"What are you doing to my classmate and my teacher?" Doko growled, and his voice reverberated across the dome. Kurogiri struggled beneath him.
Shigaraki darted forward towards him, hands outstretched. "Katayama-kun!" Midoriya cried, getting to his feet.
Doko turned toward the hand villain, eyes widened...and an explosion came ripping through the air.
"You're in the way, extra!" Bakugo shouted as he blew Shigaraki sideways. The hand villain slid back, cat-quick, and suddenly Kirishima was there too, flipping in and swinging a hardened fist. Shigaraki darted out of the way.
Kirishima landed, half-pouting. "Damn it! I wanted to look cool!"
Ice spread across the Nomu, going up its arms and legs but stopping before reaching All Might. Doko followed the path of the ice, leading to...Todoroki's foot.
The ice user scratched his ear. "I heard you were trying to kill All Might. What makes you think you could do a thing like that?"
The Nomu's grip loosened, and All Might struggled free, flipping backwards to Todoroki.
Doko looked up at Bakugo. "Help me hold him down!" he told the explosion user, gesturing to Kurogiri's neck brace.
A half second too late, he realised that was probably the wrong thing to say to the hothead, and probably the wrong way to say it...but surprisingly, Bakugo only nodded, his eyebrows angled down in angry determination. "This foggy nobody is their way out. Can't let him get away." He knelt down and held onto the struggling Kurogiri with Doko.
For some reason, Midoriya was crying. "All of you..." he wiped his face off, and looked back toward the other two villains.
The Nomu was still submerged in ice and portals, while Shigaraki stood behind him. "Oh dear," the villain said. "We are in trouble."
Kurogiri tried to move, but Bakugo laid a few small explosions into him. "If you try anything, I'll blow you to pieces," he threatened, smiling sadistically. "You're just what I thought you were, idiot. A physical body hidden behind some foggy portals."
"He might sink through the floor," Doko warned. "He did that earlier, when fighting us."
"Tsk. Don't worry about that, Crackhead. If this fucker so much as twitches, he's dead as rocks."
Doko sweatdropped. "That's not really something a hero would say, right?"
Shigaraki was muttering obsessively to himself. When he turned back to the students, he said one word. "Nomu."
The monster sank out of one portal, standing up backwards out of the other.
Todoroki gasped. "He shouldn't be moving. I broke his body."
"Huh?" Midoriya's face went pale.
The ice on the monster's arm shattered...and red muscle and flesh began to emerge from the socket, regenerating. A new arm.
"His Quirk...wasn't shock absorption?" All Might muttered in disbelief.
Shigaraki cackled. "Oh, it is. But that's not his only Quirk. You see, Nomu has been modified to take you on...at 100 percent."
The five boys gasped. All Might took a single step backward.
Doko froze. He's afraid. Wait...All Might is afraid. What does that mean? What is this?
Shigaraki scratched his neck. "First, we need our ride out of here. Nooomuuu!" The name came out in a singsong way.
The monster dashed forward...right to where Bakugo and Doko were holding down Kurogiri.
Doko teleported backwards and sideways, avoiding the thing's attack, and when the blow landed, a rush of air and dust billowed outward, blowing him back even further. He landed next to Midoriya, Kirishima, and Todoroki.
"You dodged?" Todoroki asked him. "Good work."
The smoke cleared, and they realised Bakugo was next to them as well.
"You too, Kacchan?" Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"Shut the fuck up. I didn't dodge. All Might saved me." Bakugo looked frustrated. He was grinding his teeth.
"Huh?" They looked back toward the scene. Nomu had safely retrieved Kurogiri, and in front of a destroyed wall stood an exhausted, battered All Might.
Holy shit, Doko thought. Midoriya's eyes were filling with tears again.
All Might's voice was shaky, emotional. "That was two children you just attacked. Is no horrible deed off the table for you, villain?"
Shigaraki snarled. "It was to rescue my companion. Would a hero not do the same? These very students have displayed similar aggression. The green-haired one was about to punch me with everything he had. The grey-haired and the blonde were ready to kill my friend here. No one cares when heroes get violent, because it's always to save others. For the greater good." He spat the last few words out mockingly, his voice filled with hatred. "Do you know what? I'm furious. This world deciding that the same sort of acts can be divided into good and bad, when they are all the SAME. They call you the Symbol of Peace, but the violence you enact towards criminals only breeds more violence." Shigaraki tilted his head downward, and Doko saw one psychotic eye peek out behind the hand, gleaming. "When we kill you, the world will know that as the truth."
