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(THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT HAVE 2000+ WORDS AS THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BEFORE I MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT)
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For decades, society had been anchored by a single, smiling pillar. All Might. His presence was the very thing that held the chaos together. But the pillar had crumbled at Kamino, and now, the world was changing. The League of Villains was quiet; there had not been any incidents since that day, but it did not feel like relief. It felt like the calm before the storm.
It was in this atmosphere of uncertainty that the bi-annual Hero Billboard Chart JP was announced.
The venue was packed. Camera flash lights, flashing on and off. The air was thick with a desperate need for reassurance.
The announcer's voice boomed, trying to hype the room.
"It's the first ranking since the retirement of All Might! A new era begins today! Let's meet the top nine heroes who will lead us into the future!"
The names were called. Ryukyu at Number 9. The armored veteran Yoroi Musha at Number 8. The laundry hero Wash at Number 7. Kamui Woods, rising fast, at Number 6. Shield Hero Crust at Number 5. The ninja Edgeshot at Number 4.
"And now, the top three!"
"At Number 3... he's fast, he's elegant! Best Jeanist!"
The crowd roared for him as he made his way onto the stage.
"At Number 2... he's fast, he's fierce, and he's flying high! The Winged Hero: Hawks!"
Hawks strolled onto the stage, his red wings folded casually behind him, looking more like he was walking into a convenience store than a national ceremony. He waved lazily, with a tired smile.
"And finally... the man who has chased the summit for his entire life. The only hero who never stopped burning! The new Number One Hero: Endeavor!"
Flames erupted from the stage floor. Enji Todoroki stepped through the fire, his face a mask of stoic intensity.
However, there was no smile. There was no "I am here." Just a show of Endeavor's burning resolve.
The applause was polite, but thin. The doubt in the room was obvious.
Can he really replace All Might? The crowd questioned.
The interviews began. The lower-ranked heroes gave standard, inspiring speeches. "We'll do our best." "We'll work hard."
Then, the microphone was handed to Hawks.
"To be honest," Hawks said into the mic, his voice amplified through the silent hall. "I think the approval ratings are pretty telling, don't you?"
He flew up, hovering above the stage, looking down at the audience and the other heroes.
"The Symbol of Peace is gone, and look at you all. You're scared. You're looking at us, wondering, 'Are these guys enough?' Well, let me tell you... looking at the faces on this stage... I'm not sure either."
The crowd gasped. Endeavor's flames flared hotter.
"We need to change," Hawks continued, staring directly at Endeavor. "We don't need more of the same. We need a new kind of speed. A new kind of strength." He handed the mic to the large, flaming man. "So, Number One... what do you have to say?"
Endeavor gripped the microphone. The silence stretched awkwardly long. He looked at the crowd. He looked at the cameras and thought of his son, Shoto, who started to talk to him more, hang out with him more, and in his own way was giving him another chance. He thought of the students at U.A., like Akaza and Rumi, who had faced death and come out fighting.
'I don't need a fancy speech, I will show my results.'
Endeavor's ignited his face, his beard of fire roaring to life.
"Just watch me."
That's all. That's all he said and walked away. Leaving a shocked crowd and a smiling Hawks behind.
Backstage
The moment they were out of the public eye, Endeavor grabbed Hawks by the collar of his jacket, slamming him against the concrete wall.
"What the hell was that?!" Endeavor roared, his flames licking dangerously close to Hawks' feathers. "You trying to undermine me? Or just piss me off?"
Hawks didn't flinch. He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Whoa, easy there, Number One. I was setting the stage."
"Setting the stage?!"
"They're scared, Endeavor," Hawks said, his voice serious. "They don't believe in you yet. They needed to see you angry. They needed to see you fight. If I had just let you give a boring speech, it would not have made any difference. But now? Now they're watching. You told them to watch you. So... show them."
Endeavor's glared softened. Then slowly, he released his grip. "...You're a brat."
"I'm a fan," Hawks corrected, adjusting his jacket. "Come on. Let's go get some food. My treat."
Later that Evening - Kyushu
The city of Fukuoka was alive with lights. Endeavor and Hawks walked down the street, an odd couple that drew stares from everyone they passed.
"There have been rumors," Hawks said, munching on a skewer of chicken. "Modifications. The League… they're not just recruiting. They're building."
"Nomus," Endeavor grunted. "We crushed them at Kamino."
"All of them?" Hawks asked. "Or did we just break their toys? I've been hearing whispers of something new. Something... high-end."
As if summoned by his words, the glass front of a skyscraper above them shattered.
CRASH.
Debris rained down on the street. Screams erupted from the civilians.
A dark shape plummeted from the sky, landing in the center of the intersection with a cratering impact.
It was a Nomu. But it wasn't like the ones at the USJ or Hosu. This one was sleek, jet-black, with a long, elongated neck and a hood of muscle.
Its brain was exposed, glowing faintly. But the most terrifying thing was its mouth.
"Who..." the creature rasped, its voice intelligible, intelligent. "Who... is... the strongest?"
It turned its head, its empty eyes locking onto Endeavor.
"You."
"Flashfire Fist!"
Endevor right away launched a blast of fire, but the Nomu was faster. Faster than anything Endeavor had fought before. It dodged the blast and closed the distance in an instant, its arm transforming into a whip-like blade.
"Too slow," the Nomu hissed, slicing through Endeavor's shoulder.
"ENDEAVOR!" Hawks yelled, shooting his feathers forward to pull civilians out of the splash zone.
