Falling aggressively onto the floor, Amari gasped as all of the air was suddenly knocked out of her lungs, the small girl groaning as she struggled back up. She didn't know how long her brother and her had gone on for but she was starting to feel the quirk over usage in her entire body.

Working together, becoming teammates seemed easy enough at the time but it was no secret that Bakugo Katsuki wasn't the best at communication which left Amari to try to match his movements and fail miserably. Maybe this was just foolish after all, maybe Hawks had it wrong.

Although just as she thought that, the girl heard her trainer's frustrated voice echo into her ears, obviously bothered by the outcome. "Come on kid, you two have to listen to each other!"

Grumbling to herself, she forced her way to her knees before wiping a bit of blood from the impact. "That would be a whole lot easier if he actually was capable of that. Quit trying to blow me up Katsuki, would you!?"

Almost immediately her brother responded, the sparks from his palms radiating anger as he stomped over to the struggling girl. "Huh?! It's your fault that you're in my way! Move faster!"

Amari turned to stand at his words, a tick of annoyance in her tone. "Did you forget that my legs aren't as long as yours stupid? That's kinda impossible. How about you let me catch up instead of blowing me away again!"

Widening his eyes in disbelief, Katsuki replied. "I'm not slowing down for anyone god damn it, not if I wanna be number one! Stop being a baby and match me!"

The girl could already feel her own sparks ignite from her palms at that, now stepping forward in disgust. "I can't match you if you don't tell me what you're doing! We have to work together but I can't do that if you keep making stupid ass decsions without me!"

Recalling back to a couple minutes ago, Amari very clearly remembered Katsuki going on ahead without her, trying to do the entire training by himself. And then when the girl decided to help, her brother was too focused to notice and ended up misstepping, causing his explosions to come plowing into her.

In fact if she hadn't dodged so quickly then Amari was sure she'd be barbecue right now. That stupid brother of hers, he was still only thinking of himself.

Katsuki couldn't help but scoff at that. "You're so damn hypocritical. What was that last move then, huh?! The reason you fell down was because of your reckless actions, you idiot!"

He was talking about her running in to help, causing the girl to scoff back loudly. "I only did that because you won't talk to me! I may be your twin but I don't speak dumbass!"

At the very blatant insult, Katsuki then puffed out his chest as Amari glared back towards her brother. This wasn't going to work, they were just too different. "You wanna say that again..?"

Sticking her tongue out, the girl then stomped towards the boy, fully ready to punch him in the face at any moment. "You heard me. I said I don't speak dumbass…!"

Katsuki balled his hands at that, already making his way over to his sister in pure frustration and anger. "Why you.."

But before the two could even touch each other, a large pair of red wings cut into their vision, each wing puffing out in order to stop the two of them from killing each other. "Whoa whoa whoa! Okay, that's enough, you two.."

Twisting her eyes in confusion, the girl then laid eyes on Hawks who stared at those two tirelessly, slight bags around his eyes as the bird's feathers twitched with anxiety. "Come on kids, you guys have been at each other's throats all week. Aren't you tired of it by now?"

Katsuki only huffed in response as Amari's stance softened, taking in the heroes clearly bothered eyes. She knew this would be a train-wreck and she felt partially bad for the bird having to deal with them.

Hawks himself was also feeling extremely drained from the last couple weeks. In theory, the idea of Katsuki and Amari working together seemed so simple but he soon realized that training the Bakugo twins was going to be one of his greatest challenges yet.

The two seemed to butt heads on almost everything, and if that didn't make it bad enough, Katsuki's lack of understanding and teamwork skills were another thing entirely.

They may have been twins but these two twins shared almost the same negative traits, and that was exhausting. Any hero probably would've dropped them right away but not Hawks, Hawks was determined.

Call him crazy sure but the man saw something in the kids, something that he really wanted to bring out. Although it wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure.

Once Hawks realized that the two weren't going to kill each other, he removed his wings only to sigh roughly. "Look, the provisional exam is in a couple months and you two need to pull yourself together, okay? That means not trying to kill each other, you hear me?"

The two twins then nodded back as the man closed his eyes in invisible pain, a small headache appearing between his brows. "Alright, you two take a break. We'll start again in ten minutes."

