….
Maybe it was better he didn't realize it, Stain thought. Pride tended to ruin people. But it was still a hell of a joke.
"Stain! We brought goods!"
The voice broke through Stain's thoughts.
A young man with bright green scales and a reptilian appearance approached, his pink eyes bright with enthusiasm.
Shuichi Iguchi - In another timeline, he would have been called Spinner - a villain obsessed with Stain's ideology.
In this one, he was a licensed Hero who had found purpose through Stain's reformed philosophy.
Beside him, Jin Bubaigawara was practically vibrating. "Snacks! I got the ones with the extra salt! I forgot the drinks! No, wait, they're in the bag! I drank them all!"
Jin Bubaigawara: Quirk - Twice.
His split personality disorder made communication challenging, but his loyalty was absolute.
"Could you two love birds tone it down?" Shuichi called out over his shoulder, gesturing toward the pair following them. "I am getting a toothache just looking at you!"
He was talking to Manami Aiba - La Brava and Danjuro Tobita - Gentle. The two of them were in their own world, holding hands and sharing a look of such pure, saccharine devotion - like teenagers despite being in their twenties.
Dabi watched them approach, his eyes narrowing in a half-hearted attempt to look annoyed.
He wasn't sure what to call them:
His team?
He hadn't created any official Hero agency like other Pros did.
They simply gathered together from time to time, working together when necessary and supporting one another.
A collection of people who, in another timeline, would have been villains, but in this one, they had found a different path.
"Did you actually do the scouting?" Dabi sighed. "...or did you just go on a double date to the vending machines?"
"The intelligence is secured, Mr. Dabi!" Gentle declared with a theatrical bow. "And the tea is... well, it's lukewarm, but the sentiment is boiling!"
On the stadium cameras, Dabi was briefly shown in the crowd.
He wasn't famous…. But it has been changing from the last months and it's the same with his team.
Despite not matching any top-ten list Heroes, but might be due to their weird group dynamic and unconventional methods - they were well-known Heroes.
In the commentary booth, Present Mic sat up straighter. ["OH! HEY, ERASERHEAD! ISN'T THAT–"]
["Again… Keep your voice down."] Aizawa muttered.
Since the tournament and the award ceremony were already over, they needed to find other ways to entertain the crowd while the remaining formalities were being completed.
["FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW - THAT'S BLUE SUN, THE UNDERGROUND HERO!"] Present Mic continued at his usual excessive volume. ["AND ALSO CLASS 1-A'S ASSISTANT TEACHER! HE'S HERE WATCHING HIS STUDENTS!"]
["Obviously. Where else would he be?"]
["AND CHECK OUT THE SQUAD! THE SO-CALLED 'REFORMED RAVAGERS'! THE MISFIT MAVERICKS!"]
["Nobody calls them that, Mic. You have been reading too many fan forums."]
["DETAILS! LOOK AT THEM! YOU'VE GOT GENTLE CRIMINAL AND LA BRAVA, THE DYNAMIC DUO OF REDEMPTION! THE REPTILIAN RESCUER, IGUCHI! AND... UH... JIN!"]
On screen, Jin (Twice) was currently trying to eat a sandwich through his mask while simultaneously arguing with himself.
["TRULY A UNIQUE POWERHOUSE TEAM!"]
But then another figure entered the camera frame, and Present Mic's commentary reached a new octave.
["WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! IS THAT - OH MAN, THIS IS GREAT! ENDEAVOR, THE NUMBER TWO HERO, IS APPROACHING BLUE SUN!"]
The camera zoomed in. From a distance, it looked like a quintessential 'Hero Society' moment: the legendary veteran approaching the young teacher to discuss the future of a prodigy.
["JUST IMAGINE THE CONVERSATION!"] Mic gushed. ["ENDEAVOR, THE PROUD FATHER, CHECKING IN WITH THE MAN WHO GUIDES HIS SON! THE MENTORSHIP! THE PROFESSIONALISM! IT'S ENOUGH TO BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE!"]
Aizawa squinted at the screen.
He saw Dabi's hand slip into his pocket and the way the reformed crew suddenly shifted their weight, as the playful bickering vanished into a unified, predatory silence.
["Mic."] Aizawa said, his voice low and sharp. ["Cut the feed. Now."]
["AW, DON'T BE A SPOILSPORT, ERASER! LOOK AT THAT HANDSHAKE. OH, WAIT, NO HANDSHAKE! THEY'RE JUST TALKING! I BET THEY'RE DISCUSSING SHOTO'S STRATEGIC SHIFT IN THE FINALS! IT'S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION, FOLKS!"]
….
What the cameras couldn't pick up was the actual conversation.
Which was probably for the best.
"I see you've surrounded yourself with a collection of societal refuse." Endeavor rumbled, his voice a low vibration of pure arrogance. "I suppose failures naturally gravitate toward–"
"Hey, Enji." Dabi interrupted, his voice was a flat, freezing blade that sliced right through the older man's bravado. "You absolute piece of shit."
Endeavor's flames actually stuttered. "What–"
"I will beat the living shit out of you if it's the last thing I ever get to do, you scum." Dabi said, leaning in until his face was inches from Endeavor's mask. "You absolute bastard. Don't you ever fucking talk to me again. And keep your mouth shut when you are talking about my people."
