Chapter 38: Breaking the Chains

"They should be right over here…" Kirishima drove his shoulder through the crowd, carving a path for them to walk through. Doko's heart was racing. He needed to see her. He couldn't wait any longer.

It was like the stars aligned. Within the chattering crowd of people on the station platform, a clear circle had formed. Sitting on the ground across the way were Todoroki, Uraraka…and Mina.

The three of them spotted Kirishima and Iida first, then Midoriya and Sero. Todoroki stood up, craning his neck. "Did you guys…?" His eyebrows shot up as Bakugo and Doko brought up the rear, coming into the clearing.

Uraraka gasped. Mina's dark eyes widened, and then she was running, she was running to him.

Doko half-stumbled ahead of the others, trying to meet her in the middle through the pain in his legs. She crashed into him, tackling him into a hug. "YOU'RE ALRIGHT! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" she cheered, laughing brightly and spinning, half-lifting herself off the ground.

"Hey, whoa, whoa…" Doko said weakly, chuckling. "That hurts a little…"

The others looked on with awkward, if sincere, expressions.

Mina pushed further into him, more gently now. He closed his eyes, letting her warm softness spread over him. It felt like they embraced for a long time, standing on the spot. "Mina…" Doko muttered. "I…I'm sorry. I got too caught up in the battle, back there in the woods. If I hadn't rushed in like a moron, this wouldn't have…"

"Nuh uh." She backed away from him, wagging her finger sassily. "If you even BEGIN to blame yourself for all this mess, I will stop talking to you. Besides, Bakugo would have still been caught, right? And we would have come to rescue him!"

"I didn't need rescuing, Raccoon Eyes!" Bakugo barked angrily. Kirishima and Sero laughed.

Mina's grin was sincere enough, though. She squeezed his hand, and her expression softened when she saw the shadows under his eyes.

Doko opened his mouth. "I…"

"Tell me about it later," she muttered. "Later."

He looked over Mina's shoulders at Uraraka and Todoroki. The brunette girl had been talking in a low voice with Midoriya, but she noticed when Doko was looking at her.

Doko offered his hand. "Seems like you're always the one rescuing me, somehow."

Uraraka grinned shyly. "It's only been two times." She accepted the handshake, though.

"Thank you," Doko said, looking up mid-handshake and nodding to Todoroki, extending the gratitude to him as well. "Really."

Uraraka pulled her hand back and gave him a serious look, anger flashing across her brown eyes. "Did you give them what they wanted? Did they get anything?"

Doko blinked at her. His brain felt weak after everything that happened, but his intuition was still functioning. "Well…" he said. "They all got away. But they lost their boss, plus me and Bakugo. I'd say that's a net draw for them. Nothing gained."

"We lost our boss too," mumbled Midoriya.

A silence fell over the group.

…

It was a new day, although it felt like the continuation of a much, much longer one. Doko and Bakugo were escorted to the police station, where they underwent questioning about everything that had happened. Bakugo was quiet…aside from the single outburst he'd had at Mina back on the platform, Doko doubted that he'd said more than a few words outside of answering the questions. And he was even doing that in a low, hard-to-hear voice.

I wonder what he's thinking about. Had he, too, learned a terrible truth while they had fought their way out of the hellish ruins of the warehouse?

Neither of them said anything about Kaminari, but it was mainly due to the fact that the line of questioning didn't really account for it. Obviously the officers didn't know to ask them whether they'd seen a classmate of theirs join up with the League during their captivity. It was just too specific.

Still…it's not like we can both keep it a secret! The truth would get out eventually, right? Even if All For One had been defeated…

After the questioning was over and they were released, Bakugo's parents came to pick him up. His mom looked…just like him, which Doko found unsettling. His dad seemed meek and very un-Bakugo like.

"You little tool! Putting everyone in danger like that!" Bakugo's mom shouted, loud enough for the whole police station to hear. She then slapped her son over the head.

"GAH! That hurts, you hag! Show a little discretion, dammit!" Bakugo was shaking, though.

Doko blinked. Some of the officers in the lobby were laughing, but he didn't find this very funny. He was starting to figure out a bit of why Bakugo acted the way he did.

Unfortunately, his mom noticed Doko. "You must be the other boy." She suddenly took on a sweet, caring expression. "I'm Bakugo's mother."

"I can tell," Doko replied shortly.