The fight that followed was a nightmare. The High-End Nomu wasn't just a mindless beast; it was thinking.
Endeavor countered with a fiery barrage. "Flashfire Fist: Jet Burn!"
The blast connected, slamming the creature into a building, but the Nomu's regeneration kicked in instantly.
"Boring," the Nomu croaked. The storage sacs on its neck split open, and to the horror of the heroes, it regurgitated half a dozen white, lower-tier Nomus onto the streets below.
"They're targeting the civilians!" Hawks yelled, his eyes widening.
"Go!" Endeavor roared. "I'll handle the big one! Save the people!"
Hawks didn't argue. He dived, his feathers detaching and acting like independent drones. They sliced through the white Nomus with surgical precision and scooped up terrified civilians, moving them out of harm's way with blinding speed.
Meanwhile, the High-End Nomu slammed into the side of a massive skyscraper, its claws tearing through the support beams. The massive structure groaned and began to fall, threatening to crush an entire city block filled with evacuees.
"Not on my watch!" Endeavor screamed. He propelled himself upward, his flames turning blue with intensity. He concentrated his power into his fingertips, creating thin, superheated wires of plasma.
"Flashfire Fist: Hell Spider!"
He unleashed a net of cutting lasers, slicing through the falling building. The massive concrete slab was diced into smaller, manageable chunks in seconds.
But the debris was still falling, a rain of rocks hurtling toward the crowd.
"I got it!" Hawks shouted from below. A wave of red feathers flew up, catching every single falling rock and glass, holding them suspended in the air just feet above the heads of the terrified citizens. "Endeavor! I can't hold this forever! Finish it!"
Endeavor turned back to the High-End, his vision blurring from the heat. He was at his limit. He couldn't feel his left arm. He was overheating, his body screaming for release.
"Is this… the limit?" he thought, falling from the sky after a failed aerial attack.
"Just watch me."
The words echoed in his head. He had promised.
"No!" Endeavor roared. He used his flames to arrest his fall, hovering in the air. "I am… Endeavor!"
Hawks was there, using his remaining feathers to boost Endeavor's speed, pushing the Number One hero beyond his limits.
"I've got your back!" Hawks yelled into his earpiece. "Go!"
Endeavor surged forward, faster than the Nomu could react, grabbing the creature by the face. He poured everything he had, every ounce of his life force, into a single point.
"PLUS ULTRA… PROMINENCE BURN!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A pillar of blinding, white-hot light erupted, piercing the clouds, turning the night into day. The Nomu shrieked as it was incinerated on a cellular level, its regeneration overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the heat.
As the beam faded, Endeavor fell from the sky, crashing onto the pavement.
Silence descended on the city. The smoke cleared.
Slowly, painfully, the large man stood up. He was battered, bleeding, his left eye swollen shut. But he stood.
He raised his right fist into the air.
The "Standing Man."
It wasn't the effortless, smiling victory of All Might. It was ugly. It was painful. It was desperate. But it was a victory.
The crowd erupted. Tears streamed down faces. People cheered, chanting his name. "Endeavor! Endeavor!"
The news reporters turned to the cameras, "HE HAS DONE IT!!!"
Heights Alliance Dorms
Class 1-A had watched the entire battle, terrified and mesmerized.
"He… he won," Midoriya breathed, clutching his fist.
Shoto stood in front of the TV, his eyes wide. He watched his father, broken and bleeding, raising his fist. He saw the desperation. He saw the will. For the first time, he didn't see the abuser who had hurt his family. He saw the Hero.
Rumi was sitting on the arm of the couch, her fists clenched hard. She had interned with him. She knew how hard he tried, how much he wanted to prove himself.
"Damn right, old man," she whispered, a grin breaking out on her face. "That's what I am talking about!!"
The class erupted into cheers, relief washing over them.
"Where is Akaza?"
The small voice cut through the noise. Eri stood at the bottom of the stairs, clutching her cat plushie. She looked worried.
Rumi turned, her expression softening instantly. "Oh, hey, Eri-chan. Did the noise wake you up?"
"Where's Aki?" she asked again, looking around the room.
Rumi's smile didn't falter, but her eyes hardened slightly. She glanced toward the back of the room, where Yuga Aoyama was standing, looking pale and sweating more than usual, staring at the TV with guilt.
"Oh, Aki?" Rumi said casually, though her gaze lingered on the navel laser user for a second too long. "He said he had some stuff to do. Probably just a late-night run. He'll be back soon."
Eri nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced. Rumi walked over and picked her up. "Come on. Let's get some hot cocoa. We have to celebrate the old man not dying."
Somewhere in Kamino Ward
The city lights of Fukuoka were far away, but the news of the battle had traveled instantly.
Standing atop a high, dilapidated building overlooking the industrial district, a figure watched the live feed of Endeavor's victory on a holographic display projected from his wrist.
The figure was draped in a long, high-collared white coat with black accents that flared in the wind like a cape. He wore sleek, futuristic black armor that covered his chest and legs, detailed with glowing blue circuitry.
But it was his face that was most striking. A full, sleek black helmet covered his head, adorned with sharp, curved horns that swept back like a crown of blades. A glowing blue visor cut across the faceplate.
He watched Endeavor raise his fist. He watched the hope return to the people.
"The symbol of fire, that's one hell of a name," a distorted, synthesized voice stemmed from the helmet.
He turned, his armored boots clanking softly on the concrete roof edge.
He looked out over the city, his blue visor glowing in the darkness.
"The board is set. The players are moving."
"It's time to move."
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