The mid-afternoon sun shined brightly in the sky as the vigilante known as Toxin swung across the buildings.
"Bren, I'm hungry." The symbiote said.
"Yeah, I know," Bren answered.
"I require sustenance."
"Yeah, I know."
"I need chocolate for that precious phenethylamine, Bren. If not, I will go find the nearest scum and eat their brains, Bren."
"Oh my God, I know!"
Toxin landed on the covering right nearby one of the local train stations. People were commuting to and from there.
"Look, I get it. You don't need to keep whining in my head about it." Bren sighed before assuring his other. "I know you're hungry. Just give me about five minutes so we can head back to Sanctuary House. Then, I'll give you as much chocolate as I can."
"Can we have all the chocolate? It would keep us full for a while." The symbiote bargained.
"Dude, we have to leave some for everyone else. Besides, I think people are getting suspicious on how fast the chocolate stuff goes away recently."
"They can't blame it on us, can they?"
"Not yet, but we'd better cut back to ease suspicion."
The Toxin symbiote grumbled within Bren's mindspace.
"If it'll make you feel better, I'm going to use our allowance to buy more of those chocolate bars you like."
"Fine." Toxin begrudgingly agrees. "But I want some tater tots thrown in as well."
"Why tater tots?" Bren asked.
"Because I want to diversify my diet. I don't want to keep eating chocolate every day of our lives."
"Huh."
"What do you mean, 'huh'?"
"Well, I didn't expect you to suddenly be so gung-ho about expanding your tastes."
"Considering how one of the biggest sources of nutrients for me isn't exactly sold in stores, I want more than just one alternative source of food. Tater Tots will join in my food group along with chocolates and your brain's chemicals."
"Yeah, and there's the fact that eating human brains is sort of turbo illegal in about every country on Earth."
"A flaw in human society, I'm sure."
"Whatever, man. Let's go."
Before Toxin could leave, they were stopped by a sudden loud voice.
"Hey, jackass!"
Toxin leaned over the covering he was on to look down towards the source of the rude voice. He soon found three teenage boys looking up at him. Given the identical uniforms they wore, they must have all gotten out of the same school. One was a lanky kid with long fingers. Another was a rather rotund boy with wings sticking out of his back. The ringleader of this little group was a blonde kid with angry red eyes.
"That's right! I'm talking to you!" The blonde kid shouted. "Why don't you try looking at someone who is real hero material!?"
Toxin was confused for a moment, wondering who was this angry Pomeranian in human skin and why he was shouting at him. However, as Toxin looked into the kid's face more, he soon recognized the boy.
"Hey, I remember you," Toxin said. "You're that kid I rescued from that sludge guy months ago. What's your name again? Kacchan?"
"The fuck'd you called me?!"
Toxin could have sworn he head tiny explosions emanating from the kid's palms.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that a personal nickname reserved for a partner? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"
The two boys behind him snickered at the insinuation. The boy who refused to be called Kacchan growled at the two, and they stopped completely.
"Listen here, you vigilante loser, the name is Katsuki Bakugo!" The boy announced. "Remember it, because I'll be the one who puts your sorry ass six feet in the ground when I'm the Number One Hero!"
Toxin shook his head in mock shame. This kid was something else.
"Yeesh, I rescue you from a life-threating situation, and you declare war on me. Is this how you treat everyone who helps you out?"
"I didn't need your help against that sludge freak! I was doing fine until you and Deku messed things up."
"Yep, sure you did, buddy. Keep telling yourself that."
"Are you looking down on me?!" Bakugo roared.
"I mean, from a perspective standpoint, yeah. But from a metaphorical standpoint? Um…," Toxin paused before giving the biggest grin under his mask. "…Yeah."
"That's it! Why don't you come on down and fight me so I can prove I'm better than you?!"
"You know what? No, I'm not." Toxin answered. "I am not wasting my time fighting a middle schooler with the world's largest chip on his shoulder. We both know us brawling is going to ruin your future a lot worse than mine. So, let me give you this piece of advice: you want to be the Number One Hero? Fine. Be my guest. But don't let your little vendetta against me be your only motivation. Do it because you actually want to help people. Not just because you want to be the best. I want you and your little friends to keep that in mind."
