Cassandra Cain waited until her two friends, her best friends if she was honest with herself, were asleep. She grabbed her phone, and shifted the thin blanket to cover the phone and her face.

Spoiler: Dad, are you awake? Do you have time? Are you still in Mexico?

She knew the time difference between Tokyo and Iztapalapa. But there was no guarantee that Orphan had not need to follow the latest criminal to another city. Also, depending the target, his hours might be more day time or night time.

Orphan: Hey Cassie. Yes, I'm up and free. What's up?

Spoiler: I was told something today, and I wanted to confirm it with you.

Orphan: What is it?

Spoiler: I was told that Kitsugi Emiya was your mentor.

Orphan: Do you mean Kiritsugu?

Spoiler: Yes. Sorry. Only heard the name briefly. The Magus Killer.

There was a pause.

Orphan: That's right. Is it important?

Spoiler: One of my classmates... One of my friends is the adopted daughter of Shirou Emiya.

Orphan: Hmmm. Well, that is interesting. Which classmate? I don't remember an Emiya in 1-A's roster.

Spoiler: Modura Penryu.

Again, he did not answer immediately.

Orphan: I trust you Cassie. You have good training and judgement. But be wary of the Pendragon family. Even if 'Saber' and 'Modura' are fine ladies, some of their relatives... have interesting reputations.

Spoiler: Targets?

Orphan: Not so far. But I wouldn't be too surprised.

Spoiler: I trust Mo-chan. She already said she and her father... Saber, she calls Saber her father... came to Japan to flee her family.

Cassandra didn't tell her father the rest of Mordred's story.

Orphan: Just, keep your eyes open. And get to sleep. It is pretty late there.

Spoiler: Good night, Dad. (roll eyes)

Orphan: Good night, Cassie.


"I'm surprised you accepted my offer," the adult woman said, "Most don't. They don't want anything to do with me after leaving."

Mikoto did not say anything.

"I know you think of me as intolerant, inflexible, a stickler for the rules, cruel in my punishments," the light glinted off her glasses as she said that, "It is a persona I have carefully cultivated, even if I am sometimes shocked and even saddened by how well it has worked."

"Dorm Supervisor," Mikoto said softly.

"I have to run herd on 225 teenage girls," the woman continued, "each with a strong Quirk, or from a family of wealth and power. Many both. I have to be flexible in dealing with all those powers and personalities. And when they are lonely or sad or worried, I have to find someone to support them, or be that person. I have to watch out for their health and safety."

Mikoto nodded thoughtfully.

"And now, you get to have that experience," her glasses glinted, and a hint of dark amusement crept into her voice, "For the next six days, you will be responsible for the first years. All... or at least most of them, anxious to test their Quirks and test their new freedom. Oh, and your hand?"

It was phrased like a question, but the tone was an order. Mikoto held out her right hand, and the Dorm Supervisor took it. A feeling, like being submerged, flowed over Railgun's body. Her mentor for the internship smirked and held up a mirror.

Mikoto's face was not looking back at her. Her hair was longer and bright red. Her eyes were narrower and purple. Her cheeks and nose were broader, and her skin paler. She was also about eighteen centimeters taller. She was slightly annoyed that, amongst all the changes, her figure was unchanged. If anything, her increased height made her look more slender.

"We can't have any of the second or third years helping you," the Dorm Supervisor explained, "If I use my Quirk on anyone else, it only lasts seventeen hours. So I will be checking in on you each morning and evening, checking your progress and renewing the change."

Mikoto's eyes widened.

"Does it also change my scent?" Mikoto asked nervously.


Monday morning, Torino-sensei woke us up early. We had another light breakfast, and then he instructed Mordred and I to team up against Cassandra. He said Cass would benefit from fighting two, 'reasonably fast' (in his words) opponents. And that he needed to get a view of us fighting from the outside.

Personally, I thought it was more that the three of us were fully recovered and he wasn't. But I didn't say that.

After a good, if somewhat rigorous, spar, it was time for lunch. BLTs, pears, little bags of potato chips, and sodas. And a side of pleading.

"Please, Torino-sensei," I begged, circulating Ki Healing through my left arm and leg, "You said it was possible. You must have some idea how she did it."

"No," he barked, "She told me she did it, and I trust her not to lie. But that was after I left France. I didn't ask her to explain. And probably wouldn't have understood, even if she had explained it to me. I know Ki and Psions exist, and power most people's Quirks, one or the other. But I don't understand spit about how to actually manipulate them like you do. She tried to tell me, I tried to follow. But it didn't work. And that was over 50 years ago. Even if..."

"Even if?" Mo-chan prompted sarcastically before I could call him on it.

"Look, I have a theory," Torino-sensei sighed, "But I have no idea if it is right. And even if I am right, it won't do *you* any good."

He pointed a finger sternly at me.

We all just stared at him.

"Oh," his voice went up an octave, and warbled softly, "Was that someone at the door?"

He started to stand, unsteady, a blank look on his face.

