Author's note:

Top hero rankings:

1. Lemillion (Mirio Togata)

2. Frostflame (Shoto Todoroki)

3. Mirko (Rumi Usagiyama)

4. Ground Zero (Katsuki Bakugo)

5. Whirlwind (Inasa Yoarashi)

6. Creati (Momo Todoroki)

7. Red Riot (Ejiro Kirishima)

8. Whirlpool (Kota Izumi)

9. Battle fist (Itsuka Kendo)

10. Copycat (Nieto Monoma)

--

Chapter 2: Torture, I mean training

(Ochacko Bakugo POV)

She yawns as she sleepily makes her way from the bedroom to the kitchen. It was around two in the morning but she felt the need for a glass of water. She winces from the chill of the cold wood floor against the bottoms of her uprotected feet before she speeds up her pace.

She snags a cup from the drying rack before filling it with the chilled water pitcher in the fridge. With a sip, she enjoys the refreshing feeling of the cool drink. She preferred any cold to be in her drink and not on her feet, thank you very much.

Something was off about the flavor, but not in a bad way. It almost tasted a little like strawberries. She wouldn't be surprised if it was from Mitsuki using the pitcher for a powdered drink and forgetting to wash it out. That girl could be so forgetful some times.

The glass slips from her fingers and shatters in a spray of glass and water as it collides with the floor. She barely had time to process it before she looses all feeling in her body. Her body crumples to the ground as she stares out in panic. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't move her body at all.

She hears the sound of footsteps before someone steps over her body. They were dressed in dark grey clothing covering them from head to toe and moved with hardly a sound. The figure opens up the fridge and starts rooting around inside.

"Let's see," the man says. "Is there anything good in here? Some of these leftovers seem decent but I am not sure which."

He leans back into her view before addressing her. "Hey, which is better, the pork or the chicken?" he asks. He waits for a second as she glares at him the best she can manage before he nods his head. "You are right. I should just mix it together and eat it all."

For a couple of minutes, the man bustles around the kitchen humming as he helps himself to the family's food. He drags out several containers before dumping their contents into a larger bowl that he uses to mix it with some of the spices he found in a cabinet. After he finishes, he tosses it into the microwave and starts it up.

"You know, I was really expecting more from the family of the Number Four Hero, Ground Zero," he comments. "I mean, I gave you guys a ton of advantages. I wore dark grey instead of black to help you see me easier. I still made some sounds as I snuck around. I didn't mask my smell at all. I even put things back slightly different from how you left them and used a flavored poison on the cup and the water. Despite all of this, none of you noticed a thing. Your husband is already sedated and will be unconscious until tomorrow morning. Your son is in the same condition. Your daughter, however, is going to be in my custody for the foreseeable future. This kind of the first step in my whole master plan to tear down hero society as we know it."

A chill runs through her body at the man's statement. Something about his words told her that it was not an idle threat. He meant what he said.

The microwave beeps and he pulls out the steaming bowl of food as he snags a spoon as well. He digs into the food with a happy sigh. "Ah, nothing like a home cooked meal," he says. "It needs a little work, but not bad overall. Now, I now you are probably confused and angry about what is happening. All I can say for now is that you are all powerless to stop me. Even if you were to gather all of the Top Ten heroes, even if you were to bring the sum total of all of hero society against me, I would still destroy you all and everything you hold dear. I am... inevitable."

"That was pretty good, but I better be on my way," the man says. "I have more children to kidnap and more people to taunt. I just need to put you to sleep real quick."

He pulls out a needle before uncapping it and pushing out a touch of the liquid to clear it of air. As he walked towards her, she willed her body to move only for it to remain still.

"Nighty night, Uravity," he says as he injects the liquid into the vein in her neck. "This was a nice chat. Let's do it again sometime."

Everything goes black and the last thing she hears is the villain's chuckle.

--

(Ian Miller/Black Flash POV)

"So, are you sure this is the best idea?" Hal asks as we look at the security monitors. "This could really mess those kids up."

"That's kind of the point," I say. "You teach your kids your way and I will teach mine my way. I genuinely don't see a problem with this."

