All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
Kirishima placed his body on top of Santel, managing to immobilize him with that action.
"WHERE IS BAKUGO, SANTEL?" Kirishima shouted with an anger he didn't know he had inside.
"Who?" said Santel, somewhat dazed by the fall and the superficial blow he received to his face.
"Don't play dumb and tell me where he is!" Kirishima yelled, then, his voice breaking, added, "Is he dead?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Santel said, frightened.
"Two months ago, you robbed a bank with Berous, Matahiri, and Zelonda!" Kirishima explained, barely containing his urge to punch Santel. "A guy chased Zelonda and Matahiri, and there's been no sign of him since! WHERE IS HE?"
"You mean the guy with the explosions?" Santel asked, recalling his encounter with Todoroki and Bakugo. Kirishima nodded hopefully. "No idea." Kirishima's chest tightened at Santel's answer.
"And your companions?" Kirishima shouted. "Where are Zelinda and Matahiri?"
"I'm not going to tell you anything. So call the police and have them arrest me," Santel said, with a similar attitude to Berous of not betraying his companions.
"Damn it...!" Kirishima whispered hatefully. He was about to hit him to make him change his mind when he felt Ding Dong and Uraraka grab his shoulders.
"Red Riot, you've already captured that villain, so don't overdo it," said Ding Dong. "I've already called the police; they'll take this infamous creature away."
"No!" Kirishima protested. "This guy knows where Matahiri and Zelonda are! I'm not going to let the same thing happen to him as with Berous! If he goes to jail, he won't confess!" Ding Dong, who knew the story of Bakugo's incident, looked at him sympathetically.
"We're heroes, Red Riot. Our duty is to bring him to justice. We must trust in justice," Ding Dong tried to reason with him.
But all Kirishima wanted was to get rid of Ding Dong and anyone else who stood in his way.
"Uraraka! I know I can get Bakugo back! I just need a minute with him. Help me..." Kirishima pleaded. "I beg you."
Uraraka felt cornered. On one hand, her duty as a heroine to follow the rules. On the other hand, helping Kirishima by breaking the rules to find Bakugo.
"That's enough, Red Riot! Step aside!" Ding Dong demanded of the young redhead.
"Just one minute. That's all." Kirishima insisted, looking at Uraraka, who was on the verge of tears.
Uraraka put her heart ahead of reason and immobilized Ding Dong with a hold she had learned from Gunhead.
"What the hell...?" said Ding Dong, trying in vain to break free from the young heroine's grip.
"Sorry, Ding Dong. Hurry up, Kirishima-kun!" Uraraka shouted to her partner.
"Thank you..." Kirishima whispered to Uraraka. Immediately afterward, all his attention was on Santel, who was staring at him in astonishment. "WHERE ARE MATAHIRI AND ZELONDA?"
"Have you gone mad? Aren't you supposed to be heroes?" Santel said, confused.
He became even more confused when he received a brutal punch to the face from Kirishima.
"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" Kirishima roared.
"My nose... You've broken my nose..." Santel trembled with fear. Again, he received a powerful blow to his face that left him almost unconscious.
"ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!" Kirishima yelled, completely out of control. A barrage of furious punches rained down on the villain's face.
—Kirishima-kun...— whispered Uraraka, frightened, as she continued to immobilize Santel.
"Let me go, Uravity! Can't you see he's going to kill him!" said Ding Dong.
"I... But..." Uraraka stammered, growing increasingly confused. Seeing her friend's face completely covered in the villain's blood, she was about to heed Ding Dong's advice. But she stopped when she heard Santel whisper.
"I haven't heard anything from Zelonda or Matahiri since the robbery," Santel said, his voice barely audible. "The only thing I know about them are their Quirks. Zelonda can manipulate people's ages. And Matahiri can swallow objects and people with his black spheres."
