Justice Across Space and Time: Year 2
Chapter 9
Now for Itsuka and those from 1 or rather 2-B to shine. I wanted go a different way with this one so I'll be using my original villains and different motivations for them to follow. Also it won't be as bombastic as the fight for Nabu Island. So on with the show.
(No POV)
"Hey! Could you give us a hand?" a scallop aqua farmer asked. And Jurota was happy to help in raising the nets up. With Tetsutetsu helping because, "it's some manly physical work. So lets get to it!" The farmers and Jurota rolled their eyes but smiled nonetheless.
Class 2-B were currently on their Hero Work Recommendation Project. They were up in the far north of Hokkaido. In a little town called Correya in the Soya subprefecture, where very little happened. They hadn't even really had a hero office originally. They never needed one due to how small the town and area were, plus they didn't have a large number of businesses around.
But with the rise of villains following the retirement of All Might, there had been some who were nervous about what might happen. So they requested aid from he HPSC and a building was renovated for a hero office a month before 2-B's arrival.
It was similar to what some had experienced during their times with their mentors on the internships. Though Itsuka wondered if they took some inspiration from Mirko after she rebuilt an old building to become a full-time office. Speaking of her, she was currently helping Pony with patrols.
Mostly because the transfer student's Japanese was still shaky at times. "I don't get how you still misuse words. Then again, Monoma might be most of that problem." Itsuka said after having to apologize again for Pony accidentally insulting someone. With the horned girl blushing and apologizing as well.
While she did feel like some of this work was either busy work or a waste of time, Itsuka did understand some of the reason for it. 'It is a good way to be closer to the people we protect. The problem is that most of my skills are better used in a fight. John never showed me if ki could be used in peaceful ways.' Itsuka mused before breaking up a small dispute.
Her fellow classmates were each taking care of minor issues that were popping up and helping the locals however they could. Be it Manga and Monoma using some quirks to fix or charge machinery. Kamakiri grumbled at having to help with cutting wood for some of the residents. With Komori, Nirengeki, and Kodai handling that or other deliveries. Mostly thanks to Kodai's quirk shrinking items to deliver.
Or Ibarra, Setsuna, and Reiko searching and helping those with lost or in trouble pets. "Another cat in a tree. This makes five today!" Setsuna said after detaching her arms to pick up said animal. And getting scratched for her help. "It's like they sense something below us and seek to move as far above as possible." Reiko prosed while picking up a dog that had gotten stuck in a gutter.
Ibarra sighed before saying, "I wish we did have something more to do. It feel like all that time I spent learning holy types of magic will be useless until we return." That's right. To balance out that class 1-A had two magic users (three in a technical sense with John), Ibarra and Tetsutetsu had taken to studying magic.
The green girl had taken not only to learning magics born of faith and angels, but she also learned the basics of nature and plant based magics to pair with her quirk. Meanwhile Tetsutetsu not only learned some holy magic to pair with his metal quirk (and better fight demons), but he also figured out the basics of transfiguration magics and fire/earth magic.
"So, how are you going to use that?" Jurota asked after they finished with the nets. And now they were helping where some trees had fallen on a road. Tetsu smiled before turning into iron. And then creating some magic circles in his hands. Which transformed them into axe blades.
He had his usual sharp toothed smile as he started chopping into the wood to make it easy to clear. And partially processed it for the farmers and others to use. "I'm not sure trying to explain it in a scientific way would make sense. But basically, the transformation magic Anwar-san showed me works by rearranging what makes up the thing I'm casting it on. But I have to have a clear idea when I do it."
He illustrates by casting a similar spell on a rock. "Like that. I tried to turn it into a tanuki statue and well…." The rock in question looks like a bunch of balls stacked on top of one another. There was a different issue as well. Something Sahiraah noted would be a bit more difficult to make up for.
(Flashback)
"Okay so… I'm not sure on the best way to explain this but… you two are different mages compared to me and Mina." Sahiraah said while training the three in magic. This gets all of them to stop what they were doing. The four of them were currently in the forest battleground to practice magic in multiple forms.
After explaining/showing how to do basic building of magic within the caster, and then forging it into spells to be fired, she decided to broach the unusual topic of mage status for the three students.
She pointed to herself and Mina and explained, "the two of us aren't really human the same way. Magic for us operates very differently. Thanks to our nature as mythic beings, we can use magic virtually on instinct. Though the effects are odd at times."
