Before we begin just a big thanks to everyone for the support and feedback. Means a lot!
I also realised that I never gave Doko's sister a name...whoops. It'll be revealed here.
We are now in season 2. New arc, new chapter! Begin!
The day after the USJ attack was a day off. When Doko woke up, he saw an array of messages he'd missed in the group chat. Nothing overly important. Something about the news cycle delaying televised reports on the incident until today. Mina and Hagakure were excited about seeing themselves on TV, as the special report was supposed to happen tonight. Whatever. Doko yawned and got out of bed.
Oh. Another private message from Mina? It had been sent at three in the morning. What in the hell was she doing up so late? I thought she was sleeping?
Mina: yo doko weve got a day off. u gonna be up to anything in particular?
Doko typed out a one-word response: "chores."
His afternoon had a chance of being free depending on his parents' moods, but if it did, he wanted to use it revisit the underground Quirk training place. Just to let everyone there know how he'd been doing. Not like he wanted to actively avoid Mina or anything, but still.
As he went downstairs, Doko impulsively checked his phone to see if she'd replied. There goes that crush again. It was morning, and his feelings certainly hadn't faded. If she catches wind of this, she'll think I'm a creep! She must suspect nothing. I've got to play hard to get.
With that being said, if Mina WAS trying to invite him out somewhere, he had no idea how he'd react.
Of course she hadn't replied yet, though. Doko made an educated guess that Mina was probably not a morning person, and it was only 7:30. She was passed out, more than likely.
His mother was downstairs in the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow when she spotted him. "Oh good, you're awake. Get your father's coffee ready before you leave for school, he has to go to work soon."
Before you leave for...Doko's eyes widened. She doesn't know I have the day off. That means...under the guise of going to school, he could go out into town and do whatever he wanted! Got to be careful about it though. They can't suspect anything.
"Yes ma'am, right away." Doko got to work on coffee and breakfast, as his mom set the table. The two of them were alone in the room for several minutes, quietly attending to chores.
Doko's face twitched. This normally did not happen. His father was sleeping in a bit, apparently. Being alone with one of his parents for an extended period of time...he became acutely aware of the silence.
"So," his mom said, causing him to start. "How is that hero school coming along? What sort of things are you learning?"
Doko realised he'd begun to sweat. "Uhh...you know. There's facilities on campus that recreate disaster or battle situations. We kind of practice in those."
"Hmm. Is that for the full day, or...?"
"Oh no no no. Most of the day is in normal classes and stuff. Math, history, English, that sort of thing."
"Good. At least they know what's important. I suppose it's more like university, where you might take one class just for fun but the rest are all the required work."
"I...I s-suppose it is." Sure, Mom, keep talking out of your ass why don't you. His parents were at least consistent with their horribly skewed priorities. The hero class was obviously not just for fun. His dear mother had it all backwards.
His father came in soon after, and then his sister. She gave him a strange look upon entry that he didn't understand, but he ate breakfast anyway, not paying her much attention.
His father looked at his watch. "Erm...Doko? Don't you have school soon?"
"Huh?" Shit! I've got to make it look authentic! "You do have a point. Look at the time. Well, I'll be going now, family."
He made a show of grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. Halfway off the threshold, an arm grabbed him.
Panic shot through him like lightning. Oh god it's dad and he figured it out somehow he figured it out...but the grip was far too light. He turned. It was his sister.
"What is it, Akane?" he asked. "I kinda have to get to school..."
"No you don't." Her eyes were filled with worry. "There's no way you have school today." She held up her phone. On the screen was a written article...about the USJ attack.
Doko gulped. I am an absolute knobhead. Mom and Dad don't have social media, but she does. Of course she found out.
"Why didn't you t-tell me?" Akane asked, clearly hurt about it. "I was really w-worried."
"Uhh...see," Doko scratched his head. "For one, I didn't really know how they would react to it, and for two, well...I kinda forgot. I forgot that you even existed, in all honesty. I'm sorry, Akane. The past twenty-four hours have been sort of intense."
"I can tell." She sighed. "I guess this is what you signed up for, though. It says only teachers were hurt, but...Doko, that's scary. You faced off against supervillains, for crying out loud! You can't just keep quiet about that stuff!"
"I haven't been," he said shortly. "I've been talking with my classmates about it. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to class. Where are you off to?"
"Don't tell Mom and Dad." He winked.
Akane grinned. "Fine. I guess you've earned a day off. Have fun."
...
Detective Tsukauchi stood in the center of the room. Around the edge was a rectangular table, where the pro heroes All Might, Vlad King, Snipe, and Midnight sat. As well as the principal of UA, Nezu.
"We've arrested 72 villains so far," said the detective. "They all have small back-alley backgrounds. Crooks, essentially. In today's hero-saturated society, it is no wonder they were drawn to a blatantly evil organisation such as the League."
"Their leader, Shigaraki..." All Might, in his emaciated form, stated. "...he exhibited immature behaviour, like that of a man-child."
"A powerful manchild," said Vlad King.
"The Quirks of Shigaraki and Kurogiri are not in the registry, and searching up their names has been a dead end," said Midnight. "If they were raised outside society, then this leader may not have been given the training that other children received in primary school."
