Chapter 71: Lessons Come in Threes

"Mandatory," Nezu repeated, tasting the word on his tongue.

The Hero Commission officer nodded his head. "Mandatory," he repeated. "This is the will of my superiors. And they must start by next week."

"I see," Nezu said. He was trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "The last time we spoke, you were arguing against work studies. And now you tell me that I MUST do them. Every student, you say? Even ones that might have only transferred into the hero course recently?" He was thinking of Hitoshi Shinso.

"That can be an exception. We do not need amateurs out there."

"Out there doing what?" Nezu asked sharply. "What have you found out?"

"The League of Villains has reorganized at the head of an underground army of thousands of people. We've been on the brink of toppling them for years, but they are well connected."

"The Meta Liberation Army," said Nezu. It was a sort of open secret in the higher hero bureaucracy...many of their members were at the heads of major industries and corporations. "Because they made money for the country, you delayed putting a stop to their secret exploits for years. But now that the League is involved, it's time to suddenly move against them?"

"You know we have no choice," the man snarled. "Apparently something has happened with Shigaraki. He is their new leader now; he has replaced the Detnerat CEO. And the giant is there as well. Since your team let that one slip through your fingers..."

"Do not blame us for this," Nezu hissed. "Not now."

"Who else do I have to blame? Time and time again you've had the opportunity to catch Shigaraki, and he's always escaped. Mainly because of that traitor boy you let into your midst..."

"What does this all have to do with my students," Nezu interrupted angrily.

"They will be assisting us in a massive operation against the army. Once we collect more intel. We need all the numbers we can have."

"They are training to be heroes," Nezu said, "and you mean for them to die like soldiers."

"Soldiers fight for the peace and stability of their nation. What is a hero, if not that? Like it or not, your students have more experience against some of these individuals than most of the pros do."

"That is no excuse. A hero is a reactive force, not a proactive one. I will not have my students marching into a war. How will this look to the public?"

"We can no longer concern ourselves with that. The very future of the WORLD is at risk here, Nezu! I thought you'd be more pragmatic about this. We no longer have All Might to make the public feel good about anything we do. We must compromise our morality for the greater good. Some of us will have to do reprehensible things before all of this is over, including your students."

"My students are going to fill that hole left by All Might," said Nezu. "Did you not see Cellophane and Vine's fight? Not to mention that Endeavor and Hawks are doing a fine job of..."

"The matter of Endeavor's family is a fuse waiting to ignite," the man interrupted bluntly, "and Hawks cannot be a symbol. We have a task for him that is better-fit. This is the last time I'll say it, Nezu: mandatory work studies for all your students. Most heroes registered with the commission will be eligible. Make them choose quickly, and if they take too long, assign them with someone. There's no time. The army is preparing to move, and what they're planning to do is destroy everything."

"Such detailed intel you've collected," Nezu spat. "Might I ask who you've got on the inside?"

"That," said the man, "is none of your business."

...

"Not thirty minutes after receiving your provisional licenses, you two displayed heroics that would put some pro heroes to shame! You must have become good friends throughout all the training you've done, right?"

"Yes, we're friends."

Sero and Kirishima were laughing uncontrollably while watching the interview on the phone. "A whole hour-long interview..."

"And they only left in Todoroki's parts!"

Bakugo was seething. "How dare they cut me out..."

"It's probably for your own good, ribbit," Tsu told him.

"Not very All Might-ish of him," Midoriya muttered from the other side of the common room.

"I heard that Deku, you dweeb!"

Momo sighed. "What a waste of all the positive press you could have gotten. Even if going and getting involved in a villain incident on the drive back from getting your licenses was irresponsible."

"Yeah, Bakugo," said Sero. "You could have gotten as famous as me!"

"One day, Flat Face, I really am gonna murder you..."

The news report continued. "To see the young heroes in action is promising, especially after the incident in Deika City last week."

"Oh yeah," Iida said. "How many villains were involved with that? Twenty?"

"Lucky the city's so remote," said Jiro. "They said the damage was worse than Kamino, but casualties were low."

"And the citizens still trust heroes!" Uraraka added. "It's all thanks to Endeavor's big fight!"

Shoto deadpanned at her. "...Yeah."