No sooner had she said that than she fainted. Kirishima finally regained his senses, and the anger that had clouded his vision vanished when he saw all the blood he had inflicted on Santel. Uraraka released Ding Dong, who glared at them.
"I hope this was worth it for you. Because your future as heroes is over," said Ding Dong, disappointed in his former patrol partners.
"What have I done?" Urarka stammered, covering her face.
Kirishima remained silent, his breathing rapid, until the police arrived. Because he was a minor and acting in his capacity as a hero, he wasn't arrested. However, he was taken to the police station to explain what had happened.
That event became the most talked-about topic of the day, the week, and the month. "HERO BECOMES VILLAIN," proclaimed the country's leading newspapers, featuring a front-page image of Red Riot standing in monstrous form, staring down the unconscious and unrecognizable, blood-soaked Santel. A smaller image below showed Santel under the headline, "AND VILLAIN BECOMES VICTIM. The villain known as Santel is in a coma after the attack by Red Riot."
Kirishima and Uraraka were summoned to a meeting at UA High School. Principal Nezu, Aizawa, and All Might were waiting for them. Uraraka arrived first, followed a few minutes later by Kirishima.
"You know why I've called you here," Director Nezu began. "But just in case, I'll explain. On the afternoon of March 10th, Red Riot and Uravity were on patrol with Ding Dong. During the patrol, you were asked to disperse a crowd due to a riot. That's when Red Riot saw Tejo Tarada, also known as Santel, and acted recklessly, striking him despite the presence of civilians. This caused minor injuries to several of them—"
The director then let out a long sigh before taking a sip from a cup of tea.
"If it had only been that, we could have let it slide, given your youth and the circumstances surrounding the villain Santel, with a minor reprimand. But the most serious incident that afternoon was what happened afterward. You beat Santel, who was already being held captive by you, until he was in a coma. Fortunately, Santel came out of his coma the day before yesterday," Nezu explained. "And your actions are almost as bad as Red Riot's, Uravity. Not only did you fail to stop Red Riot from continuing his illegal actions against Santel, but you also immobilized your partner, Ding Dong. What do you have to say?"
"I'm sorry," Uraraka said, looking at the table in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry too," Kirishima began. "But only for dragging Uraraka into this mess. If it weren't for my actions, we wouldn't know Matahiri and Zelonda's Quirks! We wouldn't know that Bakugo is probably still alive, teleported to who-knows-where by Matahiri's spheres!"
"Young Kirishima..." said All Might, saddened by his student's justification.
"The end cannot justify the means, Kirishima," Aizawa said harshly.
"Well, I think sometimes it does justify them! Especially if with those means we can save one of my comrades! My best friend!" Kirishima exclaimed, pounding his chest with his fist. "I couldn't let this opportunity slip away! If you had let Mind Reader read Berous's mind, none of this would have happened."
"Don't blame us for your mistakes, Kirishima. I thought you knew right from wrong by now," Aizawa scolded him.
"Of course I know! It's wrong that the Bakugo family is suffering when we can fix it!" Nezu defended himself.
"That's enough," Principal Nezu declared. "I don't want to get into a philosophical debate about right and wrong. You both seriously violated the rules we follow. You should be grateful for All Might and Eraser Head's intervention at yesterday's meeting with the police officers. Without them, the punishment would have been much harsher. But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Your provisional licenses are revoked, and you're both expelled from the academy for two years. After that period, you'll be given a test for readmission to UA Academy and will be placed on probation for three years."
—Expelled for two years?—Uraraka said, feeling like the world was crashing down on her.
"There's no need to temporarily expel me in my case," Kirishima said, disgusted by the principal's decision. "I don't want to be a hero anymore."
Everyone in the room looked at him in surprise.
"Young Kirishima, you're not serious. You're still reeling from everything that's happened," All Might said, approaching his student.
"I'm very serious," he said, turning away from everyone. "I don't want to be part of the Hero Association. It's not manly to punish people for wanting to help a friend. Nor is it manly to do nothing to save someone just to follow some stupid rules."
