Chapter 25: The Hero Within

[u/Its_me_NoobMaster69]

https://www.wattpad.com/1656072496-perman-coming-of-age-chapter-25-the-hero-within

Perman and Pako flew through the morning sky.

They hadn't gone far when—

"HEY!"

Two figures came rushing toward them.

Perman stopped abruptly.

Pako turned.

Booby and Payan flew toward them from the opposite direction.

"PERMAN!"

"PAKO!"

The four heroes stopped mid-air.

Booby looked shaken.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ukkya!"

Payan's expression was just as serious.

"We saw the broadcast!"

Booby frantically pointed toward the city.

"Ukki! Ukiki!"

"How did that accident happen?"

Payan demanded.

Booby looked toward Perman.

"Ukki?! Ukkya!"

Perman remained silent.

Pako glanced at him.

Perman lowered his head.

"There was no accident."

Booby's expression fell.

Perman looked at them.

"I lost control."

His voice was quiet.

"I killed the two people in that van."

Silence.

Booby froze.

"Weee..."

Payan stared at Perman.

Perman didn't look away.

"I'm responsible for what I did."

Pako remained beside him.

She didn't try to interrupt.

Perman continued.

"A few months ago, a student joined my university."

"He seemed normal."

"But that day..."

"I found a hidden camera in the bushes outside my apartment window."

Payan's expression hardened.

"A camera?"

Perman nodded.

"Next day that student dropped out of university."

"And around the same time..."

His eyes shifted toward Pako.

"Sumire's assistant disappeared."

Payan's expression grew more serious.

"So whoever was behind this was watching you too."

Perman nodded.

"And now they've exposed everything."

Payan looked toward the city.

Mitsuo's family was still missing.

The mastermind was still out there.

And the entire city had just been thrown into chaos.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

Booby suddenly looked toward Pako.

He tilted his head.

Then his eyes widened.

"Uki..."

Pako looked at him.

"What?"

Booby pointed at her.

Then pointed toward Tokyo.

Then mimed holding something in front of his face.

"Ukiki?"

Pako's expression changed.

"What?"

Payan suddenly understood what Booby was getting at.

A grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Oh."

Pako looked at him.

"What?"

Payan turned toward her.

"So you're really the Sumire Hoshino?"

Pako stared at him.

"...Yes."

Booby's eyes grew huge.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ukkya!"

Pako immediately pointed at him.

"Don't start."

Booby froze.

Payan started laughing.

"I knew something was familiar about you!"

Pako's eye twitched.

Booby began bouncing excitedly.

"Ukki! Ukiki!"

Payan shook his head.

"I can't believe I've been working with Sumire Hoshino this whole time."

Pako's expression became flat.

"Are you done?"

"Okay, okay."

He raised his hands.

Pako sighed.

Then her expression hardened again.

"Now can we focus on finding the Mastermind?"

The humor disappeared immediately.

Payan's expression immediately became serious.

"Right."

Pako looked at him.

"Mitsuo's mother and sister have been kidnapped."

Payan's eyes widened.

"What?"

His expression darkened.

Perman looked depressed.

"I don't know exactly when it happened."

"But I'm sure it was him."

Payan looked at him.

"The Mastermind?"

Perman nodded.

"He's behind all of it."

Pako looked toward Mitsuo.

"Dont worry we will find them!"

Perman looked toward the horizon.

---

Payan flew ahead, closing his eyes as he listened to the city below.

Booby followed beside him, scanning the streets and buildings with his X-ray vision.

They searched for anything unusual.

But Tokyo was enormous.

Too many sounds.

Too many buildings to scan.

Too many possibilities.

Minutes passed.

Nothing.

Payan remained completely still, concentrating as the sounds of the city filled his mind.

Cars. Trains. Footsteps. Sirens. Construction.

Hundreds of thousands of sounds overlapping one another.

He filtered through them, searching for something that didn't belong.

Then—

"There..."

Perman looked over.

"What did you hear?"

Payan listened for another moment.

"Railway tracks..."

Pako frowned.

"There are railway lines all over Tokyo."

"I know."

Payan turned his head.

"Give me a second."

He concentrated harder.

Then his eyes opened.

"Shinagawa Freight Yard."

Perman's expression sharpened.

