Chapter 10: Shout your name and (Push forward)(open up)
Hello and welcome back! I'm still lagging behind production wise so bi weekly is here to stay I think. The chapter I'm working on is nearly done I just need to finish setting up a few scenes and actually focus on writing for once. I hope you're ready to see some pro heroes! And I hope I did them some justice!
"This really is delicious, thank you for the meal." Nathan gave a grateful bow to his most generous host.
Midoriya Inko just beamed at the boy.
"I'm glad you like it! When Izuku said that he was bringing a friend over today I have to admit I panicked a little bit!"
The two sat opposite Midoriya's mother at the table, Midoriya himself struggling somewhat since his right hand was still heavily bandaged.
It was a struggle Nathan was very familiar with.
"It really was amazing watching you two compete! I fainted at least seven times after the human cavalry battle!"
They really had gone a little bit overboard hadn't they?
The sports festival was indeed quite the large event. Nathan had been recognized at the convenience store he frequented. It wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling but he could get used to it.
"I hope it wasn't too stressful, although I can understand your concern."
A sideways glance met Midoriya.
"You have approximately zero room to talk," Midoriya said with a dry smile.
Nathan just laughed.
"I suppose you're right. How's the arm doing?"
"It should be mostly back to normal by the time we go back tomorrow. I don't know how you do it Relnor-san…"
"Lots of practice. It's been several years."
"Several years since what dear?"
"Ah. I used to be right handed before I lost my arm so I'm relating very heavily to Midoriya's struggle over there."
Inko's face froze.
That right arm was a prosthetic? Did that mean his eye and leg were missing too?
She decided to change the topic.
"Your parents must be very proud of you for your performance! Taking first place! You're the talk of the town Relnor-kun!"
It was Nathan's turn to freeze. He recovered quickly but it was very noticeable. He hid his hands from view and broke eye contact.
"I uh. I don't actually live with my parents. I'm over at Chaldea full time. Truth be told I'm not even… I don't know my biological family."
Inko's heart dropped like a rock. She let her instincts take over, shuffling to their side of the table and taking the reserved boy into a large hug.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to draw up such a dreary topic. But. I am certain they are very proud of you wherever they are."
He was stiff in her arms, like it was taking everything he had to hold something back.
"Thank you," He said carefully, doing his best to restrain his emotions.
"Sorry about that dear! Anyway! I'm glad you two have been getting along so well, little Izuku hasn't brought a friend over in ages you know!" She said as she broke away.
Midoriya made a few noises of protest as his mother doted on him, but Nathan was still trying to sort his emotions out.
He clenched his gloved left hand.
Was… Was his mother like Midoriya's?
He shook his head. There was no use dwelling on memories that weren't there anymore.
"The heroes at Chaldea tell me the same thing. They were very happy that you allowed Midoriya over the other week."
"Oh! He enjoyed that visit very much! You should invite him over again sometime! Also thank whoever made that wonderful dinner for me. I felt like a queen eating a meal that exquisite!"
"I'll be sure to let her know you appreciated her food. She takes great pride in it," Nathan said with a smile.
It struck Inko hard.
That smile was absolutely overflowing with love. It was almost unidentifiable just because it was such a vast emotion being expressed.
He was such a strange boy to Inko's eye. He loved freely and unconditionally, but he was so guarded. She was left wondering the same thing most people did after interacting with him.
What exactly had happened to turn him into what he is now?
"Man! I got so many comments on my way here!" Mina said excitedly.
"Yeah we're the talk of the town!" Kaminari added, "That's UA for you though! Participate in an event like the sports festival and suddenly you're famous!"
"I can't imagine you had an easy time Relnor-chan," Tsuyu said, directing her gaze to Nathan.
"Oh. I keep getting recognized at the grocery store. It's kind of annoying. I might have one of the Chaldeans start running errands for me…"
"Wh! You won the whole thing! You're not allowed to hole up at home after that!"
"Che-"
"Morning," Aizawa said as he entered the room.
"Good morning sensei!" They droned out together.
"Today's first lesson will be a little special. We'll be working out your Hero names today. Since you will be participating in internships in the coming days it's best to get this done soon. As for the draft nominations, they'll start coming in more earnestly in your second and third years. Most agencies would rather wait for you to build up a little experience before headhunting you, so these agencies that are reaching out to you in your first year are investing in your future."
He pressed a button on his remote and the board began to display how the offers were distributed among the class.
Todoroki was at the top of the list.
Followed by Bakugo.
Nathan trailed behind both of them at a respectable third.
But.
"Eh? You won though!? Shouldn't you have gotten the most nominations?" Yaoyorozu muttered from behind him.
"Most of mine are probably from my father's connections," Todoroki offered in some kind of consolation effort.
"I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them were intimidated by my current residence. Chaldea is a bit on the odd side so taking on a student from there would probably discourage a few people…"
Or perhaps they'd noticed his lack of drive…
"Either way, whether you've been nominated or not all of you will be participating in internships. You've all dipped your toes into the world of pro heroes during USJ so experiencing that world more directly should be even more rewarding."
"Ah that's why we need our hero names!" Sato exclaimed.
"Placeholder names are fine too, it just has to be appropriate," Aizawa added before Midnight entered the classroom with her characteristic flare. Apparently she was going to be evaluating their names as they presented them to the class.
They were each handed placards to write their hero name on.
Nathan stared at the blank surface.
He'd never really considered a hero name…
Sure he had plenty of titles that he could go with, but they all related to Chaldea somewhat. He couldn't exactly use his name to advertise the fact that he's a Master after all.
But.
They were a huge part of his life, he didn't want to completely leave them out.
Ah. Wait. He knew exactly where to pull his hero name from.
They'd been presenting their names with mixed success.
But it was his turn now.
Nathan walked up to the podum and flipped his name plate.
"Leviathan."
