Chapter 98 (Vigilantes)

A Rational Persuasion Method (合理的説得法) is the ninety-eighth chapter of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Summary
Eraser Head confronts Koichi, who tries to converse with him all the while the Vigilante tries to keep his distance. Eraser Head berates at Koichi for his actions, running away from all the Heroes who have been dispatched for his sake, and how they’re even on a side, jokingly referring to him as the “Sky Egg Kid”. He, however, thinks it’s irrational, as people like him don’t stop and reflect on their actions until people get hurt, so there’s no use.

Knowing he’s making the threats to get him to surrender, he tries to make a getaway, realizing that his Slide And Glide has stopped working, due to Eraser Head’s Erasure, but manages to recover and quickly dash away on foot, to Eraser Head’s surprise. Koichi runs through the streets passing by civilians, while Eraser Head chases after him above. The civilians ponder what’s going on, when they’re shocked by the emergence of several faceless figures in trench coats that slowly start to fill the streets.

Koichi recalls the Hotta Brothers mentioning about how Eraser’s Quirk works, so sneaks into the backalleys to stay out of his sight and make a getaway. Eraser Head manages to catch up anyway, once again erasing his Quirk, leading Koichi to remember that due to his past Hero work in the area, his shortcuts aren’t so secret.

Despite this, Koichi pulls out Knuckleduster’s grappling hook which he uses to quickly swing away to get out of Eraser Head’s view. The Hero uses this moment to notice how unfazed both times Koichi was by his Erasure, and that he managed to switch to Quirkless maneuvers so easily, allowing himself to hide before attempting another escape, which he does by blasting into the air; Eraser thinks about him as "one tough customer".

Back at the hospital, Naomasa receives a report from Team Idaten about Koichi being on the run and how Eraser Head and the other Heroes are closing in on his location. Midnight then receives a call from Soga who asks to speak with Naomasa. He apologizes for giving him the slip, and saying that he was intending to negotiate with him after Koichi had escaped, unaware that he sent a whole group of Heroes after him.

Soga tells Naomasa to call off the Heroes because there’s no point in extending their cat and mouse game, that all they want to do is guard the hospital, and that they’ll accept any punishment once it is all over. Naomasa still refuses to budge, but Soga mentions how Eizo Tanuma is someone who’d try to meet in the middle, and that he knows the two groups being at each other’s throats is what the enemy wants.

At this exact moment, Number 6 gleefully overhears the conversation, musing at how the Heroes, cops, and Vigilantes are too busy fighting each other to realize they should be allies. The hallucination of O’Clock tells 6 that the key to everything is teamwork, to prevent your enemies from teaming up and ensuring your side is on the same page. He then tells him that with so many Heroes around, it is the perfect place for a test drive, and that it is time to demonstrate his abilities, which 6 is happy to comply.

Number 6 unleashes an electric shock straight into the air, as the trenchcoat figures each grow 6’s scar on their faces. Suddenly, the power in the entire city is shut down in an event that would become known as “Nightmare Night: The Naruhata Lockdown.”

Chapter Notes

 * Koichi continues to evade Eraser Head, who's surprised at how efficiently he's able to accomplish it, despite his Erasure.
 * The rest of the Pro Heroes keep up with their chase.
 * Soga once again tries to convince Naomasa to call off the Heroes and compromise on their situation, knowing the enemy wants them distracted.
 * Number 6 uses the opportunity to incite a massive blackout in the city.
 * He also dispatches several faceless beings throughout the city which he seemingly has some control over.

Trivia

 * This chapter was initially titled Irrational (合理的じゃない) but was amended for the volume release.