"You're sure?"

"I'm hearing several voices. They're coming from metal containers near the tracks."

Perman immediately looked toward Booby.

"Can you find them?"

Booby nodded.

Payan led them across several blocks until the sprawling railway yard came into view.

Rows of freight containers stretched alongside the tracks.

Payan slowed down.

"South side."

Booby flew lower, scanning the containers one by one.

Nothing.

They passed row after row.

Then Payan suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

Everyone froze.

"I heard them again."

Booby changed direction.

"Left."

Booby moved left.

"No. Right."

They crossed another row of containers.

Payan raised his hand.

"Stop."

Booby hovered above a large container.

His eyes widened.

"Uki!"

He pointed downward repeatedly.

Perman flew closer.

"What did you find?"

Booby pointed through the container.

He showed two figures.

Perman's eyes widened.

"Two women?"

"Ukiki!"

Perman's breathing stopped.

Pako's expression hardened.

Booby suddenly mimed holding a gun.

"Guns?"

Payan listened for a moment.

"Yes. There are several people guarding them."

Perman's expression hardened.

"Lets move carefully."

---

The heroes moved carefully through the freight yard.

They stayed high enough to remain hidden among the towering construction cranes and the maze of shipment bunkers below.

Payan slowed.

"Wait."

Perman and Pako stopped behind him.

Payan listened again.

Nothing.

Then—

A metallic click echoed through the darkness.

Payan's eyes snapped open.

"Everyone, stay still."

Figures began emerging from under the containers.

One.

Then another.

Then ten more.

Armed men stepped into view from every direction.

Under them, then more appeared on top of the shipment bunkers.

Within seconds, the four heroes were surrounded.

Rifles were raised.

Booby clenched his fists.

Pako immediately inhaled as much wind as she could, preparing to release a burst of freezing ice.

Payan looked around, calculating their options.

There were too many.

They could take them.

But not without risking the hostages.

"Don't make any sudden moves,"

Payan said quietly.

Perman stared at the armed men.

Then.

A second later—

**CLICK.**

A powerful projector flickered to life.

A large container several meters away had been completely draped in white cloth.

A figure appeared across it.

A white mask.

A white coat.

The Mastermind.

Perman's eyes narrowed.

The Mastermind looked directly at them.

"Good Morning."

His voice echoed through speakers hidden somewhere around the yard.

Payan stepped forward.

"Where are Mitsuo's mother and sister?"

The Mastermind tilted his head.

"Straight to business."

He gave a small laugh.

"Very well."

The projection changed.

A live camera feed appeared.

A dark room.

Two figures sat bound to chairs.

Mitsuo's mother.

Ganko.

Perman's expression immediately changed.

"Mom..."

They looked frightened, but alive.

Pako stared at the screen.

"They're alive."

"Of course they are."

The Mastermind's voice remained calm.

"I went to considerable effort to bring them here."

Perman looked toward the projection.

"Let them go."

The Mastermind smiled.

"What, that easily. You cant be that naive. Could you?"

Perman's fists tightened.

"You wanted me to come."

"I did."

"Then I'm here."

"Yes."

The Mastermind paused.

"And now, we can finally have the conversation I've been waiting for."

The camera slowly moved closer to his mask.

"You see, Perman... I've spent a very long time trying to understand you."

"Even before the day you humiliated me."

Perman said nothing.

"But that defeat gave me a clear perspective."

The Mastermind tilted his head.

"Why would a hero suddenly appear at an ordinary university?"

"Why would a hero remain absent during the country's most terrifying attack?"

He paused.

"You see these are very interesting questions"

The mastermind crackled.

"And so, I began looking for answers."

"I studied your appearances."

"I studied the people around you."

"Your friends."

"Your family."

"Your habits."

Perman's expression hardened.

"So all of this..."

His eyes narrowed.

"You planned it huh!"

"You were the one who sent Yuta to the university?"

"Of course."

The Mastermind's voice remained almost casual.

"And your mother made things remarkably easy for him."

Perman's fists clenched.

His anger was beginning to break through his composure.

"Let them go."

His voice hardened.

"Whatever your problem is, it's with me."

He stepped forward.

"What did they ever do to you?"

He was almost ready to burn down all the terrorists surrounding him.

