Location: Los Angeles, California – Corporate Boardroom
Time: Monday | 10:00 AM
BEEP.
A blue hologram flickered in the center of the glass boardroom table. Chitose Kizuki smiled through the projection.
["We agree to the twenty percent royalty cut, Mr. Vance,"] Chitose said smoothly through the table speakers. ["Shoowaysha Publishing will send the official franchise rights and the show bibles this afternoon."]
"Pleasure doing business with you, Director," Richard Vance smiled.
CLICK.
The hologram vanished.
Richard stood up from his leather chair. He wore a highly expensive tailored suit. He looked up at the massive flat-screen television on the boardroom wall.
It played a replay of the Japan's Got Quirk series.
A civilian cast a giant shadow puppet against a white screen, and the studio crowd went absolutely crazy.
Chloe, his executive assistant, stood near the desk holding a digital tablet.
"We actually got it," Richard said, tapping his desk hard. "A civilian talent show in Tokyo just pulled Super Bowl-level viewership. We are going to bring it here. We will call it America's Got Quirk."
"The studio in Hollywood is already prepped, sir," Chloe reported, swiping her screen. "We just need the judges. We sent the initial offers to the top ten Pro Heroes on the Billboard charts."
Richard turned around and adjusted his tie.
"Did Cathleen accept?" Richard asked.
Chloe shook her head.
"Star and Stripe declined immediately," Chloe read the email on her tablet. "She prefers border patrols and villain suppression. She has absolutely zero interest in sitting at a judge's desk."
Richard waved his hand dismissively.
"Fine," Richard said bluntly. "If the Number One hero won't do it, we will just get the Number Two. Get Christopher Skyline on the phone right now."
*-*-*
Location: New York – Skyline Agency
Time: Monday | 01:00 PM (EST)
SLAP.
Aero-Brake dropped a thick stack of paperwork onto the glass coffee table. The tall sidekick wore his silver flight suit. He looked completely exhausted.
Christopher Skyline sat on his massive leather couch. Captain Celebrity wore his heavy, star-spangled hero jacket.
"Here are the damage reports from the bridge rescue this morning, Boss," Aero-Brake sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Christopher ignored the papers completely. He stared at his phone screen.
"Aero, look at this chart," Christopher complained loudly, pointing at his phone. "Cathleen is eating up my ranking points again. Star and Stripe is getting way too popular."
Aero-Brake crossed his arms.
"She stops a lot of villains, Boss," Aero-Brake said flatly. "Can you please sign the damage reports?"
"I stopped three villains this week," Christopher argued, throwing a hand in the air. "I do university guest lectures. I am a total family man now. The public loves me. Why am I still losing to her?"
"She threw a cruise ship over a tidal wave yesterday, Boss," Aero-Brake reminded him tiredly. "You can't really compete with that unreasonable quirk."
Christopher groaned and leaned his head back against the couch.
"I need a massive PR boost," Christopher muttered. "The lectures are getting old. I am stuck at Rank Two. I need something big to grab the public's attention."
RING. RING.
"Hmm?" Christopher looked down at his phone. It was an unknown corporate number.
He pressed accept and put it on speaker.
"Skyline," Christopher answered casually.
["Mr. Skyline, it is Richard Vance from the LA network,"] the voice echoed from the phone. ["I have a massive PR opportunity for you."]
Christopher sat up slowly. He glanced at Aero-Brake.
"I'm listening," Christopher said.
["I just bought the rights to a Japanese talent show,"] Richard explained over the line. ["I want you as the head judge for the American version. Prime time television. Nationwide reach."]
"Go on.." Christopher rubbed his chin.
["You will judge civilian quirks on live TV,"] Richard continued. ["It will put your face in every single living room in the country. Your popularity ratings will skyrocket."]
Christopher smiled widely.
He realized exactly what this was. This was the exact playbook Kaito Arisaka taught him back in Japan. You control the media narrative.
Cathleen could punch villains and throw cruise ships all day long, but Captain Celebrity would be in the living room of every family in America.
"Send the contract over, Richard," Christopher decided instantly. "I am in."
["Perfect. We start shooting next month."]
CLICK.
The call ended.
Christopher threw his arms up in victory.
"We are going to Hollywood, Aero!" Christopher cheered loudly.
*-*-*
Location: Shiketsu High School – Faculty Boardroom
The Shiketsu High School campus looked totally different from U.A. Academy.
The buildings had thick stone walls and perfect, quiet courtyards. Everything felt strict and traditional. The students outside walked in straight, orderly lines.
