The pro heroes were gathered in the Hero Public Safety Commission’s building this time, huddling in one of its most private meeting rooms. They had also received instructions to stagger their arrivals so as to not draw attention to themselves. It was no surprise to them. After all, this meeting could very well decide the fate of Japan, if not the entire world.
Aizawa kept his mind focused, although exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm him. He had spent the past few nights awake, researching possible combat strategies to take down his former student, but to no avail.
The kid far outclassed every single hero he knew, and had no clear weaknesses as well. Not even his erasure would work on him, considering that his abilities weren’t derived from a quirk. He could only hope that his fellow heroes had not decided on a strategy that involved a head on clash with Felix Pagonis.
The wide screen lit up with a projection in front of the waiting heroes, and Detective Tsukauchi took the stage.
“Brave heroes of Japan, the public thanks you for your selfless deeds thus far, but the time for decisive action is upon us.” He flashed a photograph of Doctor Ujiko. “Doctor Kyudai Garaki, or Doctor Ujiko to his villainous allies, has been confirmed to be All For One’s most trusted agent, as well as the mad scientist who bioengineered those Nomu abominations.”
“Do we have solid evidence?” All Might asked.
“Yes. The police have gathered concrete evidence, as well as received intel from the recently deceased Hawks, who had been our man on the inside. Aside from infiltrating the Meta Liberation Front, he has also been interacting with villain Twice as well as Dabi to collect more information about the villains’ movements. In addition, the recent reconnaissance mission led by Eraserhead further confirms that his hospitals are a front to the true experiments Ujiko has been conducting all this time.”
The heroes took a brief pause for their fallen colleague.
“Next, the Paranormal Liberation Front, formally known as the Meta Liberation Front,” Tsukauchi continued. “Fortune has finally deigned to smile on us, for Ujiko, the League Of Villains, and a huge cult following in Japan have all joined forces. If this mission is successful, we would have caught almost every major villain in one fell swoop.”
“If it’s successful…” Endeavour muttered.
Aizawa pursed his lips. Although all the heroes had recovered from their injuries in the fight with Pagonis, their morale had not. And considering the mental torture Pagonis put Endeavour through, it was a miracle that he had even chosen to return to the battlefield.
“How about Felix Pagonis?” Aizawa spoke up, and a shudder went through the room.
“Thank you, Eraserhead. The failsafe machine that you have confiscated from Ujiko has been a big help.” The detective flashed a photo of a similar looking device. “The research to reverse engineer the failsafe device has been a success. We now have a functioning gate that can send the alien back to his world upon contact.”
“This device works by blurring the boundaries between two realities and taking advantage of their proximity, which is how we believe Pagonis was banished here in the first place.” Nighteye took over for the policeman. “We call this device ‘Bifrost’. It detects the polarising energy of whichever subject it touches, thus pulling that subject back to their original reality like a slingshot. All we need to do is to activate the device and make contact with the foreign subject. Our scientists have calculated that the best time to send Pagonis back will be exactly a month from now, where their realities are the closest.”
“Which also means we have one month to prepare for our raid on the Paranormal Liberation Front,” Midnight remarked, deep in thought. “Will it be enough?”
“It has to be,” Aizawa said. “Remember what I found out in the Meta Liberation Front book? Hawks has already told us in code that PLF has plans to attack Japan in four months, and that is taking into account their fight with the League Of Villains. Now that they’ve joined forces instead, who’s to say they won’t push forward that date?”
“We have to stand firm and fight with pride,” Cementoss added. “We already have everything we need.”
“Do note that we only have one shot at sending Pagonis back, since this device only has enough material to be used on one subject. So don’t waste that opportunity.” Tsukauchi nodded. “It is a huge breakthrough for humanity to discover realities beyond our own. It’s a pity that this is the way we found out.”
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“No pressure, huh?” Present Mic said, trying to lighten the mood.
The room unexpectedly burst into light chuckles, eager to diffuse the tension in the air.
