Katherine Ride: Battlefield *BOOK TWO*

Season Four- Making Your Friends Cry 101

"You're right. Compared to the Pro Heroes present, my experience as a hero-in-training is nothing. Not when you all have so many years of service under your belts. In that respect, I'm no different than my classmates."

The entire room watched Katherine as she spoke. Looking at them all, she inhaled again. "However, I'm not coming to you as someone with the experience of a Pro Hero. I'm coming to you as someone with the experience of the young girl we're rescuing."

At that, it felt like there was a collective gasp, though realistically it was probably only one or two people. She hesitated, losing her focus as whispers started to circle the room.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab hers. It was Midoriya's—she could tell by the scars. Katherine glanced at him, and he nodded encouragingly, urging her to go on. She gave him a small smile, then turned back to the crowd and continued. "I was in a situation akin to Eri's when I was younger. Unfortunately, I didn't have the privilege of being rescued and spent five years in confinement until I grew powerful enough to save myself. With the similarities between us, I'm here to make sure we get her out in a way that protects her physically and emotionally. So, let me ask you all a question—what's your plan if she refuses to come with us?"

The room was silent, then Fatgum spoke up. "What does that mean? Why would she refuse?"

"Simple. She's scared," Katherine answered. "Just think, why didn't she stay with Togata and Midoriya when they found her? She knew they were heroes."

"Chisaki," Midoriya said suddenly. "He started to get agitated with us, and that's when she went back to him."

"Exactly. He's the source of her fear. She knows what he's capable of because she's been victim to it firsthand. If she's watched him kill others, which is more than likely, she'll fear for our lives. From how she reacted when he threatened Midoriya and Togata, it sounds like she doesn't want anyone else to die. Eri knows as well as we do that Chisaki will lose it when we try to rescue her, and if he's around when we give her the option to leave, she'll deny us."

"Then isn't it better not to give her an option?" Rock Lock asked. "We know she wants to leave; when she refuses, we take her anyways. It's better for her in the long run."

Katherine's grip on Midoriya's hand tightened. "That's not how this works. Eri needs to make the choice. If we make it for her, it will wreck her trust in us. That's why I said we need to protect her physically and emotionally."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Sir Nighteye inquired.

"Firstly, we need to separate her from Chisaki. That's extremely important. Secondly, she needs to see someone she's familiar with if we want any chance of rescuing her," she listed, turning to Midoriya and Mirio. "You two—I don't care if it's both or just one—need to get to her first. Eri's already come to you for help once. Hopefully, second time's a charm."

The two stared at her, then nodded determinedly. "We won't let you down," Mirio declared.

"It's not me you have to worry about," Katherine said bluntly. She turned to Sir Nighteye. "Does that all sound good to you, sir?"

"It does. Thank you, Ride. But I have to ask—what do you wish for your role on this mission to be?"

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Sir Nighteye pushed his glasses up. "I had assumed as someone with similar experiences, you'd advocate yourself to be the first to talk to Eri. Seeing as you haven't, I'm under the impression you'd prefer a smaller role to avoid any emotional strain. I understand this will likely be a stressful encounter for you. I only wish for clarification."