Bakugo just shrugged off the vigilante's words. "I don't care about these losers. I'm the only one who's going to make it to UA from my school. I'm going to be the Number One Hero, and I'm sure as hell going to defeat you and any other scum who gets in my way. The best Hero is the one who never loses. That beats every villain they come across. That's the Hero I'm gonna be. Don't you think otherwise!"
Toxin let out a sigh of disappointment. There just seemed to be no arguing with this kid.
"Whatever, man," Toxin shot out a web line. Before swinging away, the vigilante had this to say. "And dude, watch that attitude. Nobody likes a hero who's one crack away from blowing up. Later!"
As Toxin left the boys behind, he tuned out Bakugo's yells of indignance and revenge along with the murmurs of people trying to get a clear shot of him or try and get any Pro Heroes after him.
"Man, the ego on that guy," Bren said. "Who does he think he is, the main character of an anime or something?"
"The way I see it, it would be so satisfying to flatten him after he spent all those years at hero school trying to beat us." Toxin chuckled darkly.
"God, I hope we don't run into him again anytime soon. Besides, I don't want us to be known as the vigilante who beat up a kid."
"Aren't you two around the same age?"
"I hope not."
As Toxin swung away, a man looked up and seemed to recognize them. He was well-built despite his grey hair and long beard. His eyes had a thin layer of color over them, shifting around like a kaleidoscope. He wore a long coat, which felt off from the rest of the citizens' fall apparel. His voice was aged and worn, like an old leather belt.
"Finally, I found you." The man murmured to himself.
He then walked along the path where Toxin swung away, following the vigilante in secret.
One week later…
There was something off about this afternoon. Something in the air, the atmosphere. It began when Bren was called in to Mr. Shoutai's office. The man announced that someone claiming to be a friend of Bren's father was arriving to take Bren in. This immediately set off alarms in Bren's head. By his own research, Ozkar Waters didn't exist, and neither did Alchemax. He was skeptical to say the least. Toxin thought this guy's plan, whom they were informed that his name was Amos Vendela, was much more sinister than meets the eye. Then again, Bren reasoned that if someone wanted to take him in, they needed to at least look into it before deciding to take action.
Eventually setting up a meeting, Bren and Toxin meet the mysterious Amos. Amos was an older man with grey hair and a long beard. Bren's initial thought that this was just some rich guy who wanted to make himself feel better by adopting some foreign orphan kid. However, the more the discussion between Amos and Mr. Shoutai went on, the more unnerved Bren felt. Amos was scarily accurate towards Bren's previous life in the states. He knew of Alchemax, about Ozkar's security job, and how frustratingly vague Bren's father kept the details of his job away from his son. He was smooth along the legal side as well, getting the necessary papers to put Bren under his care as a ward. Things were all adding up well. Too well.
After, Bren wanted a one-on-one talk with Mr. Shoutai. The leader of Sanctuary House also had his doubts about Amos's validity. However, as Mr. Shoutai explained, Amos had gone through all the right legal channels. He did encourage Bren that he could always return to Sanctuary House to help and turn to him if Vendela was doing anything to harm Bren.
It didn't take Bren long to pack up what little belongings he had. After saying a quick goodbye to Mr. Shoutai and the rest of the staff, Bren was led to Amos's car where he would be taken to his new home. The drive was quiet. Any attempts at small talk were answered with quick, short answers. The car drove for a while, past the high rises of the urban center, past the clusters of railways. Getting out of the metropolitan area, Vendela arrived at a home in the more suburban area of Musutafu. Passing by several rows of tightly packed houses, the car stopped at one particular beige colored house. It was surprisingly middle-class. Almost reminded Bren of his old home back in Staten Island. The gate opened electronically, and Amos parked the car. He opened the house to let Bren inside.
The house was oddly sparse. Like it was just moved into, and nobody had the time to decorate it. Yet, there were no moving boxes around. Either Mr. Vendela here was very good at hiding his stuff, or he really was just planning to use this house as a temporary place to do…something or other.
