Chapter 25: Internships III
Manual stretched as he pushed himself away from his desk, yawning as he did so, "I gotta hand it to you, Tenya. You're really good at doing paperwork. It took me nearly a year to get to an acceptable level of doing this, and here you are showing me some neat tricks. Just goes to show the difference between self-made and legacy heroes, a UA student as well!"
"Thank you for your kind words, Manual!" Iida replied, "But what I'm doing or showing you is nothing special. I'm certain you would have come into it on your own. I'm just glad I can pull my own weight around here."
Manual buzzed his lips, waving Iida's compliment away, "You're selling yourself short. I'm telling you, I wouldn't have even thought about half of the things you've done."
"Regardless, I'm happy to help out how I can."
"Same here!" Manual took his helmet off and placed it on a desk, "I'm honestly surprised we even had some things to report on. The city's been real quiet recently, like the villains just don't wanna come out anymore. But that just means we have to remain vigilant, right?"
"Yes, I suppose we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." Iida replied, a tad too sharply.
Manual smiled in agreement, but inwardly frowned. He was really hoping Iida would open up over the course of the week, even just a little, but it's been a few days already and he's still shutting himself off. That isn't to say that he's been slacking, far from it in Manual's eyes. If anything, Iida was taking his internship far too seriously, already treating it as if he were a sidekick, if not a fully-fledged hero already.
If someone were to ask him what he thought of Iida's performance thus far, he would've said he's impressed to say the least. Everyone already knows he's grateful to get a hint at what it's like working under the efficiency of Team Idaten, but he was truly impressed at how the youngest of the Iida family performed when emotionally compromised.
Iida wears his heart on his sleeve. He would say he's fine, but anyone that's semi-competent at reading body language could see that he wasn't. Manual didn't make him take a break, or pull him out of anything because he truly didn't see the need. Iida didn't let his emotions get in the way of his priorities, plus, he figured if he could keep him busy, then there'd be a less likely chance of him going rogue and falling down the path of vigilantism at best.
Manual would've been content to let it stay like that – him passing off his work to Iida, who would get it done with no fuss or complaint. But that's not what the internship was about. It was to teach their student-for-a-week a thing or two about being a hero, and he has been slacking in that respect. He sighed, loud enough for Iida to turn his attention to him.
"Is everything alright?"
"I'm just trying to think about what to do for the rest of our time together, is all," Manual responded, trying to deflect the question. "This is my first time getting an intern in a couple of years, and my last one was completely different than you. I practically had to teach them everything from the ground up, but with you, it almost feels like you're the hero here and I'm the student."
Iida blinked a few times, before immediately bowing, his body at a perfect ninety degrees, "I apologize if I have been stepping out of line! You are completely right. I was supposed to use this time to learn from you, yet I haven't given you any opportunity to do so! Reprimand me as you see fit, I am nothing but deserving of it."
"Woah, easy there, Tenya!" Manual tried to wave him off, uncomfortable with the sudden apology, "I wasn't saying that was a bad thing, it's just I've been trying to keep you at a beginner's level when you're clearly past that point. No one's getting punished here."
"Thank you, sir!"
This is about as good a time as any. Please don't kill me, Eraser! Manual crossed his arms, attempting to channel his "hero-in command" persona, "That's well and good, but if I'm going to bump up what we're doing, I need you to level with me."
Manual saw Iida immediately put himself on guard. His head dipped down just a little, his eyes' focus sharpening, one leg pulled back as if he were readying himself for a kick. Seeing such a visceral response on a teenager had Manual falter a little, but he pushed that aside. This was far too important to sweep it away as if it were a joke.
"I've been pretty relaxed about it, all things considered, but I do know why you're really here. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled you chose to come to me for your internship, but it's rather obvious, isn't it?" Manual commented, his expression turning serious. "You're after the Hero Killer."
