Collector Hero: Synthesis Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Collector Hero: Synthesis! Everyone is at their Internships now. How will they spend their time and what will they learn from the Pros? Nothing too crazy will happen during this week, right?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 25 – Interns and Agencies

-Genius Hero Office ~ Tokyo-

“To be honest, I’m not a fan of yours.” Best Jeanist spoke to his newest intern. The current Number Four Pro Hero was a tall, slim man with a rather long neck, and dark, heavily-lashed eyes which appeared to tilt slightly inwards. He had rather long blond hair which he had combed drastically to the left, covering his left eye. His hero costume consisted of a pair of jeans, a denim waistcoat with two large breast pockets, and a denim dress shirt with a very high collar which covered his face up to just below his nose. He wears two belts, one around his collar and one around his waist, and short dark brown boots with thick gray shafts and soles.

“Huh?” Bakugo barely resisted the urge to glare at the Pro Hero.

“I imagine that the only reason you chose my Agency…was because I’m one of the Top Five most popular Heroes, right?” Best Jeanist easily deduced why Bakugo had accepted his internship offer.

“But you’re the one that sent the offer…” Bakugo was glaring now and he had a snarl forming at the dismissive tone.

“Yes! Because all I’ve had lately are little do-gooders.” Best Jeanist pointed at Bakugo. “But you’re the first in a long time who is a bit more ferocious.” He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and made sure to sweep it to the left. “Part of my job as a Hero is to reform people like you.” Best Jeanist took out a comb from his left breast pocket, holding it up while giving Bakugo a serious look. “Heroes and Villains are two sides of the same coin. I can see it in that glare of yours.” Bakugo felt his eye twitch at the remark. “So, let’s start by answering this, what is it that really makes someone a Hero?”

‘I didn’t come here to be lectured, damn it!’ Bakugo raged in his mind at how the first day of his internship was going.

-Chivalrous Agency ~ Nagoya-

“Well, to put it bluntly, Heroes are paid by the government.” Pro Hero Fourth Kind explained from behind his desk. He was a large, wide-set man with, as a result of his Quirk, four large arms. He had buzzed, grayish-brown hair and small but wide eyes with no eyebrows. His teeth were prominently straight, and he also had a stitched scar running diagonally over his left eye. His hero costume was a plain black suit (altered to include four sleeves for his arms) with a cyan-colored tie, three yellow diamonds patterned it down the center, and there was a thick gold ring on each of his twenty fingers. His jaw was also covered by a metal casing along with his neck. “That basically makes us government employees and civil servants. Only our legal ability to use our Quirks to subdue Villains sets us apart from the rest.”

“Tetsutetsu?!” Kirishima smiled at the Steel Quirk user.

“Kirishima?!” Tetsutetsu smiled right back as both teens clapped their hands together.

“You listening?” Fourth Kind questioned as he stood up, towering over the two boys.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Fourth Kind!” Kirishima and Tetsutetsu stood at attention.

“I was allowed to take on two students this year, so I want you both to understand what this work is like and how the system functions.” Fourth Kind used two of his arms to point at each of his interns individually.

-Yokohama Downtown ~ Streets-

“Basically, my job is to get a handle on crime, right?” Battle Hero Gun Head explained as he led Ochako on a standard patrol. He was a wide-set man with a muscular build and long, pale mint-green hair that spiked backwards, away from his head. His hero costume consisted of a white mask with four holes in a square formation, all of which resembled gun muzzles with slight barrel stems protruding from their sides, the only exception, for some reason, being the bottom left one, which instead just had the appearance of a regular circle. He wore a partial bodysuit of a dark grayish-cyan color, only covering the lower portion of his torso, his arms from the shoulders down and the palms of his hands. A padded combat vest sat over this, around the sides of his chest, and was kept in place by two straps that connected his mask and shoulders. He also sported plain brown pants and short black boots, as well as his signature revolver chamber-shaped silver bracers and the spikes on his knuckles. “When something bad happens, usually involving Villains, the police call me to help. Each district sends their requests in batches, okay?” Ochako nodded to show that she was paying attention.

‘The way he talks is kinda cute.’ Ochako thought with a small grin. She could see Gun Head and Camie getting along well.

“After the incident is resolved, I write up a nice report describing how much help I was at catching Villains and saving people.” Gun Head continued once he knew Ochako was keeping up. “The government office does their own investigation to corroborate my report, and then deposits money into my Agency’s bank account, okay?”

