One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment

Chapter 18: The Chase

There was an uneasy air in the Irwin household after Randal left, most of the others had split off into separate rooms. Isaac and Amelia were still in the living room, discussing the best way to resolve things with Kathy. Steven went to his old room that was still covered in wild life and dinosaur posters, he sat on the bed while waiting for Jerry to bring him some ice for his sore face. The Bespectacled Worker went upstairs before calling the rest of the board to let them know what happened. Nobody saw where Master Wing walked off, after being confronted by Mia he left to find somewhere secluded for the sake of contemplating his actions.

Kathy was in the kitchen, letting out an annoyed huff as she looked through half the shelves and cupboards in a kitchen that was big enough to cater for hundreds of people.

"Damn...bet Mom had the last of it." Kathy said to herself as she kept looking, until a finger tapped her on the shoulder.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Jerry said, a wine glass in his hand and a bottle of her favorite rosé wine.

"Yes, thank you Jerry." Kathy said with a tired look on her face, she did not like drinking on the job but tonight felt like a good excuse for an exception. "What were they thinking? Talking to me about Randal would have been a thousand times better than spying on him." Kathy said after Jerry poured her some wine and she downed the entire glass.

"I'm sorry the meeting left you so stressed. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get an ice pack for your brother." Jerry said before putting down the wine bottle and getting an ice pack from the freezer, he was about to leave the kitchen but then turned back and saw that Kathy looked liker her mood wasn't any better. "Kathy...if I may. While I don't agree with your parents decision, I do believe it was only done with your best intentions in mind.'

"I know..." Kathy admitted, her arms leaning on the counter of the kitchen island. "Any chance you'll talk to them for me?" She asked with a small grin.

"Not in this case, I believe a matter such as this should be left to the family." Jerry replied.

"Aww...come on Uncle Jerry, you don't think we're family after all this time?" Kathy asked teasingly.

"I appreciate that Kathy, but I think we both know what I mean." Jerry said with a coy smile before leaving the room.

Kathy thought about having another glass, but it seemed pointless. Randal leaving was bad enough, but not knowing what to do next mad her frustrations even worse. She decided to walk over to the balcony door and step outside. Looking out at the garden was usually a good way to help her relax. All the usual sights were there. Freshly trimmed hedges, multiples types of flower beds and one of the garden fountains her father had put in.

In the middle of enjoying a pleasant breeze on her face, Kathy noticed something to her left. Someone was bent over one of the her dads vintage, Harley-Davidson motorcycles. After paying closer she realized it wasn't Jerry or anyone else on their staff. She could tell who it was, but did not want to believe it. Kathy hopped over the balcony railing and ran to the driveway. Two security guards were found unconscious on the pavement as the person Kathy suspects finished hot-wiring the motorbike.

"Randal?" Kathy said, pulling out her revolver as Randal started up the bike. "Stop!" She yelled with her revolver pointed at his head.

Randal turned to look at Kathy as he back out of the parking spot, he seemed like he about to speak until he saw a few more security guards running out of the mansion. Instead, he used a quick gesture and glance towards The Bulldog to make Kathy look that way as well. As soon as Kathy turned her head, she knew what Randal was referring to and it did not make her feel any more at ease. Instead, she was left with a critical choice to make as Randal started to drive away.

Before Randal took off, Mia was sitting alone in the Irwin's personnel art gallery. Usually, she would be delighted to see so many beautiful paintings and contemporary sculptures but she was too busy wiping the tears out of her eyes to enjoy it.

"Oh thank god. I got lost after the second hallway, this house is way too big." Jeremy said as he walked in, looking and sounding like he was out of breath. "So, are you okay?" He said as he stood in front of Mia.

Mia looked up and slowly shook her head, making Jeremy even more concerned. He still was unsure about what was going on, but he could tell that it was something that really effected her.

'I...really wish I had something helpful to say." Jeremy admitted, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of something. "Seeing your dad like that must be tough, but I'm sure he was just worked up about what happened. I mean, I'd probably be mad to if someone broke into my place..."

"It wasn't just that..." Mia said, she opened her mouth as if was going to say more but then softly bit her lip.

"Look, I get it. You don't wanna go into your families personal stuff, totally fair." Jeremy said to be reassuring. "But we're still on a team, so if there's anything I can do to help just let me know."

"Please understand, it's not that I wouldn't tell you." Mia said. "It's just...a very unhappy story."

"Well, I figured as much." Jeremy said, trying not to sound sarcastic. "But I don't mind hearing the story if you don't mind telling it." He said while taking a seat next to her.

After an understanding nod, Mia took her time to calm herself and focus on events that she would often try to repress. She took a handful of slow, meditative breathes in the same way taught by her father.

"I was born at the height of my father's success. By then he had beaten dozens of famous fighters, won multiple tournaments and had countless people wanting to be his student. My mother Lena actually met him because she was a reporter covering his exploits." Mia explain with a brief smile.

"Huh...must have been a good interview." Jeremy said jokingly.

