Introduction
The room was silent for a brief moment, the weight of his words hanging in the air. The silence was shattered by a loud, angry outburst.
"I'm going to shoot his fucking head off!" Sally screamed in English. Her face was contorted with rage, her body straining against the two students holding her back. One was a stoic-looking, short girl with red eyes, her grip firm and unyielding. The other was a figure whose appearance was concealed by a strange blur effect, likely a result of her Quirk.
Between Sally and Ian stood a short white-haired boy with multiple pairs of fluffy angel wings. He was trying to defuse the situation, his voice outwardly calm but with a hint of anxiety underneath. "Sally, you need to calm down. Violence isn't the answer."
A tall, muscular blonde boy, seemingly American, joined the restraining efforts. "Sally, it's not worth it. Just calm down," he said in English, his tone soothing. He turned to his friends and added, "Get Ian out of here, now."
Two boys moved swiftly to his side. One was a black-haired boy with a messy pompadour, who usually would be upbeat and energetic, but nowadays looked haggard and downcast, with dark bags under his eyes. The other was a blonde boy wearing a tacky red tie, accompanied by a small, bright green dragon construct. Inigo, normally the class clown, wore a serious expression as they hurriedly led Ian out of the classroom.
The atmosphere was tense as Hifumi, and Inigo cornered in front of Ian in the hallway. The revelation of Ian's true identity had stirred up a maelstrom of emotions, and now it was time to address them.
"Takenaka-san." he began, his voice trembling slightly, "what do you know about Sandatsu Owari?"
"Dude wait." said Inigo.
The speedster paid it no mind. He met Hifumi's gaze, seeing the pain and desperation there. He took a deep breath before answering. "I've never met Sandatsu personally," Ian admitted. "But I've seen some files on him. The Commission keeps records of all their Enforcers. Though he wasn't active for very long."
"So what you said is true?" asked Inigo.
"Yup."
Inigo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's a lot of distrust towards the Commission, especially after recent events. People are on edge."
Ian leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "I get it, but I'm here to help. They need to understand that."
Hifumi shook his head, his expression a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "It's not that simple. People are scared and angry. They see the Commission as part of the problem, not the solution."
"It's alright, man." Inigo placed a reassuring hand on Hifumi's shoulder. "After everything that happened, it's no wonder the class is wary of new students," Inigo said, turning to Ian. "And Sally... seems to have a deeper personal hate against the government. Don't take it too personally."
Ian nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I get it," he said calmly. "No offense taken."
The tension in the air seemed to lessen slightly, and Ian decided it was time to share something more urgent. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a leather jacket, its worn surface gleaming in the hallway light, alongside a karate headband. He held it out to Hifumi and Inigo.
"I wanted to speak with you both, along with a few others, personally, so thanks for bringing me here." Ian said, his tone serious.
As evening fell, the hero students gathered the others as Ian had instructed.
Hifumi, Inigo, Bobby, Hiro, and Christopher made their way to the address Ian had given them. The atmosphere was tense as they stood outside what appeared to be Ian's home, exchanging wary glances.
Hiro, leaning heavily on his crutches, looked skeptical. "God what did I get into this time..." he examined the building. Just a normal, if fairly small house, in a decent neighbourhood.
"Come on, guys don't worry. If it's a trap, we can handle it. We've got the numbers advantage." said Inigo.
If it is a trap, we should be prepared for an unknown number of enemies," Chris pointed out. "We can't assume we'll have the upper hand."
"You sure this is the place?" asked Bobby.
"Yeah, definetly." answered Hifumi. "And the headband and jacket seemed to be the real deal."
As they debated, the front door suddenly swung open. Ian stood there, looking amused. "Why are you all standing out there on the street? Come inside."
The group exchanged uncertain looks before cautiously entering the house. Ian led them into the living room, where he smiled enigmatically. "He'll be happy I brought you all."
He?
No way.
The boys' confusion turned to shock as they entered the kitchen and saw a familiar figure. Quite muscular, with black spiky hair, wearing an apron and caught in the middle of preparing snacks.
Son Jugo.
The room fell into an awkward silence. Jugo, wide-eyed and clearly startled, began to nervously fumble with the apron strings. "Bro what the hell, you brought them too soon!" he complained, his voice a mix of frustration and relief. He quickly took off the apron, his movements clumsy and anxious.
The boys' shock quickly transformed into joy as they rushed toward Jugo for a sudden group hug. Hifumi, Inigo, and Bobby embraced him tightly, while Chris and Hiro found themselves awkwardly caught in the middle.
Hiro winced, trying to push them off with his crutches. "Careful, my injuries!"
