What Friends Are For

by Constipated Genius

Amidst an era of villainy that threatens to upturn hero society, sometimes, the most enduring force against terror can be something as simple as the friendship shared between the aspiring forces for good. An AU in which two more students are thrown into Class 1-A and face an entirely original set of circumstances that follows only the outline of canon. (Rated M for safety purposes)

35. Dawnbreaker Appears

The brief period of time between the reveal of the week-long internships and their proper start passed in a blur. Given the importance the internships possessed for every student, this wasn't a surprise. What was a bit of a surprise to Akiko was just how severely it affected everyone's academic performance in the interim. She knew most of her peers were excited about their upcoming opportunities to intern under Pro Heroes, but she expected a bit more discipline than what she saw many in Class 1-A exhibiting. People like Jomei, Denki, and Kirishima seemed to become more distracted than ever as they counted down the days. Meanwhile, Kyoka, Tsuyu, and Ojiro appeared to struggle with their excitement but managed to clamp down on it before it became too much of an impediment. The only people that managed to remain unaffected by the hype were herself, Yaoyorozu, and Iida. Maybe she could've included Bakugo and Todoroki in that group, too, but she still couldn't quite read either of them well enough to tell.

Deep down, Akiko knew she couldn't bring herself to blame anyone for their distraction. She was intrigued too by all the possibilities of what would occur when she finally met Dawnbreaker, but the difference between her and some of her peers was that years of overanalysis and introspection provided her the ability to suppress whatever distractions came to mind. It wasn't an ability that she always employed with absolute success, but at least so far as the Sports Festival was concerned, it had helped her immeasurably. Before the internships started, it also helped her escape the wrath of frustrated teachers when they inevitably noticed some of their students not paying attention. Some teachers, such as Midnight or Present Mic, made 'games' out of picking on those among Class 1-A that were paying the least attention.

No matter the amount of distraction that Class 1-A endured over the week prior to the internships, though, the anticipated week-long event eventually arrived, nevertheless. After a brief homeroom with Aizawa wherein he explained some of the final lingering details of how accommodations and the like would be provided while they were away, everyone was allowed to retrieve their hero costumes and set out as a unit to the train station. There, still clad in their school uniforms, they stood before Aizawa as he made a final few checks to ensure that his students were prepared. Due to the amount of foot traffic at the station, more than a few people wound up gawking at them.

"Everyone has their costumes, right?" Aizawa asked. "Remember, you don't have permission to wear them in public yet, so don't get any ideas. And don't lose them, or else."

"Gotcha!" Ashido cheered, merrily holding her costume's case high over her head.

"Speak properly," he admonished. "It's 'yes sir,' Ashido."

Ashido deflated. "Yes sir…"

He gave her an approving glance. "Good. Now make sure you all mind your manners with the other heroes during your internships. Now get to it."

"Yes sir," Class 1-A responded.

Aizawa stepped back to make some room for his students. In moments, most of the condensed group had scattered, wandering off to the vastly different corners of the station that would take them to their respective destinations. The only individuals left anywhere close to Aizawa were Akiko, Jomei, Denki, and Kyoka, whose isolation offered them ample opportunity to say some temporary goodbyes.

"Y'know, not that the internships are finally here, I'm kind of nervous," Denki said. "Stoked, but nervous."

"What for?" Kyoka asked. "That Shinobi guy was the one who made an offer to you. I don't think he'd send you an offer to pick on you for a week."

"Yeah, but I've got so much to prove!" Denki protested, shaking his case lightly in front of him. "I can't let it look like I'm going to be too much trouble for him to train, which, you know, is easier said than done when you're me."

Jomei shrugged. "Well, if it's any consolation, I think you'll be fine. We haven't been at U.A. that long. No good pro out there's going to think that we should be masters at combat or anything. Not yet, anyway."

"Besides, figuring out how to become better heroes in the future is why we're going on these internships to begin with," Akiko supplied. "This is supposed to be an opportunity for us to learn where our flaws are, or at the very least see how much further we have to go before we're ready to go pro ourselves."

"Well when you put it that way, it makes me sound like I'm worrying over nothing," Denki said.

"Which you are," Kyoka added.

Denki threw her a glare, but his anger quickly subsided, replaced by a renewed wave of excitement and determination. "Alright! So I won't keep the rest of you guys anymore. This week we're gonna show those pros what we're made of, and nothing's gonna stop us!" He stepped back, one hand firmly gripped onto his costume's case while the other hooked itself eagerly into the air before him. "Let's do this!"

"Kaminari," Aizawa cut in. "Before you bolt off, don't run. As long as you're in your school uniform, you represent U.A. Remember that."

"Yes, sir…" Denki said.

After a final wave goodbye to his friends, Denki swiftly walked away. Despite being warned not to do so, an eager spring in his step wormed its way into his stride before long. Aizawa could only sigh in exasperation.

"Well, I guess this would be as good a time as any to get moving, too." Kyoka adjusted the straps of her backpack and, with a nod toward her friends, set off in the opposite direction from the one Denki had gone. "I'll see you guys in a week! And have fun rockin' out with your internships!"

"Right back at you!" Jomei shouted.

"Good luck!" Akiko encouraged.

With no one else around, the pair exchanged a look. Jomei's facial expression conveyed contentment with only the faintest glimmer of his excitement bleeding through into a smile. Akiko couldn't help but smile back and share in his eagerness. Akiko would've been a liar if she said her heart didn't quicken at the thought of all the possibilities the upcoming week could mean for them, now that their encounter with Dawnbreaker was so close at hand.

Jomei shifted his attention to the expanse of the station. "So. I guess this is it. Time to head off and show some pro what we're made of, up-close and personal."

She nodded. "It's kind of surreal, but… we're here. It's happening. We should probably get a move on, huh?"

"That'd probably be for the best," Aizawa advised. He lazily glanced up at them from his watch, reminding Akiko that she'd somehow forgotten about his presence entirely. "I'll be going back to U.A. to take care of some paperwork after you guys are gone, but since you two are still here, I might as well say good luck with Dawnbreaker. Not every Pro Hero out there would be willing to take on two interns at once, let alone someone like her. Make the time you spend with her count, and keep your wits about you. That's all."

Before they could attempt to process what he had told them, Aizawa turned and started off toward the station's exit. Akiko blinked twice before the exact words he'd said started to sink in. From the way he'd spoken about her and the advice he gave them, it was clear that he was aware of Dawnbreaker's existence in some capacity, but…

"Is it just me, or did it sound like Aizawa-sensei knows Dawnbreaker?" she asked. "Personally, I mean."

"It's possible, I guess." Jomei scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Japan's a big place, sure, but it isn't impossible that they've met each other a few times. Especially if what Midoriya told us about her and how she is with attention is true. If she really doesn't seek out fame, it isn't too far out there to assume that she and Aizawa-sensei met on some big mission or something. To be honest, though? I think what he said just made me even more excited for this – if even Aizawa-sensei makes it sound like she's really cool, that's saying something."

"True," Akiko agreed, and she took the first step toward where their designated train would arrive. "Should we get going, then?"

Jomei followed her. "The train should be here pretty soon, so… sure. Excited?"

"Definitely. It's not every day that you're given an offer to intern under a pro that's impressed Snipe and Eraserhead. We know so little about Dawnbreaker, but for some reason, I think that we'll be fine. Or at least, I hope so."

"We totally will," Jomei reassured her. "As long as we're together, we'll be fine. The USJ attack taught us that much."

"And the cavalry battle," Akiko mused.

He snapped his fingers to point at her. "Now you're getting it."

They stopped in front of the boarding platform, and their train slowly came into view in the distance. With one last shared look of mutual determination and optimism, they finally climbed aboard. By the time they'd found an available pair of seats and made themselves as comfortable as they could in the half-full passenger car, the train had started to move once again, and Akiko's heart skipped a beat. The city she'd spent most of her life in quickly became a blur outside the window, and with each passing moment, she felt more eager.

