(We thought it was unlikely they'd permit us to visit our families for New Year's Eve. But thanks to the Pro Heroes' escort, we managed to return home for a day.)
Satoru was in his room, lying on his bed. Izuku and Inko were downstairs. I've missed this place.
Suddenly, as he lay, he remembered something. Oh, right... the letter Eri-chan gave me... I haven't read it yet...
He took the letter from his desk and read it.
"Dear Dark-san
I likked seeing you act.
It was nise and funy.
The caramel aple was good.
I'll give it my all with my Quirk.
-Eri."
"She wrote it while still learning how to write..." said Satoru. "That's why there are so many grammatical errors... she even tried to draw in the bottom left of the paper..."
He put down the letter. "She worked so hard to write me this letter... she's very good..."
"So, tomorrow we're going to Endeavor's agency, huh? I just hope Bakugo doesn't blow me up when he sees me."
__________
(And so the new year arrived. Now that I think about it, my birthday is in three months. Time flew, really.)
"Did you get the tissues?" Inko asked.
"Yeah, we did," said Mato. "Finally, I have an excuse to wear this scarf..."
He clutched the gray scarf that he always wore.
"One day, you'll tell me why you always wear it..." Izuku muttered.
"Anyway," Satoru said. "We're going. Bye, Inko-san."
"Don't forget to text me!"
"We won't, Okasan!"
The bus started. Satoru and Izuku were sitting next to each other.
And now, thought Satoru. Off to Endeavor's agency.
__________
Satoru, alongside Izuku, Shoto, and Bakugo, arrived in front of Endeavor.
"Welcome!" Endeavor exclaimed.
Is it an impression, or is he trying to be a bit softer? Satoru thought.
"I agreed to the internship only because Shoto asked me to," said Endeavor. "But I wanted only him to come here."
"If you agreed, you can't complain," said Shoto.
"I was already thinking this during supplementary classes..." muttered Bakugo. "You're kind of cringey."
"Shoto, are you really friends with this guy?" Endeavor asked.
"Yes, I am," Shoto replied.
"As long as I can work with a Top Hero, anything's fine," Bakugo said. "Even if it means staying with you, bra... I meant, Hideki."
"You called me by my first name..." Satoru muttered. "Does the act I am Oro's little brother affect your perspection on me?"
"No," said Bakugo. "And I still can't get along with ya."
"Thank you for allowing us to take part in the internship," said Izuku.
__________
The four friends were walking behind Endeavor.
"I'm willing to learn everything I can from the Number Two Hero!" Izuku exclaimed.
Pity Aniki isn't in the right condition to train me, Mato thought. I would have brought you to him.
Suddenly, Endeavor began to run. "I'm sorry, but I don't intend to take care of anyone else other than Shoto!"
Flames appeared on Endeavor's face, and he started to float thanks to his boots. "If you want to learn, then stay back and watch me!"
As Endeavor looked over his shoulder, the three kids were already running behind him. "We're waiting for instructions!"
"Stay back, and watch!" Endeavor repeated.
"If we stay back," said Satoru. "Then we won't see what you'll do."
Before they could even notice, Endeavor disappeared.
"Let's take a shortcut, guys!" said Satoru.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugo commented.
The four of them reached an alley just in time. Endeavor was about to be attacked by the villain's reinforcements, but thanks to their arrival and Hawks', he had no problems blocking the villain.
"Interns, huh?" Hawks said.
"Hawks?" Izuku wondered.
"Sorry, I've been a little faster."
Hawks landed on the floor. "Sorry, Endeavor, I thought you were in trouble."
"You thought I was in trouble?" Endeavor repeated.
"Don't you agree, Shoto-kun?" Hawks asked.
"You know you have to warn when you arrive on the field," said Endeavor.
"Sorry, I was just passing by," said Hawks. He then noticed Mato. "And you must be the famous Hideki Shirakawa. Your brother Oro has told me about you, y'know, Hideki-kun?"
"Really?" Mato repeated with an almost tired tone. "Then I'm glad."
__________
The villain and his buddies were brought to the police and arrested.
"Nice to meet you, Hawks-san! I'm Izuku Midoriya, and I'm Class A of U.A. High School!"
"I know you," said Hawks. "You're the one who broke his fingers. Tsukuyomi told me about you."
"So? Do you need something, Hawks?" Endeavor asked.
"It's not that I 'need' something, but..." said Hawks. "Endeavor, have you read this book?"
"Meta Liberation War?" Izuku read the title of the book.
"What's that book?" Endeavor asked.
"Dunno, it's becoming very popular lately!" said Hawks. "Read it, please. Very, very carefully."
"A book suggested by the Number Three..." said Izuku. "I should read that too."
"That's why I brought a copy for you, too!" Hawks turned to face the four boys with the other four books in his hands.
"You must like this book very much, since you have all this amount of copies," said Satoru.
"Yeah, I'm suggesting it to all the people and Heroes of this city!" said Hawks. "This way, we can create the way for the liberation ideology!"
"And I think you should at least read the highlighted words. Especially the second part."
Hawks started to fly away. "Do your best at the internship, you five!"
Meta Liberation War... Satoru thought. Wait a second...
Satoru realized.
Hawks is acting as a double agent for the Heroes! He infiltrated the League of Villains and is sabotaging us from the inside! He's doing the same thing as me, but reversed. Also, I remember him during the presentation of the Paranormal Liberation Front, so it makes sense. I must warn Tomura and the others...