"You think the future's bright?" said a teasing feminine voice.

All twenty students turned toward the common room entrance, confused.

"It may seem like the public's recent response to heroes is a sign of peace and prosperity, but what it actually is...a panicked response to incoming danger. They are looking to us heroes to do our jobs properly!"

Mount Lady and Midnight both burst into the room together. The younger blonde woman was poking her butt out and smiling.

Shinso, who had been sitting next to Doko on the couch, looked at him pointedly and asked, "Is this a common occurrence?"

Doko's eyes were wide. "As a matter of fact, no. I've never seen her before in my life."

Mount Lady heard them and pouted. "You must be actively avoiding the Internet, then."

Aizawa peeked out from behind the two women, fully in his sleeping bag. "Takeyama here is your guest lecturer today, since she's experienced with show business and I am decidedly not."

Tsu put a finger to her chin. "Sensei, did you walk here through the snow in your sleeping bag?"

"Worry about yourself, Asui," he muttered, and disappeared promptly.

"Wait, show business?" Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "What training are we doing today?"

"Interview training!" Mount Lady answered, flashing her media lanyard.

Several minutes later, the now-twenty students of Class A were grouped up beneath a stage setup, all in their hero costumes. Mount Lady waited on stage, microphone in hand.

"Some first class for you to start out with, huh?" Sero said to Shinso.

Hitoshi scratched his ear. "Uh, yeah. I thought we'd be doing a lot more fighting. Also, I kind of want to be an underground hero, so I don't know how useful this is going to be."

Mount Lady pointed at him. "You could always change your mind!"

Doko, meanwhile, had taken notice of Midnight pushing some makeshift steps into place next to the stage. "Do you need help with that, Kayama-sensei?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise, blushed, and said, "No, I got it," in a sullen voice.

"Is everything okay? You seem sort of upse-"

"I said I got it!" she repeated sourly. Secretly, Doko wondered if she wasn't more than a bit jealous of the younger heroine on stage.

"Alright, we can go in any order you all want!" said Mount Lady. "Shoto, why don't we start with you? Since you've had some experience already; you can show your classmates!"

Momo blushed in shock. "Why'd she call him by his first name?!"

"It's his hero name, remember?" Jiro dryly reminded her.

"Oh...right."

Todoroki climbed onto the stage, a neutral expression on his face.

Mount Lady tilted the mic toward him. "Amazing work out there, Shoto!"

"Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Pretend you've just solved an incident."

"Ah. Okay."

"So, Shoto...what kind of hero do you want to become?"

"Hmm...that kind that puts everyone at ease when I show up."

"Fantastic! But oh, if a looker like you suddenly showed up, I think my heart might burst out of my chest..."

Shoto's eyes widened. "Do you have a heart condition?"

Doko, Sero, and Shinso all snorted.

Mount Lady giggled, twirling her wavy hair around a finger, and then asked, "So, what are your ultimate moves?"

Shoto turned, and created an ice cascade off the stage. "Heaven-piercing ice wall. It can move people to safety, stop villains, and create a platform for me or allies to use. It has many functions."

"Any others?"

Shoto blinked. "None I would risk doing outside a combat situation."

"Ah right...the fire, of course. Could you at least tell us what you're working on in that department?"

Shoto's eyes seemed far away. "Not until...I'm at Endeavor's level."

She laughed nervously. "It's fine to keep personal things private in interviews, but just remember...if you want to put people at ease, try and smile, alright? A few smiles here and there and you could be a bona-fide lady killer!"

He seemed horrified. "My smile...will kill women?"

"Alright, moving on!"

The rest of them went from there. Koda displayed his love for animals, and he and Tsu both got the "great-for-kids" stamp of approval from Mount Lady. Uraraka and Mina put her at ease with their bouncy natures. Tokoyami gave off "good vibes," whatever that meant. Iida and Momo won points for sincerity. Kirishima displayed his confidence.

"You're new to the hero course, aren't you," said Mount Lady to Shinso when it was his turn. "I know you haven't gotten your license yet, so I'll ask you this - what are you most looking forward to?"

