The area around Central had gone quiet.
The rain helped to put out the raging flames.
Heroes and heteromorphs alike helped get the wounded to the hospital while medics rushed back and forth to look after them.
Spinner had been captured, his form diminished, and he had gone quiet as well.
Perhaps because he had finished his job.
Perhaps he was regretting his actions as well.
No one knew.
As he was uninjured, he would be taken away almost immediately.
There was the briefest glance between him and Shoji before he was led into the police van.
The other boy could only walk with Koda's support.
Somehow, during the rush of the medics, they failed to take notice of the stubborn heroes who were deeply wounded, yet kept a brave front.
Except for one.
As Shoji stumbled forward, another set of arms helped him to straighten up. " You shouldn't be moving in this state. Why didn't you let the doctors treat you?"
The large boy looked down by his side and found Yuusuke standing there, supporting him.
" It's nothing," Shoji shook his head. " The others need more help than I do. I will be fine after I rest."
Yuusuke heaved a sigh at that. " Truly, you heroes don't care about yourself one bit. Here, let me help."
He took Shoji's big hand in his, and his usually closed eyes flicked open, glowing with a soft purple light in the darkened hallway.
Koda and Shoji blinked at that, recognizing the phenomenon.
It took a moment before Shoji finally could stand on his own, feeling his energy restored. Koda hesitantly stepped away from him, ready to support him if he ever staggered again.
" It's not much," Yuusuke returned his hands to his pockets. " I restored your stamina, but I can't heal you. It's better if you have those wounds properly treated soon."
Shoji clenched and unclenched his fist before tipping his head in gratitude.
" Thank you, Seijin-san."
That made the man's face shift into seriousness. It would make sense for someone to call him by his name, since he had an ID clipped to his coat, except that it was too dark for anyone to be able to read it.
" You're Seijin-kun's older brother, right?" Koda asked, fearing that the sudden shift in his expression was because they had mistaken him.
" You're Yuu's schoolmates?" They nodded, and the man took a good look at them.
Just how much could the young ones do these days?
He had seen Yuu in action before, and now he saw his classmates fighting bravely as well.
These are no kids anymore.
It was then that he took notice of the hedgehogs on Koda's shoulders. " Wait… Aren't those…"
Koda took one in his hands softly. " Seijin-kun's spirits. He lent them to me for help."
Yuusuke shook his head, but smiled. " He should be worrying about himself as much as he worries about his friends. Where is he, though?"
Koda and Shoji exchanged worried looks. " We don't know as of yet…"
" We should probably go ask about how the others are holding up, too. It's been a while since Kurogiri had been set loose and Present Mic gone," Shoji said, and Koda nodded, both of them heading out to get news.
Yuusuke's eyes trailed over the hedgehogs, and they opened slightly, showing the worry in them…
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The ground underneath them had sunk underwater. Whether it was because of the storm or Shigaraki didn't really matter.
But it meant that with the coffin's current trajectory, they would land on water.
" Sora!" The silver bird's large eye drifted sideways to look at her friend, riding Thunderbird beside her. In that form, the lightning bird was less than half her size. " We need to move the coffin. Mandalay called for help, and they're waiting for us at the cost."
He pointed North.
" It won't be easy…" the girl growled.
" It's all we could do to prevent it from crushing…" Gentle grunted. " Maneuvering it would be hard…"
" That's why I'm here!" Yuu told him. " I will use the wind to push at it. Can I trust you two to keep it balanced? I'm still not that good with controlling air currents."
If it were as much as tipped, it could be hard for them to keep it afloat.
" Got it!" Sora said resolutely.
" Do what you must do, kid!" Gentle added.
Yuu nodded his head, and Thunderbird flew past them and behind the aircraft, spinning to face it.
Yuu drew in a deep breath and tapped into Komainu's channel, calling forth the strongest wind he could muster, and a twister began to form around, with the coffin at its middle. The air currents kept it afloat as the whole tornado made its way, under Yuu's direction, to the coast. Gentle and Sora kept it balanced, lest it would be swept and flung away by the strong wind.
" I'm sorry that this is all that I can offer you…" The dog Yokai's ghost manifested beside the boy, faint and translucent, as he had already returned to his flame form.
" Don't even say that," Yuu managed to sound out. " You helped me a lot in this fight. I'm thankful for you lending us a hand."
The spirit dropped his head in shame. " Still… I couldn't avenge her…"
Yuu said nothing.
The only reason Komainu had helped.
The only thing that had sealed the contract with him.
Was the fact that he wanted to avenge his self-proclaimed rival and old friend.
Kyubi.
" You helped. That's enough. Those feelings were not for nothing. They helped Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san, and they will make it count. They will make sure it reaches."
A chuckle escaped his ghostly maw. " You're talking like Daisuke."
