Chapter Text
Langa trailed behind a bit as Reki and Nanjo, or Joe talked. It's not like he was being left out, he just wanted a moment to think. About a lot.
It was upsetting that he wasn't able to grasp his powers. Maybe he was just impatient, but he felt like he should've shown a bit more growth. He should've been able to follow what Reki was teaching him, because Reki wasn't a bad teacher at all.
Langa spent quite a while walking at the back, thinking, until Reki looked over his shoulder at him.
"Hey, Langa, have you ever heard of Joe?" Reki asked.
"I think the name's been passed around a bit. Otherwise, no, not really."
Reki froze where he stood before whipping around to fully face Langa. He walked up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder. "You've never heard of Joe? THE Joe!? Oh, Langa, what am I to do with you?" Reki lamented.
Behind Reki, Joe laughed. "Hah! Well, I'm not really a big name, kid. I'm not that surprised."
Reki sighed, moving to walk besides Langa. "Joe's just being humble. He's one of the big heros around here! He's fought in many battles and protected so many people. " Reki paused before leaning into Langa's ear and whispering, "He's kind of my hero."
Langa looked up at Joe again. He definitely looked like a superhero, what with all the muscles. "So... He's a celebrity?"
"Something like that," Joe said with a chuckle. "Honestly, I'm not as big as some of the other names. Especially not now, since I'm devoting about half of my time to training kids."
"Why are you teaching?" Langa asked.
Joe went quiet for a moment, and Langa couldn't see his expression. Eventually, he said, "Well, it's a bit of a long story. But it's not like teaching is any less beneficial than— uh, 'heroing', I guess." He stopped in front of a door and turned to face Reki and Langa. "Alright, here we are. Be careful, though, that Miya kid can be a bit difficult."
Joe opened the door to reveal—
Nothing. No one was there.
"Oh, great..." Joe muttered under his breath.
Reki took a step in, calling out. "Hello? Anyone there?" After a moment of silence, he turned to Joe. "Are you sure this is the right room?"
Joe sighed, ushering everyone into the training room. "Yes, kid, I'm sure. I said Miya would be difficult, didn't I?"
Langa looked around the room, taking note of the setup. It was similar to their room, but there were more random things scattered about. Langa glancing up, taking in how high the ceiling was in this room. That was, until he noticed a figure sitting atop one of the support beams.
Slowly, Langa raised his hand, point at the figure. "Uh... Is that the person we're here for?"
The moment those words left Langa's mouth, the figure jumped down. Langa took note of Reki's surprised scream and Joe's exasperated sigh as the person landed perfectly, rising to their full height— which wasn't much, in restrospect.
They were a young person— too young for this school, at the very least. They wore a purple and green cat hoodie with black shorts. They had black hair and green eyes, and a slightly familiar face—
"It's you!" Langa exclaimed. This was the person that had saw him and Reki jump out of a window!
"You?" Reki said, confused.
"It is you!" The person, presumably Miya, shouted. "The two randos that jumped out of a freaking window!"
"Wait a second, you saw that?" Reki exclaimed. "So that's how we got caught!" Langa heard him mutter under his breath.
"You all have met? That's perfect!" Joe said, clapping his hands together. "In that case—"
"Woah, woah, woah," Miya said. "I haven't met these people. I don't even know their names!"
"Miya, meet Reki Kyan and Langa Hasegawa," Joe said, gesturing at the two. "Since I can't just do everything you say," he said, a little pointed, "these two will help with your training."
Miya stared at Reki and Langa with a strangely judgemental look. Miya meet Langa's eyes, and his face shifted slightly— to something meaner, something he couldn't quite understand. It made Langa a little uncomfortable.
"Dude, you're flurry-ing."
Langa froze, and the flurry around him stopped. After Reki's help with his powers, certain changes in emotions could cause his powers to trigger randomly. That was partially how he was getting his powers to work on his command— he kept looking back to the memory Reki helped him unfreeze, and the emotions would follow after. He didn't know what certain emotions triggered his powers— or why, for that same reason, but as of now, he just wanted to focus on gaining some semblance of control over himself.
Langa snapped back to reality, noticing Miya looking bored.
"These two slimes are supposed to help?" Miya said, tone full of condescension.
"Who are you calling 'slimes'?" Reki shouted.
Miya just rolled his eyes, not even addressing Langa or Reki.
"Do you really think they can do much for me?" Miya snarled.
Okay, that was a little rude.
"Ugh, rude much," Langa heard Reki huff underneath his breath.
Miya's head snapped over towards Reki immediately, but he didnt say anything.
"Come on, Miya," Joe said. "It's either this or we keep running over the same stuff until we get a new regiment. Hell, I'd probably get in trouble for doing this."
Miya huffed, but didnt say anything. Langa could've sworn the tail on Miya moved with him.
"Fine," Miya said finally. "But dont expect me to go easy on either of you."
Now that things were set in motion, Langa realized he had no idea how he was supposed to help this person train. He looked over towards Reki, hoping his face displayed the confusion he was feeling.