"Hmm," Shinso seemed to think a moment. "I guess I want to learn the secrets of the profession. Things lots of people outside the game don't know about, you know? Since I plan to work underground, I think that's the sort of thing that will come most in handy."

The rest of the class was taken aback.

"How eloquent," said Tokoyami.

"He's surprisingly good at this," Jiro mumbled.

Mount Lady clapped her hands together in excited approval. "Ooh, I'm looking forward to it! Got a hero name in mind yet?"

"I'm working on a few things." He gave a coy smile.

She snickered. "Great! Good! Keep it up! Alright, who's next?"

It was Doko's turn. When he stepped up on stage, Mount Lady gave him a dubious look. He's nearly as good looking as Shoto, she thought, but he's got to work on that attitude.

"So, Everywhere, good work out there," she began.

"Thank you." He flashed a surprisingly genuine smile. Down off the stage, Mina giggled.

"What kind of hero do you want to be?" she asked as a follow-up, a bit disquieted by him.

"An efficient one," he answered. "I was gifted with these versatile powers, and I want to be able to put them to use however I can. I can't afford to waste a single bit of my potential."

"How mature!" she swooned, her worries about him fading away. "Might that be reflected in your hero name?"

"That's right!" He gave a thumbs-up. "My name means two things! One is a promise to citizens, that I'll be everywhere they need me to be. And the other is a warning to villains...that I'll be everywhere they DON'T want me to be."

Goosebumps crawled up her arms. "Clever," she said aloud. "Any ultimate moves you wanna show off?"

"Sure." He cracked his neck back and forth. "If you'll step closer to me, Mount Lady. You won't get hit if you're in the center of the blast."

"Huh? Oh!" She started in surprise as he put an arm around her and pulled her close. Instinctively, she braced her hand against his chest.

"Warp field!" he shouted, and a purple glow burst out from his whole body at once. It made a percussive BOOOOOM, and created a sphere of energy that spread out over the stage around them. All the minor objects scattered around the stage were warped clear of the area.

When the energy washed over her, she felt a wind flap at her hair, and blushed.

Down in the crowd below, Mina was frowning.

Doko stepped away, seeming almost unfairly sheepish. "Warp Field is a crowd control move I use to clear out everything around me at once. It works on humans, too, so if they're not here with me in the center or within a safe distance, they get warped away as well. I apologize."

"No, no, it's...p-perfectly alright," Mount Lady stammered, messing with her hair and trying to fight the color rising to her cheeks. It's more than alright.

"Do you have another move?"

"Yes." He lifted his hand, and warped a box that he'd just scattered away into his arms. "If I concentrate all that energy I just released into a single point..." He made a fist, and it glowed violet. He slammed it down against the box. "Void shred!"

CRASH! The box scattered into a million pieces.

"Whoa!" Mount Lady exclaimed. "You're super strong, too!" She made a show of fanning herself.

"It's a trick, really. My fist isn't what's doing the work, but visually it helps me concentrate. I just focus everything on teleporting this one object apart, and that's how it works."

The interview ended. Doko walked off the stage, and he felt Mount Lady's eyes tracking him. What the heck is her deal? Terrifying. He shuddered. He'd been scared out of his mind that whole interview; he hoped it hadn't shown.

When he returned to the class, Mina was glaring at him, and Tsuyu said, "Dokkun, you idiot."

He blinked. "Huh? What'd I do?" Sero laughed.

"Don't be dense, ribbit."

"All that with Mount Lady, that's what you did," Mina huffed, crossing her arms and looking away from him angrily.

"Huh? When I did my warp field? That was just to keep her safe. I wasn't trying to...c'mon, Mina. It's not like she took it that way anyway. She's an adult and a professional. She'd never look twice at a guy like me."

"Dokkun..." Tsuyu sighed. "You still have a lot to learn about girls."

Doko looked back up at the stage, where Mount Lady was about to interview Midoriya. However, her eyes were still watching him.

...Oh. Oh no.

"I'm sorry," he squeaked.

Sero and Toru were both laughing. Mina was still pouting.

Midoriya's interview did not go well. He acted blocky and stiff until she brought up All Might, and then he proceeded to rant for way too long about stuff before barely showing off his new Black Whip ability. Bakugo scoffed at the end.