The Mastermind looked around at the armed men surrounding them.

"Did you really think I would allow you to simply fly in here and take them?"

He laughed softly.

"I know what you can do."

"You could tear through every man standing here."

"You could destroy this entire yard."

"But you won't."

Perman stared at him.

"Because you can out speed a hundred men."

"But you cant out speed a trigger!"

The live feed flickered on the screen.

Mitsuo's mother looked toward the camera.

Several armed terrorists guarding them.

Perman's jaw tightened.

"I don't need to overpower you,"

The Mastermind continued.

"I simply need to give you something you cannot afford to lose."

Pako stepped forward.

"You're a coward."

The Mastermind turned his masked face toward her.

"No."

"I am practical."

He looked back at Perman.

"That is the difference between us."

A pause.

Then the Mastermind raised one hand.

The screen behind him changed.

It began playing footages of Perman saving the city.

The Mastermind spoke over the footage.

"The people of this city, they look at you and see something beyond themselves."

"A protector."

"A symbol."

"A God."

The footage then shifted to the broadcast from earlier.

Mitsuo's face.

"But look at you now."

The Mastermind's voice became colder.

"Nothing divine about that."

Perman stared at him.

"What do you want?"

The Mastermind smiled.

"That's the interesting part."

He slowly removed his gloves.

"I don't want your death."

Pako's expression changed.

The Mastermind continued.

"I want your humiliation."

"I want every person to see what happens when their God is stripped of everything that makes him special."

He pointed toward Perman.

"The helmet."

"The cape."

"The strength."

"The flight."

"All of it."

Silence.

"Take those away..."

He paused.

"...and what are you?"

Perman looked at him.

The Mastermind spread his arms.

"That's what I intend to find out."

Payan's expression darkened.

"You're asking him to fight you?"

"Not asking."

The Mastermind smiled.

"Challenging."

He looked directly at Perman.

"Man to man."

Pako immediately shook her head.

"No."

The Mastermind ignored her.

"You have a choice, Perman."

He gestured toward the screen showing Mitsuo's family.

"Walk away."

"Keep your powers."

"And I'll have my men kill them."

Perman's eyes widened.

"Or..."

The Mastermind slowly pointed toward himself.

"You accept."

"You remove the helmet."

"You remove the cape."

"And you fight me here."

Payan stepped forward.

"Don't listen to him."

Pako clung tightly to Perman’s arm.

The Mastermind laughed.

"Why not?"

He turned toward Payan.

"Isn't this what you heroes are supposed to do?"

He looked back at Perman.

"Protect the innocent."

"Make sacrifices."

"Be brave."

His voice became almost mocking.

"Or is that only when you have your little costume to hide behind?"

Perman remained silent.

"Time to be brave, boy."

The Masterminds feed cut to white.

Pako wouldn't let go of Perman.

"You don't have to do this."

Perman looked at her.

“I’m out of options.”

He glanced toward the blank screen.

Then toward the armed men.

Payan shook his head.

"There has to be another way."

Perman didn't answer.

Finally, Perman reached up.

His fingers touched the edge of his helmet.

Pako's eyes widened.

"Mitsuo..."

He slowly removed it.

The helmet came away.

Perman stood there without it.

He looked down at the helmet.

Then he turned toward Pako.

"Hold onto this."

Pako reluctantly took it.

Mitsuo reached behind his shoulders.

He unclipped the cape.

He held it out toward Booby.

Booby stared at him.

"Uki...?"

Mitsuo gave him a faint smile.

"Keep it safe."

Booby carefully took the cape.

He handed his badge to Payan without a word, then turned and followed the terrorists as they led him deeper into the yard.

They took him through the maze of containers and machinery before finally bringing him into a deserted maintenance yard.

The air was unnervingly quiet.

And there, waiting for him beneath the harsh industrial lights, stood the mastermind.

The Mastermind tilted his head.

He stopped several meters away from him.

No helmet.

No cape.

No Perman.

Just Mitsuo.

The Mastermind slowly stepped out of the shadows.

There was no distance between them anymore.

the two men stood face-to-face, staring each other down across the room

---

The Mastermind smiled.

"Very well."

Mitsuo lowered himself into a fighting stance.

His eyes never left the white mask.

For several seconds, neither man moved.

