Chapter 23
Unexpected Help

U.A Highschool, Training Grounds, Morning

"I can't believe they actually forced me to wake up this early." Darby yawned, adjusting his P.E uniform as best as his drowsy self could. He had received a text from Hisashi late that night, informing him to meet him in the training grounds. He had been waiting for a while, observing Awase doing various types of stretches and practicing his acrobatic skills. He had taken his advice to heart. Awase had also become more confident, mostly because he needed a new mentality if he ever wanted to have a shot at impressing Momo.

This was good and all, but it reminded him of his current love life. If it can even be called that. Komori had somehow gotten his phone number and often texted him or called him. In fact, she made him sleep with the call still on to simulate them sleeping together, which was a bit weird. Darby facepalmed, regretting not having told her the truth before. But he opted against it because she looked so happy. She was more energetic and was performing better in school and in her hero training. Her confidence was through the roof.

Darby let out another sigh. On the other hand, he hadn't spoken to Yui ever since the attack on Hosu. He tried rehearsing the things he would tell her, but all scenarios ended in a mess. Times was running low and he was scared that Yui didn't want to keep associating with him anymore.

"I love you! Bye"" He repeated again."What the fuck was I thinking? I let the pressure get to me and I just said that by accident. Still, though, the fact that he wasn't a man and back up those words bothered him. He could have easily just go to her the next day and confess his feelings. Then all of this woul-

"Hey!" Someone touched his shoulder, making him yelp in surprise. He grabbed his chest, feeling his heart going 100 miles per hour.

"Jesus Christ!" Darby hissed, frowning."You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Hisashi clapped his hands apologetically."Sorry sorry! I didn't know Nejire would sneak up on you like that."

"Yeah, sorry about that!" The energetic girl apologized."Nice to meet you! I'm Nejire Hado!"

"So this is the boy you told us about?" A tall, muscular teen offered a smile."My name is Mirio Togata! We're third years!"

Darby gasped, bowing down in respect to his seniors."Nice to meet you, Togata-senpai, Hado-senpai! I'm Darby Nishikawi, first year!"

"No need to be so formal little dude." Mirio chuckled."You are friends with Takashi, right? Any friend of Takashi is our friend too. You've guys known each other for long?"

"Actually, I met Hisashi-senpai during the Sports Festival by mere chance." Darby supplied.

"Oh?" Nejire leaned close to him."You are on a first-name basis with him already? Hisashi, did you take the kohai thing too seriously?"

"What? No! He calls me by name because there's too many Kachidokis in this school."

"But he only knows your little bro." Mirio pointed out."Or does he know your sister too?"

"I know his dad." Darby said, catching them by surprise."He was proctoring our exam when I teamed up with Takashi."

"Ah, so that's how it is." Hisashi rubbed his chin in thought."When dad came in home injured, I asked Takashi, since he was proctoring his exam, but he wouldn't tell me a thing."

"Injured?" Darby gasped."What happened to him? Don't tell me..."

Hisashi nodded."Yeah, he was injured while testing the two of you. You see, long ago my dad and Takashi had a scuffle that we know next to nothing about. All I know is that my dad did something that pissed off Takashi and he attacked him from behind, severely injuring him. Ever since then my dad has had back problems. That's pretty much his weak spot, so he tries to cover it up as much as he can."

"Oh, God..." Darby took a step back."I listened to Takashi and used my Black Spheres to hit him in the back to give us an opening...Hisashi-senpai! I'm so sorry!" Darby fell on his knees, feeling guilty."Because of me..."

"Hey, hey. Don't worry about it." Hisashi helped him up gentle."You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't know about that injury either. From what I heard, my dad beat you guys up pretty bad, so I understand if there were no other choices."

"But to think Takashi was the one to propose the idea." Mirio frowned, folding his arms."There's something really wrong with him, Hisashi."

"I know." Hisashi nodded."This has gone too far. I'll talk to him sometime soon and try to reason with him. If he keeps going, he'll come to do something he will regret." Hisashi sighed, calming himself with deep breaths."Anyways, Nishikawi-kun, back to business. You see, these 2 are part of the Big Three, the strongest students of U.A! Currently they're missing one member since he's busy doing a project right now. But he's a little shy, so I doubt he would want to come. Regardless, they'll be helping you in your training. Isn't that right guys?"