After that the bird turned on his heels before making his way out the door, causing Katsuki to do the same silently. Obviously her brother needed to cool down after that big blow up and so did she.

Sighing to herself, Amari then looked at her hands before closing her eyes in defeat.

This wouldn't work, something needed to change.


Feeling the breeze through his hair, Hawks leaned against the railing in silent thought, his arms perched onto the top as he tried to decipher a solution on how to fix the Bakugo twins.

It was a puzzle that he had never actually faced before, the hero having to train another. Being in the top ten at the age of eighteen, Hawks was still fairly new to the pro hero world himself without having to take on a couple kids.

The commission taught him many things but caring for kids was never one of them. In fact, if he had just trained them like he was, then the bird was sure that both Katsuki and Amari's souls would be crushed into mindless soldiers.

But that's not the way that Hawks wanted to train them, that's not the way he wanted their lives to go. Those two kids were reckless sure, but they were still only sixteen years old. There was so much growth and maturity still left for them, and he wasn't sure if he could confidently take the job.

It was no secret that Keigo Tamaki wasn't brought up in an average household, therefore he really wasn't a great role model for them. Perhaps he would end up failing them just like he failed the commission. Who knows?

Although his thoughts were quickly interrupted when a cold substance touched the side of his cheek, causing the hero to jump in surprise. Was someone here, why hadn't he sensed them? Perhaps he was too lost in his own thoughts. How stupid, how dangerous..

Hearing her voice first, Hawks turned his head only to lay eyes on his trainee. "Hey, you okay? I know it was rough in there."

Hawks turned his head before gazing at the can of soda in her hand, the one that assaulted him a couple seconds ago. "What's that?"

Lifting up the object, Amari smiled goofily. "Peace offering! I thought you could use it.."

The hero couldn't help but chuckle at that, now grabbing the object as a feather popped open the lid. She really was such a kid sometimes, huh? "Thanks chickadee."

Nodding back, the bird then watched as Amari shifted the weight in her feet, rocking back and forth with slight anxiety. "I also wanna apologize. You know, for having to deal with us."

Hawks took a sip of the drink before shaking his head. "Aw c'mon chickadee, who do you think I am? You kids are nothing. Besides, I agreed to take ya both on right? You don't have to apologize."

Humming in response, Bakugo then found a spot next to Hawks before popping the top off of her own soda, now staring up at the sky. "Yeah but, it's no secret that we are a handful most of the time. U.A.'s problem children, am I right?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that, fully recalling some of the news articles about the twins. It seemed not everyone knew how to handle them. "I'm surprised you two are so close. Bakugo seems like he'd be difficult to live with. Is that how you got your spunk?"

Hawks laughed again, fully meaning his words as a joke. Although, that's when the air grew just a little bit thicker, Amari's voice growing smaller as she smiled. "Nah, we didn't really grow up together. You see, up until last year I thought Katsuki hated me…"

Widening his eyes, the hero took in her face. It was casted down with clouded eyes, eyes with a thousand unaid emotions behind them. What did she mean by that? "What do you mean?"

Amari remained silent for a moment before leaning further onto the balcony. "It was just a big misunderstanding but I thought that my brother wouldn't love me, that no one would love me if I wasn't strong enough. You can thank All for One for that."

She smiled sadly in response as Hawks' feathers twitched back. He wanted to know so much more, he wanted to know what happened to her but he also didn't want the girl to think he was manipulating her for information. That's the last thing he wanted.

Looking down towards the ground, the girl then shook her head. "Come on Keigo, I know you're dying over there. Go ahead, ask away."

At the sound of his name, Hawks' stance softened as a burning question came to his mind, the man voicing it quietly. "What did he do to you, All for One?"

It was something Hawks had wanted to know since the two had talked in Endeavor's office. Her scared expressions, her panicked stance, he wanted to know what that villain had done to her.

Almost immediately Amari's breath caught in her throat, now feeling her arms curve into her body. Just the name still brought her shivers. "H-He…"

Seeing her struggle, the bird retracted his words. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to say it.."

