"I'm standing here in front of number ten pro hero Ryukyu... I'm in Ryuku's office, and I'm interning in Ryuku's agency... Yes, I'm excited!"
She tilted her head curiously at me, "Oh? How come you're so enthusiastic about this? Surely you've seen higher up pro heroes in person, like All Might, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but... I can relate to you much more! Plus you're super cool." I gushed.
She smiled and closed her eyes briefly, "You're sweet." She opened her eyes again. "Now, sit. We have much to discuss."
I obeyed and immediately sat down after closing the door. "What would you like me to do for the week?"
"Well, for now I have a few questions for you. See, you have two quirks, correct?" I nod. "And you only recently discovered your transformation quirk, Eraserhead was telling me."
I nod again, and she continues. "Tell me everything you know about your secondary quirk."
"Let's see... I can only go based off of what other people have told me, because I'm never really there to experience it. Through a fit of rage, I black out and transform into the lizard, people are calling it my battle form.
I grow a couple of feet, grow lots of muscles, a tail, bigger teeth and sharp claws. I'm faster, and much, much stronger. I don't seem to recognise people and just attack whatever.
Then, when I wake up after being subdued, I'm weak for a while and have to rest."
She was writing things down and nodding at everything I was saying. She put her finger on her chin as she thought, reminding me of Tsu. Though Ryukyu's fingers were much smaller.
"Fascinating... So you're not in control at all in this form?" I shook my head. "And you've only been able to do it when really angry?" I nodded.
She wrote briefly and put her pen down. "Then that settles it! This week will primarily focus on learning how to activate and control your quirk!"
That... Sucked.
"I'm sure you wanted to do hero things, like beat up bad guys or rescue people. Yes, we'll do patrolling, don't worry. Don't take this the wrong way, but if you can't control your quirk, you could end up causing more harm than good."
I scratched the back of my head and looked away, "Y-yeah, I understand... I've had that made very clear to me..." I stopped scratching and smiled at her. "But since you have a transformation quirk, I trust that you can help me become the best hero I can be!"
She also smiled, "That's the spirit! Now, let's go."
She got up and I gave her a puzzled look. "Uhm... Where?"
She gestured to me, inviting me to follow her as she reached the door. "To the meditation area."
Meditation? I hated meditation! It's just sitting and doing nothing! Or at least that's how I viewed it. With me having the mind I have, even now it's hard to meditate.
"M-meditation? No disrespect but, I don't know if that's for me... I get distracted easily."
"You said you trusted me, right? Please trust me." She said as she walked with me alongside her. "I can see right through you. You're calm and timid on the outside, but on the inside there's a burning rage. It consumes you."
I saw a glimmer in her eye as she stared right through me into my soul. How could she tell the sort of person I was just from knowing me for five minutes?! She was really amazing...
"How... How did you know?" I asked, even more perplexed by her ability to see right through me.
"I can see my younger self in you. I didn't have a nice childhood, and it affected me greatly and my ability to control my anger. As a side effect, I can see the same anger in others.
Throughout our week we will look at several ways that we can control and vent anger in a healthy way, whilst also taking a look at controlling your new quirk."
My admiration only grew for her from there on out. We went down to the basement level and through 'Staff Only' doors. Felt good to be considered staff and to walk through the doors shut to the public.
We reached a room that seemed a little bare. It had red brick walls and light yellow padded flooring. There were two cushions in the centre of the room, and a table with a potted plant on it. There were some lights hanging from the ceiling too.
She took a seat on the right cushion, and I sat beside her on the left cushion. She folded her legs and I did likewise. I felt really self-conscious and really just a bit silly.
"Tell me, Alex-kun, what do you see when you look forward?" She asked me.
I looked at the plant and simply said, "I... See a plant Ryukyu-sama."
She blushed lightly at the honorific I'd chosen, and looking back, I may have been fanboying a little too much...
"Please, Ryukyu is fine. And is a plant all you see?"
I squint at it and look a little harder, leaning my head forward slightly.
"I'm not a botanist, but it looks like a dragon plant. Thematic, I like it."
She giggled slightly, "That's not the reason I'm showing it to you. Look beyond the green leaves and look deeper into it. Allow me to give you an example of what I mean.
When I sit here and look at this dragon plant, I see the life force flowing through it, and the gift it gives back to me in the form of oxygen. And when I think of that, I feel at ease, and relax. What relaxes you, Alex-kun?"
I sat upright again and thought. I smiled as I searched my mind and found the answer. "The girl I like, one of my classmates. Whenever I see her, time slows down around me and I just feel... Content."
She smiled, "Young love is such a pure thing. Cherish it while it lasts."