"Yup! We're going to toughen you up!" Mirio gave him a thumbs up."You are going to that camp in a week or so right? Well, I'd say that's plenty of time for us to prepare you. We've thought of a schedule for you if you're okay with it that is."

Mirio handed Darby a piece of paper as the latter scanned through it."So I'll be improving my stamina with Hado-senpai and then I will..." Darby squinted his eyes."Follow your "POWER!" training to strengthen my body? What will Hisashi-senpai do, though?"

"I'm pretty good in balancing both out. You see, I might not have as much power as my siblings, but I have better control than them. Alright, I'd say we should get started. What say you, my lady?"

Nejire giggled, punching him in the arm."That's such a dorky line, you know. Sorry, Mirio, we'll be taking our kohai first!" She grabbed Darby bys his left and while Hisashi grabbed his right, dragging the boy along with them.

U.A Highschool, Track Field, Morning

"Alright, I think I'm ready." Darby sighed, gently slapping his cheeks."So, what do we do?"

"Well, keeping in mind what you just told us about this Neko Mode of yours, I think it's safe to say we should start off by building up your stamina as fast as possible."

Nejire nodded."Think about it, the more stamina you have, the more energy you'll be able to have."

"Ashe-san did mention that before." Darby explained, folding his arms."Still, though, I'd thought I had a decent level of stamina myself."

"Maybe so, but that ability drains you when you do too much effort." Hisashi pointed out."You see, not only it drains you physically, but also mentally."

"That makes sense." Darby nodded."I guess I'm still having trouble keeping my mind focused. Though I can improve that by meditating and stuff. So, what's the plan?"

"Alright!" Nejire exclaimed rather loudly."Listen up, soldier! The fastest way you can build your stamina is by lots of training! Forget everything you've done until now and start over! Run around the whole course! No jogging or walking! Go! Go!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Darby began running at full force.'This should be easy. All I did while preparing for the Sports Festival was running.'

"Move your feet more!" Nejire cried out, adjusting a whistle around her neck."Your heels have to touch your body! Feel the wiggle!"

"Nejire, what the hell?" Hisashi took a step back, feeling slightly intimated by her."Does that actually work?"

"It just makes it harder." She shrugged."Did you bring the tea?"

"You bet." Hisashi squatted down, opening his bag and revealing a thermos."You know, it feels weird to say this, but I've always hoped Takashi would just come around and accept our offer to train him. I mean, he wouldn't learn much from me, but you guys are the strongest."

Nejire pouted angrily."You shouldn't say stuff like that. You know that from our perspective, we are the Big 4! I'm sure Takashi would appreciate your help if he accepted it."

"Except he wouldn't." Hisashi sighed, glancing at the ground."He's certainly got dad's attitude. Always so damn stubborn and self-centered." He clenched his fists."I wish they would stop doing that and just be humble. Wouldn't hurt them to be a little nice to me."

"You're getting worked up." Nejire put a hand on his shoulder."You are doing the best you can. If they can't see how much of a good person you are, that's fine. I think you're the most wonderful person in this world. You have a big heart. Even if Takashi never returns your love, you still fight on."

Hisashi smiled at that."I just wish my dad would acknowledge me. It might sound lame, I know, but it'd be really nice. He's always so focused on Takashi. I sound pretty stupid right now. My sister never complained of earning dad's acknowledgment and she's already a sidekick. I wish I could detach like the both of them. To just not think or feel about what's around me." He chuckled."But then again, if I did, I wouldn't be able to enjoy your company."

"Yay! That's the spirit!" Nejire cheered, jumping up and down. She looked over her shoulder, noticing Darby was slowing down."Hey! You have to keep going for another lap!"

"Huh?! Why another lap?!" Darby tripped over his own foot, landing face-first on the ground.

Nejire sighed, shaking her head."Okay, you can take five. Hey! I have an idea! Why don't you show us that Neko Mode! I really really REALLY want to see it!"

"Oh, yeah! If you pushed dad back, it must really be cool! Come on, Nishikawi-kun, show us!"