Although Bakugo only shook her head, closing her eyes in response. "No, it's okay. If I don't say it then it will just give him more power…"

A small amount of silence appeared then as Amari continued shakily. "H-He hurt me. Emotionally and physically. He made me believe that I would never be loved, he made me rely on him to survive…"

Sharp memories crashed into her at the mention of his torture, the girl shivering once more. "I-I didn't remember it at first but now I wish I didn't. The needles, the manipulation, the screaming, the…"

Turning to look at her hands, Amari recalled the blood that once covered the surface of innocent people's blood. "T-Things I can't take back, things I can't change. This Nomu blood running through my veins, I'm scared of it, of what it can do.I don't want to be a monster again Keigo,I don't want to hurt anyone again..."

Closing her hand, the girl finished brokenly. "As much as I hate it, as much as I don't want it, he changed me, he tainted me forever.."

The girl then squeezed her hands tight around her arms before sighing roughly. "But I'm sure you get what that's like, right?"

Widening his eyes, Hawks almost lost his grip on his soda at that. "What do you.."

Although Amari could only laugh at his clueless nature. "You don't have to tell me your full story. I got enough from the letter. It's just, I know that you understand somehow. Call it intuition."

And that was true, after his breakdown, Bakugo fully understood what kind of person Hawks was, what kind of man Keigo Tamaki was. Maybe that's why she told him this kind of information, because he would understand somehow.

The man on the other hand just stood in silent shock. Of course he had sent Bakugo that letter but how much did she really get from it, how much did she know about his commission training from just a couple sentences? It was like she was seeing through him again.

He hated it, god how it hated it but Amari was right. Hawks did understand all of those terrible things she described. The breaking down, the manipulation, the torture, it was the exact same as him. It was just as he feared, Bakugo was like him.

Tapping her fingers on her arms, the girl took a breath before speaking again. "Do you really like the commission?"

Hawks couldn't help but twist his head in confusion at her words before replying immediately, without really thinking about his words. "Huh? Oh, yeah! They are great. I mean they really made me a hero and gave me so many opportunities, ya know?"

He sounded like a walking poster child of that damn place, causing the man to cringe. The prez really burned that into his mind, didn't she?

Laughing nervously, he turned to say a joke only to meet Amari's unwavering eyes. "That's not what I meant. Do you, Keigo Tamaki, like the commission?"

Her words were sharp and earth shattering, causing the boy to stutter back. He knew exactly what she meant. "Oh uhhhh I mean yeah, I kinda have to. They shaped me into a hero that the public will like. I couldn't have done that myself and I know I wouldn't be in the top ranking without them. As a kid with nothing, you cling to anything you can, you know?"

Amari did understand, sucking in a breath before replying. "I don't know about that. Sounds to me like they are doing the same thing All for One did. They build you up, make you dependent on them and then whenever you step out of line, they punish you.."

The girl shivered at the thought before Hawks shook his head. Sure the commission wasn't the best but she was comparing them to villains. "Hold on kid, I know you don't like them very much and that's understandable but they gave me a chance…"

Lowering her eyes at his words, the familiarity couldn't help but sting. That sounded like something she told Katsuki during their training camp when he found her pills. The irony was painful to say the least. "So did All for One. He gave me pills with Nomu blood in them and told me that he was the only chance at happiness, the only chance of succeeding."

Hawks couldn't help but turn his head at that, not understanding her words.

Although that's when Amari smiled to herself, recalling how far she had come without that man. "Do you really think there's only one chance out there for people like us? That's just what they want us to believe, and if you ask me I think even without the commission you'd still be an amazing hero."

Unhooking her arms, Amari then lifted them up to the sky, stretching the anxiety away. "And no matter what happened in the past, it can't be changed. We just have to live with it, right? Sure some of us may have gotten a shitty-er hand then others but that's all we can do!"

Hawks couldn't even begin to believe her words. If she was really like him, if she had experienced the same terrible training and events then why wasn't she broken, why wasn't she a mindless soldier like he was? What changed, what made this little girl think so differently?

What made her so strong?

Yes it was confirmed that they both had the same upbringing but yet he had seen time and time again Amari's power, her rebellion and need to speak up for those who can not. She even risked her career, her future just like that. That something Hawks could never imagine to do.

Although that's when Amari flopped her arms down before smiling brightly, pure confidence in her own words. "Even if I die, I won't let him win. I will protect what's important to me."