"And how do we differ in that regard?" Ibarra asked with some confusion. Sahiraah cleared her throat before saying the two were likely Awakened Mages that needed more 'help' as it were to power certain spells. "In our world there are Hereditary and Awakened Mages. Hereditary Mages are closer to a being like me. Given they've been around magic their whole lives."
She went on to say that Awakened Mages would have less to work with in terms of mana capacity compared to a Hereditary. And it was a completely different game when dealing with a mythic like herself or Mina. "Though we really have to give into/let go when it comes to that."
"What makes you so sure we don't have the potential to be Hereditary Mages?" Tetsutetsu asked after one lesson. Sahiraah initially had a retort, but as she thought about it more, she really didn't know. "We uh….. didn't look for anyone to really know magic. Then again after that attack that turned Mina into a demon, I guess we should have figured."
Tetsutetsu preened at the fact he stumped his magic tutor. And then used some earth magic to knock out a bragging Monoma who was cheering/jeering for his classmate and against the 1-A girls.
Ibarra hummed before saying, "if Tetsutetsu's insight is accurate, perhaps one of us might be able to do similar things to these Hereditary Mages you speak of. How will we know?" Sahiraah grimaced as she wasn't sure either. Only noting that one with that potential might be able to make sense of magics that few would understand.
(Flashback end)
"So what did she mean by that?" Jurota asked as they were walking back to the office. Tetsu shrugged and said, "no clue. Maybe it's like something that only a mage would know. Or it's something that has to do with old legends." Their musings were interrupted by a roar from a young man.
One who was running in an extreme mutated or transformed state. Looking like a massive tiger with blood red eyes. "We need to stop that guy!" Tetsu says before sprinting off after the heteromorph. Jurota was surprised but he shook his head and hurried after the iron mage.
The rampaging person crashed through a few trees until the heroes spotted some of their classmates to help. "Tsubarabara-san! Put up the strongest solid air wall you can! Bondo-san! Use your quirk to restrain that man!" Jurota calls out upon seeing the pair.
They had just been repairing a few walls and other damaged structures when the rampaging person came into view. "Oh crap! Clear Block!" Tsubarabara shouted before breathing deep and making the largest wall he could. When the tiger person impacted it, cracks had already started to form.
"My turn! Sticky Net!" Bondo calls out and makes a net of his glue-like substance to cover the heteromorph. "Good job! Now to really stop him! Have a Steel Fist!" Tetsu shouts before delivering said blow to the side of the tiger's head.
The tiger quirked person groaned as they passed out. "That was weird. Who is this guy?" Tsubarabara asked while Tetsutetsu tried to use a transform spell on some rocks to bind the rampager. "Damnit. C'mon. There we go!" he said after five tries.
His classmates gave him a funny look and he defended by saying the spell wasn't that easy. "Or…. It's easy when I'm doing it to myself. I have trouble transforming objects." Tetsu grumbles before helping the person up. Before escorting them to the local officers.
One of whom grumbled before saying, "that's the third case this week." Itsuka, who had offered to help with some training, raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean? This has happened a few other times?" she asked as the officers took the tiger quirked person to a cell.
"Yeah. Two others out in the mountains went on rampages earlier this week. It didn't get called in to you kids because they were pretty far outside of the town," the female chief said. She noted that super strength user and a telekinetic had caused some damage deeper into the woods and hills of the subprefecture.
Itsuka rubbed her chin before asking if they had a history of anger or anything like that. "Uh… no? To be honest they were a bunch of recluses. I think a few had failed multiple times with getting into hero schools or as villains and just came up here to forget or be forgotten."
"Then that means no one could confirm if they had something happen to them. Maybe they were drugged or something else….hm." Itsuka surmised before asking to speak with the tiger person.
The tiger man was named Utsumi Kenji and he was someone who had been living away from others due to a complex with his quirk. So Itsuka felt it would be smart to let him ease back into the world. "Oh… my head. Not feeling great," he groaned out before trying to struggle in the bindings. "Don't bother. You won't be getting out of that easily." Itsuka said before pulling up a chair by the cell.
The man looked at Itsuka funny before asking how he ended up in jail. The martial artist hummed before recounting what Tetsutetsu had told her about their encounter. "You don't remember? Huh. Were your eyes always red?" Itsuka questioned before bringing up her phone to show the tiger.
"What the? That's really weird. My eyes are normally blue," he said while shaking his head a bit. And then his eyes shot open in worry. "It's just like what happened to Miki and Sei!" His exclamation confirmed some of what Itsuka expected. Namely that these people at least knew each other and that they might be targeted.
