29 Chapter 29
Seven assassins dead and one captured, one prisoner dead, three police officers dead, two critically wounded and one hero brought back from near disability.
That was the aftermath of the attack that night.
I killed three people that night. It brought no satisfaction, no happiness and nor any grief of the clear loss of human life at my hands. All I felt was mild apprehension and nausea over the deaths of the assassins and the prisoner.
Meanwhile, the deaths of the officers, except that of Maeda, deeply angered me. The fact that Edgeshot would have been crippled because of the bullet he took to his spine, had I not been there to heal him, added fuel to my rage.
I could do nothing to bring back the dead. But, I could heal the injured. I disobeyed Edgeshot's order and healed the wounded officers to the point they wouldn't even need any stitches or bed rest.
My power to heal could not be kept hidden. It was simply not possible. Someone or the other would reaveal it to the world. So, I decided to own it.
I stayed alert in case of more attacks while we waited for the ambulance and other police officers to arrive. As the captain left his car, Spectrum and Tempest informed him of what had happened.
I was still tense. My stingers were out and I was ready to fight if anyone even twitched in the wrong way. The police captain walked towards me and my fists clenched hard. He stopped as he saw me become even more guarded.
"You alright, brat?"
I narrowed my eyes and said, "I killed people tonight. They were scum, yeah, but, still people. Without a hero license, I'm basically a civilian. What do you think is going on in my head?"
He sighed and said, "You won't be arrested for this. The Hero Association acts extremely fast when it comes to matters like this. It's rare, but, it has happened before."
Another officer yelled to him, "Captain Ishida! We're ready to go!"
Ishida then said to me before leaving, "You healed and saved lives tonight. That's what matters in the end. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's only going to affect you in a bad way. Saving innocent lives is one of the most noble things you can do. If you have to put an end to one or two monsters, you fucking do it. That's how the world works."
I simply nodded in reply as my fists remained clenched. Ishida soon left and I was given a ride to Edgeshot's base.
I do not remember if I was able sleep or not. At five in the morning, someone knocked on my door and as I opened it, I was handed an envelope sent to me by the Hero Association.
I carefully opened it and a card slipped out.
It was my Provisional Hero License.
ID: P#114T119A$13
Hero Name: Phantasm
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Validity: 05/2xxx - 04/2xxx
There was also a letter written to me.
[Mr. Asui Tozen,
What you did yesterday was admirable. But, it has also made you a target. Given that you cannot use your quirk outside of U.A. without supervision, we have seen it fit to give you a provisional hero license so that you can defend yourself and not worry of getting arrested for illegal quirk usage.
As a provisional hero, you will report directly to U.A. or to Edgeshot. For the next three years, you will patrol Musutafu and prevent evil-doers from doing acts of villainy. It is a huge task, but, Edgeshot has vouched for you. We hope you understand the weight of your responsibilities and wish to see you become a fully fledged hero. Healers are rare, and, healers who can fight are even more so.
Keep yourself alive. Lives depend on you now.
Director, National Hero Association, Tokyo]
I was beginning to hyperventilate.
I walked to the couch and let my knees give away. The letter and the license fell from my hands as they began to shake. The reality of my actions and my situation had finally begun to set in.
My door was still open and my head shot up with my stingers out of my knuckles when I heard a knock.
I sighed and said, "Oh, it's you."
Spectrum replied, "Trouble won't come looking for you at a hero's base of operations. I see you got your Provisional Hero License. Congratulations."
"It isn't really a happy occasion!"
Spectrum walked in and sat beside me. He said, "Listen, with the license, you won't be liable for any quirk usage in the public. You can do the kind of work any hero does, just under the management of your handlers. This is the only thing we could do to assure that you'll be able to fight back without any hinderance from the law. No one knows when the next hit on you will be arranged by the gangs and I understand how terrifying it can be. But, think of it in this way..."
As I curiously looked at him, he continued saying, "... You get to beat the ever living shit out of some of the worst humanity has to offer. Every fucking shithead cunt in the country who has done god knows how many crimes, killed how many innocents... They'll be served right on your doorsteps on a silver fucking platter. The Association sees this as an opportunity. You managed to cripple Stain, a killer who evaded some of the toughest of heroes. The gangs are coming after you anyway, why not use that as a way to clean out some trash?"
"So, I'm a bait?"
"Yes! A bait that seems easy, but, that can go toe to toe against the likes of Stain and that Nomu thing from USJ and be the last man standing. Those suckers look at you, they see a lamb that can heal. What they don't know is that you are the fucking Godzilla."
He patted my back and said before leaving, "Come on, Edgeshot sensei is still bedridden. Doctor's orders. The three of us are on patrol duty. The world doesn't stop for the problems of a single person. The villains won't stop doing evil to give you a day's rest. We leave in an hour."
I replied with a nod and picked up my hero license. I clenched it in my hands as I thought of what Spectrum had just said.
'He's right. I'm a bait.'
My breathing settled down as my heart beat became slower. The buds on my shoulders pulsed with vibrations as I entered a deep state of focus. A smile graced my face as I thought, 'Those sons of bitches have no idea what lays in wait for them. Let's see how those predators would feel like when they are the prey.'
