Sorry for the long wait. I hate that I took so long, but this is it. The final chapter for Part 1. I'll make P.2 Ch.1 as soon as possible. Have a good one.
It had been a week since the Provisional Licenses Exam. Aizawa had told Class 1-A to get hired on as temporary sidekicks at different hero agencies. Zen had already called up Cat Scratch, telling her of his passing score. While at school, however, Zen continued to train hard. One day while heading to one of the school's training grounds, Zen met another student. A guy from Class 2-B, with blonde hair and strange blue eyes.
"Hey, nice to meet you." The guy said.
"Uh, hello. Nice to meet you too?" Zen said, somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of the senior student.
"You going off to train?" The guy said.
"Yeah, I've got a free period. Also, where'd you come from?" Zen answered and asked.
"Right there." The guy said, pointing to the wall behind him.
"Uh, what?" Zen asked.
"My name's Mirio Togata, and my Quirk is Permeation." Mirio said.
"Oh, so you can pass through objects." Zen said, thinking about the Quirk's power.
"Yep. Hey, can I train with you? I like to see others' power." Mirio asked.
"Sure. A sparring partner is always great." Zen accepted.
"Cool, thanks!" Mirio said, excited.
The two walked to the training grounds. There, they prepared for a sparring match. Knowing that ranged attacks would be almost useless, Zen activated Zen Style to 10%.
"Ready to go?" Zen asked.
"Let's do this!" Mirio said as his clothes fell through him.
"Woah, what the hell?!" Zen exclaimed, instinctively turning away.
Mirio then popped up in front of him, throwing a punch. Zen managed to block the blow.
"Such power and speed." Zen said, his arms sore from the attack.
Zen then saw Mirio disappear underground again. He scanned the area, preparing for another attack. He then smelled Mirio rapidly rising from beneath him. Zen took a quick step back as Mirio popped up, throwing another punch. He took it this time, throwing his own punch at Mirio, managing to strike him. Mirio permeated through the ground again, putting Zen on alert. That's when he heard a group of people enter the training grounds. The rest of Class 1-A had arrived for group training during their off period.
"Oh, hey Zen! You here for some training as well?" Ketsugi asked.
"Hush!" Zen said aggressively.
"Hey, now, that's rude!" Yui said, defending Ketsugi.
"Please be quiet!" Zen said.
Mirio then popped out again, this time from Zen's side. Zen narrowly avoided the attack, raising Zen Style to 12% and getting a stronger hit off. Mirio went skidding back a few feet.
"Hey, guys! Great day to train!" Mirio said to the other Class 1-A students.
Upon seeing Mirio in a naked state, most of the class turned, while some screamed in shock. Chinami stared in admiration at Mirio's body.
Mirio slipped back underground for another attack. Zen prepared for another assault. He heard Mirio take a breath behind him. Zen quickly turned to see Mirio throwing a punch, but couldn't avoid the strike. Mirio's fist then went right through Zen's face, just before he felt a punch to the gut, causing him to fall to his hands and knees, coughing.
"Blinder Touch Eyeball Crush!" Mirio said after the attack.
"Alright, this is a real battle." Zen said, upping Zen Style again, all the way up to 20%.
Zen went on the offensive this time, lashing out with a flurry of attacks. Mirio avoided most of them, but was struck a good number of times. They continued this battle for a few more minutes, Zen attacking at 20% while Mirio would permeate through some of his attacks while hitting Zen. They finally called it a draw.
"That's one of the best fights I've had yet." Zen said, panting a bit.
"You're a great fighter. Can't wait to see your true power." Mirio said.
Zen and Mirio took a breather while the other students of Class 1-A trained. They chatted for a bit, Mirio telling Zen of his origins. Zen told Mirio of his dream to be the strongest hero he can possibly be. As their free period came to a close, Zen and Mirio parted ways, having become friends and rivals.
The next week, Zen was able to return to Cat Scratch's agency. He walked in the door, immediately seeing the pro hero.
"Shizuka!" Zen said.
"Zen! It's so good to see you again!" Shizuka said. She hugged the young hero.
"I've been excited to come back and train with you more." Zen admitted.
"I've been anticipating your return since you left. I was ecstatic to get your call that you'd gotten your provisional." Shizuka responded.
