Beginning of a new arc! Here we go!
Chapter 25: Return to School
Doko knew he was in for a day and a half when he heard Bakugo's yelling before he even walked into class.
Coming through the door revealed Kirishima and Sero, laughing hysterically at the explosion user.
"AHAHA, SERIOUSLY, BAKUGO?" they both wheezed.
The boy's ashen blonde hair had been straightened and flattened. "STOP LAUGHING!" he roared. "MY HAIR GOT USED TO IT AND NOW IT WON'T GO BACK! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Give it a try, side-part boy!" Sero guffawed, while Kirishima slammed his fist on the table repeatedly.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" All of a sudden, Bakugo's hair poked back upward. "IT'S BACK!" both of the other boys sang in sync, still laughing.
Doko's eyelids fell halfway over his eyes. "Good God."
"Wow, so you guys got to fight real villains, huh?" Kaminari was asking the girls.
"Ehhh…" Jiro twirled her earplug around her finger. "I just helped some hostages evacuate. Death Arms did all the fighting. What about you, Tsu?"
"I didn't do much, just train and went on patrols." She put her finger to her chin. "There was one time where we caught some smugglers from out of country, though."
Kaminari and Jiro both sweatdropped into awed, shadowy expressions. "That's amazing," they breathed at the same time.
"What about you, Ochaco-chan?" Tsu turned to the brunette, who was dazedly punching the air, a strange aura about her.
"It was enlightening," she murmured in a voice that was not hers. "Punch, punch, punch."
"Ochaco's been awoken," Tsu said plainly.
"She went to that Battle Hero's place, right?" Jiro asked.
"Gunhead," Doko put in helpfully, taking his seat.
"Man, she changed a lot," Kaminari murmured. "But hey, that makes sense. Weren't the three of you involved in that incident in Hosu?" He looked between Uraraka, Doko, and Mina.
Doko averted his eyes. "Well…"
Mina coughed. "Yeah, but…"
"They were with us!" Kirishima jumped over, interrupting. "It was the four of us helping out the pros there! Well, five if you include Tetsutetsu from Class B."
"We didn't see much action, to be honest," Mina claimed with a sheepish grin. "Just the Nomus from a distance. Kiri and Tetsutetsu were the only ones who fought one."
Doko exhaled silently. That's the cover story. I almost forgot.
The three of them who'd fought Shigaraki and Kurogiri were supposed to say that they stayed on the streets the whole time. The students who knew the truth were those six in their group chat, plus Todoroki, Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Tetsutetsu.
Kirishima had been the one to remember that, apparently, even though he had only been involved by proxy. Thanks for saving the day. He shot the red-haired boy a grateful glance. Kirishima nodded in response. Mina was right. You are a good guy.
"But wait." Jiro frowned. "Katayama, weren't you interning with Endeavor? Why didn't you get caught up in all that stuff with the Hero Killer?"
Doko blinked. "We were split up. The street where the Hero Killer was caught was not far from the street where the Nomus were unleashed."
"But man, speaking of which…" Kaminari turned to Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki, who'd all been talking among themselves at the back of the room. "...the ones who went through the most were you guys, huh?"
"Oh right!" Sero struggled free of Bakugo, who'd gripped him by the shirt. "The Hero Killer! I'm glad to see you guys safe and sound!"
"Me too!" exclaimed Yaomomo. "I was so worried…"
"But Endeavor saved them!" Hagakure chirped. "As you'd expect from the number two hero!"
Doko watched Todoroki carefully. The heterochromic boy looked down at his desk after a moment of consideration. "...Yeah. He saved us."
Ojiro scratched his nose nervously. "I saw on the news that the Hero Killer was connected to the League of Villains. Imagining someone that scary at USJ…" he shuddered.
"Yeah, but me and you could have taken care of it, Oji-kun! We were on a roll in that fire zone!" Hagakure leapt up next to him and appeared to punch the air.
"Hehe, yeah…"
"I mean, Stain is scary, but did you see that video of him?" Kaminari put in excitedly. "He seems really dedicated, and tenacious…doesn't all of that almost make him seem cool?"
The room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.
"Zoinks," Doko murmured.
"Kaminari, you can't say that!" Midoriya shrieked.