By the time the train arrived at their destination, they'd be only a few moments away from an encounter with the hero who had simultaneously distinguished herself from the average pro and yet also flew entirely under the radar of Jomei and Akiko both. There were so many scenarios that Akiko could consider transpiring when they met her, but she contented herself to lean ever so slightly into Jomei's chest and enjoy the ride there.

After all, it was like Jomei said. As long as they were together, they'd emerge unscathed no matter what they faced.

---

Even though Akiko's soft weight against his chest was the most soothing sensation he could imagine at the moment, Jomei's leg bounced repeatedly in suspense. The bullet train soared along the tracks at a pace that only those with dedicated speed-augmenting Quirks could hope to somehow match, and yet he couldn't help but think that it couldn't carry them to their destination fast enough.

Honestly, he still felt in disbelief about where they were headed for their internships – Shibuya Station wasn't quite the kind of place someone planned on passing through for no reason. It was one of the most famous and utilized stations in all of Japan, in all of the world, and it'd also turn out to be the place where Jomei and Akiko would embark on what was, in his opinion, one of the most exciting parts of their journey to become pros yet.

Thankfully, the train came to a final halt before his leg could pop out of its socket, and Jomei practically jumped out of his seat. Akiko grumbled in confused amusement at his giddiness but let him go, instead opting to wait for others to leave the train before she followed. Jomei took advantage of the time and made a brisk jog out of the train station to breathe in the city.

It was everything he'd hoped it'd be.

Hundreds of pedestrians filled the streets just outside the station. Near the famous Shibuya Crossing, the crowd grew in magnitude to a number closer to the thousands as an unyielding tide of people inundated the intersection going about their daily routines. Beyond the hustle and bustle of people and the occasional pro on patrol amidst it all, skyscrapers towered overhead and a myriad of buzzing neon signs crowded brightly into every square centimeter of space. Food stands and pop-up shops lined the sidewalks, and the aroma of fresh takoyaki, soba, and other delicious culinary delights filled Jomei's nostrils. He'd been to this place once or twice with his dad in the past, but only now was he old enough to appreciate it all.

Shibuya Station was inarguably and majestically alive in its level of activity. It was exactly the kind of setting Jomei could just let himself sit back and relax in for ages if he had the time, but his infatuation served a practical purpose, too. When the day came that he became a Pro Hero and could choose where his patrols took place, areas with as much activity and opportunities for attention as Shibuya would be where he'd make his name known. He bared a toothy grin at the sights of the city around him, and he couldn't wait for that time to come.

"Enjoying yourself?" Akiko asked as she sidled up beside him.

He tore his gaze from the streets as cars were allowed to make their way through the intersection once more, and only then did he remember to breathe. "You could say that. It's… this kind of place is it for me. This is my end goal. Getting paid to fight bad guys, save people, and do it all while hundreds or even thousands of people watch me do it. In a way, it'd be like the Sports Festival or some of Dad's shows."

"Only there'd be real lives on the line," Akiko cautiously pointed out. "Don't… forget that."

Jomei shook his head. "Oh, no, no! I wouldn't ever forget that. People take priority, of course they do, but… there's no denying that a place like this would have a lot of appeal to any pro out there that wants to make a name for themselves. Sorry if I got carried away. I didn't mean for it to sound like…"

She held up a hand to silence him. "It's okay. I want to be a hero to help people and that's about it. You want to be a hero to help people and be a little like your dad at the same time. We have different motivations, and there's nothing wrong with that. So you're fine. I was just making sure we were on the same page, is all. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Don't worry, you didn't," Jomei reassured her, and he gripped his costume's case just a little bit tighter. "Now I guess all that's left for us to do is figure out where exactly we're supposed to meet our hero."

"I'm guessing that's for me," an unfamiliar feminine voice responded.

Simultaneously, Akiko and Jomei whirled around. The woman they soon found directly behind them surpassed any and all expectations Jomei could've held for what he expected to see.

The first thing that stood out about the woman were her eyes. A sharp blue that would've been disarming if it weren't for the sharpness, poise, and restrained power hidden behind them. It was immediately obvious that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Aside from her eyes and fair skin, the most distinguishing feature around her face was her hair. Golden blonde, it fell in a smooth wave to her shoulder blades, and a few lengths of it only managed to avoid obscuring her left eye by what must've been sheer luck. Although she didn't have the sheer muscle mass that heroes like Miruko possessed, it was clear that she was stronger than the average female fighter from her physique alone.

At a glance, it was obvious that her hero costume had been designed to bring the mental image of paladins or other such fantastical fighters to mind. Most of it consisted of a series of segmented pieces of armor that were a slightly deeper shade of gold than her hair, accented by sharp points in even deeper shades at her joints. Likely to ensure complete freedom of mobility to its wearer, the costume exposed her knees, elbows, lower abdomen, inner thighs, and the pristine white bodysuit that she wore underneath. Her right hand was donned in armor, and her right arm was further emphasized by the presence of a large pauldron upon her shoulder. From where her armor met her shoulders, white fabric rose up to create a collar of sorts around her neck, drawing minor attention to both her face and perhaps one of the most distinct elements of her costume.

Upon the armor over her chest was a dark gold, v-shaped highlight. As it descended to where her chest armor ended around her navel, other slightly-raised highlights like ribs further emphasized her upper body and framed what must've been one of the core elements of her costume. Above the armor over her sternum and affixed to her costume via a strap was a circular emblem whose deeper gold trim had been shaped into a stylized star.

To Jomei, who'd become certain he'd been gaping, it looked like her costume had been designed with practicality and protection most in mind. It was only then that he noticed the golden sword she held at her side.

"You're Dawnbreaker?" he asked.

She gestured to herself with a free hand. "In the flesh."

"How'd you manage to find us in this crowd?" Akiko inquired.

"Well, for starters, I was on the lookout for those uniforms of yours," Dawnbreaker explained simply. "Out of all the things I could never get used to here in Japan, it was the country's feeling that they're some kind of absolute necessity for their students, but I will admit that they're pretty useful in situations like these. Just one more thing this country does better than any other to make sure things run smoothly, I suppose."

"Well, it's an honor to meet you, ma'am." She bowed. "My name is Takara Akiko."

Finally breaking himself out of his stupor as Aizawa's advice manifested in the back of his mind, Jomei followed her example. "Likewise. My name is Nishimura Jomei, and I'd like to thank you very much for the opportunity you've given us today."

To their surprise, Dawnbreaker chuckled. "Well, get up. I sent offers out to you two for a reason, so you don't have to feel the need to be that formal with me."

Akiko shot up, her head still lowered slightly. "Right! My apologies, ma'am."

The Pro Hero shook her head in slight amusement. "No need for apologies, either. Not at this point, anyway, and since you two have been so prim and proper to introduce yourselves as you have… I might as well do the same. My name is Lucas Meridia. Dawnbreaker to villains, and simply Meridia to those who know me more closely than most. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here," Jomei expressed as he stood upright. "Really, words can't describe how much we appreciate your offer to take on the two of us together. After all, our teacher told us that not every hero agency is willing to take on two interns at the same time."

"So you two are friends, I assume?" Dawnbreaker asked.

Akiko nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Interesting," Dawnbreaker observed. She turned away, giving the pair a sidelong look before tilting her head back the way she was faced. "At any rate, we should get going. It's a bit of a walk headed to my agency."

The group set off with the Pro Hero in front, and Jomei spoke up next as soon as another thought came into his head. "Oh yeah, I was curious about that. From what I hear, most of our classmates were given the addresses of the hero agencies they were going to intern with, but we weren't given yours."

"There's a reason for that," Dawnbreaker hinted. "I didn't want either of you to get a good look at my agency before these internships started because I wanted to see your reactions to the place myself. No spoilers as to what it looks like before we get there, though."

"That's… understandable, I suppose," Akiko mused.

"Trust me, it isn't going to be that big a deal once you get used to the place," Dawnbreaker explained as they passed through the crowded intersection. "But in the meantime, considering what these internships are supposed to be all about in the first place, I may as well play the part of a teacher while we walk, huh? Are either of you all that aware of how exactly heroes get paid for the work they do?"

Akiko shook her head, slightly sheepish. "I'll admit that I should probably brush up on that sooner rather than later."

