The power you hold || IwaOi

Drink of choice

A groan escapes Iwaizumi's lips as he sinks into the comfortable familiarity of an armchair, pulling his Hero headgear from his bag. The reinforced leather mask has a small tear in the cheekbone area, it got snagged an hour prior when he stopped a pickpocket and the guy pulled a knife on him, thankfully Iwaizumi got the upper hand easily and apprehended him before he could do more damage.

He sighs and pushes off his knees to stand, making his way to the bathroom and swiftly pulling on his gear to inspect how much harm has been done. The mask covers his hair with black leather, it also conceals the bottom half of his face, but that part is made of a more stretchy, flexible material so that he can still talk. Two oxford blue stripes run from the nape of Iwaizumi's neck, up over the black fabric that flattens his spiky hair, and around to his temples. Nothing obscures his vision since his eyes are the only visible part of his face, unless you count the small patch of skin that peeks through the slit in his cheek.

It's difficult to sew up the incision with his thick, calloused fingers and it takes Iwaizumi fifteen minutes to do what should have been a five minute job, but nonetheless, the task is complete. He tiredly pulls off the mask and places it safely back in his bag before showering. After a long day of meetings and then the mugging, he relishes in the slight burn of hot water against the cut of his cheek. Though it's only in his nature to protect people, Iwaizumi sometimes wonders what life for him would be like if he were a regular human.

Iwaizumi Hajime was born with the highly uncommon genetic variation of highly enhanced psychomotor abilities, in other words, he's a superhuman. About one in every ten thousand people are born with this mutation and even after that, there are subcategories to accompany it.

About three types of superhuman exist. The first, generic ability enhancement, is the most common, as about 90% of these 'superhumans' fall around this level. Generics, as they are called, have amplified human senses, like magnified vision and incredible hearing, as well as super strength and speed and, sometimes, a minor individual power like being able to see in the dark or accelerated healing, to name a few.

Next was Heroes who, among possessing the same traits as Generics, have a predominantly developed individual ability. The name 'Heroes' was given back in the forties, when a man used his powers to stop an armed robbery at a bank, making him a sort of hero. Before that, they kept their powers hidden until slowly but surely they started to help those in need. There are still people who disliked the superhumans, fearing anything stronger than them and painting them as monsters, so the Heroes wear disguises to preserve their identities and reputations.

That's when the third type emerged; fuelled by wrath and a feeling of superiority, the Villains began to wreak havoc. They basically have the same peculiarities as Heroes, only instead using them for evil. This day and age, they stick to things like drug dealing, human trafficking and other organised crimes. Those people believe they are above regular humans, using their capacities to intimidate or threaten the population into submission.

A test is run at birth to recognise anyone with the superhuman gene. If it's positive, the name of the child is added to a government system to keep some form of database, but after that, no one should know about the true potential of the child. Their parents are paid by the government to raise and train the child to use their powers for the ever cliche 'greater good', but all good things come with a price; a bad upbringing can lead them down a path of villainy. Thankfully, that's what the Heroes protect us from.

Iwaizumi remembers the day his parents sat him down to tell him he was different. He was a little startled, but like any ten year old, he didn't think too much of it, only promising not to tell anyone about his powers. Now, at twenty seven years old, living in Silverton, a small town outside of Portland, he's dealing with petty little crimes and some shady villain work as well as managing his own athletic wear company.