My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 47: Shadows of the Past and Present
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I'm back! It looks as though the issues Fanfiction was having have finally been fixed and so, as I told one of my readers, I will start posting chapters on here again and on Wattpad. Hope you all enjoy!
While the rest of his classmates had gone to the train station to go to their internship locations, Ojiro remained behind and approached the address of Open Palm's traditional Japanese home. The Tail user was nervous about working with Japan's greatest martial artist, especially since Kendo wasn't around; most likely, she had decided to go on an internship rather than stay with Open Palm. But he had made his choice and there was no going back from this; the only way now was forward.
"Okay, let's do this," Ojiro whispered. He reached over to knock on the door, only for Open Palm to open it before the Tail user's hand even touched it.
"Whiptail, good to see you made it," Open Palm greeted and gestured for the Tail user to walk in. Ojiro looked around the immediate area of the living room, seeing the courtyard, kitchen and stairs leading to the second floor from where he was. It was much more spacious than it appeared from the front.
"So, Mr. Suzukaze-"
"It's Open Palm," the martial artist cut him off. "You will still treat this as an internship, meaning that I will address you by your hero name and you will address me by mine. This is not a pleasantry visit, so don't expect me to cater to you, alright?"
"Yes, sir," Whiptail responded.
"Good," Open Palm replied. "Now, before we start, we will go over the rules and I expect every one of them to be obeyed. Being here is a privilege you earned, Ojiro, but I will still end our training if I find your efforts unsatisfying. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." After that, Open Palm began going over the rules of the training.
First, as long as they were in Open Palm's house, he is in charge and what he says goes. Second, he expects to see Ojiro at 8:00 A.M. every day and will leave around 5:00 P.M., where Open Palm will provide breakfast, lunch and water during that time. Third, Whiptail is only allowed in the kitchen, courtyard, bathroom and living room; everywhere else is off-limits. Fourth, he expects honest answers from Ojiro for anything he asks as he will know if he's lying or not and dislikes having to deal with deflections.
"Are we clear, Whiptail?" Open Palm questioned.
"Yes, sir," Whiptail responded. "Though I was rather surprised that Kendo didn't join us."
"Kendo made her choice and decided she wanted to do an internship with someone else," Open Palm stated. "I bear her no ill will. Now, get into your hero costume and we'll begin training shortly."
"Yes, Open Palm," Whiptail obeyed as he went to the bathroom down the hall to change into his hero costume.
Whiptail couldn't help but feel nervous about training solely with Japan's greatest martial artist. He had earned the privilege after winning the Karate Hero's tournament, though he questioned if he truly was worthy of such an honor. He imagined several of the other students being more worthy of this privilege than him, such as Kendo, Hironaka and Kirishima. However, he didn't have time to waste on those thoughts; he was here to train, not sulk.
After changing into his Hero Costume, Whiptail made his way to the training courtyard, where Open Palm was waiting for him.
"I'm ready," Ojiro stated.
"No, you're not," Open Palm refused and walked up to Ojiro. "I can sense conflict in you, Whiptail. Is everything alright?"
The Martial Arts Hero was hesitant to answer that question but knew he couldn't lie to Open Palm. What could he say? That he felt inadequate? That he felt someone else deserved to be training with Open Palm?
"I...I just feel unworthy," Ojiro answered reluctantly.
"Unworthy...of what?" Open Palm asked with curiosity and empathy.
"Unworthy of so much," Ojiro elaborated. "Growing up, I always struggled to stand out because I was a mutant, because my Quirk was just a tail. I trained in martial arts to compensate, but...I keep feeling as though I can't keep up with my other classmates, especially people like Raionhato and Bakugo."
This was a mindset Open Palm was all too familiar with: the public belief that a person should be judged by the flashiness and power of their Quirk rather than how they use it. Ojiro suffered prejudice twofold, both for being a mutant and having an unflashy Quirk. The martial arts legend despised it, robbing countless people of their ability and desire to grow.
"I understand a bit how you feel," Open Palm spoke empathetically. "This world tells people that those best suited to be heroes have the flashiest Quirks. But that's a load of nonsense." He then tapped his foot several times.