“We will split into three teams working on their individual missions simultaneously,” Cementoss said. “Team Endeavor will be in charge of securing Kyudai Garaki at Jaku Hospital. Team Edgeshot will storm Gunga Mountain Villa, which is what we believe to be the Paranormal Liberation Front’s hideout. And Team All Might will stay behind and defend U.A. High, since Pagonis has also declared war on the school. The pros will lead the charge, while the students stay behind and support us.”
“Students too?” Endeavour asked in an uncharacteristically small voice.
“Not to worry, Number One. The hero course students will only be deployed as logistical support for both teams,” Nighteye said. “They’ll assist with civilian evacuation and rescue if the encounters start to escalate.”
The flaming hero fell silent in response, although concern was still written all over his face.
“How’s the suit going, Toshinori?” Gran Torino turned his attention to All Might.
“Melissa Shield did a marvellous job, Sensei.” All Might broke into his signature smile again. “It’s really intuitive to use, and I’m already getting the hang of its functions. Rest assured, I’ll protect U.A. High with all my might.”
Movement shuffled in the room again, but the atmosphere brightened up this time. All sense of nervousness had vanished from the heroes, leaving only determination in their expressions. Despite losing his power, the formal Symbol Of Peace was still a beacon of hope to all of them.
“Good luck, everyone.” Nighteye broke into a smile as well. “Go beyond-”
“Plus Ultra!”
~ ~ ~
Time flies when one is having fun, even more so when training for a fast approaching war. Weeks of intensive training flew by quickly, and Class 1A found themselves more battle-hardened than ever. Shoto Todoroki was no exception.
The boy was on his way home from visiting his mother in a mental hospital when a familiar red-haired man stood in his path. He averted his eyes, pretending not to see him-
“Shoto.”
Todoroki mentally hurled a hundred slurs at the man, before stopping in his tracks.
“What do you want, father?” he spat. Endeavour was in civilian attire this time, and was in his rare depowered state.
The man began. “I just want to talk-”
“I don’t care what you want.” Todoroki turned his body towards the alley instead. He would rather waste another thirty minutes taking a roundabout route than spend another second speaking to his old man.
“I’m sorry, my son. For everything I’ve done to you. For all the damage I’ve done to this family. I’m the villain of our family, and it took me too long to realise that.”
Todoroki hesitated. It was unusual for his father to apologise, let alone spew such a heartfelt apology. What happened to him- Oh.
Realisation dawned on the boy.
“What, you think I’m just going to forgive you just because you had some bad dream?” Todoroki said coldly. “I will be a hero in my own way. A change of heart will not make me follow in your footsteps.”
“It’s not forgiveness I seek. It’s closure,” Endeavour said. “You, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Rei… Toya. I recognise how much I have hurt all of you. So I will be living away from this house to spare you the pain of seeing me everyday. I only wish to say goodbye, Shoto. And please, take care of yourself in the coming war.”
The father walked off without another word, leaving Todoroki to continue his journey home with the company of his childhood memories.
The boy’s left side… It’s so unsightly.
Todoroki resisted the urge to touch the burn mark on his left eye, where his mother hurled boiling water on. He harboured no resentment towards her though; it was his father who had driven her to this madness.
I won’t let you be mean to Mommy! Stop it, you big bully!
Sickness pooled in his stomach as the memories of his father beating up both him and his mother rushed back to him, almost as if he could still feel those oversized fists drive into his stomach.
If you don’t forgive him, that’s up to you. No one can force you to accept him. But the thing is, you’re a really caring person. And it seems like you’re just waiting for something.
Izuku’s voice echoed in his head.
Todoroki could almost laugh at his friend’s naivety. Waiting for something? The only thing he was waiting for was for Endeavour to drop dead. There was no way in hell he would accept his father. Not after he put his mother in a mental hospital. Not after he caused his oldest brother to burn to death, Toya, just because he did not inherit the ice quirk. That sorry excuse of a father did not even bother to mourn for his eldest son, and only chose to train Todoroki even harder.
“You’ll never be a part of our life again,” Todoroki muttered to himself as his house showed itself in the distance.
“I’ll never forgive you.”