My Hero Academia - Under Pressure - Season 2 - Chapter 16 - What Makes One Heroic?
The students counted down the hours and even the minutes until they finally could do their internships with the various Pro-Heroes agencies they had picked.
All of them had gotten approved for their choices, so on a Saturday they came in very early to their homeroom so that they could get their hero garbs from Angel Wings as well as their various tickets, should they need them, to get to their assigned territories.
Tonen took a train to his destination, Toyama City, within the Toyama Prefecture. He had only been to Toyama once during a trip with his parents, and that was when he was much younger. The "fish out of water" experience was what he was hoping for, as he knew that would push him further to be the hero he wanted to become.
It took a little while to get to the city, and then he decided to walk to the agency he was going to intern with.
Toyama City was an "Environmental Model City" as the government liked to call it. Mainly because it used various hydroelectric sources from the nearby bay to go and power the city and the other districts that were around it. This was impressive in the eyes of Tonen as he noticed how clean the air was and how few emissions he could see coming from the factories and office buildings that were around as he walked through the area.
Because it was summer it was a bit hot out, but Tonen used his Quirk to easily cool himself off, a nice benefit to his powerset.
After following the directions given to him, he found himself in front of the Agency he picked, it was called, "Lighting The Way Agency", and was a decent sized two-story building with a bit of flair on the outside.
"Heh," Tonen said to himself, "nice pun, wish Rune and Bubble Gum was here to see it."
With a shrug, he entered. He was a bit surprised when no one was inside the lobby area outside of a single woman at a reception desk.
"Might be a slow day..."
He went up to the desk, Tonen saw the woman was on the phone and typing on the computer, so he patiently waited for her to get done.
"Sorry about that," the woman said as she turned and smiled at Tonen. "Welcome to Lighting The Way Agency, where we light the way so you can get the help you need. What can we do for you today?"
Tonen held back a laugh at the logline and gave her the proper respect with a bow, "I'm Tonen Keitomo from UA High. I'm the intern for-"
"Oh! You're our new blood! Wonderful! The boss could use some help. Let me tell her you're here."
She went right to the phone and quietly talked on it for a few seconds before turning back to Tonen.
With a motion to the nearby staircase she smiled and said, "She's expecting you, first door on the right as you get to the second floor."
"Thank you," Tonen replied with another bow.
Keeping his grip tight on his stuff, he went up the stairs to the second floor. Sure enough, he saw a rather colorful door to his right as he got there. He made for the handle, but thinking it better to make a good impression, he knocked.
"Come in," came a voice from within.
Relieved, Tonen entered, and at first, he didn't see anyone. There was another desk in front of him, but unlike before, there was no one in it. As he closed the door though, a figure appeared behind him.
"So you're my intern..."
He reared around ready for a fight before realizing that his Pro-Hero mentor was now in front of him.
Specifically, before him was a woman, one that was a bit older than him, yet still appeared very young. Her beauty was evident, as was her unique style. She had long orange hair, but in a way that it come into sharp points at the end. What's more, there were several hairs that had a lightning pattern that stuck out from the main frock of hair.
Her Pro-Hero outfit was a full-on body suit with various lightning symbols and miniature Tesla coils in spots like her shoulders. The color palette was certainly striking, pun intended no doubt, as it was a mix of yellow, orange, and black.
After relaxing, Tonen shifted his stuff around so he could reach out his hand, "I'm Tonen Keitomo, pleasure to meet you."
The woman looked at him rather curiously, but then shook his hand in reply, "Risami Ichira. But you can call me Sparky."
"Risami Ichira. Pro-Hero Name: Sparky. Yes, I know I just repeated her, deal with it. Quirk: Electric Sparks. Her body is able to produce powerful electric sparks that she can use in a variety of ways. Shocking, I know."
After the two finished shaking hands, Sparky went back to examining him, this put Tonen on edge, "Everything ok?"
"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "We need to establish some things before you even think about going onto the streets with me."
"...uh...ok?"
She leaned against the wall of the room and continued to examine him with curious yet intense eyes, "Why are you here, Tonen?"
"I'm here to intern at your agency."
"That's not what I asked. I asked why are YOU here? Why did you pick this agency, why did you pick me?"
"Uh..."
"Because you see, I'm not a top hero, I'm barely in the Top 200, and while I may not look it, I have connections with some top pros."
