Chapter 12: Doubling Down
The streets of Naruhata were meant to be quiet in the hours before dawn. It was a sleepier town that enjoyed its quiet mornings. It wasn't trying to be as bustling and bright as the major cities like Hosu, Kamino, or Minato.
The streets were only lit with the warm light of the street lamps and the occasional home or business building. Those rooms were only occupied by either a late owl wrapping up for the night, or an early bird getting the day started far too soon. In either case, those that were awake knew that they should be respectful and not bother the rest of the town enjoying their sleep.
"YYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAHHAAAAAAHHHAAAAAAAA!"
...Unfortunately, there was one who failed to care about the town's rest.
Hell Bat, real name Batto Yobayakawa, was the high speed villain causing this disturbance. He screeched his way through the roads and streets of Naruhata, shredding the silence and tranquility of the city.
His gangly legs propelled him forward through the streets and alleyways of Naruhata. Cars, sidewalks, street lamps, everything that his black claws would land on would be left with dents, cracks, and gouges, as he pushed off again. Racing on, leaving everything scarred in his wake.
His body was just as destructive as it twisted and turned to guide him along. Even as it appeared to be wrapped in a black straitjacket, it was still strong enough to bash aside any cars, signs, or streetlamps that happened to be in his way.
Someone had to stop him. Someone was going to.
All systems check. Mental acuity is checked. Grapefruit Fuel has been dispensed and consumed. Quirk is active and operational. Safeguard systems for Support Armor are being checked right now. Standby.
Hell Bat's gaze was meant to be hidden behind a silver visor, but anyone around could tell he was having the time of his life. Unfortunately, that was at the cost of the peace and safety of the civilians around.
Some were shoved aside by him into the street, others suffered car accidents as they swerved to avoid hitting him, or suffered lacerations when he landed on their windshields and shattered them. The police had issued a warrant for his arrest in the past week.
Armor integrity checked. All systems passed. Proceeding to installation. Installing onto feet and legs. Installing onto arms and body. Helmet mounted and activated. Armor installation, complete.
Yet, his speed was incredible, and his maneuverability was beyond that of the Naruhata Police Department. They had lost four pursuit cruisers and three patrol SUVS before they had reached out to one of the local hero agencies for help.
Main Systems, activating Search Mode. Calling up traffic maps and road data. Linking into overview drone footage. Comm Link opening to the team.
"Watchbird, do you read me? Do we have eyes on Hell Bat?" Tensei Iida, the Pro Hero Ingenium, asked his sidekick, as he tested the flexibility of his new suit. It was less armored than the one he used before, but that meant it was lighter and more flexible. It wouldn't do well in outright combat; a knife could easily breach the plating. However it was perfect for occasions like this.
But admiring the gear would have to wait. It was time to catch Hell Bat.
"Our predictions are right, he's pulling off of the main avenue to rejoin the highway," Watchbird reported back to him, her voice professional yet tinged with concern. Her Quirk, Harrier Wings, increased her speed with her elevation. This came with the downside that on the ground, she was no faster than a normal civilian.
So, she served well as their eye in the sky for chases like this, "At his current speed, he's about two minutes away from your position. Are you ready to engage?"
"Sure am. Big Shot, Tough Grab, start her up," Ingenium ordered his team. The truck he was in started to pull out into the highway, quickly getting up to speed. Ingenium kept himself stable, even as the tailgate rolled up so that he could see the villain with his own eyes.
There he was, the laughing lunatic. Those legs of his had him going faster than even the early morning commuters. If Hell Bat had chosen better in life, Tensei would have loved his talents as part of Team Idaten.
But even if the race was all Hell Bat wanted, there were better avenues. Once he got the notification on his display that the truck's broadcast speakers were operational, Ingenium addressed the villain, "Batto Yobayakawa, you have been disturbing the peace of these streets for far too long. If you do not pull over and surrender, we are authorized to bring you in by any means necessary."
"By any means necessary?" Hell Bat's words were only able to be heard thanks to the advanced noise cancelling tech Ingenium had in his helmet, but even so... that wet, raspy tone grated on his nerves, "Oh ho ho ho ho... Maybe this will finally be the best race of my life!"
Without warning, Hell Bat sped up, running right for the Idaten truck. Ingenium immediately launched, jumping out with a flying kick to end this in one blow. However, the speeding villain twisted his body out of the way, before leaping up onto the truck itself.
Ingenium hit the road, and immediately fired up his Quirk. Unlike his brother's engines, which were similar to a car's, Tensei's were that of a jet. Needless to say, he was already hot on the heels of Hell Bat.
Unfortunately that villain hadn't been idly racing forward. Hell Bat tore through the top of the roof, before smashing down into the engine block of the truck. Big Shot and Tough Grab immediately bailed out, as the vehicle smashed into the highway barriers.
What in the blazes? Ingenium curled his lips in shock, but maintained his pursuit, Batto Yobayakawa shouldn't have that kind of strength... Don't tell me...
"Big Shot, Tough Grab? Are you two alright? Do you need assistance?" the leader of Team Idaten called out over the radio, even as he increased his speed to try and reach Hell Bat. Even as his legs struck the ground and his arms carved through the air, his breathing remained on pace.
