Midoriya and Bakugo were out walking the busy streets of Tokyo following in the footsteps of the number 4 pro hero. The two boys were aware they would be walking a lot of busy streets in the future due to their prosperous future as heroes, but to actually do so with the number four hero observing them made the pair more nervous than any actual villain could. Despite the fact that he was in front of them, his presence alone made the pair of hero students shudder. They knew even if he was in front of them he was still judging them. They hadn't done much before beginning their walk. Best Jeanist simply showed them 'How to speak like a pro' and while Bakugo clearly hadn't taken to it, having already verbally - but thankfully not literally - exploded at the pro hero, though somehow his hair had spiked back up again. Maybe he did explode literally?
Although he had taken them on at the same time, his ultimate goals for the two were on completely different sides of the spectrum. He wanted to reform Bakugo, to make sure he wouldn't bring shame to himself or pro heroes in general with his atrocious attitude and behavior. While with Midoriya, he wanted to give the boy confidence. The greenette was similar to his previous recruits than Bakugo was; He was respectful and tried his best to adhere to whatever was ordered to him, not to mention powerful. But that physical strength wouldn't be nearly enough if he didn't have the mental strength to survive the life a hero lives. Every public figure has detractors, but that is especially true with pro heroes, and Midoriya is the type to cling to the bad things others say rather than the good. This habit needed to be broken if he was to survive the life of a hero, let alone a high ranking one.
The first obstacle came soon enough for the two boys, approaching them in the form of a small group of kids who recognized them.
"Hey! Check it out, I've seen those two before!" One of the children yelled to his friends while pointing to Bakugo and Deku.
"Some fans from the Sports Festival. Figures." Bakugo though with a smirk, closing his eyes and waiting for the inevitable praise-
"Yeah he was the kid that was grabbed by that sludge guy a few months ago! He was screaming like a baby!"
"I WAS NOT SCREAMING LIKE A BABY!" Bakugo responded instantly as he whipped his head around, his face contorted into rage, making the children back up out of fear.
"Kacchan...." Midoriya said, his voice laced with disappointment
Midoriya stepped forward and took a knee in front of the children, putting his hand on the front one's shoulder.
"I'm sorry about him. Kacchan can be kind of... Angry. Like, all the time"
"I AM NOT!" The kids, having switched their attention completely to Midoriya, didn't hear Bakugo (Which was arguably for the better). The boy in front of the pair sniffled, before looking closer at Midoriya.
"W-Wait aren't you the guy that saved him?" The boy asked Deku while pointing to Bakugo.
"You sure? Wasn't that guy's hair darker than that?" Another boy asks his friend, noting the difference in hair color.
"Yep! That actually was me!" Midoriya responded happily. He was fully focused on their conversation as well, so he too never noticed the abhorrent noises leaving Bakugo's mouth. The group of kids all looked at Midoriya, their eyes collectively shining as one shouted out a question.
"Can you show us that Sludge Guy's quirk! I heard you took it!"
At that question, Midoriya tilted his head, pondering the question before smiling brightly at the boys.
"I don't see why not." Midoriya said as he lifted his hand off the boy's shoulder , removed his white glove, and let it slowly transform into the green sludge substance.
"WOAH!" The group collectively yelled all trying to grab onto Midoriya's sludge arm with their fingers threading through it.
A black haired boy with a bowl cut weaved his way through the group until he was in front of Midoriya. He then lifted his shaking arms and produced a notebook.
"C-Could I please have your a-autograph? You were s-so awesome in the Sports Festival!" The child said, proving Bakugo at least somewhat right. There was a fan from the festival.
"Of course you can!" Midoriya smiled warmly at the boy and took his notebook, opening it up and signing the front page before handing it back.
"T-Thank you so much!" The boy squealed as he looked up at him in awe, before taking his notebook back and clutching it to his chest.
