T-Generation2378

-------{T}-------

Even though the idea of lying to our parents nearly made me lose it, WD and I delivered our presentation to Mom and Dad about going to Japan. We asked them before we left for school to give them time to think about it, but believe it or not, once we arrived at home, they gave us their verdict: we would get what we asked for. I knew our parents hated our quirks, but I honestly didn't think they'd be this eager.

After a long two weeks of preparing, the day finally came for us to leave. Blockbuster said he had everything taken care of with our new school, from registration to where we'd be staying. He also said he would be seeing us off, so he's bound to be waiting for us at the airport. Once our bags are loaded into the car, Dad directs for us to head out.

I watch out the window of the moving car at the familiar nighttime streets of California. This may possibly be the last we see of our home, though I can't say I'm going to miss it completely. Sure, we have had some good memories here, but sadly, they do not outweigh the bad. Honestly, when WD suggested we flee the country, I thought she was joking, yet here we are, suitcases in the trunk and going to meet our sponsor for the trip.

I jerk awake upon WD nudging me. "Hey, we're here," she coaxes. "Stay awake, you can sleep on the flight."

I blink slowly and sit up, gazing at the entrance we're parked in front of. I don't see Blockbuster anywhere, so he must be inside. WD unbuckles and hops out while I stretch my back for a few seconds before following her. Dad stays in the driver's seat to reserve his parking as we open the back and grab our luggage, two suitcases and a carryon each.

As we struggle to pull everything out, Dad calls from the front, "So.. Japan."

"Yep," my sister answers, yanking out the handle to her suitcase.

"That's where I met your mom, y'know. Fond memories there."

"Uh-huh. We know."

He's quiet for few more seconds until asking, "Are you two going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine, Dad," I answer. "We know how the Japanese system works, and we'll be sure to visit at some point or if we need help."

"And you have everything?"

"Yes." I'm tired already, so my answer may have come out a little annoyed. "Clothes, toiletries, phones, school supplies will already be at the dorms, and we just need to go check in."

I hear the car door open and Dad's voice calls, "Trey."

"What?" I look around the taillight to see him with his hands behind his back and a sad expression.

He's silent for a little longer, prompting WD to come around as well. Our dad finally sighs and continues, "And Wanda. Your mom and I just want you to know... we're proud of you both."

It was a bit unexpected, and it left us at a loss for words; that's normal for me but saying something for WD.

"We know how attached you two have gotten to your powers, and I speak on behalf of myself and your mother that we are very proud of you to be doing the right thing. A normal kid would probably be terrified of this kind of idea, moving by themselves to another country for a clean slate, but.. it's amazing how you two want this. For what's it's worth, your talents are very special and can be used without quirks. I just always hoped you knew we rebuked your quirks and not your passions."

Now I really don't know how to respond. In fact, I may have forgotten how to speak English altogether. Who knew our dad could be this touching?

In the moment of goodbyes, he finally starts walking toward us, kneels down to our levels, and brings both of us into a hug. This is the first time he's hugged us in a while, probably not since we manifested. It's so moving, I'm almost tempted to blurt out the entire truth. I glance over to WD behind our dad's back, thinking she may be considering the same thing.

She returns the pained stare for a few seconds until she lightly shakes her head, knowing how I'm feeling. It's hard, but I shake my head back to agree. Our plans stay the same.

We make it up to him by letting go of our bags and returning the rare hug. We stay there for a moment longer until a security officer calls that Dad can't park here. He lets us go and stands back up, then smiles and says in Japanese, "I love you both. Good luck."

We still don't know how to answer as he walks back to the driver's seat, shuts the door, and shifts the gear. This wakes me up enough to double check that we have everything, close the trunk, and hurry us to the sidewalk.

We watch him give us one last smile before he slowly drives away. We continue to stare off into the parking lot until I hear my sister sniff.

"Is.. is it weird to say I'm gonna miss him? And Mom?" I ask her.

"I.. I want to say yes, but... I'm not sure."

I finally shake my head back to reality and nudge her. "C'mon, let's go. Blockbuster's waiting for us."

