(Y/N) POV
(Y/N): "What do you want, Cole?"
I'm on the phone with Cole, who had the bright idea of calling me when I'm too tired to try and have a meaningful conversation.
Cole: "I wanted to ask you something. Have you seen any strange characters? People acting suspicious and wearing something like a parka or anything like that?"
(Y/N): "No, why?"
Then I hear Reggie's voice coming through the phone. This must be serious.
Reggie: "There have been reports of Some people fitting that description with powers that seem completely unnatural. Like they all have the exact same quirk."
(Y/N): "Okay, but why does some people with similar quirks prompt police investigation?"
Cole: "Someone was attacked by one of these guys. The victim reported that the attacker wore a large green coat, had what seemed like a trash bag filled with junk on his back, and had a quirk that allowed him to, and I quote, make large spiders out of junk and scrap. Sound like anything we know?"
(Y/N): "Wait a minute, that sounds like a dustman! One of Alden's guys!"
But that's impossible...Alden is dead. He jumped off the damn bridge, I saw it happen. There's no way someone that old could survive that fall.
Reggie: "There's more."
(Y/N): "What now?"
Reggie: "There was another victim in a different attack. Another seemingly unnatural quirk, this one being on command invisibility. The attacker was reportedly wearing a gas mask, a rubber insulated suit, and had a gas canister on his back that had a bunch of tubes connected to the gas mask."
Cole: "I'm pretty sure that's one of Kesslers henchman."
(Y/N): "Why would his henchmen come to Japan? Kessler is dead, so who would-? Wait..."
I forgot something about Alden. I had a fight with him once. Well, it wasn't really a fight as much as it was Me getting a hit on him before he tossed me into the bay. Anyway, I remember getting a surprise hit on him, A leaping punch to the temple with gloves that had metal strapped to the knuckles. I tested them out before, and they could punch through concrete if I really tried.
Alden was practically unaffected by a blow that would kill anyone else, hell I could've even killed Augustine if I had those gloves when I faced off with her. Unfortunately, they were lost when I was swimming to shore. If Alden could take that kinda hit no problem, that it's not a stretch to say he survived that fall from the bridge...
(Y/N): "Do you think Alden took over Kessler's operation?"
Cole: "Well, Kessler took over Alden's operation first, but yeah."
(Y/N): "But why would Alden be here in Japan? I still don't get it. Hell, even the dustmen are here, and they were just the homeless people and junkies in the Warren District."
Cole: "I don't know why they're here, but they're here. If two conduits are here. They'll probably be able to make more. Be careful."
(Y/N): "Alright. Thank you for telling me about this. I'm guessing this is a secret between us three and I shouldn't tell anyone else?"
Reggie: "Yeah. Well, us three and the police."
(Y/N): "Got it. I'll see you."
Cole: "Yeah, Bye."
Reggie: "See ya."
After they hang up, I start to try and remember how conduits are made. Hell, I'm pretty sure I have notes on this kinda thing, but I don't fuckin' know where they are.
Izumi: "Excuse me."
(Y/N): "You're Excused."
...Wait, Why is Izumi in my room?
Izumi: "A package came for you from Midnight. She said you left it back at her place and it looked too important to keep for sentimental value. She said she didn't read past the first page, Whatever that means."
Deus ex Midnight.
...
...Wait, I left stuff that she's keeping?!
(Y/N): "Thank you, Izumi."
Opening the package, inside I find a very worn composition notebook, the name 'Rowe' written on a piece of masking tape that was slapped on to the front.
Izumi: "What is that?"
(Y/N): "It's a notebook that I kept for information on both villains and my own skills, kinda like how you keep one with all the hero information."
Izumi: "That's pretty cool! I'd like to read it sometime."
(Y/N): "Well, I've never let anyone see inside of it, not even Cole or Ne- I mean, Midnight."
I've gotten a little too used to calling Midnight Nemuri. Now it feels kinda weird to call her by her hero name out loud. Like how you call someone named William 'Billy' or something and when your in a professional setting you have to call them 'Will' or 'William'.
But that's aside the point. The point is that right now, I can see Izumi giving me puppy dog eyes and that hurts my nonexistent soul because she's trying really hard to pull them off but she's not good at it. I've seen better. Still, you gotta respect the effort.
(Y/N): "Buuuut...I guess I can show you a few things. Later."
Izumi perks up at this, and I ask her to leave so that I can browse my notes on Alden's group. Only thing that could be considered useful is Alden's power of telekinesis and that's it. Nothing about the conduits or Kessler's, well I guess it's Alden's henchman now.