"Leading to a more immature outlook on Quirks and their place in society," Nezu provided. "Yes, indeed...but I find it difficult to imagine such a man managing to recruit so many minor villains for the attack, even if the circumstances in the underworld were ripe for it. He must have had guidance of some kind. Like we teach our students, Shigaraki may be a student of evil."
"Kurogiri, perhaps?" Snipe suggested. "He protected Shigaraki from my bullets like one might protect a child or a student."
"Hmm...I doubt it," All Might muttered. "Kurogiri was obeying orders, not giving them." Nezu's prospect of Shigaraki having a master of some kind bothered him more than he could say. It couldn't be. He can't be back. It's impossible.
The detective cleared his throat. "No matter how this man managed to recruit so many underlings, he will likely to attempt to do so again. We're going to be questioning our prisoners, and sweeping potential areas for small-time villains to operate, starting today. Suspected illegal training facilities, that sort of thing. Find out anything we can about how large this League's network has grown under our nose. If we're lucky, we might even get a lead toward their secret base."
"That all sounds wonderful, detective," said Nezu. "Thank you for your hard work, and for your time."
Tsukauchi nodded, and with a brief glance at All Might, took his leave of the room.
"D'you reckon he'll have to start from scratch?" Snipe asked. "After he recovers from what my bullets did, that is. I wonder if he's got more minions back at his base, or if he'll have to start recruiting again immediately."
"I doubt there are any more," said Vlad King. "The attack was of the variety that everything hinges on. He threw all of his cards into that one plan."
"In any case, he may still have a minion left," said Nezu, narrowing his eyes. "Inside this school."
...
Mina had apparently woken up by 10:30, because it was at that point that she finally replied to his message.
Doko stepped out of the middle of the sidewalk and leaned against a shop window to check his phone. He'd been sort of wondering aimlessly around the nicer districts of town for a few hours, popping into a couple of stores, not really looking to buy anything. But he planned to visit the facility before grabbing lunch.
Mina: awww damn. was hoping u could join me n tsu and mayb toru to just hang out later this afternoon
Doko half-smiled. Mina HAD been trying to invite him to do something, but...with some other people. Oh well. That was better than nothing, right? And it didn't make him feel weird or creepy for saying yes.
Doko: well, my workload is actually pretty light today. i'll be free for lunch if you lot wanna grab somethin and then we can hang out until 4ish
Around four was usually when he returned home from school. Any later and his parents might suspect something.
Mina replied back after about two minutes.
Mina: that sounds great! we'll just meet at u and toru's train station, she'll be there too. does 12:30 sound good?
Doko: works for me
He'd have to hustle a bit, since the Quirk facility was kinda far away, in a seedier area of town. But it'd be possible.
Doko: say, why didn't we just plan this in the group chat?
Mina: idk lol
Mina: it kinda seemed like it'd be a girls thing. but i figured i may as well invite u too. tsu and toru are fine with it
Doko: why not invite sero and shoji? I feel bad leaving them out...
Mina: idk. seems like its still kind of a girls thing.
Doko: fair enough then.
He briefly flashed back to his and Sero's conversation during the battle trial, how Sero had suggested that he only hung out with girls. Back then, it'd seemed like the connotation had been that Doko was some sort of slut, with a harem of women. But now? It's taking on a new meaning. I'm being invited to a thing that was meant to be girls only, and Mina said she "may as well" invite me. That means...oh no.
The unthinkable had happened. Doko had been labeled in their minds as...one of the girls.
He actively facepalmed, catching the attention of some pedestrians. Was it better than being friendzoned? Maybe. Maybe not.
The thoughts were worrying enough to the point that Doko considered saying no to the plans. But he'd already said yes...and he didn't want to flake out on Mina like that. I don't want to play THAT hard to get.
As his feet led him down a familiar path onto dirtier, narrower streets, Doko kept thinking. What is it that I like about Mina anyway? I mean, she's really cute...that's what I thought last night before suddenly labeling my feelings as a "crush." But what is a crush anyway? Do I not really understand what's happening here?
He thought he'd had crushes on girls before, but that was different. It had been in elementary and middle school, and nothing had ever come of them. Had his brain tricked him into thinking he had a crush just because they'd been through a life-or-death situation? Plus one practice life-or-death situation, if you counted the entrance exam. And just because they'd happened to share a few weird moments during those?
In the end, Doko reached the training building without coming up with any kind of answer. I suppose the best way to find out would be to spend more time with her...which I have made plans to do, this very day! Ha! Doko, you are a genius!
The unofficial Quirk facility was an old gymnasium, made of brown bricks and browner windows. On outsider's glance, there was definitely no one in there, ever. But Doko knew better.
He walked in, and there was old Simon, sitting in a metal chair in the entryway. Beyond was the open gym, mostly in warm darkness with a single yellow light beam spreading over a dusty boxing ring. Within, two guys were facing off, and other people were conversing in the shadows, laughing, talking casually. The atmosphere was normal, cordial.
