Chapter 4

Into the Unknown

A massive metal door for the warehouse was broken down. Two figures came in, standing tall with three other figures inside the warehouse looking surprised.

"Hold it right there, villains! It's because we are here!" Droid Cop exclaimed while Tatsumi, aka Kamen Rider Mix, stood next to him.

"Um, that's right!" Mix added. He wanted something more profound, but Droid Cop took the spotlight, so he just joined in.

Raijin gritted. "Tch! Hey, I thought you weren't followed, you stupid bird!"

"Hey, I wasn't! I don't know how they are here! Honest!" Yatagarashu argued.

While Raijin and Yatagarashu were flustered or surprised by the situation, Fujin looked calm as she examined some of the jewels that Yatagarashu bought with her.

"Well, well, well. Now I know why they are here." She caught their attention as they glanced over their shoulders at her.

"Look at this." Fujin opened up one of the jewels in half, like a coffee holder, and revealed the tracking device inside.

"What the?! A tracking device!" Raijin gasped. "That explains it! That is why these bozos are here!"

"How could I miss that?!" Yatagarashu asked.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies." The villains looked back at Droid Cop as he stepped forward. "We are here to arrest you so that we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I am just being polite and all, so your choice."

Fujin smirked as she licked her lips. "Well, well, how thoughtful of you, but I think we know the answer to that, do we?" She glanced at Raijin, who glanced back at her. They knew what they would do next.

Fujin waved her arm, creating a strong gust of wind at the heroes. They dodged to the side, but at the same time they did, Rajin shot a bolt of lighting at the ceiling, which destroyed it in the process and created a hole.

"Let's get out of here, sis!" Raijin called as she grabbed the bag of real jewel.

"Agree," Fujin said as she used the Quirk to make her sister and herself float upwards.

"I better make my escape, too!" Yatagarashu turned her body into a flock of crows, planning to escape through the same hole.

"Not so fast!" Tatsumi shouted as he changed his Quirk Bottle.

"Engine! Bug Body! Best Mix!" His customer changed, and as soon it did, he activated the engine on his calves to move fast towards the thief.

Before she ultimately materialized into crows, Mix managed to catch her and hold her down.

"Hey! Let me go!" Yatagarashu demanded.

"Sorry, but I can't do that!" Tatsumi countered. "I won't let you go!"

"No, if you think I am with the Weather Twins or anything sinister, you got it all wrong!" She argued.

For a moment, Tatsumi looked straight into her eyes. Her eyes didn't waver, which mean that she wasn't telling a lie, and he could feel it.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Good job, my boy!" He glanced over to Droid Cop. "You managed to capture one of the villains! Nonetheless, the Phantom Thief herself!"

Soon, the police arrived at the scene. Droid Cop's sidekicks also came to help out. They arrested Yatagarashu on the spot and took her away. Detective Saito was also at present.

"Good work, Droid Cop. You and your intern captured the Phantom Thief, where no other police in the country ever got close to do what you two did," Detective Saito said, praising them.

"It is all just part of the job, Detective Saito," Droid Cop said. "Isn't that right, my boy?"

"Yes, sir!" Tatsumi agreed. However, despite how happy he was to capture someone, he couldn't help to feel something isn't feel right about this. He didn't know why, but he has this strange feeling that this was all… too easy.

He didn't know much about Yatagarashu except he met her two days ago when she saved him from his last encounter with the Weather Twins. He couldn't believe that she stole all the jewels around Kyoto to give them all to the Weather Twins, but her words when he arrested left an impression on him, and it bothered his mind.

"Though the Weather Twins are unfortunately got away, at least we caught the Phantom Thief. With her in custody, we should be able to get some answers," Droid Cop said.

"Good point," Detective Saito agreed. "Either way, thank you for the help, Droid Cop and your intern."

Droid Cop looked over to Tatsumi, who didn't look too excited as he was just standing still. He walked over and patted him on the back.

"Ah!" He jumped.

"What's wrong, my boy? We caught a villain, well correction; YOU are the one who caught the villain! You should be proud of yourself!" Droid Cop stated.

"Um, yes. Sorry, but I guess I am just a bit tired, that's all," Tatsumi said.

"I see. Well, our job is not over. We have to find the Weather Twins next," Droid Cop said.

"With your intern helping to capture the infamous Phantom Thief, I am sure it will become huge news, maybe even rivaling the current news," Detective Saito commented.

