Happy holidays everyone!

This chapter picks up on New Year's, which is weird, because that is still a few days away as of the time of this upload.

To everyone who commented on the last chapter though, thank you for your support. Seriously. I hope I can continue to entertain you as we slog through these bad times.

This fic is going to be finished. Updates will be slower. That's all I've got for now.

Chapter 73: No Surprises

Apparently, while they had been fighting in the gym, midnight had come and gone. Mina noticed this as the group who'd gone walked back toward the dorm, checking her phone with a disappointed click of her teeth.

"Damn," she said. "I had something planned for you for midnight and everything."

Doko raised his eyebrows. "We can just stay up until 1 AM and pretend we live in the next timezone over."

"That's so dumb," she giggled.

"I'm sorry, but if there's a kiss involved, then I'm making sure this is happening." She punched him in the arm in response to that.

Mirko and Aizawa and the other adult had split up with the party of the students at a path crossing, leaving them to walk back the rest of the way on their own. Following behind them were Ojiro, Uraraka, Sero, Tsuyu, Kirishima, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Bakugo.

Doko apologized loudly. "Sorry for making you all miss the countdown."

"Are you kidding me?" Bakugo blurted. "That fight was WAY more fucking interesting than-" He cut himself off upon seeing everyone look at him in surprise. "I mean, whatever," he muttered.

"No worries, Katayama, it's not like you could have predicted it," said Kirishima. "And you handled yourself really well in that whole situation! Ojiro and Uraraka, too!"

They reached the steps of the dorm building, and Toru's form came racing down them, her sleeves waving recklessly in the air. "What the heck?! You guys missed the New Year!"

"There's always next year," said Sero, dryly. "Important stuff WAS going on…"

"Important stuff was going on HERE!" Toru interrupted him. It was then that Doko realized how alarmed the invisible girl's demeanor was. "What happened?" he asked in concern, letting the purple glow rise up around him a bit, ready to act.

"Jiro and Yaomomo kissed at midnight!"

Doko relaxed. The purple glow faded. "Oh. That's it? Alright, then."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Mina exclaimed. She looked back at Doko in complete shock, then back to Toru. "Jiro and MOMO?!"

"YEAH! I couldn't believe it either! I got so distracted, I accidentally kissed Shoji two seconds too late!"

"They…ah…" Mina seemed at a complete loss for words. She looked back at Doko again, and seemed frustrated. "You're…not the slightest bit surprised by this?"

Doko shrugged. "Not really."

Tokoyami nodded in assent. "For those of us in the band, anyone could see that Jiro had deep feelings for Yaoyorozu."

"It was obvious as fuck!" Bakugo chimed in from the back.

"But…" Mina sputtered, looking toward Uraraka and Tsu. "HELP ME OUT HERE!"

Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "I long suspected that Kyoka-chan was attracted to girls, but I did not know about Momo-chan at all. Hmm. Perhaps we better go inside and ask them?"

"MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!" Mina broke past Toru and ran inside. The invisible girl whirled on a heel and followed. "Hey, wait up!" Tsu hopped behind them in pursuit.

Doko looked back at Tokoyami and Sero in confusion. "What's the big deal?" he asked.

Sero shrugged. "I've got as little clue as you do. It's just a kiss."

"Hmm." Tokoyami seemed thoughtful. "I suppose we must put ourselves in their shoes. Imagine if all of a sudden, we found out that Kirishima and Bakugo here had kissed."

All the boys looked back at the two of them, bug-eyed. There was a long, awkward silence.

"Okay, I get it now."

"Yeah. No wonder they're freaking out."

"Let's get inside."

…

It was chaos in the 1-A dorm for a few minutes. Momo and Jiro endured questioning from three of the other four girls. Both were blushing a deeper, darker red than anyone in the class had ever seen on anyone. When Momo was asked if she liked girls, she responded in a shy voice, "Well…it's not like I didn't enjoy it…"

Meanwhile, Sero could be overheard saying, "A zillion dudes who saw her at the festivals just cried out in terror and anguish and disappointment. Anyway, I'm going to sleep."

Tokoyami and Kirishima both nodded and followed him up the stairs.

