I made my way to the police parking lot where Raijin was waiting. He was standing timidly beside a black, five seater police car.
"Hey, Raijin."
"Greetings, M-Mister Chester-"
"Nervous?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Don't be, we've done this song and dance for a couple times now - no need to be so nervous."
I've been working with Raijin for about two months now and I've progressively seen him grow ever since. Though, I do have to say - he's still quite a timid one.
"Go stretch and I'll do a routine check on the vehicle."
"A-Affirmative!"
Raijin's a very shy and timid kid but… I can tell he's a good one. He's kind and protective of others, though - I do worry about him often, he's got a low sense of self preservation, the type that'd rather die than let someone get caught in the crossfire.
Still, I suppose he's brave when he needs to be. Overall, he's a pretty good model hero. In time and as he matures… I trust he'll make it far into the hero business. Let's let him grow by himself for now.
(This business can be harsh though, don't lose yourself - kid.)
The car looked to be your average patrol five seater, with two front seats and three in the back. However, unlike other patrol cars there's a double reinforced solid steel divider between the front and back seats. Normally it wouldn't be this reinforced but contrary to its appearance, this was a modified and specialized car.
This car has been armoured and reinforced to specifically take in criminals with powers or as they're more commonly called - "villains", this car is a special patrol unit meant to quickly respond and neutralize threats with powers and villains called "Striker" though, since this one is assigned to a Police-Hero field teaching program student [P-H-T program for short] it won't be assigned to higher level threats.
After doing my routine checks with the car's locks, divider, wheels and the gas tank - I called over Raijin.
"All my checks are done now, are you ready?"
"Y-Yes, I've done my stretches."
"Let's head out, then."
"Y-Yes, Sir!"
We made our way to the car and started our morning patrol.
The Daily Life Of A Worn-Out Cop and An Abandoned Demon Kid, Chapter 3.1 - Patrol Duty
We drove our way out the police station and onto the roads for our patrol. The skies were a hue of light grey, clumps of clouds loomed overhead as tires met the dry asphalt of the road. A cold breeze passed as the city started to awaken.
"I wonder if it's gonna rain today…"
"Possible, but I don't think there's a high probability."
"I see..."
Today was a slow one, no major reports, no traffic incidents. Patrolling requires us to observe for any crimes or incidents on the streets or on the road, mostly the latter - it can be quite monotonous at times, just driving around the city trying to spot the smallest details you can, over and over again… but that's just the everyday work of a police officer, nothing you can do about it.
(Wonder what the kid's up to…)
A few hours had passed into our patrol however, nothing eventful had happened. It was mostly just stopping road law violations and a few tickets here and there - I let Raijin be the one recording the incidents as it's an important skill needed for law enforcement, building experience now would be ideal for his growth. Every time I had given some corrections, Raijin noted things down to a small journal.
"M-Mister Chester-"
"Mn?"
"It's… peaceful today, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"...How…do you feel about it…?"
"..."
"..."
"Unnerved."
"A-Ah, h-how so?"
"Villains… are always up to something. Something dangerous. Them being silent is…"
"Is…?"
"Unnerving. They're waiting til' our guard's down, stalking - until they have just the right opportunity to do what they need to."
"I… see…"
"..."
"...But I guess that's what we're here for - Right, Mister Chester?"
"Mn."
(I suppose that's one way to think about it…)
Always positive, that one.
The morning patrol was uneventful, there weren't any major incidents reported at the time - if this continues, I may be able to come home early today.
"An uneventful morning…"
"Mn. It's part of the job, today's a quiet one."
"At least everybody's mostly safe-"
"Well, I suppose so.
Guess he's not wrong, is he?
I checked on the time quickly and realised it was almost high noon
"Hmn... We should eat some food soon, we've been on the road for a long time - hunger can build fatigue quickly."
"I see…"
Raijin once again started writing in his notes
"Let's do a little more patrolling before we stop for a break, is that okay with you?"
"Y-yes sir!"
"Okay, just tell me if you want to eat."
Soon, mid noon had arrived - after a bit of extra patrolling, we parked on the side of the road to grab a quick break. I grabbed my packed sandwich out my bag to eat and Raijin grabbed a moderately sized wooden container wrapped in a patterned blue cloth from his backpack.
