Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia; that belongs to Horikoshi. Nor do I own Pokémon; that's GameFreak/Nintendo. I am also not someone who worked on the Fangame Pokémon Reborn. I also have not written and do not own any songs that appear in this fic or work as the title of each of my chapters.

A/N: Uni starts up for me this week, less writing time for me, but I guess that's why I've prewritten so many chapters before uploading my stories.

WARNING: Homelessness (a common mention in this story that I have no experience with), assault, implied attempted rape.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and this story!


Chapter 3: Yeah, we can be bad as we can be good

"I'm sorry." One of the usual squatters in her home whispered under their breath, their tears drenched the air with the scent of salt. They didn't have to explain. The reason was all too evident.

Inside the abandoned building she'd been using as her abode were the voices of several adults. Most of them were police, but one of them was definitely a hero. Maybe she shouldn't have taken so much time getting home. Then she could have at least grabbed her things and left when she heard them coming in the distance. Although she did admittedly get lost on the way back.

There was a mention of the drug ring she just revealed. Apparently, the people in the ring kept a record of who bought their product and locations they were staying or frequently visited. Blackmail. So… uncivilised. Not that she was very civilised herself, but at least she didn't pretend to be.

Except when it came to clothes. Except for her robe, she'd discard the rest if she could. It was so troublesome when she wanted to transform. And the upkeep! Her skin just wore anything that survived into threads eventually. How was she supposed to stop that?

Anyway, it turned out that one of her squatters was on the list. The one who had just apologised and had helped her get a packet for her deal earlier today. Her home was the location attached. She won't interfere with their search. Stolen items could be stolen again and there were more clothes in other cities.

It's probably a good idea to leave this place altogether. There really wasn't anything saying she needed to stay. Hopefully, the heroes and police would make sure the kids get better. They'd messed up letting them get that way in the first place. It was the least they could do.

Too bad she couldn't keep an ear out to see if they would. If they just sweep it under the rug and do nothing… well, she wouldn't know. She'd be angered at least.

She put her boots down and wrapped them in her robe. Tying the sleeves in a loop let her sling the makeshift bag over her neck as she transformed. The woven fabric caught slightly on the rough skin, not enough to badly damage it, but it would wear quicker. Unfortunately, it's hard to carry things when your arms and hands were replaced with sharp-edged wings and stiff claws.

After she burrowed into the ground and chose a random direction, she flew through the ground. Sure, she could theoretically fly through the air, but there were so many more reasons to just sink and swim in the earth.

About ten minutes later, she rose inside a forested park in a new city. After travelling at the speed of sound, this should be a reasonable distance away. The first step was to steal some clothes. The second step was to then find a safe place to stay. Hopefully one with good heating, or at least, one that could keep the cold out. Autumn or Fall or whatever its name is, was currently pretty cold on its own. Winter was a nightmare waiting to happen again.

Calamity, or Saori as she should get used to, was not going to be caught unawares a second time. How she survived the first one alone, even she couldn't remember or figure out.

Her stomach growled. Food and clothes could be stolen together. It's gotten late, a faint dusk chill lingered in the air. The mall might still be open. There's a cluster of chatter off to her right in the distance. She returned to the ground and checked for a closer place to rise. There wasn't one. She broke through the concrete an alley away, dressed, and walked out on the street.

People stared. Some even whispered. A lot of them ignored her.

"Who does she think she is, walking around like that?" "Back in my day, we had more respect for ourselves." "The eye candy is nice, but does he have to have such creepy eyes?"

Those were probably the nicest things that were said about her.

Someone attempted to grab her shoulder. She stepped aside but looked back and down. This country was full of midgets, she swore.

"Public indecency is a violation of the law. I'm going to have to take you in." People around actually stopped to see how it was going to play out. Was this a hero or a police officer though?

"I know. I was going to buy some more after my last set was destroyed." She told them. The spectators started whispering. Some of the speculations were actually kind. She liked that old man to her back left.

"Yes, well." The person stuttered. Were they going to help her or not? She was curious. "We can get you a new set at the station. Will you come?"

"What are you going to do to me if I come?" She asked, tilting her head so she can feel her fringe skim over her nose and cheeks. It was still kind of blocking her eyes though.