"I have to agree, Mr. Jordan," Nezu says. "It might be highly experimental, but it could be the perfect way to elevate hero training to the next level."

On one series of screens, the female students of my class are chained upside down over pools of water. On the other set, the male students are strapped to chairs connected to a machine powered with a car battery.

"You got this whole idea from a horror movie, didn't you?" Hal asks as he looks at me judgmentally.

"Of course I did," I freely admit. "That doesn't change how well it will work."

"Okay, okay," Hal relents. "I just don't want you doing this with my students."

"They can keep their soft touch lessons," I say with a grin. "These kids need some tough love."

--

(Reina Usagiyama POV)

She woke up with a killer headache that made her groan in pain. It was like the time she had stolen some of her mom's liquor and gotten drunk when she was sixteen. The hangover felt exactly like this.

As she finally opens her eyes, she sees her surroundings slightly swaying as her brain catches up with the realization that she is hanging upside down. The headache must have been from all of the blood rushing to her head. The room was empty besides the pool beneath her and the winch on the ceiling holding the chain she was bound with.

"Hello!" she shouts. "Is anyone there?! Let me out!"

"Why would I do that, Reina?" a sinister voice calls out from a hidden speaker. "Especially after I went through all of the trouble to bring you here."

"My mom is going to kick your ass when she finds you!" she taunts the mystery villain. "You really thought you could capture her daughter as leverage?"

"That is where you are wrong, Reina," the voice replies. "I did not capture you to get to Mirko. I captured you because I was after you the whole time."

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine at the statement. "Why on Earth do you want me?" she asks.

"I just want to play a little game," the voice explains. "The meaning of hero has become diluted, weakened. To be a hero these days is to be weak, to be a sell out, and to be trash. You chose to pursue the life of a hero. Let us see if you have the resolve to be a true hero or if you are a fake like the rest. If you look down at your shoulders, there is a small incision on either side that has been sewn shut. Inside of the incision, you will find a hairpin. You will use this hairpin to pick the lock on your arms and legs to escape. You have a hairpin in each shoulder, so you have two chances. Beginner's advice, I suggest you use your teeth to get the hairpins out."

"What happens if I don't play along with your game?" she asks defiantly.

"Then this will happen," the voice says before the chain holding her up is released and she is dunked in the water below. She thrashes around until she is brought back up a few seconds later. She gasps as her access to oxygen is restored. "I will dunk you once for every minute that you do not escape. Each time, the drop will continue for another five seconds before the timer resets and you are pulled up. Unless bunnies can breathe underwater, I think you will run out of time eventually. The clock starts now."

She screams in outrage before realizing that the outburst was just wasting time. Instead, she focuses on biting at the sealed cut in her shoulder to get the first hairpin. This bastard was not going to win.

--

(Touya Todoroki POV)

"Wakey wakey, little Todoroki," a voice calls out. "Time to rise and shine."

His eyes dart open as he feels an electrical jolt run through his system. It makes him gasp in pain before it is gone. He looks around in a panic only to find himself in an empty concrete room with two screens mounted on the wall. He was tied to a metal chair that had wires running to a machine and a car battery.

"Where am I?" he asks as he struggles. He tried to call on the fire of his quirk, but it wouldn't ignite no matter how hard he tried. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Where you are is my playroom," the voice says. "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you are here to play a game. It is a pretty fun one in my opinion."

"What is the game?" he asks as he tries to suppress his fear.

"The rules are simple," the voice explains. "The chair you are sitting in is wired in a circuit with a electrical regulator and a car battery. If you can withstand one hundred shocks, then you get to go free. However, if you do something else, you can skip the shocks and go on your merry way."

"What would I have to do?" he asks in trepidation.

"It is simple," the voice says as the screen on the left shows a pair of photos. It was his parents, Shoto and Momo Todoroki. They were in their hero costumes as Frostflame, the Number Two hero, and Creati, the Number Six hero. "Option one is that you give up information on your dear parents. Habits, moves, power data and the like. Once you give me enough on both of them, you will be free to go."