"Nice place," Bren commented.
"Thank you." Amos replied.
"Confront him," Toxin advised.
Bren let out a sigh before turning to face Vendela.
"Okay, so why all of this? Why take me in and, say, some other kid? Some sort of secret guilt thing? Wanting the son you never had? Some insidious third thing?"
Amos's eyes glistened before answering.
"The truth is that there is a threat coming, and the best defense this country, nay, the world has is you and your Other."
Bren paused, stunned by how this man knew about the symbiote. The symbiote inside tensed, ready to spring into action.
Bren tried to deflect. "What? I'm not sure what you're talking about. You've read my stuff, right? I don't have a sentient Quirk, remember?"
"Yes, you don't. But that's because you don't have a Quirk. I'd suggest we stop beating around the bush, Mr. Waters. I know about you, your father, your history. I know you don't belong on this Earth because I sought you out. I chose you because I need you and your other's symbiosis. Or do you prefer if I call you Toxin?"
In a flash, the symbiote formed over Bren and transformed him into the larger, deadlier form of Toxin. Toxin sneered at Amos while flexing his claws menacingly.
"You have ten seconds to explain what your deal is before I decide to paint these walls with your blood." Toxin threatened.
Amos gave barely a hint of a reaction before exhaling and answering.
"The reason I know so much about you, Toxin, is because I was the one who brought you here."
In the blink of an eye, Toxin generated four barbed tendrils out of his back and flung them just a hair's length away from Amos's face. The old man remained stoic as he met the eyes of the snarling symbiote.
"Explain. Now." Toxin's voice was on edge.
"Very well," Amos began. "In order to properly grasp the situation, I must ask this: what do you know about multiverses?"
"Wait, I know," Bren said from within Toxin. "Parallel universes and all that. Each decision we make leads to a universe where we choose the opposite outcome. And there's like an infinite number of them all at once."
Amos nodded. Toxin was a bit surprised at Bren's knowledge.
"Didn't think you knew about that stuff." The symbiote commented.
"I knew all those years of reading superhero comics would pay off eventually."
"Good, we have a base measurement of understanding between us." Amos continued. "You see, my Quirk, if you want to call that, allows me to see into the infinite multiverse and then some. I am one of potentially very few beings who are able to view the vast layer of endless possibilities."
"Huh, surprised you didn't go crazy from seeing everything." Bren said.
"Oh, trust me, I did not always have the easiest time with my powers. My visions would overwhelm me so much that I had to be instituted for a long while."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Never mind that. It was long ago. What is important is that my time there allowed me to better control my visions as well as expand the use of my powers. In particular, I could pull beings from other universes into my own or vice versa."
"Okay, we get it," Toxin butted in. "You're the one who brought us over. You said there's a threat we were meant to deal with. So, tell us, who in the hell is so dangerous that you needed to uproot our lives to fight it?!"
"It is one you are well familiar with." Amos answered. "It is your father, Carnage."
Toxin's eyes went wide as he stood up straight. The tendrils receded automatically but did not disappear. He reverted back into a snarling visage.
"What is my progenitor's business in all this?" Toxin questioned. "Last we saw of him, he was trying to use our kind to stoke humanity's hatred of aliens."
"In that time, Carnage has gone on to attempt to achieve loftier goals. He attempts to become like a god to kill other gods. He's been on a one-symbiote rampage across the multiverse, killing versions of its progenitor, Venom. During its mad quest, it damaged the fabric of the multiverse, leading to others like it to fall in between the cracks and into other universes." Amos explained.
"What, like parts of itself or other versions?"
"I do not know for sure. All I know is that one is destined to arrive on this Earth. And it will wreak havoc on a world not equipped to deal with symbiotes."
"That's all fine and good, but why us?" Toxin asked the big question. "You have people who have powers to fight back against Carnage. Why not use them?"
"It is like I said. These people are limited in their knowledge of the paranormal. They only know of Quirks, not of gods and aliens like the heroes of your world."
