Silver and Black Hollow face off in the dojo.
Black Hollow: This will be the final test of your training. You’ve worked hard and fought well; now show me what you can do.
Silver: Yessir!
Silver and Black Hollow bow to one another.
Silver: I’ve appreciated every minute of your training, sir. I’ve learned a lot about my quirk and how to improve myself. I feel stronger, but with all that said.
Silver covers his entire forearm and fist in a layer of silver dust.
Silver: It’s time for me to prove it!
Black Hollow: Then let’s begin.
A gong sounds, Black Hollow vanishes.
Silver: (He starts off every fight like this, the question is always about which angle he’ll attack from. Sneaking behind me is too obvious, but he knows that I know that.)
Black Hollow appears behind Silver and attempts to karate chop the back of his neck.
Black Hollow: Hi-yah!
Silver dust emerges from the back of Silver’s shirt; it catches Black Hollow’s chop and holds him in place.
Black Hollow: My surprise attacks usually catch you off guard. I see your reaction time has improved drastically.
Black Hollow looks at the dust gauntlets that Silver made and notices he streamed a small amount of dust up his arms and around his back to cover his neck area.
Black Hollow: And you’ve learned how to utilize your quirk’s most vital attribute in a new way.
Silver: During our first fight, you caught me off guard with the speed of your attack. You had me on my ass in less than a second. That showed me that my defenses need to be reevaluated, my silver armor reduces the damage I take from attacks, but it makes my reactions sluggish and doesn’t help my balance whatsoever. That’s when I decided to scrap it and focus on using my silver dust not just as a barrier but also as armor. It may not be as dense as hardened silver, but it makes me nimbler, and it can capture my opponents when their attacks fail. Then once they’re caught, I can make my counterattack!
Silver shifts his feet against the ground to turn around and punch Black Hollow. However, his foot leaves the ground for just a moment, weakening the silver binding and allowing Black Hollow to promptly vanish.
Silver: (Dammit!)
Black Hollow reappears off to the side of the dojo.
Black Hollow: That was an excellent move, even though it failed. You’re making progress towards mitigating your greatest weakness.
Silver: Yeah, but It wasn’t good enough…
Black Hollow: Practice makes perfect, my friend. What matters is I can tell you’ve learned a lot.
Black Hollow disappears. Silver surveys the room.
Silver: (Which way is he attacking from now?)
Black Hollow appears above Silver and spin kicks him to the face, knocking him down.
Silver: *groans* Crap…
Black Hollow: My final lesson: Expect the unexpected. If your opponent’s regular strategies aren’t working, be ready for them to try something new.
Silver sits up.
Silver: Man… I really wanted to defeat you before the end of the internship.
Black Hollow offers Silver his hand.
Black Hollow: That was an unreasonable goal, but you showed growth beyond what I expected. You’ve earned my seal of approval, good luck with the rest of your semester at U.A.
Silver grabs Black Hollow’s hand and stands up.
Silver: Thank you, Black Hollow.
Aaron is standing in a room with 6 machine gun turrets mounted to the walls.
Aaron: Not to sound like I’m scared or anything, but… is this safe?
Big Tank: *intercom* Of course it is!
Aaron: Then why are you behind bulletproof glass?
Big Tank is watching from an observation room.
Big Tank: Oh, sorry, I thought you were asking if it was safe for me. No, it is not safe for you. Anyway, we start on three!
Aaron: Wait, what am I even supposed to be doing?
Big Tank: You have one goal, destroy the turrets before they destroy you!
The guns power on and take aim at Aaron.
Aaron: Oh… well… I like a challenge at least…
The guns all open fire on Aaron.
Aaron: Shit!
Aaron starts running for his life.
Aaron: I’M DURABLE BUT NOT THIS DURABLE!!
Big Tank sips some tea.
Big Tank: Yeah… it’s definitely not safe.
Aaron looks over his shoulder at the barrage of bullets following close behind him.
Aaron: (I’m gonna die unless I protect myself.)
Aaron surveys the turrets.
Aaron: (Based on their locations, I won’t be exposed if I take a stand in the corner.)
Aaron runs to one of the corners and turns his back to it. He then puts his hands together to form a riot shield that blocks the turrets' bullets.