(I wonder if the kid's doing well right now… )
I worried for the kid as I took my first bite of my sandwich-
*BEEP* *BEEP*
"*Sigh* That's our cue, buster."
"O-oh…"
"A villain suspect has been reported and identified at 26th Belvoron street, Guardian response and patrol units have responded and are currently evacuating and protecting all civilians on site - Any striker patrol units around the area please respond. I repeat, a villain has been identified at 26th Belvoron street - any nearby striker patrol units please respond."
"This is patrol unit SS#344, we are at 23rd Mercoron street and are on the way, please give a description of the threat."
"The threat is described to be a 5'8 caucasian male with black hair and a scruffy beard, they are unarmed but appear to either have an enhancement or transmutation type ability - he is able to harden parts of his body to the point of rubber bullets being nullified, armament grade 01 has been permitted."
"Copy that, we will be there shortly."
Raijin's breathing got ever so slightly heavier.
"Buckle up, buster."
"Y-Yes, Sir."
I turned my sirens on and made my way to the site as fast as I could.
The Daily Life Of A Worn-Out Cop and An Abandoned Demon Kid, Chapter 3.2 - Battle
"Sir! Please calm down, put your hands behind your back and lay down on the ground!"
As we arrived, the sound of emergency sirens blared through the street. Though it was mostly empty, there were some panicked civilians on the way to the site.
I made sure my gun was properly loaded and grabbed something special from the trunk before going on site.
"Specialised police patrol unit SS#344, responding - How's the situation?"
"Specialised safety response unit SG#248, we've evacuated all civilians from the vicinity and are trying to contain the threat."
A girl in a blue hero costume responded to me, she looked to be quite young - 15 at most. She's probably a part of the hero field teaching program.
"What is the suspect's current status? Are they willing to cooperate? Is there anybody injured?"
Raijin quickly followed up on the current situation report.
(Hmn, he's improved.)
"The suspect is not willing to cooperate with us. He's currently trying to engage in direct combat towards the other members of the safety response team. There were a few civilians with injuries from blunt force trauma that have been extracted and are currently receiving medical care."
"I see. Pull back the safety response squad, we'll handle it from here. Focus on providing first aid and medical treatment for any injuries sustained."
"Affirmative."
The girl in the blue costume puts a finger to her ear and turns towards the small barricade a few metres down the road.
"Everyone! Pull back! A striker patrol unit is here, please focus on providing medical treatment for any injuries!"
The girl's voice rang through the entire street- No, possibly even past it. The blaring wails of emergency sirens paled in comparison to her voice.
(Damnit, that's loud.)
I was surprised at the sudden and violent volume increase. I could feel a slight tremor from the ground coming from the energy produced by the girl's announcement.
(No wonder she's part of a Guardian response team…)
After a split second, everything started to go back to motion. Personnel from the barricade equipped with shields started to fall back, two in total. Even when retreating, they held firm together. Behind them was a girl with long black hair wearing a chequered black and white hero costume, a belt that held smoke grenades, ropes and a small black satchel. That one's probably for evacuation.
Running after them was a man, 5'8 and topless - Clearly deranged, Red eyes and shouting profusely. A possible case of substance abuse.
"AGAHAH, FACE ME YOU COWARDS! THE RULE OF VILLAINS WILL COME! ONLY THE TOUGHEST WILL SURVIVE AND I AM THE TOUGHEST OF THE SYNDICATE!"
(A psycho, I see. I've seen it so many times I've become numb to it, however… Raijin might not be so comfortable.)
"Ready, buster?"
"I-I'll try my best."
"Don't let nerves get the better of you."
I draw my pistol and double checked the magazine as Raijin stood still and let out a deep breath.
"A-Alright, let's go."
As those words left his mouth, he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, his suit lets out a violent surge of electricity - currents of energy ran throughout his body and lightning seeped its way into the fibre of his muscles… However - Raijin stood seamlessly still.
