Beneath the Hero's Mask
Chapter 4
Ren opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by dense fog. The thickness of it prevented him from looking beyond the edge of his bed. From the corner of his eye he spotted a blue butterfly fluttering around him. He observed as the small creature flew in circles, leaving behind a delicate trail of light. Ren put out his hand towards the butterfly, which landed on the tip of his index finger. He examined it closely, entranced by the aura that emanated from it. Suddenly, a soft female voice echoed in his head.
"Welcome back, trickster. It seems you have acquired a new bond. You seem to be on the path to unlock your true potential."
"What is this? Who are you?" Ren asked to the air.
"This is not the first time we meet, trickster. I am your guide in this world."
Ren tried to remember. Memories of a blue butterfly flashed briefly in his mind, but he was not able to place them. "What do you mean by 'true potential'?"
"Connections are one of the basic cores of humanity. There is hidden power in meaningful, genuine relationships. Your power comes from your heart, trickster. The bonds and connections you make will strengthen your heart, and in turn increase your power as well. Even now, thanks to your newly formed bond with Izuku Midoriya, your personas have become slightly stronger. This effect will only multiply with the number of bonds you are able to create."
Ren took the message from the mysterious voice with scepticism. Could it be true? Some of the peculiarities and intricacies of his quirk were still a mystery to him. Either way, he was very happy to have befriended Izuku. If making new friends was the way to become stronger, he didn't mind at all.
"It is now time you went on your way. Keep nurturing your bonds and improving yourself, and you'll achieve everything you've set out to accomplish. May we meet again once you have advanced on your journey, trickster."
Ren woke up again. This time, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the attic above LeBlanc he had come to call his home. He inhaled deeply and held a breath for a second before slowly releasing it. He reached for his phone to check the time. It was still 30 minutes before his alarm went off. He dropped his head back into the pillow and blankly stared at the rafters above him.
It had been a while since the last time he had a dream like that. Apparently, turning his life around and befriending Izuku had somehow had an effect on his power. All thanks to the power of friendship or something like that? He decided to give it a rest. He wasn't going to get any answers now, so overthinking could only end in frustration. He stood up to get ready for school and went downstairs to the still closed café. He made himself some fresh coffee and heated up leftover curry as breakfast. After eating, he walked out the door to meet with Izuku at the same corner as yesterday. The two boys really enjoyed each other's company during the trip to and from school, so they decided to make it routinary. Today, Izuku was already waiting for him at their meeting spot.
The green-haired boy greeted him with a wave. "Good morning, Ren! Ready to go?"
"Lead the way."
The two walked towards the station. Even with a dose of caffeine, Ren was still yawning; whenever he had one of those weird dreams, he woke up feeling even more tired than when he went to bed. Izuku on the other hand, was very much a morning person, and was engaging in casual chatter with his characteristic enthusiasm. The boy with the glasses did his best to remain awake and attentive of the conversation. They talked about their scheduled classes for the day, as well as their new classmates. Ren had the chance to learn their names and talk briefly with most of them on the first day of class. They all seemed friendly enough, bar a few exceptions.
When they eventually arrived at school, they entered their classroom to find most of their classmates huddled together and murmuring with each other in the front of the room. Ren and Izuku walked to their seats and greeted the group.
"Hey, guys. What are you talking about?" Izuku said.
Sero was the first to notice the entrance of the two boys. "Hey Amamiya, Midoriya. Have you heard? There's a crazy rumour going around school."
"What kind of rumour?"
"Allegedly, U.A. has taken in a new student with a criminal record this year." Kaminari butted in. "And that's not the craziest part. Rumour has it this criminal student was arrested for vigilantism."
Those words immediately shook away any trace of weariness in Ren's body. How the hell did they find out? That wasn't important. The most important thing now was ascertaining how specific the rumour was.
"Really? Do you know who it is?"