"Young Kirishima..." All Might said at the same time as Uraraka and Aizawa.
—Kirishima-kun— Uraraka said at the same time as All Might and Aizawa
"Kirishima," Aizawa said at the same time as All Might and Uraraka.
But Kirishima didn't stop and stormed out of the building, furious. Outside the meeting place, Midoriya, Tsuyu, Mina, Kaminari, Mineta, Jiro, and Todoroki were spying.
"Kirishima-kun..." Midoriya tried to stop him, but he roughly broke free.
"Leave me alone and carry on with what you were doing," he told them without even looking at them.
The boys stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to do.
Outside on the street, a few minutes later, Kaminari went to meet his friend.
"Kirishima!" Kaminari shouted.
"I said leave me alone," Kirishima said without stopping.
"Do you realize what you just did?" Kaminari said.
"I can't keep wasting time at this academy, on its tests, or on patrols," he continued, walking. "Now I can dedicate myself body and soul to finding Bakugo. Knowing he's probably alive was the push I needed to make up my mind. I just have to find that Matahiri guy and make him send him back."
"Is Bakugo so important that you'd give up your future for him?" Kaminari asked, keeping pace with him.
—...—Kirishima paused for a moment and turned his head. —It is.—he stated firmly.—
Kaminari sighed deeply as he watched Kirishima slowly walk away. He sprinted forward and caught up with him.
"Get out of my way," Kirishima threatened.
"First, answer one question. What would you be willing to do to bring Bakugo back?" Kaminari asked, with a seriousness the redhead had never seen before.
"What...?" Kirishima said, surprised by Kaminari's serious attitude.
"Would you be willing to do anything? Answer my question, Kirishima," Kaminari insisted.
"Yes. I'll bring him back no matter what it takes," Kirishima said, repeating the words he had said to Bakugo's mother some time ago.
"I can help you. But before I explain how, I'll confess something I haven't told anyone," Kaminari said, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders. "I work for a villain named Giran as an infiltrator at UA." Seeing his friend clench his fists and grit his teeth, he tried to explain. "Before you judge me, I started working for him because of my family's debts. This guy, Giran, saw my potential and promised to pay them off if I gave him information about what was happening at UA. When I saw you, you reminded me of myself back then. That's why I told you my biggest secret."
Kirishima took a step back, stunned by the confession of the one he believed to be one of his best.
"You? Did you sell us out? Did you sell out Bakugo?" he pointed at her, his finger trembling with rage.
"Hey, hey, hey." He put his hands in front of him as a gesture to calm Kirishima down. "I have nothing to do with what happened to Bakugo. So calm down a little, Kirishima. I only told him things about the facilities and about some heroes' quirks, nothing more."
"Even so, you betrayed the academy..." Kirishima said angrily, but Kaminari interrupted him.
"Yes, I betrayed UA! Because I was willing to do anything to save my family! Just like you are right now to save Bakugo! Or did you lie to me before?" Kaminari said.
Kirishima remained silent for a few seconds, observing Kaminari.
"I haven't lied. How can you help me?" Kirishima asked, postponing his argument with Kaminari about his betrayal for another day.
"I can infiltrate you into the League of Villains. The news circulating about you online will help. But it's not enough to make them believe you; they might ask you to do things that... well... you know," Kaminari said, lacking the courage to tell her clearly what he would have to do anyway.
—I'll have to agree with the press about what they think of me.—Kirishima realized.
"So? Are you ready?" Kaminari asked him.
"No matter what it takes..." Kirishima whispered, staring at the ground. Then he looked up at Kaminari, narrowing his eyes. "I'll save Bakugo, even if I have to become a villain to do it."
Had Kirishima died in the battle against the Eight Precepts, Red Riot's name would have been linked to the great heroes. But Kirishima lived. He lived long enough to become a villain.
Because with Kirishima, the saying holds true: you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.
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