Chapter 36: (Episode 32: Class 1-A's Internships)
"Two days since the Hosu Incident, and five days since we started our internships…"
"Damn, those are over so soon…?"
"They were only for a week anyway."
"Who fucking cares how long it really was- They're finally over…!" Tomura dramatically threw out his arms, shouting at the top of his lungs, and distracting a few of the students from the fact that their internship experience wasn't shown.
"-the hero killer was the talk of the town."
"I'm going to turn Stain into nothing but dust when I get back!"
'Will save us the trouble of protecting Tensei…' Shota shouldn't have those kinds of thoughts. But sometimes you can't stop yourself from thinking about them.
"-across the hero killer, Endeavor rushed over and took care of the situation."
"That's almost exactly how I imagined his expression to look…" Shoto hummed under his breath at the sight of Enji being interviewed for his victory, both amused and satisfied by this reveal, though he was also curious about what his father had to say about the fight he didn't win.
"-by the police. Just as the chief of police said, Iida-kun, Todoroki-kun, and my names were not made public, and our injuries were explained away as accidents that happened during our internships."Midoriya looked up from watching the news on his phone to the empty hospital room. Remembering the last couple of days, he thought about his friends leaving one by one, "The day Iida-kun got the results of the examination of his injured arms, he went back with his mom to his parents' house. As for Todoroki-kun, who had relatively light injuries…"
"What…?! 'Light injuries'? There is no way getting stabbed in the arm is a 'relatively light injury'...!"
"Iida got stabbed in the arm as well, but he left the hospital sooner than I did." Shoto pointed out after hearing the exclamation from Denki, along with a slow nod from Tenya.
"I would have assumed that the hospital staff would want us to stay for the remainder of the week… Then again, I understand that there is a reason for my future self leaving early."
"Also, Shoto-kun mostly wanted to leave so he could witness the furious expression of Endeavor's…!" Ochaco giggled with a hint of evil in her voice, slightly frightening Tenya, as he got flashbacks to yesterday's viewing.
"Watching it on the news and seeing it in person is a different experience." Shoto noted as well, however, he didn't have the courage to turn back and take a glimpse of it himself.
Enji's face had been the same since they found out he would be receiving the credit, however, the words his son spoke only made his expression deepen with annoyance, 'Ungrateful boy…'
"But didn't Midoriya have the least amount of injuries? I mean, he did get nicked by the hero killer twice, but they were both small cuts- Iida got freaking stabbed in the shoulder, too…!"
"Yeah sure, you got a point there." Eijiro acknowledged what his friend was saying, before explaining the reason why, "But you gotta remember that Midoriya's been breaking his bones a lot in a short amount of time. That puts strain on your body, and like Bakugo said yesterday during the Sports Festival, quirks are like muscle. Overuse it, and the side effects come in to hurt ya."
Looking back to Denki and catching his blank expression, Eijiro quickly backtracked, as he spoke rapidly, "I mean, again, I could be wrong, but that's really my take on the situation, so believe whatever you wanna believe- I mean, I thought it made sense-"
"No no, Kirishima. You're not wrong about that. That is something Bakugo said yesterday, so you're not wrong. Don't get so bent out of shape about it, brother." Hanta bumped his shoulder with his deemed twin, who awkwardly smiled in return after his words failed.
"Yeah, it-it makes sense…"
Taking the information they got into consideration, Tsuyu blurted out in question, "If Midoriya-chan is still recovering and not at his internship, what is this episode going to be about, kero?"
"A dream come true." Tomura smirked with his answer, and was politely ignored.
"Well, for one, I think it's a good thing Deku-kun doesn't have the episode spotlight for now…" Ochaco was worried about how he would feel watching himself be oblivious to his friend's fate.
"Hopefully we'll get to see more about each other's internships…!"
"Fuck, can this episode be about literally anything else…?! You brats are the most boring characters I've been forced to watch." Tomura gagged, and while he was ignored a second time, a few glaring eyes were shot in his direction. Not that he cared or noticed them.
"Whatever it's about, and I swear I mean good intentions when I say this, but I hope Deku-kun doesn't appear in the episode…"
Izuku silently hoped for the same.
"Maybe the episode can explain the pairings in the opening visuals…" Mashirao rubbed his chin, observing the final shots of the opening, with some of their peers being broken into pairs, while a few stood alone.
Title screen 'Episode 32. Class 1-A's Internships'
"Yay, I was right…!"
"God, please…! I swear and promise that I'll never look at a girl that way ever again…" Minoru whispered, clenching his hands tightly together in prayer, hoping his words reached.
"Dammit…" Katsuki should have prayed too.
"-become more active. Even though this is just a patrol, don't let your guard down."