It was one of the odd names he'd picked up during his travels. Traditionally Leviathan was a sea serpent but the name had other connotations that allowed his enemies to easily lend it to him.
Leviathan was also generally a powerful bringer of chaos.
It was even associated with the gates of hell itself.
As someone who stood against the machinations of gods and men alike, he had brought chaos and ruin to those that sought to destroy him.
As a Master he commanded a legion of spirits some of which were literal gods of the underworld.
Tokoyami at least approved, giving him a small thumbs up.
"Hm. Yeah. That's not bad at all! I'd expect that more out of a water hero but you've got the whole scale thing going on so it'll work!"
"Thank you," Nathan said before returning to his seat.
The last of the students got their names approved sans Bakugo before Aizawa decided to push things along.
"Your field work training will be one week long, everyone with nominations will receive a personalized list, everyone else will receive this list of participating agencies. Think of what you want to focus on and pick an agency that matches it. Turn them in by the end of the week."
That only gave them two days to pick.
Nathan began to leaf through his list.
His major deficiencies were endurance and magical ability and he sincerely doubted anyone on this list would be able to help him with one of those. Ever since USJ he'd wanted to see if he could apply his quirk solely to saving lives rather than using it almost exclusively for violence. So maybe...
His eye fell on an odd name out.
It was simply a hero name with no agency attached to it.
"Midnight-sensei?" He called out, prompting her to approach his desk, "Is this an agency or-"
"Oh." She said upon seeing the name he was pointing to, "No. That uh. That one is a little non standard. She doesn't have an agency or do team ups as far as I'm aware…"
Nathan's eye narrowed, then why the hell was she asking for him? Oh well.
"Alright, thanks."
"No problem!"
"Do you have any ideas on where you're thinking of going Relnor-san?" Yayorozu asked as Midnight left.
"Mh. I think I have it narrowed down, but I want to look into some of these agencies after school before I pick. Most of them are a little more direct than I want…"
"Too direct?" Todoroki spoke up.
Nathan glanced over and realized Todoroki had been sitting next to Yaoyorozu for perhaps the entire school year and this was the first time he'd ever even registered it.
"Uh… Yeah. I want to try and do rescue work. I've got enough experience in direct combat so I want to try and broaden my horizons a little."
Plus it would be nice to rescue people without knowing that eventually he would have to destroy them in order to save his world.
"I see…"
The day idled by as they discussed hero agencies. Nathan found that Yaoyorozu and Midoriya were both extremely useful in narrowing down his choices even more than he'd done himself.
At the end of the day he had five agencies he wanted to look into personally before making a choice. He left class by himself today, his mind occupied with the possibilities of normal human pro hero work.
But that did not mean he'd dropped his guard.
He felt it coming just in time to dodge backwards.
Something slammed into the ground before him just as he exited UA.
Hessian Lobo let out an alarmed howl as Nathan pulled himself magnetically towards the Heroic spirit.
Who would be insane enough to attack him right outside of UA?
"Nice reflexes! There's a big difference between seeing them on tv and in person you know! Guess I made the right choice nominating you!"
She had long white hair disturbed only by large rabbit ears. She wore a white leotard with a golden crescent moon emblazoned on her chest.
"Um…" Nathan held his left arm out, signaling Hessian Lobo to stand down, "Who are you?"
"Eh? I'm Rabbit Hero Mirko! Here to pick you up for your internship!"
"I haven't decided who I was going to intern with. Not to mention they don't start for another-"
"Huh? Sorry? Musta got some dirt in my ears. Coulda sworn you just turned me down."
At this point they had gathered quite the audience.
"I don't do this kinda thing… Ever, so compliance is required! Come on. First lesson is to see if you can keep up with me!"
"I'm not allowed to use my quirk in public without a provisional-"
"You've got my permission! Let's go already!
With that she exploded towards the city.
He almost wanted to let her leave on her own, but she reminded him enough of a few heroic spirits that he knew that was probably a bad idea.
"Tell the others I'll be home late I guess," He said to the large wolf rider behind him, "I'll let you pick me up tomorrow."
"DUDE DUDE DUDE! WAS THAT MIRKO!?" Kaminari called out as Nathan began to charge up power in his back scales.
"Apparently. I'll see you tomorrow Kaminari-san,"
"WAIT TAKE ME WITH YOU!"
Nathan pushed himself off of the large metal gate, grabbing every metal fixture he could see in front of him and continuing his momentum. Thankfully she hadn't gotten too far ahead of him before taking off again. He stuck to the high ground, preferring to slingshot himself over buildings rather than weave his way through them.
It seemed to be a preference he shared with Mirko since she mostly kept to rooftops, bounding from one to the next as Nathan began to catch up.
"Damn you're fast! That's great! After all that whining you did I half expected you to just leave me hanging."
"I had a feeling I would regret it if I did," Nathan said dryly.
"DAMN RIGHT YOU WOULD!" She let out a loud laugh, "Alright time to stop playing around!"
She was gone in the next instant. She'd kicked off with enough force to damage the building under her. Nathan flooded power into his arm and leg and began to pursue, pulling hard on the buildings ahead of Mirko as she began to try to shake him in earnest.
"That was fun! You're just as good as I thought you'd be!" Mirko said, giving him a hard slap on the back.
They'd stopped at a convenience store to get some refreshments before continuing their literal rabbit chase.
"Thanks I guess?"
It was like talking to one of the Chulainns only she was a rabbit.
Bunny suit Scathach briefly entered his mind before he chased the image out with some effort. How she'd been talked into that was beyond his wildest imagination.
"Hopefully you're as good in a scrap as you are at running around. I'm not much of a team player so you better not drag me down too much."
"I am a first year student and you want me to keep up with you?"
"Yup."
"You're impossible, you know that?"
"Hah! You're sounding like the other pros already!"