"Oh, shit, I mean…" he covered his mouth in panic. "Iida, I'm sorr…"
"No, it's alright." Iida looked down at his injured arm. "You're not wrong. He WAS tenacious. And I could understand why people think he's cool. But…he chose to enact his beliefs through the most extreme measure. Murder. No matter what he believes, that part makes him wrong."
The class all shifted uncomfortably.
Iida took a deep breath. "But! In order to prevent anyone from doing what I did…" he chopped his hand downward through the air, suddenly reactivating his old personality. "I will once again walk the path of a hero student! Now, let us commence class! Everyone, take your seats!"
"He's so loud…" Tokoyami grumbled.
"Kaminariii…" Jiro complained. "It's because you said weird stuff!"
"I'm sorry," Kaminari said quietly with a dense, blank face.
Aoyama winked and let out an ambiguous little giggle.
As the class scattered and split up into smaller conversations, Doko turned around and saw Koda entering the room. Something possessed him to speak to the quiet boy.
"Hey, Koda-san. How was your internship?"
The broad-shouldered boy made a squeaking noise, as if surprised to be addressed. Doko briefly wondered what his own face looked like. I'm not intimidating, am I?
Koda said in a quiet voice: "It was helpful. I assisted in rescuing a girl from a cave."
Mina overheard. "Really? That's awesome, Koda-kun!"
Jiro nodded. "That's kinda like what I ended up helping with."
Kaminari whirled around, confused. "Wait, what? Did Koda talk? Wait, what did his voice sound like? I'm so intrigued! Hey, Koda! Talk to me!"
Koda had already turned a furious red from the compliments and was running to his seat, clearly done with social interaction for the day. Kirishima snorted. "Mission failed, Kaminari. You'll get 'em next time."
"Can you lower the idiot meter for the day?" Jiro asked him in an annoyed tone.
"I'm sorry again," the electric boy said, repeating the blank expression from earlier.
…
For All Might's hero class that afternoon, Class A assembled at a UA facility none of them had ever visited: Field Gamma. It was a dense labyrinth of metal structures and factories. All Might broke down the exercise to them: a rescue race.
"I will send out a distress signal from the center of the maze!" All Might explained in his booming voice. "Whoever reaches me first is the winner of the exercise! Keep structural damage to a minimum!" He looked pointedly at Bakugo, who made a tsk noise. Kirishima snickered.
"First group! Ashido, Iida, Midoriya, Ojiro, and Sero!"
Sero stretched his arms behind his head. "Alright! I was made for this!"
"Was this the sort of thing Kamui Woods worked with you on?" Doko asked him.
Sero shrugged. "It was mostly for Shiozaki's benefit. I had to improve in…other areas." His face went dark for a moment.
"Well, you're up against Iida and Ojiro. I'd say the three of you are probably the most mobile in the class…"
"...besides you?" the tape user finished with a grin.
"Well, I didn't want to say that," Doko mumbled.
"Nah, you're good Katayama. And right, too. Those are the two guys to worry about. Midoriya still hasn't got his Quirk under control, right? And Ashido…" Sero cut himself off, realizing Mina was standing right next to Doko.
She gave him a death glare. Sero whistled and began to move toward his starting position.
Doko turned to her and gave her a thumbs up. "Good luck!"
Mina grinned. "Don't you worry about little ol' me. This is exactly the sort of thing Switcheroo had me work on. Well, one of the things."
"I was…not…didn't worry…" Doko stumbled over his words dumbly, blushing.
She giggled and gave him a little wave with her fingers. "See you after!" As she skipped away, Doko swore that she shook her ass a little in his general direction. His blush deepened.
That costume of hers…it's far too effective.
It seemed as the group of five were getting ready, everyone else was voicing concerns about Midoriya as well. "Won't he end up hurting himself trying to keep up with the other four?" Yaomomo asked.
"Yeah, I feel like he's at the disadvantage here," said Jiro.
"Who do you guys think is gonna win?" Kirishima asked. "I'm betting on Sero!"
"Yeah, but…Ojiro's there too," put in Kaminari.
"Yeah, Oji-kun's got this!" Hagakure added.
"Don't count out Mina," Doko said, deciding to join in. A few people looked at him curiously, and he felt his cheeks heat up faintly again. "What?"
