My Villain Lover

Trial Part 2

When the jury came back from lunch, the tension in the room increased tenfold. Even though no one was supposed to discuss the case, it was hard not to. 

"Dr. Ida called to the stand." 

Dr. Ida approached, "Thank you, your honor." 

"My name is Dr. Yua Ida. I have been the commission's psychologist since the beginning. I have analyzed hundreds of villains over the years. My qualifications are elite for this position and I have a quirk called discernment. It allows me to see into one's true intentions and see what truly burdens their heart, and this is why my success rate in treating villains has been so high. 

Touya Todoroki is a unique case. He came to me for the first time when he still had the nomu chip in his head. It was obvious, right away I could tell what this young man was saying was not his own words. The burden on his heart was heavy, but I could tell from my quirk that it was not truly his. I called for CT scans and we located and removed the device. I did not see him again for several months during his recovery. 

When he came to me again, after the commission proposed this idea to me about the villain rehabilitation program, I could tell I was truly meeting Touya Todoroki for the first time. The young man had a heavy sadness about him. I had to gain his trust, which was not an easy task. Over the span of the next year, we would unpack the horrors of his childhood, at the hands of his father Endeavor. Extreme abuse, physical and mental, and even neglect. Endeavor came to some of these sessions as we worked out the anger, shame, frustration, and more. Both parties made great improvements. Three years later, I can fruitfully say that Touya and his father have started the long journey to mending their relationship, and Touya's burdened heart aches less and less with the passing days. 

All of this to say, trauma can cause a great deal of mental distress. It can cause psychosis and drive someone mad. When I determine whether or not a villain is able to succeed in being reintegrated into society, I look at how they're able to process and heal from their traumas. Someone unable to get past it, will unfortunately not make it back into society properly. Touya, I can confidently say, is not one of those and has made leaps and bounds in his healing journey. I have full confidence that he will reintegrate well and will be a sound father to his unborn pup.

Thank you." 

Dr. Ida returned to his seat next to Touya and Takahashi. 

"Commissioner Saito to the stand." 

Commissioner Saito left the audience stand and approached. 

"Thank you, your honor. My name is commissioner Saito and I am the leader of this operation. We did this unbeknownst to the city due to its possibility of failure. We know that when dealing with villains there's a great deal of stress on our people. That is why we kept this under wraps and in the hands of our trusted heroes. Especially in the case of Touya Todoroki. We believe that this was one of our most difficult trials, but most successful. 

I end with promises from our end. With the lower sentence of involuntary manslaughter, Touya can pay his due in crimes in a lesser time frame. After his sentence, he will be on three years of probation, his time frame for reintegration. He will indefinitely be required to stay consistent on his quirk suppressant. This will be subscribed and delivered by Dr. Ida and his team moving forward for the rest of Touya's life. If he is to break this deal, he will be immediately removed and remain in prison with no possibility of parole. 

Thank you." 

Commissioner Saito left and returned to his seat with the others.