Hello, my readers! With school nearly over (and my birthday approaching) I should be more free time to write this story. The latest chapter is still in development, it's just that long, you'll see soon enough...
Anyway, i think we can go to the chapter now!
The day after participating at the Crow King raid, Shinko returned home from a training session with Mizuki to have a really late lunch. It was almost evening, after all.
However, as he got in front of his apartment door, he felt that something was off, like someone else (other than the Wastelanders, that is) was in his house.
Shinko's muscles tensed and, after calming himself with a few breaths from the nose, he opened the door. Immediately someone slithered foward and wrapped himself around Shinko's chest.
The boy instantly knew who that was.
"BELPHOMET!" Shinko shouted happily as he wrapped his arms around his friend's serpentine body.
"Shinko!" Belphomet replied just as happy.
"I didn't know you would come here! What brought you to this place?" Shinko asked him.
"I just missed my friend and brother a lot, so now that things are safe here, i wanted to live and catch up with you guys, especially Monoculor" Belphomet told him.
Then they stepped into their house, finding Monoculor and the Wastelanders all ready for an early dinner; apparently they already had time for greetings and conversations, but Shinko knew that, soon enough, more would arise.
The table was already set and, as the food was served by Monoculor, Shinko, Hulkaber and Ariol, a peaceful yet hectic atmosphere settled in:Gobold and Beehive were trying to convince Malware to orchestrate a large-scale robbery with them (sending a shiver down Shinko's spine, hoping they weren't serious about it). Gaia was happily conversing with Shinko and Belphomet, asking them about their relationship. Lamia was prompting Nark to stop telling jokes about lethal illnesses to Gelgo and Beetle-Roach (even if the latter was really enjoying them). Sandscale Dragon was annoying Ariol, while Hulkaber tried to stop the two from fighting. Monoculor was watching the whole scene with a calm amusement.
'Everyone's here, at long last. I can't believe that i finally get to live with my little brother after all this time and with Shinko on our side, this peace will never end' Monoculor thought, failing to fully describe the joy he was feeling at that moment.
But a persistent ring cut through his thoughts, as well as all of the ongoing conversations.
"Sorry, it was my phone" Shinko said as he raised the electronic device "I'll return in a minute" he then said as he got in the living room.
"Who's there?" Shinko said with badly-hidden annoyance, but the voice on the other end made him drop that attitude immediately.
"It's me! Where the hell are you!?" Charanko asked him frantically with a mix of anger and annoyance but also worry, as Shinko noted.
"Just had lunch, is there something wrong?" Shinko innocently asked.
"Bang called us both here and i messaged you about it, but you didn't even look at them!" Charanko shouted.
After a quick look, Shinko saw that his master had indeed messaged him about said meeting. But this sudden call left a weird feeling inside of him.
"Sorry, you're right! I'll be there yesterday!" Shinko hastily said and closed the call.
After telling the Wastelanders about the call and putting on a shirt, Shinko was on his way to Bang's dojo, greatly breaking the speed of sound.
X X X
A minute later Shinko arrived at the long staircase and jumped over it, landing just in front of the dojo, where Charanko and Bang were waiting for him.
Now, Shinko might have blurted out an apology, but Bang raised a hand "Whatever apology you want to say, save it. I called you both here because i am closing my dojo" he said and Shinko's eyes widened "I was going to only expel Charanko because he didn't make any progress, but you came late at such an important meeting...so i can't help but think that i have to expel you as well, since i worry that you wouldn't take training seriously anymore" Bang solemnly finished.
Shinko didn't say anything and even if he did, Bang had already retreated inside the dojo, closing its doors.
After ten minutes of silence Shinko said "Well, i guess this is it..."
He was saddened by Bang's decision because he really enjoyed training in the Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist, but he wouldn't argue with his former master since that was his decision.
If anything, even Bang was troubled by it, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.
Still, Shinko felt quite bad for Charanko, who had his head held down, completely silent.
"No...it can't end like this..." Charanko's whisper was barely audible and Shinko could hear it only because on his ridiculous senses.
"IT WON'T END LIKE THIS!" Charanko shouted to the skies with his head held high.
Shinko took notice of this and asked him, with perhaps too much enthusiasm "Do you have an idea on how to make him change his mind?!" after all, Charanko trained with Bang for quite some time, so he must know how the old man's mind worked.
"Hell if i do!" Charanko shouted confidently, then his stomach began growling and he rubbed his head awkwardly "But first let's go eating. I'm starving!"
Shinko nodded and followed Charanko, who said "I know a good place where to stop. But for this plan to work, you need to know who are we going after" he finished seriously.
