Hello again, everybody. So here we are, the beginning of our look at what exactly was going on elsewhere at the same time as the Hero Killer: Stain arc. I put quite a bit of work into creating a handful of original Pro Heroes for Nikolay and Minas' chosen Agency, and you will get to see them all in action in due time.
As I mentioned before, this is the first pretty much fully-original story arc for this story, and as such, required a ton of meticulous pacing, planning and work on my part, so if you like what you read here today, I would very much appreciate it if you would take the time out of your day to write an honest and constructive review, detailing what you like, what you think could be improved etc.
I would like to give yet another major shout-out to my Beta reader Mizu Hikikomori for her continuous support and help in making this story read the best way it possibly can, and for simply serving as a very helpful consultant in areas where my confidence lacks.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, the original storylines that surround them, and the alterations of established canon events that occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.
A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 22
Internship Day One
(Стажировка Первый День)
The interior of the Kamuron Hero Agency was just as quaint as its exterior, resembling more any casual office workplace, than a headquarters for Pro Heroes. In fact, if it hadn't been for the fact the sign outside had clearly stated this was the place, Nikolay and Mina would've sworn they had misread the directions. At least, such was the case before a man in his early thirties in a silver Hero suit and a reflective steel mask suddenly stepped out upon having heard the chime for the front door.
"Hello, sir. Sorry to come in so suddenly, but we're here for the internship period?" Nikolay tried to introduce themselves as professionally as he could, but their greeters' lack of a reaction at first quickly brought his words to a halt. Of course, that was when the Heroes' body language suddenly perked up in realization.
"Oh, of course, how could I forget? You're those two that were practically stuck to each other the whole Festival! Yes, your homeroom teacher told us you wanted to intern here. Please, don't just stand there on ceremony, come with me and let me introduce you to everyone that's actually here."
The two students hurriedly picked up the pace to follow their suddenly eager host. "Allow me to introduce myself, first. I'm Haruo Kagami, but you can call me The Mirror Hero: 'Reflector'." Before either of them could introduce themselves in kind, Reflector was racing up the stairs to the second floor, and soon they found themselves in a rather spacious lounge-like room of the office, where three other Heroes were seated about, all of them swiftly drawn to their sudden arrival.
"Everyone, the interns we were called about have arrived. Why don't you all stand, make yourselves presentable and introduce yourselves. We've got a whole week to get to know each other, so let's start off on the right foot, shall we?" Everyone hurriedly got to their feet, standing as tall and proud as they could, even though the illusion had been rather lost already from being caught so casual.
The first to step forward was a rather lanky-looking man dressed in what looked like a black full-body suit and mask with goggles similar to the ones Nikolay had for his costume, already affixed over his eyes, and what looked like a climbing harness attached to his torso. "Pleased to meet you kids. I'm Shinobu Nadokawa, a.k.a. The Hero of Shadows, Ninja of Valour." His meek introduction was immediately met with barely restrained snickers from his two fellows. "Well I don't see you guys bearing anything less obvious than that!"
"Alright, alright, relax, Shinobu-kun, you know we never mean anything by it." The black-clad Hero was hurriedly pacified by the next one to step forward; a shorter middle-aged man with semi-long blonde hair, a five o'clock shadow, and dressed in what almost looked like typical truck driver clothes in old American movies, only adorned with some standard armor plates to his shoulders, elbows, knees and hands. "Don't worry about Shinobu-kun, he just takes the name pretty seriously, but other than that, he's a nice enough guy once you get to know him. I'm Rantou Nakajima, The Multi-Size Hero, Big Trouble."
The shorter man held out a welcoming open hand for the two teens, but just as they began to reach in order to meet him in kind, Reflector suddenly held out a stopping arm. "I wouldn't if I were you, kids. Big Trouble likes to give new faces a hard time with a crushing handshake. Honestly, Nakajima-san, save that for the people that can match your strength."
With that, Rantou gave out a good-natured chuckle as he stepped back for the last of the three to step forward; a rather bookish-looking man who almost looked like a middle-aged version of Tenya Iida, except his costume almost looked like it was made entirely of a steel mesh wire, and yet still looked as easy to move around in as anyone else's clothing. "A pleasure to meet you both; I'm Suchiiru Okada, the Wire Hero, Master Mesh."
With the three previously relaxing Pro Heroes officially introduced, Reflector stepped in to give Nikolay and Mina the floor. "Well then, now you know us, now how about you introduce yourselves? I mean, we all saw the Festival together, but let's make this all official."
With a steadying breath, both teens stepped forward as tall and proud as they could before their future mentors. "I'm Nikolay Bezpalov… b-but you can also call me the Frequency Hero… S-Solovei."
"And I'm Ashido Mina; also known as the Ridley Hero, Alie—um… I-I mean… Pinky."
Their mutual awkwardness at finally using their official Hero names for the first time drew an equally amused laugh out of all four Pros before stepping in to further greet the two interns. "Don't worry, you two, everyone is embarrassed with their Hero names the first time they actually use them in the field. You'll get used to it in no time, though; that's a promise," Big Trouble said with a convincing air of reassurance.
Once the air had officially been cleared, Nikolay and Mina both felt considerably more comfortable. "So, is this everybody? The whole Agency, I mean." Nikolay finally worked up the willingness to ask.
"Yeah, this Agency is pretty small-time, as you've no doubt noticed from the building itself. There are actually two more of us, but one of them is already out on his daily duty, and the other should actually be on her way right now, assuming she hasn't slept in again," Master Mesh explained, with a clear air of annoyance in whoever the latter Hero was he was referring to.
"But we're hoping one day we'll be able to convince some other up-and-coming Heroes to sign up with us, and then maybe we can finally start working our way towards standing alongside some of the bigger Agencies out there. Only time and perseverance can decide that, though." Ninja of Valour likewise explained; giving off an almost childlike air of anticipation in the potential future they were aiming for.
"But in the meantime we manage just fine with our numbers. Erubi City is quite small next to Musutafu, but it's big enough that we're all able to cover the different wards efficiently and not risk any overlap. You'd be amazed by the kind of damage that can be done to Agency logistics and in-office interactions and relationships when you have too many Heroes in your employ, and too little ground for them to efficiently cover on their own, so they end up treading on each other's jurisdictions."
Reflector almost sounded as if he were speaking from personal experience, but just as quickly returned to his formal yet inviting tone as Nikolay and Mina were clearly taking in this immediate, impromptu lesson in Agency dynamics to heart.
"So, what do you guys specialize in, Heroics-wise? Or, wait, no, which of you are we going to intern for?" Mina asked, trying not to let the extent of her excitement show, lest it prove too much for any one of them. "I mean, I would assume we would be interning for whoever specifically nominated us from the Festival. So, if you don't mind us asking, who actually picked us?"
This time, the generally social, even casual, air among the Heroes had faded as they all exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. "Sorry, kids. I personally put my vote in for that kid with the explosions. That boy was a real powerhouse."
"Still didn't compare to that kid with the ice and fire. I don't care if he ultimately lost, that's a one-two combo you could only really dream about."
"I wanted that kid with the crow head and the controllable shadow. His Quirk and mine could have worked like an absolute force of nature."
Even Reflector couldn't help but shrug his shoulders. "Sorry, you two. My pick was also for that Todoroki boy."
As each Hero revealed their personal pick, Nikolay and Mina felt their confidence slowly but surely drop. "Wait, then…if none of you picked us…then who did?"
Just as soon as Mina asked, the door behind them suddenly opened, with the sound of someone, clearly a woman, trying to catch her breath as if she'd run all the way here. "Sorry, you guys. It was a late night again. I can pull late night patrols for the rest of the week to make up for it if you… whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on; are these who I think these are?!"
Everyone in the room turned to be met by a woman who looked to be in her early 20's, with a fair freckled face topped with a head of long wavy orange hair with dark green streaks swirling down her locks. Her eyes were a brighter green, and literally. Her irises actually seemed to be illuminated by that green color, almost resembling neon. Her Hero costume looked like a strange mix between a traditional miko robe, albeit colored dark green and white; but with her feet and legs done up in tall brown leather boots that went up to her thighs, resembling medieval European–style boots. The sleeves of her robe were cut short, showing her arms adorned in similarly brown tight sleeves underneath, that ended in a ring around her middle fingers, allowing the rest of her fingers to stand out exposed. Finally, there was actually a dark green hood resting on the back of her robe.
All in all, her whole costume looked like a bizarre in-between point between traditional Japanese apparel, and Celtic. In fact, listening to her speak, it became abundantly clear that there was a peculiar accent to her Japanese unlike anything either of the teens had heard before.
Of course, they couldn't dwell on it for long; in fact, Mina didn't even have the chance to instinctively comment how much she adored this woman's outfit, as the young female Heroes' face practically lit up as much as her eyes the moment she saw their faces, almost as if she were about to start going into full blown fan-mode. "Oh my God, it's you two! You actually accepted my nomination, and you're here! Oh, this is amazing! Simply perfect!"
Before she could start squirming and bouncing in excitement in a manner almost identical to Minas' typical displays of excitement and energy, Reflector swiftly stepped in with a humble chuckle of amusement. "Easy there, Púca-chan, you don't want to scare our new interns away on their very first day, do you?"
The woman called Púca just as quickly recollected herself, cleared her throat and took up a much more professional stance akin to her peers as she looked the two in the eye. "Right, sorry about that, dearies! I'm Púca Hitodama, but you can both refer to me as The Illuminating Hero, Willow Light!"
Her professional aura was no less impressive than any of the others, and the fact that she was clearly the one who extended the invite to them, left Nikolay and Mina exceptionally more at ease. "It's very nice to meet you, Hitodama-san. We're—"
"Oh, I already know who you two are very well! Nikolay Bezpalov-kun, and Ashido Mina-chan! You two were my personal pulls to win the Festival, but even after you both lost, I knew I wanted to have you both intern here! I'm so happy you decided to accept an internship with our humble little Agency! Trust me, you'll both feel right at home here in no time!"
Once again, Púca's professional air had given way to a much more energetic, childlike personality as she unexpectedly took both of their hands in her own, the brightest smile on her freckled face.
"Willow Light is an interesting addition to our Agency; actually transferred here, so to speak, from her old Hero Agency in Ireland. She's really been invested in you two specifically since the Yuuei Sports Festival; so since you're both finally here, she's going to be a mentor for both of you this week."
Nikolay, Mina and Púca all looked to Reflector with respective surprise and joy.
"Oh, you really mean that, Kagami-kun?"
Reflector, with an amused chuckle, gave the orange-green-haired Hero the softest pat on her head. "Of course I do, Púca-chan. The rest of us were so focused on the heavy hitters, yet you were so focused on these two out of everyone else. It's only right they should be your interns. I know you'll do wonders for them."
He could easily see the surprise still visible on Nikolay and Minas' faces. Clearly they hadn't thought it possible for one Pro Hero to take on more than one intern at a time. With a reassuring hand on both their shoulders, he stated with all the confidence in the world: "Rest assured, Bezpalov-kun, Ashido-chan; she may seem childlike, but Willow Light is a decorated Pro Hero in her own right. Listen to everything she has to teach you, and you'll find yourselves moving up in the Hero world in no time."
Púca practically squealed with excitement as she immediately took her two new interns by the wrist, that huge smile still on her face. "Alright, dear interns, go ahead and leave your bags here for now, and get changed into your Hero costumes! I've already clocked in, so once you're all geared up, you can come join me on my daily morning patrol! I can give you the rundown of all the ins-and-outs you'd ever need to know about daily Pro Hero and Agency work!"
By now, her enthusiasm had proven most contagious, as Nikolay and Mina now had similar smiles of excitement of their own as they rushed for the nearby restrooms to get changed.
