29.05.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with your weekly dose of Evil Within! And seeing as there are no comments to answer - something I'm actually quite grateful for at the moment - let's jump straight into the chapter!:
To understand what had led to this most fortunate of coincidences we need to go back in time a couple of days.
Edgeshot was always on the lookout when it came to new employees, both sidekicks and potential pros. His agency was located in the vague center of Tokyo, so there was a lot of ground to cover and even though he already had quite the sizable amount of heroes at his command, he definitely wouldn't say no if someone was to volunteer. As such when he saw a new freelancer make his debut just a couple of months ago, he became interested immediately.
Kamui Woods quickly made a name for himself as a capture specialist and did short work of any villain he encountered. His efficiency and impressive precision were both quirks that Edgeshot simply couldn't pass up and so he extended an invitation to him. As it turned out, it was exactly what Kamui Woods was waiting for.
When they met the Arbor quirk user expressed his own respect for the ninja-themed hero, even going as far as to call him one of his idols. Needless to say the two quickly became well acquainted with each other and the negotiations were ultimately nigh unnecessary as they were able to come to an agreement as soon as the subject of Kamui Woods' employment was brought up.
It was made clear just how highly Edgeshot thought of Kamui Woods when he offered him to become an independent pro and not a sidekick like most of his newest acquisitions. Although he'd have liked to have him in his personal team, giving Kamui Woods free reign to allow him to grow on his own was bound to bear fruit very quickly if his current track record was anything to go off of.
The deal they made was not relayed to the public just yet though, so there was no way anyone could've predicted this most fortunate of coincidences.
Well, maybe except for Nezu, because he has a way of knowing stuff he shouldn't know.
"Didn't see it comin' hoo-ha?!" Monk'ai asked with a wide grin as he struck a pose, puffing his chest out in a proud manner.
"We can't really blame you, it was our decision not to disclose my employment to the public sooner." Kamui Woods, the much more reserved of the two, said as he approached their interns.
"You work with Edgeshot?" Shiozaki, being the first one to get over her shock, questioned curiously, surprised by the news, but was definitely not against it.
"I joined recently, still getting used to living in the center of Tokyo of all places. Thankfully Yanaka is the quietest neighborhood in the vicinity, so there's not a lot of noise at the agency, it's easy to forget that you're in Tokyo at times." Kamui Woods explained.
"Edgeshot made sure to provide a safe space for all of his employees to relax in when off duty or on breaks." Monk'ai chimed in a very All Might-like fashion, with his voice being raised for no reason whatsoever. "The entire building is tightly insulated both in terms of temperature and sound, making the interior peaceful enough to meditate in certain spots! I recommend the Chinese style garden on the roof and the zen room on the fifth floor, excellent nap spots!" The hero joked(?) and then proceeded to laugh at his own joke.
To be honest, Izuku expected Monk'ai to be a bit more alike Edgeshot - very serious and composed all of the time with an air of maturity and authority that inspired confidence in those nearby. So far, he's seen none of that. Actually, all of those things actually applied to Kamui Woods who should be all excited about getting to work with Edgeshot as an independent pro and stuff! Truly a puzzling discovery.
His confusion must've shown on his face, because Monk'ai seemed to tone down his behavior for a moment.
"Alrighty guys, let's get you settled in first and then we can go over what we plan to do with you over the course of the week." The Ape-Out quirk user stated and then motioned for the group to follow him as he vanished inside the building once again.
Izuku and Shiozaki followed the heroes and it was only now that they could take a look at them with their minds somewhat cleared after the initial shock.
Kamui Woods was wearing his usual hero outfit, a blue jumpsuit with bits of wooden armor on his knees, elbows and feet. He also had a wooden belt, which his signature bundle of roses was fasted to.
Monk'ai on the other hand wasn't wearing his hero suit. Or perhaps he was? It was hard to say since Monk'ai go-to style of clothing was traditional Japanese kimonos and Jiu Jitsu Gis, the latter of which also happened to be his hero outfit. It was not a regular Gi of course, being made from a very durable weave that offered a decent amount of protection, but it was hard to spot the difference if you weren't a hardcore fan of his and although Izuku respected the man a lot and like him too, he was nowhere near invested in him to know for sure.
Unsure about the outfit, Izuku shifted his gaze to inspect the man himself. He was by far the tallest out of the four of them, though that was saying nothing with Kamui Woods and two teens in the mix, standing proudly just shy of 7' with an impressive physique that was not at all just for show. His hair was naturally white and as always he made sure to have his beard shaven perfectly. One would think that he cared about his appearance a lot, but Monk'ai stated multiple times that everything he does is for the sake of balance and his inner peace.