Simon stood up from his chair. "Well, if it ain't Katayama!" he shook the boy's hand with his own wrinkled, bony one. Simon was a hunchbacked fifty-something who'd moved to Japan from America when he was twenty-two and had quickly run out of money. Somehow he'd gotten around to managing this gym for people who wanted to practice their Quirks on the downlow. His scraggly beard was more salt than pepper, and he'd tell his life story to anyone who'd ask...the details of which often seemed to change.
"Hey, Simon." Doko smiled at the guy. He was a nice enough guy, although something about him made one uneasy.
"Haven't seen you in a while, yknow. Heard ya went off to UA."
"I did. That's why I've not come back, and...honestly, this'll be my last visit. I'm just here to pick up some stuff and let you know I won't be coming back."
"Oh, for sure. You traded old Simon's facilities for them shiny professional ones. Anyone would make the same choice, I reckon." He spat. Doko flinched, knowing that spitting was kind of a rude gesture, especially in the West. See how he makes you uneasy?
Then Simon smiled, cackling. "Oh, I'm just messin' with ya. Another UA boy came by sayin' the same thing actually. Although I think he's stayin' for a bout before leavin' forever."
"Oh, is Bakugo here?" Doko craned his neck to look out into the open gym. Sure enough, Bakugo was standing outside the ring, watching the current battle. He'd be up next.
Simon raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I guess that's his name. You two in the same class up there?"
"...Yeah." Unfortunately.
Doko walked on through the gym, briefly greeting some guys he had known as he passed them. He went to the far end under the old bleachers, where a few dusty lockers were kept.
It'd be perfectly valid if someone had stolen his shit, but it was still here. One of his hoodies, and a couple of paper and makeshift masks he had tried to use for fighting with his Quirk in the ring. Before I got the metal one. He folded and pocketed the masks, and tied the hoodie around his waist.
He passed Bakugo on his way out, and the blonde explosion user noticed him. "Crackhead," he sneered.
"Yo. Taking advantage of the day off? Getting some extra work in?"
Bakugo's face took on a complicated expression, as if he wasn't quite sure whether or not to be rude. He doesn't know what to make of me, Doko realised. He's sizing me up. They had never actually fought each other in the ring before, and rarely came at the same times, even.
The blonde settled on a sadistic smile. "You know it, warp wacko. This'll be my last time coming here, though. It ought to be yours too if you know what's good for you."
"Yeah, I'm just picking up some stuff. We really can't be seen here now that we're training to be heroes. I'm glad that you of all people understand that."
Bakugo's face twisted. "The hell does that mean? Me of all people?"
Doko narrowed his eyes. "I haven't forgotten how you threatened Kurogiri's life, or tried to convince me to leave Midoriya behind."
Bakugo seemed like he was going to blow up for a moment, but then he settled, cooling it...and grinned. "I saw you right before I came into the battle, Crackhead. You were threatening that warp gate's life right there with me, don't even try to deny it. You had revenge intent in those stupid purple eyes. And don't lecture me about bloody Deku. That's something you know NOTHING about, and could never understand."
Doko flushed red. He'd gotten him with the Kurogiri thing. "Yeah. Okay. Whatever."
Bakugo shrugged. "Hey, I don't judge. Just calling you out on some hypocrisy is all. You sure you don't wanna go a round?" he asked, holding up his palms. "This'll be our only chance to go all out without a teacher watching."
"Can't. Meeting up with some people from our class soon."
"Tsk. I bet you're scared. I saw how you fought against Spiky Hair in that battle trial. You've got a hell of a way to go if you wanna go anywhere in the Sports Festival."
Doko raised his eyebrows. "Sports Festival?"
An eyeroll from the explosion user. "God, you really are a dumbass. Yes, the festival's coming up. Big deal. Bunch of pro heroes there watching. All the best offers will go to the winner...and that'll be me."
"Oh. I don't really care about winning, or offers." Seeing other people in the class succeed will be cool though. I'll be rooting for them.
"Tsk. And that's the difference between you and me, and why you'll always be an extra."
Doko frowned. "I'm gonna go now. I may have lost my battle trial, but you lost yours too, so..."
"WHAT was that?" He got ready to leap at him and attack in anger, but then the bell rang. Bakugo was up next.
The boy relaxed and went back up to the ring, barely turning his head round to give Doko some parting words. "Tsk. You got lucky, loser. You better watch your damn back."
"Certainly." Doko kept walking, back towards the door.
"Hey, I know you!" said a voice. Doko turned to look at the guy, standing somewhat in the shadows.
"Oh hey, I've seen you around. You've got a flexibility Quirk, right?"
"Yeah, that's me." The guy had a bad case of shifty eyes, and he was real skinny, like he hadn't had a proper meal in days. "Yo," said Doko, pointing a thumb towards the door, "do you want me to buy you something from the convenience sto..."
"Nah, that's alright." The guy waved his hands. "I just saw you in the newspaper, that's all. You're at UA, aren't you? You and that other kid." He pointed to the ring, where Bakugo was now getting ready to fight some other guy. "You guys were attacked by those villains."
Doko shifted uncomfortably. "Ah...yep."
"Listen, dude...I'm sorry. That could have been me out there, getting arrested and shit. Damn." He shuddered.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Me and a couple of other guys were hanging out outside the gym late one night, about a month ago. Some guy came up to us and asked if we wanted to join that League of Villains."