Reki's eyes widened before softening. He placed a hand on Langa's shoulder, face full of confidence. "Leave it to me, my friend." Reki stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, Miya, I'll work with you for now. What do you want to do?"
"Classic fight," Miya said immediately. " 1 v 1, until you give up."
"What do you mean 'I give up'? " Reki exclaimed. "Are you that sure you won't be the first to fold?"
"You aren't anywhere near my level, slime," Miya responded.
"Alright, alright, enough trash-talk!" Joe intercepted. "Lets just get to it, why don't we? Ready?"
Langa shifted out of the way, closer to the door and next to Joe, as Reki and Miya took their positions.
"And... Go!"
And all the sudden, Miya was gone. Langa startled, looking around, until Miya re-appeared, falling down.
Or more accurately, launching an attack from above.
Langa saw Reki immediately stumble backwards as Miya slammed his legs into the ground.
"Scared now, slime?" Miya said confidently.
Reki didn't respond, instead readjusting his posture.
"The kid's quick, isn't he?" Joe said from next to Langa.
"Yeah. What's his power?"
Joe smiled. "Well, it's not a simple one to explain, but it seems like his powers give him similar abilities to a cat. You know, good agility, hearing, vision, speed, all that kind of stuff."
"That explains the tail," Langa murmered, watching Miya leap around while Reki tried to land a hit.
"Nah," Joe laughed, "that's just his personal style."
"Are you ever going to use your ability?" Miya asked, launching a kick.
Reki ducked down and backed up again, smiling. "If you ask."
All of the sudden, Miya jumped, holding one of his feet. "What the—"
Reki launched himself at Miya, arms out like he was attempting to tackle him. Miya jumped over him, landing perfeclty as Reki tumbled to the floor.
"Darn it," Reki said.
Langa simply watched in wonder— he had never seen Reki in action like this before. He moved really well, but most of what he did was dodge.
"Reki's good," Langa muttered under his breath.
Joe turned to look at him, smiling. "You think that? Most people here like to say he's the runt of the bunch."
Langa kept watching the fight— Miya would try and attack Reki, but Reki would slip around. Miya managed to land some hits, though, but Reki would just get back up. He'd use his fire to mess up Miya's footing and then try to attack him over and over, no matter how little it worked. There was something in his eyes that screamed a defiance— something that told Langa that Reki would never give up.
"I don't think that," Langa said. "He dodges really well."
Joe laughed, slapping Langa's shoulder kind of forcefully. "You're perceptive, new kid. Most of the time, Miya knocks these guys out quickly— his first attack is enough to toss them off their feet. But Reki's decent himself— that technique that he uses? It's an adaptation of another move done by a popular villain."
Langa nodded absentmindedly, watching. Reki kept using fire to cut of Miya's path, but he'd simply maneuver around them. It looked like Miya wasn't even breaking a sweat— like he was showing off.
"What villain?"
"Setsuya. Ever heard of her?"
Langa shook his head.
Joe just sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess you might not have— she only really did her villain stuff in Okinawa. But she was pretty popular— real creative and set the blueprint for a lot of people with ice powers like you."
"Oh... I don't know a lot of villians. I mean, I've only really heard of one or two super powerful ones. I wasn't really engaged in superhero or supervillain suff. My da— uh, I didn't really... Uh, want to. Watch it."
Joe gave him a strange look, but didn't comment on it. "Well, there are a couple villains from here that are known elsewhere. Other than that, it's just locals. We're still working on that— villains pop up more often each year, and make ordinary people distrust the ones with superpowers."
"Yeah, I understand that," Langa said, reminded of Canada. It wasn't unaccepting. At least, that's what Langa wanted to think. It was just— wary, maybe. Afraid. Especially of Langa, though he didn't know why.
"This school is trying to help that— show the people that powers aren't scary, that the people who have them aren't all scary. Or, most of them aren't," Joe said, tone soft. "We're for the betterment of society, and that includes those with abilities. We help protect the people, and in turn, the future generations don't grow up repressing themselves because society thinks they're too scary."
Langa looked over to Reki and Miya, still fighting. He looked closer, as close as he could, and couldn't see it— how could they be afraid? Of Reki, a boy who smiled so brightly mid-fight? Of Miya, who was just a child? How could they make them, make Langa, hold themselves back and hurt themselves more?
Langa asked that, but he knew why on the inside. He knew why the moment he got his powers, the moment he felt fear and the moment his dad tried to comfort him.
Joe must have seen something on his face, because he placed a more gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid— we're getting there. You all— Miya, Kyan, and you— you could help us by just existing."
Langa furrowed his eye brows unconsciously. "Does that mean I look harmless?"
Joe laughed, a hearty, loud laugh. "No, god no! You look dependable."
Dependable. Langa never thought to call himself that, not when he could barely control his powers.
Dependable. He liked that word.
"I think I'll work towards that. Being dependable."
"That's the spirit, kid," Joe said softly. "Anywho, you look like you're really analyzing this fight. Trying to learn?"