(…You've gotten better at handling it, I see. Still, my nerves can't rest.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Yu Raijin
Hero Name: Bolt
Ability: Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod allows the user [Bolt] to absorb electricity and use it as energy to enhance their physical abilities. Along with this, the user possesses high resistance to electrical shocks. The amount of energy gained is decided by how many kilowatts of energy the user absorbed.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The surge of electricity slowly faded away and Raijin's eyes reopened with a new gaze. They were sharp, fierce and focused. He was fully dialled in. The timid nature of Raijin had faded away and a fierce, determined nature took its place.
He took a fighting stance, orthodox - his left side was his lead and his right acted as his rear side towards the back.
"Engaging target."
Raijin engages with a rear leg roundhouse kick aimed to the head, the deafening roar of thunder crackled through the air - drowning out any other noises from the street.
(That wasn't to end the fight, was it? Creating a large threat to draw the target's attention to him, allowing the safety response team to retreat. Smart but risky. I'll have to back him up as a safety net for any counters.)
Police officers and non-specialised law enforcement units are instructed to let heroes take the spotlight in dealing with Superpowered threats. As such, I can't meddle too much when Raijin is fighting a villain but if one thing's for sure - I'm not letting him get seriously injured out there. suppose this supporting role would suit best as of now.
The man narrowly dodged the fight ending strike by stepping back, shifting his weight to his back foot. Still, there was no way anybody could walk away unscathed by such a fast and powerful kick, as Raijin had managed to open a small cut above the man's eye.
The man sprung back forward quickly, releasing a razor sharp jab-cross combination but was met with three rounds to the chest.
(He slowed.)
Just slightly.
However, that split second was all it took for Raijin to dodge the counter punches by the skin of his teeth and reset into his stance.
(Hmn, so it's not instantaneous…)
One mark. One bullet mark. He can harden his body to nullify rubber bullets but it's not instantaneous.
(Firing rounds mindlessly would quickly drain ammunition but I can still slow him down just enough for any counter attacks.)
The man, now with his focus towards Raijin - takes up a stance. Wide base, fists to his chin - Orthodox, rear foot is slightly lifted.
A boxer, undoubtedly so. Getting into punching range would be a bad idea, pressuring with kicks and keeping distance is the best choice. Stance's foot positioning leaves it open for calf kicks.
"That's a boxer you're fighting, buster. Don't let him get into his range, control the range and pace. Push him back with your teep if he gets into punching range and target his calves. Change your targets in your combinations, he can harden his body but it's not instantaneous. I'll try to put some rounds into his abdomen to get him to lower his guard."
"Understood. Thank you."
Raijin steps in with a swift double jab, keeping the man at the very tip of his range. The man raised his lead hand to block the jabs, Raijin immediately seized the opportunity and sank in a thundering roundhouse kick to the ribs-
"ACK!"
The man winced in pain and quickly tried to step in to land his own shots but was once again met with three bullets to the chest. Raijin re-chambered his leg and pushed him back with a side kick to the abdomen.
"SCREW YOU!"
The man shouts as he charged in with an even sharper double jab. Three rounds to his abdomen landed from the right as Raijin stepped out of range and paralyzed him in place with a swift calf kick and quickly following up with a lightning fast lead hook.
Despite the hook's terrifying speed, the man flawlessy weaved under and returns a powerful rear hook, but not before five rounds met his abdomen - slowing him down and allowing Raijin to connect with a tight knee to the inner thigh forcing the man off balance.
Raijin quickly used his lead hand to post on the man's chest, pushing him away. He quickly steps out of range, dodging a nearly fight ending overhand and resets into his stance as the deranged man raises his lead leg and tries to shake the pain from his calf off.
But I'm not letting him any rest.
One, Two, Three, Four bullets rang out center mass, coming from his left. Then another two, one shot to the body and another to the head.
Only the first two shots and the one shot to the head left a proper mark but actually doing damage to him isn't what I'm truly after.
The man, seemingly annoyed with being peppered with random shots lowers his hands and hardens them to block the bullets.
Good. Just what I was aiming for.
"Hey kid, you're running out of charge right?"
I said as I loaded a fresh magazine.
"W-What?"
"You've been keeping a higher amount of share so you can keep up with him, no? I noticed it after he dodged your opening roundhouse kick. We'll have to wrap this up soon."
"I-I'm sorry Mister C-Chester."
"No, it's fine - Don't beat yourself up about it. Just next time communicate it properly, communication is the foundation of proper teamwork after all."