"Same," Jomei said.

Dawnbreaker didn't look back at them, instead opting to give them an easy shrug. "Don't be ashamed of what you don't know. If you aren't aware of the inner workings of how heroes operate, all that means is that this is simply a learning opportunity for both of you. Sound good?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the pair responded in unison.

"Hm. Enthusiastic, I see," Dawnbreaker said, an audible smirk in her tone. "Well, for starters, us pros get paid wages from the government, which in the eyes of the law essentially makes us civil servants, but there's more to it than that. With the wide variety of Quirks heroes provide, our duties are different than regular government workers. Now, regarding our actual duties when in the field? Basic hero goal – control crime. Any ideas on how exactly we get such a generalized and vague task done efficiently?"

"I think I know a little about that, actually," Jomei offered.

Dawnbreaker looked at him over her shoulder. "Is that so? Go on, then. Tell me what you know."

"Well from what I understand, when a crime occurs and is reported to the police, the dispatcher informed of the crime will then go ahead and contact any available heroes in the area," Jomei explained. "So far as I'm aware, the severity of the crime also has a great deal to do with how many heroes are potentially called in to help."

"Exactly," Dawnbreaker confirmed. "These requests for help often come in all at once and are filtered by district. Upon our intervention, we provide reports on the assistance we provided, arrests, saving people, stuff like that, and then a special government agency analyzes our work and decides how much we get paid. The whole process takes a little while when you're only just starting out, but they tend to catch on rather quickly to your merits. As a result, if you have any financial concerns, you can rest easy knowing that so long as you don't slack off the first few months when you get licensed, you shouldn't have any big issues in the future."

Akiko leaned over toward her partner as inconspicuously as she could. "After all we heard about her, I didn't expect her to be so official!"

Jomei responded in an equally hushed tone. "Well, to be fair, we've only known her for like five minutes at this point. I wouldn't think that this is how she is all the time. That said… is it just me or does she seem really cool right off the bat?"

"I think so too," Akiko quietly agreed.

"Additionally, heroes are allowed to take on side jobs," Dawnbreaker continued, either unaware or uncaring of their conversation. "To be honest, there was a lot of argument about that when the world of pros was first being established, but heroes ended up being so popular that the public demanded they be given the freedom to do so. For better or for worse."

Eyes widening, Akiko sped up her stride ever-so-slightly to catch up with Dawnbreaker. "With the way you said it… do you dislike the idea of pros having side jobs when they're not busy with hero work? Fundamentally, I mean."

Dawnbreaker looked at her for a moment before she slowed for just long enough for Jomei to draw even with them too. "Not necessarily. That said, I've seen how the brand of heroism that many pros currently exhibit – the one that's rife with a variety of side jobs and brand deal applications – can easily go sideways. Celebrity culture can do some terrible things to otherwise good people if they aren't careful. That's actually one of the reasons why, for every offer I've ever been given to gain some large-scale recognition, I've refused them outright. Ergo why I imagine it took you two a second to realize who I was, back at the station."

For a split second, Jomei could've sworn that he saw something in Dawnbreaker's eyes as she finished speaking. For whatever reason, he couldn't help latching onto what she'd said.

What did she mean by that?

"At any rate, I have one last thing I'd like to make sure you're aware of before we get started on anything else." Dawnbreaker held her head high, and she shifted her grip on the hilt of her sword. "Many heroes out in Japan nowadays never take breaks. You two might be undergoing strength training at school and participating in combat exercises to hone your skills now, but even Pro Heroes continue to expand upon and enhance their repertoire of abilities long after they make their big debuts. Of course, I don't speak for every pro in the country when I say this, but if you spend an inordinate amount of time just waiting to be told to rescue someone, the only thing you're doing is wasting your potential."

"So that means you're always either on patrol or training, is that it?" Jomei asked.

She nodded. "Exactly. After years of being licensed, I've learned how to best balance my time out in the field and training whilst simultaneously making sure my body has enough time to recover from either activity. If you two follow my example, it'll take you some time to strike that balance yourselves, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure out a routine that works for you further down the line to continue your growth. After all, if you settle for whatever level of power you've achieved when you graduate, you'll never be anything other than a mediocre reflection of the hero you could've become."

Akiko looked at her with faint surprise. "With the way you say that, it sounds like you have experience with people like that."

"I do." Dawnbreaker's expression fell into one that Jomei could only interpret as equal parts resentful yet thoughtful. "You'd be surprised if you realized just how many heroes across the globe nowadays have settled for mediocrity over self-actualization. I wouldn't say that the majority of pros suffer that kind of self-imposed block on their abilities, but I'll openly admit that the number is far higher than I'd prefer."

As their temporary Pro Hero mentor walked slightly ahead of them, Jomei and Akiko exchanged a look. The implication in her words that she harbored doubt as to Pro Heroes' quality in modern society was clear, but with so little experience with Dawnbreaker at this point, Jomei didn't have a clue as to what – if anything – her perception of the hero world meant for them. Their attention was promptly drawn forward when Dawnbreaker stopped about a meter in front of them and turned around to face her interns.

She pointed with her free thumb back over her shoulder. "We're here."

When Jomei first looked past Dawnbreaker to take in the building she'd gestured to, he almost did a double-take. Out of all the kinds of places he could've expected their hero to take them, the place they ended up at was, well…

A brick warehouse. No other descriptor would've been enough to accurately summarize the look of the building that loomed tall and decrepit in front of the trio. The entire structure was made of bricks that looked like they hadn't been repaired after being placed what might've been decades ago, and what little paint remained had long since started flaking away against the test of time. What made the sight of the building even more puzzling was the actual area of Tokyo that it was located in. Perhaps they'd all covered more ground than Jomei had thought over the course of their conversation, but the abundant glitz and glamor that had surrounded Shibuya had long since faded away. Additionally, every other structure in the immediate vicinity was as run-down and almost shady in appearance as the warehouse Dawnbreaker had gestured to, which led Jomei to assume that she'd taken her interns to a less-than-reputable portion of the city he'd never dared go himself.

'Underwhelmed' or 'taken aback' would be a far too mild a set of descriptors to express what Jomei felt for the situation he found himself in.

"Uh…" he trailed off.

Without so much as a hint of warning, Dawnbreaker's entire demeanor shifted. In a split second, the calm aura she'd exuded their entire walk changed, and Jomei felt intimidated beneath her gaze. Her eyes now exuded a sharp intensity that all too readily reminded him of the expression no-nonsense heroes such as Edgeshot or Endeavor made when they were about to pounce on a particularly vile villain.

"To be clear, I see potential in you two. This is my agency." Her words were almost as intense as her gaze despite her calm tone of voice, and she pointed at the warehouse with the tip of her sword without so much as a glance. "And here, I want you two to show me that I wasn't wrong in thinking that about you. Get inside, and get changed into your costumes. There's no time to lose."

Dawnbreaker promptly headed toward the pair of old metal doors that led into the warehouse, and Jomei felt his shoulders drop when she escaped his line of sight. He then pivoted to face Akiko, sure that his complete and utter bewilderment was as clear as day in his expression, and his mouth fell slightly agape before he forced himself to regard the agency in front of them one more time.

"This…" he paused. "Isn't what I expected her agency to look like. It's…"

"Run-down?" Akiko guessed.

Jomei lightly shook his head. "Crummy."

"Well, maybe there's a reason her agency is the way it is," Akiko wondered, a somewhat optimistic undertone to her words as she started in the direction of the place. "We've only just met Dawnbreaker, so I think we should avoid making any rash judgments about her just yet. She's given us no reason to doubt her so far."

"Yeah… apart from how she glared at us," Jomei mumbled to himself. "But you're probably right. Hopefully. Let's see what the rest of the week has in store for us… for better or worse."

He couldn't help but hope that the majority of this internship wouldn't be as soul-shatteringly intense as the past five minutes had been. That said, he somehow had a sneaking suspicion that those hopes would be shattered before too long. As a result, he opted to employ a new strategy to ensure he wouldn't be almost constantly taken aback by whatever happened over the course of the next week.

Try to take everything in stride, so that he would emerge an even stronger version of himself when the week was done.

