First off, before I do anything else I want to thank Yamajiji for leaving a review on every chapter. There have been some surprisingly nice people in the guest reviews as well, so thanks to all of them too.

With that being said, I'm losing a lot of motivation to write this one. The few loyal people aside, it feels like no one is reading this fic anymore. There's just not a lot of new reviews coming in besides the people I already mentioned, as well as negative reviews on the earlier chapters, which doesn't help my motivation much at all.

There could be a number of reasons why not as many people are reading. For one, the fic has gotten super long and bloated at this point. Secondly, we're past the anime and some may have lost interest due to that. Or maybe it's just gotten plain boring to some.

I write this for myself but I also write it so people on this site will have something interesting to read. If I'm failing to make it interesting then I don't know what to do. I don't think readers are obligated to do anything to help me, but more feedback would be nice. It doesn't have to be positive, either. The reason I get those negative reviews on early chapters now (resulting in a lot of people quitting the fic too since it's so damn long at this point) is because the reader base was small back then and I wasn't getting as much feedback on every chapter to guide me and tell me what people like to see and what they find interesting.

Tl;dr: I want to write a story that people can enjoy and it's hard to find motivation now, please consider leaving a review if you're so inclined. Your reviews actually do help shape the directions I take this story in.

Chapter 72: The Rabbit Hero, Mirko

Christmas.

A lit up tree stood in the corner of the 1-A common room. Food fit for a feast was spread out on several tables, including even a chocolate fountain. Lights were strung up on the walls.

All the kids had dressed in Santa outfits. Mina had purposefully gone for a Santa costume with the lowest-cut top and shortest skirt. Doko cast a glance at her, averted his eyes, and then felt her hand turn his cheek back toward her.

Her gold-and-black eyes were half-lidded. "You can look as much as you like," she told him. "I don't mind."

"Well, we are surrounded by our classmates right now."

Said classmates were mostly caught up in their own conversations to be paying much attention, but Sero overheard, and began to fake-gag loudly next to Doko.

"Did the punch disagree with you?" Doko asked him dryly.

Mina put her hands on his shoulders from behind, looking threateningly at Sero. "I can find a punch that might."

"Gah!" Sero shrank back into the couch, terrified. "Katayama, you really ought to get her under control one day."

Doko's eye twitched. "Control how? By taping her mouth shut? Can I borrow some?"

"Fix her mouth AND her choice of attire!"

It's not like I'm dressing her myself."

"Not all the time, anyway," Mina muttered with a whistle, just loud enough for Sero to hear.

"Fuck this. I'm out." He chuckled, and stood up and walked away to talk to Kirishima.

Doko looked back at his girlfriend. "That's my best friend you drove off," he complained.

She just grinned and kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Doko."

"Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too. "

Meanwhile, the other girls were sitting on the couch across the way. Jiro was staring at her phone, where all the first years had received a notification: mandatory work studies would start with the new year.

"We must be the busiest first years in history," she mumbled, then looked up at Uraraka and Tsuyu. "Are you guys going back to Ryukyu?"

Tsuyu nodded. "Ribbit. As long as Ochaco's up for it."

The brunette frowned. "Of course I am, Tsu."

"What about you, Midoriya-kun?" Toru asked as the boy walked past them. "Are you going back to Nighteye? Or are you joining your girrrrlfriend?"

Doko and Mina looked pointedly at Uraraka. She was eating chips, and not paying attention…or at least pretending not to.

"Hehe," Midoriya scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I'm sure Nejire would love it if we were together, but Nighteye is my best option. Togata-senpai and I work well together."

Doko went unmentioned, but Midoriya made eye contact with him across the room. Doko averted his gaze.

"It's Mirko for us!" Mina declared, throwing her arm around him. "And with my old pal Switcheroo as a second option."

"Ooh, that's the guy that switches the places of objects, right?" Toru asked. "Katayama-kun would do really well there!"

"True enough, and Mina has experience with him," said Doko. "But we can't exactly pass up an opportunity to work with the number five. She definitely has stuff to teach our generation, even if she won't admit it."

"She wanted to teach Mina pretty bad," Jiro grumbled. "What happens if ol' Jessica Rabbit rejects you, Katayama? You gonna go to Switcheroo without your lady love?"

