At Any Cost (Part 4)

Fatgum put his phone away. "I just got off the phone with Santa Cruz Police! They're sending as many available units as they can!" Momo got off the phone. "No luck with any of the other Hero Agencies so far!" Mina took a breath. "...in other words, we're on our own…" Tamaki swerved to avoid the slower cars. "We're only a few minutes away!" Chris reached for the door handle, but Fatgum stopped him. Chris glared. "I can at least scout ahead!" Fatgum shook his head. "Endeavor and Shoto can handle themselves! You need to stay with the group!" Chris slammed his head back against the headrest, annoyed. However, he obeyed. Kirishima put a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Hey!" Chris looked back at him. Kirishima smiled. "We'll save him!" Chris, for the first time since Jason's kidnapping, managed to smirk. "...yea. Yea we will."

As the Nomu charged forward, Endeavor clenched his fist. "Flash Fire Fist: Jet Burn!" A concentrated beam of fire shot out of his arm and blasted the Nomu in what would've been the stomach. It grunted from the impact, but was otherwise unphased by the attack that was known to melt whole buildings. Shoto rolled to the side and added her own flames into the mix. The Nomu raised its arm, which seemed to grow in length. Then the Nomu brought its fist down on Endeavor. The pro hero managed to move out of the way just as the fist destroyed the floor where he had stood a moment ago. Then the hand seemed to deform, becoming many strands of large black tendrils. They began to wrap around Endeavor, trying to trap him in a ball. The pro hero looked around as he was consumed by the unique technique. "It's already on the attack again?!" The Nomu then swung its fist, easily tearing through the walls of the warehouse. It would've tried throwing Endeavor into the sky, but Endeavor burned his way out. The very second his flames calmed down, he saw the Nomu charging forward. Endeavor raised his guard up, successfully saving himself from a devastating punch. However, Endeavor was still sent flying. He shot flames out of his feet, successfully slowing himself down. He was now a few hundred feet away from the warehouse. The Nomu rushed forward, shooting air out of its back for increased speed. Endeavor glared. "How is this thing both stronger and faster than me?!"

Shoto used her flames to create a massive fireball, then she hurled it at the Nomu. She landed a direct hit on its back. She smirked, then immediately lost her smile as the Nomu turned its head to her. As it began rushing towards her, she created an ice wall. Shoto's wall was easily shattered by the Nomu's punch. It used its second arm to grab a hold of Shoto. Shoto took the opportunity to freeze the Nomu. The Nomu's arm became frozen. Then Shoto put all of the available firepower she could muster in that moment into her left arm, melting the frozen arm in its entirety. Shoto was released and she dove away as the Nomu missed a left swing with its remaining arm. Shoto smiled at her handiwork.

Then the Nomu's arm grew back, starting from the shoulder. Shoto's smile was replaced with horror. It only took a second for the arm to completely regenerate. The Nomu smiled. "...not… good… enough…" The Nomu lunged forward, but Endeavor tackled it to the side before throwing it back into the warehouse. Endeavor rushed back in with Shoto not too far behind. The Nomu turned its head 180 degrees around, locking onto Endeavor. The Pro Hero's fingertips became hot with fire. "Flash Fire Fist: Hell Spider!" Ten separate lances of fire sliced through the Nomu. However, all it did was create several cuts that regenerated almost as quickly as they had been made. Endeavor and Shoto both took deep breaths, trying to regain some strength for round two. Endeavor raised his guard up. Shoto swore as she used her ice to cool down her body. "This thing can take all of our attacks, and it can just regenerate whenever we do damage it. We have to try and save our strength in order to use our more powerful attacks later… but then again… we have no idea how many quirks are in this thing…" Endeavor nodded as he finished his daughter's train of thought. "Holding back could prove to be fatal."