"Like I would ever sell out my parents!" he shouts at the villain. "What kind of coward do you take me for?!"

"If you don't like that choice, there is always option two," the villain says before the second screen illuminates to show a man with his head covered by a black bag. He was struggling in the same kind of chair and was desperatly trying to break free. "You can have this fellow take the shocks instead. You didn't like the idea of hurting someone close to you. How about a stranger instead? It's not like you are even hurting a person. They are just a faceless thing that can take the suffering so you can escape instead."

"I am going to UA!" he shouts in anger. "You really think that I would allow someone to get hurt just to protect myself?"

"I don't think we truly know what we believe in until our convictions are put to the test," the villain says. "If you don't want to take the alternatives, then I might as well get started. Just know, you can pick either one at any time. Just let me know."

With those parting words, he feels the chair surge with electricity as his body spasms and he cries out in pain. It was ten times worse than the shock that woke him up. Once it is over, he pants with exertion.

"One," the voice says as he counts off the shocks.

He just grits his teeth and prepares for the next one. He would be damned if he let someone else take the punishment while he is still breathing.

He screams in agony with the next shock. It was like his nerves were lit on fire. He holds on until it is over and he takes deep breaths to recover.

"Two."

This was going to be a lot harder fhan he thought.

--

(Nezu POV)

It had been so long since he had seen many of his students like this. It brought back fond memories from when they were still attending his school. It even made up for them all yelling at him and filling up his office.

"If you would just allow me to speak," he says as he looks at the assembled heroes and parents. "Your children are in no danger."

"Like hell they are!" Katsuki Bakugo shouts as he slams his hands on Nezu's desk before the explosions emitted from them crack the surface. "Some guy broke into my house, drugged my family, threatened my wife, and kidnapped my daughter!"

The explosive hero's anger was extinguished like a light by the sheer intensity of the look his former principal gives him. "I would kindly ask you to get your hands off of my desk," he warns in the same voice one would use to talk to a child. "I paid a fair bit for this desk and I would prefer if it wasn't damaged any further. Now, will you all please take a breath and allow me to explain?"

"Fine," Shoto Todoroki says as the rest of the crowd settles down marginally. "Now, where are the children?"

"Their homeroom teacher is giving them his personal examination," he tells them. "He did not feel that the entrace exam or the fitness tests were conclusive enough. In his opinion, he needed to test the students' mettle to see if they had the makings of heroes. Now, if you all will follow me, you can meet the man himself. He should exceed all of your wildest dreams!"

"Who could it possibly be, Superman?" Mirko scoffs.

"Oh, don't be silly!" he replies. "UA needs its teachers to have a human perspective when it comes to training abilities that a Kryptonian would lack. Who better to understand these powers than a quirkless teacher?"

"A quirkless... are you serious, Nezu?" Shoto asks. "This generation of freshman is even stronger than mine. I don't think a quirkless guy, no matter how smart or skilled, will cut it."

"Oh, ye of little faith," Nezu says. "Seeing is believing and I believe you will agree in a few minutes time."

They grumbled but ultimately followed behind him as he walked from his office towards the elaborate control room that Ian had set up for his fun. When he pushed open the door, the heroes behind him were treated to a cackle that made him proud as a teacher.

"Three! Two! One!" Ian counts out before slamming his hand down on a button. "Dunk tank!"

The parents and other heroes watched in horror as the tied up girls were dropped into the water. What dialed up their horror even more was the teacher laughing at their struggles.

"Haha, like that is going to help," he chuckles. "I can't wait to see which one drowns first. I need to remember to take photos before they are revived."

It was around then that he notices their presence. "Hey, boss!" the man says with a wave. "Come to check up on me? You even brought the older losers? Oh, you shouldn't have! You know just what to get a girl to make her feel special."

"I leave them to you, Ian-kun," he says. "Have fun with your playdate!"

With those parting words, he scampers out of the way as the heroes menacingly advance on the uncaring speedster. He will need to record his own copy of the fight from the security cameras. He will want to remember this for years to come.