Doko folded his hands together and bowed. "No, I'll just stay here at the dorm and beg you for more guitar lessons, Jiro-sama."

Uraraka and Tsu laughed. Jiro snorted and looked back at her phone.

"I think Shoji and I will go back to Reflector, if we can," said Toru. "I know the work study options are a lot more limited…"

"If you went to her before, you should be fine," said Iida, walking past. His Santa costume came complete with a white beard. "Originally, I think they were only going to allow top heroes to take on the first years, or heroes with lots of past work study experience. But they've widened the options a lot. For example, I am able to go back to Manual even though he is ranked at 222."

"Why, though?" Jiro frowned. "The faculty wants us in these really fast, and it seems like they'll just hand us off to anyone with a heartbeat. Why are they so desperate? What's the rush?"

"It's not the faculty," Doko said quietly. "It's the Commission. The Commission is making them do this."

"Huh? But weren't they the ones who wanted to keep us locked up on campus in the first place, for our own safety?"

"Something's changed. I don't know what, but it has. Our higher-ups really want to put us in the field as soon as possible. We're being…" He swallowed a tough lump of air down his throat. "We're being conscripted."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"But…" Uraraka looked worriedly at him. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not. It's just a feeling."

"Well," said Bakugo, swaggering into the conversation with his hands in his pockets. "They all know we've got to end the fuckin' League before April or UA's done for. It makes sense to send us out to stop 'em since we've got the most experience."

"That's not how adults usually work," muttered Jiro.

"Where are you going for your work study, Bakugo?" Mina asked. "Since Best Jeanist is missing and all…"

He shrugged. "Fuck if I know."

"You did have all those other internship requests from the sports festival," said Doko. "Any of them would be willing to take you, I bet." Inwardly, he thought, if Mirko had stuck around to see Bakugo in action, she might be willing to take him.

"Nah. All those extras got nothing to teach me, honestly."

"You can come with me to Endeavor, if you like," said Todoroki from across the room.

Everyone went quiet. You could hear a pin drop.

Bakugo turned, very slowly. Todoroki met his gaze with his usual neutral expression.

"You know what," Bakugo growled through gritted teeth. "What's the worst that could happen?"

…

Doko and Mina went to Aizawa's office the next day to submit their work study requests. Their teacher scanned them with his usual dead eyes.

"Mirko, huh? With Switcheroo as a backup. Hmm." Aizawa seemed to muse for a moment.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Doko asked dryly.

Aizawa met his gaze, and said, "What's the plan if Mirko takes Ashido and not you? Will you go to Switcheroo by yourself?"

Doko opened his mouth, and then Mina said, "I go wherever he goes."

Doko closed his mouth. I don't know how I feel about that. She should go where she can get the strongest. And Aizawa was certain to agree.

"That's fine," their teacher said, and Doko nearly gasped aloud. "You two have impeccable teamwork in every exercise I put you together. You do not hold each other back at all. That's something important." He shuffled the papers, and filed them. "It's also notable that I think you can both do well at either place. Both heroes are trustworthy and have things you could learn from. Switcheroo is not a downgrade just because he is lower in the rankings, and Katayama-"

Doko met eyes with his teacher.

"-Mirko may surprise you. That's all I will say."

He wondered if Aizawa had ever worked with the rabbit heroine in the past. Mina HAD told him that Mirko was underground for a couple of years. In any case, he was inclined to trust the teacher's opinion.

Maybe things would turn out fine.

…

I changed my mind! Things are not going to turn out fine!

"You're worrying too much," complained Ochaco as he swung two more reckless punches at her which she dodged easily. "What's the worst that could happen if she rejects you?"

"It won't leave my brain! This image of her laughing at my application and throwing it in the trash, Mina giving me a look of pity…what if it gets publicized?!"

"Oh, please." Ochaco kicked him in the side. "You know Mina does not pity you, and besides, if it DOES get publicized, it'll probably be more negative toward Mirko. I can see the headline being like, NUMBER 5 HERO REJECTS WINNER OF SPORTS FESTIVAL, or something like that."

"How is that negative towards her?!" In his panic, Doko accidentally teleported to dodge her attack, and Ojiro whistled through his fingers. "Quirk usage, disqualification," he said from the sidelines.

