Chapter 14: Duality

"Just a little more Alexander, you're almost there."

"Man, this is harder than I thought. How do you do this all day mom?"

"Well, I am a pharmaceutist and a nurse. I've been doing this for a very long time. It can be a real test of endurance."

I nodded to mom before focusing more energy into the water that was surrounding a flower and emitting a light blue light. The reason why I'm doing this is because I had asked mom to teach me how to heal using my water powers after Mr. Aizawa told us about the new disaster training we're starting soon.

After I told mom about it, she agreed it was a good idea since it would add more utility to my arsenal. She explained that when it comes to disaster relief, one of the biggest factors was time. If more than a day has passed, the chances of finding anyone alive is almost nonexistent. She also stated that by being able to heal, I would give victims a higher chance of survival before they are taken to a hospital.

That was when I brought up Wynn and his support class and how they play a major role in disasters. Mom told me it was true that support heroes played as big a role as rescue heroes during those times, but that if I was able to heal anyone I found, I'd lessen the work they had to do.

With everything said, we got to work on a new schedule for me. In addition to my normal routine, mom had me study a few of her medical books and work on the life giving aspect of my water power. She also warned me that I had to really pay attention since the disaster training would be a lot harder than anything I've done before.

I didn't think for a second I couldn't handle whatever Mr. Aizawa had planned, but when you have classmates like Aoyama and Mineta, you can't be too careful. Plus, I recently found out how rare people with healing abilities were and that alone made me more cautious.

Seriously, to find out our nurse, Recovery Girl, was the only person in school who could heal injuries felt like a huge oversight on the school's behalf. Sure, there were standard nurses, but considering the kind of school UA is, I thought for sure they would have more healers or at least more support heroes.

"Alexander, you need to pay attention!"

"Oh, sorry. Am I putting too much power?"

"Look for yourself."

I looked down at the flower and to my horror, it was drowning.

"Oh Geez!"

And just like that, the water I was controlling spilled all over the table.

After letting out a sigh, I picked up the water and sent it back into the bucket I prepared. With the mess cleaned up, I looked back at the flower and as expected, it was still drooping and close to death.

"...I'm a plant murderer."

"I mean, it's not dead yet. It's not healed either, but at least it's alive."

Sigh

"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better mom, but let's face it, I don't have the talent for healing that you do. I'm starting to think I may not even be able to heal at all. My power is just for fighting..."

"Hey now, don't go saying things like that. Everyone in our family who's had the 'Undine' quirk was able to heal others. The amount they can heal varies, but they could still do it nonetheless. Plus, the fact that you can purify water shows you have the ability to become a healer."

"Mom, we've been at this for an hour and there hasn't been any changes. At most, I can say this plant is free of any toxins, but that's it. I focused on the purification aspect of my quirk like you suggested, and still nothing."

"Honey, I know you're frustrated, but these things take time. I myself had to practice almost everyday for a month before I could even fix a small cut. Let's take a break for now and try again later. That will refresh us. How does that sound?"

"Yea, I think that's a good idea."

As I went back into the house with mom, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I could practically feel my tail droop and ears fold back with each step we took. I knew full well I shouldn't expect to get this right away, but with the amount of training I do, I thought I'd get a small reaction at least.

"Hey big brother, how's your training going?"

"Hey Nix, it's uh… it's going ok. It's just very different from what I'm used to."

"Is it really?"

"Yes it is," mom answered for me. "You see pup, learning how to heal is basically the opposite of what your brother's learned up until now. As such, he essentially needs to start his training from the beginning. It requires a lot of concentration and precision."

"But, isn't Alexander good at those things?"

"He is, but the level needed is much higher than anything your brother has dealt with before."

"Oh… still, it's cool that you can do all these things big brother."

I watched a wistful expression begin to form on my brother's face.

"You're nothing like me."