Whatever, Doko thought. Midoriya can fail at interviews if he wants. We don't need a new symbol of peace. We don't need a repeat of All Might.

He knew he was being ridiculous at this point, but it didn't change how upset he felt whenever he thought about them and what they'd told him.

...

The next day…

Inside Gym Gamma, Doko and Uraraka stretched, wearing their winter gym uniforms with the higher collars. This was starting to become routine for them; this fight training without Quirks. In a few minutes, Aizawa would arrive, and they would start sparring like usual.

"Have you been keeping count?" Uraraka asked him, folding down into as close to a split as she could muster. "If I win two more times, I'll have broken even with you."

"Catching up, are we?" Doko had a daring glint in his eyes. "That won't do, gravity girl. Not at all. The only thing you'll be catching is these hands."

She snorted out of the side of her mouth. "You're a goof. If we were fighting over who was more witty, Aizawa would have given up on you ages ago."

"Is it a competition now? No one told me. I might really have to get serious after all."

They both laughed, and inwardly Doko wondered how much of the time Uraraka was being genuine with her personality, and how much of it was just for show. We both know how much trauma the other person has, and yet we put on masks like this.

But that was because it felt better to use the masks. Neither of them wanted to be a downer all the time, and so they entertained each other with nonsense like this.

The doors opened, and both of them stood up straight, surprised to see that three students were trailing Aizawa.

The first of them was Ojiro, who was striding in confidently. Doko looked quickly at Uraraka, and saw that her face brightened. Not a mask, either…genuine happiness.

Behind Ojiro was Shinso, slouching along with a dark look on his face, and bringing up the rear was none other than Tokoyami.

"What's with this unlikely trio?" Doko asked. "Have you two kissed and made up at last?" he pointed back and forth between Ojiro and Shinso.

Ojiro deadpanned. "Funny. No, I'm here to beat you up, actually."

"Huh? But I already have her for that." Doko pointed at Uraraka.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. "Ojiro is here to show off some techniques. He's my assistant for the day, as it were. As for these two…" He gestured to Shinso and Tokoyami. "I've already been training Shinso, but that was mainly with the scarf, and this training will be without any tools at all. Easier for me to consolidate all my problem students and get some more sleep tonight."

"And I need to strengthen myself," said Tokoyami. "I rely too much on Dark Shadow right now. It is the reason I failed during the joint training."

Doko nodded, understanding. A Tokoyami who could kick ass himself along with Dark Shadow was a terrifying prospect for their enemies.

"Also," said Aizawa, "Tokoyami and Katayama will be working together on something else afterward."

The bird boy bowed. "Let us collaborate well."

"For now, though," their teacher continued, "let me work with Shinso and Tokoyami. Ojiro, you take Uraraka and Katayama. Show them some of the things you showed me."

"Yes, sir." Ojiro bowed, and then walked over to the two who were already in the room. Aizawa took Shinso and Tokoyami to the far side of the gym.

"Ojiro-kun," said Uraraka excitedly. "You're here!"

"Hehe, that's right." He was his usual sheepish self. "After the joint training, I heard about what you guys were doing, and uhhh…kind of asked Aizawa if I could join in. Just for something extra to help me, ermm…take my mind off some stuff."

"Right," she nodded. "I get it."

"I don't," said Doko loudly, feeling a bit excluded from the two of them. "Are you here to teach us or what? Are we just a distraction for you?"

Ojiro seemed genuinely hurt by the idea. "No, of course not. I really do want to help. Remember what you said at the interviews yesterday, Katayama? You said you want to be able to use all your potential at all times. I've been doing martial arts since I was a kid. I can help you unlock that potential."

"Alright. I'm sorry." Doko still couldn't shake the feeling that he was third wheeling hard here. When did these two get close? The festival? During joint training, when they were on the same team? "Then I'm in your capable hands, Ojiro-sensei."

Color rose to his cheeks. "You don't have to call me that, man."

"How about this. If I beat you, I'll stop saying it. Because then we're equals."

"That just gives me motivation to lose."

"Exactly." And then, Doko attacked him.

Ojiro was not prepared at all, but Doko knew it would not take him long to get prepared. As a result, he resolved to land as many solid blows as he could. Two to the chest, one to the shoulder, a kick to the side. Forward, forward, forward. Drive him back. To his left, Uraraka squealed in surprise and scrambled backward away from the boys.