Tsuyu let out a quiet ribbit that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
"Deku's going to come last," Bakugo said curtly.
"Hmm…even with his injuries, Iida-kun is…" Uraraka posited, swinging her legs back and forth off the ledge she was sitting on.
"START!" All Might shouted from somewhere within.
Sero took an immediate lead, as Kirishima had predicted. "Isn't this place a little too perfect for me?" he said, audible through the screens they were all watching on. He used his tape to swing from pipe to pipe.
Then, a green flash zoomed past.
"Whoa! It's…"
"Midoriya!"
"No way? His bones aren't breaking!"
"Yes! Go, Deku-kun!"
"That's right," Todoroki mumbled, only loud enough for Doko next to him to hear. Doko turned to him, confused. "That's how he moved during our fight with the Hero Killer."
"Deku…" Bakugo was not exploding in rage like one might expect. He was just watching the screen, almost dazed, as Midoriya jumped and flipped through the course with ease.
And then, the green-haired boy found some uneven footing, and slipped.
Sero won the race.
…
Doko ended up going in a group with Yaomomo, Jiro, Tokoyami, and Sato.
"Tokoyami, you were down in Kyushu with Hawks, right?" Doko asked him as they got ready to start.
"Aye," said the bird boy. "It was…somewhat less helpful than I anticipated."
Doko chuckled. "I think I know what you mean. Maybe something about being near the top of the rankings makes it harder for a hero to be a good teacher."
Tokoyami gave him a look of alarm. "Was it that way with Endeavor then, perhaps?"
"Pretty much, yeah." What did Big Scary Fire Man teach me, in the end? Not much besides giving me the push I needed for Warp Field.
No one besides Uraraka and Mina knew about his new move, and it wouldn't really come into use here. For this exercise he'd just warp-run like usual.
"START!" All Might shouted.
Doko immediately took off down the street, warping five meters in succession like usual. Somehow, though…Tokoyami was bounding ahead, half-flying and half-being carried by Dark Shadow.
Since when could he do that? Dammit, he learned more than he let on!
Doko turned a corner in the street and warped forward, then turned right again. It felt like a repeat of the entrance exam, except he was looking for All Might, not robots.
He warped into a dead end of a street, cursed and turned around. He decided to take a different turn back at the last intersection, but came up with another dead end. Damn, where are you, Symbol of Peace? And Tokoyami was already far in the distance.
"What are you doing down there, Katayama?" Jiro called to him from above. He looked up, shocked. She didn't have any mobility! How had she caught up to him!
She was running along a ledge.
"I'm…just…"
Doko realized. Just like how I went upward to find Shigaraki and Kurogiri…go upward to find All Might! Get up on the rooftops, you idiot!
He flashed up onto the building opposite of Jiro, using its ledges to as three-meter steps. He took a deep breath as he saw the whole metal maze of Field Gamma stretch out in all directions. He wondered what Mina was thinking, watching him. Or the whole class, for that matter.
I can't just keep doing my usual thing with my Quirk, just because it feels comfortable. I have to push myself! Plus Ultra!
He warped from building to construction pipe to building, pushing his output to about eight meters or so. Jiro was now far behind him. He could see Tokoyami up ahead…
You're mine, bird boy. Doko pushed his legs harder, getting up to ten meters a warp. Tokoyami had clearly found All Might and was heading for him, but Doko would get there first. He pushed himself even harder, getting closer and closer. Twelve meters. Fifteen? Purple light streaked out behind him. Go, go, go!
He burst in front of Dark Shadow and landed in front of All Might, breathing hard. The Symbol of Peace let out booming laughter. "Well done, Young Katayama!"
"WHAT?!" Dark Shadow roared. "TOKOYAMI! THIS KID WAITED FOR US TO FIND THE BIG BLONDIE AND THEN TAKE ADVANTAGE TO PASS US AT THE LAST SECOND! I DEMAND A REMATCH!"
Tokoyami sighed as he walked up to them. "Can it, Dark Shadow." He pulled his Quirk back into himself. "I apologize for him," he said to Doko.
"I didn't even do what he said on purpose, to be honest," Doko replied sheepishly. "You were really were ahead of me for most of that."
