Chapter 253 - 252: Stand

Location: Unknown Country

Time: 11:45 AM (One Week Later)

"What lunch should I have?"

"Don't ask me..."

People rushed across the busy cobblestone plaza.

They carried fresh groceries and checked their watches to beat the afternoon rush.

Then.

A loud, hissing mechanical sound suddenly echoed from a narrow alleyway.

PSSSST.

A thick, vibrant green fog violently spilled out from the shadows.

Expanding at an unnatural speed, the gas swallowed the entire district in seconds.

"What?!"

Ack. Cough-cough.

A businessman dropped his briefcase, coughing aggressively as the strange chemical fog washed over his shoes.

"What is that smell?" a young woman asked, rubbing her nose.

Breathing in the toxic gas, citizens with Quirks immediately collapsed in pure agony.

"Aghhh!"

"HELP!"

"IT HURTS!"

The chemical violently forced their dormant genetics to mutate past a thousand percent of their physical limits.

"GAHH!"

A man sitting at an outdoor cafe grabbed his own throat.

His eyes widened in absolute panic.

A massive, uncontrollable inferno erupted directly from his mouth.

FWOOSH.

BAAAM.

The fire accidentally incinerated the entire block and shattered the nearby cafe windows.

CRUMBLE. CRUMBLE.

Screaming near the central fountain, a woman doubled over.

Her physical body ballooned rapidly.

She expanded to the size of a three-story building in less than ten seconds.

CRASH.

Her massive, uncontrolled limbs crushed a concrete overpass into dust.

Their bodies literally tore themselves apart from the inside, completely unable to handle the sheer pressure.

Explosions, ice spikes, and shockwaves ripped through the crowded streets.

"RUN!"

"WHERE ARE THE PROS!"

Sprinting through the chaotic destruction, normal, Quirkless civilians watched the horrific meltdowns in terror.

"Don't breathe!"

They breathed heavily in the thick fog, remaining completely unharmed.

High above the burning city square, massive digital billboards suddenly glitched.

Advertisements vanished across the plaza.

The exact same digital hijack struck massive screens in Tokyo, New York, and London.

BZZZT.

A live video feed replaced the static.

Flect Turn appeared on the monitors, wearing dark, formal cult robes.

He stared down at the panic with cold, sorrowful conviction.

[Quirks are not a divine blessing,] Flect Turn announced smoothly.

His voice echoed across the screaming cities.

[They are a terminal, generational disease.]

He didn't mock the dying heroes below him.

And simply looked at them with twisted pity.

[As generations pass and bloodlines mix, your powers grow too intense for the physical body to contain,] Flect Turn explained.

He pointed directly at the horrifying meltdowns happening live in Klayd.

[This is the Quirk Singularity,] he declared. [Humanity will eventually drive itself to bloody extinction.]

Staring directly into the camera lens, Flect Turn announced his ultimate salvation.

[To save mankind, the disease must be burned away entirely.]

He coldly informed the global governments of his true scale.

[Twenty-five identical Trigger Bombs are currently hidden in major cities across the Earth.]

He didn't blink.

[When they detonate, only the pure will remain.]

--<>--

Location: World Heroes Association Headquarters, United States

Time: 12:30 PM

The massive, circular command center was descending into total madness.

Red emergency strobes flashed aggressively across the dark walls.

"We have confirmed Trigger Bomb detonations at the Klayd border!" a WHA operator yelled into his headset.

Standing near a glowing digital world map, the WHA Commander watched the live satellite feed of the destroyed test city.

An analyst frantically typed on her keyboard.

"Sir, he wasn't bluffing," the analyst stammered, her face completely pale.

Twenty-five blinking red targets lit up across the global monitor simultaneously.

Slamming his fist onto the control console, the Commander ground his teeth.

"Humarise has cells embedded in twenty-five different countries," the Commander growled. "Coordinating simultaneous raids requires an impossible amount of ground support."

He glared at the red targets.

"We do not have the manpower to raid them all."

Desperate to stop a literal global apocalypse, the Commander made a horrific, legally binding decision.

"Issue a mandatory global draft," the Commander ordered sharply.

The operators in the room froze.

"Use the Hero Work Studies loophole," he instructed, his voice entirely grim. "Attach every single high school hero student to the front-line deployment roster immediately."

--<>--

Location: The X Agency, Tokyo, Lounge Room

Time: 8:30 PM

City lights glowed brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the agency lounge.