"I didn't-"
"So..." she interjected, "after I heard about you wanting to come here, I asked around. You got offers from 5 of the top 10 Pro-Heroes, including Mythical and Interface, as well as all sorts of requests from the Pro-Hero list from top to bottom. So given all of that, why in the world did you choose me? Because I can only think of two reasons. Either A) you're a fan of mine somehow and you wanted to meet your idol. I don't think it's that one because of how calm you are. Or B) you thought it'd be fun to be with a 'good-looking female hero' and if so, you're in for a rude awakening."
Tonen chuckled to himself a bit and covered his mouth so that his smile couldn't show. Eventually, he composed himself and gave an honest smile, "Can I talk now?"
Sparky found this very amusing, "By all means."
"First, you are correct, I am not a direct fan of yours. I think I've only heard of you once or twice before on the news or online. Not an insult, just stating how it is."
"That's fine."
"Second, I could care less how pretty you are, or that you're a woman, I didn't pick you because of that. And as for ranking, that doesn't matter to me either. In fact, part of the reason I picked you was because you aren't the highest-ranking around, and that doesn't bother you."
This amused Sparky even more, "Go on."
Tonen laid down his stuff to be more comfortable and leaned against the desk, "You don't know me yet, so allow me to tell you my motivations. I want to be a different kind of hero. One who puts the people first, to help the people and then move on to the next one who needs my help. I don't care about the fame, or the money, the toys made in my honor, and so on. My goal is to help people first and foremost, no exceptions."
"I can appreciate that."
"Good, because that's honestly why I picked you. Let me ask you a question. Last month, how many people do you think Mythical saved?"
The question caught Sparky off-guard, she looked away and pondered for a bit before asking, "I don't know, fifty?"
"Thirty. A whole month, and he saved thirty people. Some would say that's great, because that would equate to about a person a day. But that's not what happened. Over half of those people were saved in one incident at the beginning of the month. The train incident near Tokyo if you recall."
"Oh yeah, that was a big news story."
"Yes, because Mythical saved them. He saves people, and then for the next week or so he'll go and do news stories, interviews, and more about it. He doesn't say it, but he loves the pomp and circumstance, that's why his hero numbers aren't as high as you'd expect. Now, another question, how many people did you save last month?"
Sparky again thought about it, "Thirty-five?"
"Seventy-two," answered Tonen with a small smile.
"I did?"
"You did. You were constantly helping people in Toyama, even with other Pro-Hero agencies doing similar work. And do you know how many times you got interviewed about all the work you did?"
"Zero."
"Exactly. You do the work, and then you don't wait to get praised for it. The only reason you're ranked No.196 right now is because of your deeds and the fact that the public at large in Japan doesn't know how much work you do. They ALWAYS know what Mythical is doing because he has made it so people won't shut up about it. He's not a fake hero, but he's not as legendary as people think. You outwork him, you save people because you want to do that, and that's awesome in my eyes."
She laughed at his praise, "You know how to flatter a lady."
"Well if you want, I can keep going, I have more to say," he said with a sly smile.
"Please, I don't get this kind of praise often."
"One of your comments before was that I chose you because you're a 'pretty hero'. But that's the twist, you are pretty, but unlike MANY female Pro-Heroes, you don't flaunt it. You don't do ads for makeup products, you don't flaunt your body when you're in a crowd, and your outfit is one that actually is not only comfortable no doubt, but it hides the very things that those other often show off."
"My curves..."
"Yeah. I've seen WAY too many commercials featuring female Pro-Heroes where they're trying to appeal to guys, or girls, solely by using their bodies, I find that disgusting. You are nothing like them, and I appreciate that."
"To be fair, not all do that," pointed out Sparky. "You could've gone with one of those other ladies, like Athena."
"Athena doesn't do internships anymore," commented Tonen, "and she's...a bit intense."
"Yeah...she is. But there are others."
"True, but of the ones I looked at, you were the least selfish. I want someone to train me to be a truly heroic Pro-Hero. One that doesn't just say things, but does them, one who leads by example and embodies what I want to be. I think that's you."
Silence grew between them. Tonen wasn't sure if she would believe them, but he had to let her know why he picked her above all others. After another intense look at him, she pulled out her phone, "Do me a favor, do a hero pose."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Hero pose, you know, imagine you're in your gear right now and were posing for a poster, go on."
"Oh, uh, ok..."
Thinking back to his drawing of himself he did a few days prior, Tonen went and posed for her. She took a picture on her phone and smiled, "Oh, that's lovely. That'll do just fine."
"Thanks...but what was that for?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm going to set you up with my sister later."
Tonen was floored by this statement and his reaction was rather animated, but he recovered quickly, "Wait a minute, you don't have a sister."
This statement brought back her examining look, "I don't?"