Ochaco Uraraka, for her part, was not participating in the interrogation. Not because she wasn't happy for Momo and Jiro…she was. But just because her mind was still on fighting Mirko. While Ojiro and Katayama had set it up for her, it had been she who'd landed the finishing move. And it was just a brush of her fingers.

I'm getting better. When it's time to fight the League, they don't know what's coming for them! She no longer felt any resentment or anger when dwelling on this, either. Just righteous determination.

"Umm, Uraraka…?"

She looked up. Ojiro was standing there. A smile came onto her face. "Hey, Ojiro. Are you going to sleep soon?" She was unashamed to admit how much she'd been enjoying his company recently.

"Well I, umm…" Some of the lights in the common room had been turned off, so it was hard to tell, but it seemed like he was blushing. "I'm really proud of us. I mean, I'm glad we…I like fighting with you. We make a good team."

Ochaco blinked. That's not what he really wanted to say. "I think so too," she said brightly. "What do you think of, umm…Jiro and Yaomomo?" She didn't know why she'd asked that.

Ojiro looked over to them, as they were still the center of attention on the other side of the room. "Well, uhh…it is rather strange. Not because they're into girls, or anything!" he added quickly. "Just…wow, there's a lot of couples in the class, huh? I kinda figured at the beginning of the year, considering how competitive everyone was back then…that no one would ever find the time."

"...Yeah." Suddenly, Ochaco wasn't feeling so great anymore. "Well, I'm going on upstairs, Ojiro. You have a good night. Happy New Year." For a moment, she leaned toward him, but then paused, realizing she hadn't really been sure what she was going to do. Hug him or something? Her arms awkwardly hung in the air, so she waved like a moron, and turned back toward the stairs, her face hot.

What's wrong with me, she thought. I thought I had everything together. I really did.

…

Izuku Midoriya returned to his room feeling conflicted. He was happy that Katayama had won Mirko over, and that he would get to do his work study with Mina…but at the same time, he wished Katayama would talk to him.

I thought we were friends. Good friends, even. It just wouldn't be the same at Nighteye's agency without him. Sure, Togata was fun, but…still. He hated this tension between them, and Izuku did not often have the capacity to hate anything.

I can't tell if he just finds things too awkward between us now, or if he really does hate me and All Might, he thought, saddened. Of course, since learning the full truth, Katayama knew that both Midoriya had originally been Quirkless, and surrounded by people with Quirks who discriminated against him. But the Quirkless people Katayama had known best were…detestable. It's like we're opposites. No wonder there is tension. Although it was a bit more complex than that.

It's easy for him, isn't it? His secrets are his own; the only people that are damaged by him spreading the word are villains. He can share with whoever he wants and stand among them. But I have to stand apart. My secret could damage the heroes. He didn't want to get toxic about it, but…

There was a knocking on the window. Izuku looked up in surprise.

Nejire was there, waving. She was floating with her Quirk activated in her feet. "Izukuuu!" she complained through the glass, which had just recently been repaired. "Let me in! It's freeeeeezing!"

Izuku sighed, smiled, and walked over to the window. When he opened it, she lunged into the room and threw her arms around his neck. "Happy New Year!" she exclaimed, and the two of them spun into the room, hugging.

He could not stop himself from laughing, as she continued to spin him and planted kisses on his neck and cheeks. "Hang on, Nejire, hang on, lemme close the…"

She hopped away, blinking prettily at him, as he leaned back to shut the window and keep the breeze from coming out. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I'm here to celebrate New Year with you!" She pouted. "What, did you not want to see me?"

"I always want to see you," he blurted.

Nejire giggled, and blushed. "But surely you'd get tired of me if I was always around? The way we steal moments now…in between classes and after training…there's something really magical about it, don't you think?"

"Uhh…maybe." He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I still would like to see you more often." Strange images floated into his head. Images of him and Nejire just living a quiet domestic life, where he never used One For All again. Just the two of them.

These sorts of things had begun tugging at him more and more often, and especially when she was around. He was suspecting that he was really falling in love with her, and that was frightening. For all his life, only his desire to save people had ever pulled at him so strongly. And this…this seemed to directly contradict that.