She laughed at that, missing his intention to make her uncomfortable. "You can call me Mitsuki. You're one of Bakugo's classmates, right? He give you a hard time?" She shot another accusatory look at her son, who vibrated on the spot with an angry expression.

"I'd say it's more accurate that I give him the hard time," Doko said with a look at Bakugo. The boy's expression slackened in surprise.

Mitsuki was clearly surprised, too, as she made an O with her mouth. "Well then! Maybe UA is just the thing he needs to realize he's on an even footing with everyone else!"

"You remember the sports festival, honey," said Bakugo's dad from behind her. "That's the boy that beat Katsuki in the semi-final."

"OH, so it is!" Mitsuki suddenly looked much happier to meet him. "What's your name?"

"I'm Doko Katayama, and I really must be going. See you around," he waved to Bakugo, stepping out of the lobby and out onto the sidewalk in front of the police station.

His parents, of course, had not shown up. He wondered how they were reacting to all of this. Most of the All Might/All For One fight had been televised, but what about the stuff that had happened before All For One arrived? Had his words been heard by the public? Did they all know?

After giving a cursory look around, he suddenly noticed Mina standing there on the sidewalk, looking at him. "I figured I'd wait for you," she said with a worried expression.

Doko felt a rush of warmth go into his heart, and he trotted over to her best he could, falling into another hug.

"Hey, whoa!" she said, accepting the hug with a bit of a surprise. "I mean, I'm not complaining…a girl could get used to this…" she pulled him in closer. Mina felt really warm.

When they separated, Mina tilted her head forward, boring into him with her golden eyes. "Are you okay?"

When Doko blinked at her, she said, "Sorry. Dumb question. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Alright. I'm ready to be in listening mode. I'll be on my best behavior, I swear." She fidgeted, swaying her hips while her eyes twinkled.

Doko had to bite back a grin. She was already making him feel better just by being herself. "I…"

They heard more shouting behind them, and turned to see Bakugo and his family making their way down the steps. Mitsuki slapped her son over the head again, and Bakugo shook, frightened despite his continued angry grimace. Doko frowned.

"What the hell," Mina spilled out. "She looks JUST like him. That's insane."

"I know. Let's go this way." He put a hand on her shoulder to turn them back around, and they began walking slowly toward the direction of the train station.

"So…" Mina coughed. "That blonde psycho…she knocked you out with that injection, and then you went through the portal…where did you go?"

"Their base," said Doko. "It was an abandoned building converted into a bar. They tied Bakugo up and put Quirk-suppressing handcuffs on me. Only they didn't actually suppress my Quirk, that was just a lie to get me to sit still. Also, they threatened to kill Bakugo if I tried to escape."

Mina swore under her breath. "Well…that explains why you stuck with them for so long. What did they want to talk to you guys about?"

"They wanted to recruit us, just like you might expect. It didn't work. Bakugo only wants to win as a hero, and I'd never join the villains." Now, Doko realized, would be a good time to mention Kaminari, but something was stopping him. He didn't really know how to say it. "Umm…how are the others doing? Anyone badly injured from the forest?"

Mina got a distant look in her eye. "Shoji lost an arm. Obviously, he can still grow duplicates from his other five, so I'm pretty sure he's just gonna come right back to school after recovering. Midoriya…broke both his arms, as I'm sure you know, but that….that doesn't really stop Midoriya." She frowned. "What about you? That's quite the bruise you're nursing on your face."

"Oh. This." Doko felt his face. He'd completely forgotten about the fight with Muscular. He was pretty sure he'd dealt with internal bleeding as well, but his stomach felt fine now. His legs were the real problem. "One of the villains in the woods got a solid hit on me. I'm not resistant to physical attacks, and I can't do fancy dodges like you." He tried to smile at her in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Mina's frown only deepened. "You should go to the hospital. Didn't the police tell you what you should do?"

"Uhh…no. After they got their info, they just dismissed us. I think they're a bit distracted."

Mina groaned. "So, where do you think you're gonna go?"

A darkness sank over his face. "My house." Should I go ahead and tell them? Would they even believe me?

Mina's nostrils flared. "They didn't even come pick you up…"

"Well, they don't watch the news that much. I need to let my sister know I'm fine, though. She'll be worried sick, I expect."

"This isn't okay! You were captured and nearly killed. You've been missing for three days! And not once did they come to the hospital, or talk to Mr. Aizawa, or…or anything!"

