The next day, Kyushu
Oro was walking in the streets of Kyushu, whistling.
"Hey, that's Oro!" a civilian said.
"Why is he in Kyushu?" another one asked.
"Congratulations on your promotion as the number 1 hero!"
"Thanks, everyone..." Oro smiled.
"Hey, Oro, a selfie!" a girl said, approaching.
"Yay!" Oro struck a pose. They took a picture.
"Hey, Oro!" a woman approached. "My son is a huge fan of you. Can you sign his shirt?"
"Of course! What's your name, boy?" Hikaru asked.
"Ryosuke," said the boy.
"Oh, I see you already have Hawks' autograph here..." Oro smiled again. "Well, this means I'll write my autograph next to his..."
"Thanks, Oro!" said the boy. "No wonder you're the number 1!"
(Everyone loves me... being a hero was the best choice I ever made in my life.)
Suddenly, behind him, Oro heard a voice.
"COME HERE, YOU DUMBASS!"
(And... here's the worst.)
"Oh crap, that's Mirko!" Oro ran away. "Sorry, guys, gotta go!"
"C'MERE, ORO! YOU FORGOT ABOUT OUR MONTHLY ANNIVERSARY!"
"I didn't, I swear!"
Oro hid in an alley.
"She shouldn't be able to find me here..."
But when he turned his head, Mirko was standing in front of him.
"Hikaru," she said.
"Rumi," he said.
"Where's my monthiversary gift?" Mirko asked.
"I swear I forgot it at home, honey!" said Oro. "How could I ever forget about our month anniversary?"
Mirko tilted her head. "I don't believe you. To make it up to you, take me out to eat at a nice restaurant. And you pay!"
Hikaru sighed. "Fine... let's go. But I swear the gift is at home!"
__________
Oro and Mirko were sitting at a table, waiting for another portion of their meals.
"See? You wanted to go to the restaurant, and here you are," said Oro.
"Fine, but I'm still waiting for my gift," Mirko snorted.
"I swear I'll give you the gift when I get home," Oro said.
"I bet you don't even remember how long we've been together..."
"5 years, was it?"
"Mpfh, correct. And who made the first move?"
"Me, of course."
"So you do remember things, huh?"
"Of course I do."
"Speaking of something else, why are you here?" Mirko crossed her legs.
"Some engagements," said Oro. "Are you eating that? Can I take it?"
"Of course I'm eating this!" Mirko yelled.
"Fine, fine," said Oro, leaning in his chair. "Anyway, as I was saying, I didn't come all the way to Kyushu just for fun. Have you ever heard about Nomu?"
"Nomu?"
"Yeah, those creatures with multiple Quirks inside of them that were created by the League of Villains. Or this is what I've heard, at least. After Kamino, a dozen of them were captured alongside All For One, and since then, the League has been busy, but no more Nomu have appeared."
"What are you trying to say with this, Hikaru?"
"I'm trying to say that either that was all of them, or old AFO was the only one who knew where the rest were."
"Are you going to discover it by yourself?"
"Technically, no. Keigo is investigating the same argument, but... we decided to work separately to gather different and more information. He said some Nomus have been sighted here, and that's why I'm here. Do you want to join, Rumi?"
"Not even in a lifetime! I may be your girlfriend, but I ain't working with anyone!"
"Oh, right, you always work alone, just like me..."
"Why don't you find someone to work with you?"
"Too difficult when you're the number one. The only person I asked was you, but you hate working with someone."
Oro paused for a moment. "What about you, Rumi? Why are you in Kyushu?"
"Dunno. I just wanted to chase you for not giving me the gift I deserve!"
"Oh, got it," said Oro. "Keigo said he wanted me and Enji to be dependable leaders. Especially me, now that I'm number 1."
Suddenly, the two heroes heard something.
"Rumi," Oro muttered. "Did you hear it too?"
"Yeah, I did," said Mirko.
The waitress arrived. "Here are your drinks--"
"Stay back, Miss!" Oro shouted.
SBAM!
A Nomu crushed through the glass and entered the restaurant.
"Who's the strongest?" the Nomu asked.
"Me, of course!" Oro said, punching the Nomu's face, pushing him away. "Rumi, I'll handle this guy! You know what to do!"
"Roger, Hikaru!" said Mirko.
Oro jumped off the restaurant from the shattered glass.
(It's clear this Nomu wants me, so I must bring him where he can't harm anyone...)
Oro landed on the floor unharmed thanks to his Quirk. "Where the hell is he...?"
"Oro, watch out!" a civilian shouted. The Nomu punched Oro and sent him flying against a building.
"Wow, this is a really bad situation... not only am I forced to face an enemy just when I was relaxing with my girlfriend, but I also have to pay for the damage I cause while fighting..." said the hero, getting up and brushing off some dirt from his shoulders. "Well, I guess there's no one who can handle this Nomu except me, so I definitely can't step back!"
__________
Meanwhile, Mirko was helping the civilians evacuate.
(Damn, why now? I was about to give him my gift...)
The heroine heard a voice.
"Mirko!"
"Hawks! Endeavor!"
"What is Oro doing?" Hawks asked.
"He's fighting the Nomu," Mirko replied. "But I don't know how much he'll be able to resist."
"I gotta help him..." said Endeavor.
"No, Endeavor, stay back this time," said Hawks. "This is Oro's battle, not yours."
Endeavor snorted. "Tch, fine."