Kaminari simply shrugged "No one knows. Apparently, the school is trying to keep it under wraps. Can't really blame them, though. This is pretty shocking news."
"To think a student among us is actually a hardened criminal…" Ojiro said from his seat in the front row. "Could it be someone in our class?"
Kirishima took a leaning position against the teacher's podium. "No way a first-year student is a former vigilante. It's probably a transfer student in the third year. Those guys are practically pros already." He replied.
Shoji walked past him to take his own sit next to Ojiro. "But which Vigilante could it be? They are a dying breed in this day and age. There's only a handful still operating."
"It's probably someone famous. Like that edgy guy with the skull, the Penaliser." Kaminari said.
Ashido shook her head. "No way! That guy is like 40. It must be someone within high school-age"
"Could it be Crimson Cowl? He looked kinda young in his tv appearances." Sero tried to guess.
"Hey, maybe it's Joker. Not much is known about him." Kirishima offered.
"That's true. Nobody even knows what he looks like. He could blend right in. No one would be able to tell."
Hagakure, who many hadn't noticed was there as well, chimed in from the side. "Isn't it so romantic. A dashing rogue that plays by his own rules."
"I know right! Someone dark and mysterious… I bet he's handsome too!" Ashido agreed excitedly.
As the two girls swooned over their romanticized idea of Joker, Mineta sulked in envy.
"I don't even know who this guy is, but I hate him already."
Jiro slapped the back of the purple boy's head with her earphone jack. "How are you sure it's a guy? Girls can be vigilantes too, you know?"
Ren's face heated up in embarrassment. He didn't expect that reaction from his classmates; they seemed to be taking the idea of having a potentially convicted criminal as a classmate surprisingly well. His relief didn't have time to settle before Ida spoke up.
"I don't believe an institution of such prestige as U.A. would sully their reputation by admitting a criminal. It is just baseless rumour"
"If they did, they must've had a good reason." Tokoyami added.
Kirishima interjected again. "Hey, Just because a person is a vigilante it doesn't mean they're a bad guy".
Todoroki scoffed loudly form the back. "Can't be much of a good guy. They somehow believe they are above the system and deserve to take justice into their own hands. Only egomaniacs and conceited fools can be vigilantes." He said.
Yaoyorozu stood up from her sit to address the group. "Todoroki's right. That self-serving heroism only disgraces the vey profession of Hero we all strive to reach someday."
"Exactly, those outlaws can in no way be compared to real Heroes." Ida said, happy to have more people on his side of the argument. "You must agree, Midoriya. You also hold Heroes in very high regard."
Izuku put his hand to his chin. He contemplated for a moment before responding. "I understand why you feel that way, but I cannot in good conscience condemn someone who puts their life on the line in order to help people. Let me be clear; I don't approve of vigilantism, but I don't think things are so black and white. Take Joker, for example. He has accomplished many heroic feats. He rescued over a 100 people trapped under the rubble in the aftermath of that earthquake a few years ago, and he also took down that mobster that was blackmailing high school students into running drugs for him. Yet he has never shown himself in public, even with the insistence of the media, so we can assume he doesn't do it for the fame or glory. We all know heroes can't be everywhere, all of the time; I'm sure that the people he saved didn't care whether he had a pro Hero license or not." He spoke firmly, but not preachily. "I feel better knowing that in this world there are people willing to do the right thing no matter what."
Ren was touched by his words, he wondered if it might not be a terrible idea to confide his secret in him. Izuku's conviction sparked determination in Uraraka, who seemed on the fence up until that point. She finally joined in on the discussion.
"Yeah, operating outside the law doesn't erase all the good he has done. And besides, isn't it a good thing that they'd let them enrol at U.A.? That means this person is looking for a chance to do things right!"
Asui approached the group. "That is a very sweet sentiment, Ochaco. But isn't it also kind of naïve? If they're ok with breaking the law how are they better than a villain? We must draw the line somewhere. There are rules for a reason." She countered.
