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Beginning of Chapter
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Location: HPSC office.
The channel openned with somber music over a still image of the USJ dome, emergency lights flashing across the broken glass and collapsed rubble. The female news anchor wore black business attire.
Shoulder length hair and tanned skin, the camerman went live right after she finished fixing her pants. She spoke with a heavy but sharp tone, designed to both mourn and captivate.
"Tragedy struck today at U.A. High School, the nation's top institution for hero education. What was meant to be a simple training exercise turned into a battlefield when the League of Villains infiltrated the school's secure grounds.
Their leader, a man calling himself Shigaraki Tomura, unleashed a creature authorities are calling a Nomu, engineered specifically, we are told, to kill the Symbol of Peace himself."
The image cuts to slightly shaky footage of the destroyed plaza within USJ. Blurred-out figures on stretchers are visible, paramedics rushing around. Heros standing in silence.
"Sources confirm that pro hero Eraserhead, Shota Aizawa, and a student identified as Gojo Satoru engaged the monster directly, holding it back for nearly the entirety of the assault. Witnesses describe a battle unlike anything they've ever seen. According to reports, Gojo alone unleashed abilities that not only restrained the Nomu, but ultimately ended it.
But this victory came at a heavy cost. Three were confirmed dead. Three students of this year's Hero Course, class 1-A unfortunately had their lives taken away via the number of villains overwhelming them
Nearly a dozen more are hospitalized with severe injuries. And in what officials are calling a 'near-fatal misstep,' one U.A. student's interference almost resulted in Gojo's death… before the young man inexplicably returned from the brink, destroyed the Nomu, and collapsed."
Footage rolls of the stretcher carrying Gojo, surrounded by pros, a white sheet stained in red around his shoulder. Eyes covered while faint blue light glowed from under the bandages.
"Medical authorities tell us Gojo remains in critical condition at Musutafu General Hospital. His condition is… unusual. Doctors say his body is showing signs of a healing factor it never had before, leaving his stability uncertain."
The screen returns to the anchor, who leans forward with emphasis.
"What happened today at U.A. raises chilling questions. How could the League breach such secure grounds? Who is this Shigaraki Tomura? And most of all, what does it mean that a student, not a pro, dealt the killing blow to a weapon designed to assassinate the Symbol of Peace himself?"
The TV screen paused, President Kamizono sits with fingers going through some files, shadows hiding her eyes. Beside her, Jogo leaning against the wall, flames faintly flickering from his face, he snickers, his tone dry and amused.
"So the "Honoured One" huh? Holding back a beast made to kill All Might… and he's just a student. If that's what he can do now, imagine when he's unlocked every aspects of his quirk."
Kamizono doesn't move for a moment, then lets out a quiet breath.
"…He's not a hero. Not yet. And if he doesn't choose our path, then he's a liability. A rogue power like that, especially with Sukuna's shadow still lingering? The Commission cannot afford to let him slip from our grasp."
Jogo unpaused the TV screen, the news anchor and change of scenery changing.
This time, a man stood before the Endeavor Hero Agency building. A chuck of it missing, as if sliced like a cake The second anchor, looking pale and shaken, addresses the nation.
"We take you now to Tokyo, where in a shocking escalation, a pro-hero has turned rogue. Ryomen Sukuna, registered as a First Grade hero and long considered a controversial figure within the Hero Public Safety Commission, has attacked the Endeavor Agency.
Witnesses say Sukuna unleashed a barrage of destructive techniques, leveling an entire city block. Casualty numbers are still coming in, but at least twenty civilians are confirmed injured, and damage estimates are already climbing into the billions."
The footage shows smoking rubble, cars overturned, and terrified civilians being evacuated. A shaky street clip from a bystander phone shows Sukuna's form visible as he strides through the wreckage, dogding the fires of Endeavor while laughing.
All the while civilians scramble to escape the threat of being caught between the two, screams heard as the fire raged with the footage ending as Sukuna pointed a finger at it.
"Once hailed as a prodigy, Sukuna was always a divisive figure within the HPSC, his methods bordering on brutality. Tonight, those warnings have become reality. The Commission has declared Sukuna a rogue-class threat. Heroes across Japan are being dispatched, thou–"
A paperweight of a marble stone carving slammed against the screen, fracturing it as it flashed black and white before switching off.
The screen reflects off Kamizono's sharp eyes. Her voice is cold, quiet.
"Sukuna destroys our image in a single afternoon. What in God's name is wrong with him." She stood up from her chair as she took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair.
Jogo chuckled, suddenly standing in the far corner of the woman. Not wanting to be the next thing she threw something at.
"Where is Satoru." Kamizono asked in a cold tone.
"Didn't you– he's at the general hospital. Something happened to him quirk wise thats affecting him." Jogo spoke, choosing his response carefully.
Kamizono scoffed before putting a file with Sukunas Picture into a shredder.
"We need to replace a gaurd dog we had leashed. Might as well take its pup as a replacement."
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U.A. faculty conference room. Recovery Girl stands in front, arms crossed, her face unusually grim. All the staff, including Nezu, Aizawa, Present Mic, Midnight, Cementoss, and others, are present. A large chart and some medical scans are on the board behind her.
"As for the incident's aftermath, we've tallied the reports. Casualties were limited thanks to Gojo's and Aizawa's efforts, but there were still three confirmed deaths and over half the entire class injured."
The room falls into a heavy silence. She adjusts her glasses, looking to Nezu as he nodded. She then walked out the room, exhausted from using her Quirk and needing a good night's rest.
"I've seen miracles, and corpses. No matter how much you see em, it's as if it's the first time all over again." She said as she walked out, closing the door.