Shinko's gaze hardened. Just who would they have to fight?
X X X
The place Charanko had chosen was a cheap restaurant near the dojo.
And by near the dojo, it meant that the restaurant was on the city's outskirts, which at this hour were full of muggers, drug addicts and possibly monsters.
Not that Shinko cared about it, too focused on the information that Charanko would give him.
They arrived at the place, sat down and ordered:Charanko took a bowl of noodles, while Shinko took a can of soda.
Then Charanko took a deep breath, as in to calm himself, and began "So, nobody really knows what happened that day inside the dojo's walls, i think even the other S class and the HA have no clue of what happened either. But i'll tell you now:there was this one guy, Garou, and he was the best of Bang's disciples. But as he heard that not only Bang became a hero, but also did so to drum up new disciples, he just snapped and beat everyone there except me since i went to take water at the river. Bang stopped his rampage and expelled him, while everyone else just quit afterwards. That's how i became his number one disciple"
As Charanko finished, Shinko inspired with his nose and said "Ok, but how do we find this Garou?" just as the waiter brought their orders.
Charanko smirked and said "Well, after his little rampage in D city, people say that he made this part of the city his turf. After all, why would an S class hero come here anyway?"
"So that's why i we saw Tank Top Master around here!" Shinko then exclaimed as he drank some soda.
"Yep! We're gonna follow him and his cohort to Garou's lair, then we beat the to capturing Garou with your speed and strength!" Charanko said as he started eating his noodles, but then turned serious "But don't act cocky. Even with your ridiculous strength, it'll be a tough battle! That guy also has other martial arts at his disposal!"
'If only he knew the opponents i had before...this fight is going to be pretty easy...' Shinko thought calmly, but despite this thoughts he would take this opponent seriously.
X X X
In a solitary park, in the shadows of the woods, a young man sat there.
He exuded an air of confidence, accentuated by his built body and his mastery of the martial arts. He also had white hair shaped in a sharp 'V'...
...no, i'm not kidding, he really has those.
ANYWAY, this young man is named Garou and he was taking some rest:after all, beating a S class hero along with his cohort wasn't an easy task. He was actually pretty hurt from that fight, but would go on anyways.
At this moment, Garou was thinking about his next hunt and the thought of going after the S class hero Puri Puri Prisoner came to mind.
'Yeah, that rapist will finally get what's coming for him' Garou thought as he settled on his new prey.
Then he heard footsteps in the grass and peered out of his bushes:he saw two people around his age talking to each other; he kind of knew the orange-haired one, having studied martial arts with him, but he didn't recognize the other one. Or better yet, he didn't know his real name.
Garou knew him by the name 'Fluffy Boy', a rising B class hero who would probably make it to A class. Being with Charanko could also mean that he was a new disciple of Bang.
'Well then, looks like there's gonna be a little change of plans over here' Garou thought as he prepared himself for another, yet smaller, hunt.
X X X
"Are you sure that Garou is still around here?" Shinko asked annoyed to Charanko.
The latter's humor was already ruined because they missed their chance to stalk (god that an awkward way to put it) Tank Top Master, all because of Charanko ordering another noodle bowl (anxiety eating, basically).
The fact that they found Tank Top Master, the whole Tank Toppers and another hero beaten up on the road sank his humor further.
"Don't worry! It'll all turn out fine, the heroes are going to be helped by the doctors and we're going to capture Garou. Smooth as oil!" Charanko said cheerfully.
Shinko sighed and decided to trust him, but then something else came to his mind.
"Wait, how does this Garou look like?" Shinko asked him. He DEFINITELY didn't want to mistake a random passerby for the guy they were looking for.
"Don't worry about that!" Charanko reassured him "Garou is a weird-looking guy. You'll know it's him when you see it!" he finished and Shinko decided to trust him.
Suddenly something shot out of the bushes and Shinko moved his fist on instinct, striking the unknown foe in the head.
Charanko fully reacted two seconds later and turned to Shinko, who gripped the now unconscious opponent by the shirt.
Two seconds passed as Charanko looked at the guy, then he shouted at the top of his lungs "HOLY SHIT, YOU GOT GAROU!"
Shinko, however, wasn't as excited as his partner, in fact he was trembling a bit.
He said horrified "Yeah, but look at his forehead! I hit him too hard!"
Charanko looked at Garou's bleeding forehead and his eyes became a bit hollow "Oh shit, you're right"
"Let's get him to an hospital!" Shinko seriously said and sprinted to the nearest one, leaving Charanko in the dust.
Realizing he was left behind, he said "Hey, wait for me!" and hurried.