But it doesn't have to, he told himself. Katayama and Ashido make it work, as do Sero and Shiozaki, and all the married pro hero couples like Kota's parents. Besides, a future where he never used One For All again…would not have any happy domestic couples at all. It would be villainy and devastation.

"Maybe I should sneak into your room more often, then," Nejire was saying. Then, her eyes widened into a more serious expression. "Izuku? Is everything alright?"

"Uhh…yeah! I'm just a bit tired, is all…thinking about returning to the work studies." Should I tell her about One For All? He wished he could. He wished that so much.

She stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm still cold…" she murmured. "Just let me stay here for a while…" She rested her head against his chest.

Izuku laughed nervously, awkwardly returning the hug. "Well, no wonder you're cold, you crossed the campus to get here and you're only wearing…" He paused, the reality of the situation settling in. Nejire was only wearing pajamas. A t-shirt and sleeping shorts. And her hair was completely undone.

"Erm…Nejire?"

"Yes, Izuku?" She murmured.

"Are you, umm." He coughed. "Are you planning on…staying here t-tonight?"

She tilted her head up to look at him. A mischievous light twinkled in her blue eyes. "And if I said that I was," she whispered, leaning in closer. "How would you react?"

"I, uhh…" Izuku swallowed. His eyes wanted to dart around anywhere and everywhere, but they were locked into her gaze. The space between their lips shrunk.

"Happy New Year, Izuku," she said softly, her eyes tilting down toward his mouth.

"Happy New Year, Nejire."

They kissed, and then slowly, surely, leaned backward, her on top of him, onto the bed.

…

The new week began and so did the work studies. All of Class A and some of B were splitting up from each other at the train station, dispersing to various locations and agencies throughout Japan. Tsuyu and Uraraka followed Nejire onto one train, while Todoroki dragged Bakugo onto another. Going to Ryukyu and Endeavor respectively.

Sero and Shiozaki were heading back to Kamui Woods, while Toru and Shoji were going back with Reflector. Iida was going back to Manual and Kirishima was going back to Fat Gum. Everyone else was going someplace new. Everyone else except Midoriya, that is…

"Katayama! Can I please talk to you for a second?"

Doko turned on the platform. Mina was waving him along from up ahead. Their train to Mirko's place was leaving in just a few minutes. But here was Midoriya, his green eyes wide, but confident.

Doko's eye twitched. He made to turn and follow Mina, but Midoriya grabbed his arm. "Please! Katayama, I don't know how soon we'll even see each other again."

That was true enough. For the first week of the New Year, they'd trained extremely hard. Doko had done plenty of sparring with Shinso and Uraraka and Ojiro, as well as more control training with Tokoyami…but now they were all splitting up. Tokoyami was going to be all the way down in Kyushu at Hawks' agency and Shinso was staying behind at UA to prepare for his own provisional licensing exam. There was no more time to train with the others…because these work studies would be their last of the first year. The next time they saw each other, either UA would be closed, or they would be together, facing against the League in…

The battle, his Quirk whispered at him. The battle that's coming.

Doko swallowed, and looked Midoriya level in the eye. None of this is his fault. Man, I've been a jerk.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"Just…I wanted to wish you good luck with Mirko. And…that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for burdening you with everything."

Doko smiled wearily. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I was the one in the wrong, Midoriya. I shouldn't have gotten so upset and made things awkward between us. You're not like the adults with their…agendas." Nighteye, All Might, All For One…all of them.

"But still…if you blame All Might, and by extension me, for not stopping AFO…and letting him get away with everything that happened to you…I mean, I understand!" Midoriya jerked into a bow.

"Blame?" Doko repeated in disbelief. "Do I wish things had happened differently? Of course I do. But All For One's actions are his own. I do not push the blame onto anyone else. And…Midoriya, you are NOT All Might. One For All is yours, and it will still be yours when he passes away. You don't have to shoulder any of his responsibilities if you don't want to."

He paused there, and looked at Midoriya's face, which seemed…strange. Like he was imagining something, fantasizing about it. Was that the right thing to say?

"I only mean…you won't be the only hero in the new generation, Midoriya. We're all going to help you. Stop trying to stand alone and apart. No one wants that. If you try to take all the responsibility yourself, you will fall apart. In fact, I imagine that's exactly what the villains will try to target."