--

(Ian Miller POV)

I raise an eyebrow at the angry friends and family of my students. "Are you just going to stand there like a bunch of brain dead children?" I ask. "Where is the righteous fury? The heroic drive? The parental instincts? I really overestimated you bunch of pussies."

"Oh well, you can't win them all," I say before I pull out a remote and press its button. The floor under our feet drops out and we all fall down to the training hall beneath my control room. All the heroes miraculously land on their feet despite the surprise. Small mercies I guess.

The first to take a shot at me was Mirko. She leaped forward in a snarl as she slammed her leg down in an axe kick intended to crush me. I heavily stress the word 'intended' since I just casually move out of the way as it crawls through the air. Before her foot even hits the ground, I send her back to her friends with a back kick that knocks the wind out of her.

"It seems Chako never gave you all the message," I say with a malicious smile. "None of you could ever hope of beating me in a fight. You could revive All Might himself and it wouldn't change that simple fact. Compared to you peons, I am your god!"

I can't help but let out a psychotic cackle. If playing the villain is this much fun, it makes sense why so many people turn into criminals.

Two speedsters in silver armor shoot out of the crowd in a burst of speed. It was Tenya and Tensei Ida, the heroes Ingenium. They try to hit me in a pincer attack, but they were far too slow to pull it off. They release their kicks from both directions and it was child's play to safely flip in the gap between their swinging legs. I grab said legs and promptly throw them to the sides. They skid and bounce across the floor before colliding with the walls hard enough to crack their surface.

I step back to avoid the surprise uppercut delivered by Lemillion as he shoots out of the floor. As he passes in front of me, I draw back my arm before sending it crashing into his face. I use the strike to slam him into the floor he just finished phasing through as it craters under the force of the hit. His phasing might be a potent weapon against most enemies, but not against a speedster who can match the shift in quantum frequency.

The other heroes seem to recognize how hopeless this fight is the moment they see Japan's Number One Hero go down with a single strike as his seemingly perfect defense was nothing in the face of a quirkless opponent.

Mirio was disoriented and groaning on the floor from what was likely a double concussion. I just rise with a feral grin as I look at my opponents.

"Is that all the fight you have?" I ask, my tone dripping with condescension. "I thought it would be harder to crush your spirits but you let me down yet again."

I don't give them the chance to respond as they all find themselves on the floor with a variety of broken bones before they can even blink. In a burst of speed, I demolished them as they found themselves with broken jaws, cracked ribs, shattered joints, bruised organs, and more than a little internal bleeding. It might have been overkill but I couldn't let them off easier than their kids, now can I?

"Class dismissed," I say as the heroes are now incapable of fighting back. "I am going to go back to toying with your children, you impotent fuckups. You should see the nurse before you leave. Japan doesn't need its top heroes becoming even more useless."

With those parting words, I stroll out of the training hall and towards my backup control room. It was fun to beat up my old classmates. I should do it again sometime.

--

(Nezu POV)

He couldn't help but laugh at the miserable and agonized faces of the heroes in the infirmary. They were all in various incapacitated states that ranged from shattered arms and legs to brusing across every internal organ. It would take years for some of them to recover with conventional methods, if they ever recovered at all.

Thankfully, UA's new head nurse following Recovery Girl's retirement, Rewind, was more than up for the job. Eri Aizawa made her way through the severely injured heroes, her horn glowing as she reverted their devastated bodies to their pre-fight state.

"This isn't funny," Bakugo growls as he gets off of his bed. "What kind of monster did you hire to teach our kids?"

"I saw it for a second when I was being thrown," Tensei says as he lifts himself up into a sitting position. Eri did not have a chance to heal his cracked ribs yet, but the elder Ida pushs through the pain. "I thought it was my imagination, but it was real, wasn't it? You brought the Red Death to UA."

"Who's the Red Death?" Tenya asks before wincing as his injured leg was jostled. "I have never heard that name before."

"It's an unofficial nickname," Tensei explains. "It was a title given to a speedster who lived in America. You never heard about it because I was always the one to go to international conferences. It goes back a while to the Night of the Blood Dawn."