"We're fine boss, go get that bastard!" and "Goddamnit, he ruined Sheila!" were the two responses he got from his sidekicks. Chuckling to himself, Ingenium increased the pace of his breathing, speeding up the reaction in his engines. They roared to life, boosting his speed. Ingenium angled his arms, trying to generate enough lift to catch up to Hell Bat before...
Blast, the turn's here! The highway started to curve down, leading to a tight turn right which should require most vehicles to slow down. For Hell Bat, his unnatural flexibility allowed him to hit that turn at full speed. For Ingenium, such turns were his weakness.
But being a hero meant overcoming such weaknesses. Ingenium narrowed his gaze, flicking the controls for his suit. A plan had raced into his mind, and if this worked, he would be able to catch up to Hell Bat in no time.
If it didn't... Well, his parents did want him to take a break... Doubt they meant a hospital bed though.
"Ingenium, what are you doing?" Watchbird called out in concern, as she saw how he was interfacing with his system, "Those protocols are there for a reason! What could you possibly be..?"
"If I'm still this behind when Hell Bat makes that turn, I won't have a shot to catch up to him," Ingenium retorted, "Don't worry, this should work... I think."
Before Watchbird could object again, Ingenium activated his suit's grapefruit juice, sucked the fuel down, then shot off. His legs started to only lightly touch the ground, only barely scraping the ground as he practically flew to catch up to Hell Bat at the turn.
The psychotic speedster grinned as he leaned into the turn, turning that silver visor towards the Pro Hero. Ingenium kept his gaze steady and his mind cool, even as his arms burned hot, fire sprouting from the vents. As the turn began, Ingenium's turn wasn't sharp enough to avoid the highway barriers. The ones strong enough to stop his truck from crashing through them. If he wasn't careful, he would share a fate with a bug against a windshield.
The Pro Hero simply pulled his left arm into his chest, while he used his outstretched right arm to stabilize himself. Ingenium took a deep breath, then called out to his armor's A.I. system, "DEPLOY LEFT SIDE AIRBAGS!"
Immediately, the airbags fired, deploying to cushion his crash. This had the side effect of launching him to his right, delaying his impact into the barrier for another few meters. It was something, but it wasn't enough.
"DISENGAGE LEFT SIDE AIRBAGS!" Immediately, the airbags, which were still expanding, blew off his armor, crashing into the highway barrier and sending him further to the right. Ingenium threw out his left arm and roared, speeding forward like a missile after the speeding villain.
Hell Bat glanced behind him, giving a large grin as he seemed impressed with the display, "Well done! You really are racing with your life on the line..." licking his lips with a long tongue, Hell Bat let a hideous chuckle out, "Hehehehehehe, let's keep going!"
Ingenium was more worried about the villain's tongue than the words he just said. The end of it was coated black, as if Hell Bat had dipped it into tar. Ideo Trigger... That's why he was able to crush my truck so easily. This race just got a whole lot more dangerous.
The Turbo Hero quickly sped up, swinging his right arm at Hell Bat's neck. The villain twisted his body, dodging the strike before striking back with his shoulder. Ingenium grunted, but rammed him right back.
Hell Bat threw a kick right at his stomach, but Ingenium blocked the blow with both of his arms. The race slowed down ever so slightly, only for two seconds, before Hell Bat landed back and sprinted off, Ingenium throwing his arms back out for the chase.
The two continued to go at it, neck and neck, racing for a finish line only Hell Bat knew of. Ingenium fired off a grappling hook from his suit, but the speeding villain simply let it wrap around himself, before snapping it with his teeth. The Turbo Hero gritted his own teeth, trying to come up with another plan with the gear he had on hand.
It was at this point where Watchbird chimed in, "Ingenium! He's not turning! He's going to jump!" Tensei's eyes widened, as her words came to life before his eyes. Hell Bat was racing right for the edge, leaping up and over with a flip, spreading his wings out. Without wasting a moment, Ingenium sped off the edge right after him.
Damn it! Hell Bat had chosen a dastardly place to jump. It was right into downtown, and thus populated with the early commuters who would be up at this time. College students and salary workers, who were just looking to get a small treat from the shops this early morning. Those were the ones who looked up at the speeding villain descending down upon them and screamed.
OH NO YOU DON'T!
Ingenium repeated his trick with his airbags, this time with the ones on his right side, so that he wouldn't crash down on the ground. Hell Bat had already landed on the ground by the time the Turbo Hero did, and was shoving through the civilians, throwing them to the ground or into the wall. Ingenium tried to weave through the civilians, desperate not to lose speed and thus lose Hell Bat in this chaos.
The speeding villain escalated the situation by grabbing a young woman's head, a brunette with wide eyes, with his foot, before launching her into the air, "Let's see what matters most to you, Hero! Speed or safety!" Hell Bat cackled, before sprinting off.
Ingenium didn't hesitate. He rushed for the girl, leaping into the air to catch her as she started to fall from her arc. He used his engines in his arms to slow down the descent. It was just enough to avoid serious injuries as they crashed down.
