Chapter Text
A long thin web line shot over the buildings, a certain vigilante swinging by as he let out a yawn. "Guess its another slow morning." He commented to himself as he swung down a few blocks. "I was hoping to see those masked guys again. Still got nothing on 'em." He took a turn at this, firing another stream of webs, "Maybe I should swing by FEAST for a bit. See how everything's going. I know mom is working at the hospital today, but that doesn't mean I can't go alone."
He landed on a rooftop next, rolling as he landed before going over to the building's edge. Across the street was the FEAST center, the teen glancing around at this. 'Hmm...still nothing. Maybe I should update my notes first.' he pulled out his notebook and flipped a few pages. He had somewhat started to get the hang of quips and after yesterday's battle, he began to write up a bunch of theories on how to use his spider sense in battle more. He had also considered adding a detective part to the notebook, but decided to just do a separate small notebook at that, thinking it was better to put all the detective work he was going to have to learn on the fly in its own book.
However, when he started on that book, he found he had no case to follow. Both Tombstone's gang and the masked men weren't exactly detective cases, as both were just gangs that appeared randomly and made a mess, though he did end up adding entries for both, thought they didn't have much. After writing this, he began to try and redo his Midoriya hero app, thinking he could make it look up news reports where heroes had failed to catch criminals. However, he found it wasn't exactly what he wanted, thinking he needed a bit more time to readjust the app.
He leaned back at this, letting out a sigh as he put his notebook away and refilled his web shooters. The teen looked back at FEAST, shaking his head, "Eh, not feeling it today. I'm thinking of going on a villain hunting spree!" He leapt off the roof and fired a web line, swinging away with a single stride. 'Yeah...I'm really feeling it today! I feel like a real hero!'
And as he did this, he swung over two figures walking down the street. One was a man in a long brown trench coat while holding a white cane and the other was a small red haired woman wearing a large white hat and a light purple coat. The woman glanced up at the man and asked, "So, what is the plan today, Gentle?"
"It is to find a new act to submit myself into history, my dear La Brava!" Gentle laughed as he scratched the facemask covering his face. "But first, we must go to our destination!"
"And that is?"
"Today, we will go to Bronze-Mart! They have been recently hiding the fact that their so called 'sales' are nothing but lies! Recently, they started selling a new product that says its half off when in actuality, that 'half off' price is the real price!"
"How ungentlemanly!" La Brava gasped, "How should we punish them?!"
"Why, we'll be making a video, of course. But first, we must go and grab ourselves a spot of tea. Perhaps some Royal Honey brand?"
"Sounds wonderful!" La Brava gushed, only to glance up and see a certain vigilante swing through the street, "Oh, look! Its that new vigilante, Spider-Man."
Gentle glanced up and saw the teen, narrowing his eyes at the sight, "Indeed. You told me that videos on him have been gaining popularity online?"
"Yes...though the videos on him are on people's phones and amateur video camera junk." La Brava sighed while shaking her head, "Its actually surprising though. Vigilantes are usually looked down on."
"I suppose a different type of spirit that is neither villain or hero can gain attention." Gentle added, "Though I will not be dismayed by such an act!"
La Brava swooned at this, "That's my Gentle! Never discouraged by anything!"
"Ha ha!" Gentle cackled, only for his face to switch to a hard cold glare, "Still, I suspect its best that we do not encounter him. Let us fight the usual D-list heroes or so."
"Okay." La Brava replied as she pulled out her phone, "Hmm...looks like there's a place nearby that serves that tea."
"Wonderful! Off we go then!"
Detective Naomasa stared at the screen before him, tapping the side of his head with the eraser of his pencil as he rewatched a scene for the sixth time. It was a video from yesterday showing Spider-Man swing into a bank that people were running out of. There was nothing but fear on all their faces, but the cameras didn't show what it was. According to interviews, it had been a giant illusion of a sandpit and a massive snake...but he couldn't see any of it.
As for the villain of the incident, it was definitely one of the most craziest costumes he had ever seen, but nothing really else. Must be someone new, though of what Naomasa had looked up, there had been a report of another bank robbery a month ago over an illusion quirk, though no evidence it was this guy.