"Right." Bakugo responded, walking behind his mentor, Best Jeanist, as they scanned the streets for trouble.
"Man… that haircut looks awful."
"Nobody asked for your damn opinion, Flat Face…!"
"Nobody asked for your stupid nicknames, and yet, here we are…" Denki remarked in return, while the light-haired blond huffed in retort.
"Denim poser just wants everyone to be exactly like him… Fucking heroes- You can't tame Bakugo." Tomura grinned with pride, knowing that under his leadership, he'd let Katsuki do whatever he wanted and kill to his heart's content.
"It's Best Jeanist!"
"Please do your best at work…!"
Waving to a group of school girls, Best Jeanist explained the second reason for patrolling, "The answer is to show people who we are. To give the public peace of mind. It builds trust between those who protect and those who are being protected."
"What is this, a courtesy visit?" Bakugo spat in question, looking to his right to catch some younger kids hanging around.
"Oh, I've seen him on TV before!" one of them suddenly yelled, pointing straight at him.
Holding back his frustrations, Bakugo thinned his lip, as he closed his eyes in thought, 'The Sports Festival again…?'
"He was caught by a villain and looked like he was about to cry, right?"
'Damn, the sludge villain… I'm taking another way home. I don't care how much those jerks want to go to the arcade- One of them can get caught by the villain for all I care…' Katsuki's fist shook at the thought of that happening, until his entire body began to shake from simply imagining Izuku being there.
Realizing what the group of elementary schoolers were talking about, Bakugo's hair exploded into its original style, before he turned on the kids, "WhaT DID YOU SAY?!"
Immediately, the one boy who pointed at Bakugo burst into tears, causing the hero-in-training to falter, while Best Jeanist watched with a sigh, "Did you already forget what I taught you? Deal with them properly."
"All right already…!" Bakugo grumbled back, before stepping closer to the children, trying to calm them down, huffing, "You know, I wasn't caught by the villain back then. I was thinking about how to defeat him."
"Sure you were…" Denki chuckled, amused by this interaction, while Hanta snickered at watching their peer try to deescalate the situation he created.
Katsuki groaned at their obnoxious laughter.
"I'm the man who'll become the number one hero…! There's no reason for kids like you to worry about me-" Bakugo's yelling caused the three boys to cry harder, which in turn disappointed his mentor.
'He's too proud. It's fine for those feelings to be aimed at becoming a hero, but if that is no longer the case… Now, what shall I do with you?' Best Jeanist needed to crack down hard on his new intern, straighten him out quickly before the end of the week.
"There's nothing to fucking do- Nothing's wrong with Bakugo, so leave him be." Tomura cursed, while getting a few looks in his direction, while Katsuki slumped further into the cushions.
"Gunhead Sensei…!" Ochaco was excited to witness her internship again, until she recalled what was said in the previous episode, hoping that Izuku wouldn't be brought up for his own sake.
"You sure?" Uraraka, holding a real knife in one hand, checked with her teacher that this practice would be safe.
"You don't have to hold back."
Getting his permission, Uraraka didn't hesitate, as she cried out, "Then, here I come…!"
Dashing straight toward the pro hero, she wildly made an attempt to cut him, while Gunhead gave advice, "When someone's waving a knife at you, deal with it by keeping your distance. If they attack directly, use one leg as an axis to turn and dodge, then grab their wrist and neck at the same time, and then hold them down as you pull their wrist."
During his instructions, the students got to watch the hero also show this, with eventually pinning the brunette to the ground, amazing them.
"That was so cool!"
"I hope Gunhead is one of the heroes we can choose to intern for…!"
"I'm sure not going to regret choosing him…" Ochaco whispered with admiration, happy to know she had made the right choice for her internship for her new motivation.
'He moved so smoothly, without hesitation… Gunhead Martial Arts. So amazing…!' Uraraka was slowly realizing how little she knew, and hoped she could learn a lot more within the week. Watching the man hurriedly walk over to retrieve the knife, she couldn't help but compliment his little run, 'Even though he acts cute…'
"This time, I'll hold the knife, 'kay? We'll keep repeating this until you can do it…! All right?"
"Yes, sir…!" Uraraka was more than ready.
"Uwabami, can I have your autograph…?!"
"Can I take your picture…?!"
"Look this way, please!"
In another part of the country, fans were swarming Uwabami, who smiled and waved to the crowd, while Yaoyorozu and Kendo stood idly to the side.
"Goodness…" Momo couldn't take another moment of having to watch her mistake.
"Hopefully it won't be long…" Kyoka could find that was the only thing she could say for the time being, since her internship wasn't usually shown for long.
