for One's injuries lose him that many supporters? Or did he just delegate so much and lead from the shadows to a degree that only those few got close to him? Would people so removed from him want to serve his successor? Would villains who didn't knowingly associate with of All for One previously be impressed by Shigaraki's association, or too intimidated to approach?
The scene changed back to the group in the basement. A section of the wall suddenly came out, grabbed Aizawa, and tried to smash him against the opposite wall. Aizawa realized he was being targeted because Mimic was scared of being seen. Fat Gum managed to push him out of the way, and told Aizawa to “Erase this guy!”. It looked like Fat Gum would be crushed, but instead he rolled down through a new tunnel in the wall. When he came to a stop in a dark room, he was surprised to find that Kirishima was there with him. It was shown the Kirishima had also jumped to save Aizawa, since he could harden to avoid being crushed, but then ended up getting smushed into Fat Gum.
“I'm not sure if I should be impressed or exasperated that he didn't notice an entire person being squished into him.” Aizawa grumbled. He was trying to hide how on edge he was, seeing one of his students get separated from the group. At least Kirishima was with a fully functioning pro, which was certainly better than some of those involved in the Stain incident or the summer camp attack. But Irinaka must have been the one to make that tunnel, which meant this was most definitely a trap. It was a trap meant for himself though, so it's hard to say how effective it would be against two different people.
“Well, if he was already feeling the impact of getting pushed into that tunnel, then I can understand why he might not notice. The sensation of the wall hitting him and Kirishima hitting him probably all got rolled into one. Especially since Kirishima had activated his quirk.” Midoriya theorized.
Aizawa grunted in acknowledgment, then turned his attention to Kirishima. “I appreciate your quick action, even if it was ultimately unnecessary. You must have been working hard on increasing your speed if you were almost as quick as a pro just now.”
Kirishima beamed at the praise.
Fat Gum said it couldn't be helped now, then told Kirishima to brace himself. Out of the the darkness came a large man with a beak mask and some kind of armor around his knuckles and forearms. Kirishima used his quirk to brace himself, but when the man hit him it still sent him flying. The man then landed many blows on Fat Gum, but the pro tanked them all. He looked to check on Kirishima, and was alarmed to see that Kirishima had made a crater in the wall and that there was now cracks in his hardened arms.
Kirishima let out a sudden shriek when his other self was sent flying. The sudden noise gave everyone a small jolt, and they all looked to Kirishima in concern. It had been a while since someone in the room had had something happen to them that caused the pain factor to come into play so strongly, and the sudden reappearance of it was quite shocking.
Of course, Kirishima was the one in the most shock. He'd felt impacts while in his hardened state before, he'd felt one just a minute ago when his other self was pushed into Fat Gum. But he'd never felt anything like this. Not even when that knife villain on trigger was going at him. Nothing had ever hit him hard enough to cause such wide cracks in his armor. The pain of the blow had him curling in on himself, partially out of an instinctive need to protect his arms and partially because just about every part of him hurt to some degree. The pain from the cracks and the impact from wall radiated pain throughout his whole body.
“Make some space for him, go on scoot! Get him a towel while your at it.” The voice of Recovery Girl brought Kirishima out of his own head. He forced himself to uncurl a bit so he could look at her.
“There you go deary, let me get a look at you.” She got him to uncurl some more and looked over his arms. “Hm, still no sign of actual injury. I do wish I had some x-ray equipment just to be sure during times like these. Ah, thank you.”
Bakugo had appeared at her side with a towel in his hand. That made Kirishima realize that he must have been the one she was talking to when she first walked up.
“Is he okay? Are you okay?” Came the voice of Ashido, first addressing Recovery Girl and then himself. He looked up at her and noticed that Kaminari and Sero were worriedly hovering behind her.
“Seems to be the same as always, at least Truth is consistent.” Recovery Girl said.
“I am definitely feeling the pain, but I can get through it! Just gotta tough it out until we beat those yakuza guys!” Kirishima injected as much of his usual enthusiasm as he could muster.
“Not like there's much else you can do.” Bakugo pointed out. That prompted Ashido to nod decisively.
“Right, we know the drill by now. Bakugo, get the towel between his teeth. Kaminari and Sero, go get some cushions. Kirishima, you lay down on the floor.”
“Huh? But there's enough space on the couch...” He said, his pain addled mind not quite catching up with what she was doing.
“We're giving you the Midoriya treatment! You're gonna lay on the floor so there's no danger of you getting hurt in a fall, and we're gonna sit around you so we can be there for you.”
“What? No, it's not that bad, I ca-mph!”
When Kirishima had opened his mouth far enough, Bakugo had seized the opportunity and shoved the towel into his mouth. Ashido nodded her thanks to him as Sero and Kaminari returned with the cushions. Ashido looked back at Kirishima.
