Chapter 5: Hero
Third Person POV
Soon after Aaron left, the police and several heroes finally reached Melissa. Before anyone could say anything, a man rushed forward and pulled Melissa into a tight hug.
"Are you alright, Melissa?" he asked in a worried tone.
"Yes, Dad," she managed between sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The man hugging Melissa was her father—David Shield, former sidekick to All Might. While David tried to calm her down, the police and heroes began inspecting the area where the fight had taken place.
As Aaron had guessed, the leader was dead, but the two underlings survived. They also found the first man Aaron had knocked out on their way over.
Among the heroes present was none other than Cathleen Bate, also known as Star and Stripe, America's No. 1 Pro Hero.
Once Melissa seemed calmer, Cathleen walked over and crouched down to her level.
"You good?" she asked with a smile.
Melissa nodded but stayed quiet.
Cathleen gave David a look, and he immediately understood, nodding silently. She turned back to Melissa and spoke gently. "Can you tell us what happened after you were kidnapped from the event, little one?"
Melissa hesitated but chose to answer. "They put something over my mouth and nose that made me fall unconscious. After that, I woke up in a cell and noticed my left leg was chained to the wall."
She paused briefly before continuing. "They also took almost all the gadgets I was carrying, but I had hidden some under my clothes. I used a laser pen to cut through the chain on my leg. Just then, a commotion broke out. Afraid someone might notice me, I stayed in the cell for a while. When no one came, I tried cutting through the iron bars and managed to escape.
"I didn't know where to go, so I just ran in the opposite direction of the noise. Eventually, I found myself in front of a garage filled with cars. I noticed an exit, so I broke into one of the cars, but its alarm went off. That's when they noticed me and started chasing me.
"I didn't know how to drive, so I just did my best. I somehow got out of there, drove for a while, and finally crashed."
David's face was brimming with anger at the story, but Cathleen placed a firm hand on his shoulder to hold him back. She gave Melissa an encouraging nod.
"You can continue," she said softly.
'It must have been during our raid on their base that she managed to escape.' Cathleen thought.
Melissa nodded again. "I didn't get hurt in the crash, so I ran. I saw some lights further down the road, but before I could reach them, the villains caught up to me. I ran into this forest and dropped a miniature bomb at the entrance.
"The bomb went off, but I kept running. They were still after me, and it didn't take long before they caught up."
She stopped, unsure of how to explain the vigilante who had helped her.
Seeing Melissa hesitate, Cathleen pressed gently. "What happened after that? Who defeated them?"
Melissa gave in. "I… I don't know who he was. He appeared suddenly and took one of them down by surprise. He was so fast they didn't notice him at first. After that, he confronted the other two. The fight was intense, but he managed to defeat them. Then he asked my name and called the police."
'So he was the one who called' Cathleen thought with a frown. 'If not for that, we might have been fooled into thinking the villain still had Melissa and given in to their demands. Thankfully, the call came at the right time. Still, the real mastermind managed to escape thanks to others playing scapegoat for him.'
"Can you tell us how he looked?" The question didn't come from David or Cathleen, but from a man in a police uniform—the Chief of Police in Washington, D.C.
"He was wearing all black, his face covered up to his nose, and a hood over his head. I couldn't see much other than that he was short—just a bit taller than me," Melissa said. She chose not to mention his broken arm. If I tell them about the arm, they'll just track him down through every hospital, she thought.
"If I'm not wrong, I think I know who he might be," said the Police Chief. "This vigilante was first sighted almost a year ago. Witnesses described him as short and dressed in black. He mostly took down small-time villains and helped victims. He never killed anyone—until today." He glanced at the dead leader's body being carried away.
"He's cautious. Appears and vanishes like a ghost. We've never been able to track him, and we didn't know he was this strong. For him to take down four opponents—especially someone with a barrier quirk like the leader had—that's no small feat."
"He has a name?" Cathleen asked.
"Well, before we could give him one, the people he saved already did," the Chief replied. "Slowly but surely, he's been gaining fame. A couple of months ago, people started calling him…
Hero."
"Hero," Melissa whispered, as if etching the name into her memory.
"That's a big name," Cathleen said seriously. A vigilante being given such a grand title would not only inspire others to follow in his footsteps but also embarrass the Pro Hero Association.
"Find him as soon as possible," she ordered.
"We're already on it," the Chief replied.
...…..
Aaron's POV
I am currently on my way to the class. I visited the hospital last night to get my arm fixed. They did manage to treat me but since they didn't have someone like Recovery Girl they had to treat me the old fashioned way.
Fortunately, the doctor didn't make much of a fuss and believed my lie. I told him I injured my arm while testing my quirk. That happens often with kids, so he didn't question it.
The only problem was that I can't use my arm for at least a week. The doctor insisted he'd remove the cast himself, so I can't cheat my way out of it.
Well, it's fine. I'll just train the barrier quirk until then, I thought as I finally entered my class.
"Wow, that looks so cool!" James said, pointing at the cast on my arm.
I deadpanned. "I'm injured. Don't you see that?"
"But it looks cool! Like a badge of honor. You know, like when you get hurt saving a damsel in distress—like Hero!" James said dramatically, eyes closed as he imagined it.
I sweatdropped. How does his imagination come so close to the truth? And wait—who's Hero?
"Haha… nothing like that. I hurt myself training my quirk," I said with a fake laugh.
"But forget that, did you see the news? A huge battle happened in the neighboring city! Even Star and Stripe was there! The villain kidnapped Melissa Shield to get something from her dad, David Shield—you know, All Might's old sidekick." James was chattering nonstop.
"…and then Hero appeared! He beat the villains chasing Melissa! Maaaan, he's so cool!" James ended with sparkling eyes and clenched fists.
'Wait who is this bastard trying to take credit for my work?' I questioned but soon realisation dawned upon me. 'They are calling ME Hero.'
I have a vigilante name? And they went with THAT? Sure, it's grand, but it's also cringe, I thought with a weird face.
"Alright, kids, take your seats and let's start," the teacher said as he entered, finally shutting James up.
...….
Third Person POV
In a dark room, the shattering of glass broke the silence.
"I DON'T NEED WATER! I NEED TO KNOW WHY WE FAILED!" shouted a young man, around twenty-two years old.
A man dressed as a butler gestured for someone to clean up the shards.
"Young master, you're still injured. It's not good for your wounds if you move too much," the butler tried to calm him.
"Damn Star and Stripe… what ridiculous power," the young man muttered, laying back on his hospital bed.
"The girl managed to sneak out and escape, but our men caught up to her. They would have brought her back if not for a vigilante suddenly appearing and defeating them," the butler reported.
"A vigilante? Who?" the young man demanded.
"Not much is known, other than that he's been seen only in Washington, D.C. They call him Hero," the butler replied.
"Hero, huh? HAHAHAHA! They call him HERO… HAHAHAHA!" The young man laughed like a maniac.
"Find him. No matter where he hides, find him," he ordered, voice dripping with rage.
"He'll pay for foiling my plan. I VOW UPON MY NAME—LEONARD SMITH—HE. WILL. PAY."
...….
Unbeknownst to Aaron, who was peacefully savoring his ice cream, his death warrant had just been issued.
Now, not only the police and heroes were after him—but also the villains.
His life was about to get a lot more fun.