Doko's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Are you serious?"
The dude nodded. "My friends agreed to it, but I said nah. This recruiter guy threatened me a little, but my friends told him to respect my choice, it was no big deal, they'd go with him anyway. So off they went, and now they're all in custody. God, does it make me shake."
Doko's head was spinning. "This...recruiter. What did he look like? Did he have blueish hair?" Could it have been Shigaraki?
"Huh? Oh, nah. Brown hair. His Quirk was like, shooting bullets out of his fingers or something."
Oh. Of course it wasn't Shigaraki. By that time he'd have gotten someone else to do his recruiting work. Used the underlings he already had. "Thanks for letting me know," Doko said.
"Anyway, uhh...you sure you wanna be here right now? If you're tryna be a hero and all, I mean..."
Doko swallowed. "You make a good point. But hey, umm...you did the right thing, man. By not joining them. Keep your head above the ground, alright?"
"Yeah, g-got it."
"Alright, see you." He began to walk toward the door, suddenly faster. I've got to get out of here. This was a mistake. He knew that this place was illegal, but for the League to have been recruiting here? That was on another level entirely. God, it could have been me! A month ago, before UA? I mean...shit! If they'd come around at a time while I was here, and found out I had a warping Quirk? After how Kurogiri had acted towards him, Doko could imagine the recruiter acting a little more persistent towards him than he might have done to the guy with the flexibility Quirk. And I told people here my NAME, too! Shit, shit, shit.
He briefly looked back at Bakugo, fighting in the ring. He debated warning him, too.
...Nah. Let him figure it out on his own. Doko had a habit of turning spiteful when his emotions ran high.
"Whoa, you good, Katayama? You seem pale."
"I'm fine, Simon." He briskly walked through the entryway. "See you around."
"No you won't," the American mumbled as Doko left the building.
...
At 12:27, Doko showed up at his train platform. He was the last to arrive; Mina and Tsu and Hagakure were already there.
"There he is, ribbit."
"Heyyyy, Katayama-kun!" Hagakure's sleeve waved at him. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming!"
Doko closed the distance. "I'm still three minutes early."
"Yeah, but don't you live around here?" Mina asked, twirling her house keys on a pink finger. She was wearing a peach-off-the-shoulder red shirt, showing off her bare shoulders...and her bra straps.
"Like I told you, I had...chores." Or I would have had, if I'd stayed home and told the truth. Maybe he really should have just done that, and stayed away from the facility. There was a possibility that he'd have received a light load and gotten to show up to this anyway. "So, where are we going?"
Mina narrowed her dark eyes, smirking. "I'm really beginning to think you don't actually live here at all."
"Weren't you the one who suggested lunch, ribbit?" Tsuyu stared blankly at him.
"Uh...well, Hagakure probably has a better grip on the local restaurants than I do."
"I know a cheap seafood place!" the invisible girl chirped. "Does everyone like seafood?"
"Yep," said Tsuyu.
"Are you kidding me?" Mina laughed. "I breathe seafood."
"Works for me," Doko said.
So they were off, Hagakure and Mina chatting in front, while Tsuyu and Doko walked behind. He became immediately aware of people turning their heads to look at them. Was it because of the news? Or perhaps the girls' odd appearances? Or...
"You look anxious, Dokkun," Tsuyu stated. "Could it be because you're with three girls?"
"Guh!" he gulped. Mina turned and grinned at him. "Wait, is that really it, Doko? Hmm? You must think you're pretty lucky, huh?" She slowed to match pace with him, and then suddenly wrapped herself around his arm, pushing her chest against him. "Do you want people to think we're dating?"
No, I want us to REALLY be dating. And it doesn't help if you act all flirty with me like this! Doko wrenched himself free. "It's not like I could be dating all three of you. And no, I'm just anxious that people are watching us at all."
"You're gonna have to get used to that if you want to be a hero, ribbit," Tsuyu told him. "Especially after tonight's special TV report, and the upcoming sports festival...we're gonna get recognised everywhere we go."
"It's gonna be so great..." Mina breathed in a dazed tone. "Rich and famous, here I come!"
"I hope I get to stand out!" Hagakure exclaimed. Tsuyu gave her a dubious look.
They arrived at the seafood restaurant, and sat in a booth. Tsuyu ended up sitting next to him instead of Mina, which caused him to feel a pang of disappointment. Don't be so selfish. You're still not sure if you really have a crush on her.
They ordered food, and it arrived. "So," said Hagakure as they dug in, "how did your families react when you guys got home yesterday? Mine were worried sick!"
"Same here, ribbit."
Mina shrugged. "My dad made a big show out of crying hysterically, partially to make fun of my mom, and partially to mess with me. Then he made a big joke about it. Said I could handle myself just fine, and that he wasn't worried." She flashed a grin.
"Your family seems fun, Mina-chan," said Tsuyu.
"Well yeah, that's what they want you to think." She rolled her eyes. "Every friend I bring home says that. But they do get irritating after a while!"
"What about you, Katayama-kun?" asked Hagakure. "What did your parents say?"