“We know you can handle this, but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. If Midoriya can accept this kind of help and still be manly then so can you.”
In that moment, the hands on her hips and the authoritative tone of her voice had him folding faster than any gentle or soothing words might have. He let his body take up as much space as it needed, settling into the cushions as the others settled around him. Ashido positioned her hand in a way that would allow him to reach out and take it if he wanted.
Seeing that the students had things covered, Recovery Girl made her way back to her seat. Kirishima got some lingering looks of concern, but soon everyone had turned their attention back to the screen.
The man, presumably another high ranking yakuza member, said that he found it 'boorish' to use guns or blades in a fight. Anyone could win a fight if they used those. It was only a real fight if you used just the power inside of yourself! He wondered if they understood.
“That seems like a rather narrow view of power. It also implies that he sees guns and blades as tools, but he does not see one's quirk as a tool. At least, I assume he's using his quirk to hit so hard.” Nedzu mused. It was doubtful anyone could hit that hard and fast without some level of support from a quirk, after all. “I wonder if he applies that logic to all quirks, or just physical ones.”
“Gotta disagree with him on the other point too, about how anyone can win a fight with a gun or a blade. I mean, I could see that with guns, plenty of people kill themselves or others on accident with guns, but knives or swords take a lot more skill. I mean, Stain wouldn't have been nearly as much of a problem if he didn't have so much skill with his own weapons, ya know?” Present Mic interjected.
“Even if he's just talking about his own fighting prowess, that still require some skill, its not just about power.” Aizawa said. The strongest person in the world wouldn't be nearly as effective if they were never taught how to throw a proper punch, after all.
Fat Gum tried to punch the man, but his fist was stopped by a yellow barrier. Another, smaller man in a beak mask had appeared. He mused about how both Fat Gum's and Kirishima's quirks were good for defense and said “Too bad, Rappa.” Rappa pummeled at Fat Gum again. The hero still stood his ground, but it hurt despite his fat barrier, and his hoodie had gained a hole. Rappa seemed somewhat disappointed in the fight so far, but said it was good enough they hadn't turned into mincemeat. Fat Gum realized that the second man was the one creating the barrier, and thought that these two would be an annoying pair to fight.
“Well, at least that gives us one more name to work with.” Tsuyu noted.
Izuku watched intently, trying to figure out what exactly that barrier was made of and how it worked. It must be the quirk of the newest yakuza member, but how was he producing it? Not to mention the mystery that was Rappa's quirk. Just how much of that speed and strength was from a quirk and how much was from training?
“One fighter who seems to be all about offense and another that's all about defense. These two were definitely placed together intentionally, though I'm not sure if they were meant to fight Mr. Aizawa specifically.” Momo mused. Rappa looked like he would be a strong fighter even without his quirk powering him up, but it was harder to say if the other man had any defenses outside his barrier. If he didn't, then one look from Aizawa would take away that defensive shield. Though it would be hard to do that with Rappa bearing down on him.
“Either way, Fat Gum is right. If they cover for each other enough so that one can go all out with attacking and the other can go all out with defending, that's going to make things really hard.” Jirou said. Momo nodded in agreement.
“Yes, Fat Gum and Kirishima will have to find some way to push these two apart.”
The second man said that he and Rappa were a spear and shield, whereas Fat Gum and Kirishima were both shields. Rappa didn't think that would make for a good fight, and the other man mused that he wasn't sure he could really call Kirishima's a shield.
“How rude! Just because our Kirishima's shield does not sparkle as brightly as yours does not mean his shielding is without merit!” Aoyama complained.
“I don't think that's what he meant by that, but thanks for the vote of confidence, dude.” Kirishima said. He'd taken the towel out since he hadn't been shown again, but a look from Bakugo had him putting it back in.
Kirishima shakily got to his feat. He didn't think he could take it if another barrage like that came at him. Kirishima started to despair over not being strong enough, but Fat Gum broke him out of it. He shouted that Kirishima couldn't let them break his spirit. Fighting villains was about making your opponent lose the will to fight, so you can't lose your spirit before them! They would blow these guys away and make it back to the others!
“Yeah! That yakuza guy doesn't know what he's talking about, saying you're not a shield! You were probably just taken off guard with that first hit!” Kaminari said, trying to join in on raising Kirishima's spirits.
“If it's all about willpower, then you've got this in the bag!” Sero joined in. “You've got more willpower than just about anyone else I know!”
Kirishima couldn't smile properly with the towel in his mouth and the amount of pain he was in (he was glad Bakugo had gotten him to put it back in just in time), but he tried his best anyway. He felt some fibers snap under his pointed teeth, and felt a little bad that the towel would probably be in tatters by the time this fight was done.