After that the kids quickly dispersed running back over to a nearby playground. As they vanished from sight, Deku took a sigh of relief. Truth be told, it was hard for him to hide his anxiousness while speaking to the boys, and it took a lot of effort to not stumble over his words. Despite not embarrassing himself as well as making the kids happy, he replayed the situation in head, and felt he could've done better...
"That wasn't very heroic now was it Bakugo?" Best Jeanist's voice called out, making both of the boys stiffen, despite only one of them being ridiculed. They hadn't even had time to consider that he was watching them before he made it clear he absolutely was. Bakugo opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off.
"Don't even try to defend that action. If something like this happens again you're staying at the agency next patrol and practicing talking like a PRO until Avarice and I return. And speaking of Avarice..." Jeanist turned his head to Deku, who could've been mistaken for a mannequin at the moment, before addressing him.
"I'm glad to see you actually heard what I said. You did good." He said, his tone noticeably lighter than when he spoke to Bakugo. Despite the praise, he could see that the boy had doubts. While it was clear that he was trying, confidence wasn't something that could be haphazardly sewn into someone overnight. Instead it needed to be slowly and carefully woven into them, with intent and restraint, so as to not muddy their pattern and make them foolhardy. He wouldn't be able to complete Avarice's inner tapestry within their time frame, but it was his hope that the teachings bestowed upon him would allow the trainee to do so himself. And if he could continue to improve like this, then Jeanist felt that had little to fret about.
He turned his head back to Bakugo and the light tone was gone.
"And since you've clearly forgotten, allow me to remind you. The purpose of our patrol is not only to deter criminals, but also to remind people who we are. Our presence gives the public peace of mind, and helps to weave a tapestry of trust between the protectors and the protected." He reiterated to the boy, and as if on cue, a small group of school girls passing by noticed Jeanist.
"AHH~ BEST JEANIST! THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US ALL SAFE!" They all screamed a variation of this together. Jeanist nodded to them while waving, and they only cheered for him more. While Deku was busy marveling at how he could take such attention so nonchalantly, Bakugo watched on with a deadpan expression.
"It seems like you just want to hear your own name."
"And it seems like you want extra training after patrol."
As Bakugo paled at the realization that Best Jeanist had heard him, said man and Deku had begun to resume their patrol. The gobsmacked boy didn't even notice when he too started walking in autopilot, too occupied with the thought that he'd be talking to the sidekicks for hours when they returned to the agency.
His terrifying thoughts (they were terrifying to HIM at least) would end up coming true. Jeanist had been more than serious with his threat, and while Bakugo was usually fine with training, he didn't consider talking to second-rate losers that couldn't be heroes on their own and acting like they deserve HIS respect to be training. The only word that could accurately describe it was: Agony.
While he was busy going plus ultra in his efforts to not top Present Mic in decibels, Best Jeanist was in his office. He had assigned Bakugo to 3 hours of the training, though he feared not even that would be enough to make him understand. He had given Midoriya training as well; Get better at socializing. All this entailed was putting him in a group of his most talkative sidekicks and telling them not to let him leave until he had tried to actively participate in the conversation... (Look I'm heavily introverted and just thinking of joining a conversation with people that aren't close friends makes me nervous.)
Jeanist had been thinking of his newest recruits since they had first spoken to each other the day prior. He was really, REALLY happy that Midoriya had accepted his offer. With Bakugo, he was almost certain the boy would accept his invitation, but Midoriya could've gone with basically any hero in Japan, so it started as a pleasant surprise when he discovered Midoriya had chosen to work with him. He quickly realized though, that it was a blessing. A blessing, because working with just Bakugo would have been a curse. That boy was, without a doubt, the most violent, disrespectful, and arrogant person he'd ever met. And while he knew Bakugo was bad, he really couldn't have predicted just how lightly 'bad' described him.
Then, there was (Thankfully) Midoriya. Kind, respectful, also powerful, but most importantly; He was willing and trying to learn. The entire point of this was to learn something from a pro to help you out in your own career. Bakugo either forgot this entirely, or neglected to learn the fact at all. He seemed to think that the only reason he was here was to do hero work before getting his license. Midoriya was once again his antipode, coming here with the intention to learn and doing just that.
