The night drew cold and the training room was quiet, save for the sounds of fists against padding. An Unranked Hero, Juno "Bannaí Cat" Awley, was the only one in sight. Her slender shape, standing still in the dim light as she struck a padded pillar, was as misleading as it was beautiful. The pillar was beginning to crack.
"Finally!", Cat exclaimed.
Steps rang out of the darkness, filling the space alongside Cat's breathing. Mikael Awley, Cat's father, stepped into the room. His gruff appearance was nothing to be scoffed at, even on a good day. As Mikael came out of the shadows, he started clapping. Albeit slow, this was the first show of approval he'd shown his daughter. Cat stood in the dim room, panting hard, and scowled at her father.
"You've trained well, Juno!", Mikael expounded. His familiar, near-sarcastic tone rang loud and deep through the damp May air. The patter of rain was beginning to resound on the tiled roof as the two seemingly squared off. Cat brought her left wrist to her mouth, ripping the bandages that were wrapped around her arm. Letting the bandages fall to the floor, she revealed an unsightly amount of bruises, cuts, and scrapes.
"Not all of these are from the training I've put myself through, you know. Not even half.", Cat growled, her words causing her father to drop his mocking smile into a cold frown. Cat shuddered, feeling the icy stare that she new well. Her mind flashed through the memories she held of her father, remembering the times he'd forcibly bring her on his missions. The villain would always force Cat to contribute.
"Juno… you can't still be angry with- ."
"SHUT UP!", Cat screamed, cutting off the man before her. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I can't believe you'd be this weak; This selfish! Looks like I was right about you…", Mikael scoffed and turned, slipping back into the shadows.
Cat screamed as she wheeled around on her heels, punching the pillar with enough force to widen the crack she'd made earlier.
"I'm. Not. Weak!", She growled under her breath, with a strike between each word. The pillar's crack widened steadily after each strike. The rain outside picked up, Mikael still watching through a window. He tilted down his hat and took off, the tears on his face mixed with the rain.
Years went by and the memory of that night in her training room continued to give Bannai Cat the resolve she needed. She rose through the ranks and had been officially been given the title of The Number 493 Hero. Little did Cat know, her father was hidden among the crowd. Mikael was proud of his daughter, her accomplishments impressing him, and truly smiled.
But, as sudden as a bullet, Mikael noticed the feeling in the air change. His happy expression quickly turned into one of deep concern. He'd felt this energy before. Mikael looked around frantically for the source, an explosion rippling through the air. Bannai Cat swiftly cleared the stage of civilians, becoming the only one to get caught in the shockwave. She flew across the stage and slammed into a power pole, being knocked out almost instantly. The crowd quickly dispersed. Panic had set in. The stage, now aflame, rung with a cackle. Twin shadowy figures jumped out from behind the stage, landing directly in the middle, and looked out into the chaos. Their smiles widened as their gaze landed on the unconscious hero. Mikael strolled forward, casting off his disguise.
"Oh. You're here, Ferro?", The twins said in unison.
"Watts", Mikael announced, causing the one standing on his right to scowl, "and Ohm. Why are you here?"
"Well, we'd gotten word-", Watts started.
"- that your daughter was being given a Hero Rank!", Ohm finished.
"So we decided that we'd take care of her for you!", They both cackled.
You monsters!", Mikael growled. Watts and Ohm laughed.
"That's rich,-",
"- coming from someone like you!"
Mikael turned to look at his daughter, who was starting to stir. He hung his head and charged toward the villains. They simply smiled and activated their quirks. Ohm's quirk, Conduct, could make materials, or beings, better electrical conductors than they already were. Ohm lurched forward. Hand-to-Hand combat was Ohm's specialty but, without Watts, Ohm was relatively useless.
"Are you going to help your twin, Watts?", Mikael announced. Watts simply grinned and held out a hand, his palm facing toward Mikael.
"Oh. I'll help him."
Watts' face turn from mischievous to near deadly. An electrical charge began humming, static sparking across his hand. Watts took in a deep breath and Ohm jumped away. A strong electrical shock blasted from Watts' hand, aiming straight for Mikael.
Author's Note: Hi, everybody! I know chapter one was short, but I was excited to get this out there. Updates will come on Friday mornings, as often as I can. I have a big novel in the works, plans for other Fanfics, and college work. The first few updates will focus on Juno and Mikael, Raven's mother and grandfather, respectively, building their relationship and setting the stage for future events. I hope you enjoy the Villains I created for this chapter!