Within a few minutes, both teens stepped back out into the communal room, where everyone let out visible whistles and similar exclamations of impression with their respective costumes. Of course, above all of them, Púca seemed to absolutely squirm with delight as she looked them both over. "Oooh, very nicely made, you two! Bezpalov-kun, yours looks both so uniform-like, and yet so exclusive to yourself, too; it looks very snazzy! And…oh, Ashido-chan, that costume is SO ADORABLE on you! Nicely snug and flexible to allow for maximum mobility, so colorful, and it just breathes energy and a fun-loving air, just like I saw from you at the Festival! You couldn't have made a more perfect outfit for yourself!"
Nikolay and Mina both felt the most intense fire of pride in themselves flare up in their chests as their new mentor complimented their costumes, both of them for once too flustered to find the words of gratitude. "Now then, when your teacher said you would be interning with us, he also presented us with the official information on your Quirks, and your new Hero names. Both very nice, I thought; very fitting for both of you. Now, let's head out on patrol, Solovei and Pinky! We can get to know each other, and I can officially start showing you the ropes!"
Púca had to fight the urge to grab them both by the hand as she headed out and down the stairs for the door, with Nikolay and Mina quickly following after her. As Reflector and the other Heroes watched them depart down the street from the second-story window, they all felt a shared-yet-unspoken feeling of confidence build up in their chests. Willow Light was far from your conventional Pro Hero, but she was no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. For those two kinds of Hero students, they honestly couldn't have asked for a more perfect mentor to intern under.
With the majority of the Yuuei students having by now departed for their week-long internships, and the majority of those who hadn't received nominations having left for their own work-place periods, the Yuuei campus was exceptionally quiet. For Tunguska's purposes, however, that couldn't have been more perfect. With his Surrogate Intern Training Program having been given the official green light, he had now been given permission by Headmaster Nezu to use the school training grounds as he saw fit. With a handful of bright-eyed and aspiring students in his care, he intended to follow through with it.
He could just feel his anticipation grow as the minutes passed since he had sent the students off to change into their Hero costumes. The training ground he had chosen didn't have any fancy obstacles or recreated scenes to work with. That wasn't the point of the drill he was cooking up in his head even now.
Before long, he could hear the approaching chatter of young voices, and sure enough, his students had all come filing out in their costumes. He had gotten used to seeing what the students of 1-A had for theirs, but Setsunas' was rather interesting; resembling a dark blue bodysuit with a matching eye mask, all of which looked as though they were made of lizard scales.
As soon as the students had all lined up at attention, Tunguska switched himself over to instructor mode. "All right, everyone. With your schoolmates all out on their internships, and with you all having volunteered for this substitute program, you clearly have an understanding of just what it is you're walking into. The previous week has given us all a chance to get to know each other, and most importantly, get a better understanding of not only each others' Quirks, but also a better understanding of the current physical limitations of our own. So now that we know what your physical limits are, now it's time to see just what your mental limits are in kind. Everyone form into pairs, because we're going to have a couple sparring matches."
Everyone exchanged mildly perturbed glances with each other, and thankfully, Tunguska was quick to realize why. "Now I realize that since there's an odd number of you students for this, that means we can't have a clean three matches occurring simultaneously, so we'll have to settle for one of you sitting out, and being set up for a match with another afterwards. I know it's not preferable, but it is what it is right now. So once you've both formed into sparring pairs, I will go over the purpose for this exercise."
Thankfully, there weren't many complaints to be heard, as Ochako and Setsuna quickly formed into one pair, and Denki and Tooru formed into another. "Okay. Now, the point of this exercise is to see how capable you all are at multitasking. When you find yourselves in a dangerous and ever-evolving situation, you're going to need to be able to think, plan, and execute on the fly, especially if you want to keep yourselves, your allies, and the citizens safe. So while you fight, I'm going to throw some randomized Heroics questions, to see if you're able to listen and answer, while also maintaining environmental awareness enough to keep defending yourselves against your opponents. Understood?"
To his pride and relief, everyone gave a firm nod (at least as far as he could tell from Tooru). "Excellent. Then, begin!"
Right off the bat, the difference in mental capability in this regard was crystal clear, as neither Tooru nor Denki were able to keep their focuses split without one getting waylaid by the other. Of course, Tooru's naturally high voice didn't do her many favors in staying hidden from Denkis' aim, in the end.
On the other hand, however, Ochako and Setsuna were performing quite admirably, managing to stay out of each other's range, both close-quarters and long-distance, while also managing to not only answer him, but even come up with the correct answers to boot, whether it be what type of Quirks were best-suited for what natural disasters, or what specific Hero teams were the highest ranked in Japan at what period of time.
Halfway through their fight specifically, everyone had come to a surprising discovery of the combat dynamic between Ochako and Setsuna: no matter how many of the lizard-like girls' pieces Ochako managed to touch and remove the gravity from, it seemed to have virtually no effect, as Setsuna just kept sending them right back and knocking the gravity girl on her rear.
Before long, it was clear there were no further surprises to be had, so Tunguska called the fight to an end, and beckoned all his students back together. "Alright, I think we've all come to the same idea of just why a direct fight between malenkie Uraraka and Tokage is one that can ultimately have only one conclusion. As obvious as it may have looked, I want to know if you all were able to figure it out as well."
It was only because she had her gloves on to show she raised her hand, that Tooru was ultimately the one to answer: "Because Setsuna-chans' pieces already float at her command, so Uraraka-chan removing their gravity changes nothing?"
A deafening clap of the hands immediately met her answer as Tunguska stood proudly over his charges. "That's exactly right! Her Zero Gravity Quirk is perfect when dealing with an opponent who's Quirk has gravity as a factor. However, when a Quirk doesn't require gravity to function, it effectively becomes useless." Ochako began to bow her head in shame, before the Quirk History teacher turned to face her.
"However, malenkaya Uraraka, that does not mean that you would never be able to hold your own against an opponent with such a Quirk. If one-on-one combat is unfeasible, there is always distance combat. Remember what you tried to do in your fight against malenkii Bakugo in the tournament. If you can't defeat your enemy on your own, and this applies to any one of you as well; you can always just as easily find a means to achieve victory through your environment."
All the students visibly perked up in interest as Tunguska began to pace back and forth, clearly getting onto a roll with his latest lesson. "If one cannot effectively defeat their opponent in hand-to-hand combat, they can use the environment to achieve victory instead. If their opponent is able to deflect such attacks with their own Quirks, then you can just as easily use it as a distraction, and leave them open to the physical attack you could not land otherwise. Dedicate to memory, my students, that there is no such thing as a truly hopeless fight. You can always find a means to achieve victory as long as you pay attention to your surroundings, the means in which your enemies' Quirk functions, and as long as you can plan several steps ahead, and even come up with alternatives just in case."
Everyone gave a single cheer of solidarity and understanding of this most vital lesson, as Tunguska went on to send them off into different sparring pairs, this time pitting Denki against Minoru, and Tooru against Ochako. This time, all of their anticipation and excitement was through the roof.
Tunguska and his students were never aware of this, but a good distance away, watching from the observation window of the training ground, Aizawa was silently standing vigilant, watching every second of their training, and listening intently to every word the large Russian man was telling them through the multitude of speakers attached to the cameras all over. His mind was awhirl with conflicting thoughts as he observed their interactions, and how well the Quirk History teacher's lessons seemed to be sinking in. It was only by chance that he managed to actually notice the door to the room opening behind him, with a pair of unmistakable tiny footsteps approaching to stand beside him.
"They certainly seem to have captured your attention quite thoroughly, haven't they, Aizawa-san?" Headmaster Nezu asked rhetorically before taking a single sip of tea, while Aizawa still refused to take his tired eyes off the rabble below. However, the neatly-dressed mouse could just feel the intensity radiating off of him. "With all the other students having left for their internships, I would have thought you would seize this opportunity to catch up on your sleep. Tell me, what exactly is going through your head right now, watching them so observantly?"
Once again, the headmaster was met only with that same stubborn silence. However, this had come to be most expected from the 1-A homeroom teacher, and if there was one thing his years of working with the man had taught Nezu, it was patience. "Tunguska-san seems to have well and truly embraced his role as teacher and mentor for those eager youths, hasn't he?" A momentary twitch suddenly caught Nezu's eye from Aizawa's left hand, an instinctive reaction from hearing the large Russian Hero's name spoken out loud; at last, a genuine form of an answer.
"I still stand by what I said, Nezu-san. I don't care if those students willingly signed up for this or if it's been officially added to the roster; those kids are making a mistake, choosing this over the actual workplace experience they had the full access to. No matter how many lessons or combat advice he can give them, it still won't measure up to what an actively working Pro Hero could teach them."
While anyone else would have been put off by the natural coldness with which Aizawa stated this feeling, Nezu had only the slightest wry smile upon his snout. "If I may be so bold, Aizawa-san, can either of us really be sure this isn't simply coming from your old bitterness toward Tunguska-san, rather than out of any genuine concrete belief as an educator? I understand how much you feel he betrayed your faith in him when things fell apart and he just disappeared. However, it's been well over ten years now, and ever since he came here, he's been putting in just as much blood, sweat and tears as any one of us into making his being here in Yuuei actually work. Don't you think it's time to acknowledge that and put these old feelings behind you like he has? I'm certain the two of you would be able to work together swimmingly if you would just let go of this resentment of yours.
"And even putting Tunguska-san aside for a moment, you even started out holding the same kind of cynicism towards his son. Yet surely you of all people must acknowledge and accept that in the almost two months since this school year started, he's made remarkable progress on all fronts. As his homeroom teacher, surely you must realize that."
To his disappointment, Aizawa only met the headmaster with silence at first. However, he soon began to see that unmistakable look of deep contemplation in Aizawas' eyes, slowly sinking down until he finally nodded that long-haired head of his in silent yet unmistakable acknowledgment and a barely muttered "Yes, that is true"; bringing a very pleased smile to the headmaster.
"If you were able to put your bitterness behind you and finally acknowledge the leaps forward that Bezpalov-kun has made, then why is it you still seem to show that bitterness so steadfastly towards Tunguska-san?"
Aizawa lifted his head back up, still focusing intently on the training group below before letting out a weary sigh. "It's not my old feelings about him that are the reason for my saying this is a mistake, Nezu-san. It's experience. Tunguska-san is letting himself get too personally attached to those students, and they're getting too personally attached to him in kind.
"Apathy is no attitude for a real Hero to have towards others, but over-attachment makes people reckless, and recklessness is what gets people killed. Bezpalov and Ashido are making the exact same mistake. Those two have been practically inseparable all year so far, and I can already see that recklessness manifesting in them, like when he actually shot himself in the foot during the Obstacle Race just to get her out of a tight spot. If that had been a real situation, he could've very likely gotten himself killed doing that. I should've just told them to pick different workplaces from each other right out the gate."
Nezu silently observed the homeroom teacher's regretful body language before a sudden spark of realization hit him. "Yes… but in the end, you still didn't… perhaps because you also realize the tremendous teamwork-learning potential Bezpalov-kun and Ashido-san have together, don't you?"
Aizawa finally turned to acknowledge the headmaster, as he scrambled up onto a nearby chair to continue drinking his tea casually. "Aizawa-san, you and I are both quite aware that in this world, there are simply certain people; Heroes and un-Quirked alike, who just have an unexplainable magnetic attachment towards each other from first meeting onward, something that even after thousands of years, there is no scientific explanation for. In the end, it's not our place to try and force a separation between two individuals with such a connection. I would daresay it would be utterly detrimental to both of them if we did. I'm confident that working together, those two could come to some very promising developments, not only in their own individual strengths, but especially in their ability to work as a team. In a world where Villains only seem to be getting bolder, doesn't the world need the kind of Heroes that can work so well together as those two potentially could?"