The person sweated and their heart and breathing stuttered. A police officer then, and she doesn't know if she trusted that reaction.

"W-well, you have still committed an offence, so there's going to have to be a fine. We're going to have to put it on your record and-." She held up a hand to stop them.

"What's a record? I don't think it means what I think it means here." She asked.

They told her. She considered; something was whispering to her to go. "Do I get to keep the clothes? My quirk left me with skin that just wears and tears through a lot of fabrics. Also, I don't know how to get clothes that wouldn't be destroyed. So just fair warning."

There was a slight sigh of relief. "Sure, I'll even help you get a set your quirk won't wreck. So, if you'll come with me?" She nodded. They walked, she followed.

Some commented about the police officer doing well there. A few people actually whined at it being so uninteresting. Well, they weren't very interesting themselves. She was taken to a car. Getting in was awkward, as was putting on a seat belt. It was a new experience.

"So, what's your name?" They asked. Their heart was still racing, and they were tense.

"Kaida Saori." She said. They nodded. "Preferred pronouns are She/Her."

They started and glanced back. "Oh. Sorry, your voice was deep, so I assumed-. Never mind. I'm Endo Kenji, He/Him. What's your quirk Kaida-san?"

"Land Shark. It's transformative, but there's a lot that bleeds over." She told him. "My rough skin, the mostly black eyes, and the teeth are a few."

He nodded, humming in interest. "That's a cool quirk, Kaida-san. Mine's 'Violation Detection', I've got a sixth sense that lets me know when a rule's being broken near me. It's not very interesting, but it's really useful." Defiant defensiveness, Endo was getting more confident.

Saori nodded. "I've got some stronger senses, not interesting but it's always very useful." She pulled a face. "Except when I get tricked into eating dry food. Then I regret it."

He laughed. It was a nice laugh, honestly. The car pulled into a park. They arrived at a police station. Endo took her in and one of the felons wolf-whistled from their cell. She stared impassively. They gulped and took a step back.

"Kaida-san." Endo sighed. He didn't sound too disapproving. She'd forgotten her resting face looked angry. That explained some of Endo's behaviour. He just shot up a little in her eyes. "This way. You can sit here." He sat down at a desk. There was chatter from other officers either discussing their work or her arrival and the officer who took her in. She ignored it all.

"I'm going to need you to fill this in." Paper was held in front of her. Ack.

"I can't." She brought out her new documents. She hoped this would work. "Would this help?"

There was some confusion. He skimmed them over and she could almost feel his realisation setting in. "Ah, this explains a bit. Okay, I can fill in most of this but I'm still going to need an address, Kaida-san."

"I don't have one. I've been running away from my toxic partner. They… was very… Sorry, I can't." She bit her lip, blood welled and dripped. Disgust and guilt warred within her, making her stomach flip. It wasn't manipulation, just a very painful truth she'd rather not share. She wasn't being manipulative. Endo just hummed sympathetically.

"It's alright, Kaida-san. After this, there's a homeless shelter I can take you to. If your partner finds you, you can always come to the police to help." Endo reassured her. He grabbed a tissue and made a corner gently touch her hand. "Here, please don't hurt yourself."

"Thank you, Endo-san." She pressed the tissue to her bottom lip. "Forgive me if I don't actually stay there though. I'll check in if I have to, but I'd rather not…" She trailed off. Unsure of how to explain without giving too much away. While Endo had proven himself to give back what trust he's given, which thus required her to give as much as she did, there were a lot more things she'd rather not tell him.

"That's okay. Just stay close and visit when you need food, a shower, and anything else they provide that you need." Sorting things after that was easy. Soon, she was given a set of clothes that would be less likely to wear. Endo actually gave her a bag for her piles of cash and so her boots were fit to be worn again.

She pulled out and actually put on the corded necklace she kept rolled in her robe for the first time since she was taken here. The thick bracelet her Mum had slipped to her before that stayed underneath her new clothes, almost clipped to her right upper arm.

Endo was taking her out to the shelter but before entering the car she looked at him. She might not get a better time. "What does my name mean? The characters I mean."

He stood still for a bit. "Oh, Kaida means 'Little Dragon' and Saori means 'Sand Weaving'. Although, you're not very little if you ask me." He laughed.