Both of them stopped, and sighed.

…

"You're allowing your brain to go into overdrive," intoned Tokoyami as the two of them sat across from each other, meditating. "How long has it been since you submitted the application?"

"I did it on the day after Christmas," Doko muttered. "It's been almost a week." Tomorrow was New Year's.

"Of course nothing has happened with it. Her agency is likely on break."

"Hero agencies wouldn't do that, right? They always have to be ready to stop incidents…"

"Just because her agency is on break does not mean that she is. In fact, I'd reckon Mirko is precisely the type to ignore the holidays and continue working on her own."

"That's not helpful, Tokoyami! That means she's definitely checking her mail, and she's seen my application by now, and she's…"

"You must allow your brain to focus on something else. All of what you are worried about is now completely out of your hands."

"But what if it isn't?! What if I DID have a chance to impress her and already blew it…"

His Quirk accidentally activated, and teleported Tokoyami across the room.

"OH NO! I'm sorry…"

"It's fine…" the bird boy grumbled, having landed on his head. He sat back up, straightening his feathers. "I'm still in one piece…"

…

"You should talk to Mina, ribbit," Tsuyu advised as Doko followed behind her and Sero to grab food from the kitchen.

"She's out shopping right now," he said.

"And you didn't go with her? Yikes!" Sero said in a loud teasing voice.

"I was busy," Doko said through gritted teeth. "And unlike you, she understands that." We've already been spending as much time as we can together, but even over the holidays we've got lots to do.

Sero opened the fridge. "Anyway, Tsu has a point. I bet Ashido has just the words of comfort for you in this troubling time. Probably ending with something like-" He artificially raised the pitch of his voice. "Babe, I would love to talk more, but it's 4 PM! Time for your dick flattening!"

Doko teleported the cheese out of his hand, and then hit him over the head with it. At the same time, Tsuyu slapped him with her tongue.

"OW! Come on, I was just joking!"

"You're not even close to baseline, ribbit," said Tsuyu.

"I swear, I think I'm becoming the slapstick comedy of the group…" he muttered as he reached back into the fridge.

Tsuyu turned to Doko and blinked at him. "When I say talk to Mina, I don't mean go to her for comfort. Simply present your issues on the matter bluntly and neutrally. Like I would."

"Yeah, because that always goes well," Doko mumbled. "You know what I'm worried about. She's gotten into her head that she has to go wherever I go. If Mirko rejects me, then…"

"Wasn't it you who originally made that promise, ribbit?"

"Well yeah, but!"

"Mina's a big girl, Dokkun. She is fully capable of making a rational decision about this."

"But we don't even know if this decision IS rational! We could be talking about life or death here somewhere down the line!"

"This is all so stupid," Sero complained.

Doko whirled on him. "Hey man, I'm getting about tired of all your-"

"No, hold on. Listen to me." The tape user lifted his hands up defensively. "What reason does Mirko have to reject you? Just because you used teamwork in the joint training battle?"

"Uh…" Doko averted his eyes. "Yeah…"

"Any pro hero who rejects you because of that is a moron, and neither you nor Ashido need to be going to a moron. You're way better than that, Katayama. Have some pride in your own brand, dude."

"Gee, thanks man," he said dryly.

"Yeah, don't let it go to your head. Anyway, I'm not saying that the rejection is going to happen. For one, I know that no one gets to the number five spot while also being a moron."

"What about Endeavor, ribbit?" Tsu pointed out, a finger on her chin.

"Shut up and let me make my point! No one gets to the number five spot with a Quirk like Rabbit while also being a moron. Mirko can't make fire from nothing, she can't move buildings with a gust of wind, and she sure as hell can't use another dimension to disappear in one place and reappear in another. Do you understand what I'm saying? Mirko knows the value of strength, and that means she knows your potential. She's not looking at your application and laughing, Katayama. She's probably considering it. You've got to give her time to consider."

Doko sighed, letting his shoulders relax. "Well, that's…probably the most logic anyone has ever spouted at me at once. Thanks, Sero. Really."

"Yeah, watch out Tsu. I'm gonna take your spot as the rational central compass of the group if you aren't careful." Sero finished this sentence, and then took a massive bite of his makeshift cheese sandwich.