All Might raised a fist. "You lie with every word. You're just a sadist, villain. And you want to enjoy knocking me down."
"It's three against six," said Todoroki, stepping up.
"And we know their weaknesses," Midoriya muttered.
Kirishima hardened his palms and slapped them together. "If we support All Might, we can win!"
Doko's eyes widened. Are we fighting, then? Is this happening?
"No," All Might told them, holding out a protective arm. "You boys must get away."
"If we hadn't saved you earlier, you would have been in trouble," Todoroki protested.
"You're bleeding," Doko murmured, staring at the pro hero's side. All Might's eyebrows rose at him.
"And besides!" Midoriya cried, "there's almost no ti..." he seemed to cut himself off.
All Might gave them a thumbs up, and smiled. "Young Midoriya, Young Todoroki, Young Katayama...thank you. But...it's fine. It's all going to be alright."
Bakugo growled, and Doko realised they were both thinking the same thing. This isn't a hero doing his thing. This is a grownup lying to children to make them feel better. Or at least, that's what it feels like.
Shigaraki cracked his knuckles. "Nomu, Kurogiri, take on the big oaf. I will dispose of the children."
He was coming for them again, fast as lightning. "Let's do this!" Kirishima declared, holding up his hardened fists. Doko got ready to teleport. Bakugo raised his palms.
Then...All Might ran forward, and met the Nomu head-on.
Everyone besides the two of them was blown back by a shockwave of power. Shigaraki went flipping away, and Kurogiri was thrown backward by the gust of wind, his foggy tendrils flapping and dissipating.
Doko tried to teleport, but found that he couldn't exert any force over his own body. The wind emerging from the two titans fighting was too great. All he could do was brace himself and struggle to stand, next to the other four boys.
"If the Quirk is shock absorption..." All Might rumbled, "...then it has a LIMIT!" He was punching the Nomu over and over and over, at impossible speed.
The boys had been blown out of range. Midoriya was crumbled on the ground, his eyes widening as he watched All Might slowly beat the monster in submission. Doko suddenly felt a rush of energy, energy and hope. He's doing it! He's going to...
"IF YOU CAN TAKE ME ON AT 100 PERCENT, THEN I'll HAVE TO GO BEYOND THAT!" All Might threw the Nomu into the air, and then slammed it down. The monster struggled to its feet, and the Symbol of Peace seemed to conjure up a great energy.
"PLUS..." he punched the thing. "ULTRAAAAA!"
The Nomu went flying up through the dome, blowing out through the upper glass, and beyond that until it was a speck on the horizon. The whole structure of the USJ rumbled for a full minute, the reverberations of the impact. Doko cringed and braced himself, waiting for it to subside next to the other boys.
As it calmed down, smoke billowed around All Might. The five of them watched in shock. The hero was bloodied, his shirt torn. And yet...he was still smiling. "I really have gotten weaker," he told them, almost in a joking tone. "In my prime that would have taken about five hits, instead of nearly three hundred."
Across the way, Shigaraki was babyraging, scratching his neck obsessively. "He cheated! This can't be happening! I don't believe it! Do you see that, Kurogiri? He's not any weaker. Were we lied to?"
"What happened to all of your bravado, villain?" All Might smirked. "Come and get me if you can."
Doko relaxed, and Todoroki seemed to as well. "It seems he has it handled. There is no need for us to fight."
"Yeah, let's get moving before we get taken hostage or something," said Kirishima. Him and Todoroki began to walk back toward the steps. Doko followed them, and then Bakugo, more reluctantly.
Is this what the world of heroism is really like? he wondered. I mean, obviously All Might is the best, but...could I ever reach those levels? Doko couldn't deny that the display had been inspiring, but...it still felt like it was way beyond him. This whole situation is insane, and I am in over my head. I still don't think racing for the top is a good idea. This is what you got when you were at the top. An entire group of villains obsessed with killing you.