"As you hopefully could tell, I did some deep research on you to see what kind of Pro-Hero you were. That included your family history, you don't have a sister."
"You're half-right. I don't have a full sister, but I have a half-sister. She's a bit younger than me, two years older than you. My mom and dad split when I was a teen, and she remarried and had another kid. My sister kept her father's last name, and I took my mother's, long story. Because of our Pro-Hero lives, we decided it best that the general public not know we're siblings. Come to think of it, she's actually at UA High."
This again floored Tonen, "What? Is she in my class?"
"No," she said with a laugh and a waving down motion, "did you forget I said she was older than you? She's in her final year there. She's not here right now because she's doing a project for another agency. But when she messages me next time I'll mention you and try and hook you two up."
"You don't...have to do that."
"Oh, I insist. You'd be good for her. But that's another matter. As for your explanation about me, and Pro-Heroes in general...I believe you, if not already apparent."
"I'm glad."
"To exude my own honesty, I always send out invitations to most of the new classes because I want to see what you all are truly made of. I don't send invites to all of them obviously. Like that psychic dude you fought? Oh yeah, I didn't invite him."
"Good call," he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but the few times I am selected I'm hurt by the people I meet. Over eager, many times vain, think their powers are everything they need. Reminds me of a lot of top Pro-Heroes."
"Same."
She nodded at his acknowledgement, "So it's honestly refreshing to hear you say all those words. The world doesn't need another star that the people will praise endlessly just because they exist. They need someone who they can look at and go-"
"They'll help me if I need them."
"...right. So yeah, I think I'm going to like working with you Tonen."
"I feel the same way, Sparky."
"Good, one more question if I may."
"You may."
"Was I your first choice overall?" she asked, once again curious. "Be honest, I don't care either way."
"No," he answered with a small shake of his head. "My hope was to be with Len The Leaper."
"Lenny? Now aren't you full of surprises? Why did you want to work with him?"
Tonen flashed back to familiar memories. A fire, a hand reaching out to him, "I wanted to thank him for something he did for me. But he didn't send a request, so I couldn't pick him. You were my second choice, honest."
"That's fine, totally fine. And just so you know, Lenny isn't in the country right now, he's being an ambassador for something or another, probably didn't get to see you in the Sports Festival."
"Oh...ok, now I feel better."
"Glad to hear it," she said with a smile. "Well, now that we've...connected. How about we go and do a patrol? I got you for a week, so let's not waste time, ok?"
"Sound great, I'll get changed," Tonen said happily and he grabbed his stuff, "Where can I...?"
"Down the hall, last door on the left. Oh, what's your hero name?"
"Pressure Wave."
"I like it. Suit up, Pressure Wave."
"You got it, Sparky."
With a nod to each other he left the room, leaving Sparky to wonder more about the intern she just got. Her phone went off and another smile came upon her face, "Perfect timing. Hey sis...want to know about the new intern I got? I think you'd like him a lot..."
In other districts around Japan, the other members of Class 1-B are working with their Pro-Hero mentors.
In Niseko, Hana was high on a mountain working with the Rescue Hero Snowpiercer. Her body, due to the Quirk, resembled powder snow and yet kept her quite safe from the cold.
"I didn't realize this place gets so much snow all-year round until I got here," she noted to her hero.
Snowpiercer laughed at this, "Yeah, that's why it's known as one of the 'best-kept secrets of Japan,' and why I am stationed here more times than not. People can't help but get in trouble in the snow."
"Clearly, we've been busy since I arrived. But on the bright side, I get to test out my snow form, I rarely get to try this out."
"It looks good, and it's clearly functional in this deep snow. Let' see how fast you move, I see another person in need, let's go!"
Hana dove into the snow bank in front of her and shot like a bullet through it. Snowpiercer followed up behind her, clearing the snow along the way.
The Twins meanwhile were inside a giant warehouse alongside their Pro-Hero, a man that appeared to have machine parts fused to his body, almost like a cyborg. He motioned around to various tools and gear he had built for himself and the Twins were literally in awe of all that they were seeing, and wondering what they could use in the field.
Kuroda was already doing patrols alongside a tall male hero, one with an armored costume and twin-swords at his side, "I have a sense that danger is close, Change It, are you ready to fight should we need to?"
"Of course, Royal Sword," she answered back, grabbing her batons in a show of readiness. "Just tell me where to go."
"Excellent, you shall be a wonderful addition to my Knights."
"You flatter me, sir."
"Flattery is deserved when one shows initiative. Oh, there is an attacker now, onward!"