Doko was chewing food, which gave him time to think of a response. I suppose I can tell them part of the truth. He swallowed, and said, "My parents don't really watch the news. They don't know what happened."
Mina's jaw dropped. "Seriously? But surely...I mean, my mom said the school called, and..."
"Yeah..." Doko coughed. "Like I've told Hagakure-san before, my family is kind of erm...technologically behind. They have a tendency to not answer phone calls."
"Don't you think you should tell them, Dokkun?" Tsuyu asked, her large eyes remaining neutral. "They deserve to know about it."
"I wouldn't want them to worry..."
"That's silly," said Mina. "What happens if they find out eventually anyway, and realise you never told them? Then you'll be in deep shit. At least, I would be with my parents, in that situation."
More than you know, he thought. "I guess you're right. I mean, it's not like I was intentionally holding out on them. I was really tired when I got home last night."
The girls all nodded and hmm'd, as if to say "fair enough."
After the meal, they went back out onto the street, and all eyes went to Hagakure...or where Hagakure's head was supposed to be. "Where to now?" Tsuyu wondered aloud.
"What do you gals wanna do?" the invisible girl asked.
Doko winced. Am I included in the gals? Not shopping. Please. Anything but that.
Mina's eyes lit up. "Is there an arcade around here?"
"There is!" Hagakure exclaimed. "Follow me!"
Doko sighed and relaxed, following. "What's got you fired up about the arcade?" he asked Mina.
She turned to him, smiling. "Rhythm games!"
"Oh. Like, erm...Dance Dance Revolution, that kind of thing?" He'd heard about that from his middle school friends.
"Yep! I enjoy some more obscure ones too, but this arcade'll probably just have a basic DDR board. Still tons of fun. Now I'll get to show off those moves you were challenging me to do at lunch." A cheeky glint flashed across her eyes.
"Oh, brother. I'm about to eat my words, aren't I."
"You'll eat them so much you'll puke. I'm a seriously..." she twirled with one hand above her head, coming back to rest next to him. "...fantastic dancer."
"And humble, too."
"Bleh. Save humility for the heroism." She stuck her tongue out at him, and then laughed with Hagakure about something. Doko briefly spaced out. She's such a goof. That's something I like about her. She's extremely expressive. Another thing. And not afraid to show off. That's...a really attractive quality. Okay. Okay, maybe this crush is legitimate. The real deal. Now what do I do.
"Dokkun," Tsuyu whispered as they arrived at the arcade. "Do you need any help?"
"Huh? Help with what?"
"Getting with Mina-chan, of course."
"GAH!" He whipped around, but the other two had already gone off into the arcade, taking stock of all the games and chatting loudly. Paying them no mind.
"Tsu, you gotta be more carefu...iiiiiiiIIIII mean, I don't know what you're talking about!" He suddenly reorganised himself, having forgotten to deny his crush.
The frog girl sighed. "It's kind of obvious, ribbit. To me, at least. I'm probably more observant than she is, so you got that going for you."
"Listen, Tsu. I'm still not really sure what I feel yet, okay? And...it may not even be a good idea to...get with her. Shouldn't we be focusing on UA and stuff?"
"Well, if that's how you feel, then sure." The frog girl blinked, giving him no tells. "I think you might have a chance, though. Kinda hard to say."
Doko blushed. "If I need your help, I'll ask for it. How does that sound?"
"Peachy." She croaked out another "ribbit" and then followed the other two. Doko went with her.
"I was right," Mina was saying at the back of the arcade. "Just a basic DDR board, as expected."
The machine was a lot of bright lights and colors. Doko had a pretty basic idea of how it worked. You stood on those pads, and stepped on the arrows as they came down the screen. Simple enough.
"Who wants to challenge me first?" Mina asked threateningly as she hopped up onto one of the pads. "Dooookoooo?" she gave him a wink.
"I'd rather watch for a turn. Not to throw these two under the bus or anything."
"Let's do it, Mina!" Hagakure stepped up.
"Alright," the pink girl pumped her fist. "I'm gonna set it to a medium difficulty, okay? Normally I'd go all in on hard, but..."
"Works for me. I've played this a few times before!"
"Awesome." She picked a song...and then they were off.
Doko's jaw dropped as he watched the girls move. It was kind of hard to track Hagakure because she was wearing shorts, making her legs invisible, but you could at least see her shoes as they stomped the arrows. Meanwhile, Mina moved like one possessed. Her hips gyrated. Her legs seemed to circle one another in a blur. And all the while, she had the biggest grin plastered on her face, lit up by the light of the machine. She was having the time of her life.
Pretty...
"Enjoying yourself?" Tsu asked him.
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
"That's creepy, Dokkun."
"Whatever you say."
Tsuyu might have smiled. Hard to tell.
The round was over, and Hagakure drooped in exhaustion, breathing hard. "How do you do it like thaaaat?" she half-complained.
Mina wiped sweat off her brow, her chest rising and falling. She was still standing up straight. "Practice, and lots of it!"
Doko saw the scores. Mina had won handily. It wasn't really all that close.
"Okay," he said, stepping up. "I'll bite."