Doko shrugged. "I think I prefer them not making a fuss. If they were smart, they would have seen this as an excuse to do some real damage to my life."

Mina's fists were clenched. He saw that they were shaking as well. "Doko. You've got to stand up for yourself, like you did at the sports festival. How they treat you isn't right. There needs to be a change! With All Might gone, we have to…" her voice broke. "We're gonna have to make our own justice…"

He decided to tell her. "Mina," he said, very gently. "Do you know who the villain that All Might was fighting was?"

She blinked, confused at the slight change of subject. "I heard them call him All For One," she said. "He had more than one Quirk; that's how he was able to fight All Might. Why?"

"Doesn't he remind you of something? Like, maybe some stories you heard in middle school, or read on the Internet?"

Her eyes widened. "You mean…the overlord? The Quirk stealer?"

Doko nodded. "All Might told me. That's who he really was. He's…he's been alive for a very long time now." All Might hadn't come out and told him the next part, but after seeing their fight, he'd connected the dots in his head. "All Might fought him once before, and won…but his powers got much weaker as a result. That's why this time…he lost his strength entirely. I think they were both below their full strength during that fight."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with you? It's over. I mean…" Mina wiped tears off her face with her sleeve. "I'm sad that All Might's gone, but…"

"It has to do with me because All For One specifically wanted me. That's why I was captured; he wanted to talk to me."

"Wh-what?"

"He told me…" Doko swallowed, his face going dark. "He told me that the people I live with aren't my real parents. That I was switched at the hospital, and that the Quirkless baby my surrogate parents had was killed. My mom died in childbirth, but her Quirk was given to Kurogiri. That's why our Quirks are similar; he has my mom's Quirk. And apparently my dad still works for All For One. He said that if I joined him, I could meet my dad."

"But, but…" Mina sputtered, taking it all in. "But that's not possible…Kurogiri can't HAVE your mom's Quirk unless he IS your mom…"

"All For One can give and take Quirks to whoever he wants," Doko said, feeling sicker by the second.

"Still…" She exhaled. "Why? What does All For One want with you?"

"I guess…" Doko swallowed. "He thought I could help him, somehow. Since my Quirk is as good as it is. I don't know."

"And you're choosing to believe all of this?"

Doko scratched his nose. "It kind of makes sense, Mina. Don't get me wrong, I'm no closer to wanting to join him than before, but…" He looked her in the eye. "It really puts everything into perspective, doesn't it? My parents…the ones I live with now, I mean…their real son was killed. They've had to deal with me instead for years. They don't know it, of course, but everything stems from that. I…I've got to act. I don't know how yet, exactly…but I've got to."

"So…you are going to do something, then? About your family situation?"

"Yes."

Mina sighed. "That's what I wanted to hear. If I can be of any help, any help at all…you let me know. You BETTER not keep it a secret."

"You've already been a tremendous help, Mina." He stopped, causing her to stop with him. They faced each other on the sidewalk outside the train station. "You're the consistency in my life. You're my rock."

Her face softened, her pink cheeks turning lilac. "That's not fair," she breathed.

They kissed briefly, Doko savoring the taste of her before breaking off and heading up the steps of the station. "Text me later?" he called to her.

Mina nodded. "I bet the group chat's gonna blow up! Good luck…Doko…"

They waved to each other, before Doko turned and began the last trial of the very long day.

…

He'd arrived at home.

The house looked as cold and silent as ever, looming down upon him as if judging him. He could see light streaming out of the second-floor window that marked his sister's room. The other window next to it, his own room, was dark. It would have been dark for five days now…two at the training camp, and then three more after that.

It's not like they can't have noticed my absence, he told himself. He had all the moral power in this situation. None of his movement in the last few days had been of his own volition. He'd been sent through three or four portals, swung through the air on the end of tape, and directed to a police station by his friends. His parents were the ones who had chosen to willfully ignore his predicament and do nothing. He, on the other hand, had not been given a choice.

With a shot of panic, Doko realized that technically, if nothing had gone wrong, the training camp was still supposed to be on. If the villains hadn't attacked, he would still be there right now. If they really haven't paid any attention to the news at all, then…it's possible that they've just thought I was there the whole time.