"What do you mean, Detective Saito?" Droid Cop asked.

"Sir." The men, including Tatsumi, turned their attention to Miss Kobayashi, who had just arrived at the scene.

"Miss Kobayashi, what's up?" Droid Cop asked.

"I am glad to see you and Mr. Young Kurate safe and sound. Also," she turned to Tatsumi. "Congratulations on capturing the Phantom Thief."

"Oh! Um, your welcome," Tatsumi responded.

"Just to inform you, sir, but while you, Mr. Young Kurate, and our members were working on this case, there was an attack that happened at Hosu City." This news surprised Droid Cop, especially Tatsumi. "It is still developing story, but according to the media, they just announced that the authority apprehended the infamous Hero Killer Stain in Hosu City in the middle of the crisis. It seems that the crisis was caused by the strange creatures known as Nomu, and according to some sources, it may be the work by the League of Villains."

"What?!" Tatsumi gasped.

"Good heavens! That is quite a news," Droid Cop exclaimed. "It seems like we weren't the only one who caught an infamous villain today!"

"It looks like so, sir," Miss Kobayashi nodded.

"Well, nonetheless, let's allow the Pro Heroes at Hosu City to handle things there while we do our things here," Droid Cop stated. "Mix, my boy, would you like to go with the police? I will show you how a Pro can help to interrogate a villain. I will even allow you to do it since you were the one who captured Yatagarashu."

"Oh! Umm," Tatsumi thought to himself. Was that right for him to do? If he did it, that may cause an awkward situation and risk him for exposing his lie about who saved him two days ago.

"No, thank you, Droid Cop. I am sorry, but I think I should rest. I don't feel too well," Tatsumi lied.

Droid Cop looked a bit disappointed but nodded. "Alright. Understood. It is getting quite late, and you've been working hard." He turned to his secretary. "Miss Kobayashi, please take our young hero of the day here to the mansion. I will stay here and continue working with Detective Saito."

"Yes, sir. I shall," Miss Kobayashi obeyed. "Let's return to the mansion, Mr. Young Kurate."

He followed Miss Kobayashi as Droid Cop, and Detective Saito watched them walk away to the car. Tatsumi took the seat in the backseat, and Miss Kobayashi started the engine and then drove away.

As they were heading to the mansion, the car stopped at the stoplight. Tatsumi relaxed in the backseat, checking his Smartphone. He noticed that there was an SOS message with a familiar phone number. It was the phone number that belonged to Kai Uno. He wondered if something happened to Kai, and he was worried, but his thought was interrupted when Miss Kobayashi called him.

"Mr. Young Kurate." She caught his attention.

"Um, yes, Miss Kobayashi?" He asked in response.

"Are you… hiding anything?" She asked.

"Wh-What?! Me, hiding? No! Of course not!" He said hesitantly.

"I see. Then, let's have a drive and talk while we do." The last part changed her voice strangely.

Tatsumi noticed it and soon realized that he thought talking with and driving the car wasn't her. Miss Kobayashi's face was deformed and changed into a white mask with the red Question mark and the fedora hat.

Tatsumi gasped.

"Do not feel alarmed, Mr. Young Kurate, or should I refer to you by your first time to make you feel less nervous?" Detective Unknown asked as he started moving again when the light turned back green.

"What the?! You are Detective Unknown, that Pro Hero from the auction show! What are you doing here? And where is the real Miss Kobayashi?!" He exclaimed.

"The real Miss Kobayashi is safe. I assure you that," he answered. "She is working on paperwork for the office."

Tatsumi was just surprised, but he also wondered why he was here. "OK, at least I can feel safe to hear that, but that doesn't assure that I can trust you. Even though you are Pro Hero, I don't know exactly why you are doing this."

"You have a keen eye and open mind, Tatsumi Kurate," Detective Unknown said. "You are right that you can't trust me, even though I am a Pro Hero and not many Pro Hero would do such a thing that I am doing right now. Talking to a student and pretending to be someone that I am not."

Tatsumi raised his eyebrows but decided to ask more questions. "OK, then what is that you want to talk with me about?"

"I need your help," he said.

"My help?" He repeated.

Detective Unknown nodded. "Yes. For you see, I've been investigating strange cases happening in our hero community, and I suspect that Droid Cop is involved in it. Now that you are under him as an intern, I want you to investigate his mansion and find out for me."