The two rushed towards an ongoing crime.
Near the coast, a boat was sinking, the people aboard scrambled to try and get their life vests on so that they wouldn't drown. But all of a sudden, the boat stopped.
"No one gets into the water...unless this shark says so!" came a voice.
They turned and looked at the water and Anno was there, pushing against the boat with his shark strength, lifting it out of the water slightly to ensure the water wouldn't get more filled.
"Good job, Landshark!" came a voice from behind him and a hero on a surfboard appeared at the back of the boat. "Hold on and I'll create a wave that'll ride us to shore. Everyone hang on!"
Sure enough, he put one hand on the boat, and another to the water and raised up a wave that hit all three at once and moved them towards the safety of the coastline.
Others were having similar experiences with their Pro-Heroes, though some were having different experiences as a whole.
Chuya for example was standing in a room alongside other students from other schools, all of whom were at attention.
A military man walked in and pointed to all of them with a pointer stick, "You chose to come to my agency because of my experience in the field. But before I take you into the field, I need to know that you are mentally prepared for all potential threats. So today, we're doing mental drills. Are you ready?"
"Sir yes sir!" they cried out.
Wasuke meanwhile was training with his Pro-Hero personally. Testing his moves and his endurance. The Pro-Hero he was with had spikes poking out of his arms and legs, so defending against him was a must.
"Don't just rely on your whole shield, Wasuke," noted the Pro-Hero, "you have both halves at your disposal, don't be afraid to wield them in both offensive and defensive strategies, understand?"
"I do, thank you!" called out Wasuke as he blocked several attacks.
Not too far away from him was Eri, who was also training with her Pro-Hero in Contro. He tested her flexibility, as well as showed her how to use that to make a unique fighting style.
Back in Toyama, Tonen was suited up and patrolling the area with Sparky. As they walked the streets, he noticed many locals waving and praising Sparky for all that she had done for them.
"Let this be your first lesson," she noted as she waved back at some of the people. "While you may not want fame on the grand scale, small-scale praise is fine, and something to be strived for."
"Because it shows connections?" put out Tonen.
"Precisely. One day you'll likely set up your own agency in a city of your choosing. While it's noble to want to save as many people as possible, showing that you're there and then connecting with people before and after saving them can built up a reputation. In our case, a reputation for saving people and helping them in their time of need. Big or small, it matters, and they remember. Oh, case and point, look over there."
She pointed to a man at a nearby store, he was near a generator and fiddling with it. Tonen looked at the store and noticed that it was dark, despite the fact it was midday and all the lights should be on.
"Can you guess his problem?"
"Generator's out," he answered.
"Precisely, while much of the solar power provided runs on a main grid, many stores have their own power units provided by the city. They're powerful, but can be finicky in the wrong circumstances. Come on."
She walked Tonen across the street and went to the store. Once she got there Sparky tapped the man on the shoulder, "Need a hand?"
The man turned around and was surprised to see the two, "Oh, Sparky, hi! Uh, yeah my generator died randomly and lost all of its charge from the solar panels on the roof. I'm trying to get a charge in it but it's not going well."
"I got this, stand back."
He took a few steps back and Sparky rubbed her hands together before putting them near the charging area on the generator. From her hands came sparks and from them came electricity that quickly powered up the generator.
Tonen noticed the lights came back on in the store, "Lights are on."
"Good, that should last for a while as the panels charge back up."
The storeowner bowed to her, "Thank you so much, Sparky."
"My pleasure," she said with a bow of her own, "if you need another charge up, call my agency, I'll try and pop back in."
"Will do, thank you."
With that situated, the two head down the street once again, Sparky looked at Tonen while they walked, "That right there is what I was talking about. It seemed like a small thing, but that guy's day got better because of my helping him like I did."
"It's a good thing you're an electric hero," joked Tonen, "my air powers wouldn't have helped."
"True, a lot of it is situational, but that also means you can go and learn things to be better suited to the task at hand. Also, as Pro-Heroes, we sometimes can pull rank and get people to places when needed. So it's important that you make connections with local businesses in case you need to ask them for help with a situation. Such as an electrician if you have no idea how to fix a generator."
"I'll make a mental note of that."
"Good."
"Is that why your receptionist was glad I arrived? She noted that you could 'use the help' today."
Sparky gave a light-hearted laugh at this, "Oh Mina... Yes, I am at times a bit overwhelmed. I may not be a top hero in the eyes of Japan, but here in Toyama, I am one that gets called on a lot because the people know me and respect me. My sister works at the agency too so she helps out when she's not at school. But often times I'm alone. So I spend most of my days wandering around and seeing when and where people need my help."