"Also could you have at least waited the extra two days for the internships to actually start?"
"Eh? I already waited two days for them to even get my nomination to you! That's already such a waste of time! Think of this as a preview of all the great experience you'll get workin with me!"
He hadn't even decided who he was actually going to intern with. And yet here was this lady calling the shots loudly for him.
But.
Would it really be that bad? He had to admit, the more time he spent around her the more her presence reminded him of Chaldea. But just because it was comfortable doesn't mean he should follow it. He was trying to distance himself from his Chaldean identity and return to being a human.
"Alright, come on, I know a place where we can go a few rounds without anybody giving us any trouble."
"Please phrase that differently."
"Come on! Time to see if you can fight as well as you complain!"
A pained grunt left him as she once again leaped off into the distance.
He crushed his empty water bottle in his hand and tossed it into a trashcan before giving chase.
Eventually they came to a stop in an empty field clearly meant for some kind of sport. Nothing was running currently so Mirko had apparently decided this was her personal training ground.
"Alright put up your dukes and let's see what you've got!"
Nathan reinforced his body with magic. He got the distinct feeling that she was not going to hold back at all and he wanted all the durability he could get.
"And no electricity nonsense! That's cheating!"
"That's my quirk!"
"Don't care! You can't use that stuff against some people right? Might kill em! So try to take me down without it!"
He had to make a mental note to never ever let any of the celts know this woman existed.
There was little doubt that a few of his Servants were monitoring him so he hoped beyond hope that they would keep their damn mouths shut.
"You're really not selling me on this internship," He said, taking up a stance.
"Oh yeah!? Then why are you smiling?"
He did not have time to evaluate himself. She charged forward and delivered a powerful kick directly into his guard.
She was too strong to completely block, so he deflected it up while pulling his body down. He shot forward under her leg and reared his fist back.
He was hit with a surprising amount of force as she pulled her leg back completely reversing her momentum. He decided distance was the name of the day, again deflecting the blow and using the extra momentum it gave him to somersault backwards.
"Hooooh!"
He landed on his feet before immediately having to duck under another kick as she shot past him on his right. He rolled forward, planting his left hand half way through and swinging his legs. She would be on him in a moment so he had to already be attacking in order to keep up with her speed.
His left leg connected sending a low level current through her arm.
"What did I say-" She grabbed him just under his knee and yanked him up. He latched onto a nearby building and tried to yank himself free from her grip at an odd angle.
It did not work.
"About electricity bullshit!?"
She whirled him around slinging him as hard as she could.
He was disorientated but he caught himself all the same, grabbing nearby buildings in order to slow himself to the point where he could plant his feet safely.
"There's always gonna be a little bit of a current going through these, they need some power to keep shape. Unless even that is a little too much for you!"
"OH YOU'RE CUTE!"
He had less than one second to guard against the knee that slammed into his chest. Thankfully he managed to get both his arms in front of it, softening the blow enough that it didn't instantly knock him out even through his reinforcement.
He was sent a couple of meters back even though he'd dug his feet into the ground. There was no time to collect himself. He dove, dodging her next kick by centimeters at best. He swung his arm out at her leg landing a blow on her calf.
It was like trying to punch a wall.
He had put enough force in the blow that she staggered, but she easily jumped backwards resetting in one swift motion.
"Yeah! YEAH! LET'S GO!"
She jumped up, flipping through the air and bringing her leg down explosively where he'd been standing mere moments before.
The conditioning he'd gained through the Singularities and the Lostbelts was serving him well, but she was at the peak of physical power.
He had a feeling the only way she could get stronger would be to become a heroic spirit herself.
Her smile was wide as she leaped over him, planting and pushing off. She was aiming to slam into his back with her shoulder but her angle was a little too high. He had barely enough time to duck under the blow.
Her heel connected with his temple as she passed over him, dazing him somewhat.
She landed and quickly whirled around, swinging a punch that he ducked under.
He realized he'd made an error when her knee slammed into his face.
He'd dodged low too many times.
Thankfully his reinforcement stopped her from shattering his nose but it still hurt like hell.
But it wasn't a new pain.
He could still attack through it.
His right leg connected with her side. She'd dropped her guard for a single moment after landing that hit and he was not one to forgive such things.
Not in the middle of a fight anyway.
She of course grabbed the offending leg and slung him away from her.
"DAMN! I THOUGHT YOU'D BE REELING FROM THAT ONE! NICE! NICE! I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!"
"At least one of us is having fun," He ground out after a harrowing recovery, blowing some blood out of his nasal passage.
"Oh shit you are kinda fucked up though. You ok?"
"I'm fine. Nothing's broken."
"You got moxie kid. So what do you think? Wanna intern under me? I don't usually do this sort of thing but you're good. You won't drag me down."
"What exactly do you do? They said you don't have an agency or anything,"
"Eh. I chase leads, run around and help out wherever I can. Don't really like the idea of being tied to a home base when there are good fights everywhere y'know?"
She really was just a Chulainn but alive and also a rabbit.
He wanted to go into rescue work. But. If he went with her he would probably get a very good idea of how villains operated. Plus. It was only his first work study. He was sure there would be other opportunities.
"So? You ready for round two or what?"
"Alright. Fine I'm sold. Just don't kick me in the head anymore, I don't know how many more hits like that I can take before you give me a concussion."
"Nice! First intern! Lets go get a bite and hit the road for a patrol!"
"Er… It's not really an internship, it's on the job training. And it starts in two days."
"Details!"
"I cannot skip school for two days just because you're insane."
"UGH!"
"But I do need food, you know anywhere around here that won't really care about my sports festival win? I don't exactly want to get swarmed after getting the crap kicked out of me."
"Yeah no problem! Let's go!" She shouted excitedly before leaping off ahead of him.