"Yeah, I mean, the episode has to get through all twenty of us eventually, so it can't focus on you for long with all of us needing to get the spotlight…!" Mina hoped she could help as well, while Hitoshi silently observed the braided-haired girl drop her head into her hands once more.
"-mean something else…?" Kendo, along with her sister classmate, was starting to question what their mentor thought of 'working diligently'.
Cleaning up a deserted playground, Fourth Kind busily picked up trash, while telling his interns, "Contributing to the community is also an essential part of being a hero. Don't drag your feet doing it…! Do you understand?"
"Yes, Fourth Kind-san…"
"I can't hear you!"
"YES, FOURTH KIND-SAN!"
"Kirishima, I don't know how you feel about that guy, but I don't really like that hero."
"I mean, yeah, I like him, but if Crimson Riot was… alive, I'd rath- I'd definitely rather work under him…" Eijiro didn't really understand why his friend disapproved of the pro hero, but he hadn't lied to Hanta either.
"It's Jiro's internship- It's been awhile since we've seen you in action…!" Mina gleefully cheered, while the short-haired purplenette grew flustered at her praise.
"It's not like I'm doing much…"
'Plenty more than I…' Momo swallowed the thought, reminding herself she could alter her future decisions.
"We're saved…!"
"Thank you, hero!"
As she ran with the rescued hostages, Jiro couldn't hold back a smile from their words.
At the coast, a large ship called the Oki Mariner was ported by the docks, with Asui aboard, and scrubbing the deck on a particularly humid afternoon, as she wiped at her forehead.
"Kero…"
"Froppy…! How are things on your end?"
Turning back to catch a light blue-haired girl in sailor clothing coming toward her with drinks, Asui replied in answer, "I've finished cleaning the decks, Sirius-san."
Handing the intern a can, they sat together on the stair steps, with Sirius wondering, "It's boring just training and cleaning the deck every day, isn't it?"
"Yes, a little."
"It was the same when I did my internship. I was confused by the difference between the image I had of what a hero was when I was a kid and what the reality was. I imagined something a lot showier, but in reality, it's a daily grind of training and patrols and cleaning."
"Then just stop being a hero- Less of you is better."
"Ew- Washing someone else's underwear…?!"
"She's brave for staying after doing something like that- I would nope out of there so fast."
"Sometimes, you learn that you don't have a choice." Shota quieted the surrounding students, as he advised his kids, "Of course, you can always leave, but there will come a moment in your hero careers where you'll have to do something you don't want to. It's a lesson you should learn sooner than later."
"Like how Midoriya-chan didn't want to fight the hero killer, but needed to so Iida-chan could live?" Tsuyu provided an example, causing Tenya to wince, while the pro hero nodded in return.
"For this Sirius hero, it was at least less life-threatening."
"Depends on the smell of the captain's underwear."
"What, you think he'd take a shit in his underwear just for her to wash?"
"You guys are so gross…" Kyoka hated how vivid her imagination could be.
While the scene continued during their conversation, Momo placed her hand to her chin, as she questioned under her breath, "It might simply be my understanding… However, is the episode focusing a tad much on Asui-san…?"
"I kind of noticed it, too, but it's probably fine…" Hitoshi whispered in response, which the girl hadn't been expecting, as she faintly jolted in her seat, before settling back down.
"-to conclusions. I see, I see- My bad…!" the captain of the ship, a towering hero with the appearance of a spotted seal, approached the two girls with complaints, before understanding they were doing their job. In an attempt to apologize, the man put on his best smile, before saying in a high-pitched voice, "I'm sorry!"
"I like him, kero."
"He kind of reminds me of how Gunhead-san acts…!" Ochaco also approved.
"-Froppy?"
"She's dumbfounded…!" Sirius exclaimed, ridiculing her captain's 'cute' face, as she began to dig into him, "I always say this, but you can't just make your face cute. Below your neck, you're too macho…"
"Why the fuck do we need a shot of the guy's dick…?" Tomura was both disturbed and bored of this hero talk. Even if he hated the man with all his guts and desired nothing more than to watch his body turn to ash by a touch of his fingertips, he wanted Chizome back on screen.
"-is also too rugged, though…"
"What did you say…?! When I do this for kids, they love it!"
"Yeah- They love making fun of it! Because it's not cute at all…!"
"I think it's cute, kero."
"You and me both…!"
"Why can't this thing go back to Bakugo- The frog is boring the hell outta me!"
"Not that I agree with him or anything, he does make a point. The episode's focusing more on Asui than what was shown of everyone else."
"And the title is 'Class 1-A's Internships'." Denki added on to what Mashirao had stated, though, they weren't complaining about it.
"Who cares…?! Let Tsuyu-chan have the spotlight- She deserves it…!"