Before he could continue with the thoughts of his newest recruits, he was pulled back into reality by one of his many sidekicks.
"Sir. We've gotten a request from the chief of the Tokyo Police Station."
"Oh? Do tell. It isn't often he directly requests something from us." Best Jeanist ordered, intrigued by the sudden request.
"There's a criminal who seems to be trying to make a name for himself. He's been a lot of notoriety as of late due to a string of successful bank robberies committed by him and him alone. The chief has asked you to be on the lookout for him, and to bring him in if you encounter him. He's asked you because analysts have discovered he's operating on a pattern, and the next target would be here in Tokyo. More specifically: Hosu City. And he'll likely be striking soon, before the weeks out." He explained to Jeanist, as the hero simply listened with his eyes closed.
"That does sound rather interesting. Though if it's Hosu, wouldn't it make more sense to task Manual with stopping him?" Jeanist inquired.
"Unfortunately, both the chief and Manual himself agreed that this guy is too much for Manual to handle."
"I see. Manual is no push over, so he must be at least somewhat competent. But this week? That'll be hard to fit into the schedule seeing as I have to continue training the interns... I'll accept this request. Let us see how this plays out." Jeanist said, his hand resting under his chin, pondering the possibilities presented by this week.
Around half an hour after this, Deku was released from Hel- his social training. Despite looking mentally exhausted, the sidekicks he had been conversing with looked oddly happy, Jeanist would go as far as to say they looked proud of him. He hadn't a clue as to why that would be though. A while later, Bakugo was also released, and opposed to Deku, he looked physically exhausted. It took actual energy for him to hold himself back enough to have a proper conversation... That is not going to work.
Shortly after coming to this decision, Jeanist gave Bakugo a single task. Every day after patrol, he would repeat this training and be rated on a scale of 1 to 10 by the sidekick he trained with. If his rating doesn't reach at least eight by the end of the week, he would do the training for the entire final day of the internship.
-At the end of the week-
"Perhaps that was too harsh of a request." Best Jeanist thought idly to himself as he walked the streets of Hosu with Avarice. Bakugo had failed, and in spectacular fashion, never scored above even a five. It was unfortunate, but he was going to have to cut his losses when it came to the explosive blonde; The foulness had been sewn too deeply to be removed. Thankfully, Midoriya did better with his training, even without the imposed consequence. Interestingly, this also made him positive of his sidekicks' pride, though he still had no idea as to why.
The two were in Hosu city in anticipation of the criminal, now dubbed Shockwave. Named after his quirk, he has been on a robbing spree for only a short while, but the power and control he exerts over the shockwaves he emits has garnered him attention. He has used his shockwaves in two main ways, but it's theorized he can do more. The first way is to send them through his feet into the ground, acting like a localized Earthquake, sending everyone to the ground while he robs them. The second way is a more attack oriented fashion; Concentrating the wave in his hand and firing it through the air. After the rundown on his quirk, Jeanist could see why they believed Manual to be outmatched.
Since the robberies had happened at different times, they only had a rough estimate as to when he would strike. If not today, then tomorrow or the next day. Even then, the time would likely be random. Though the dates had a pattern, the actual times did not, which really only meant that they had to be ready at any time. The chief had stationed some officers to watch over the main bank and report to Jeanist whenever they saw activity.
As fate would have it, Best Jeanist and Avarice would only patrol for another half hour before the call came in. The two made their way to the bank that was soon to be hit. Fortunately, the bank he chose happened to be fairly close to the pair, and they made it just in time to feel the Earth shake beneath them.
"Listen Avarice. I want you to not engage, stay back and watch me. But if it becomes absolutely necessary, I give you permission to protect yourself and others. But only when it comes to that." Jeanist ordered, earning a sound of acknowledgement from the young hero. And without a moment's hesitation, they entered the bank.