Ojiro steeled his eyes and began to block. Doko had seen his tail twitch; he had nearly used it. Can I get him to slip up that way? Ojiro is honorable to a fault. That was why he had done something so dirty to attack him in the first place. If he accidentally uses his tail, he'll concede.

Doko's hits stopped landing, and then they started getting countered. He took a step back as Ojiro struck him with an open palm. A knee came up, and then an elbow came around. Doko stepped sideways, blocked with his forearms, and then swung his left foot around to hook around Ojiro's knee. The boy hopped away, light on his feet, and they circled each other.

Ojiro held up his fists in a defensive position. "For a moment there, I thought you were really trying to take my life, Katayama."

"The only thing I was trying to take was you by surprise. Seems like it won't work again," Doko answered, his chest heaving with breath. That palm strike had hurt a lot, but he wasn't about to let that show.

"No. No it won't." Ojiro ran forward and attacked.

The two of them stepped back and forth, exchanging blows, their forearms and fists all atangle. Doko was used to having the advantage in speed and reflexes, but Ojiro was far faster than him. Despite not using his tail, it seemed like the other boy had at least six extra limbs, like Shoji or something. His movements were practically blurry in Doko's eyes.

Doko blocked where he could, but he was getting hit a lot, and rapidly losing ground. He tried a kick, and it was easily blocked. At the same time, he swung his opposite fist around, trying to hide it out of Ojiro's peripheral vision…

Ojiro grabbed his arm with both hands and yanked him forward, kneeing him in the chest at the same time. Breath ejected out of Doko's nose, and in a split second, he realized, I'm bigger than Ojiro. I can USE that!

Instead of trying to struggle free, as one might instinctively do after getting hit like that, he slid up even close to Ojiro, tangling them up together, grabbed the boy about the waist, and rolled forward with all his might.

Ojiro let out a surprised yelp as the two of them went plummeting to the floor, and Doko used his weight to pin the other boy to the ground, under an elbow.

"I didn't want to end up in a situation where you had a chance to prepare and ask me to try and attack you," Doko told him. "That's my least favorite martial arts cliche."

"The cliches are cliches for a reason. Sometimes they work the best!" Ojiro jerked up his knees, knocking Doko up and off, and then rose into a spinning headstand, delivering more spinning kicks toward Doko's face that he had to block with his elbows, backing up.

Ojiro flipped over forward to regain his feet, but Doko darted sideways and under his arched back, slinging the boy over his shoulder, and preparing to throw him…

Uraraka slammed an elbow into his side, causing him to drop Ojiro, and then fall backward onto his rear.

"Dang, I guess I'm the mantis guy in this situation," Doko said, seeing a familiar expression of angry determination on the brunette's face. Next to her, Ojiro struggled back to his feet, breathing hard. "I swear I don't hate you guys like that, really. Come on, Uraraka. Teaming up against me with the teacher? Really? That's like being on the losing side of a middle school dodgeball game."

"Who said I was on his team?" Uraraka asked testily, whirled, and delivered a hard blow to Ojiro that took him completely by surprise, knocking him back even more.

The tail boy's eyes were bugging out in shock…but then he shook himself, and returned to a defensive position. Doko got up as well.

"It's rude to interrupt a fated battle between men," he told her.

"You interrupted a fated battle between women during your joint training match," she shot back. "And besides, someone had to call the fouls. You both used your Quirks."

"Huh?"

"No we didn't," said Ojiro, defensively.

"You did. You used your tail to help yourself up real fast, and then Doko teleported under you."

"I did not," Doko protested. "We're just that quick and cool."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, an open palm facing both of them, her arms forming a sort of incomplete triangle. Her eyes darted back and forth. "Ya don't look it."

"Letting that country accent slip through," Ojiro told her, his eyes alight with teasing.

The three of them circled each other slowly.

"They have a word for this in old American movies," Doko said. "Mina was telling me about it. A Mexican standoff, I think?"

Ojiro looked sideways at Uraraka. "Does he ever stop talking?"

"That's how he gets you," she answered. "Careful."