"Well, I hope you're ready to train. I've been honing my skills since that week. Plus, my Quirk's gotten stronger too." Zen said.
"Perfect. Let's see what you got, then." Shizuka said.
The two of them went to the agency's gym. Shizuka prepared herself, doing a few stretches. Zen did the same.
"Ready?" Shizuka asked.
"Been ready." Zen said, getting into a boxing stance. Zen Style activated around him, immediately reaching 20%.
"Woah. That's some real power coming off of you." Shizuka said, impressed.
"Yeah. I fought Gang Orca and won. Then, I fought another student back at U.A. who could permeate through anything. He pushed me to 20% of Zen Style. Someone I can call a true rival." Zen explained.
"Alright, let's get to it." Shizuka said, running at Zen.
Zen avoided all of Shizuka's attacks, using a mixture of Shizuka's avoidance maneuvers, as well as some of Mirio's. He then delivered two strikes, with Shizuka calling the match after.
"Damn, you've gotten much stronger." Shizuka admired.
"Your training helped me reach this level. Ever since my senses upgraded, I've been fighting at a higher level." Zen said.
"Y'know, I bet that if you could access Zen Style at 100%, you could beat All Might in a one-on-one. I fought alongside him once on a mission, so I've got a good feel of his power." Shizuka said, reminiscing about the past mission.
"I didn't know that." Zen said.
"Yeah. It was a short mission, hell, I barely remember what it was for. But, I respect our Number 1 Hero." Shizuka said.
"He's Number 1 for a reason." Zen said.
"Yep. Oh, now that you're back, we've been on a case for a few weeks now. A serial killer. We're currently having trouble tracking him. Someone as smart as you should be able to help us." Shizuka explained.
"Alright. I'll see what I can do." Zen responded.
Shizuka took Zen to the agency's nerve center, a room full of screens and monitors. One of her sidekicks, a guy named Claw, was already in there. He was a muscular man who wore a tan and orange jumpsuit with a fur collar. Zen had met him briefly during his first internship. Claw pulled up pictures of the murders as well as the murderer. For the most part, his face was obscured. The only notable feature was a pair of sharp purple eyes. Zen stared at them for a moment.
"So, can you gather anything from these pictures alone?" Shizuka asked Zen.
"Well, it looks like this guy has a preference for breaking and crushing bones. What likely killed his victims was intense blunt force trauma, most likely caused by his Quirk. There are no markings on any of the victims which would support him using a weapon. He seems like a right proper bastard." Zen said. He saw Cat Scratch wince a bit.
"Very good. His name is Kira. He's got a Quirk which allows him to form energy shields which can protect him as well as use the force of an attack to hurt his opponent. His shields can also be used like a springboard, launching anything that lands on it away. It's called Kinetic Shield, and he can use it very effectively. He's killed 6 Pro Heroes." Shizuka explained.
"Damn. This guy's trouble." Zen muttered.
"Too right you are." Shizuka said.
"Yeah, we've had a few encounters with him. He almost killed me when we met." Claw said.
"Are any other agencies on this case?" Zen asked.
"No, and you can blame Cat Scratch for that." Another sidekick named Purrtector said, almost sarcastically. Purrtector wore a light blue jumpsuit with gold accents on the elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders.
"What does she mean, Shizuka?" Zen asked.
"I'm close to this case. I knew Kira before he went on his killing spree." Shizuka said.
"I would ask why you took the case, then, but I understand. It's something you personally wanna end." Zen said, rubbing his left arm.
"Yeah. I did, however, bring in a friend of mine to help us. She's bringing her own temp sidekick." Shizuka said.
"And I'm here now!" A woman in red and green said as she walked into the room. She had bright red hair and ruby red eyes.
"Cherry Girl?" Zen said, looking at the Number 85 Hero in Japan.
"Hey, Sakura." Shizuka said, waving.
"Yo. So you finally want my help? Y'know, it's been five years since I left to make my own agency and you never once asked to team up on a job. What's up with that?" Cherry Girl asked.
"I haven't had a case that's called for your talents, Sakura. Besides, you've been doing well on your own." Shizuka complimented.
"I guess. But I'd still like to work with my first mentor every now and then, y'know." Cherry Girl said.
