The night was cold, a constant prickle in the midnight breeze—The kind that would keep one attentive, paranoid. Tokyo was as loud and busy as any bustling metropolis would be.
The scattered citizens moved like ants, the cars trotting and rolling through the streets, blaring horns as careless civilians paid the several-ton machines no mind.
"Man! That movie was great!"
"I don't know, dude… We waited all that time for this movie, and I still think the first two movies of the series were better."
"Aw—Well, yeah. I can see why you'd say that… 28 Weeks Later was better than this." The two friends chuckled at their wasted money and continued. One's shoulder scraping the other of a passing couple.
"Ah! My bad!" He called out, and the woman in question smiled, "It's all good!" And the night went on. It was peaceful, serene, and warm despite the shrill bite of Mother Nature. Observing the autonomy of human life from above, even the tallest of clouds, was a teenage boy—No older than sixteen, yet he held eyes that cultivated a lifetime of experience. Clad in all black, his t-shirt billowed in the wind, pants clamped to his legs—Resisting Mother Nature.
It's so peaceful… His gaze fell upon the city line, the orange glow masquerading in his dark-red eyes. His hair is long, stubby, curly locs that lie messy but neatly on his head. He ran a hand through them, his locs flipping out of his face.
BOOOOM!
"KYAAAAA!"
The serenity was interrupted—His ears twitching as his brows furrowed. Snapping his head to the left, he narrowed his eyes like a hawk, and everything in that direction was revealed to him. Nearly an entire prefecture over. His arms uncrossed, and he simply vanished from sight. Wind stirring but frittering away as if his super-sonic movements did little to disrupt the atmosphere.
And in the blink of an eye, he exited Tokyo and found himself floating above Niigata prefecture, a bustling little city, Sanjo. Chaos and the cries for help echoed around, his ears picking them up as if they were playing through earbuds. He scouted the area within seconds, his body moving within the next.
Another blur and he was street level, right in front of a raging mutant whose body bulked up with what the boy could only describe as a crude mix of feathers and rock. Like jagged rocks, the man bouldered through the city—tearing up pedestrians, cars, and buildings alike.
He was no taller than two meters, but the young vigilante couldn't help but liken him to the Thing, a hero he saw once in a comic he read when he was younger.
"Run! Taka, get up!" One scrambling lover shouted, her own legs trembling with fear. Her boyfriend was stuck under a pile of rubble. The woman grew desperate, and the agonizing realization that this could be their last day on earth suddenly felt so much heavier than ever before…
"I-I'm stuck—J-Just go!" Her lover called out, but she wasn't having it. Her eyes were too glued to the rampaging villain that was bulldozing closer and closer to them. G-God please!
WHOOSH!
A slight gust of wind fluttered her hair—The tears in her eyes dried by the hands of another. The feeling of a cold metallic ring scarring her cheek, "Don't cry. You'll be okay." A deep resonating voice wrapped her heart in a warm embrace—The same hand that wiped her tears landed on her head, powerful, but gentle.
She looked up, and a boy just a little younger than both her and her boyfriend stood over her with eyes that reminded her of garnet, just as powerful too.
The earth trembled more and more, but the boy wasn't worried a bit. The girl's worry seemed to fade when the boy tossed the rubble atop her trapped boyfriend like it was nothing. The rock itself shoots into the side of an abandoned market.
"I'll be right back," The boy smiled and shot off towards the source of all this mayhem. The silver sterling moonlight acted as the spotlight for their showdown. The mutant didn't even register the appearance of the young man, his one-track mind focused on destruction and nothing else—Everything to get payback on the society that shunned him.
"HAHA! YOU LABELED ME A FREAK! AN AVIAN BASTARD WITH NO HUMANITY!! WELL HERE I AM! YOUR STUPID LITTLE MONSTER IN THE FLESH!" Arms flailing wildly, striking everything around them, the avian-earth mutant was so focused on his need for destruction and death that he didn't register the blur that came at him like a speeding bullet.