Mina wagged her finger at him. "Oh ho, wait a minute. I've got to catch my breath. Don't think you've got a better chance by waiting to go second and tiring me out."
He grinned. "I just figured I'd let you get a victory in before I crush your dreams."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Have you played these before?"
"Not once."
She smirked. "Okay, Mr. Confident. Let's get going, then." She picked medium difficulty again, and another song. Doko took a stance on the board.
Time seemed to slow. Oh energy within, he thought.
It seemed to stir, like a growl. He remembered Kurogiri's words. Something about summoning the power of the void? Is that what I'm doing? In any case, weird purple glowy stuff. Don't let me down now.
The energy served to make him more hyperactive. Doko had made a somewhat risky assumption that that would extend to a game like this.
As the arrows arrived at the bottom of the screen, he was proven to be correct.
Doko matched Mina's speed, getting a spray of perfect combos in a row, feeling his legs come alive. "Haha!" he cried, dancing around like a madman.
Mina's eyes darted over to his screen, and then back to hers. "Grrr, it's gonna take more than that to beat me!" she challenged.
They kept going, faster and faster and faster. Doko didn't look over at her screen. He just kept persevering on his own. This is fun! Haha! Yes! He felt free, untethered. That scared boy in the dark corner of the house would never have imagined this future. But here he was.
The song ended, and...Mina still won. But it was close, and she was clearly shot, sweating all over, and breathless. Doko was sweating too, but the energy had largely protected him.
"I thought you said you'd never played." Mina was giving him a daring smile.
"I haven't. That's the honest truth." He held up his right hand solemnly.
"Dokkun was using his Quirk, ribbit," Tsuyu pointed out from behind them.
Mina's head whipped to her, and then back to him. "What?! Is that true?"
"Well..." he scratched at his neck, chuckling. "Not explicitly, but...my performance is a side effect of my Quirk, yes. Hyperactivity and such."
"And you knew that." Mina's lip curled.
"I made an educated guess."
"You're clever, Doko. I thought you weren't that competitive."
"Well, I..." his face darkened for a moment. Where DID all that come from? "I'm usually not." The energy seemed to stir before settling again.
"Ya better get competitive fast!" said Hagakure. "With the sports festival coming up..."
They played some more games, ones that weren't as physically taxing as DDR. Then they DID end up going shopping, much to Doko's dismay. At around 3:45, as they were walking down the street through the shopping district, he bid them goodbye.
"Huh?" Mina gave him a look. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I said I had to go around four-ish, remember?" Doko tapped his phone. "I messaged you that."
"Oh, right..."
"I should probably go too, ribbit," Tsuyu stated. "My family will want me to help with dinner and all that."
"I guess we're calling it." Hagakure sounded disappointed. "Aww. It was fun though, guys! See you at school tomorrow!"
"Yep, see you." Doko waved, beginning to walk away, to turn away.
"Bye, Doko," Mina said, waving back. At him. Just him.
Doko had to turn to keep her from seeing his heated face. I've got it bad. Damn.
And yet, it had been a great afternoon. He enjoyed Tsu and Hagakure's company a lot too, and he'd had the most fun that he'd had in a long time. The facility thing that happened this morning...just forget it about it. It's fine, you got out, you're not going to go back there. Just don't worry about it.
He arrived home at about 4:08, which was fine. "I'm home," he announced when he walked in, taking his shoes off and then hanging his backpack on the hook. No one responded.
He paused. He could hear the TV going in the living room. The TV was on. Unusual, but not shockingly so. It wasn't out of the question behaviour for them.
He walked into the living room...and his parents both turned to look at him. Their faces were pale with fury.
Doko froze. Next to the TV stood his sister, looking extremely guilty. And on the TV? The news. The special report. Of the USJ attack.
"Umm..." he took a step backward, as his dad rose from the armchair, still glaring at him. "I...can explain."
"Can you now?" his mother raised an eyebrow. "Then please. Why didn't you tell us about this last night?"
"...because you didn't care." The truth.
"How DARE you!" his father rumbled. "You say we don't care? After we let you live under this roof, let you go to this foolish school?"
Doko's face twitched. I just had one of the best afternoons of my life, and they are not going to ruin it with this. "Don't kid yourself," he spat. "You could have found out easily without my help, if you bothered to answer my school's calls. They phoned everyone's parents before we even went home."
He had caught them off guard with that, he could tell. His mom seemed surprised for a moment, but she steeled herself again. "UA cancelled school today, according to this report. So where were you?"
"I, um..." he had not prepared any kind of excuse. "I went out with friends." He obviously couldn't tell them about the illegal Quirk training.
"Out with friends? That's rich," his father sneered. "Up to no good, more than likely. I wonder if those pro heroes know what kind of kid they're working with in you."
"I really was out with friends. Seriously." At least for part of the day.
His mom's eyes narrowed. "If that was all it was, then why didn't you tell us? We don't have any problem with you going out with friends, you know. There's no reason to keep it a secret."
"Because, well, umm..." his mouth felt awfully dry.
"Because you knew if you told us about your day off, then we'd give you work to do." She ground her teeth in rage. "It all comes back to laziness with you, doesn't it? We give you one good thing with this hero course, and you just throw it back in our faces, reverting to your old ways."
