Zero Hero || MHA ||

18. Panic! At the Festival

People clapped and cheered as more heroes walked by.

"Woo!!"

"Thank you for everything, heroes!"

"Please sit on my face!"

"We love you!"

Glancing at Midoriya, his eyes had grown wide. Despite the worried look on his face, even he couldn't resist the magic. There was a twinkle in his eyes and they were completely glued onto the float. His expression reminded me of the time I bought Himawari that popsicle.

"Look! It's Endeavor!!" A voice announced. The crowd noticeably got livelier upon seeing the Number 2 hero making his appearance. A tall man wearing a stern expression walked through. He wore a tight jumpsuit that fluctuated his muscular build and had steel gauntlets on each of his arms. His hot flames that served as a mask and mustache fluttered in the wind as he passed by. He didn't bother interacting with the crowd.

"W-wow! It's the Number 2 hero! His Quirk is Hellflame, which allows him to control an intense fire at will," Midoriya explained. His face grew red and he lowered his head. "S-sorry, now's not the time for that. We gotta get help!"

The two of us began to push our way through the crowd, trying to tell somebody about Hiro's situation. While doing so, Endeavor and I locked eyes. They looked familiar but they felt foreign. Honestly, it looked like he wanted to burn me to a crisp. Although I looked away a second later, I felt his deep and callous gaze pierce into me. What's with him? Why's he staring at me?

Just as he passed by, another firework shot up in the air. Did they mess up again? Bending my neck back up to the sky, I saw an orb of light speeding up. But for some reason, it didn't look right. Something felt off.

"I enjoy fireworks the most. Perhaps it's because...nobody could hear you scream."

"Um, Midoriya..." I started. I placed my hand on his shoulder but kept my gaze on the firework.

The orb exploded, and the sky erupted in red sparkles. As it began to take shape, the figure of the letter C appeared. And then, more exploded. They were letters: R, I, M, S, O, N. Another one flew up in the air and it was so loud that I almost mistook it for a bomb. When it took form, it was different from the others; it wasn't a letter this time. When I squinted my eyes at the darkness, my heart skipped.

It's a moon. An eclipse.

"I really think we should leave," I said again, nudging Midoriya more sternly.

Midoriya turned to me innocently. "What's wrong, Onishi? You look worried."

Before I could reply, a deafening explosion erupted in front of us. People around screamed and yelled, and we instinctively ducked. Shielding ourselves with our hands, a huge smoke cloud blew in our faces. The smell of burnt rubber and wood filled my nose. And soon, I smelled fire. By the time the smoke cleared up enough to where I could see Midoriya, I saw a flame in the distance along with several figures wearing red uniforms. They each had bandanas that covered their mouths.

"O-Onishi, where are you?" Midoriya coughed. I barely heard him because my ears were ringing.

"I'm here," I quickly responded. I stretched my fingers out and grabbed onto his shirt. I scanned around cautiously and saw the uniformed villains begin to make their way into the crowd while shouting and shrieking echoed all around us. Clutching his left arm, I pulled him up on his feet and told him that we had to go. I could see a bit amidst all the smoke coverage, and did my best to navigate back to the lakeside.