Ingenium was barely able to ask her if she was alright before he heard the screeches of a car brake. Hell Bat was leaping right up into another car, ready to smash through another engine block again.
No no no! Ingenium sprung up, firing every cylinder he could. He wasn't the only one, as Watchbird had gone into a dive trying to catch up to Hell Bat. Time slowed down, as the two Pro Heroes of Team Idaten pushed their bodies to try and stop the catastrophe that Hell Bat would bring.
They weren't fast enough. Thankfully, someone else was.
A red-blue blur slid from across the ground, before launching right into Hell Bat's leap. The blur and the villain crashed into the sidewalk, shattering Batto Yobayakawa's visor and revealing his bulging eyes, as they tumbled into the alleyway next to the street.
Hell Bat stood up dazed, but immediately swung his body to sprint into the alley. Immediately, the blur, a young man dressed in a red leather jacket, modelled after All-Might's Silver Age costume, along with a blue hood and mask attached, righted himself up. Hovering on his hands and feet, he took off after the villain high off Ideo Trigger.
Crawler? How the hell was he so fast?
Ingenium glanced at Watchbird, who flashed a thumbs up, then flicked her index finger forward. She would handle the civilians here and catch up. The Turbo Hero took off into the alleyway, racing through the backstreets of Naruhata after the villain and the vigilante.
Turns were still the bane of his existence, but he managed to keep his stops and gos short enough as he caught up to the Crawler, the Nice Guy of the Vigilantes, "Hey, Crawler, new jacket, huh?" Ingenium called out, hot on the heels of Hell Bat.
Even racing at these speeds, the Crawler was able to shrug, "Uh, yeah, a friend of mine thought it looked good, and egged me into getting it..." he trailed off into nervous chuckles. Tensei would have shook his head, but they had a villain to catch.
Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Right. Right. Right. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Hell Bat was cutting corners sharper than yellow sprite after candy in a maze. Ingenium struggled to keep up, but he refused to let Hell Bat escape this time.
On the other hand, the Crawler was more than able to keep up with the turns. He was even sliding up onto the walls, trying to cut ahead of the speeding villain in these tight streets. However, that's when Hell Bat would turn away from the wall the vigilante was using. Still, the Crawler wasn't letting that slow him down.
Indeed, he's faster than he was before... What changed?
Ingenium's thoughts were disturbed, however, as the Crawler called out his name. The Turbo Hero glanced at the vigilante, who held up his left hand, holding up two fingers and swiping left, before swiping to the right with three fingers.
The Pro Hero acknowledged it, before rushing forward, preventing Hell Bat from taking the first left ahead of them, before breaking off to get to the next point. The Crawler followed up by pushing Hell Bat to take that next left. Ingenium raced after the speeding villain, pushing him towards the direction that the Crawler had noted.
"Ingenium, there are two signatures in the alleyway ahead of you," Watchbird, who just returned to the air, called in, "If Hell Bat turns in there, they could be in danger!"
"I don't think that's the case," Ingenium remarked, taking an incredibly risky bet. He felt confident, however, since he knew one thing, "If the Crawler is here, then we can take a nice bet that those two are..." the two stepped out of the alleyway, confirming Tensei's guess, "Pop Step and Knuckleduster."
The old, bearded vigilante cocked his fist back, his eyes gleaming with his grin under that mask of his. Hell Bat couldn't slow down in time, so his face was forced to eat that right hook with full force. Hell Bat's head snapped back as he fell to the ground, sliding to a crash against the end of the alley.
"Come on, puppy, let's go," Pop Step ordered, grabbing the wrist of her sliding comrade before she leaped straight into the air, bouncing to the top of the building, then leaping again far out of sight.
Ingenium scoffed, chuckling as he turned to find Knuckleduster having already vanished. As expected, the Naruhata Vigilantes had already helped take down this villain, and vanished before they could also be arrested for illegal Quirk Usage.
"...Should I even try to go catch them?" Watchbird asked, still in the air. Tensei knew she wasn't exactly eager to let vigilantes do their job, and she did have a point. Still, he shook his head, as he walked over to Hell Bat's concussed body, pulling out handcuffs and the anti-venom for Ideo Trigger.
"Negative, Watchbird. It isn't worth it today," the Turbo Hero responded, as he injected the anti-venom into Hell Bat, then slapped the cuffs on, "No need to worry about some friendly neighborhood watchers."
Tensei Iida pulled Batto Yobayakawa to his feet, "Besides, I want to get this criminal booked, the interviews covered, and the paperwork finished up. I don't want to think about work when I get home. My brother is having his first lesson with All-Might today, and I want to hear all about it."
"We now turn to our reporter in the field, Miss Yu Shimamura, who was on the scene to interview Ingenium after his successful capture of the villain Hell Bat. Miss Shimamura, take it away," Daikaku Miyagi, the male NHA news anchor with a shorn off horn, announced over the air. Shirou paused his current task, washing dishes from breakfast, to focus on the interview.