"It also helps with Deku-kun getting a break, too…" Ochaco hummed, carefully glancing over to the greenet to see Izuku still holding onto his hero.
"One, two…! One, two…!"
"I see. Got it." Pro hero Selkie, responded to the call, before putting the phone up, while his crew busily tended to the ship for their departure.
"The ropes are unfastened…!"
"Sailors! We're making an emergency departure…!"
"Kero? I guess the episode's going to focus on this emergency."
'Asui-kun might be right…' Tenya assumed that the episode wouldn't have mentioned there was an emergency to them if that wasn't going to be what they would be watching.
While most of the students were fine with this outcome, Tomura on the other hand, slumped into the couch, as he grumbled with defeat, "Fucking hell…"
"All right, the Oki Mariner is sailing out…!"
As the ship began to leave the docks, Asui stared out ahead into the open waters beside Sirius, determined, and hoping she would be able to have a part in this emergency departure. Aside from mopping the decks, of course.
Around sunset, still moving through the open seas, Selkie called his crew for a meeting inside the ships quarters, beginning to inform them of the situation after he gained all the details.
"The Coast Guard got a tip that there were stowaways on the trade ship, Nysan."
"Stowaways?" Sirius blinked in question, with a nod from their captain.
"The Coast Guard inspected the Nysan, but the stowaways were nowhere to be found. However, after more careful investigation, they found cargo missing from the ship's freight list. Do you know what this means, Froppy?"
"They stole some of the cargo, and we need to go after them and retrieve it back for the Coast Guard, kero…" Tsuyu knew that was obvious, but she liked her future self's answer better, as she answered more with what the captain hadn't intelled.
"-stowaways moved the cargo to another ship and ran away. The stowaways may have been smuggling brokers."
After hearing his intern's response, taking it into careful consideration, Selkie smiled brightly, praising the girl in his high-pitched voice again, "That's correct!"
'That's not cute…' his crew thought unanimously.
"I wonder if it's the vibrant graphics that make him seem cute to us…" Toru hummed into her friend's ear, cuddling against Tsuyu once more.
"Kero. They wouldn't be seeing what we're seeing."
"-thought to have escaped on a small boat and deliver them to the Coast Guard…!" Selkie announced to everyone, then went to type out something on his radar, as he continued, "Based on the Nysan's position, this is the area of the ocean where the smaller boat is predicted to land. The Coast Guard and the other sea rescue heroes are also searching for the boat. We will be responsible for… this area."
The screen zoomed in on one section of the map, with Selkie pointing out, "The sun will set soon. You guys search for the boat with the radar. I will look for them in the ocean. That is all. Now, get to work, sailors…!"
"Aye aye, sir!"
"Kero."
Stepping out of the cockpit and stripping his goggles over his eyes, Selkie took a dive for the water, with his flippers securing in place to help him swim easier.
"Sea Rescue Hero: Selkie! Quirk: Spotted Seal."
"Oh man, I seriously wanted one of those introductions…" Mina weeped, while Hitoshi beside her had wanted the opposite, but not everybody gets what they want, as the saying goes.
"-can even make a sonar-like sound and use the echo to determine the position of his opponent. He's also very strong!"
'Naturally, or by working out…?' Izuku wondered, even though he didn't have the motivation to write all this down, so he planned to sort it in the back of his mind for later.
'They aren't around here. Guess I'll widen my search a little…!' Selkie, after clicking his tongue and sensing nothing suspicious, kicked his legs harder in order to swim faster, leaving his ship behind to conduct their own findings.
Night had eventually fallen, as the ship cruised on. However, no one had spotted or seen anything for hours, despite them using binoculars to look further, and one of the men scanning the waters with the boat's masthead light.
"As expected, I can't see anything in this darkness… It doesn't look like we've been able to catch anything on the radar yet, either…"
"It's fine…!"
"But you haven't caught the villain…?"
"We've got the captain on our side…!"
"Blind optimism…" Fumikage huffed, while clenching his fist as the epidemic spread.
"A fishing boat thought to belong to the stowaways shook off a hero agency patrol boat and escaped into the direction of the area we're in charge of!"
"Kero…" Asui turned to Sirius for instructions, until their attention was brought to the rise of water near their ship, settling their nerves when it was Selkie emerging from the ocean, and landing back onto his boat.
"Captain…!"
"I've confirmed the location of the fishing boat thought to belong to the stowaways…!" Selkie announced to his surrounding crew, before hollering louder for everyone to hear, "Sailors! Turn off all the lights and get close without letting them know where we are!"
"Aye aye, sir!"
"Kero…!"
After doing as told, and steering in the confirmed location, in a short while, the Oki Mariner was upon another boat, similar to their size, heading in the same direction.
"Captain, I can see a fishing boat with my naked eye."