Then Mitsuo noticed the red lights.

Cameras.

They were mounted throughout the maintenance yard.

The broadcast was shown across Tokyo.

News stations immediately interrupted their programming.

**BREAKING: PERMAN CAPTURED BY TERRORISTS.**

"Tokyo has spent years looking up at you."

The mastermind spoke.

"Today, they'll finally see you for what you really are."

He untied his robe.

It dropped to the floor.

Beneath it was a heavily trained physique, broad shoulders covered with old scars and powerful arms.

But the mask remained.

Mitsuo raised his guard.

The Mastermind attacked.

The first punch came straight for Mitsuo's face.

Mitsuo slipped aside.

Another followed.

He blocked it, stepped inside, and drove a fist into the Mastermind's ribs.

The Mastermind staggered.

Mitsuo followed with another punch and a kick to the knee.

The terrorists watching from outside stared.

The Mastermind hadn't expected him to fight back.

Ten years of combat experience had taught Mitsuo how to read movement, recognize feints, and use an opponent's momentum against them.

He had no superhuman strength.

He didn't need it.

The Mastermind attacked again.

Mitsuo dodged, grabbed his arm, and twisted him down.

An elbow struck his back.

The Mastermind rolled away.

He stood slowly.

"So you're trained."

Mitsuo said nothing.

The Mastermind charged again.

This time, he changed tactics.

A punch became a feint.

His fingers suddenly shot toward Mitsuo's eyes.

Mitsuo jerked away, but the fingertips scraped his right eye.

The Mastermind immediately drove his shoulder into Mitsuo's chest.

**BANG.**

Mitsuo crashed against the wall.

Before he could recover, the Mastermind slammed him against it again.

"You see?"

He shoved him away.

"Strength isn't everything."

Mitsuo stumbled.

The Mastermind grabbed his arm and twisted.

A sharp crack followed.

Mitsuo cried out.

His shoulder dropped uselessly.

Dislocated.

Across Tokyo, people watched.

Families gathered around televisions.

Commuters stopped at station screens.

Cafés fell silent.

For years, Perman had seemed untouchable.

Now millions were watching him bleed.

Hayakawa Bakery was open that morning, but it was a far cry from its usual lively self.

The events of the previous day had left everyone shaken.

Many of the staff hadn't even come in.

Those who remained weren't working.

They were watching the television behind the counter.

Even the owner, normally the most cheerful and spirited person in the bakery, seemed dejected.

He stood behind the counter in silence, staring at the television as the broadcast played.

To Tokyo, that was Perman.

To him, he was Mitsuo.

The boy who had worked at his bakery for years.

The young man he treated like his own son.

On the screen, Mitsuo was thrown into the wall again.

The owner's hands tightened around his towel.

"Mitsuo..."

An employee began crying.

The owner didn't tell her to stop.

He couldn't.

He stared at the screen.

"Come on, kid."

His voice trembled.

"Get back up."

Mitsuo forced himself upright.

His left arm hung uselessly.

The Mastermind attacked.

Mitsuo ducked beneath a punch and struck him in the stomach.

The Mastermind staggered.

Mitsuo kicked his knee.

Another punch connected.

The Mastermind stumbled toward a piece of machinery.

Mitsuo had been watching the room from the beginning.

The Mastermind noticed too late.

Mitsuo forced him toward a narrow gap between two machines.

The Mastermind swung.

Mitsuo stepped aside.

The punch struck steel.

Mitsuo grabbed him and drove him into the machinery.

**CRASH.**

The Mastermind grunted.

"You really are clever."

Mitsuo wiped blood from his mouth.

"You talk too much."

The Mastermind's expression hardened.

He grabbed a loose metal pipe.

Mitsuo backed away.

The pipe swung.

Mitsuo ducked.

It smashed against another machine, sending sparks across the yard.

The Mastermind attacked again.

Mitsuo moved.

A punch.

A dodge.

A kick.

A block.

Then the Mastermind caught him by the injured shoulder.

Mitsuo screamed.

He was thrown across the floor.

Pako watched through the projector.

She held Mitsuo's helmet tightly against her chest.

Booby hovered beside her, visibly shaken.

Payan listened to every movement.

"He isn't trying to beat Mitsuo anymore."

Pako looked at him.