“I get it.” Ochako confirmed with a smile.

“It’s mostly on commission.” Gun Head chuckled as they walked along, several people waving to the Pro Hero. “Once the money is in the Agency account, that’s how I pay my Sidekicks and office team, and after everyone is paid, including me, the rest stays in the Agency account in case it’s needed later.”

-Endeavor Agency-

“While you two are here, I plan to teach you as much about this industry as possible.” Endeavor spoke plainly as Izuku and Todoroki stood before the Number Two Por Hero’s desk. “I’ve gotten a decent grasp of your abilities from the Sports Festival, but we’ll be going over your physical skills a bit later anyway, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Izuku replied promptly.

“Yes.” Todoroki’s tone was notably more subdued and Izuku saw how father and son looked at one another. It was like a chasm existed between them.

“For now, however, you’ll be learning the crucial part of this job that most Heroes end up having trouble with the government over.” Endeavor picked up a stack of papers and slapped them down onto his desk. “The paperwork.” Izuku nearly face-faulted at the sudden loss of tension. “It’s not glamorous, but it’s absolutely necessary for any Pro Hero, and even more so for a Hero that has their own Agency. You have to know the Law to uphold it, to serve the people and protect them from Villains and disasters means knowing what you legally can and can’t do in the field. Reports, forms, requests, and all manner of other paperwork can and will come to you as a Pro Hero. So, we’ll start with this before we move on to patrols and field work, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Izuku and Todoroki both nodded this time.

Enji and Shoto shared a look again, but this time, it was as if each of them had thrown a rope to the other across the chasm. A small step towards bridging the gap, but an important one. The first step had been made now, and both of them knew it was up to them to try and repair their strained familial relationship.

-Fukuoka ~ Port-

“Kero.” Tsuyu smiled at finally being done with cleaning the ship deck. This was not what she’d expected her internship to entail.

“Froppy!” A young woman called out and Tsuyu turned to face her.

“Sirius.” Tsuyu returned the smile the Sidekick gave her.

Sirius was a young woman with sharp blue eyes, sloping inwards, and short, shoulder-length light blue hair which she wore side swept to the right. Her hero costume consisted of a sleeveless white sailor uniform with a dark blue, double-trimmed collar and a short three-piece skirt which was buttoned together on either side. She wore a loosely-tied red scarf and blue gloves with white striped wrist guards, and on her feet were thigh-high boots with wavy lines running down them from thigh to toe. She sported a flat hat with a ribbon around the base and two large communication devices on her ears (which were shaped like large, blue fins) to aid with the use of her Quirk.

“Let’s take a break now that you’re done.” Sirius held up two aluminum cans with a grin. Tsuyu happily accepted one as the two girls moved to sit down on the nearby stairs. “It’s boring just cleaning the deck and going through physical training drills, isn’t it?” Sirius asked with a knowing smile at the Frog Form user.

“A little…” Tsuyu admitted with a nod.

“It was the same when I did my internship.” Sirius mentioned as she looked out over the side of the ship and towards the sea. “I was confused by the image I had of what a Hero was when I was a kid and the reality of what the job entailed.” She rested her cheek on her hand with a small sigh. “I expected something a lot showier, but in reality, it’s a daily grind of training and patrols and cleaning.” Her look soured a bit as she recounted more of her memories. “On top of that, I had to wash the Captain’s laundry!” She looked at Tsuyu with a pout. “I remember thinking: ‘What part of this is being a Hero?’ at the time.”

“Did you get tired of it?” Tsuyu questioned curiously. It sounded like Sirius had almost quit entirely.

“At first, I did.” Sirius admitted with a soft smile. “But after becoming the Captain’s sidekick, I realized what was really important for a Hero.”

“What’s really important?” Tsuyu perked up a little. “What is it?” She pressed her index finger to her cheek and tilted her head slightly.

“You have to find the answer to that yourself.” Sirius beamed at the younger girl. “Right?”

“Kero.” Tsuyu nodded in agreement. It was probably a similar answer for most people looking to become Heroes. But it would mean far more if she found her own path to that answer.

“Hey, Froppy!” Sea Rescue Hero Selkie walked onto the deck and spotted the pair sitting on the steps. Selkie was a man with a muscular physique, but with the appearance of a humanoid spotted seal that had a gray beard. Selkie’s Quirk, much like Tsuyu’s, was a Mutant Type called ‘Spotted Seal’ and gave the Pro Hero all of the abilities of the said species. He sported a full body wetsuit as his hero costume, featuring yellow goggles, retractable flippers and a stylized ‘S’ on his left shoulder. “What’re you playing around for? Have you finished cleaning the Oki Mariner’s deck yet?” He looked at Sirius. “Didn’t I ask you to supervise her?”