Rappa seemed excited by Fat Gum's speech, and told 'Tengai' to get rid of the barrier because he didn't need it. Tengai reminded him that went against Overhaul's orders. Tengai said they would win with their teamwork. Rappa slumped, then suddenly tried to hit Tengai multiple times. Tengai brought up another barrier to stop him and calmly called him a fighting maniac.
“Is the teamwork in the room with us? Er, with them?” Kaminari asked doubtfully.
“Sure, it's just that it's with Kirishima and Fat Gum instead of the those losers.” Ashido said brightly.
“That is one thing you're really good at. Even managed to work with me.” Bakugo said, looking down at Kirishima.
Kirishima nodded. He just hoped his own strength would be enough to help Fat Gum, and that he wouldn't end up being a liability to the pro.
Tengai asked what he was doing. Rappa said that 'overjerk' decided they were a team without asking. All Rappa cared about was fighting to the death! Tengai said he could go ahead if he thought he could win. Rappa was ecstatic and immediately laid into Fat Gum.
“Well, I suppose that does separate them.” Momo said, stunned that the two of them had done that all on their own. Now the question was if that would give the hero and her classmate enough advantage to win.
“Rappa's priorities are very skewed.” Iida said “Is he truly that determined to go out in a blaze of glory?”
“Whatever his reasons, this gives us even more evidence that the Shie Hassaikai are not nearly as united under Overhaul's leadership as they first seemed. This could be very useful to us.” Nedzu said. If they learned enough and played their cards right, then perhaps the most dangerous aspects of this group could be neutralized before they ever became a major problem.
Fat Gum got pushed back again. Fat Gum realized that if things continued on this way, then Rappa would grind his way through all his fat. He was also pretty sure that Tengai would help Rappa if things got bad, despite their fighting. Tengai's wall was too strong for Fat Gum to punch through, so the only way to win would be to do something about Tengai. He also knew that Kirishima had taken a lot of damage earlier, so he had to do this himself!
Kirishima groaned. Ashido patted his arm comfortingly, but it wasn't a groan of pain. Even Fat Gum thought that Kirishima wouldn't be able to help! He didn't blame him, not when one hit seemed to take him down, but there had to be something he could do! He knew he was just a student, but so was Amajiki, and he took on three yakuza guys all on his own! There had to be some way he could help without getting in Fat Gum's way!
Fat Gum called out to Rappa. He said he'd used to be a big martial arts guy too, and challenged Rappa to a match to see which of them was stronger! Rappa called Fat Gum a great guy, and called Tengai great too when he confirmed he wouldn't put up his barrier.
In any other situation, Rappa's enthusiasm would have been endearing. It reminded some of them of how pumped Uraraka had been before the Sports Festival, or how even how excited Kirishima could get during training and how he would compliment everyone. But to have those kinds of feelings about a fight to the death...
Kirishima watched Fat Gum take every hit in despair. He thought he'd gotten stronger, jumped out with his new ultimate move and everything, yet Fat Gum still had to protect him.
“I know how awful it must feel to be in that position right now, but just throwing yourself in without a plan won't help either. The best thing you can do right now is keep your head in the game and try to think of one. Sometimes staying out of the way counts as a plan.” Aizawa reminded him.
Kirishima nodded miserably. He knew that. Deep down he knew that. But the thought of just standing there while Fat Gum protected him grated at every bit of manliness he possessed. He wasn't supposed to be that scared middle schooler! Not anymore, not after everything he and the rest of the class went through, but seeing himself in this situation sure made him feel like that again.
Fat Gum was starting to worry he wouldn't be able to make it through this fight. His fat had noticeably decreased. Rappa said he couldn't pass out now, he was just getting warmed up!
“Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Fat Gum's hair before, this must be getting really serious!” Mineta said warily.
Midoriya continued to make as many notes as he could on Rappa and Tengai. One of Fat Gum's thoughts had revealed that the police didn't know about either of these two, so surely any and all information about that would be a huge help once they left here. He'd have to make sure to come back to these pages and memorize them, make sure he could recite them once this was over. Focusing on that helped him not to think about how he'd inadvertently left his classmate to deal with these two scary individuals. He knew that Fat Gum was there, he knew that Kirishima getting separated from the group wasn't really his fault, but a part of him still felt like he should have been able to do something to prevent this whole scenario. Just like he should have been able to help Eri. Just like he should have been able to save Kaachan.
Kirishima asked himself what he could do. Couldn't this boring guy do anything to keep Fat Gum from dying?! Tengai thought that Kirishima was done for, due to the fear in his eyes.
“Like I said, asking yourself what you can do is a step in the right direction. You can still do this.” Aizawa said. He tried to make himself sound firm and reassuring. Having that thought wouldn't mean much if he kept talking down to himself and couldn't get his fear under control, but this class had surprised him time and time again. He was pretty sure, deep down, Kirishima had the strength to get through this. Aizawa had to believe that strength, combined with Fat Gum's, would be able to save them both.