…

Later, though…the anxiety began to creep back into him, as he sat in his room. It had already gotten dark outside, leaving only the blue light of his computer screen to shine through. He rarely turned on the overhead lights, as the ones installed in the dorm were white and stark and not very homey at all.

Doko did something he hardly ever did. He used the Internet.

"Hmm…let's see…" he went onto the search engine and searched Mirko.

In just a few articles, he found out some interesting things. Mirko's real name was Rumi Usagiyama, which was quite a mouthful but whatever. She had first garnered public attention in volleyball, where she had brought her team to several championship wins with her incredible natural leaping power.

Volleyball. Just like my sister…

Doko swallowed. It was tough to think about Akane right now. Randomly, he wondered about Mirko's thoughts on Quirkless people, but decided he wouldn't search it up. No, he would ask her himself. If he got the chance.

Mirko had also dropped off the grid for several years, which was interesting. Was that when she went underground? He found the timeline a bit confusing, as all the articles he found about her seemed to jump around a lot. Plus, ads kept popping up all over the screen and he had no idea how to install an ad blocker.

Eventually, he found a video interview. Intrigued, he clicked on it.

There she was, sitting in one of those dark grey interview rooms in a high folding chair, her muscular legs crossed over one another, a surprisingly neutral expression on her face. Instead of her hero costume, she was dressed in a green blouse, a white skirt that matched her hair, and black tights.

Across from her, the interviewer asked, "Where do you get your strength from to do hero work?"

"Hmm. If you're askin' physically, it's all in the legs, of course!" She grinned, and gestured down the length of them. "But I know that's not what you meant. I get my strength from satisfaction. A lot of the villains and evildoers out there are sadists. They take joy in manipulating and killing and making people suffer. They're my least favorite people. I take action as a hero in order to see that satisfaction get wiped off their smug faces. It's my own satisfaction to see theirs taken away. The instant I get the upper hand is the instant they regret everything. It's not just about catchin' criminals, you see. You gotta make 'em regret what they did. Absolute defeat. No unfinished business, you get me?"

Doko listened, enraptured. He remembered his overwhelming desire to defeat Overhaul, a true sadist if there ever was one. That desire to make the villain regret his decisions. How that had translated into Doko's strength and stamina during that fight. And the same had been true for his desire to defeat Todoroki at the sports festival, as well. She's right. That CAN be a source of strength…a powerful one.

"It's often said that you show no mercy towards the villains you stop. All Might is known to talk criminals down and even offer them in a helping hand sometimes. I'm not endorsing either strategy, but I just want to know your thoughts on the matter?"

"Hmm. I guess I can see why people say that about me…but it ain't always true. It's well known that I spent time off the grid."

"As a cage fighter, yes."

"Yeah, that leads me into my point. Cage fighting was all about fighting dirty, but occasionally you'd have an opponent with a real sense of honor about the whole thing. That was a rare treat. I would always try to treat them with equal honor when I got into that situation. I was young and thought I had the best head on my shoulders, that I knew better than everyone else…you know how people are at that age. Anyway, last year I actually came across one of these guys doing what I assumed to be vigilante work. He'd beaten up a whole gang of losers inside a warehouse."

"This man…you recognized him from your cage fighting years? As one of these honorable opponents?"

"Yeah. And I really got to wondering how he'd gotten to that point. I had a duty to stop vigilantism, of course, since it wasn't exactly a big or desperate job. But me and this guy talked for a bit. I found out that he wasn't interested in breaking the law so much as he just wanted to find some good people to fight. He believed a fight was the most honorable, natural thing a man could do, and was constantly searching for strong opponents. So, I struck a deal with him. He was gettin' arrested no matter what, but we had a few minutes before the cops were arrivin' on the scene. I told him that if he beat me and I had to get my ass saved by the cops, he would be free to serve his time and then keep going on his crusade after he left prison. But if I was the winner, then he would have to stop looking for fights, and become a functioning member of society after he left prison. I ended up winning. These days, I think he's workin' at a construction firm. Got an apartment and everything. So, my point is…it looks like I'm always just charging in and kicking, but there can be honor in a fight. People's minds can change in a fight just as much as they can in a debate, if not more so. That's how I see it, anyway."