"What? Are you saying that I should snoop around his mansion? Why would I do that, and who do you think you are?!" Tatsumi said in an upset tone. "If you think Droid Cop is a bad or…."

"That's the thing, Tatsumi Kurate," Detective Unknown. "I don't think Droid Cop is a bad person, but my evidence and suspicion say otherwise, and I just want to confirm it. However, I can't get any closer to his stuff except you. Therefore, only you can do this job for me."

"Why do you think I would do such a thing?" He asked.

"You have felt anything strange about your internship so far lately?" Detective Unknown questioned him. "Anything amiss?"

"Anything amiss?" He asked himself, thinking about all the things that happened to him so far. Then, his eyes sparked to show that there was one thing. "Well, there is one thing. About Yatagarashu."

"And what is it?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know, but when I capture her, I thought it was too easy. I mean, I don't know much about it here, and truthfully, I don't know if I should say this to you or not, but I met her two days ago, and at that time, I didn't know she is the infamous thief and all. After I found out from the police, I was surprised. However, if she is called the Phantom Thief, I just wondered why it was so easy to catch her when I did," he explained.

"Correct," Detective Unknown noted. "Normally, someone like Yatagarashu, with a title like 'phantom thief,' would have known a way to escape easily, and yet the thief was captured easily by you."

"Right," he nodded.

"Then, my theory is that she did it on purpose for an unknown reason," Detective Unknown said.

"But that is not all." Detective Unknown looked at Tatsumi via the mirror.

"She was working with the Weather Twins. She was trading the stolen jewels for the money from the Weather Twins. I saw it when I arrived at the warehouse with Droid Cop," he stated.

"I see, I see. Then, the plot thickens," Detective Unknown said as he noticed that they were close to the mansion.

"Well, it seems like we are at our destination, which ends our drive here. I don't expect you to do me a favor, but" he said as he transformed into a completely different person. He transformed into a man with black hair and wearing a suit. "Our conversation is a secret between us. As I said, I don't expect you to do it when I ask. You are, after all, a hero-in-training, and stuff like this seems a bit shady, which honestly, I wouldn't feel too bad about it. However, I will leave with this. A look can be deceiving."

Tatsumi thought to be quite ironic for a man who seems to have a Quirk that allows him to change his appearance and impersonate someone else. Detective Unknown, as a driver opened a door for him. He exited out and entered the mansion. He turned around again and saw him grinned at him. He turned back and headed to the right for the living quarter.

He entered the living room and gave out a sign.

"What to do now?" He asked. "I think it will take a while for Droid Cop to come back."

Detective Unknown's words etched in his mind.

"Yes. For you see, I've been investigating strange cases happening in our hero community, and I suspect that Droid Cop is involved in it. Now that you are under him as an intern, I want you to investigate his mansion and find out for me."

"Is what he says true? Does Droid Cop have anything to do with what happened so far? I still don't believe everything that guy, Detective Unknown, said, but it makes me curious," Tatsumi said.

"You know what. Just to prove that he is wrong, I am going to check out around this place and don't find anything, hopefully," he decided.

He started looking around in the living room. Then, he checked his bedroom. Finally, he also checked the bathroom.

"So far, nothing. I guess everything that Detective Unknown said is a quack," he thought as he was walking down the hallway.

Then he stopped at the door to a room he hasn't checked yet.

He opened it and realized the room he was in. "Oh. My. God!"

The room he opened to be a massive room with a wall covered with red, blue, and white stripes for the wallpaper. The flooring was a nice velvet carpet. At the center of the room near the wall was a vast circular mattress bed and portrait of Droid Cop himself, posing. At the side, there was a shelf full of trophies, awards, and certifications for him. There was also a big closet with double-deck doors and a tall bookcase.

"This must be Droid Cop's bedroom! Holy cow!" He awed as he entered the room. "Should I even be in here? I feel sort of dirty to be snooping around here.

He checked around the bookcase and took out a book from it. The book he did take out caused a noise, and then suddenly, the bookcase split in half and opened a stairway.

"What the?" He gasped as he looked down at the darkness down the stairway. "A secret stairway? Where does it lead?

He curiously walked down into the darkness. As he did, lights turned on automatically as he descended the stair until he reached a door.

"Another door?" He said and looked at the lock. "It looks like it is locked, and I have to enter a password to get it open."