Doko noticed that someone wasn't walking with them. He turned. "Midoriya?" The green-haired boy was still standing there, watching All Might stand in that cloud of smoke. "Guys, hold up! Midoriya's not...what the hell is his problem?"
Bakugo clicked his teeth. "He's an obsessed loser who worries about everything, and right now he's trying to be the center of attention. Let's just leave him, come on."
"Bakugo..." Kirishima frowned.
Doko looked back at the explosion user, confused. "We can't do that."
The villains were having a conversation. Meanwhile, some of the League's underlings were beginning to stir. They were closing in on Midoriya and All Might.
"We have to go," said Todoroki.
Doko crouched. "I'll get him. It will only take a second." I can do this much. I can. Right now, he was standing next to the guy who had beaten him in the battle trial, and two others who had finished above him in the Quirk assessment. He couldn't deny that he wanted to prove himself. But also...Midoriya came last in that assessment.
The villains were rushing toward All Might now, and Midoriya seemed ready to take a action.
But he beat Bakugo in the trial! I may not want to be the best myself, but I want the other students to succeed too. Midoriya has so much potential...
He warped forward, ignoring Kirishima's protests.
...I can't let him throw his life away!
He reached the other boy in a flash, grabbing him right before he could launch using his Quirk. Midoriya fell backwards into him, shocked from being stopped so suddenly. He turned and looked, surprised. "Katayama?"
"You were about to break your legs again, weren't you? That's not going to help anything." Some of the minor villains were closing in. "Come on. You've had every chance to get out of here and you keep running back into danger. I don't know if you have a death wish or what, but I'd like to keep you alive, thanks. So let's go."
Midoriya's eyes filled with tears. "Katayama...but, All Might's..."
They turned back to look. As Shigaraki and Kurogiri reached the Symbol of Peace...gunfire ripped through the air.
Shigaraki's hands erupted with blood, and the two villains fell back.
Doko and Midoriya's heads whipped around to look up the steps. A masked man in a cowboy hat fired more shots, hitting several of the League underlings as they tried to attack.
Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"Huh?" Doko raised his eyebrows. "What's happening?" Are those more villains?
"It's the pro heroes!"
"Sorry we're late!" a voice squeaked, and Doko gasped when he saw that it was coming from an animal, riding on one of the heroes shoulders. There were at least a dozen of them, and in front of them was Iida. "I've brought help, everyone!" The class rep shouted.
Doko and Midoriya retreated back to where the other boys were. The League minions tried to attack the heroes, but several of them charged, using their powers and dispatching the villains easily. Doko saw an alien-looking man eject slime from his mouth that turned into clones of himself. And there was Present Mic! He shouted a "YEEEEEEAHHH!" into the enemy ranks, causing them all to cringe into submission.
The boys began to run up the steps, back to safety. Doko saw Mina first, and then Sero and Sato, holding up Thirteen. Next to them was the cowboy hero. "DOKKUN!" Mina shouted.
The cowboy hero fired more shots into Shigaraki, and Kurogiri swept outward to protect him, putting a foggy barrier up. "We must capture them!" the hero said.
"I've got it." Thirteen's voice! They were okay! They opened their finger valves and sent out another Black Hole, but Shigaraki was already backing into the warp gate...and then it closed. They were both gone.
Stunned, the hero lowered his gun. Thirteen stopped their attack. "They...got away."
The animal looked at Present Mic and a few other heroes. "Go fetch the remaining students and bring the villains into custody. They will be scattered throughout the zones."
"Understood."
"Heard ya loud and clear!"
"Got it."
"Erm..." Doko leaned toward Mina. "Who is that...rodent?"
She gave him a look. "That's Nezu, the principal."
"...bullshit."
"They got away..." said Uraraka, staring off into the distance. Midoriya and Kirishima looked similarly pensive. Bakugo seemed upset.
"After they made such a show of trespassing, those two managed to escape, huh?" Midnight strutted her hip out to one side.
"They caught us off guard," the hero who was carrying Nezu mumbled. Doko was fairly certain he was the 1-B teacher, actually.
The furry principal stepped down to the ground. "Our priority is ensuring the safety of the students. We will catch what villains we can, of course." He was smiling and upbeat the whole time.