But no, that literally WASN'T possible. The Battle of Kamino Ward was the biggest hero/villain fight in years, and ended with the retiring of the Symbol of Peace himself. People would have been talking about it on the trains, at the offices. His parents could not pretend to have missed it no matter what. He would refuse to accept it if they did.

With a sudden steel, Doko threw the door of his house open. "I'm HOME!" he announced roughly, sliding out of his filthy shoes. He had not slept since he'd been knocked out by Toga's injection, and had not showered in even longer. More than anything, he wanted to get this damn business over with so he could go upstairs and sleep.

Akane reached him first, dashing into him with a scream of "DOKOOOOO!" and a tackle-hug, not unlike the one Mina had given him. Doko returned the hug gently, feeling his aching bones crack under the pressure. "Owww…" he muttered weakly, but he smiled through it. He was sincerely glad to see his little sister. Although…we're not related. He didn't want to think about that right now.

She backed away, wrinkling her nose. "You smell awful. Oh, but that doesn't matter, you're back! I was worried sick! We saw everything on TV…the attack at the camp, the press conference, the big battle…I wanted to visit the hospital, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me…what was it like to get saved by All Might? Oh, that big villain guy seemed horrible…there wasn't a lot of news coverage before All Might showed up, but it seemed like you and the angry explosion guy were fighting before that! Did you get hurt? Are you hurt? You…" She seemed to take notice of the bruise on his face. "Doko…"

Doko lifted his face up, and met eyes with his parents, who were standing in the living room beyond. "Why didn't you let her visit the hospital?" he asked them coolly.

"Because you weren't there," his not-dad responded. "Akane has never met your classmates. What would be the purpose of letting her see them?"

"So you're aware, then. That I was captured by villains, that I was missing for three days."

"Indeed we were," his not-mom answered.

Doko narrowed his eyes. Akane had shrunk to the side of the room, frightened. "Did you make a call? Did you bother to do anything?"

"What would we have done? We're Quirkless, remember? We trusted the authorities to handle it…and look at that, they have. You've been returned to us, safe and sound."

"You call this safe and sound?" Doko's voice shook. He really didn't want to raise it, but it was fighting him. "I was punched in the face, slashed at with a knife, injected with some sort of knockout drug, sent through at least four portals, blown back by gusts of wind, and…oh yeah, attacked by All For One himself. You know, that guy on the TV that nearly killed All Might? I had to fight him for about half an hour. I think he took my Quirk out of my legs, I'm not sure yet. And…oh yeah, All Might is retired! He can never work as a hero again! You call this safe and sound?! I call it a disaster!"

His not-mother folded her arms. "But that's what you signed up for, isn't it? When you decided you wanted to go to hero school?"

"I signed up," Doko breathed, trembling with fury, "to help people. More than either of you have ever done."

"Yeah, but we don't have Quirks, remember?" his not-dad tapped his forehead infuriatingly. "We can't help people like you can, Doko." He spat the words out with venom.

"I am your SON! The least you can do is express the smallest bit of relief that I got out alive, EVEN if you trusted me to handle it, EVEN if you trusted the authorities to get me out themselves! Oh, and by the way, they didn't. It was my friends from school that came to rescue me, because the pros were all too busy getting their asses handed to them!"

"Well, doesn't that say something about the pros then," his not-mom said. "Are you sure you're entering the right profession?"

He couldn't. He couldn't deal with them right now. He wanted nothing more than to spit the truth at them, to hurt their feelings with all the knowledge that All For One had armed him with, but he couldn't do that either.

He turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs, reaching his bed and collapsing on it. His anger and despair faded away into exhaustion, and he felt ready to sleep for eternity.

…

Shouta Aizawa took off the headphones. He was pretty sure it was over now…but even if it hadn't been, he would have barely been able to stomach any more of it anyway.

His instructions to the police after the conclusion of the press conference had been clear. The rescue operation has begun. Whatever branch of your forces ends up picking them up, tell them this: bug Doko Katayama. Attach a recording device to him.

As a pro hero, he had the luxury of giving such orders. It felt unethical, even totalitarian, but now with All Might gone…a lot of things were going to change. But this was something that had been pulling at Shouta for weeks now, even months. This would be his only opportunity.