Nezu sighed before he spoke, all the teachers looking at him as he turned his laptop to show a video call with someone who was a recognised figure.
Dr. Corazon, the best general doctor and surgeon at Musutafu General Hospital sat there with a cigarette in is mouth.
"Everyone, I'm sure you know this individual. He's the doctor who took Satoru as his patient and the rest of our students." Nezu said.
All Might standing up and bowing towards the laptop, surprisingly a few teachers, and having the Doctor raise an eyebrow.
"I cannot thank you enough for taking care of our students." He said before he sat down.
"Thanks Principle Nezu. And All Might, I do appreciate it. Your students parents are here with them. They should be able to leave in the next two days. We just need a few tests and check ups before they are gone."
He took a pause to take a long drag from his cigarette before exhaling the smoke to the side.
"Now, regarding Gojo's condition. He's stable, barely. I'll make this clear. His body is in a constant state of flux.
When he unleashed that technique, what he calls Hollow Purple, his body sustained damage that should have outright killed him. But… something unexpected is keeping him alive. I personally examined him and discovered a form of… regeneration.
A healing factor, if you will. But it's new to his body. It's not natural, not innate. His genome itself had mutated. His cells are, well, the best way to put it is, learning. His body never possessed, according to his medical quirk records, this healing mechanism before, and now that it does, it's struggling to understand how to use it correctly."
Nezu tilts his head thoughtfully, ears twitching. Midnight speaking aloud.
"So that's why he's unstable. His healing factor isn't precise?" To which the doctor nodded.
"It's not repairing him efficiently. Instead, it's overcompensating, breaking down and rebuilding cells almost at random. That's why he hasn't woken yet. His body is caught in a cycle of trial and error, healing him, but in fits and starts, like a child learning to walk."
All Might frowns, resting his chin in his palm. "So… he's not out of the woods?"
Corazon let's out a hum, as if thinking himself on the question.
"Nope. If his body adapts, if it stabilizes, he'll recover. Perhaps stronger than before. But if it fails to… he could very well burn himself out from the inside."
The weight of her words hangs over the room. Nezu folds his paws, his voice calm but sharp.
"Then we'll need to prepare for both possibilities. If he returns to us whole, he could be an invaluable asset. Thank you doctor to tuning in." With that he closed the laptop.
Present Mic was the first to break the silence. "Essentially if his body fails to cope with this new power, we tally up four deaths. Just our luck."
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Location: Musutafu General Hospital
The door to the room creaked softly as Shota Aizawa pushed it open. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead. In the center of the room, Satoru Gojo lay on a pristine hospital bed, his bandaged eyes closed, faint blue energy pulsing beneath the gauze.
A single chair sat at the bedside, occupied by Koun, his posture relaxed but eyes alert, watching over Gojo like a sentinel.
Aizawa stepped inside, the weight of exhaustion and guilt evident in his every movement. He glanced briefly at Koun before lowering himself into the chair opposite him. Silence filled the room for a moment, broken only by the soft beeping of monitors.
Koun didn't look up immediately. When he did, his expression was unreadable, calm but with a quiet tension underlying it. "He's… sleeping," Koun said simply. "If you're here to lecture, save it. We've both got enough of that today."
He looked up at Aizawa before speaking again. "Clearly you've had better days. You should go back to your room." Aizawa having his right arm and his left eye bandaged.
Aizawa's mouth twitched in the faintest semblance of a smile."Im alright, didn't come to lecture. I… came to speak with you."
Koun raised an eyebrow. "Ill entertain this, sleepy joe."
A few minutes later...
Laughter came from the same room. Aizawa now sat in a chair across Koun who were playing a game of poker.
"Royal flush. You owe me two thousand good man." Koun grinned as Aizawa threw his cards to the floor, brlight his hand to his temple and groaned.
The man opposite him laughed again. Aizawa smiling as memories of his student days at UA surfaced.
"The Immortal Hero: Harakai. A pain in the ass our class had to deal with." He chuckled.
"Not my fault they couldn't handle me in less than my timer. Those who did though, did not have it easy." He boasted.
A silence settled between the two. Koun leaned back in his seat as Aizawa looked towards Gojo.
Aizawa shook his head. "You," Aizawa said plainly. "How do I put this..." He looked around Koun, face serious as he spoke. The man before him raising an eyebrow.
"Gojo isn't the only one capable of being a hero. You have the skill, the experience. You–" He paused, leaning forward slightly, voice low and earnest, "–you should come to U.A. again. Be a hero again."
The air between the two shifted. The jokes and laughs replaced with seriousness.
Koun leaned forward in his chair. The grin on his face replaced with a neutral expression.
His gaze dropped, hands clasped loosely in his lap. "Figured you had a underlying reason to talk to me... Look Aizawa… I lost the flame that kept my drive burning," he said quietly, his voice barely above the hum of the monitors. "I don't need to put myself in a situation where it could be snuffed out for him."
Aizawa nodded slowly, taking in the weight behind those words. "I understand," he said softly. "But sometimes things happen and sometimes it just needs you to act. Whether you believe in it or not, your presence matters."
Koun looked back at Gojo, the faint pulse of energy beneath the bandages reflecting in his eyes. After a long pause, he exhaled. "I'll think about it," he said finally. "But I can't promise more than that… not yet."
Aizawa remained quiet, studying him for a moment before leaning back in his chair. "That's all I'm asking," he said. "Think about it. And when he wakes… he'll need allies. People he can trust."
He licked up the cards and began to shuffle then again, perhaps to try and lessen the tension between the two. The hum of hospital life continued, but within the room, a fragile calm settled between the two men.
One watching over the other, both bound by loyalty, respect, and the weight of battles yet to come.
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End of Chapter
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