The hero stood silent at that, feeling like a rock had dropped into his stomach. He didn't know why but those words seemed big, like there was some kind of hidden meaning behind them that he couldn't even begin to understand.

Although, he decided to take it as a joke, lifting his wings and hitting the girl in the face for his response. "Hey Hey you aren't going anywhere girly, you hear me? I still got lots of things to teach ya before you decide to go flying into the sky."

Giggling in response, Amari gave the bird a sad look before replying. "Well of course. I gotta still pass my exam right? You better not be flaking out of our deal."

Hawks couldn't help but put his hands up in defense at that. "Wouldn't dream of it chickadee. Besides, if I did I think Endeavor would probably kill me a second time."

He shivered at the thought causing Amari to nod her head in understanding, fully remembering how unhappy he was at the bird. If he backed out now, it certainly wouldn't look good for him.

Just then, Katsuki's voice echoed through the space, causing the two to turn around in question. "Hey, are you two done yet? Hurry your slow asses already."

Hopping off the railing, the girl then finished her drink before waving a hand away. "Ahh my bad, I lost track of time. I'll be right there."

Her brother then grumbled to himself as Amari suddenly felt a wave of emotion course through her veins. She didn't know what brought it on, but she couldn't help but be thankful, having just an idea of training together. "Hey Katsuki.."

So much so, Hawks then watched as the girl quickly walked up to her brother before wrapping her arms around him tightly, capturing this moment in her mind. "I'm sorry for calling you a dumbass."

Squeezing for a couple more moments, Amari then let go before heading downstairs silently, leaving her brother utterly confused. He thought she'd still be pissed at him about their fight but this was certainly different.

It seemed like she was trying to meet him in the middle, causing the boys eyes to soften just slightly. Perhaps he should be doing that as well. "Idiot, I deserved it..."

A small smile then appeared on Katsuki's face as Hawks watched in curiosity. Sure the two were hot headed and rash but maybe that wasn't everything. That small smile confirmed it for him.

Those two were going to be something special.


Hearing her phone go off in the middle of the night, Amari groaned as she turned over, still sore from her training the day before. Who could be calling her this late? Whoever it was, it better be important.

She groaned once more before accepting the call, half heartedly replying. "Hello?"

Although the voice was far too energetic for her liking, Hawks answering back with excitement. "Heya chickadee! Glad I caught ya. Listen, I need you to head back to my agency. It's important."

Twisting her brow into a frown, Amari turned over to see the illuminated clock to her left mock her. "At 3AM? Come on Hawks. I know I'm usually a night owl but I really need some sleep after our training today. Can it wait till tomorrow?"

She yawned to prove her point only for the bird to completely disregard her wishes. "Come on kid, you gotta trust me. It has to be tonight."

Bakugo then let her head fall into her pillow before stifling a groan. She didn't really want to go back to Hawks' agency so late but if it really was important then she'd have to. "Ugh fine. I'll be there in ten. You're lucky Keigo.."

She heard a small whistle back before the line cut off causing Amari to close her eyes and suppress another yawn.

She didn't know what he wanted but it better be good.

Entering the dark training hall, Amari rubbed her arms before looking around the empty space. Usually there were people on the upper level of the room, walking back and forth while they did their paperwork but now there was absolutely no one.

A sharp shiver entered through her spine as the girl narrowed her eyes. What the hell did that bird even want her here for? This building was completely empty.

Although that's when a hard force knocked the girl off feet before slamming her face into the hard ground roughly. What the hell was that? Was someone attacking her?

Groaning at the hit, her questions were soon answered when she heard a very familiar person stand before her. "Alright kid, it's time to show me what you really got."

Through the dark, Amari just vaguely registered his voice as a couple red feathers came zooming towards her causing the girl to roll away with extremely confusion. "Hawks, what the hell are you doing?"

Bakugo had just begun to catch her breath as the man stepped out of the shadowed, his face shadowed and dark. "There's no one here chickadee, you don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks. Go ahead and let it out, your full power."

Widening her eyes, Amari immediately understood what he meant before taking a step back in fear. He wanted her to use her Nomu blood, her monstrous form. "N-No, I'll hurt you..I can't do it Keigo…"

Although that's when she watched him lift up his feathers, fully ready for attack. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way chickadee. You know you gotta face it. You said it yourself right? That you won't let him win.."