Doko closed his computer. His mind felt light for the first time in days.

Mirko may surprise you, Aizawa had said. And Doko was now certain that his teacher must have worked with her before, and had realized something…

The rabbit hero and his warping student had a lot more in common than initially met the eye.

…

On New Year's Eve, Class 1-A had another party. It was smaller, and mostly involved leftovers from the Christmas party, but it was still high with activity. About half the class was involved in some kind of party game, sitting in a circle on the floor, while a few others sat around the couches. Toru whispered to Momo, "I'm gonna try to kiss Shoji when the clock strikes midnight!"

Momo blushed, and asked, "How does that work? Are you going to trick him into making a mouth on the end of his arm? Or has he shown you what's under his mask…"

"Yeah, but what's under the mask isn't exactly kissable. I'm gonna have to do the first thing."

"R-right. Well, as a class representative, I cannot exactly endorse it, but my lips are…ahem…sealed, as it were."

"Sealed, are they? You sure you don't want to give them to some lucky boy tonight? Got anyone you'd like to kiss, Yaomomo?"

Her blush deepened. "Not that I can think of off the top of my head…"

Jiro, meanwhile, was listening in on the conversation from a distance with her Quirk, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Doko was sitting next to Mina and participating in the party game when suddenly they all heard something loud from outside the building.

Mina paused, her mouth half-open. "Err, what was that?"

They could hear voices now. "Ma'am, this is out of line! You are not allowed to go in there without proper…"

"Can it, glasses! I got permission from the little rat of a principal!"

Mina and Doko looked at each other in alarm, and then got to their feet at lightning speed. The rest of the class followed suit. Everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up, and turned toward the door. They'd all heard the voice, and recognized it.

The door burst open, and the rabbit hero Mirko stormed inside, her eyebrows arched down. She was dressed in her costume and quickly scanned the room with furious red eyes.

Behind her, a hapless man in a suit fretted nervously, muttering to himself and flailing his hands around. Aizawa entered as well, hands in his pockets, a resigned expression on his face.

Mirko's eyes scanned the silent room until they landed on Doko. "You," she said, pointing.

"Me," Doko squeaked. He felt frozen solid where his feet were planted, unable to move.

Aizawa sighed. "I'm sorry, Katayama. I couldn't get through to her that you guys were having a party right now, but then again…I didn't try very hard."

"There's an advanced gym facility on this campus, right?" Mirko asked. Her eyes were still lasered in on Doko, so he took the responsibility of answering the question.

"Yes. Gym Gamma."

"Me and you are going there right now. To fight. Prove that you're worthy of having a work study with me."

"Huh?!" The guy in the suit blurted. "But, Usagiyama-san, the legal consequences…you already planned on taking one of these students on…"

"Yeah, the pink chick next to him. But I guess he's got it in his little arrogant kid brain that he can hop along with us as well. Very well, I've elected to give him a chance. If he can put up a good fight, I'll take them both."

All eyes in the room went back and forth between Doko and Mirko.

"Wow," gasped Midoriya.

"Holy shit…a challenge from a pro hero…" Kirishima muttered.

"Katayama, you do not have to do this if you do not want to," Iida called to him.

Doko looked pointedly at Aizawa, who shrugged. The shrug said something along the lines of I knew this was going to happen, it was kind of inevitable. Essentially…Aizawa did not care what he did one way or the other.

Doko grinned.

"Alright," he said. "But why stop there? Let's make things properly interesting."

Mirko's eyes widened for a split second, and he knew he'd caught her off guard. But then she narrowed them again, and said, "What do you suggest?"

"It's not very fair for a first year hero student like me to have to fight such a high level pro like you all by myself. I need teammates to help me."

Gasps and mutters all over the room.

Mirko growled. "Kid, you know the reason I want you to prove yourself is because you rely too much on teammates, right? I need to see what you can do alone."

"Right. And I'm telling YOU that YOU haven't proven yourself to ME." Doko raised his voice, clenched his fists. "I'm still not convinced that my way, my collaborative way, isn't better than your lone wolf act. If you can beat me even with teammates, maybe I'll reconsider."

The sound of laughter crackled the room, and everyone turned in alarm to see that it was Bakugo of all people.

Kirishima whistled.

