I don't own One Punch Man, nor do I own My Hero Academia. Each Franchise i owned by their respective owner..
ENJOY!
...
"This thing just landed on my hand out of nowhere," Yagi shook his head, "I'm inclined to just drop it into the ground for hygiene reasons, but..you know, it could belong to someone else that I..might have accidentally killed."
"There's no other explanations," Izuku leaned forward, discerning the organ. Then, he put his hands on the older man's shoulder, "Sensei... please don't feel too bad about it."
"Trying not to," Yagi shook his head, "But the fact that someone got killed, it's just.."
Appalling? Horrific?
He couldn't find the words. If he'd just paid attention to his surroundings more, maybe this could've been averted. He needed to find Garou soon and end this farce, before anyone else gets thrown under the bus.
Izuku's eyes gazed on the organs longer than he anticipated. He could feel something inside him resonating with it, as if he and the organ were...interconnected?
No. That couldn't be right. He had nothing to do with this. Prior to this, he was away from the battlefield, far from the reach of Garou, and even if he was, a human body wouldn't be able to function without one of it's vital organs.
But the feeling never left him. Out of curiousity, he reached for the organ, touching it delicately.
"What are you doing?" Yagi asked with his brow raised.
"It's...soft." Izuku said, "I've never touched a live organ before."
Yagi seemed to be bewildered by the boy's sudden interest in the organ, "What's gotten you so intrigued?"
"I feel like.." Izuku pulled his hand back, "You know, when someone feels a particular scenario is familiar, yet they've never experienced it before?"
"A deja vu?" Yagi nodded, "Yeah."
Before Izuku could say his next words, without warning...
His eyes flashed white, glimmering outwardly, as his pupils tentatively disappears.
Alarmed, Yagi put both of his hands on Izuku's shoulders, "Izuku! What's wrong? Izuku!?"
Izuku didn't respond.
Something overtook him.
But a few good moments later, the light vanished from his eyes, life returning back to each of them. Gasping, he looked at the ground, his heart beating faster than he could breathe.
"Izuku!" Yagi shook him, "What happened?! Talk to me!"
Izuku slowly lifted his head, his eyes meeting his mentor's. Tears brimmed from his sparkling emerald eyes.
"Izuku-?"
Before he could react, Izuku tackled the man into the ground, sobbing into his shoulder uncontrollably, "Sensei! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"Uh, give me a little context here? I'm out of the loop for a bit here, so if you could just..." Yagi noticed that Izuku wasn't going to talk anytime soon. He let himself shoulder the kid's burning tears, soaking throughout every part of his outfit.
What the hell is going on?
Izuku was complacent with letting his emotions out, pulling back, "I- I'm sorry."
"Hey, hey, breathe for a sec, alright?" Yagi shifted closer to Izuku, bringing himself closer to his space, patting the kid in the back gently, "Calm down. What are you sorry about, Izuku?"
"Everything..From the very start, I've caused you nothing but anguish and uneasiness.."
"...Izuku, that's not a problem-"
"I burden you with my problems, constantly demanding mentorship and hogging all of your personal space.."
"It was true for the time being, but I've already told you that I've grown past it."
"And I've made you a little bit too attached with me..and when it reached it's peak, I severed the thread that kept us stuck to each other and dragged myself into a situation that I know no way out of..and you..."
"..."
"..."
Silence reigned the both of them.
"So that's what that all about?" Yagi sighed, "It's true, I got worried, but you're exaggerating and taking this out of proportion."
"I know, Sensei, about everything. You don't have to act like nothing happened for my sake." Izuku felt a lump welling up in his throat.
"Huh? Dude, I don't even know what you're talking about in the slightest. Is this about the whole 'growth' thing? Cause if so, I already told you that we're past that." Yagi tried his best to keep in touch with whatever Izuku was talking about.
Izuku stayed silent for a moment, his body remained unmoving.
Wiping the gushing tears, his eyes darted back to Yagi, his lips quirking into a delightful, pleasant smile, "... it's nothing, Sensei. I got emotional for a moment."
"You got..." Yagi's eyes squinted, "Is there something else that you should be telling me right now?"
"No," Izuku insisted, "I was..I was in the moment."
"Yeah, right," Yagi approached the boy, "Izuku, you look like hell. It must've been something that I should know."