"All I can do is sense vibrations in the ground, yet I went on to become Japan's greatest martial artist. I was able to go toe-to-toe with All Might in his prime. I wouldn't be where I am today if I listened to the doubters, if I let the world dictate my worth as a person or a hero. Too many people let the world dictate their worth; don't fall into that trap."
Perhaps Ojiro had been in danger of falling into that trap of allowing the world to dictate his worth as a hero-in-training. While the Karate Hero's words gave comfort and strength to Whiptail, it couldn't erase the doubt in his mind, the doubt that had been planted in him by those who claimed he had no chance of becoming a hero.
"Addressing your self-doubt won't go away in an instant," Open Palm continued. "It's a healing process. Now, are we going to train or are you going to keep sulking?" Whiptail took a deep breath, clearing his mind before preparing himself for training with the legendary Karate Hero.
"But before we start..." Open Palm guided Ojiro over to a nearby table, where a weighted vest, pair of gloves and boots were laid out. "Put these on." As instructed, Ojiro added the weighted clothing, swapping out his regular boots for the weighted ones.
"Now we can begin," Open Palm responded with a smile.
Takeo presented his ticket to the train attendant after getting on the express to the Okayama Prefecture. He sat down at a window seat, looking at the numerous people walking through the station and some getting onto the same train as he was.
Numerous thoughts ran through his head as he waited for the train to take off for Tsuyama within the Okayama Prefecture. What questions would he ask Aquarius? What would he do when he saw him after so many years? Why did he never contact him and his mother after what happened to Paladin? So many questions ran through Takeo's head, questions he hoped Aquarius would answer.
As he waited, Takeo couldn't help but feel terrible for being unable to get Kiyama an internship with his mother. He could see how much Nagami admired Lioness, how much strength and courage her actions had given to the Snake Hero-in-training. He knew that if his mother were able to, she would've given the internship to Nagami, but her duties currently prevented her from doing so.
Sadder even more, Takeo did not find Guardian's name among the internship offers he was given. Perhaps the Barrier Hero would've given an offer had Takeo not ruined his match against Bakugo during the Sports Festival. That loss would be remembered forever, though the Inventory user hoped that next year, he could display his resolve to learn from his poor choices.
However, Takeo didn't realize that several seats behind him sat none other than Katsuki Bakugo, who was also going to Okayama Prefecture. He had chosen the #4 Hero, the Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist. He was the highest-ranking hero who offered him an internship after the Sports Festival and the Explosion user had no desire to waste his time with any hero he believed wasn't worth it.
"Train leaving for Okayama Prefecture will depart in five minutes," the overhead speaker informed.
After five minutes, the train for Okayama departed with both Raionhato and Bakugo remaining unaware of the other's presence. Raionhato took to listening to music, writing in his notebook or looking out to the window while Bakugo looked up what he could about Best Jeanist and how his agency operated.
The Explosion user was surprised when one of the Top Five Heroes extended him an internship after the Sports Festival. No matter how he looked at it, no matter his own personal morals, in the eyes of the world, Bakugo had lost to a Quirkless twice and had been constantly reminded of it. Every time it came to mind, his heart stung fiercely at the feeling of his pride being shattered to such an extent he never thought was possible.
His desire remained the same from when he entered U.A.: to prove himself the best and one day surpass All Might as the #1 Hero. But before he could surpass All Might, he had to surpass all of his classmates, especially Deku and IcyHot; sadly, that goal seemed further and further out of reach as time went on, especially after his humiliating loss at the hands of Furaya.
"If you weren't ready to face that kind of humiliation, maybe you shouldn't have done what you did at the start."
Eraser Head stated that to Bakugo after they returned to classes. The Explosion user knew what he was doing when he made that bold claim at the start of the Festival. He knew that if he lost, he'd be considered a joke, purposefully pushing himself into a corner where victory was a must. He was confident he could win the Festival and prove himself superior to all his classmates, but now, the memories of the Sports Festival left a bitter taste in his mouth.
As bitter as it was, Bakugo couldn't undo what he did nor would his pride allow it. It continued to serve as a reality check for the Explosion user that he wasn't the undefeatable, invincible fighter he grew up believing himself to be. It reminded him that he was nowhere near ready to surpass the Symbol of Peace.