"...Right. You're right," Midoriya mumbled. "Still, it makes me unhappy just to imagine All Might passing away…" His face looked happy about something, though. Doko raised an eyebrow.

"Midoriya? Did something happen with Hado?"

"Ah! Uhh, no?" He blushed a very telling red.

Doko grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder. "See? You've got something else to fight for, already. Though Hado can handle herself just fine, I'm sure. She, and me, and all of our class, are gonna be at your side when push comes to shove. Even Bakugo. Now…let's get to these agencies, and find this League of Villains."

Midoriya lifted himself up. "Yes! Good luck, Katayama! See you soon!"

"See ya!" They began to walk away from each other. "Good luck with Nighteye!"

Doko turned away, putting his back to Midoriya and his front to Mina, who was watching him and tapping her foot impatiently.

In that moment, he really, truly believed everything would turn out fine. Even if he couldn't return to Nighteye with Midoriya and Mirio…that future-seeing man, who apparently saw darkness coming ahead for Doko…

Screw his agenda. We changed the future once, we can do it again. I'm learning to control my Quirk for good. All For One is put away in prison. Mirko will train us up until we can kick all kinds of ass, and then we'll go find Shigaraki and the others. That will be the end of it.

…

"Welcome to our new agency," said Kamui Woods to Sero and Ibara as they arrived. It was a beautiful new building, sleek and modern, taking up a whole city block.

"As befitting for the number seven!" Sero complimented.

"And the number four," said a whispery voice behind them.

Both students turned around in alarm. Edgeshot had appeared behind them. "In these troubling times, hero teams make more and more sense. That is why we have formed the Lurkers. It is the two of us, and…"

"ME!" declared Mount Lady, stomping her way down the road in her gigantified form. Some pedestrians shouted up at her, dazzled, and she gave them a wave before shrinking down to join the other four on the sidewalk.

She strutted out, one hand on her hip. "You two are lucky! You get to be under the wing of three top 30 heroes at once!"

Hanta grinned, but inwardly he was thinking, it would be all top 10 heroes if you weren't here. Still, she's probably insecure about that. He looked over at Ibara, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Thank you for having us," she said in a surprisingly cool voice. "May we see inside now?"

"Of course!" Mount Lady said, a little too enthusiastically. "Follow meeeee!"

Kamui Woods and Edgeshot trailed after her silently, and the students brought up the rear. Speaking of rears, Mount Lady was sashaying hers back and forth as she walked, and Ibara was watching with her nose turned up.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Hanta muttered to his girlfriend, half in jest.

Ibara sighed. "She's far too…flamboyant. I am happy that Edgeshot is here, only…"

"No, this is great. Honestly I wish more of our class had come with us. Three top heroes? We'll be the best in our year by the time this work study is over, and we're already pretty damn close!"

Kamui Woods overheard him. "Oh my, Sero. You've gotten more confident since you beat Gentle Criminal, I see."

"Oh no," Hanta said. "I know that tone. This is the part where you say you'll have to beat it out of me."

"Beat is far too unrefined of a word," Edgeshot breathed. "It's more like we will…wring it out of you, like you're a damp rag."

Ibara giggled. Hanta just gaped at the ninja hero. "Charming," he squeaked.

…

"Welcome back, Kirishima!" Fat Gum roared, picking up the red-haired boy in a massive bear hug. "Oh, and who are you? His twin?" Tetsutetsu had come this time as well, and objected to being hugged, but was caught up in it anyway.

"Please put us down, Fat Gum sir!" they both barked, trying to squirm free.

"Oh no," murmured Amajiki, putting his head against the agency wall. "Now there's two of them."

…

"Welcome back, Iida. I'm glad to have you. I know you could have picked…many bigger heroes."

"Nonsense, Manual. I'm here because in spite of everything going on the first time I was here…you still showed me kindness and respect. You are the kind of hero I want to emulate. It doesn't matter what your ranking is."

Manual seemed shocked and flattered. "Well then," he said. "Let's get on patrol, shall we?"

…

"Good!" Gang Orca roared, as Kyoka and Momo arrived in the lobby. "You two are here! Let's go, there's a gang stirring up trouble about five minutes from here!" He began to sweep past them, his sidekicks following him.