Nezu had all the faith in the world in those words, and to his unspoken delight, he could see that Aizawa was genuinely thinking it all over. When he finally looked back out the window, Nezu saw nothing of that childish bitterness… but rather a much deeper, silent pain. The kind of pain very few people, even among Heroes, could understand… a pain that Nezu was well aware of after the many years he had known Shota Aizawa.
"Aizawa-san… I think I can guess just who it is you're thinking of that brings this concern of yours to light. You know, none of them out there are—"
"I'm not talking about that, Nezu-san. Not today… if ever." The sudden intensity in Aizawa's voice rendered the otherwise unflappable headmaster silent.
After a tense moment, the 1-A homeroom teacher finally took a deep, steadying breath through his teeth; his whole body momentarily shaking as he did so. "Look… I understand what you're trying to say, and you're right. There's no way for either of us to tell what could ultimately happen to those two if they're constantly working off of each other. Maybe you're right, and they could turn out to be an excellent Pro Hero team in the future. However, you must know that you could just as easily be wrong… and my worries end up coming to light. I can't in good conscience act like that outcome is completely impossible… but I do hope I turn out to be wrong about that."
Nezu understood that it took quite a bit of personal forcing to get Shota Aizawa to actually express hope in his being wrong. If anything, it simply went to show just how seriously he took keeping his students protected and prepared, despite his seemingly cold and apathetic exterior.
Knock, knock
A sudden wrapping at their door drew both of their attention as it soon opened up to reveal Toshinori Yagi and Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, both looking quite expectant, as if they had hoped to find someone else here. "Apologies for the intrusion, Headmaster Nezu-san, Eraserhead." Even in the face of Toshinori's greeting, Aizawa gave another of his typical grumblings of mild annoyance as he turned back to the window, spurring the blonde man to join his side; completely ignorant of the annoyed look in his eyes.
"No apologies needed, All Might. We were simply having something of a discussion on educational approach is all. Now, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence, Detective Naomasa?"
The young detective gave the headmaster a respectful bow before quickly clicking his heels together to stand tall and professional. "All Might had informed me we would find Tunguska-san here conducting an impromptu training program. I hate to interrupt, but since he and All Might were both personally involved in the USJ incident, I felt they both deserved to be informed of whatever developments our investigation was able to turn up."
Nezu's ears instinctively twitched in noticeably-grabbed attention, while Aizawa seemed to show no visible reaction, standing as stoic as ever. "Well, perhaps Aizawa-san should join you as well. He was just as involved as—"
"That won't be necessary, Nezu-san. The detective wants to speak to those two, no need to bog him down with a crowd. Perhaps I'll take that chance to catch some shut-eye after all." Aizawa's statement was resolute in his refusal to participate before swiftly taking his leave, leaving Toshinori, Naomasa and Nezu alike visibly perplexed at just what could have possibly been going through his head.
In the end, though, Nezu ultimately honored the detectives' request, breaking the concentrated air of the group on the training ground below as he activated the intercom, informing Tunguska to report to the conference room.
It had been considerably awkward to have to call that portion of their daily training short and instructing all of his students to return to the Bezpalov house and wait for his return before they would move on to the next phase. However, Tunguska had ultimately been able to convince his students that everything was all right, and before long he found himself in the very conference room Nezu had asked him to report to, pleasantly surprised to find Toshinori and Detective Naomasa awaiting him, but with no sign of the headmaster.
"Good morning, Tunguska-san. I apologize for interrupting your training with your students. All Might has told me how much work you'd been putting into it for the internship period specifically." It was nice to see the detective was just as pleasantly casual as he had seen from him both times before, but Tunguska wasn't one to let them get lost in pleasantries for long. He could simply feel it from Toshinori when he sat beside him; the detective had something of considerable seriousness to share with both of them specifically, and Naomasa could tell both men really wanted to hear what it was.
With a resigned sigh, he dug into the folder he had been carrying at his side, and handed both Heroes copies of the same paperwork.
"I already told All Might this, but since you two were very personally involved in the incident at USJ, I felt you both deserved to know what our investigation has turned up so far. Very recently, the police have discussed the option of performing a full DNA analysis on the Villain in custody, the creature called 'Nomu'."
Even as they looked over their copies, both men's attention and curiosity was visibly piqued. "A DNA analysis?" Toshinori's surprise and skepticism was unmistakeable.
"Don't get the wrong idea, we aren't asking for either of your help in the investigation. All things considered, I shouldn't even be sharing this information with anyone. This is what we would normally label as an 'information leak'; but again, considering your roles in all of this, I felt you deserved to know. The reason I'm sharing this with both of you, is because I actually feel a measure confident that we may have found a clue toward finding the mastermind behind the whole thing."
The papers fell from Tunguska's open hand; his aged face showing complete surprise, while Toshinori was hardly managing to keep his own emotions hidden. "When you say a clue, do you mean you have an idea exactly who it is, or an idea what kind of organization or group they could be associated with?" It was clear as day that the idea of finding whoever was ultimately responsible for an attack that had put his son and students in mortal danger had gotten Tunguska's emotions running high in no time at all.
"I'm afraid it's nothing that concrete, but please allow me to explain as best I can." Thankfully, Tunguska seemed to realize just how strongly he had come on, taking another steadying breath before sitting himself back down, giving Naomasa the floor to continue.
"From the time the Nomu was apprehended, we've tried everything. It seems he's not simply keeping his mouth shut; he simply won't react, no matter what we do. It's honestly just as his name suggests; he's completely and utterly brain dead. So with no other viable options, that's when we decided to conduct a thorough background check through DNA analysis, and…"
Digging into his own file, Naomasa produced a single photograph of a young adult man with a rather unpleasant demeanor and thick lips that strangely resembled those of the Nomu's beaked face. "This man has a criminal record. Nothing overly serious; just simple battery and blackmail; about as small time a thug as you can find in this city. Even more than that, however, we also went on to discover that he has the DNA of at least four completely different people mixed into his own."
Tunguska and Toshinori alike felt their blood go utterly frigid. It wasn't even the question of whether something so outlandish was even scientifically possible… at least, for Tunguska, that wasn't the case. Toshinori, simply tried to imagine what inhumane depths someone had to be capable of, and the kind of raw talent to go with it they had to possess, in order to be able to pull something like that off. "Is this thing…really even human then?"
Naomasa's expression fell considerably into one of much more serious contemplation, thinking over everything he had learned in the interim. "It looks as though his entire body has been tweaked, altered and overall toyed around with by drugs or the like. To put it in simpler terms, he's an artificial human who's been made with the express purpose of measuring up to multiple Quirks. The particular drop in his brain activity seems to have resulted from that particularly heavy toll it's taken on his body."
Tunguska could not resist the instinctive shuddering that overtook his whole frame, drawing the attention of both his fellows. "Forgive me, gentlemen. I don't wish to make a scene. I've just… I've always been disgusted by the idea of human experimentation. Whether it was before or after the onset of Quirks, the idea of using other living, breathing people as lab rats is just plain inhuman. My father and grandfather even used to tell me horror stories as a child, of the experiments some governments did to people with Quirks right around the onset in order to try and understand why they suddenly had such powers… including children. The things that some people are willing to do to their fellow man in the self-proclaimed name of science or their own personal idea of a 'greater good'… as far back as the very field itself can be traced, it's just a very sore spot with me."
Tunguska thankfully took a very steadying breath, bringing his trembling to a stop, and then signaling for Naomasa to continue with another apology. "In any case, the issue of the Nomu's DNA is more germane than the state of his body…the fact that it possesses multiple Quirks, that is."
Toshinori looked especially shaken by the remembrance of that little tidbit, especially. "That's right. Not only was it able to stand and take a full barrage of blows from both of us at once and show seemingly no effect, but at one point its body had in fact been irreparably damaged… only to regenerate itself almost immediately."
Naomasa leaned forward, his eyes almost piercing with intense seriousness, making it clear he was finally reaching his penultimate point in his investigation; the reason he wanted the two Heroes to hear this. "Unless the DNA he's assimilated is some kind of advanced genetic familial permeation, he couldn't have acquired multiple Quirks in such a fashion. All Might, someone like you, who holds One For All, should understand that better than anyone. No, my theory right now is that… this is all probably the work of… a Quirk that can grant Quirks."
The moment those words left the young detective's mouth, Tunguska caught the most unsettling reaction out of Toshinori's eyes, out of the corner of his own. The man didn't jump, shake, or even tremble in the slightest. No, what he saw in those sunken eyes was a deeply rooted sense of apprehension… and fear. This wasn't like the fear the Symbol of Peace had displayed when bringing up his old mentor Gran Torino, this was a fear much, much more serious.
It wasn't long after that Detective Naomasa ultimately took his leave, promising to inform them and the rest of the Yuuei staff of any other essential information the investigation would uncover. After the two had been left to themselves in deathlike silence, Tunguska took a weary breath, knowing they simply couldn't part ways without another word, not after what he had just seen. Better yet, Toshinori could tell that was exactly what was going through his Russian ally's head. Why else would he have stuck around when he had students to look after?
"What are you thinking right now, Toshinori-san? And please don't tell me you don't have an idea; I caught that look in your eye when Naomasa-san threw out the idea of a Quirk that can grant Quirks."
Toshinori sighed like a man who had lived a hundred lifetimes; his hands clutching together in a white-knuckle grip. "I don't want to jump to any conclusions… although my gut is telling me there couldn't possibly be any other conclusions to jump to. I'm thinking… it sounds like All For One's handiwork."
This time, Tunguska was now the one to show an involuntary reaction, a visible flinch where he sat the moment the name escaped Toshinori's mouth. He had heard the name more than once before over the years, always from All Might, but that wasn't the reason for his sudden fearful reaction. He thought back, then, to the day they had reunited in Vladivostok seven months ago, the day Toshinori had told him everything and effectively changed their lives forever.
"All For One… you mean the same Villain that put you in the condition you're in now?"
Toshinori gave a single solemn nod, and Tunguska felt that familiar chill in his veins. If such a powerful Villain really was pulling the strings behind the whole USJ incident, and had been able to create such a monster as the Nomu… then things were suddenly looking far more dire than he had ever expected.
"Like I said, Tunguska-san, I'm hoping I'm just jumping conclusions right now. There's still a lot of crucial information we don't have right now, and we can't afford to jump haphazardly on assumptions and leads we don't have the proper evidence for. Right now, we need to avoid causing a panic; so for that, we simply need to carry on as we have been, and hope that the police will be able to uncover something more substantial before too long. Until then, we both need to remain patient, and simply focus on training and protecting our students."
Tunguska could tell that this speech was intended just as much for Toshinori himself, as it was for him. The lanky man had far more experience with this All for One, and so clearly had a much clearer idea just what he was saying. Who was Tunguska to argue otherwise? This was simply proving to be a more and more sensitive situation, and they both needed to put their mutual strength and forward approaches aside, and focus on what really mattered right now: the children they needed to prepare for whatever was bound to come in the future.
It had been a good couple of hours since the start of Willow Lights' morning patrol with Nikolay and Mina in tow as her new interns. However, what neither of the teens had prepared themselves for was just how utterly… mundane it would turn out to be. Yes, Erubi City was far smaller than Musutafu, and nestled comfortably in the mountains, but it still had the distinction of being a city, as opposed to some isolated rural village. One would have been forgiven for thinking there would at least have been some small-time crimes to stop.