During breakfast, everyone at the Pendragon household had been eagerly watching the coverage of the early morning chase. Arturia and Lance had been cheering for their friend Tensei, while Shirou had joined Gawain, Kay, and his sister in being a bit more observant over the situation. Shirou narrowed his gaze as he watched Tensei's reactions during the broadcast.
"Thank you, Mister Miyagi," the news reporter bowed her head to the camera, before turning to the Pro Hero standing next to her. Tensei was still in his armored costume, but his helmet rested under his arm on his hip. Miss Shimamura opened with her first question, "Ingenium, sir, first of all, it must be stated that the citizens of Naruhata must be thrilled that Hell Bat won't be disturbing their rest."
Tensei waited for the microphone to move to his side before he started his reply, "Team Idaten is glad to be of service, Miss Shimamura. After all, a good morning is a good day," the reporter gave a polite chuckle to the Pro Hero's quip, before he followed up on his statement, "In all seriousness, I'm just glad we solved today's situation without any casualties or serious injuries... Besides Sheila, our truck."
The reporter nodded along, before she moved the microphone back, "Yes, it's a real blessing that the only real injuries were scrapes, bruises, and whiplash from the thrown civilian. However, as you said, your agency's truck was destroyed in the opening moments of the chase. How did that happen?"
Shirou noted that Tensei took a subtle breath, before forcing a smile, "We simply underestimated Hell Bat's speed when he was racing up the highway. Once he came down on our engine block, he was able to punch right through it. With that, Sheila was finished."
"Do you think Ideo Trigger was involved?" Miss Shimamura asked in a sharp tone, quickly sliding the question in. Shirou's eyebrow raised, Arturia grunted in surprise, and Lance made eye contact with his father, "Witnesses who saw the race noted the typical 'black tongue' associated with the drug usage."
Tensei tilted his head in a half-hearted shrug, "I did see something black on the end of his tongue, but whether that was from bad oral hygiene or a drug problem, I'm not qualified to say. Trigger isn't the only stuff that can turn your tongue black; tobacco and even coffee or tea can stain your mouth if you aren't keeping up brushing your teeth."
Tensei turned fully to the camera, adopting a friendly lecturing posture for the audience, "Hear that, kids? Don't do drugs and keep your teeth clean! You don't want to end up with a black tongue, it's gross."
Lance and Kay snorted, and even Miyu giggled a bit along with Arturia. Shirou returned his focus back to the dishes, before the news reporter asked another pointed question, "Witnesses also noted a red-blue blur crashing right into Hell Bat during the chase, before the villain and the blur took off into the alley. Was this blur the vigilante known as the Crawler?"
Tensei took a few seconds to respond, catching the Pendragon household off guard, but before anyone could say anything, the Turbo Hero replied with, "The Crawler typically wears a blue All-Might hoodie, right? The citizen who got involved today was wearing a red leather jacket. Still of an All-Might brand, mind, but much more expensive than a cheap hoodie you can pick up at the mall."
Tensei shrugged again, but Shirou could see the tension in his shoulders, "It might have been the Crawler, but if it was, all he did was ram into Hell Bat, before speeding away. He wasn't that involved with the chase before or after that point."
Ingenium turned back to the camera, this time in a less friendly posture, "Still, I must reaffirm that Team Idaten do not support the actions of vigilantes, nor the usage of Quirks in an unauthorized way, especially in situations where the Pro Heroes are involved. The confusion can cause deadly accidents, even by those with good intentions."
The interview continued on, but Shirou ended up tuning the rest out. Instead, his attention was drawn to Arturia, who glanced over at her father Gawain, "So... Does he actually know who the Crawler is? Because that sounded like PR talk."
Gawain tilted his head, raising his mug of coffee up to his mouth to take a sip before responding, "It was certainly PR. Ingenium must have recognized the vigilante in the field, but why he just deflected the question, I'm not sure if that's out of pride or confidentiality."
"...Pride or confidentiality?" Miyu asked, tilting her head, "What does that have to do with this?"
Arturia scoffed, but then winced when Miyu flinched back, "Sorry, Miyu. What Dad means is he doesn't know if Ingenium was covering for the Crawler, or for himself," she took her glass, before adding "I don't think Ingenium was just trying to take all of the credit and discount the Crawler though."
Lance scratched the back of his neck, chiming in before their father could, "Tensei has hinted privately to me before that he has an idea who it is, but that it isn't a big deal," the dyed purple son of Gawain shrugged, "My guess is that he's friends with the Crawler outside of heroics and is trying to keep the vigilante's activities on the downlow."
Kay rubbed his forehead, "That's just a scandal waiting to happen if Lance is right. The Iida family is typically pretty clean as far as Pro Heroes go, so even abetting a vigilante like that is going to leave a stain on his reputation."
"I'm more curious as to why this Crawler isn't a Pro Hero," Shirou said, having just finished the dishes. He walked back into the living room, voicing his thoughts, "I've been doing some research on the guy. His Quirk is some kind of sliding that lets him speed through situations, and every report of him paints him as a nice guy..."