"See, you guys are teaming after all. Why don't you just make out already?"

This caused them both to falter for a second, and blush. In that moment, Doko ran at Ojiro.

When it comes to romantic matters, he's the more caught off guard of the two. Take him first, and then…

Uraraka's fist came whistling in from the left, and he had to turn, ducking low. She swung at him again, again, tried to kick, and then a jab. He made himself skinny, stepping sideways, backward, sucked in his breath, dodging each thing. When she didn't pull her jab back, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her forward, getting ready to deliver an uppercut…

Uraraka rolled, and the two of them went sideways to the ground toward Ojiro. They separated and rolled past him on each side. Ojiro seemed to hesitate a moment, and then attacked Uraraka.

Doko got up, watching for a moment. The two of them were exchanging blows, but Ojiro was showing him his back. Do I circle around or…

He took an experimental step forward, and Ojiro stepped sideways. Uraraka had been aiming a punch at him at that moment, but it kept going past him, and nearly hit Doko in the face. The two of them looked at each other in surprise, and then Ojiro hit them both.

Doko doubled over in pain for a moment, but Uraraka was made of tougher stuff, apparently, because she counter-attacked immediately. "HYAH!" she shouted, going on the offensive.

Doko came in from the other side, and for a long moment the three of them fought like that, with Ojiro in the middle as the fastest and most experienced. He managed to block all their attacks, and then he ducked. For a moment, Uraraka and Doko fought each other over his head. He stepped out and sideways, swept his foot beneath Uraraka, and then kept turning, bringing another palm toward Doko's chest.

That's a finishing move. If he hits me with that I'm done for.

Boldly, Doko did not block. He lifted both fists, and swung them down as hard as he could toward Ojiro's head. As he expected, this took Ojiro off guard, and the tailed boy tried to duck…

Doko jumped upward, vaulted off Ojiro's back, and sent a flying fist toward Uraraka. She caught his arm in mid-air and, using their momentum, swung him downward to the ground.

Doko braced for impact, closing his eyes…and then felt himself float.

He blinked, windmilling his arms. He was levitating away from Uraraka. "Hey!" he complained.

She started. "Oh whoops! I must have touched you with all of my fingertips! Dammit, I was trying not to do that…"

"You used your Quirk on him," said Ojiro from behind. "That's the end of the fight." He stood back up straight, putting his arms back at his sides.

She stomped in frustration. "For cryin' out loud!" Grumpily, she pressed her fingers together, causing Doko to plummet back to the ground.

"OW!" he said as he hit. He stood up, rubbing his head. "My knight in shining armor," he said dryly to Ochaco. "You could have at least attempted to catch me or cushion my fall somehow."

"Cushion it with what?"

"I don't know, maybe with that soft head of yours." He knocked his knuckles against her forehead.

Ojiro was looking back and forth between them with a hard-to-read expression. "I see you two get along well."

"All we ever do is fight each other. He's good for a punching bag, nothing more," Uraraka explained, walking over to the wall where she'd put her things. She picked up her water bottle and took a swig, fanning herself. "Man, but did I work up a mighty sweat."

Doko's eyes twitched. "Your country-isms always take me off guard."

"Maybe I should have used them more in the fight, then!" She groaned. "You always make little comments and distract me. You're like an annoying fly, except you're way bigger than me. It's so frustrating."

"Well, at least now we have Ojiro here. If I hadn't been such a prick and attacked him outta nowhere, he'd have probably knocked me on my ass in a second flat."

Ojiro shrugged. "Don't sell yourself short, either of you. You're both really good, already. As a teacher, I am excited. I don't know if we'll have any more of those chaotic three-way fights, though."

Ochaco raised an eyebrow. "So is this gonna be a regular thing, or what?"

The tailed boy seemed to get a little red. Doko looked back and forth between them. "Do you want it to b-be?" Ojiro asked. It's a marvel how much of a wet blanket he turns back into when the fighting is over. He's a lot like…

… A lot like Midoriya.

Ah. So that was it.

Uraraka smiled, and nodded. "Sure! As tired as I am, that was a lot of fun! Next time I'll wear gloves so I don't end the match prematurely."