"If I can please my senpais..." Darby groaned, sitting up and crossing his legs. He closed his eyes, drowning the noise around him and entering his own mind.

"Oh! Look at him go!" Nejire ran up to him."He looks so calm, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I would imagine he's also blocking our voices off his mind to concentrate better. But just in case..." Hisashi held his finger up to his lips. They quietly observed as Darby's skin began turning white and his hair went from blonde to cyan.

"Woah..." Both teenagers said in awe. Just then a loud squeal escape from Nejire, who tackled Darby and pulled on his cat ears."OH MY GOSH! LOOK, HISASHI! HE'S GOT LITTLE CAT EARS! IT'S SOOO CUTE! CAN WE KEEP HIM? PLEASE PLEASE?"

"Hado-senpai, please!" Darby cried in pain."You're going to stretch my ears!"

"Very interesting." Hisashi whistled."Not what I was imagining, but still pretty cool. You said this isn't your Quirk, right? So what, is this a sub-Quirk?"

"Uh, maybe? I'll have to ask Ashe-san later." Darby shot Nejire a glare."Sheez, Hado-senpai, that really hurt! My cat ears are extra sensitive, you know."

"Sowwy!" She didn't seem sorry at all.

"So, how about we switch all this running and we start sparring? A good spar can also help you built up stamina by simulating a conflict you might have with a villain.

"Sounds fun." Darby grinned."So, who do I go up against first?"

"To be honest, dad mentioned, and I quote, "the kid suicidal kid with blue and blonde hair is stronger than Takashi". So, I think you'll take me out pretty easily. Why don't you give it a try, Nejire?'

"Oh! I'm fine with that!" She cheered."You ready, Nishikawi-kun? Do you want to use our Quirks? Or just hand to hand combat?"

"Are you sure we can use our Quirks for that?" Darby pondered, raising a brow.

"Don't worry! As long as we don't cause too much damage, we should be fine!" She quickly brushed it off. They both stood a few meters from each other, taking a combat stance.

"Ready! Set! Go!"

Darby was about to activate his spheres, but saw the lavender-haired girl run to the side."Hey! Where are you going?!" Darby chased after her at a considerable pace. Her speed was no joke. Even without using her Quirk, she was outpacing him. Darby increased his speed, grinding his speed and cursing himself. Out of nowhere, Nejire bounced back and headed against Darby, taking him by surprise by delivering a left hook, which he blocked.

"Nice reactions!" She complimented."Usually, people fall for that trick. But you blocked it like it was nothing."

"You flatter me, Hado-senpai, but I-" She suddenly grabbed him by the arm, and in just a second, slammed Darby on the ground."Hey! No fair! I was distra-Argh!" She had sat on his back, touching his cat ears."It looks like I win!"

Darby exhaled, letting go of his concentration and losing his form."I want a rematch."

Next fight, both of them were just running around, trying to catch each other as if they were playing tag. Occasionally, they would meet and clash against each other.

"I might be a girl, but I'm still plenty strong, you know!" She stated as she kicked Darby's leg, causing him to lose balance and fall on the floor."Again?"

"Again..."

Nejire flew around using her Quirk, dodging the incoming Black Spheres as fast as she could.

"They're fast!" She yelped, nearly being hit by one. She flew higher in the air, taking a mental note that the Black Spheres weren't chasing her anymore."I see! They have a range in which they can attack. If a person goes out of that range, they'll be safe!"

"Hey, Nishikawi-kun!" Hisashi hollered at him."Try using that move you used on my dad! And remember! Try controlling the energy output you put in!"

Darby nodded, making his Black Spheres circle around in a circle pattern, concentrating his own nature energy into them.

Nejire gasped, thrilled at what she was seeing."It's like my Quirk! He's using the energy he stored in his body and using those spheres as conductors. Nishikawi-kun! Try not to exhaust yourself. And I'm sorry!" She got in position, thrusting her arms forward.

"I think I got it!" Darby exclaimed, taking aim at Nejire."Here goes, Hado-senpai! Onyx Scorch!" From the circle, a stream of white energy with black lightning fired off.