"All right, block their course with a patrol boat and board their boat while setting off a flare." Selkie directed in answer to his crew.
"But a flare will give away your position…?"
"It sounds like that's what Selkie-san's hoping for, kero."
"-stay with her." Selkie, after informing his intern she was to stay on board, turned to Sirius to make sure she watched over Asui.
"Yes, sir."
"Then I won't be able to experience the internship…"
"After seeing what Midoriya-kun, Iida-kun, and Shoto-kun went through, I'm glad you get to stay on the ship…"
"Doing nothing isn't what the internships are for, kero. I hope to intern for Selkie-san in real life, but I want to do something to help." Tsuyu remarked, slightly frustrated at this outcome, while her invisible friend wasn't sure what to say.
'You have a good heart, Asui, but I admit, I have to agree with Hagakure… Watching you kids fight on the frontlines isn't fun.' Shota was glad that the pro hero could stop her, and that Tsuyu was the kind of person to listen and express her negative emotions in healthy ways.
"But you know, even if we're up against stowaways, we have to be very careful, right? So follow the captain's orders. Let's give them support together." Sirius did her best to cheer up Asui's broken spirits, luckily getting a nod from the high school girl.
"Kero."
Approaching the stowaway's ship, one of Selkie's crew members bellowed into the radio, "Captain, we've arrived at the fishing boat's course."
"All right, leave the rest to me." Selkie responded in return, preparing himself to capture the stowaways.
Brightly flashing their masthead light toward the other ship, the stowaways inside covered their faces from its blinding rays.
"There's three of them…!"
"Selkie-san had two other crew members with him, kero…" Tsuyu wished she could be among them, but nonetheless, she couldn't wait to watch the villains get captured for their crimes.
The three stowaways - a tall man with curly dark brown hair, and two small young men with the mutated appearance of a cephalopod - froze when they heard that a pro hero was on their tail.
"We are here on a job for the Japan Coast Guard to inspect your ship!"
Forcing the ship to anchor, Selkie and his crew boarded the other boat, and while he kept a close eye on the stowaways, it allowed the rest of his team to fan out and search for the missing cargo. Everything was going well according to plan.
"Captain, I didn't find any of the cargo in question."
"There wasn't any here, either."
Which meant that something happened under their noses.
"That's what I told you…!" one of the stowaways, the dark-haired man, spat out, justifying the reason for being out late, "We were just fishing-"
"An unlikely story…!" Denki exclaimed out of nowhere, causing a few to jump at his volume, while the vibrant blond settled back in his seat, grinning, 'I can't wait to say that to an actual villain- Detectives are lucky…!'
"Then you can show us what's under here, too, right?" Selkie, with his foot planted on the metal crate built inside the ship, eyed the three stowaways to get their reaction.
However, they all gave nothing away, as the man simply replied, "There's nothing but fish down there."
"Just open it up."
"What a pain…"
"There's nothing but fish…" one of the mutant boys repeated, before he and the other two went to slide the doors open, collapsing them together, while Selkie and his crew peeked inside.
"It's too dark to see clearly…"
"Can't you turn on any lights-" Selkie went to ask until he was shoved.
"AH!"
"Selkie-san…!"
"Criminal! Absolutely villainous…!"
"The fuck you think we are…?" Tomura wouldn't lump himself in the same category as these guys, but he had to admit that shove was both personal and good comedic timing. Oh, and also perfectly planned.
"They'll be able to get out, right…?!"
"Fucking watch and find out… Impatient." Katsuki was going to fight the next person that said something stupid.
"Double crossing…" Shota narrowed his eyes on the two mutants that had been using the other guy as their cover, shoving him next into the container.
Sliding the compartment shut, the two boys grinned from ear to ear at the success of their job, with one declaring, "If we can buy this much time…
"...then it'll be easier for Boss Innsmouth to do what he needs to do."
"Someone else is working with them…?!"
"No, they're working under someone else. He might be aboard the ship, kero, but I think he's somewhere else, and the two of them will take the patrol ship there. That other man might have been a hostage and was threatened to comply."
"What an observation, Tsuyu-chan…!"
"Sirius! Quirk: Good Ear. She can hear high frequencies that humans cannot hear."
With her hand over one ear, Froppy and another crew member waited, while Sirius listened and focused on the clicking noise she caught, soon figuring out that it was Selkie clicking his tongue to communicate to her.
"'Stowaways'... 'Different boat'!" Sirius began to translate his morse code, causing the three to gasp, until she continued to reveal, "'We're fine. Find them.'"
As the other sidekick ran over to controls, Sirius called out directions to him, "Mick, start the ship…!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"If that boat is a decoy, then the stowaways should be heading toward the shore. Hurry…!"