He didn't want to try guessing it, so he had a better idea. He replaced one of his Quirk Bottles inserting in his driver.

"Electrification! Bug Body!" Half of his costume suit changed to a brighter, yellow color with lightning bolts for design over the half of the suit.

He used the power of Electrification Quirk to short circuit the lock, which caused the door to open.

"Yes!" He cheered as he slowly opened the door. When he did, he was surprised to see what he had found.

It was a room full of jewels, paintings, and other priceless artifacts. At the table near the wall, there was a bulletin board with a bunch of newspaper clippings. All the clippings were about stolen jewels, paintings, and missing artifacts that spanned over four months.

"Newspaper clipping about stolen goods for the last four months," he said as he took off the helmet while the realization is formulating in his mind. "All these kinds of stuff, they can't be! No! This is not true, but could it be?!"

"Gah!" Something hit him on his head from behind. He dropped and fell as his vision becoming blurry. He glanced up, who hit behind, revealing to be a woman in a business suit.

- My Hero Academia –

"Hey, you! What is that?"

"This… This is the same dream."

This is my Kamen Rider action figure!"

"Kamen Rider? What's that?"

"Why am I having this dream? And why does it feel so familiar?"

"What?! You don't know about Kamen Rider? That's absurd! I will teach you about it and the way of Tokusatsu Heroes!"

"OK, cool! By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, right. My name is Tatsumi Kurate, and you?"

"Well, my name is…."

The dream ended as Tatsumi was regaining consciousness.

"Well, well, well, you are starting to wake up, my boy," a familiar voice said.

Tatsumi looked up and saw Droid Cop himself.

"Droid Cop?" He asked. Soon he found out something else. He was tied up with a rope to the chair. They were inside a cabin in some remote forests.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Tatsumi asked, though his mind was saying otherwise.

"What do you think, my boy?" Droid Cop said in a more severe yet sinister tone. "You are at my private cabin. I usually use this place for relaxation, but too bad it's going to be a waste."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I was informed by Miss Kobayashi that you were snooping around my home, including my private room."

Tatsumi remembered now after hearing that. Miss Kobayashi hit him after he found the secret chamber.

"Droid Cop, please tell me! Is it not true about what I saw? What I found in your room?" He queried.

"Of course, it isn't real. Well, after I finish you, then it won't be," Droid Cop said as he tipped over a stove, which started a fire inside. "Oops."

"Droid Cop, why are you doing this?" Tatsumi demanded with fear in his tone.

Droid Cop groaned and opened his sensor lens, revealing a sore-looking eye. "Listen, you brat! Can't you see I am going to kill you here?! Can't you get that into your little, young mind?"

"But… But why? How can you do this?" Tatsumi asked.

Droid Cop laughed madly. "Why, I can do whatever I want! I make sure that my secret is never let out, that's all. Too bad that my young worker was arrested, but her use is done. I can always find someone else to replace her. As for the Weather Twins, well, I will deal with them eventually. After all, I am still a Pro Hero, and justice must be served."

"Droid Cop, you!" Tatsumi growled at him.

"Oh, come now, my boy. Don't look at me like that. Look on the bright side. At least you were killed by your own idolized hero. To be quite honest, you would've been my greatest sidekick if you graduated, but I guess that won't come true now, would it? I will also be taking this with me." He showed the Mix Driver, which Tatsumi's eyes widened.

"I will have this with me as evidence to prove that the Weather Twins kidnaped you and unfortunately succumbed to death by fire. They will be blamed for the crime, and I will be credited for my heroism."

"Droid Cop… No, Kazuma Heiji, you won't get away with this!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Now you are finally coming to reality! Well, better late than never. See you, kid. It's been great to know you," he said as he closed the door behind him while the fire started burning stronger and spread wider.

"No! Come back here! Come back!" He shouted as he coughed. The fire burned everything it touches as the smoke covered entirely.

"I got to get out of here!" Tatsumi said as he tried moving even when he was tied up. He hopped with the chair to the door but accidentally fell in the process.

"No, no! I can't end it like here! I got to tell someone!" He thought as he was losing vision. "No, I can't… I can't go… like this…"

The fire burned the cabin like a huge bonfire while Tatsumi trapped inside.

JA-JA-JAAAAAA! A huge twist!

What do you think of the reveal?! Did Tatsumi survive in the fire? What do you think will happen next?

Until next time, folks, stay safe and healthy, and as always...

Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!