This struck Tonen as odd, "Why not hire another sidekick or assistant?"
"You know the answer. I don't get a lot of funding despite all the work I do. While I could hire one more person to help out me and my sister, or at the very least get a temp until my sister can work here full-time when she graduates soon, I haven't found the right person yet. I take my relationship with this city, and its people, very seriously. The last thing I want is to hire someone who will damage the work I've done here."
"Wow."
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just...I really did pick the right person to intern with.'
She turned once more and smiled at him, "Again with the flattery..."
"Just telling the truth," he said with his own smile.
"Good to know. And trust me when I say if you work hard in this next week? I'll happily invite you back to the agency if you want."
"Something to strive for.'
With that they continued on their way to go and patrol the city, waiting for any indication that they might be needed.
As they passed by an alleyway something caught Tonen's ears. He paused and looked in and his eyes went wide. Not unlike a scene he saw before his UA days, a man was holding a woman at knifepoint.
Not waiting for permission he rushed into the alley. Sparky saw this and followed him.
The man didn't notice him and threatened the woman with the knife, "Give me the purse or-"
No banter needed, Tonen exhaled sharply and sent a blast of air at the man. It sent him backward and he dropped the knife.
Tonen motioned for the lady to come over, "Come on, get to safety!"
She did so and Tonen made sure he kept his eyes on the bad guy as she got behind him. He bared his teeth and went for the knife on the ground. As he did, Sparky stepped forward, "Oh no you don't!"
From her hand she sent out a straight line of sparks that went right up to the knife that the man was about to touch. The moment he grabbed the knife she chuckled and sent a bolt through the spark at the top of the line.
The sparks carried the bolt and then touched the knife blade, giving the man quite a jolt and knocking him unconscious.
"Dang," noted Tonen, impressed.
"That's another thing to try and learn during your week," she stated as she went to constrict the attacker. "Find ways to use your powers creatively. Cities require a certain delicacy and touch so that we don't destroy everything around us in a fight. Come on, let's get these two squared away."
She took the attacker and Tonen took care of the woman and they got the appropriate authorities to them so that they could handle both of them. The woman was very grateful to both Tonen and Sparky and thanked them many times before they left.
Once they were clear, Tonen turned to her, "How did I do?"
"Overall?" she said with a side-to-side bobble of her head, "B+."
"What can I improve?"
"Well, you're clearly not used to working in a duo as you didn't let me know what was going on. Second, while you were smart to ensure the woman was safe before going back to the bad guy, you waited for him to make the next move, that's why I stepped in with my attack. If you have the ability to make the next move, do so. You never know what might happen next."
"I'll remember that."
"Don't let the critiques get in your head too much, you did great overall. You didn't hesitate to rush into battle, you separated the bad guy from the woman without causing her harm, and as I said you made sure she was safe before focusing back on the bad guy. All great steps. Just need a little fine tuning and you'll be good. Oh, and don't run away from me again."
"You mentioned that," he pointed out.
"No, I said you didn't let me know what you were doing. That's different. You rushed into a situation without me beside you, that's the main issue. Don't forget, you're my intern, and you don't have a provisional license yet. As such, I need to be present when you fight anyone, villain or common man, else we'll both get in trouble," she said with a serious look to ensure he got the point.
"I understand, I'm sorry."
"Oh stop, like I said, overall you did great. You just need to get your head into the mindset of working with other heroes in a city setting like this. UA trains you for potential scenarios, but nothing beats real world experience. Now come on, let's keep patrolling."
He followed her as they went deeper into the city. Occasionally, her receptionist Mina called and let her know of a place she was needed and they ran to it.
For the next few hours they helped people in matters big and small. Sparky used her electricity powers in various ways that amazed Tonen, and he impressed her in kind with his own quick reactions and abilities. Including stopping a carjacking before the person could speed away, and bounding up to a tree to save a cat.
After a while, both of them felt they needed a break so she went to a food truck. She got a veggie sub while Tonen grabbed a burger and fries.
"You'll regret that in a bit," she teased as she ate her sub.
Tonen took several bites before answering her, "Not really. My powers help me burn calories quickly. I could eat all day and as long as I use my Quirk for a few good bursts the fat will burn right out."
"I know some ladies who would adore having that ability."
"You mean like...the Love Twins?"
Sparky almost choked on her sub, making Tonen laugh loudly, she wasn't as amused this time around, "Oh gods, why did you have to mention them?"