He took stock of his scales. Despite the long chase he hadn't pushed any individual structure too hard. Thankfully her kicks had not broken his limbs off either. He let go of his reinforcement and gave chase.
"By the way kid," Mirko started, "What's your name again?"
"Really?" He had come all this way, gotten roughed up, and was now having dinner with someone who didn't even know his name? "Nathan Relnor."
"Eh? Isn't it the other way around?"
"God damnit." He explained yet again that he could never seem to stop introducing himself the western way.
Mirko only responded by laughing at him.
"Usagiyama Rumi," She said with a vicious smile, "I don't do formality so you can call me whatever you want sparky!"
"Yeah that tracks."
"Eh? Got somethin to say, wiseass?"
"You're the one that almost broke my nose before even introducing yourself,"
"Feh."
She downed half of her drink before ordering another round of food.
"So you're over with Chaldea right? I've worked with a couple of them before. Don't remember their names but one of them was fun! No wonder you can scrap so well hanging around them all the time."
"You didn't remember my name but you remembered that about me."
"That's way more relevant to me."
"Figures. Chaldea certainly has rubbed off on me in a variety of alarming ways," Nathan said with a soft smile, "I've been trying to scale down a little… After the last incident I was involved in it took me about six months to be able to talk and be understood again."
"... Huh? You go mute or something?"
"Or something."
He had gone so far to be able to understand others that he had lost the ability to be understood. It had taken a lot of work to get back to where he was now.
"Well you're here now n that's the important shit. Keep pushin forward and live your best life without regrets."
"I am unfortunately already full of regrets so it's a little late for that."
"You're what, fifteen? It's not that big a deal trust me."
Nathan wanted to correct her but he didn't think it would be a constructive argument to have. When she learned more about him, when she learned more about Chaldea, they could talk then.
"What am I supposed to do for two days while I wait around for your dumb school?"
"What do you usually do?"
"Fight villains."
"Any hobbies?"
"Underground fighting rings."
"That aren't fighting."
"Oh! I like thrill rides, and haunted houses n junk. I'm not allowed to go on many of them because I tend to break things,"
Anything to chase the thrill it seemed. Yeah. She would be right at home at Chaldea. He should never ever allow her over.
"What about you?"
"Hm?"
"You got any hobbies and shit you enjoy outside of heroics?"
"I like studying history and myths. And card games…"
"PSH!?"
He'd said that second item under his breath but Rumi's hearing was exceptional.
"I guess you are just a kid alright!"
"I'll have you know that there are a lot of heroes that enjoy playing card games with me! Maybe I'll teach you sometime."
"That'll be the day!"
"If you're bored, pick up a deck and start learning. Then maybe one day you'll be good enough to give me a slight challenge."
She mulled it over in her head. On one hand, that sounded boring as all hell. On the other hand, he had just directly challenged her and she wasn't about to yield.
"Maybe," Rumi said, "Only after a few drinks, and only if I'm REALLY bored!"
"Good enough."
"But man, studying and card games, and you're that good at fighting? I figured you'd at least train somewhere,"
"Oh I do, but I don't… Is it really a hobby anymore when it's in the service of your career?"
He'd managed to stop himself from saying how he really felt.
Is it really a hobby if you don't enjoy doing it?
"Guess not." She said with a shrug, "You got a bedtime or something I need to get you in by? I don't necessarily want to get on Chaldea's bad side."
"They're fine, they know what's going on,"
"Eh? When the hell did you have time to tell them!?"
"There was one at UA's gate back when you first accosted me."
"Eh?! You really gonna word it like that?"
"You almost broke my nose."
"Oh my God this is gonna be a thing isn't it?"
"Probably."
They were both laughing by the time the waiter came back with Rumi's food.
"Don't meet too many people that aren't intimidated by me. Or worship the ground I walk on. Usually one of those two unless they're another pro… And even then sometimes I can't get away from it."
"My perspective has shifted dramatically since getting taken in by Chaldea. Nothing really bothers me too much anymore."
"That where you picked up that mouth of yours?"
"Undoubtedly. I don't really shut up if I'm stressed, it helps keep me centered. Plus if it throws off my opponent even better."
"Here here! Good, I'm lookin forward to this thing more and more. You sure I have to wait two days."
"Yes, absolutely."
"Damn. Fine. You drive a hard bargain you know but I'll play your game."
"You have no room to say that to me considering this whole thing started as humoring you just so you wouldn't steal me from class tomorrow in a fit of rage."
"Hey! I wouldn't have done that!"
Nathan just looked at her without saying a single word, expression perfectly flat.
"Ok maybe a little."
"You can't tell me you wouldn't have taken that as a personal insult and escalated."
"OK MAYBE I WOULD HAVE!"
They both burst out laughing at the absurdity of what they were saying. No one watching would have been able to tell they'd only known each other for a few hours.
They continued on laughing and yelling at each other until they'd had their fill.
"Alright pipsqueak, you got a ride back home?"
"Yeah, I'm good. He's waiting around here somewhere probably."
"Alright. I guess… I guess I'll wait the two days or whatever. I don't really have an office though so I'll just be hopping around the city."
"Sounds like you're just going to accost me at complete random."
"LIKE HELL YOU SHITTY BRAT! LATER!" She shouted with a giant smile on her face before leaping over a nearby building.
"Well. That certainly was a day and a half. Edmond you around here?"
"Yes Master," The Count said, emerging from around a corner. He casually put out the cigarette he'd been smoking before approaching, "Shall we head home?"
"I could definitely use a nap. And maybe a little healing."
"Very well."
A hand fell on Nathan's shoulder and the two of them disappeared into the shadows together.
"So what are you thinking Midoriya?"
"Oh! I actually got a nomination today after class let out! Grand Torino! He's an old hero but he mentored All Might so it's a great honor to be nominated by him!"
"Interesting, interesting."