"Yeah, coming."

We grab our bags again and pull them along to the sliding doors. I scan for directions until I find and point at the sign that reads 'check in.' We push through the crowd toward the lines of people and baggage, and as we guessed, Blockbuster and his sidekick in casual clothes are waiting for us near the beginning of the line.

The pro notices us and waves. We hurry over, just as Binge presses something on his phone and sticks it in his pocket. We slow down within the final few feet, and he greets us.

"Good evening, kiddos! Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I answer, trying my best to hide my feelings about what just happened. "Been looking forward to this for quite a while." I must be terrible at hiding it though, because Blockbuster stops and gives me a look of concern.

"Hey, are you two okay? You know you don't have to do this."

"No, we're fine," WD argues. "We.. just had to.. say goodbye."

"Ah. I understand. But hey, it'll be fine. Japan'll be great; you'll love it!" He points behind us. "Are those all your bags?"

"Yep."

"Great. Well, Binge just checked you two in as soon as we saw you, so here you both go." He hands me and WD one plane ticket each, both having our names, the departure time, and, of course, our destination: Tokyo, Japan. "Departure is about an hour from now, so I'll be taking you two through security and to the gate while Binge hands over your baggage."

"Sounds perfect," I nod, setting our bags in front of Binge for him to take.

The sidekick grabs the cases one at a time and brings them behind him toward check in. He then turns back to us, smiles, and holds out his hand to shake. "I'm aware I didn't know either of you for very long, but you're both good kids. I'm rooting for you two. Best of luck."

I smile and accept the handshake. "Thank you so much, man. We won't let you down."

"I know you won't." He let's go of mine then turns to WD to shake hers. They do so, and he looks back at me. "Oh yeah, and I have your number matched with your name, so no more prank calls."

I may not have been planning to do that, but I let out a sad, "Aww."

"Alright, kids," Blockbuster laughs. "Let's get you through security and to the gate."

We say our final goodbye to Binge before following the pro back toward the appropriate flight of stairs. If you've gone through an airport, then you know the long process to go through before the big moment: wait in security, empty your pockets for checking, put everything back where you had it, find the correct gate, then sit there until they open entry for your section.

Trying to think of something to do until then, I think ahead to what we will do once we arrive. Then a very important question comes to mind. I look up at our chaperone in seat across from my sister. "I know this is something we shoulda asked earlier, but what do we do once we arrive? Like, where would we be staying?"

He turns to me and gives a thumbs up. "I have it all worked out. An old friend of mine will be waiting for you once you land. He goes by the name Sorahiko Torino. He'll show you what to do next. Ironically enough, he's also a teacher at the school."

"Cool. So we'll be living with him?"

"Not exactly. See, the school has an idea for a dorm system in the far future, but they need students to test this idea out for when they do implement the system. So, if things go well for the both of you in the entrance exam, you will be staying there with other students from the three levels."

"'Entrance exam?'" WD asks then looks at me. "Bro, I'm getting a bad feeling already."

"You'll be fine," he reassures us. "The physicals for both of you are the real deal, and the written portion is pretty much just there for good measure. You'll be given tests different from each other, but I know you already got those in the bag!"

"Sir, I have no idea what you saw in us that made you think we'd be perfect for this program," I argue. "Her," I point to my sister, "A nut of a bookworm who can quite literally make words hurt. Me, an artist who vandalizes peoples' walls and makes faces. I mean, no offense, but you haven't even known us long at all."

He stares at me for few seconds, trying to decide how to explain himself. Finally, he sighs. "Kids, I'm gonna level with you. I've been in the exact same scenario as you two. Los Angeles is where I lived until high school, and as you can guess, my quirk was well despised. Middle school was a horrible time in my life, and I'd ultimately thought of running away. That is, until someone important to me introduced me to the career in heroing. To put it briefly, I felt like the topic was perfect for me, and that important someone helped immensely and got me where I am today and I love it.