"The big difference between heroes and villains isn't as simple as simply being strong and winning. Sometimes, heroes win, but other times, villains have won. I would know; I was a Pro Hero for years. If strength is all that matters, there's ultimately no difference between heroes and villains."
Open Palm's words challenged what Bakugo always believed to be the embodiment of a true hero. He firmly believed that a true hero was the strongest, seeking and achieving victory no matter the difficulty nor the cost. Strength was what made All Might the greatest hero ever, never losing a fight in his career, which Bakugo witnessed when the Symbol of Peace defeated the Nomu at the USJ. But if strength and winning wasn't the true answer to being the greatest hero, what was?
"While strength is needed to be a Pro Hero, it alone doesn't make one. What makes All Might the greatest isn't just his strength, but how he chooses to use it. He uses that power to protect people, to give them hope and fight against villains rather than just anyone for the sake of it. Would you still admire All Might if he were a villain?"
Bakugo found himself reflecting on that time and time again when he was alone. All Might did use his power to protect people, to serve as a beacon of hope and justice and encouraged others to do what was right. What had Bakugo used his power for? Fighting, strength, skills, intelligence...he had used his power to better himself so he could one day become the #1 Hero. But why should it matter if he used it for himself? It's not as if he used it to rob banks, mug people or even commit murder, despite his love for the word.
But then again, his classmates would probably all say the same, especially Raionhato and Four Eyes. He failed to understand why he was disliked by the class excluding Crap Hair. He was strong, intelligent, a force to be reckoned with and one of the class's best fighters, something Bird Boy stated himself when he grouped him with Raionhato and IcyHot as Class 1-A's strongest fighters. So what was he doing wrong that caused his classmates to disdain him?
"Deku," Bakugo quietly snarled, clenching his fist tightly at the thought of his former childhood friend. "This is all his fault. He made a fool out of me for so long, laughing behind my back..."
He remained convinced that Deku had been lying to him this whole time about the Quirk he had, that he had kept it hidden to make the Explosion user look like a complete idiot. From where Bakugo stood, Deku deserved every bit of bullying he ever did to him, from mere insults to outright physical violence and he felt the last two months had given him justification even if he could no longer demean the others.
Ever since that day when Bakugo fell in the river as a child, the Explosion user's pride led him to believe that Deku looked down on him. Now Deku continued to display said condescension by turning Class 1-A against him.
"Get your temper under control!"
"Quit being such an ass!"
"You don't get to demand respect from us and give none in return!"
"Why bother being a hero when you're already a much better villain!?"
"It's all Deku's fault," Bakugo quietly snarled. "He's the one always making an ass out of me. He's the one always looking down on me."
"Midoriya is not responsible for your behavior, Bakugo. You're just looking for someone to blame because you don't want to take responsibility for your actions. That's the truth; you're just too selfish to admit it."
Bakugo remembered those words from Four Eyes after he had beaten Uraraka during the Sports Festival. The so-called 'Class Rep' didn't know what he was talking about; everything Deku did was to make the Explosion user angry and look unappealing to Class 1-A.
If Bakugo was unpopular and disliked by his class, then it was all because of Deku. If Bakugo had a bad temper that everyone constantly criticized him for, then it was all because of Deku. If Bakugo was viewed as unpleasant, arrogant, and patronizing, then it was all because of Deku. If Deku had never been in Class 1-A in the first place, or even U.A. for that matter, then Bakugo wouldn't be so disliked by everyone.
"I know that if you base everything around your ego, you'll be despised by everyone, and you'd never be #1!"
But was that truly reality or was Bakugo simply looking for someone to blame for his misfortunes as Four Eyes pointed out? After the Combat Training incident, Bakugo wanted to blame it entirely on Deku, believing that his cowardice and choice not to use his Quirk pushed him to unleash a monstrous explosion that could've gotten himself and others killed. But if he had done that, if he had blamed it entirely on Deku, it could've resulted in his expulsion from U.A.
Eraser Head and Four Eyes made it clear that Bakugo could not go through his time at U.A. blaming others, especially Midoriya, for his choices. But could his pride allow it? Could his pride and ego allow him to own up to his choices and admit he was wrong?