Getting an idea, I flip over to what I had on Kessler and whatever he was doing. According to my notes, he was part of something called the 'first sons'. I don't know what their goals were, but I did write down that they could alter quirkless people, forcing a quirk into them like a starfish forces a spoon into a tub of mayonnaise. Well, I guess it's not really a standard quirk, considering the process is completely inhumane and unnatural, comparable to a nomu's creation, except with only one quirk. With this process, They can basically make multiple people have the exact same power, one kinda based on the quirk of their boss. Again, I'm not sure how it works. Maybe something with DNA?
(Y/N): "This is worrying..."
Putting a bookmark on that page for later, I toss the notebook under my futon and leave the dorms. I gotta clear my head a bit.
—————
Aizawa: "(Y/N)."
(Y/N): "Aizawa."
Aizawa: "(Y/N)!"
(Y/N): "Aizawa!"
Aizawa: "(Y/N)!"
(Y/N): "AIZAWA!"
Aizawa: "Hi."
(Y/N): "Hey, how ya doing?"
—————
I feel like I shouldn't drink this many energy drinks because it will 100% result in a massive crash that puts me out of commission for a full day, but who cares about that? Certainly not the cashier who sold me a liters worth of monster and a lighter. They had the face of 'I fucking dare you to fire me, see if I care bitch'. I don't even drink monster. Honestly, I really shouldn't have drank them all because I feel like a god damned mess. Well, more than usual. I'm both tired and energized at the same time and I think I developed green blood cells. I just spent the remainder of the day on a bench in a park somewhere. It wasn't until I saw the streets were basically empty and the streetlights were on that I noticed the time pass.
*Ring a fucking ding bitch, pick up your damn phone.*
I am so lucky nobody is around to hear my ringtone. Didn't I turn that to vibrate?
(Y/N): "What's the color opposite of yellow...Uh, purple?"
Reggie: "Probably."
(Y/N): "Hey, Reg. Why are you calling me?"
Reggie: "You don't happen to know any other vigilantes, do you?"
(Y/N): "Not other than Cole but he's not a vigilante anymore."
Reggie: "Then we have a problem."
(Y/N): "Why's That?"
Suddenly, I hear a man scream. Or maybe just a very masculine woman. Or a horse, I'm not sure. All I know is that it is a scream and it came from nearby. Absorbing the electricity from the nearby light post, I run into an alleyway, spotting a very oddly shaped man covered in trash bags and green clothes attacking another man.
Charging my fist with electricity, I leap over and bash the assaulter in the face, my fist feeling like it hit something a little harder than just skin and bone.
(Y/N): "Get out of here, I'll handle this!"
The Victim runs off, and I pick up a metal pipe from nearby. Sending some electricity through it, I turn it into a makeshift shock baton as I charge at the mystery man, a sense of unease washing over me as I get closer. It's only when the man grabs the pipe with his hand, a bright flash of lightning illuminating his face, or rather his scrap metal mask, and punches me in the chest when I realize who it is. A dustmen conduit.
Suddenly the trash bags and cans nearby explode, yellow orbs quickly gathering up any trash and metal around them, Forming spider-like bodies before charging at me. Blasting them back with a shockwave, I pick up one of them by the legs and toss it at the dustman, hitting him in the face. Kicking off of a dumpster, I jump up, tackle him to the ground, and grab him by the face and...
Leech his energy, leaving him barely alive.
...
Okay, I may have gone too far since it's probably not a death row inmate like the other guy, But hey, he's still alive.
Calling up Reggie, I wait with the dustman for the pickup. That is until I get the strange sense that I'm not alone. Quickly turning around, I'm too late to dodge as I get blasted into the wall from a shockwave.
(Y/N): "And here I thought...you were captured...or even dead..."
The reaper conduit, the one I fought back at the summer camp, screeches at me from the entrance of the alley before sending another shockwave at me. I manage to dodge the attack, but when I look back to fire at them, both him/her/it and the dustman are gone. Honestly I can't tell what they are. I think they're a man...maybe.
Reggie: "(Y/N)?"
(Y/N): "Took you long enough."
Reggie: "What happened? Where's the dustman?"
(Y/N): "Turns out he had backup. There's another conduit, one I thought I took care of back at the summer camp with the wild wild pussy cats. They attacked me and managed to get away with Mr. dusty."
Reggie: "Damn it...Well are you alright at least?"
(Y/N): "It's nothing that'll kill me. I just have to come up with an excuse for Izumi..."
Suddenly the dustman conduit falls onto the floor directly behind Reggie, seemingly from the sky. Looking up, I see a giant bird... Knight... angel... thing looking down on us from the rooftops. It spoke in a deep, booming voice that I could feel in my chest.
???: "I am He Who Dwells. You need not know my true identity. Just know, (Y/N) Rowe, that I am an ally and will assist when need be."
(Y/N): "Uh...Okay...Thanks."