"I told you kids I scout in America because of quirk complexity, right? Well, that's not the whole reason. I scout in LA specifically to give those who are going through what I went through the same chance I was given. Now, I don't know what goes on in your personal lives, and I won't pry either, but I want to introduce and help get you kids something you're made for. Does that make sense?"

I contemplate his explanation, touched by his compassion for those with quirks in a place like this. "Yeah, I guess it does. But wait, why us though? I'm sure there are other people with quirks around here that are suited for heroism."

"Oh, any quirk is suitable for heroism in my opinion. As for why you two, truthfully, I have seen other quirks around the city, though most of them were held by younger kids, showing off or just manifesting in a public place. As for those who are your age, I've only seen those due to a slip. It was obvious that they had given up hope on using their powers and never nurtured it by any means. It was sad honestly.

"Then I met you two. Specifically, I first saw you, T, snap your drawing away instantly then WD threaten me with something I could only assume was a quirk. You both have had a lot of practice with your powers and can control them perfectly!"

"'Control?'" WD snickers. "You shoulda seen T at kendo a couple weeks ago! He painted streaks across his opponent because he panicked!"

"Oh, hush up," I say her, smiling at her tease.

"Okay, yes, you're just kids who have only been self-taught," the pro corrects himself. "But that's another reason I offered you two this. Your quirks are healthy and can only get stronger from here."

WD and I look at each other and smile. This man sure knows how to pep talk. It almost makes me forget the drama we just went through in saying goodbye.

A sound goes off on the speakers of our lobby followed by the disembodied voice. "Gate 46 is now open for boarding. Please present your tickets to the attendants and have a safe flight."

"Well, that's you guys. Grab a spot in line." He gestures for us to get moving and follows us to the surprisingly short line for the plane. "This is it. You both will do great, I know it. Be sure to look for Mr. Torino once you land and stay in touch with me, of course."

"Thanks, Blockbuster," I smile. "For your chance, recommendation, and everything else. We really can't thank you enough."

"Yeah, thanks BB," my sister joins. "You're our hero."

"Just get into that school and behave. Oh! And have fun. This may be school we're talking about, but UA was one of the best parts in my life."

"We'll try," I nod. The line moves up far enough for us to show our tickets. "See ya around, sir."

"Peace out, pro."

"Bye, kids! Best of luck!"

With that, we hurry up to scan our tickets before walking through the gate.

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Just as I figured before, I sleep for a good portion of the flight, though you can imagine my disappointment when I wake up only to see that we're only a third of the way there. And even though I just woke up, I find it somehow impossible to fall back asleep.

This would normally be the part where I break out a sketchbook from my carry-on, but if you're a perfectionist like me, then you'd know that drawing with this much shaking and turbulence would be a nightmare. Instead, I pull up a movie marathon on the built-in tablet on the seat in front of me.

Finally, after a long twelve hours, the plane lands. Being minors, we have to wait until everyone is off before an attendant escorts us off, but meanwhile I stretch my arms and take in a long breath.

"Finally," WD sighs, closing her third book of the flight. "I almost thought we'd just live in the sky." She puts away her book and takes out her phone to check the time. "Two AM?" she reads, opening her screen of her window to stare at the nighttime city. "How did-?  Oh yeah, time difference."

"Hm. Guess Blockbuster shoulda booked us a noon flight," I join. "I don't feel tired though."

"Jet lag, remember? Our bodies are used to Pacific Time, so we'll have to get used to this time zone. Fortunately, I think we should be adjusted by the entrance exams Blockbuster was talking about."

"Well that's good. I think I'd prefer not falling asleep in the middle of something like that."

"Trey and Wanda Danielle Caveat?" We look up at the attendant at our seats.

"Yes," I answer, grabbing my carry-on from between my legs. I step out of the seats with my sister right behind me. We make our way down the aisle of now empty seats to the door of the plane. The attendant continues to lead us up the walkway to the gate and the bustling corridor of the airport.

Among the crowded hall, a man holding a soda can stands up from leaning against a support beam and walks over to us. He's pretty tall and has gray, tousled hair over a stern yet proud expression. His white and yellow hero costume tells us he recently got off duty for the day.