Even though he knew his using one of his gauntlets during the Combat Training was a stupid mistake, Bakugo believed that Deku was the one who deserved to be blamed for the incident. Even though he accepted his loss at the Sports Festival when he lost to Furaya, Bakugo didn't accept that he brought the humiliation upon himself with his condescending statement at the opening.
"So what if I'm not perfect?" Bakugo quietly growled. "I may not be the greatest, but I'm still one of the best students in Class 1-A. Deku, Furaya, Raionhato...if it weren't for them..."
As for Raionhato, his thoughts kept going back to Aquarius and his defeat at the Sports Festival. In truth, Takeo was surprised to receive as many internships as he did after he had let his anger get the better of him and fail miserably against Bakugo in the Sports Festival. But it was damaging enough that Guardian did not extend him an internship as he hoped. His mishandling of his fight against Bakugo was a scar that would last for a long time.
But despite the rematch, the Inventory user's hatred for Bakugo had not subsided. Bakugo wasn't blameless in the matter; he had unnecessarily called Uncle Nobu a 'trashy extra' with no regard for his trauma and pain. If things had been different for Nobu, he'd probably still be the #2 Hero. He'd still be the strong and humble hero Takeo always admired besides his father and mother. Uncle Nobu wasn't a 'trashy extra', he was a man suffering from the loss of his family and his lack of faith in the Hero System.
Instead of recognizing that, Bakugo insisted Raionhato was merely being a coward, taking no accountability for his actions and passing all the blame onto the son of Lioness. It angered Takeo greatly that Bakugo continued to act the way he did, although his ego and pride had been severely damaged by his loss at Furaya's hands. Though the Explosion user's arrogance had been knocked down a peg, he remained as unpleasant as ever in Lion Knight's eyes.
But for now, he needed to turn his mind to more immediate matters. From what he had looked up, Aquarius's agency specialized in detective work, handling murder cases rather than openly combating villains like All Might and Guardian. Despite Aquarius's numerous solved cases, his agency remained rather small and unnoticed by the public, though Takeo guessed he'd prefer it that way.
Whatever the reason, Takeo hadn't seen Aquarius since the day of his father's last mission...
"Where are you heading, Daddy?" a nine year-old Takeo asked his father, who was clad in his Pro Hero armor. Aquarius sat on the couch beside a mutant with a boar-like appearance, both close friends of Paladin.
"Sen'in! Yas!" Takeo called out to them as he ran up and hugged them both.
"Hey, little guy," Yasei Aianhaido greeted as he hugged Takeo gently. Like Aquarius and Paladin, Yasei was a Pro Hero; the Iron Tusk Hero: Inoshishi. One of Paladin's closest friends from his days at U.A., the Iron Tusk Hero had joined Paladin and Lioness's agency as a sidekick.
"We'll be leaving the city for about two weeks," Paladin informed his son. "There's some criminal activity going on in the countryside and we've been assigned to take care of it."
"What criminal activity?" Takeo asked his father. "Is it...is it T-Wrecks again?"
"No, he's in Tartarus," Sen'in assured. "This is something else, something much tamer."
Paladin explained to his son about his mission: a group of villains had been exporting 'harmful stuff' to places in Japan and they needed to be stopped. The trio had been tasked with finding the villains and stopping their plans.
"Be careful, Daddy," Takeo pleaded to his father.
"I will," Paladin assured.
It wasn't until years later that Takeo realized that the 'harmful stuff' was Trigger, a drug created to amplify someone's Quirk that could kill someone if used too much. It was initially a legal item to sell, but the constant drawbacks and life-threatening effects became too grave a risk for people to keep using, thus leading many countries in the world to ban it usage. Presently, it was an item that criminals and villains sold on the black market, either to each other or those desperate to enhance their Quirks.
After Paladin, Aquarius and Inoshishi left for their mission, Takeo waited for three weeks for his father to return home. As usual, Takeo envisioned his father fighting the evil villains, doing what he judged to be right, stopping criminals from preying on the innocent. But when his father returned home, something had changed in him.
"Daddy, let's go train!" Takeo suggested to his father, who was on the couch looking at an online article.
"Not today," Takeshi turned down bluntly.