The solid reassurance in those words did help calm Kirishima's heart a bit. If Aizawa still had faith in him even after seeing what that first punch did to him, and seeing him so scared, then there must still be some hope for him, right? He also tried to remember what Bakugo had said to him after the last episode, and told himself that he'd find a way to help.
Kirishima thought about how nothing had changed since back then. The scene changed to Mustafa Private Middle School.
Many were confused by the sudden scene change. When Kirishima saw it though, he couldn't help but let out another groan. 'I'm getting a flashback like Shinsou did during the sports festival aren't I?' he could only hope that his scene was just as short. He wasn't especially proud of his middle school self. Back then, he'd never been strong enough to do anything useful. He was still working on becoming strong enough now. Well, at least he could take the towel out for a bit, he couldn't remember ever getting badly hurt during his middle school years.
“Oh! This is where I went to middle school!” Ashido said, which just made Kirishima feel even more self conscious. She'd been so amazing, even back then.
There was a pair of boys bullying another boy, trying to get him to use his quirk to make fake money. Kirishima saw it, and yelled at them for not being manly. He ran over to try and stop them, but one of the bullies use his quirk to smash a rock into Kirishima's face. He said Kirishima wasn't that strong and the two bullies dragged the other boy off.
“That's you?” Kaminari asked in surprise. “Dang, I almost didn't recognize you, the hair really makes a difference!”
“I didn't even realize you dyed it until now.” Sero admitted.
“Oh, I remember these guys. They could be a real pain.” Ashido said.
“It is quite uncouth to try and force another to use their quirk in a way that they don't want to.” Momo said, remembering a few times her own middle school classmates had tried to take advantage of her quirk.
“Not to mention illegal.” Jirou pointed out, in reference to the fake money.
“Yes, that too of course.”
“Their own quirk use was also quite dangerous! Hitting someone in the face like that could cause serious harm, and they are lucky that Kirishima was fast enough in turning on his quirk. I certainly hope you reported them for their behavior!” Iida scolded.
“The teachers might not have cared, as long as no one was really hurt and the illegal quirk use happened off of school grounds.” Izuku said, remembering how quickly his own teachers had been to dismiss his classmates' quirk use.
“It didn't end up being necessary...” Kirishima said slowly, confused by the fact that no one seemed to notice just how useless he'd just been. Maybe they were just being nice enough not to comment on it...
Kirishima started to yell at them again, but stopped when a different pair of boys popped out of the nearby bushes. One of them said Kirishima was sticking his neck out again for something annoying. Kirishima quoted Crimson Riot, who said that it didn't matter what your quirk is if you have a chivalrous heart!
“If he said stuff like that, then I can get why you liked him so much.” Sato admitted.
“Yeah, that really fits in with the Plus Ultra mindset!” Present Mic agreed.
“I just wish I'd had to strength to back it up back then.” Kirishima admitted.
“It is still admirable that you tried to intervene.” Todoroki pointed out.
“Quirks can be trained to get stronger, and learned to be used in new and creative ways. You don't need to be strong right off the bat to be a hero.” Aizawa said. All Might nodded.
“Having the spirit of a hero is just as important as being strong or skilled enough to do something about it.”
Kirishima ducked his head. He didn't think he counted as having that spirit. Maybe he did now, but not back then. People like Ashido and Midoriya had those moment where their legs moved without thinking, but he'd just stood there back then. The closest he'd gotten to doing that was at the USJ, and him jumping in then just put him in Thirteen's way.
The topic of middle school bullying made Bakugo become a bit introspective. He never bullied people for money like those extras were doing, just to show them how strong he was...at least he'd thought that's what he was doing back then. Too many times he'd just been putting people down in order to make himself feel tougher. His younger self had never thought to show how strong he was by intervening in bullying. As far as his younger self was concerned, it was the victim's own fault for not being strong enough to beat back the bullies. He'd really had a lot of stuff backwards, huh?
Kirishima started to go after them, but then the bullies and their victim ran into Ashido. They couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked like she yelled at them, but then somehow made friends with them and convinced them all to break dance together. They all seemed to part on amicable terms. Kirishima and the two boys wondered what had just happened.
The rest of the class was now wondering what had just happened too.
“So, you called them out and then somehow made them feel happy about it? That's a heck of a trick.” Ojiro said.
“How did you manage to divert their darkness so quickly?” Tokoyami asked.
“It's a trade secret.” Ashido gave the boys a teasing wink.
