31.07.2023
It is I, the Evil Within and I'm back with your weekly dose of Absolute Madma- Wait- Fuck- It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with your weekly dose of Evil Within! There, done right this time! I got just one comment to respond to so let's get this done and dive into the chapter!:
SonicMax - And it only took us 28 chapters and nearly 90k words to get here! Next milestone is smooch on the lips, let's start betting how long THAT takes!
And now, the chapter!:
After a few minutes of comforting each other, the green-haired duo realized the precarious position they were in. Hugs between friends are completely normal of course, but they spent way too long in each other's embrace to classify it simply as a display of friendliness. And they even did premarital hand holding! Shiozaki was so going to have to explain it the next time she goes to church!
Once they calmed down from their sudden realization, the two went back to a more comfortable atmosphere, putting some space between themselves before finally getting to tell the stories of their internships.
Interning in the same agency, but under different pros meant that, whilst they'd get to see each other every now and then throughout the day, their schedules rarely aligned well enough for them to hang out in the evenings. As such there was a lot of stuff that they had to clue each other in on.
Izuku shared his stories about how random Monk'ai was most of the time, his interactions with other heroes during the Hosu Incident and even mentioned that he was actively trying to patch the gaps in his defense, going as far as to state that their eventual rematch would surely end differently from their first real confrontation.
At that Shiozaki couldn't stop herself from mentioning the training that Kamui Woods had put her through, saying that her control over her vines was even better than previously. She also humbly bragged about assisting Kamui Woods catch a purse snatcher in the busy Nippori Station. Izuku smugly revealed that he'd managed to bring in the Hero Killer himself, effectively winning the impressiveness measuring contest as Shiozaki had no real comeback to such a feat. The only thing that she could say at that moment was the fact that her first arrest didn't put her in the hospital, but that'd be mean.
Exchanging a few more funny snippets and quirky people that they'd met over the course of the week, Izuku and Shiozaki lost track of time, getting back to reality only when a doctor interrupted their conversation, stating that he needed to do one last checkup before finally discharging Izuku from the hospital.
Shiozaki had left the room for the duration of the checkup, but made sure to wait for Izuku in front of the hospital, hoping to continue their conversation on the go. The friendly atmosphere that they wanted to enjoy in peace was unfortunately ruined by Monk'ai who decided to personally escort his intern back to the agency.
While this turned a couple of things on their heads, it was also the perfect opportunity for Shiozaki to verify all the things that Izuku had said about the white-haired man that he was interning under. She was expecting at least some degree of exaggeration, but quickly found herself realizing that Izuku's description was spot on. The boisterous aura that could rival that of All Might's, a truly impressive physique and a mouth that never closes.
Shiozaki already had to tolerate a couple of loudmouths in her class, but found Monk'ai to be actually quite bearable in comparison. He was talking a lot, sure, but it wasn't to brag or bad mouth others. If anything, he was like an entertainer trying to amuse his crowd which also played perfectly into the stories that Izuku had told her not that long ago.
Monk'ai was very different from Kamui Woods, but he was just as nice and clearly very dedicated to being a hero. That's the one thing that Shiozaki quickly noticed the two men had in common. They went about their duties in two distinctly different ways - Kamui Woods striving to perfect his technique and mastering the use of his quirk for the benefit of others whilst Monk'ai was all about the hearts and minds - but their end goal was exactly the same - to protect and serve.
Once they arrived back at the agency, Shiozaki was surprised to see Kamui Woods waiting in the reception, waiting for her specifically.
Kamui Woods and Monk'ai explained that since their internships were coming to a close, they needed to evaluate their performance and do some optional coaching, share more tips and tricks for the road, mention their strengths and shortcomings and other stuff on top of that. What followed was yet another proof of how different the two pros were.
Kamui Woods decided to take Shiozaki out for one last patrol where they'd take things slow and have the evaluation happen on the go. Monk'ai on the other hand immediately took Izuku to his personal floor and sat him down at his desk to get down to business.