Takeo didn't understand what was going on with his dad. Ever since he had returned from that mission he departed for over a month ago, he had behaved differently. Was he still grieving the death of Uncle Yas, who had lost his life during that mission? Was he angry that he viewed his mission as a 'failure'?
Now Paladin left most of the hero work to his wife and their sidekicks, focusing on the HPSC and a Pro Hero named Stargazer, the current #8 Pro Hero who had accompanied Paladin on the mission. Neither he nor Aquarius would speak of what happened nor what caused Inoshishi's death, but whatever happened, it was weighing heavily on Takeo's father.
"Daddy?" Takeo addressed once more.
"I'm busy," Takeshi brushed off before his phone went off, indicating a call.
"Daddy, we always train-"
"I said not today!" Takeshi sternly responded before walking away and answering his phone call.
For the whole month after Aquarius and Paladin had returned from their mission, Paladin would constantly go to the HPSC for work, coming home angrier and more frustrated with each visit. He wouldn't open up to either Takeo or Lioness, getting them as frustrated as he was and causing tension with Takeo's mother.
One night, Takeo saw his father preparing to leave. When Takeo looked at him, all Paladin could do was look at his son with a mix of anger, sadness and bitterness before walking out the door...and never returning.
Takeo had lost his father...all because of Fukushu.
"What do you mean you will do nothing!?" Aquarius barked at the HPSC Chairman alongside Paladin. "Stargazer killed Inoshishi! He and his sidekicks killed and assaulted innocent people! You cannot just sweep this under the rug; there were dozens of witnesses!"
"Stargazer is the #8 Hero," the Chairman reminded the two Pro Heroes. "Him being arrested and branded a criminal could wreck the trust between Pro Heroes and the public. We must maintain trust at any cost."
"Even if that trust is built on lies?" Paladin questioned. "Inoshishi and other innocent people are dead because of Stargazer and his sidekicks! You would turn a blind eye to his crimes to maintain some façade of peace!? Where is the justice in that!?" The Chairman shook his head annoyingly.
"You and your outdated morals are such a bother, Paladin. Things aren't black-and-white; we need to assess which battles are worth fighting and which shouldn't be bothered with at all. What would it tell the public if we exposed what Stargazer and his sidekicks did out in the countryside?"
"It'd show that we take responsibility and hold our Pro Heroes accountable," Paladin answered. "It'd show that we still value justice and won't ignore anyone's crimes."
"Wrong," the Chairman rebuked. "If the #8 Hero was exposed as a criminal and a murderer, public trust would disintegrate, and the integrity of all Pro Heroes would be called into question. Our Pro Hero System can only work if trust is maintained between heroes and the people. We cannot compromise everything for the sake of a few insignificant farmers."
"A few-!?" Paladin almost roared. "Those are innocent people we're sworn to protect! You have no right to disregard their lives so Stargazer doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions."
"He's right," Aquarius agreed. "We cannot silence everyone who witnessed what Stargazer and his sidekicks did. If word of this gets out, there's no telling what could happen. Mr. Chairman, we must do something about this."
The Chairman sat for several moments, his mind deep in thought about what Aquarius and Paladin had revealed during their mission. Stargazer and his sidekicks had abused their authority, taking advantage of the local townspeople, assaulting them and Stargazer even outright killing Inoshishi when he stopped two of his sidekicks from forcing themselves onto a woman.
Paladin was outraged that the Chairman even considered the idea of keeping these terrible actions from the light of day. Stargazer had abused his power and victimized innocent people; he needed to be brought to justice for his crimes. To turn a blind eye to what happened would be nothing more than utter hypocrisy and corruption. Even if Aquarius and Paladin didn't reveal the truth, the dozens of people who witnessed Stargazer's corrupt actions would.
"You're right, I apologize," the Chairman answered. "But we must proceed cautiously. Stargazer will face what he's done."
As Aquarius waited for Takeo to arrive at his agency, the memories of the past kept flooding into his mind. Stargazer and his sidekicks had joined in their mission over six years ago to stop villains from trafficking Trigger throughout the Japanese countryside. At first, the three Pro Heroes looked forward to working with the #8 Hero at the time, but after they arrived, their excitement turned to ash in their mouths.