"Wait. Wait. Nathan! Nathan! How many tool cards do you have!?" Hassan of Serenity cried out as she watched Nathan play another card from his hand.
"Enough."
"Waaaaaa!"
Midoriya wasn't entirely too sure what was going on but it sounded like Nathan was playing some kind of card game.
"Apparently my choice was made for me, but this won't be the only internship we have so I'm not too worried about it. One day I will be allowed to learn how to rescue people properly…"
"Er. You can always just say no Relnor-san."
"And have her harass me every day? I know how those types work. I live with a lot of them. Alright, I'll attack with Flying Fury, discarding all six of my tool cards to take out your Mewtwo."
"WH- Why is it weak to psychic!? It's psychic!"
"I don't make the rules I just play the game."
"Nathan is… Evil… Nathan is… Unrelenting…"
"One day you're going to have to teach me how to play this game Relnor-san"
"Oh?"
Midoriya sensed the gaze of a true predator on him. Even though he was comfortably in his room talking over the phone he could feel Nathan's stare blazing straight through him.
"Any time you're free Midoriya, I'll send the Count over to pick you up and I can preach to you the glory of TCGs."
"I regret."
"Most do."
"Well! I'll see you at school tomorrow then!"
"You can't run, I know where you live and I also have a Merlin!"
Midoriya hung up, now properly terrified for his life. Or rather. Terrified of how his life was going to be spent in the coming weeks if Nathan made good on his promises.
Although another chance to hang out in Chaldea was never a bad thing.
The on the job training started tomorrow.
He hoped this would help him finally get a grasp on One for All…
If all else failed maybe he could ask those strange Chaldeans for help.
Two days passed so quickly for Nathan. Even though the ordinary school days were extremely draining for him, they sure were easy. Was this what it was like to have a normal life?
Nathan was never sure he'd be able to slow down enough for something like that.
Thankfully as a heroics school UA offered him his comfortable chaos relatively often.
The class stood together at a nearby station everyone preparing to go their separate ways for the week.
The increasingly quiet Iida turned to leave the group of four without even saying a goodbye, prompting Midoriya to reach out to him.
"Iida-kun… If- If you ever need someone to talk to, you can always talk to us. We're friends after all."
Uraraka nodded alongside Midoriya, but Nathan.
He studied Iida's expression.
His shadow rumbled lightly behind him.
"Sure." Iida said before turning away from them.
The fact that Iida had picked an offer from Hosu, the city where the villain who took down his brother was last seen, had not escaped their notice.
But if Iida was content to shut them out, forcing their way through could only do so much.
Nathan pulled out his phone.
"Hey, Sherlock," Nathan said in a hushed tone as Midoriya and Uraraka fretted behind him, "Have Saint George trail Iida Tenya in spirit form."
His instincts were screaming at him to tackle Iida and just punch some sense into him.
But he knew that wouldn't solve much.
So he would have the unbreakable Georgios standing by.
Even in terms of other Servants, Saint George was in a league of his own when it came to protecting people.
He could rest easy knowing that that safety net was there for Iida should the worst come to pass.
He hung up before wearily turning away from his friend.
"It will be fine I think," Nathan said, catching their attention. His own overwhelming sense of calm washed over them.
"Right. You're right. We've just got to believe in him," Uraraka said with a smile.
"And be there to catch him if he stumbles," Nathan added in.
They shared a smile.
They'd gotten used to how overwhelming Nathan's was. Uraraka had even come to recognize it for what it was. A catastrophic overflowing amount of love. A love she could only barely grasp because of its vastness.
And then that tender moment was interrupted when Mirko came crashing into the station.
"THERE YOU ARE!"
She closed the distance between them in a single bound, grabbing him from under his right shoulder, "Get suited up we're goin on patrol!"
"This is it. This is my life now." Nathan said as he was physically dragged away from his friends.
"Wait was that… Rabbit Hero Mirko!?" Midoriya called out as she hoisted Nathan over her shoulder like a bag of potatoes and leaped out of the station.
Aizawa, as well as half of the class had seen that whole scene.
He swore to himself internally as he watched that extreme boy get carried away by an even more extreme pro hero.
In his opinion, Nathan did not need someone as amped up as Mirko to study under. He needed someone who could help curb his reckless tendencies, not someone who would encourage them.
"So. What's your plan?" Nathan asked casually as they soared through the air. He was used to this sort of thing by now. Nearly every single Servant in Chaldea had had to sling him over their shoulder at some point and run away.
It was just a fact of life that if someone he trusted grabbed him and slung him over their shoulder he would just go with it without a struggle.
"Eh? Like I said, we're gonna patrol! If we see any villains we'll smash em. That qualifies as workplace experience right!?"
"Very very vaguely. I am supposed to be learning things,"
"Yeah you'll learn how to kick ass better. That's what we're going for."
"Great." He said tonelessly.
"COME ON IT'LL BE FUN!"
They came crashing down in front of a modest hotel.
"I don't have a place in the area so I've just been crashing here lately. Hero suits keep me set up, I just tell em when and where."
"Oh. I guess you do work a respectable job even if you're a lunatic," Nathan said after sliding off of her shoulder and finally getting his feet back under him.
"Ey! I wear that title with pride! Villains cower in fear from me!"
"You ever think that maybe that's part of the problem?"
"Can't argue with results,"
For some reason that boy shifted uncomfortably.
"I suppose." He said, but his tone was distant.
"Come on let's get you changed into your suit and go kick some villains, that always cheers me up!"
"It would, wouldn't it?" he said quickly returning to normal.
She slapped him on the back of the head, perhaps a little harder than she intended considering how much he stumbled from the blow.
How could something like that stagger him if he took a full force kick to the face before?
Oh well, maybe she just truly caught him off guard.
They were in and out in a matter of minutes, choosing to exit via the roof just to have a better launch pad.