"Full charge, output level 30! Spiraling Surge! Gring Wave!" Two spiral streams of energy collided with Darby's attack, pushing it back at a quick pace."Try putting more power, Nishikawi-kun!"

"I can't! If I do, I'll just lose my Neko form and go back to normal!" Darby, however, stood his ground. He came to terms he wasn't going to win in this scuffle and called out his spheres to create a black shield. However, the shield wasn't fast enough to protect him and Darby ended up skidding on the floor after the impact.

"Oops! Sorry!" She flew down to the ground, squatting down to check up on the now blonde teen."Are you alright?"

"Never better..." He groaned, accepting a towel from Hisashi."Man, you really are tough, Hado-senpai. No wonder you're one of the strongest students here."

"You still did good, Nishikawi-kun." Hisashi said as he helped him up."You have considerable endurance and vitality. You fought Nejire that many times and still stood strong. You definitely have the potential, right, Nejire?"

"Yup!" The cheerful girl nodded."Trust me! If you can practicing until your legs can't help you stand anymore, then you'll know when it's time to push your limits!"

"Well, I guess we can call this a day for the light work. Here, have some tea." Hisashi handed him the thermos he had in his bag."It's jasmine tea. It helps increase vitality and it tastes great."

"Thank you." He gratefully accepted, immediately realizing that he wasn't lying. This tea was really good."So, what do you mean by light work?"

Nejire rolled her eyes, hiding behind Hisashi who simply rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly."Let's just say training with Mirio is pretty intense. You'll see what I mean."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad." Darby took another sip of his tea, not taking into consideration he had jinxed himself.

U.A Highschool, Gymnasium, Morning

"Come on, Nishikawi-kun! Give me another set of 10! You've got this! You did 40 already! This should be easy!" Mirio Togata cheered on his kohai, watching him with a smile on his face. However, Darby was far from smiling. He was doing push-ups or attempting to do them after his arms started getting tired.

"Togata-senpai..." Darby grinding his teeth, giving up, and landing face-first on the floor."This is hard..."

"Well, it is supposed to be hard." Mirio told him, hands on his hips."No pain no gain, am I right?"

A pained groan escaped Darby's lips, rolling over to be on his back.

"You've never done strenuous training before, have you?"

"Not really." Darby confessed as he laid there without moving."I've just jogged, do a few push-ups, and other stuff to keep in form. Also, I mostly focus on my Quirk. You see, before I started at UA, my Quirk was anything but helpful. I could only do a few things with it and even then it wasn't anything special. I even need outside help like the Neko form to enhance my Quirk. Without it, I would still be stuck in square one."

Mirio gave him a sympathetic smile."Hey, I don't think that's the case at all. I saw you duel plenty of cool stuff during the Sports Festival. And you did that all on your own didn't you. Do you really think your Quirk isn't useful? What I think is that any Quirk can be valuable as long as you take the time to master it. Take me for example. At first, I thought my Permeation Quirk wouldn't be any good. But through determination and intense training, I've mastered it and I feel better than ever. My point is that you can do much more with your Quirk than you think. With or without enhancements. Also, don't be ashamed on relying on that power you have. After all, you've worked hard to use it right?"

Darby nodded, recalling all that mental training and patience he had to put in in order to be able to use Neko Mode.

"Then you're on the right path." Mirio gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you for that, Togata-senpai. I needed that." He grinned, sitting up and grabbing a nearby bottle of water."So, what do we do now?"

"We're going to train on your deduction skills!" He pointed at his head."Knowing and predicting your opponent's moves is a great asset in combat! I'll be blindfolding you and you're going to have to predict where my strike will come from. Don't worry! I'll intentionally pull my punches so you won't get hurt. You'll have to be in your regular form. If you went into your Neko Mode, it would defeat the purpose."

"Right." Darby followed Mirio to a spacious empty room."What is this place?"

"Just a room that is not being used right now. People come here all the time to meditate, practice their combat skills, and other things. In our case, this is a perfect place for you!" Mirio pulled out a blindfold from his pockets and tied it around his junior's head."You ready?"

"I thi-" Darby immediately received a punch in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He hopped around, trying to gain some distance but was stopped by something blocking his way.'Did I reach the wall already? But that can't b-' This time, Darby was pushed roughly, prompting him to roll on the floor.