"Got it!"
"We don't have to rescue the captain and the others?" Asui asked with concern in her voice, confused, as their chances of capturing the stowaways would increase with the rest of the crew.
"We're going to follow the captain's orders. Because we believe what the captain decided is the best course of action. Froppy, you believe, too…"
"Since we saw it here that the captain is okay, I would believe in Selkie-san more if Sirius-san informed me that he was okay, kero."
"He is also a pro hero, and I have confidence he can manage to escape on his own. So, I dare say I do believe in the Sea Rescue Hero: Selkie…!" Tenya understood his friend's concern, but he also knew that heroes are able to get out of tough situations and beat the odds up against them. That was their difference, and why he should have left Chizome to be defeated by the pros.
"I see them…! They're hiding in the shadows of Double Rock…" Sirius whisper-shouted upon sighting the boat the stowaways stole to get away.
"Damn it, in a place like this…" Mick cursed, as he slowed the boat down in speed.
"Cut the engine and go to one of the cruiser's blind spots."
"Yes, ma'am."
Turning to their intern for the week, Sirius smiled back at Asui, stating, "Froppy, we need your help, too."
"Kero…!"
"You can do it, Froppy-chan…!" Mina quietly cheered, followed by a few echoes, to which Tsuyu blushed.
"There's someone keeping watch…" Mick spotted a mutant-cephalopod, however, it wasn't one of the two that trapped Selkie.
"Froppy, can you bring the guard over here?"
"Leave it to me." Asui declared softly, before wrapping her tongue around the criminal's torso, catching her off guard, as she dragged the other off the boat, and into Mick's arms.
"Wha-Wha-What…?! Y-You guys-" she gulped when Sirius put her hand over her mouth, quieting the girl.
"If you answer our questions, then we won't get rough with you."
After getting nothing out of her, the three heroes decided to gag and tie her up, leaving her for them to pick up when they captured the rest of the villains. And after coming up with a plan, they descended to the small boat to find the other stowaways.
"Here I go." Asui, holding onto Sirius with Mick hanging onto her back, carefully lowered them down onto the cruiser with the use of her tongue.
"There's only one person on the cruiser. He's hiding in a cabin…" Sirius informed, holding her earpiece.
Stepping out first, Mick stealthily moved forward, as he declared, "I'll drag him out-"
Black ink shot at his eyes, causing Mick to cry out in pain, until he was thrown against the rock, hard enough to where he lost his consciousness. Staring in shock at how fast it all happened, Asui wasn't prepared for the next incoming attack.
"Froppy-" Sirius screamed, pushing her out of the way, as she was captured by a tentacle wrapping around her waist.
"Sirius-san!"
The cruiser broke open, revealing the mastermind behind the scheme - a muscular octopus quirked-mutant with a dark red sailor's uniform, and a red scarf around his head to resemble a hood.
"Gotcha."
"A villain…!"
'The fuck you thought he was gonna be…? Your dentist- I thought you said there was one other person on the ship…' Katsuki huffed, realizing the reason she was caught so easily was that her body moved as slow as her mind.
"I thought I'd gotten clean away, but you guys are too persistent…!"
"Kero…"
"Huh?" the octopus mutant, Innsmouth, spat, as he assessed his opponents, "What, you've only got a woman and a kid left?"
"Don't underestimate Tsuyu-chan…! She took down a boat load of villains during USJ!"
"That was with the help of Midoriya-chan and Mineta-chan. And we were trying to flee then, kero. I won't be able to defeat this villain by myself, or with Sirius-san." Tsuyu appreciated her invisible friend's enthusiasm, but she knew that this villain was different.
"At least that attack was more fucking interesting than whatever this trash is…" Tomura was bored out of his mind, but he wouldn't be disappointed if the kid died.
"-move the cargo, too-" Innsmouth began to monologue, but was soon cut off by the sound of a radio stitch, glancing to Sirius' earpiece when someone's voice came through.
"Sorry… We're locked up in the fishing boat and our transmission's been blocked. The captain went ahead. How are things on your end? Tell me your situation. Please respond…!"
Taking the device away from her, Innsmouth shoved the earpiece toward Asui.
"Wait, that's not her real ear…?!"
"I mean, that would make sense since she's not a fish…"
Eijiro was caught by surprise at what his twin said, parting his lips, as he thought, 'Did… he think she was a person with a heteromorphic fish quirk…?'
"Hey, kid. If you care about this woman's life, then tell them this: 'We couldn't find the stowaways.'"
"Don't do it, Tsuyu-chan…!"
"But if she doesn't, then something bad might happen to Sirius."
"But she can't lie- The villains will get away…!"
"Eh, they're not that bright anyway…" Tomura didn't care much for the suspense, as he knew how this was gonna play out since it was how every intense sequence started.