“I finished cleaning the deck, Captain.” Tsuyu informed the Pro Hero.

“And I’m supervising her properly.” Sirius pulled Tsuyu into a side hug.

“Kero.” Tsuyu nodded in agreement to Sirius’ words.

“Oh, is that right?” Selkie blinked at the information. “I guess I jumped to conclusions.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I see, I see, my bad!” The seal-like man then raised his hands to his chin and put on the cutest face he could. “I’m sorry.”

“Ugh…” Sirius sighed while dropping her head. Tsuyu just stared up at the Pro Hero stunned.

“Hahahahaha!” Selkie laughed boisterously. “Was I too cute for words, Froppy?” He shot the intern a joking smile.

“She’s dumbfounded, probably.” Sirius looked up at Selkie unamused. “I keep saying this, but you can’t just make your face cute.” She shook her head side-to-side. “Below the neck, you’re just way too macho…and your face is too rugged, it totally ruins it.”

“What did you say?!” Selkie exclaimed in shock. “When I do this for kids, they always love it! They laugh every time!”

“They’re not laughing because of it; they’re laughing at it!” Sirius pointed at Selkie’s face. “They’re making fun of your cutesy routine, because it’s not cute at all!”

“Eh?!” Selkie tilted his head with his hands on his chin.

‘Cute.’ Tsuyu thought with her index finger on her chin.

-Hosu City ~ Ingenium Agency-

“From now on we’ll be patrolling in groups of no less than three.” Tensei informed his sidekicks at the morning meeting. “I was attacked by the Hero Killer when I was alone, and that’s Stain’s MO.” All of the sidekicks, and Tenya as the sole intern, nodded in agreement. “Now that we know he’s here in Hosu, we’ll be taking every precaution to avoid another attack.”

“Yes, sir.” The sidekicks chorused in unison.

“We’ll have to alter our normal patrol routes a bit to make up for the groups of three, but safety is our top concern.” Tensei pointed to the large map of Hosu on the table. “We’re not going after Stain on some revenge trip, understand? Our duty is to the civilians and their safety. If Stain shows himself, we will engage, but we will not play into his hands and let him separate us. We’ll go about our patrols as we normally do, but if you see something, call it in and we can all support each other.”

“Yes, sir.” The sidekicks, and Tenya this time, confirmed together.

“Alright, we have an intern for the week, so let’s show him how we normally operate.” Tensei smiled at his little brother and all of the sidekicks clapped to welcome the young man. Tenya could only bow in thanks to them for the warm welcome, a smile on his face. “Now, let’s work out the new patrol routes and get out there. I have a Team Up Request already put on the Hero Net. I’m hopeful that with multiple Pro Heroes, Stain will be leaving Hosu in custody, to face justice for his crimes.”

“Who did you request, Ingenium?” One of the sidekicks asked curiously. It was always good to know which Heroes they may be working with soon.

“I made a request of both the Ryukyu Agency and the Endeavor Agency.” Tensei informed the group. “If both are able to join the hunt for Stain, I’m sure he can be captured before he hurts anyone else.”

“The Number Two Pro Hero and the Number Nine Pro Hero, not even Stain could take them both on.” Another sidekick commented with a thoughtful look on his face.

“They’ll be bringing a few of their sidekicks as well, if they agree, so we’ll do our best to help them navigate Hosu.” Tensei tapped the map on the table again. “Until I hear from them, we’ll operate as normal.”

“Yes, sir.” The sidekicks agreed with their leader and moved towards the table to work out the new patrol routes.

‘This is what I’ve always wanted, to learn from you, Tensei.’ Ida was doing his best to keep his face neutral, but a smile kept threatening to overtake his face. It had been his dream to learn at his older brother’s side for so long. Now, here he was, working as an intern at his brother’s Agency. He couldn’t be happier if he tried.

-Hosu City ~ Back Alley-

“Hmm, where are you, Ingenium?” Stain was on the hunt for the fake Hero that he’d already punished. Somehow, he’d made a full recovery in a ridiculously short time. The fake had found someone to undo his work. It was no matter. He’d soon learn the false Hero’s routine again. Then it was only a matter of getting rid of him permanently this time. “This corrupt society, beleaguered by fakes and shams, will be cleansed. No matter how long I must continue my work, it shall be done.”