Emphasis on try.

---

The inside of Dawnbreaker's hero agency continued to convince Jomei that it was a place designed and/or adopted to be everything but a place that'd capture outside attention. Despite what as-of-yet unknown ranking she possessed, her agency was, in the bluntest terms he had available to him, rather shabby. It was a conclusion that Jomei came to for more reasons than simply the structurally-unsound first impressions the exterior of the building gave off.

Thankfully, the interior of the agency revealed to him that it wasn't as unstable as he'd believed the structure to be when he first laid eyes on it. Steel beams and other support structures that looked relatively well-maintained were dotted throughout the initial halls of the place, so Jomei's fears that the warehouse would fall down around them while he changed into his hero costume were alleviated, but that didn't change the fact that it was far from what he'd expected a Pro Hero's agency to look like, from any angle.

Whether on the news, online, or in real life, Jomei had seen hero offices before. In the eccentric and sometimes almost unbelievable world he'd been born into, it wasn't unreasonable to find some examples of heroes whose agencies had been designed with architectural gimmicks in mind. Death Arms' agency was known for looking like a construction site thanks to all the yellow and black stripes across his office. Best Jeanist's agency was just tall enough that its ground floor doubled as a fabric and clothing store for some of his own legendary handmade merchandise. There were also relatively normal agencies, as well. To this extent, All Might and Endeavor both paralleled one another in that their agencies had been built from the ground up as bog-standard skyscrapers – give or take some extra utilities so that the pros and their associates could go about their miscellaneous duties a little more effectively.

As far as Jomei could tell, Dawnbreaker's agency wasn't normal with some kind of twist, nor was it in any way gimmicky; instead, from what he'd seen, the place could be aptly described as lackluster. And to Jomei, for a hero to be fine with something being connected to them that could be called lackluster in almost every way, quite simply put, utterly baffled him.

Even after a slow wander through the halls after he'd changed, he was convinced that this perception wasn't a knee-jerk reaction of his, either. Every meter of the walls was composed of either brick or other basic construction materials. Some of the halls he had walked through only had the dimmest of bulbs to keep them lit. Only a handful of areas such as the kitchen or rest area looked even remotely modernized, and although he hadn't spotted any pests, which assured him that the place was at least sanitary, Jomei couldn't help but wonder…

Why had Dawnbreaker chosen a place like this to be the site of her agency? Was the decay of the building already present and she simply decided to move in? If so, why hadn't she decided to repair or renovate the place in the slightest with what she'd undoubtedly earned from the government? Was this kind of environment somehow familiar ground to her?

He had so many questions. But without knowing more about what made Dawnbreaker tick, he had no answers. So, at least for the time being, all of these questions would simply have to remain unanswered.

Finally, Jomei arrived in front of an old-looking wood door. A metal sign had been drilled into it that informed him that the room awaiting him on the other side was a gym. It was where Dawnbreaker had told him and Akiko to meet her, and given the size of the warehouse that was the pro's hero office, Jomei couldn't help but think that this would be where the majority of her agency's space would be taken up.

He was right.

The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a titanic amount of space that managed to feel like an entire city block even if it was in fact contained inside of an innocuous warehouse. So far as the expanse went, an abundance of iron beams, scaffolding, targets, and everything else one would need to simulate a run-down cityscape for all kinds of training could be found in abundance. Given the vibe Dawnbreaker's hero agency had been giving off, the presence of so many simple yet utilitarian pieces of equipment here felt right, somehow.

For a moment, Jomei wondered if the wide variety of gear scattered all around him was a hint that perhaps the look of Dawnbreaker's agency did have some semblance of intent behind it. Even if not, it was clear from the occasional scratch marks and one pile of some collapsed scaffold in the corner that the gym had seen no small amount of use.

As he finished some last observations, such as how it somehow smelled like sweat and metal combined, he noticed Akiko had already arrived and was standing with Dawnbreaker. Akiko noticed his entrance and turned toward him slightly, one hand on her hip, while Dawnbreaker was situated in a relaxed position atop a large metal drum.

She tilted her head to look at him, a wry glint in her eye. "And here I thought that us girls were the ones who usually took forever to get ready. Welcome to the party, Nishimura."

Jomei stopped beside his partner, lowering his head slightly. "That's completely my fault. I was curious about your agency, so I might've gotten a little carried away looking at a few things in the halls on my way here. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. No harm done," Dawnbreaker assured him as she easily slid from her perch back to her feet. Her eyes roamed from his feet upward as she presumably gave his costume a brief once-over. Although the renewed atmosphere of ease around her didn't disappear, Jomei could've sworn that her expression became several degrees more analytical when her gaze landed on the pulsing neon light strips that laid hidden behind every element of his costume's yellow trim.

He didn't have time to question what her inspection of his costume might've meant before her attention shifted. "So, now that we're all in the gym and you two are in-costume, I suppose it would be a good time to start your training. First things first, though. Based on your reaction to both me and my agency, I've gone ahead and assumed that neither of you are aware of what my Quirk is. Am I right?"

Akiko nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," Jomei answered.

"Then let me show you what I can do," Dawnbreaker said.

She twirled her sword in her hand once and adjusted her footing to turn slightly away from the pair before pointing the tip of her blade diagonally into the air. The glowing sphere near the hilt of her weapon thrummed brightly for a second, and where their focus followed her weapon's angle of ascent, the effect of her Quirk became clear. From a focal point located halfway to the roof, a barrier of light swiftly appeared. Its outermost edges rolled outward like liquified gold whilst its interior looked like a gold-tinted window, transparent and smooth. Despite the person-sized barrier being clearly composed of light, it wasn't quite bright enough to force Jomei to look away. It illuminated the area, but it remained just dim enough that they could admire its simple majesty.

"Light Barriers," Dawnbreaker began, her sword pointed at the barrier as she turned her attention back to the students. "Emitter type. As you might gather, it allows me to create barriers of immensely durable hard light at will that are completely under my control, even if they aren't all that malleable. Offense or defense, it's a power that's saved my life more than a few times. At first, the creation and maintenance of a barrier requires a bit of effort, but over the years I've trained long and hard to offset this limitation of mine."

She lowered her blade, and the barrier vanished immediately. "Any questions?"

Akiko raised her hand. "I noticed that you used your sword to direct where your barrier would show up. Is it an essential support item for you to use your power effectively?"

"Good question, but no, it isn't an essential item for me." Dawnbreaker raised her free hand and a small barrier appeared there, bound into the vague shape of a circle between her digits as they curled upward to contain her Quirk. She then let the barrier dissipate and rested her hand on her hip. "While it isn't entirely uncommon for some pros to use weapons alongside their Quirks to be more effective at their jobs – Snipe and Power Loader being good examples of this – my sword simply helps me diversify how I employ my Quirk in battle. Think of it as a tool I can use to misdirect careless villains into thinking it's something that I rely on to be useful in any given fight. That said, it's still a real weapon, and it has helped take down a few unwary villains I've faced over the years."

"Does it have a name?" Jomei asked.

"Yep," Dawnbreaker smirked. "Dawnbreaker."

"So it's basically your namesake?" His brow furrowed in thought. "Or did you name it after you came up with your hero name? Either way, that's… not something I think I've heard a lot of heroes do with their support items."

"The reason I named it what I did is a little bit of both reasons, really," she elaborated. "But to avoid all that much confusion, I usually refer to it as 'my weapon' or something like that. It tends to save people over at the Commission a hell of a lot of trouble when I file a report as to what I've done for the day."

"Huh," Jomei intoned. "Fair enough, I guess."

"Regardless, now that I've made you two aware of what my Quirk is, I want to see what your powers are really capable of. The Sports Festival is a decent enough exhibition of U.A.'s best and brightest, but there's a difference between watching you two pummel your peers during the final stage of the festival on-screen and seeing what you can do up-close and personal," Dawnbreaker explained. "I want to see your powers for myself. Consider it a test. One that'll allow me to understand your Quirks better and allow you two to explore your potential a little bit further. If nothing else, this'll be a good time to see for yourself where you're at, power-wise."