Meanwhile, Tsuyu knew what she needed to do, and she only hoped that she could save Sirius in the same instant.
"-don't care what'll happen to this woman? Huh? How about it…?" Innsmouth rushed, causing the greenette to sweat, as she tried to make the right decision.
"Kero…"
"Well…?!"
Asui stared down at the earpiece in front of her, before stealing a glance at Sirius, witnessing the hero's strained expression from the predicament they were in. There was no way she was going to let the villain's have their way, but she needed to be decisive, and bid her time, in order to get all of them out safely.
'...what was really important for a hero. We're going to follow the captain's orders. Because we believe what the captain decided is the best course of action. Froppy, you believe too…'
"I know." Asui reached out, and pushed a button on the receiver, then exclaimed into the earpiece, "The stowaways are at Double Rock!"
'Tsuyu-chan-' Sirius gasped when her body slammed against the boat, knocking her out, while Asui readied her stance to save her friend.
"You little brat…!" Innsmouth swung a tentacle out to grab Asui, who leaped out of range, landing on the rock near the boat, as the criminal yelled out in rage, "I'll kill you!"
"Not on our watch- You get him, Tsuyu-chan…!"
"Ke-ro, ke-ro!"
"Kero…?" Tsuyu was taken aback at Toru's impersonation of her, but she found it sweet.
"Kero!" Asui flipped through the air, as she shot out her tongue to wrap around Sirius, almost successful, until Innsmouth got a hold of her plan.
"Oops…! I've got you." he used her tongue's momentum to sling her into the rock, dragging her across the sharp material.
"Ke… Kero…" Asui was on the verge of losing consciousness, dazed, as she had to keep her eyes open to try and stay focused on the fight. She was Mick and Sirius' only hope of survival until the captain arrived.
Standing over the half-downed intern, Innsmouth reached out to grab the frog's neck, while grinning maliciously, "The end."
"TSUYU-CHAN!"
"Come on, Froppy- Come on, anybody!"
"Kill the frog… Kill the frog…!"
"Kero…" Tsuyu squeezed her eyes shut, hardly bearing to watch. But she remembered how scared they all were watching the USJ Incident, and she realized that she didn't want to be afraid anymore. She was going to make it out of this alive, along with everyone else.
"-have to die…!"
A force pushed Innsmouth off of Asui, who sat up, and turned to see what had happened. The two villains from the other boat began to slowly fall down the rock, while the octopus-mutant managed to grab onto a tree branch for support.
"Boss…!"
"My brothers…!"
"Wait, they're related…?" Denki whispered in shock, not seeing the resemblance.
"It might just be their thing… Like how I call Kirishima my twin." Hanta replied, as he lightly smacked his brother's shoulder, with Eijiro faintly jumping at the contact.
Emerging from the water, Asui grinned with glee at the sight of her mentor, "Captain…!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Leave the rest to me…!"
Tomura cackled out loud when the villain blinded the hero right after he said that.
"Oh no…"
"No, it's fine- Selkie's got this, cause he can click his tongue, and detect where the villain will be." Hitoshi reassured his friend with pink hair, causing Mina to gasp when she remembered that aspect of his quirk, turning back to the screen to watch it happen.
"Even if I can't see…" Selkie flipped off the villain's back when he made a lounge for him, with Innsmouth attempting to strike him from behind, only for the pro hero to slap his fist away, stating, "I know exactly where you are…!"
"Damn bastard!" Innsmouth swung his tentacle-arms toward the pro hero, with Selkie dodging and evading each one, until Sirius had an opportunity to grab the villain's leg.
"Captain…!"
"All right!" Selkie, with a pinpointed location of the villain thanks to his sidekick's exclamation, shot his foot forward, as he landed his final attack on Innsmouth, plunging him into the deep murky water.
"The captain's amazing…" Asui gaped softly, witnessing the end of the fight, with a twinkle in her eyes. She truly had chosen the right place to go for her internship.
"Froppy…"
"Kero…?" Asui turned in the direction of where she heard her name, jumping down in front of Sirius, who was on her knees, still recovering her consciousness.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
"Wait, so is the fight over…?"
"Looks like it…"
Letting out a sigh, Hanta caught his friend's attention, as they listened to him say, "Ya know, even if I don't get to see my internship, Tsuyu-chan's was pretty entertaining, so I'll let it slide… Besides, there might be a possibility that we'll get to see more of our internships next episode."
"God, I fucking hope not-" Tomura rolled his eyes, and to no one in particular, groaned out in bitter irritation, "You brats are like an excessive monologuing NPC that you can't skip through the dialogue, and are sitting there, forcing yourself to actual listen to the annoying player…"
And while most ignored his rant, Minoru eyed the villain, before quietly adding his own thoughts to the conversation, "I don't get what Shigaraki was saying, but I'm glad you were able to play your part, Tsuyu-chan… You did a great job."