"Ugh, I hate bureaucracy." Monk'ai whined as they sat down in his office.
"Well, the sooner we do this the better then." Izuku pointed out, mildly amused by his mentor's aversion to paperwork.
"Right, let's rip the bandaid right off then." Monk'ai stated as he slammed his fists on the desk to psyche himself up. "Even though your internship was interrupted by the Hosu Incident and then cut short due to the events that followed, I must say I'm impressed with the progress you've made. You basically went from being a rookie greenhorn to a veteran sidekick in one night! Your ability to adapt to the situation and the praises I heard from Blackout's guys paint a very clear picture. You're capable, you're responsible and you're determined. Prime hero material if you ask me." There was no end to the praise and Izuku was actually starting to get embarrassed by his mentor's words, but that'd soon come to an end. "But, there's an issue. You're conflicted." Monk'ai dropped the bomb out of the blue.
"You're talking about the whole daemon thing, correct?" Izuku hazarded a guess, confident in his assumption.
"That's not true." Monk'ai responded seriously, catching Izuku off guard with both the answer and the sudden mood change. "It's not the daemon that's causing this conflict, but you. You're conflicted, accepting the existence of your darker self while at the same time trying to suppress it as best as you can. You're unsure as to where you should draw the line between yourself and the daemon. Where does one end and the other begins? What part of you is the daemon? Is it really a separate entity or maybe it's ingrained deep enough to already be a part of you? There are big questions swirling in your mind, ones that you'll need to answer sooner or later if you wish to remain on this heroic path. You cannot instill confidence in others if you're not confident in yourself first." Words of wisdom dropped, Monk'ai reclined in his chair, hands behind his head as he relaxed casually.
Caught with his pants down doesn't even come close to describing how Izuku was feeling right now. Monk'ai basically picked apart a part of Izuku's psyche that he himself didn't really notice up till now.
Why was it that the daemon could talk with him anytime it wanted? Why couldn't it do that with everyone else? The daemon did speak about something called the Warp, but was that really all there was to it? What if the daemon had really become a part of him? Something like a parasite, or maybe closer to a symbiote?
The truth behind Monk'ai's words was undeniable, but Izuku still had some trouble agreeing with all of his mentor's points. Was he really concerned about becoming like the daemon without even noticing it? Could that even really happen? Was it possible for Izuku to seclude himself from the daemon enough to come full circle and end up becoming the thing he swore to protect the world from? Those truly were some heavy questions and Izuku didn't have an answer to a single one of them.
"I see that I may have dropped a bit too much on you." Monk'ai eventually said as his student's silence continued. He looked carefree and relaxed but he was keeping a close watch on Izuku's face, picking up all the subtle cues that Izuku didn't realize were showing. "Finding answers to these questions is important, there's no doubt in my mind that this is the case. You don't have to find those answers right away though." He offered words of comfort. "It's my duty as your mentor to guide you down the path of heroism so remember that you're not alone in your struggles. For now, focus on short term goals and constant improvement while never losing sight of your final destination. Keep this in mind and I'm sure you'll turn out just fine if not better. Don't rush anything, go about things at your own pace and remember, everyone needs help from time to time, even All Might." Monk'ai finished his monologue with a smile that he hoped conveyed his optimistic outlook on Izuku's perspectives.
Izuku continued to sit there, bamboozled, confused and simply dumbfounded, soaking in all of the wisdom that Monk'ai had decided to share with him. It took a minute or seven, but Izuku eventually digested all the information that was dumped on him and couldn't help but be grateful for having such a great mentor.
"I think I understood everything." Izuku stated with confidence, prompting Monk'ai to chuckle with a smile.
"It'd be fine with me even if you didn't understand absolutely anything!" The man stated in joy. "It'd be the perfect opportunity for me to beat it into your head hands-on style!" He exclaimed. "That's all I had to tell you, so you can go and relax for the rest of the evening. Go take a bath, pack your things or something, I don't really care. You've earned yourself some R&R." Monk'ai stated before reaching into one of the drawers and retrieving some half-filled forms.