And yet, that was so far proving to be far from the case. As they walked her beat, Willow Light had at least stuck to her word and spent their time asking Nikolay and Mina any questions she could think of in regard to how they understood how Hero Agencies were run. Needless to say, their answers left quite a lot to be desired; leaving The Illuminating Hero to wonder just what these kids were being taught at Yuuei outside of combat.
And on a surprisingly regular basis, whenever she would get started to lecture them on the correct answers of Agency logistics and management, they would always end up getting interrupted by what she would refer to as one of her regular civil disturbances to take care of. The first couple of times had sparked that childlike excitement in her two young interns, only for it to be just as quickly diffused when it amounted to nothing more than helping an elderly lady cross the street, help settle an apparently regular daily argument between two seemingly senile old men over who owned one bicycle, or even the textbook example of kindergarten Heroics: helping get a cat down from a tree.
Only difference this time, at least according to their mentor, that it had gotten into a much taller tree this time; thus necessitating Nikolay launching himself up to grab the branch with the most minute of his launches, in order to get the little fur ball down. He got the job done, but had three tiny scratches on his already cut cheek to show for it.
By this point, he and Mina were still more than happy to be here for this, but that childlike sense of excitement and anticipation that came with working alongside real Pro Heroes did also leave them feeling the slightest bit disappointed that this was as much as they were getting to experience so far. Not wanting to let the tedium get to be too much, Nikolay finally decided to follow up on their mentors' earlier unreached point on Agency management.
"Sensei, things around this city seem really calm all around. Is it always like this?"
Willow Light never took her eyes off the path ahead as she continued to stride proudly. "Yes, pretty much. You can thank us and the police for that, really. There's no such thing as a city or town with absolutely no crime at all."
"Well, okay, that makes sense. But do you and the other Heroes at the Agency do certain kinds of work besides regular crime fighting?" Mina chimed in while Willow Light brought a finger to her chin in thought.
"If you're asking if we do other kinds of Heroics, like how Thirteen specializes in disaster relief, then yes. We do a lot of community outreach work, and if the rainy season gets especially bad, we also dabble in search and rescue efforts as well. We all have our specialties. Big Trouble likes to work around the more industrial area of town where the rough-and-tumble working men spend a lot of their time. He's there to make sure nobody tries driving drunk or getting into fights with each other. Ninja of Valor specializes in nighttime patrols to make sure no hoodlums try targeting anyone in the more dimly lit parts of town. Master Mesh does a lot of cooperation with the local construction companies, as well as repairing any infrastructural damage in the event of mudslides or earthquakes, and Reflector and myself are pretty much what you'd call jack-of-all-trades Heroes, in that we tend to the more basic stuff, such as patrolling and everyday crime fighting. There is one more member of our Agency currently on duty, and you two will be meeting him pretty soon as we continue my route."
It was far more than satisfactory for Nikolay and Mina to now have a clearer cut idea of just what kind of Hero work these people specialized in, but with it all still came so many questions.
"Okay, that all definitely sounds like it keeps you busy, but since you were talking earlier about the details of running and managing an Agency, how do you guys manage to stay afloat financially in a city this small and an environment this comparatively calm?" Nikolay's question was met with a very thoughtful hum from Willow Light as she once again had to think hard.
"Well, we certainly don't make as much as the huge Agencies in the country, but we still do quite well for a low-level business like ours. We make ends meet a variety of different ways. To tell you both the truth, we actually make a lot of our money through goodwill from the people that live in this town. They really appreciate everything we do for them every day. Other than that and the somewhat small regular payments we get from the local government in return for our helping keep everybody safe, some of us also make some extra money through sponsorships and advertising for local businesses. Surely you must have noticed a good number of Pro Heroes in this country do that kind of thing by now, Bezpalov-kun."
Thinking about it only for a moment, Nikolay realized how right she was. All across Musutafu, he had seen faces of what he now knew to be Pro Heroes advertising all kinds of things, from perfume to shampoo, energy drinks, home security systems, local wilderness conservation and takoyaki just to name a few. With that in mind, he couldn't think of any details to that kind of essential question she possibly could have missed.
That all being said, though, he and Mina exchanged glances that pretty much communicated the same thing going through their heads: so far, this internship and their mentor were proving a very far cry from what they had been mentally hyping themselves up for; except neither of them could rightly say they were completely disappointed just yet. A Pro Hero was still a Pro Hero, no matter how you looked at it, and they were both still just grateful they were getting to share this experience together.
"You two are being awfully quiet back there. I would have thought you'd still be bounding with excitement for your first internship day." Willow Light suddenly called back to them, snapping both teens back to attention. "I realize this is hardly what a couple of kids like yourselves would think of when you think of interning for an honest-to-goodness Pro Hero. Tell me, what exactly was it you both were expecting when you accepted my nomination?"
To their mutual chagrin, neither Nikolay nor Mina could come up with an immediate answer, to which their orange-green-haired mentor cracked the slightest hint of a knowing smile. "I imagine I can make a pretty good guess. You were both probably hoping for something a little bit more high-profile; something that would guarantee you both a bit more action, and as such, something that would guarantee you both a bit of media attention."
With this, she finally turned around, still managing to keep her own pace going backwards, while looking at the silently surprised looks on their faces, wanting to know how she was able to guess. "It's pretty easy to spot when you've been in the business as long as we have; dearies. Ashido-chan, as adorable as I find your Hero costume, it's also clearly been designed to be as flashy as possible without seeming gaudy, in order to make yourself look more memorable and recognizable in the eyes of the public and the media. Same goes for you, but on the opposite end of the costume spectrum, Bezpalov-kun. Everyone wants to make themselves look utterly unforgettable when they first design their Hero costumes, because the unspoken rule of the business is that you're far more bankable and likely to get promoted to bigger Agencies when you stick out among the crowd."
To hear her describe that aspect of the Hero business so bluntly, Nikolay and Mina felt a twinge of what had to be shame in their chests. They were supposed to be learning how to be genuine Heroes for everyone, doing the work for the sake of quickly gaining fame, recognition and advancement in the world of Pro Heroes felt so selfish by comparison. Seeing this shift in mood on their faces, Willow Light let out the most lighthearted giggle, catching their curiosity. "Come along, you two. We're not far, but I think it's time I introduced you to the last member of the Kamuron Hero Agency you've yet to meet. You're about to find this little discussion of ours much more fitting in a few minutes."
It was only a few minutes later and after rounding another corner, that Willow Light suddenly began waving and running onward, forcing Nikolay and Mina to follow in kind. Upon reaching the opposite corner, the two teens found their mentor eagerly returning to them with a middle-aged man with short black hair with streaks of grey accompanying her. He had a rather weathered-looking face and didn't look nearly as muscular as Heroes like All Might and Tunguska. His Hero costume resembled a typical bodysuit, but its design resembled a collage of different newsprints, and his black gloves and boots were adorned with an assortment of what looked like buttons with randomized letters on them. Of course, the most eye-catching thing about this man was that there looked to be an actual slot atop his chest.
"Bezpalov-kun, Ashido-chan, allow me to introduce to you the Kamuron Hero Agency's second longest-time employee—"
"Oh, come now, Púca-chan, I'm not so old I can't even introduce myself properly. Hello, you two. I'm Inatsuki Houdou, but you can both call me The Hero of Words, Power Press." After both teens gave him a firm and respectful handshake, the Hero called Power Press stood quite tall and proud next to their mentor. "Well, I imagine you must be quite pleased, Willow Light. You were so obsessed with these two during the Festival, and now you get to teach them everything you know."
It was clear as day that just thinking about it again made the young woman want to start squirming with childlike eagerness again, but she was quick to pull it back in and clear her throat, at least before Mina suddenly decided to cut in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, er… Power Press-san, but I'm curious now, Sensei told us what everybody else in the Agency specializes in, but what do you do?"
Power Press couldn't help but chuckle at the pink girls' lack of subtlety, before a sudden sound of mechanical whirring filled the air, and before everyone's eyes, an assortment of papers with different printings and pictures began coming out of the slot in his chest one after the other, displaying what either looked like want ads, missing posters, or even advertisements for the Kamuron Hero Agency itself. "Does that answer your question, young lady?"
Chuckling in amusement at such a display, Willow Light stepped in with a big smile on her freckled face again. "Power Press is what I suppose you could call our Agencies' personal crier and advertiser. He's our primary source of outreach to any local businesses that need exposure, and the biggest helping hand for people with missing pets or loved ones. All he needs to do is focus on what people need the word spread about, and he'll have it out and ready."
Before she could go further, Power Press once again stepped forward with something of a sly smirk on his face. "Sure, it's not nearly as big and flashy a Quirk as, say, a Hero like All Might or Endeavor, but don't go thinking this is all my Quirk is good for. You ever need a purse snatcher to get stuck to a telephone pole with flypaper before he can even get a block away? I'm your Hero."
The confidence with which he clarified that, couldn't help but get an instinctive laugh out of himself and everyone else, thankfully clearing the initial air of underwhelming Nikolay and Mina had felt upon hearing his role and Quirk.
"It's true; I've seen him do it. He can also send sheets flying with the kind of speed and precision that they could pretty much become paper throwing stars, so don't go writing him off, kids."
As soon as the two Pros had gotten all the casual laughter out of their system, Power Press went back to his much more professional, serious demeanor. "It's good to see you this morning already giving your interns the rundown, Willow Light. So, what exactly brings you onto my beat today?"
"Well, Power Press, as much as I'm happy to give them a full education on how our Agency runs and survives, I can't help but feel they were perhaps hoping for Hero work that was a bit more high profile. I came to you hoping you might be able to help alleviate whatever worries they might have."
Looking from her to Nikolay and Mina, the Hero of Words couldn't help but let out another wry chuckle. "Oh, I see; come to the most low-profile Hero in the Agency in the hopes of making them not feel so bad starting out on such a low rung. Well, you know me: always happy to do my part."
Nikolay and Mina were both once again standing tall and attentively as Power Press motioned for them and Willow Light to accompany him as he went further down the sidewalk, revealing a street where the walls and street lights were adorned with an assortment of different ads and posters. "You see kids; being a high-level Pro Hero and getting so much recognition and admiration from the whole country is undoubtedly great. But do you really think big shots like All Might, Endeavor or Hawks got to where they were right off the bat? Of course not.
"Every great Pro Hero always has to start small-time somewhere, and there's no better place for you to officially get your start in the world of Heroics than in your very own neighborhood. Know the people you grow up around, the businesses that those people need to run in order to both survive and thrive. We're all born with an inherent responsibility to our local communities, and that can come in all kinds of forms, whether it be serving as a watchful protector of those people, or simply lending your services in order to help them succeed on a daily basis. There's no such thing as a wasted or worthless effort when it comes to being a Hero.
"The point is you need to start out by becoming an upholder of peace, order and support for the people most immediately around you, back in the places you call home. It's the most surefire way of beginning the base of support you need in order to gain the reputation and recognition required to start making your way into the big leagues of Pro Heroics. Without that homegrown loyalty and local support that comes from your honest efforts to help the little people on a personal level, one can never really hope to make it to the level of the next Top Pro Hero. That's just an unspoken truth of the business."
As much as he feared he was simply telling these ambitious kids the exact opposite of what they wanted to hear; the truth was far different. For someone with such a frankly bizarre Quirk and role in his own Agency, there was an undeniable wisdom to Power Press's words that Nikolay and Mina were both visibly seriously considering and taking to heart. Amid all the excitement of beginning their internships today, they had both allowed themselves to get so far ahead of themselves, thinking they were going to be thrown right into the middle of the kind of action the big Pros dealt with every day.
They both couldn't help but feel ashamed at how easily they had let themselves forget something so fundamental about Pro Heroics. Real Heroes didn't rush themselves to the levels of fame and stardom. Real Heroes always remembered to keep themselves humble, and most importantly, recognize that they needed to start at the same level as everybody else did. There was no set deadline to make it into the world of Pro Heroics, and the Hero of Words and the Illuminating Hero had helped the two interns remember that essential lesson.
