Chapter 97 (Vigilantes)

Pursuers (追跡者) is the ninety-seventh chapter of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Summary
Koichi manages to shake off the police’s pursuits, sliding in-between the buildings, as he prepares to make his way back to the hospital hidden. However, he is then approached by Ingenium chasing after him, telling him he wants to talk. Koichi uses his Quirk to attach himself to a moving truck to listen, where Ingenium tells him he knows that he’s in danger and they want to do what they can to help him and Pop. Koichi tells him that once Pop is better he’ll go to the police, but for now he can’t as he blasts away apologizing to him.

Shortly before the escape, Koichi had suggested cooperating with the heroes and cops, but Soga denies this, saying that “their guy” had already been able to infiltrate the police station by exploiting their gaps, and their best effort now is to protect it from the outside, with Koichi remaining free to act at a moment’s notice. As he starts to head back into Naruhata to evade Ingenium, he reveals that the rest of his group at Team Idaten had anticipated this and prepared a trap, but Koichi is able to escape them by blasting up into the sky. Ingenium notes that thanks to his new found versatility, he may be too much for them to handle, and leaves the job to someone else.

While in the air, Koichi is distracted by a “Spiral Spear Hand” that shoots at him from behind, forcing him to land on the rooftops, where he is faced by Best Jeanist and Edgeshot. Best Jeanist refers to him as “the Unsung Hero of the Sky Egg Disaster”, that they are also aware of the being out to get him and Pop, and that they want to win back the trust in the Pros that he supposedly doubts.

Koichi tries to back off, but Best Jeanist proceeds to use his Quirk to bind the jacket he was wearing over him to become a straitjacket. Desperate, despite being bound Koichi uses his Quirk to slide away and jump off the building. Jeanist and Edgeshot quickly use their Quirks to prevent him from falling. Best jeanist uses his Super Move Catching Cradle to create a web of threads with which to prevent Koichi from falling to the ground, while Edgeshot uses Fishhook Snag and catches Koichi. However, in doing so, the garments that restrain Koichi loosened up for brief seconds and he uses this opportunity to escape the bind and slink away.

Both Best Jeanist and Edgeshot are surprised that Koichi managed to evade them. The Fiber Hero admits they have misjudged Koichi's sheer resolve, to which the Ninja Hero adds that when a desperate opponent doesn't prioritize his own wellbeing, capturing him without injuries becomes a challenge. Best Jeanist cannot deny the evidence, but clarifies, as Pro-Heroes, excuses are beneath them as they both set out to go after The Crawler.

As it nears nighttime, Koichi manages to avoid most other conflicts as he heads back to the hospital through the Naruhata alleyways, only to be confronted by someone else. He tells them that the “surface dwellers” aren’t equipped for the likes of him, and that these ruins are his hunting grounds, as Eraser Head reveals himself.

Chapter Notes

 * Koichi faces off against Ingenium, Team Idaten, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot, escaping from all of them.
 * It is revealed they do not want to work with the police or Pros so as to keep them free from another one of Number 6's traps.
 * Eraser Head returns to confront Koichi next.

Trivia

 * This chapter was initially titled Pursuers (追手) but was amended for the volume release.