"If it's experience, then why not pull another symbiote over? We have people with symbiotes made to counter-act other symbiotes. Agent Anti-Venom, Silence, hell, you could have even brought over Venom. They've got loads of experience handling that psychopath! What we want to know is why us?"
"The reason I brought over you specifically is because you are the last of Carnage's offspring and the one-thousandth." Amos answered. "By the nature of symbiote and offspring, you are naturally more powerful than Carnage. Along with your special generation, you have the ability to adapt and evolve into something completely unexpected. Something stronger than anyone can imagine."
Toxin receded back into Bren. The boy looked conflicted before finally meeting Amos right in the eyes with a determined expression.
"If that's all true, then…," Bren found the anger building inside of him and used it. "Then where were you? You wanted to bring us here, and then what happened? Months of us being alone, hounded by heroes, having no idea if we were ever going back home. We were lucky we even found somewhere to live. What I want to know is where were you? Where the hell were you during all that time?!"
Amos exhaled, one filled with regret. "A side effect of pulling individuals from other universes is that it is extremely draining on my person. An effect that increases proportional to the 'distance' of other universes from this one. The distance between this universe and your home one was great. It was…very rough on me. By the time I came to, you were already in hiding. I was lucky you were in the same geographic area as me. It wasn't until recently that I was able to find and track you to the Sanctuary House."
"I'll admit that I am ashamed that I ripped you away from your world so quickly and violently. I apologize for not being able to help you adjust to this new world. I can ask for forgiveness, but I know it may not be so easily given." Amos apologized. "What I ask of you is for your help in preparation for Carnage's arrival. I have no power to truly keep you locked in, so if you feel like you should leave, you can. All I wish is for you to help."
Bren and Toxin went silent. They debated on whether they should actually stay with the old man. Both were upset over Amos's interference with their lives. Yet, if the threat of Carnage was soon like he said, then it wouldn't be right to just walk away when so many lives were in danger.
Bren inhaled then let it out. "Fine, we'll work with you for now." Bren pointed at Amos. "That doesn't mean we fully forgive you yet. But if what you're saying is true, that Carnage really is coming, then we have a responsibility to stop him."
"I understand completely," Amos nodded. "Now, when you finish unpacking, I want you to meet me in the basement. There I'll explain how we will prepare for Carnage's arrival."
Amos left with Bren and Toxin alone on the ground floor. After unpacking and following downstairs, the two meet Amos within the basement. Natural light substituted for regular lights in the basement, but Toxin was able to see that this place was filled with high-tech equipment. Standing near the center of the room was a large, ring-shaped structure that Amos was currently standing next to.
"So, what is all this stuff? Your secret man-cave?" Bren asked.
"Not quite as casual as you make it out to be." Amos answered.
He then turned towards the structure and pointed at it.
"This is what I call the Lens. It is what allowed me to pull you to this universe."
"Wait, I thought you said it was your Quirk that pulled me and Toxin through," Bren questioned.
"Yes, in a sense, that is half-right," Amos elaborated. "While I did use my Quirk to see into your universe, getting you here was another story. As I stated earlier, the distance between our universes was greater than my own power could manage. That is why I had to devise the Lens. Like a magnifying glass, they increase the scope of my power. Unfortunately, they also increase the strain it has on my Quirk."
"So, what? Did you built this on your own?"
"No. I had it…commissioned. And before you ask for specifics, let's just say I have connections in very high places."
"Alright, I guess," Bren shrugged. "So, when is Carnage arriving?"
"That, I do not know." Amos admitted.
"What?! You can see into the multiverse, and you can't even guess when our world ending threat is going to show up?!"
"My powers do not exactly give me the ability to construct accurate timetables, Mr. Waters. I can only presume and guess when Carnage will arrive."
"Well, that's just great. And what do you suppose that I should do in the meantime? Nothing?"
"Of course not," Amos answered a bit indignantly. "I still want you and your symbiote to hone your skills. Though you are strong, Carnage is a natural killer, and he will not hesitate in killing anyone in his way, including his own spawn."