"Nix! What have I said about comparing yourself to others? There's no point in doing it. Everyone is different. You're still just a pup who's only recently awakened his second quirk. You may not be able to control water, but your illusions will be very helpful once you learn how to control them."

"I know, but I still wish I could do more to help."

Mom scooped my little brother up in a big hug.

"Nikolas, you have a very kind heart and a gentle soul. You are going to do great things one day. You will no doubt be able to help your brother in ways none of us will ever be able to. You just need to take it one step at a time, Ok?"

"Ok," Nix answered with a soft smile as he hugged mom back.

"Good. Now, let's start dinner. You boys have a long day ahead of you and I want both of you to be at your best."

"Oh, you mean the disaster training Alexander is doing, right?"

I swear I could see sparkles around Nikolas's eyes.

"That's right and I heard about that quirk assessment test you got. So you better work hard and show everyone what you can do."

"Right!"

After a pat in the head from mom, Nix and I went into the living room while mom started cooking. We sat down on the couch, and I put on a kids movie while Nix sat in between my legs and snuggled back into my stomach. After putting on a movie called 'Kiki's Delivery Service' and putting a blanket over us, we enjoyed the relaxing movie and I stopped thinking about not being able to heal.

As we watched the movie, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the scene of Kiki sick in bed and Mrs. Osono giving her some rice porridge. It was just a small, simple scene, but it was nice, and it made me happy. It amazes me how small moments like that can mean so much.

"That's really nice," Nix said as he leaned into me. "It's just like when I get sick. You, mom, and dad always make me that chicken soup I love, and I feel really warm after I eat it."

"Heheh, and you always fall asleep afterwards too."

I looked down just in time to see Nikolas blush. I decided to give him a lick to his forehead before holding him closer like he was a teddy bear. I could tell he was even more embarrassed, but I'm sure he'd forgive me. After all, he likes to cuddle as much as everyone else in this family. Guess wolves and racoons are a lot alike in that respect.

"Dinner!"

"Coming mom! Let's go, Nix."

"O-Ok."

I paused the movie and we headed to the dinner table. Nikolas sat down while I set the plates. Mom served us her Gravlax, which is salmon that's been cured but not smoked and is marinated with salt, sugar, dill, black pepper, and berries.

She also had freshly baked bread with lingonberry jam. Personally, I like cloudberry jam more since it goes with everything, even ice cream. Lingonberry jam only really goes well with meat or bread. Then again, Lingonberry jam is perfect for Kottbullar, or meatballs as other people call them.

"Dinner looks great mom!"

"Thanks hun, I hope you like it."

"Mama, where's papa?"

"He said he's gonna be working late tonight. With so many villains showing up, a lot of hero agencies have been swamped with work."

"I wonder where they're all coming from. This can't be normal, can it?"

"I wonder why they don't become heroes," Nix said as he tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean little bro?"

"Well, a lot of those bad people have really cool powers, so they could become heroes if they wanted to."

I looked at Nikolas, then at mom, then back at Nikolas.

"Nix, you shouldn't assume someone can or should be a hero just because of their quirk. If someone doesn't have the right personality or they are selfish, then they shouldn't be a hero."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if someone only becomes a hero in order to become famous or for the money, then they aren't actually a hero. A hero is someone who always does the right thing no matter how difficult it is. They show kindness to those in need without thinking about a reward. If you're in it for fame and fortune, then it isn't real."

"Like when I did all those chores because I wanted that Almight action figure and not because mom needed help?"

"Yes, and I'm glad you remembered that. It's the difference between a good person and someone who's only looking out for themselves. If there's one thing I want you to remember, it's this. You don't do good things in order to get noticed, you do them because they're the right thing to do."

"Ok big brother, I understand."

Nix smiled at me before he spoke again.

"Alexander, how did you get so smart?"

"Everything I know I learned from dad, mom, Mr. Alson, and Mr. Ericson. I also read and studied a lot. You can learn a lot from the people around you and from reading books."