"My dad would probably call us both fools for getting our heads up in the clouds so fast." Nikolay finally admitted, earning a regretful nod of agreement from Mina. "Yeah, he and Aizawa-sensei both. I mean, yeah, becoming Pro Heroes and being famous would be really cool…but I don't want to forget about being there to help people, either."
Seeing the crystal clear regret on their faces, Willow Light quickly stepped in with a reassuring hand on both their shoulders. "Don't go flogging yourselves for getting over-eager, you two. It happens to the best of us when we get our start. Just be grateful you're being given this lesson as early as you are. I certainly know I could've used it back when I was your ages. Thanks for the sage advice, Power Press."
"Always happy to help, Willow Light; and don't call it 'sage advice'; I'm not that old yet. Now, I'd love to stick around and give your interns some more helpful tips in your place, but I need to head down to the northern end of the city center. Blood drive season's just around the corner, and those donation fliers aren't going to hand themselves out. I'll see you all at the office tonight." With a hearty wave goodbye and a confident grin on his rugged face, Power Press took off in a rather impressive jog, and was soon out of sight, leaving Nikolay, Mina and Willow Light to themselves on the quiet little side street, still reeling from the reality check of a lesson he had just helped their mentor give.
"Well, as timely and irrefutably wise as his advice was, I imagine it'll still take more than that to really help you kids really get into the rhythm of how things usually go around this town. What do you say I buy you both something to drink? There's a convenience store just a block over." Willow Light didn't even wait for her Russian and pink interns to say yes or no, before she began making her way down the sidewalk with them quickly following suit.
"Believe it or not, I can fully understand the smidgeon of disappointment you must both be feeling right now, knowing this is going to be your week, most likely. I mean, you both busted yourselves pretty hard all throughout that Festival because you wanted to get the attention of real Pros. To put in that kind of effort only to end up with a small time Agency like ours, who wouldn't be disappointed at your age?"
As surprising as it was for both of them to hear their mentor express such understanding, even at the expense of her own Agency, that didn't stop Mina from immediately chiming in with: "Actually, we had a lot of nominations, Sensei. We picked yours because it was the only nomination we both had on our personal lists, and we wanted to go into our internships together."
Willow Light suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Nikolay and Mina to stop likewise. For a few tense moments, she said nothing, didn't even give any physical signs of a reaction. To be honest, they both found it a touch unsettling. However, she finally broke the silence with the most blunt "I see" either of them had ever heard, before continuing on her way like nothing had happened.
"But, you know, Sensei, now that you bring up the Sports Festival, I just have to ask: all the other Heroes at the Agency said you were the only one among them who nominated us specifically. Yet, neither of us even ended up making it into the Top 3 at the end. So I'm just curious what exactly was it that made you nominate us out of everybody else in the Festival?"
Nikolay hated having to ask such a question, thinking of the old phrase of never looking a gift horse in the mouth, but he simply couldn't help it. No matter how much he tried not to, he simply couldn't stop thinking about it, and he needed to know just what serendipitous force in the universe had made him and Mina so special in the eyes of a Pro Hero like Willow Light.
As she walked, it was clear to her interns that she was once again deep in thought, trying to think of the best way to express her reasoning. Finally, just as they reached the last corner, she stopped and turned on her heels to look them both in the eyes with the utmost sincerity in her neon green gaze.
"In the years that I've been working as a Hero, I've come to learn, and most importantly, believe from the bottom of my heart; that humility and teamwork are the most valuable things to instill or find in young Heroes-in-training like you two. And you both displayed those qualities beautifully throughout the Festival." For a moment, she could see the confusion in their eyes, but also a sense of them wanting to hear her elaborate on her point.
"Bezpalov-kun, you sacrificed the easiest shot in the world at getting first place in that obstacle race, all for the sake of getting Ashido-chan out of a tough spot, even though you knew you ultimately stood to gain nothing from it, except the satisfaction in knowing you had saved your friend. That was what first earned you two my attention.
"And Ashido-chan, watching you go so far out of your way to help Bezpalov-kun find a team for the Cavalry Battle afterwards, even despite the fact he had a grievous foot injury to contend with, was admirable enough as it was. However, to see you then actually attach yourself to that very same team, refusing to leave his side after what he'd done for you? That was what officially cemented my decision to nominate you both, long before the tournament had even been announced as the main event.
"The fact that you both gave up your easiest chances at making it to the top of the Festival for each other's sakes was what made me decide you were both more than worth my attention, and the effort it would take for me to teach you both everything I possibly can." The sheer conviction with which Willow Light spoke as she recounted the impression they had made, was really nothing short of inspiring.
However, to look back on it, Nikolay and Mina once again felt that feeling of disappointment in themselves. Their mentor was absolutely right about why they had both done what they did for each other through the Festival; and once again, their mutual desires to make a lasting impression was threatening to offset that very same sense of humility they had acted on to begin with back then.
However, to reflect on that and think about everything Willow Light and Power Press had already imparted unto them, helped Nikolay and Mina to remember and resolutely swear between themselves that from here on, they were simply going to focus on doing the absolute best they could both do here and now with what they had, and not throw the potential learning and experience they could gain by the wayside in the hopes of ending up in the middle of something bombastic that would get them the most attention.
Even despite the fact that both teens were making this resolution in their heads; the thoughtful expressions and glimmers of realization in their eyes were as far from subtle as one could get, and Willow Light could see her interns coming to this same conclusion, which brought about an immensely proud smile to her face.
"I know you two are going to gain a lot from your week here with us, I can just feel it. And I think, deep down inside, you both can, as well. Now come on, let's get you kids those drinks. This early summer heat's really starting to rack up fast." With that, the three of them eagerly continued the rest of the way before stepping into a quaint little convenience store, with only the singular clerk there to greet them as soon as the chime sounded.
"Go ahead and pick whatever you like, you two. Like I said, it's on me." Willow Light offered, to which Nikolay and Mina hurried over to the nearest cooler, while the Illuminating Hero herself began inching herself over to the manga magazine rack at the opposite end of the store.
Ding-ding
At the moment when Willow Light, Nikolay and Mina had all been bowed down to check the bottom racks of their respective spots, the electronic chime for the store sounded again, only this time, the clerks' customary greeting was swiftly cut off, interrupted by an especially aggressive-sounding male voice instructing the clerk to be quiet and open the register.
This sudden disruption caught the three's attention instantly, but not wanting to risk making things worse, they managed to keep themselves low and hidden, hurriedly scrambling to the corner of the store Willow Light had gone to, finding her crouched down as she motioned her interns to her side.
Keeping themselves low and hidden, they all three lifted their gaze to the reflective mirror hanging from the ceiling to show the front counter and entrance. They could clearly see two adult men, one of whom was pointing his index finger in the clerk's face, except the end of his finger resembled the barrel of a gun.
"Oh God, they're holding up the store." Mina realized, just managing to remember to keep her voice as low as possible.
"It looks like there's only two of them, though." Nikolay pointed out, before Willow Light swiftly shook her head to dissuade him from even continuing his train of thought.
"Heroes don't needlessly put lives in danger, you two, not even their own. Besides, we can't afford to act rashly and risk them hurting the clerk. Thankfully it doesn't look like they've noticed we were in here, otherwise they'd be tearing this place apart looking for us." The Irish-Japanese Hero took another fleeting moment to look at the reflection of the situation again. "One is taking care of the actual robbery, while the other is just standing there, either as a lookout… or perhaps he has an EMP Quirk to mess with the cameras. That's probably why they aren't even bothering wearing masks… which also means they don't intend to let the clerk live once they have the money." The fact that they were officially dealing with criminals who had no qualms about killing a person, left Nikolay and Mina visibly nervous and shaken. However, to their surprise, Willow Light was as calm as could possibly be.
"Don't worry yourselves unnecessarily, kids. Just stay down and observe. Let this be your first lesson in crowd control." With that, Willow Light closed her eyes and slowly lifted her right hand with the palm open. Her freckled face momentarily strained with concentration, before three small floating orbs of pure light suddenly manifested, floating in the palm of her hand.
Keeping her eyes closed, she suddenly sent the three orbs flying from her hand, and what followed lasted only a couple of seconds: the first of the orbs darted like an arrow through the air, before suddenly detonating in a flash of blinding light between the two criminals, forcing them to cover their eyes in complete reflex to the blinding flash. Immediately after, the two remaining orbs likewise flew through the air, slamming and detonating into similar flashes upon impact with both thugs' bodies, knocking them right off their feet and unconscious from the sheer amount of pure energy that had just plowed right into them like the hardest thrown baseballs.
As soon as both criminals were clearly down for the count, Willow Light finally opened her eyes again and got back to her feet, already making her way to restrain the two would-be muggers, before realizing Nikolay and Mina were still crouched down, looking at her like they could scarcely believe how easily she had just done that.
"That, my dearies, is my Quirk: Will-o'-the-Wisp. As long as I concentrate, I can summon little orbs of light to either stun or take down Villains and criminals in a matter of seconds. It's hardly anything to look so awestruck over." By this point, her interns' staring was proving a touch awkward, but thankfully they were able to snap back to reality and get back to their feet as well, chuckling in embarrassment.
"Sorry, Sensei. That was just…well, really impressive how easily you handled that." Nikolay admitted, while Mina was looking over their teachers' handiwork with an admiring smile. "Yeah, super flashy and cool, too. Plus, how you control your Quirk remotely like that can't help but remind me of a friend of ours back at Yuuei. Her Quirk works almost identical to yours, Sensei."
Willow Light reached into a cloth sack she had hanging at her hip, pulling out a pair of zip ties, but just as she began to instruct the visibly shaken-yet-relieved clerk to call the police, the deafening sound of tires screeching pierced the air. Hurriedly turning to the source, the three spotted a single car peeling out from in front of the store and rushing down the street. "Of course, nobody would be reckless enough to try robbing a store and fleeing on foot, not in a small town like this." Willow Light realized, cursing the fact she hadn't immediately thought of the possibility of a getaway driver.
"Don't worry, Sensei, we can catch up with them!" Mina suddenly announced; she and Nikolay rushing out the door before their mentor could tell them to stop where they were. The moment they were outside, Nikolay immediately gave chase, propelling himself with his catapult arc launch, while Mina immediately began keeping pace with him with her sliding acid slick.
Thankfully, the roads being so narrow prevented the getaway car from going too fast for the two Heroes-in-training to catch up with. By the time it had managed to reach another road that was considerably wider, Nikolay had finally managed to overshoot the car itself, landing himself in the middle of the road, ready to face the oncoming vehicle.
A spark of an idea suddenly occurred to him as he looked to the multiple tuning forks resting in the cylindrical pouches lining the chest of his costume. Pulling one out, he began mentally forming an aiming trajectory, and began reeling his right arm back, focusing his energy into the tips of his fingers as soon as he knew he was ready.
With that focused blast releasing from his fingertips the moment before throwing the tuning fork forward, Nikolay watched as the otherwise harmless metal projectile flew straight and true, with enough force put in behind it to actually smash through the front drivers' side tire of the getaway car, cutting its speed off immensely in a matter of seconds.
Unfortunately, Nikolays' sense of accomplishment didn't last long, as the driver ended up losing control enough to go swerving over the curb just beside the young Russian, and ended up crashing into a steel telephone pole. The crash itself wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been; Nikolay could tell that already. What he hadn't counted on, however, was that there had been a telephone line repair truck right at this spot with the crane extended, and the crash had produced enough of a surprise and shake to make the utility worker up in the nest of the crane lose his balance and nearly go tumbling over the edge, just barely managing to hang onto the edge of it.