A couple of Ashido's friends called out to her and she ran off with them. One of the boy's mentioned that Ashido was planning to apply for UA, and listed off all the qualities she had that made a her a good candidate. The boy commented on how being a hero has changed and how important popularity is, and the other said Ashido would do well because she was trendy.
The last comment made Ashido pout a bit. She wanted her success to be attributed to all the other stuff they mentioned, not because she looked 'trendy'! Trends would come and go, that was how it worked. If she was too 'trendy', then what would that mean for her popularity over time? And what would that mean for her career as a hero? She'd never really thought about that before...
“Hm, grouping those things together, the actual heroic qualities and the stuff about her looks and popularity. Do people really consider all those to be equally important to being a hero now?” Shoji wondered.
“Depends on what you want I guess...” Koda murmured. Not everyone cared about being popular, and underground heroes wouldn't have to worry about popularity at all.
“It does seem like almost everyone aims for the top though, and that includes in popularity.” Tsuyu said. Iida frowned in thought.
“It puts me in mind of Stain's complaints about hero society. I wonder why he idolized All Might exclusively, and not any underground heroes, since they are not subject to popularity competitions.”
“Or ones like Crimson Riot, since he always encouraged chivalry and being manly.” Kirishima added.
Iida shook his head. “I don't think I'll ever understand Stain's logic.”
Kirishima said he was boring by comparison, and his quirk only hardened him a little. That's why he decided to train his body as hard as he could, and that way he could cover his lack of strength with spirit! That was the plan anyway. While he thought this, a mini montage was shown of what he did to train.
“I can't believe I have to say this seriously, but stop hitting yourself!” Sero said, half amused and half concerned at the image of Kirishima hitting himself with a metal pipe. Kirishima laughed at his friend's expression.
“It's cool that you thought to do all that! I didn't think to start training physically until I met All Might.” Midoriya said. He'd practiced his analysis pretty regularly, but in hindsight he really should have balanced that out with some regular exercise if he truly planned to try for UA.
“Your dedication to early improvement is impressive, but I'm a little concerned about you using such methods unsupervised. Remember to run that sort of thing by myself or one of your other teachers in the future.” Recovery Girl warned.
“Yes ma'am!”
Kirishima was walking down a hallway with the same too boys who came from the bushes. One of them jokingly said he'd try for UA and the other said that wasn't possible for normal people like them. He asked what Kirishima planned to do for high school. Kirishima nervously said he hadn't decided yet. On his way home, Kirishima was shown to have UA high as his first choice on his list. He wondered if he would have the confidence to tell the truth if he had a flashier quirk like Ashido.
Ashido rolled her eyes, then flicked Kirishima on the nose. “Don't worry so much about not being as 'flashy' or whatever! If anything, not having a super flashy quirk should make you more confident about what you do. That means that your fans won't run off after every shiny new hero that comes along, and then you'll know they're fans of you and not just your quirk.”
“That's a good point.” he admitted. He'd never thought of it from that angle before. He cared a lot more about doing good work than he did about being super popular and flashy but... “I don't think my younger self was thinking that far ahead though. I was just thinking about if I could actually make it in or not, and what people would think of me trying. The people you hear about graduating from UA usually have really flashy quirks and stuff, and I didn't feel like I had that.”
“Yeah, I guess flashiness does help with getting your foot in the door.” Ashido admitted. “I try not to care too much about what other people think of me, but it can be hard, especially since we've seen how much of a popularity contest hero stuff has become.”
Kirishima's eyes widened. Ashido struggled with not caring what other people think? He would never have guessed that.
A scene down the street caught Kirishima's attention. A very large figure in a brown cloak was looming over two cornered girls. He asked them where the Springer Hero Agency was. The girls were too terrified to answer, and when they didn't say anything the figure's hand made cracks in the wall above them. Kirishima looked around for a nearby hero, but didn't see any. He told himself that he should go help, but didn't move. The very large man demanded to know why they wouldn't say anything.
“Well, at least you tried to look for a hero before jumping in yourself.” Aizawa said. “Still, this does look like the kind of situation that could be resolved without quirk use, so doing that wouldn't be as much of a problem in this case.”
Kirishima grimaced, but no one seemed to notice.
“What do you mean?! That guy is huge! Shouldn't a hero be the one to deal with him?” Mineta demanded.
“Well, yes, this person is very large and intimidating, but strictly speaking he hasn't done anything wrong aside from getting too far into the personal space of those he is talking too and causing some minor damage to a building. Those could be simple misunderstandings, and his only goal could be to find that address. If that is the case, then stepping in and giving those directions could resolve things quite quickly.” Nedzu explained
“You really think so? Even with him making those cracks? I thought for sure that was meant to be a threat.”
“He could just be annoyed and not realize he did that. I'd be pretty annoyed if someone wouldn't talk to me just because of how I looked.” Shoji pointed out. “Though, I also think I'd have enough sense not to loom like that.”
