Summary: The first day of the extra training lessons begins and Tokoyami is able to see how his work is indeed cut out for him.
"Those of you who are here have shown that you require extra help in utilizing your quirks in more ways, Aizawa-sensei said, his face as deadpan as ever. "Because of that, we've set aside an extra day for all of you to use Gym Gamma in order to train you more. This training will be as difficult, if not more so, than your regular training. I expect all of you to take it seriously."
Standing in front of him was an assortment of four students. Mineta Minoru, Mina Ashido, Kaminari Denki, and Tokoyami Fumikage. All of them were there to work on controlling their quirks, as well as executing them better.
"Now just because I'm your homeroom teacher doesn't mean that I'm going to be looking after all of you," He continued. "Instead, each of you will be paired with one teacher who will dedicate themselves to training you explicitly. This way, we cover more ground at a much faster rate."
The doors to the gym opened up and in walked four more of their teachers: Ectoplasm, Present Mic, Cementoss, and Snipe.
"Starting today, you four will be expected to train diligently in order to hone your control over your quirks. You must also keep up with your regular classes and training as well. I expect nothing but the best out of all of you," Aizawa finally concluded. The other teachers took place standing behind the students that they would be working with, while Cementoss instead stood by Aizawa's side. Snipe was with Kaminari, Ectoplasm was with Mina, Present Mic was with Mineta, and Tokoyami was left standing on his own, meaning that Aizawa would be working with him.
"Your extra training starts now," He ended, breaking speech. "Remember. Plus Ultra,"
The returning call of 'Plus Ultra' was somewhat quiet, but the sentiment was still there. In a matter of a minute or so, the students had broken off with their teachers already. Tokoyami watched them go, listening to Kaminari and Snipe specifically talk about 'refining his aim' and 'turning him into a sharpshooter'.
"Tokoyami," The familiar, gruff, voice of his homeroom teacher called out. The bird-headed student turned to face him, arms clasped behind his back. The students had been instructed to show up in their hero costumes, to which all of them had complied. "Are you ready to begin?"
The boy nodded, dipping his head slightly.
"As ready as I'll ever be, sensei," He answered. Cementoss had also approached, standing slightly behind Eraserhead. "What will we be starting off with?"
With a slight nod towards the other teacher, Aizawa took a handful of steps back until both he and Cementoss were standing a clear twenty feet away from the boy. Inside of him, Dark Shadow stirred restlessly. It gave Tokoyami a sense of unease.
"We're throwing you right into the deep end," He replied. Cementoss knelt down, placing his hands palms-down on the ground and Aizawa continued. "We'd make little to no progress if we started off slow. Cementoss will encase you in several layers of cement, blocking off the light from you as well. Your goal is to get out as quickly as possible without losing control of Dark Shadow."
Tokoyami nodded, spreading his feet apart on the ground. The ground around him began to ripple with the telltale signs of Cementoss's quirk at work and Eraserhead shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Four layers to start. Every time you succeed, we'll add two more and make it a bit darker," The ground began to rise, forming a dome shape that surrounded Tokoyami. Just before it closed completely, he heard Aizawa say; "Plus Ultra." Then it closed on him completely, dropping him into darkness.
Dark Shadow rose up out of his back almost immediately, peering over his shoulder and looking around. Studying the dome of cement surrounding him, Tokoyami could see that there was an assortment of small holes poked through, shining some light into the dome. Because of that, it was much easier to control Dark Shadow than he had anticipated.
Still, the sixty percent or so darkness in the dome was enough to send Dark Shadow into a bit of a frenzy.
"Oooh! It feels so good to be back in the dark!" It exclaimed. It took most of Tokoyami's willpower to stop him from running wild in the dome around them already.
"Calm down, Dark Shadow," He replied, his voice cool and collected. "All we have to do is break out without you going wild. Easy, right?"
The shadowy entity roamed around again before sighing shakily and returning to Tokoyami's side.
"Right...right! Let's do it, Fumikage!" It replied, putting its fists up. The bird-headed boy nodded before turning to the wall.
"Good. Strike the wall right there, Dark Shadow!" He called and, though it hesitated, the shadow quickly followed his order, lunging forward and crashing into the wall in front of them. It cracked, rippling out in a wave-like design before Dark crashed into it with his fists again. In about eight hits, the dome busted open and light poured in. Dark retreated back into Tokoyami's body as the boy stepped out of the door, his hand held just over his eyes. About five feet away, Aizawa and Cementoss stood facing him. Eraserhead pressed a small button on the timer in his hand before shoving it and his hand back into his pocket.
"Forty-five seconds," He stated, looking his student as Cementoss knelt down once more. "You could be better. Go again."
Immediately, the dome spread out over him again, dropping the student into even less light than before. He sighed before letting Dark Shadow free again. The shadowbeast howled excitedly, but Tokoyami reined him in before he could let loose.
"One more time, Dark Shadow," He said, standing with his feet apart. "Strike!"
