MosesArk Reborn2000
patreon
Chapter 44: Consequences of Heroism.
🕑 Added 2024-11-01 15:42:59 +0000 UTCChapter 44: Consequences of Heroism.
"Were you able to get any sleep?" Todoroki asked, breaking the silence over their heads since they had finished their breakfast.
"Not a wink; I'm too wired up for that," Kendo replied, flexing her hands, which were covered in bandages, bandages that covered just how cut up they were, from her fingers to her elbows.
"Me neither." Todoroki sighed, as he wasn't in better condition, his one arm wrapped up from his wrist to his bicep. Iida was the worst of them; both his arms were in casts and slings as he sat cross-legged on his bed, still silent, though Kendo couldn't blame him. It had been an eventful night, to say the least.
Hearing birds chipping outside their window, she turned her gaze on it, still somewhat surprised they had managed to survive the night, one where the League unleashed hell, and the 3 of them managed to find and battle the hero killer. However, Kendo would sooner call it survive the hero killer than anything else despite all of them being strong. The fact she had the power of One for All, Stain proved why he was a double digits serial killer as his skills were near inhuman. His quirk made it all the deadlier for them.
But they had managed through good strategy and a healthy dose of luck if she was honest. At present, they were being treated for their injuries at Hosu General, and like any other patients, they had been stripped of their costumes and gear and given plain hospital scrubs.
"Man, if you told me before that we would have done that, I wouldn't have believed you. Kinda still think it was just some intense shared dream or something." Kendo sighed.
“Well, it happened…we just have to accept that.” Todoroki countered though it lacked any real bite as he was of that opinion. He had been humbled at the Sports Festival and had chosen to work with his father to improve, but Stain… was a different kind of beast; the number of times he had nearly died in those few short minutes made the encounter feel like it lasted hours.
"Even with my quirk's change, I'm still a brawler, so at least you had the option of trying to keep your distance; for me, I had to just pray he didn't land another cut and draw more blood," Kendo replied, looking at her hands again, as even when she didn't increase the side of them that much, Stain's speed and intuition meant that she was cut almost every time, with the saving grace being that the high pace fight and flames made it hard for Stain to lick her blood either from her wounds or off his blades.
“Still, he said you were worthy, so maybe he was holding back more than he let on." Todoroki shivered at the thought, as Stain was overwhelming as it was, the idea that he wasn't trying his hardest to kill them, yet still pushed them so hard was concerning, but at least he was defeated and hopefully locked away as Todoroki didn't want to think about the idea that Stain would seek payback for beating him once.
“I’m impressed that you managed to last as long as you did, Iida.” Todoroki turned to the silent one, with Iida looking up from his brooding with a self-deprecating smile.
“You have the wrong idea; he handled me easily. If not for Kendo…" Iida didn't finish the reply, as Todoroki wouldn't have known why he was ever in that alley.
He might have figured out that he had let his emotions get the best of him. Still, he couldn't have known that it wasn't a single moment of weakness at the moment but that he had been so angry that he wanted to find Stain, broke from his mentor just for that. The state of his arms was a mercy compared to what awaited him if Kendo had arrived even a second later than she did.
Their conversation was interrupted when the door to their room opened, the three looking up to see Slidin' Go, Crust, and Endeavour, the three pros taking up most of the space with Midoriya standing to the side, almost like an accessory to them, even being in his uniform to further separate him from them.
"Oh, it's wonderful that you're awake; we were worried, " Crust said as he led the party into the room, addressing his ward, who nodded while looking down.
“Sildin’ Go…” Iida was in an even more awkward position. Midoriya and Kendo understood it well, and she assumed the adults did as well if Midoriya had told them what he had heard from her suspicions.
“Iida…” The man in purple and green sighed, scratching his head in disappointment, which only made Iida feel worse.
"Old Man." Todoroki seemed to be the only one who looked their mentor in the eye. He had a frown on his face as if he didn't expect or want Endeavour there, which Kendo could understand; his family life was all kinds of messed up.
"Show some respect, Shoto." Endeavour, who cooled his flames so that even his fiery facial hair was absent, was hardly in any mood for a conversation.
Deciding to avoid that burning question, Midoriya walked up to Kendo along with Crust. "Good to see you all awake. It gave us the scare when we found you were fighting the hero killer."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't wait for a backup, so I just sent out the best call I could." Kendo replied, as when she had found Stain, she couldn't just pull her phone out and make a call or write a message; that could have provoked Stain to be more aggressive sooner, so she had no choice but to just go into her messages and send her location without having the chance to choose who received it, and in this case, she had left her group chat for the entire 1-A open, which was why Todoroki ever found them.