“Not everyone has good social sense. Still I can't really blame those girls either. Having a strange man hover over you like that would be enough to make most women nervous, and those two are far from being full grown and he's far from being the average stranger.” Recovery Girl said. The female students all nodded in agreement.
Kirishma told himself to go again, but couldn't make himself move. Then Ashido suddenly ran in and gave him some directions. The very large man thanked her and left while mumbling about his 'master'. Ashido fell to her knees as he left.
“Oh, it really was that simple.” Mineta said as the giant of a man walked away.
“It sure didn't feel simple! My legs felt like jelly after he left.” Ashido said with a laugh.
“I'll bet! You were really brave! I just meant that he really did leave after getting the directions, so maybe it really was all a misunderstanding.”
Kirishima ducked his head when Mineta called Ashido brave, remembering how cowardly he had been in that moment.
Yagi frowned upon hearing the word 'master'. Something about that felt off to him...but the scene quickly moved on so he put it to the back of his mind for the time being.
Ashido and the two girls, her friends, started crying together. One of the girls thanked her and said she was sure the guy would have killed them if she hadn't come to help them.
“That's a stretch.” Todoroki said. He had left peacefully after getting the directions after all, so the damage to the building would probably have been prevented if the girls had managed to tell him the directions or even if they had just said they didn't know.
“They might mean that more figuratively instead of literally. Like, they were so scared they felt like they were going to die.” Tsuyu countered.
Todoroki nodded slightly in concession. He supposed this was one example of how not everyone was suited to be hero. Or maybe he was just used to that kind of behavior due to how his father usually acted and therefore had a different standard than most people. It was hard for him to say at this point.
Ashido then told them she'd lied and gave him directions to the police station so they should hurry and run away. Kirishima watched the whole scene in silence, and asked himself why he didn't go.
“I see, that was a clever move! In the event he is looking to cause trouble, then the police will be more equipped to handle it. In the even he is simply looking for directions, then the police will be less likely to be intimidated and be able to help him find his way.” Iida declared with a hand chop.
“Hopefully they were good enough at their jobs not to jump to conclusions.” Shoji said, thinking about a few encounters he'd had before he started wearing his mask regularly.
“I wasn't really thinking about that deeply, I just figured the police would know what to do.” Ashido admitted. Then she turned to Kirishima. “And don't be so hard on yourself! You were psyching yourself up to go, so I bet you would have if I hadn't gotten there first.”
“Heh, I'm not so sure. I mean, it's hard to say what would have happened, you know? But thanks for the vote of confidence!” Kirishima said. Either way, him hesitating like that could have really hurt those girls, or other people in the future. That's why he'd worked so hard to overcome that before getting to UA. But the USJ had showed him that rushing in wasn't always the best option either. He would need to get better at finding a balance between the two if he really wanted to be a manly hero.
Later, Kirishima was looking over his plans for the future again. He thought about the sludge villain incident he'd heard about recently. Most just talked about the middle school student who resisted the villain, but he'd also heard about the other boy who rushed out to save him.
Unbeknownst to Bakugo and Midoriya, they both had the exact same thought in that moment.
'He was inspired by me?'
Bakugo hadn't considered what he'd done all that impressive. He'd re-evaluated things a bit after Kirishima talked to him in those first episodes, sure. Since he hadn't been able to get himself out and had to be rescued in part by Deku of all people, he'd originally considered the whole incident to be a show of his own weakness and uselessness. He'd thought about it less harshly after talking with Kirishima and seeing everything they had here, though. He'd survived when the heroes were too hesitant to help, and that was decent for a self taught middle school student. But he still hadn't thought that would be considered impressive by other kids, like Kirishima. Sure, the kids at his school all wanted to know about it and told him he was cool, but what did they know? They were a bunch of extras who wouldn't know a hard day of training if it bit them in the ass, so they would think just about anything Bakugo did was impressive. But Kirishima wasn't like that.
Midoriya was surprised that anyone had really talked about him in a positive light. Sure, his classmates had supported him when they'd seen the whole thing, but they had a habit of breaking the mold when it came to his expectation of his peers. All Might did too of course, even gave him his quirk over it! But All Might was always in a class of his own, and had originally been quirkless himself. He hadn't really expected anyone else to be on his side, not after the scolding the other heroes gave him. He especially hadn't expected it would be enough people for someone like Kirishima to hear about it.
Seeming to sense their surprise, All Might smiled at the pair. “It's as I said after your fight at the training grounds, the two of you have it in you to embody the true spirit of heroics. You both inspire people, even if you do it in different ways.”
Kirishima nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I definitely thought you were both really cool for making it through that! Though, I think in this memory I'm thinking a little more of Midoriya, since what Ashido did is more similar to what he did during the Slime Villain Incident.”