For the seventh time that day, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow burst out of the dome. The shadowbeast was nearly the size of a house inside of the dome, but as soon as the light hit it, he squirmed and retreated back into his user's body. Fumikage himself limped out of the dome before falling to his knees, quickly succumbing to his fatigue.
Once more, Aizawa clicked off the stopwatch before bringing it up to his face in order to inspect it. Cementoss took over for their passed-out student, hefting the boy's body up over his shoulder before walking back to Eraserhead to check the time as well.
"A minute and forty seconds," He commented aloud. "That's significantly longer than some of his earlier times. What do you think the problem was?"
Without missing a beat, Aizawa answered: "Trying to control Dark Shadow. The darker it is, the harder it is to control his quirk, despite the power it gains in return,"
The two teachers walked together up until they got to the edge of the room, where Cementoss laid the student down on his back as comfortably as he could.
"I believe he took longer because he's thinking of controlling Dark Shadow and reigning him in before he thinks of busting himself out," The homeroom teacher continued. He knelt down next to his student, watching as his breath came back to him. "He's thinking linearly instead of trying to bunch both tasks together. Finding a way to refine his control would be the best way."
Cementoss nodded. "We could make it more like a simulation, rather than a simple training exercise," He added, crossing his arms and scratching his chin. "How do you propose we do that?"
Aizawa stood back up, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I have a few ideas," He deadpanned, before turning to face the other pro hero. "Can you watch over Tokoyami? I'd like to see how the rest of the students are doing."
The math teacher quickly agreed and watched as Eraserhead turned on his heel and walked toward the other end of the gym. As soon as the gruff man was out of sight, he turned back to Tokoyami, whose breath had evened out. He sighed before using his quirk to create a small seat and sitting down.
The day continued,
The four students, after changing back into their regular clothes, were told to go back to the dorms. Their remedial lessons would continue, twice a week on every Tuesday and Friday.
Kaminari, Mina, and Mineta were a chorus of complaints about the work they'd put in, while Tokoyami trailed behind them, his hands in his pockets and his mind deep in contemplation.
I didn't do good enough, He thought, his head slightly downcast as he followed his classmates. The darker it got, the longer I took. I'll never become a pro-hero at this rate.
For once, Dark Shadow was silent and had no witty comeback. The silence made Fumikage grimace and curse under his breath.
I need to be better, He told himself. He clenched his fist, so tight that his knuckles turned white. I have to!
Before he knew it, he was walking into the common room of Heights Alliance. A number of his classmates, including the ones he'd returned with, were littered around on the couches with the TV on. He wasn't really one for TV, especially not now, so he made a beeline for the kitchen instead. A relaxing cup of tea before he went off to study would do him well.
The kitchen was, thankfully, a lot less populated. The only other people in the kitchen were Sato, who seemed to be baking something, and Yaoyorozu, who was fixing herself a cup of tea as well. He didn't want to intrude, so he sat down quietly at the table, setting his bag down as well. Sato saw him first, shooting him a smile and a friendly wave.
"Yo, Tokoyami!" He called, turning to face the shorter boy. "How was the extra training today?"
Fumikage let out a sigh that he wasn't aware he was holding in and closed his eyes.
"It was an ordeal," He answered, moving to hold his head up with his hand. "Just as difficult as normal hero training, if not more so. Aizawa-sensei wishes to push us to our very limits and even a bit past that. I'm exhausted."
Sato cringed, crossing his arms as well.
"Man, that sounds horrible," He replied. The oven's timer went off and he just about jumped. "Oh, hold on. You can take one of these with you. Maybe it'll help you stay up a bit."
The taller boy bent down and opened the oven, pulling out a tray of muffins which he promptly set down on top of the oven. Kicking the oven closed with practiced ease, Sato picked up a napkin and plucked one of the muffins out of the tray before setting it down in front of Tokoyami on the table, smiling.
"They're best when they're warm," He told him, crossing his arms once more. "They have blueberries in them. I hope you like it."
Eyes wide in surprise, Tokoyami merely stared at the muffin for a moment before picking it up, albeit gingerly. He looked back up at RIkido and nodded, a small smile on his face.
"Thank you, Sato," He answered before leaning down to take a bite out of the confectionary. Like all of the things that Sugarman baked for them, it was extremely delectable. He couldn't stop himself from taking another bite before wiping his beak clean and stating; "It's delicious."
Grinning, Sato shot him a thumbs up before picking the tray up, after sliding on his oven mitts again and carrying it into the common room. The smell followed him and Tokoyami could begin to hear the chattering over just how good they smelled.
From where she stood at the counter, Yaoyorozu smiled at him and Tokoyami nodded back in response.
"Would you like a cup of tea as well, Tokoyami-san?" She asked, gesturing toward the machine. "I know how much you like green tea."
The bird-headed boy nodded in response, taking another chaste bite out of the muffin.
"If it's not too much trouble, Yaoyorozu-san," He replied. "I would appreciate it."