Of course, he knew he was never going to catch up with Shinko, but he didn't really care.
X X X
Garou's mind was blurry when he woke up. His head hurt like hell and his body felt a bit numb.
He wasn't very happy.
But then his vision returned to normal and the sight in front of him...awoke different emotions in him.
In front of him was Puri Puri Prisoner with absolutely NOTHING on.
"Oh dear, you're finally awake! You must be Garou! You know you have been out for an entire day, dear!" the large man said "Such a handsome boy, you may have strayed into the path of evil, but i will bring you back to the light of justice...with the power of LOVE!" he then proclaimed.
The mere sight of him made Garou sick to his stomach and his talk worsened its condition.
But on the other hand, he was very happy! He wouldn't even have to waste energy finding the bastard, he was right in front of him!
'Just where i want you to be' Garou thought as his face twisted into an evil grin, but Puri didn't even notice that obvious change.
How unfortunate for him. Garou's left leg shot up, faster than ever before, and collided with the hero's exposed crotch.
Overcoming the numbness and the resurfacing headache, Garou started mercilessly beating him to a pitiful pulp.
'First i'll have some fun with the rapist over here, then i'll beat up the rest of the chumps around and finally i'll escape from this shithole!' Garou cruelly thought out his plan for the day, while Puri Puri Prisoner's pained cries alerted the other inmates and the guards.
X X X
Meanwhile, in an hospital bed, laid a rather honorable hero who mounted on a bicycle day and night. All to help those around him.
His name, or rather his hero name, was Mumen Rider. He laid on his bed, thinking about the other night's events:as Tank Top Master was going to attack Garou, he stepped in to break the fight. He always thought that humans shouldn't fight amongst each other and would do whatever was in his power (and even beyond) to enforce said ideals. However it didn't work and the whole thing ended with him getting smashed into the concrete road and Garou beating up everyone else.
His grim thoughts were then interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. 'What? I thought the windows were closed...' Mumen Rider thought as he, with some pain, turned to the windows.
The sight that greeted him was one he never really expected.
Ariol and Gaia were right next him with an already closed window.
"Guys!-" Mumer Rider was going to say, but pain spiked in his torax as soon as he moved suddenly. "Don't move!" Ariol growled at him as he softly put a hand just above his chest.
"Don't worry" Gaia said giggling "It's just his normal way to show concern"
Mumen Rider snickered a little, then said more slowly "Guys, i...It's been a year since we met and...you've grown a lot" Mumen then turned to Ariol and said "Your voice sound way less squeaky"
At that both Mumen Rider and Gaia started to snicker, then flat-out laughed (much to Ariol's annoyance), but both stopped when the downed hero started to cough painfully.
Gaia turned worried and Ariol said "I believe we've sidetracked enough. I had a feeling you'd be here"
"Huh? How did you-" Mumen Rider was going to ask, but Ariol cut him immediately "Oh, you know...i just heard the news of a full on brawl between humans at night, went at the scene to see for myself and found an imprint in the asphalt...which REALLY looked like your face now that i think about it" he said with wide eyes "Sounds like the scenario you would go to"
"Ah! That..."Mumen Rider said as he grimly remembered, while Gaia sat on his stomach and put her hands on his chest "Well...that was pretty obvious, huh? You've always been pretty smart ever since i met you. That part of you hasn't changed" he then finished as he felt his body heal.
With wonder, he turned to Gaia as a stream of lively green energy made its way into his body. Then the stream stopped and he felt much better.
"Oh, just so you know" Gaia said as Mumen Rider stirred "After that incident when we met, Ariol didn't stop saying how cool you were! I think you were what gave him motivation to get stronger!"
"Gaia!" Ariol said embarrassed "Why would you say that?!"
"Don't worry Ariol" Mumen Rider lifted a hand in front of him "A hero's job is to INSPIRE people!" he said confidently.
Ariol sighed "Satoru..." he started with a low, somewhat sad voice, but then returned to normal as he said "honestly, with Gaia's secret ability used on you, i'd expect you to be at least a high-ranking B class. Why do you decide to rot in C class, while STILL getting stronger?" he asked, but without his usual tone.
"Because then i wouldn't be close to the people i protect anymore" Satoru said decisively "A hero's job is to help people and stop villans. I know that i would be able to get recognition and fame like that, but i don't care about any of it. Besides...the hero world has a cruel side and...i don't think i can fight other heroes" he finished and looked Ariol in the eyes, finding...understanding.