The serial killer moved through the shadows of the back alleys, always careful to remain out of sight. He never took chances with his purge. One-on-one, get the fake alone and then punish them for claiming to be a Hero. For the ones that at least tried to act like Heroes, he crippled them for their imprudence. Those that made a mockery of the title Hero were sacrificed to make a better world for true Heroes to rise up. Once Ingenium was taken care of this time, he’d go after his next target, the Pro Hero called Native. That fake would be another sacrifice, just another fraud out for money and glory. He gripped the handle of one of his knives, it would be between that faker’s ribs soon enough.

-Ryukyu Agency-

“Hmm?” Tatsuma Ryuko, also known as the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu, looked at the notification on her computer screen. She had chin-length blonde hair, which she kept swept back with a headband, a long fringe over the right side of her face that covered her eye. She had narrow, yellow, inward-tilting eyes with slit pupils and notably sharp teeth. Her hero costume was a dark red, traditional qipao with a pale green scale trim around her shoulders, and seemed to only be slit on the left side. The dress had yellow claw patterns on the bottom and smaller ones around her neck. She wore knee-high boots and a strap around her exposed thigh. She also wore long, white sleeves that almost reached her shoulders, with higher tabs on the outer sides, leaving her hands uncovered. She had a matching green headband with four large, pale purple claws attached, covering the right side of her face, and a set of small black dragon wings protruded from the back of the headband. The Pro Hero also had a number of gold spiked piercings decorating her left ear.

The Number Nine Pro Hero had just gotten back from her last patrol for the day and was eager to get a shower and soak in the tub for a bit afterwards. Chasing after a Villain with a Speed Quirk for the better part of the afternoon was tiring. All the effort the Villain put into escaping after robbing a jewelry store and he might’ve gotten away if it wasn’t for her ability to fly. Aerial recon with her sidekicks on the ground had let them corner the man and left him gasping for breath from overusing his Quirk. It was a simple matter to hand over the exhausted Villain to the police afterwards.

“I wonder what this is?” Ryukyu clicked on the Hero Net notification. She’d start writing up her report for the day after her soak. “A Team Up?” She raised an eyebrow before beginning to read. Once she was finished the Dragoon Hero leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful look on her face. “Ingenium Agency and the Hero Killer.” It wouldn’t be a bad idea to team up and try to apprehend Stain. The serial killer was a menace and had already killed or crippled so many Heroes. Supposedly the man was a nutjob that claimed to be purging the world of what he dubbed ‘fake’ heroes. As if his idea and definition of a Hero was the only valid and legitimate one. “It could be good to have multiple eyes in the sky to prevent him from escaping.” Ryukyu mulled it over and considered bringing in her work study student, semi-sidekick, and basically her protégé, Hadō Nejire.

“Of course, Ryukyu! What’s the case? Is it a powerful Villain? Black Market stuff? Tell me, please!”

Ryukyu chuckled to herself, already being able to hear Nejire’s acceptance.

“Who else did Ingenium request?” The blonde woman scrolled back up to the top of the request. “Endeavor?” Ryukyu wouldn’t say anything about the man, he had an almost impeccable record and decades of service as a Pro Hero. “But he can be a bit much to get along with.” She exhaled with a shake of her head. It wasn’t like Endeavor was impossible to team up with or anything. He was just rather abrasive in the line of duty, always pushing ahead and trying to do more, to be better. “Chasing All Might’s shadow.” Ryukyu would hope that the man would let that go eventually. He was already a sidekick, freshly graduated from U.A. High, when Ryukyu had been born. After so long, the man had only recently seemed to calm down a fraction.

‘Asking for both Endeavor and myself…obviously Ingenium wants aerial reconnaissance to help track Stain down. Endeavor is fast and has the power to deal with most Villains single-handedly. It’s not a bad Team Up…’ The woman thought to herself for a few long moments. “What the hell, we’ll do our best to stop the serial killer, Stain.” She clicked on the accept button and then began typing out her response to Ingenium. She needed to tell him how many of her sidekicks that she was bringing and which ones.

This would be a good case to bring Nejire on as well. The young woman was well on her way to being a beacon for heroism and peace in Japan already. Much like her two friends, Togata and Amajiki. Those three would be amazing in the future, continuing the era of peace that All Might had helped usher in over the last few decades. The Number One Hero couldn’t be the single pillar forever. Symbol of Peace or not, he was still human, one day he would have to retire. The man was pushing fifty-five or so, based on when he’d graduated U.A. High. That was already far older than most Heroes that retired, except for outliers like Yoroi Musha. That man had to be older than Ryukyu’s own father and was still an active Pro Hero.