I nodded, but then asked, "What helps you transform? Is there like a secret code or a feeling or...?"
She shook her head and shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't help you there. For me, it's just like a switch. It's nothing special to me, I've grown up with it. You haven't, and your transformation seems to be more of a growth type transformation.
You're going to have to discover it yourself. And you need to discover yourself also. Discover what it is that allows you to unleash your power whilst holding the reins. Never let go of the reins, alright? I did once, and it'll stick with me forever."
She looked at her hands with a sad look on her face. She had been the number nine pro hero until recently. Did she go on a rampage and damage her reputation as a hero?
I tried to take her mind off her past failure, whatever it may be. "So should I practice meditating and trying to learn how to transform?"
"Basically, yes. I want you to spend an hour, two if you can, per day here. You won't master it in three days, it may take you several months or years even. Practice and patience is the key. Now, let's spend some time to clear our minds. Breath in... And out."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, before releasing it. As I closed my eyes I wondered how Tsu was doing at her internship. I hoped for her sake she was getting some more action than this.
As useful as it would be, it was dreadfully boring. I couldn't stop thinking! I gave it about five minutes before my lips trembled and I gave up, opening my eyes and confessing, "I can't stop thinking about things! There's always something on my mind, I just can't, I can't meditate!" I was getting flustered at my inability to just sit for more than five minutes.
I ran my fingers through my hair and she held my arms, looking firmly into my eyes. "Alex-kun. You're shackled by your self-doubt. You're telling me you can't do things. Alex-kun, if I asked you two weeks ago to fight Kirishima, what would you have said?"
"I can't?"
"And what happened when you fought Kirishima?"
"I won? But I-"
"Ssh. You won. You. You're the one who won. What would you have said a month ago, if I asked you to fight the Nomu?"
"I get your point, but that's fighting. That's the battle form doing the talking."
"Do you get my point, though? So far you've overcome some pretty big hurdles and thrown yourself head first into challenges far greater than other people would say you're qualified for and you came out on top. I told you already, this won't take a day. This won't take three days.
Stop trying to be perfect on your first try. Admit that you're still human. Try, then try again when you fail. We'll all fail at least once in our lives. When you feel your mind straying, reprimand it, and bring yourself back to your peaceful state of mind.
Eventually it will become easier, and you'll gain mastery over your thoughts, and in turn, your body. Let's try again, shall we?"
I breathed in deeply, and out again. I nodded, and closed my eyes. I relaxed, and thought about... Nothing. For the first time in years I just sat back and did... Nothing.
Seconds turned to minutes, which eventually, turned to an hour. I almost had a heart attack when Ryukyu suddenly said, "That'll do for today."
My thoughts came back to me, flooding in all at once. She stood up and offered her hand out to me, which I took and stood up with her.
I stumbled back a little and held my head, "Whoo, blood rush. That's always weird."
She smiled, "Well done. You proved yourself wrong, you pushed through despite wanting to give up. How do you feel?"
"I feel... Refreshed. I actually feel refreshed."
"Being a hero isn't always about being on the front lines and rescuing others or defeating villains. Sometimes you have to focus on yourself. I'm proud of you. Now, how about we patrol for a bit, you and I?"
I perked up even more, "Does that mean I get to wear my costume?"
She nodded, and I fist-bumped the air. "Hell yeah!"
She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at me, still smirking.
"I mean... Very well, ma'am." She laughed and we went our separate ways briefly to get changed into our hero outfits. I couldn't wait to show the world how I looked!
We rendezvoused outside in five minutes, and I scratched the back of my head when I saw her.
"So uh, what do we actually do? Walk around and look for trouble?" I asked.
"Sort of. It's more to show our presence and intimidate criminals into not committing a crime in the first place. And also, if there is a problem, people can come to us."
I nodded and she led the way. I was actually patrolling the streets with a pro hero! A normal hero activity! And if we were lucky, perhaps we'd find something interesting?
"I like your hero outfit. What's the inspiration behind it, if any?"
I looked up at her, she was slightly taller than me, with her blonde hair covering one eye.
"Thanks! And... Well... Maybe a little from Ectoplasm. Some of the design choices are in respect of my battle form though, such as the tipless extremities, the flap, and the mask."
She tilted her head curiously, "What is the mask for?"
I tapped the vials and explained, "These vials each contain Midnight's sleeping gas, liquidised. If I snap and lose control, this remote is to shut me off. I would like you to wield it today as we patrol."