"Yeah, yeah." Shizuka responded, waving Cherry Girl's words away.
"Ooh, is this your new sidekick?" Cherry Girl asked, her gaze having wandered over to Zen.
"This is Elemancer." Shizuka said, not giving her his actual name.
"He's quite the looker. Damn, kid, you've got good genes." Cherry Girl said. Zen blushed a bit.
"Sakura, cut the bubble act. It's annoying." Shizuka said.
"Sorry. People out there expect me to be all cute and popping, so it sticks sometimes." Cherry Girl said. She slapped her own cheeks a bit, snapping herself out of her media-mode.
"So, where's your kid?" Shizuka asked.
"Oh, she'll be out in a minute. She drank a lot of water and had to use the bathroom." Cherry Girl said.
"I'm here!" A familiar voice to Zen came out as a familiar face popped through the door.
"Hey, Kitsuna." Zen said, waving to her.
"Hey Zen." Kitsuna said, waving back.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Shizuka and Cherry Girl asked in tandem.
"Well, we both go to U.A." Kitsuna said, a bit nervous to tell the full truth.
"And she's my girlfriend." Zen added on. He saw Kitsuna blush.
"Well, I was not expecting that." Shizuka said.
"You've got good taste." Cherry Girl whispered to Kitsuna, making her blush more.
"How far off track are we gonna go?" Claw asked, getting impatient.
"Sorry, Claw. He's right. We've got a job to do." Shizuka exclaimed.
"Alright. Sorry for interrupting." Cherry Girl said.
"So, I need Claw and Purrtector to go on recon. Once you two have found Kira, contact us. Cherry, Zen, Kitsuna, and myself will then convene on your location. Once Kira is cornered, we can lock him up. Clear?" Shizuka ordered.
"Clear." Everyone said.
"Good. Claw, Purrtector, you two go ahead and search him out." Shizuka said.
"We've got it." Claw responded.
The crew split up. Claw and Purrtector left the building while Shizuka and Cherry Girl went to Shizuka's office. Zen and Kitsuna headed to the gym.
"So, Zen, how close are you to these three?" Kitsuna asked, curious about his technical work life.
"Well, Shizuka's great, almost like a big sister. Purrtector is alright. She's a bit distant. I only met her briefly during my first week. And Claw is rough. I don't think he likes me that much, since he actively avoided me last time." Zen answered.
"Yeah, he seems a bit like a prude." Kitsuna said.
"Well it seems that the two are a bit at odds with Shizuka at the moment. Especially Claw. He said Kira almost killed him when they met." Zen defended.
"Oh." Kitsuna let out.
"Yeah. I won't get into too much more detail. It's not my place to tell you this stuff." Zen said.
"Well, I understand." Kitsuna said.
"So how's Cherry Girl? I've read a lot about her recently." Zen asked.
"Oh, she's awesome. She reminds me of a more confident Yui. Plus, she's helped me to control the energy that I get from forming my tails." Kitsuna answered.
"That's great. I noticed your grasp on them had improved. I guess you've been self-training based on what you learned from her." Zen said.
"Yep." Kitsuna said.
"Cool. Speaking of training, wanna go a few rounds? Shizuka and I had a practice round when I got here, but I've still got plenty of energy." Zen said.
"Yeah. Let's go." Kitsuna answered enthusiastically.
Zen and Kitsuna sparred for a while. After some time, Claw and Purrtector returned, no news to be shared. The next few days went by with similar results. Finally, it happened. Kira was spotted. The squad was preparing itself to take Kira in. Before they could go, Zen needed to know one thing from Shizuka. He walked into her office, seeing Cherry Girl with her.
"Take care of her." Shizuka said, finishing a sentence Zen didn't hear the start of.
"Shizuka, we need to talk." Zen said, walking towards her.
"Oh, Zen. Well it's a good thing we just finished. I'll meet you outside, Sakura." Shizuka told her friend.
Sakura left the office, Zen noticing a worried look on her face. He had a feeling of what their conversation was about.
"So what's up?" Shizuka asked, getting ready for the question she knew was coming her way.
"Why are you so close to this case? What is Kira to you?" Zen asked his mentor. He could see that she felt uneasy, but he needed to know.
"Alright, Zen, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone else. I've only told Sakura about this." Shizuka said.
