Investing in the Future

Pain was a mistress with which Roland had a strange relationship. Due to his Qurik, rarely did he ever stay injured very long; however, he would rarely ever heal cuts and bruises he obtained right away, for fear one day that, as a hero, being a stranger to pain would cause him problems. Thus, Roland did not fear pain, as others might, due to the knowledge in his mind that he could remove it at an instant…but that did not mean it was pleasant.

Roland sat quietly in a hospital bed, an alien land to him, as his eyes blinked into focus as he roused himself from him slumber. Sunlight filtered through white curtains, betraying the early morning light. He seemed to recall it being almost mid-day before he blacked out, so it seemed he had been unconscious for quite some time. He sat up in his bed, aware of the strain in his muscles to do so; and flinched as he tried to turn. Removing the sheet that covered his body, he noticed a split tied to his leg; broken, it seemed.

Around this time, the door to Roland’s room opened, and a man in a white coat entered – a doctor. “Hello there, glad to see you’re awake. I am Doctor Smith. Seems you didn’t make it out quite as well as Asashi did, there, but you should make a full recovery. Seems Mr. Fritz saved you two from a rather nasty situation; he wanted me to extend an apology. It seems he had to create quite a lot of ice to damped the explosion, and a rather large portion fell on you, it’s why your leg is broken.”

Roland nodded, remembering seeing ice spring up around his vision before he blacked out. It seemed a hero had arrived, after all, just in the nick of time to save the day. Deciding that a broken leg would be too troublesome to deal with for an extended period of time, Roland coated his body in a barrier, and the doctor’s eyebrows raised, perhaps perplexed before coming to a satisfied conclusion, as within only a few moments, Roland got off the bed and took the splint off; having been healed back to peak health.

“Did they catch the thief?” asked Roland, stretching, as he kept the barrier persistent around him for just a few extra moments to ensure that everything was optimal. As he did so, the Doctor came over and helped remove a few of the attached medical devices, before giving Roland a quick check-up to just note that everything was in order.

“Healing Quirks are quite rare – that’s a gift you have there. Part of me wants to berate you too, for being foolish, but you were still very brave in your actions. But, yes, it seems Mr. Fritz was able to apprehend the thief quite easily with the use of his own Quirk, and I imagine the individual is being expedited to a penitentiary. Come, I’ll take you to Asashi’s room. I imagine you’re wanting to employ the use of your ability,” said the Doctor, as he opened the door to the room and motioned outward for Roland.

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Roland listened to Asashi’s story, as his barrier went to work restoring the man’s health; the surprise on Roland’s face would have been obvious, as Asashi revealed that he was the son of the Number 10 Hero, Leona.

“That’s…incredible!” spoke Roland, lost for words to meet someone so prolific. While many Heroes had their fans, Roland wasn’t in her camp, per say, but could not discount the – literal – star’s popularity and ability. To have met her son, well, it certainly explained Asashi’s Quirk, and no doubt he would be destined for great things as well. “It was quite lucky you were there, then. No doubt that could have ended much worse had we not had your connections. Oh, and if you will, please tell Mr. Fritz thank you, for me, since I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to see him again.”

“If you don’t mind, what brought you into that fray?” asked Asashi, letting himself up out of the bed, and stretching his body, seemingly puzzled, and stretching his body to explore his renewed vitality as his wounds vanished, before Roland dispelled the barrier.

“Ah, I suppose that’s a good question. I came from California to try and enroll in Dawn University, but, ah…getting involved in a commotion like that probably wasn’t a good idea,” said Roland, collapsing into a chair on the other side of the room as he said so.

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Roland smiled; not doubting the fact in the least that Asashi would likely go on to be a great hero in the future, with both Leona as his mother, and having tutelage at Dawn University. It would be a good fit; in America, due to its large population and geography, many villains of many different varieties sprang up with increasing frequency, and so the need for noble heroes was always high.

“Indeed,” said Roland, as Asashi brought up the entrance exam to Dawn University, “seeing a familiar face always helps curb the anxiousness, and serves as a great motivator to push yourself. I hope we do definitely get to see more of each other, in time; I want to be a Rescue Hero, so who knows – I might end up as your sidekick in the future,” laughed Roland.

The two men spoke for a bit longer before parting ways; they exchanged contact information so that they could keep in touch, which would come into use faster than either of the two boys would realize. When Roland returned home that day, he found a letter waiting for him at his residence, addressed to him and bearing a letter head of Leona’s agency.

Inside was a letter written by the hero Fritz, the Hero from Leona’s agency with the ice powers, and who had saved Asashi and Roland that night. He spoke of the bravery it required to leap into action, and the uniqueness of his Quirk and how it had the potential to save a tremendous amount of lives. The letter spoke about how one with not only the potential to do such good, but the active desire to do so, should be allowed to flourish, and how it was their – his – duty as a Hero to help foster the growth of the next wave to come. Within the letter was a confirmation that Fritz had backed Roland’s application into Dawn University, and written an additional recommendation, and, providing Roland could pass the examination required for recommended applicants, be allowed to attend the institution.

Roland, unable to contain his joy at the opportunity presented to him, contacted Asashi to let him know that he would indeed see him again, this time at the entrance exam; though he also asked him to thank Fritz once again, Asashi ensured him that the opportunity, while fortuitous, was one that Roland earned.

With a chance encounter, and a call to action, the two men sparked what could erupt into a longstanding friendship, as both of them strove to reach greater heights as heroes.

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