Stargazer and his sidekicks wasted no time in taking advantage of the townspeople where they were staying. Stealing from the town, assaulting the townspeople for badmouthing them, disregarding the law because they were Pro Heroes...Stargazer showed his true colors as he encouraged said behavior.
When it turned out their information was a bust, they prepared to go back to the city. But as Inoshishi was packing, he witnessed two of Stargazer's sidekicks try to force themselves onto an innocent woman. Unwilling to tolerate their cruelty any longer, Inoshishi fought them off...and in response, Stargazer used his Quirk to kill the Iron Tusk Hero.
Despite the HPSC Chairman's assurance, Aquarius and Paladin held reservations about his sincerity. This prompted the Water Body Hero to start gathering evidence against Stargazer in case the Chairman did not keep his promise...but then, he died under mysterious circumstances. Sadly, it turned out he was never building a case against Stargazer, evident by when his successor refused to pursue it after his death.
Then came the loss of Paladin and the slaughter of Stargazer's agency at the hands of Fukushu. Aquarius thought quietly of how he'd tell Takeo the news of the mission that robbed him of his father, something he held immense guilt for.
"If I had gathered the evidence sooner...if I had made sure..."
"Aquarius," his Top Sidekick, Invulnerastone, addressed.
"Yes?" the Water Body Hero asked.
"Raionhato's train will be arriving in less than three hours," he informed. "Are you ready to receive him?"
"Yes...I'll be ready," Aquarius answered. "Send Skyburst to meet him at the train station. I have a phone call with the local police chief in an hour."
"Yes, sir," Invulnerastone answered while the Water Body Hero went to his office to wait for his expected phone call.
"Hrah! Hyah! Hah!"
Furaya let out a grunt or shout with every katana strike he unleashed in his usual iaijitsu fighting style in his Uncle Genkei's backyard. His uncle watched from the back porch as his nephew continued training with Falcon's Talon, each sword strike flawless, precise and accurate. Their years of training together had truly paid off, evident by Hayata now being allowed into the Hero Course.
"You're doing good, kid," Genkei complimented. "So, Nezu said he'd arrange some tests for you, right?"
"It's mandatory," Hayata informed. "He has to come up with completely new ones for me since I don't possess a Quirk."
"Well, as long as you get in," Genkei responded as he wheeled down to the grass and up to his nephew.
"Our years of training together are paying off, Hayata. You're the first ever Quirkless to win the Sports Festival, to tell the world that one can be a hero with or without a Quirk. In time, we'll prove every one of those doubters wrong. Everyone who doubted you, who doubted us will come to rue how they treated us!"
Hayata looked forward to that day. He looked forward to when the world realized its error in judgment and accepted that anyone can be a hero, with or without a Quirk. He had already taken the first steps to address said discrimination by winning the Sports Festival and securing a place in the Hero Course. Defeating Iida, Kirishima, Todoroki and Bakugo had laid out the foundation for his road to become a Pro Hero.
But sadly, Hayata's victory remained soured by his mother's refusal to support his dream. He had hoped that him winning the Sports Festival would finally convince his mother that he could be a Pro Hero, but she remained adamant about her stance against it.
"You okay, kid?" Genkei asked.
"I just wish Mother would support me as well," Hayata answered, causing Genkei to shake his head.
"She's never going to, Hayata. She's convinced that you're just another tragedy waiting to happen if you keep training. She wants you to stick your head in the sand and let people walk all over you as they have your whole life. Do you remember those bullies back in Junior High?"
"How could I forget?" Hayata replied.
A quartet of bullies who targeted Hayata and Mei, the former because of his Quirklessness and the latter because of her 'insanity'. They did whatever they could to make the friends' lives hell, ranging from mere insults to even threats of physical violence. The bullies would often wait for Mei and Hayata after school to harass them even further without the teachers to interfere.
It all reached a climax one day. The bullies found out that Hayata had been training to become a Pro Hero, one of them having seen him training with Genkei in the park. They lied in wait after school as usual, but Hayata saw them and guided Mei down another way to avoid them. But sadly, they didn't lose them...
"What do you want?" Hayata questioned as he stood in front of Mei Hatsume to defend her.
"So, you're training to become a Pro Hero, right!?" the lead bully taunted, gesturing to Falcon's Talon. "Wow, what a delusional idiot!" He and the other bullies laughed mockingly, though Hayata was undeterred.