"It's just..I worry you too much. Cause you a lot of turmoil, depriving you of your well deserved peace...My reckless tendencies, and my willingness to throw my life under the line, I.. didn't think of it that much, the fact that it worries and troubles you.." Izuku explained, "Sensei, I promise, that from here and out.. I'll keep it in moderation."
Yagi didn't respond for a while. Izuku approached him, before wrapping his arms around him, embracing him in a sincere manner, "I'm sorry."
Yagi's eyes moved to the boy beneath his eye level, before caressing his hair, "You got nothing to be sorry about. It's okay."
Both of them whipped their heads back to the area where the pro-heroes were, laying on top of each other.
...
Dammit..
Garou tried to crawl away despite his diminishing strength. The call to carry on, it beckoned him to push onward, regardless of the odds. But...
His powers were lost. Only an ember of them remained.
He already was stripped of his only leverage against the heroes, and now..
He had to start from scratch. Everything that he gained up until now..most of them were taken away right in that instance. This was something that he wouldn't let slide.
The entire scenario in itself was perplexing. Who the hell hit him anyway? That one attack felt a lot more powerful than a couple of All Might's punches..
"GAROUU!"
That voice again. He'd grew weary of it. The weakness that continues to daunt his very resolve. He wouldn't allow it to continue...
"Huh. You're still alive." Garou said.
"Garou!" Kaminari slammed into his chest, clutching to him, never letting go.
Garou froze there, his eyes glued to the clinging form of the kid that never gave up on him. If only he had this from the very start..
It was far too late for this.
"Denki-"
"Don't tell me to let go, because I won't." Kaminari cut him, "You're not going anywhere, and I'm not letting you do something stupid whilst I'm here. I don't care if All Might told me to stay put..."
"You... couldn't have just let me go, could you?" Garou questioned, his hand attempted to gently push the boy away, only to be met with a futile result.
The boy wasn't pulling away.
"Do your worst," Kaminari said, "Cause even if you threaten me, or do something that might cause a long-lasting damage...I won't ever let go."
"Denki-"
"Shut up!" Kaminari clinged into him even tighter, "I'm not letting go!"
"Hey-"
"Even if it takes my life-"
"DENKI!" Garou tried to get his attention, "If you calm down for a sec and take a look at your fucking nose!"
"What is i-" Kaminari noticed a drop of blood streaming down his nostrils, "...oh."
His vision began to blur, the world around him gradually shrinking into a hollow point.
"Stay with me, okay?! I'll get you to the nearest infirmary." Garou lifted Kaminari's arms and put it around his shoulder, "Stay with me, stay with me.."
Much to his dismay, a few pro-heroes came to his front, blocking the way, "Now, now, you aren't going anywhere. Not after what you've done."
"Get the fuck out of the way!" Garou waved them away, "Can't you see the dying kid slumping over my arms?!"
"Oh, we'll handle him, alright. But first, we gotta beat you up."
"So you want to beat the only guy who's willing to get this kid the treatment that he desperately needs? How inconsiderate." Garou spat, "Perhaps my ambition aren't all that meritless, after all."
"Trying to talk your way out of this one, Hero Hunter?" One of them cracked their knuckles, "I'll do you better, why don't I shove that secret love child of yours up your arse and throw you both into the local incarceration departm-"
He was pummeled away the instance he said that.
He could see the fluttering cape of the person who did it.
"All Might.." Garou said with a hint of disdain.
Yagi waved the heroes away, "Judging by you lot's poor ability of discerning a situation, you can kiss your careers as a pro-hero goodbye. Go away if you don't want to end up like that idiot over there."
"B- but-'
"I don't recall ever stuttering." Yagi leaned forward, shoving his fist into their respective personal area, "Do you want to get punched?"
"N- no!" They skedaddled, "F- forgive us!"
As they ran away, Yagi turned his attention to Garou, "Need a hand?"
"No."
"Aw, come on, don't be like that."
"I would die before ever accepting help from the likes of you." Garou scowled, his grip on the kid tightening.
"I get that, but from a logical point of view, it's far more efficient if I carry that kid. I don't mean to discredit you, but when it comes to speed..."
Garou looked at Yagi for a bit, his eyes narrowed in a skeptical way.