"Fine by me." Zen responded.
"Kira was my husband. When we first met, he seemed like a normal guy, but he started showing his true nature. I didn't realize it at first, but by the time I did, it was too late. I got pregnant and had a daughter. A few days after she was born, Kira switched his flip. He took my baby and ran. That's why I need to find him. I want my baby back. I want my daughter!" Shizuka said, having begun crying.
Zen felt the rage inside him build. His hatred immediately grew for the man. Zen's eyes were red when Shizuka looked at him again.
"Shizuka. I promise that I'll do everything I can to get your daughter back. Life or limb, I'll make sure she gets back to you safe." Zen declared.
Shizuka ran up to him and hugged him.
"Thank you Zen. You're the best student anyone could ask for." Shizuka said through tears.
"Alright. We need to go. Here. Clean yourself up and let's go. We've got people to save." Zen said, smiling and handing her a handkerchief.
"Yeah, let's do this." Shizuka said, wiping her tears away.
They then met Cherry Girl and Kitsuna in the building's lobby. After checking to make sure they all had their gear, they made their way to Claw and Purrtector. When they got to their location, Claw gave them the run down.
"It looks like Kira's been meeting with some different people. We think he's been buying Quirk enhancers."
"He must be trying to make killing heroes easier for himself." Kitsuna suggested.
"Maybe." Shizuka said.
"Alright, there he is." Purrtector said.
"Let's go." Shizuka ordered.
Zen and Shizuka took the head-on approach while Cherry Girl, Kitsuna, and Claw took him from behind. Purrtector stayed behind due to her lack of a combat Quirk. As Shizuka and Zen were walking towards Kira, the murderer saw them. He turned around to try and make a get away, but saw the other three. He grinned.
"So, you guys really wanna do this here?" Kira said, his voice scarring its way into Zen's brain.
"It's over, Kira. You're done." Shizuka said.
"Still mad about what I did to your little sidekick, Shizuka. Or is this about what I did to you?" Kira taunted.
"You bastard!" Claw said, jumping at Kira. He was ready to make him bleed.
Kira chuckled as he activated his Quirk. He caught Claw from the side, blasting him into a nearby building. A scream of pain could be heard from Claw.
"Ninetails, go help Claw." Cherry Girl said to her student.
"Got it." Kitsuna said, rushing to the injured hero.
"You know, his anger made him easier to read. At least last time he put up a good fight." Kira said. He then noticed an open door to a building.
"I won't be so easy to read, Kira." Shizuka said, her claws lengthening.
"Sorry, love, but I've gotta go. Got a family to take care of!" Kira said, laughing as he ran through the door.
"GET BACK HERE, FUCKER!!" Shizuka screamed as she took off after him.
Zen and Cherry Girl followed them. Kira came out of the other side of the building, finding himself in a crowded street. He knew he could use this to his advantage. Shizuka then popped out of the building, seeing the mass of people.
"Oh no." Shizuka said out loud, her anger turning to worry.
"Like I said, gotta go." Kira said, activating his Quirk and hitting multiple people with it.
Cries of pain and terror could be heard as people began to run. Zen and Cherry Girl got out of the build just in time to witness Kira's attack.
"You two help these people. I'll take Kira." Shizuka demanded.
"Okay." Zen said, trusting his mentor.
Shizuka ran off, following Kira. Zen and Cherry Girl began helping as many people as they could. Fortunately, some more local heroes arrived. Knowing Kira's strength and that the people he had just injured still needed her help, Cherry Girl called Zen.
"Go help Cat Scratch. I've got this taken care of." Cherry Girl said.
"Okay. But take this. It's first aid." Zen said, handing Cherry Girl one of the satchels from his belt.
"Thank you." Cherry Girl said.
Zen activated Zen Style at 15%, rushing to catch up with Shizuka and Kira.
After Shizuka left Zen and Cherry Girl, Kira only led her a short distance. He turned on her, keeping his Quirk ready. Shizuka stopped, making sure she stayed out of his range.
"Why are you doing this, Kira?" Shizuka asked her former lover.
"It's in my true nature, Shizuka. I've always been like this. Sure, I did love you, but I love the kill even more." Kira said, breaking Shizuka's heart more than it already was.