Iida blanched and his body went rigid before he relaxed just a little, "Well…"
"Tenya. No, Iida-kun. Don't let yourself be overcome with a grudge. Don't let that grudge turn into something ugly like a vendetta. And even more importantly, don't let that vendetta turn you into a criminal. Heroes aren't the judge, jury, and executioner. We're civil servants. We're little more than glorified police officers, but we don't have the authority to make arrests or mete out punishments on a whim. We get to use our quirks, sure, but at the end of the day, we aren't exempt from the laws.
"Heroes are only allowed to use their quirks after they've proven themselves to be competent and not a hazard to public safety, but even then, there are still regulations in place." Manual sighed and shook his head sadly, "I hate being the bad guy here, but I need to say this, and I need to know you're on board. You do know what vigilantism is, right?"
Iida silently nodded, but Manual looked on expectantly, "Vigilantism is when a person or group of people use their quirks to enforce the law without any legal authority." Iida responded robotically as if reading straight out of a textbook.
"Good intentioned or not, successful or not, vigilantes are criminals in the eyes of the law, and when they get caught, they are tried under the same pretenses as villains." Manual fixed him with a serious stare, "Trust goes two ways, Iida-kun. If I start upping the curriculum in the days we have left and bringing you in to a tighter circle, can I trust you to not go off on your own?"
Iida stared hard back at Manual, the muscles in his jaw moving as he clenched his teeth in anger and frustration. Iida tried hiding his intentions for interning under Manual, thinly veiled as they were, but being called out like this was beyond humiliating for him. Manual was scolding him as if he were a child that got caught cheating on a test, like he truly understood what he was thinking.
Did Manual truly think that little of him? But if he did, then why was he willing to give Iida more responsibilities, and potentially more freedom? What is his game?
After the intense stare down, Iida relented, giving him the slightest nod. Manual looked pleased, but his expression didn't soften, "I need to hear you say it, Iida-kun. Can I trust you to be smart and stick with me instead of going off on your own if the chance comes?"
Iida's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, Manual's words giving him the faintest flickers of hope. Will we be actively searching for Stain? I can finally act on the anger I've been holding. This is my chance! Renewed with a sick sense of motivation, Iida relaxed his body, feeling lighter than he had in a week. He nodded once again with purpose, his eyes shining with determination, "Yes, Manual-san. You can trust me to follow you and stay by your side, so please, let us move on with a more involved internship."
Manual studied Iida's face before nodding his approval. Iida felt his heart leap with joy at being given more to do, but in the back of his mind, his conscience wailed in pain at having lied so confidently to someone he knows is only trying to look out for him.
Kaminari groans in discomfort as he maintains his crouched position, very similar to the horse stance practiced in martial arts. His arms outstretched as he holds on to jumper cables connected to a series of high-capacity batteries.
Ever since he arrived at the Office with Conduit, his days have been spent on the rooftop where Conduit grills him, both literally and metaphorically. His nights were spent patrolling Fukuoka, and more recently, branching out to other cities. His free time was spent in a delicate balance that teetered between being completely whey-ie and lucid. He never lost time, but he also felt like he never experienced it.
Kaminari could feel it coming. He could feel his coherent thoughts slipping as he poured every ounce of electricity into his hands so that it'll get sucked into the batteries. He yelled in effort as he steadily reached his limit. He opened his eyes, nearly bugging out of their sockets as they were rimming red. The edges of his vision getting darker as he reached his output maximum. His grip loosened on the jumper cables as exhaustion kicked in, his eyes starting to roll back into his head.
Before collapsing to the floor he jolted violently, his body being wreathed in purple electricity. Immediately the fatigue vanished, clarity came back to him, and his senses felt like they were working overtime.
Conduit was leaned against one of the posts, an arm stretched out with his electricity still snaking around.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad," Conduit commented. He walked over to a panel the batteries were connected to, looking at the screen to see the results of Kaminari's sustained charge. He swiped through some screens before finally landing on what he was looking for. The screen showed six bars, all green, and all maxed out. "Each battery had a capacity of about half a million volts. Do the math."