Doko's eye twitched as he stared at the principal. "I am uncomfortable," he muttered. Mina giggled.
Midoriya was still staring off in the distance, where the cement teacher guy had put up a wall in front of All Might, who'd still been standing there. What's all that about?
The other students on the steps were now talking, as the pro heroes got to work on the cleanup. Uraraka was explaining what else had happened excitedly to Iida. Bakugo was shouting at Kirishima and Todoroki for something. Aoyama was trying and failing to get the attention of Sato. Sero and Shoji were listening to Tsuyu recount what had happened to her at the shipwreck. "Let's go join them," Doko said.
"Hey, Dokkun?" Mina asked, dragging her toe along the floor in circles.
"I'm kinda getting tired of the nickname. You can just call me Doko." He stopped and looked at her. "Is there a problem? Besides the horrifying villain attack we just suffered through, of course?"
"Well...I am worried about Thirteen and Aizawa-sensei, but also..." Mina actually grinned, although it was weaker than her usual. "Doko, why'd you go back down there? You had me...us...worried sick."
Doko opened his fist, and then closed it, tighter. "I guess I'll just be frank with you. That portal guy...Kurogiri...he taunted me. He tried to get me to join their side."
Mina's jaw dropped in shock. "Are you serious? I figured it was because you had similar Quirks, but..."
"I suppose that was the reason. But...I don't know. I thought Midoriya was a fool for charging in the way he did, and I still think that. Only...when I saw that Kurogiri had trapped All Might, something changed. I didn't like seeing him get away with that. I wanted to stop him." Doko swallowed, suddenly unsure, unsteady. "I don't know what came over me."
"Well, whatever it was..." Mina swayed toward him with a grin and suddenly placed a hand on his chest. "It was pretty heroic."
Doko blushed. "I thought I'd worried you."
"You did. I suppose it would have been better if you'd let me come too. Then I could have made sure you stayed out of too much trouble."
"I had the strongest guys in the class with me. Plus, I wasn't exactly stopping you from coming along."
"Are you kidding? How was I supposed to keep up?"
"I dunno," Doko shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard to keep up with you. It's only fair that I get to return the favour."
She laughed, and then sighed, her black-and-gold eyes looking right into his. Doko felt his face heating up, but he made every effort to maintain eye contact. "Your hand is still on my chest," he pointed out.
"Huh? Oh!" She jumped back, suddenly flushing lilac. "...Sorry, I didn't realise." She broke first, looking away from him sheepishly.
The other students had been gathered up. "Toru!" Mina declared, suddenly breaking off and heading to the edge of the steps.
Class 1-A reunited there, most of them smiling with weary relief that they were all okay. There were a few notable exceptions. Midoriya, Bakugo, et cetera.
Shoji, Sero, Doko, Tsuyu, and Mina all gathered around Hagakure. "We're so glad you're okay," Mina told her.
"Right back atcha! I was with Ojiro-kun, so I had nothing to worry about! He was going ham in the fire zone!"
Sero looked over to the tail Quirk user, who was scratching his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I may have gotten carried away..."
"Ye, ye," Kaminari squeaked, giving everyone a thumbs up.
"What the hell happened to him?" Doko asked.
Jiro rolled her eyes, flanked by Yaoyorozu. "Overcooked himself. We had to save him from another villain."
"Actually, it was Snipe who saved us, with those shots," Yaoyorozu corrected, placing a prim hand on her chest. "Without that, we would have been toast for sure."
"Yeah, whatever."
"I was with monsieur Midoriya and mademoiselle Asui in the shipwreck zone!" Aoyama sang, twirling. "We all shined brightly, and disposed of the enemy, mmhmm!"
Tsuyu glanced at him flatly. "Midoriya pretty much came up with everything, ribbit."
Aoyama's smile seemed to tremble a moment, but then he just twirled away instead.
"...and then Doko said something like, what are you doing to my teacher, as he slammed the portal guy into the ground!" Kirishima was recounting the details of the fight with the main villains to the other students.
"Yeah..." Jiro stuck a finger in her ear, grimacing. "We all kinda heard that part."
Doko's face darkened. Did my voice teleport again?