Sato arrived a minute later and then immediately passed out in a sugar crash. Jiro thirty seconds after that. "What the hell happened to him?" she asked, gesturing to the unconscious boy on the ground.
"Sometimes you need to nap on the job," Doko said solemnly. All Might snorted.
It took a full two minutes for Yaomomo to arrive, breathing hard as if she'd just been out for a jog. Jiro's eye twitched. "Where WERE you?"
"I...I was too slow…" she coughed, her grey eyes glittering. She bent over to steady herself.
"Why didn't you create something that could have helped you? I swear you were the one I was worried about the most!"
"I…" the two girls met eyes. "I couldn't think of anything." Her gaze flashed toward Tokoyami, who was busy brooding about something.
All Might seemed uncomfortable. "Yes, well, Young Yaoyorozu…your Quirk is a very diverse one, and strengthening it is merely a matter of using your brain! So do try to…think better next time! Although I understand that in a race like this you don't want to waste a lot of time!"
"Thank you, All Might," the creation girl murmured. Doko looked at her strangely.
"But anyway, well done Young Katayama! And to the others as well…" he glanced at Sato, dozing on the ground. "I will have to carry him out," he mumbled. "But anyway! You have clearly improved your Quirks since the last time we met! Tokoyami, you are working better in tandem with Dark Shadow! Katayama, you were warping further distances on average than usual! And Jiro, I could tell that you narrowed down my location the quickest, regardless of how long it took for you to get here! You have improved your hearing! Now, let us head back." He picked up Sato, and gestured for the others to follow. Jiro and Tokoyami obeyed fairly quickly.
Doko fell into step next to the black-haired girl. "Yaomomo," he said in a lower voice. "You said I could call you that, right?"
"Hmm?" she gave him a surprised glance, a faint dust of red across her cheeks. "Y-yes, I believe I did."
Doko blinked at her. "Are you alright?"
Her bottom lip trembled for a moment. "Yes. Everything's fine."
Doko was unsure as to what to say. If a girl says everything's fine when it's not fine, does she want you to pry further or leave her alone? I mean, I would want someone to leave me alone, but I'm not a girl. Does it depend on how close you are with her? I'm not that close with Yaomomo. I mean, I gave her some advice before, but…the situation more naturally called for it, I guess.
In the end, he just settled for: "I'm rooting for you." And then he gave her what he hoped was an easy smile, before jogging away to catch up.
He didn't notice her expression as she watched him leave, but the screens were still on. Which meant that the rest of the class did.
…
BOY'S LOCKER ROOM
"Man, that was some hard training," Sato was saying in a tired voice.
"Our first class in a while made me sweat," Aoyama complained.
Ojiro deadpanned at them. "You both passed out." Sero snickered.
"Man, I need to work on my mobility…" Kirishima muttered.
"There are ways to compensate," intoned Tokoyami.
"Well, yeah, but…" Kaminari struggled out of his shirt. "I guess I'm just jealous of guys like you and Sero." He glanced at the tape boy, who was acting far too pleased with himself today.
Izuku was deep in thought. What does All Might want to talk to me about? It's kind of scary…
"Hey guys?" Katayama said next to him, breaking him out of his mind. "There's a hole here." He pointed nonchalantly to a hole in the wall, which had been covered by a poster before the corner came unstuck.
Kaminari's eyes widened. "You know what that is, Katayama?"
The grey-haired boy blinked. "Not in the slightest."
"It's the efforts of those who came before us!" Sero breathed excitedly. "A portal of awe and wonder! A glimpse, directly into…"
"The girl's locker room!" he and Kaminari exclaimed at the same time.
Katayama's eyebrows lowered so far that they nearly covered his violet eyes. "Oh. Well, I guess I'll just cover this up again." He lifted up the corner of the poster to cover the hole. "Sero, can I borrow some of your tape?"
"No!" Sero responded, indignant. "What gives you the authority to decide that it should be covered?"
"Yeah!" Kaminari added. "I'd say we have a right to come over there! Step aside, Katayama! Just a quick look, that's all I want!"
"Stop this at once!" Iida interrupted frantically. "Katayama does not have authority…
"Hey!"
"...but I do! Peeping is a criminal act!"