"I was going to mention them in my speech to you before," he admitted, "but I went on a different tangent."
"Good, those two are an embarrassment. They flaunt what their mother gave them...and that's it."
"And they're incredibly rich because a lot of guys can't help but fawn over them and buy all their posters and figurines and stuff."
"I met them once, they're just as annoying in person. They tried to get me into one of their ads one time because of my powers and I told them they could shove it up their-"
The conversation was broken up by an explosion nearby. They looked and saw that a nearby office building was ablaze. More explosions happened on multiple floors and the fire grew.
Tonen's eyes fixated on it, and memories once again flashed in his mind. This time of a young Tonen wrapped in blanket looking up at a similar building that was ablaze.
"Pressure Wave? Tonen!" shouted Sparky getting his attention.
"What? Huh?" he said, shaking himself from his flashback.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I just...I've seen something like that before, it wasn't pretty."
"Are you good to go?"
"...yeah, but my powers won't be the most useful in there. My body pours out oxygen, and that'll make the fires grow."
"True. But my sparks aren't much better, and that doesn't matter. You know why?"
Tonen took a deep breath and nodded, "Because people need us."
"Right," she said with her own nod and a smile, "and we're likely the closest heroes to the scene, so we need to get going right now."
"Lead the way."
Sparky took point and headed to the building a block or two from them. People were already running away from the blaze, save for those who decided to watch and record it on their phones.
Both Tonen and Sparky managed to get to the fire in quick time, and as they looked around they noticed the police and fire department weren't there yet. Nor were any other Pro-Heroes.
This worried Sparky, "They should've been here by now."
"The police and fire department?" asked Tonen.
"Yeah, their station isn't too far from here. I don't like this...but we can't think about that. Because-"
Another explosion blasted above them, sending shards of glass and flames to the ground. Tonen put up an air wall to stop it from hitting anyone in the immediate vicinity. After he pushed it away, he could hear screams from within the building.
"There are people in there," he remarked with a point.
"Last chance to say anything," she cautioned, "I won't hold it against you to stay here and protect everyone outside the building."
"Not a chance. You might need me in there, and the people inside absolutely need me."
"Very good, let's go!"
Without another moment's hesitation they raced in. Though the ground floor they entered wasn't ablaze, both of them could immediately feel the increased heat from the building itself.
As they looked for the nearby staircase the sound of voices immediately caught their attention. A wave of people raced into the area from a nearby entranceway and bolted for the exit. The two motioned for them to flee, except for one suited man whom Sparky grabbed from the crowd.
"Sir, are you an executive here?" she asked him.
"Yes, why?" he asked frantically.
"How many people are on those flaming floors?"
"A couple dozen a piece more than likely! And that's not including the people above those floors that likely are trapped there!"
"Ok, wait for the police to show up and tell them that, and tell them two heroes are trying to save them, ok?"
He nodded quickly and she pushed him towards the door so he could go. She motioned Tonen to follow her and they made it to where the people came from and sure enough there was a winding staircase. One that they could look up at and see all the people racing down from higher floors.
"I can blast us up to the higher levels, it'll save us time," Tonen said confidently.
She nodded and they moved towards the gap area in the staircase. Tonen wrapped his arm around her waist and held on. A sly smile came upon her face, "Now would be a good time to say something flattering."
"Not if I'm focused on saving people."
"Good answer, now blast off."
With a sharp exhale, he focused his air pressure at the vents on his feet and heels, shooting the two of them high into the air. The people reacted to their sudden appearance but it didn't stop them from fleeing down them to get to safety.
Tonen slowed down their ascent as they reached the higher levels so that they didn't miss their stop. He carefully drifted them to the staircase itself and landed on it before releasing Sparky.
Tonen paused to catch his breath, "The temperature is rising quickly. Do we want to go bottom to top or top to bottom?"
Sparky surveyed everything as best she could, "Bottom to top. If we're able to put out all of these fires somehow it'll go better for us overall. Now come on."
They raced to the nearest door and Sparky carefully touched the knob to see if it was hot. It wasn't, so she opened it and they rushed in. The floor itself was almost completely ablaze outside of the small area they were in.
Not wasting a moment, Sparky called out, "Hello? Is anyone here?!"
"In the next room!" cried a voice, "Please hurry!"
They went to the next room, and they saw that the area was split in two by debris. Debris that was very much on fire. It was blocking their path, and thus their escape.
Sparky looked up and saw the sprinklers weren't on, she quickly launched some sparks at them, but they didn't turn on. She tried again, but it didn't activate.
"I knew it!" she said angrily.