"That'd be good. You go and accuse us of using our Quirks and then use yours by accident," Doko muttered, picking up his own water bottle.

"In my defense, you both fight like your Quirks are there. Ojiro is fast and fluid and acrobatic, almost like he really is using that tail. And you're always darting around, trying random things, pestering your opponent. Like you really are teleporting."

"I guess it's hard to separate yourself from your Quirk, even when trying deliberately not to use it," said Ojiro. "That's what makes this so interesting! Man, I wish I'd joined in on this training earlier! This is gonna be great!"

Doko agreed, although watching the other two grow more enthusiastic, he found himself unable to match their energy. And not entirely because they like each other and that doesn't include me. It's also… what Ojiro had said there hit a little too close to home.

Hard to separate himself from his Quirk, indeed.

…

For the next half hour, Ojiro showed them some techniques to refine their fighting styles, and then they reconvened with Aizawa, Shinso, and Tokoyami.

"Katayama," Aizawa said first. "Tokoyami is going to train with you. Both of you find a corner to sit and get a little bit of peace and quiet."

"Huh? What is it that we're doing?" Doko asked.

"You'll see. The rest of you are free to keep training if you like. I'm going to take a nap." Aizawa sighed, and walked toward the gym exit.

Shinso looked at Ojiro and Uraraka. "What do you two say? Rematch?"

"You're on."

The three of them walked toward the open area on the opposite side of the gym, leaving Doko with Tokoyami.

"Do you know what we're doing?" Doko asked the bird boy.

"Yes." Tokoyami nodded. "Follow me."

The two of them walked over to the corner of the gym. A few leftover cement constructs, courtesy of Cementoss during their last class hero training, shadowed this corner of the building, blocking out the overhead fluorescent lights. As a result, it was pretty dark over here. The pale white snowlight from outside was coming in from the high windows, but that was it.

"How have you been, recently?" Doko asked him conversationally, as the two of them sat across from each other, crisscross. "I know this cold snowy weather doesn't exactly agree with you."

"Winter is a time for darkness, 'tis true. That has its own set of advantages, especially when it comes to training this."

"...This. What are we doing?"

"Control. You are learning control." Tokoyami closed his eyes, and put his hands in his lap. "I have sensed it for a while. You take your Quirk from the void, just as I do. We have much to learn from each other."

"Tokoyami, with all due respect…your whole edgy schtick is cute, and I like you, but I don't think you really know what the void is."

He opened one red raven's eye. "I think I may surprise you. When I was first born, I barely had any proper human development at all. My parents feared that I actually was a bird…incapable of higher thought. And for many years, I was not. I could not speak, or manifest emotions like envy, or even become self-aware. And yet, I was completely lucid. It was torture. I would never go back to those years even if I were offered everything I wanted in exchange. That…is what the void is. Total oblivion. The absence of anything that makes life worth living. Love. Meaning. Memory."

"I…see where you're coming from…" Doko said doubtfully. "But for me, Tokoyami…the void is a physical place. It's another dimension that I use to teleport. It may be all the things you describe as well, but…" He swallowed. "What changed for you, anyway? How did you become the way you are now?"

Tokoyami smiled. "I manifested my Quirk. Would it surprise you if I told you that Dark Shadow was the one who taught me everything that teachers and parents could not? How to think for myself, how to speak, how to read? Most people have human brains where such functions are divided up into different areas. My brain is mostly like a bird's. Dark Shadow fills in the gaps I need. He is my subconscious. He IS me, and I am incomplete without him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Dark Shadow emerged from the boy, and gave a thumbs up. "I wear the pants in the relationship!"

"Dark Shadow, that's gross. Come back; I don't need you yet."

The Quirk obeyed.

"I guess I understand," said Doko. "You're saying that the void is nothing…but things do come from it. Good things."

"That's what I believe," Tokoyami said with a nod. "I think we pull what we call human consciousness from that place. Having undergone the transition myself…I can tell you that is what makes the difference between humans and other living creatures on Earth. I don't want to get too metaphysical, but…"

"No, I get it. Still, my Quirk doesn't exactly…complete me, the way yours does. It could be removed from me and that wouldn't make much of a differen-"

"But it would." Tokoyami leaned forward. "Your Quirk is slightly sentient, isn't it? Not as much as mine, but certainly a little. You have no way of knowing how much it has influenced you to become the person you are today."