Of course, he hadn't accounted for the fact that it was his other students, not the pros or police, that ended up rescuing Bakugo and Katayama. Idiots. Fools. I will have plenty of time to reprimand them all later, but…at least they had the sense to give the two of them to the police. During their questioning at Kamino station, an officer had finally received the order down the chain of command, and had snuck a recording device onto the lining of Katayama's clothing. Obviously, Shouta expected the boy to change clothes fairly soon, but hearing whatever would be said before then was all he needed. All the evidence necessary.

But then, of course…Shouta had gotten far more information than he'd expected. He'd heard the entire exchange with Ashido, as they'd walked from the police station to the train station. There was an annoying twinge in his heart as he realized how much the two of them cared for one another, but that wasn't the main takeaway. All For One told him that those people he lives with are not his real parents. Is it true? If it is, then…that will make this next part much easier, actually. But emotionally…that's much harder for the boy. He could only imagine what Katayama had gone through in the ruins of that warehouse. He'd also heard that Kurogiri had received the boy's mother's Quirk…a detail that he'd found very strange. If Kurogiri's current Quirk was not his original, then what was Kurogiri exactly? A former Quirkless? Perhaps some sort of strange Nomu-like thing? There was another twinge regarding that which kept pulling at Shouta, but once again…not the main takeaway.

Then the boy had arrived at home, and Shouta had heard what he'd long suspected, especially after the parents had not once gotten into contact with UA since the camp attack. That had been the real nail in the coffin that had led him to make this crazy recording device plan, and he was now glad for it.

They didn't care. They didn't care one iota about their son, whether they knew he wasn't theirs or not. What Shouta had heard was enough to realize that. And to think…all the conversations over the years that I DIDN'T hear…how long has the boy dealt with that nonsense? How long has he been going home to hell?

Everything about Doko Katayama made sense to Shouta now. He felt a strange mixture of queasy and certain. Of course, the detective next to him had no idea what he was doing.

"Listening to music?" Tsukauchi asked, shuffling through more papers.

Shouta placed the headphones down on the floor. He'd been sitting criss-cross in the middle of this file room, helping the detective search for information on an entirely different student.

"I wish," Eraser Head mumbled, picking up a document on the floor and pretending to scan it. It was one he'd already looked at.

"Denki Kaminari's mother is dead, or otherwise abroad," said Tsukauchi. "One of the two. It's the only explanation for why I can't find a thing. As for his father…he's been in Jakku Hospital for nearly a decade. Weak heart, long-term care ward. Not a working man, clearly."

"Then where did he get the money to apply and attend UA? Where does he get the money to survive?" asked Shouta.

"You're not gonna like it," Tsukauchi muttered. He was not meeting Shouta's eye.

Aizawa sat up. "What? What is it?"

"Kaminari…receives steady funding and income from the company his father formerly worked with. It seems that Mr. Kaminari is still technically employed there. The company is…Haijima Industries. One of the corporations that was connected to All For One's underground empire. After the Symbol of Evil's first defeat, Haijima and a handful of others were formally pardoned, and allowed to continue business. But it seems…they haven't ended their connections at all."

Aizawa was feeling a very, very dark feeling deep in his heart. "Have you found any trace of the kid?"

"The apartment he was living in is abandoned. I'd say, best guess…" Tsukauchi sighed. "You've got to face the likelihood that he is probably…with the League. Wherever they're hiding, that's where Denki Kaminari is."

Shouta let out a long exhale, sinking back against the floor of the office. "We've got to keep it a secret for now, don't we?" he muttered. "Just say that he is still currently missing, and that we're investigating. Not a word to the students. Not a word to the public."

Tsukauchi winced. "But this is going to get out. And when it does, won't the public's faith in us shake even more?"

"It doesn't matter. We can't drop this bomb on them, not right after they've lost All Might. It wouldn't be fair."

"Speaking of which…" Tsukauchi shuffled the papers together to stack them. "I've got to go visit All Might in the hospital. I assume you have business at the school?"

"Yeah…" Shouta stood and rubbed his eyes. He already knew what Nezu would be talking about: the dorm system. He was already here for it. "Guess I'd better get going."

One fell swoop, Katayama. And you will finally have a little respite.

…

Mezo Shoji has added [unknown number] to the group

[unknown number]: Hello.

Hanta: who's this?

[unknown number]: Tokoyami.

Toru: !

Mina: welcome bird boy

Hanta: to hell. welcome to hell.

Fumikage: this is a far brighter place than hell could ever be.

Toru: yessss this is the kind of energy ive been waiting for in this chat

Doko: whats going on?