Arturia nodded along, before chiming in, "Even if he was trying to make his vigilante name actually be 'Nice Guy' for a while," the room chuckled, before the Pendragon daughter continued, "No, I have to agree with Shirou. He should be a Pro Hero, or at least in an academy like U.A. Why is the Crawler a vigilante?"
Gawain shrugged, "Who knows? He might have made mistakes in his past, so his record won't let him be a Pro Hero. He might have outside responsibilities or commitments, so being a full-time hero isn't feasible. There's a few different reasons why he might not be a Pro Hero."
He glanced at the time, then looked back at all of the kids, "Now, hurry up, it's time to get ready for school. It's a big day today, specifically for Arturia and Shirou." With that command, everyone scattered off. Everyone except Shirou, who stared at the TV screen for a minute longer. He was already dressed for school, so he could take some time to absorb the details on the screen.
The news report had also turned their attention to the Crawler, showing a screenshot of a video from when the Crawler had raced up a building to catch Pop Step during an encounter with an Instant Villain. Dressed in all blue like that, along with that speed on all fours...
Shirou was starting to wonder if Toyotomi may have had a point in the theory she had laid out on the flash drive she gave him a few days ago. When he had read about the Crawler from there, he hadn't been convinced. He still wanted to meet this guy in person to be sure, but maybe, just maybe...
"Big brother! It's time to go!" Miyu called out, causing the redhead to turn away from the TV, grabbing his bag from beside his seat as he joined his sister and the Pendragons on the journey to school. Theorizing could wait until later.
"Come on, Shirou! Today's going to be great!" Arturia cheered in a chipper tune, causing her brothers to give her odd looks. Lance was more out of amusement, while Kay looked ready to put her into another headlock. Arturia powered on, racing in front of everyone, "Today's the first day of Heroic Fundamentals! We get to try on our costumes!"
Shirou blinked, before chuckling. Miyu turned to give him a Look, tilting her head. Ah, yes, their Pro Hero costumes. Arturia was very excited about hers. He was also sure that Miyu was excited to see him in his costume. Even if it was just a picture that Arturia took during or after class.
...Shirou still couldn't believe that his sister had gotten the Pendragons to help convince him what his hero costume should be...
It was the week after the entrance exam results, with one week before classes began at U.A.
The celebratory attitude at the Pendragon Household had shifted into helping Shirou and Arturia get ready for the upcoming year. As such, Miyu was the one making dinner, along with Mister Gawain. She was handling the main course, some roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and honey glazed carrots. Gawain was... making his potato salad.
The Pro Hero really needed to learn some new recipes.
Meanwhile, her older brother and stepped-in sister were busy filling out their forms for their hero costumes, supplies, and branding. Arturia was working off the family laptop, while Shirou was borrowing Kay's personal laptop. He had planned to just Project a copy of the family laptop for this, but a local digital backup of the forms was recommended.
So Kay just passed his laptop over to Shirou to borrow while he played Capsule Servant on his phone. Lance had joined him, so they were playing some PVP. Right now was their break before the new year started, so they were enjoying some relaxation and recreation. Though Gawain was going to make them do the dishes after dinner.
Before long, the meal was all cooked up, and Miyu helped Gawain place the dishes in the center of the round table. Shirou and Arturia set the laptops aside, not quite done, to help get the placemats and utensils out, with Kay and Lance getting the glasses and beverages. Once everything was set out, everyone gave thanks in the way they saw fit, before digging in.
"Thank you for taking the lead on dinner, Miyu," Mister Gawain nodded before taking a bite of the roast beef, "Mmm, it's delicious." Arturia flashed a thumbs up to Miyu, before starting to wolf down her food. Lance and Kay followed suit, and Shirou just elbowed her with a smile on his face. Miyu blushed, shrinking, but smiled back at everyone, enjoying the warmth of not just the food, but of the room as well.
After eating for a bit, Mister Gawain picked up his glass, but paused before he took a sip, "Arturia and Shirou, how close are you two to finishing the forms?"
"Almost done, sir," Shirou noted, pausing his eating, "I got the general costume design outlined, as well as what extraneous supplies I may want," he tilted his head, his frown accentuating his tan patches of his face, "...I'm just struggling with coming up with a fitting name."
Arturia perked up at Miyu's side, "Oh, really, can I see your costume design?" Mister Gawain gave his daughter a soft look, but Shirou simply shrugged and reached over and grabbed Kay's laptop.
"Sure thing, but it isn't really anything special," Shirou reached past Miyu, who leaned back, as he passed the laptop to the Pendragon daughter. Arturia unfolded the laptop all the way, turning it into a large tablet. She typed in the password to the guest profile Kay had set up, then started to scroll the document. She had to get through the disclosures before the costume request portion.
"Oh, don't be so modest. I'm sure that we'll be able to come up with a great name once I see your..." Arturia trailed off, her eyebrows narrowing as she reached the costume design. She scanned the pages once, then twice, then a third time.
Miyu leaned over to see the design, but Arturia had zoomed in too much to look at the details. All the younger Emiya could make out was that the design had black elements, which didn't surprise her. Arturia, however, raised her confused gaze back to Shirou, bafflement clear in her next question, "Shirou, what the bloody hell is this?"