Mirko pointed at him accusingly. "You little snot-nosed brat. I won't fight you with teammates. If you don't fight me alone you don't get your chance at all."

Mina stepped forward. "Wherever I go, he goes. If you don't accept the terms then you lose us both."

More gasps and mutters. "Whoa," Jiro whispered. "Mina, are you sure?"

Mirko seemed genuinely surprised by this. She looked back and forth between the two of them. Doko kept his face level. Come on, Mirko. If you were telling the truth in that interview…

Changing someone's mind in a fight, with your actions. An honorable exchange. My ideals vs yours. Come on, take the bait.

"What are the terms?" Rumi Usagiyama growled.

"If my teammates and I win, you have to take me on, and consider teamwork a viable strategy in the future, going forward in your career as a pro. If we lose, I'll go somewhere else for my work study…"

He looked toward his girlfriend, who had stood up for him, who seemed so brave in the face of her idol.

"...But you'll still get Mina here."

"Huh?" Mina whirled to look at him, in alarm. "Hold on, Doko, that's not my decision! You can't just…"

"Mina, relax." He took her by the shoulders, gave her a deep violet gaze. "I need to give her more incentive to win. I want her trying her hardest, and besides…" His lip curled. "I have no intention of losing."

Mina searched his eyes with her own. Hers were filled with uncertainty…but also love, and trust. She nodded.

"Fine, then," Mirko said loudly. "Two teammates max. Who do you want? Your little girlfriend, I assume, but who else? The tape kid who fought on TV?"

Doko looked around the room at his classmates. He caught eyes with Midoriya.

This is about proving something to him as well. Him and All Might. One person being a Symbol is not enough for society. The burden is too great, the rewards not spread-out enough. No, it has to be many. It has to be achieved through teamwork and collaboration.

"Uraraka, Ojiro," he called loudly. "You're with me."

…

Ten minutes later, they stood in Gym Gamma, the three of them side-by-side, dressed in their hero costumes. Mirko was across the room from them, stretching.

"She's…real muscular, huh?" Ojiro muttered darkly, a faint dusting of red on his cheeks.

Uraraka shot him a loaded glare, and then looked to Doko. "Are you sure you want the two of us, Katayama? It's not like I'm not willing, it's just…I'm surprised, is all."

"Uraraka, you've saved my life twice," he told her. "There's very few people I would trust more."

"But what about me?" Ojiro asked, still looking nervously at their opponent. "We've never been together in the field…and, I mean, I'm really plain…if you got someone flashy to help you like Midoriya or Todoroki, you could win a lot easier…"

"I don't want more flashy power. I have enough of that for myself, and she already looks down on me because of it. I need someone with the fighting skill to match her…and Ojiro, I think you're that person."

"Well, alright." Ojiro took a deep breath. "I appreciate your trust, and I'll try not to let you down."

"Same here!" Uraraka exclaimed, putting on a determined face.

"You two, huh?" Mirko said, chewing the scenery across the way. "I saw you get into some decent brawls. Against that insect kid, was it? You're both more than capable of handling yourselves, yet you choose to partner up. What, you in love or something?"

Both of them blushed.

Doko said, "It's exactly like you say. They're strong separately and still choose to fight together, and with me as well. Because there is rationality in teaming up, as I'm about to show you."

"You're cockier than I expected, kid." Mirko stood up straight, apparently having finished her stretches. "Are we ready to start?"

Off to the side, quite a crowd had gathered. While some had stayed behind to continue the party, a lot of their classmates were here…Mina, of course, as well as Tsuyu and Sero. Kirishima, Midoriya, Todoroki, Tokoyami…and surprisingly, Bakugo. Aizawa and the suited man, who was apparently Mirko's government liaison, stood off to the side.

"Good luck, ribbit," Tsuyu called to Doko. Next to her, Mina was looking back and forth between her boyfriend and her idol, nervously.

"This is like, the manliest thing you've ever done, dude," Kirishima said. "I'm pumped to watch!" Bakugo grunted next to him.

"Remember what we've talked about," Tokoyami breathed.

"Oh man…" Midoriya muttered. "A fight between three of us and a pro…what kind of strategies will they use…I wonder if Uraraka might mutter mutter mutter…"

"Usagiyama-san, I must warn you one last time against this," the government liaison pleaded. "What happens if you hurt one of the children?"

