My Favourite Hero

Feats of Strength

It had been a few weeks since the cake incident, and Kugo was excited to know that his good friend remained as such... Even after an emergency hospital visit. Unfortunately, the said visit was not enough to shake his wife's need to bake and share her "exploits" to the world. More specifically to his interns.

He looked down at the large cookie tin Sango had given him for his staff. A small chuckle escaped him at the thought of his wife's baked goods and his interns, bringing up a small memory.

In the early beginnings of his hero agency, Sango would always send him off to work with a plastic bin of her homemade cookies. He knew he couldn't risk letting his newly-come interns and sidekicks eat the abominable things, and he definitely didn't want Sango to think he threw them away. Fortunately, fate was kind to Gang Orca, there was a hero emergency that required a few pros on the scene.

However, it was not kind enough to remind him to hide said cookies. While he was away, fate proceeded to reap the benefits of his absence.

One of his new sidekicks had found the bin in the communal break room with no name to claim it. As per the unspoken "No Name, Fair Game" rule, this sidekick had decided to take a bite and test his own fate...

He was later found, unconscious, by one of the female sidekicks who rushed him into the small medical room.

When he regained consciousness he informed the one that had found him what he remembered. Unfortunately for her, she didn't take him seriously and gathered a few other sidekicks and interns to make fun of him. Her method of which, much to his horror, was by eating the very cookies which had gotten himself in the infirmary.

After she too, collapsed, the cookies then were passed around to those that thought they could overcome the toxic monstrosity. However, none were successful in conquering the cookie, and soon more interns and sidekicks were called in. While all this had been happening, Gang Orca was finally finished with the hero emergency and was on his way back to the agency.

He had decided to tell Sango the truth about her baking when he got home and bought her some dried squid snacks and flowers as an apology. All he needed to do now was work up the nerve to tell her the painful truth, something he was hoping to do by the end of his workday.

While he walked up the steps of his agency, he was taken by surprise when he heard the shout of one of his newest and youngest interns.

"Hahaha! I did it! I have beaten the cookie!" The exclamation of his intern caused Gang Orca to fill with dread while letting out a heavy sigh.

Oh god.. you have got to be kidding me.

He thought to himself as he quickened his pace and headed towards the shouting. The sound leads him to the infirmary, where a loud, exasperated groan escaped him. The majority of his staff were all laying on gurneys and the floor, only one person other than himself stood proudly. It was the intern he had heard shouting before. The young man was holding the almost empty bin of cookies above his head triumphantly.

The pro hero looked at the young intern slack-jawed, and then at the rest of his other staff in exasperation before closing his eyes to speak.

"What in the world happened?" He ran his hand down his face as he said this, obviously knowing the answer as to what, but was more hoping for a reason why.

"Shellbinder found Sunken Glory unconscious in the break room and didn't believe him when he said it was because he ate one of these cookies." One of his sidekicks informed him from the side. Another spoke up, an intern this time.

"And so she brought us all down to show him that he was overreacting." More staff began to speak up, while others groaned in pain from the stomach cramps.

"Then it became a challenge to see who could conquer that horrendous biscuit."

The explanation given to him forced another sigh out of the already exhausted man. He reached over and grabbed one of the unoccupied chairs. He didn't know whether or not to be impressed with the stubbornness of his staff or awed by the idiocy of them. What in the world was he supposed to say to this?

"While I commend you all on your determination, I also must stress on thee dangerous of eating unnamed food." He gazed around the room at all of them before continuing.

"Especially if its baked food made by my wife. Less for me and more for your own health."

There was an eruption from all the staff, all in favor of them having more cookies brought. The pro couldn't believe his ears when he heard, just how much absurdity was going to happen today?

"You gotta bring us more boss! Those are gonna be the new initiation! Our agency's own strength trial!" There was a chorus of agreements to whoever yelled that. His previous unspoken question had been answered, there was more absurdity to be had.

On the bright side, he didn't have to tell his wife the truth about her baking. The even better bright side, he could honestly tell her that his staff loved the cookies, though not in the way she would imagine. All's well that ends well, right?

He pulled himself out of the small memory as he made his way up the steps of his agency and into his office. He stopped by a pedestal that read in large, bold capital green letters: "Gang Orca Agency's Feat of Strength!" It was something his sidekicks had built for any of his wife's baked goods to be set on. He gently set the tin on the pedestal and went ahead to his office. He began shaking his head with a chuckle when he heard the exclamations of excited interns and sidekicks that saw the new toxic treats on the pedestal.

Honestly, he couldn't understand why they would eat so excited over them, but he couldn't deny the smile it brought his wife and staff. Nor could he fight the elation it gave him when he watched how happy it made all of them.