Slouching comfortably on the leather sofa, Kaito stared down at his fresh cup of coffee.

"I genuinely thought trapping those three Nomus in concrete would buy me at least a month of peace," Kaito complained.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking completely exhausted.

"Working as an official Pro Hero involves way too much overtime," he added.

"Fufufu..."

Standing behind the glass coffee table, Makoto covered her mouth to hide a soft giggle.

Seeing a reality warper whine about normal office hours was incredibly funny to her.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

A high-priority alarm suddenly blared from Makoto's digital tablet.

Her polite smile vanished instantly.

Swiping across her screen, she projected a red-stamped mandate directly onto the glass table.

"The World Heroes Association just declared a global emergency," Makoto announced tensely.

She pulled up the live footage of the green gas destroying the Klayd border city.

"Humarise planted bombs in twenty-five countries," she explained. "The WHA just issued a mandatory deployment order for all high school hero interns."

Working quietly at a computer terminal in the corner, Mirai Sasaki pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Endeavor's entire agency is already being processed for international deployment," Mirai confirmed, analyzing the data streams. "That includes his UA students."

Standing near the window, Tsunagu crossed his denim-clad arms.

"It is standard procedure," he noted calmly, keeping his eyes on the Tokyo skyline. "The WHA is facing a massive manpower deficit."

Kaito slowly lowered his coffee cup onto the glass table.

CLINK.

He let out a deep, incredibly tired sigh.

"Standard procedure," Kaito repeated, his voice entirely flat.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So the veteran adults are forcing minors to defuse chemical bombs in foreign countries," Kaito said casually.

Mirai frowned slightly, tapping a pen against his clipboard.

"They are legally licensed for combat support," Mirai offered.

Kaito just shook his head.

"They're kids," Kaito corrected smoothly, glancing toward the window. "They should be worrying about passing their midterms and hanging out in dorms."

He gestured toward the red-stamped deployment order.

"They shouldn't be fighting a global doomsday cult," Kaito stated bluntly.

He looked directly between the two veteran heroes.

"If adult professionals can't resolve a terrorist threat without drafting high schoolers to plug the holes in their defenses... the entire hero industry is a pathetic joke."

"..."

"..."

The lounge went completely dead silent.

Mirai stopped tapping his pen.

Tsunagu finally turned away from the window, staring at Kaito in absolute shock.

As veteran heroes, both men had fully internalized the dark reality of their society for years.

They always accepted the student internship system as a necessary, functional tool.

Hearing a rookie casually point out the glaring moral bankruptcy of their profession left them entirely speechless.

'He's completely right,' Mirai realized, a heavy knot forming in his stomach.

Kaito didn't wait for them to recover from the shock.

Turning back to Makoto, his completely nonchalant demeanor returned.

"Draft an public press release," Kaito ordered.

Makoto readied her tablet, her fingers hovering over the glowing keyboard.

"Tell the World Heroes Association that X Agency is officially blocking the deployment order for the entire Japanese student roster," Kaito instructed.

Tsunagu uncrossed his arms, his stoic expression cracking.

"You intend to openly defy a global WHA mandate?" Best Jeanist asked, genuinely stunned.

Leaning back into the leather sofa, Kaito picked his coffee back up.

"I'll shoulder the entire Japanese quota myself," Kaito replied simply.

Taking a slow sip of his dark roast, he kept his eyes on the digital projection.

"I'm not letting a single minor step onto a battlefield while I'm breathing. That's what I'm supposed to do as a hero and a trusted adult."

--<>--

Location: Midoriya Household, Musutafu

Time: 7:00 AM

Standing near her kitchen counter, Inko Midoriya nervously scrubbed a ceramic plate with a soapy sponge.

The small television resting near the spice rack played the early morning news broadcast.

Every single channel across Japan had completely abandoned their regular programming.

[We are interrupting the global crisis coverage to bring you a breaking, official statement from the X Agency,] the news anchor announced, adjusting his earpiece.

Inko stopped scrubbing, keeping her trembling hands submerged in the warm water.

[The following press release was issued directly by Hero X at dawn today,] the anchor continued, looking down at the monitor.

The screen shifted, displaying a crisp, professional text document bearing the X Agency logo.

[To the World Heroes Association and the citizens of Japan... The X Agency formally rejects the mandatory global deployment of provisional student licensees.]