"You have any leads?" He asked. It was mid afternoon so he wasn't sure where to even start looking for petty crimes around now.
"Mh. Not really. Just gotta learn where to look, tell me where do you think we should start?"
"Oh. Uh…" Nathan quickly scanned the area around them, they didn't have the highest vantage point, but it was good enough to get a feel of the area, "Probably over there maybe?"
"Wrong!"
"Wh-"
"You're too far off the grid! If you're going for something petty you're gonna be close to where people are, maybe in the off alleys from a major shopping area! Gotta be ready to pounce and then bolt!"
She pointed to a shopping center nearby.
"We'll hang around there for a bit, see if we can't get a good warm up on some small fries."
Nathan nodded quietly. He honestly hadn't been expecting to get much out of this internship beyond some endurance training. But Mirko was a professional hero and he was a student that had never actively hunted down criminals before. She had leagues of experience in what to look for and where to look for it.
"Right. I'll follow your lead."
"THEN LET'S HOP TO IT!" She called out, taking off in one explosive leap.
"So…"
He stood apart from his conversation partners. One was a lanky silver haired man with a severed hand on his face, the other was a sharply dressed man made of black mist.
"You're the ones that Raided UA. And now you want me to join your little group?"
"Sure. Come on then, you're a much more experienced villain than us aren't you?" One Shigaraki Tomura said.
The Hero Killer: Stain sneered at that man's casual answer.
"What do you hope to accomplish?"
"Well. Mostly I want to kill All Might. Then I can move on to destroying things I don't like, these brats for example…" He held up a series of pictures. The front most one showed a boy with short brown hair who seemed to be missing an eye.
A moment of silence passed between the three of them.
"I was foolish to be interested in your offer. You're the type of person I despise the most." Stain's hands went to the knives he wore on his sides, "Did you really only call me here to rope me into your temper tantrum? What's the point of killing without a cause?"
His serrated knives slipped from their sheathes.
"Master! Is it ok to let this proceed?" Kurogiri asked the television screen at the far end of the bar.
"Yes. This is fine. There's no point if we just give him all of the answers!"
Stain was on them in an instant, slashing Kurogiri's arm while he was distracted and quickly touching his blade to his tongue.
The other one was slow to react, so by the time he was moving Stain was already positioned to knock him flat on his back.
Shigaraki fell with a resounding thud. Before he could process what was going on one of those knives pierced his right shoulder, pinning him to the ground, the other finding its way to his neck in short order.
"No matter what you wish to accomplish, you must have conviction and drive. Those who lack such things. Those who are weak. They will be weeded out. That's why this is a perfectly natural result."
"Grh. That hurts… This is too hard. Kurogiri, send him back."
But his stalwart ally could do no such thing. After all, Stain already had him under the effects of his quirk.
"This world is overrun with fake heroes to the point where the word has lost all meaning, and the villains who aimlessly wield their power without direction. All of them will be purged…"
Stain pushed his knife closer to Shigaraki's face.
"Wait."
His hand clasped around that knife.
"Not that palm."
The knife began to crumble to dust under Shigaraki's grip.
"I'll kill you. Conviction? I don't need anything like that. All I want to do is crush this society where trash like All Might gets put up on a pedestal!"
Shigaraki swung that hand out, causing Stain to jump back.
"My last injury only just got patched up. We don't have a healer on our party, you know. You better take responsibility for this."
"So. That's the kind of person you are."
Stain's words knocked Shigaraki off balance slightly.
"Our goals are the complete opposite, but our means are the same."
"What? Knock it off. Go home. Die. I thought I was the kind of person you hated most."
"I was testing your mettle. A person's true nature only surfaces when they're about to die. It's twisted, but there is a conviction inside of you. How will it grow? I'd like to see it before I dispose of you."
"I don't want someone this crazy as a party member Kurogiri."
"Nonsense. If you can learn to work with him he will be an excellent asset."
"Kurogiri." The voice from the monitor called out causing the three to come to a stop. "Don't forget to give him our incentive."
"Ah. Yes."
A black portal opened up, depositing a strange handheld device onto the bartop. It seemed to be made from some kind of silver with almost its entire surface engraved with symbols that gave it a strong otherworldly air. From the bottom of the device protruded a clear vial with a dark red liquid swirling around inside.
Stain instantly recognized it as blood.
"This is insurance on our investment," That voice said, "Another partner has noticed an alarming trend lately and constructed that as a weapon to fight it."
"A weapon?" Stain asked, picking up the device and examining it thoroughly.
"Yes. Should you encounter a hero you have no means of defeating. Press the button and a partner suited to your needs will come to your aid. I have been told that you should save it for use against a Chaldean hero should you find one in your sights."
Stain's eyes narrowed. He had heard of Chaldea a few times. But his method of attacking left most heroes unable to call for backup. He had never run against one personally, but tales of their abilities had reached him.
He did not like the idea of having to fight one. They seemed to be heroes in the true sense of the word. Responding to cries for help, shunning the fame and fortune that came from heroics, merely waiting to lend a hand to those in danger.
But. If one of them got in the way of his mission…
He had many questions but took the device anyway. If it came to it he would use it. But only if he was truly pushed into a corner.
"Fine. Take me back to Hosu. I still have work to do."
Mirko's eye for finding villain activity was absolutely absurd. After a couple of hours of not much going on they'd keyed in on a suspicious group. It turned out they were part of a ring of dealers selling a drug called Trigger which caused Quirks to go berserk when used.
Between the two of them the group barely had time to register that they were under attack before they'd been taken out. Nathan's opening move of a wide burst of electricity followed by Mirko kicking the shit out of stunned targets was a nearly unbeatable combination.
"Phew. Alright the police are on their way. Nice work there. Was worried you might freeze up in the face of real villains."
"I passed that phase a long long time ago," Nathan said calmly.
"Fair. Guess you were the one student that acted out of line at that USJ thing eh?"
