The Cosa Nostra (Part 6)

Kirishima looked at all the sights that were around him. He had visited big cities before, but he had never been to Sacramento at night. The bright lights of the city lit up the night sky. Fatgum graciously accepted a pizza from a local store and offered a slice to Kirishima. "Hey Red! Want some?!" 'Red' had been the nickname given to Kirishima because his hero name was Red Riot. Kirishima took a slice from his mentor. Fatgum then began to eat the rest of the pizza. Kirishima turned around to check up on Fatgum's sidekick. Said sidekick was none other than Tamaki Amajiki: better known as Suneater. He was the second strongest student at UA last year. "Hey Suneater, Are you doing alright?" Tamaki didn't answer Kirishima. He just hung his head, trying to hide underneath his costume's white hood. Fatgum wrapped his free arm around Suneater. "Suneater here just doesn't like being in public or being seen. I've been trying to build his self-confidence issues, but he's very stubborn. Too bad, since he'll be one of the strongest heroes someday!" The praise seemed to make things worse for Suneater. Kirishima chuckled to himself.

"Help! Help!" The three heroes ran to the commotion, dropping the food they had gotten. A couple of thugs had thrown a couple to the ground and were taking their belongings. "Hurry, before someone shows up!" Fatgum rushed past the crowd. "Too late!" The thugs looked up to see the 300-pound man tackle two members of their group to the ground. Fatgum had a massive smile. "Sorry for butting in!" A third thug pulled out a gun. "Damn you heroes!" Before he could aim, a squid's tentacle reached out and wrapped around the man. He immediately began freaking out. "What the hell is this?!" It was Tamaki's quirk: Manifest. He can create anything from his body as long as he's eaten it. In this particular case: a squid. Kirishima smiled. "Way to go, Suneater!" The crowd began cheering. He sighed and looked down. "...Kill me…" Kirishima turned back to Fatgum to check up on his mentor, but then saw the glint of light reflected off of metal. Another gun. The terrified fourth thug fired two shots. Kirishima hardened himself and tried to put himself between the shooter and Tamaki. The first bullet hit Tamaki in the side. The second nailed Kirishima in the head. Fortunately, the bullet couldn't pierce Kirishima's hardened skin. Tamaki took a knee, holding his side. The thug he had been holding fell to the ground but, was too terrified to move. The sidekick winced. "...It… doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would…" The fourth thug looked freaked out. "Shit!" He began running. Kirishima charged after him. "Get back here!" Fatgum shouted. "Red, wait!" Tamaki stretched his arm out. "I got them!" Nothing happened. His eyes widened as he looked down at his hand. "...My quirk… won't… activate…?"

Kirishima chased the guy into an alley. "Running away after shooting someone isn't very manly!" The thug ran past a small group of people Then he stopped. "A dead-end?!" Kirishima kept on charging. "I have you now!" The thug turned around and activated his quirk. Small blades stuck up and out of his arm. "Dammit!" The blades shattered against Kirishima's hardened skin. The hero in training punched the guy's nose. Blood splattered across the ground as the thug dropped to the ground. Kirishima took a sigh in relief. "That was easy. Come here, you bastard." The thug was crying. "...It's… it's not fair…" Kirishima tilted his head in confusion. The thug tried to get up. "...I… I just wanted to help my friends… but I have such a useless quirk…" Another blade appeared out of his arm. "...My blades can only grow up to six inches…" Kirishima just sighed and picked the guy up. "Come on, dude. Go to jail with some of your dignity intact." "...I… I just wanted to be stronger…" A red vial fell from the man's sleeve and into his hand. "...A hero like you… would never understand…" Kirishima watched in horror as the guy jammed the vial's needle into his wrist.