"Well gee, thanks. That's more than a little terrifying."

"You mustn't think of it that way." Tokoyami exhaled, and closed his eyes again. "You wish to control your Quirk. I understand completely. You are much like I was as a child, meaning no offense. When Dark Shadow first came to me, I was scared too. Overwhelmed. Even these days, I lose control of him sometimes, as you well know. But our Quirks are not like wounds. They do not heal by being closed up. They heal by being opened. You must learn to live with your Quirk."

Dark Shadow came snaking back out of Tokoyami, and began to dart around in that shadow next to the gym wall, growing a bit larger, sniffing the air and making little sounds. It was putting Doko on edge.

"Ermm…" he coughed. "Is he meant to be doing that?"

"I am completely relaxed right now. As a result, I am not focusing anything on keeping Dark Shadow suppressed, which I would normally have to do while sitting in a spot with this low of light level. He is free to roam about…and I am not worried about it."

"Don't worry, Fumikage!" Dark Shadow boomed. "Nothing to worry about at all!"

"But…" Doko was confused. "The last time this happened, he went on a rampage…"

"Because I was suppressing him. I didn't want him to come out, and simultaneously powerless to stop it happening…my subconscious feelings of frustration and futility manifested into a rage. But right now…" Tokoyami breathed in, and then back out. "I am trying to remain as completely calm as possible. Dark Shadow out? Not even worried about it. And as a result…he stays well-behaved. He is my subconscious, after all. You try now. You're keeping your Quirk suppressed, aren't you? Let go. Let it free."

"No," Doko said immediately, frantically. "That's not a good idea at all."

"Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Umm, it might lash out and tear you to a million pieces, or something…"

"Why would it do that?"

"Because…because…"

"Because you fear that it might. It is you, Katayama. Whatever possibility your brain steers itself toward increases the likelihood of that possibility. Let go. Stop worrying. Your Quirk will not do anything you do not compel it to do."

"Please…" Doko squeaked. "I'm not averse to trying this, but I still think you should at least get a little further away from me…in case something bad happens, just to make sure…"

"I will not. We will get nowhere if I coddle you. Don't worry." Tokoyami opened his eyes, and smiled. "I trust you, Katayama. I do not believe that you will hurt me."

Warmth spread through Doko's chest, and he finally relaxed, closing his eyes. Well…alright then. I will tr…

No, I won't try. I'll just do it. I'll do it right. My Quirk…is just me.

No voices. No monsters. Just me.

He felt his Quirk cover his whole body, like he was about to release a Warp Field. He could see a murky purple light through his eyelids and knew that he was glowing. It felt…warm. Stable. Almost like how Ibara Shiozaki had described it during their triple date. My Quirk can be good. I can be good. I can be a hero. It will be my strength, my morality.

He relaxed further, and realized that he'd been clenching his jaw for who knew how long. His whole head and torso and spine seemed to droop, releasing all tension, and he felt the blood pumping through him. It sort of hurt, but it was also a good feeling. Like the ache was fleeing him.

He opened his eyes, and saw that Tokoyami was looking on in approval. His Quirk was swimming around the top of his skin like a shield, but going no further. It was just…sitting there.

Doko smiled. It felt…nice.

"Okay," Tokoyami said. "Pull it back now."

Doko obeyed, and his light went out. Similarly, Tokoyami pulled Dark Shadow back.

"What we are training is the mind, not the body," the bird boy said. "And the mind loves to stray when we don't want it to. It likes to be contradictory. I am pleased that you could maintain that calm state for just a moment, but I doubt it would have lasted much longer. We will continue to train like this, and draw out that moment…until eventually, we both have complete control. My journey isn't finished yet, either."

"It's a deal, then." Doko stood, and reached out his hand to help Tokoyami up. "I look forward to working with you."

Tokoyami took his hand, and then shook it after he stood. "Likewise."

…

Three lessons. Interpersonal, physical, mental.

I like Tokoyami a lot. I've been holding out a bit on using him, but…he's gonna be a pretty main character from here on out.

Next time, the students figure out where they're going for work studies.