"Only if you get caught," Kaminari said in a slimy voice. Izuku shuddered.
Katayama slowly removed his hand from the poster corner, letting it fall to reveal the hole again. "You guys know Jiro can hear everything you're saying, right?"
"Ding ding!" came a muffled voice from the other side of the wall.
"AAAAH!" Kaminari jumped back, blushing in shame. "Jiro, you demon! Voyeur! Spying on our conversations like that!"
Katayama sighed. "How are you this shameless?"
"Wait…" Sero turned to the person standing silently in the corner of the room, putting on their specially-altered uniform for their multiple arms. "Shojiii-samaaaa," he sang persuasively. "Shouldn't you use your enhanced hearing to spy on the girls? Get revenge? It's only natural, right?"
Shoji only looked down upon him in what Izuku thought was the most damning mix of pity and disgust he'd ever seen in just a pair of eyes. "I am not doing that."
…
GIRL'S LOCKER ROOM
Jiro pulled her jacks away from the wall. "We're good. Shoji isn't using his Quirk, and Katayama covered the poster back up. I think he got Sero to cooperate. Those two are good guys."
"Who, Katayama and Sero?" asked Ochaco.
"No, not Sero! Katayama and Shoji!"
"Oh, right."
"Hehe." Toru swayed over toward Momo, who was in the midst of changing out of her hero costume. "What do YOU think of Katayama, Yao-momo?"
Mina perked up a bit. Her face twitched without her permission. She watched Momo carefully. The girl…was blushing! NO! Not you, you harlot! Stay away from him!
"I, umm…" Momo stammered. "Wh-wherever did this come from, Hagakure-san?"
"Hehe, we all saw that he pulled you aside after training today. Don't know what he said, but you gave him this look of pure desire as he walked off! We all saw it!"
Jiro raised her eyebrows. "Did that happen? How'd I miss it?"
"Kero, kero, kero." Tsu laughed.
"You all…" Momo looked around frantically. "I'm feeling very attacked right now!"
Mina stood up off the bench, deciding to join in on the teasing before anyone got too suspicious. "What did he say to you, Yao-momo?"
"That's! None of your business!" Her blush deepened.
"I've known Katayama-kun since middle school, you know…" Toru droned, getting up close to the creation girl. "If you need help, I can provide it. I'm great for stealth."
"That won't be necessary!" Momo cried, shrinking back and hitting the wall of lockers. "If…" she frowned. "If I like a boy, I can take care of it just fine without your help!"
Toru seemed to hold up her hands in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, okay. I got it, Yao-momo."
"Wait…" Mina forced her lips to curl into a mischievous smile. "Did you just admit you like him?"
Tsu, Jiro, and Toru all laughed again. "NO! IT WAS A HYPOTHETICAL!" Momo shrieked, blushing even more deeply.
"Guys…" Ochaco mumbled, half-red herself. "You shouldn't tease her like that…"
"Oh yeah?" Toru turned to her. "What's the deal with you and Midoriya then, huh?"
"H-huh?"
"Oh, she's head over heels, ribbit. Everyone knows."
Jiro laughed even harder, leaning back against the wall and clutching her stomach.
As the conversation shifted around her, Mina glanced again at Momo. You dare become my rival? You may be a rich princess, but I'm the Queen, Miss Yaoyorozu. You underestimate my POWER. Hehehehehehe.
…
Toshinori Yagi felt helpless.
Say it…tell him…
Tell Young Midoriya that when he fights All For One, you won't be by his side…
But he couldn't. He'd given the boy enough of a burden for the day. Finally telling him the history of his inherited Quirk, and the truth about the great villain he would have to face…it was too much for a young one.
So after he'd finished telling his successor the history of One For All, he dismissed him. Midoriya obeyed, opening the door and peering down the hallway.
Toshinori perked up. Midoriya was talking to someone out in the hallway.
Suddenly, the green-haired boy poked his head back in, his expression frantic. "All Might!" he hissed through his teeth. "Katayama is coming!"
"GGH!" Quickly, Toshinori assumed his muscle form, swallowing the blood that threatened to escape his throat. Cannot let the other students see me like this!
"...a good night, Midoriya," the warping boy's voice said outside the door.