Realizing the man wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer, Nikolay tried to focus all the energy he could to his feet so he could launch up and get the man back into the crane and to safety. Again, no matter how much he tried to focus, even with his adrenaline racing, nothing was coming of it.
Nikolay could only mentally curse to himself for still not having any idea how to make it work, before finally launching himself with his hands, just in time to catch the man in his trajectory just as he finally lost his grip. Nikolay held onto the man as tight as he could as his trajectory sent them falling over a nearby guard railing, thankfully into a patch of shrubs that managed to break their fall harmlessly.
"I'm so sorry about that, sir. Are you all right?" Nikolay hurriedly asked as soon as he knew for certain they weren't in danger anymore. The man thankfully nodded in affirmation as the young Russian got back up and helped him to his feet. As soon as he began to return to the sidewalk, though, he realized the driver side door of the getaway car was now open, and nobody was behind the wheel.
"Stay right where you are!" A rugged, serious voice suddenly exclaimed, forcing Nikolay to freeze where he stood right beside the wreck. He slowly turned his head to see the visibly roughed-up driver had not only managed to escape, but had also managed to take a passing female civilian (no doubt someone who had been drawn by the sound of the crash) as a hostage, holding a single pistol to her head. The man was clearly shaken up, nervous; which made him that much more unpredictable and dangerous.
What neither the criminal nor Nikolay noticed, however, was that in the recent confusion, Mina had managed to catch up and, noticing what was just now happening, had managed to hide herself away in just the right spot where she could close in on the criminal without him noticing; especially since he was so intently focused on Nikolay. However, she also knew that she couldn't afford to just take her sweet time, not so long as her partner was in danger.
As she began closing in on the man from his side, the criminal began slowly inching his way away from the scene, nervously looking back and forth from Nikolay to the road ahead.
"There's nowhere for you to run to. We both know the police are on their way right now. Just let her go and surrender. It'll go so much easier for you if you do." Nikolay held his hands up, trying to present himself as not an immediate threat, speaking as calmly as his nerves could allow so as not to set the man off.
The last criminal was clearly nervous as hell as the gun kept shaking uncontrollably in his hand and he kept looking back and forth, as though he were mentally debating whether or not to just let the hostage go and make a run for it.
However, one momentary turn of his body as he took another step to the side, allowed him to catch a visibly pink figure slowly approaching out the corner of his eye. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for Mina, she had just as quickly realized he had spotted her. It was a good thing, then, that she had already been fully prepared to intercept at that moment.
Just as the criminal was getting ready to throw the hostage in her direction as a distraction, Mina swung her right arm forward, flicking her wrist in a motion that sent the slightest trickling of what was ultimately no more than citric acid from her fingertips, directly into the criminals' eyes.
He instinctively let go of both the hostage and his own weapon as he clutched his eyes, momentarily shouting from the intense stinging sensation. Thankfully, that opening was all Mina needed, as she immediately closed the distance with another momentary slide, and capped off her momentum by meeting him with a single devastating uppercut right to his jaw, sending him tumbling back down to the ground like a freshly fallen tree, completely out cold.
As soon as he was down, Nikolay immediately rushed over with one of his rolls of binding wire at the ready, hurriedly restraining him before he would wake up, while Mina was now taking the chance to catch her breath, visibly trembling from the utter adrenaline rush of having beaten her very first criminal and saved her very first civilian.
"Are you okay, Kolya-kun?" she finally asked as soon as she had managed to stop her shaking, still unable to hide the instinctive twinge of concern when it came to one of her best friends' well-being; all while Nikolay was clearly in the middle of doing the same thing once he was sure the criminal was taken care of. "Yeah… a little shaken up, but… I-I'm okay; how about you, Mina?" The pink girl took another look at the final result of their impromptu Heroics, and promptly gave him a reassuring smile, wink and a solitary thumb up in reassurance.
Nikolay kept taking deep breaths to steady his nerves as he looked back to the criminals' gun lying on the ground. He knelt down upon approaching it, and what he saw made him crack a smile that could only ever have been described as wry.
"I can't speak for the two that Sensei took care of at the store, but this guy was definitely an amateur. Not only was the safety still on, but it wasn't even loaded." Knowing that, Nikolay and Mina now had no doubts in their minds that the guy would have probably just thrown the hostage at them and tried to make a break for it, rather than make things worse for himself by trying to hurt anyone. Regardless, he was still a part of an attempted robbery, and as Heroes and upholders of the law, they had their responsibilities, and they had acted on them.
"Solovei, Pinky! There you are!" Willow Light's accented-voice suddenly called out to the two from down the road, and when they saw their mentor hurriedly approaching them, they could tell by the look on her face that, even if they had ultimately won, they had disappointed her greatly, even if there was a clear look of impression in her eyes when she saw the aftermath of how they had done, with two unharmed civilians and the last criminal apprehended.
It wasn't long after that the police finally arrived on the scene. With their arrival, practically all the civilians who had either worked or lived in this area came flocking out, giving the officers numerous details of everything they had witnessed; specifically of just how quickly and smoothly Nikolay and Mina had taken care of things, even with the minor hiccup of the endangered utilities worker and the hostage.
Once the police had gotten all the information they needed, including testimonies from Willow Light and the clerk from the convenience store, who went on to give them the entire story from the beginning, the police seemed visibly satisfied that the situation had managed to get wrapped up without anyone needlessly getting hurt. Of course, that satisfaction didn't come through when they finally approached Willow Light, Nikolay and Mina specifically.
"Well, we won't be able to clarify whether the second suspect at the store did have an EMP Quirk until they regain consciousness, but at least we now have them in custody. Thank you for your help, Willow Light. You kids, as well. On the one hand, because of your timely actions, you managed to keep one of the criminals from escaping, and managed to save the few civilians to get directly involved, without anyone getting hurt. That's a big accomplishment for your first actual case as Heroes. However, what you two did was still extremely reckless. Don't ever forget that any kind of confrontation with a criminal can be potentially very dangerous. Ultimately, you both should have stayed with your teacher and done as she said, and let us take care of things from there. Hopefully you can both take your win and this advice to heart for the future."
Once all was said and done and the police had officially given them leave to go, Willow Light and her interns proceeded on their way, with the two teens looking particularly forlorn. "You know, I think that's probably enough street-level action for you two today. I'm taking you back to the office. I think you both could use some hands-on experience with the ins-and-outs of running an actual Agency from the inside for the rest of the day."
Yes, that kind of reprimand for acting without thinking was pretty much what they had both resigned themselves to from the moment they had gone out those doors to give pursuit. It was a strange sensation, knowing that they had done a great deal to help, but also knowing they had gone about it practically all wrong. Their getting pulled off of patrol duty was pretty much to be expected.
"We're sorry, Sensei." Mina finally apologized sadly, with Nikolay almost immediately following suit.
"Yeah, we were only trying to help… but the police were right, we should've just stayed with you. It won't happen again, we swear."
Fortunately for them, Willow Light could feel this conflicted air about them, let alone the regret in their voices, and she wasn't about to let Nikolay and Mina's first day of training get tainted with such a feeling of doubt. "You don't have to sound so forlorn, you know. At the end of the day, I still have to commend you two for stepping in and doing everything you had to, to make sure no civilians got hurt. On top of that, just the fact that you both acted to get the civilians out of danger first and foremost, instead of just simply focusing on taking the criminals down, is huge. You should both be proud of yourselves and each other for that."
To hear their mentor actually commending them, even after the chewing out they had received from the police, brought a grateful smile back to the interns' faces, even exchanging congratulatory smiles with each other.
"Of course, that still doesn't change the fact you two went out and acted very recklessly, and I can guarantee you the majority of criminals and Villains you face in your Hero careers aren't going to be anywhere near as careless as the ones you faced today. Keep that in mind, and make sure you have some kind of plan to work with together from now on; all right?"
"Of course, Sensei; we'll be more careful from now on. That's a promise." Mina immediately answered, before Willow Light swiftly turned on her heels to look them in the eye again.
"It's not just a promise to me, Ashido-chan. Your Hero careers are going to carry on long after your internship here is over. This is a promise I want you to make to each other. You've both proven your mutual potential when it comes to field work, and especially when it comes to working together. There's a potentially all-time great Hero team in the making between you two, but you won't be able to reach that full potential if you keep rushing into situations without thinking. So I want you to look each other in the eye and promise that you'll be far more careful and have a plan from now on."
Feeling the sheer gravity in her words, Nikolay and Mina looked each other in the eye, and with that weight still weighing heavily on their hearts, they both hooked their pinky fingers together and mutually expressed that they would be more careful for theirs and each other's sakes from now on. Willow Light's smile was immensely satisfied with this show of understanding and solidarity in her interns, as she finally ushered them along to return to the Agency with her.
Once the three had returned to the Kamuron Hero Agency, and once Willow Light had informed the rest of the Pro Heroes of the little debacle they had prevented, it quickly became clear just what the rest of Nikolay and Minas' first training day was going to comprise of; much to their mutual chagrin.
Their mentor had personally selected Master Mesh to give the two interns a thorough rundown of the logistics that went into making their individual operations run smoothly. As if the universe itself wanted to make the comparison between him and Tenya Iida unavoidable, Master Mesh wasted absolutely no time informing, or rather instilling in them, a very important lesson, that the backbone of a successfully functioning Hero Agency was composed of two things:
One: making sure everyone knew what they had to do and when, throughout each and every day. Every case they took on, resolved and reported with the authorities, every minor civil disruption, even every public appearance, sponsorship event or conference with the press, had to be meticulously filed, organized and setup on the daily schedules for each individual Hero. The fact that a good portion of the money they made to keep the Agency running depended on these events being properly scheduled so people would be where they needed to be and when, meant Master Mesh could not emphasize enough to Nikolay and Mina, how important it was they made sure they had everything done correctly by the end of the day.
And two: always making sure there was fresh coffee in the pot for when one of the Heroes would come back from their shifts, or was coming in for their night patrols.
Needless to say, to have gone from field work, to what pretty much amounted to unbelievably dull secretary and stereotypical unpaid office intern work in the span of a single day, brought about its own sense of disappointment in the two. But when they had expressed so before being left to Master Mesh's mercy, Willow Light had been quick to instill in them yet another important reminder: "Being a Pro Hero may have its fair share of action and media attention, but it's still a business at the end of the day, and trust me, when the day comes that you work for a bigger Agency, or even start a couple of your own, trust me, you'll be grateful for having learned this part of it now, rather than being left to figure it out and flounder on your own. So have fun with the job, dearies."
As soon as she left Nikolay and Mina to Master Mesh's supervision, Willow Light quickly found herself being watched intently by the rest of her fellow Pros in the office lounge. "I would ask why you're all staring, but I think I have a pretty good idea," she commented with some cheeky sarcasm before Reflector and Big Trouble stepped forward.
"Oh, come on, don't leave us in the dark here, Púca-chan." "Yeah, you told us the whole convenience store robbery story, but what about Solovei and Pinky? How did they fare for their first bit of on-the-field crime fighting?"
Being the out-and-out brawler of their motley crew, Púca just knew Big Trouble would be the one to want to know how they measured up in a fight. Too bad for him she had essentially missed that part while trying to regroup with the two kids. "Well, they're definitely as bright-eyed and eager to prove themselves as literally any other would-be Hero student, and as we all know too well, that tends to make them reckless.
"At the same time, though, I can see with my own eyes, there's definitely that unspoken connection, that sense of devoted partnership between them. I swear I can see it just as clearly between them now as I did while watching them at the Festival. That spark between them… I'm telling you, guys; that entire dynamic, that connection between them could help make them one of the greatest Hero duos the world has ever seen one day. The fact that they both clearly already have the essential understanding of their responsibilities to protect the people before anything else is a huge testament to that."