'What the hell?! Is he using his Quirk?! He just appeared behind me out of nowhere!' Darby exclaimed, shakily standing up and putting his arms up.'Concentrate, Darby! I have to predict his moves! Where can he appear?!' Darby felt a current of air behind him.'There!' He swiftly delivered a kick, only to find out he hit nothing.'What?!' Before he could protest, a punch to the back of the head sent him face-first against the ground.

"That was very nice! For a moment, you've felt my presence and attacked accordingly. However, your senses are slightly off the mark. A little more effort and you'll get this in no time."

"I wonder why though..." Darby grumbled under his breath.'Maybe I've implemented Neko Mode into my regular form?'

"So, wanna keep going?" Mirio said in a challenging tone.

Darby sighed, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes."Any time, Togata-senpai."

U.A Highschool, Cafeteria, Noon

"Man you look completely beat up. Are you alright?" Sero asked the obvious question as he sat down in front of Darby. Darby who was covered in bruises simply gave him a thumbs up.

"You don't look so good to me." Mineta admitted bluntly."It's the second time in a week where your face is completely beaten up! I can't believe you're almost tying up with Midoriya in times of going to the infirmary."

"Hey, that's going too far." Kirishima smirked."We all know no one can beat the times Midoriya has been injured."

"Still though, how did you even get those injuries?" Ojiro inquired, earning several nods in approval.

"Training." Darby sharply replied, leaving no room for questions.

"What kind of training leaves you beat up like that?" Shoji, of course, asked a question.

"Must have been pretty intense. Judging by how you look, you must have had some assistance?" Tokoyami guessed as he fed Dark Shadow.

"You could say that. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Darby sighed, ruffling his hair."Anyway, so we're all going, right? To the training camp? That's nice. I wanted to see everyone there."

"Yeah, and Hagakure suggested we should all be going shopping together for stuff. You coming?" Asked Ojiro.

"Nah, I have stuff to do. Ashe-san said she needed me for something so I'll be going to see what she wants."

Mineta snorted."Yeah right, you're probably just going to spend time with that girl from 1-B!"

"Leave it alone, Mineta." Shoji shook his head."He's not the only one not going. Kachidoki, Bakugo and Todoroki are also not going for personal reasons."

"Personal reasons?" Jiro rose a brow at that."The only one who gave a good reason not to go is Todoroki. Bakugo and Kachidoki just shut down the idea."

"I wonder what those two are doing." Darby hummed to himself."Hey, where Kachidoki anyway?"

Jiro pointed behind her, specifically two tables behind them."Being cute with his girlfriend. You know, feeding each other."

Darby was perplexed at that."I didn't know they were dating."

"They're not, but they might as well be. Look." Darby followed where Jiro was pointing at.

"Say "ah", Takashi." Itsuka offered another piece of food to Takashi, who was currently invested in his phone reading some articles."Come on!"

"Itsuka...people are going to get the wrong idea if you keep doing that, you know. I don't think you'd want to be associated as the girlfriend of the unstable kid who threatened his own classmate at the Sports Festival."

"I don't care what they think, Takashi." Kendo put down her chopsticks."I wouldn't mind at all, you know? I'm just really worried about you. You've been looking down lately and spend all day on your phone. What are you even doing?"

"Reading some articles, just doing some research," Takashi explained without glancing away from his phone.

"What type of research?" A new voice piqued his interest. Yanagi and Yasukage sat down in front of them accompanied by Hoshi, who as soon as he sat down, began giving a little prayer before eating.

"I'm just doing some research on my family, is all." Takashi responded."Some websites don't have what I'm looking for, so it's taking me some time."

"What kind of research?" Kendo repeated the previous question.

"It's complicated." Was all he supplied.

"Unbelievable." Itsuka huffed, folding her arms under her chest.'At least try to eat something! You're going to pass out at this rate!"

"Don't chastise him so much, Kendo." Yanagi chimed in."I share his ambition of acquiring knowledge as well. At times, I go without eating for a full day while investigating the paranormal."

"Oh? Found anything interesting?" Hoshi asked, trying to change the topic.