"GOUH!" A thunder clap resonated within the whole block, and the giant boulder of a man was speeding backwards at high speeds. Hovering in his previous position, the boy held an indifferent air as he touched down on earth.
His eyes were taking in all the destruction around him. I got here as soon as he started. Luckily, there aren't any civilian collateral… He noted, taking in the rather extensive property and city damage. He sure moves quickly.
And his attention was grabbed once more. The mutant rock came to a halt, digging his heels into the asphalt to cease his seemingly never-ending departure. His teeth gnashed together, his eyes fuming with rage—The destruction around him began to vibrate irregularly, mimicking his rising rage.
"Which one of you miscreant heroes wanna rear their heads now!? Huh!?" His question was met with a slick breeze, and before he knew it, his entire vision was filled with a palm. "If you have complaints about your therapy circle, you probably should just write a letter." A slick, teasing, and mocking voice grating his insides, accompanying it all.
BOOOM!
"GUUH!" The rock armor around him shattered instantly—A single powerful fist pulverized the armor gathered along his torso and shoulders. The air in his lungs leaving with the stone and feather.
W-Who is this!? A-All Might!?—No, h-he wouldn't—"No way he'd come for me!!" His eyes shot open, desperate to see who his assailant was. The pain that wracked his entire body was short-lived, as the shock proved superior.
"W-Wha—YOU!?" His gaze shifted, the light of rage and purpose that drove him forward was nowhere to be found… Only fear rattled around in them now. The boy tilted his head, "What? Me?" He pointed to himself, feigning obliviousness. The man's rock form rattled and peeled off from his body—Turning his hulking two meters into a measly 173cm—short, oily, and slick brown hair teetering to his forehead, caked with sweat and dirt.
His amber eyes shook as the young man took a step forward. "A-Ah, E-Eid-Eidolon!" He attempted to scramble backwards—He was so out of it he didn't even notice the distant rumbling of the earth and the subtle but increasingly violent shakes in the buildings around them.
Eidolon eyed the man, his thoughts conflicted as his ears picked up on the soon to be visitors they would be having.
"I won't get involved. I have no authority, but it would do you well to cooperate with the authorities." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I won't say I understand you, cause I don't. But, you should know that there are people who feel for you." And with that, Eidolon shot off into the sky, reaching above super-sonic speeds in less than a second.
The man trembled, his eyes wide with shock and relief—"I-I'm too old for this shit…" The man muttered, trying his best to ignore his sullied pants. He didn't move from his spot, the parting words he was left with ringing in his head as images of people he held dear formed in his mind.
Suddenly, all that rage and irritation didn't seem all that important.
THUD!
"Are you okay!? What happened here?!" A pro-hero arrived on the scene first, a young and beautiful lady with silky-smooth blond hair and a porcelain face, pale like snow but with eyes like gems. Magenta orbs probed his eyes for any sign of an answer.
Yu Takeyama took in the sight of damage. A lot of property issues, that's always annoying, but at least no one died… Her eyes perked up. In the distance, a young woman and man were limping their way as the paramedics and police arrived in unison.
"Help them…" The man spoke, resignation and shame settling within his gut. Yu eyed the man for a moment, but ultimately left him to the paramedics who rushed towards them. Police officers raced towards the couple, the others already blocking off the parameters.
Mt. Lady retreated behind the erected yellow tape and sighed, confusion rampant and ruling her mind. She was pulled out of her musing with a gasp, her guard momentarily down, "Woah! I didn't mean to scare you… What's up? Is this case bad…? Were we too late?"
A man with a slight stubble smiled awkwardly, his brown eyes flickering apologetically. "No, no nothing like that—And you're okay, I was just distracted, is all." Yu shook her head and finally took in the presence of who she was talking to.
A man she hasn't seen in what seemed like decades. "Ah! Takeshita—No way!" She nearly squealed. However, one glance from the others nearby set her straight, she faked a cough. Takeshita, otherwise known as Bambi, the Bamboo Hero, laughed at her discourse. Leading the way towards the suspect.