Despite all this lack of information, the scene before the detective was the beyond strange. He watched as Spider-Man, and later Shishido, both get knocked around the room...by nothing. Only for Spider-Man to disappear, then Shishido stopped flailing around a minute or so later. He switched his view to the bank safe, which showed Mysterio take a bunch of cash from the place, only to stand and talk to Spider-Man. The vigilante froze up for a second, only to suddenly grab the villain from behind and zap him.
"How did he know where he was?" Naomasa muttered as he looked down at his notes on Spider-Man. "Did the villain make a sound? I mean, according to Shishido, the snake illusion made sounds, so it can't be that..."
He glanced back up at the screen, replaying the moment Spider-Man knocked out Mysterio, "Do you have a sensory quirk as well?"
A knock on the door came next, the detective saying, "Come in!"
"Yo Naomasa!" The detective turned to see his fellow officer, the cat-headed Sansa Tamakawa. "How's it going?"
"The usual. Do you have the report over the raid the other day?"
"Yup. And you're not gonna like the numbers." Sansa replied as he handed Naomasa a folder.
Naomasa took it and went wide-eyed as he read it, soon glancing back up at Sansa, "Is this real?"
"Uh-huh." Sansa nodded.
Naomasa let out a groan and leaned back in his seat, "Oh my word...I'm so glad we covered that up." He held up the paper to his eye level at this. The report was over the event Spider-Man had led them to the other day, which included a full on bust of a warehouse filled with Trigger. Now, they didn't have all the numbers of how big this bust was, mainly because they had to process all the thugs to prison and lockdown the warehouse, but now the crime lab boys were done.
And the amount of Trigger found in the warehouse was staggering.
Naomasa had been around since Trigger first truly got its start on the streets. Granted, it had been around before he was born, but it had its biggest impact a few years back when he was on the case. Despite this, the numbers he had just been given had the potential to be on a disaster level scale of Trigger.
And Spider-Man had shut it all down.
A vigilante had essentially done the biggest Trigger drug bust since the instant villain disaster. And it was only one warehouse. Naomasa knew if this information had gotten to the hero commission and then the press, it would be an even greater disaster. A vigilante doing that much would cause the hero system to be questioned.
"Ugh..." Naomasa moaned as he gave Sansa the folder back, "This is a nightmare."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Sansa lowly chuckled, "And uh...the chief also wants to talk to you."
"Of course he does. I'm betting he wants me to head an investigation immediately."
"Probably."
Naomasa put a hand to his forehead and began to rub it, "I'm starting to see why Eraser is always so negative..."
Sansa shook his head at this, "Its not that bad Naomasa. Sides, maybe we'll get a break and Spider-Man will just go after small fry for a while."
"Yeah...like that'll happen. Knowing this...kid, and he is a kid, he's probably gonna go after some major A-rank villain next."
"Eh, I don't think he'll go that far. Maybe a C-Rank?"
Naomasa got out of his chair at that, "I would make a bet with you on that, but I know better. Come on, let's see what the chief wants with me."
Sansa let out a chuckle before patting Naomasa's back, "Aw, don't be so negative. Sides, if the chief wants you to catch him, maybe he'll let you team up with a hero fit for the job."
Naomasa hummed at that, closing his office's door behind him, "Maybe. I do have a few ideas for that..."
"And that's another mugger down." Izuku said to himself as he swung down another street. That was the fourth mugging he had stopped today. Despite his feeling that it was going to be a short day, Izuku found himself constantly finding small crimes. Granted, they weren't much, mainly thugs who thought they could get away with something quick before a hero showed up.
However, this left him feeling a bit unsatisfied. He expected at least one villain, but every place he went to was...empty. Like it just didn't want him to be a hero today. 'Eh, at least mom won't be mad.' he thought to himself, 'I did promise to mainly stop street crime.'
He shot another web line as he kept swinging. 'Maybe I can-' His thoughts came to a stop as the police scanner rang out.
"This is Musutafu police. We have a reported disturbance at Bronze-Mart on Sorgan Street, any hero present, please respond."
'Bronze-Mart?! Why would someone attack there?' he thought as he took a hard right, 'Better go see what's up.'
A few minutes ago...
"Behold viewers!" Gentle exclaimed as he stood atop a counter, "As you can see, Bronze-Mart is dealing in unlawful practices. This new product is not half-off, but at its normal price. It is false marketing at its core!"
"No way!" La Brava gasped as she kept the camera on him. "What will you do Gentle?"
