Chapter 118 (Vigilantes)

Golden Age (黄金時代) is the one hundred and eighteenth chapter of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Summary
All For One observes Koichi, examining how his Slide and Glide Quirk is a simple one with force fields that can repulse or absorb in someway, remarking on his relative mastery of the Quirk, while also noting the Quirk itself is the “height of mediocrity”. He notes that the occasional high-output bursts are fleeting, that he runs out of steam shortly afterward, and that it’s simply just polished use of a Quirk that lacks any decisive power… at least that’s what he thought.

Koichi unleashes his Knuckle Style punch at Number 6, a high-powered rush which All For One notes has Number 6’s Destruction Style plasma body hammered apart by the rapid flurry of blows. Number 6 quickly regenerates, which the Pop☆Step illusion warns him about, only to be surprised by Koichi’s relieved face, as he realizes he can keep throwing his strong punches as long as it doesn’t it his real body, continuing to buy time.

Number 6 goes in for another blast, forcing Koichi to start running again, with the Pop and Knuckleduster illusions following suit. Sliding away from a falling building, Koichi points out how bad it would’ve been if all this went down around a more populated area, and did the smart move of going to the old town. Pop asks if he should run to safety, but Koichi comments that he’s surprisingly feeling at the top of his game, sliding all the way up the top of a building, throwing more flurry punches toward Number 6.

All For One reflects on the abnormally powerfully output Koichi is releasing, far more than should be possible, likely drawing from a source of passion which he’s imbuing his fists with. He thinks about how his Quirk has begun to reveal its true potential, wondering if he was disgusing it as a weak Quirk the whole time, or if his trial has triggered explosive growth, asking him what drives him and what obsession spurred him to evolve.

Pop continues to yell at Koichi to run and evade his attacks, as his regeneration is quick, with Knuckleduster adding to wait for an opening and hit back. Leaping into the air, Koichi counters Number 6’s incoming punch with a punch of his own, being flung backwards as he thinks to himself that even though he should be more cautious, he’s having so much fun now, beginning to fall with a smile on his face.

Koichi thinks back to his youth, how just like so many other kids, he loved playing hero games, and his friends in the neighborhood would always spend the day caught up in their fantasies. Even from back then, he was never good at reading the room, so when everyone else started to go home for the day, he was always the last kid left on the playground, finally realizing that all the fun ended a while ago.

By the time he entered high school, his friends would always say how they moved on from the hero dream, and knowing the only way to become a hero was going to one of the hero schools, that’s when he knew he had to start thinking about living a regular life. So, he decided to finally read the room, started to prep for a proper life, with the childish games ending early while he was caught up in all the fun. Back in the present, Koichi realizes that today is the day the dream comes to an end, as back all alone, Number 6’s sends his punch forward, seemingly engulfing him in flames.

Chapter Notes

 * Koichi continues to unleash his flurry of punches toward Number 6's plasma body, intending to buy some more time.
 * All For One observes Koichi's fighting, noting how his power has far exceeded what should be possible, wondering if it is the Quirk's true potential, or Koichi's himself.
 * Koichi reflects back on his time as a kid and in high school, playing hero and eventually being told on needing to give up on his dream.
 * Number 6 seemingly engulfs Koichi in a flurry of flames.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Number 6
 * Koichi Haimawari
 * All For One (Illusion)
 * Pop☆Step (Fantasy)
 * Knuckleduster (Fantasy)

Trivia

 * This chapter was initially titled All the Fun (楽しい時間) but was amended for the volume release.