Púca looked utterly Shakespearean as she declared her feeling of her two interns with unshakeable conviction. It would have been nothing short of admirable, if it hadn't been for Ninja of Valor suddenly snickering to himself, quickly followed by Big Trouble as well. "She tries to cover it up with so many strong words, but we all know what she's really trying to say."
The Illuminating Hero looked back to her colleagues, eyes wide and freckled face beginning to turn light red with childlike embarrassment. "Yeah, we all know you've still got a total shipper's mind at heart, Púca-chan. You'd been gushing over how attached those two kids were to each other all throughout the Festival, after all. You just wanted to get to see it up close, didn't you? Nobody's gonna judge you if that was the case."
"Oh, shut up, you guys, I'm being serious! I mean, yeah, Bezpalov-kun and Ashido-chan are clearly super attached to each other, and they just look naturally adorable, if not downright precious together, and when they… look in each others' eyes, I get goosebumps… and even just listening to how they talk to each other sounds so…"
It was a timely snap of the fingers from an amusedly chuckling Reflector that made Púca realize the trap she had let herself fall into, as she had inadvertently started daydreaming and almost drooling in her state of delirium. The three other Heroes couldn't hold in their laughter anymore, while she stomped her foot with an embarrassed, childish pout in her cheeks. "You're just the worst, Rantou-kun!" With that, she hurried back out in a fit of embarrassment while her colleagues struggled to try and catch their breath, always finding it a breath of fresh air to bring out her more childish side.
The downtown part of Erubi City was considerably more active than a lot of the territory Power Press's fellow Heroes frequently patrolled. This kind of hustle and bustle suited him and his duties just fine, though. It allowed him to get the most attention for the various business ads, missing persons' posters and public health and safety notifications he had the responsibility of getting out to the public.
If nothing else, another pleasant perk of his specific duties, was that it kept him engaged enough where things never felt dull or slow. By this time, the sky was beginning to turn that early evening orange, the surefire sign his shift was soon reaching its end. As much as he loved doing what he did, this summer heat was beginning to climb fast, and the idea of getting a chilling drink and staying the rest of night in a nice air-conditioned apartment sounded downright heavenly.
"Pardon me, sir?" A voice Power Press didn't recognize suddenly spoke out from right beside him, drawing the Hero of Words' attention. He was met by a clearly foreign man, probably somewhere in his thirties, with short black hair, and a scruffy little patch of fuzz on his upper lip and chin. He was dressed in a casual suit, gloves and aviator sunglasses, with a frankly embarrassed smile on his face. "I'm terribly sorry to bother you; I imagine you must still be quite busy. I'm still trying to familiarize myself with this town, having only just moved here recently. You wouldn't happen to be one of the local Heroes here, would you? I realize the costume must make it quite obvious, but it never hurts to make sure."
This strange new man's tone was so casual; it was hard not to feel charmed by it, frankly. Meeting a legitimate Hero in the flesh was still enough to make people star-struck, no matter how old they got. It honestly brought a smile of gratitude to Power Press' face. "Oh, it's no trouble at all, sir. To answer your question: yes, I'm the Hero of Words, Power Press."
The foreign man's expression seemed to visibly light up as soon as he heard. "Oh, that's what I was thinking. I'd tried to do as much research as I could on the local Hero scene before I came here. You're the first one I've managed to actually meet so far. Do you always hang around this part of town?"
Power Press could personally appreciate someone so enthusiastic about knowing whatever there was to know about the Heroes of whichever place they went. The fact the man was so childishly casual with him as well, only seemed to add to his overall charming effect. "Yes, me and my colleagues, we all have our designated parts of the city to watch over."
The foreign man looked visibly surprised to hear this. "But don't you ever worry about being separated from each other? I mean, what if one of your friends were to get in trouble? Shouldn't the members of a Hero Agency have some means of communicating with each other, just in case?"
This earned him another deeply amused chuckle out of the aged Hero before him. "I can really appreciate a question like that. You must really dedicate a lot of time learning how Heroes work as a team. Kind of a big fan of the field, are you?"
The stranger instinctively scratched the back of his head with another embarrassed smile. "Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Forgive me if that was too prying. It just brought to mind a few of the old Hero teams back in my homeland, they had similar infrastructure to manage in dangerous situations as well. I just couldn't help but wonder if that was just for them specifically, or if it's like a universal thing with Heroes."
With this, Power Press actually stepped forward and placed an affirming hand on the foreign stranger's shoulder. "Ah, I understand. You come to a whole other country, it helps to try and find something the two places have in common; it helps make the transition not feel so overwhelming. I have to say, though, it is reassuring to know that something so simple yet necessary was clearly a universal concept in our field, no matter the country. We don't really get that much info about how Pro Heroes are working or managing themselves in many other countries."
The two men let out a mutual respective chuckle of what felt to both like nostalgia. Of course, once they had both gotten it out of their system, Power Press cleared his throat before putting on a more professional air again. "As much as I would love to stick around and talk myself blue with you, sir, I'm afraid my duties will require me to be elsewhere soon. Is there anything else you might have needed my assistance with, or are you simply trying to better get the lay of the town?"
With a heavy sigh, the foreign man's casual demeanor vanished. "Yes, I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you, Power Press-san. I am still trying to familiarize myself with everything in this town, but I did actually have a matter of some urgency I was hoping you might be able to help me with. You see, my dog actually ran away earlier this morning, and I haven't been able to find him. I don't have the means to print missing posters myself just yet, and I didn't know where or who else to turn to that was near where I moved into. Frankly, the fact I ran into you was nothing short of a stroke of luck. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to accompany me so I can put some missing posters up, maybe help me see if anyone else has caught sight of him anywhere?"
Power Press could already feel the refreshment of a drink and A/C at home slipping away with each second, but he wasn't about to leave a distressed civilian unaided. With his chest puffed out with a sense of purpose, he gave the man a reassuring, confident smile. "Of course I'll help you, sir. Just take me to wherever your neighborhood is and I'll see what I can do to help you. Do you perhaps know of any areas nearby where your dog was drawn to, say for daily walks?"
As soon as he asked the question, the man's expression suddenly lit up from behind his sunglasses. "As a matter of fact, I think I might actually have an idea. Dammit, I can't believe I didn't think of this place. We could head over there and check it out on the way, it's right near my neighborhood." With a spring in his step, the man was already heading up north, spurring Power Press to quickly follow after.
"Don't worry, sir, I'm confident we'll be able to find the little guy in no time. Oh, forgive me for changing the subject so suddenly, but I just have to say: for a foreigner, your Japanese is nearly flawless, save for that peculiar accent of yours."
The man let out a considerably good-humored laugh, managing to re-compose himself surprisingly quickly. "Well, my friends and folks have said more than once that I have an excellent mind for learning things quickly. I put a lot of effort into studying the language on my way towards moving here. It's managed to keep me from getting myself all turned around so far."
With that, and a new air of reinvigoration between them, Power Press and the foreign stranger continued heading north with purpose in every stride.
The tedium of office work had made the next few hours until nightfall pass at a complete snails' pace in the Kamuron Hero Agency. Master Mesh's meticulous instruction and micro-management had made the process of learning how to organize and properly file paperwork, on top of effectively categorizing and organizing the next days' schedule for each of the Pro Heroes, more than an absolute chore for Nikolay and Mina.
Even by the time he had felt sufficiently convinced they had gotten the hang of it all and left them to the rest on their own, it didn't make the process of going through every step repetitively any less boring.
By the time they had finally managed to get through the last bit of filing and confirming the last bit of scheduling for tomorrow, effectively clearing their entire office workload, the Russian boy and pink girl were both mentally and physically exhausted. "Oh…god, I feel like I just went through ten of Aizawa-sensei's written exams all at once." Mina bemoaned as she collapsed in the nearest chair, nearly laying her face on the desk in exhaustion.
"Yeah, ten of them at least. Had anyone told me interning for Pro Heroes was going to involve this much meticulous paperwork, I wouldn't have been nearly so eager for it." Nikolay agreed as he sat in the chair opposite hers on the other end of the desk, having to fight the urge to fall fast asleep right there in the middle of the office.
The silence that hung heavy in the office was downright insufferable, as Mina soon dug into the pocket of her vest and pulled out her phone, absentmindedly scrolling through page after page, until she eventually landed on something that made her jolt back upright in her seat, her black-gold eyes wide and sparkling, with the most excited smile on her once again radiant pink face.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Kolya-kun, look! Look!" She practically bounded over the desk, surprising Nikolay into an upright position of his own, right before she suddenly pulled him in with an arm over his shoulders, and almost literally shoving her phone in his bewildered face.
By the time he had managed to convince her to calm down a touch and pull the phone away some, Nikolay finally looked, and soon felt his own sense of excitement come back in full force just the same; for displayed on the screen of her phone was an article from the local news outlets for Erubi City, detailing the attempted convenience store robbery from that afternoon, with himself, Mina and Willow Light in their full costumed glory in several of the photos.
He couldn't even let the momentary embarrassment he felt from seeing himself in costume from an outside perspective dampen his happiness, especially as he listened to Mina excitedly read the article. It was a touch disappointing for both of them that neither of them actually got mentioned by their Hero names, if at all; but since neither the police nor any of the locals, who had probably given this story to the press, had asked them for their Hero names, it was ultimately to be expected.
"But hey, name drops or not, we got our first little bit of media attention! Oh, Kolya-kun, isn't this exciting!? This is our first step! This is how people will now know Pinky and So… Solo… Nightingale have finally arrived!" Nikolay couldn't even be momentarily disappointed that Mina still couldn't rightly pronounce his intended Hero name. He was just happy to see their efforts had ultimately been recognized, and to see his pink best friend so over the moon with excited happiness only made it all that much sweeter.
Of course, with her announcement of their having finally arrived, his mind couldn't help but momentarily go back to everything Willow Light and Power Press had taught them today. "This is really exciting, Mina. Seriously, I may not be as energetic as you already, but you have no idea how happy I am to see this. But… I'm just thinking about what Sensei and Power Press said about remembering our beginnings as Heroes."
Mina's excited bouncing came to a sudden stop as she looked to her Russian bestie with total curiosity. "Mina… do you think we really have been letting our eagerness get the better of us? That we've been too impatient about trying to make a big impression so we could move to the bigger leagues sooner?"
While he had feared that Mina would play off his concerns as his being overly worried for nothing; he was relieved to see that the question had inspired Mina to really think about that as well. The smile on her face slowly changed from that of childlike excitement, to one of a much deeper conviction and understanding. "If we have, I think the fact that you're even asking about it means we're already learning from it, Kolya-kun. Trust me, I get where you, Sensei and Power Press-san are all coming from, about wanting to stay humble and always remember where we start from, and I completely agree.
"I just get so excited by all of this, because… oh, Kirishima already told you all this before." Mina tried to play off her answer with an embarrassed giggle, but when she saw the intent look in Nikolays' green eyes, urging her to continue, she let out a nostalgic sigh, with an equally nostalgic smile and glimmer in her golden irises. "I've always wanted to be a Hero, Kolya-kun, for as long as I can remember; not only because I want to help people, which I really do, but because…because I've always admired them. Even when I was little, I always admired how dazzling so many of them looked, and how they just seemed to pop and bring excitement and cheer everywhere they went. I thought Heroes were so cool because of that, and I knew I wanted to be just like that more than anything else.
