I gulped, nervously tugging on my sweatpants, and rubbing my thumb atop my white knuckles, finally arriving at the Kyoto station. It was in the middle of the day, and everyone was bustling around, trying to get to work and such, little kids jumping up and down with their parents, and the occasional horde of young adults.

"I have to take the bus to the outskirts of town, oh gosh," I groaned, whipping out my map and carrying a medium sized backpack that contained my clothes, and several other essentials. "It's going to be in an hour, so I think I have to rush, maybe get a drink?" I shrugged a shoulder, lifting a strap of the backpack back where it was supposed to be and headed out, going through all the knots and turns and finally arriving outside where multiple buses were parked. 

"7B, 7B..." I murmured, trying to find the right one. I perked up once I looked at the glowing orange sign, hopping up the steps and scanning my pass and having the driver smile at me. 

"It might be a bit late, but terrific performance at the Sports Festival. My daughter is a big fan of yours." I laughed and bowed a bit, my heart warming up. 

"Ah, thank you. I actually used to be the same, just looking at the students on the screen, actually wanting to be them." The elder man turned around, facing the road again. 

"Not many people come on the bus, and for someone like you, a student at the UA, to board, it's really an honor." 

"I should be thanking you for your service." He chuckled, humming while grinning.

"I'm so glad the youth isn't so rude. Now, off to East Kyoto, yes?" I nodded, settling down in my seat, gazing out the window at the shimmering river just outside the station. 

"You know it."

__

"Have a safe time here." I waved goodbye and hoisted my bag up, stepping off the mode of transportation, looking at the golden sun and squinting, my eyes still getting adjusted to the bright light outside. I just needed to walk half a mile, so it wasn't that far. I could probably get there in less than ten minutes.

Birds sang, a towering mountain in the distance, the faint outline of a temple on top. I wonder how long that would take to climb. Soon, after sightseeing, I arrived at the medium-sized wooden establishment. I felt extremely zen, a small fountain running down and pooling into a small pond, splashing down into a nearby river. 

This is not at all what I was expecting from a hero like Gang Orca. I approached and cautiously knocked on the door, waiting for someone to come and answer. Footsteps rang from behind it, and an answer I did receive.

Weird clicking noises from the other side emerged, and I raised a brow.

"Uh... Sorry, I'm looking for the pro hero, Gang Orca? I'm supposed to be interning with him..." I said nervously, showing the peephole a map I received, detailing the road to the small building. 

Three clicks and a pop came again as the door opened, revealing the pro hero in all his 202 centimeter glory. Holy crap was he tall.

"Here you are, go ahead and come in. Changing rooms are to your right, and when you're ready, join everyone in the main area. Introductions will begin shortly." I nodded and bowed, coming in and rubbing my feet on the mat, taking a left and running into one of the open stalls.

More and more questions popped into my head as I kept looking around, switching out of my sweatpants and shirt. I buckled my tool belt and straightened out the straps to my costume, brushing out the wrinkles in the cargo pants I had, and tying the ties of my heavy combat boots. I adjusted the wrist bands, and tugged lightly on my fingerless gloves, fidgeting with the top of the high-neck tanktop I pulled on. Slipping into a longer military jacket, pockets filled with essentials, I was finally ready. 

Gathering my bag and shoving my old clothes into it, I stepped out of the dressing room and plodded my way to the main furnished room. 

"Are we really going to train in here? Isn't it a bit dangerous with... all of this?" I mentally gestured to the expensive vases and traditional paintings adorning the large space. Shaking my head, I averted my focus back to the mission in hand. 

Turning left, I finally found the main room, and opened the door. I started choking up when I saw dozens of eyes pinpointed at me.

Everyone had the exact same costume as me, tight black jumpsuits, with a medium-sized shooter on their right wrist, eight eye holes right in the middle of their face masks. I was sweating, and quietly sat somewhat near the front, awkwardly, to say the least. 

Gang Orca appeared a few minutes later, standing in front of all of us. 

"This will be a brief introduction to welcome a new member, (L/N). They'll be interning with us for the time being. As you may or may not know, this student also ranked number three in the UA Sports Festival. Be mindful." Everyone turned to me and gave a little head bow before looking at Gang Orca again.

"Alright. Enough of the chatter. Let's head down." Down? I wanted to say something, but might as well keep quiet and just follow the tide. Everyone moved in straight lines, each step following the next. It was like a ripple effect, so cool. 

Gang Orca opened up a door, leading to a basement of some sort. I just followed and kept track of where we were going. 

Once my foot touched the ground, I heard a series of clicks and whistles, then turned around quickly to block a hit from one of the group members. My eyes narrowed as I turned my wrist and got ahold of their arm, jumping up and flipping them onto my back, slamming down so the wind was knocked out of them. 

"Impressive." I cracked my neck and smiled, turning my wrist a couple of times to loosen the joints, nodding my head in thanks to the remark of the pro hero, who turned to the crowd, and continued to speak while I admired everything. The underground facility was at least two football fields in size, all the equipment already in place, even a water tank. 

"Alright, everyone, you know the drill. (L/N), I want you to follow me." Everyone saluted and nodded, running off to individual stations. 

"Interning with me is going to be hard, you know, right?" I simply nodded in response. The pro hero looked satisfied with the gesture and continued. "Here, we don't mainly focus on water or land, we use both in combat. I usually fight in the water, but have a considerable advantage on land as well. 

"In order to be a hero, you have to be well-rounded. I put in a request because I thought you could be a very well-rounded student. You won't fail me, will you?" He looked at me, red eyes staring into mine. I shook my head.

"No sir!" Gang Orca chuckled and patted my back.

"I'll show you where to go, and we can work for the rest of the day. I'll push you to your limits, kid, and hard work deserves good rewards."