Hanta: read messages?

Doko: i just woke up bruh

Toru: omggggg katayama good morning! im so glad youre okay!

Toru: and bakugo too ofc

Doko: thanks hagakure

Mina: morning sleepyhead. just kidding its 9PM

Doko: fucks sake

Doko: one villain attack and my sleep schedule goes to shit

Fumikage: I believe, in this instance, you are forgiven.

Fumikage: Also, I am glad to see you're in good enough health to be joking around.

Doko: i'd make jokes on my deathbed, tokoyami

Doko: ...probably

Mezo: I am similarly glad to see you well, Katayama.

Doko: where's tsu?

Fumikage: Yes. I'd heard she was in this chat.

Mina: ;)

Toru: ;)

Fumikage: What is that supposed to mean?

Hanta: o_O

Mezo: Tsu has been quiet. She hasn't said anything for a while.

Hanta: i wonder if shes been watching the news?

Toru: crazy stuff. all mights officially retired!

Doko: is that an excited ! or an i-cant-believe-this sort of !

Toru: the second one, obviously. do u really expect so little of me katayama-kun

Fumikage: I wonder if he will still be our teacher.

Mina: i dont see why not!

Mina: hes still got all that experience in his brain

Mezo: Yes, but he was always a bit more a hands-on instructor, wasn't he? He never seemed to get the grasp of conceptual matters.

Hanta: u gotta learn to be more succinct

Mezo: Maybe you're right. Typing with five hands instead of six is quite the hassle.

Toru: LMAO

Hanta: wait, are we allowed to joke about that?

Mezo: Maybe not you specifically.

Hanta: dude…you can just create more anyway

Doko: shoji, are you out of the hospital yet?

Mezo: Yes. I have returned home.

Toru: great 2 hear

Fumikage: Indeed.

Mina: seems like we're on normal summer break now…although it feels anything but normal

Hanta: the teachers are visiting our houses tomorrow, did you guys hear?

Mina: yep

Toru: whats it about?

Hanta: didnt hear that part

Hanta: my grapevines only extend so far

Toru: been texting shiozaki then?

Doko: OOP

Mina: hehehehehehehehe

Hanta: maybe i have

Mezo: You do that, Sero. We will fully support you.

Fumikage: Don't know what's going on but yes, me too.

Hanta: well how can i fail now

Hanta: the dictionary duo have given me their very verbose encouragement

Mina: anyway, to answer toru's question

Mina: im 90 percent sure its about moving into dorms

Doko: whoa

Toru: oh man

Toru: we're all gonna live together!

Mezo: Don't get too carried away so quickly. I'm sure they're only considering it right now

Fumikage: But given the current circumstances, it makes a lot of sense.

Toru: i hope my parents agree…

Toru: oh man, i would just love to live in a dorm with you guys!

His brain stirring with that tidbit of info, Doko received another buzz on his phone. He nearly dropped it the floor, his eyes bugging out - it was a text from Aizawa.

Aizawa: Hello, Katayama. I found your number in our directory. I don't normally text students, so I'll make this quick. I heard that the police did not direct you to get checked up for potential injuries at a hospital. If you want to get any part of your body checked out, Recovery Girl will have open hours at UA tomorrow morning. Just use your ID and come in the side entrance; go directly to her office. Reply yes or no if you're going to do this.

Doko wanted an excuse to get out of his house, so he typed back "yes." He didn't really expect a reply from Aizawa, and in fact didn't receive one.

…

UA seemed quiet the next morning. Of course it did; it was summer vacation. But Doko had half-expected the place to be swarming with reporters. I mean, the Symbol of Peace is defeated, you'd think they'd…shaking his head to dismiss it, he used his ID to enter the building.

Recovery Girl was waiting for him, and surprisingly, so was Aizawa. They both looked up at the same time, noticing his entry.

"Hey, kid," Eraser Head greeted, seeming surprisingly gentle.

Recovery Girl sighed. "I realize you want to talk with the boy about something, but can it wait a few minutes? I do actually want to give him a proper checkup."

"Yeah, of course." Aizawa made his way out of the room, giving Doko a curious glance that he did not understand.

"Sit on the bed, boy."

Doko obeyed her. He was just kind of going through the motions at this point.

"That's a bad bruise on your face."

"It looked worse before."

"I expect that it did. Hold still now."

