My Hero Academia: Next Gen

Chapter 53: Tidal Wave and Blink

Evening: 5:43 PM

Kota Izumi had never been so tired in his life, and that was saying something.

"Come on, Tidal, pick up the pace!" his pro-hero mentor chirped from up ahead. "Only two more kilometers to go!"

When Kota chose to intern with Blink, he was expecting to learn more about the nitty-gritty of being a pro hero. The paper work, the down time, the preparations before missions. He was not expecting to have to do ten kilometer runs each and every afternoon at 4:30 after the internship was "done" for the day.

Breathing heavily, he pushed himself and caught up to her, the stabbing ache of a cramp making its way into his side. It was the fourth day of his internship, and he was slowly getting used to the early morning exercise, something he definitely didn't do when he was at home.

The sun was making its way down towards the horizon, not quite far enough for a sunset but the light was beginning to dim. He looked out into the trees that lined the trail they were running, the sun's light still filtering through the leaves, creating a kind of glowy atmosphere.

"And now!" Blink suddenly yelled.

Reluctantly, Kota stopped and blasted her with a jet of water as hard as he could, sending her flying. She let out a happy whoop before she disappeared. He winced as he was suddenly assaulted with a torrent of his own water, Blink now standing where he had just been, her dark curly hair now sopping wet. He crashed to the ground and sputtered, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"That was a great one!" she cried, grinning widely as she dragged her hand down her own face and flicking the water off. Her dark brown hair that had been in an updo sagged sadly against her caramel skin. "Much stronger than before, and after eight kilometers! Fantastic improvement from yesterday."

He sighed and picked himself off the ground. "Thanks," he mumbled, his cheeks flushing pink. He still wasn't used to getting so many compliments from someone he wasn't related to.

She walked over and patted him on the back, little droplets of water jumping up at the impact. "How did it feel that time?"

He shrugged. "Kind of the same. Maybe a little bit better."

Blink grinned. "That's what I wanna hear! Alright, let's finish up and get you home, kiddo."

They started running again, Blink leading the way, and ended back at her hero agency about fifteen minutes later. She handed Kota a towel to wipe away the sweat as they walked into her office. Blink's headquarters was very homey, with soft-blue walls and white trimmings in all the rooms and hallways. Warm wood doors made it feel like she was simply leading him through her home, had it not been for the other heroes milling the halls as well.

She walked to the end of the hall where she entered her office and flopped onto the couch. Kota was gathering his things from the other side of the room, drying his hair with the towel when the alert started beeping.

Blink groaned. Rolling off the couch, she sat down at her desk and picked up the phone. "Yes, Ichika?" she said, addressing her receptionist. "From where? Hmm, okay, I'll check it out." She hung up and sighed. "Hey, kiddo, we got a tip about that crazy lady who was targeting your class. I gotta go check it out, but you're welcome to head home now. I can give you a ride if you want."

His head shot up. "A tip?"

After everyone in 1-B had chosen their internships, the heroes they would be working with were all notified of the villain that had attacked them and Eri. It was another precaution they had set up just in case Eri wasn't the only student this woman was after. There hadn't been any word of her all week until now.