"Language, Arturia," Mister Gawain sighed, before giving his daughter a reproachful look, "And please be respectful of what Shirou wants for his costume. It's his career choice, not yours."
Arturia shook her head, "I want to be, but..." instead of finishing her thought, Arturia passed the laptop past her father, returning it to Kay. Miyu blinked at the gesture. She and her older brother had picked up that while all of the Pendragons truly cared about each other... there was some form of grudge between Arturia and Kay.
They were the first ones to pick fights between each other or find any way to harass each other. Whether that was because Kay was the only business course student in the family of heroes or if there was something more to it than that, neither Emiya sibling knew.
Kay raised an eyebrow, but took his laptop back, zooming out the picture to give the design a full once over. His eyes widened in understanding, as he lifted his head towards the redhead, "Shirou, what the bloody hell is this?" Mister Gawain looked to his son in exasperation, but Lance leaned over his brother's shoulder and winced.
"Have I taught none of my children manners?" Mister Gawain pinched the bridge of his nose, before leaning over and looking at the design himself. The Pro Hero paused, before he took a deep breath and responded, "...Okay, it isn't the worst design... But is there a reason you want your Pro Hero costume to be some sort of Man in Black government agent?"
Kay finally turned his laptop around so that Miyu could see the full design, and she physically recoiled. It wasn't a bad design, far from it. For a particular demographic, the long, black trenchcoat over a matching dress shirt and slacks would be the perfect embodiment of a cool anti-hero. The kind who fought on the edge, standing up for justice with efficient, ruthless tactics.
But all Miyu saw was the image of Kiritsugu Emiya. The Magus Killer who had sought to exchange her life for the world's safety.
Miyu closed her eyes, forcing the image away while she took a sip of her tea. Meanwhile, Shirou frowned at the Pendragon family's response to his costume design, "It's functional, simple, and doesn't draw attention to myself," he paused as the Pendragons winced at every adjective he spoke, "...I take it you all don't approve?"
Mister Gawain brought his glass back to his mouth, taking a big sip before he responded, "...It's ultimately your costume," he held up his hand before any of his biological children could chime in with retorts, "But, I would caution against going in this direction if you want to be a good Pro Hero."
The Pro Hero could have slapped Shirou across the face and gotten a less shocked reaction. He outright sputtered, before replying, leaning forward in his chair, "Why not? I'm not looking to be a flashy Pro Hero. I'm looking to get to a situation, solve it, then move on. I don't want the notoriety or fame of being a hero, I just want to be a hero. This costume accommodates that."
"You aren't getting any of the benefits either, and I'm not just talking sponsorship or merchandising deals," Kay retorted, gesturing to the display, "This doesn't scream that you are a Pro Hero. This screams that you are either a detective, a governmental agent, or an outright criminal, rather than a Pro Hero."
Shirou tilted his head, clearly wondering why that mattered, which is why Lance responded, "If civilians don't realize that you are a Pro Hero during a crisis, they'll be slower to react to your instructions. Even if they do listen, they'll become more distressed and agitated during the emergency," Lance turned to his left, facing the redhead more directly, "Especially since you'll probably be swinging those swords of yours around, right?"
Shirou folded his arms, his frown even more pronounced, "...Then how come I've seen Pro Heroes in suits? Sir Night Eye seems to be getting by just fine in his."
Gawain tilted his head, "Sir Night Eye has the benefit of being All-Might's sidekick for his brand recognition. In fact, it's only been in the last few years since they separated," Gawain took another bite of his potato salad, before adding, "Besides, he's an investigation-type Pro Hero. He usually doesn't appear at the scenes of disasters. It's your choice, but if you do want to be more of a rescue hero, then you will want to follow the Batman Principle."
"'Be strong enough to cause wariness in villains, but be gentle enough to bring comfort to children,'" Arturia quoted, having heard it a hundred times, "I like a good suit just as much as anyone else does, Shirou. I even have a few of them in my closet. But let me put it this way..."
All of a sudden, Arturia was looking right at Miyu, who jerked back, surprised that the conversation was returning to her, "I apologize if this is too sensitive, Miyu, but... If a Pro Hero had been the one to save you from the Ainsworths, which would have been more comforting? A suit like this or Sir Night Eye's, or one like Dad's or All-Might's?"
Miyu paused for a moment, chewing on the question, "...I mean, ultimately, only Shirou was coming to save me," the room suddenly got extremely awkward, as Arturia flinched, gritting her teeth. Gawain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. However, Miyu still had something to add, "...That being said, I prefer your other costume, big brother. It was way cooler."
If a pin dropped in that room at that moment, it would echo through the entire room for several moments, as the Pendragons paused all movement, before slowly turning their heads to look at Shirou. Arturia finally took a breath in, "...What costume?"
Miyu could count on one hand the amount of times Shirou had given her a look of pure annoyance. This was one of those times, but he couldn't maintain his gaze as he scrambled to answer the question, "I... had to look like a hero so no one questioned me while I hunted down the Ainsworths. So I managed to scrounge something together."