Kaminari scrunched his face in thought, but the number came surprisingly quicker than it would have, "Three million!? You're saying my max is around three million now? It's only been three days!"
"You've just got great potential."
"Was that a pun?" Kaminari snorted, "But seriously, how!?"
"Come on, kid. It's really not that difficult to understand. Think of quirks as muscles. How much can you bicep curl?"
"Fifteen kilos comfortably, twenty-five if I really wanted to."
"And did you start off lifting fifteen kilos?"
"No. I worked up to it."
Conduit crossed his arms and nodded, "And to get up to twenty-five, did you just jump up to there, or did you slowly increase in weight until fifteen got easy, and then twenty?"
"I increased in…" Kaminari smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh. Yeah that makes sense. But it took me months to get that far. How is my quirk getting stronger so quickly."
"All thanks to yours truly," Conduit smirked and jabbed a thumb at himself. "Don't ask me how or why, but since you need to absorb electricity to 'recharge' so to speak, every time I zap you, I bring you back up to one hundred."
Kaminari may not be the smartest when it comes to academics, but because of his quirk, he at least made an effort to understand the basics of electricity and batteries. He nodded in agreement.
"Don't count on an instant recharge, though," Conduit advised, "Like with actual batteries, charging them faster than they're meant to drops their overall capacity in the long run. I'm only doing this right now so we can create a buffer zone for you. Since your limit practically tripled, it's time we get to the real training."
Kaminari's eyes sparkled as electricity idly sparked around him, "Yes! I've got so many ideas. Lightning blade, lightning whip, lightning cloak, lightni-"
Conduit fixed him with a flat look and deadpanned, "You've seriously got no creativity. No, we're not doing that. Those all sound like super moves, which is not what we're doing. First, you'll learn to fight. Then, we'll work on the best way to travel. Along the way I'm gonna do things, and you're gonna try to figure out how I do them. They may not work for you, but they'll definitely be better than whatever ideas you can cook up."
"I don't know if I should be looking forward to it, or offended you think my ideas are boring. Let's do it!"
"Shi-kun!" Toga whined, dragging out the kun. Ever since they came back and Dabi wasn't being a complete ass, she hasn't stopped hounding him about what happened between the two. "Why won't you tell me what you and Dabi were talking about? It has to do with Mr. Stainy, right? I should be part of it!"
They were all lounging in the living room above the bar. With no real plans until their meeting with Stain, everyone was left to their own devices. Mustard occupied himself reading some books he found in one of the rooms. Dabi seldomly stayed at the base, preferring to be out and about and doing his own thing until he's called. Jin floated around the building, trying to make himself useful. Currently, he was helping Kurogiri clean the bar. Kagero shifted his focus between his laptop, training, and planning. Toga was more like a child, her attention split between annoying everyone around her or diving headfirst into the newest trend she saw on the internet.
Kagero sat at the kitchen counter, his back to the TV, busy on his computer. A simple black window with white text was on the screen, what looked like the computer's Command Prompt was a chat room he set up. The person on the other side was relaying details, nothing incriminating, but sensitive enough that it would cause trouble for everyone involved if the information was leaked.
He tried his best to stay focused on his conversation, but with Toga draped over his back and poking his cheek, he could only do so much. He let out a defeated sigh and sent one more message before closing the window and turning his head to look at Toga. She blinked in surprise when she suddenly found herself face-to-face with him, only centimeters apart.
"You do realize that if I haven't told you yet, I'm probably not going to ever, right?" he asked. Toga got off him and stepped away, her hands clasped behind her back, Kagero leaned against the counter. "Information is always either on a need to know or pay to find out basis. What happened between Dabi and me is something you don't need to know. Simple as that."
Toga puffed her cheeks out and pouted, "But it's not fair! You've been hanging out with Dabi more often, and when you're not you're either training Mustard, testing Jin's quirk, or doing something on your own. When can we do something together?"