"But anyway!" Kirishima waved his arms. "Me and Bakugo swooped in on the hand guy, making him squirm a little...well...he may or may not have dodged us, but...then Todoroki nearly got rid of that big monster himself! The one that ALL MIGHT had trouble with!"
"Wow!" Uraraka held her fists up, dazzled.
"Nice." Sato gave a thumbs up.
"Attention, students?" It was the principal. "If we could have you gather outside, please?"
...
The police had arrived, and were taking all the captured villains into custody, including the Nomu. It had been found in the forest, and was now completely docile. It allowed itself to be cuffed and taken in.
The adults explained the situation. Other than some bruises and scratches, all the students were fine. Aizawa was badly injured, but would survive. So would Thirteen and All Might. Doko could tell that Mina was relieved after hearing that; in fact, she almost went straight back to her usual self.
Kaminari returned to a normal state, and many of the students began discussing what all had happened in groups.
"Katayama, Sero," Shoji said, putting hands on both boy's shoulders. "We made a good team."
"I helped, too!" Mina exclaimed, butting in. "And so did Ura...oh she's over there, talking to Iida and Midoriya."
"It is frustrating, though," Sero smiled sadly. "If we'd held on to the portal guy, they would have caught everyone. But the boss guy slipped away."
"...that's why I went after him, instead of staying with you guys," Doko confessed. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"It's alright, dude," Sero reassured.
Shoji nodded. "Indeed. It may have been a different story had you injured yourself, but you came out fine."
"That's because All Might was there!" Mina proclaimed, pumping her fist. "Ain't none of us students getting hurt on his watch!"
"Ha...yeah..." None of you were close like I was. For a moment there...it seemed like All Might was the one who needed help, not us kids.
"Hey, Katayama?" Doko turned. It was Midoriya.
"Hmm? One second, guys." Doko held up a finger to his friends, and then allowed the green-haired boy to pull him aside.
"Th-thanks," Midoriya stuttered. "For stopping me from jumping in and breaking my legs."
"Huh? I honestly thought you might have been mad at me for holding you back. Maybe if the pro heroes hadn't come when they did, your action would have made a difference there, but...I don't know."
Midoriya frowned. "Well, the villains were about to attack All Might...but thank you, seriously. I'd be in one of those ambulances if it wasn't for you."
Doko shifted uncomfortably. "Anyone could have done it. I was just the guy with the right power." And that's why I'm here.
The green haired boy beamed, suddenly. "That's right! Taking responsibility for your what's within your power...is what being a hero is all about!"
"Ha...yeah." That had fired him up, for some reason. "Just...hey, try not to charge in so recklessly again. If your attack had failed, you'd have been dead on the ground. It didn't matter if you'd managed to buy All Might any time or not. I realise you're a fan of the guy, but...damn." Apparently Midoriya had been really moved by his "guy with the right power" comment, because he was still smiling, and tearing up. "Also...maybe work on the crying, a little..." Doko nervously patted the other boy on the shoulder. "I'm gonna head back now."
Midoriya sniffed, wiping his face. "Right."
"Alright, everyone!" The lead detective announced. "You're heading back to the classroom! Sansa, I have some business at the nurse's office. Take over here."
Another policeman who was literally a cat saluted him. "Yessir."
"It's a cat," Mina commented, disquieted.
"Indeed." Doko nodded sagely. What's with the animals?
...
Principal Nezu stood at the edge of the steps, looking out over the wreckage. Next to him on either side were Snipe and Midnight.
"The two that got away were the most dangerous," the cowboy hero said. "I shot a whole bunch into one of 'em, though. He'll be sulking and pained for a while."
"The other, the one with the portal Quirk..." Midnight frowned. "Warping and teleportation-type Quirks are already extremely rare. But for one to manifest in a suddenly active villain, so soon after we have a new student with one? It...unsettles me."
The new student. The first year with the warping Quirk. Doko Katayama, his name was. Nezu chewed on his thoughts for a moment.
"We will be needing to improve our security system," he said aloud, gesturing to the ruins. "Clearly, these past two incidents have proved that. I believe we can also proceed to the possibility that there is a traitor within the school."
The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees. Snipe shuddered. "You can't mean..."
"Did the detective say he was questioning students?" Nezu asked.
