Author's Note: Yes, I'm continuing MHA from various points of view! I'm into Season 5-6, chapters 242-298 (Plus World Heroes Mission and Light Novel Volume 5) for this year, and I hope you all continue enjoying hearing this story from supporting characters. Sad the series ended, and plan to continue the plot in my own way once I catch up. In my mind it will go on and in any ways I want, as long as I keep doing this. Faithful fans unite!
Volume 6 Chapter 1: Reverberations
The place was a total packed house, and from offstage I watched dad drumming and mom on guitar, belting out the lead vocals to their latest song. The New Year's performance was a personal side gig, which I could see since I'd been given permission to go home.
The pouring beat rattled my guts, the guitar wailing like a diva. My body seemed to take in the rhythm like an instinct, like breathing, from growing up with music from childhood. Everyone was crying along with that musical sound.
I remembered suddenly that I hadn't come here alone.
"Not too loud for your I hope, Ectoplasm Sensei?"
"Not at all. As a first timer, I find it refreshing and intriguing."
"Want to join me over here, then? Your view can't be great from back there."
"May I really? IF you insist."
He moved closer, and kept trying to find the rhythm - off beat. I grinned.
"The patrons appear to be enjoying the show. But perhaps this warranted a larger venue?" He observed.
"Well, this little club has some sentimental value since it's where my parents met. So they play here every New Year's."
"I see. How inconsiderate of me to make such a suggestion in that case."
I smiled and shook my head to say 'Don't sweat it' before turning back and letting the music take over. Pulsing rhythm and melody, everything I wanted. It came as naturally as breathing - just as vital. Even more whenever I just let go, let myself meld.
A moment later they were amping up the crowd and prepping them to start the countdown to midnight.
Crud. What am I gonna do for my kakizobe homework?
Sensei had given us an assignment over the break, traditional calligraphy to bring in New Year's. The assignment was to express an aspiration for the coming year. I was prepared to tackle it all with the same spirit as always, but it was still tricky.
"Happy New Year, everyone! Let's rock this year!"
I winced while grinning at Dad's crazy shouting. My parents turned to me and winked while still on stage. I wasn't sure what to say, but dad suddenly made it all clear.
"And now, you lucky folks get to hear from a first time guest performer, our daughter Kyoka!"
"Huh?"
I froze in place, staring at my parents beckoning at me. They hadn't mentioned me being part of the show - I shook my head.
"Our daughter can be a little shy! Hang on, folks!" Said Dad. They walked offstage to me.
"How about a little warning?" I hissed.
"Please, Kyoka? Said Mom. "You sang at the school festival, didn't you?"
"Uh, yeah! And I sent you the recording!"
"Which was great! But of course we wanna hear you live too!"
I couldn't let them down - And I'd wished they could've seen the festival too.
"Fine. Same song, though," I told them, finding the resolve. They gave me a big hug and we all walked out on stage together. I introduced myself quickly and awkwardly. The folks started up the accompaniment and I started to sing it again. Hero Too.
"What am I to be? What is my calling?
Gave up giving up, I'm ready to go…"
I'm proud of them - all the support they've given me, over the years…
"Future's left unseen, it all depends on me/
Living all my life to follow my dreams/
Tried all my life…"
As I finished, the crowd went nuts, cheering and applauding. I felt pretty embarrassed about it all, but I could just barely smile at my folks, smiling right back at me.
That's what I should right. Hibiki/Kyo. Sound, reverberate, resonate. Cuz my heart's gonna rock out so hard that those good vibrations bust down every obstacle this year throws at me. Even if Kaminari and Mineta will totally poke fun at me for using part of my own name. Oh well. If they dare they'll get a firsthand taste of my heartbeat in their ears.
The audience was shouting - an encore?
I glanced around and realized everyone was staring at me.
"Really? O-okay, one more song, I guess."
It was the New Year now.
It was pretty damn cold and rainy when I got off the train for my Work Study at the Gang Orca Agency. January in Tokyo. Multiple layers of coat on over my school uniform weren't much good; I raced in through the agency doors and fought off a sneeze.
"Welcome back, Earphone Jack," said Gang Orca, standing in the center of the headquarters.
Gang Orca's office wasn't one of the biggest ones in the country, but it was nice and efficient. The Sidekicks were all standing at attention, in those whacky outfits they always wore. Shoji was already there, waiting patiently like a perfect student, but he wasn't the only one who looked like a student intern.
"Hello-hello-hello!" Chirped a girl who looked about twelve. She had braids and wore a pink fluffy costume, domino mask, knee boots, and a crown. "You're Earphone Jack! I've seen your picture ! You're also from Class 1A, just like Tentacole! Man, you guys are so cool."
"Who's she?" I asked Gang Orca as the little girl bounced up and down.
"Her hero name is Arataki," said Gang Orca, grumbling a little. "She's from Jimoto Hero Academy."
"?" I'd never heard of that one.
"Sure, sure, it's not a big name hero school like UA," said Arataki. "But it's my alma mater, and soon enough I'll be one of the big name heroes too!"