“It’s not your fault. I knew what you were doing and told Crust, but things…” Midoriya's crow creased as he recalled the night, same as Crust, as it was like those damn Nomu just kept coming before he shook his head. "You're all fine, so that is a win.”
Crust nodded, happy that his ward was okay and that he would just need to explain to Uwabani how she got hurt, not that she was killed. But there was for later. "Kendo, there is much I would like to talk to you about, but right now, you have a guest."
Looking towards the door, another person entered. They were tall, around the same height as Endeavour, but with a slightly less bulky frame. They were well dressed, with a white dress shirt, a clean-pressed black suit, and a Dalmatian-themed white and black necktie. But what was unique about them was the fact that they had the head of a beagle, with a large black nose, dark eyes, and large relaxed drown dog ears.
The man said nothing, but his manner of carrying himself was one of authority and purpose that they picked up on almost immediately, though Midoriya already knew who he was as he had met them when they arrived at the hospital earlier.
“This is Hosu’s chief of police, Kenji Tsuragamae." Crust introduced them, with the injured students trying to get up to greet him properly, but he raised his hand.
"No need to stand, you're recovering right now(woof)." The chief's voice was just as one would expect, deep, calm, and relaxed, but strong and authoritative, though they were caught off guard by his….unique vocal tick.
‘Woof?’ Kendo asked herself.
'Must be similar to Asui,' Todoroki noted as his classmate croaked occasionally. Was it something all animal heteromorphs did?
“You must be the U.A. students that brought down the hero killer, correct?” Tsuragamae asked them, with Kendo being the one to speak for them.
“Yes.”
'Something is off here. Why would the chief of police himself come here when he could have sent someone else?' Todoroki was suspicious about the situation, especially the fact that his father had found the time to see him in the hospital. Knowing him, once he heard that he wasn't badly injured, he would have just got back to work.
“Regarding Stain, upon arrest, he was found to have 2nd to 3rd-degree burns across most of his body; he also had heavy bruising, three cracked ribs, and broken bones. He is currently receiving medical care under guard(woof).” Tsuragamae told them the fact of the criminal, lifting a weight off their chest, that he was, in fact, in custody, even if he could very well be in the same hospital.
"As students of UA's hero course, I'm sure the three of you are well aware of the law. One of these states that it is illegal for someone without permission or a license to use their quirk in a public space and can carry a criminal sentence if that quirk usage harms or kills another, whether that was the intent or not." The chief reminded them all, though he turned to Kendo to add something.
"You, Kendo, are an exception, as much like Midoriya here. You had verbal permission from your mentors and guardians to act in the same capacity as a hero." He explained, as Kendo did recall, that Crust had given them permission, though that was when they were handling mindless Nomu. Powerful but manageable, she hadn't thought much about whether it applied to saving Iida, and if she was honest, she didn't care if it didn't; she would have still done it.
"Now, this doesn't mean you wouldn't face no consequences, but it wouldn't be much more than a mark on your record if you were found to have made poor decisions or caused undue harm or damage, which at this point doesn't seem to be the case." He explained that despite her belief that she would have done so again, it was nice to know that she wouldn't be punished for a good deed, but it would only be her.
She looked over to her two classmates as the chief did the same. "The same doesn't apply to the other two, Todoroki and Iida, who both left their guardians without a proper word of where they were going or what they were planning to do. That was a rogue action in violation of the law." Todoroki's face hardened at that while Iida looked down in shame.
"Pro heroes are allowed to exist because they swear to uphold the law, undergo intense training and licensing exams, and are monitored to ensure they don't abuse their power(woof)." He went on with his impromptu lecture on hero law.
“For a person's use of force that can so easily kill people and destroy property to be accepted in society, these were the expectations set by the forerunners of modern heroes, who lived by this code and encouraged others to do the same." As he explained things, the students recalled the events of the night.
For Midoriya, it was battling Nomu alongside Crust. Still, also how the fights led to considerable damage to public and private property, some of which he could admit, at the moment, he could have avoided. For Kendo, Iida, and Todoroki's battle with Stain, where they used every trick they had to keep him down, adding to Stain's list of injuries.
"While it's true that you were up against a known and dangerous criminal and could be argued that you were fighting in self-defense, the fact is that it's still illegal to have used your quirks to do so."