"Yes, I'm training to become a Pro Hero," Hayata confirmed. "To put an end to Quirkless discrimination."
"Who cares about some shitty Quirkless people?" the bully questioned. "You can't be a hero, Quirkless, and you need to learn your place." The bullies then spread out, four of them in total as they tried to corner the Quirkless swordsman.
"Four against one!?" Mei called out. "You cowards!"
"Get him!" the lead bully barked. The first two attacked, though Hayata quickly dodged their attacks and struck both of them with great speed with Falcon's Talon in its sheath. The two bullies quickly stumbled to recover from Hayata's attack, making them angrier and more determined to take the Quirkless down.
The lead bully attacked, using his Quirk to protrude razor sharp rocks from his hands. He attacked savagely at Hayata, throwing sharpened punch after sharpened punch at the swordsman who dodged them with ease . When Hayata found an opening, he struck the lead bully with his sheathed blade and knocking him onto his knees.
"This Quirkless has got spirit," one of the bullies remarked.
"We're NOT losing to a damn Quirkless!" the lead bully barked. "Get him!"
All at once, the four bullies attacked Hayata once more. To their shock, none of them could land a hit on him as he dodged and blocked their attacks with ease. He moved much faster and hit much harder than any of them suspected he would, leaving them completely taken by surprise at his combat prowess. One by one, each of the bullies were taken down, but sadly...
"Hayata!" Mei cried out, one of the bullies having slipped away and restrained Mei with his arms. She struggled to break free, but the bully was too strong for her.
"Throw the sword down!" the bully threatened. "Do it! Or I'll beat the hell out of her!" Without a second thought, Hayata stood down and allowed his blade to fall onto the ground. Before he could demand Mei being released, his arms were restrained by two of the bullies while the lead bully walked up to Hayata.
"Piece of shit!" the lead bully barked angrily as he punched Hayata in the face. The two bullies holding Hayata's arms pinned him against the wall while the fourth held Mei away, who was struggling to break free and help her friend.
"Leave him alone!" Mei cried out as the lead bully beat up her best friend.
"Shut the hell up, bitch!" he shouted. "You Quirkless scum don't deserve to be a Pro Hero! You think you can stand with us, be better than us!? Who the hell do you think you are? You're just trash!"
Hayata braved every blow that the bullies dealt him, beating him until his face was bloodied and bruised, but nothing would stop the ruthless assault. All the while, Hayata didn't cry, didn't yelp out in pain, didn't beg them to stop; he would not give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they were hurting him.
"Sheesh, not even a peep?" the lead bully sadistically chuckled before raising his foot backward and kicking Hayata between his legs. This time, he earned a small grunt of pain from the Quirkless boy.
"Hayata!" Mei cried out before finally managing to break free and push the lead bully away. "Leave him alone!"
"You bitch!" the bully snarled before backhanding her. "Hold her down!" The bully then felt a blunt pain on the back of his head. Before the other bullies knew it, they were knocked unconscious.
"Hayata!" Jin cried out as he helped his son and Mei.
Jin and his police partner had arrived in time to knock the bullies unconscious and give Hayata first-aid for his injuries. When they woke up, the bullies tried to feign innocence, but Jin would have none of it and informed the school administration of what they had done. They found footage of the bullies pursuing Hayata and Mei before the fight broke out, the fight they instigated before proceeding to viciously attack Hayata. Sadly, as they were under the age of 14, Japanese law prevented them from suffering criminal punishment, so they instead suffered expulsion.
But during that, Jin saw Falcon's Talon, a katana weapon he had never seen before...and learned from the bullies that they witnessed Hayata training with a 'man in a wheelchair'.
"Mother and Father weren't happy when they found out I had been training with you behind their backs," Hayata brought up.
"Yeah, well, your mother wouldn't have agreed," Genkei insisted. "Your dad might've, but your mom? Not a chance."
"I understand her concern, Uncle Genkei, but she needs to understand that I'm not a helpless child anymore," Hayata replied. "Though...don't you believe you're being too hard on her?"
"No," Genkei rebuked. "She doesn't understand us. She wants us to just let people walk over us like doormats instead of doing what's right and what's right is standing up for the Quirkless. What's right is telling the world we've had enough mistreatment."