"Ah!" Momo squealed. "Patrol, already! This is surprisingly, chaotic…"

"What, were you expecting more refinement from a top 15 hero?" Gang Orca barked. "Life moves fast at the top, or you don't keep that spot! As UA students, I expect you to know that! Now, open those cases and get into your costumes and LET'S GO!"

Kyoka rolled her eyes, smiled, and grabbed Momo's hand. "C'mon, dear. Let's do as he says."

"Dear? Are you two dating or somethin'?" he demanded.

The two of them looked at each other, blushed, and then back at him.

"Kinda?"

"Sorta?"

"Maybe?"

"THAT'S ADORABLE! NOW HURRY UP AND GET CHANGED!"

"YES SIR!"

…

Toru Hagakure and Mezo Shoji returned to Reflector's agency, which was still a strange funhouse carnival-looking building in the middle of a business district. To their surprise, she was waiting outside for them, and was surrounded by suited men.

"For the last time!" she was barking at one man, who seemed to be trying to diffuse the situation. "I will NOT be sent off on some kind of fool…" She spotted Toru and Shoji approaching, and her face went full panic mode for a moment before relaxing. "Ah, here come my work study students! This conversation will have to wait, Morioka, I'm sorry."

The suited men all turned to look at the approaching couple. "UA students," one of them mumbled.

"Freaks, too, by the look of it."

Mezo had immediately gotten bad vibes from the suited men and had instantly turned several of his limbs into ears upon spotting them. He overheard the comment. "I'm sorry," he said in a level, deep tone. "We can't all be boring-looking heartless bureaucrats."

Toru gasped next to him, and Reflector raised her silver eyebrows. She looked back at the suited man closest to her with a smirk, and said, "I believe that's your cue to leave."

The group of them did so, muttering up a storm. Shoji turned his ears off, not bothering to listen in.

Reflector shook their hands, somehow finding Toru's instantly. "Good to have you both back. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Who were they?" Toru asked, as un-subtle as ever.

"Commission. I've heard whispers on the Hero Network that they're trying to gather up stealth heroes for some kind of…job. However, it would interfere with my duties in instructing the two of you, so I declined it. They aren't really taking no for an answer, though." Reflector frowned.

Toru and Mezo exchanged a glance. The Commission again, Mezo thought. What was their agenda, anyway? They were the ones who'd wanted them in these work studies in the first place. Why were they trying to pull Reflector away from that duty now?

"In any case, come on in. Let's think about more tasteful things, shall we?"

…

At the exit of the train station, Endeavor stood waiting for them with a winter coat on. Like both the students, he was holding a case, though his was unmarked. Katsuki was pretty sure it held his hero costume in it, though.

Todoroki stopped in front of his dad, and Katsuki stopped off to the right a little. Both of them looked up at the new number one hero expectantly.

A long, cold silence.

"What? Were you expecting a warm reception?" Endeavor growled. "I'm not thrilled about taking you on." He pointed at Katsuki. "I'm only doing it because Shoto asked! I was hoping it'd just be him!"

"You already accepted him, so stop complaining," Todoroki said flatly.

"Sh-Shoto!"

"Hmm." Katsuki looked Endeavor up and down. "Ever since you showed up to our training course outta nowhere, I've been thinking…you're kind of a jerk."

"SHOTO! I thought you were friends with this boy!"

"I am."

"Shut up, Todoroki! I'm not done. I don't care if you're a jerk. I'll put up with anything if I get to see how the top operates. I wanna know what I've been missing. How wide is the gap between me and you, at the top? That's what I'm here to find out." He remembered All Might's words to him when he'd found out: That's great, Young Bakugo! You and Endeavor are a lot alike, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I think seeing him as he is now will do you a world of good.

"Hmm." Endeavor grinned, ever so slightly. "You ask that? You were one of your class, along with my son, who had to retake your licensing exam."

Katsuki ground his teeth. "You really gonna hold that over me? You're gonna have to drag your precious Shoto through the mud too if you wanna do that."

Endeavor shrugged, and turned. "You want to learn? That's fine. In that case…try to keep up!"

And suddenly, he was aflame, taking off away from the station.

