I'm just going off of memory here, so if any of the information is wrong, or you think I missed something, comment or message me and I will fix it!

Kotetsu sighed as he walked back to his home in Oriental Town, the smell of new growth that accompanies spring hung the air. He had just dropped Kaede off at a friend's house for a sleep over party, and was lost in his thoughts. He gave a wry smile, thinking of how much she had grown. It had been a few months since he had joined the Second League, but he had come to see Kaede for a few days, something he intended to do more often than he used to. Not that it would be an issue soon anyways, since his Hundred Power had recently dipped below a minute.

Strolling up the path, he entered the house and made his way to the kitchen, hoping his mother had started dinner. He expected to see Anju humming happily over a steaming pot, but what he saw in addition to this threw him off guard.

"Mr. Saito, what are you doing here?" Kotetsu exclaimed.

"- - - - - - - - - - -" whispered Saito, inaudible as always. Kotetsu frowned and was about to lean closer, but Saito pulled out what looked to be a hard hat with a megaphone mounted on top of it and put it on.

"Is this better, Tiger?" asked Saito, his voice booming from the contraption.

"Er... Yes, I suppose it is," replied Kotetsu.

"Anyway, I'm here to give you some excellent news, Tiger!" exclaimed Saito.

"What is it, Mr. Saito?" asked Kotetsu.

"I believe I have discovered a way for you to regain your ability to its former degree!" he said excitedly. " I have been doing considerable research since you informed us of your waning power a year and a half ago, and I have compiled enough data to come to this conclusion."

Kotetsu stood there in awe, unable to speak.

"Well don't just stand there gaping," scolded his mother, "You should be thanking Mr. Saito!"

"It's just..." said Kotetsu, fumbling for words. But he could find nothing to say. For two years, although he had tried to make the best of it, he had sunk deeper into depression each time a few seconds were shaved off of his power's time. While he did have Kaide in his life more now, having the one thing he felt he was truly meant to do be slowly stripped away from him was agony.

"I was beginning to think I wouldn't find anything until I compared brain scans from you and Barnaby," said Saito. "Then I noticed that while similar parts of your brains activated in conjunction with your powers, yours were weaker as you progressively lost time. Using this, I have developed a serum that should return your powers!"

"But... How did you get brain scans for me and Bunny?" asked Kotetsu.

"Those suits of yours do more than protect you, they're also equipped with a number of sensors so I can see how you're doing during a fight."

"Well, that's fantastic, Mr. Saito," said Kotetsu happily "Now I'll be able to partner up with Bunny again!"

Saito simply gave Kotetsu a small grin. Kotetsu himself was beaming as if he had just been declared the King of Heroes.

"Wait until I tell Kaede," he thought happily, slurping at the soup Anju had prepared.

The next day, after Kotetsu had bid Saito farewell and promised to see him as soon as he returned to Sternbuild, he walked to go pick up Kaede from her sleepover.

"Kaede! Daddy missed you," he exclaimed as she met him at the street.

"I was only gone for a night Dad," Kaede huffed, keeping pace with him as they strolled back to their house. Unperturbed, Kotetsu continued.

"Daddy has something very important to tell you Kaide. There might be a way to return the power I've lost!"

Kaede stopped suddenly and turned to look at him.

"Are you sure, Dad?" she asked, not quite sure if he was joking.

"Yes! Mr. Saito, the scientist who developed my mech suit, thinks he's discovered a way," said Kotetsu enthusiastically

Kaede shuffled a bit, looking conflicted. "How often will you visit?" she asked tentatively.

"Actually," said Kotetsu, giving her a small grin, "I thought we might try having you live with me in Sternbuild, after the school year ends."

Kaede let out a small gasp of excitement. She gave him a quick hug, and then ran ahead of him to go tell Anju.

"Kaede, wait!" yelled Kotetsu, running after her with a panicked look on his face. "I haven't told your grandmother yet!"

End Chapter 1