Nikolas tilted his head in thought.

I sometimes marvel at how many canine traits the little raccoon's picked over the years. Then again, he's only six and he's been with us his whole life. Honestly, if he wasn't a raccoon, you'd think he was a biological member of the family, not that it matters. We may not share blood, but he's still my little brother and mom and dad's son.

"Hey mom."

"Yes Nikolas?"

"Do you think you have any books on illusions or anything that has to do with the mind?"

"I think I might have a few. How about we look after dinner?"

After we finished dinner and I helped mom with the dishes, I went back to the living room to finish watching the movie. Only instead of the movie, I saw Nikolas watching a special on heroes.

"Hey Nix, what are you watching? I thought you wanted to finish watching Kiki's delivery service."

"I did, but then this came on while you were helping mom."

"What is it?" mom asked as she walked in.

"It's Midnight hosts. You know, the show where the lady talks to other heroes about what they do."

"Oh yea, I know that one. She usually talks about some of the issues heroes have to deal with while on the job or how they cope with the stress."

"Yea, have you seen it before big brother?"

"Not really. I've just heard about it from some of the students at school. They actually talk about her a lot.

"What is she talking about?" mom asked.

"She's talking about quirks. Here, listen."

Nikolas turned the volume up as we sat down to watch.

"Quirks! Have we become too reliant on them? I'm here with pro hero Kamui Woods who has joined me in this discussion. So Kamui, do you think we as heroes have become too used to using our quirks?"

"Absolutely not. Quirks are what allow us to do our jobs as heroes. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been saved thanks to either my own quirk or someone else's."

"But surely you agree that quirks are quickly becoming our sole option of getting things done. In fact, I have many eyewitness accounts of heroes not helping simply because their quirks aren't good for the situation.

"Well, what do you expect? If a pro hero doesn't have the right quirk, then what can they do? I mean, if there's a fire and the only pro hero around is let's say… Endeavor, how could he help? His quirk is blasting things with fire, which would only make things worse."

"I see your point there."

"Wait, isn't Endeavour someone who can't be hurt by fire?" Nikolas asked as he turned to me.

"That's right, he's immune to it."

"'Imm-une?'"

"That means he's protected from it."

"Oh… have you ever met him?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure his son is in my class."

"Really? Do you think he could get me an autograph?"

"Maybe, but I think it would be rude to ask him something like that. Todoroki is a pretty quiet person, and I don't want him to think I'm only talking to him because of his dad."

"Oh… yea."

I was about to comfort my deflated little brother, but mom beat me to it by wrapping an arm around him.

"It's ok dear, I'm sure Endeavor will give you an autograph if you ever meet him."

"You think so?"

"I don't see why not! Now, why were you asking if he was immune to fire?"

"Oh, right! Well, Kamui Woods just said Endeavor would be bad in a fire rescue, but I think he would be great for it. Since he can't be hurt by fire, he could go into the fire and help everyone who's trapped.

"Very good Nikolas! You see, that right there shows you can be a great hero. That kind of thinking and perception is exactly what a hero needs."

"Really?"

"Your brother's right dear, being able to look at a problem from different angles is the key to solving it."

"Hehe, thanks mom, thanks Alexander."

I petted Nix's head, and we continued watching the show.

"Still, even you must admit that our quirks alone shouldn't determine our actions," Midnight said before picking up a remote. "I have a clip of an incident from several months ago that I believe ties into our discussion."

A screen appeared behind Midnight, and it showed what looked like footage from a news station.

I was shocked by what I saw. The video showed a villain who looked like he was made completely out of sludge, however that wasn't what surprised me. Inside the sludge villain was Bakugou and two other guys struggling to get out and to breathe.

"What the?!"

"Alexander, is that the guy you said got kicked out of your class?"

"Yea Nix… I had no idea he was involved with something like this though."

"Wait, why are all those heroes just standing there?" Mom asked as she pointed at a group of twelve to fifteen heroes.