"Hmm? I believe so, yes. Just after they've had some time to recover from the shock of the attack," Midnight told him.
"The boy with the warping quirk..."
"Katayama," she supplied. "Tall for his age, that one. And not bad looking." She had a glint in her eye. Snipe have her a glare. "According to Thirteen," the cowboy hero said, "the boy spent a great deal of time being singled out by the portal villain. He was saved by his friends."
Nezu's eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. "Ensure that the police question him. And at some point, I'd like to speak with him myself."
...
Doko arrived home exhausted. As he opened the door, he suddenly became acutely aware that yes, his parents existed. How would they react to this? Would they figure the attack as some excuse to pull him out of UA?
"You're back," his mother said when he entered the kitchen. She was cleaning the counter with a neutral expression. "That took a while."
"Ah yes, I was...held up a bit." What the FUCK? She literally doesn't know about it! Of course his parents barely watched the news, but surely the school had called? Were they ignoring calls from his school?
In any case, Doko wasn't about to mess up the situation any more than he had to.
"Well, I'm glad you're back now." She dropped the rag onto the counter and indicated for him to take over cleaning. "Hurry up with dinner. Your father will be home soon."
Later that night, Doko was laying in bed, thinking about everything that had happened, when he suddenly received a notification on his new phone.
"Hmm?" He picked it up and looked at it.
Toru Hagakure added Doko Katayama to the group
?: yo!
?: He's here. Is that everyone?
Toru: yep!
Doko's eyes widened. He'd been added to a group chat. Five others were within.
Toru: so basically katayama-kun this is a group chat for our lunch table. sorry you were added last, but no one else besides me knew your number
Doko: that's fine. who's who? I can add you lot to my contacts
?: im sero
?: Shoji here.
?: queen mina, at ur service!
?: Ribbit.
Doko added the four numbers in. He hoped they'd do the same for him.
Doko: got everyone. thanks
Toru Hagakure renamed the group to 1-A's Cool Lunch Club ft. Cloak and Dagger
Hanta: why
Tsuyu: every group chat must have a wacky name that changes every few hours. this is required
Doko: oh, the humanity
Mina: what is cloak and dagger
Mina: i dont get it
Toru: katayama, would u like to explain?
Doko: not in the slightest.
Toru: ok since katayama is being LAAAAME
Toru: me and him introduced ourselves as cloak and dagger. on the first day of class.
Hanta: oh, i remember that now. me and kaminari thought you guys were just idiots
Hanta: but i kinda get it now
Mina: KAMINARI thought they were idiots?!
Mina: who is he to talk
Hanta: lol did you see what his quirk did to him after the attack today
Mezo: I saw that. It seemed...unpleasant.
Tsuyu: perhaps we ought not to joke about the attack. no offense or anything sero
Hanta: oh fair enough yeah
Hanta: my b
Doko: some people deal with trauma through humor
Toru: like you for instance?
Doko: don't attack me like this
Doko: im the dagger, remember? you just handle the cloaking
Toru: i cannot make other people invisible, unfortunately
Doko: just like i cant teleport other people. our quirks are kinda similar huh
Mina: didnt u tell me u teleported a lizard one time?
Doko: yea but its tail fell off. not eager to test it on a human.
Toru: tsuuuuu
Toru: do ur limbs grow back
Toru: is that a frog thing
Tsuyu: if only the world were so kind.
Hanta: careful, though. in an urge to make katayama realize his full potential, aizawa may make him test his shit on other classmates
Doko: id straight up refuse
Doko: no meme
Mezo: Speaking of which, I do hope Aizawa-sensei will be alright. He seemed to be the worst off.
Mina: the detective guy said hed recover
Mina: i mean i was worried earlier but thinking on it its not like he needs to be completely better just to teach class
Mina: if ya know what i mean
Hanta: ye i get it. any long term effects of the injuries might affect his hero work but he can still teach and everything
Doko: does he even still operate as a hero? ik that all might still does, and some of the other teachers, but what about him
Mezo: I am unsure.
Tsuyu: he was an underground hero to begin with
Tsuyu: perhaps we'll never know.
Hanta: maybe he fights crime at night instead. since he has to teach us during the day
Hanta: that's why he always looks like he's about to pass the hell out
Tsuyu: that would certainly explain the sleeping bag.