"I heard about that," Mirko says as she stretched her newly healed leg after Eri repaired her crushed knee. "Villains went across the entire country butchering people left and right. The only sign when they came was the blinding red light which passed through as the people died. The death toll was in the thousands. Most people thought it was some kind of villain organization, but no one ever figured out who."

"It wasn't publicized, but it was a speedster," Tensei explains. "He worked with the premier hero team in the States, the Justice League. They called him the Black Flash. When he ran, red lightning would stream off of his body. That is the red light people saw that night. No one ever connected the dots because he was breaking every speed record that ever existed. Who would guess it was a speedster making history out of nowhere? After that night, he stopped making public appearances except for the split second when he stopped crimes. At least, he did before Nezu hired him to teach my son."

"Out of all of the men in the world, you picked a mass murderer?" Mirko asks in astonishment. "And what the hell was that whole thing about him being quirkless? He clearly has a quirk."

"I didn't say he was powerless, just that he is quirkless," he assures her. "As for his criminal record, it was cleared shortly after the incident."

"Incident?" Bakugo snarls. "That psycho doesn't belong in a hero school!"

"He is the sole reason that the Justice League still exists," he replies to the volatile blonde. "If it weren't for his actions, the premier hero team in the US and arguably the world would have collapsed."

"How is that possible?" Lemillion asks after Eri finally healed his face. "Killing people is never the answer. Heroes are supposed to save everyone, even villains."

"What if a villain killed the only person you ever loved?" he asks the man. "I am not saying they died as a unfortunate casualty from a villain attack. I mean that a villain purposely hunted down your family and loved ones before killing them as a message of hate. What would you do?"

"I...," the hero tries to say before the words seem to die in his throat.

"Exactly," he replies. "You have never experienced what it is like to lose everything that matters to you. The true secret behind the Night of the Blood Dawn is what happened shortly before. It was a terrorist attack in Coast City. A suicide bomber killed himself and over a hundred others at an amusement park. I doubt any of you heard about it or remember it if you did. It was a minor incident in comparison to what happened later that night. However, the truly important part is about who was there."

"Oh, no," Creati whispers in horror as she connects the dots. "Please tell me I am wrong."

"The families of the Justice League members would frequently get together," he says. "They saw it as a way to connect with people who had similar experiences through being the family of a hero. Few others would understand the stress and worry that comes with having a husband or a wife in such an important organization. It was a way to unwind and have fun with people who shared your burden. That day, they had all decided to go to an amusement park in Coast City."

A hush falls over the assembled heroes as they realize how this story ends.

"As they all gathered to have lunch, a member of a quirk supremacy cult detonated the suicide vest he was given," he explains. "The cult hated the fact that the Justice League allowed people without quirks to be heroes. This included aliens like Superman, quirkless humans like Batman, and metahumans without a quirk like the Black Flash. In an instant, they all died before they could even react. Green Lantern was onsite, but he couldn't save a single life before it was over. He even lost his right arm in the process. Villains had always seen the gatherings as the worst possible plan for one reason. If they ever dared to go after the heroes' families, then the heroes they already feared would decide to stop being so heroic. It was mutually assured destruction of the highest level. The only reason the cult dared to act was because they were too insane and extremist to even care if they died. They were also so spread out that any efforts by villains to limit them weren't enough."

"Once the shock and tragedy of the act wore off, the heroes would scour the heavens and the earth to find every last cultist," he continues. "They would do what every fiber of their beings begged them to do. At least, they would have if it wasn't for the Black Flash. He ran faster than anyone thought he could move and he hunted down every single cultist. Every man and woman tied to the organization was tracked down and erased from the face of the earth without the slightest hesitation. No matter how decentralized they were, no matter how isolated each member might have been or how they might have hidden, he found them and removed every last trace of them. By the time it was over, the other members of the Justice League would find themselves with no target for their anger and hate. The only option left to them would be to mourn."

"Who did he lose?" Eri asks as she manages to finish with the prolonged healing session. While she was clearly worn out from using her quirk for so long, her eyes were still focused. "He had to lose someone if he was willing to go so far."