She slammed her fists together. "Then they'll stay down if they know what's good for 'em! Though I doubt it. They'll probably fight until they pass out, and then they'll get the old healing hag to come kiss them all better."

Aizawa sighed again. "She's right. We may as well let this play out while we can chaperone them. Is everyone ready over there?" He looked to his three students.

Ojiro folded into a martial arts stance. "Yep."

Uraraka held up her fist. "Mmhmm!"

Doko reached up, tapped his fist against his temple twice…and his costume's mask released, unfolding over his face with a metallic whirr.

"Let's light this candle," he said.

"Start," Aizawa said in a bored tone.

Mirko immediately hopped into the air, hurtling toward them like an artillery shell, a massive grin on her face. "Show me somethin' good, kiddos!" she roared.

Uraraka and Ojiro split, preparing to dodge as she plummeted toward them, but Doko stood his ground. He slammed his fist into the floor of the gym, and shouted, "VOID SHRED!"

A resounding CRACK split the air, and glowing purple fissures spread out from the spot of impact. Pieces of concrete were warped apart and tossed up. I used that move on the floor in here once before, when we fought Togata-senpai. But that was just to get him to pop out of the floor. This time it serves a different purpose. All that loose debris…will come in handy.

At the last second, he teleported backward, as Mirko landed hard on the spot where he'd been. She stomped the already-broken floor and bent her knees, kicking up a gust of wind with the strength of the hit. That would have crushed me like a soda can. I'd have been compressed until I was two feet tall.

But the added effect was that she loosened up even more floor debris. Doko smiled.

He was prepared for her to make a taunt, but she simply took off again, leaping over their heads. She doesn't waste time talking, does she.

Uraraka ducked, bracing herself for the attack, but Mirko feinted and spun in midair, planting her feet off the wall behind them…and then springing down, toward Ojiro.

Doko warped up a chunk of concrete to block her path. She kicked off of it sideways, pulverizing it with the strength of her feet.

"NOW!" he shouted to Uraraka.

Mirko landed against the floor, sliding and skidding and using her calves to slow and plant herself. Beneath her, bits of the floor were being kicked up and plowed. Uraraka was running, racing toward her, reaching out her palm to make the heroine float…

Mirko hopped away, and Doko warped another chunk behind her, which hit her in the back. She cursed under her breath, backflipped over Ojiro, and sucked in her chest to avoid Uraraka's brushing fingertips. "I know how your Quirk works, chipmunk cheeks!" she hissed.

She's dodging a lot, Doko thought, watching the heroine's movements as she hopped around over their heads, bouncing off the walls and trying to divebomb them here and there. Moving like Tsuyu does, sort of. Only…

He warped another chunk into her path, then another. She dodged one, destroyed the next with a gloved fist, and in the resulting cloud of dust, he warped forward.

He closed his fist, getting ready to deliver a strong blow like Ojiro had shown him. No more feathery, light punches. He would hit once and it would hurt!

Mirko slid sideways. "Got you!" she sang. She wrapped her leg around his chest, and prepared to throw him. Doko warped out, then immediately back in. Can't let up, like Bakugo! He crossed her, threw another punch. Watched her kick come around, feinted a warp, and then ducked under it. He kicked out his own legs to sweep her, but she hopped upward and over him. He warped sideways, then across her again. They danced around each other…

...But Mirko was faster than Bakugo, and landed a hard hit on him that knocked him backward. Then, a piece of concrete plummeted down toward her head from above, dropped by Uraraka's gravity. Mirko flipped into a handstand and kicked the chunk out of the sky, then finished into a flip to move backwards and avoid Uraraka's palms again. The girl had tried to charge in with a follow-up.

Doko struggled to his feet, clutching his chest and gasping. That one kick had nearly taken everything out of him.

Ojiro rushed in to engage. He and Mirko exchanged blows. He chopped out with palm strikes and elbow strikes and with his knees and tail, like a relentless onslaught. She blocked and dodged and countered, remaining solidly on the ground, backing up as the boy attacked her.

Uraraka began to circle wide around them, activating her Quirk on all the loose debris just like Doko had wanted. Ojiro continued to press the attack, though Mirko's eyes darted toward the brunette girl as she circled around the back.

