Viridian: The Green Guide

Chapter 4: Names

(Trigger warning: sexual assault)

Shota looked across the desk at Tsukauchi as he finished the paperwork for his latest arrest, "I heard you got yourself a new vigilante."

Tsukauchi rolled his eyes, "If you can even call him that. The kid hasn't actually done anything yet. His MO is that he'll find a crime, then go and find a hero."

"Seems like he's doing some good then."

Tsukauchi looked tired, "Yeah, but it turns out that most heroes don't take kindly to having rocks thrown at them."

Shota snorted, "He throws rocks at them?"

Tsukauchi nodded, "At least he's not actually hitting them with the rocks anymore. The first week or so, the heroes all came in with mild bruises. A few days ago he started just tossing the rocks at their feet, though, so that's an improvement. "

"His goal was always to get the heroes' attention, not hurt them, wasn't it?" Shota said. "The rocks were just a way to make sure they chased him. He was probably trying to get them angry so they'd pay attention to him."

"That's what we decided too." Tsukauchi offered Shota a cup of coffee that he gratefully accepted. "Word of him has been spreading pretty fast though and heroes in the area are starting to recognize him. That's probably part of why he's stopped hitting them with the rocks. Once he's got their attention, heroes know that they need to follow him. Apparently, he's pretty good at sniffing out crimes too, and most of the heroes don't mind the extra help, considering he's not really hurting anything."

"What's he look like?" Shota asked. "In case I come across him?"

"Well, he's kind of plain as far as vigilantes go." Tuskauchi said, handing him a sketch of the vigilante. "He wears a dark green hoodie with matching goggles, then black jeans. The most flashy thing about him is his red shoes, but even those don't appear to be a statement piece."

"Hmm," Shota looked at the sketch. There really wasn't anything that special or eyecatching about him. "It's strange, most vigilantes I've met try to go for something more distinctive. This guy kinda reminds me of myself, he doesn't care what he looks like, as long as he gets the job done."

"Yeah, most vigilantes are failed heroes, so they see themselves as heroes, but this kid is different." Tuskauchi said. "He doesn't even try to fight the villains!"

"You've said kid twice now." Shota looked at the sketch again. "Just how old is he? Early twenties?"

Tsukauchi shook his head, "Amplifier's the only one that has had any close contact with him, but she said that, based on his voice and the way he held himself, he's a teenager, and a young one at that. She pegged him at around 12 or 13 because he was so short and skinny, but I think it's more likely that we're looking in the 16-18 range. Since most vigilantes are failed heroes, he's got to be old enough to have taken and failed the entrance exams."

"But this kid doesn't see himself as a hero the way other vigilantes do." Shota pointed out. "Crawler, Pop Step, and even Stendall all saw themselves as heroes even without licenses, and they each came up with their own particular brand of dress and behavior. This kid doesn't even fight. Has he even given himself a name yet?"

"No, even when he spoke with Amplifier he didn't introduce himself." Tsukauchi said. "But the heroes who've encountered him so far have taken to calling him the Green Guide."

Shota snorted, "The Green Guide? Seriously? They couldn't think of anything less obvious?"

Tsukauchi shrugged, "Well, the kid wears green and leads them to crimes in progress. I don't know, the alliteration is kinda catchy."