She lets out a breath before asking "did you all happen to see, hear, or even smell anything while you were out there? Anyone new to the area you'd never seen before?" Kenji shook his head and noted there was no one new to the area. "Just the usual group of us. Just…. A bunch of people who didn't have a lot of other places to go."
Itsuka was sympathetic to what he said and noted that they'd look into the matter. "Huh? Why bother? Besides isn't this a police matter?" the chief asked as Itsuka walked out of the jail. "If I thought you could or would do something about this, I would leave it be. But I'm not so sure you care."
Her words cut deep and the officers weren't sure how to respond. Itsuka makes her way back to the office and surprises her classmates who were relaxing for the evening. "Perfect timing. Setsuna. Rin. I want you two to come with me. We'll get Tetsutetsu and check this out." The two teens in question were surprised as she grabbed them and pushed them towards their costume cases.
"Whoa! Wait! What's going on?" Rin asked as Itsuka kept pushing. "We're checking something out. Something that the police were missing or ignoring," she said before asking where Tetsutetsu was. "I'm in the kitchen helping cook. What's up?" he asked while bringing out a few dishes.
The president of 2-B groaned before telling him to suit up again. "And we can take some of dinner to go. We need to go deeper into the hills." Itsuka said before walking over to something special Melissa had finished for her. That being an improved version of her motorcycle. One with a sidecar attachment to bring others along.
"Is this really necessary?" Rin questioned once more as they were riding up towards the hills and mountains as the sun was going down. He was sitting in the sidecar with Setsuna while Tetsutetsu was hanging on for dear life to Itsuka's back. "The police might not see it, but I think there's more going on than they want to acknowledge." Itsuka said as they upon the commune like area that had been pointed out to her.
Tetsu groans as he gets off of the bike and asks what they were doing there. "We're going to investigate this area. Treat it like a normal patrol but be VERY careful. I have a suspicion on what might be causing these rampages." Itsuka says before putting on a left gadget glove. She checks her equipment belt and noted they'd be working in pairs.
Rin would come with her, while Setsuna would scout from the air while Tetsutetsu watched the ground. The trio of teens gave her funny looks, but eventually each agreed to go along with the mission. "Tetsu. Rin. Keep your defenses up at all times. Just in case." Itsuka said before explaining that she and Rin would go west while the other two went east. Keeping an eye on the houses and other areas as they walked.
"This is giving me the creeps prez. We're getting a number of dirty looks." Rin says after they had been walking for half an hour. Ituska shrugged and noted that it wasn't surprising. "From what the chief said, these folks were either failed heroes, villains, and the like." This makes the scaled teen nervous, and he again questioned the reasoning behind this mission.
And it would cost him. In a lapse of panic, he let up the scales around his neck and felt something prick him. Suddenly his eyes went red, and his scales started to grow. "Rin! Hang on! We'll get you AH!" Itsuka said as the half Chinese teen started to change before her eyes. And then lashed out at her with something she knew he didn't have before. A tail.
But he wasn't the only experiencing a change. While the same pinprick didn't get through Tetsu's iron skin, Setsuna was shocked when she felt like she'd been stung on the back of her neck. And suddenly her own eyes went blood red and her quirk started to change her.
Namely that she could strike with greater force and move her parts at high speeds. Whipping up a small tornado with the speed at which her body was spinning. "Tokage!" Tetsutetsu shouted while punching through some of the debris.
"Interesting. Didn't expect to have these kinds of subjects. But they are still affected nonetheless," the white haired red eyed ghost villain Revenant said while observing from a treetop. Below him was someone else.
A different ally he'd gained during his time smuggling. Null, a villain with a sound dampening quirk. He had been the one who snuck up on and injected Rin. He looked up to Revenant and signed, "what do you think this batch will do?"
"Don't know of the full effects. But it will be interesting to see how they handle this little concoction of ours." Revenant says as his eyes glow a burning red in night sky. While Rin and Setsuna roar in pain, anger, and panic.
There we go. Some of you probably saw parts of this coming, but I wanted to go a different way than the usual huge bombastic fights typical of a shonen. Namely that it isn't a direct fight the villains are after this time.
No, this time it will be more about stamping out or trying to stop something few can truly stop. And Itsuka will be leading the matter. And not as a fighter. At least not right away. Guess I'll find out if I can write a half decent mystery type story. Please review!