"That is not my place to say," he answers. "If you want to know, ask the man himself. However, I would greatly advise against it. No matter how much time passes, some wounds don't heal. I would sincerely regret if any of you were to perish as a result. Now, you should all go and resume your usual patrols. This has been enjoyable, but you should not neglect your responsibilities. Your children will be no worse for wear by the time school is over."

He doesn't bother to stick around any longer after that. He had said his piece and was already moving onto the next task in his busy day.

--

(Ian Miller POV)

"Great job, Bun Bun!" I cheer as I watch Reina stumble out of the room after managing to escape the machine. "I knew you could do it. You have a fire in you that I could tell repeated drowning wouldn't put out."

"You!" she growls before stumbling as she tries to run at me. It seems her legs haven't fully recovered from being chained up for so long.

I just cut her off as I scoop her into a princess carry. "Don't break a nail," I snort. "You should be proud. No one else has managed to finish their tests, so you are the winner of this round. I was impressed at how willing you were to bite into your own flesh if it let you escape."

Despite how angry she was at me, Reina seemed to deflate as exhaustion caught up with her. It also helps that she seems to be vulnerable to genuine compliments. Heh, she really is her mother's daughter.

"Of course I am the first," she huffs. "I wouldn't let such a wimpy trap hold me back."

"You know, as a reward for finishing first, do you want to torture your classmates?" I ask her. "I was delayed for a minute earlier, so I am a little behind. I am assuming you know the other legacy kids, right?"

"We go to the same holiday parties and stuff," she admits. "I wouldn't say I was friends with them though."

"So, I wouldn't be wrong if I said you were cool with dunking and electrocuting them?" I ask.

"Wait, you are electrocuting some of them?" she asks in surprise. "Wait, I can?"

"Of course you can," I confirm. "As it stands, you are currently my favorite. This gives you the privilege of tormenting your classmates as much as I do. The only condition is that you must continue to outperform them in every test."

"That's easy," she scoffs. "I was already planning to do that. Oh, can I electricute Todoroki? He always seemed like an asshole whenever I met him."

"Nice choice," I agree. "He has really increased his defiant insults recently. It makes it way funner since he keeps almost biting his tongue whenever I shock him again."

"That sounds awesome!" Reina exclaims as her eyes light up. Yep, she is definitely her mother's daughter. I have never seen anyone without the name Usagiyama get this excited at the prospect of torturing people she knows. "What kind of other ideas do you have?"

"Well, I had some cooler stuff lined up for this test, but my friend axed it because he felt it was too 'extreme' for a bunch of 'students'," I tell her with implied airquotes. "Originally, the water you were getting dunked in was going to be full of electric eels. He thought that was too much so I shifted the electrocution part to the guys instead. My first plan for them was to put the key to what they think is a bomb collar inside their stomachs. Then, they would have to perform emergency surgery on themselves to get it out in time before they die. They wouldn't actually die, but the collar would inject them with this neurotoxin that produces excruciating pain for three hours. So, maybe death would be preferable. I even had it all set up where they would have instructions so they wouldn't fuck it up. Apparently, that is 'unethical' and 'maybe a warcrime.'"

"Your friend sounds like a buzzkil," Reina comments.

"Right?" I agree. "Still, he is my best friend, so what can you do?"

"We should totally get attack dogs to chase everyone for one test," she says with a grin. "If you weren't fast enough, you could find out how dangerous they really are."

"I knew I picked the right student, Current Favorite," I say as we arrive at the control center. I drop her into the chair in front of the control board while I sit next to her. "You are just in luck. It is time to dunk the rest of the girls again!"

"Sweet!" she cheers before dropping the other female students into a pool like the one she was dealing with a minute ago. From the happy grin on her face, there was something cathartic about being on the other side of the torture.

I just chuckle as I walk over to a mini fridge and grab a beer from inside. Thanks to training my power over the years, I had long since learned to control my immune system. It was child's play to slow it down so I could feel the effects of alcohol. I could clear up the intoxication at the slightest thought, but it was a nice way to relax to a minimal degree.

