scars can fade [bakudeku]

chapter 19 - the number one hero

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don't quit."

-Conrad Hilton

***

A helicopter is flying through the air and a news reporter is trying to comment on what they see through the mist and smoke from the fight. "We don't know what happened exactly, but bystanders said the bank exploded and a villain escaped with loads of stolen money. Some others have said they saw the number one hero run in, but no sign from anyone since. And it won't be long until the building loses its last bit of stability and collapses. We'll keep you updated."
It's hard to see anything through the flames and smoke, and all bystanders are waiting nervously. Only a few casualties are outside right now, they managed to escape right before the biggest damage was done. Relatives and close friends of the people caught in the explosion inside are trembling with fear, hoping for a miracle.
They wait, and wait, and wait, hoping for pro hero Kacchan to get everyone out before the building collapses, but they doubt it. There were at least 100 people inside, there's no way a single person can save them all. And besides all that, the villain got away, there's no telling if and where the next attack will take place, there might be a lot more casualties in the future.

Everyone watches in shock as the building collapses, "He didn't escape. He didn't save them." The new reporter says, their voice filled with a tone of disbelief and realisation "The unbeatable Kacchan, I doubt even he could survive a collapse this big. I'm afraid we didn't just lose 100 casualties, but-" the news reporter falls silent as they notice the scene changing. Loud bangs and explosions are heard and, after at least ten of them, a hole is made, shooting all the debris to the side. A sweating and exhausted hero comes crawling through, holding two small and unconscious children on his back. He's followed by other casualties, most of them conscious, some of them unconscious, being carried by another person. Estimating, there's more than 90 people following him, most of them are in shock, they're all happy they managed to get out.
After bringing the two unconscious children to the ambulance, the number one hero Kacchan gets flooded by questions from journalists and news reporters.

"One at a time, please. You there." Kacchan says, pointing to one of the news reporters
"Did you manage to get everyone out or are some people still trapped?"
"I'm 95% certain I got everyone out, but it's important to keep searching in case we missed someone. Next question, you perhaps."
"What about the villain?"
"I called pro hero Shoto while rushing in to get everyone to safety, I knew he was in town. I'm sure he'll have solved that problem by now. Someone else, you."
"Why do you always keen on saving everyone?"
"Because of a promise I made in the past which I couldn't keep in the end."
"Please elaborate. Which promise? To whom?"
"The promise to save my childhood friend, who didn't make it this far." He pauses, not focusing on the new questions they ask him. He became the number one hero, he kept that promise, but as long as people still live oblivious, without knowing his past, he won't be able to fully move on. He has been wanting to tell the world about his past, it's time everyone knows who he is. And if that ends his career, then so be it, everyone deserves to know.
"Please quiet down, I'll answer all your questions with a story about my childhood. Please allow me to run through it all. After that, you're allowed to judge me, and judge if I'm still allowed to be called the number one hero. Or a hero in general." Everyone quiets down, they don't even dare to whisper. All of them are focused on the fact that whatever he's going to tell them will be the biggest breakthrough of their carrier. "The promise I made was to my childhood friend, I'd consider the words 'best friend'. His biggest dream was to be a hero, one who would save everyone with a smile on his face. My biggest dream was to beat up every villain, making sure no one would be put in danger in the first place. And one day, I made him a promise, I promised him I'd save him whenever he got in trouble. I promised I'd always have his back. But things took a different turn than we anticipated. He turned out to be quirkless, and I was flooded with fear, because if he were to become a hero, he'd be in constant danger, having no way of protecting himself. And so, I started bullying him, trying to drill the words 'you can't be a hero' into his head, making sure he wouldn't dare to start a hero course and get himself killed in the end. But the bullying gradually got worse, I had forgotten about my promise during that time, I didn't even know why I was bullying him, all I knew is that I was. And I told him words I've regretted every moment of my life, even now. I told him that the only way for him to become a hero was to pray he'll be born with a quirk in his next life, and to take a swan dive off of the roof of a building." A mutual silence is heard everywhere, it's as if the whole world is holding their breath "Fast forward a year, he got into the heroes course of U.A., he miraculously gained a powerful quirk. But I hadn't stopped bullying him, it had become a habit I couldn't get rid of. About a week before the one year anniversary of me saying those awful words, I found out he had been hurting himself in more ways than one and was suddenly reminded of my own promise. And I renewed that promise, but there was no possibility of saving him anymore. A week later, marking a year after I told him to off himself, he jumped off of our old middle school building. And I was there, I saw it happen and couldn't do a thing. And I wasn't able to save him a second and last time. So I promised myself, no matter who it is or where they are, I'd save everyone, I'd be there on time, I'd save them because I couldn't save him." Kacchan lets out a sighs of guilt yet relief, he's finally come clean. No matter what's waiting for him now, he's prepared to take all the blame "That is, if you all still want me as a hero."