Narration POV
"Welcome back to Juzo News, I am Yuriko Miyazaki. Today we will talk about the past month and the exponential increase of sightings of the vigilante known as Arthur throughout Japan," a woman with black hair and cat ears spoke, adjusting her papers as the red recording light blinked steadily above the camera.
The studio was modest but professional, with warm lighting that cast a gentle glow over the news desk. Behind Yuriko, a large screen displayed a map of Japan dotted with red markers indicating Arthur's reported appearances across multiple prefectures.
"Of course, we all know about Arthur himself. He began his vigilante work four years ago when a man with a gigantification quirk was destroying Kobe, the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. However, we have been able to find out that his first unrecognized act, which we believe led to him becoming a vigilante two years later, it was when he saved a child from a crumbling building during a villain attack."
The screen behind her shifted to show grainy footage of a blonde figure moving at incredible speeds, rescuing civilians from various disaster scenes over the years.
"The footage we're seeing has been compiled from security cameras, cell phone videos, and hero agency recordings across the past four years. What's particularly striking is the consistency of his methods and the care he takes with civilian safety," Yuriko continued, her professional demeanor masking her own conflicted feelings about the vigilante.
She paused, glancing at her notes before looking directly into the camera. "Today with us is an expert on vigilantes and their cautionary tales. Please give a warm welcome to J. Juro Jinno, owner of the podcast Get Vigilantes Under Control, or GVUC."
The camera panned to reveal a man on the other side of the polished news desk. He had a severe military haircut and was dressed in a formal navy suit, but the feature that immediately drew everyone's attention was his oversized mustache that was somehow balled up into two angry-looking fists at the ends, most likely his quirk.
"So, J. Juro Jinno…"
"Call me JJJ," he interrupted, his mustache-fists twitching, almost as if he were shaking a closed fist at her.
"Well then, JJJ, what can you tell us about the recent surge in Arthur sightings across Japan? Some reports suggest he's been spotted in cities hundreds of kilometers apart within hours of each other."
JJJ's face reddened slightly, and his mustache began to tremble. "What can I say? What can I say? I say he's a MENACE! WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY!" The mustache-fists slammed down on the table with surprising force, causing the water glasses to jump and the microphones to rattle.
Yuriko blinked, maintaining her composure despite the outburst. "Would you like to elaborate on that assessment?"
"Elaborate? Ha! Elaborate! You're telling me to elaborate! Why don't YOU elaborate!" JJJ's voice pitched higher, his mustache now writhing like angry snakes.
Yuriko glanced toward the production crew visible through the glass partition. The director shrugged helplessly while the camera operators exchanged bewildered looks. This wasn't exactly what they had expected when JJJ had practically begged to appear on their show.
The truth was, the station hadn't initially wanted to cover Arthur extensively. Public reception of the vigilante was deeply split, half the population saw him as a hero who filled gaps the official heroes couldn't, while the other half viewed him as a dangerous rogue who operated outside the law.
Taking a strong stance either way meant alienating a significant portion of their viewership, which was bad for business.
But everything had changed over the past month. Arthur's activities had intensified dramatically, and JJJ's podcast had exploded in popularity due to the heated debates surrounding these issues.
The numbers had grown so large that the network decided to ride the wave while they could, even if it meant dealing with volatile guests like JJJ.
Fortunately, Yuriko wouldn't have to press for elaboration, as JJJ seemed ready to explode with his own theories.
"For one thing, have you SEEN all the places he's been spotted? Osaka, Yokohama, Shizuoka, all in the same day! There's no way one person could be in all those places at once! He must have accomplices in his crimes! Do you understand how much danger that puts us all in? To have even more wild vigilantes dressed like one another running around with no supervision whatsoever! None at all!"
JJJ's mustache-fists gestured wildly as he spoke, punctuating each point with aggressive jabs at the air.
"At least professional heroes can be investigated and held accountable when they perform their hero work, but this man, this Arthur, he's completely wild! Unregulated! Operating in the shadows with who knows what kind of backup or support network!"