Katsuki immediately let off an explosion to follow, and Shoto rode behind him on an ice wave. Their patrol had already begun.

…

Doko was surprised to find out that where Mirko had directed them to go was at the very southern tip of the main island, not far from Kyushu.

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" said Mina, stretching down to pick up something she'd just dropped beneath the train seat. Out the window, southern Japan was rushing by. "She did show up to help Endeavor and Hawks with Dabi and the crazy Nomu. That was in Kyushu."

"Right, I just didn't think…" Doko looked out into the aisle nervously. No one on the longer-distance train was listening to them. "We're closer to Tokoyami and Hawks than I thought we'd be. I wonder if I can keep up my control training after all."

"You've improved a lot on that already though, haven't you? And surely by this point you can do it on your own, without Tokoyami."

"That doesn't mean he isn't nice to have around," Doko mumbled. "But I doubt Mirko will be willing to fit that into the schedule. She's already gonna be mad enough at this." He lifted up the piece of paper he was supposed to give her. It explained that Doko had to make a few scheduled visits to Tartarus during the work study and that nothing could conflict with these.

"Well, that's all for finding the League, right? Mirko's all about doing that. Finding the League and beating 'em up. If you explain it from that angle, I'm sure she'll get it." Mina was beaming. Of course, this was the beginning of their time spent with her idol, so nothing was getting his girlfriend's mood down.

They got off the train and walked about ten minutes to where they were meant to go. What they arrived at appeared to be an old gym, made of brick with high windows. It was nestled in a dark corner between taller buildings, and seemed altogether abandoned.

"What the hell is this?" Doko said in disbelief. "It's surely not an agency."

"It's a space I rented out, brat," Mirko said, appearing behind them.

Both of them jumped in alarm, and then whirled to face her, bowing as they did so. "Thank you for having us!" they exclaimed together.

"If you two being that cutesy is gonna be a running theme, we may have a problem." Rumi Usagiyama put her gloved hands on her hips. She was already decked out in her hero costume, unlike the two students who were still holding them in their cases.

"Why are we here, Mirko?" Mina asked.

"You know that I'm a wandering hero. I go wherever duty calls, though I'm most often operating around this area since it's near my apartment." Mirko walked over to the gym entrance, pulled some keys out of who-knew-where, and unlocked the doors. "This is a training space I've used before. I really wanted to just hop into action with the two of you, and trust me, that's happening later. But first, I wanna get a better idea of what I'm working with."

Doko and Mina followed her inside. She flicked a switch and the overhead lights buzzed to life, revealing an aggressively tan-colored space with an abandoned dusty basketball goal on one side.

"How much better of an idea can you get?" Doko asked. "You've seen us both fight."

Mirko grinned. "I said I was putting you through hell, remember? I'm a mutant, but you're both emitters. That means there's a lot more to your Quirks than meets the eye. Before the end of our time together, I'll have you both have awakened something new within yourselves. That's the goal I'm setting! A new super move, technique, way to use your Quirk, anything! That's what we'll be doing when we're not patrolling! Awakening!"

"Woohoo!" Mina cheered, but Doko felt his mind wander. Oh, Mirko. I don't know if you want to awaken my Quirk.

…

Of all the hero students dispatched from UA that day to get to various work studies, Fumikage was the last to arrive at his destination.

"Welcome back, Tsukuyomi," said one of the sidekicks. "Hawks, ah…isn't here right now."

Fumikage deadpanned. It wasn't anything less than he'd been expecting. Where DOES he go off to all the time?

…

"I'm baaaaack!" Hawks announced, as he landed outside the mansion of the villain organization formerly known as the Meta Liberation Army, now the Paranormal Liberation Front. An army of a hundred thousand, previously organized under several top lieutenants in various industries around Japan, dedicated to creating a world where people could freely use their Quirks. Now, though…those top people, CEOs, politicians…all bowed down to the few members of the League. With Tomura Shigaraki at the very top.

Out there in the hero world, Hawks was at the top, too. Or rather, directly under it. Here in the PLF, though…he was just another soldier. A very important soldier, to be sure. But still.

"Hmm?" A bald man in a purple-and-green hero costume slid up to the front entrance of the mansion. Other PLF members were hanging back in the shadows, muttering at Hawks' arrival, but only Slidin' Go was bold enough to confront him directly. "And where have you been, Mister Number Two?"