The group around them had gone very quiet.
Stain's eyes were sharp, watching.
The others looked uncomfortable but not surprised - they had heard Dabi's opinions on Endeavor before.
Endeavor bristled, his heat spiking dangerously. "You think you can speak to me-"
"Now get the hell out of here before I create an even bigger mess."
Dabi continued.
"No. Better yet, I will leave first. Just looking at your face… breathing the same air as you… the fact that I still live under the same sun as a man like you... if it were up to me, I would beat that arrogant confidence out of you a million times over, and I still wouldn't be satisfied."
Endeavor stood paralyzed.
For the first time in his career, the Flame Hero looked extinguished.
"I am letting you slide." Dabi hissed, his eyes glowing a lethal, haunting blue. "Only because your youngest son is standing right there. So for the love of God, fuck off... and don't you ever dare approach me again."
The silence was absolute. Everyone within earshot had frozen in their tracks. Todoroki, who had been trailing behind his father like a ghost, couldn't maintain his stoic mask. His eyes were blown wide, his mouth slightly agape as he looked between the Number Two Hero and his… brother.
A random civilian who had overheard stepped forward. "Hey! How can you talk to the Number Two Hero like that? Didn't your parents teach you manners?"
Dabi turned to face them, his expression neutral. "Sorry. Father died a long time ago, and Mom was sick. So, nope. Fresh out of manners."
Without another word, he turned his back on the ranked hero and walked away, his group falling into step behind him.
Endeavor didn't move as he stood in the middle of the stadium, the echoes of that hatred ringing in his ears.
He had been criticized before - public opinion had always been a fickle flame, respecting his power while flinching at his methods.
But this was different.
This was his own son.
His eldest son, whom he had believed dead, had returned changed, harder, and looked at him with such absolute hatred that even Endeavor's flames seemed to dim.
One question kept echoing in his mind, unbidden and unwelcome:
Was I really that bad of a father?
The question felt pathetic even as it formed.
The answer was obvious, wasn't it? His son had literally changed his name and hidden for years rather than come home.
High above, Present Mic was still spinning gold out of lead, his voice booming over the speakers.
["WOW! THAT MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE THE CONVERSATION! LOOK AT ENDEAVOR'S EXPRESSION - SO THOUGHTFUL! SO CONTEMPLATIVE!"]
["AND BLUE SUN IS WALKING AWAY NOW!"] Present Mic continued. ["TALK ABOUT DEDICATION! HE'S LIKELY OFF TO PREP THE NEXT ROUND OF TRAINING!"]
["TRULY, THE U.A. SYSTEM IS TOP-NOTCH WHEN THE NUMBER TWO HERO TAKES THIS MUCH TIME TO SYNERGIZE WITH THE STAFF!"]
Aizawa, who had better eyes and could read body language from the booth, knew exactly what had happened.
That hadn't been a professional exchange between a parent and a teacher…
["Mic."] Aizawa said quietly.
["YEAH, BUDDY?"]
["Redirect the cameras. Focus on the aftermath of award ceremony."]
["BUT THIS IS SUCH GOOD–"]
["Now, Mic."]
Something in Aizawa's tone - a rare, jagged edge of genuine concern, made the announcer comply. The broadcast cut sharply back to the podium, where the students were awkwardly clutching their medals.
["You're no fun sometimes, you know that?"] Mic muttered, his mic keyed off.
["I know."] Aizawa replied. ["But trust me on this one."]
….
The rest of the festival proceeded normally toward its conclusion, a blur of cheering crowds and departing families.
To the masses, the whole festival had been a day of triumph and professional unity - giving the glimpse of what the future Hero society holds.
They are least concerned about the underground tensions… and that is how it was meant to be.
….
[Later - Parking Area]
Near a nondescript SUV, Dabi's group gathered, the playful energy of the afternoon replaced by a heavy, protective silence.
"That was... quite the display, Mr. Dabi." Gentle said softly, adjusting his cravat with a hand that wasn't quite steady. "Even by your standards, the air felt thin."
"He deserved every word." Stain rasped, leaning against the vehicle as his eyes remained fixed on the stadium exit. "And he deserves the reckoning that follows."
"I wasn't suggesting otherwise." Gentle added quickly, a somber nod to the gravity of the moment.
Jin paced in a tight circle, his head twitching. "You okay, Boss? You looked like you were gonna melt the pavement! You looked cool as a cucumber!"
"I am fine." Dabi said.
He meant it to sound dismissive, but his voice was tight, and the knuckles were white.
Seeing Endeavor in person always had that effect on him. It stripped away the 'Dabi' he had carefully built, dragging him back into the skin of a broken child named Toya - a boy who had been told his only value was the heat he could produce.
"We should move." Shuichi suggested, checking the perimeter. "Before the press catches wind of that 'profound summit' between you two and tries to get a quote. I am not in the mood to lie to a camera today."
That got a few chuckles from the group.
"GREAT PLAN!" Jin cheered, hopping into the van. "WE SHOULD STAY FOR AUTOGRAPHS!"
They left together, an unlikely group of heroes who had found each other in the margins of society.
And behind them, Endeavor still stood in the stadium, wrestling with questions he had avoided for too long.
The festival was over.
But the real challenges were just beginning.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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