"Actually...yes." This time, Nagito was the one who spoke."Reiko is interested...in learning about an urban legend...called Bloody Mary..."

"Bloody Mary? THAT Bloody Mary?" Hoshi shuddered merely by saying the name."Why are you guys trying to look into that?"

"Recently, there have been numerous reports all over the world involving children and this tale. It is said that all victims were completely slaughtered while attending sleepovers and trying out this ritual. The cases are identified by the specific procedure and materials one needs to do the ritual. The culprit is characterized by the pentagram they leave on the ceiling painted with blood. They also leave the initials "BM" carved in with a knife or other sharp object on the victims' stomachs."

"What the hell?! Don't tell me you actually believe that!" Hoshi chuckled nervously, fidgeting on his seat."I-I-I mean, it's impossible! Ghosts don't exist! Much less supernatural beings! It's just too surreal!"

"And yet, we live in a society where 80% of the world has supernatural powers." Takashi retorted, finally glancing up and locking eyes with Reiko."I've heard about this tale you spoke of. I interned under Guren Intelli along with some other people. Apparently, we were short one person and upon further investigation, they realized that they were found dead in their bathroom along with his siblings. All of them possessed the initials of Bloody Mary on their bellies. Rafael Salazar, one of my peers, mentioned that Bloody Mary was quite notorious in Portugal at one point. Perhaps where she originated from. Still, though, it's a problem none the less."

"First, the Hero Killer who targeted heroes and killed them in cold blood. Now, there's some psychotic murder murdering young people who don't know any better. People like us." Itsuka instinctively reached out for Takashi's hand.

"We should be fine...as long as no one tries that ritual...then again, it could all just be...a coincidence..." Nagito did a poor job of easing their worries.

"For the time being, we are conducting some extensive research on the matter." Yanagi continued."If we get find some conclusive evidence of Bloody Mary's existence, that would be-"

"A huge discovery?" Takashi rose a brow."It could be just someone with a Quirk. Now, whatever Quirks lets you appear in someone's mirror to massacre them is anyone's guesses. But if anyone would know about myths and stuff like that would be you guys."

"Just be really careful, okay?' Itsuka gave them a concerned look."If it's true that there's actually something beyond our understand killing people who summoned it, then that's more than enough reason to avoid doing it."

Yanagi and Nagito just looked at each other before looking back."No need for concern."

"Thank God you guys aren't gonna do it." Hoshi exclaimed, rubbing his arms."I can only pray for your safety."

Takashi snorted at that."What, you're a full devoted believer now? Did Shiozaki make you get baptized or some shit?"

"Actually, the baptism is tomorrow..." Hoshi muttered to himself."But that's not the point! Even though I did it to get close to Ibara, it feels nice, you know? Now I don't have to make hard decisions. I can just ask God for the advice!"

"You still can't...think for yourself..." Nagito cringed."Keep it together...dude..."

"Aw, shut up! I don't depend on people to make decisions! I just need a second opinion, that's all!" Hoshi huffed, resuming his lunch angrily.

Takashi rolled his eyes, accidentally glancing at the table next to them. He noticed Tetsutetsu and Monoma keeping an eye on him, with Tetsutetsu looking as if he was ready to murder him."I better take my leave. My brother wants to talk to me for some reason. As much as I don't want to, if I don't do it now, he'll just do it at home, so might as well get it over with."

"Hey, you didn't finish your food!" Itsuka protested.

"I'm not hungry, love." Takashi swiftly left the table.

"What the hell was that?!" Itsuka cried out, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment."Why does he have to say that kind of stuff out of the blue?!"

"He's a bit of a player, isn't he?" Reiko asked, earning a timid nod from Yasukage. Meanwhile, Hoshi was noting down what Takashi had just said with great interest.

"That's a great line to use! I'll use it on Ibara when I get the chance."

"You really...can't make your own decisions..."

"Shut up!"

U.A Highschool, Lockerroom, Noon

"So, what do you want?" Takashi walked inside the locker room, sitting down on a nearby bench that was close to his brother's locker. He was currently getting dressed back into his regular uniform."You've been busy today?"

"I was training with the others the whole morning." He half lied, not wanting to rile his brother up by telling him the truth."Anyways, I wanted to talk to you. It's about what happened with dad."