Hawks sighed. Slidin' Go, like him, was a hero in public and a PLF member in secret. However, unlike him, it was completely genuine. He really was betraying the heroes, while Hawks was a triple agent, doing the Commission's bidding.

"Just getting some proper coffee," he said to answer the man's question. "The black sludge you guys serve here is simply not it."

"We can't have you flying around all willy-nilly!" Slidin' Go admonished. "Next time, ask for permission!"

"I thought this organization was all about giving people freedom."

"That doesn't preclude the fact that I rank higher than you! And I'm older."

"Yes, sir!" Hawks said, putting on his best poker face and making a faux salute. He was making light of the situation on purpose. It was his best cover mechanism.

"What's this about you ranking higher, Slidin'?" a voice asked.

Both heroes turned. Approaching them was Tomoyaso Chikazoku, codename Skeptic, a board member of Feel Good Inc who was one of the top lieutenants of the Paranormal Liberation Front. He was a tall, lanky man, with shiny dark hair that reached his waist. It was cut into straight bangs that hid his eyes on a diagonal.

"First I've heard of that!" he continued, pointing an accusatory finger. "I suppose YOU'VE got enough influence to spread the ideals of liberation throughout hero society? Oh wait, you're not number two, like Hawks here. With all the micro listening devices we've planted on him, we can expose the heroes! You're good for browsing the Hero Network and not much else." It was true that Slidin' Go had been the one to leak the information about Denki Kaminari from the network, or so Hawks had heard.

Hawks cracked open his coffee can, and Skeptic hmphed. "After all the trouble we went to stocking black coffee."

"What can I say? Some like it sweet." Hawks did not like what Skeptic was talking about, with all the listening devices on him. He remembered his last direct conversation with the Commission. All our communication now will have to be through code. I've made contact with Dabi, but they still don't trust me. Priority right now is figuring out where the Nomu are being made.

"Anyway, follow me. The council wants to talk with you." Skeptic gestured at Hawks, and then turned around.

Hawks followed willingly enough. The council? That meant the Detnerat CEO himself, also known as Re-Destro. The son of Destro, who'd originally spread around the meta liberation ideology. His book, Meta Liberation War, had seen a resurgence in sales recently, especially after the Deika City incident, in which many civilians had stood up for themselves and fought with a limited hero presence.

Of course, that "incident" had merely been a cover up for what really happened: the League had taken over the organization. Hawks still wasn't sure about all the details, but what he HAD garnered was that Shigaraki had evolved his Quirk somehow. An evolved version of Decay…what kind of horror could that unleash upon the nation? And even worse, he had no idea where Shigaraki was. He would certainly not be at this meeting. Is he with the doctors? Those doctors of All For One that we never could find? Is that where the Nomu are being kept?

He followed Skeptic through the hallways of the mansion, feigning relaxation and ease as he sipped on his coffee. Everyone kept watching him as if he might betray them at any moment. That was fine. People being so tense around him paradoxically made it easier for him to put on a calm air.

This mansion was still a tough nut to crack. He had not yet been able to leak its location to the Commission, which was unfortunate, because there was a chance that he could be killed at any moment and that would mean the info died with him. He tried to send out his smallest feathers here and there, using his Quirk to sense vibrations in the air and eavesdrop on conversations, but it was hardly ever rewarding work.

Skeptic turned a corner and opened the double doors. Hawks stepped inside the council room.

Around a company table, the lieutenants of the PLF sat in front of computer monitors. Hawks still found this visual amusing. While Re-Destro, who was still a CEO of a major corporation, looked right at home in such a setting, he was joined by the members of the League, who were in full costume and in full insanity like always. Mr. Compress, Spinner, Dabi, Himiko Toga, and Twice. Shigaraki was of course, not here. Just a little while ago this lot was in poverty, on their last legs. Now they find themselves here, spreading their destructive poison.

Looming behind them, chained up and sleeping on his feet, was Gigantomachia. Just the sight of the giant was enough to send a shiver down one's spine. Hawks was fast and could rescue anyone in a jiffy, but he had nowhere close to the power required to take that thing down. Not even Endeavor did. And Shigaraki got it to submit to him?