Aaron: How much ammo do these things have!
Big Tank looks back at one of his employees.
Big Tank: How much ammo do they have exactly?
Worker: Enough, sir, enough.
Big Tank: That’s what I like to hear!
Aaron sits in the corner as the storm of bullets continues to rattle his shield.
Aaron: (Jesus Christ! What the hell am I supposed to do here? If I make a move, I’ll get shot, but If I stay here, my hands will eventually overheat, and I’ll be screwed! I’m cornered… literally.)
Big Tank watches intently.
Big Tank: (Come on, kid, prove you’ve got what it takes to be a hero, sure you’re powerful, but this job isn't all about who is the strongest, there’s so much more to it.)
Aaron’s riot shield starts to glow red.
Aaron: (They’re tracking me… anywhere I go, they’ll shoot… he’s testing my ability to think and plan under pressure, something I’ve struggled with in the past.)
Aarons starts to sweat.
Aaron: (Big Tank wouldn’t have put me in this situation if he didn’t believe that I could get out of it.) *frustrated grunt* (what would he do to get out of this?)
Aaron gets a look of realization on his face.
Aaron: (No, that’s not the question I should be asking. Big Tank and I have similar quirks, but with different mentalities, he thinks ahead and strategizes to not have to use his quirk. For him, the best battles are the ones not fought… Well, I’m the opposite. So I shouldn’t be asking myself how he would get out of this; I should be asking myself how I would get out of this. And well… that answer is obvious.)
Aaron starts running. He puts the shield over his head to block the incoming bullets.
Aaron: (I’ll blast my way out!)
Big Tank smiles.
Worker: What is it, sir?
Big Tank: If there’s one thing I like about this kid, it’s his determination to do things his way.
Worker: Didn’t that make it difficult to train him, though?
Big Tank: Yes, it did, but he’s a fighter first and foremost, and I can’t take that away from him. I quickly learned that teaching him how to use power as a negotiation tool rather than a weapon wouldn’t get through to him, so I decided to recalibrate my lessons rather than force him to conform to my ways.
Worker: You and I both saw the Sports Festival, right, sir? The kid’s biggest problem is his pride in his own strength. He could have won in the semi-finals if he had taken advantage of his opponent’s time limit weakness. Instead, he chose to continue fighting a battle he would most certainly lose.
Big Tank: But he almost won.
Worker: W- well I guess, but it would have so much easier to-
Big Tank: He doesn’t want to take the easy way out. He wants to win the hard way because he believes in himself and knows it will be more rewarding. That’s not a weakness; it’s a strength.
Worker: So then, what were you trying to teach him during the internship? If you’re not trying to correct that mentality.
Big Tank: Simple: It’s not all about fighting hard; you’ve gotta be smart too.
Worker: So that’s what you’re testing him on here?
Big Tank: Yes, I want him to succeed doing things his way, but he knows he’ll never get anywhere fighting the way he does now. He needs to always be thinking.
Aaron charges through the room as bullets shower down on his shield.
Aaron: (Their tracking is perfect, there’s no way I can shake the gunfire for long enough to counterattack. I have one idea, and it’s kind of risky. If it works, I’ll be golden… but if it doesn't… Eh, fuck it, there’s no point in worrying about that!)
Aaron spins around transforms his hands from a riot shield into flamethrowers. Using the flames to melt the bullets being fired at him.
Big Tank: Nice… good thinking, kid.
The turrets continue shooting at Aaron’s flames.
Worker: How did he figure out the turrets are tracking heat?
Big Tank: My guess is he guessed.
Worker: Oh…
Aaron ignites the ground, creating an inferno that distracts the turrets.
Aaron: (I’ve got an opening, so now…)
Aaron puts his hands together.
Aaron: Time for a bit of overkill!
Aaron’s arms transform into a howitzer cannon.
Aaron: God, it’s been too long!
Big Tank chuckles.
Big Tank: Alright, boys, everyone hit the deck!
Worker: You’re not gonna stop him!
Big Tank: I’m gonna let the kid have his fun.
All of the workers look worried. They all lie down on the ground with Big Tank. The howitzer starts to emit steam as it prepares to fire.