Kagero blinked owlishly as he took in her complaint. He looked over to Mustard who was now watching instead of reading and nodded, "She's right."
Kagero hummed and shrugged, his head quirking to the left, "I didn't realize I had been neglecting you, I'm sorry. I've been busy prepping and coordinating some things for the future that I guess it just flew over my head. If it was bothering you so much, why didn't you say something earlier?"
"You always looked so busy that I didn't want to distract you," she replied, scuffing her shoe on the ground.
Kagero's gaze softened as he took a step towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "None of that. Remember what I said? I won't turn on you. You're part of the League now, and the League looks after their own. I might've been busy, but if you asked, I would've made the time."
A small smile graced Toga's face as she nodded. Kagero smiled as well, "Since you brought it up, did you have anything in mind? We're not expected to meet with Stain until tomorrow, and we're not exactly struggling to keep up with work."
Toga's smile turned beaming as she nodded her head vigorously, "Yes! My favor! Let's go out on a date!"
Toga's proposal hit Kagero like a truck. He was expecting her to ask for some extra training or even some new knives maybe. Hell, he would've expected her to ask to go on a hero hunt before even considering something as mundane as a date.
"O- oh," he stuttered, "that's- that's not what I was expecting in the slightest. Do you already have a plan, or…"
"We're going out!" she declared, grabbing Kagero's wrist as she dragged him out of the living room.
Toga rushed Kagero out of the bar quickly, with him just barely having enough time to grab a jacket, his mask, and some money. It was still early evening, and the streets weren't bustling with the nighttime goers yet, but they were still in the shady parts of the town that they didn't need to hide themselves. Toga still looked like herself and was wearing her usual outfit while Kagero wore skinny black pants and a long, baggy white shirt with a moto jacket on top, his sleeves cuffed and slightly pushed up.
They walked side by side, with Kagero's hands tucked in his pockets and Toga's arm linked with his.
"Any idea on what to do?" Kagero asked, trying to sound casual but unsure of how to act in a situation so normal. He was far out of his depth, and while he wasn't too proud to admit he didn't have the slightest clue about what to do on a date, he didn't want to make the fact too obvious.
Toga hummed as she brought a finger to her chin, "I was thinking we could maybe walk around a bit, find something to eat. Then after, maybe do something fun like mug people."
"Wow. The leader of the League of Villains, feared by heroes, reduced to petty crime and back-alley muggings. Maybe we are a fraud."
She shoved him slightly, giggling at his joke, "Well we can't do anything too big or go anywhere too crowded, right? What if we get spotted?"
He looked down at her, "Do you honestly think that if we get spotted, that hero would be able to stop us? Or do anything before we get away?"
"No, but I hope they would at least try," she replied, her tone growing serious. "I've been watching the heroes closer since I found Mr. Stainy, seeing if I could see what he does."
"And?"
"And he's right. The heroes these days are nothing but phony and rotten. Mr. Stainy is making sure Hosu is only filled with true Heroes, and in the cities he's already visited, crime went down and the quality of the heroes went up, but they're starting to falter again."
Kagero suddenly stopped walking. Surprised by the stop, Toga was about to ask what was wrong but followed his line of sight. A few blocks down from them was a hero with a blue mohawk, a purple star over his left eye, and dressed in a black tank top with light armor padding on it with a spiked collar around his neck and two studded armbands resting above his biceps. The hero was looking around as he was on his evening patrol. Toga nearly hissed and went to attack before Kagero squeezed the arm Toga was holding onto tighter to his body and ushering them down an alley.
Once behind cover, Kagero ran at a wall and caught the lip of a window. He pulled himself up and crouched on thin frame before jumping to the opposite building's roof. Once on top, he looked back over to see Toga was making her way up as well. He looked Toga over before nodding.