The pros led them to one of the elevators and then took them to the ninth floor where the living quarters for the employees were. Edgeshot understood perfectly the struggle of daily commute in Tokyo, so he once again stepped forward and offered a very nice alternative - living in the agency.
The ninth floor was solely dedicated to housing the pros that decided to take Edgeshot up on his offer and moved in to the agency with the two upper floors serving as common space for the employees to hang out and chill after a long day.
Monk'ai led them down the winding corridors until they arrived at the less occupied part of the floor where the free rooms were located - their rooms for the next week. Their rooms were located next to each other - probably for the sake of convenience and so that they could easily find each other in their spare time.
However, this was as far as the two of them could go. Kamui Woods wanted to get started right away and had Shiozaki change into her hero outfit before meeting him downstairs so that they could leave on their very first patrol.
Monk'ai on the other hand told Izuku to meet him in his private office after settling in, apparently he wanted to talk him through things first and then get to practice. Their approaches were wholly different from their personalities, but Izuku gave up on trying to figure out how the two pros worked.
Izuku and Shiozaki had to say goodbye for now, but seeing as they were interning in the same agency - and literally living next to each other - they were sure to meet by accident from time to time. Plus they could always hang out in the evening.
Since they were going to talk first, Izuku decided not to change into his cumbersome hero suit and opted for something more casual, a pair of slacks and a T-shirt being his final choice. Once he was somewhat unpacked, Izuku decided to head back to the elevators to meet back up with Monk'ai.
He had to fiddle with the elevator a bit since Monk'ai didn't tell him which floor his office is on, but after giving it some thought, Izuku pushed the button with a banana on it and hoped for the best. It turned out to be the right choice as he was greeted by a jungle/bamboo forest decor that dominated the entire floor. Extravagant for sure, but Izuku actually liked this nature-themed style.
Now that he was on the right floor, all he needed to do was actually find Monk'ai himself, which was nowhere near as confusing. Izuku stumbled upon Monk'ai's 'office' which was basically just a random desk posted up in the middle of the fake jungle. It looked really out of place like that, but Izuku was definitely not qualified to lecture anyone on interior design.
Even though Izuku was ordered to meet him here, Monk'ai was not at his desk like Izuku expected him to be when he came. The intern was about to head out and search for his mentor, but it was then that he noticed the tire swing, hidden behind a patch of plants to the left. It seemed too obvious at first and Izuku wanted to ignore it, but if it really was too obvious, then maybe for the right reason?
Casting doubt aside, Izuku approached the tire swing, expecting Monk'ai to be relaxing on it only to be once again taken by surprise. Monk'ai really was there, just not on the tire swing. Instead of that he was currently hanging from the branch right next to the swing. Upside down. And his Gi somehow was able to resist gravity and looked exactly as if he was standing on the ground normally.
"Ah, there you are!" Monk'ai exclaimed in joy. "I was starting to worry that you'd have trouble finding my office, but it seems my worries were unjustified!" He said as he swiftly slid off the branch and then landed on the ground. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" And with that he led Izuku back to his desk where they both sat down. "So, I know who you are, I know a bit about you and I saw what you can do. Let's start with something simple - what do you wish to learn over the course of this week?"
Even though he said they were going to start with something simple, this question was not that simple. It also wasn't that complex, but Izuku still had to give it some real thought before answering. He was more than sure that Monk'ai could teach him an entire array of things about heroics, but this was the question about what Izuku wanted to learn.
Though he was humble most of the time, Izuku would like to say that he's already pretty good at social interactions and charity work doesn't sound nearly hard enough for him to try his hand at it, especially since he'd only just started on the path to becoming a hero. Whilst thinking ahead and making plans for the future was a very thoughtful approach, making decisions that would yield effects sooner rather than later should not be immediately discarded. And for that reason alone, Izuku decided to give a straightforward answer.
"As you already know, I'm strictly a melee fighter without any ranged abilities nor the capacity to close in on my opponent quickly. I'm basically forced to chase them down on foot if they try to keep distance between us." Izuku stated, Monk'ai nodding his head and waiting patiently for Izuku to continue his answer. "You possess immense strength, but are also very skilled in martial arts and this combination allows you to deal with armed opponents in a breeze. That's why I'd like you to learn what moves I should avoid to make sure that I don't leave myself open all the time." And with that Izuku finished.
Monk'ai mulled his words over for a couple of moments, nodding to himself and seemingly weighing the request in his mind.