"I guess," Langa replied. "I— I want to be better. Reki's teaching me a lot, but it feels like I'm not going anywhere."
Joe scoffed. "I'd beg to differ, kid. From what I've heard from Karou, you've grown a ton. Hell, you could probably be considered a prodigy."
"I doesn't feel like it. I can barely get my powers under control."
"You don't need to get your powers under control right away. Sure, you're older, but on the terms of your powers? You're still a little kid. A pretty talented kid, actually."
Langa looked over to the fight. Miya was moving with absurd swiftness, and Reki kept getting back up with so much determination in his eyes. They both looked like they had so much control— with keen eyes and muscles able to power through. And here Langa was, on the sideline, as useless as a wet towel. He wanted to be able to use his powers, to fight with them, to keep unlocking those memories and eventually travel the path to strength and forgiveness. Yet, here he was. He felt his chest almost constrict, an emptiness settling there.
"Don't look so down, kid," Joe said, interrupting his thoughts. "Some things take time. Even that Kyan kid over there is still working on things." Joe gestured over to Reki.
Langa glanced over at Reki, who looked worn out. His face was red, and he seemed to be breathing heavily.
"Uh," Langa started, "is he... okay?"
Joe looked over to the fight, eyes narrowing. "Maybe not. Hey, guys! Quick pause! " Joe shouted, waving his hand.
Reki looked over, which was a mistake, because in that moment, Miya landed a swift kick to his stomach.
Reki immediately hunched over, holding his stomach. Langa quickly rushed over, kneeling next to him.
"Hey, Miya!" Joe shouted, tone stern. "I said pause!"
Miya huffed, crossing his arms. "Pauses don't happen in real battles."
"I-it's okay!" Reki said, panting. "My— my bad. Ooh, that— that hurt! Haha!" Reki inhaled deeply, still clutching his stomach. "Ow."
"Are you alright?" Langa asked, placing a hand on his back.
Reki simply held one of his hands up in a thumbs-up.
"Guess I won. Like always," Miya said, dusting off his jacket.
"Alright, Miya, you can take a break now," Joe responded, exasperated.
"Like I need a break. I didn't break a sweat." Miya glanced over to Reki with distain. "Don't know what I expected from a slime like you."
"Hey!" Reki shouted. "I put up a fight!"
"Barely," Miya muttered.
"Okay, I'm gonna get us some waters," Joe interjected. "And maybe a thermometer for your temperature, Kyan." Joe quickly rushed out the door before popping his head back in, saying "No fighting while I'm gone!" before leaving again.
After a moment, Miya made his way to the door, but stopped right in front of it. He turned around, pointing to Langa with an almost evil look in his eyes.
"You. Me. S a week from now. Bring your best— and don't you dare try to wimp out, slime."
With that, Miya left the room, slamming the door behind him. Langa was left his Reki still half hunched over, and thoroughly confused. And a bit offended, honestly.
Luckily, it seemed Reki was as well.
"What the hell? He doesn't even know you!" Reki shouted, before turning to Langa. "I would not recommend fighting with Miya, Langa. He's a prodigy! Part of the preeminents! And, with love, you're just kind of some guy right now!"
Langa, expertly avoiding the "with love" part, simply shook his head. "I don't see any problem. I'll do it."
Reki's jaw dropped. "W—why!?"
Langa just shrugged. "I don't know." Maybe because he was really mean and I didn't really like that, but whatever.
"Maybe you should know! You've never been to S!"
"I have nothing else to do. It sounded fun." And maybe I wanted to show someone, anyone, that I can be dependable.
"It is not— well, it is, but only if you don't get your ass beat! Which you will if you go against Miya! And you only have a week!"
"I need to be able to grow and become better. I trust you'll teach me."
Reki froze, and Langa could've sworn his face got some how redder. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You are so stubborn! Fine!"
All of the sudden, Reki grabbed Langa's shoulders. "Langa, I am going to train you, and I am going to train you until you can take down two Miya's! At the same time! And you can't back down now!"
Langa nodded, determined. "I won't back down."
I'll prove myself. I'll be strong.
...
"Where the hell did Miya go?"
--------
A blue-haired man sat in his office, sifting through papers. Each showed a picture of a student, with a long description of them and their powers. Eventually, one paper showed up— one of a new blue haired student with a strange, ancient power.
"Ancient..." The man hummed. He turned to a small figure standing in the corner. "Tell me, did you do what I asked?"
"Yeah, but I don't know why you asked," they responded. "He's just some random new kid— everyone says he barely had any control of his power."
"Oh, Miya, you're far to yound to understand why I do the things I do!" The man said, standing and walking over to Miya. "You just listen to me like a good little prodigy, and everything will go well!" The man placed a hand on Miya's shoulder. "Otherwise..."
"I get it," Miya mumbled. "I challenged him. I don't know if he'll chicken out or not, though."
The man laughed, walking back over to his desk. He held up the paper, examining the features of the student. "Everything will work out..."
"... Trust me."