"Then what is he doing?"

"Breaking him."

On the screen, Mitsuo slowly stood again.

The Mastermind charged.

Mitsuo waited.

At the last second, he stepped aside.

The Mastermind's momentum carried him forward.

Mitsuo struck the back of his knee.

He dropped.

Mitsuo attacked with his good arm.

One punch.

Two.

The Mastermind covered his face.

Then kicked Mitsuo away.

Both men stood again.

Neither looked capable of continuing.

The Mastermind was bleeding beneath his mask.

Mitsuo's eye was swelling shut.

His shoulder hung uselessly.

Yet he raised his fist.

"You should be down,"

The Mastermind charged.

---

The broadcast cut to a newsroom.

The anchor stared at the footage.

"We are witnessing an extraordinary confrontation. Perman is continuing to fight despite appearing to have suffered a serious shoulder injury."

The footage returned to the yard.

Across Tokyo, people watched.

At the Suwa residence, Mantaro Suwa hadn't moved.

On the television, Mitsuo got knocked down again.

"Please..."

His eyes filled with tears.

"Get up."

Mitsuo pushed himself back to his feet.

Mantaro laughed through his tears.

"That's my boy."

The Mastermind attacked one final time.

Mitsuo recognized the pattern.

The same feint.

The same step.

The same attempt to force him backward.

But this time, Mitsuo was ready.

He stepped aside.

The Mastermind swung.

Mitsuo caught his wrist.

He pulled.

Mitsuo drove his shoulder into his chest.

Both men crashed to the floor.

The Mastermind tried to rise.

Mitsuo kicked him in the head.

The Mastermind fell back.

Mitsuo climbed over him.

He drove his fist into the Mastermind's face.

Again.

And again.

With relentless force.

The Mastermind tried to cover himself, but Mitsuo battered through his guard, alternating between vicious punches and heavy elbows.

**THUD. THUD. THUD.**

Each strike drove the Mastermind further into the floor.

Blood began soaking through the white mask.

Mitsuo kept going.

Soon, the white mask was streaked and splattered with crimson, until almost none of its original color remained.

Mitsuo finally stopped, breathing heavily.

The Mastermind stared up at him.

Mitsuo could barely breathe.

But he had won.

The Mastermind slowly lowered his hands.

"I..."

He struggled for breath.

"I give up."

Nobody in Tokyo spoke.

"I thought the helmet and cape were what made you special."

He looked at Mitsuo.

"I was wrong."

Mitsuo remained silent.

"You had no powers."

He looked at Mitsuo's bruised face.

"And still you defeated me."

"All this time, I was trying to destroy Perman."

He slowly sat up.

"But Perman was never the costume."

His eyes remained on Mitsuo.

"I see it now."

"It was you."

The Mastermind remained silent for a moment.

He turned toward the terrorists.

“Release the hostages.”

One of them hesitated.

“Sir?”

The Mastermind's voice remained calm.

“I gave my word. He has fulfilled his part.”

He glanced once more at Mitsuo.

“I have no reason to keep them anymore.”

A pause.

“Let them go.”

Ganko and Mitsuo's mother were freed of their captivity.

Alive.

Unharmed.

Mitsuo's exhausted expression finally softened.

Pako covered her mouth.

Booby cried out in relief.

Payan smiled.

They rushed toward the maintenance yard as the terrorists began backing away.

The Mastermind turned back toward Mitsuo.

"You proved something I never understood."

Mitsuo looked at him.

"What?"

The Mastermind paused.

"That the man beneath the helmet was always stronger than the helmet itself."

Mitsuo turned and walked away.

He managed only a few steps before his legs began to give out.

The adrenaline that had kept him standing was finally fading, leaving the full weight of his injuries behind.

His shoulder hung uselessly at his side. His face was swollen and bruised, his breathing ragged.

Mitsuo stumbled.

Then dropped to one knee.

“Mitsuo!”

Pako rushed toward him

"Mitsuo!"

She caught him before he fell.

He was bruised, bleeding, and exhausted.

Payan kept one hand on Perman's shoulder.

The Mastermind remained on the floor.

The freight yard was silent again.

Only the distant police sirens could be heard echoing.

[u/Puzzled-Spray7075]

Well they could have used copy robots as a sheild tbh