"Understanding your limits is the first step to overcoming them." Monk'ai said wisely, the tone of his voice much more serious than Izuku anticipated it to be. "I'm glad that you are able to face your shortcomings instead of trying to bury them because of pride or something else. Very well, I'll include your request in our schedule." The white-haired pro decided finally and gave Izuku a thumbs up. "On top of that I'll also take you on a couple patrols to different places so you can get some experience under your belt too. And, if time allows, I'd also like to help you overcome the lack of diversity in your moveset. I'm not sure how much progress we'll be able to make, but I hope I'll at least be able to give you some pointers and push you in the right direction." Monk'ai finished his own explanation and stood up. "Alright, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, let's go do something interesting." He said suddenly and motioned for Izuku to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Izuku asked, though he followed the pro without hesitation, mostly because he didn't want to get lost in this jungle maze.
"To spar of course!" Monk'ai declared with a confident grin.
It seemed that Monk'ai was all about hands-on experience afterall.
Hands-on was an understatement. Monk'ai prefered fists.
They made a quick detour for Izuku to grab his case before they headed to one of the training floors in the basement where the specialized gyms and sparring arenas were located. After a quick warmup, they got down to business and, as expected, Izuku got his ass handed to him time and time again.
Still, he wouldn't say that this was just a senseless beating. Each time Monk'ai took him to the floor, he made sure to explain exactly which mistake allowed him to win the fight with close to no effort. Needless to say, Izuku had a long way to go, but that's what the internships are for.
The multiple spars they had also served a second purpose. Monk'ai was a firm believer that people are most likely to understand each other when they use fists instead of words. A strange belief to be sure, but if it worked then Izuku had nothing against it.
"That's more than enough for today." Monk'ai eventually stated after he got Izuku flat on his back for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I gotta say, it was quite interesting to watch. And fun, very much so!" The daemon sneered, a malicious smirk no doubt forming on its face.
"You did good for a complete beginner. There were times where I had to create openings first before going for the kill. You have solid basics and that's the most important thing. You can't build a skyscraper on a shaky foundation afterall. I'm sure that with time you will be able to hone your skills enough to add flair into your moveset, just remember to put practicality above vanity and you should be golden." Monk'ai explained with a smile and an overall cheery attitude. It didn't last long however as his expression suddenly morphed into a much serious and sober one. "Now, whilst your skills are nothing to scoff at already and you have lots of potential room to grow, you have a whole array of your own problems to deal with." He pointed out, piquing Izuku's interest if not scaring him a tad bit.
Even though he was pretty tired from all the sparring they did, Izuku couldn't just ignore this remark and immediately asked Monk'ai to clarify exactly what he meant, and that's what he did.
"One thing that you learn whilst practicing martial arts aside from how to protect yourself is how to explore your own soul. Now, I have enough experience under my belt to be able to understand people through fighting them. I reach out into their souls and see what they can tell me. I saw all kinds of stuff throughout my career. Lost souls, misguided souls and of course those of pure evil. But, I've never seen a soul like yours." Despite the explanation being already quite long, Izuku still had no answer as to what his problems were, but Monk'ai was about to get to that part.
"What's so weird about my soul?" Izuku questioned, not completely buying into the whole 'soul reading' thing that his mentor mentioned, but intrigued enough not to dismiss it just yet as well.
"Well for starters, there are two souls about you." Monk'ai started, dropping bombs right from the get go. Shock appeared upon Izuku's face, but the white-haired man was not stopping. "And if that phenomenon wasn't fascinating enough on its own, those two souls are wholly different. One is like an orderly being of light, a guardian, a protector, a chivalrous knight even. The other one is made of malice, mischief, pure chaos. And yet, despite being so drastically different, those two souls do not clash against each other as much as you'd expect them to. They are not two sides of the same coin, but they are able to somehow coexist without infringing on each other. I'm afraid I'm nowhere near qualified enough to try and decipher what all this could mean, but maybe you have an idea?" Izuku absorbed all of this information, not completely convinced that 'soul reading' was an actual thing.
"He's onto us, kid. Give me a few moments and I'll deal with him." The daemon, not one to miss an opportunity like that, tempted.
Izuku paid it no mind however, too busy thinking over the decision presented to him. It'd be easy to say that he didn't know what could cause his soul to become so extravagant and they could simply move on past that. Yet, something told Izuku that Monk'ai would somehow be able to understand his circumstances if given the chance. With a heavy sigh and slumped shoulders, Izuku made his choice.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" He asked, the question serving as a preamble to the winding nutshell of a story that was Izuku's life.
The inner circle is expanding! But does Monk'ai believe in ghosts? Maybe he knows a story about two brothers where one tamed a devil and killed his brother only to later become his brother to atone for his sins? Sounds kind of familiar but doesn't exactly ring any bells. Or does it?
Anyhow that's it for today so have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!