After a few minutes of rudimentary tests, Recovery Girl stepped back and sighed. "You suffered some internal bleeding, but your body healed it up naturally, it seems."

"Umm…" Doko shifted uncomfortably. "Is there a way you can scan my…Quirk?" His legs had been hurting since he'd encountered All For One, a dull ache that was not going away. He had not tried to use his Quirk since teleporting his voice at All Might, and he was very, very afraid of something.

"Yes," said Recovery Girl. She picked up a strange instrument off her desk and ran it through the air over Doko's limbs. It made strange whirring noises as it passed over him. Recovery Girl's eyes widened behind her spectacles.

"You've been subjected to a Quirk," she said. "The effects are still in you."

Doko's eyes widened. "What is it doing?"

"Suppressing your own Quirk, specifically in your legs. You use your legs to warp yourself, correct?"

Doko nodded, his heart filling with fear.

"You are currently unable to do that. Don't worry…this Quirk appears to be the type that wears off, albeit very slowly. You'll have to continue your hero training by using your arms alone for the next little while."

"So…I'll only be able to warp other objects? Not myself anymore?"

"That's correct. But once again, it's just for a little while. Do you have any idea what Quirk might have hit you?"

Doko blinked, sinking back into the bed. "One of All For One's…it had to be. Or maybe that girl Toga's, she didn't show off her Quirk at all either."

"In any case…" Recovery Girl shook her head. "There's something else I needed to tell you as well, Katayama. The thing I noticed during my examinations at the Sports Festival, that I decided to hold off on since you needed to continue competing."

Doko raised his eyebrows. He'd forgotten about this. "What is it?"

"Your Quirk…is a very complex one. It is connected to your muscle tissue but also your brain. Specifically, it appears to siphon off a great deal of its energy from your…for lack of a better way of putting it, your youth. To put it simply, unless we can come up with a cure or an alternate way for you to use your Quirk…you are going to age very quickly, Katayama. Possibly twice as fast as your peers."

Doko blinked, stunned. "Does that mean…does that mean I'll die at…"

"No need to think about that," Recovery Girl interrupted, waving her hand in front of him. "Like most medical consequences, there is likely a solution. I'm working on a lot of stuff right now, chiefly that dolt All Might's continued survival…" she glanced at a pile of papers on her desk. "But I'll also be thinking about how I could possibly stop those effects your Quirk might have. In the meantime, continue to train and live your life. That's the best advice I can give."

Doko could only nod, and trust her judgement. I'm aging faster than the others. Faster than Mina. I could die of old age…if it's twice as fast, and the average lifespan is around eighty…I could die of old age at forty?!

Aizawa re-entered the room as Recovery Girl left. "Anything notable that will affect your training?" he asked Doko, taking a seat by the bed.

Doko decided to not mention the aging thing. "Something is suppressing my Quirk in my legs. I reckon All For One hit me with something. I'll only be able to teleport other stuff for a while, not myself."

The pro nodded as if he was expecting this, or at least taking it in stride. "That gives you a chance to really focus on other aspects of your Quirk training. And your powers are still quite extensive without your legs, even if it's just for a little while. I'll still be expecting your best."

"And I…wasn't expecting any less. Than that. Sorry, didn't mean to rhyme with you." Doko winced at his own words.

Surprisingly, Aizawa chuckled. "Katayama…I assume you've heard that I will be visiting your home later today."

"Uh, yeah." Doko knew, but hadn't wanted to think about it.

Eraser Head's expression took on a very soft, distant quality. "Katayama…before you head home, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, sir."

"If you were given the opportunity to move out of that house…would you take it?"

"Erm." Doko's mouth had gone dry. No shit, Mr. Aizawa. But he couldn't say that out loud. "Is this…is this about moving into dorms?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you hear about that?"

"...Through the grapevine."

"Then…I guess it partially does, yes." Aizawa stood. "That's all, Katayama. I'll see you later today."

He left the room, leaving Doko feeling much more confused than before.

…

"You go on to the next house," said All Might. "We have to get through all of these today, anyway." The emaciated man was smiling sheepishly, the Midoriyas' apartment building shooting up into the sky behind him.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. He'd known for a while that Izuku and All Might had some kind of connection, but now was not the time to butt in on any of it. Besides, this gave him a perfect opportunity to do what he needed to do.

All Might may not approve of this visit.

"You go on, then," he told the former Symbol of Peace. "Good luck with Midoriya."