"Kero…!" Tsuyu croaked happily in response, making him light up at her exclamation.
"-really important for a hero… I think I understand a little better now."
'To trust in your comrades…' Tsuyu grinned, recalling how that was the key to surviving the USJ attack, along with the fight here. Trust was important in a hero agency, and she's glad she learned it.
"I see…" Sirius sighed, closing her eyes, as she was relieved to know she could help their intern.
Restraining the five criminals and retrieving the missing cargo, the sun slowly began to rise over the horizon when Selkie and his crew made it back to the docks. At the shore, several police officers were there, waiting for them, as they began to help assist the heroes in taking the villains away.
"Arrest all the stowaways. We were able to recover all the illegal drugs they were trying to bring in, too."
"Drugs? I thought it was missing cargo they stole."
"'Missing cargo' is broad. What was in the cargo wasdrugs- That detail was just never mentioned, I guess."
"Is that right?" one of the officers widened his gaze at realizing Asui was only a high school student, dipping his head apologetically, "We made you go through something scary, huh? Sorry."
"The USJ Incident was honestly scarier, kero."
"YA-AH-"
"Though, I could have died twice from both attacks…" Tsuyu shivered at the thought of that, until Toru's arms wrapped tightly around her for comfort, which she appreciated.
"I guarantee it." Selkie interrupted the officer to commend his intern for her accomplishments, stating that Asui was well on her way to being a great hero, even if she was only a first-year student.
"Yup, yup." Sirius agreed with her captain whole-heartedly.
"Then, I'm looking forward to when we can work together, Froppy."
Hearing the man refer to her by her hero name truly made her heart flutter, as Asui shook his hand, unable to hold back a blush, as she croaked joyfully, "Kero, kero."
She truly chose the right career, and the perfect internship.
The ending song commences.
"Finally, it's fucking over… That was such a boring character to watch…"
"Hey, don't you dare insult Tsuyu-chan…! She-"
"The fuck are you gonna do about it to stop me, huh…?! Send Bakugo my fucking way to slap a damn pillow across my face like last time…!" Tomura cackled at his crack of a joke, snorting, while Katsuki glared in the villain's direction, until he turned the other way.
"Fucking Hand Bastard wouldn't stand a chance against me…"
"You don't have to defend me, Toru-chan, I already know you all liked the episode, kero. And I did, too." Tsuyu separated herself from her friend's overprotectiveness, then glanced behind her to address someone else, "Midoriya-chan, I'm glad the show stopped to focus on one of us instead of you for this episode, because you need a break from the spotlight for now."
"Oh, um…" Izuku didn't know what to say to that, using his notebook to hide from everyone's eyes.
"You- You don't have to say anything, Deku-kun, we… We know this is hard for you since we can't understand the pain you're going through. But we're still here for you, whenever you need us."
"And-And we're your friends… And friends help… one another…" Tenya hoped to make it up to his friend, but he knew more than anyone right now that Izuku needed space. But letting him know that he wouldn't be alone was helpful.
'I hope that the next scheduled break will be in order soon after this episode, as the next one will not be so kind to you…' Toshinori knew it was only a matter of time until the talk of One for All's origin came around.
"Oh please, the kid's just being a crybaby again, he'll get over it eventually when All Might pops up again…" Tomura spat under his breath, not understanding what the big deal was about. People died, that's life.
Hearing what the villain said, Mina turned around, preparing herself to give him a piece of her mind. Until she remembered the question she had earlier, about Tomura's parents. If they truly had died, then maybe his coping mechanism was pretending they never existed in the first place - maybe because it was his fault, or they left on bad terms with each other, and he could never make up for his mistake. There was so much she wanted to know about the villain on the other side of the theater.
Standing up and walking over to the first row, Shota sat down a seat away from Toru, before he called out, "Asui. You did well against the villains, and I'm glad you made it out uninjured."
"Kero."
"There was clear improvement with how you handled yourself at the USJ Incident, but you still can not hold your own against those kinds of villains."
"Come on, Aizawa Sensei, she had no choice-"
"I am not reprimanding her, Hagakure. I am simply pointing out the observations I saw."
"I understand, Aizawa Sensei." Tsuyu smiled at her future homeroom teacher, recognizing what he was trying to say, as she had noticed it too, "I won't make the same mistakes again, kero."
They both nodded, and Shota fell back onto the couch, while thinking to himself, 'Now, hopefully talking to Shoto and Iida won't end in a disaster…'
"Would you like to continue to the next episode?"