"Y-yea, you too."
Doko appeared at the doorway, appearing somewhat subdued. Toshinori had assumed a casual sitting position on the couch, keeping his muscle form up. "Young Katayama! What can I do for you?"
"Erm…can I talk to you about something, Sensei? You're not busy are you?"
"I can spare a few minutes." Hopefully this doesn't take too long.
"I just didn't know who else would be good to talk to this about." Katayama walked in and sat down on the couch, in the same spot where Midoriya had been moments ago. Toshinori felt a strange feeling in his chest, and he realized something.
Other than Midoriya, he hadn't gotten a chance to have one-on-one moments with many of the other students.
"What is it, my boy?"
"Umm…" he shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "You're aware of what really happened in Hosu, aren't you? I assume they told you."
Toshinori nodded. "...that's right. You, Young Uraraka, and Young Ashido came into contact once again with those villains that escaped us at USJ. The ones that made an attempt against my life." The ones that operate under All For One.
"Shigaraki and Kurogiri," Katayama said. "While I was fighting them, they kept talking about…capturing me. They said…they wanted to take me back. To their master."
A cold chill went down All Might's spine. Him. How much more convenient could this timing get? Just as he'd finished telling Midoriya about All For One…
Katayama looked him in the eye. "I'm a target, All Might. You and I are both targets for them. I…I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to tell. Since this is all being covered up, it's like…I don't know what I should do."
"My boy," Toshinori said quietly. "Is it reassurance that you're asking for? Reassurance from the Symbol of Peace?"
"No." Katayama sat up a little straighter. "It's the…master thing. They answer to someone. I don't know if that's…knowledge that the people investigating currently have. It could be important."
This is the second time the boy has brought forth information for the investigation. The first time, it was that business with the Quirk training ring…which helped us narrow down the potential locations for their base. And now, this business with All For One.
He wants to help. He may want to prove himself to us because of how we suspected him.
…And there is anger in him as well. Dangerous feelings, like the ones in Young Bakugo. If I, as his teacher, do not handle this carefully…
But the time to coddle them is over.
All Might realized something in that moment. It wouldn't just be Young Midoriya up against this new wave of evil. It would be all of them. All his students.
"Young Katayama, do you read Internet rumors?"
The boy's face changed for a moment. "I…don't really use the Internet. At least, not until recently."
His home life. I'd forgotten. Toshinori winced inwardly. Another failure on his part, wasn't it? Just another piece of baggage to add to the list. But this is a child I can still save.
"In any case…did you ever hear the stories of the man who ruled Japan before I came along?"
Katayama blinked. "People in middle school used to chat about that. Some evil guy who pulled the strings in the shadows, back when things weren't as peaceful as they are now. A guy with the power to steal Quirks."
Toshinori nodded. "He was real. He was called All For One."
Doko's mouth fell open, and All Might watched the realization crawl over his skin, like a cold shower.
"The truth is, Young Katayama…I was just on the phone with an old friend of mine. You might have met him at the hospital; he's a retired pro called Gran Torino."
"I…saw him, yes…"
"He was the one who relayed to me everything that happened to you kids. And he also voiced his suspicion: that this League of Villains is under the control of All For One, an enemy we both faced in the past."
"Are you saying…" the boy clutched his uniform pants; Toshinori could see his fingers trembling. "Are you saying that their master is the Quirk stealer?"
All Might nodded. "The nature of the Nomus and the way events have unfolded points to this being the most…likely scenario." As much as you don't want to believe it, I want to believe it even less.
"But…" Katayama laughed nervously, trying to shrug it off. "Surely the stories are exaggerated a little bit."
"I am unsure, as I don't know how your old schoolmates might have told it to you. But I will tell you this. All For One has lived for hundreds of years. He has at least a thousand Quirks stored away in his incredibly powerful body, and most of them are dangerous. In addition to that, he possesses a keen intellect and a complete and utter lack of regard for human life. People are pawns to him. Heroes in the older generation like Gran Torino spent their entire careers attempting to stand up to his reign of tyranny, and most of them died young. I only managed to defeat him several years back, but I thought he was dead. To know that he is alive and moving again…"
Doko's eyes became the size of saucers. "You defeated him only a few years ago? That recently?"