The ceramic plate slipped directly from Inko's soapy fingers.

CLATTER.

[Defusing international chemical terrorism is the strict, unyielding jurisdiction of seasoned, working professionals,] the anchor read aloud, his voice echoing through the quiet kitchen.

Inko grabbed the edge of the sink, her breath catching in her throat.

[Minors, regardless of their Quirks, training, or provisional status, are not expendable tactical assets to be used as a stopgap for administrative incompetence.]

Tears instantly welled up in the corners of Inko's eyes.

[Therefore, X Agency officially overrides the WHA mandate for this country,] the broadcast concluded. [I will personally shoulder the entire global deployment quota required of the Japanese hero student roster. Leave the kids in their schools.]

Pressing a wet, soapy hand completely over her mouth, Inko let out a choked sob.

She collapsed onto her knees right on the kitchen linoleum.

"He doesn't have to go..." Inko cried out, her voice cracking. "My baby doesn't have to fight them..."

Grabbing a dish towel, she frantically dried her hands and reached for her cell phone.

She needed to text Izuku right now.

For the very first time since her son enrolled in that dangerous school, a Pro Hero was treating him like an actual child who needed protection.

--<>--

Location: Bakugo Residences, Tokyo Suburbs

Sitting silently on her living room couch, Mitsuki Bakugo watched the exact same broadcast.

Her usual fiery, explosive temper was completely absent this morning.

Walking into the living room, Masaru Bakugo held two mugs of black coffee.

"Mitsuki... did you hear that?" Masaru asked softly, setting a mug on the coaster.

Resting her elbows on her knees, Mitsuki let out a long, shaky breath of pure relief.

"Yeah..." Mitsuki whispered, staring at the television. "For once, I don't have to yell at that brat to survive a battlefield."

She knew Katsuki was incredibly strong and violently determined to be the best.

Hearing a high-ranking professional actively step in front of him reminded her that he was still just an arrogant teenager.

--<>--

Location: Aoyama Residence

Across town, inside a heavily secured estate, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Mr. and Mrs. Aoyama sat at their dining table, staring blindly at the television screen.

The father gripped his coffee mug so tightly his knuckles turned completely white.

"We sold him..." Mr. Aoyama muttered, his voice trembling with absolute shame.

Mrs. Aoyama flinched, looking away from the screen.

"We sold our own boy to a monster just to give him a Quirk," the father continued, gritting his teeth. "We forced him into a life of terror..."

Burying her face in her hands, Mrs. Aoyama started crying silently onto the wooden table.

"And now a complete stranger is fighting the entire world government just to keep our son safe," she sobbed.

The sheer contrast between their own cowardly parenting and the hero's absolute moral stance absolutely crushed them.

"Do you think he can save our son?"

--<>--

Location: Tokyo Central Train Station

Thousands of morning commuters crowded the massive transit hub.

Nobody was walking toward their train platforms.

Businessmen, college students, and shop owners all stood completely still, staring up at the giant digital monitors hanging from the ceiling.

[I will personally shoulder the entire global deployment quota required of the Japanese hero student roster. Leave the kids in their schools.]

The audio echoed across the cavernous station.

A salaryman holding a briefcase slowly lowered his head, turning to a stranger standing next to him.

"He's completely right," the salaryman muttered. "Why the hell is the government trying to send high school kids to fight a global cult?"

A young mother holding a toddler against her chest wiped a tear from her cheek.

"They always rely on the hero students to fix everything," the mother argued loudly to the crowd. "It's disgusting. Those UA kids almost died in Kamino!"

Standing near a ticket kiosk, a group of university students nodded in agreement.

"X is the only one making any sense," a teenager yelled, pointing at the screen. "Let the pros do their actual jobs!"

Public trust in the hero system had been incredibly shaky over the past few years.

Hearing a working professional finally call out the reality sparked a massive societal awakening.

Social media timelines, civilian forums, and message boards completely exploded.

Citizens flooded the internet, aggressively slamming the government and throwing their absolute support behind the X Agency.

Hero X wasn't just catching villains anymore.

He was actively acting as the moral compass for the entire country.

--<>--

Location: U.A. High School, Teachers' Lounge

Time: 8:30 AM

The atmosphere inside the staff room was incredibly tense.

Sitting at his desk, Shota Aizawa stared down at the printed transcript of the X Agency press release.

He manipulated his thick capture scarf, pulling it up to hide a grim, satisfied smirk.