-League of Villains Hideout-

“Sensei…how many Nomu are ready to go?” Shigaraki asked the blank screen on the counter. He was still bandaged up from his altercation with the Hero Killer.

“None at the level of the one you attacked the USJ with.” All for One replied through the television speakers. “But six are fully operational at this point.”

“Send them my way.” Shigaraki requested as he thought about Stain and what he’d like to do to the bastard.

“Why?” All for One questioned his protégé with an unseen grin on his face.

“Because I don’t like that Hero Killer!” Shigaraki answered immediately. “And I’m allowed to destroy whatever I don’t like, right, Sensei?”

“You can have three…” All for One granted after a moment of thought. “Use this opportunity to learn something…Tomura.”

“Yes, Sensei.” Shigaraki agreed, even though all he wanted to ‘learn’ was the best way to destroy Stain’s dream and work. He wanted to leave the Hero Killer with absolutely nothing, before he killed the man.

-All for One’s Location-

“Let’s see what you learn from this chance, Tomura.” All for One chuckled darkly at once more stoking the flames of Tomura’s rage and his hatred of the world. He was looking forward to how his project would develop from this experience. Perhaps the boy would learn proper planning and some leadership skills.

The ancient Villain hit a single button on the armrest of his chair. The sound of a call connecting was heard from the speaker next to his ear, built into the chair too. The call didn’t even ring before it was picked up by a familiar voice.

“Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected call?” An elderly voice asked with a chuckle. There was the sound of typing heard in the background through the call.

“Doctor, I have need of three Nomu.” All for One spoke and the typing stopped.

“Which three would you like?” Garaki asked with a curious tone.

“Only one of the Near High-Ends…the weakest one.” All for One wasn’t going to waste too many high-grade resources just to test Tomura. “The flying one that has been in storage, and the last one can be any of the low-grades that you choose.”

“I see, I see…” Garaki had resumed typing from what All for One could hear. “Not ready to lay waste to anything too important, I take it?”

“Just letting Tomura try his hand at leadership again.” All for One chuckled darkly.

“I hope it goes better than last time…” Garaki grumbled, still annoyed at losing one of his Near High-Ends at the USJ. “I’ve had to make more rounds at the hospital ever since that incident. Investigation Heroes have been looking into the backgrounds of multiple doctors in the country. They clearly know someone had to make the Nomu they recovered from the USJ.”

“Will you need extraction, Doctor?” All for One wouldn’t let Garaki be captured if he could help it. The man was still vital to his century-long plan.

“Not yet, they have no cause for suspecting me beyond my PhD’s in Medicine and Quirkology. Plenty of doctors have those nowadays though. I shouldn’t stand out too much.” Garaki replied, seemingly waving off the concern. “Should my lab be in danger of being discovered though, then that will be a different story.”

“Noted.” All for One made sure to start making a few extra contingency plans, just in case something happened to the lab or Garaki himself. He wouldn’t let a century of work be ruined for any reason. “Let me know their coordinates when you have them prepared and I will pass them along.”

“Of course, it shouldn’t take too long, the one in storage will need a day or so to revive fully. I will speak to you then.” Garaki informed in a clinical tone when talking about the process.

“Very well, Tomura will wait until he has the Nomu before he does anything, I’ll make sure of it.” All for One ended the call and leaned back in his chair. It was time for another lesson and to see just how far the next Nomu had come along. He needed obedient and powerful soldiers to fulfill his ambitions. “Another field test will provide good data and teach Tomura at the same time. Truly, two birds with one stone.”

An amused chuckle filled the dimly lit room a moment later.

-End Chapter-

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More internships! We see what some of the other 1-A students are up to on their first day of interning!

Stain is aggravated that Tensei is back on his feet and his plotting to kill him this time!

Now Shigaraki wants some Nomu to go after Stain.

Hosu is NOT prepared for what’s about to go down!

Will only a few days of internship training help the students that will get caught up in the craziness?

Tensei has sent out a Team Up request through the Hero Net! Both Ryukyu and Endeavor! Flight and Power! Stain may have a problem he doesn’t expect coming for him!

Ryukyu is going to bring Nejire! Adorable airhead alert!

How will the Hosu incident play out?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!