Recalling the conversation from early, the girl shook her head. This was too much, she couldn't do it. "That's not what I meant. I can't...I don't want to...I'm going home..."

Hawks' eyes softened for a moment before fixing themselves back into his commission state stare. He knew she was scared, he knew he was pushing her to do this but Bakugo was never going to get anywhere if she kept living in fear from All for One.

He couldn't break from his chains but the bird was almost sure that she could break hers. At least he hoped so.

And for that, he pushed on. "Sounds to me like your giving up. Do you really want to be All for One's pet for the rest of your life?"

At the sound of her trigger words, Amari flinched before feeling a hot ball of anger and shame reach into the back of her throat. She knew what he was doing, and she wouldn't stand for it. "Keigo, don't you fucking dare.."

Although he did dare, taking a step further in order to anger her more. "If you leave right now then you are letting him win, you are being a coward. Is that the kind of hero you wanna be, Bakugo, a coward?"

A low growl slipped from her lips before the girl could think, now shaking her head as the Nomu blood raised towards the surface. She hated that he was right, that she was being a coward like this. He was winning, All for One was winning. "I am not a coward."

Hawks couldn't help but smirk at that, his words cutting through the girl all at once. "Prove it then."

The words didn't even get a chance to leave his mouth as Amari raced towards the hero, the black veins much evident across her arms and chest.

Her expression was so different, so animalistic in a way. The sight causing Hawks to falter for a slight moment before sending a bunch of feathers her way.

Yes, these were the eyes he saw before Kazumi's death, these were the eyes of a Nomu.

Quickly throwing up a shield in order to protect herself from the feathers, Hawks cursed at her fast moments, lifting up into the sky before being struck. Now it was time to test his theory. "Bakugo, can you hear me?"

Another growl escaped her lips as Bakugo lifted up her hands to let out a large explosion as the hero quickly dodged. Shit, was she too far gone now? "Bakugo, don't lose yourself like this. Come on kid, can you hear me?"

Landing on his feet, a large dome suddenly appeared above him, searing some of his feathers off as he broke it with his sword. This wasn't good, he needed to try harder for her. "Chickadee, it's me Keigo! Remember what you're doing this for, remember why you're here! Are you All for One's pet?"

At his words, Amari twisted her eyes in disgust as the black veins trailed towards her neck. She hated that word, she hated being called that man's little pet. It made her wanna scream. "Shut the fuck up, I am not his pet!"

Realizing he got a response, Keigo continued to play that card before racing towards her, intent in his stance. "That's right Bakugo, you aren't. That's why you have to fight it, you have to control it That's it, you can do it…"

His words were so kind, the tone soaking into Amari as her hand threw out another explosion without her permission. It was like an automatic response to an enemy and it terrified her, she didn't want this. "I-I can't...I fucking can't…!"

Screaming at the searing pain and overwhelming anger, Bakugo slammed her hands on the ground as the entire floor turned gold, now shooting out spikes towards the hero.

Her mind was clouded yet clear, nosey yet quiet. She hated these feelings more than anything. It was like she was drowning, suffocating on her own emotions and All for One's orders at the same time.

Keigo seethed in pain as a gold spike grazed his arm, holding the wound before dodging another set of attacks. "Yes, yes you can chickadee, I know you can. You are strong, you are so strong, okay?"

Although Amari found it hard, All for One's words pushed against her mind as she fought the desire to kill the hero in front of her, to end his life so easily by her own hand.

She didn't want it, but she did at the same time, her eyes becoming far more cloudy by the moment. Maybe it was pointless after all, she was weak, she wasn't strong enough..

Amari then growled in response causing the hero to widen his eyes in slight terror, speaking back immediately. "No no no, don't do that, don't lose me kid. Keep talking to me chickadee. Don't let him take you…"

Feeling her own arms shake underneath her, another wave of gold spikes entered the space as Keigo tried to block them with his wings.

Although that wasn't the best move as her sparks singed a couple more feathers in the process. Crap, she really couldn't control what she was doing, could she?

Keigo then sucked in a breath, fear clear across his features. What if he couldn't pull her out. Would he have to kill her?