Aaron: HOWITZER BURST!
Aaron fires the howitzer toward the ceiling of the training room, destroying all six turrets and the roof in the process. Dust and smoke fog up the room.
Aaron: Ah… that felt good…
Big Tank gets up off the ground and looks at Aaron’s work.
Big Tank: Like I said on the first day, I like this kid.
Later, Aaron and Big Tank meet in the hallway.
Aaron: Sorry about the uh… damage…
Big Tank: It’s alright, that’s what a training room is for. You did good in there, kid.
Big Tank holds out his hand to Aaron.
Big Tank: Good luck with the rest of your semester; I can tell you’re going places.
Aaron shakes Big Tank’s hand, Big Tank slips Aaron a business card.
Aaron: Huh?
Big Tank: When you get out of that school in a couple years, give my secretary a call.
Aaron: Wait, really?
Big Tank: I’ve already invested my time and a whole roof into your career. I’m interested to see where it goes. See ya, Howitzer.
Aaron: Goodbye, Big Tank, and thank you for everything.
Big Tank and Aaron start walking away from one another.
Big Tank: Oh, and one more thing.
Aaron: Huh?
Big Tank: Although there will be times where you’re outmanned, just remember: You’re never outgunned.
Big Tank leaves.
Aaron: I will, thanks.
A prisoner is thrown across a lunch table as a crowd of prisoners cheer on a fight.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Prisoner #1: I’m gonna kill you, you fucking bastard!
The thrown prisoner gets up and wipes the blood off his face.
Prisoner #2: Not if I kill you first, you fucker!
All other prisoners: FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!
Prisoner #1: Shut the hell up, you fucked my wife!
All other prisoners: OOOOOOOOOO!
Prisoner #2: What can I say? I like my conjugal visits.
Prisoner #1: That was my conjugal visit! You used your quirk to pretend to look like me!
Prisoner #2: And the only reason I could do that is that you raped me in the shower! So looks like we’re even!
All other prisoners: OOOOOOOOOO!
Prisoner #3: *quietly in the background* Wait, I don’t get it?
Prisoner #4: *whispers* He can only transform into people with whom he’s had anal contact.
Prisoner #3: That’s disgusting.
Prisoner #4: I don’t know. It sounds pretty useful.
Prisoner #3: H- how?
The first two prisoners square off.
Prisoner #1: I’m gonna break you like a kit kat bar!
Prisoner #2: Oh yeah? Well, I’m gonna fuck your wife!
Prisoner #1: You already did!
Prisoner #2: I know! HA!
Prisoner #1: *frustrated roar*
Prisoner #1 jumps on Prisoner #2 and starts beating him to death. Fearmonger and Wes watch from the side of the lunchroom.
Wes: You gonna break this up or?
Fearmonger: Nope, this is all yours.
Wes: Wait, really? Are you sure this is a good idea?
Fearmonger: Yup, today is the last day of your internship; I need to give you some real experience. Trust me, you’ll do great.
Wes: Okay then…
Wes sifts through the crowd of prisoners until he gets to the fight.
Wes: *sighs*
Wes kicks Prisoner #1 in the back.
Wes: Come on, rapey, it’s time to calm down.
Prisoner #1 stops beating Prisoner #2. He turns around and looks down at Wes with a sinister look on his face.
Prisoner #1: What did you just call me?
Wes: You did rape that guy, right? I didn’t mishear that?
Prisoner #1: Yes, I came inside his rectum.
Wes shutters.
Wes: I did NOT need to hear that…
Prisoner #1: What are you gonna do about it?
Wes: Take you to solitary for fighting.
Prisoner #1: I’m not going anywhere!
Wes: Yes, you are.
Prisoner #1: Look at the prisoners around you; we could kill you in an instant, little man!
Wes: *sighs* Alright, let’s do it this way, you versus me, we fight, if I lose you go free if you lose you go to solitary.
All of the prisoners start laughing.
Prisoner #1: I’m gonna kill you.
Wes: Alright, you do the countdown.
Prisoner #1: 3… 2… 1...
Wes shoots Prisoner #1 in the knee with a pistol. The prisoner falls to the ground in pain, holding his bleeding knee.