"Why, we will punish Bronze-Mart! We shall-"
"Hold it right there!" roared a new voice, making the duo turn to see two masked heroes at the main entrance into the store. "You're under arrest!"
"Oh dear." Gentle sighed as he hopped off the counter. "La Brava, prepare to cut..." The heroes both charged in at him, Gentle quickly doing a fighting pose, "Now!"
Izuku landed on a rooftop a street across from the building, quickly readjusting his web shooters. As he did this, a scream rang out before he saw a masked hero go flying out of Bronze-Mart's main front doors. He then saw a second hero skid across the ground, making him go wide-eyed.
"Uh-oh. That's not good." He fired a web line at the building and leapt off, quickly zipping across the street. And as he did this, two individuals walked out of Bronze-Mart.
"That was amazing Gentle!" La Brava swooned, "But what about punishing Bronze-Mart?"
"It is fine, La Brava!" Gentle cackled, "We have recorded their horrible behavior! That will be enough!"
"Oh, so gentlemanly!"
"That's right!" Gentle laughed, "Now, let us return home and show the world-" His words came to a stop as the duo now saw a certain green costumed vigilante land right before them. The sight made Gentle slightly flinch as he commented, "Or...perhaps we are not done here."
Spider-Man went into a crouched stance, one hand touching the ground while the other was above him, 'Oh great, I can tell this is a theatrical one. Not again...' He took a deep breath before saying, "I'll give you one chance to give up."
Gentle shined a small grin at this, La Brava pulling out the camera, only for Gentle to flash a palm at her. "No, La Brava. Do not record this."
His partner went wide-eyed at this, "Wha...Gentle, why-"
"Don't. You told me he is beginning to be popular. I do not help others' popularity." Gentle replied as he tapped his cane on the ground.
"I'm guessing that means you're not giving up?" Izuku asked, Gentle responding with a deep glare. 'I should have gone invisible. Oh well, that's what I get for just jumping in.'
Gentle then did a bow, twirling his hand in a circular motion. "Greetings, Spider-Man. Unfortunately, our job is done today, so we will be leaving."
"Considering you just hurt a hero, you're not going anywhere!" Izuku yelled as he pointed both wrists at the villain. Pressing the triggers, the webs came out instantly. But as they were about to hit Gentle, they suddenly went upward, like they had hit a rubbery wall. "What the-"
"It seems you are not a loyal viewer. Those who know about me know about my quirk: Elasticity!" The webs then shot straight up before falling, splatting on the ground. Izuku blinked at it for a second as Gentle put his hand down. "As you can see, I can make anything elastic, including both the air..." La Brava then hopped onto his back, "And the ground! Gently Trampoline!"
BOING!
Gentle suddenly went flying upward, the ground wobbling as it shot Gentle into the air. Izuku glanced up at this, wide-eyed as he then saw Gentle make another elastic platform in the air, bouncing him away. His mind caught up a second later and fired two web lines at the Bronze-Mart rooftop and pulled back.
"You're not getting away!" Izuku declared as he slingshotted himself upward, quickly zipping into the air. And as he got to the height of his fling, he aimed his wrists at the fleeing villains, "Get back here!"
THWIP!
The webbing snagged Gentle's foot, Izuku yanking him a split-second later.
"What?!" Gentle yelped as he felt himself getting pulled down.
"Gentle! He's got your foot!" La Brava gasped.
"Come here!" Izuku roared as he kept pulling, only for the villain to spin around and form an elastic barrier under himself, bouncing himself away, this time yanking Izuku upward. "Whoa!"
"You will not catch us!" Gentle declared, "Begone vigilante!"
The villain made a second elastic platform for himself, bouncing even higher as Izuku held onto the webbing stuck on Gentle's foot. The teen then fired another line of webbing at the criminal, only for it to bounce off the barrier Gentle had just created and then went straight for Izuku's face. He quickly tilted his head, dodging his own webbing before suddenly hitting what felt like a giant invisible rubber band.
"Mmph!" He muffled before feeling the barrier push him down. He kept a firm grip on the web line, only to feel himself keep getting impaled by the elastic barrier, and then the webbing snapped. Split second later, the vigilante was shot down like a bullet, the teen gasping as his spider sense screamed at him. He fired two web lines, hitting two roofs as he pulled on them, trying to slow himself down, only for his back to hit the street.