"Ah, the children of the hour!" he greets. "I'm right, am I? Or am I looking for a different pair of twins?"

"Nah, that's us," I answer.

"Good," he nods. "So I'm gonna guess. You're T, and you're Double-V-B."

I snicker at the instant jab at my sister as she gives him an unamused look and corrects, "WD, thank you."

"Eh, I like my version better." He thanks the flight attendant for escorting us and smiles at us. "Sure you may have guessed, but I'm Sorahiko Torino."

"Yeah, Blockbuster told us about you," I confirm. "He said you were a teacher at UA, right?"

"Yes, well, that is sorta half-true. My original intention for teaching at the school was to watch over a close friend's protégé until he graduated, but I guess this year, I was convinced by your recommender to tutor your grade level." He sighs. "I suppose I do still owe him or whatever."

I smile at Blockbuster's consideration for us, for thinking this far ahead. I may not know what this is about, of this guy 'owing' him, but I guess it works for us.

"Either way, let's get a move on. It's late enough as it is. We still gotta grab your luggage." We agree with the pro and follow him to the exit for the baggage claim.

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"Here we are," Mr. Torino says to us as we arrive at the path leading to a two-story building. "This is where you two, myself, and others will be staying. Since you're special cases, you're the only ones here till exam results are announced."

"Cool," WD smiles. "Looks home-y."

"It'll feel like it, too, when things get into full swing at the beginning of the semester. It's pretty tough, but first though," he stops at the door and turns to us. "WD, I want you to clean up, choose a room, and try to get some rest. T, I need you in my own room for a favor."

"Uh, okay," I answer, wondering what he could possibly want of me.

"It won't take long I don't think, but I don't want you two talking tonight. It's late enough, and we need to get your sleep schedules adjusted as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," we both answer before he leads us in.

The inside looks like a casual living room, with couches, end tables, and bookshelves around the place. There's a hallway that begins at the left side of the far wall and loops around a space for restrooms and stairs and back to the right side of the same wall. There are doors around this hallway to the building's rooms, six for each floor.

Mr. Torino takes off his shoes at the entryway and sets them on a rack to the side. He then grabs a few towels that were left on the same rack for rainy weather and steps aside for us to leave our shoes.

Though I'm confused about why he took the towels, my sister and I leave our footwear on the same place and follow our guardian. He heads for a room down the hall, though WD wants to pick a room on the second floor, so we bid each other goodnight and split up.

I enter the pro's room as he's lining the floorboards of the far wall with the towels he collected. Saying that I'm confused would be an understatement.

"What is happening?" I ask him, realizing I should've asked him when we entered the building itself.

"So," he begins, "when I planned to pick you two up from the airport tonight, I neglected to fit in a nap in my day schedule, even after the time I have in the field. So, to avoid falling asleep during this, I may have, say, over-caffeinated myself."

"Seriously?"

"Yep," he chuckles. "I'm probably irresponsible."

"Okay, so what do you need me and this stuff for?"

"I wanted your help to burn off this bit of energy I got in my system. So, what I'm thinking, is that I'm gonna be against this wall back here, and you're gonna use your quirk to give me something to dodge."

"Wait, what?"

"That's right. Now let's make it quick. It's wa-ay past my bedtime." He takes his position at the wall he specified and turns to me.

What on earth does he mean 'something to dodge?' I'm supposed to hit him with my quirk?? How would that even work? I look down at my hands, trying to think about what he's trying to get at.

"C'mon, kid," he urges. "I would rather fall asleep to a workout than boredom."

"Right. Sorry," I stutter. I'm just going to have to wing it.

I take a deep breath and let a drip of my ink form at my fingertip and hang down. With the strand of liquid dangling from my hand, I pull it back to my arm and swing it to shake it off and at the wall. To my disappointment, it only falls to the floor, hardly anywhere near the wall I'm aiming at.

Both Mr. Torino and I stare at the black stain on the ground. "Tch, okay," my guardian sighs. "Try again maybe?"

"Right." I do the same thing I had just done, let a drop of ink form, pull my arm back, then fling it around my body to throw the liquid, only harder this time. Again though, it lousily plops to the floor.