"Yeah, we already knew that. He wanted me dead even before I was born. We know exactly what we're dealing with." The symbiote said.
"So, we train and that's it?" Bren questioned.
"No. Training is one thing. Experience is another. You can continue to use your symbiosis to help others and fight against evil, just like the rest of the heroes of this world." Amos said. "Letting them know about the danger they face would be beneficial to us."
"Hey, I don't know if you noticed, but we're not exactly buddy-buddy with the Pro Heroes here. They would rather lock us up than actually help."
"I understand that. Still, it is better for one more person to do good in this world rather than stand on the sidelines and do nothing."
"Fair enough."
The room was silent for a bit before Amos made a suggestion.
"If you so pleased, I could help enroll you into one of the local schools in the city."
"You serious?" Bren asked. "When was the last time you ever heard a kid say they would willingly want to go back to school?"
"It would be a break from your constant activities as Toxin. Plus, bringing up a social rapport separate from your costumed life is always a good thing, no?"
Bren melodramatically sighed. "Fine, sure. Why not?"
"Excellent. Now, we'll finish everything upstairs. If you'll follow me."
Amos walked past Bren and Toxin and went up the stairs. Bren followed behind. Both boy and symbiote couldn't help but feel like there was something more to this situation. Something Amos was hiding about himself or the incoming threat from the duo. However, especially for Bren at least, the opportunity for a semblance of a normal life was not unappreciated. Toxin knew that if Amos did anything to harm them, they would always have a way to escape. Sanctuary House was still an option, and if not, they could always survive on their own. They were strong. Stronger than anyone, including themselves, realized.
Several days later…
The weekend was an appropriate time as any for hundreds of people to go shopping. And where else then the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall? Particularly noted for its vast selection of services, it's where many individuals go to when online shopping fails. On this glaringly bright day, a boy and a girl were perusing the many racks of school apparel. Bren was sitting on a bench with several shopping bags while Ryo was shifting through the different sizes. The general noise of the mall allowed them to discuss personal matters.
"That is a lot to take in, you know? This Amos guy…" Ryo shook her head in disbelief. "The man brought you over here and lost track of you for months! In what way is he really looking out for you?"
"Look, I barely trust the guy as is." Bren answered. "I'm pretty sure Vendela is telling the truth about Carnage arriving sometime soon. It's just that I get the feeling he knows more than he's willing to share. Still, I can't entirely fault the guy. He is letting me have an actual house to stay in and a chance to go to school."
"At least you'll be going to the same school as me. It'll be nice to hang out with you without having to do volunteer work for once."
"That fair. Hey, I've been thinking, why are we even shopping for uniforms anyway? I can just, you know," Bren lowered his voice to a whisper, "Wear Toxin as the uniform."
"Come on, don't you think it'd be nice to have some clothes that aren't made from an alien's skin? No offense, Toxin." Ryo said.
Offense plenty taken.
"He's fine with it," Bren lied.
"Plus, helping you shop means I get an excuse to go to the mall. I've been busy with school, homework, sports, and helping out at Sanctuary. This is a well-need break with a friend."
"Yeah, what else to really hype up the return to school then the looming threat of homework?" Bren said sarcastically.
"We all make sacrifices for the greater good," Ryo said teasingly. "Now, what's your size?"
Ryo held up the same uniform shirt in different sizes. After picking the one that he thought was the closest to his actual size, Bren headed inside the changing room. Separating the articles of clothing, Bren was about to change when Ryo suddenly also went inside the dressing room.
"Hey, what are you -?!" Bren stammered before being interrupted.
"Listen, I just need to tell you something in private. Something I'm not comfortable with other people overhearing."
"Okay, like what?" Bren asked, confused.
"Have you ever heard of Trigger?"
"What, like the anime studio?"
"No! Ugh," Ryo shook her head in frustration before explaining. "A few years ago, there was this illegal drug called Trigger that caused a big scare. It basically supercharges a person's Quirk while also making them mindlessly aggressive. It was pretty big. There was a bunch of PSAs and warnings against it. I remember overhearing my parents being worried if Trigger was being peddled in our neighborhood."