"Surprise, surprise! It's been so long, Takeyama! I wish our reunion would've been on better terms but," He shook his head, looking around, "I guess it could be worse." To which the gigantification hero could agree.
"Yeah… Which—Well, never mind. I guess all's well that ends well, I guess." But still… I need answers. Her eyes drew downcast as she fell into thought. "Okay, why are you being like that? What's up? There's no need to be so dramatic—Even if we are long-lost friends." He flashed a reassuring, charming smile, but Yu's need for answers still nagged her raw. She smiled back, though weakly.
"You're right, it's nothing big, it's just—Over the past year or so, there've been incidents like this all over Japan… Reports of rampaging psychos or run-of-the-mill villains—Some even being estranged civilians just stressed out about mistreatment from society—" Takeshita frowned, "That's normal stuff though—" He interjected, to which Yu straightened up.
"Right, but not the speed they're being solved at." The serious, borderline obsessive look in her eye made Takeshita a little uncomfortable, but he didn't speak on it. Simply mulling over her words—
"I swear, he just appeared out of nowhere—threw the debris off of me like it was paper and then handled that lunatic bird guy! All within less than five minutes!" The police were mid-report, getting testimonies from witnesses and gathering intel.
The duo locked eyes, nodded, and attempted to approach the two victims. Yu saw that the one who spoke was the one she saw the girl helping over earlier.
"Sounds like they for sure know something," Takeshita muttered. Yu nodded. Their steps were unfettered by the awkward, light atmosphere around them. Yet they were stopped by someone else.
A man stepped in their line of sight, drawing exasperated looks from Yu and attentive ones from Takeshita. "Hello, you two," He smiled, pen and notepad already in hand. "Hey…" Takeshita replied as Yu's eyes flickered from their deterrent and the rapidly escorted and retreating sources of their ambrosia…
Tch… I should be able to look them up. Yeah, I can ask Yuri to—"Whatever you're thinking, Ms. Takeyama, I'll advise against it." Takeshita's head drew back. Stunned. "W-What do you mean? I-I just wanted to ask them what happened—", "Yeah, well don't, I'm sorry."
Takeshita was the one to speak up, scoffing with disbelief. "Tsukauchi, there's no way you're expecting us not to check up on those people—" The detective raised his hand. His onyx eyes steeled with fervor. "The police and the medical staff have already checked up on them. Aside from a nasty sprain and a couple of scratches, they're okay."
This guy… Takeshita's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say a word. Defaulting to a simple nod. Yu, however, was furious. Her brows knitted and she stepped forward, "What the hell is wrong with you? What are you trying to hide from us?!" Her voice carried, but Naomasa was sturdy. "I'm not hiding anything from you, I'm just saying there is no need for you here…" The detective's words came out clumsily, half-put.
Yu grunted, and Naomasa looked between the two and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm sprung out on this one, just keep your heads out for the next incident, okay? This one was too quiet for hero assistance, that's all. Okay?" The two heroes simply nodded, Takeshita verbalizing it.
Naomasa watched them leave, sighing before he turned away himself and pulled out his phone. Dialing a number as he trotted back to his police car, the line answered just as he seated himself and closed the door.
"Hello?"
…
"Yeah, it was him, no doubt about it, sir." Naomasa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This crazy fucking family…
"Yes—Yes, sir, I'll organize a team for that now."
…
"Alright, rest well—" The phone beeped before he could finish. Sighing, Naomasa looked outside, at the settling crew of police and medical teams, the disappointed young heroes eager to make a name for themselves, and back over to the man in question.
The rampaging mutant who had his outburst quelled being loaded into the back of an armored vehicle equipped with the technology to extinguish the influence and power of all those who carry the quirk gene.
He pulled his phone out again and started texting eagerly, tossing his phone aside into the passenger seat before pulling off. His engine hummed as he did so. "This is going to be the death of me."