Chapter 10: Kidnapping Incident
Author: Geraint(MC's POV)
After working out at the gym and sparring, Rumi and I went straight back home together.
Rumi decided to live in an apartment near our orphanage two years ago while she did her hero work in our city. That's why she can now visit me often without running a long distance from her hometown.
Right now, I'm walking her to her apartment.
"Uuuugh! This is frustrating! Why are you so slippery, Ichika?! I can't hit you with any of my kicks!"
"Why are you so eager to kick me? If you just used your fists, I'd catch them with the mitts!"
"I want a real spar! Not a punching workout! Kicking is better than punching!"
"I agree with you on that, but it's best to learn both!"
We're quarreling over how unproductive our training was.
All I did was keep dodging her lethal kicks.
They're deadly, and I can't block them in this child form.
Now she's really frustrated and wants another round with me.
"Ichika! I can't take this anymore! Let's fight right here!"
"You already sweated a lot! Give me a break!" I retorted.
"Grrrrrrr~"
After walking her home, she growled at me from the gate.
"See ya later, Rumi!"
"Wait! We're not finished yet! Ichika! Come back here!"
I just left her while waving my hand.
"Ichika!"
Arriving near the orphanage...
"Uuuuuuuuu~"
"Huh?"
I saw two little girls from the orphanage crying by the side of the road.
The bad feeling I had yesterday came true—and it happened fast.
These two are Risa's close friends.
"Maya! Kanna! Where's Risa?! Why are you girls outside the orphanage?!"
(I already warned them not to leave the orphanage without an adult.)
"Uuuuuuu~ Onii-chan, I'm sorry! I asked Risa-chan to come with us to look for something, but a white van stopped in front of us and some scary men came out and grabbed Risa-chan!"
"Bad guys took Risa-chan! Please save her, Ichika-oniichan! Uuuuuu~"
(Sht! Why does it have to be now?)*
I immediately took out my phone and opened my GPS tracker.
Risa's position is moving fast on the map.
Good thing she's the one I gave the keychain with the tracker on it. I can find her easily now.
"You two, go back inside the orphanage and tell the caretaker what happened."
"Uuuuu~ What about you, Onii-chan?"
I smiled.
"I'll bring her back. Don't worry."
The girls ran back inside the orphanage.
I pulled up my hood so no one would recognize me and rushed to a secluded spot.
"Let's do this... Captain Falcon!"
I was shrouded in flames and transformed into my adult form, wearing a flight suit and helmet.
"Wait for me, Risa! I'm coming to save you!"
My fists ignited with fire.
(I've got 45 minutes to save her.)
Following the tracker, I dashed forward.
I had to run as fast as I could and take every shortcut possible to catch up with the kidnappers.
Their vehicle entered the highway, so I had no choice but to follow them there.
People saw me on the way—
"Wait! Did you see that?!"
"Was that All Might?!"
"No! He's wearing a helmet!"
Most people didn't clearly see me. My speed made it impossible for their eyes to follow. They were only stunned when I passed them.
While running, I sensed someone catching up from behind.
(This presence... only one person can match my speed.)
Looking back, I saw All Might in his hero costume running after me.
"Is that you, Captain Falcon?! I thought you died in that explosion!" he yelled.
...
"Answer me!"
"Yeah, I'm Captain Falcon. As you can see, I'm alive. I guess you could call it a miracle I survived."
The kidnappers made a turn according to my GPS.
"Why only show yourself now? Everyone thinks you're dead!"
...
"I have my reasons, All Might! After that incident, I found out they were planning to put a bounty on my head. Just how much does the Hero Association hate me?"
"I get it... but there's a law against using quirks in public. Your actions inspired people to perform hero work without licenses! That might be fine if it's just you—but what about others? A lot of incidents nowadays are caused by unlicensed heroes!"
Hearing his explanation, I started to understand his point.
A hero license is granted to someone who completes proper training in using their quirk. It gives them the legal right to use it in public.
Being saved by an illegal hero during a major disaster is like letting an unlicensed doctor operate on you. Even I wouldn't want that.
What if someone dies due to an illegal hero's negligence and lack of training?
Popularity? Fame? Money?
Now that I think about it, the hero license isn't about any of those things. It's just a necessary privilege to become a hero. The problem is the wannabes abusing that privilege.
"I guess getting a license wouldn't be so bad. It'd save me a lot of trouble," I muttered, making a left turn.
"Falcon!"
"Okay! Okay! I give up! I'll get a hero license, so stop pestering me!"
"Haha! I'm looking forward to working with you as a pro hero, Captain Falcon!"
"Shut up! You should prepare for the worst later!"
"What do you mean?" All Might asked with a serious tone.
"You'll see."
It was already night when we arrived near an abandoned warehouse.
(According to my GPS, the kidnappers' van stopped here.)
Looking around cautiously—
"Huh?"
I sensed someone approaching from behind.
I turned and saw a tall, muscular man with short, spiked crimson hair and sharp turquoise eyes. His beard and mustache looked like they were made of fire.
His outfit consisted of a tight, navy bodysuit with flame patterns across his torso, shoulders, and limbs. He wore flaming boots, white bracers styled like cages, and a blue utility belt.
(Endeavor...)
"All Might! What's the meaning of this?!" he shouted, as several pro heroes emerged from the shadows, surrounding us.
"Endeavor! Wait! Let me explain!" All Might tried to stop him.
Looking at their outfits, I could tell—they were all pro heroes.
"That's Captain Falcon, right? He's alive!"
"That means... the bounty on his head—"
"Yeah… capturing him will earn us big bucks."
"Then I'll make sure he doesn't escape!"
Some pro heroes showed greed in their eyes as they stared at me.
Endeavor started walking toward me, but All Might blocked his path.
"Listen to me, Endeavor! Captain Falcon is—"
"He's a fugitive, All Might! The Hero Association ordered us to capture him! Don't tell me you're disobeying the rules?!"
Endeavor looked furious.
"That's right, All Might! The bounty's huge if it's reinstated!"
"Yeah, a ton of money!"
"Rich clients hire him more than us!"
"Captain Falcon is bad for business!"
"Because of him, our agencies—"
"Shut up!"
I yelled.
(I don't have time for this nonsense. I've got 15 minutes left in this form. My strength is already fading.)
The pro heroes frowned.
I checked my phone again.
(No doubt. Risa's inside that old warehouse. I have to hurry.)
I ignored them and stepped forward.
"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Fugitive?"
A female pro hero blocked my path.
She was tall and curvy, with long, spiky dark purple hair and sky blue eyes. Her costume resembled a dominatrix's outfit: a black leather leotard over a tight white bodysuit that accentuated her figure.
(R-Rated Hero... Midnight.)
She slowly reached out and touched my chest, feeling my muscles.
"Why don't you just surrender to me?"
(Anyone who gets close to her falls asleep from her aroma... but—)
I raised my hand and flicked her forehead.
"Uu!"
Peeeeeww
I nullified her quirk.
"Huh?! My quirk... it didn't activate?!"
She was completely shocked.
All the pro heroes immediately became cautious.
"Catch me? You're nothing without your quirks. Against me, you're just ordinary people. Do you still want to fight?"
They all hesitated, fear in their eyes.
"Falcon..." All Might muttered.
I kept walking forward. The heroes moved out of my way.
All Might followed me silently.
(To be continued.)
A/N: I'll fix the rest of the mistakes later.