"How many chances have we given you to prove yourself?!" his father roared. "How many? How many have you SQUANDERED?!"
"Wh-wha..." Akane stuttered from by the TV. "What are you g-going to do with him..."
"Hmm, what are we going to do with him indeed, sweetie," his mother nodded.
"You wouldn't dare pull me out of the school now," Doko hissed, and they both went silent, taken aback. "You can't. It's too late for me to start at any other school, and the last thing you want is for me to be some dropout. Force me to sleep outside, give me endless chores that I'll do PERFECTLY and still call me lazy, do whatever you want. But the only way you could truly punish me is to take me out of that school. That school is my everything. It's where I'll succeed far more than either of you ever have. It's where I've found my friends, and where I'll find my real family. And you can't take me out of it. So what's the point of having this confrontation? Just to make me squirm a little? I could take a steak knife from the kitchen and kill the both of you in a flash if I thought you were even one percent worth the effort. But you're not. Good night."
He stormed up the stairs.
...
Class, the next morning.
"Did you see the news report last night?" Hagakure asked Ojiro and Shoji. "Everyone was onscreen for a second! But I didn't stand out at all..."
"Unfortunate," said Shoji.
"Kinda hard to stand out when you look like that, huh?" Ojiro pointed out sheepishly.
"Rude, Oji-kun." Hagakure seemed to cross her arms and turn away in a huff.
"The media was making a hell of a big deal about it though, huh?" Kaminari commented, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.
"Is it surprising?" Jiro deadpanned at him. "If the number one hero course in the country gets attacked, that's a big deal."
Kirishima shrugged. "Makes sense."
Next to him, Sero laid his head down on his desk wearily. "Man, I'm still trying to calm down from all that. If the teachers hadn't shown up at that moment..."
"Aoyama, are you alright? You're trembling," Yaoyorozu commented, putting a hand on the French boy's shoulder from behind.
He jerked in surprise, that pointed smile remaining despite his face going nearly blue. "Of c-course, mademoiselle! What Sero is s-saying has no affect on me whatsoever!"
"I don't see how you guys could be afraid with All Might there," Sato chimed in. "He made quick work of those villains." He punched the air a couple of times.
"His strength and willpower is a marvel indeed," Tokoyami commented stoically, a rare occurrence.
Iida rocketed into the room, his arms chopping in a robotic manner. "To your seats, everyone! Homeroom is nearly upon us!"
"We're already in our seats," said Kaminari.
"You're the only one who's not," said Sero.
Iida slammed himself into his desk, fuming. "Blast it!"
Uraraka nervously patted his shoulder. "It'll be okay..."
Mina tapped Doko on the shoulder from the desk behind. "Do you know who's gonna be our sub?" she asked him.
"If you don't know, I don't know."
Mina gave the boy a curious look. He was slumped forward, twiddling his thumbs. She couldn't really see his face; he hadn't turned to look at her.
Is he alright? Did he not enjoy himself yesterday? she wondered. No Mina, you're being silly. No one could fake having fun that well. He was having fun, because we're all fun and super awesome. No, something else must have happened. In the back of her mind, she knew why she was so worried, but she didn't want to acknowledge it.
Instead, she turned to Tsu, leaning her chair all the way back and nearly falling over. The frog girl caught the chair with a large hand. "Who do you think we'll have as a sub, Tsu-chan?"
She did her trademark finger-to-chin. "Dunno. Aizawa-sensei is still in recovery, so..."
The door slammed open abruptly. "Morning, everyone."
Everyone gasped. It was Aizawa, and his face and arm were completely wrapped in bandages.
"AIZAWA-SENSEI, YOU'RE HERE TO SOON!" most of the class exclaimed at once.
"You guys really have to stop with the synchronised shouting. I don't know how you do it, and that makes me uncomfortable." He moved to the front of the room, behind his desk. "My well-being is insignificant compared to the progression of your education. Especially since there is another challenge coming."
The class began to murmur at this. Mina already knew, of course, as did most of them.
"The Sports Festival is approaching," Aizawa said, confirming all their suspicions.
What followed was an explanation of how important the festival was and what it would mean for their futures if they did well. Mina was fired up, of course. How could she NOT be? A chance to get noticed by the pros, as well as show some of her classmates who was boss? Well, who's QUEEN is more like it! She could hardly wait.
Later after Cementoss's class, the whole class was chatting in groups.
"Oh dear, what will I do, hmm? I shine so brightly just by standing still...the scouts won't be able to tear their eyes away!" Aoyama spun, almost running into a terrified Koda. "Riiiiight?" he asked the silent boy, getting up into his face. Koda nodded frantically.
"You're lucky, Shoji..." Kaminari praised. "You'll get by on just your brawny appearance!"
"It only matters if I make myself useful."
"Hey, Kaminari, don't discount yourself," Jiro told him solemnly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you overcook your brain again and go Full Idiot, all the pros will be watching."
"I...that's not...geh!"
"Man, everyone's pretty pumped, huh?" It was Midoriya. Mina looked back beyond Tsuyu to the back of her row. Midoriya has gravitated over here because Iida and Uraraka sat back there. They sort of formed a little trio, didn't they?