Prisoner #1: AHHHHHH! Why did you use a gun! That’s not fair!
Wes: First of all, you didn’t say I couldn’t. Second of all, you rape people, so I really don’t feel like I’m in the wrong here.
Wes points the gun around the circle.
Wes: Back to lunch, you gross shits!
All of the prisoners disperse, the two injured prisoners are carted off on stretchers. Fearmonger walks up to Wes, clapping.
Fearmonger: That was great! The only thing I would have done differently was to shoot him in the penis instead of the knee.
Wes: I thought about doing that, but I am a guest here and all.
Fearmonger: That makes sense.
Wes: This has been a great internship. Thank you, Fearmonger.
Fearmonger: Don’t mention it, kid, and never forget: Confidence is the key to winning any battle, but a gun doesn’t hurt either.
Wes: Point taken.
A robber that looks like a bipedal Ox runs down an alleyway with a bag of money. He looks over his shoulder to see Gundam in his mech suit fly around the corner.
Gundam: Stop now, villain, or I will open fire!
Robber: No way! This money is mine!
Gundam jets in front of the robber.
Gundam: I said stop.
Robber: *frustrated grunt* Never!
The robber turns around, but Kevin is standing there cracking his knuckles.
Kevin: Pick your poison.
The robber looks back at Gundam then at Kevin again.
Robber: I pick you!
The robber charges at Kevin.
Kevin: Wrong choice.
Kevin punches the robber in the face so hard he slams into the alley's brick wall and gets stuck in it. Gundam lands next to Kevin and picks up the bag of money.
Gundam: Good work, Goliath.
Later the cops use crowbars to pry the robber out of the wall and arrest him.
Kevin: Maybe I hit him a little too hard…
Gundam: Maybe. You’ve seemed a little off these last few days, venting your frustration?
Kevin: Yeah… kind of... I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff lately.
Gundam: What’s on your mind?
Kevin: I just… I feel like everybody has a story, and I’m just the other guy.
Gundam: What do you mean?
Kevin: Justus is trying to be a hero so he can live up to his father’s name and carve out a path of his own. Aaron is trying to avenge his father's death. Silver has been a prodigy his whole life and is trying to live up to the hype. Hayze has only had his quirk for a few months, and he’s trying to make up for lost time and become a hero despite that, and there’s me, the guy that wants to be a hero for the fun of it.
Gundam gets out of his mech suit.
Gundam: Kevin, may I tell you something?
Kevin: Uh… sure?
Gundam: I hate being a hero.
Kevin: W- what?
Gundam: You heard me. I hate all the attention and the responsibilities that come with the job. Frankly, I’d rather tinker in my lab all day.
Kevin: Then… Why do you do it?
Gundam: Because it would be a waste of my talent not to. I don’t have a thrilling backstory or motivation. I’m doing this because I know I should. I find it admirable that you do this because you enjoy it; I wish I could say the same.
Kevin: I… thanks.
Gundam: Your story is your story, don’t compare it to others.
Kevin: Yessir.
Gundam gets back in his mech suit.
Gundam: Good, now let’s finish this patrol.
It’s late at night; Justus and Colossus are standing on the railing of a building overlooking Nashville.
Colossus: Well, this is the last night of your internship with me. May I ask for your thoughts?
Justus is hesitant to answer.
Justus: Shouldn’t you already have an idea?
Colossus: Of course I do, but communication is vital between us.
Justus: *sighs* I hoped that working with someone whose quirk is practically identical to my own would yield some form of progress in my physical skill set. After all, you were the one telling me to separate my likeness from yours if I wanted to be seen as an individual, it would have been nice for you to have aided me in that endeavor.
Colossus: I understand that, but are you sure you want my help in that matter?
Justus: What do you mean by that?
Colossus: You need to actually decide whether you want to be like me or not. You came into this internship unsure of the answer.
Justus: I already have decided to be a different hero than you.
Colossus: Then why did you want MY help with your fighting style? Wouldn’t that contradict your goal?
Justus is taken aback.