"So the purpose of this exercise is to just gauge our strength," Akiko simplified.

"Exactly," Dawnbreaker answered. "That, and maybe this whole process will also give me a few more ideas as to how I can help you two improve. Mere one-on-one training can only do so much for you if your mentor doesn't know what they're working with. Nishimura."

"Yeah?"

"You're up first. One on one, this time. It's time to show me how much firepower that Quirk of yours can really put out," Dawnbreaker strode away from the pair. Once a few more meters of space had been established, she turned back to face them.

Meanwhile, Jomei looked down meaningfully at his hand. For all intents and purposes, his pro hero mentor for the week had given him the okay to use the fullest extent of his abilities against her, but… as he let a few wispy blues and purples wrap warmly around his hand, and his mind wandered, he exhaled softly.

No. He couldn't do that.

He wouldn't.

"Alright, Nishimura!" Dawnbreaker called out. She raised a hand, and a large square-shaped barrier manifested a short distance in front of her outstretched palm, and its liquid gold edges ebbed and flowed in tandem with an invisible tide. "I know your Quirk has got to be an Emitter-type, and it looks like you can really amp it up in a fight as you need to, so let loose! Imagine that this barrier I've put up is a villain that stands between you and your dreams!"

Jomei knew that he couldn't do exactly as his mentor had told him to do, but he raised his arm anyway in a manner that mimicked her own free hand's posture. He took in a deep breath, amber eyes met deep blue, and the gases that had wrapped around his limb up to his bicep grew several layers thicker. He poured energy into the attack, and the compiled collection of colors his Quirk produced brightened. He then braced his other hand against his wrist, adjusted his footing, and he was prepared.

"Go for it!" Dawnbreaker encouraged.

His arm tensed. "Phosphor Beam: High Charge!"

A thick beam that consisted of a swirl of blue and purple gases surged forth with the might of a condensed explosion from Jomei's hand, and even his several steps of preparedness weren't enough to minimize all of the recoil that followed. He had to take a step backward to keep the impact of Newton's third law from threatening his balance, and he managed to recover just in time to watch his attack meet Dawnbreaker's barrier. It pummeled into the golden wall head-on with all the speed, heat, and power a colorfully ionized missile of its caliber could muster, and even Jomei had to squint as his proverbial spear met the pro's shield.

When his attack finished and faded into the echoing space of the warehouse, Jomei's shoulders dropped in surprise. Dawnbreaker's barrier had held true, and neither the inanimate obstacle nor its owner showed any signs of strain from his assault. Expected outcome for the exercise or not, it was a more than mildly humbling sight to behold.

"Whoa…" he intoned.

"Well done, Nishimura. That attack almost forced me to focus on my defense a little. Granted, In a real fight, I'm fairly sure that the level of strength you showed me wouldn't be near enough to overcome my Quirk, but I'm still glad to see that you aren't all pomp. You've got some good firepower with that power of yours." She dismissed her barrier with a wave, and steadily closed the gap between them as she returned to her interns' side. "But I have a hunch that what you showed me wasn't the maximum level of strength you could have used. Am I right?"

Jomei pursed his lip. "Yeah. You are."

"I'll go ahead and assume that you haven't had all that many opportunities to go all-out with your Quirk in the past," Dawnbreaker guessed.

"To be honest, I've never felt the need to in the first place," Jomei explained. "Not even when we were put up against faux villain robots during the entrance exams to get into U.A, since going berserk against most of those things would've been overkill. Add in how going all-out with my Quirk drains me a lot faster than my normal attacks and how much harm my Quirk can do at its maximum charge, and… well, I might have a few other reasons for not showing you my strongest attacks in action."

Dawnbreaker tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "You mentioned 'other reasons.' If you don't want to show me your full power, that's fine, but I want to know why you didn't."

"I made a promise to someone who's important to me that I wouldn't do that. I know you wanted to see my Quirk at its strongest, but I don't want to break that promise, even if it's in a situation like this."

"That's a great sentiment to have, Nishimura, but be careful to keep that promise from having so much power over you that it endangers someone's life way down the line," Dawnbreaker firmly instructed. "You need to be aware of what you can do at full blast."

He nodded. "Right. And I know this is no excuse, but I am aware of what my Quirk can do if I give it everything I've got. It's been a while since I've done so, but still."

"Then that's enough, for now." Dawnbreaker promptly twisted away from him. "Takara."

Akiko stood up a little straighter. "Yes, ma'am."

"It's your turn. Since I figured your Quirk could do some heavy damage to the building from the moment I saw your fighting style, I took the liberty of making some preparations – if only on a much more basic level." Dawnbreaker pointed with her sword not too far behind Akiko, where a somewhat sizable boulder and a metal drum filled with water could be seen. "Since we're inside, I can't tell you to hurl that boulder skyward, but I can at least ask that you exhibit your Quirk to me as best you can."

"Of course!" Akiko readily agreed. "Right away!"

With a quick bow, she ran off in the direction of the prepared material. As she left his side, Jomei couldn't help but wonder what Dawnbreaker would have to say about her Quirk in comparison to his. Akiko had the excuse of collateral damage as to why she couldn't show herself at her most powerful, which left Jomei at somewhat of a loss as to what Dawnbreaker would have to gain through seeing her Quirk in the flesh. Other than to better inspect her form or technique, he couldn't imagine that the exercise would yield all that much useful information to the pro. Then again, Dawnbreaker seemed to be a considerably difficult person to read, so perhaps more would come out of Akiko's display than he could imagine.

Akiko stopped a short distance before the objects and turned back around to face the pair. "Excuse me, ma'am, but is there anything in particular you want to see me do with my Quirk here? If you have any preferences, I mean."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but no. I only prepared those things over there for you to make sure my agency didn't need some major repairs. You can decide what you want to do," Dawnbreaker advised. "It doesn't have to be all that impressive or complex a debut of your power, but I want to see at least a little effort thrown in there."

"Sounds like a plan."

And with that, Akiko twisted around where she stood to regard the boulder that loomed before her. It stood easily an extra head and shoulders taller than her and was spherical in shape, which left her with plenty of material to work with for whatever she did next. The drum of water to the right of the boulder was enormous to a lesser degree. Her features changed color into the distinct greens that reflected the use of her emerald mode, her stance widened, and Jomei saw her take one last deep breath before she was ready to go.

She started with a stomp of her foot and whipped her hand back the way she'd come. The top half of the boulder disintegrated as it was amalgamated by her invisible command into a dark rain of pebbles and smaller rocks that soared high into the air. The salvo nearly touched the metal-barred ceiling before they ran out of momentum and started to fall.

Akiko then swapped to sapphire mode. With what looked to be some considerable effort, if the strained look on her face and the tension in her arms were any indicator, she forced all of the water in the drum behind her into motion. The floating river she created was then split in two, each of her arms arresting control of half the workload. One stream of the water she sent forward to make a medium-sized circle that landed in the space between them before freezing into an array of upward-facing icicles of various sizes. The remaining stream was sent on a course to intercept the falling rocks and upon its successful arrival, each stone was frozen in a shell of ice that enabled Akiko to extend her control over their journey through the air.

She let the hail of frozen stones fall a little further before she chose to debut peridot mode. With the flick of a wrist and a soft circular motion of her arms, a strong gust arrested the rocks onto a path bound for the outline of ice Akiko had previously laid down. Once they had been given enough airtime to delay their fall a little further, Akiko's features changed to red as she entered ruby mode. She thrust one of her fists toward the icy stones and turned the shells she'd encased them in to steam with one strong yet brief stream of fire. Before the steam could fade away or the now-heated rocks could hit the ground, she returned right back to the mode she'd just exited seconds before.

Once again she kept the rocks from descending any further without her invisible hand there to guide it. She committed to the repeated circular motion of her arms, and this time, the stones and steam were captured in the swift and ever-expanding cyclone she was beginning to forge. The cylinder of air, steam, and stone followed the outline of icicles she'd laid down and was an impressive sight to behold on its own, given the setup involved in its creation, but Akiko didn't simply stop there.