"But JJJ," Yuriko interrupted, deciding to play the role of reasonable counterpoint in this debate. "All our evidence suggests that he's actually more careful about civilian safety than many licensed heroes. The statistical analysis shows significantly lower collateral damage in incidents where Arthur intervenes compared to similar situations handled by hero agencies. Even the condition that villains are left in is remarkably good—minimal injuries, no permanent damage."
"BAH! That's all pish posh!" JJJ waved dismissively, his mustache coiling tighter.
"JJJ, it's not pish posh, it's documented evidence compiled by independent research organizations and government statistical analysis departments."
"Oh, I'll give you something better than evidence, I'll give you FACTS!" JJJ declared, pulling out a tablet and slamming it down on the desk.
Arthur POV
The acrid smell of smoke filled my nostrils as I burst through the window of the burning apartment building. Although Avalon immediately healed any of the damage from smoke inhalation.
Flames licked at the walls and ceiling, painting everything in shifting orange and red. The wooden support beams groaned ominously overhead, some already turned to charcoal at the edges while their metal reinforcements began to glow white-hot.
I lifted a massive wooden beam that had fallen across the hallway, its surface crackling. The metal rim was beginning to melt, dripping molten steel onto the floor below.
Carefully, I moved it aside, clearing the path to where I had heard the faint coughing from almost a kilometer away.
My enhanced hearing had picked up the sound during my patrol, cutting through the chaos of sirens, shouting firefighters, and the roar of flames. It was a weak sound, the kind that meant someone was running out of time.
There, trapped beneath fallen debris in what had once been a living room, I found her. An elderly woman, probably in her seventies, her gray hair singed and her clothes covered in ash. She was conscious but struggling, each breath bringing another harsh cough.
"You alright there, ma'am?" I asked, immediately realizing how stupid the question was as another fit of coughing seized her.
She could only respond with more coughing, her body wracked with the effort.
"Yeah, probably shouldn't have said anything. Sorry about that, ma'am," I apologized, feeling genuinely bad about my thoughtless words. Sometimes I forgot how powerful Avalon and Excalibur made me, which made me lose sight of how fragile humans were, even those with quirks.
I carefully lifted the woman, cradling her as gently as I could. One hand supported her head to prevent whiplash from the acceleration I was about to subject her to. Then I activated my speed, but kept it controlled, just fast enough to get us out safely, not so fast that the sudden movement would harm her.
We shot through the window opening I had created, and I used my body to shield her from any remaining glass shards. The cool night air hit us at once, from the warmth of flames to icy air, it was quite the feeling. I landed softly on the street below, my enhanced strength allowing me to absorb all the impact so she felt nothing more than a gentle settling.
Slowly, I helped her stand on her own feet. She coughed for several more moments, her lungs working to clear the smoke, but her breathing was already improving in the clean air.
The paramedics rushed over immediately, they had been waiting, for firefighters or heroes I didn't know, and I didn't really care, she was the only one in the fire. As they began to guide her toward the ambulance, she stopped them with a surprisingly firm grip on one paramedic's arm.
"Koff... thank you... koff," she managed between coughs, looking directly at me with eyes that held a lifetime of gratitude.
"Thank you, ma'am. Just take care of yourself," I replied, meaning every word.
As the paramedics led her away, I noticed their different reactions. One of them, nodded at me respectfully, the other, a younger woman, seemed irritated by my presence, her jaw tight with disapproval.
I was used to this by now, everyone's a critic.
My phone buzzed insistently in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID, already knowing who it would be, I mean I only had one contact.
Nezu.
Without hesitation, I declined the call and shoved the phone back into my pocket.
"You gave me one year. Stop calling me so much," I muttered, frustration creeping into my voice.
With a final glance at the woman being loaded into the ambulance, I launched myself into the night sky, already listening for the next person who might need help.
Narration POV
"Fact number 8 against this Arthur!" JJJ bellowed into his microphone, his face now completely flushed with righteous indignation. He slid his tablet across the desk toward Yuriko, and the studio's main screen lit up with video footage. "This right here was four days ago! This was the Musutafu incident where that explosion quirk boy was held hostage by that sludge villain!"
The footage began to play, showing a chaotic street scene. Emergency vehicles lined the road, their red and blue lights painting everything in alternating colors. Citizens had been evacuated to a safe distance, held back by police barriers.
