"What's going on?"
"Is that finally a Pro Hero coming to help?"
Civilians hiding among the wreckage dared to peek out, hope flickering in their eyes.
"No… It's just a student."
"It's over. The only Hero here—Fire Buster—couldn't even handle that villain."
When they saw the U.A. school uniform on Lock, their faces sank back into despair. Counting on a student to defeat a villain? That was just wishful thinking.
Especially when the villain was once a Pro Hero himself—trained, experienced, and deadly.
But for the rescued, Lock was already a savior.
"Th-thank you, kid… coughcough…" Yanei Takefumi lay weakly on the ground, throat raw from strangulation but finally breathing freely. It felt like the first real breath of his life.
"You've done enough, young man," Fire Buster said hoarsely, steadying himself. "Take the prosecutor and get him out. I'll hold him off."
He knew Flamingo's rage was directed only at Yanei Takefumi. If the target disappeared, maybe Flamingo would calm down. He planned to stall, pray for backup, and hope his body could hold out.
His only sliver of hope came from Flamingo's earlier words—he'd used a Quirk-enhancing serum. That explained the overwhelming firepower, but also meant there was a time limit and side effects. Fire Buster clung to that fact like a lifeline.
"Trying to run? Impossible."
Flamingo, sensing their plan, flapped his smoldering wings. Flames burst around him as he rose into the air, two blazing blades sweeping through the air and slashing downward.
He didn't aim at them—but at the escalators and railings leading to the lower floors, forming a blazing barrier that trapped their escape routes.
"Damn it! I'll suppress the fire—run while you can!" Fire Buster shouted, summoning what little strength he had left. Jets of water blasted from his pump arms, clashing against the wall of fire.
Szzzzzt! Steam hissed as the flames fought back.
But Lock noticed immediately—the water pressure was weakening, while the fire barely dimmed. It was like trying to douse a wildfire with a bucket.
Quirks drained physical energy—and Fire Buster was at his limit. His face had gone ghostly pale; his legs shook. His body could barely stay upright, and his water streams had lost their strength.
He'd overused his Quirk. His body simply couldn't keep up.
This won't hold. Not like this.
"Fire Buster, don't push yourself—leave the rest to me."
Lock's calm voice cut through the roar of flame.
Fire Buster blinked. Lock was already in front of him, smiling with quiet confidence. A glowing blue magic circle unfurled beneath Lock's feet, and in the same instant, the air pressure shifted. A fierce gust surged outward as he launched himself toward the hovering Flamingo.
His kick landed before Flamingo even realized he'd moved.
"What—!?"
Flamingo barely had time to react. Instinctively, he flared the flames along his wings to shield himself.
BOOM!
The air cracked as Flamingo was blasted downward, slamming into the ground with a heavy thud. He hadn't been hit directly—the sheer wind pressure from Lock's kick had knocked him out of the sky.
Lock landed smoothly, eyes sharp.
"He can't really fly," he noted. "His flames only come from his arms and wings."
"Got it!" Fire Buster nodded through the haze. "That means he's using the flames to keep himself aloft—cut those off, and he's grounded."
Lock gave a small, knowing smile. The serum might've boosted Flamingo's firepower, but it hadn't removed the basic limits of his Quirk.
"You kid," Flamingo snarled, rising amid smoke and cinders. "Instead of studying, you're playing at being a Hero?"
"It's not about wanting to be a Hero," Lock said quietly, eyes gleaming blue. "It's about having to be one."
Another magic circle bloomed in his hands.
"Water Restraint!"
"Then let me show you, brat, how cruel being a Hero really is!" Flamingo bellowed, unleashing three roaring streams of fire from both arms and wings.
But Lock's water surged faster—three spiraling jets of deep blue intercepted the flames head-on.
Unlike Fire Buster's Quirk, Lock's water didn't weaken. It overpowered the fire.
"What—!? My flames are enhanced by the serum! How can ordinary water suppress them!?"
Lock's smile turned faintly amused.
"What I'm using… isn't ordinary water."
Then his tone shifted, the same words carrying a new meaning—
"And what I'm casting… isn't just a 'water flow.'"
Flamingo's eyes widened. A chill ran through him. Something was coming—something bad.
The water Lock had summoned began to swell, spreading outward until it formed a spherical barrier, engulfing both fire and flame.
The blaze vanished instantly—extinguished in one breath.
And it didn't stop there.
Lock maintained the spell, feeding it more magic. The liquid sphere pulsed, then split, crashing down over Flamingo himself.
"No… no!" Flamingo's voice was muffled by water and rising bubbles. He flailed, struggling desperately inside the magic sphere, but his flames couldn't ignite—not even a spark.
It was as if he'd been dropped into the depths of the ocean.
Seconds stretched into minutes. Three, maybe four.
Finally, the thrashing stopped. Flamingo's body went limp, eyes rolling back from oxygen loss.
Lock immediately released the spell, letting the water fall away. He wasn't about to risk killing someone—not even a fallen Hero.
As the water dissipated, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
[Congratulations, host. Side mission complete. A-rank lottery reward earned.]