Kaito walked down the hallway and pushed the heavy wooden doors of the boardroom open.
Inside, the room was full.
Principal Kouzuki sat at the head of a dark mahogany table, wearing his signature peaked hat. Several senior instructors sat around the table.
Kaito recognized them from the files.
Gensho, the scarred combat instructor with a Kinetic Hardening quirk, sat on the left with his arms crossed.
Rei, a female logistics instructor with a Spatial Ping quirk, sat on the right. She looked completely exhausted.
A familiar man stood up from his chair.
"Arisaka!"
Mr. Brave walked over and shook Kaito's hand. The pro hero wore his standard costume.
"Suiichi, I didn't know you became a teacher here." Kaito greeted him warmly.
"Haha... A lot of things happened. But I am still a bit bitter about what happened last year," Mr. Brave joked, laughing loudly. "I walked all the way into your office in Kashiwa Ward wanting that three-month physical contract. And you gave the slot to Gang Orca instead!"
"Gang Orca just fit the specific criteria I needed at the time," Kaito smiled, pulling out a chair. "Nothing personal."
"I know, I know," Mr. Brave chuckled, walking back to his seat. "Just giving you a hard time. We are really glad you are here, Arisaka."
Kaito sat down. The tension in the room dropped completely.
Principal Kouzuki nodded respectfully.
"Welcome to Shiketsu High, Mr. Arisaka," Kouzuki said. "Thank you for coming all the way to the West. We pride ourselves on producing top-tier heroes. Fat Gum is actually one of our alumni."
"I didn't know that? He is doing very well in Osaka, Rank 18." Kaito agreed.
"Hehe, that's right. We're very proud of him. So, let's talk about the problem."
Gensho leaned forward. His scarred face looked extremely serious.
"We recruit the absolute best quirks in West Japan," Gensho grunted. "We have a massive budget. But last year, only six of our second-years passed the Provisional License Exam."
BAM.
Gensho slapped the table lightly with his open palm.
"We watched your Ketsubutsu students sweep the exam two years ago," Gensho admitted bluntly. "We tried to force our kids to copy that exact three-man squad format. It failed completely. I put a kid with a massive Concussive Shockwave quirk in the exact same squad as a kid with an Acoustic Radar quirk. The second a fight started, the shockwave user blew out his own teammate's eardrums and completely blinded his radar."
Rei sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"It is their pride," Rei added, leaning back in her chair. "Our students do not just have big egos. They are raised in an elite, militant environment. They are taught to be the absolute best. The second a rival school started a fight, our frontline fighters refused to retreat. They refused to play a passive support role."
She shook her head.
"Their pride demanded they take the duel head-on to prove Shiketsu's strength," Rei explained. "They rushed forward and completely abandoned their support teammates. The whole squad formation shattered in two minutes."
Kaito listened quietly. He looked around the table, understanding exactly what went wrong.
"Ketsubutsu students had weaker combat abilities," Kaito said. "They had to fight dirty and hide to survive. Your Shiketsu students possess overwhelming raw power. You tried to force a deeply proud, powerful student into a passive, cooperative mold. That goes completely against their psychology."
"Exactly," Kouzuki nodded. "We need a custom syllabus built specifically for Shiketsu's aggressive culture. We want to hire you, and money is absolutely no object."
Kaito leaned back in his chair. He looked at the stressed teachers. He knew these students were the future of the country.
A massive failure rate in a top school hurt the entire industry.
"Sure.... I will take the contract," Kaito decided.
A collective sigh of relief washed over the entire room. Gensho uncrossed his arms. Mr. Brave smiled widely.
"Thank you, Mr. Arisaka," Kouzuki said sincerely.
Kaito didn't waste time. He looked directly at Rei.
"I need the raw data for every single second-year student," Kaito requested. "I need their blast radiuses, their sensory limits, their friction levels, and their full psychological profiles."
Slid.
Rei immediately grabbed a thick stack of folders from the floor and slid them across the table.
"We prepared them this morning," Rei said.
Kaito grabbed the heavy folders and pulled them close.
"I will take these back and plan tonight," Kaito told them. "I will see you all tomorrow to start the contract."
*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Busy Commercial Street
Time: 04:30 PM
CRASH.
BAAM.
A massive villain with rock-covered skin flew backward and slammed into a brick wall.
"AGHH!"
He groaned and slid down to the pavement, completely knocked out.
THUD.
Rumi Usagiyama, the Rabbit Hero Mirko, landed perfectly on her feet. She wore her white leotard and thigh-high boots.
SWISH.
SWISH.
Five people wearing official Mirko Agency jackets ran past her.