The second half of what Genkei said was something Hayata agreed with wholeheartedly. The Quirkless were subjected to discrimination every day simply because 'evolution passed them over'; they were people too just as much as those with Quirks and they deserved basic human respect. However, some people remained narrow-mindedly stubborn about viewing the Quirkless as second-rate citizens, that the world would be better off without them. Someone had to stand up and say enough was enough. Someone had to tell the world that Quirkless were people too and they didn't deserve to be mistreated.
But on the other hand, Hayata didn't believe his mother deserved such disregard from Genkei. Despite her stance against him becoming a Pro Hero, he bore no hatred towards his mother. He did not wish to spite her, but to convince her to support his dream of becoming a Pro Hero to start an end to Quirkless discrimination.
Sadly, she couldn't let go of what happened to Genkei many years ago. The image of her brother's broken body on the verge of death was burned into her mind and she couldn't bear it if Hayata shared that fate, which he could've had his father not stopped the bullies in time almost three years ago.
"I don't want to demonize her, Uncle Genkei," Hayata stated. "I want her by my side."
"Hayata...if she's not going to be by my side, she won't be by yours," Genkei responded. "Now let's head inside and get some lunch; you can't spend every moment training without taking time to rest." Genkei wheeled up the porch and inside his house to get lunch ready for him and his nephew. All Hayata could do was stand there and sigh quietly.
"Uncle Genkei...I will always be grateful to you for training me. It's because of you that I am the swordsman I am today. But my mother is not the coward you paint her to be."
"WHAT!?" Aquarius gasped over the phone. "Fukushu is here!? In Tsuyama!? Are you certain!?"
"Without a doubt," the police chief informed. "The mangled and mutilated bodies we found match his modus operandi. Brutalized, their crimes written in blood on the wall...this has Fukushu and Shinogama written all over it."
The Blade of Terror and his apprentice, Shinogama. Once again, their dark presence was made known and once again, they had escaped everyone's efforts to capture them. For years, they had terrorized Japan's criminals and villains, showing no mercy or compassion to anyone unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Even the Hero Killer: Stain didn't meet his levels of brutality.
"We'll need your agency's help to capture him," the chief continued. "You're one of Okayama's best detectives and we'll need all available Pro Heroes on standby."
Aquarius was rather hesitant to accept, though not because he feared Fukushu, but because Takeo would be at his agency for the internship. The Water Body Hero needed to tell his friend's son the truth that led to the downfall of his father, Paladin, and the death of Uncle Yasei; that's why he had extended the internship in the first place.
From what Principal Nezu had stated and from what Aquarius witnessed in the Sports Festival, the young Raionhato had immense anger hidden in him and the majority of it came from the situation surrounding his father. Sooner or later, Takeo would have to know the whole truth and only Aquarius could give the Inventory user what he needed most. But was it wise to help the police pursue Fukushu while having Takeo around?
But then again, perhaps helping Takeo capture Fukushu would help resolve the anger he had. Having a hand in putting away the vigilante who took Paladin away from him could be beneficial to the young man and Aquarius, along with several others, would be there in case his anger needed to be put in check.
"What do you need?" Aquarius replied to the chief.
"I'll have an officer drop off a folder for you so you can look over the evidence," the chief informed. "We need to catch this son of a bitch."
"And you will have my help," Aquarius assured. "Will Best Jeanist be joining us?"
"No, he unfortunately has other business to attend to," the chief answered. "However, the Lion Hero: Shishido will be joining us. He's been pursuing Fukushu for years."
"Shishido? You mean Babari Raionhato?"
"That's him. I must go now; I need to reach out to any Pros I can to help with this." The police chief then hung up and Aquarius put his phone down.
Fukushu, the result of what happened with Stargazer's corruption and the HPSC's refusal to hold him accountable. Had the HPSC pursued punishing Stargazer and his agency for their crimes instead of turning a blind eye due to his status in the Top Ten Heroes, the Blade of Terror would never have been born. Had Aquarius been quicker in gathering evidence to prove Stargazer's crimes, his friend would still be around.
"...I helped cause this," Aquarius thought to himself. "I must make amends however I can."