Standing near the coffee machine, Vlad King crossed his massive, muscular arms.

"I completely agree," Vlad grunted heavily. "Class 1-B stays on campus. The WHA can complain all they want."

Adjusting his cowboy hat, Snipe leaned against the filing cabinets while also nodding.

Ectoplasm tapped his wooden peg leg against the floorboards.

Ectoplasm added smoothly. "Public opinion is entirely on X's side right now. Not agreeing would cause a PR problems."

Midnight sat on the edge of the central table, looking down at her manicured nails.

"We rely way too heavily on these students to plug the holes in our own defenses," Midnight admitted, her tone unusually serious. "It took a rookie hero to finally point out how broken our system actually is."

Sitting at the head of the long wooden table, Principal Nezu took a slow sip of his tea.

He was happy by Kaito's ability to disrupt global hero politics with a single, perfectly worded document.

"We will officially stand down," Nezu announced cheerfully, setting his teacup on its saucer.

The teachers all turned to look at the principal.

"I will personally draft our school's response to Geneva," Nezu continued, pulling a blank document toward him. "U.A. High School fully supports the X Agency's jurisdiction over this matter."

Sitting quietly in the corner of the room, Toshinori Yagi stared down at his own large, scarred hands.

The former Number One Hero felt a deep, agonizing pang of shame.

'I personally helped build this society,' Toshinori thought, clenching his fists tightly.

He created a world so dangerously reliant on symbols that it willingly put children on the front lines to save itself.

'I even started to put all of my hopes to Midoriya-shonen, that I forget that he was only a sixteen year old boy...'

Simultaneously, Toshinori felt an immense, overwhelming wave of respect for the white-suited hero.

--<>--

Location: Hero Public Safety Commission Headquarters, Tokyo

Time: 1:00 PM

The Madam President stood at the head of the long, polished conference table inside the crisis room.

She stared intensely at a massive digital monitor displaying domestic public approval ratings.

The graph for X Agency spiked aggressively upward, completely dwarfing the World Heroes Association's approval metrics.

Standing next to the monitor, Agent Yokumiru Mera rubbed his tired eyes beneath his glasses.

"The public support for his statement is overwhelming," Mera reported, sounding completely exhausted.

He dropped a thick stack of printed complaints directly onto the conference table.

THUD.

"Parents are protesting outside the local WHA branch offices right now," Mera added, pointing at the paperwork. "They are violently demanding we pull all hero students from the global draft."

The President narrowed her eyes, realizing they were completely cornered politically.

"If we force the U.A. students to deploy after X publicly offered to take their place... the Japanese public will lose trust on us," the President muttered.

She tapped her finger against the wooden table.

"What about the tactical angle?" the President asked sharply. "Flect Turn is threatening simultaneous detonations across twenty-five countries."

Mera tapped his tablet, projecting Kaito's combat footage from the High-End incident onto the wall.

The screen looped the exact moment Kaito casually snapped his fingers, folding the mechanical Nomu into a flat pane of glass.

"Flect Turn relies entirely on the Ideo Trigger chemical gas," Mera explained. "The compound expands too quickly for standard containment or wind-based Quirks."

The President rested her hands on the table, analyzing the footage closely.

"But X doesn't use standard containment," the President noted logically.

She factored the chemical gas into Kaito's unique reality-warping abilities.

"If a Trigger Bomb detonates, he can fold the expanding gas cloud itself into a two-dimensional drawing," she concluded.

Mera nodded in agreement.

"His Canvas Quirk is the ultimate counter to a chemical bombing," Mera confirmed. "He doesn't need to physically touch the gas to delete its volume from our reality."

Trusting his flawless track record in Tokyo and recognizing the impossible utility of his Quirk, the President made her final call.

"Draft an official HPSC override," the President ordered, straightening her posture.

Mera pulled his keyboard closer, readying his hands.

"The Japanese Hero Public Safety Commission formally accepts X Agency's proposal," she dictated smoothly.

She looked back up at the paused footage of Kaito standing nonchalantly.

"Legally pull all Japanese hero student who have their provision hero license off the World Heroes Association deployment roster immediately," the President instructed.

Mera typed rapidly, sending the emergency override directly to the global database.

"Grant Hero X total emergency jurisdiction for all bomb raids concerning this nation," she finalized.

"...I think we are witnessing for another symbol"

--<>--

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