I can tell she's going to get on my nerves…
"Now that we've all been introduced," said Gang Orca, "It's time to go on patrol."
"Yay!"
"Mmph."
"Yes, sir."
As we headed to the changing rooms, my phone buzzed. It was Kaminari.
How's the work study going?
Just got here. You?
So exciting. Mt. Lady, Edgeshot and Kamui Woods? Such a lineup!
I felt a tinge of jealousy. Right, Kaminari was going with Sero and Shiozaki to the Lurkers, the new hero team. Not that Gang Orca wasn't cool and highly ranked too, but Kaminari was almost guaranteed to get good exposure and media attention from this - a good boost to his career.
And I'm still here learning new stealth techniques.
The phone buzzed again and I checked it.
Good luck Jirou!
I smiled. Well, he might be annoying, but he definitely was good at picking me up.
—
Me, Shoji and Arataki followed Gang Orca closely at first on patrol , but we fell behind before too long as Gang Orca kept jumping out in strange directions and leaving the sidekicks to keep an eye on us.
"Look-look-look!" Said Arataki as we trailed behind Orca's sidekicks. "That looked like trouble! Let's go stop it!"
"What's your quirk anyway?" I asked her before she could go chasing off in the wrong direction.
"Confusion. I make people get all discombobulated and unbalanced. Villains who fight me will go careening in all the wrong directions and get totally tripped up."
"You and Earphone Jack will be a good offense, then, if we have to do battle," said Shoji.
"Offense? I thought you were more of a stealth type."
"I can use my heartbeat to blast out disorienting blasts," I informed her. "Enough to blow the ground apart now."
"WOW! You Class 1A kids are full of tricks, aren't you?"
"We have to be, if we want to be top heroes."
"Do you wanna be a top hero, Earphone Jack?" she asked me.
"You sure ask a lot of questions."
"Oh, sorry! I just like to get to know things about people," she laughed. Then she looked at me quizzically. "But you - and you too Tentacole - I'm always curious, why do you want to be heroes?"
"Because good must be done,"said Shoji simply, using his duple-ears to listen to his surroundings.
"Ooh, so cool! I wanna help people too, it's so great! What about you, Earphone Jack?"
I hadn't been asked that for a long time. Why did I want to be a hero in the first place?
"I - er- "
Before I could finish, I noticed that the sidekicks had gotten ahead of us. We were alone on the street.
"Where's Gang Orca?"
"You're avoiding the q-" she stated, but suddenly a figure slammed into her side and threw her into the next building wall. She would've hit it head on if Shoji hadn't thrown up a flesh shield between her head and the brick. I raised my headphones and stood, facing off with the new villain.
She had a long, elongated head, with eyes on each end, and the jaw of a shark. A hammerhead shark head, sticking out of an athletic, tall lean body in a business suit.
"Orca's new blood," she hissed. "Killing you will be sure to get his attention!"
"You got a beef with the big fish?" I asked, unconsciously talking like Orca's sidekicks.
"My old arch-enemy," she spat. "My aides have distracted his pathetic sidekicks, and they'll keep him busy long enough for me to serve you guppies as appetizers for the big man. A nice little message from an old sworn enemy."
"I don't think so," said Shoji, throwing several giant duplicated arm punches straight at her head. They all seemed to glance off of her elongated skull.
"I'm immune to such physical attacks, you foolish boy," she spat, throwing a return punch at Shoji's stomach. "Why do you think Gang Orca himself has never been able to catch me?'
She was raising a sharp talon to attack Shoji, and I plugged my Earphone Jacks in, preparing to hit her. She turned and moved so fast - so suddenly - she had seized my arms, and was pulling them away so I couldn't use my quirk. Ready to tear me apart.
But suddenly, she pulled back, and began swaying, her head zig-zagging back and forth.
"What - where - what is this?"
I realized - of course - Arataki was back up, and had used her quirk. She was looking dazed herself, but her eyes were focused.
"Enough, Hammerhead!" Cried Gang Orca's voice, and he came slamming down at her. Multiple sidekicks were there - surrounding us were what looked like Hammerhead's gang, dueling with and chasing Gang Orca's team.
"Going after children? You have truly sunk to new depths."
"Ready to tangle again?" She hissed, and leaped on Hammerhead, fighting through the swaying confusion. She had locked fists with Gang Orca, who was expanding his knockout sound vibrations into her, hitting her with all he had. From what I could tell, they weren't penetrating. Which meant my Sound wouldn't hurt her either.
But what about?
I gave shoji a look, and he began to expand duplicate arms over Arataki and Gang Orca. I threw my headphone jacks into the ground, and blew apart a rivet in the floor beneath the nearby balanced construction pieces of the buildings. It tipped - broke - and fell on top of Hammerhead, just avoiding hitting Orca.
"Be careful with moves like that, Earphone Jack" Hammerhead told me as we were cleaning up. "That's damage to the city you didn't need to make!"
"Sorry."
"Nonetheless - good shot," he said, a bit grudgingly.
I smiled.
Hey, I might not be the flashiest. But I could get the job done.