HWD: "Of course. After all, you and I have a common friend."
Reggie: "Hey, Hold on! Get back here!"
Giant glowing blue wings unfurled from HWD's back, and he flew off. Much to the annoyance of Reggie as was made evident by his hitting me in the back of the head.
(Y/N): "Hey!"
Reggie: "He's the vigilante I was talking about! Why'd you let him get away?"
(Y/N): "Unless you've forgotten, I'm a vigilante too. Hell, I'm still technically serving time. Just because I'm in a hero school doesn't make me a hero."
Reggie: "Honor among thieves, huh?"
(Y/N): "Pretty much. I'm not a thief, though."
Reggie: "That's bullshit and you know it."
(Y/N): "True. Still, we got one conduit. As for the other..."
Reggie: "I already called in for backup and a detective. For now, C'mon. I'll give you a ride back to your dorm. Tell me what you know about it on the way."
(Y/N): "Alright."
I can tell that having another vigilante around really grinds Reggie's gears, especially when they can do what the police can't, but I'm sure if I talk to him I'll be able to cut some kind of deal with him to ease up on the anger towards Mr. Dwells. Now then...
To figure out what to tell Izumi if she asks about the torn up clothing and bloody hand...
—————
Meanwhile, back at the dorms:
Cole: "Holy fucking shitting titty blasters, I wanna die."
(Y/N): "I can help with that."
Cole: "Æ."
—————
(Y/N): "That's everything I know about the reaper conduit. Admittedly, it ain't much, but I only fought the thing once. Well, you know, recently."
Reggie: "I see...let me ask you another question."
(Y/N): "Nah."
Reggie: "Too bad, my car my rules."
(Y/N): "You got me there."
Reggie: "That vigilante, He Who Dwells or whatever he called himself, he said that you have a mutual friend. What's that all about."
(Y/N): "I'll be completely honest, I have no idea. Like I said before, I don't know any other vigilantes and the only one I've ever worked with was kinda dead for a few years and then he was a big dumb meanie head."
Reggie: "Sheesh, watch the language kiddo."
(Y/N): "Oh, I'm sorry. Then he was a fucking asshole dickweed evil son-of-a-bastard pain in my ass."
Reggie: "That's better."
(Y/N): "Now let me ask you what you know about our new friend."
Reggie: "The vigilante? Not much. He hasn't been at this nearly as long as you have, you can tell by the way he acts. He has a quirk that lets him summon angels or demons depending on the intent, and he can...well, you've seen what he can turn into."
(Y/N): "How do you know he can transform?"
Reggie: "Your good buddy Eraserhead canceled his quirk before. Reverted back into what looked to be a teenager, but he had a mask and hoodie on so we couldn't see his face."
(Y/N): "Guess he somehow managed to get away from Headboy then."
Reggie: "Congratulations Sherlock, you solved the case. He fell into an alleyway and managed to disappear."
(Y/N): "Screw you too Reggie."
Reggie: "Well, you better get out here. Don't want your teachers or your classmates thinking you got arrested. Again."
(Y/N): "Psshh. You couldn't arrest me if you tried."
Reggie: "Yeah Yeah, sure. Now get out."
(Y/N): "Thanks for the ride."
Reggie drops me off about a block away from the dorms, and I, after absorbing the exhaust from Reggie's car, walk the rest of the way back. Using smoke to propel myself up into the air, I grab hold of a ledge very near my window, and climb into my room. I never managed to come up with a good excuse for if the others ask about the beat up clothes, so I need to change as fast as possible so nobody can suspect anything.
After putting on a blue jacket and some basketball shorts, i walk into the common area to see Bakugo. Just sorta...hangin' out. Weird considering 1. She never just hangs out and 2. She looks kinda like she's uh...Having an internal mental breakdown.
(Y/N): "Hey."
Bakugo: "Hey."
Oh Shit she's talking calmy and not immediately calling me a bastard. Something is wrong. TOGA?!
I sit on the couch next to her and lean my head back, prepared to switch to smoke in case a knife somehow magically finds its way into her hands and she somehow magically attempts to stab me.
(Y/N): "I miss anything while I was out?"
Bakugo: "...Why are you sitting so close to me?"
(Y/N): "I'm too tired to move."
Bakugo: "Well, the frog had some issues so most of the extras were dealing with that."
(Y/N): "Huh. Sounds like a pain in the ass."
Bakugo: "Doesn't involve me, so I don't care."
(Y/N): "...Hey, Katsumi?"
Bakugo: "Don't call me by my first name you jackass."
(Y/N): "I do what I want. Anyway, what's with you?"
Bakugo: "The hell are you talking about?"
(Y/N): "You looked...Uh... Contemplative."
Bakugo: "..."
(Y/N): "Is it about Izumi?"