"What are all of these files?" Reina asks as she is momentarily distracted from torturing classmates. She gestures to the stacks of files to the side and I realize what she is talking about.

"Those are the lessons for this test," I say. "Did you think I set this all up just to torture you all?"

"Yes," she says.

"Guilty as charges," I admit. "However, I like to only hurt people for a purpose. This is all supposed to teach a lesson that I want you all to learn. The boys and girls each got their own special reason behind their suffering."

I just ignore her as she flips through the files. It was making my job easier since I didn't need to tell her myself. Plus, it gave me more time to drink in peace.

"This is-," she tries to say before it seems like she lost her words.

"Horrible?" I offer. "After seeing that, does it really seem like I am torturing you guys?"

"I didn't think there was an actual reason," Reina whispers before subconsciously hitting another button to continue her torture task. "These really happened?"

"Yep," I reply. "Annie Colbert, age 24, a US pro hero working in Denver, Colorado. When she was jogging one night four years ago, she was drugged and abducted. They weren't villains, just normal despicable monsters in their own right. They didn't even know she was a hero. They just thought she was a good target. When she was found eighteen hours later, she was still chained up and had the genetic traces of twenty five different men found on her body. From that moment on, Annie Colbert was dead even if her body kept breathing and her heart kept pumping. She still resides in a mental hospital in upstate New York."

"What was the lesson?" Reina asks. From her voice, it was clear she was almost afraid to ask.

"When she was captured, they stole her clothes and anything else she had," I tell her. "Everything except for two hair clips still stuck in her hair. If she had been able to keep a straight head and push through the trauma, she could have freed herself. Even if she couldn't use her quirk until her mind cleared from the drugs they gave her, she would have been able to fight back enough to steal a phone and call for help. Instead, her story ended in tragedy."

"What about the other one?" Reina asks. "The one for the guys."

"Kristopher Dirkheim, age 28, a pro hero operating in Munich, Germany," I say. "He was a member of a team trying to root out a Neo Nazi group that was building up strength. When members captured him, they dosed him with an old sample of a quirk disabling drug. Since Kristopher's quirk gave him the ability to turn the sensation of pain into power that boosted his strength and healing, he never actually developed any form of pain tolerance. After all, his quirk processed and removed it without a problem before. They use this weakness to torture him for information on his teammates. What were their quirks, how do they work, weaknesses, real names, adresses, and any other important data they could get. After they break him in under an hour, they released a video online showing the world how weak a hero truly was. They weren't even going to use the information. It was just a joke to them. At the end of the video, they slit his throat and he bled out."

"So the lesson is to put yourself through pain to protect others?" Reina guesses.

"Got it in one," I say. "You never know what kind of person you are until you are forced to confront it. With the girls, I saw if you were willing to fight for their lives. For the guys, I wanted to see if they were willing to put others first. If you know it is a test, then you don't show your truest self."

"What about the last parts?" Reina asks. "You left those out when you were talking."

"In both cases, the criminals were found tortured to death," I say like I was describing the weather. "Signs showed that they were kept alive for as long as possible before it was over. It was like someone wanted to return as much suffering to them as they could manage before they escaped in death."

"I understand why you are our teacher," Reina says as she stares up at me with serious look in her eyes. "It's because you are a good guy who protects the heroes."

"I don't think that a good guy does what I do," I say as I look off to the side in thought.

I was promptly surprised by a golden bunny hopping into my lap before hugging me. She awkwardly pats me on the head.

"It's okay," she says. "Even if no one else sees it that way, you are my hero."

For some reason, I find myself returning the hug. It might be just the lack of all physical affection for years, but it was kind of nice.

--

Author's note:

And that concludes the second chapter of Black Flash! I hope you all enjoyed some more backstory and world building to help flesh out the story. I apologize it it got kind of wordy.

Feel free to write me a review and let me know how I did. I am practically fueled by reviews, so don't be shy. I always make sure to take all reviews to heart and respond to any questions at the beginning of each chapter.

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A pleasure as always,

Titan900

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