Izuku took his leave as he saw his mentor cringe at the mere sight of the documents, once again surprised by how quickly Monk'ai could switch between his goofy and serious sides.
Saturday morning was… surprising.
Izuku had taken the time to pack up before going to sleep, leaving only a spare change of clothes for the trip back to UA and some small things like his phone. He fully expected to board an early train out of Yanaka and reunite with his friends at the dorms around midday. Monk'ai was having none of that.
"Wake up kiddo!" Izuku heard the man yell as he pounded on the door to Izuku's room.
"What's going on?" Izuku questioned in confusion once he opened the door to let his mentor in.
"What do you mean what's going on?" Monk'ai responded as if the answer was clear, which to him, it most likely was. "You've slept through the fifth day of your internship! This means that you owe me some hours on the clock!" The man stated with a smirk. "Your armor got banged up in the Incident, so we'll keep things indoors for the most part, but first - two rounds around Yanaka! Meet you in the lobby in five!" And with that sudden announcement he was gone.
There were a lot of thoughts swirling in Izuku's head, mostly ones that questioned whether or not this is actually legal or not, but all of those doubts were quickly silenced by the sudden influx of dopamine. Izuku did nothing on Friday except listen to some real shit and potentially life-changing advice, so it only made sense that he'd need to make up for it, right?
Izuku dug out whatever training clothes he could find in the limited amount of time out of his suitcase, shot a quick message to Shiozaki that she'd have to return alone as he had some things to do and dashed out of the room, heading straight for the lobby to begin his last day of internships, for real this time.
Yanaka wasn't huge, densely packed or very populated, but running around the district twice - which Monk'ai actually kicked up to thrice just because he could - definitely made it seem larger than it really was.
Izuku was still suffering some blowback from the Hosu Incident, but he pushed through and managed to keep up with his mentor, even though he was sure that Monk'ai was holding back from going all out. This was meant to be a warmup afterall.
With the morning jog checked off the list, the mentor/student duo returned to the agency. Izuku wasn't sure what they'd busy themselves with for the entirety of the day whilst cooped up inside the building, but a quick look at the floor they were heading for was all the indication he needed to connect the dots.
"You remember what I said yesterday, right? About you going from rookie to veteran sidekick overnight?" Monk'ai asked with a grin.
"I do." Izuku responded, adrenaline already leaking into his bloodstream.
"Well, I figured we should check just how much you've improved with actual experience under your belt." The pro stated as they entered one of the underground gyms. "Just remember that you don't actually have to prove anything. If I see you start forcing yourself so soon after leaving the hospital I'm revoking your kneecaps privileges." Whether it was a joke or a serious threat we may never know, but it told Izuku clearly what he was supposed to do.
Monk'ai's hands-on approach included starting off with some sparring and even though he was surely pulling his punches, it sure as hell didn't seem that way to Izuku.
He was barely able to react to his mentor's moves, always blink of an eye away from losing, but Monk'ai managed to control his own movements and made sure that Izuku was actually keeping up. They already had some serious one-sided beatdowns in the past, this was meant to showcase Izuku's growth and beating him to a pulp wasn't the way to do it.
"Your reaction time's gotten better!" Monk'ai praised his intern with a savage grin. "And you seem more aware of your surroundings!" The man added moments later.
It didn't matter how much Izuku improved over the course of the week however, as the game was rigged from the start and their bout eventually ended the same as always - with Monk'ai easily bypassing Izuku's defense and sending his intern to the floor as gently as he could. Returning a battered and bruised intern could have some consequences after all.
"Nice, really nice!" Monk'ai said once they took a break from the fighting.
"There's still much I need to work on." Izuku countered as he drank some water.
"Oi, none of that defeatist attitude!" The man chastised. "Improvement is not about leaps and bounds. It's about consistency!" He declared proudly.