Chris, trapped between bodies, gasped, "Guys, I can't breathe!"
Their complaints were ignored in the enthusiasm of the moment. Finally, the group pulled back.
Bobby was the first to break the silence. "Jugo? How... how are you alive?"
Ian stepped in, his expression serious. "Jugo's survival is part of why I called you all here. There's more going on than any of us realized, and it's time we put all the pieces together."
Jugo smiled, and he gave a thumbs up. "It's a long story. One that I'll explain, but first, sit down. I've got snacks, and I think we all need to talk."
The group, still reeling from the shock, slowly found places to sit. Jugo finished setting out the snacks and took a deep breath, ready to share his story.
Jugo, looking around at his friends, took a deep breath. "Alright, it's a lot to explain, so bear with me." He paused, glancing at Ian, who nodded. "Sandatsu almost killed me."
"Yeah we can see the 'almost' part ourselves. Just, where were you?" said Hiro, pointing with one of his crutches to the bandages and scars all over Jugo's arms.
"The glowie-"
"Safety Commission" Corrected Ian."
"... Commission," Continued Jugo. "They got to me before anyone else. They tried to silence me, hoping to keep any information about Sandatsu's identity from leaking out.
"Inigo's brow furrowed. "But why didn't they just help you? You were a victim!"
"It was a last ditch effort to cover everything up." Explained Ian.
Jugo sighed. "By the time I was in their custody, Sandatsu had already murdered the higher-ups of the Commission. The whole structure was falling apart. I used the chaos to escape, but I didn't get far because of my injuries. That's when Ian found me."
Ian chimed in with a playful smirk. "Offered him refuge, kept him hidden. Though he tried to beat me up twice. First when I told him I was an Enforcer. Jugo hates authority that much."
"And the second?" asked Hifumi.
"When I tried to start lowering his morphine doses."
Jugo rolled his eyes, but a faint smile played on his lips. "He's exaggerating. I was just a bit rough cause of the pain."
Inigo leaned forward, his expression serious. "Why didn't you contact us, Jugo? We thought you were dead."
Jugo looked down, guilt and uncertainty in his eyes. "When I saw that the villain trying to kill me was my own classmate, I didn't know who to trust anymore."
They could understand.
"Besides," He continued. "I wasn't ready to reappear. My quirk was damaged. I didn't feel like I could properly fend for myself."
Chris tilted his head, intrigued. "Damaged? How?"
Jugo nodded. "Sandatsu tried to forcefully rip it out from me."
"Holy shit man." said Bobby.
"You said he tried, right? So you still have your quirk?" asked Hiro.
"Yeah, it's like he tried to... I don't know. Yank it out by force? Whatever the case, it didn't work. I was unable to porperly use it for some itme, but it was still there. And it recovered with time anyway!"
Ian cleared his throat, and Jugo understood he wanted to talk.
"Listen, my mission as an Enforcer is to protect Class 1-D. The Commission barely contacts me, except for the most basic things, so I can't really count on them. They don't even know Jugo's whereabouts, and I'm taking a risk allowing you to meet him, so I hope this helps me with earning even a bit of trust."
The jovial tone from reuniting with Jugo was suddenly gone.
Bobby crossed his arms, skepticism written all over his face. "Why should we trust you? You're another glowie. Just like Sandatsu. And we all know how that turned out."
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air. Jugo stepped forward, trying to mediate. "Ian's not Sandatsu. He's helped me a lot. You guys should at least hear him out."
Hifumi, his eyes weary but determined, shook his head. "Jugo, I get that he's helped you, but we can't just blindly trust the first guy we come across."
Inigo, usually more talkative, now quietly nodded in agreement.
"I get it, guys. I do. But Ian's different. He hasn't given me any reason to doubt him." Said Jugo.
Bobby scoffed. "That's easy for you to say, Jugo. You're not the one who got betrayed by someone you considered a friend."
"Excuse me?" said the Ki user. "He literally tried to kill me? The hell you're saying about me not being betrayed?"
"Bro it's just... you weren't there..." Inigo was trying to mediate.
Ian then turned to Chris, who was still listening intently to the back-and-forth. "Hey, Chris, can you help me with the drinks?"
Chris hesitated, a furrow of suspicion crossing his brow, but Ian's serious expression caught him off guard. "Uh, sure," he finally agreed, following Ian into the kitchen.
The room was dimly lit, a stark contrast to the bright, tension-filled living room. The soft hum of the refrigerator filled the silence as Ian opened the door, retrieving a variety of drinks.