The vice-president smiled at him before turning around and reaching into the cabinet to procure a mug for him. He would have preferred to have done so himself, but the fatigue from his training session still lingered over him. He closed his eyes, relaxing for a moment, but before he knew it, Yaoyorozu had placed the steaming mug of tea in front of him. He looked up at her and she smiled, placing down a bowl with sugar in it as well.
"I'm not sure how you like your tea, so I figured it would be easier to let you do that part yourself," She told him, clasping her hands in front of her. "Is that okay?"
Tokoyami nodded, sitting up just enough for him to reach over the table.
"Yes, that's fine. You've done enough for me already, Yaoyorozu-san," He told her with a smile. "Thank you."
A spot of red touched her cheeks and she smiled blindingly.
"Ah, it's not a problem," She replied bashfully. "Good night, Tokoyami-san. I wish you well with your studies."
He returned the sentiment and watched as she took up her own mug of tea and quickly left the kitchen. He also took the moment to listen out for the noise from the common room, only to find that it had quieted significantly. Had he fallen asleep at the table? It was the only option that made any sense, but he couldn't believe that he'd ended up being that tired.
Quickly, he stood up, only to be hit with a short wave of dizziness. He swore under his breath again before shaking the slight fatigue off and picking his things back up. He slung his bag over his shoulder and gathered both his mug of tea and the muffin that Sato had given him and he was quietly on his way.
He couldn't tell how long he'd fallen asleep for that short moment but the blueberry muffin itself was still warm, meaning it couldn't have been too long. It didn't seem as if Yaoyorozu had noticed that he had momentarily passed out, which he counted as a plus. There was the chance that she had been preoccupied with making tea, though, because all of Class 1-A knew how much their vice-president loved tea.
Still, if he hadn't experienced it, Tokoyami would've never believed that he had just passed out like that. For some reason, he was a bit ashamed of himself for it. He was still a student, but he was expected to become a hero. How was he supposed to be a good, even decent, hero if he couldn't handle a little extra training?
"I didn't expect you to still be up, Tokoyami-chan," A voice said, which made a chill run down the bird-headed boy's spine. He turned to his right, toward the noise, only to see Tsuyu Asui sitting on the couch in the common room in pajama shorts and a t-shirt. She waved slightly before turning to face him. "How were your extra lessons?"
"Asui-san," He greeted with a slight nod. "They were exhausting, to be honest. I don't look forward to the others, but they are essential."
"Call me Tsu," She corrected. "And I'm certain you'll succeed in them. You're a very strong fighter and student, ribbit."
He smiled slightly, though also bowed in apology.
"Right, Tsu. Thank you for your vote of confidence," He replied. "I have no doubt that it'll be difficult, however."
She tilted her head in a bird-like fashion that threw Tokoyami a bit off guard.
"It has to be difficult, doesn't it? If it isn't then you aren't really improving," She told him. He turned his body to face her and she continued. "It might be hard, but it's for the best in the end, isn't it? I think you'll do fine, Tokoyami-chan."
Fumikage looked at her, his eyes a bit wider than they were before. For a moment, he was silent, though he sighed soon and smiled as well.
"Thank you, Tsu. I'll think about that a bit more," He said, with an air of gratitude to his voice. Finally, he bowed slightly with his eyes closed easily. "I think I'll head off to bed now if you don't mind. Sorry for bothering you."
The frog girl smiled and waved slightly.
"You don't bother me at all, Tokoyami-chan. I'll see you at class in the morning." With that, she pulled her legs up into the couch. Tokoyami stood up again and adjusted the shoulder strap on his bag as best he could.
"Likewise. Goodnight, Tsu." He turned, ready to leave.
"Goodnight, Tokoyami." She replied and the bird-headed boy finally turned on his heel, walking toward the elevator that would take him up to his room. On the way, he took another bite out of the muffin that Sato had given him and hummed delightfully. It was still very delicious and he doubted that it'd ever not be delicious. The elevator came quickly, seeing as most other students were either asleep or in their rooms, and he quickly took it up to his floor. For the afternoon after the training session, Dark Shadow had been completely silent, which Tokoyami was hoping meant the shadowbeast had been tired out. He doubted that was indeed the case, but one could always dream.
He came upon his room quickly after the elevator finally opened and pushed the door open. Like always, it was dark since he left the lights off. He set his cup of tea and the muffin down on his desk and slipped his bag off as well, tossing it off onto his bed. He sat down and exhaled heavily. His body felt sore and he inhaled the smell of his tea just because he liked it.
Suddenly, the night felt heavy on his body. He had wanted to get some last-minute studying in before he went to bed, but he wasn't so sure now. After drinking his tea and eating the muffin, chances are he'd just go to bed. In the morning, he'd wake up and get ready for school, where he'd sit in his classroom for the day before coming back to the dorms and doing it again the next day, only with his added training on the end of that next day.
Fumikage Tokoyami sighed. He felt like his life would be taking a turn sometime soon.