No, he wouldn't let that happen. "I know, I know it hurts but you can't do that. I know it's the easiest thing in the world but you can't let him win, okay? Fight it kid, show me that strength of yours, the one that amazes me every single time I see it..."

Screaming in agony, Bakugo fought for control only to fail once again, her voice coming back stuttering and coarse like sandpaper. "Shut up, shut the fuck up! Everything is so loud! He's in my mind, he's in my head, he's everywhere..I..I…"

Amari then threw up a large shield as a couple more feathers made their way towards, her, Keigo reassuring the girl even further. At least he was getting the talk again. "That's good kid. Tell me what else, explain your feelings.."

Shaking her head, Bakugo then placed her heads towards her hands before suffering a another scream. "It's like I'm drowning...like I'm suffocating on his words...he's controlling me.."

She felt her palms burn with her explosions as Keigo continued lightly. "Is he controlling you kid, really think about that for a minute. Your quirk, isn't it an extension of you? That's how it's always been..."

Feeling her entire body twitch with unsaid anger, Amari paused as the man lifted his sword in defense, pausing his attack as well. "All those things your quirk has done, all of those lives you've saved, was that All for One? No, of course not silly birdie, that was you...all of it was you.."

Before Amari had realized it, tears had already made their way into her eyes, the negative emotions pushing her down as she tried to break away from them. "No..I'm a monster..I've k-killed….I've hurt people…"

A look of shame crossed Hawks' features as he recalled her broken stance, the poor girl staring at Kazumi's lifeless body with clouded eyes. Even he knew that wouldn't be easily replaced. "I-I know chickadee, I know...but that wasn't you...that is who All for One thinks you are...don't prove him right…"

Smiling warmly. Keigo continued lightly. "I mean damn kid, if I know one thing it's that you don't take crap from anymore, not the prez, not Endeavor, not even me. So why are you letting All for One tell ya what to do? That doesn't sound like my chickadee at all.."

Bakugo felt the tears spill over her eyes at his words, taking them in one by one and allowing them to drown out her utter despair.

She hadn't thought about that before, having All for One be the only one that could take her down. If it were anyone else then she wouldn't have taken it, so why him? What made him so different?

Processing his warm phrases all at once, Amari stood silent as the tears silently poured down her face before feeling her own hand move by her own accord and not All for One's. "K-Keigo…"

Keigo only nodded back though, dropping his sword onto the floor before lifting his arms up in acceptance for her monstrous form, for her to fully experience his calm. "That's right Amari, I'm right here...

At the sound of her first name, Amari fully broke, dropping her arms towards her sides as the black veins disappeared before running over to her friend and letting him wrap her into his embrace.

It seemed that she finally registered her own emotions, as a choking sob made its way up to her lips before clutching into Keigo for dear life.

She did it, she was able to break free from All for One's orders, she was able to move by her own accord. It may have been only this once, but it meant so much.

Perhaps the road would be long and perhaps she would stumble but this showed Amari that she had the strength, she had the will to break free from those terrible men, and it was all because of Hawks.

Rubbing her back, Keigo shushed her before smiling to himself as she pulled away. "See, I knew you could do it kid, without a doubt in my mind."

Amari then smiled through her tears. This crazy bird, he really did it, he did the impossible. "How..how did you…"

Although that's when the hero shook his head before pointing to the girl. "I didn't do anything chickadee, that was all you. You're just that amazing."

Laughing to herself in disbelief. Amari pushed his shoulder playfully, a new sense of relief washing over her. "Come on, I'm not amazing."

Yet Keigo could only think about all the times he was stunned by her words or kind gestures, all the times that she had spoken her mind or bravery defended him.

This girl had no idea how much of an impact she had made on him. It made him want to do the same for her. "Well, I'm gonna have to disagree with ya there. In fact, I can't wait to see what kinda hero you're gonna be chickadee.."


Eyyy we have Hawks and Amari development! He's helping her with her trauma and effects of All for One and she's helping him break out of that commission cage. We love to see it.

Also cute Amari and Katsuki exchange as well as we near the finale arc. I felt like it made more sense to see the beginning of everyone's journey before we time skip to those provisional exams. :)

Next Chapter: Now we have the provisional license exams