He shrugged, trying to placate the rising eyebrows of the Pendragon family, "It's a dumb costume, I don't know how you even knew about it, Miyu. I had changed back to my regular clothes before I went to where they were hiding you away."
"The Ainsworths were watching your fights live, big brother," Miyu quietly remarked, "They showed them to me, hoping that you would fall and it would break my spirit sooner." The Pendragons sucked air through their teeth, wincing at that. Arturia even clenched her fist, her eyes furious, but Miyu waved it away, "It kinda back fired on them, though. You looked really cool with that headband and arm sleeve you were wearing. Like an actual superhero."
Her older brother sighed, rubbing his forehead, "...I see. I didn't realize that you saw that much, or that it meant anything to you..." he picked up his tea, adding "Still, it didn't fit right. I'm sure even this suit would be a better costume than that."
"I really doubt it. Her eyes lit up when she started talking about it. A headband and sleeve are already improvements for your branding," Kay mused, before suddenly standing up, still holding the laptop, "Hey, Miyu, do you want to come over here and sketch out Shirou's old costume for me?"
Miyu nodded, getting up from her seat before her brother could stop her. Gawain glanced at his business-oriented son with an exasperated look, "Can't this wait until after we finish dinner?"
Kay, who had grabbed his portable desk and stylus for the laptop-turned-tablet from his backpack, simply shrugged, "Might as well strike while the iron is hot, right?" he replied, extending the legs on his desk so that Miyu could sketch it out beside him. She took the stylus from his hands, and got to work.
Drawing on a tablet screen was different than using physical materials like coloring pencils or paints on paper. There was a lack of tactile feedback from the art, as it glowed from the smooth screen. Yet, there were options easily available, like individual layers, that brought their own usefulness for the craft.
Miyu had played around with various forms of art ever since she could remember, and when she had settled in with the Pendragons, she had taken to working on digital art to actually learn a new skill. Since not everyone could even do digital art like this, the Holy Grail had only briefly chimed in on the basics, letting her develop her own motor skills. She could actually appreciate her growth as being her own.
Thus, it didn't take long for a solid recreation of Shirou and his Archer Install costume to be displayed in the U.A. costume request form. Maybe Miyu should have done a more standard t-pose, but she had instead chosen to do the pose most associated with the costume in her mind. Shirou was taking a step forward, his left arm straight down, showing off his archery sleeve. His right arm was bent up towards his head, his hand fixing the headband he was wearing. The red waist cape billowed out around him, similar yet distinct to the black trench coat of Kiritsugu Emiya.
There he is. This is my hero.
Miyu took a deep breath, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, and stepped away from Kay's device, "There you go. That's Shirou's hero costume."
Kay moved the portable desk right in front of him, between his body and the round table. He held the stylus up to his lips, while his father and brother leaned in on each side to look at the design with curious eyes. Even Arturia set aside her food for a moment to stand behind her brothers, looking at the design. After a few moments, Kay finally spoke, "Miyu, you did really well on this. You should consider a career in art."
"I've said the same thing for a while now," Shirou said, standing up as well, nodding to Miyu. Even in his annoyance at her exposing this costume, she could feel the pride her brother had in her skills. She blushed, shrinking in again, as Shirou continued, "She's always been good at art, and has done really well in learning how to do it digitally. But you can see how this isn't a complete costume, right?"
"Complete? No," Lance chimed in, before giving Shirou a reproachful look, "But it's already a hell of a lot better than your Agent Emiya digs from earlier."
"...Language, Lance. And if he wants to use the black suit, that is his choice," Gawain gave his own reproachful Look to his son, before looking back at Miyu's sketch, "Still, I have to admit, Shirou, with some touchups, this would really work."
Arturia leaned over her brother's shoulder, pointing at the sketch's forearms, "He needs gauntlets here. Not just armbands or wristguards, something that can take a hit if someone gets too close in range."
Kay nodded, as he took the stylus to add some details, "Absolutely. I also think he'd look better with full sleeves. Actually, instead of an arm sleeve," he glanced over at Miyu, who nodded for him to make the changes. Then he changed the red arm sleeve into a full long-sleeved shirt that went under a black tactical vest. Then Kay added some black gauntlets. Ones that kept Shirou's fingers flexible so he could use his bow, but still guarded most of his forearms.
Mister Gawain brought a hand to his chin, looking at the design, before glancing over at Shirou, "Remind me, I know you store swords most effectively, but how do regular medical supplies like bandages or antibiotic salves work with your Quirk?"
After taking a moment to ponder his response, Shirou sighed, "...It would be better if I had some supplies on me, so that I can Structurally Analyse them and replicate them on the spot," he pointed to the white belt holding up the waist cape, "Replacing that with a proper utility belt would be good."
"Smart change, I'll add it," with a few deft flicks and strokes of the stylus, Kay made the change, "See, this is already looking better. It just needs something," he paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked over the design, humming to himself.
Shirou pointed to the headband, "What it needs is that to go. I don't know what I was thinking, wearing a red headband with my red hair." The Pendragons chuckled, but Miyu shook her head.