"Okay, thanks Mister Chester. Do you... have a plan?"
"Course I do, Buster. I have a way to take out his rear hand, you don't have to do anything. Once it's down I'll leave everything up to you."
"Okay, got it."
(Sharp jabs and crosses. Strong rear hook, Fast step back. That rear hand creates problems.)
Raijin cautiously extends his lead arm like a jab to measure distance - the man starts to step back and forth, now using a bouncier footwork pattern.
It's the pendulum step, a classic boxing manoeuvre done by swinging back and forth while maintaining a constantly shifting centre of gravity - this allows them to quickly change directions, forwards, backwards, left and right. He's looking to use the more dynamic footwork pattern to quickly dodge head kicks, most probably by stepping back and then exploding forward with strong punches.
He's deranged but he can still certainly think of good strategies, I'll give him that.
He's probably looking for a rear hand counter to quickly knock out Raijin in one shot.
Then let's take that rear hand out of the equation, shall we?
My eyes followed the man's rhythmic motion, stepping in and out of range. Rebounding from foot to foot - and as he rebounded from his rear foot to go forward-
(Well even if I miss now, a shot at center mass will still be quite debilitating.)
Two deafening gunshots rang our across the street. So loud that your head felt as though it was splitting open from the ringing of your ears. With so much force and power, it was as though everything took a moment to freeze.
The Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum Snub Nosed Revolver. Five rounds of pure stopping power. Somehow they'd made non-lethal rounds for this monster of a handgun, though having the thought of a .500 magnum shot of all things be non-lethal is quite insanitous for me. It's basically like getting hit with a full powered sledgehammer. I don't care what power you have, if you're not bullet proof - this thing will hurt you. Normally wouldn't use it as it's way too much firepower
but for this case, I see it appropriate.
"That's his main cannons down. I'll leave the rest to you, buster."
The man desperately tried to keep his rear hand up, to no avail. His facade quickly crumbled as his fist shook and fell down limply with two large bruises clear on his forearm.
"Got it. Thank you Mister Chester."
Raijin dashes in and lets out a jab-cross combination. The man, desperately trying to fight back unleases a tight stiff jab but Raijin steps out of range, the man's arm just a few millimeters short and Raijin's steps back in with a fast, short, tight lead hook. The man barely manages to duck under but runs into a beautifully placed knee.
He stumbles back and Raijin quickly follows. The man lets out a flurry of desperate jabs but Raijin is unfazed - he keeps hovering barely out of range, watching keenly for an opportunity to counter. His eyes were glued to the man's movement, trying to time his rhythm and as he sees his opportunity, he steps into a post on the man's shoulder, pushing him off balance and giving Raijin enough time to land a crushing low kick - straight to the calf.
The man quickly retreats, trying to gather his composure but Raijin doesn't let up and follows him with another calf kick. Miraculously, the man managed to step just out of range - a large gust of wind whirring past his legs but Raijin is determined to end this quickly.
Following up with the momentum from his kick, he hoisted his leg into the air and within a spli second, everything went dark. The entire street's light was sucked away in a flash... And in the middle of everything stood Raijin, now radiant and glowing with power-
[Fa... lling...]
His voice echoed with unfathomable energy. The air around him sparked with electricity. The man did not know what was happening but he knew he couldn't let Raijin continue. Desperate, he charged in with a rear hook but-
BANG, a deafening gunshot roared. Leaving nothing but silence and fear in its wake. The man had to back off.
(Finish the fight, Raijin.)
And within the blink of an eye-
[THUNDER!]
Raijin's shout echoed through the street and just a split second after... the deafening roar of crackling thunder fell. Raijin's leg came down as a blur, ripping through space - a trail of electricity following and creating the image thunderbolt in its path.
The man's body fell limply, his eyes fully white. A crater layed bare under Raijin's foot, the streetlights along the road shook and threatened to fall.
(Well, I suppose that's that.)
Raijin stood silent within his stance. He took his time to recuperate. He took a moment and a few deep breaths but eventually-
"Target is down!"
He shouted as he looked at me with a thumbs up and a glint in his eyes.
"Good work, Buster. I'll restrain him while you get information for this incident, and also do ask for proper medical assessment for yourself. I'll do the other paperwork but you need experience in interviewing witnesses."