Before I could respond, Midnight shrank the screen and started talking.

"As you can see, there was a rather sizable group of pro heroes, yet not a single one made a move to rescue the captured civilians. What's more, when asked about this, all of them answered with 'I didn't have the right quirk.'"

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!"

"Alexander! What have I told you about using that kind of language, especially around your little brother?!"

"I'm sorry mom. I'm just so frustrated! They didn't help because they didn't have the right quirk? How stupid are those people?"

"Look, you can clearly see the sludge guy still has his eyes and mouth. Even if his body can't be hurt, you can still attack those."

"Maybe they were scared that using their quirks would hurt Bakugou and those other two," Nikolas said as he brought a hand up to his chin.

"If that's the case, then they should have said that. All they said was 'I didn't have the right quirk' which is dumb. All those heroes and not ONE of them had a useful quirk? It's insane!"

"I agree, and so does Midnight from the looks of it," mom said, pointing at the TV again.

"Three students were in danger and yet no one helped despite the overwhelming number of heroes. Now, I know I wasn't there, but I believe I speak for everyone when I say this is not what we expected from pro heroes."

"Hey now, I agree there were a lot of us there, but there were also a lot of civilians," Kamui Woods defended. "There were police barricades everywhere and yet they still insisted on seeing what was going on. Heck, there was even this one kid who broke through and charged at the villain."

"Yes, that's the next thing I wanted to talk about. Due to matters of confidentiality, I will not be showing the video of the boy. However, I can safely disclose that the boy was indeed quirkless."

"Yes he was, and yet he stupidly charged at someone who could end him in an instant. I mean, what do you even say about something like that?"

"I don't know, maybe that it was brave of him? Maybe that he did more than the pro heroes did, despite being quirkless?"

Kamui Woods narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A quirkless kid did more than just stand around doing nothing. Yet instead of being praised for it, he was reprimanded."

"Are you kidding me right now?!"

"Um… big brother, maybe you should calm down."

"How can I calm down after hearing that?!"

"I completely agree," mom said as she stood up, her fur bristling with anger. "I don't know what to make of all this, but I will be bringing this up with your father."

"Why?" Nix and I asked at the same time.

"From what I saw, there were at least four pro heroes from Sir Nighteye's agency. I have no doubt that he'll want to be informed of this."

With that, mom headed to her room without another word.

"I think we just got papa in trouble."

"I think we just sent four heroes to the kennels."

"1197… 1198… 1199… 2000!"

"Alright! Stretches are done, two thousand one ton weight lifts done, two thousand crunches done, two thousand sit ups done, two thousand lifts done, two thousand leg lifts done, and now two thousand push-ups done. That just leaves the jog, and my morning workout is done."

"Good morning, Alexander."

"Oh, hey dad! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did. Sorry for not making it home in time to say goodnight."

"It's fine. Did you talk to mom? She was really upset."

Sigh

"Yes I did, I'm afraid I'll be sleeping on the couch for a while."

"Ouch."

"Yea, when Catrina has her mind set on something, not even Thor himself could stop her."

I watched dad's ears fold back and couldn't help but wonder.

"Why is she mad at you though? I know she was upset about the heroes who work at your agency, but she'd never take it out on you, nor would she expect you to handle it. Mom's more level headed than that."

"She's not really mad at me, she's just frustrated about the situation and I'm giving her a bit of space to process it. You have to remember that back home everyone took care of each other, and we got things done. Here though, it's a little more complicated. I can't just go up to Sir Night-Eye and have him reprimand his heroes for not acting since they technically didn't do anything wrong."

"I know, and that's what stinks. Back home, something like this wouldn't be tolerated. They have a responsibility as pro heroes to save people regardless of the risk. If they were in Norway, they would've been shunned for being cowards. We would never let something as small or stupid as not having the right quirk stop us from kicking that sludge's nonexistent tail halfway across the ocean."