All Might was feeling sicker and sicker with every passing moment. I cannot stay in muscle form much longer. "Katayama, I am only telling you this because you are now a target for them. If an event takes place where…" he gulped. "...where they manage to capture you, and bring you before All For One, you absolutely MUST be prepared for what you will deal with. I don't intend to let things get that far, but if they did, I don't intend for you to be in the dark, either."
"But…what does All For One want with me?" Doko murmured.
Toshinori took a deep breath. "I won't beat around the bush, Young Katayama. You show some of the most remarkable potential I've ever seen in a fledgeling hero. You won the rescue race we did today. You won the Sports Festival with sheer power and tactical strategy, managing to beat every opponent who stood in your way. And for half of it you didn't even really want to be there. With that said, at the Sports Festival, you also showed potential for moments of heightened fury and rage, as well as certain ideological viewpoints that villains might raise an eyebrow at. What I'm saying is…"
"...They want to recruit me," Katayama finished miserably. "Kurogiri seemed to imply as much. I thought it was just because of my powerful Quirk, but they saw potential for evil in me, didn't they? If they watched the Sports Festival…"
"I'm sorry, Young Katayama," Toshinori said. He felt truly useless in that moment. Helping Midoriya feels hard enough sometimes. But this is a boy that I feel I cannot reach. What else can I say to him that will prepare him?
But he was already standing up. "I'm sorry too, All Might. I've taken up enough of your time."
As the boy opened the door to leave, Toshinori found his words. "Young Katayama?"
Doko turned back, his purple eyes shimmering.
"I apologize from the bottom of my heart that I thought you a traitor. And…I am sorry that I am only able to guide you now, instead of years and years ago, when you might have truly needed it."
Katayama smiled wearily. "That's okay, All Might. I am here now, aren't I?"
Toshinori felt goosebumps crawl over his arms.
"And don't worry about the traitor thing. Even if they break through every wall and capture me…I'll never give them the luxury of my allegiance."
All Might returned the boy's smile, feeling his muscular form relax, as if it became a little easier to hold in that moment. "One more thing, boy? Not a word of this leaves this room." He must not even know that Midoriya knows, at the risk of finding out about One For All.
"Do you take me for someone who would talk about this?"
"...Well, you do spend a lot of time with Young Ashido…"
"Oh god, yeah. If she found out about this, it'd be all over. Everyone in Japan would know within minutes."
…
Next day, in class.
"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation," Aizawa announced to them in a bored voice. "But it isn't very logical for you all to rest for a whole month, is it?"
"Oh no," Kaminari muttered.
"We'll be having a training camp in the woods!" their homeroom teacher declared.
"YES!" the class all cheered at once.
"LET'S TEST OUR COURAGE!" Mina yelled, leaping to her feet.
"Baths and hot springs!" Kaminari and Sero sang together.
"Curry!" said Iida.
"Fireworks, ribbit!" Tsu croaked.
"Nature will require different things from us, won't it?" Yaoyorozu posited.
"The ambiguity of the environment adds another factor…" Tokoyami breathed.
"Oh man, I'm getting so excited!" cried Hagakure.
"HOWEVER!" Aizawa interrupted, his eyes flashing red. "Anyone who doesn't pass the upcoming final exam will not be going. They will be taking summer school instead."
"Let's do our best, everyone!" Kirishima roared.
"This is so bloody stupid," Bakugo growled.
Koji Koda smiled to himself. He had already known about the training camp, and he knew who it would take place with. The Wild Wild Pussycats…
Okay, maybe I'm a little excited.
The most interesting scene here is obviously All Might's choice to tell Doko about All For One. Maybe that's a little far-fetched, but I feel like I gave it enough natural justification. While Doko is not some massive game-changing player (I've wanted him to feel like a very even, natural cog in the story), I feel like his presence and things he's done have enough of a butterfly effect to slightly change All Might's mentality at this point.
Also, Mina may have a romantic rival on her hands! Possibly? Maybe? What will come of this? I don't know, I'm making up a lot of this as I go along to be honest with you.
Next time, exams begin. I'm only planning on covering about half of the battles in detail; the rest will mostly proceed off-page in the exact same manner that they do in canon.