Justus: I…
Colossus: You came to me, the number 1 hero, for an internship. I understand your feelings toward me, and I know that you don’t want to live in my shadow. I respect those feelings. So, I taught you about what it’s like to be the number 1 hero, the autographs, the constant attention, the daily duties, and most importantly, how to carry yourself when you’re held in such regard. Trust me, I would have loved to have taught you a few of my moves, but as I said before: I understand your feelings towards me. I modeled my lessons and teachings based on those feelings, so if you didn’t like this internship, you have to look inward and reassess instead of outward.
Justus is silent for a moment.
Justus: Thank you.
Colossus: You’re welcome and good luck with your return to school.
Ewing walks through the hallway of a hospital until he reaches a patient room. He knocks on the door.
Adrian: *muffled* Come in.
Ewing enters the room. Hayze is unconscious in bed while Adrian is sitting in a chair.
Adrian: Ewing! It’s good to see you.
Ewing: You too, Adrian. Just.. not under these circumstances.
Adrian: Yeah… I guess that’s true.
Awkward silence.
Ewing: How have the last few days been?
Adrian: He hasn’t moved at all…
Ewing: That’s unfortunate… Mind giving me the whole story again now that we’re in person?
Time passes as Adrian explains everything to Ewing.
Ewing: So… Ivan is alive…
Adrian: Yeah… he is…
Ewing goes quiet.
Ewing: He’s really been alive… hiding all this time… I can’t believe it.
Adrian: I know his “death” hit you really hard. Are you alright?
Ewing: Ivan was my student… I should have been there to help him through whatever darkness he was battling. But, instead, I chose him to become a guardian… and now look. He’s back, and he’s using the ring I gave him for evil. I’m such a fool.
Adrian: Ewing, we all felt responsible. Ivan was my friend, and I wasn’t there for him either. So we’re all to blame.
Ewing: That may be true, Adrian, but the most painful thing a teacher can experience… is watching their students fail. I was his mentor, so it was my job to look out for him.
Adrian glances at Hayze.
Ewing: *sighs* Well, at least we know our enemy now. He will have a lot more trouble hiding in the shadows after this.
Adrian: Yeah, but it concerns that he made his first move.
Ewing: What do you mean?
Adrian: If he’s now starting to collect the rings, he must be decently confident he can locate a few of them.
Ewing: That’s true, but there’s nothing we can do for now. There’s a reason he’s been able to fake his death for over six years. He’s excellent at concealing himself. So we’ll have to wait and see what his next move is.
Ewing looks at Hayze.
Ewing: I’m more concerned about him.
Adrian: You want to erase his memories, I assume?
Ewing: Do you have a reason why we shouldn’t?
Adrian thinks back to Khaos murdering Adonis.
Adrian: I looked into that monster’s eyes, and I felt the evil coursing through his veins. Hayze needs to remember what it felt like to lose control... so it can never happen again.
Ewing: Hmm, I’ll see what I can do about erasing only some of his memories. Obviously, the information about the rings needs to be taken care of.
Adrian: Just make sure he doesn’t remember killing Adonis. I just want him to remember Khaos taking control; that’s it. (I don’t want him to feel the guilt of a murder he didn’t commit.)
Ewing: I will. It’s already on police record that you killed Adonis. So we don’t need Hayze remembering differently.
Adrian: Thank you, Ewing…
Ewing looks at Adrian with concern.
Ewing: You seem off.
Adrian: I… I just feel bad for the kid. Being a hero means everything to him, and he finally got his chance… only for the serum’s side effect to kick in and complicate everything. He doesn’t deserve this…
Ewing smiles.
Adrian: Why are you smiling?
Ewing: I didn’t expect you to get attached this quickly.
Adrian: It was nice teaching, especially to someone who wanted nothing more than to learn from me. And I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that I see a little bit of myself in him.
Ewing laughs.
Ewing: If you liked teaching that much. You’re more than welcome to join my staff at U.A.
Adrian: I’m glad you’re offering because it’s part of my plan that I’ve been thinking about.
Ewing: Hm? Do tell.
Adrian: I think I should maintain possession of the ring.
Ewing: And why is that?
Adrian: Ivan was a guardian. He knows the rules; once your cover is blown, the ring is reassigned. So he’ll be expecting a new guardian. He’d never expect me to still have it.