On the screen, a blonde, spiky-haired fourteen-year-old boy could be seen struggling desperately against a writhing, dark green mass that had engulfed him. The sludge villain had completely surrounded the teenager, leaving only his head and one arm free.
Small explosions sparked from the boy's free hand as he tried to blast his way out, but the gelatinous villain simply absorbed the attacks and reformed around him.
"Look at this situation," JJJ narrated, pointing aggressively at the screen. "Multiple pro heroes on scene, and what can they do? Nothing! Mount Lady can't get through because the narrow streets are her weakness! Kamui Woods can't approach because fire is his weakness and there are flames everywhere! No other hero present could help without endangering the hostage!"
The camera showed exactly what JJJ was describing. Mt. Lady stood at the end of the street, her massive form unable to navigate the tight space between buildings.
Kamui Woods paced at a safe distance from the fires that had broken out from damaged gas lines. Other heroes looked on helplessly, their quirks either unsuited for the delicate rescue operation or too dangerous to use with a civilian so close.
The footage continued. Suddenly, a green-haired kid in a school uniform, obviously another student, came running into frame from the crowd of evacuated civilians. Tears streamed down his face as he threw his yellow backpack at the sludge villain, then began clawing desperately at the gelatinous mass with his bare hands.
"Look at this!" JJJ exclaimed. "An untrained civilian child putting himself in mortal danger because the heroes can't act! This is what happens when vigilantes undermine the proper system! Even children start believing they can act like they want!"
The green-haired boy's efforts were brave but futile. His fingernails scraped uselessly against the villain's surface while he shouted something inaudible at the trapped blonde student.
Then, without warning...
BOOM!
A massive gust of wind exploded through the scene. The sludge villain was instantly scattered, his gelatinous form splashing against nearby walls and windows like liquid. The two students stood blinking in the sudden calm. Every person on the street, heroes, police, civilians, stood frozen in shock at the sudden resolution.
"What exactly is this supposed to prove?" Yuriko asked, genuinely confused by JJJ's presentation.
JJJ's eyes gleamed with manic triumph. He grabbed the tablet and began rewinding the video. "Watch this! Watch very carefully!" He stood up from his chair and began advancing the footage frame by frame, his mustache quivering with excitement.
The first frame showed the chaos, sludge villain, trapped student, heroes standing helplessly.
The second frame looked identical.
The third frame... still the same.
Then, suddenly, in the fourth frame, there was something new, a blur of gold and blue streaking through the image at impossible speed.
The fifth frame showed the aftermath, villain scattered, students safe, everyone staring in bewilderment.
"See that?" JJJ jabbed his finger at the blurry streak. "First nothing, then gold and blue at supersonic speeds! Coincidence? I THINK NOT!"
Yuriko squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the barely visible blur. "JJJ, what exactly is this meant to prove?"
"Don't you understand the implications? Look at how fast he was moving! Those are supersonic speeds! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? The sonic booms alone could shatter windows, rupture eardrums, cause structural damage to buildings! And he's doing this in populated areas!"
JJJ's mustache was now writhing like an angry octopus as he gestured wildly at the screen.
"But," Yuriko interjected, "there's no evidence of any of that damage in the aftermath footage. No broken windows, no injured civilians from sonic booms..."
"That's not the point!" JJJ shouted. "The point is that he COULD cause that damage! He's moving at speeds that normal human bodies can't handle, in areas filled with innocent people, with no oversight, no safety protocols, no accountability!"
The studio fell silent for a moment as JJJ's breathing became labored from his passionate outburst. His mustache slowly deflated from its aggressive coiling.
Yuriko, the crew, and undoubtedly the viewers at home all looked at the freeze-frame image of the golden blur and came to the same unspoken conclusion.
This guy is completely insane.
A/N: Sorry for not posting yesterday, I hope you ladies and gents can forgive me, now onto other things. This chapter was so damn fun to write, had a smile on my face the entire goddamn time :). I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing.
Now onto the usual begging, the offer of every 200 powerstones or five reviews, still stands and will stand for the foreseeable future, that is all. Author out.