"Because of that, the two of them and your mentors, Sildin’ Go and Endeavour, must receive severe punishment. Todoroki for running off without a word other than requesting that he get back up, Iida for doing the same but not even telling his mentor where he was going, and your mentors for failing to keep a proper eye on you as is expected of them."
“Wait a minute. If Iida didn’t show up when he did, Native would be dead right now. If Kendo and I hadn't shown up and helped, then Iida would, and Native would be dead. If we didn't use our quirks, we would all die." Todoroki spoke up, sounding appalled by the very gesture.
"And because he stepped in, Iida was nearly killed by Stain as well if not for the fortunately timely arrival of Kendo, who, if she had been too occupied with the rest of the situation or hadn't thought to search for him in the way she did, would never have been there." Tsuragamae countered without mercy, making Iida flinch as he recalled how poorly he had handled fighting Stain alone. The man barely saw him as a threat and defeated him just as quickly. "Are we to ignore his recklessness because it had a happy ending?"
"Are you saying we're to be punished for not laying down and accepting that?” Kendo asked, getting as heated as Todoroki.
"That is exactly what the law states, Todoroki, or did you go and become a judge who can decide otherwise overnight?" Tsuragamae challenged them, which only aggravated them. Kendo was about to let him have a piece of her mind, but Midoriya stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder, leaving her baffled. Her fellow class rep seemed calm—no raised hairs, no increased breathing—and he didn't even seem irritated by this.
Why was Midoriya, of all people, just being silent? He should understand them, right? Why wasn't he defending her? Midoriya looked her in the eye, his eyes asking her to wait for the man to finish before she jumped to conclusions, which she reluctantly did.
Todoroki, on the other hand, was allowed to continue to fight them on this.
"But isn't it a hero's job to save people, isn't it?" Todoroki spoke up, looking at the gathered pros, his eye landing on his father. "Or is it just about yourselves?" Endeavour's gaze narrowed there, a dangerous look aimed at his son.
Tsuragamae didn't blink at Todoroki's indignation, only sighing. "That is why you're not full-fledged heroes yet, young man. Good grief, Endeavour. I hope you're not teaching him to behave like this." He looked towards the flame hero who crossed his arms, his eyes judging his son and finding plenty of flaws.
“The boy likes to do his own thing, even when it hurts him in the long run.” He replied, which was a bridge too far for Todoroki as he started to match over.
“You damn mutt!” He shot back, only to be stopped when a wood staff appeared in his way; looking to the side, he saw that it was Midoriya's as he held the end of it.
Midoriya was getting as incensed as Todoroki as he could get it. He didn't have the whole story like he did. Still, his little comment hit too close to him, reminding him of what those he cared for went through, and he had to hold back the urge to have jabbed the duel elemental user in the gut for it.
However, that didn’t mean he could keep the danger out of his tone. "Todoroki, it would be best to apologize for your disrespectful comment. Sit down and let the man finish. Else, we'll be here all day." Todoroki matched his glare but looked away in surrender as he slipped back to his bed, where he offered an apology, though one they could all tell he didn't mean. The entire time, the adults remained quiet as Midoriya retracted his wood back into a small sphere he popped back into his pocket.
“Well, at least he’s passionate about the ideals of heroism, isn’t that right, Endeavour?” Crust joked, to which the flame hero just grunted.
With Todoroki not about to start a pointless argument, Tsuragamae continued. “As I was saying, all that is how the law sees it, and as the police and heroes, it’s our job to enforce it. However, the law isn’t so rigged that it can’t account for circumstance.” At his words, the three students blinked in confusion.
“Pardon?” Iida asked as the chief explained it.
"It's true that young Iida went against the rules and common sense. However, it's also true that he's still a teenager who, by law, isn't completely capable of comprehending his actions and their consequences. It's also true that he has a flawless disciplinary record, making this his first offense. Another fact is that he has a personal connection to what befell Ingenium not too long ago at the hands of Stain."
Looking directly at Iida, he finished the explanation with a question. “It would be reasonable that this otherwise upstanding and morally righteous student wouldn’t have been in the rest frame of mind when the incident occurred, or am I wrong, Iida?”
Iida couldn't lie, no, he didn't want to lie, so he did his best to look the man in the eye as he replied, "No, sir…I…I wasn't thinking straight, or I think I was. I knew my chances of defeating Stain were extremely low, but…I just had to do…something, anything to make him pay for what happened."
The chief hummed. He had suspected such when Sildin’ Go mentioned his concern over why Iida had just vanished. He claimed he had been keeping an eye on him only to take it off of him when the League made their move. One moment, Iida was right behind him; the next, he was gone, and he didn't have the time to look for him. Instead, he focused on saving lives.