\No,/ Cassandra signed simply.

He scowled at Cassandra and then sighed again.

"Fine," he said back down, "Let's start with an analogy."

He reached over to the platter of ingredients and picked upa single slice of toast.

"Psions. Warm, sturdy, crispy."

Then with his other hand, he picked up a slice of tomato.

"Ki. Cool, plump, juicy. Also crisp, but in a different way. But put them together and the 'psions' leach the moisture out of the 'ki'. It becomes lukewarm and soggy and can't really support anything. And the tomato... the ki also becomes lukewarm and soft and pruny..."

"A baking soda volcano would have been a better analogy," he admitted, "both in terms of how fast, and the type of reaction. But this is what we have, and it works better for my suggestion."

He placed the bread on his plate, then picked up a piece of lettuce. He placed it on the toast, and then put the tomato in it.

"You need something else. Something to keep the ki and psions from reacting."

"What would that be?" Mordred sounded unsure.

"Magic," Torino-sensei said, "Or at least that's what I suspect."

Then he faced me again, "When I met Danse, she was 22. She told me she got The Gamer when see was a teen. So at the very least, if she meant 19, she had her power for three times as long as you have. And her ki and psychic skills seemed to be fairly close to yours. You might be stronger in some areas, and I remember her being better in others. But fairly close. And she hadn't figured it out by the time I left France, about sixteen months later. She figured it out about five months after that. She texted me and sent me the blurry selfie as proof..."

His expression grew wistful again.

"She never was good with photos. My point is, it took her a lot longer than you've been trying to figure out something that worked. And I suspect it was magic, because magic was her main focus. The other two were secondary. Backups for that rare Quirk that detected or interfered with magic. But because they were secondary, she didn't put as much effort into them. Since they are your focus, maybe you can figure it out. Maybe it wasn't magic, and my theory is wrong. Maybe there are dozens of ways to make it work. Like better control. Or gaining a resistance to the ki/psion interference. I actually doubt that last one, but it wouldn't be the strangest thing I've seen from The Gamer. I didn't want to tell you any of this kid, because I don't want you assuming it was magic and giving up if you can't figure it out."

I nodded thoughtfully, and he continued assembling his sandwich. I looked at the layers of bacon. Then he added another tomato, another leaf of lettuce, and finally the top piece of toast. Then I watched as Cassandra and Mo-chan assembled their own sandwiches. I started to reach for the toast, but I stopped. I had a thought.

"What if..." I tried to put my thoughts together, "Telekinesis."

I picked up two slices of bread and two slices of tomato. I hovered them vertically over my plate; toast, tomato, toast, and tomato. Not ideal for a sandwich. But more importantly, also not quite touching.

"I can't use magic to keep them apart," I pondered aloud, as much for myself as for Torino-sensei, "But what if I don't let them touch? What if, instead of just flooding my body with the ki and psions, I have alternating layers of them that don't come into contact."

They all looked at my display. Then I let it drop, and built my sandwich.

"Hmm," Torino-sensei considered it, "Well, my first comment is you are taking it a little more literally than I meant. If it had been the baking soda and vinegar reaction, it would have been a chemical to mix in to stop the reaction, not a physical barrier. Still... hmm... You may know this stuff better than I do, but I have some doubts."

'What are you thinking, sensei?' Cassandra asked over Party chat.

"Well, first, even if you keep the ki and psions from touching, your muscles will still be under the effect of both powers, so you might still hurt yourself. That said, I'm not as concerned about that one, because I know that energies touching causes the blow back. Like Danse used to shoot off a ki ball, and then launch a spike of telekinesis into it. That made the explosion bigger. When she encountered someone resistant to magic, air, or earth. That might be something else you want to try, kid."

I nodded.

"Second doubt I have, if this does work, will it work?"

We looked at him in confusion.

"If keeping the powers separate by empty space, that also means you will have less than half the amount of each in you. Which I would think would reduce the boost you get. Maybe to the point where it is less than if you just used either or."

"Wait, if you have the power split up, would it still effect your whole muscle? Or only the individual muscle cells that are touched? And if the bonuses are different, wouldn't you hurt yourself worse?" Mo-chan asked rapid fire. She touched her bicep with two fingers, trying to figure out how many layers it might take.

"How big are muscle cells, anyway?" she added a moment later.

"Depends on the muscle," Torino-sensei said, "Anywhere from a few millimeters to a few centimeters. But she brings up a good point."

"But it's not just muscle," I said, "It also strengthens my bones and veins to increase Endurance. Nerves to help with Agility. But... but psy-biology can operate on the nucleus of a cell, which would indicate that it can get pretty small. What if I made the layers really small? Like a few micrometers each. Two micrometers of ki, one of space, two more of psions, and then one more of space. Alternating layers, each set of layers a total of six microns wide. Most cells are about 20 microns around, and bones and muscle cells are narrower but longer. So that would mean most cells would be under Ki Enhancement and TK Aura three or more times... Right?"