"Okay, that sounds pretty serious. What's going on?"
"Well, I think I'm going to need Toxin's help with investigating if it's been popping up again."
Bren knew this was important if Ryo was specifically asking for Toxin's help. She made it clear that she preferred not interacting with Bren's vigilante aspect as much as possible. If this was something that she thought only Toxin could help, then it was serious.
"Okay, what's going on, and what can we do?" Bren said.
"It's been going around the rumor mill at Korlliya Middle that some of the students have been taking Trigger. I didn't believe it at first because I thought it was other kids being mean and spreading lies, but I've seen people acting erratic and aggressive during and after school." Ryo explained.
"Wait, if Trigger's as dangerous of a drug as you say it is, then why haven't I heard any news stories about kids wrecking schools while high?"
"Because I think whoever is making and selling Trigger made a weaker version of it. People still get the power high, but they have enough self-control to not rampage."
"Have there been any, like, incidents by people on Trigger?"
"Mainly fights after-school, usually off-campus so they can't get caught by teachers. Most of the time, it's just kids who are usually so quiet and then explode at the drop of a hat. Not literally explode, but you get my meaning."
"Yeah. Do you have a list of people you want us to look at or?"
"Honestly, I'll wait until your first day at Korlliya. It'd be better to put names to faces than just a list. If some people aren't there, I'll try and pull a list of their contacts."
"Alright, sounds like a plan." Bren paused before asking. "So, are you going to back outside or…?"
A brief flush of red spread across Ryo's cheeks before she shoved Bren and backed out.
"I'm going, I'm going! You just go and change already!" Ryo spoke quickly. "Change, change!"
"Alright, alright!" Bren said as he was now the only one in the dressing room.
As he changed, Toxin manifested a little head and spoke.
"I'm sensing an increased rate of body temperature and blood flow," Toxin teased. "Especially when you and Ryo were close together in here."
"Toxin, if you say another world, I will listen to my playlist at full volume with no headphones." Bren, indignant, threatened while changing pants.
"You never let me have any fun!" Toxin pouted.
Why does school always bring out the most annoying qualities in people?
And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading the last chapter of Friendly Neighborhood Vigilante Toxin in 2023! Or if you already jumped to the new year, the first new chapter of Friendly Neighborhood Vigilante Toxin in 2024!
Yeah, sorry this took so long, but I was pretty conflicted on how I wanted this to go. I knew I wanted to do stuff; I have plans. It's just I wanted to do them later and not immediately after the last chapter. So, I presented a new overarching villain that will be used later on! Which is the third one I've done so far. Trust me, I am going to use all of them sooner or later. Please don't click away.
Anyway, yep Carnage is coming! Though it won't be the main Carnage because he's going a bit higher tier of power now than what I want from him. So, expect the confrontation…soon-ish! Like once we hit double digit chapters. Anyway, Bren and Toxin actually have a home now and are planning to go to school! Yes, Amos Vendela will be explored a bit more, about his role within this story. Likewise, we also get the name of Ryo's and soon to be Bren's school. Keeping in tradition with MHA, it's named after a planet from Star Wars. First person to correctly guess it in a comment will receive a No-Prize from yours truly!
Coming up next: school woes and drug flows! Bren gets his first day of school, and Toxin investigates the supposed return of Trigger. A return that might require Toxin join forces with another vigilante…
Now, onto comments!
Bia1230: Thanks
Str011: Thank you for the kind words and the vote of confidence. I'll admit chapter 6 is intentionally more off-beat than any other chapter, mainly because I wanted to capture a bit of that 60's comic wackiness. I am planning on pushing the plot forward with some new and returning villains, so I hope you enjoy.
Athrun Zala: First, thanks. Second, I promise you that last chapter is the only one that will blatantly feature non-MHA elements (I am talking out of my ass, I decide on what I will put in my fic). Thirdly, um, there is no thirdly because your proposed idea was never sent to me.
Sierra117: Thanks for the positive words.
That's all I have for now. See ya next time!