"What is there to tell?" Takashi answered cooly, all emotion gone from his voice."It was a test. We did what we had to pass."

"Yeah, but exploiting dad's weak point? That's low."

"Low?" Takashi laughed at that, shaking his head."Your mentality is that of a naive child, brother. To win, anything is necessary. Even getting your hands dirty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hisashi shot back, narrowing his eyes.

"It means just what it sounds like." Takashi didn't bother coming up with an excuse."I had the upper hand in knowledge, so I used it to win. Is that so bad? Not to mention that dad's not a saint either. That asshole was beating the shit out of me but no one seems to give a fuck and reprimand him. Ah, but when it comes to hitting him where it hurts, then I'm a fucking villain."

"That's not the point and you know it!" Hisashi rose his voice, closing his locker."The point is is that it was really uncalled for! Dad has the best of intentions for you, but you just can't see it for some reason!"

"Best of intentions?! Ha! Don't make me laugh! That bastard has made my life a living hell! And why do you care anyway? You're the disgrace of our family and he barely even pays attention to you, so why?!"

"Because he's my dad, Takashi! Jesus! It's that simple!" Hisashi sighed in exasperation."Yes, it's true that dad never pays attention to me or he never acknowledges me, but that's because he thinks of you! He has such high expectations of you, so when you act like this he suffers! He wants what's best for you, why can't you see that?!"

"Bullshit!" Takashi rose to his feet."All he cares about is making me a worthy heir for this godforsaken family! He's no different than our horrible grandfather! Putting restrictions on us and preventing us from being happy just so we can make our family prosper? Well, I say fuck that. FUCK! THAT!"

"Alright, that's enou-" Hisashi moved in to grab his brother by the shoulder, but Takashi slapped his hand away before putting his palm on his stomach, firing a neon shot that sent his brother flying and crashing against a locker.

"Don't fucking touch me, you disgrace!" Takashi growled in disgust."You are nothing to me. I'm the strongest in our family and you know that! I'm destined for greater things, so don't you dare talk to me as if we're equals. We're done here." Takashi walked out of the locker room, slamming the door on his way out.

"Takashi! Wa-ugh!" Hisashi groaned in pain, leaning against a locker as he held his throbbing head."Please...is there no way I can get through to you...?"

Ashe Agency, Living Room, Noon

Darby entered the all too familiar Ashe Agency and the first thing he was met with was a huge cloud of smoke."Seriously, Ashe-san? Isn't it too unhealthy to be smoking all the time?"

"With my Quirk, kid, that's not the case." All of a sudden, all the smoke began going back to its origin. A cigarette, revealing the elder woman giving Darby an annoyed look."You're late."

"Sorry, I had to uh..." Darby stammered."Well, I had to sneak out of school because Komori was looking for me..."

"Seriously...?" Ashe sighed, rubbing her temples."I knew you were a bit of a playboy, but you're just misleading the poor girl." Before Dary would protest, she held a hand up."However, let's get down to business. The reason why I called you here today is this." She handed him a few tickets.

"What's this?" Darby asked, examining the tickets with curiosity.

"Invitations. An old student of mine owns a resort in Shirahama and invited me over for the weekend. I was wondering if you were interested in tagging along. Of course, I'm not expecting you to accept and come along with an old lady. You'll get bored to death fast. So I snatched a few more invitations from him so you can invite your friends. And that girl you like too. Perfect opportunity if you ask me."

Darby rolled his eyes at that."Alright, I'll ask a few of them if they want to come. When do we leave?"

"In about 2 days. Meet me here and I'll have a driver take us there. It'll be a long ride so come prepared for that. Although, your generation is never bored with those fancy phones of yours." She turned back, giving the boy a condescending smirk."You better be prepared kid, you kids are going to have the time of your lives."

"I'm looking forward to it, Ashe-san." Darby nodded, returning a grin of his own."This will be an unforgettable vacation!"

And that's it for this chapter. I decided on going on a different route from the incoming movie before the training camp since I didn't find any purpose for Darby to be there since the movie is focused on Midoriya and All Might. So instead I'm going to do something a little different. More information next chapter.