Ewing: Hmm, hiding in plain sight…
Adrian: Exactly, and to appear as if I’m no longer a guardian, I’ll work at U.A. as a part of the hero course.
Ewing stares at Adrian with a sly smile.
Adrian: What?
Ewing: I think I know why you want to work in the hero course.
Adrian blushes.
Adrian: It’s not for her! I’m taking on the responsibility of making sure Khaos doesn’t come back. To do that, I need to be one of Hayze’s teachers.
Ewing: I always hoped you would all work at U.A. together one day. I guess 4 out of 5 is the best I will get.
Ewing gets up from his seat.
Ewing: Your proposal is accepted. You may hang on to the ring and become a full-time teacher at U.A. I’ll go fetch Ms. Memory so that we can clear Hayze’s mind.
Adrian: Okay.
Ewing: Also, Adrian… you’re not taking full responsibility for Hayze’s quirk control.
Adrian: W- what do you mean?
Ewing: Class 1-A is getting a transfer student from U.A.’s West Coast branch, one that is very aware of Hayze’s situation.
Adrian’s eyes widen.
Adrian: She’s seriously coming back here? I thought she went out West to avoid attending the same school you’re in charge of.
Ewing: Yes, she did, but she’s more than willing to help Hayze. So, she’s decided to put that aside and join U.A. Main.
Ewing walks to the exit.
Ewing: I’ll be back in a few minutes.
Adrian: Alright.
Ewing: Oh, and Adrian, one more thing.
Adrian: Hm? What is it?
Ewing: Rachel is still single.
Ewing leaves. Adrian breathes a sigh of relief.
Adrian: (Oh, thank god…)
A few more days passed before Hayze finally awoke from his coma.
Hayze: *groans* What… What’s going on?
Dr. Moore and Adrian are both in the room.
Dr. Moore: Oh, thank goodness you’re awake!
Hayze: What?... What happened?
Dr. Moore: You’re in the hospital, Hayze. Villains attacked you and Adrian during your training.
Adrian: What do you remember last? A lot happened.
Hayze: I remember going in the house, then everything went black, I woke up on the floor, your home got destroyed, I nearly got crushed by Adonis… then he was about to kill me… and everything went black. How did I live? I was gonna die… what happened after that?
Adrian and Dr. Moore look at each other.
Adrian: You avoided telling him long enough; explain the side effects.
Dr. Moore: Okay… you’re right.
Hayze: What?
Dr. Moore: Do you remember that night I injected you with the quirk serum? I mentioned you should think it over before the experiment because there could be risks involved, but you insisted on doing it that night. Well… it’s time I explain those risks because you experienced them for the first time that day.
Hayze: Okay…
Dr. Moore: The serum tricks your body into believing your genetics are one way when they’re really another. It's what causes the metamorphosis that develops a new quirk. But that’s the problem. It only tricks the body. The mind, on the other hand, doesn’t understand the new power that has been developed, so it compensates…
Hayze: What do you mean by “compensates.”
Adrian: In both cases in which someone developed a quirk using the serum, they also developed an extra “personality.”
Hayze: Huh?
Dr. Moore: In Rachel’s case, her mind maps her personality to having no quirk, so when her muscle control quirk manifested, it didn’t understand what was going on, so it created a new personality to associate with that quirk.
Hayze flashes back to Fatal’s mental breakdown in the forest.
Hayze: Is that why she went berserk the night of the forest attack?
Adrian: Wait, she had an incident recently?
Dr. Moore: Yes, Hayze, that happens when the emotion associated with her quirk goes awry, a.k.a. Her frustration.
Adrian: That extra personality is essentially the quirk’s persona of sorts, hence why it can feel like the quirk is taking control. It took her a long time, but she finally learned how to control it.
Hayze: Okay, so then I’ll just ask her for help controlling my quirk, no big deal.
Adrian and Dr. Moore both look away.
Hayze: What’s… wrong?
Dr. Moore: Your case is… different… Do you remember when you told Rachel and me that you might have more than just one element?
Hayze: Yeah…
Adrian: Well… how do I put this…
Hayze: Wait… so what you’re saying is…
Dr. Moore: There’s more than just one.