"No way, you should keep it," everyone glanced at her, but she held firm, "It's part of your own personal flair." What she didn't say aloud was that without the headband, Shirou would look too much like EMIYA, his alternate future self, "You need the headband to stand out."
Arturia shrugged, "Guess you got to do what your sister says, Shirou. She has a better fashion sense then you do anyways." Shirou gave a droll stare, which only intensified when the blonde lioness added with a chuckle, "Besides, your hair is already starting to turn white, so your red on red won't be a problem for long."
Shirou let out a small huff, but that only brought more amusement to the Pendragons. Kay cut off his chuckles, however, as he looked at the costume one more time, "Still, this needs something to pop. Maybe a design on the chest or arms? Got anything for that?"
After a long moment, Shirou closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, "Yeah, you know that tassel Miyu drew on the original arm sleeve? That white four leaf clover design?" he pointed to his left arm, just above the bicep. Shirou spoke his next words with a somber, regret-filled tone, "Put a purple ribbon armband here, with that white clover design on it."
Kay frowned, but went ahead and added the design element into the sketch. The tone of Shirou's words had not gone unnoticed by Mister Gawain, however, who looked over at the redhead. "...Not to pry, but what's the meaning of adding this ribbon? It's your choice, but..."
"It's... to honor a friend," Shirou interrupted, his eyes not leaving the design, "Someone who managed to make it so I could get this far in the first place."
Out of the corner, Miyu caught Arturia mouthing something out. While she missed the first part, the Child of God knew exactly what the blonde lioness had been thinking. Sakura Matou. Shirou's junior at the archery club, the one who gave Shirou the opportunity to fight to save Miyu in the first place.
...In another life, perhaps Miyu would have called Sakura a sister figure, rather than Arturia. She was more than happy with the Pendragon daughter, but she couldn't help but wonder how Sakura would have fulfilled that role.
Kay tapped the frame of his laptop with the stylus, bringing Miyu out of her thoughts, "There we are. I'm sure we could add something else, but this should work for now. All we have to do now is come up with Shirou's codename."
Shirou was quick to respond, "Archer." At this point, the exasperated expressions from the Pendragons were to be expected. As was Shirou's frown back, "Okay, what's the problem now? It's nice and clean."
"Too clean," Kay retorted, "The trademarking process is going to be horrible. There's already dozens of Archer hero names. Green Archer, Purple Archer, Red Archer, Iron Archer..." Kay spun his hand around, "Plus, you can make all sorts of weapons, why would you name yourself only after one of them?"
Her brother was about to make a point about it being a good way to hide his true talents, but Miyu interrupted him, "I don't want you to be Archer. You should be someone new." Shirou grimaced, but nodded. While the Pendragons had no idea what Miyu's comment was about, he did, and he accepted the point.
Lance glanced up at the ceiling, biting his lip, "...Hey, Kay... What was that codename you wanted me to pick? The one before I decided on Sir Wieldsalot? Didn't it sound kinda like Archer?"
Sighing, Kay switched over to his notepad app and started scrolling as he responded, "Let me find it. I still think Sir Wieldsalot is a terrible name, but you and Dad like it, so..." he trailed off, as he finally found his notes on Lance's branding when they were working on their own forms years ago, "Oh, hey, you're right, Lance, this is a much better name for Shirou."
Arturia had leaned over Kay's shoulder again, so she was the one who spoke the name aloud, "Armiger, huh? Yeah, I like that," she leaned back over to Shirou, "It means 'arm-bearer' in Latin. Back in the days of knights and chivalry, those entitled to bear a coat of arms were also called an Armiger. I think that suits you."
Shirou tilted his head, rolling the name around in his mouth, "...Armiger. I think I can use that," he closed his eyes, repeating the name, before glancing to Kay, "Can you put down my name as being Armiger?"
Kay nodded as he typed it in, but Arturia had another comment, "You also need an epithet," Shirou sighed, but she continued, "You know, like how Dad is Saber Shine, the Solar Knight hero?" Gawain shrugged, having moved back to finish his dinner. He was really enjoying his potato salad.
Shirou rolled his eyes, "...I'll figure something out. What about you, Arturia?" Arturia blinked as he turned the tables around on her, "We've been picking apart my Pro Hero choices, but let's see your forms now."
Instead of flinching, the blonde lioness smirked, before going over, picking up the family laptop, and cracked open the device. Her costume was already on the display, as she apparently had been working on the finer details before dinner.
...Miyu had to admit, the design was perfect for Arturia. Shirou couldn't even argue, as he just glanced up at her. The Pendragon daughter gave a smug grin, "See, this is a hero costume."
Even her brothers had to nod, though Kay caught a detail on her display that caused him to narrow his eyes, "Wait, are you really sure you want that as your codename?"
"Of course!" Arturia retorted, gesturing her head to their father, "Obviously I don't want to use Dad's and Mom's fame to boost myself up, but it felt completely natural to borrow parts of their codenames for my own."
Miyu couldn't help but smile, as Arturia proudly declared her own hero name to the table, "As the daughter of Lance Lioness and Saber Shine, I am ready to become Saber Lion, the Proud Knight heroine!"