"Are you not pumped?" Iida asked him, doing a strange dance.
"Well, I am, but..."
"You have a strange way of getting pumped, Iida-chan," commented Tsuyu, watching him dance.
Midoriya pushed his fingers together shyly. "It's just..."
"Deku...Iida..." Dark energy radiated from the back of the room. Their eyes fell upon Uraraka, who was glaring and smiling sadistically, a shadow across her face. "...Let's kick some ass."
"What the hell happened to you?" Mina asked plainly. "Your personality is all over the place."
Uraraka turned to Kirishima and the other boys. "Let's kick some ass," she repeated.
"Ha...yeah..." they all seemed confused.
Mina giggled and then turned back to Doko. He'd been watching the antics, but when he saw her turn to him, he blushed and whipped around, looking back forward.
"Dokooooo..." Mina tapped him on the shoulder. "Whyyyy are you avoiding me? Is it because you liiiiike me?" Oh god, what if he says yes! What will I do then! She had to fight to keep from blushing herself.
Doko's heart dropped. That hadn't been it at all, actually...he hadn't been giving much thought to Mina since last night. But he was thinking about her now. She'd only say that as a tease if she was absolutely positive that those aren't my feelings. Which means...she suspects nothing. "Well...remember how you told me yesterday that if I didn't tell my parents about USJ, I'd be in deep shit?" He gave her a sheepish smile.
Mina's face fell. "Oh god. You got grounded as fuck, didn't you? What did I say? WHAT did I say? Doko, you idiot!" She chided, rubbing his dark grey hair with her fist. I like his hair. It's short, but really soft...
Dammit Mina, snap out of it!
"Yeah..." Doko shrank away from her touch, like always. "I got pretty grounded. So no more fun outings like that for a while. Probably until after the sports festival."
"Well, that's only two weeks," she seemed thoughtful. "Not too bad."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Still, if you're disappointed, that means you enjoyed yesterday." She leaned in closer, smiling, her eyes glowing. "It must be fun, being surrounded by girls."
"I still think we should have invited Sero and Shoji."
"It's fine, we told them about it in the group chat and they didn't seem too fussed." Mina played with a stray curl on her messy head. "Sero and Shoji are like the two chillest guys in class. Besides maybe Todoroki."
"Hey, I'm chill. I can be chill."
"Haha, sure. If we'd invited Sero and Shoji to something and left you out, you'd be in tears."
"Well...yeah! Leaving people out isn't a very nice thing to do!"
Mina laughed. "You're funny, Doko. Honestly, I just wanted to rib on you a bit after nearly beating me in DDR."
"Yeah..." his purple eyes seemed to take on a distant quality. "Don't expect that competitive spirit to carry over."
...
Later, Doko was walking with Sero and Shoji out of the school. Hagakure had gone on ahead.
He made a point to personally apologise to them.
"Really, Katayama, it's fine," Sero said. "I mean...my parents weren't gonna let my leave the house yesterday anyway."
Shoji nodded. "I am similarly unfazed. I can't help but find it interesting how easily you hang out with girls though, Katayama."
"Gah!" To hear it from Shoji, of all people!
Sero winced. "Yeah, that's kind of what I didn't want to bring up. I mentioned it to him before our battle trial, and he kinda freaked out for most of the match."
"I deeply apologize, I was unaware."
"No problem, man. I think it's just because of my sister." Both boys looked at him funny. I guess I'm telling them this. "My sister's been my best friend for years. Because of her I guess I understand girls better? That's my best theory, at least."
"Hmm." Shoji nodded. "It seems sound enough. I'm glad to hear you have a good relationship with your sibling, Katayama. Sometimes I wish I had one, I confess it."
"Not a sister you don't," Sero said, stretching as they went down the steps. "My older sister abused me relentlessly for years. I guess in some cases it can turn out alright, but...Katayama, is your sister older or younger?"
"She's younger." Doko had forgotten that Sero wasn't there when they had initially discussed siblings.
"Right. I don't really know anything about that. Just be glad you didn't have an older sister." He shuddered.
Doko remembered when he was younger, how he often wished that Akane HAD been older, that their places had been switched. Maybe then she would have received the genes, and I would have ended up the Quirkless one.
He'd lied to Mina about being grounded. He'd received no punishment. None at all. This morning, his parents had acted like nothing had happened.
They realised that the status quo we'd been maintaining before had been healthy for everyone, and that pushing out of it was a bad idea. But they're too dense to have settled to that on their own. Akane must have convinced them. There's no other explanation.
How curious it was, that in a world of flashy and mighty heroes, his hero was a young girl with no powers at all.
END OF CHAPTER 10
Good god this chapter was a chonker. Eight thousand words. To think that I wanted to get to the introduction of Shinso and 1-B, as well as some other things...I even thought I might get to the beginning of the Sports Festival.
Sorry for it being kind of massive and not getting into anything regarding canon progression. I just wanted to close up some loose ends regarding the first arc, and transition into the second by setting up more of the romance and Doko's development. Pretty much everything in this chapter had a point that was necessary to get through.
Next time will be the start of the Sports Festival I swear