"Perhaps that's why i idolized you as a child. That's also why i respect you now" Ariol bowed his head to him and said, while picking up Gaia "We'll be in Z city, you do what you do best...but don't you dare get sent to the hospital again this week! We won't be by your side every time" he said as he got out of the room.
"I'll try my best, you two stay well!" Satoru waved at them, Ariol and Gaia waving as well.
After a minute, Satoru jumped out of bed to check his body's condition. 'Good. Gaia's healing is as good as ever' Satoru thought as another memory sprung up: he was down as five monsters closed in on him, Ariol (smaller, his height similar to current Gaia's) stepped in as he unleashed gusts of wind and Gaia was on his lap as she put her tiny hands on his bare chest and started pumping a...strange energy into him...Orange and Blue.
Satoru shook his head to dispel the memory. After that...he felt so much stronger...but also a strong headache...in the end he and Ariol defeated all the other monsters and he let these two go...because they weren't bad. They were simply children trying to survive.
After that encounter, Satoru could grow much stronger, he was even going to step into B class! But then he saw what the other heroes did to each other, mainly the Blizzard Bunch, and decided to remain as the rank 1 C class hero.
He took a deep breath to calm his mind and stepped out of his room, causing a few nurses to scream in the process.
Calming them down was easy though, because someone else decided to pay him a visit.
"Ah! Tank Top Master!" Satoru greeted the S class hero, his injuries slowly beginning to heal.
"I see you're alright and already moving" the larger hero said to Satoru, then turned to the nurses and said "Don't worry about him, i know he can handle himself"
With that, the doctors decided to let Satoru go.
The hero stepped out of the hospital and looked to his right, where his bicycle stood. Satoru took the bike and rode away, looking for someone needing help or assistance.
X X X
Shinko and Charanko strode confidently along the long staircase to the dojo.
This was probably the first time that Shinko actually walked the staircase, but that wasn't an important thought. The important part of the plan was the journal Charanko safely kept in his hands, which were trembling with excitement.
"I can feel it. With this evidence, there's ABSOLUTELY no way Bang is going to reject our request!" Charanko shouted happily, but then said, in a normal tone "Even if we didn't get the credit"
Exactly. After Shinko put Garou in an unconscious state, they brought him to an infirmary and went to a pub in order to celebrate properly. In that timelapse, the police casually found Garou in that same infirmary and arrested him whike he was STILL unconscious. After that, they probably brought him to a super protected prison.
Or something like that, but one thing was certain:Garou was NOT getting out of there any time soon.
"We've arrived!" Charanko said as they finally finished the staircase. After taking his breath again, he knocked at the door with vigor. The door opened suddenly and sent Charanko flying into the woods.
Or he would have, if Shinko didn't catch him immediately.
Out of the door and in the open was Bang, who looked quite annoyed.
"What do you want at this hour in the morning?" he said with a raspy voice "If you think i'll let in again, then you're just illuding yourselves"
"Oh really? Then check this out!" Charanko literally pushed the journal in his face and Bang read it silently.
"So Garou has been caught yesterday..." Bang muttered. "Yep, and this very journal came out just this morning!" Shinko added, Charanko's enthusiasm having infected him.
"Just to make sure he was really caught..." Bang muttered, then lowered his head "I see..."
"But it's not enough, because...you can check THIS out!" Bang suddenly shouted and slammed a journal of his own in Shinko's face. The latter didn't expect it and lost his footing, landing on his butt.
Shinko growled annoyedly and removed the piece of paper from his face, reading the headline aloud "Garou strikes again! Puri Puri Prisoner falls as well!"
Charanko's face fell, but Bang's face was unreadable.
Then he suddenly said "Garou's rampage will still go on, but you know what? You convinced me"
Charanko and Shinko both fell on the ground, not believing the words they just heard.
"You demonstrated me your determination and the lengths you'd both go to achieve something. Sure, you also shiwed me your stupidity by going after Garou, but since Shinko was there...i guess i can go over that" Bang finally said.
Shinko abd Charanko were silent for exactly five seconds, then they bowed to their master and said "Thank you for this chance, master! We won't waste it!"
"Good, because it's almost time for your training. I expect you two do your best" Bang happily said as his two disciples hurried into the dojo.
Huh, pretty much I don't know what to write here, but we got some backstory on Ariol, Gaia and Mumen Rider (yeah, Satoru is his real name, I checked the wiki to make sure of that) and some Garou moments.
Also, if any of you think Bang reopening the dojo is a bad take, then you may be right, but think of it like this:Bang didn't expect the two to go hunting down Garou and was impressed, so he decided to reopen the dojo so that these two don't do it again...
...at least that's my explanation of it.