Thanks to the effort she put in to drive the cyclone even faster, the winds within the building became just strong enough to – with the help of some stray rocks along the way – start freeing the icicles from their roots, drawing them into the delicate dance Akiko choreographed. She let the cyclone continue swirling on its own as she swapped back into ruby mode and contributed a drawn-out yet thin gust of fire into the mix, and she then stopped and stepped back. Her work was done.

Akiko created a tame tornado that had fire, earth, and water in various forms all swirling in its maw. The cyclone slowly lost its integrity without the individual who'd created it keeping its momentum going, but even as it fizzled away, Jomei couldn't help but feel his mouth fall agape in wonder at the sight.

He'd have to be an idiot to think the show that she'd put on for them was anything less than an incredible display of talent. The fact that it took almost no time at all for Akiko to come up with and execute reminded Jomei of yet another reason why, in another world, his girlfriend may very well have been one of the honored few that made it into U.A. based on recommendation alone. Aside from the series of heavy breaths she had to take to 'cool down' after all the effort she put in with her Quirk, one would've thought that she was a born prodigy with one of the most flexible elemental powers imaginable.

Which, the strain her power placed upon her body aside, she was.

The last embers of Akiko's Quirk debut disappeared, and Dawnbreaker smirked. She'd been pretty quiet while Akiko had focused on showing off her abilities, but it was clear now that the pro was pleased with what she saw. "Now if that was an attack, I'd say that it wasn't all that efficient. The setup has too many steps since you have to have to constantly swap between your Quirk's powers to make it happen, but as a showcase of your talents… I'm impressed. Not many first-years would have the skill to pull something like that off even in a low-stress environment like this. Well done."

Akiko exhaled one last time and bowed her head. "Thank you. You told me I didn't have to do anything complex, but I wanted to show you that I'll put in whatever amount of effort you ask of me for as long as I'm here."

"And that you did." She gestured with her head to tell Jomei to follow her over toward Akiko. "That said, thanks to that up-close and personal performance you just did for me, I was able to see that your breathing was a little labored at the end. Am I right in guessing that you becoming winded like that has something to do with your Quirk?"

"You are," Akiko answered, followed by a tap of her finger onto the gemstone embedded in her chest. "My crystal core here is pretty much everything, in terms of my power. It's the source of my Quirk's strength and also my biggest weakness, since using my power too much puts a lot of strain on both it and my body. Too much and it'll break because of the backlash."

Dawnbreaker raised a hand to her chin. "Which explains what happened at the end of your final fight, and how conservative you were when it came to using your Quirk in the first place. Hm… if possible, could you describe the sensation of the strain it puts on you? I think I might have some advice for you if I can better understand how this whole 'strain' business feels for you."

"It feels like…" Akiko paused. "Tightness. Tightness and oftentimes soreness alongside it. The severity of how bad the feeling is usually helps me gauge if I'm on the verge of getting hurt because I've used my Quirk too much, but sometimes I end up overdoing it anyway without noticing the recoil until later."

Dawnbreaker's hand slipped from her face, eyes widening in quiet realization. "Then, even without having the time to read your Quirk files yet, it sounds like that strain you experience when you use your Quirk could be one of two things. It could be simply a matter of your Quirk being too powerful for your body or, more likely, that sensation you experience when you're overdoing it might be a sign of your crystal core becoming deoxygenated over time."

Jomei's face scrunched up. "How do you figure that?"

"Because Quirks are as much a part of our bodies as they are supernatural abilities," she explained. "My light barriers have always been very durable, but there's never been a time where my body's level of strength hasn't reflected the amount of effort I've had to put in to keep my Quirk going when I'm up against a powerful opponent. If that gemstone within Takara's chest is integrated into her body like any other abnormality caused by the existence of Quirks, it probably has a biological component of some kind in it as well. Unless it's plant-based or photosynthetic, biological things usually require some form of oxygen to continue functioning at their fullest."

Dawnbreaker returned her attention to her other intern. "It's entirely possible that your crystal core just doesn't have an efficient enough system inside it to give itself enough oxygen to keep going for extended periods of time. If that's the case, all you need to do is be mindful of your breathing while you use your Quirk and you should be able to recover from or otherwise circumvent your 'strain' weakness more quickly than you've ever been able to before."

"That makes…" Akiko gazed at the palm of her hand for a second. "So much sense. I've never even thought about that being a possibility! I've always thought of my crystal core as being a part of me but never considered that it might have so much more to it than that! Dawnbreaker!"

While Jomei fought back some surprise at the amount of energy Akiko abruptly managed to exude, Dawnbreaker looked pleased. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you to make a barrier that's strong enough to withstand a sustained fire attack from ruby mode, for me?" Akiko eagerly asked, her hands balled into fists. "This way I can push my power to its limit and test out your advice without damaging your agency! I know it's sudden, but I can't wait until another opportunity shows itself down the line. If this really works, I'll be able to use my Quirk so much more than I've ever imagined!"

Jomei felt his eyes widen. 'I've never seen Akiko so excited about using her Quirk before…'

With a satisfied chuckle, Dawnbreaker grinned. "I mean that's what I'm for, so I suppose I could let you test out this new strategy of yours. Oh, and don't worry about your fire being too strong for my barriers – fire attacks are one of the things my Quirk tends to be super effective against."

"That's good," Akiko sighed in relief as she swapped to ruby mode.

Dawnbreaker held up her hand and used her Quirk once more, this time projecting a barrier easily large enough to prevent whatever attacks Akiko sent its way from spilling over onto anything flammable in the gym. She then looked at her intern. "Go wild, Takara."

All she returned was a nod, and as she readied a fist to lash out with her flames, Jomei found himself in a small degree of awe. No longer did his partner look like she had something to prove to their mentor; instead, she looked like she had something to prove to herself. At that moment, he saw a fiery determination and confidence in her eyes that he'd only rarely seen before.

It wasn't just because of how her eyes had turned shades of red because of ruby mode, either.

Akiko's arm tightened. She took in one last long, steady breath, and threw her fist forward with an impassioned shout. A large cone of fire expanded from the tip of her fist and crashed like a furious wave into Dawnbreaker's barrier. Even used to the warmth of ionized gas around him at all times in combat, the heat that filled the room made Jomei take a step back. Yet the blistering tide didn't end there.

As the unfamiliar look of ironclad concentration on Akiko's face grew more intense, she kept the attack going. Her arm swayed a little in response to the prolonged use of her Quirk, but she persevered, and her tensed shoulders rose and fell as she took in another mindful breath to keep her extended stream going strong. Even so, after a few more deep breaths and what felt like almost a minute of constant intense use of her power later, Akiko finally stopped, and her arm fell like a stone back down to her side.

Dawnbreaker deactivated her Quirk shortly after the last dregs of fire vanished harmlessly into the air. Her gaze then fell on Akiko, whose shoulders heaved gently up and down as she focused on her breathing above all else. On account of his distance from her and her head being angled down, Jomei couldn't quite tell what was running through Akiko's head.

"So Takara," Dawnbreaker started. "You've used your power for an extended period now, which I imagine should've put some strain on that crystal core of yours. How do you feel?"

Akiko tilted her head back up to face them, and what happened next was something Jomei could've never anticipated coming from his partner after she'd used her Quirk as intensely and for as long as she just did.

"I feel… amazing," Akiko said, a smile on her face.

Jomei's jaw dropped. "What? How-"

"So the advice to mind your breathing did help you," Dawnbreakered noted. "Good. But I can't imagine that you're completely fine after taking advantage of this new strategy once. Tell me how you really feel."

"No, I meant it!" Akiko happily insisted. "I feel better than I've ever felt. Sure, my chest is a little sore right now, but every second I focused on my breathing I could feel the strain building up a lot less quickly than before. If I were to have used an attack that was that intense and lasted that long before, I'd still be trying to recover my breath and my crystal core would be really sore right now. Instead it feels like I've rested up for a couple of minutes already when it's only been less than a minute since I did that attack!"

"Which means that you can accelerate your rate of recovery and minimize the rate by which you accumulate stress on your Quirk's source, so long as you remember to breathe," Dawnbreaker pointed out.