"I mean, I'm not pushing you, of course." Yagi shrugged, "I just thought I should help out after all of that... unnecessary beat down. I can admit it was unneeded on my part." Yagi added, "Added with the fact that I know a couple of guys from the Commission that can help the kid.."
...
"What was that 'insight' that you mentioned?" Garou asked.
Yagi sighed, "Really? Right now? Come on, that kid is dying any secon-"
"Answer me right this instance, and I'll scram."
...
Yagi crossed his arms, tapping his foot as he stared at the sky, "That new 'insight' I mentioned earlier, hmm..."
"I really can't put it into words, so I have no idea what to answer." Yagi deadpanned with a flat voice.
"You.." Garou shook his head, "You're fucking hopeless."
"I get that a lot. Anyway, the kid." Yagi pointed at the unconscious kid, "We gotta hurry."
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Garou begrudgingly followed after the hero, "Don't expect me to act all buddy-buddy with you, though. This doesn't change anything."
"Relax. It's not like hostility is uncommon in my everyday life." Yagi carried the unconscious form of the kid, "Oh, and good luck with the old man." He said right before sprinting away, leaving behind a gust of wind.
Ah, right.
"Garou."
He could hear that voice from behind.
He tentatively turned his head, only to be met with a hit to his face. He tumbled into the ground, landing on his ass. He wiped the blood from his nose, "Is that how you greet people nowadays?"
Bang's distressed look shifted into that of a delightful expression, "You've exhausted yourself, did you?"
"Is that something to celebrate about? I can still try to beat your ass." Garou said as he stood up, "Though, about the other heroes..."
As he said that, a limousine came to their area, followed by a couple of cars following after it. The person of interest exited the car, wearing a pair of glasses, the light glinted in it's reflective surface.
"Sweet Mask.." Bang uttered the name.
"The Hero Commission kept me on the dark regarding the operation, and I can't say it was wise on their part," Amai Mask said, his gaze shifted to the battered form of the Hero Hunter, "and this is Garou, am I to be correct?"
"...what is it to you, anyway?"
"Oh nothing, just-" He disappeared into a blur, kneeing the Hero Hunter in his ribcage. Blood dripped from his mouth, as his knees gave in to the pain, "-trying to get my point across. Hunting heroes for the sake of thrill, was it? I've read the files about you. The Commission put you aside as an irrelevant person of interest, but I consider you a potential threat to the entire hero industry, and in a wider perspective, to the entire country."
"Get your stuck-up face...off me..." Garou spat another trickle of blood into the charred floor, "It disgusts me.."
"The feeling's mutual." Amai swung another one of his foot upwards into Garou's jawline, sending him a few good inches away from his initial spot, "Vile individuals in your likeness sickens me to the core. It screams pure and unadulterated injustice. I'm trying to put aside my judgemental tendencies, but you're really tickling my old, dormant self back and forth like a stroking brush."
"Heh," Garou slowly stood up, cracking his jawline back into it's place, "You idiots..none of you have a proper grasp on the situation. You're completely in the dark. You're letting the world go on under the guise of 'normalcy' because you feel like it.."
"What are you trying to point out, exactly?" Amai Mask asked.
"To put it simply, you heroes are nothing but merely pawns under the strings of the higher-ups, those who possess power over the commoners.." Garou clenched his fists, "And you blindly act in accordance to their whims like a fucking loyal canine."
"You think I'm unaware of such an issue?"
"You aren't, but it's not like you're doing a thing about it," Garou countered, "You spent most of your days basking in the glory of being a person of interest, an influential idol who controls the masses. You've done nothing but hide behind the luxurious life that you've always been indulging yourself in, never thinking about the shrouded evil, hidden under the soft, veiled blanket. The monsters creeping up behind it, that you're all unaware of.."
"For years, the discriminated and the oppressed had to suffer under the mask of 'normalcy' and 'phony peace' that you heroes shat out like it's no one else's business. The Commission indirectly endorses the idea that quirks are everything, that people should be judged accordingly to what genetics mutation that they underwent before birth." Garou stomped forward, creating an eroding crack that spread into two directions, "While the heroes and the villains are busy having a feud with each other, wars and discrimination ensues. Having a conflict within the country that disperses the idea of 'unity', justice itself proves to be detrimental to the state of this shitty world that we're living in. No unity, no resonation, just conflict after conflict..even within the smaller community, people continuously gets bullied, ridiculed, belittled, even so far as to get suicide-baited.."