"Perhaps."
"Come on! You can talk to me! I ain't got shit to prove, everybody knows better than to hound me for questions!"
"I'm surprised you were not privy to the reports."
"Nah, UA's pretty tight on it's own shit. All we know is about the villains themselves and all the arrests. Don't really know what happened beyond that."
"Mh. It's not much of a story, they teleported into the middle of USJ and Aizawa rushed in to fight them. So, knowing the huge disadvantage he'd be fighting under, I rushed in too."
She let out a low whistle.
"And you didn't get any shit for it?"
"I got a tongue lashing that's for sure, but no proper disciplinary action."
"Damn, must have really impressed someone."
"It is what I do these days, apparently."
"Fahahaha! Was that a dig at me you cheeky bastard! You're gonna pay for that later you know!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less out of you."
The police arrived in short order. They seemed surprised at Mirko lightly bantering with Nathan while she gave her report. They were even more surprised when she scooped him up and leaped away with him.
The two continued their patrol for a few more hours, not really finding too much out of the ordinary.
But something was starting to bother Mirko about the way Nathan had been handling himself on the field.
"Hey kid. Do you even like fighting?" She asked as they surveyed an area from atop another building.
"Not really. It's always been a means to an end. I don't really enjoy the fight itself, but if I believe it's necessary I'll do it," He said conversationally.
That answer came too easily for it to have been a lie.
But that didn't entirely square up with what she'd seen from him before.
"Then why the hell did you give that speech of yours at the sports festival if not to challenge yourself against everyone!?"
"I was told my speech should fire everyone up. The easiest way I could think to do that was to challenge them."
It was a means to an end.
"And that big smile during your last match? Against that fire and ice kid?"
"Hm?" Nathan took his attention away from the area and focused his one eyed gaze on Mirko.
Had he not realized it? That smile that had won her over had been so instinctual that he didn't even realize he'd made it.
That didn't square up in her head right. Nobody who didn't enjoy fighting on some level could make that smile, but…
"You're a weird kid, you know that?"
"I am aware, yes."
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. They would patrol late into the night, stop by whatever dive was still open, eat their fill, and then crash in her hotel suite. Rumi did have to wonder exactly when that boy slept, since he was almost always awake when she turned in, and already awake when she woke up.
It was non stop but it wasn't anything Nathan wasn't already used to.
Apparently they'd accidentally hit something big with that first group of Trigger dealers. They would receive new intel every morning from the police and it would be their main mission of the day to chase down those leads.
This was pretty typical for Rumi apparently. She'd scratch the surface of a large criminal organization and then wouldn't stop until she'd personally kicked every single one of their members in the face.
The only new snag was that she wanted to wrap this one up in a week so she could show Nathan the whole process.
To that end they were currently following up one of their major leads.
"Well this certainly doesn't look the part, but I guess that's the point isn't it?" Nathan said from his perch on the top of another building.
"You got it. Don't want civilians calling in cuz you got 'evil drug trade' painted on the side of your warehouse."
It was already evening so the area was relatively poorly lit, but nothing about it screamed illicit hideout.
Nathan was familiar with certain parties who actually did act that obliviously, so he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
"What's our plan of attack?"
"We're gonna wait til bird bitch gets here then we're gonna jump in and take 'em all out."
Nathan had no idea who she could be talking about, at least not until the sound of flapping wings filled the air.
He tilted his head up and saw those large red wings.
"Yo/"
Nathan was vaguely aware of who this man was. Pro hero Hawks. Chaldea had helped him out once and he had some very pointed questions about the inner workings of their organization.
"Relnor-san?"
Nathan's eye fell to Tokoyami.
"Oh. Hello Tokoyami-san,"
"Wait. Wait wait. Back up," Hawks said, holding his hands up as he folded his wings behind him, "You."
Mirko tilted her head to the side, "Me?"
"You took a kid from 1-A?"
"I lost a bet."
"Ok. That's better. I was scared for a moment… Good luck keeping up with her kid, she's even worse than I am,"
Tokoyami groaned from behind that pro hero.
"Ey, I know how to pick em, my kid's been doing just fine!" She said, surprisingly defensively.
"Woah woah, cool your jets, I wasn't implying anything. Anyway. We got any extra intel?"
"They know something's up," Nathan spoke up. "There hasn't been a lot of traffic in and out. Plus we have kind of just been showing up at random and just beating the crap out of large groups of them so… That's kind of our bad."
"Hah! It was fun though. That just means they're all holed up in there just waiting to get stomped!" Mirko added.
Hawks tilted his head to the side as they turned their attention back to the warehouse. That was odd. They actually seemed pretty compatible. But nothing about that kid's performance had particularly screamed that Mirko would enjoy his company.
Nathan's helmet snapped together over his head as he scanned the area in more detail, chatting with Tokoyami and Rumi with equal ease.
"Well. This should be pretty routine. You kids just stay back and let us clean up shop," Hawks said casually.
"Way to curse us," Nathan said absentmindedly before realizing he'd just spoken out of turn, "Er. Sorry."
"FAHAHAHAHA! DON'T APOLOGIZE I WAS ONE STEP BEHIND YOU!" Mirko said with a mighty laugh.
Scratch that, he seemed to interact with everyone casually, even though they hadn't been properly introduced yet.
This would certainly be interesting…
Disaster had struck. Hosu plunged into chaos as several of the Nomu began attacking indiscriminately.
"It's so noisy… So those idiots decided to come out of hiding… I'll dispose of them later."
Hero Killer Stain held a stunned pro hero against a wall, rearing back his blade in preparation to finish his work.
"Damn you… Die!"
"Are those really the last words of a pro hero?"
But.
Before he could swing.
Their footwork was noisy so he had plenty of time to react despite how fast they were moving.
He swung his blade, catching his opponent's helmet and knocking it straight off his head.