Akiko eagerly nodded. "Exactly! It'll take some getting used to and I might have to look into some other breathing exercises so that I can make the most of this new strategy, but still! I have the tools at my disposal to make my Quirk work so much better for me, now. I… it almost makes me feel dumb, that I never realized this was something I could do."

"Well, don't put yourself down like that," Dawnbreaker advised her. "You're here at my agency to better yourself however you can over this next week, and you just took one giant leap forward in terms of your awareness of your limits. Your Quirk might always be limited by that strain factor of yours, but simply putting in the effort to try and overcome your weaknesses already makes you a better potential hero than most."

Immediately, Akiko entered a deep bow. "Yes ma'am! Thank you so much for your help!"

"Hm. I said it before, Takara but I'll say it again. There's no need for you to feel indebted to me, somehow. Your achievements are your own. Never forget that." Dawnbreaker glanced toward the clock over the gymnasium's entrance. She then regarded both of the hopeful heroes-in-training before her, a satisfied look in her eyes. "But at any rate, your training for today isn't over yet. Look around you – this gym is going to be your personal fitness center for the next few hours, and I am going to be your coach. Let's get to it!"

Akiko and Jomei responded in unison. "Yes, ma'am!"

---

What with it being somewhat commonplace for some Pro Heroes to possess a disconnect between themselves when they were in-costume and out, the woman underneath the golden armor of Dawnbreaker wasn't an exception. In her mind, while Dawnbreaker was the outward mask she expressed while on-duty, the born-and-raised American known as Lucas Meridia would always reign supreme away from her heroic activities.

It was because of this disconnect that, after a few more hours of training led her to dismiss her interns to go get washed up and change into whatever they brought with them, Meridia found herself in something of a contemplative mood. Given the context of what company she'd brought into her presence through U.A.'s little week-long internship program, it was no surprise that the subjects of her contemplation were none other than Nishimura and Takara themselves. First and foremost, she decided she'd consider them as what they'd introduced themselves to her – as a cohesive unit.

Because that's exactly what they were. When she'd borne witness to their skills during the Sports Festival, she didn't have the faintest idea that the pair harbored any sort of friendship with one another, but their connection had become readily apparent from the second she overheard their interactions. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that their connection ran far deeper than their being mere colleagues or friends, but that wasn't near as important an observation in her eyes as what she gathered about their personalities.

From first impressions alone, Meridia thought it very likely that both interns had what it took to become true heroes. So long as they persevered with as much passion as they'd shown her over the course of their training today, they'd also be able to gain enough power to be stalwart and noteworthy protectors of peace in Japan.

Yet none of the observations she'd made gave her enough insight into their personalities that she could make any logical assumptions about who her interns really were. What lay at the very core of their being, their motivations, remained an uncertain topic for her consideration. But she could still make some guesses.

One such guess was that Takara was purer than her partner.

For as long as Meridia had known the man that lay hidden beneath the inscrutable and iconic gas mask of Snipe, she'd heard from him time and again that someone's hero costume could reveal a great deal about them. Over time, even if she'd only just met the individual, Dawnbreaker had come to feel that this belief of his held true. As such, part of the reason she'd directed Takara and Nishimura to don their costumes and meet her in the gym was to give herself an opportunity to analyze them without arousing any suspicion. With the amount of time it took them both to reach her gym, Meridia had plenty of time to make sure her subtle investigation bore fruit.

Takara's costume fit her rather well, and not merely due to the form-fitting nature of the material. Insofar as most hero costumes were concerned, Meridia didn't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that Takara's was somewhat normal. It was simple, yet contained a complexity and detail within it that was slightly graceful. Through its unassuming nature, Meridia soon concluded that the simplicity Takara's costume indicated that she wasn't motivated by a lust for fame, fortune, or followers. Compared to the likes of Uwambi or Mt. Lady, whose costumes made it abundantly clear how great their desire for attention was, Takara's costume made her look somewhat like a paragon of the vintage heroic virtues that had seemingly fallen out of style over the years.

Nishimura's costume was decidedly showier. From the thrum of his costume's yellow trim alone, Meridia was able to pick up on this fact. Even with all she'd learned about Nishimura's Quirk over the past few hours, she still saw no practical reason for why he'd include such a flashy and stealth-sabotaging feature in his costume as neon lights. Thus, the only explanation she could come up with was that he'd included the feature so that he could raise his chances of being seen as 'cool' enough to inspire his own supportive little cult of loyal fans following his emergence into the world of pros.

To Meridia, the dichotomy between the pair's costumes was clear. Takara's was simple enough that she could easily be assumed to be a true hero rather than an eager seeker of self-gratification through her work. Nishimura's had been made more complex with the inclusion of its neon light strips so that it could endeavor to make just a few more gullible, impressionable folk fawn over him and his deeds.

Meridia let her head fall back against the wall. God, she really was turning into a teacher. But she couldn't just let her time with them waste away without making some kind of concerted effort to understand them. If she did that, then maybe she could help shape them into even better versions of themselves before their week together was finished.

She'd taken them on, and she'd push them to become better than they once were. Better fighters. Leaders. Heroes.

Even if that meant making them question what they were fighting for.

Out of the corner of her eye, Meridia noticed movement at the end of the hall. Nishimura and Takara emerged around the corner talking about something, but the content looks on their faces only furthered her suspicions that their bond extended beyond mere friendship. Their conversation quickly subsided when they came closer and she finally decided to tilt her head in their direction. Their hair was damp and they'd changed back into their school uniforms, but the rest of their belongings were on their backs.

"Now I know I probably should've asked this when I dismissed you two before, but how're you both feeling?" she asked. "I know constant intensive training can do more harm than good if you're not used to it, and the last thing I want to do is make this internship counterproductive for either of you."

"Oh, I'm feeling fine!" Nishimura assured. "Honestly, I'm still pretty pumped after all we got done today. I mean, yeah, my arms feel a little fizzy from using my Quirk so much, but that's just a sign I'll be even stronger next time!"

"Well, that's a good way of looking at it," she said with a smirk. "What about you, Takara? Is your crystal core bothering you at all?"

Takara shook her head slightly. "Only a little. Compared to some previous training sessions or some of my fights at the Sports Festival, I'm feeling better than ever! It's all because of your advice too, so… thank you for your help!"

"What you've accomplished with your Quirk today is a product of your hard work Takara," Meridia reminded her. "So while it's appreciated, don't feel indebted to me for what you have been able to do for yourself today. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." Meridia pushed off the wall and started walking away from them. "Then follow me. My agency isn't all that showy or fitted with all the latest and greatest tech, but I at least made sure that this place would have a few extra rooms for you to stay in while you're here."

She heard her pair of interns hum an affirmative at the same time. After that, not all that much other than some more logistical points regarding the other intricacies of the internship program was discussed. Given the opportunity she spotted to learn a little more about each of the students in isolation when she introduced them to each of their rooms, she opted to drop off Nishimura in his first. The room was well-lit and probably not as large as what he was used to, but it was clean; and, if the surprised look on his face was any indicator, it was also much more than Nishimura had expected to find in her otherwise-unassuming agency. After a brief goodbye to his friend and another thank-you aimed at his mentor, Meridia left him to his own devices and brought Takara to what seemed to be a carbon copy of Nishimura's room at the other end of the humble hall.

Meridia stepped to the side of the doorframe and gestured inside. "And here we are. I know it might not be spacious, but I was never one to invest too much in luxury when these rooms were only ever meant for short-term stays only. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Takara set her stuff on the floor beside the bed and peacefully looked around the quaint space. "It's not big, but it's not cramped either. Personally, I even think it's really … well, nice. Thank you."

"Hm. You're too kind." Meridia entered and shut the door behind her, though her intern didn't seem to either notice or care enough to react. "I'm beginning to think that's a bit of a trend when it comes to how you treat others, Takara."

She blinked. "How do you mean?"

"All I mean is that even though I've only known you for a few hours, I have a hunch that you give everything you do a real 'plus ultra' job. That you pour your heart and soul into your hero training so that you can help people," Meridia mentioned. "Personally, I find that to be one of the most admirable traits someone can possess. It's made me wonder what's really driven you to try and become a Pro Hero… among other things."