"What I'm trying to do... isn't for my own sense of satisfaction!" Garou digged the nails to his palm deep enough that it drew a droplet of blood, "What this messed up world needs, isn't biased justice! But unbiased absolute evil! Harvesting enough reputation to the point of being feared...In a world where there's no room for survival, everyone's heart will be united, and so, wars, discrimination, they will all be deconstructed under the constant pressure of the Absolute Evil that is me!"
"Can you take up to the challenge?!" Garou yelled, "With that power and fame...would you be willing to leave all that behind and take all the backlash in order to enact a world of prosperity, devoid of any prejudice? Would you stand up to the bullied, quirkless kid in the park?! Tell me, what is a hero to you? It's very concept, can you decipher what it really means and what it really does to the wider world?! Why are you a hero to begin with?!"
Amai Mask, having all of that shoehorned into his brain, looked at the villain for a long while, his eyes never leaving him.
"WELL?!"
None of them uttered a word. Not even Amai Mask.
"For profit." A voice answered after a long while from behind, "Mostly."
"Profit?" Garou shifted his eyes to the one who said it.
"Yeah," It was Zombieman who said it, "For profit. Don't wanna sugarcoat it, but most of us aren't in the job as a legitimate hero. We're basically glorified police officers."
"And you yourself..you do this for profit?"
"Yeah. Partly to help people out but..you gotta see it in a realistic way. Most of us, if not all, expects a form of compensation in return for our work. It applies as well to most occupations. This is no different. It's just how the world works."
Garou took a step back, "You ingrates..." He laughed bitterly, "Then, who will take up the mantle and stand up for the little guys?"
"No one." Zombieman spoke harshly, "No one will. Sure, time to time we try our best to help those who need it but being a symbol? None of us are qualified to do it."
"Ah..." Garou looked the devastated ground, sighing inwardly, "It's...utterly hopeless, then."
"Not really," Zombieman put his clothes back on, "Just try to accept the current state of the world as it is. Trying to change the way it works, it's supporting principals..well, let's just say you'll run into some complications. That's like trying to overthrow a prospering empire."
Garou clenched his fists, "No..." He stood up, "I'll stop at nothing until I dispose every single one of you phony heroes..then...then that will be the moment where-"
"Oi." Yagi returned to the scene in a gust of wind, "Get a hold of yourself, idiot. It's over. No need to escalate."
Garou's head whipped to Yagi's direction, baring into his frame as his foot stomped forward, "You. Why are you a hero?"
Yagi was about to answer, but Garou beat him to it, "Don't say, 'A hero for fun'. I can see through your charade. Answer me with what you truly have in your heart. Why are you a hero?"
Yagi rubbed his chin, putting the question into thought.
The question seemed sudden, but he'll indulge the guy for a bit.
Why is he a hero, huh?
To be frank...
"I don't know."
Silence reigned them both for a few moments.
"You... don't know?"
"I had my reasons put into thought back then, but now, well..." Yagi said.
"You don't know?!" Garou grabbed Yagi by his collar, "HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW?! Answer me for real, dammit! No screwing around! Why are you a hero?! There has to be some kind of answer! I know you wanted to be a symbol! But you've left all of that behind! Why are you still a hero? What is the missing piece!? Answer me! Fucking-"
"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Yagi snapped at him, locking Garou's wrist with an iron tight grip, pushing it away with hardly any effort, "Do I need to lodge it into that thick head of yours? I don't know. I never did. I never knew why I chose to carry on with this path to begin with."
Garou's arm withered, as the cold wind brushed against his skin, amplifying his horror, "So, you're just..doing all of this purely on impulse? I- is that it? No goal to aim at, no new heights.."
Yagi was about to say something, but then, his mouth stopped moving. With a quick realisation, his lips curled delightfully.
Yagi approached him, "I see now. You have this whole picture of a 'true hero', do you? I understand. Initially, all you've ever wanted is to be a hero."
"...The fuck are you getting at?" Garou asked, his fists clenched.