I mentally groan, shake my hand out, and pull it back to try again, but my teacher shakes his hands. "Stop stop stop," he sighs, walking over to me. "You're only staining my carpet further. The towels are over here, you know."

"I know! It's.. difficult."

"Difficult? Or impossible?" I stop at his question. Is he making me do something he knows is not even doable? He continues. "The way you're doing it clearly isn't working. Have you even thought about what your quirk is going to be good for anyway?"

Now that I think about, I haven't really. How did I not see this? All I do with my power is draw pictures. How does that fit into any hero work at all? Am I... just in over my head and useless?

"Listen, kid." I look up from my hand to my mentor. "What you're probably thinking right now is probably not the happiest of ideas, but look, Blockbuster and I have already thought of everything, and we see potential in you. It's just my job to nudge you to said potential. Would you rather show up this pathetic at your exam?"

I swallow hard at the idea. This happening in front of a teacher is embarrassing, so doing this in front of another teacher and dozens of other teenagers would be a downright horror land.

He chuckles. "Judging by your obviously terrified expression, I take it you wouldn't like that very much." I quickly nod. "So think, Caveat. How could you use your quirk in such a way that could potentially save a life?"

I ponder the question, calmly looking at my hands to the stains on the floor to the towels a few feet away from the failed attempts. I need drawing a picture out of the equation as that won't be any help at all. What else could I do with the black substance?

"Think about this:" he interrupts. "How do you release your ink from your fingers? What triggers that?"

"I.. don't know. I guess I.. think about it and twitch a muscle somewhere in my hand and it comes out."

"Okay, well, try twitching that muscle harder and see if that makes a difference."

Suddenly, it all clicks together. Realizing everything Mr. Torino had given me, I carefully make a fist and open my pointer finger at the wall. For comfort, I turn my hand and open my thumb as well. I stall for the moment of truth and pray for the result I'm looking for. Hope stirring, I suddenly tense up my hand, feeling something rush up to then out my fingertip. I hear liquid splatter and look closely toward where I was pointing.

There, in the center of the wall, is a splash of black hanging and dripping in place. I'm speechless. I've never done anything like this before!

"Yes!" Mr. Torino cheers. "Exactly like that! Just what I was looking for!"

"This is so cool!" I stutter again, laughing at my new trick. "I literally have a finger gun as a weapon! This is the best idea I've used since mirror face paint!" I'm so excited, I point and fire again, creating another splotch on the wall ahead. "I love this!"

"Alright, T, alright! Look at me." I calm down and follow his orders, watching his serious expression. "I'm super proud of you and all that, but this is what we'll be calling 'lesson zero.' It's going to get way harder from here, and your quirk has all sorts of ways to grow. As someone who was recommended by a licensed pro hero, you are going to have a lot of expectations. It'll be your job to show that it's no mistake that you're here. Got it?"

I consider the times ahead. Everything is going to be super tough, but when has it not been? I fought through middle school, put up with my parents, and fled to another country. I clutch my hand over my newfound power and smile. "How hard can it be? Sign me up!"

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Author's Notes
Welcome back, friends! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are getting underway for the twins; arriving in Japan, meeting their tutor, and T learns a little more about his quirk! With that though, under the spotlight is the terrific teacher himself!

Sorahiko Torino
Creator: Kohei Horikoshi
Quirk: Jet
Fun Fact: Mr. Torino has a massive sweet tooth, seeing as he, quote, "enjoys the finer things in life." His favorite food is taiyaki, a biscuit filled with a sweet, traditional bean paste.

The twins have flown halfway across the world to find a new life, meaning they had to move to a whole other country. Have you ever traveled outside your home country? Where did you go? How different was it from you were from? Most importantly, did you have fun?

My family was in the military, so as a matter of fact, we have been outside of our home in the states, having gone to places like Belgium and South Korea. The experience was pretty cool and unique, and adapting to the cultural was also very fun.

With that, this chapter has come to an end. Until next time, friends! Toodles!

Words: 4,530