Yaoyorozu nodded to concur. "That is correct. There is no accountability without a proper protocol and chain of command. I'll counter your example with another one. Remember the time Joker fought against Demolisher? The collateral damage from that battle amounted to over 20 million yen in material damage that went unpaid due to his lack of official status."
Ren wished he could speak his mind freely. "Hey, that wasn't' my fault! That guy had a freaking wrecking ball for an arm! I did my best to reduce collateral damage."
Bakugo slammed his fist against his desk. "Rules are stupid. You can't let bureaucracy dictate your every action. A true Hero knows what's right and what's wrong and acts according to their own judgement." He stood up and pounded his chest. "I for one have a clear path to my dream of becoming the number one Hero, and I'm willing to break any rules that get in my way."
"I'm really glad you think that way, Kacchan, I didn't expect you to agree with me." Izuku said.
"Shut up, you damn nerd! I'm not agreeing with you. Our opinions just happen to overlap a bit."
The discussion evolved into a heated debate that polarised the whole class, pitching one half against the other. Ren tuned out the conversation. He could only focus on the potential consequences and reactions of his classmates if they were to find out the truth behind the rumour.
"… don't you think, Ren?" Izuku's voice snapped him out of his spiralling thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you've been awfully quiet, Amamiya. What's your take?" Kirishima asked.
"It's just a rumour. You shouldn't believe everything that you hear." Ren said.
Kaminari nudged Ren lightly on the shoulder. "Come on, man. You must at least have an opinion on the subject."
"I think…" Ren doubted for a moment whether he should actually say anything. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to incriminate himself. "I think if this person chose to become a vigilante, knowing full well what the consequences are, they probably saw it as something they had to do… or maybe even as a last resort." He finally said.
Before anyone could react, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Mr. Aizawa stood by the door frame. "Class was supposed to start 30 seconds ago. You should all know better than to discuss pointless rumours. Today is when the actual lessons begin, don't make me regret not expelling you yesterday" He scolded the class. "Amamiya, come help me get the new textbooks from the faculty office."
Ren quickly obeyed. Once outside, the teacher spoke.
"I don't know how this got out, but don't let the rumours get to you. No one actually knows anything that can be traced back to you. For now, just focus on being a good student. We wouldn't have given you this opportunity if we thought you didn't deserve it."
Despite his teacher's invariantly dry tone, Ren felt the comfort he meant to convey. He quickly followed Mr. Aizawa to the faculty office, fetched the books and returned to class.
The rest of homeroom went by without a hitch. As time passed, different teachers shuffled in and out to the classroom to teach different subjects. Despite being a Hero centric course, students were still expected to master basic school subjects like mathematics, literature, and English. Ren tried his best to listen to the lectures, but he could not retain any of the imparted knowledge. His mind kept going back to the debate that had transpired that morning.
When the bell finally rung, Izuku invited him to join him, Ida, and Uraraka for lunch at the cafeteria. Ren politely declined; he wasn't really hungry, and at that moment, he just wanted to be alone for a bit to sort out his thoughts. He made his way up the stairs. He figured the roof would be a good place to get some privacy.
Ren opened the door to the rooftop to find a someone crouching next to a cluster of planters by the corner. The stranger turned around to face Ren. She was a pretty girl with brown eyes and a light auburn hair so fluffy Ren thought she must've had a Sheep-based Mutant-type Quirk.
"Sorry, I didn't expect anyone else to be here." He said.
"Please, It's no bother. I can't blame you for wanting to enjoy the lovely spring breeze. I'm just tending to the garden; I hope I don't disturb you." She responded
Ren noticed a few desks scattered around the opposite side of the rooftop and decided to take one as his seating place for the duration of the lunch break. He took out a book from his messenger bag, an old edition of 'The Great Thief' he found in LeBlanc's dusty attic.