Kirishima thought about how your true colors show when your life is on the line. Being able to run in despite your fear is what makes someone hero material. He couldn't do that. He crossed out UA high school on his career form.
Mineta nodded. “I get that, man. I really thought about things after facing all those villains at the USJ. Made me wonder if I was really fit for the hero course or if I should transfer to gen ed or something.” It was the thought of rescuing 'hot babes' that had got him to stick it out initially, which he wasn't proud of now. But he liked to think he'd moved on to a more reliable reasoning now. It wouldn't be cool of him, or manly of him, to quit at the first sign of real danger, right?
Several other class members nodded as well, signifying that they'd had some doubts after the USJ too, but ultimately hadn't let that stop them. Obviously Kirishima hadn't let this stop him either, since he ended up going to UA after all, but now they were wondering what made him change his mind.
Ashido in particular was leaning forward intently. Now that she'd seen some of those scenes again, she was starting to remember Kirishima talking to her a bit about this whole encounter, which was weird since she hadn't before. She was very curious to know what turned his viewpoint around, and if she had anything to do with it and just forgot or didn't realize.
Kirishima himself smiled softly. He suddenly remembered what had happened this night and how it had inspired him to be better. Maybe this was what Todoroki felt like when he suddenly remembered his mom telling him he could be a hero.
Kirishima remembered about how he'd hurt himself on accident when he first got his quirk, and how that made him hate it for a while. It made him realize now that his own self hatred was probably part of why he admired Crimson Riot so much. He threw a photo of the hero away in disgust with himself. It hit the bookshelf behind him, which knocked down a recording from a Hero Compendium, which just so happened to open to a recording of Crimson Riot. An interviewer asked the pro if he was ever scared when rushing into a fight. Crimson Riot declared that of course he was! Anyone who wasn't afraid of death was an idiot! The hero admitted that there was a time when he was a sidekick where the didn't save someone he could have because he was scared. But now he knew that the expression of someone dying was even scarier than villains and disasters. Knowing that was why he could jump in now.
Present Mic nodded along in agreement. “Yeah, I honestly think the average civilian doesn't really understand bravery when it comes to pro heroes. We get plenty of fans saying how impressed they are that we can rush into a fight with a villain or a disaster without fear, but that's not it at all. I mean, if you're really confident that you outclass your opponent then you might not feel a lot of fear, but you should still feel a little you know? For the sake of nearby civilians if nothing else.”
Nedzu nodded in agreement. “His words about seeing the expression of someone dying put in mind of a quote I once read from Franklin D Roosevelt. ' Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.'” Nedzu didn't always understand humans very well, since his own mind was so different. However, one thing he could relate to was the figurative tug of war that could occur between instinct and intellect. Despite his intelligence, he still had those deep seated instincts for survival, and that could sometimes come into conflict with his job as a hero in the same way that his masochistic tendencies did. During those times it helped him to remember to assess what was happening and actively decide if those instincts were worth listening to in that moment.
The kids took in the words of both Crimson Riot and their teachers. It was comforting to be reminded that even seasoned pros felt fear, but that also came with the reminder that working as a pro was likely to lead to them seeing someone die. They'd seen plenty of people be hurt during the viewing, but no one had actually died. They didn't even see any coverage of death after the Kamino ward fight. How would they handle it when they eventually did see someone die? When they failed to save someone for the first time?
The interviewer asked what chivalry meant to him. He said it wasn't about not being afraid, it was about living his life without regrets. He was a hero, so he would save people! Kirishima cried as he listened. Then the next day, he'd re-written his choice to go to UA, and showed it to his two friends.
“No wonder you named yourself after Crimson Riot, if that speech of his inspired you to go to UA.” Sero said with a smile. Kirishima beamed back.
“Yeah! I think he's one of the manliest heroes out there! He's why I always try to live without regrets now. I knew I'd regret it in the end if I didn't at least try for UA, and put everything I had into the attempt!”
Aizawa ducked his head into his capture weapon. His teaching style was said to be harsh, and probably wasn't considered as inspiring as heroes like Crimson Riot. But he thought that part of his goals were the same. He wanted his students to live without regrets too. He didn't want them to regret putting their time into a career they weren't suited for, or regret not giving their all. He didn't want them to regret not being ready for any situation that might befall them as pros. If he could prevent some of their own regrets, then maybe he'd eventually be able to let go of some of his own.
They seemed concerned, but Kirishima was resolute. Then he found the two girls and apologized for not stepping in. They seemed confused by this, they weren't even sure who he was, but they reassured him that anyone would be scared and that Mina was just too amazing.