__________
Endeavor's Agency
"Welcome to Endeavor's agency!" Burnin, Endeavor's sidekick, exclaimed. "Bakugo, Shoto-kun, Hideki, 'tis your first internship, right? Just know you'll do the same work as us, and you won't have time to showoff!"
"Actually, that's not my first intership..." Satoru muttered.
"Oh, really?" Burnin said. "I had no doubt a prodigy like you had already done an internship!"
I'm not a prodigy. I've worked harder than anyone else in this room.
"What a buzz!" Izuku exclaimed.
"It's the Number Two Hero's agency, what did you expect?"
"Does Oro-san have an agency similar to this?" Shoto asked.
"Well, my brother doesn't actually have an agency," Satoru replied. "But he decided to train me because, when we didn't know we were brothers yet, he had already seen something in me. Then that training became a real and proper internship."
"Let's get into action now!" Bakugo exclaimed. "I'm pissed off by the fact that that chicken stole my spot!"
"For 'that chicken', you mean Hawks, right?" said Izuku.
"There are more than 100 requests here, right? Then why don't we get into action already?"
"Calm down, Katsuki," said Satoru. "Time to time."
__________
"Oh, well, Endeavor only wants to train Shoto-kun," said Burnin. "So you three will follow us, I think!"
"I came here because they told me I'd see the Number Two Hero's power with my eyes!" Bakugo shouted.
"You will!" said Izuku. "Calm down, Kacchan!"
"Still, it's different from what we expected," said Satoru.
"I'll talk to him," said Shoto.
Suddenly, Endeavor opened the door and walked up to the four guys.
"Shoto, Deku, Bakugo, and Hideki. I'll train you."
Whoa, Shoto didn't even talk to him, and he changed his mind... thought Mato.
__________
"I'll train you," said Endeavor. "But first, Deku, Bakugo, Hideki. Tell me more about you. Tell me what you're working on and what you want to learn to do."
"I'd like to learn to use and be able to use it at its fullest," said Izuku.
"In short, you'd like to learn to control this difficult balance when you fight," said Endeavor.
"Yes," said Izuku.
"Your turn," said Endeavor, pointing at Bakugo.
"I came here to learn what I can not do," Bakugo said. "I want to find out what I'm missing to surpass the Number One."
Endeavor nodded. "Your turn, Hideki."
"I came here to get stronger," Mato said calmly. "And I want to improve my techniques even more."
You know, Endeavor, I'll have All For One in a couple of months, so learning to control myself might be great, goddammit.
"Fine," said Endeavor. "Then let's move on."
"Can I say something, too?" Shoto asked.
"You have to train with your Flashfire Fist!" said Endeavor.
"Everything you taught me about my Quirk since I was a kid, I practiced it only with my right side," said Shoto. "Thinking about it again, it couldn't go differently. I didn't think about anything but the torment you've caused me. Since I entered U.A., I opened my eyes thanks to these three... no, thanks to all of my classmates. Endeavor, I'm doing exactly what you wanted me to."
"But remember this. The Hero I watched on TV with Okasan is the one I admire. As a Hero, I'm still a newbie, but I'm here willingly to become a person worthy of being called Hero. I'm here to use you. I'm sorry, but this is the most convenient way for me. So stop acting like a father in front of my friends."
For a minute, there was silence. To Mato, that silence seemed like an eternity.
"Okay, so be it," said Endeavor. "I'll train you only as Heroes."
"Good speech, bro," Satoru patted Shoto on the shoulder. "If I had a father, I wouldn't be gutsy enough to tell him such a thing."
__________
"Saving people, bringing them safe, and confronting the enemy," Endeavor explained. "These are the three fundamental principles for a Hero. Unlike the other agencies, mine focuses on all three principles. You must know the jurisdiction thoroughly and not let the slightest noise escape you. Your goal for this Winter... is to defeat a villain before me, at least once."
Endeavor suddenly sprinted forward.
"Hey, wait!" Bakugo exclaimed, using his explosions to propel himself forward. Satoru began to run thanks to his 'Lightning Step' Quirk.
When the four guys arrived, Endeavor had already taken out the villain.
"I need more time to get into gear in Winter," Bakugo said.
"Bakugo, have you noticed?" Shoto asked.
"There's nothing that you could catch that I didn't catch before you, but let's go on and hear it."
"Every time he needs to dash, he generates flames from his legs. He probably condenses it into a single point and uses it as a propelling force."
"Took you long enough to understand it, Shoto-kun," Satoru teased his friends.
"Yeah, I know," said Shoto.
"I'd like to point out another thing to you," said Endeavor. "The main street is that way."
That's right! Satoru realized. By using flames to intimidate the opponent, he also narrowed his escape routes.
Endeavor dashed forward once again, and once again, the four boys did the same.
When he arrived, Satoru saw Endeavor blocking a truck with his hand. "This isn't a lesson. Here, if you don't arrive on time, you won't lose a good grade, but a person's life!"
Even if I have 'Lightning Step,' I still can't keep up with his speed... dammit.
__________
Mato, Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, and Endeavor were standing on a roof, eating food.
"Deku, you can already release your power in an instant, right?" Endeavor asked.
"Yes," Izuku replied.
"And you, Hideki," Endeavor now spoke to Mato. "What about your new presumed Explosion-type Quirk? Can you control it now?"
"Kinda," Mato replied. "But still, I'm not so sure. I still struggle sometimes."
"Can you do it without thinking about it?"
"No."
"Then you should focus on that."
"Got it."
Satoru looked at the sky. One thing at a time, and I'll accomplish all of my goals. Including obtaining All For One.
Chapter 58 - End