They carried heavy quirk restraints and medical kits.
Her logistics team immediately tied the villain up and started checking the structural damage to the wall.
Pam Carter, the American Pro Hero Cow Lady, landed on the sidewalk next to Rumi. Pam wore her cow-print bikini top and chaps.
"Haha. That was a good kick," Pam grinned, adjusting her cowboy hat.
"Nah, he was so slow," Rumi laughed loudly, stretching her arms.
FLASH.
FLASH.
Local press photographers stood behind the police tape across the street.
They took rapid pictures of the two female heroes. Pam waved to the cameras with a huge smile. Rumi just threw a peace sign and walked away.
Ten minutes later, the logistics team completely handled the police handover.
Rumi and Pam sat in a quiet VIP booth in a nearby sports bar.
Pam took a long sip from her beer glass.
"I am honestly amazed by your mid-air mobility, Rumi," Pam said, setting the glass down. "You were stepping on the air back there. And those wind blade kicks are completely insane. You went from a solo underground fighter to the top 10 on the Billboard charts."
Rumi grabbed a chicken wing from the basket on the table.
"I owe a lot of it to the Kaito," Rumi said openly, taking a bite. "He pulled me out of the problem. He fixed my PR, taught me how to actually manage my own agency, and further developed my quirk."
Pam listened closely. She already knew Kaito was famous, but hearing a top pro talk about him directly was different.
"He even built my M-Usagi brand," Rumi grinned, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "He takes a fair percentage cut until my debts for him are paid off. The guy is a genius."
"Hehe.." Pam laughed and leaned back against the booth.
"I am so jealous," Pam joked, shaking her head. "My agency is in Kashiwa Ward. I am literally right down the street from the Arisaka building."
Rumi chuckled. "You should go knock on his door."
"I wanted that contract!" Pam complained playfully. "I was waiting for my schedule to clear up. Then Lion Shishido just runs in and gets it. I should have tripped him in the street. I could have stolen the slot for myself."
Rumi burst out laughing, slapping the table.
"Haha.. You wouldn't be able to trip that huge lion," Rumi laughed. "But Kaito is on a short vacation block right now. When he gets back to the office, you should definitely bother him."
"Oh, I will," Pam smiled, grabbing another chicken wing. "I definitely will."
They spent the rest of the afternoon eating and casually talking shop, enjoying the quiet time away from the cameras.
*-*-*
Location: Shiketsu High School – Faculty Boardroom
Time: Next Day | 08:00 AM
The whiteboard at the front of the room was huge.
Kaito stood in front of it holding a black marker. He wore a simple shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Principal Kouzuki, Gensho, Rei, Mr. Brave, and the rest of the instructors sat at the long wooden desks holding notebooks and pens.
Kaito had the thick stack of student files resting on the table nearby.
POOF.
Kaito uncapped the marker.
"I read all the files last night," Kaito started, looking directly at the teachers. "You have incredibly strong students. But if you want to take the top spot in the country, you have to prepare for the entire exam. You have to handle U.A. Academy, Ketsubutsu Academy, and the massive crowds from other schools, and whatever weird rules the Hero Commission decides to throw at you this year."
Gensho nodded heavily, gripping his pen.
Kaito turned and drew a large circle on the whiteboard.
"Every single year, the normal schools group up into huge crowds to attack U.A. and Shiketsu first," Kaito explained.
SKRRT. SKRRT.
He drew a bunch of small dots rushing toward the center of the circle. "We are going to physically cut the arena into pieces."
Kaito drew thick, hard lines straight through the circle, separating the dots.
"The exact second the buzzer rings in Phase One, your students with massive quirks are going to blast the terrain," Kaito told them. "They will raise stone walls, create deep craters, and so on. This physically splits the crowds apart. It traps the enemy students in smaller, isolated areas."
Mr. Brave leaned forward in his chair.
"That also separates the U.A. and Ketsubutsu kids." Mr. Brave realized out loud. "If there is a giant wall between them, they can't combo their quirks together."
"Yes," Kaito agreed, pointing the marker at him. "Once the enemy is trapped and isolated, your students can just fight them one-on-one. And a normal student will never beat a Shiketsu student in a one-on-one fight."
Rei tilted her head. She tapped her digital tablet.
"That sounds great for the kids with strong quirks," Rei asked, sounding a bit skeptical. "But what about the pride issue? Our students with great quirks refuse to hide. They just want to prove their strength. If we tell them to protect the other students, they will just ignore and charge forward anyway."
"Then let them charge," Kaito answered simply.
Rei blinked. "What?"
