Kazama guided the last group of passengers toward the life rafts, his movements careful despite the pain radiating through his back. The boat's deck was now tilted at nearly twenty-five degrees.

  "That's everyone from this section!" the elderly gentleman called out, doing a quick headcount. "Eighteen people, including the children!"

  "Good," Kazama said, his voice hoarse. He pointed toward the nearest life raft, already holding about a dozen people. "Get in that one. Once you're secure, paddle away from the boat. At least fifty meters. The suction when it goes down will be dangerous."

  "What about you?" Kenji's mother asked, still holding her son close. "You're coming with us, right?"

  Kazama shook his head. "I need to make sure everyone else is clear. Just go. Please."

  A middle-aged man in a torn tuxedo stepped forward. "The hero. Tanaka. He's still fighting that monster. You're going to help him now? With this condition?"

  "Something like that," Kazama replied evasively.

  Kenji tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mama, will he be alright?."

  The boy's mother looked at Kazama for a long moment, then nodded. "He will be. He is a hero after all" She climbed into the life raft, helping Kenji in after her.

  The elderly gentleman was the last to board. He paused, one foot in the raft and looked back at Kazama. "Whatever happens tonight, young man, you should know that you saved lives. Real lives. That matters. I hope one day you will be able to do that without a mask".

  Kazama said nothing but a part of him felt proud and there was a smile hidden beneath his mask. He nodded at the gentleman.

  The man nodded back and climbed in. Within moments, the passengers began paddling away from the sinking vessel, their strokes synchronized by the elderly gentleman's commands. Other life rafts dotted the dark water around them.

  Kazama watched them go, making sure they were maintaining distance from the boat. The nearest raft was already forty meters away.

  Behind him, an explosion of fire lit up the night. The sound of stone cracking echoed across the water. Tanaka and Rico were still at it.

  The boat's going down. Maybe ten minutes, maybe less. Now that those people have safely evacuated, we can deal with this boulder guy. The fighting between those two heavyweights is only going to speed up this sinking process. I need to get this boat to the shore, Kazama thought after setting his priorities straight.

  Kazama turned and ran back toward the main deck, his injured body protesting every movement. But as he passed the tilted entrance to the lower decks, a thought struck him.

  The engine room. If I could get the boat moving, even just a little, then I can surely move it to the shore. That's only about five hundred meters away. It would prevent any backup from the mafia affecting the evacuated people and give Tanaka solid ground to fight on. The sole focus would be the boat on the shore.

  But the engine room was flooded. Powerless. The entire lower deck was probably underwater by now.

  Then I'll have to make it work anyway.

  Kazama descended into the darkness.

  The stairwell was completely submerged. Water lapped at the ceiling, leaving only inches of air space. Kazama took a deep breath and dove under with his eyes straining in the murky darkness. His hands found the railing and he pulled himself down, deeper into the flooded bowels of the ship.

  The engine room door loomed ahead, hanging open and crooked on its hinges. Water poured through it in a constant flow, carrying debris and oil. Kazama swam through with his chest screaming for air.

  He surfaced in a pocket of air near the ceiling of the engine room. Gasping, he looked around at the devastation Rico had caused.

  The engines were intact but completely submerged. Electrical panels sparked and fizzled underwater and their circuits fried. Control panels hung loose from their moorings. The floor was littered with broken machinery and twisted metal.

  This is worse than I thought. Even if I could pump out the water, the electrical systems are completely destroyed. There's no way to start the engines conventionally.

  Kazama's mind raced, analyzing the problem like a puzzle. The engines themselves were probably fine as they were built to be resilient. The issue was power. The ship's electrical systems were shot, and the backup generators were underwater and non-functional.

  But I don't need the ship's power. I have my own.

  The idea was insane. Possibly suicidal. But it might work.

  First, the water. I need to clear enough space to work.

  Kazama dove back under, swimming to the far wall where the main drainage pumps were located. They were manual pumps, designed as a backup in case of electrical failure. He found the wheel valve and tried to turn it.

  It didn't budge. Water pressure had locked it solid.