Ian glanced over his shoulder, ensuring they were alone. "Listen, there's something important I need to tell you," he said, his voice low and urgent.
Chris kept his cool. He focused on getting the drinks. Not that he was planning to drink them since they could be poisoned for all he knew. One could never be too careful around Enforcers it seems.
However Ian's words took him by surprise.
"The interest the government has in keeping The Five around has increased a lot."
Chris's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting this topic.
Ian continued, setting the drinks on the counter. "The Five are classified as villains, but they're really just tools for anyone willing to pay for their services. Civilians, govenrment officials, villains, and even some heroes. With the HPSC in shambles, the government will do anything to keep The Five at hand while denying any involvement and pretending to be against them publicly. Basically, they've lost their division in charge of assassinations, so now they have no other option than hiring the Five."
Chris's expression darkened. "So, what does this have to do with me?"
"Come on. You really think you've gotten this far without the big shots knowing about your encounters with them?" Ian's words would've sounded almost mocking, if not for the serious expression he had while speaking.
Ian placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, meeting his gaze. "I'm not going to tell you to stop. Of course I'd like you to forget all about that, but I know I won't be able to convince you. So I just want the next best thing."
"And that is?"
"I want you need to be smart about it. My mission is to protect all of you, and that includes stopping you from doing anything too reckless."
"I'm already being 'smart about it'." Chris said, annoyed.
"Yes, during planning. But you fail at that when you're in the thick of it. And that's how you get yourself killed." Ian said. "Listen, I get you don't want to stop, but you also don't want to bring others into all of this."
"So you're just going to lecture me about how I do things?"
"No. I want you to keep in mind that in my case there's no 'bringing me in', all of this has always been part of my job. So the very least I want you to do is let me know when you're throwing yourself on another suicide mission against The Five. I'll try to at least make sure you get out alive."
Chris took a deep breath, nodding reluctantly.
Ian smiled slightly, giving Chris's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Good. Now let's get those drinks."
They returned to the living room, the tray of drinks in hand. The argument had died down, but the tension was still palpable. Inigo was at the center, trying to mediate, his voice a calming presence amidst the storm.
"Alright, guys, drinks are here," Ian announced, placing the tray on the table. The group fell silent, each member reaching for a drink.
"I get it," Ian said after a minute of tense silence, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I know you still don't trust me even a little. And that's fine. But let me show you something."
Before anyone could react, Ian disappeared. Less than a second later, he reappeared, a stack of files, documents, and folders clutched in his arms. With a thud, he dropped them on the coffee table, causing everyone to flinch.
"What’s all this?" Inigo asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Ian took a deep breath, gesturing to the papers. "These are all the files I managed to get from the HPSC. There are a couple of mentions of Sandatsu in there, among all the other shady dealings the commission was involved in."
Hifumi reached forward, picking up a file and flipping it open. His eyes scanned the pages, his expression growing more serious with each passing second. Bobby, Inigo, Chris, and Hiro followed suit, each grabbing a document and reading through it.
Ian continued, his voice steady. "I understand if you don’t trust me. I didn’t openly reveal my Enforcer status to gain your trust. I did it for myself. I believe in being upfront about who I am and what my mission is. It's the best course of action."
Jugo nodded, supporting Ian. "He’s telling the truth. Ian could have kept all of this from you, but he didn’t."
Bobby crossed his arms, looking skeptical. "So, what’s your endgame here, Ian? Why should we accept you?"
Ian met Bobby's gaze, his eyes unwavering. "Whether you accept me or not doesn’t change my mission. I’m here to protect you. I’d cross the entire city at the speed of sound just to take a bullet for any one of you. Because that’s my job. That’s my mission."
Hiro interrupted him. "From what I can gather from these files Enforcers seemed to operate in teams of two, with a Handler assigned to them. Do you have one?"
"I had one until recently. My former master."
Inigo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "So, even if you wanted to contact your former master, it's not possible?"
Ian shook his head. "No, it's not. Even if I could reach out to her, she wouldn't remember me. And I doubt she'd be able to help us now."
Hiro's brows furrowed deeply as he processed Ian's revelation about the fate of enforcers and their handlers. "Wait, they erase memories? That's... that's messed up," he muttered.
Ian nodded. "Yeah. It's part of their procedure for retiring enforcer agents. They manipulate memories to erase all knowledge of their enforcer work. They create new identities for them, fabricate backgrounds, and essentially wipe out any trace of their past lives."
Chris, who had been quiet as he read through the documents, suddenly perked up at the mention of that procedure, reminded of an entry among his countless notes about quirks. "Wait... memory manipulation?" he said.