Ashido blushed, though it was a little hard to tell with her already pink skin. “You guys really are hyping me up too much. I was just trying to help my friends.” Honestly, if it had been anyone else who was talking to that big guy, she wasn't sure she would have been brave enough to try and intervene. Even after everything the class had gone through she was still pretty scared of that giant...she shook her head to drive away those thoughts. “I'm surprised I didn't remember this earlier though. I mean, I do now that I'm seeing it, but I didn't when me and Kirishima were talking about this earlier.”
“Yeah, I kinda forgot you were listening to my apology too.” Kirishima admitted.
“Maybe this is a sign we should take another rest day soon.” Recovery Girl commented.
“Indeed. While it is fairly normal to remember something only after a specific prompt, it could also be a sign that our brains are becoming overworked due to trying to take in too much information over too short a time span.” Nedzu theorized.
Recovery Girl nodded. “The mind needs time and rest for new information settle and process, after all. Taking an extended break would do us all some good.”
“Can it at least wait until after we rescue Eri? I don't think I could really relax until I know for sure that she's okay, even if it is another timeline.” Izuku said.
When the rest of the class gave various signs of agreement, the teachers agreed that the next rest day could wait until after the raid was completed. They'd likely know Eri's fate by then, one way or another.
Then there was a short montage of Kirishima training both his body and his mind, and that allowed him to pass the entrance exam and get congratulated by all his peers. He showed up at UA with his hair dyed and styled, and Ashido was surprised when she saw it and teased him a bit. Kirishima said he wouldn't regret anything anymore, and Ashido said that day really affected him. Ashido playfully punched him and teased him some more, as well as gave him some inspiring words. Then the scene changed back to the yakuza raid. Kirishima reminded himself he'd been scared plenty times before now! That didn't mean he couldn't do anything!
Kirishima's new found determination on screen elicited plenty of affirming words and even a few cheers from the students.
“Yeah! Exactly!”
“You got this!”
“You can do it!”
“They'll regret brushing you off!”
That last one was said quite confidently by Bakugo.
On the other hand, the teachers were a bit more wary. They'd seen these kids do plenty of amazing things, and were proud that Kirishima was able to find his feet again so quickly in the midst of an attack. But they couldn't help being worried about one of their students getting more involved in a fight with such powerful villains.
Surprisingly, one of the few students who was quiet was Ashido. She was looking between the screen and the real Kirishima, stunned but flattered. It made sense that he would remember that incident in high school at a time like this, and that he would be inspired by his favorite hero. But the way this was framed made it look like he was also being inspired by her. In the middle of that dark, scary place, cut off from most of the rest of the group, and one of the things that helped him find his bravery was thinking about her. That was...that was certainly something to think about.
But first she had to grab the towel and get it back between Kirishima's teeth.
Fat Gum continued to be hit by Rappa. Fat Gum's thoughts revealed that he'd been taking in all those hits, so his defense was getting thin; but all that stored up energy could be converted into a spear! Tengai warned that something was up but Rappa ran in anyway. Fat Gum braced for more impacts, but then Red Riot jumped in front of him! Despite being blown back earlier, Red Riot tanked all of Rappa's blows. He tried to hit Rappa back, but Tengai put up his barrier. Red Riot fell back, and was caught by Fat Gum. Fat Gum released the attack he'd been building up with Rappa's blows, and cried out that they'd underestimated Red Riot! The blow sent both yakuza members hurtling back into the wall. Red Riot managed a smile, and Fat Gum declared he and Kirishima the winners.
Now the cheers boomed louder than one of Bakugo's explosions.
“Hah! Told you they'd regret it!”
“It really was your teamwork that won the fight! That's so awesome!”
“Was that a new ultimate move?!”
“What was that? You looked so cool!”
“More like he looked so manly!”
“Both can apply! Especially to a move like that!”
“Come on guys, I didn't do that much! Fat Gum was the one who did most of the fighting, I just helped out quick in the end.” Kirishima tried to downplay his involvement, but the rest of them weren't having it.
“That's how it should go with a student and a pro working together.” Aizawa reminded him.
“It may have helped more than you think. Fat Gum did say his defense was getting thin. If he had to endure another volley by Rappa, he might not have had the strength to hit them just now.” Izuku pointed out.
Momo nodded in agreement. “That, alongside you taking them by surprise likely made all the difference. It would have put Rappa and Tengai off balance a bit, which made the perfect opening for Fat Gum, which he put to use quite well.”
“Agreed! Your intervention was most timely! Even Fat Gum seems to agree!” Iida pointed out.
“Well, sure, but-” Kirishima cut off suddenly when Bakugo cuffed him lightly on the shoulder.
“What did we just talk about? Be a man and take the compliments already.”
Kirishima looked surprised for a moment, then beamed brightly. “Yeah...you're right! I was pretty manly!”
“The manliest!” Ashido agreed with a grin.