" He was my uncle and mentor."
A moment of silence.
" And he was my friend as well…"
" I'm not him." If the spirit was hoping to find Daisuke in Yuu, he was much mistaken.
" I don't expect you to be." Komainu looked at Yuu, his eyes serious. " You're better than him."
Yuu considered it an overstatement, but he said nothing against it.
The coast finally appeared. Several heroes, including their teachers, had been waiting there.
" You two, step away!" The boy called as he made the wind die down, slowly dropping the platform into the water while Gentle and Sora got away.
They landed on the ground, just as Cementoss hurried to build sturdy slides for the people trapped on the coffin to get out and support the structure.
Yuu watched the heroes assist them as he, too, drifted to the ground atop Thunderbird. The moment he hopped off, he staggered, losing his balance.
" Are you alright?" A large black wing steadied him.
" You've been using your energy non-stop, now," Sora approached him, slow in her giant form. " You need to rest."
Yuu held a hand to his head. It was throbbing as if it were being hammered. But he couldn't stop.
Not yet.
There is more to be done.
A lot more.
A flame ignited by his side.
" Genbu is back," Thunderbird noted.
" It seems the evacuation went smoothly. Thanks for your help, Genbu." He told the recently manifested flame, which flared further as a response.
" The Live is back!" Someone cried from the crowd.
Yuu snapped and quickly reached for his phone, playing footage of his friend's fight.
" Let me see!" Sora craned her neck as she peered down at the small device. " This doesn't bode well…"
Midoriya's form was off; it seemed as if he had covered himself in his back whips, all while fighting the enormous hands and fingers of Shigaraki.
" We should do something!" Insisted Sora. " I don't care at all about All For One and One For All! Our friend is fighting alone and is probably hurting! We need to help him!"
Yuu frowned, his hand tightening on his smartphone. " You're right… but…"
He had an idea.
But he couldn't make it into a plan.
A piece was missing.
A very important one.
Without a way to make it into reality, there is no meaning in it.
That piece, however, would soon be filled by the least expected of all…
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She was rushed into Recovery Girl's infirmary.
Yui flicked in and out of consciousness for the whole of their ride to Shiketsu before some strong arms took her inside.
She was lying on a bed, waiting for the old woman to heal her.
Recovery Girl seemed at her limit, and she regarded Yui and the Todoroki family members with weary exhaustion and guilt.
They should have been taken to central, but the fights all over the place left them no other choice but to be brought to the evacuation center.
But she could not help them.
Or at least, not on her own.
" I will help." Haruka held up a hand to the older woman. " I will provide you with stamina. Just save them."
Recovery Girl was reluctant to burden a civilian thus.
" The heroes, our children, are fighting out there, bleeding and sweating for us. The least we can do is help each other, no!" The woman insisted, holding her hand to Recovery Girl.
Satoru placed calming hands on his wife's shoulders and looked at the older woman. " Please."
Finally, she relented, taking Haruka's hand.
The healing part was easy. With a simple kiss, most of the burns on all three women had faded away, although some remained, and Yui's burned veins persisted.
At the very least, she was finally able to breathe normally, and her voice was restored.
" Sora…" was all her hoarse voice could manage.
" The coffin had landed safely," Haruka assured as she took her hand. " Your granddaughter and her friends should be fine."
Yui breathed out in relief and allowed her tears to stream before passing out.
Recovery Girl looked at Haruka wearily. " These should be all the wounded now. But in case more came, can I ask you to remain here and help, if you can?"
Haruka nodded her head solemnly. " I will."
As Recovery Girl drew the curtain to separate them from the rest and walked away, Satoru and Haruka remained by the unconscious Yui's side.
The woman let out a sigh of relief herself. Both Yuusuke and Yuu were fine.
" It's not over yet…" her husband said worriedly as he held his smartphone before her eyes, showing her the live feed…
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" Every hero who could fight, please gather up!" Mandalay's voice shouted in their minds, sharp and sudden; it made them flinch. "We managed to activate Kurogiri! We don't know how long it would take!"
" Kurogiri…" Sora's eyes widened.
" Aizawa-sensei!" Both of them chorused.
" He's probably going to gather heroes to fight with Midoriya-san!"
" Then we should go with them!" Sora spread her wings.
" Wait a moment." He stopped her, his eyes glowing. " I need you to do something for me."
Sora cocked her head slightly, and Yuu pointed far away to where Bakugo's explosions resounded moments before.
Sora got the message and beat her wings, taking off.
Yuu closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
Seiryuu manifested by his side. " Are you sure of this?"
Perhaps he was not.
Perhaps he was afraid.
It was a gamble.
" Don't be scared to make it loud and noisy."
The boy nodded his head and turned back to Thunderbird. " Let's go."...