  Electricity crackled around Kazama's hands as he gripped the wheel. He poured current into the metal, heating it rapidly. The metal expanded. With tremendous effort, Kazama turned the wheel.

  The valve opened. Water began rushing out through the drainage system, flowing back into the ocean through vents in the hull. But it wasn't fast enough. The water level barely dropped.

  I need more drainage points.

  Kazama swam through the engine room, opening every manual valve he could find. His lungs burned. His vision started to blur from lack of oxygen. But he kept working, driven by desperate determination.

  Finally, the water level began to drop noticeably. Slowly, the engine room began to empty. Kazama surfaced again, gulping air. The water was now at chest level and dropping.

  Alright. Think. The engines run on diesel but they need electrical power to start. Starter motors and fuel injection. All electrical. If I can provide that power directly...

  Kazama began tearing open access panels, exposing the engine's internal wiring. His hands worked quickly, sorting through the mess of cables and circuits. He identified the main power bus.

  This is going to hurt.

  Kazama gripped the exposed wires with both hands. Then he channeled electricity directly from his body into the ship's electrical system.

  The current surged through him and into the dead wires. Every muscle in his body locked up. Pain exploded through his nervous system as he essentially became a living power source. The engines groaned and shuddered. Fuel pumps began to whine. Starter motors engaged with a grinding sound.

  Come on. Come on!

  The main engine coughed once. Twice. Black smoke belched from somewhere below. Then, with a roar that shook the entire room, the engine caught and rumbled to life.

  Kazama collapsed against the control panel, releasing the wires. His body was shaking uncontrollably from the massive discharge of electricity. But the engines were running. The ship had power.

  Now to steer this thing.

  The steering controls were on the bridge but Kazama didn't have time to get up there. Instead, he waded to the engine telegraph. He set it to "Full Ahead" and adjusted the rudder controls manually, turning the ship toward shore.

  The boat shuddered and began to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Water still poured in through Rico's damage but now they were moving toward shore rather than sinking in the middle of the channel.

  That's all I can do. Now it's up to Tanaka.

  Kazama dragged himself back toward the stairs, his body screaming in protest with every movement.

  ************************************************************************************************************************

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  On the main deck, Tanaka and Rico circled each other like predators. The deck was a war zone with scorched wood, craters from impacts, twisted metal and small fires burning in isolated spots.

  Rico's rocky exterior was covered in cracks and missing chunks. Steam rose from his surface where Tanaka's fist had superheated the stone. But he was still standing, still fighting.

  "You're persistent," Tanaka said, dancing around with his fists. "I'll give you that."

  "I don't have a choice," Rico growled. "My son's life depends on this."

  "There's always a choice," Tanaka replied. "You chose your son over everyone else on this boat."

  "What would you do?" Rico shot back. "If it was your child? If you had the power to save them but it meant becoming a villain?"

  Tanaka's expression hardened. "I would find another way."

  "Easy to say when you're not the one watching your child die!"

  Rico charged, his massive fists swinging in a brutal combination. Tanaka dodged the first punch, blocked the second with a burst of his red hot fist that cracked more of Rico's stone armor, then countered with a flaming uppercut that caught Rico in the ribs.

  Stone shattered. Rico stumbled back, a chunk of his torso missing, exposing darker rock beneath. But he kept moving and kept fighting.

  They crashed through a decorative pillar, the structure collapsing around them. Rico grabbed Tanaka and threw him bodily into the wall of the dining hall. The impact created a crater in the wooden wall. Tanaka rolled with it, coming up with his fists even brighter.

  Tanaka spun and slammed into Rico like a comet. The impact drove Rico backward, his feet leaving twin trails in the deck as he slid.

  Rico roared and stomped the ground. The deck buckled, sending Tanaka off balance. Rico capitalized, landing a devastating punch to Tanaka's shoulder that sent the hero spinning.

  Tanaka hit the deck hard, pain flaring through his shoulder as it got dislocated. He rolled to his feet, favoring his left side now. He instantly snapped his shoulder back in its place.

  Rico charged again but this time Tanaka was ready. He sidestepped and delivered a precise strike to Rico's knee. The impact concentrated into a single point, burning with white-hot intensity.