Mirko cackled. "You're quite the fighter, huh?" she said to Ojiro.

"And you're!" He swung his tail out. "Not!" Two more attacks with the forearm. "Taking this seriously enough!" He used his tail to bounce himself upward and do a sideways flip, aiming a kick toward Mirko's face. She reached up with a beefy forearm and blocked it solidly.

"Not hopping and leaping up around me, huh?" Ojiro asked, as the two of them stalemated close together. "You wanted to see what kind of martial arts I'm capable of, so you let me press you. You'll regret playing with us and underestimating us."

"Oh?" Mirko raised an eyebrow. "Whatever could you mean? Ah, here she comes now."

She whirled, arm outstretched, and stopped Uraraka in her tracks with a hand around the girl's throat. Uraraka struggled, trying to touch Mirko with her fingertips, but Mirko reached out with her other hand and held Uraraka's arm in place. Then, she slammed the girl hard into the ground.

"NO!" Ojiro roared. He delivered a strong whirling tail-hit to Mirko's back, knocking her away, and then…Doko showed back up.

He warped in, swinging his glowing fist around to throw some concrete right at the heroine's face. Mirko slid sideways to dodge, and then he was there, managing to land a fist in her side. She hopped upward now to get clear, and Doko shouted. "URARAKA!"

The brunette sprung to her feet and pressed her fingertips together. "Release!"

All the debris she'd floated into the air came plummeting down, and Doko began reaching out with his hands like crazy, grabbing on to all of it that he could with his Quirk. Flashes of purple, like firecrackers, danced across the room. He warped them upward, following Mirko's path as she bounced around the walls, predicting her, leading his shots as he attempted to hit her with debris.

Mirko leapt down toward them, holding one leg high in the air, preparing to slam her heel down upon his head. Doko braced himself, letting his body glow purple as if he might warp out of the way…and then he bent over forward.

Ojiro launched himself off of Doko's back, swung his tail into the air, and wrapped it around Mirko, yanking downward. Doko warped into the air above them, and slammed the full weight of his body down onto the heroine. Together, with him pushing and Ojiro pulling, they slammed the heroine into the ground, hard enough to kick up dust and debris. Mirko kicked them off in a whirling, spinning handstand, preparing to hop away…

...But she was dazed enough from the attack to be a second too slow, and Uraraka's fingers brushed against her heel.

"GOT YOU!" Doko declared, his chest heaving with breath. All his muscles relaxed at once.

Rumi Usagiyama floated, turning over in midair, a sour look on her face. "Dammit. I almost got free of that."

Aizawa looked up at her with a dry expression. "Well, you can't do much to them from up there. Do you concede?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

"Yes!" Uraraka exclaimed, and threw her arms around Ojiro's neck. "We did it!"

The tailed boy blushed, and slowly returned her hug. "Haha, yeah…"

After Mirko had been let back down, she walked up to Doko, and looked up at him. He realized he was at least five inches taller than her, and his lip twitched with humor.

She put her hands on her hips. "Somethin' funny?"

"Uhh…no ma'am."

"That's what I thought." She looked back at Uraraka and Ojiro and clicked her teeth. "You knew exactly who you needed to counter me, huh? Feels like I got set up or somethin'."

"Well, sort of." Doko scratched his neck sheepishly. "I realize I must seem to you like a scheming, slippery brat who relies too much on flashy tricks. But…that's where my strength is, right now. Can you blame anyone for leaning into their strength?"

She studied him with those crimson eyes. "I guess not. But under me…" She poked him in the chest with her gloved finger. "You can get a lot stronger in those areas where you need work!"

His face brightened. "So you'll take me on, then?"

"Those were the terms. Never let it be said that I didn't agree to this all the way through. And…" She averted her eyes. "...Maybe I'll think a bit more about what you've tried to show me. The three of you were quite impressive, workin' together like that."

Mina squealed, and rushed up to them, hugging Doko tightly. "Yay! We're gonna be together after all!"

"Get ready," Mirko said to them both, grinning. "There won't be any time for lovey-dovey nonsense while you're with me. After woundin' my pride like this today, it's only fair that I pay you back, and put you both through hell."