She let a bit of a smile break through and nodded in thanks. Kaida Saori was registered at the Homeless Shelter just after night fell. She didn't stay and moved several alleys away to sleep for the night. In the early hours of the morning before the sun had even risen, she woke.

The intruder smelled of gunpowder and bloodied metal, but not the reassuring kind. There was a hiss of a knife pulled from a sheath. Pretty long according to the duration, a meat cutter. The idiot held it under her jaw against her throat. Saori's hand lanced up and crushed the small bones in his hand. They were wearing gloves, luckily for them.

They howled and dropped the blade, unable to hold it. They used their free hand to try and pry her hand off theirs. The gloved hands were unable to match her strength.

Her forehead hardened, becoming steely in texture and durability. She twisted and rammed her head into theirs. Instant knockout. She sighed, if people were going to mug her, they could at least withstand a single hit. None of the ones she'd met had so far. She even used a lesser skill of hers she wasn't naturally proficient in. Still, at least she got to use the move her smallest brother taught her.

She grabbed the knife they tried to threaten her with. About a foot long, straight, and sharp on both sides. Was this a Tanto like Kiefer talked about? She ran a finger along the edge. Sharp, but not as sharp as her claws. She pats down her attempted mugger, finding a second identical blade and the original's sheath. Stealing them for her own personal use and taking some money they had on them. Whether it was stolen or actually theirs didn't matter. She added the funds to her bag and hefted the unconscious person over her shoulder.

Running in her human form didn't let her be as fast as she could be, but she still managed to dump the mugger at the door of the police station she visited yesterday and head off while maintaining a pace that wouldn't let cameras catch her.

A woman's muffled screams and a man's annoyed grunts off in the distance caught her attention. She didn't stop and slammed the hilt of her new blade down on the would-be back-alley rapist's head, another instant knock-out. She nodded at the petrified woman and headed back to the station with the man in tow.

In her old city, there weren't nearly as many criminals left to scare off. Sometimes she'd find a minor villain that the heroes hadn't found or responded to yet, but those were risky to her if she was caught. Especially now that she was technically a legal resident of this country. Or "legally existing in" would be the better phrase.

She's got clothes and a reliable food source. Time to make a home and get the fear of her going in the underground circles again. Although that would come in time and through word of mouth far easier than any effort put into finding the elements of the underground.

Saori hardly wanted to deal with getting woken by muggers, rapists, and murderers all the time, but if she heard them, she would. Maybe then she could find a music shop and get herself a cello, or maybe a violin if she didn't have enough money for the bigger instrument, but...

It would be nice to play the large string instrument again. If she didn't have enough for it, she could just wait and get money off the criminals she'd pick off. Everyone getting a double fine and a mark on their record might be enough to discourage any attempts at more crime later. Or not, but then they should know they're just saying she could take their money if they had some on themselves.

Was doing what Saori planned on doing kleptomania? What does kleptomania even mean again? Mum had it, and Kiefer observed that made them all looser on the morality of theft, but no one had ever explained what it meant to Calamity. Just that it was about theft and how Mum would always grab anything that she could, including all the cash off of a person she'd beaten.

Maybe she should keep an ear out for Endo. He'd probably answer her weird questions.

A university student sitting alone at a bus stop on the other side of the street was listening to a song in English. Saori snorted at the music choice but stayed close enough to hear the rest of it. No one was in danger at the moment. There was no rush for her to be anywhere else right now.

"Underneath it all, we're just savages
Hidden behind shirts, ties and marriages
How could we expect anything at all
We're just animals, still learning how to crawl."


Coming up next: At the scars that remain

A lot of kids squatters lived with Calamity but no adult ones. One headcanon (or I guess is a fact because I am the author and am therefore all-powerful) I have is that Dragon-types are all instinctively protective of children, especially ones they're related to and are older than. Mostly from Sapphira (The Dragon Gym Leader and therefore, Mother of all Dragon Types in this world) who's really protective of her own younger sisters.

So yeah, in the last city Calamity was in, every homeless child was living with her and was subsequently found when the place was busted. They're not going to really come up again, so I thought I'd mention it.

Song of the chapter was Savages, Marina and the Diamonds.