"Yes, and that's what makes us proud Norse men."

"Damn right it is!"

Dad and I gripped each other's forearms and squeezed tightly before giving each other a one-armed hug, our tails wagging with pride. We are proud of our heritage. We are strong, we are brave, we are warriors blessed by the Allfather himself.

"Anyway, I noticed you were about to start your jog. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, let's go!"

After an hour of jogging, dad and I decided to take a small breather at a nearby park. We sat down at a bench where dad handed me a bottle of water.

"You're really improving a lot son. A three-hour workout followed by an hour long run and you're still raring to go. I have no doubt you'll be able to handle the next part of your training."

"Thanks dad. And thanks for recommending those boxing videos. Punching while you run isn't easy, but it's really helped with honing my accuracy."

"Indeed," dad said with a nod. "By the way, have you given any thought about what I said?"

"You mean about being a professional fighter?"

"Yes. Now, before you say anything, I have absolutely no doubts that you will become a great hero. I'm just saying that it's something worth considering."

"You have a great foundation and you've been able to hold your own against opponents with far more experience than you. You have the talent for it and you've won several competitions already. I'm not saying you shouldn't be a hero, but I think being a pro fighter might be good as either a backup or second career."

"I have thought about it and I do like the idea, but it would only be on the side at most. I really want to become a pro hero and I think my skills would be better suited there."

"Of course, son. It's your life and I have no intention in interfering with it. I just wanted you to know where I'm coming from. You never know what will happen and I just wanted you to have something as a backup plan in case things don't work out."

"Thanks dad, it really means a lot. I was actually thinking about asking Principle Nezu about it, since there are a lot of pro heroes who have second careers. For now though, I'd like to focus on school and get more of a feel of the different hero routes I can go with."

"That's understandable. It's always good to check your options and I just wanna make sure you have plenty of them."

I gave dad a small nod and smiled at him. He may look like a snarling beast ready to rip out your bones, but he has the biggest heart you'll ever find.

With our break over, we continued our jog for another half hour before we decided to walk around the city a bit. It felt nice to just hang out with dad like that. Ever since we got here, we haven't had any real one on one time.

I don't blame him of course since we've both had our hands full. Between the move, us getting used to things in Japan, his job and me now attending UA, it's been hard to get any down time. Then of course there's my own job of running the forge. It's been a challenge, but it also makes moments like these even more special.

"So dad, is there any place you wanna go? Maybe you wanna get something to eat?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. Japan's a nice place and all, but it's a little hard to get used to the food here! Sure, there are plenty of seafood places that sell similar dishes that we have back home, but there's even more food that I just don't trust. I mean, they actually sell eel stomachs for Odin's sake and even serve them raw at some places."

"Wait, are you talking about that sushi bar we went to last weekend?"

"Well… yea, but I meant other places too. Such as the restaurants that are close to work. Sir Nighteye lets us leave the building for lunch so we don't have to be stuck with just the cafeteria, but every place that's close by serves things I've never heard of. Or whatever is being served just looks gross. I'm not picky and I'll gladly try something new, but when it comes to food there are limits."

I was about to retort, but our conversation was interrupted when we heard shouting coming from a nearby alley. I looked at dad and the look he returned was all I needed. We rushed towards the screaming without a second thought.

When we got there, we saw two policemen surrounding some kid. One of them was so fat that he had two pairs of cheeks and the other had a beard and was on the thin side.

The kid, meanwhile, looked to be about a year younger than me. He had dark skin, a green shirt, and dark blue pants. It also looked like he had some kind of slime quirk, if the substance on his hands were any indication.

"I'm telling you; I didn't do anything!"

Just then, the fat policeman punched the kid hard enough to send him to the floor.

"Look here you little shit! You can deny it all you want, but I know you've been stealing wallets and purses from everyone you meet."

The fat policeman let out a smirk.