There was one more person of interest in the room. A skinny man who was certainly no combatant, yet oozed a layer of intimidation all the same. He was dressed in a white lab coat. He had simple dark hair in a crew cut, but his eyes were a deep purple.

Hawks had to fight to keep his eyes from widening, as Skeptic slinked off toward his seat. Is this…one of All For One's doctors?

"Ah, Hawks." Re-Destro folded his hands in a businesslike manner. The man was all smiles in his Detnerat commercials, but when seen around the mansion, his smiles took on a downright sinister edge. "Right on time. I suppose you wonder why we've called you here."

Hawks looked around. Compress was masked, so he could have been wearing any expression. Spinner seemed bored. Toga was smiling at him with her fangs, Dabi had his eyes narrowed, and Twice was waving absurdly.

"Am I getting rewarded for being a good boy?" he asked.

"That depends on if you count a request as a reward," said the man in the lab coat. He stepped forward. "It's nice to finally meet you, Hawks."

"That depends on the request," Hawks said back. "And you are…?"

"Kasumi Yamishiwa." He offered his hand out. Hawks searched the man's purple eyes. Why does he seem a little familiar? For some reason, he was thinking about the UA Sports Festival. What on earth was the connection there?

"Yamishiwa here is a…technician, in alliance with us," said Re-Destro. "He needs our assistance in moving a large amount of equipment from one place to another."

Hawks took another sip of his coffee. "What's that got to do with me? I can't be seen helping you lot in public, you know."

"There is a problem," said Yamishiwa. "One of these locations is known to an enemy of ours. As it happens, this person can be your enemy whether you are acting in the interests of the heroes or in the interests of the Paranormal Liberation Front. The boy known as Denki Kaminari."

Ah. So this one works for AFO after all. If he'd had contact with the UA traitor in the past…

"You want me to catch Kaminari for you," said Hawks. "Ideologically, that will be a blow for our cause. The public may see it as a final closing of the situation which caused all this social unrest in the first place."

"That is a small blow we are willing to take, in order to keep this information concealed," said Yamishiwa.

"You do realize that if you have me catch him, I'd have to turn him in to the heroes?" Hawks put in dryly. "You know, the people he could possibly leak this info to?"

"We're not asking you to turn him in," said Yamishiwa.

Oh. Hawks' blood ran cold. "I get it," he said out loud. "You'd best hope that the kid fights like hell, or I'm gonna have a hard time making it look convincing."

"Not to worry about that," said Re-Destro. "Soon, your public standing will no longer matter. And we still stand atop a new world."

"How soon?" Hawks blurted.

Toga and Dabi both laughed. Yamishiwa narrowed his violet eyes.

"Soon enough," Re-Destro promised. "Don't get impatient, now."

"Of course, sir." Hawks winked. "You understand the delicate position I'm in. Don't worry, I'll look for your traitor kid. No one finds things faster than Hawks."

After that, he was dismissed. The doors closed behind him, but he knew the man Yamishiwa was not done talking to the council.

Hawks activated his Quirk. The vibrations felt against his feathers turned into sound waves that reached his ears. He listened in to the next few sentences.

"We can't give you Gigantomachia," Re-Destro said.

"Dream on, doctor guy!" Twice babbled.

"Very well. Then you will not get Shigaraki back. Do you want the convoy to be protected or not? All of your most valuable assets will be on it," Yamishiwa told them confidently.

Hawks walked out of earshot of his Quirk to work. He couldn't afford to linger, since there were guards watching him outside the door.

A convoy, huh? And apparently the boy Kaminari knew one of the locations. Was it the location they were leaving, or the one they were going to? In any case, Hawks didn't plan on going after the boy any time soon.

No, he needed to find out more about this convoy. If what I'm guessing is true, and that guy is one of AFO's doctors…then Shigaraki and the Nomu might be part of this. Taking them out is key, and I have to be willing to blow my cover to do it.

…I'm gonna need some help. He wondered if Tokoyami had arrived at the agency yet?

Then, abruptly, Hawks realized who Yamishiwa had reminded him of. That boy in Tokoyami's class who'd won the Sports Festival. Doko Katayama.