Bakugo: "No..."
She's acting so much different from her usual self...it's kinda- no scratch that, It's really weird.
(Y/N): "Is it about the attack on the summer camp?"
Bakugo: "...Why?"
(Y/N): "Hm?"
Bakugo: "Why'd they take you instead of me..?"
(Y/N): "I guess my smoke power was similar enough that-"
Bakugo: "Don't you bullshit me! I'm not an idiot! I know how I act, they wanted me! So why?!"
"Why...Why did they settle for you?"
...I'm not sure I can tell her. If I do, she could tell the others or even the public. I'm not sure how the other classmates would react, but I know UA would have a bruised reputation if the media learned about my past. Only reason Cole is a pro hero now and people accept that is because nobody knows about the Historic District incident.
(Y/N): "...I don't know."
A punch out of frustration to the cheek tells me that she knows I'm lying.
Bakugo: "Don't you dare lie to me! Why'd they kidnap you! What are you to them?!"
I'm not sure if those tears are out of frustration, guilt, or just plain sadness, but I guess they moved me enough to tell her. I don't know why I'm going to do this. I've rejected tears before, back when I was basically just a street thug who beat the crap out of other street thugs, at least in the eyes of the law anyway. I guess being at UA has softened me a little bit...
(Y/N): "...You're right."
Bakugo: "Right?"
(Y/N): "That was a lie. I do know why I was accepted as a replacement for the kidnapping."
I absorb the slightest bit of electricity from my phone, just enough to switch my powers over to electrokenisis. Sending out an electric pulse, I can sense that only Bakugo is in ear shot. I can also sense that Bakugo is indeed Bakugo and not Toga.
(Y/N): "Do you know why I act the way I act with teachers and instructors? Why I act so casually around them, stand beside them in fights as though I were an equal, or even flirt with some?"
I'm talking about how I talk to Midnight and Aizawa, How I fought with them at the USJ, and how I acted with pixie bob. In that order.
(Y/N): "It's not just a way to say 'hey screw the rules, renegade for life' or anything stupid like that. It's because, well...In some regards, I am their equal. To me, to them, and in the eyes of the law."
Bakugo: "What are you talking about?"
(Y/N): "*Sigh*...have you ever heard of the terrorist attack on the Historic District, in Empire city?"
Bakugo: "No, What about it?"
(Y/N): "Officially, it was 2 people launching a suicide attack in order to set off a large bomb. Their Motives; unknown. That is a load of crap."
Bakugo: "How do you know that?"
(Y/N): "Because...I was there. About Two years ago now. You wanna know the real story?"
Bakugo: "...Y-Yeah."
(Y/N): "It wasn't a terrorist attack. It was a personal vendetta between four people. An insane ex-military Officer with a concrete manipulation quirk, and a...bad father with an electrokinesis quirk against the son with the same kind of quirk as dear old dad..."
"...and his brother in law...technically quirkless."
Bakugo: "So Why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with-"
(Y/N): "Guess who that 'quirkless' Brother was?"
Those words hit Bakugo like they were hammers against an anvil. The look of realization and bewilderment on her face showed me that my point had gotten through to her and that she had found the final piece of the puzzle.
Bakugo: "...I see...that's why..."
(Y/N): "You look tired."
Bakugo: "Shut up. It's just a lot of information."
(Y/N): "My Being here is Actually my 'prison' sentence, you know."
The silence that had washed over the room was louder than any scream I've ever heard. No more words needed to be said, yet ending the discussion with this feels so...Empty.
(Y/N): "...Hey katsumi?"
Bakugo: "What did I say about calling me that?"
(Y/N): "Can you do me a favor?"
Bakugo: "..."
(Y/N): "Keep this a secret. The Historic District incident, my connection to it, My being a vigilante, all of it. If this were to get out to the public, then it would hurt the schools reputation and everyone who goes or works here."
Bakugo: "..."
I guess telling her all this, must've worn her out a lot. She looks so tired. Getting up and carrying her like a princess, she doesn't even try to resist. When we get to her room, I don't look around. I just go straight for the bed and tuck her in.
(Y/N): "...Promise me that you'll keep it a secret. We may not like each other all that much, but I would trust you with my life."
After all...I have before.
Bakugo: "Fine. I promise."
(Y/N): "Thanks, Katsumi."
Bakugo: "Don't make calling me that a thing."
(Y/N): "I can't promise I won't."
As I leave the room and close the door behind me, I get this odd feeling of relief. It's like I just faced a massive roadblock, and once I got over it, I could finally rest.
Still, there's one person I need to worry about now.
He who dwells...Who are you?
———————————————————
I've got nothing to say here, I just need to have something here so I can end the chapter with a K Bye like i always do.
So...
Um...
K bye.