"Wanting to help people and becoming a real Hero like that, those things are what's driven me for so long… but today helped remind me that Heroes are about helping the people around them first. I just got so excited, knowing we'd get to be working next to real Pros; I actually let myself forget that there isn't an actual rush toward getting famous and cheered on by everybody. Even my parents always told me I shouldn't rush, and I just went and forgot all about that. But they were right, just like Sensei and Power Press-san were right."
For a moment, Mina looked deeply regretful that she had let herself forget even one of the aspects of what made her want to be a Hero for so long, but she once again seemed to magically pick herself right back up as she looked at Nikolay with a deeply emotional shimmer in her eyes, and even evident on her smile. "I want to be able to appreciate the importance of what we're getting by being here right now. I don't want to rush any of this. I'm just glad we're finally here, getting to work with actual Pros, and I'm really glad we were able to actually stop a crime together and save those people. That's what being a real Hero is all about, and we actually got to pull that off today. I'd say that's really good for our first day."
Nikolay had an especially warm smile of admiration on his face by this point, glad to see their teacher's words hadn't just been growing in him alone. For someone who was always so prone to childlike bursts of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm, and for someone who left quite a bit to be desired as far as exams and general academia were concerned; Mina Ashido was someone who had her own kind of heartfelt wisdom below the surface that made her stand out above everyone else when she really brought it out.
Of course, that train of thought of his was quickly broken when she started giggling in amusement at how overly deep he was looking at that moment.
As the two teens continued to laugh and generally ease their mutual moods together; neither of them ever noticed that Púca had been standing right outside the doorway to the office, just outside of their view, having listened to every word of their conversation. A smile of immense pride as a teacher and fellow Hero was adorning her freckled face as she heard her words of wisdom be clearly taken to the hearts of her young charges. If they were able to understand the true meaning of her lessons in humility this quickly, then that only made her faith in their capabilities as future Pro Heroes that much stronger.
It wasn't long after that she had officially declared Nikolay and Minas' first day of actual intern work over, and that with night having now fallen, it was time for them all to head home and rest up for an early start tomorrow. Of course, with them having now been settled in a city nearly an hour outside of their own, the idea of 'home' had a much different meaning.
Once Nikolay, Mina and Púca had changed out of their costumes and back into more casual clothes (the sight of something other than his winter jacket on Nikolay for once, bringing an immensely pleased smile to Minas' face), the three proceeded to head out from the Agency to another of the more outer neighborhoods where their mentors' apartment was located.
After quickly stopping off at a nearby ramen stand (the local specialty of which proved so delicious it nearly brought Nikolay and Mina both to genuine tears), they soon found themselves at the door to the Illuminating Hero's humble abode, with the young woman hurriedly forewarning them to excuse the mess.
They soon stepped inside to a bizarrely quaint apartment about the same size as Mina's back in Musutafu. The décor was a very oddly balanced divide between Púca's Irish and Japanese backgrounds.
Upon the wall nearest the front door was a corkboard covered in a myriad of old photographs; many of which displayed the orange-green-haired woman about her intern's age, dressed in a clearly Catholic school uniform, while others displayed her in clearly more primitive version of her Hero costume, standing alongside numerous other clearly Irish and Celtic-inspired Heroes that neither Nikolay or Mina could begin to name. Frankly, it was just inspiring to see so many new faces in the Pro Hero world they otherwise never would have known existed.
"Go ahead and take it all in if you like. I know I do from time to time. Those old pictures help to remind me just where it was I came from… and who I have to thank for getting me this far." There was a deep sense of nostalgia in Púca's tone as she spoke looking at the photos… but there was also a noticeable hint of sadness to it as well.
One picture among the bunch that caught Nikolay's eye, especially, was of a clearly much younger Willow Light, standing together with a young man probably no more than a couple years older than her, with a strangely similar type of costume, with a head of short orange hair. They almost looked like a perfectly matching pair.
"The boy in this picture looks a lot like you, Sensei." Mina suddenly pointed out with practically no buildup, while Púca looked at the same picture forlorn, behind her interns' backs. "Yes. That's my older brother, Connor. He and I actually formed our first Hero team together back home in Dublin."
"Wow… so you've been part of a whole other Hero team before, Sensei? Don't you miss working with them, though?" Nikolay's question was harmless enough in intention; anyone would have been able to tell that. However, it was still enough to make her momentarily freeze, sucking in the instinctive answer before swallowing it back down.
"Of course I do. But it's more… complicated than all that. I'm here now, and I love working with the Heroes here, just as much as I loved working with the Heroes back home. Now enough questions. We've got an early start waiting for us tomorrow, especially you two, so I want you both to freshen up and get a good night's sleep, alright?"
"Yes, Sensei." Nikolay and Mina answered in near perfect unison, almost getting an instinctive laugh out of her as she directed them towards the bathroom. "We're not on the clock anymore tonight, so just call me 'Púca-san', tonight, okay? You don't hear me calling you by your Hero names, do you?"
"No, Sen—"
"No, Púca-san." Mina thankfully managed to cut Nikolay off before he could irritate their mentor any further, and with an amused chuckle and a gesture of her hand to give permission, the two hurried into the bathroom to freshen up, before Nikolay was ushered out just as fast upon the remembrance there was only room enough for one person.
Once both teens had managed to freshen up and get their sleeping bags laid out side by side in the middle of the living room floor, Púca shut off the lights and beckoned her young charges good night, and with that, Nikolay and Mina were officially left to themselves, crawling into the comfort of their sleeping bags in the dark of the night. Nikolay's looked thick and utterly quaint with a red and green plaid design, while Mina's sported the by-now very familiar combination of purple and turquoise in a splattered paint-esque design. At this point, Nikolay was half tempted to ask if she got everything she had in those specific colors as part of a set, or if she'd simply painted them that way herself.
Of course, he was too tired to do so, thinking back on just what a truly full day they'd already gone through, and who knew just what tomorrow was going to bring? True, Master Mesh had hammered it into their heads that the miserable office work was a daily routine to be done, but other than that, there was no telling what else Púca had in mind for them. That was the part that had him and Mina the most visibly excited, wishing it had been tomorrow morning already.
However, they both knew that asking each other for ideas of what they could be trained in tomorrow would only keep them awake, and their mentor was serious about them getting enough sleep for the day.
"Well… good night, Mina."
"Sweet dreams, Kolya-kun. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day, I can just feel it." Having wished each other a good night, the two teens finally lay down, hoping sleep would take them sooner rather than later. And that was far easier said than done, when in that silence, Nikolay and Mina finally took the chance to realize that they were actually sleeping together under the same roof, barely a foot apart from each other.
Such a realization at such a sensitive age left them both visibly blushing even in the dark; only whereas Mina was blushing out of amusement at how much a situation like this felt ripped straight out of the pages of a shoujo manga; Nikolay was blushing for a much different reason. Any relatively healthy teenage boy would have agreed that it was awkward enough knowing you were sleeping in the same room with a girl, but it was a whole other thing entirely when it was the same girl that gave you your very first kiss.
Once again that Sunday memory came back now that he'd actually been left in silence with his own thoughts, and Nikolay simply felt his face grow hot all over again, especially knowing Mina was sleeping soundly less than a foot away from him. His instinctive reaction was to roll himself over so his back was to her, in the hopes that if he was blushing as heavily as he feared he was; she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night and notice.
The fact he was able to actually go to sleep as early into the night as he did with those thoughts swirling through his head was nothing short of a godsend.
When morning finally came, Púca was immensely pleased to find Nikolay and Mina both visibly very well rested and ready to face the day with no coercing on her part. After a quick breakfast of homemade rice porridge, the three were off once again to the Kamuron Hero Agency.
Having taken Master Mesh's stern drilling to heart, neither of the interns wasted a moment after changing back into their costumes before honoring the second essential component of a functioning workforce, and making sure the morning coffee was fresh.
Once that little bit of tedium was done, they both stood at the ready before their proudly smiling hooded mentor, glad to see the eager smiles on both their faces. "So what do you have in mind for us today, Sensei?" Nikolay asked with exceptional enthusiasm.
"Yeah, whatever it is, we'll give it 120%, no matter what!" Minas' excitement was downright adorable in its childlike wholesomeness from where Willow Light stood.
"Well, I was thinking perhaps of giving you some pointers on-."
Before she could go any further, the door to the office suddenly opened up, and the three turned to find Reflector and Ninja of Valor stepping in, both visibly glad to see the three back and in top form. "Ah, good, you're here already. Glad to see being a mentor has helped you remember not to sleep in this time, Willow Light. And I'm glad to see you're both looking as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as can be." Reflector greeted them, before Ninja of Valor suddenly stepped in with some noticeable tension in his body language.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, Willow, but you haven't happened to see Power Press at all since yesterday, have you?" Such an out-of-nowhere question clearly got Willow Light, Nikolay and Mina off guard, leaving them all confused, but especially the Illuminating Hero herself.
"Not since he left to do his shift in the city center in the afternoon. Why?"
Ninja of Valor and Reflector exchanged silent yet deep glances with each other, before the latter likewise stepped forward, his tone now much more serious. "Power Press never showed up to clock out last night. We're thinking maybe he got overly sidetracked by someone else needing his help, or maybe he worked himself too hard and was too tired to come here and simply went home to retire, and didn't even think to charge his phone to just let us know. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that either of those things has happened." Willow Light gave a knowing nod to the suggestion, while Nikolay and Mina couldn't help but be drawn in to listen to every word, sensing the tension in the air.
Willow Light gave a single understanding nod, already able to tell where Reflector was going with this. Not needing to be asked, she turned to see the anticipating looks on Nikolay and Mina's faces.
"Alright… Solovei, Pinky, we both know where Power Press was going the last time we saw him. What do you say we start there and see if anybody might have seen where he went? I think today would be a good chance for you both to see just how Pros manage to maintain contact and communication with each other when situations call for it. It wouldn't be as clear-cut as you would think."
"Okay, Sensei! We promise we'll do our best, and do as you say this time." The two youths unanimously promised with affirming honest nods. Satisfied with their attitude, Willow Light turned back to address her colleagues: "Don't worry, guys, I'll find him and drag him back here by the hindquarters if I have to."
"We know you will, Willow. Good luck out there." With the wishing of good tidings from Reflector, Willow Light beckoned Nikolay and Mina to come with as she descended the steps and was soon back out the door, and making a beeline for the downtown part of Erubi City, while fishing out her cellphone from her pocket and speed dialing Power Press' number.
"I'm almost certain Reflector and Ninja of Valor have tried this already, but he always has had more of a tendency to answer my calls than theirs. C'mon, Houdou-san, pick up."
The large empty room was dark and quiet, save for the occasional sound of dripping water. However, that silence was suddenly pierced by the electronic chirping of a ringing cellphone. The echo of the ring through the empty air almost gave off a chilling effect, as it was the only sound to be heard from all around.
Perched high above where the solitary little device lay alone, he sat in silence, as patient as the grave as he simply relished in the dark silence, ticking away every second of every minute, just waiting for the first sounds of life to come foolishly winding their way into his temporary little domain.
Even as he waited in silence, there was not a trace of boredom to be found on his face or in his heart. He simply waited with baited breath, excitement and anticipation tearing at the very fiber of his spirit, just waiting to be let out after all these years.
'So much time wasted, just waiting for this chance. To finally work my way here, and then have to spend an entire week mapping out the lay of this town, all for this opportunity… I've waited all these years just to get this far, what's a few more hours? In the end, all of this effort is finally going to pay off. He will come once all is said and done… and then it will be my time to well and truly play.'
And there is the new chapter for this week. Slowly but surely, the pieces of this much bigger chess game fall into place.
As I said before, with this being a fully original arc, honest and constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated, so if you have any thoughts you'd like to share about what you read here today, don't be afraid to leave a review.
Alright, everybody stay safe, have a great week, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 05/15!