"I mean, it's kinda obvious, isn't it? We attended the same school, after all." Yagi shrugged, "You may try to act like it's a taboo to have the desire to help others, but deep down, you always have the soul of heroism. You just didn't have the balls to keep it up, so you took an alternative route, compromised, and decided it was for the best to hurt people in order to help people. After all, being a villain is easy, isn't it? All you have to do is beat up the heroes. It's perfect for someone with no confidence like you."
...
"But you can never defeat me!" Yagi declared.
He continued, "Peace achieved through the abolishment of free will and spreading the influence of your terror can never be achieved as long as I'm here. It's hopeless, improbable, even. Your compromised ambition against my half assed one, and even if that's all I had you still won't be able to defeat me! But, as half assed as my resolve can be, it still pales in comparison to how half assed yours are. You can't even decide which side are you taking. But that doesn't matter. You can't do it with absolute evil, but what about next time? What will you do next?"
Garou's eyes fixated on Yagi, never leaving him for a few moments. The words he said, every sentence uttered..
It felt like it had an authority of it's own.
What will he do next?
What does life have in store for him after the atrocious things he has committed?
...
"What should I do, then?" Garou asked with a weak voice, his eyes landing on the floor as his knees bent forward, falling into the floor.
Yagi rubbed his forehead, seemingly in deep thought..
"Eh, for starters," Yagi then cleared his throat, before continuing, "Apologise to that kid. You put him through a lot of shit. If I were him, I wouldn't have latched onto your inconsiderate ass for as long as he did."
"He won't forgive me."
"Dude, you're putting words into his mouth." Yagi deadpanned, "He practically risked his life just to get close to you."
"But after what he learned about what I did.."
Yagi shook his head, "Don't contemplate the setbacks. You'll never get anywhere if that pessimistic attitude of yours keeps holding you back. Just apologise, fair and simple."
"What about them?" Garou asked, his eyes dimming, "The hated? The discriminated? I'm leaving them behind. I can't." He choked on his words, desperately trying to suppress his emotions from bursting out, "I've seen the corpses, the victims, people who committed suicide because they felt like they weren't accepted. I'm supposed to..to..."
Yagi replied, "They'll toughen up. Some will be lost, yeah, but, you know, things won't be as gloomy eventually."
"How can you be so sure?"
Yagi's eyes darted to the frame of Midoriya Izuku standing from afar, holding the ominous organic heart in his hand.
"You'll see." Yagi affirmed with a simple two-word sentence.
Garou felt like asking, but he didn't want to be bothered.
He was tired.
He let himself slump over the ground, resting on the charred, soaked floor, as his eyes shifted to the ink-black sky, the dim, full moon looming over the starless firmanent.
Amai Mask lifted his hand to get their attention, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Garou. Temporary detainment is a necessity. It's the way of the law."
"Hmph." Garou spat out, "Nobody said anything about defying the law."
"What about the rest of the surviving Monster Association members?" Yagi asked.
"They will be tried as well, but with a more severe repercussion." Amai Mask said.
"Oh well, good luck with that. Though, I have one suggestion: Why don't you rehabilitate Garou instead of just throwing him into a cell?" Yagi said, "It's not like he did anything severe, compared to the other villains.."
"I concur with Yagi's statement," Bang interjected, "But I disagree with the sentiment that his crimes aren't severe. He deliberately incapacitated a few heroes to the point of paralysis, while some were left with a temporary injury. But he never once took a life from the pro-heroes that he faced, and he, commendably, avoid any sort of confrontation with innocent civilians."
"That's..one way of putting it, yeah." Yagi scratched his hair. Why the hell did he say that Garou's crimes weren't that severe?
"Hm. Perhaps rehabilitation is the most viable option." Amai Mask nodded, "I'll take that into consideration. For now, all the remaining pro-heroes, including myself, are to participate in a mandatory laboratory test for any possible risk of acute radiation poisoning. The responsible personnel are en-route, so I suggest against moving anywhere until further notice."
Bang nodded, as he sat on the floor where Garou was sitting.
His eyes shifted towards Yagi, and with a smile, he said, "Yagi...from the bottom of my heart, thank you for what you've done today.."
"Don't sweat it." Yagi smiled.
"I also would like to express my gratitude for the contribution you've done today," Amai Mask slightly bent his head down, "Though the casualties were immeasurable in cost, if it wasn't for you, Garou would've done worse under the influence of the newfound power he attained. I don't know what he would've done if he let himself be fully imparted by the monsterisation process."