"Let them show off," Kaito explained, drawing a single dot surrounded by other dots. "Put your proudest, strongest student right in the dead center of the fight. They will draw all the attention. The enemy will focus entirely on taking down the massive Shiketsu threat."
Tap. Tap.
Kaito tapped the sides of the circle.
"While the enemy is completely distracted by the strongest fighter in the middle, your other students can just quietly take the targets from the sides," Kaito said.
Mr. Brave burst out laughing.
"Hehe... I love that," Mr. Brave chuckled, slapping his knee. "That gives the kids exactly what they want. They get all the attention, and the team still wins."
Kaito erased the board quickly. He looked over at Gensho.
"Yesterday, you mentioned putting a shockwave quirk and a radar quirk in the same group," Kaito said. "We are stopping that today. You will group the students based entirely on physics."
"Okay..." Gensho crossed his arms and listened closely.
"For example, If a student makes narrow stone walls, you put him with a student who shoots projectiles," Kaito told them. "The stone walls force the enemy into a straight line, and the shooter cannot miss. You match the physics so their powers never clash."
"Ah, I get it now." Rei rapidly typed the instructions into her tablet.
The logic was clean and easy to follow.
Gensho raised his hand slightly.
"That covers the combat phase," Gensho said, his scarred face looking serious. "But what about the rescue phase? Our strongest kids fail that phase because their massive quirks collapse buildings and hurt the civilian actors."
Kaito grabbed a red marker from the metal tray.
"We are starting distance drills and practice," Kaito instructed firmly. "You will take your students to the training gym. And will make them fire their quirks at exact measurements. Five meters. Ten meters. Fifteen meters and so on."
Kaito looked around the room to make sure they understood the strict rule.
"If their blast goes a single inch over the requested measurement, the let them practice and control their quirks over and over again." Kaito said.
Principal Kouzuki sat up completely straight. He adjusted his peaked hat.
"You want them to memorize their exact damage radius," Kouzuki realized aloud.
"Yes," Kaito nodded. "During the rescue phase, a massive piece of debris might be falling toward a civilian. A strong student can blast that debris away instantly. But if they don't know exactly how far their power reaches, they will accidentally hit the civilian too. They need to know their limits down to the centimeter."
Kaito capped the red marker.
"Lastly," Kaito said, resting his hands on the table. "The Hero Commission always changes the rules to surprise the students. If one of your students gets separated by an unexpected rule, tell them not to panic. Tell them to lock down their specific area and fight anyone who walks in until the test ends."
"...."
The room was completely quiet for a few seconds.
The teachers stared at the whiteboard. The plan favored Shiketsu's raw power, gave the proud students the spotlight, and fixed the rescue damage issue.
"This is incredible," Rei whispered, saving the notes on her tablet.
Gensho stood up from his chair. He looked incredibly hyped.
RUSTLE.
He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and threw it on.
"I am taking the combat class out to the training grounds right now," Gensho declared loudly. "We are starting the distance drills immediately."
"I will come with you," Mr. Brave agreed, standing up too.
"Hold on a second," Kaito said. He raised his hand, stopping them before they rushed out the door.
Kaito tapped the massive stack of student files resting on the table.
"Haha... You guys are too excited. We are just getting started," Kaito told them calmly. "I am staying at this school for two straight weeks. My contract is specifically with the faculty."
Kaito continued. "We are going to run a massive, step-by-step seminar every single day. I will break down the Apex Syllabus completely. We will go through the exact daily lesson plans, the psychological triggers for each specific kid, and the physical matchups."
Kaito pointed to the whiteboard.
"I will give you the exact details," Kaito explained. "Then, you will take those details to the gym and drill them into the students. I will come out to the training grounds to watch and help adjust the physical exercises. You guys will do the actual teaching."
Mr. Brave chuckled and slowly sat back down in his chair.
"So the teachers are going back to school," Mr. Brave joked.
"Not exactly, it's just a long hour seminar." Kaito smiled, setting the marker down on the metal tray. "We have a massive amount of material to cover before the Provisional Exam starts. It is going to be a very long two weeks."
Principal Kouzuki adjusted his peaked hat. He looked around the table at his staff.
"Clear your afternoon schedules," Principal Kouzuki ordered firmly. "Mr. Arisaka has the floor for the next fourteen days. We will learn every single piece of this syllabus."
The teachers nodded in agreement. They were about to go through a massive boot camp themselves, and they were completely motivated to rebuild their school's elite reputation.
...
Support the journey here:
patreon.com/Dr_Chad
(9 Advanced Chapters)