The thug screamed in pain as the empty vial dropped from his arm. Kirishima put his hands on the thug's shoulders. "Hey! Hey! What'd you give yourself?! Are you alright?!" Blades several meters long shot out of the guy's body in every direction. Kirishima jumped backward. "What the hell?!" The thug was no longer a crying mess, but now had a very sadistic smile plastered across his face. Kirishima had heard of these drugs. They could enhance quirks for a short period of time. The man took a few steps forward, his extended blades easily curing through both the cement on the ground and the brick walls nearby. "Hey hero… I'm ready to fight now…" Kirishima turned his head to the civilians behind him. "Everyone get out of here!" The blades retracted and fired out at Kirishima. The blades sliced through his hardened skin like a hot knife through butter, causing blood to splatter everywhere. The villain's blades retracted. "...Christ… I'm on such a high right now…" The thug began laughing. "This feels amazing! You better move, kid! I'm going to go take out that pro and save my buddies now!" The man shot several blades at Kirishima.

Kirishima fell to the ground, his skin cracking from a powerful punch delivered by Jason. Kirishima groaned as he stood up. Jason crossed his arms. "I'm not doing this anymore." Chris nodded, powering down One for All. "Same. Why do you want to do this anyways, Kirishima?" The redhead stood up. "...I… I need your help training…" Jason shook his head. "This isn't training. This is Chris and I beating the living crap out of you. What are you getting out of this, anyway?" Kirishima sighed as he deactivated his quirk. "...I need to get stronger…" Chris walked up and wrapped an arm around his friend's neck. Kirishima, I get it, but you have to rest at some point. Doing this will-" "No!" Kirishima looked up at Chris. "I need to get stronger so I can keep up with you guys! At this moment, I can't help you guys if All for One comes back!" Kirishima stared down at his wavering hand. "...The next time we run into the League… or the next time you're in trouble… I want to help… I don't want to be tossed aside like I was in the USJ… I don't want to be useless like at Cowell Park… and I don't want to be helpless like the battle with All for One…" He stood up straight, looking Chris in the eyes. "So I want to keep on improving! The next time you guys fight, I want to be there by your side!" Chris looked at Jason. Jason, clearly giving up, just shrugged. Chris sighed. "...Alright. One more round."

Kirishima hardened himself. "Get harder." His fingers sharpened. "Harder." His eyes began to crack slightly as they hardened. He had been developing a new technique: one gained from hours of Jason and Chris beating him up, which forced his quirk to evolve. The blades struck Kirishima right as his chest hardened. This wasn't like the normal hardening he naturally had. This was a forced evolution: something brand new and unique. The blades bent as they failed to breakthrough. Then they broke altogether. The thug screamed as his blades shattered. "The hell is this?!" Kirishima planted his feet. He looked like a rock monster right out of a horror story. This was his strongest technique. "Red Riot: Unbreakable!"

The thug backed away in fear. Kirishima could only hold this new form for a minute, but during that time, he was nearly indestructible. He charged forward, knowing he had to end this fight quickly. The thug shouted. "Then I guess I'll bring my blades to a single point!" The blades shot out of the guy's chest, hitting Kirishima's body. He didn't waver. There were still civilians behind him, so he had to make himself the only target. The hero in training brought his arm up and slammed down, shattering the blades. He then continued the charge forward. He slammed his hardened fist into the villain's side. "Red Gun Turret!" The thug fell to the ground right as Kirishima's 'Unbreakable' wore off. It was a close call, but he had won.

The thug began crying again. Kirishima sighed. "...This again…" he reached down to grab the thug, but the blades shot out again. This time, it was aimed at the ground. Kirishima tried to stop him from escaping but missed the grab. "Damn it!" The thug laughed. "Nice try! I'm gone!" Fatgum appeared in the alley's entrance with a smile. "Sorry I'm late!" The thug landed on Fatgum. The pro then held the thug in a bear hug. "Remember, Red! Villains and thugs win by killing you or escaping! The only way we win…" The thug stopped resisting. "...is by making sure they don't get away." Kirishima ran up and put handcuffs on the thug. It was finally over.

Kirishima sighed as police carried the four criminals away. "...Sorry, Fatgum…" His mentor patted him on the back with a loud laugh. "Nonsense! You did your absolute best! That's nothing to be ashamed of!" An old man walked up. "Excuse me, young man." Kirishima turned around to see the group he had saved from the bladed criminal. The older man smiled. "Thank you for saving us. Please tell us: who are you?" Kirishima smiled and held his thumb up. "You can call me Red Riot!"