The slightly wary look that appeared in Takara's eyes didn't go unnoticed. "If it isn't too much for me to go ahead and ask… what 'other things' are you referring to? How much do you know about me, exactly?"

"Enough," Meridia said plainly, and she leaned against the doorframe. "I did a little research before either of you arrived and I learned that you have a highly profitable family business you could've involved yourself in instead. It certainly strikes me as the sort of thing that'd be a much safer and more secure career path than hero work can sometimes be."

"You're not wrong about that…" Takara looked down for a moment, as if to gather courage for what she had to say next. "But for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a hero. People like All Might and Thirteen… people like them inspired me to try and help those that can't help themselves as best I can. Even if my Quirk's always made that difficult for me sometimes, I promised myself a long time ago that I'd do my best to be like them."

Meridia didn't respond. Instead, she let the content smile that appeared on her face do all the talking for her. Takara's motivations for the effort she put in to become a hero were as pure as she'd hoped they'd be. Despite the physical setbacks her Quirk had imposed upon her, and would likely continue in some capacity for as long as she fought to protect others, Takara had nothing but the most selfless of intentions when she set herself on the path toward being a pro. Meridia didn't even need to ask her intern anything else to tell that what she'd told her was the truth.

Takara may have come across as many things to her over the past few hours, but someone who'd lie just to ingratiate herself a little further into the heart of the hero who'd taken her under her wing wasn't one.

"Why did you want to know?" Takara asked.

Meridia shrugged. "I was curious, is all. But did you want to know a little more about me in return, then? Make this chat of ours into a little equivalent exchange?"

"That's not necessary," Takara slowly stated. "I don't have any problem telling others why I want to be a hero, but I don't want you to feel like you need to tell me anything about you just because you now know a little bit more about me. To be honest, telling you what I did is the least I could do after you were generous enough to make me your intern."

Meridia stood to leave. "Fair enough. Since it's late and you've worked long and hard today, I'll let you relax until tomorrow. If you get hungry, don't worry about going to the kitchen and fixing up whatever you want. It was stocked up yesterday so that I'd have enough here to feed all three of us for the week."

Given the proximity of Takara's room to her friend's, after she and her student exchanged a pair of temporary goodbyes between one another, it didn't take Meridia all that long to make her way right back over to where she'd left Nishimura behind. She stared at the door to his room for a few seconds as she deliberated what angle of approach she should take to try and make a point to her possibly more problematic pupil. On one hand, she could be stern and scare him into some self-reflection. On the other, she could take a considerably gentler approach and instead try to coax him into a state of mind in which he'd think twice about why he'd fought to get into U.A.

Eventually, Meridia settled on a strategy that made the best of both worlds. Takara may not have wanted to learn more about her past due to some sense of duty and respect for her mentor, but that didn't mean Nishimura wouldn't want to hear the same. If Meridia's first impressions of the boy were worth anything, then she could easily imagine that the tale of the steps she took to get where she was now would be a very sobering wake-up call for the hopeful hero.

She knocked on the door.

From inside the room, she could hear the sound of Nishimura's muffled movement. Another second passed, and the door finally opened. Her intern's surprise at her unexpected return was clear as his eyes widened an almost imperceptible amount.

"Oh, Dawnbreaker. It's… good to see you again?" Nishimura said uncertainly, stuffing his phone into his pocket. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"You could say that," Meridia answered. She kept her expression neutral. "Mind if I come in?"

"Uh, of course!" Nishimura quickly stepped out of the way. "Come on in."

"Thank you. You know, I was talking to Takara just before I came here to you."

"Okay…?" he trailed off.

"You two told me that you were friends, so I think it's safe to assume that you of all people would already know why she wants to be a hero. I spoke to her to find out what her motivations were for myself, and she told me that what drives her is the desire to simply help others."

"Well, if you're wondering if she told you the truth, take it from me when I say that she did. It might be biased of me to say this, but I honestly consider her to be one of the most heroic and selfless people in our class," Nishimura mentioned fondly.

"But what about you?" Meridia asked.

Nishimura abruptly looked at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me. I don't want to beat around the bush with you, Nishimura. In my eyes, you seem like the kind of person who has the potential, determination, and heart to become a true hero, but that alone doesn't assure me that you're in the position to become one if you don't pay close attention to where you're headed." She tried to keep both her tone and expression calm as she spoke. "That's why I want to know what drives you. This isn't me trying to interrogate you. This is me trying to understand you, so that I can figure out if I can give you some words of wisdom that'll help you as much as my advice helped Takara with her Quirk."

"I guess that's fair enough…" Nishimura paused.

As the boy took a moment to bolster his mental fortitude with a few deep breaths, Meridia paid close attention to the look on his face. He tried to hide his unease, but Meridia saw through it and wondered what his next words would be. Meridia was more than intelligent enough to tell when someone wasn't being completely forthright with her.

This would be his moment of truth.

'Be smart about this, Nishimura. It might not be what you expected out of your first day here, but I need to know why you're here. If you're really driven by the desires I think you are… I can't let you make the same mistakes I once did.'

Nishimura looked at her, his calm mask still set on his face. "I want to be like my parents. Both of them. My mom used to be a police officer who went on patrols and helped out with whatever she could until a raid went bad and she lost her ability to walk. My dad's always wanted to be a techno superstar performer and it's only recently that he got his big break. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be like my dad, but after my mom was put in a wheelchair… I wanted to help people, but I didn't want to give up on my dream of being famous like my dad, too. That's why I want to be a Pro Hero. It's always seemed like it'd be the best of both worlds, for me."

For a moment, Meridia didn't respond. Nishimura's intentions for being a hero were reasonable, but within that aforementioned desire of his to gain widespread recognition for his actions, she saw a potential problem. An issue that in no world could she, in good faith, let go unattended or unrecognized. Especially given her own background.

"I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thanks," Nishimura quietly returned.

She inhaled. "Nishimura. Do you know why I became a Pro Hero here? What drives me?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I heard that you were a vigilante at one point, but… no. I don't really know all that much about you. From what I understand, not a lot of people know anything about you."

"Then I have a recommendation for you." Meridia wandered over to the lone desk of the room and spun the wooden chair around before she lowered herself into it. As she propped her sword up against one of the drawers, Nishimura sat down on his bed. His eyes betrayed his cautious curiosity, but he said nothing as Meridia's blue slowly returned to meet his amber.

"I want you to listen very closely, Nishimura. It's time for a history lesson."

---

Authors Note: I think I only narrowly avoided this being the longest chapter of the fic by maybe a few hundred words. Not that I'm complaining; goodness knows that if my chapters get any longer I may have to start splitting them up, lol. But hey! Would you look at that? The totally-cleverly-foreshadowed character I mentioned at the very start of this second season of WFAF has finally shown up! Long ago, I actually only ever intended Dawnbreaker to be a throwaway pro, but as I kept planning further into the future I very rapidly realized that Meridia was a character with far too much potential to be done away with after one arc. Does this mean she's gonna be around for a long time? Yes. In what capacity? Well, we'll have to wait and see.

But you needn't wait to see what her effect on those around her is like. She's got the smarts and the talent to make people improve upon themselves, and Akiko's finally gotten her first power-up of sorts! Granted, it's more of a stamina boost since it allows her to fight longer in sustained fights or recover from them faster, but it's undeniable that this in of itself is an immeasurably important boost to Akiko's abilities. Her Quirk's already super adaptable, so for her to use it more without having to worry about recoil as much is a very important thing. As for Jomei… well, he'll get his own changes too.

No spoilers for the future of which member of the OC duo stands to grow more from this arc just yet, but I'll readily reveal to you all that the next two chapters will broaden the scope of WFAF's world just a tiny bit more than it's been before. Until next time!

PS: Took me a kajillion years, but I finally realized(ish) who my ideal VA for Dawnbreaker would be! At first I was thinking Elizabeth Maxwell, aka Winter Schnee/Midnight, but I sorta landed on the decision that Jennifer Hale, aka FemShep would probably be an even more viable fit. Whatever works, works, eh?