  The stone around Rico's knee cracked and fell away. Rico stumbled, his leg buckling. But he converted the stumble into a sweeping attack with his massive arm swinging low and catching Tanaka across the chest. Tanaka instantly crossed his arms to brace for impact.

  The hero flew backward, crashing into the remains of the wedding altar. Wood and flowers scattered. Tanaka coughed, tasting blood. A rib was cracked.

  This was turning into a battle of attrition. Both of them took damage. Both of them were worn down. The question was who would break first.

  Then Tanaka felt it. The ship was moving. Not sinking but moving forward under power.

  The vigilante. He got the engines running. Which means…, Tanaka thought as he felt this could change things.

  Tanaka looked toward shore. They were less than a hundred meters out now and closing fast.

  He's giving me solid ground.

  "Your ship is heading for shore!" Tanaka called out to Rico. "In about thirty seconds, this is going to be a very different fight!"

  Rico glanced toward shore, his stone face unreadable. Then he charged one more time, desperate to end this before they beached.

  Tanaka met him head-on.

  ************************************************************************************************************************

  The boat's hull scraped against sand and rocks with a grinding screech that echoed across the water. The vessel shuddered violently. Then came to a stop, tilting at a forty-degree angle, half on the beach and half in the water.

  The impact threw both fighters off balance. Tanaka recovered first.

  "End of the line," Tanaka said while reigniting his fists.

  Rico struggled to his feet, his damaged body barely holding together. Cracks covered his entire form. Missing chunks exposed the darker stone beneath. But his eyes still burned with desperate determination.

  "I can't... I can't fail. Gabriel..." Rico uttered as he charged once again.

  Tanaka dropped into a stance, both fists pulled back. The ground beneath him cracked and buckled. A chunk of asphalt tore free, spiraling upward in a vortex of debris. The road fragments fused with his arm, which began glowing molten red.

  "BLAZING UPPERCUT!"

  Tanaka launched forward, his entire body behind the punch. His flaming fist connected with Rico's chin with the force of an explosion. The uppercut lifted Rico completely off his feet, sending him flying into the air. This was way more powerful than the “BLAZING FIST” Tanaka had used.

  Rico tumbled through the night sky, his massive form silhouetted against the stars. For a moment, he seemed to hang suspended and then gravity began to reclaim him.

  But Tanaka wasn't done.

  The hero launched himself into the air after pounding the ground with hands locked in, rocketing upward to meet Rico mid-flight. He spun in the air, building momentum, both fists coming together overhead.

  "BLAZING HEAVEN STRIKE!"

  Tanaka brought both flaming fists down on Rico's chest with devastating force. Fire exploded outward from the point of impact. The impact drove Rico downward like a meteor, accelerating his fall.

  Rico slammed into the beach with a thunderous crash that shook the ground. Sand and rocks exploded outward in a crater. The impact was so violent that windows shattered in nearby buildings.

  When the dust settled, Rico laid motionless in the center of the crater. His rocky form was shattered, cracks running through every inch of his body. Chunks of his stone armor had broken away, leaving him diminished and vulnerable.

  Tanaka landed nearby, breathing hard. His uniform was torn and burned. His shoulder throbbed. His ribs ached with every breath. But he was standing and Rico wasn't.

  It's over.

  Tanaka approached the crater carefully, flames still flickering around his hands in case Rico had any fight left. But Rico didn't move. His chest rose and fell with labored breaths but he was done.

  Movement caught Tanaka's eye. The vigilante, Kazama, was limping down the tilted deck of the beached boat. His movements were stiff, every step clearly painful.

  "You got the engines running. You got the boat to the shore. Trust me, that gave me the upper edge," Tanaka called up to him. "Impressive work."

  Kazama carefully made his way down to the beach, using the twisted railing for support. Up close, Tanaka could see the extent of his injuries with the way he favored his right side.

  "The boat's beached," Kazama said quietly. "The channel's clear. Everyone's safe."

  "Thanks to both of us," Tanaka acknowledged. Then his expression turned serious. "But I have a question, vigilante."