"What?" Tonen asked.
"This is sabotage! The police and fire department still aren't here, and the sprinklers aren't turning on! Someone wired this building to blow and tried to make sure that no one could put it out easily!"
"We'll tell the police that later, how do we get those people out?"
"The fire is our biggest issue. No fire extinguisher will put that out easily. We need to get rid of the oxygen."
"I...might be able to do that, but it's risky," warned Tonen with a concerned look to his mentor.
"I'll risk it, just tell me what to do," she replied with a comforting look to her pupil.
"I'll create a vortex to suck out the oxygen, but you need to get those people to hold their breaths. Once the fire is out I can air blast the debris away."
"Make it happen."
Tonen calmed himself as best he could and started channeling the air within him and around him to create a vortex. Sparky watched him as he did from the area just across from the debris. The moment she felt the air being pulled towards him she motioned for them to hold their breath.
He built up the vortex as big as he dared, and slowly, but surely, the fires got put out. Eventually, with them but embers now, he released the vortex, and allowed the oxygen to get back to normal levels. Not stopping, he went to a section of debris and shouted. A pulse of air burst from his chest vent and made a path.
"Come on, everyone!" he shouted to the civilians, "the path is clear to the stairs. Go and get to the first floor, now!"
Sparky helped out as well until they were all clear, and she smiled at the result, "Good, and now we know the fire won't hurt people when we send them downward. Come on, to the next floor, three more to go!"
With a nod he followed her out. They got to the next floor and again tested the door. This time though the handle was red hot, "Dang it, we need to check this floor for people!"
"If there's a fire on the other side, that would definitely mean people aren't there, right?" pondered Tonen.
"Yeah..."
"Stand behind me and don't move until we're clear."
She did so and Tonen took a deep breath, then released it, "KAH!"
He sent out another focused burst and the door burst open, flames erupted from it but he used additional air to push it back long enough to clear out a small path for them to enter.
As they got in, they did see people, but they were all lying on the ground. They went to each one and checked their pulses, Tonen was relieved after several checks, "They're alive, Sparky!"
"Good!" she said, equally relieved, "Clear the flames and then let's get them out of here, we'll lay them on the stairs one floor down and then go back up. Hopefully the fire department will get here soon and they can come get them."
"On it."
With another vortex, Tonen was able to get the flames down, and they went back and forth getting the people to the safer floor so that they could get the rest. After a headcount, Tonen noticed there were only 8 people on the floor, "Weren't there supposed to be dozens of people on these floors?"
"He said more than likely. It's possible some weren't on the floors when the explosions happened or that they got out in time. We'll just be thorough to make sure none get left behind. Come on, two more floors!"
They raced to the third exploded floor and made it into the next blaze. To their dismay, there was a lot more people on this floor, but thankfully, they were all conscious. It was just that once again they were trapped in place by debris.
Repeating their strategy from before, they put out the fire and then moved debris to get the people to the door. But they also told them about the people from the previous floor and many promised to get them to the ground safely.
As they made it to the final floor both were showing the effects from their adventure. They were panting heavily as the heat and sporadic oxygen was getting to them.
Sparky checked on Tonen, "You ok, Pressure Wave?"
"I'm fine, Sparky," he said as he caught his breath. "We got this, right?"
"Right. One more, let's go."
They got to the door, checked it, and went in. Almost immediately though they were stopped as part of the ceiling collapsed upon them. Tonen was able to get his air barrier up just in time though and then pushed it away.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Let's be careful though because that's likely to happen in the next rooms."
"See? You're learning. Stay close."
They carefully made it to the next room, and like before the ceiling dropped, but they were able to dodge this time.
A scream caught their ears and they turned to see a plethora of people trapped by flames. Tonen went to work quickly and drained the oxygen so the flames would stop, and like before they guided the people out. But one of them was looking around for some reason.
Tonen went to her, "What's wrong?"
"Keiko!" she answered as she continued to look around. "She was here with us but I haven't seen her since the fire started!"
"Is there another room she could be in?"
"Just the one next to us, but it the ceiling collapsed and we can't get to it."
"I'll handle it, go. Sparky?"
"What's wrong?"
"There's possibly a woman in the next room, but it's barricaded with rubble. I'll clear it out and get her, you go and check the other floors and let them know everything is safe."
"You sure you'll be ok on your own?"
"No villains here, just saving people, I'll be ok."
Sparky was impressed by his resolve. "Go to the bottom floor after you get her, ok? I'll meet you there."
Tonen nodded in understanding, "You got it."