After reading a few chapters, his concentration was broken by a clanking sound. He looked up from the page to see the fluffy girl from before who seemed to be using power tools to install a strange contraption around the planters. The girl finally stood up, dusted her hands and turned the device on. Water started pouring form the apparatus over the plants.
Ren was surprised by the peculiar machine and the girl that set it up. "Did you just install sprinklers?" He asked with curiosity.
"These are no mere sprinklers. It's a fully automated watering system! It adjusts water level and temperature based on weather predictions and plant species. It also gathers information on the condition of the soil and growth development." She responded proudly.
"Wow. That's seriously impressive. Are you from the Support course?"
"Umm, not really. I'm actually in the Business course. I just like to tinker with gadgets from time to time."
"Well, with your skills I bet you could make a lot of useful gadgets for Heroes to use. I would definitely like to try a support item made by you."
"Oh, are you perhaps a student from the Hero course?"
"Yes. I'm just a first-year though, so this is my first week. My name's Ren. Ren Amamiya."
"It's nice to meet you, Amamiya. I'm…" She paused for a moment. "You can call me Haru!" She finally said with a smile.
Ren arched an eyebrow at the girl, but he didn't have time to question her. As she finished her sentence, the bell rang again, signalling the end of the lunch break.
"Alright, Haru. I guess I'll see you around school."
Ren headed back towards his classroom feeling a lot better than before. He was also really looking forward to his next class, Hero Basic Training. He walked into the room and took a sit in his assigned place behind Izuku, who shot him an inquiring look. He gave him and a small smile to let him know everything was alright. Izuku nodded in understanding and turned back to face the blackboard.
The anticipation in the air was palpable. Everyone was eager to experience the first lesson of Hero Basic Training. After all, it was the reason they all wanted to go to U.A. in the first place.
"I'm here!" The door shot open abruptly. A tall figure appeared form the hallway
"It's All-Might!"
The students cheered. Apparently, the news of the legendary Hero joining U.A.'s faculty were true.
"Welcome to the most important class at U.A.! Here you will learn all the fundamentals of being a pro Hero and what it means to fight in the name of good. Today's lesson will be… Battle Trial!" Their newest teacher exclaimed with contagious fervour. "And of course, a pro Hero must always save the day in style." He pointed at the wall of the classroom, where shelves containing numbered suitcases appeared. "These were tailor-made to your specifications by the foremost clothing and design companies. Suit up and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
The students rushed to grab their new Hero outfits. After everyone had theirs, it became apparent that there were only 19 suitcases on the wall. Ren had remained in his seat the whole time and was the only one without a suit.
"Hey Ren, you didn't get a new outfit?" Izuku asked him.
"Oh, I… I already have mine."
"Really? Where is it?"
"You'll see. Go on to the changing room without me, I'll catch up."
"Alright, don't be late."
Once Ren was alone in the classroom, he took a moment to take it all in. The truth was, he didn't hand in his clothing allowance form before the start of the school year. He didn't deem it necessary; he already had a fully functional costume fit for battle. He stood up from his sit and exited the classroom.
"I guess this is it…"
Ren finally arrived at the training facility. Everyone was already changed into their Hero outfits, while he was still wearing his uniform.
"Young Amamiya, aren't you going to get changed?" All-Might asked.
"I was just about to, sir."
Everyone stared at him expectantly.
He slowly stretched his neck and cracked his knuckles before closing his eyes. In an instant, Ren was swallowed by blue flames, his classmates briefly sank in terror at the sight. After a second, the flames dissipated and Ren emerged unscathed, his school uniform replaced by his Hero outfit.
He wore a Black tailcoat with a double-breasted grey waistcoat underneath. Black pants and dark brown Winklepicker boots below his waist. The outfit was finalized with a pair of blood red leather gloves, and in place of his ordinary glasses, his face was covered by a white domino mask with black accents around his eyes.
"Whoa. That's so cool!"
"Sick outfit, man!"
Ren flashed a smirk as he adjusted his gloves. "It's showtime."