"Yaugh!" Izuku yelped as he felt pain surge through him, the teen flinching and wincing. The teen let out a gasp, Izuku's eyes rapidly blinking as he saw Gentle slowly get away, Izuku then shaking his head. He slowly got up, cricking his back as he moaned, "Urgh...that didn't go so well." He glanced back up and pointed his web shooters, firing two and slingshotting himself upward.
But as he got back into the air, he fired another shot of webbing at Gentle, this one missing as he felt the pain in his back made him flinch his wrist. Seeing this, the vigilante began to drop as the villains kept hopping away. "Darn it!" Izuku yelled before firing another a web line at nearby building, quickly going into a long-arced swing. And as he did this, he saw his arc was about to shove him right into the pavement below, making him fire another web line, quickly yanking himself back up.
He soon got into a web swinging rhythm while looking back up at the sky, seeing the villain duo bounce away in the air. 'Blast it! They're going above the buildings! I don't have anything to get me up there!' Letting out a small groan, he just kept swinging, 'Guess I'll have to just follow them and look for an opening.'
As he continued to swing, hopping over rooftops and through alleyways, he kept his eyes on them. And as he did this, La Brava was watching him, holding onto Gentle as she said, "He's not giving up Gentle!"
"Its fine La Brava! You told me earlier that you believe he needs buildings to chase us, yes?"
"I...think so." La Brava replied as she glanced back at Gentle, "Maybe we should-eep!" She let out a yelp as something pulled on her. Gentle went wide-eyed before turning his head to his partner, now seeing a webline connected to her back. And with another tug, she was yanked off Gentle.
"La Brava!" Gentle gasped.
"Gentle, help!" his partner screamed.
Gentle spun around and created another elastic barrier, shooting himself downward this time, instantly catching La Brava just as she pulled away, wrapping one arm around her. But as this happened, he saw a mid-air Spider-Man right under them point his wrist at the two. Webbing came next, Gentle responding with a quick swipe of his free arm, creating another elastic barrier, blocking the web line before spinning again, bouncing on that same barrier before flinging away.
"Are you alright?" Gentle asked as he continued to air-hop.
"I'm okay." she replied while tightly hugging him, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, for you are my-" his words came to a stop as another webline struck him, this one hitting his free arm. He felt himself get pulled again, Gentle spinning at this as he swung his arm, creating another barrier, this one distorting the webline before cutting it. He then summoned another under his feet and bounced away, now going even higher.
"He's not giving up!"
"I know." Gentle, "He is persistent, but I will not be dismayed! Come La Brava, let us find a place with no buildings!"
"Yes Gentle!" La Brava responded as she glanced over Gentle's shoulder, "Oh...this is not good."
Back below, Izuku kept swinging and firing line after line of webbing. He was feeling himself getting a little winded at this, having almost caught them multiple times, only to instantly be denied and having to readjust his web-swinging before trying again. But after this recent attempt, he had to hop onto a rooftop, quickly sprinting across it before firing another web line as he grumbled, "Grrr...that quirk is ridiculous! How am I supposed to catch him?!"
He fired two web lines and slingshotted himself again, covering a few more blocks as he started to get right below them before firing another web. But unlike the past few attempts, Gentle was a step ahead as La Brava warned him, making the villain spin and create another invisible elastic barrier that the webs bounced off of.
"Dang it!" Izuku yelled as he got into a swing again, 'Come on Izuku, think! They're getting away, and you're gonna run out of web fluid if you don't think of something!'
He landed on another rooftop and cut into a sprint, huffing as he parkoured over a few objects before looking ahead...and saw he was about to go into a suburb. All his tall buildings were about to end, 'I gotta do something!' He aimed his wrist one more time, 'Come on...please hit!'
He pressed his fingers on the trigger...only for it to let out a 'psst'. He was out of web fluid. He then came to a stop on the rooftop, now seeing the duo continue to bounce away. He slumped over at this, letting out a long sigh, 'Dang it! What were you doing, Izuku?! Not only should you have gone invisible to take that guy on, you didn't even try to get a spider tracer on him!' He put his hand to his face and rubbed it downward, "I can't even catch some random villain..."
Gentle continued to fly over the suburbs at this. He had gone for over twenty minutes after La Brava said she could no longer see Spider-Man. And it was here that he decided to turn around, saying he was getting tired and they both slowly landed. He switched back to some disguises, quickly making their way back to the city.