"Light Punch!" Oro punched the Nomu in the gut, sending him onto the roof.
"Here I am, Nomu!" Oro exclaimed, reaching his opponent. The two clashed on the roof, punch against punch.
"Take this!" the Nomu exclaimed, punching Oro in the face and sending him on another roof.
(Shit, this one's strong...)
"Hikaru!" Mirko reached him on the roof. "This one's a tough nut to crack. Need a hand?"
"No, thanks," Oro said, running backwards. "I'll handle this alone!"
Oro jumped off the roof and punched the Nomu, pushing him to the floor once again.
"Show me what you've got, number one hero!" the Nomu tried to punch Oro again, but he dodged this time and countered with another punch.
The clash went on for a while, until Oro jumped in the air and created some light slabs to stand in mid-air. Suddenly, the hero felt someone arriving.
"I'll handle it from now on, Oro!" Endeavor arrived.
"No, Enji, don't do it!" said Oro. "This is dangerous, I'll fight him alo-"
The Nomu delivered a huge blow to both heroes' left eyes, smashing them against a building.
(Dammit... I lowered my guard for a mere second, and now my left eye is damaged...)
__________
Satoru was in his dormitory, watching the TV alongside his classmates.
(Aniki... and that's Shoto's father... they both got injured...)
"Shirakawa!" Vlad King burst into the room. "Oh, nevermind, you're already seeing everything..."
(Aniki... don't die, Aniki... I'm watching you.)
__________
"You did something very stupid, Enji..." Oro slowly got up, clutching the scar on his left eye. "You made me lower my guard, and you got hit too. You're too impulsive, that's why you're not the number one..."
(It's a miracle I didn't lose my eye, and it's only a bit damaged... I wonder if Satoru is watching me...)
Endeavor was lying on the floor, unconscious.
(That's just great... I can't even count on him anymore...)
"Oro, watch out! He's coming!" Hawks shouted. Oro turned just in time to see the Nomu charging at him, and he barely dodged.
"Hawks, bring Endeavor away! He can't fight anymore!" he said as he charged towards the Nomu.
(My body's aching, but I can't stop!)
Oro delivered a left hook to the Nomu's jaw.
"Aerial battles seem to be your strong point, don't they?" Oro said, jumping backwards. "Since I want to prove to everyone that I'm worthy of being number one, I'll defeat you in the air, on YOUR field, so even Enji will realize that I am number one!"
(Is he crazy or what? Does he want to die?) Mirko thought.
Oro jumped in the air. "Come on, come here, if you dare! I'm ready for you, you little Nomu!"
The Nomu jumped and reached him in the air. Oro was floating thanks to the light slabs he created on his own.
(Up here, I shouldn't worry about destroying everything... I'll go out, I've decided!)
"Light Spreading, Full Body: 1,000,000%!"
(Even I can't bear this form too much... his weak point seems to be the head, so I'll crush it!)
__________
"Oh no, Oro's going to lose!" said Tetsutetsu.
"No, it can't be!" said Sen.
"No, Aniki's not going to lose..." Mato clenched his fists. "He'll win! I'm sure of it!"
"Can you see the light over there? That's Oro!" said a kid on the TV. "There is no reason to despair over a symbol that is no longer there! He's risking our lives to save us!"
Oro kept clashing with the Nomu in mid-air. (I have to end this quickly, or I'll really die! If I'm still conscious, it's because of the pain I'm feeling right now...)
Oro received a punch from the Nomu on the face. He responded with a punch in the gut.
(I'll raise the strength of the light... I'll go beyond 1,000,000%! Even if Toshinori-sensei told me to never do it!)
"Light Spreading, Full Body: 1,000,000,000%!"
Oro grabbed the Nomu's neck and smashed him against the roof of a house.
"Why don't you eat a little of a building?" Oro pressed the Nomu's face against the wall and slowly carried him toward the mainland.
(Ever since I graduated from U.A., there's a phrase I've rarely said, but should have said more often...)
"PLUS ULTRA!" Oro shouted, reaching the ground. "NOW TAKE THIS, YOU USELESS JUNK!"
BAM!
A huge cloud of dust rose.
"Did Oro win?" the speaker wondered.
When the dust rose, Oro was standing on his feet, injured but victorious, and with his fist high in the air, in sign of victory.
"ORO HAS WON!"
The crowd exploded in applause.
Satoru fell on his knees. "I was scared shitless... don't ever do that again, Aniki..."
"I am..." Oro whispered. "I AM THE NEW SYMBOL OF PEACE! WATCH OUT, VILLAINS, ORO THE GLIMMER IS COMING FOR YOU!"
A moment of silence.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Oro laughed. "IS MY LITTLE BROTHER WATCHING ME?"
Satoru raised his head.
"I promise I'll make you proud, Ototo! I'll show you I'm worthy of being the number one! I promise I'll protect you, Ototo! Your big brother is here for you, you don't have to worry!"
Oro pointed the camera. "Ototo... you, too, can become a hero."
Oro fainted.
"Hikaru!" Mirko arrived. "Damn... call an ambulance, call an ambulance!"
(Aniki...) Satoru's eyes welled up with tears. (Thank you, Aniki...)
(Even if All Might had retired, heroes cannot stop moving forward. Among them is Aniki, the number one. He almost died in combat today, but he proved himself worthy of being number one. And that's why Aniki will always be my hero. And who will carry his will... will be me!)
Chapter 50 - End