"Hm? A child in a suit? Get out of here, this isn't the kind of place for children to play…"
Iida Tenya rose up from the disorienting blow.
"Blood red scarf. Blades all over your body. You're the Hero Killer Stain right!?"
He locked eyes with his opponent.
"I never thought I'd find you this quickly! I've come looking for you!"
Stain turned his blade towards the boy.
"Those eyes are filled with vengeance. If things are dire enough even children can become my targets. You understand what that means right?"
"I'm not even a target in your eyes!?" Iida roared as he straightened up, "Listen up criminal! I am the brother of a hero you cut down! I'm here to bring you down in his place! So don't ever forget the name Ingenium!"
"Is that so… Die."
Iida acted first, swinging a mighty kick at the masked villain. Unfortunately he was too easy to read. Stain simply jumped over it, landing a kick with his spiked shoes before knocking Iida to the ground.
"I let your brother live to feed the rumors about me. But you're too weak."
His blade pierced Iida's bicep, pinning him to the ground.
"You were both weak. Because you are imposters."
"Shut up! He was a fine hero and you paralyzed him! He saved so many people! He gave me a dream! I'll kill you!"
"Save him first."
Iida's mind came to a screeching halt.
He followed Stain's hand.
Yes. There was someone else here wasn't there?
He had barely registered it until just now.
"You've been consumed by your own desires. It's the furthest state from being a hero. That's why you'll die here."
Stain removed his blade and licked the blood off of it.
Iida's body locked up.
He could only watch as Stain prepared to run him through again.
But.
He was not given the chance to swing.
A flash of white and bronze slammed into him, sending him tumbling away from both of his targets.
"Ah. I am sorry for my late arrival. I lost sight of you when you dashed off," A smooth voice spoke out.
A large white cape draped over exquisite armor. His right shoulder guard was styled like a dragon's head. In that hand he held a large blade.
"I am glad I was able to save you from further injury. Please. Do not be afraid. I will keep you both safe."
Stain regarded the man. No. There was something off about his presence.
He was too bright.
It was hard to register him among the scum that called themselves heroes.
"No one is beyond salvation. It is the height of foolishness to proclaim that a child cannot be saved. Allow me to show you the error of your ways young man. My name is Georgios and on that name no further harm shall come to these two on my honor as a Chaldean hero."
No.
No, those two were indeed beyond salvation.
In order to reclaim the title of hero from those fakes they had to die.
"I won't let you get in my way," Stain said, brandishing his blade.
"Route 7 at least should still be clear," one of the villains said from his place next to a nondescript truck.
"In theory. We're on high alert. Mirko's on our trail so it's only a matter of time before she brings the roof down on top of us."
The moment he finished that sentence.
The very instant.
With an explosive crash Mirko broke through the ceiling, landing smack dab in the middle of the warehouse floor.
"Sup!"
Electricity rained down from them a moment later.
Everyone's attention had been drawn to the floor, so no one was left to notice Nathan clinging to the ceiling until he attacked.
"Shit! SHIT! OPEN FIRE! GET AS MUCH OUT OF HERE AS YOU CAN!"
He went to pull his gun before a bolt of electricity ran through him, taking him to the floor.
Mirko charged a group, dodging through their desperate attacks and landing several crushing blows of her own. She didn't bother to check to see if they were down for the count. The sound of crackling electricity was all the confirmation she needed as she weaved through the mob.
"TAKE OUT THAT FUCKING KID!"
"THAT'S MY FUCKING KID AND IF YOU HURT A HAIR ON HIS HEAD I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD!" Mirko screamed as she slammed that villain through the wall he was standing in front of.
"FUCK!" One of the villains screamed as he dove out one of the side doors, "Shit! Gotta get the hell out of-"
Something snagged his collar.
"Going somewhere?"
He was lifted up and slammed into a pile with the rest of the potential escapees.
Red feathers danced around them.
"Other than jail I mean," Pro Hero Hawks said with a wink.
It was a slaughter. Anyone who stayed inside would be annihilated by Mirko. Anyone who escaped outside would face down Hawks.
A literal worst case scenario.
One of the villains inside overdosed on Trigger but found his consciousness leaving him just as he felt power flooding through him.
A black blast struck him directly in the back.
The man hadn't been downed by a blast of electricity so it was only natural to assume he had a similar quirk and would be immune. Therefore Nathan switched to a method of attack that could bypass that weakness.
A villain dove under one of the trucks as panic took him over.
What could he do? What could anyone do? There was no escape here. He'd seen the red feathers out the window. They were trapped. They were trapped and it was all over.
Unless.
He reached to that strange silver device strapped to his waist.
The division boss had given it to him to use as a last resort.
"Use in case of an emergency eh? Well this sure as hell is an emergency!"
He pressed the button at the top and that vial of red liquid was sucked into the main body of that weapon.
An explosion of force shot out, blowing that man, and the truck above him away.
Nathan was forced to dodge as the vehicle crashed through the ceiling.
"What the fuck!?" Rumi called out as she turned towards the blast.
"Someone was under that! Must be a strength qui-"
Nathan's words died in his throat.
His visor registered a large spike of Mana.
An imposing man stood in the center of that explosion. He had horns protruding from his messy brown hair. He wore nothing over his torso but had his arms clad in gauntlets with a shield in one hand and…
In his right hand he held a double sided axe that seemed to pulse with life.
Nathan instantly recognized that man.
"Eric Bloodaxe!?"
I know there are some people that have been waiting for elements of Fate to start seeping into the normal plot of MHA. I'm sorry I had you wait for so long but it took a long time to hammer out exactly how I'd manage it but I think I've finally got a solid idea of where I'm going. More than 50k words in... That's just how I operate now a days I guess.
Anyway hope you're ready for some interesting battles next time! See you in a couple of weeks!