"We've got two options here," he brought a hand up, counting his fingers. "First, we let Mohican continue about his patrol and continue on like nothing happened. We'll walk around, get food, then have some fun. Or second, we follow him and have some fun first, then get some food." He was sure he knew which option Toga would choose, but he puffed a small fireball to make sure the point got through.
Toga smiled widely, baring her teeth a little, her eyes taking on a dangerous glint.
"That's what I thought." Kagero walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down, seeing which way Mohican went. He waved at Toga to follow him, the pair moving parallel to Mohican on the rooftops. "So what were you saying? Heroes are faltering? I didn't think you followed any trends."
"It's nothing like what you're thinking. I don't have super-secret files like you, or have the best connections. I was just curious and looked it up on the internet. I didn't understand much, but I could tell that crime went down right after he left, but now it's picking up like nothing changed."
He clicked his tongue. That was exactly why he didn't kill heroes. Fear only delays the inevitable. Heroes are afraid of being next on Stain's list, so they up their efforts for a little bit. The villains are afraid of being caught by the heroes, so they either cut down on activity or go to ground. When the fear that the heroes felt fades to the background, they suddenly find themselves back to how things were once again.
But a broken spirit? There's no coming back from that. They could try to pick up the pieces and put them together again, but it would never be the same. It's like trying to repair a shattered glass. There would always be that one, tiny piece missing that would make it whole again, but no matter where you look or how carefully you sift through the garbage, it's just not there. That little gap will let the water out, and the water itself would take along even smaller pieces with it.
They continued in silence. Kagero was too busy thinking about the multitude of ways he would make sure only the best of the best would remain, and Toga was too busy watching Kagero's expressions change.
She saw how his eyes would narrow in thought and widen when he came to an idea. How he would effortlessly move his body over the rooftops and the various pipes, ventilation shafts, and whatever else littered them without a second thought. How he would absently crack the knuckles on his right hand, with each pop a small tongue of fire danced around.
She came to a stop as Kagero lifted his arm. He turned to face her, and she felt her breath hitch. He had his mask on, the teeth looking menacing in the fading sunlight. His eyes glowed as he was now focused on the task at hand.
"Mohican's stopped for a little break, and we're in a pretty quiet part of town," he reported. "Now's a good a time as any if you want to play with him."
Toga walked to the ledge and peered over. Sure enough, Mohican was leaned against the wall at an alley's entrance, chewing on a protein bar. She felt Kagero walk next to her, "This is your favor, so I'll let you choose: Do you want to do it or do you want me to?"
Toga was suddenly aware that outside of the glimpses she caught of him training with Mustard or when she tried attacking him, she's never truly seen him in action. She licked her lips at the image her mind was bringing up. She turned her head to see Kagero looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"Can you do it, Shi-kun? I want to see everything."
His eyes crinkled; his smile hidden behind the mask. He puffed a small plume of smoke, "Do you think Stain would appreciate it if we gave him a gift?"
Without waiting for a response, he walked off the building. Toga threw herself at the ledge, craning her neck to make sure she could see everything that happened.
Kagero dropped quietly; not loud enough to be distracting for any bystanders, but enough to catch Mohican's attention. She could hear Mohican say all the normal things: "Who goes there?", "What do you want?", "Do you know who you're dealing with?" She rolled her eyes at the monotony of them. Eventually, he must've recognized his attacker because Mohican suddenly attacked, exclaiming "Mohi Cutter!"
The fight was short but vicious. Toga was blown away at how Kagero moved. He dodged, weaved, and slipped every attack and counterattacked with devastating effect. Before long, Mohican was on the ground unconscious. Kagero picked him up and made his way back to the roof. He wasn't even breathing hard from the effort.
Toga didn't mind in the slightest that the date she had in mind became so skewed. She was far too pleased with how it was going, and seeing what Kagero was like when he was serious was just the cherry on top. She couldn't find the words to describe her feelings, but it was at that point when she knew that Kagero was exactly who she was looking for.