Toru: adulting seems harrrrd
Toru: i feel bad that it was just the adults that got hurt. i mean, all of us students came out fine.
Doko: excuse me
Doko: i scraped my elbow
Doko: i am in excruciating pain how dare you
Mina: shutup
Doko: sorry, miss
Mina: anyway to answer your question toru
Mina: were super strong and awesome! so we put up a good fight!
Mezo: I agree, somewhat. Had we been completely passive and out of the fight as some of the adults might have liked us to be, things may have turned out far worse.
Hanta: yea, thats right. iida really came through by warning the school. mvp moment right there
Hanta: plus, we saved thirteen. and aizawa.
Tsuyu: All Might saved Aizawa
Tsuyu: you had very little to do with it
Hanta: ok well we carried him to safety
Toru: dont forget todoroki and them going in to help all might! he iced that big monster, and they all got really close to the main guy!
Hanta: oh yeah, bakugo and kirishima and them
Doko: hi. i was there too.
Doko: all might was down there with us, so there was never any real danger. I think.
Hanta: oh yeah you did go down with them
Hanta: and midoriya, too. he seems kinda unstable that guy
Mezo: But powerful. He has a lot of power. The potential to be up there with Bakugo and Todoroki if he manages to stop hurting himself.
Toru: mannnn that is a scary top three right there
Toru: i feel kinda inadequate. i mean, kirishima seems pretty down to earth, but then there's yaoyorozu...you boys haven't had to be in the same locker room as her. she's scaryyyyy
Toru: the whole top of the class is scary. i feel much better with us average people
Toru: meaning no offense to anyone!
Doko sat back from the group chat for a moment. I was down there with who she'd call the top of the class. I faced the greatest danger. Heck, I saved Midoriya twice! And yet...I'm just being swept under the rug, for some reason. Even by my own friends?
Hagakure meant well, though. Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to be at the top anyway. After having seen the villains target All Might so desperately...maybe it was better to be under the radar.
Another notification appeared on his phone, separate from the group chat. It was from Mina. Just Mina.
Mina: dont mind me or the acid shoes. im just using them to sliiiiide into ur dms
Doko: begone seductress
Doko: also, that line was awful. like, really. i hated it.
Mina: i know
Mina: i got excited about the concept and kinda botched the execution
Mina: but anyway i wanted to ask you something outside the group setting
Doko: ask away
Mina: r u not frustrated that toru's kinda discounting you?
Mina: and the others too kinda
Doko: nah. they all mean well. these are early friendships we've formed here and im not really trying to toss some tension in there that quickly
Doko: besides i gave it some thought and its probably better not to be too noticed
Doko: especially after today.
Mina: iiiii mean i see where ur coming from
Mina: but later on itll help a lot to be up at the top with todoroki and bakugo and them
Mina: gets you agency dealings and stuff
Mina: thats why im trying to aim for the top!
Doko: well, that and you like to be the center of attention.
Mina: i wont deny it
Mina: but anyway wyd rn?
He had to briefly break away from the convo to ask his sister the meaning of "wyd".
Doko: just sitting in bed. how about you?
Mina: saaaaaame. normally id be gaming n stuff, but im just super exhausted
Doko: you play video games?
Mina: yep! massive gamer girl alert
Doko: thats not as appealing to me as it may be to some other boys
Mina: do u not play games at all?
Doko: nope. dont own any.
Doko: well, my sister might. i dont know
Mina: nerd. imagine reading
Mina: couldnt be me
Doko: well, i'm pretty tired too. hope you don't mind if i go on to sleep.
Mina: nah i dont mind! i might try and do the same
Mina: gn doko
Doko: night mina. it was nice talking with ya
He shut his phone off and laid back in bed. I just texted a girl! For the first time ever! And she had initiated it, too.
He thought back to a few of the moments they'd shared in USJ. At first, he'd thought Mina was just messing around with flirting, like Toru had done a couple of times, but now he wasn't so sure.
And he'd started to think about how she looked. Pretty. And cute. She's...really cute.
Oh no. No no no.
Doko put his face in his hands. As much as he'd wanted to focus on just hero training...he'd fallen for a girl.
I am well and truly hopeless.