"But hey, I'm willing to let you off the hook if you're willing to pay the fine."

I narrowed my eyes at that. It didn't take a genius to see what was going on here. My dad stepped forward to confront the policemen.

"Excuse me, but what is going on here?"

"Huh, who are you?" the bearded policeman asked.

I was about to answer, but the fat one sneered at us.

"It doesn't matter! This is police business, so I suggest you two leave."

"Really? Well, forgive me for not realizing that harassing kids was part of your duties."

"What did you say?! Listen up you stupid mutt! This kid's a pickpocket and we just caught him red handed," the policeman said as he roughly picked the kid up by his hair.

"I'm telling you I didn't do anything sir. I was just going home."

"Shut up!"

The fat guy punched the kid in the stomach hard enough to make him cough up blood.

"Hey! That's enough!" Dad snarled. "That kid isn't a threat and it's clear you're using excessive force. Stand down now!"

"Ha! Would you listen to this guy? Just who does he think he is?"

"From the looks of them, I'd say they're foreigners. Well, I guess we better teach them how things work around here."

As soon as he said that, the fat cop walked over to us and started picking his nose. To say I was disgusted would be an understatement. What's worse, the bastard put the booger he picked out on my cheek, entangling it in my fur.

"In case you haven't figured it out, we are the law around here. What we say goes. You, however, have no say in the matter. I suggest you leave."

I flicked the booger off my face and glared at the arrogant son of a bitch.

"Tell me, why would you do that? That's just disgusting."

The fat man growled at me before putting his finger up his nose again.

"Why? Because I do whatever I want whenever I want! But if someone wipes snot on your face it then it prob-"

He didn't get to finish. Why? Because I punched the bastard in the face with all my strength, causing his finger to burst through the flesh of his nose and knocking out some teeth.

"You just made a big mistake! YOU STUPID DISGUSTING PIG!"

I immediately turned to the other guy, who was watching his friend roll on the ground in pain. He then took out his gun and pointed it at me.

"Stop resisting arrest! I'll shoot if you-"

That was all he could get out before dad punched him across his jaw, dislocating it.

"Son."

"Yea dad?"

"There's a police station two blocks down that road. While I go get help, you stay with the kid."

I nodded to him in response and he left, I tied the two men up with ropes made from water. I turned to the kid who looked seriously hurt.

"Hey, are you ok?"

The kid could only grunt in response.

I slowly removed his hand from his stomach before pulling up his shirt. I was horrified by what I saw.

There was a really bad bruise and some signs of internal bleeding. He also had a nasty scratch on his cheek and from his dilated pupils, he might've been suffering from a concussion.

I cursed inwardly. This kid was in bad shape, and I couldn't do anything to help with his injuries. I didn't bring my first aid kit and I still couldn't heal anything with my water. I felt helpless.

I hated it. I hated feeling that way. I trained so hard to make sure I wasn't helpless. I worked my tail off so that I could help and protect others and yet I couldn't even help this kid.

I wanted to berate myself for being so useless, but I knew if the kid didn't get help his condition would only get worse. I took a deep breath to calm down, gathered my thoughts, and quickly remembered what I read in mom's medical books.

The first thing I did was lay the kid flat on his back. I elevated his legs in order to slow down the blood flow. I then tried using the healing technique mom taught me. I knew it wouldn't do any real good, but if it could slow down the damage even a little, it was worth a shot.

After about five minutes, dad showed up with more policemen and even some paramedics. I explained to them what I had done to try and stabilize the kid. They nodded to me before placing the kid on a stretcher and rushing him to the ambulance they brought.

One of the policemen, after seeing how badly we injured his comrades, ordered some of the men to stop the ambulance from leaving. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad helped him pick up the two downed officers before slowly escorting them to the paramedics.

We watched in silence as the authorities left. After another minute of staring, dad gave me a concerned look.

"You ok son?"

"Let's go. I have some training to catch up on."