  "You pushed him around the deck multiple times. Moved him from one end to the other. Used his weight to balance the ship. You're clearly a tactical thinker." Tanaka gestured at the ocean. "So why didn't you just push him overboard? He's made of rock. He'd sink like a stone. The fight would have been over in seconds."

  Kazama was silent for a long moment. Then he looked at Rico's motionless form.

  "Because he would drown," Kazama said simply.

  "He's a villain. He tried to sink a ship full of innocent people. He would have killed dozens." Tanaka replied with a frown.

  "I know what he is," Kazama replied, his voice harder now. "But I'm not that kind of hero. I don't kill. I don't know his situation. How did he become this? Why did he turn to the mafia? There are many questions. And it's hard to judge based on them".

  Tanaka studied the masked vigilante carefully. "That kind of thinking will get people killed someday. Either civilians you're trying to protect or yourself. Sometimes the hard choice is the right choice."

  "Maybe," Kazama said. "But I'd rather die trying to save everyone than live knowing I took the easy way out. That I could have done more. That I could have saved one more life. Regardless of who it is."

  "The easy way?" Tanaka's voice rose slightly. "You think killing is easy? You think professional heroes don't wrestle with these decisions every day?"

  "That's not what I…" Kazama tried to reply but got cut off.

  "You're young. Idealistic. You think you can save everyone, redeem everyone, give everyone a second chance." Tanaka's hands now cooled off and dimmed, his voice becoming quieter but no less intense. "But reality doesn't work that way. Eventually, you'll face a situation where someone has to die. Where the only way to save innocent lives is to end a guilty one. And when that moment comes, your hesitation could cost everything."

  Kazama's jaw clenched beneath his mask. "I'll deal with that if it happens. But until then, I do things my way."

  Before Tanaka could respond, the sound of approaching sirens filled the air. Two figures descended from the sky, landing on the beach near the crater.

  Nakamura Shinya. Japan's Number 12 Hero.

  Yoshida Takeshi. Japan's Number 15 Hero.

  The same heroes working under Toji The same ones present when Hiro was killed. The same ones who pulled the trigger and covered it up like it was nothing.

  "Tanaka," Nakamura said, nodding to his fellow hero. "Looks like you handled things here."

  "Not alone. There was this…. vigilante," Tanaka replied, glancing at Kazama. But Kazama was gone.

  “I don't see anyone else here. Perhaps this battle of yours got you hallucinating" Yoshida said with a faint smile.

  "He helped me. He was here," Tanaka interjected with confusion on his face. "Without him, people would have died."

  "We'll note that in our report," Nakamura said diplomatically. "So everyone is safe and the threat has been neutralized?"

  “Yes for the time being,” Tanaka replied while dusting off his clothes.

  “We should look for the vigilante then. We can't have more trouble running around” Yoshida said while scouting the area with the binoculars.

  "Secure the villain first. If he gets away, we would have more trouble to deal with," Tanaka ordered. "He's the priority."

  “Tanaka, right? What was your rank again?” Yoshida asked with a serious tone with frowned eyebrows.

  “47. Why? What does that have to do with restraining that rock guy?” Tanaka asked with hands on his waist and confusion on his face.

  “You see. We are in the top 20. And there is a reason for that. We got clear instructions from Toji-san to look into this. So we are going to take over this case now.” Yoshida stated while gesturing with hands to explain the situation. He made it clear who has the real authority here.

  Toji-san huh. He is the one who got me out of that early morning high schooler showdown mess. What was his name again…. Ah Kazama Raiden. If he is overlooking this case with the help of these guys then it's fine I guess. But I didn't like the attitude of this Yoshida. Who does he think he is? Tchh, Tanaka thought while scratching his chin and analyzing the situation at hand.

  “Fine. Do keep me updated regarding this then. I will leave it to you guys.” Tanaka said as he bowed to show respect. He had one last look at the fallen Rico and then walked off from the site.

  Stay safe, kid. And learn to make the hard choices before they make them for you, Tanaka thought as he looked to the sky while wondering about Kazama.