"G-Got it."
I put jet-black handcuffs on the man as I escorted his limp body to the back of the police car, double checking to make sure it was properly locked. The special jet-black handcuffs disable any and all powers, there were 3 pairs of them for any striker patrol car units.
The man was identified to be John T. Anderson, 34 years old and a former professional boxer with an impressive 10-3-4 record with 9 knockouts - he was regarded highly for his power and tenacity. He hit hard and was hard to knock out with fast reflexes and an iron chin.
He suddenly disappeared and only now reappeared 8 years after having a three loss streak. Witness accounts and testimony along with security camera footage says that he randomly ran into the street and started shouting random things about a syndicate of villains and after a few minutes of shouting with nobody listening to him, he started to assault random civilians.
(Hmn, strange case… A three loss streak is certainly depressing for any professional boxer but not enough to just dissappear for eight years… Something's off.)
Something felt ominous about this case.
The ride back to the station was silent as Raijin ate his lunch peacefully and John slumped limply at the back of the car, he was still alive but unconscious. We handed him back to the station, wrote our reports about the incident and brought in some key witnesses. Standard procedure. He had no weapons on him but had his hardening power that could drastically increase his destructive capability and durability.
We went back on noon patrol duty and nothing notable happened, just some tickets and traffic law violations. Overall, today was mostly silent. If anything, I could quickly head home to take care of the kid. After my shift was done, I quickly punched out and headed home.
The Daily Life Of A Worn-Out Cop and An Abandoned Demon Kid, Chapter 3.3 - Home, Once More.
"T-Thank you for the ride home M-Mister Chester."
"No problem, keep safe buster."
"Y-You too, Mister Chester."
I gave Raijin a ride towards his dormitory. All hero course students and heroes alike along with any close friends and/or relatives are given protected shelter so that no cases of abduction and ransom happen. This was a big concern for all workers for the early eras of the hero work industry and thus, the government was forced into creating special housing arrangements for all citizens closely and actively affiliated with heroes. Though, there are still limits to it.
I stopped by the grocery store for some food and headed back to my apartment. I had enough to feed myself but the kid is not like me, they need higher amount of calories and I had to account for that.
"Hopefully, the kid's okay…"
After checking the piece of paper I put between the door, I rang the doorbell.
*DING DONG*
As the chime of the doorbell rang, I could hear small, tiny footsteps rushing to the door. The door opened and behind it was a small demon kid with long, straight, brown hair with beige coloured, sparkling eyes.
"L-Look… I… made… this…"
The kid, dressed with a simple white dress, raised up a piece of paper - on it was a drawing of herself, a man with white hair, a small amount of stubble on his face and an all black attire sitting at a table eating sandwiches.
(Oh… that one's me. How cute.)
"Looks great, kid. How much time did you spend on it? It looks so amazing."
"Spend…t… all… daey… Happy… you like…"
" 'Course I would, Kid. Now let's eat some food, I'll start cooking."
"Me… Like…"
I took the kid's hand as we walked to the dinner table, along the way we met Mrs. Bakers.
"Chesterrrrr… Your kid is so great… So talented."
"Me… like… her…"
It seems the two of them got along nicely.
"I'll beeee headiing… out… nowwww"
"No, please stay for dinner. It's the only way I could pay back this favour."
"No neeedddd…."
"No please, I insist."
"Okaaaaaaayyyy…"
Mrs. Bakers stayed for dinner. I cooked mild spice chicken curry rice and both of them seemed to like it. I didn't have much of a spice tolerance and I didn't know about the kid or Mrs. Bakers either, better to play it safe.
"Thankkkkkkk youuuuuu Chesteeerrrrrrr"
After dinner, I cleaned everything up and set the bed. I took a warm bath to freshen up, it was oddly therapeutic in its own way.
I watched some tv with the kid, it seems like she watched the kid's channel a lot and improved her linguistic skills by a lot.
Soon, night had set in and it was time for sleep. By then, everything was already set up - so I didn't have to do much. I slept beside the kid to make sure they got a good night's rest.
"Tomorrow's my day off, wonder what I should do…"
I thought to myself as I shut my eyes to slumber.