The blonde gave a wave and walked toward the apartment. Aizawa rolled the window back up and looked to the driver. "Change of plans," he said shortly. "The next address we visit will be the first one on the list." He had them listed by seat number in his classroom.

"Sir, that's quite far. There are several more addresses that are nearer…"

"Doesn't matter. Get me there." As the car took off, Aizawa reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. It was time; there was no turning back. He'd be pulling out all the stops.

…

Doko heard the knocking on his door. He took his headphones off and climbed off the bed, feeling slightly cautious as he made his way out onto the landing.

He peered down the stairs, watching as his mother and father went to the door. They opened it. Sunlight streamed in from outside…and shadows of three people were cast into the entryway of the house.

His mother had a fake smile plastered onto her face. "We've been expecting y…huh?" She suddenly shrank back in surprise. His father's eyebrows shot up. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Doko's eyes widened as Aizawa pushed his way into the house, flanked by two policemen. Akane snuck up behind him; she was watching too, shocked.

"We heard we were getting a visit from my son's homeroom teacher!" his father snapped.

"That would be me," Aizawa answered coolly. Meanwhile, the two officers had spread out through the house, inspecting various things. Doko's mother and father were looking at them in nervous anger.

"Well…" his mother coughed. "What's all this about, then?!"

"I was going around to the various students' parents, asking about their approval of a potential dorm system at UA," said Aizawa in the same neutral voice. "The students will be in a new, high-grade facility, with their own rooms and a bathroom they will share with the rest of their floor, which will be five people at most. They will be able to visit on weekends. The plan is quite extensive. However…" he reached into his pocket. "It turns out that I don't actually need your approval after all."

"What are they talking about?" Akane hissed at Doko, hiding next to him atop the landing. Doko shrugged. He didn't know, either.

"What the hell kind of nonsense is this?!" his father demanded. "If you think you can barge in here without a search warrant, and then tell me that you plan to cart my son away to some dormitory right after you've put his life in danger for the millionth time, then you have another thing coming…"

"Ah, but you never answered our calls when your son was actually in said danger, did you?" Aizawa interrupted. "That…presents a small issue." He unfurled the piece of paper he'd just taken out of his pocket. "As it happens, we do have a warrant…but we're not here to search for anything physical. That's not the secret of this house, anyway."

Both of Doko's parents took a step back. "You…" his mother's voice shook.

Aizawa read off the paper in an almost bored voice. "According to Article 7 of the fourth round of Quirk Acts passed back in 2194, a child who is adopted, fostered, or otherwise not biologically related to his, her, or their guardians may be designated for official removal from their home space if it is concluded by the authorities that their Quirk is incompatible with the home environment. As it happens, we have decided that Doko's Quirk is incompatible with this home environment. So, he'll be coming with us. His schooling and further expenses will be paid for by UA High, and you will have no further contact with him."

Doko's entire body froze solid. Next to him, Akane gasped.

"B-b-but!" his mother sputtered. "You c-can't! It's preposterous…"

"SLANDEROUS BASTARD!" his father roared, thrusting a finger at Aizawa. "You DARE suggest that Doko isn't biologically ours…"

"But he's not," Aizawa said, very calmly. "If you desire further proof, we can perform a DNA test. Based on your family history and records, excluding the possibility of a one in seven trillion chance of mutation, there is no way whatsoever that Doko's Quirk could have biologically sprouted from either of your family lines."

Doko's legs had buckled. As his rear end hit the first step of the landing with a loud thud, they all looked up the stairs, finally noticing that he and Akane were there.

His parents looked lost, confused, afraid…and above all, like they were losing. Aizawa simply looked like Aizawa.

Doko made eye contact with his teacher, and months of quiet tension were released into understanding. It all had been leading to this, hadn't it? All of it.

"Doko," Eraser Head called. "Pack your things. You'll be staying at my place until construction on the dorms has finished."

There was no time to hesitate. He had to do what Mina told him, and stand up for himself. What kind of hero would he be if he didn't? How could he ever help fill the void left by All Might if he didn't?

"Got it," he told Aizawa, and returned to his room to begin packing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

BOOM!

Made up some bullshit future Quirk-society law that probably breaks canon or even reasonable reality somehow. Don't much care. This has been the plan…for a while now.

We're finally out of this arc, more or less. The next part of the story begins now.