Chapter 125: Chapter 125 : Broadcasted Bravery
The world was watching.
Screens flickered across the city—cafés, waiting rooms, corner stalls, school auditoriums, emergency shelters. In Kamino, dust still hung in the air, glowing red under the fires that hadn't yet been extinguished. And at the heart of it all, a boy in dented armor stood, bloodied and cracked and shaking—but still upright.
The camera drones caught it all.
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Class 1-A
"That's... him," Deku whispered, eyes wide.
Beside him, Bakugo said nothing. His fists were clenched so tight the knuckles had turned white.
Iida lowered his hand from his mouth, glasses fogged over. "That's the one they called the Mumen Rider."
Sero's voice cracked. "He's… not a pro. Right? He's not even licensed."
Mina whispered, "Does that matter right now?"
They watched as Satoru charged forward again. A strike from All For One sent him flying through a wrecked car, but he got up—limping, coughing, smiling through the blood.
"Why does he keep standing up?" Tsuyu asked softly.
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Hospital – Nurse Station, Night Shift
Sayaka stood alone in the hallway, nails digging into her arms. The nurses had tried to make her sit. She wouldn't.
On the mounted wall television, Satoru was struggling to his feet again, fingers trembling as he pushed against the cracked concrete.
"He can't win," one of the younger nurses murmured.
Sayaka turned sharply.
"No," she said. "But winning isn't why he's there."
Tears welled in her eyes. She pressed her knuckles to her lips.
"You already proved it, Satoru," she whispered. "You don't need to do this alone anymore."
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Minato Ward – Kojima Flower Shop
Miyako didn't know she had stopped working until a potted azalea slipped through her hands and shattered at her feet. Soil scattered across the floor.
On the store's dusty little TV in the corner, she saw the helmet crack. She saw Satoru, barely on his feet, throw a punch that didn't even land—and still take the hit that followed like it mattered.
But Miyako was crying. Quietly. She picked up the pieces of the pot one by one, hands shaking.
"Why didn't he say anything?" she whispered.
"Why did he go alone?"
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Underground Bunker – Evacuated Civilians Shelter
The man who once mocked the Helmet Hero sat among other evacuees, staring at the projected image with wide, tear-brimmed eyes.
Beside him, a mother clutched her young son. The child leaned forward, whispering, "That's the man who carried me out of the fire."
One by one, murmurs spread.
"That's him—he saved my husband from the collapsed stairwell."
"He stopped the car from hitting my boy."
"That's the rider—the one who never used a quirk."
Old men, children, shopkeepers, workers. People from different districts. All watching one boy refuse to stay down.
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Kamino – On the Ground
Kana tried to move. Her muscles screamed. Her injured leg throbbed with every twitch.
She saw him fly—again—smashing through a streetlamp. Blood trailed behind him like smoke.
And again, Satoru rose.
He dragged himself forward, unarmed, unguarded, and unyielding.
All For One stared at him in quiet disgust, voice dripping with disdain.
"This is absurd. You're nothing but a ghost in armor. You cannot stop me."
Satoru coughed, one eye swelling shut.
He looked over his shoulder—at Kana and her mother still crumpled behind him.
Then he looked up at All For One.
"Maybe."
"But you're not getting past me."
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Class 1-A POV
The place was silent. The only sound was the labored breathing through the broadcast feed and the hum of the hovering drone.
Then Deku moved. Quietly. He stepped forward and clench his fists.
His voice was hoarse. Soft.
"That's a real hero."
Behind him, Bakugo looked away.
"Tch… damn idiot."
But no one disagreed.
---
Hospital Room 306
The monitor beeped softly.
And then, suddenly—it spiked.
Satoru's mother stirred, her fingers twitching.
The nurse monitoring the vitals gasped. "She's… waking up—!"
On the flickering screen across the room, her son stood again.
Bloody.
Broken.
Unbowed.
---
Somewhere, someone whispered:
"Even if he falls… he already showed us how to rise."