“I’ve already raised this issue with the Public Prosecutor's office. He'll still need to attend a few hearings, face some disciplinary action, and have a black mark on his record, but little more than that.” With that, the trio calmed down significantly. Kendo now fully understood why Midoriya had been so calm; he must have known about this, though she wished they didn't start by explaining why it was legal for them to just do nothing and die.
“However,” Endeavour spoke up. "Things changed as the plan was for this not to be reported; it would exist in the records, but only in the records. However, someone's loose lips in the police meant that the media learned that students were involved since Kendo was the only one with permission to engage…” He led them on, with the trio soon realizing what was happening as Midoriya pulled out his phone and went to a news article that was published not even an hour before.
Showing it to the three, they saw that it had Kendo's picture front and center along with the headline 'U.A. Festival Winner Hits Ground Running.' A cursory read explained that she and she alone were in that alley fighting Stain to protect Native.
"They've been talking about it all morning. Saying how the U.A. first-year Sports Festival winner is already proving her potential by single-handedly holding Stain back long enough for the number 2 and 6 heroes to arrive and subdue him." The two in question didn't look happy with that headline. Still, they didn't question it as Todoroki quickly connected the dots about why they were never officially there.
“So our involvement was kept out of the reports?” He asked, to which the chief nodded.
"Correct, Endeavour was given primary credit for the takedown to account for the burns, while other injuries were credited to Crust." Other heroes on the scene had also been informed of the story and to stick to it.
"It might not be fair, as despite your efforts, you'll not get any of the recognition, and for the young lady who is, it might feel unearned. However, suppose you do wish to take proper credit. In that case, it also means admitting to the situation, which could be messy." Tsuragamae stated that Kendo was raising her hand to stop him.
“Yeah…yeah, we get it.” She replied as it was complicated, to put it mildly, but she got the gist of it.
Line Break
Sometime later, the party left the three to rest up, having asked questions about the night, what they saw, what they heard, what they did, and in what order to help build the police report. Closing the door behind them, Midoriya saw the other two heroes already leaving, Endeavour seemingly in a rush, which he kind of expected. The man didn't get the most resolved cases by being reactive.
The chief had also taken his leave, needing to take a call as he walked in the other direction, leaving Midoriya and Crust as they walked side by side away. “Crust, can I ask something?”
"You want to know why we didn't tell them the whole story. Why Kendo was still left in the report." Crust already guessed what the boy wanted to know before sighing. "Optics, Midoriya, optics."
"I…don't understand," Midoriya replied as the man hummed, a frown on his face.
"Stain might have been captured without serious injuries, but those Nomu creatures still caused much damage. People are uneasy, so the commission needed something to uplift their spirits. They pushed for this once they learned that I had granted Kendo permission."
Hearing that, Midoriya looked to the side as he remembered it, though he tried not to think about it. The night was a long affair, almost a solid hour of just fighting Nomu and then the opportunists who took the chance to attack and rob people. He had seen at least three ambulances racing in and out of the area near the end, with plenty of METs running about tending to injured people.
"Feels cheap," Midoriya stated.
“I can’t say I don’t share that opinion, as how stubborn they were about it was off if I had to describe it.” Crust wondered about that, especially when he asked, as a joke, if they also wanted to poster around the fact that Midoriya, who came to the festival, was also there and that he helped them fight and restrain those monsters. Their response has been a resounding refusal without reason.
Crust had never had the highest opinion of the commission, but to be honest, among heroes, they didn't try to come off as your favorite government, as they didn't care if you thought of them as the tax service that was run by all your judgemental in-laws, so long as you knew they were competent and pragmatic when it came to their work. But stubbornly refusing to use another student for PR when they already had one felt…off, like an emotional decision instead of the pragmatic kind he was used to seeing from them.
"Well, we've done what we came to Hosu to do, so we'll be returning early. In the meantime, why don't you tell your classmates those 3 are okay? I'm sure they've been worried since the news broke." Crust decided to think about that later and instead focus on something that could be done in the present.
Line break
It's a new month, and with it, that means a new chapter! The last chapter set up the entire thing, but this one… will come as a surprise. I debated what course to take with it, as both seemed like a good choice, but eventually, I landed on this instead. However, I got an idea from my Discord server for a one-shot, so look out for that one.
The chapter is shorter than the norm and will last for a little while as I need to work on writing new material. However, new chapters for Emerald Furance will be out in 2 weeks!