The Nomu curiously tilted its head at Endeavor. "...you… stopped…? Are you… tired… no… you… are…" The Nomu seemed to smile a devilish smile. "...you… are… overheating…" Endeavor narrowed his eyes. This Nomu was not like any other Nomu. Not only was it incredibly strong and fast, but this one was analyzing tactics, learning as the battle went on. It was thinking. Worst of all, the Nomu had caught onto Endeavor's weakness. Flash Fire Fist condenses his heat into concentrated power. Abusing such a powerful attack without any caution could lead to his body overheating. Essentially, if he wasn't careful about how he used his flames, he would kill himself. He glanced down at Shoto, who was using her ice to cool down her body. It was the reason why he had bought Rei. It was the reason why he had tried over and over again to gain a child with both quirks. It was the reason behind all of his actions. He wanted to create a hero without any of his weaknesses. He wanted to create a hero better than himself.

Endeavor roared as he powered up his flames. Shoto was blown away from the sudden power increase. Endeavor forced a smile as flames covered every inch of his body. Fire was shooting out from his limbs, hair, and eyes. "So you were created with multiple quirks?! Not to mention rapid regeneration?!" Shoto's eyes widened before she created an ice wall to protect herself. Endeavor bent his knees to stabilize himself. "In that case, I'll incinerate you with hellfire so hot, you won't be able to regenerate fast enough!" He brought his arms up, aiming at the Nomu. "Prominence Burn!" The Nomu became engulfed by Endeavor's strongest attack.

Two Months Prior…

Endeavor stood on stage, looking out over the crowd of reporters and heroes. He didn't want to be there, but tradition said he had to. It was the Top 10 Hero Showcase. Even though All Might retired a little under a year ago, he had still kept the Number One Hero spot until today, when the new Top 10 were announced. There were a couple of heroes here that deserved to be here, but others that Endeavor thought weren't worth his time. Starting from the bottom, each hero got their chance to say something heroic and inspiring. However, nobody was really in the mood. These were just empty words, spoken only in a vain attempt to give the people hope. Best Jeanist, the new Number Two Hero, finished his little speech, and was now passing the microphone to the new Number One Hero. Endeavor took the microphone and spoke. "I think it's about time we stop ignoring the elephant in the room." Both heroes and civilians alike looked around in confusion. Endeavor cleared his throat. "All Might is gone. Our Symbol of Peace is retired. Nothing will change that, and us ignoring that fact will only make things worse." A handful of heroes nodded in agreement. Endeavor clenched his fist. "It's time for us, as heroes, to step up. It's time to prove that we don't need All Might to keep the peace." Endeavor smirked, raising his fist to chest level, as if challenging an invisible opponent. "If you truly think that we aren't ready to fight without All Might, then you just wait and see. Furthermore, if you don't think I can stand here in the Number One spot, just sit back and watch what I do! I will prove that you can still believe!"

Endeavor continued blasting the Nomu down to its very atoms and also disintegrated what was left of the warehouse wall. The very floor beneath and above Endeavor was melting from his heat. Shoto's ice was barely holding up, even when she was focusing all of her energy into it. Endeavor clenched his teeth as he slowly stopped firing.

"...too… slow…" Shoto spun her head around. The Nomu's head was across the warehouse, and its body was regenerating in mere seconds. Shoto screamed. "Father!" Endeavor turned his head. "...it tore off its head… and threw it out of range…?!" Several tendrils shot through Endeavor's chest. The world was silent as Shoto watched her father fall to the ground, motionless. Blood began to soak his dark blue costume. The Nomu towered over him. "...not… good… enough…" Shoto turned to the Nomu, igniting her fire. "...you…" the Nomu looked at her with an evil smile. Shoto raised her hand up. "I'm going to fry you to a crisp, you piece of-" A hole was blasted through the wall behind Shoto. She and the Nomu both looked. Chris stood in the opening, his fist covered in dust from the punch. Fatgum, Kirishima, Mina, Momo, and Tamaki were all behind him.

The cavalry had arrived.