"But you have a daughter, you had a wife that loved you. Why not try to change your nature? You weren't like this when we met." Shizuka said, tears in her eyes.
"I felt wrong when we met. I tried to keep it down, but I can't contain it. I love death too much to care about others. You aren't even a second thought to me anymore. As for our daughter, I'll make sure she turns out just like me." Kira said through a devilish grin.
"NO!" Shizuka let out, rushing him.
Kira tried to hit her with one of his shields, but she avoided it. Shizuka then slashed at Kira, being grazed in an attempt to avoid her. Shizuka then tackled Kira, who matched her force, putting them in a lock. Kira quickly formed a shield above Shizuka, slamming it down. It caught her leg, breaking it. She screamed out in pain as she fell to the ground.
"It's been fun, love, but I've a devil to raise." Kira said, forming another shield above Shizuka. He slammed it down on her torso, crushing her ribs.
Shizuka felt her lungs get punctured many times by her own bones. She gasped out in pain as she saw Zen.
"No! Shizuka!" Zen called out as he began pushing himself.
"Shit." Kira said, taking off.
"Get back here!" Zen yelled as he passed Shizuka.
"Zen." Shizuka spluttered out as her vision began getting dark.
Zen stopped, conflicted. He quickly rushed to Shizuka, with her being more important.
"I've got you, Shizuka." Zen said as he got back to her.
"Thank. You. For. Being. Here." Shizuka managed to mutter out.
Zen held her up, trying to keep her throat from filling with blood. She stared at him, a kind and loving look in her eyes. Zen saw her look and felt sorrow rush in. His eyes turned blue as he began talking to her. He already knew he fate.
"I'm sorry, Shizuka. Sorry that I wasn't here sooner. Maybe I could've kept this from happening. I'll be faster next time." Zen said, tears falling onto Shizuka's face.
Shizuka managed to reach up and rub Zen's cheek, as if to tell him that it would be alright. His tears fell harder.
"You're the best mentor ever, Shizuka. I couldn't have asked for anyone better." Zen told her as her hand fell down.
All the noises coming from Shizuka ceased. Zen was deafened by the new silence. He held her closer, hugging her.
"NOOO!!" Zen screamed out in agony.
Cherry Girl had just arrived. She saw Zen holding her friend's body.
"No. No! It can't be!" Cherry Girl said rushing to them.
Cherry Girl fell down in front of Zen, reaching over and holding both him and Shizuka. After a few minutes, a pair of paramedics found the three. They checked on Zen and Cherry Girl, as well as pronounced Cat Scratch officially dead. A few days had passed, with a funeral being held for Cat Scratch. Zen attended Shizuka's funeral. He stood at her shrine and spoke to her.
"I promise, Shizuka, I promise that I'll get better. I'll get faster. All to save your daughter. I'll make you proud. I hope I can make you as proud to call me your student as I am proud to call you my mentor." Zen said.
Cherry Girl then walked up to him. She had the same somber tone Zen did, as opposed to the outright sadness that most others were feeling.
"Hey, kid." Cherry Girl said.
"Hey Cherry." Zen responded.
"I know this might not be the best time, but Shizuka asked me to do something." Cherry said.
"What's that?" Zen asked, a bit choked up.
"Shizuka knew that she might not survive the encounter. So, she asked me to take you in. I know all of her teachings, and she wanted me to teach you anything else I know. She has all her faith in you, and said that you could be the perfect hero. She wants you to be the best. So if it's alright with you, will you join me at my agency?" Cherry explained and asked.
Zen suddenly hugged her. Cherry didn't know what to do, so she just hugged him back. She could feel tears soaking her kimono.
"I know, kid. I'm gonna miss her too." Cherry said, not needing to hear any words from Zen.
Time passed with Zen going back to school. He joined Cherry Girl's agency and began training harder than ever, his desire to live up to Shizuka's expectations growing stronger by the day. While Kitsuna helped him now and again, she felt that he was growing distant. Zen would occasionally try to make it up to her whenever he realized she was feeling lonely. They went on with the rest of their school year, eventually reaching the end. Zen, Kitsuna, Kyosuke, Ketsugi, and Yui all advanced to their second year. Despite his excitement to start his next year, Zen continued his search for Kira, alongside Cherry.