"I..still don't get what the deal was with the whole nuclear thing, though." Yagi replied.
"That remains a mystery," Amai Mask stated, "If Garou is willing to volunteer, we could conduct a few tests."
"I might also have a few intel if you're interested, but we could discuss that later." Yagi said.
"Hm. Interesting. Can you at least give me a hint?"
"It concerns a certain dead man from the past." Yagi said, "And a revered hero, at that."
Amai Mask pondered for a little, before nodding, "I might have a few ideas of who you were referring to, but..we should discuss this in a much more preferable place."
Yagi nodded in agreement.
Seeing that all is done, Yagi returned back to Midoriya, who was still holding onto the heart.
"You still haven't figured out where that came from?" Yagi asked.
"No.." Izuku shook his head, "Are you going to comply to the laboratory test?" He quickly changed the subject.
"Well, not exactly.. I'm immune to it for some reason. I haven't felt a thing.." Yagi replied, "Did you?"
"No. But it would be sensible to participate, just in case." Izuku said.
"You can." Yagi replied, "I don't want you to come into contact with a chronic disease on our way home."
Izuku thought for a moment, before shaking his head, "No. I'll come with you Sensei."
"Huh? Why?"
"I've...been deprived of your presence for longer than intended. Which had caused a massive turmoil inside my very psyche." Izuku explained in such a convoluted way that it made Yagi's head throb with both annoyance and confusion.
"What?"
"In other words...I, may have, undeniably, possibly, certainly, definitely, undisputably, absolutely, beyond doubt, as clear as day-"
"Get to the point." Yagi deadpanned with an exasperated look.
"...missed you." Izuku looked away as he uttered the embarrassing words, "That was..a weird thing to say, was it?"
"Oh. Nah, nah, I get it.. It's not odd or anything." Yagi rubbed his forehead with his finger, "That so, then..well, sure, but...ugh, fuck, I can come with you if that's the case."
"Really?! Then I will take part in the laboratory test!"
"Damn, that was the quickest change of heart if I've ever seen one." Yagi let out a half-hearted laugh, "You really miss me that badly."
"Yes, and the fact that we'll be apart for so long...I want to spend every single moment with Sensei and savour it."
"Here we go again with the creepy stuff."
"But it's true! I feel enthralled by your magnificenc-"
"Stop."
"Your charisma knows no bound, it's like a magnetic force-"
"No, nope, nah, nuh-uh, I'm not listening to all this buttering up any second longer." Yagi waved him away.
After a long while of awkward silence, Yagi's lips curled, wrapping his arms around Izuku, "Thanks, though. I've, well, been kinda missing you as well. Should I say it the way you said it?"
"Please don't." Izuku dreaded what lengths his Sensei would go to just to get back at him.
This earned a half chuckle from the older man, "I would've turned that whole gesture into a fully-fledged essay had you said yes."
Izuku glared at Yagi for a moment, before letting out an amused laugh.
Then, he said, "Anyway, Sensei..after we get through this, do you mind if we go to a bathhouse for another round of warm bath?"
Yagi looked at him for a moment, before nodding rigourously, "You got it!"
...
Wait, speaking of which, where the hell is Flashy Flash-san and Manako?
..
"... We've been taking a stroll around this wreckage for the past few hours," Manako lamented, "You're a really shitty navigator."
"Silence." Flashy Flash asserted, "Yagi isn't here, so there's no stopping me from doing what I should've done moments ago."
"With the rate we're going right now, yeah, sure, go ahead."
"...though I'm not sure if he will be pleased by that."
"See. You're not going to do it. No balls."
"However, your constant taunting tempts me to go against his wish." His hands hovered above the blade in his waist.
"No balls."
"I will surely dispose of you the longer you keep this up."
"Yeah, sure. With that pair of balls, I don't think you're going to do it." Manako stuck out a tongue.
"I..concede." Flashy Flash sighed, as they continue to aimlessly wander around the ruins of the city, constantly looking for directions.
This continues on for a long while.
(I had to add a couple of words cus i was a bit unsatisfied with the chapter.)
(Yagi and Garou's final conversation had a major rewrite bc it felt a little unnatural so...also, I wanted it to be a bit more faithful to the webcomic adaptation so.. yeah)