She went away and he went to the adjacent room. It was blocked entirely by rubble. Tonen almost blasted it away completely, but he knew doing so could hit the woman who might be on the other side.
Thinking fast, he focused his air blast on the top section and blasted just enough away that he could slip through.
As he entered the room he was grateful that there was no fire, but he could tell that the whole area was unstable.
"Keiko, Keiko can you hear me?" he called out.
He didn't hear anything, so he searched around. At first, he found nothing, but after raising a ceiling tile he saw a hand sticking out of some of the rubble.
"Oh no."
He started throwing the rubble away and eventually unearthed the woman. Checking her pulse, he sighed in relief as he could feel it, "Thank goodness. No one dies today. Come on, Keiko."
Tonen hoisted her into his arms and prepared to get her out when he felt as shift in the room. He paused to try and get a bearing on it. Then the shift happened again, and again, and he realized that the floor beneath him was about to collapse.
"Oh crap..."
He looked at the entranceway and knew there wasn't enough time to get it obliterated. So he looked to the other wall and saw a window there that wasn't blocked by anything.
Tonen groaned but shook off the feeling, "Hope you don't mind flying, Keiko."
With an air blast he shattered the window and its frame, which created an opening large enough for him to fly through. No sooner had they reached the outside than the floor collapsed beneath them and onto the next floor.
He gently lowered himself to the ground, making sure she didn't move from his grip. As Tonen surveyed the ground to see where he could land, he noticed the fire department and the police were there, and were clearing a spot for him.
The moment he touched down he gave her to some nearby EMTs, "She was buried in rubble but she's breathing. Make sure nothing's broken ok? I got to go!"
Without waiting for them to say anything, he blasted into the air again and rushed to the floors that Sparky was supposed to be on. There were only three floors left in the building, and the first two were empty as best he could tell. As he reached the final floor he saw Sparky getting people out. She turned to the window and saw him hovering there.
He gave a thumbs up motion to ask if she was good. She gave the thumbs up back and then pointed to the ground. Tonen smirked and then proceeded to the ground once more. He landed near the entrance and waited for the remaining people to get to the ground level.
With care, he guided them to the appropriate people and made sure those who were injured were taken care of. Eventually Sparky was the last one out.
She held up a finger to stop him from talking, "We'll catch up later, let's tell the police what we know now."
They went to the officers and started telling them what they saw, including the clear signs of arson. Unbeknownst to them, just behind the crowd, a man lurked near an alley, "They saved them all? How is that possible? Stupid Pro-Heroes, ruining a man's fun with their abilities. Heh, let's see how they react to a bullet in their heads."
He pulled out a gun and pointed it right at Sparky's head. Tonen on a random chance looked up in time to see the shooter just as the trigger was pulled.
"Gun!" he shouted and most of the people in the area got down, he then raised his air wall as thick as he could make it and stopped the bullet in its tracks. Now safe, he refocused on the mission at hand, "Sparky, I got eyes on the shooter, let's get him!"
"Right behind you!" she answered and ran towards the alley alongside him.
The shooter tried to get away, but Sparky wasn't going to have that. She focused some of her sparks into an orb and looked at Tonen.
"Watch this, Capture Move: Spark Field!"
She threw the ball just above where the man was going to be and suddenly he was surrounded by sparks that were brightly pulsing.
"Try and shoot me, will you? Not on your life."
Sparky snapped her fingers and the spark field shot bolts into the man, who screamed in pain until eventually he collapsed onto the ground.
"Dang," noted Tonen with a familiar tone.
"Get some new reaction words," joked Sparky as she went to the man. "How much do you want to bet he was our arsonist?"
"Good bet given he tried to kill us."
"Thanks for the save, by the way."
"Just glad I looked up in time."
"Let that be another lesson to you. Try and be aware of everything and everyone around you, just in case. I should've remembered that but I wanted to get the police up to speed. Glad I had someone at my side today."
She extended her hand to him and smiled, and he happily shook it, "Glad to be here."
"Ok, so, we're going to turn this guy in, make sure everyone else is ok...then what?"
"Uh...recharge and start patrolling again?"
Sparky couldn't help but laugh at his reply, "Keep giving me good answers, Pressure Wave, and you're going to be a Pro-Hero in no time. I guarantee it. Now help me get this scumbag on his feet."
The two lifted the villain up and then went back to the police. After turning him in, they noticed the media starting to show up. Sparky motioned to them with a finger and her typical curious look. Tonen didn't hesitate to shake his head, and the two left without a word or praise so that they could continue their work.
The work...of true heroes.
*credits*