"Maybe, it only took them a few months before they decided to marry and then next year I came along." Mia said, her smiling fading. "We were happy at first, but from what I've heard my father's fame brought it's fair share of challengers. Most were respectful, but one group was not. A new school lead by a troublesome master had something to prove. They harassed my parents while they were out for dinner, father ignored them until they tried to grab my mother. After that, he apparently beat a dozen in the middle of the street. Father likely thought that would scare them off, but it probably just made them mad. One night...my father was away to challenge Master Bomb, the men he beat took the chance to break into our home." She said before closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. "I was only five, but I still remember mother rushing me into the closet. Then there was struggling, mother yelling for them to stop, sirens going off that made them run away...then a policemen pulled me out and showed me what happened."

Jeremy was left with his mouth partly hung open. He expected Mia to tell him something unpleasant, but this was much more than he expected. Even though he felt awful for convincing Mia to tell him this, Jeremy knew saying would it would not be helpful.

"So, what happened with your dad?" Jeremy asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

"I'm not sure. Apparently the police called him, told him the news...and then he disappeared for two days." Mia replied. "Luckily, my grandparents came to watch over me at home. But it turns out on the second night, someone decided to go that upstart school. The bodies of Thirty-Seven students and their Master were found in the buildings burned remains."

"My god..." Jeremy mumbled under his breath, he never imagined the stoic Master Wing doing such something so brutal.

"That was my reaction to..." Mia said softly, wiping another tear off her cheek. "Even at that age, I knew something was wrong when my father finally came home. The smile he had whenever I came to greet him was gone, and I don't think I've ever seen it since."

"Well, that explains Master Wing being so protective." Jeremy said after not coming up with anything better.

"He started my training a week later, it honestly felt like he was working me harder than anyone else." Mia said, letting out a tired sigh from just the memories. "It wasn't all bad, and I started to enjoy how strong and capable the training made me feel. But still...it's hard not wish we could have a more "typical" relationship like yours."

"Really?" Jeremy said, not sure where Mia was going.

"Yes, you still live close to your parents and you all enjoy spending time together. I don't think I know anyone closer to their family than you." Mia admitted.

"Huh...Ahahahahahaha!" Jeremy said with a sudden burst of laughter.

"Wh-wh...Just what is so funny?!" Mia said, going from sad to annoyed in the blink of an eye.

"Sorry, can't help it." Jeremy said as he calmed down. "That's nice Mia, but trust me when I say it was not like at first."'

"Then, what were you like?" Mia asked.

"A little bastard." Jeremy answered with a smirk. "I made life hell for people at the orphanage and managed to get sent back by four families. Thought it was going to be the same thing with Carter and Sadhil until I got stupid one night and the cops found me tagging the back of their police station. I was expecting them to be mad like all the rest but they were just...so relieved to find me. Something about that really flipped my perspective and when I actually tried to behave I realized that my new parents were pretty cool. We like the same movies, Carter always makes me an extra large portion for dinner and Sadhil was trying to get me into art school before they found out I was a Hero."

"That's great, I really wish father and I could be like that..." Mia said.

"Well, maybe you can. Never know if you don't try." Jeremy suggested with a smile.

"I doubt it, but it's still a nice thought." Mia said with a smile of her own.

Jeremy couldn't help blushing as he noticed the cute way Mia smiled. He wasn't sure what to say next, but luckily Kathy ran into the gallery and interrupted them.

"Guys! We gotta go now, like right this second!" Kathy said frantically as she approached them.

"Why? What happened?" Jeremy said before he and Mia were picked up by their collars.

"I'll explain soon, now come on!" Kathy said with extreme urgency while dragging Jeremy and Mia out of the room.

Kathy pulled both of them out of the room, stomping as she walked through the mansion and lead all of them out of the front door. As she kept pulling them towards The Bulldog, Jeremy finally decided to break free from her grip.

"Ok, what's all this about?" Jeremy asked, tired of being dragged around.

"Randal stole a bike, we're gonna get it back.' Kathy said with no nonsense.

"You're kidding." Mia said in disbelief.

"I wish..." Kathy said as she noticed her father walking down the stairs.

"Here's it is." Isaac said as he handed Kathy a cellphone sized device. "Please, be careful."

"Don't worry dad, we're not the ones in danger." Kathy said bitterly as she took the device and lead the others outside.

"Hey...?" Jeremy said, stopping by the door to grab his paint cans. "Who took some of my paint?"

Instead of giving Jeremy an answer, Kathy just pulled him outside as Mia followed behind them. They noticed two security guards being treated on the front steps and Mia saw that a motorbike really was missing from the lineup. It made her even more concerned as the Heroes went to The Bulldog, but as she noticed something strange on the side of the vehicle her mood changed to being perplexed.

"Climb in, we'll talk on the way." Kathy told Mia as she opened the back door.

"Oh, there it is." Jeremy said, finding his missing paint can next to one of the back wheels. "Ahh! My paint-job!" Jeremy yelled as he noticed what the can was used for.

"Come on!" Kathy said, forcing Jeremy inside so he didn't draw any more strange looks from the security guards outside.

As Kathy closed the door and started up The Bulldog, she looked at the device her father gave her and prayed that it would do its job. Randal was miles away at this point, feeling nostalgic as he cruised onto the highway like back in his Road Devil days. He was stoic as he finally found a spot to pull over. The engine was still running as he took out his cellphone and dialed a number that had been on his mind ever since he found it.

"I'm in." Randal said after taking in the surrounding countryside view.