I handed her the simple remote and she clutched it firmly. She didn't seem very pleased about it though. She looked at me sternly, saying,
"You won't need this. This shows villains you're insecure about your quirk and that you have a weakness. Turn that weakness into a strength. You will have it under control soon, but now it's a mask you'll have to wear throughout your career. I hope you like it. But if it makes you happy, I'll keep a hold of it."
I nodded, "I love it, actually, I'd have gone for a mask even if I didn't need it. And I think the vials give it an extra flair, don't you? D-does it look bad?"
She put her hands up defensively, "No, no, not at all, it does look nice! I'm just saying, it's permanent and I hope you thought it through first."
I nodded and clenched my fist, "This is the image I want to strike into the hearts of villains everywhere. I want to be such a good hero one day, that villains are scared when they even think about committing crimes with me around!"
She smiled, "You will be. I know it."
We walked around and talked about a few other normal things, nothing negative happened, no attacks or anything. A few people came to Ryukyu asking for autographs and selfies, to which she happily obliged.
We called it a day after a few hours and went to grab a bite to eat. We sat in a food courtyard in peace, no one bothering us while we ate.
She broke the silence asking me, "So, what's this girl like, the one you're madly in love with?"
I blushed a little and unconvincingly muttered, "I'm not madly in love with her..."
She laughed a little and I continued, "Well, she's cute, she's smart, she's really nice to everyone even though she finds it hard to socialise. She'd do anything for her friends and her friends are anyone who wants to be her friend!
She's responsible, she's mature, but she's still fun to be around and I just feel I could talk to her about anything. I'd have a bad day and just being around her would make me smile."
She listened intently, her breath almost taken away by my description of her. "Are you sure you're not head over heels for her?"
"W-well, we've only been on one date..."
"You asked her out? Good for you Alex-kun, I was expecting you to tell me you were looking for the right time or something!"
"Nah, I already found the right time. What about you? Got a special someone in your life?"
She shook her head, a little saddened. I slammed the table and stood up briefly, "What?! Who could possibly reject you, the Dragoon hero Ryukyu?!"
She sighed and laid her cheek on her bunched up fist, her arm resting on the table, looking away. What she said next changed the way I viewed pro heroes and becoming one forever.
"That's the thing. People only want to spend time with me because I'm the number ten hero. No one really seems to care about, well, me."
"Ryukyu, I'm so sorry, I didn't kn-"
"No one ever does. Nor do they mean to. If you say anything, you end up getting swarmed with gifts which isn't what I'm looking for either. I'm just looking for a genuine person, and it's so hard in the hero world. That's why heroes usually marry other heroes, yet none have really taken to me. Or rather, vice versa."
"You must have felt so lonely for so long... But don't worry! I'll be your friend! A real friend!"
She laughed a little, "That's sweet, but aren't you a little out of my age bracket?"
I gave her a confused look, "Not that much, you're only twenty three, right?"
She laughed more, "You flatterer! You know I'm not that young!"
"Alright, you got me. But come on, seriously, does it matter? You can be friends with anyone of any age, gender, or nationality. There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, you're really nice, and I'm sure you gotta vent about hero stuff sometimes, right?"
"For real?"
I nodded, and although she hesitated for a moment, she gave in.
"Okay, so get this. The other day I was -"
I listened to her vent for about fifteen minutes about various things that had happened to her throughout the week. I couldn't relate to all of it but I did understand how she felt at least some of the time.
A bit ambitious, you might think, to try to befriend someone ten years older than you. But our friendship from then on never wavered, so that just goes to show that if you try, you never know just who you might make lasting friendships with.
I won't write what she said out of respect for her privacy, I don't want an angry dragon trying to eat me. We'd even finished our meals but she was still relating her week to me, and all I did was listen. That was enough for her.
"Thank you... For listening. I guess, you were serious, huh. I think we've wasted enough time here, let's get back to the agency and meditate a little while before you go home back to your family, okay?"
I didn't think it was the right time to tell her my family situation, so I just agreed. "Sounds like a plan!"
Nothing else significant happened for the rest of the day, or even the next day. We did the same routine, strengthened our friendship a little more, I did disclose to her about my family situation on the second day, too.
However, it was my third and final day that everything I had learned thus far was going to come into play.
The day I met him.
{A/N: Here we go, the build-up we've been waiting for! Next chapter will have a big fight! Considering meanwhile Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida are fighting Stain, I decided to have Alex face off against his own villain, and one that's close to home too. Also, I haven't read the manga, and as of writing this chapter I'd only seen up to episode 6 of the fourth season, so if I misrepresented Ryukyu in any way, that's why. Her personality in this fan fiction is personally how I view how she'd be in person. Hope you enjoyed, see you all Monday for the fight!}