The instant they entered, they spotted Shockwave. It wasn't difficult, considering he was the only one on his feet; A helpful effect that came alongside being the epicenter of the quake. He seemed to be busy though, not noticing the heroes.
Jeanist, though shaky, also stood, albeit with the help of his quirk, stabilizing himself by attaching threads to the ceiling and walls. Avarice however, stood with no issue. Shockwaves didn't have much effect on a user of Shock Absorption. Best Jeanist quickly took note of this.
"Avarice, would it be possible for you to extend your absorption to the full radius of this building?" He asked, causing the boy's eyes to widen drastically.
"That's a really tall request sir..."
"Yes, I'm aware. Can it be done?" He reiterated, meeting Avarice's eyes. He watched as he thought it over, and as his wide eyes steeled.
"I won't be able to hold it for long, but I think I can." He answered, and after a nod from Jeanist, he kneeled down and placed his hands on the floor. He tensed his arms and hands as he willed the waves into himself, his grip so strong the tiles beneath his fingers cracked even without the use of One For All. After a few moments, the chaos subsided, and the building stood still. That was when Shockwave finally took notice of them.
"I don't know who the HELL YOU THINK YOU A-... S-shit." He quickly grew quiet as he looked at the pair.
"Who do we think we are? We are the heroes Best Jeanist and Avarice. I'm sure you were expecting Manual, yes? Terribly sorry for that, hopefully the two of us shall suffice." Jeanist said tauntingly, hoping to intimidate. Hopefully, seeing that his power is being more than efficiently countered, as well as a hero of a higher caliber than he was expecting would be enough to make him throw in the towel without a tussle.
But alas...
Shockwave began to smirk. Though it was clearly forced, meant to calm himself, it was clear that he wasn't going down quietly.
"Suffice? Yeah, you two should do just fine. Matter of fact, if I pull this off, they'll probably notice me faster. Yeah... YEAH! BRING IT!" He yelled, causing Jeanist to release a sigh. He gave the man a chance, and he had squandered it. Something he said though had caught the hero's attention.
"Who is this 'they' you referred too? Answer me, and I might go easy on you."
"Sorry Best Jeanist, but you ain't gonna live long enough to find out!"
"Well, it was worth a try. Hopefully they can get some answers during interrogation." Jeanist thought to himself as his gaze became sharply intense, and the threads around him bent to his will. Immediately, Shockwave found his ankles and wrists bound by the thick clothes that were previously protecting him.
"Man, I have to say, you have such an awesome quirk, Best Jeanist!" Shockwave yelled as he struggled to find his balance.
"But..." Shockwave turned his gaze upwards to meet Jeanist's, and the hero shivered. It wasn't often he encountered a villain with such... conviction. When Jeanist looked him in the eyes, his gaze was just as sharp, just as intense as his own... if not more.
"I can't let you stop me. I will join them, even if your life is the cost." As he finished, the threads holding him in place began to swell before-
BOOM!
They exploded, huge shockwaves releasing from both wrists and ankles, freeing him. The force of the blast threw some people back, and even shattered the windows of not only the building they were in, but also the one on the other side of the street. Jeanist looked in surprise as the man simply smiled. It was all too clear that whatever they had thought about his power... had been severely underestimated.
"Looks like things just got a bit more complicated." Jeanist said to himself and Avarice, who nodded in agreement. The boy was holding off the shaking, but Shock Absorption was meant for taking a blow, not sustained use. Though it was strong enough to take hits from All Might, that had a limit to, and before long, he would be approaching his.
"Please try to end this fast sir. I'll be able to keep the quaking at bay for maybe, 5 minutes? Maybe less, but either way, I'll have to release the pressure before I can do it again." He said through strain.
Best Jeanist acknowledged this as he and Avarice prepared to brave the storm approaching.
Hello everyone! Sorry for the huge wait, I kinda got absolutely addicted to Elden Ring. That and I was lazy. Anyway, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again next time in Sins Of The Father. Have a great day y'all!