An hour or two later, they were in their department, both panting as they slumped over in chairs.
"Gentle...let's take a break for a day or two." La Brava suggested as she felt like melting in her chair.
"Agreed." Gentle moaned out, "I do not want to run into Spider-Man again. I must say, we've never had a hero be that persistent."
"Yeah...we used my quirk too quickly on those first heroes. If I hadn't-"
"Do not say it, La Brava." Gentle interrupted before sitting up straight, "Come, let us upload the video and rest. And after that...perhaps a spot of tea?"
"Absolutely!" La Brava perked up and hopped off the chair.
Izuku came home in the most depressed mood possible. Inko was already there, and she was shocked at his expression and entrance, as he was in civilian clothes instead of going through the back window. His face was like Izuku was back at Aldera, only for the teen to tell her he was going to his room. She didn't pry, knowing she wouldn't get anything out of him anyways, and let him go.
And as he walked into his room, he slumped down in his chair, flinging off his backpack that contained his suit. He wore a frown that looked like it had been nailed on his face, though his aching back tried to make his frown slightly tense up. The teen slumped at this, looking up at the ceiling and sighing as he thought about what had just happened.
It was another failure, something Izuku was used too. His whole quirkless life was nothing but failure and pain. It was normal for him. He would go weeks, months, even years of nothing but bullying and beatings, something he had just accepted was part of his life.
But now he had a quirk. A quirk he had been using to try to be a hero...only to remember all he has done. And it was not much. That very thought led to something else that kept going off in his head for a long time now.
"You'll never be hero!"
"You're just a worthless pebble!"
"Listen here loser, if you really wanna be hero...go take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in the next life."
Izuku let out a long sigh as those words kept repeating in his brain. Granted, they repeated a lot in his head over the past ten months, and even when he became Spider-Man, they never truly went away. They kept reminding him, telling him just how bad he was.
And now he had another bad day. He got beat up at the warehouse with the two gangs, he had only stopped minor villains, and every time he encountered the masked men, some always got away. Nothing but failure.
Today was just the same, as he found himself against a villain that beat up other heroes...and then they got away scott free. Like it was nothing! He could have instantly beat the villain, only to hop in guns blazing and mess up. He rubbed his face at this, letting out a groan.
"Guess...guess Kacchan is right. I'm still a failure."
But as he said that, his mind rang out three more sentences that he had heard recently, one from Martin Li:
"If you want to be a hero Izuku, then go be a hero."
And the other from that girl Ochako Uraraka:
"And as for your dream, don't give up!"
"I know you can do it!"
"There's...people that believe in me." Izuku muttered to himself, tears beginning to appear in his eyes as a few words repeated back into his head.
"You'll never be hero!"
"Listen here loser, if you really wanna be hero...go take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in the next life."
Katsuki's words rang out again, making him shrink into his chair. "Kacchan's right...I'm such a loser. A worthless Deku." He held up his mask, seeing his reflection in the lenses. Despite all this new power, he still looked the same. The weakling that cowered under those better than him. Under Kacchan.
The mask then slipped through his fingers, his hand embracing his face a second later as he closed his eyes. More thoughts of failure came through, blocking out everything before he glanced back up, only to see a large All Might poster above his desk.
"Did you ever fail All Might?" He whispered, only to let out a low chuckle, "No...you never fail. You're All Might." He continued to stare at the poster, seeing the giant man grin at him. There was something hypnotic about it, Izuku's mind drifting as he remembered the many things he had heard All Might say on TV.
"A true hero is someone that never gives up!"
That was another interview he had watched over and over. It was one of Izuku's favorites. And as he stayed stuck in his head, he reached down and grabbed the mask, putting it on the desk as he said, "That's right. If there's one thing a hero never does, it's give up. All Might doesn't give up...then that means I can't either."
Izuku turned to another part of his desk, pulling out a notebook he had been recently writing in called 'Spider-Man Cases'. In it were notes on every fight he had done so far, including that first night with the bank robbers. There were notes on the Vulture, the masked men, Tombstone's gang, Mysterio, and now...he began an entry for Gentle Criminal.
'I'll start hunting for you tomorrow, Gentle Criminal.' he mentally told himself, 'Count on it.'