"I didn't mean it like that." Izuku explained with a smile. "I know there's much I have yet to learn, but I know I can do it if I put my mind and body into it."
"Well said." Monk'ai summed up.
Once their break was over, Izuku and Monk'ai proceeded to test a couple of different things to search for signs of improvement. They were both very excited to check out the barrier, but they overhyped it way too much and it ended up being a giant letdown. Izuku's reaction time with putting up the barriers had gotten better, but the durability was still very questionable at best.
Well, it's nothing that couldn't be resolved with rigorous physical training and experience.
Izuku and Monk'ai parted in the afternoon, much to the latter's disappointment. Izuku understood the sentiment and even shared it partially, but he also wanted to return to UA at a reasonable hour so he couldn't afford to spend the entire day at Edgeshot's agency.
Izuku returned to his room one last time, packed up all of his remaining stuff and then headed for the elevators, intending to head to Nippori Station right away to look for a train that'd take him back to UA.
Luck was on his side as just when he was about to call a different elevator, another one stopped at his floor. Izuku waited for the previous occupants to leave before stepping in and pressing the ground floor button. His trip wasn't as smooth as he'd have liked however, as the elevator made an unexpected stop just above the ground floor.
Izuku was surprised to see Edgeshot himself enter the elevator all of a sudden. The surprise must've shown on his face.
"I take it you didn't expect to meet me here?" Edgeshot asked with a slight undertone of humor.
"No sir. I thought you'd be on patrol at this time." Izuku responded, wondering what could've caused the pro to change his schedule.
"I figured I should be there to properly see the two of you off." Edgeshot explained briefly. "I'm busy navigating the treacherous world of journalism, but I thought I could spare a few minutes."
"The two of us?" Izuku wondered out loud but didn't receive an answer as they'd arrived on the ground floor.
As soon as they exited the elevator Izuku was surprised to see not only Monk'ai but also Kamui Woods and Shiozaki waiting near the entrance.
"Let's go." Edgeshot ordered and they went to join the trio.
"What are you doing here?" Izuku asked, directing the question at Shiozaki.
"Did you not get my text?" Shiozaki responded with a question of her own.
"Oh, I left my phone in my room and didn't check it since morning." Izuku admitted bashfully, causing Monk'ai to bellow loudly, his laugh echoing throughout the lobby.
As it turned out, Shiozaki didn't want to go back on her own so she decided to stay and wait for Izuku. Kamui Woods saw her wandering about and after hearing the story, offered to extend her internships for a few hours as well.
"You didn't have to." Izuku said with a smile, deeply moved by Shiozaki's decision.
"I know, but I wanted to." Shiozaki responded with a similar smile.
"Alright you two." Edgeshot said, catching the interns' attention. "I hope the internships lived up to your expectations despite their rocky course. We must part for now, but remember that you'll always be welcome here." The ninja-themed pro stated, Kamui Woods and Monk'ai seconding his words in the background.
A quick exchange of goodbyes later, Izuku and Shiozaki left, heading for the Station to catch a train and reunite with their friends. They'd no doubt have some questions and it'd be all up to the two of them to answer them.
A pair of enchanting purple eyes was staring at the screen, reading through the many reports of the event that was quickly dubbed as the Hosu Incident. Seemingly satisfied with his research, Martin reclined in his chair and closed his eyes, drowning himself in thought for a few moments before sighing.
"Martha, what's my schedule for the next week like?" Martin asked, debating a multitude of things and blatantly ignoring his secretary's words. "Great, clear it, we're going on vacation."
Martin in a chair, what'll he do?
And with that, we've finally reached the end of the Internships Arc. Is it just me or was this like extra long? I feel like this took a third of the story so far. Damn. And here I thought that this'll end rather quickly! I guess that's what happens when you do stuff with absoluely no planning whatsoever.
Do you know what also happens when you don't plan anything? You end up with no topics to discuss in the A/N so watch this smooth transition as I wish you a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!