"Can you do that?" Torino-sensei asked evenly, "Even if it is possible, can you manage to make them that thin and still keep them apart?"

"Maybe," I said, "It will take practice. And there is a talent to make my ki sharper and more easy to control. I wasn't really interested before, because the numerical bonuses are small. But if it will help with this, it might be worth taking."

I lapsed into silence. None of us spoke, as we ate.

"So, afternoon plans," Torino-sensei finished first.

"Izuku, you are going to work on what we just talked about. I'm going to get you a tray and some oranges. Your goal is to lift the plate with the thinnest telekinetic disc you can make. So double challenge, trying to make it narrow, but also lifting the weight and keeping it steady enough that they don't roll off."

"Okay," I agreed.

"You two," he turned to the ladies, "Cassandra will stand in the middle of the room. Mordred will have her swords float around Cassandra, and you'll have your earbuds in... You have earbuds for your phone, right?"

The blonde nodded.

"Great. I will be on a call with you. I will say a word referring to one of your swords. Like 'small', 'medium', 'large', or 'England', 'Japan', 'India'. You need to figure out what sword that is as fast as you can, and then try to smack Cassandra with the hilt. Cassandra, you will want to hit the sword away, as hard as you can. Hopefully outside of Mordred's range. That's the trick, both of your reaction times, and also Mordred working on resisting being disarmed."

Then he paused and looked at Cassandra suspiciously.

"What is the range on your Quirk?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing.

'Not quite thirty meters at this point.'

"Fine," he grimaced, "Then I'll be going to the cat café at the end of the block. I'll watch you through the cameras and give my orders from there."

He got up from the table. He brought a wooden cutting board from the kitchen and set it next to me. It was fifty by thirty centimeters and about two and a half centimeters thick. The corners were all rounded. One side had a groove to catch juices. The other side was flat, and that was the side face up. He then opened his refrigerator and and took out six oranges. Torino-sensei set them on the center of the board. It took him a few seconds to do it, because the slightest disturbance would send the nearly round fruits rolling across the smooth wood.

"You call that a tray?" Mo-chan asked incredulously.

He just gave her a sharp smirk. Then he grabbed his bonking stick, put the domino mask over his eyes and walked to the door.

"You three had better be done eating and ready to start by the time I have coffee and a seat," he warned.


First, I just grabbed the board and oranges with my telekinesis. Together they massed just under four kilograms. Nothing I couldn't lift, and grabbing them as a single unit kept the fruit from rolling. That was just a baseline, to figure out what I was working with.

Then I used my TK on just the cutting board. And found if I didn't lift it perfectly, the citrus spheroids would try to escape. Using my power on the whole board at once, and taking it slow, I was still able to keep them more or less in place.

And that didn't decrease how much of my energy the test used. Even if I wasn't touching them with my TK, I still had to move the mass of the oranges. How much energy lifting something required was about seventy percent the mass, twenty percent the speed I needed it to move, and ten percent how precise the movements were. The volume of the TK field was negligible, making it smaller would just make it denser. Though I would quickly learn decreasing the size of the field also made precise movements more difficult. Like the difference between holding the board with two hands, one on either end, versus balancing it on a single fist.

That was basically my next test. Rather than the whole board, I created a disc of TK energy, 20 cms in diameter and one cm thick. Just focusing the psions down into that small area and shape was problematic. It didn't take any extra energy, but I had to focus mentally to keep it from flooding out into the rest of the tray.

I spent about five minutes just staring at the target, until I was confident I could hold the shape of the compressed TK field. And as soon as I started to lift it, the oranges went to the right. Fast. I dove halfway across the table, arm out, so they didn't roll onto the floor.

I frowned at the board, now at rest again, as I put the oranges back. And struggled to get them to come to rest. As I fought the fruit, I realized my disc had been maybe a centimeter off center. So more of the mass of the board and cargo was on the right side. Hence the dip and the failure.

Clarent shot out, and its hilt hit Cassandra's shoulder. The American grimaced silently. The broadsword drew back into position and began to circle the black haired girl. Then Mo-chan's brow creased as she tried to figure out Gran Torino's next instruction. After a moment, the katana raced towards Spoiler. This time she reacted in time. Her palm hit the tsuba and sent the blade flying. Mordred reached for the blade instinctively. It slowed, but ultimately clattered to the floor just outside of her range. I grabbed it mentally, and returned it to her. She nodded to me thankfully, but also looked a bit jealous.

I expanded the disc to a full 30 centimeter diameter, but kept the thickness the same. By having it match the cutting board's front to back width, it was more stable in general. And I only had to worry about centering it left to right.

A few tries... okay, more like a dozen tries later, I had it stabilized. Both in that I could keep the disc that size with almost no effort, and I had it centered in the board enough to lift it without disturbing the oranges.

[You can mold your telekinetic energy; the simpler the shape the better. Skill Telekinetic Shaping (I/W, lvl 1) unlocked.]

I started testing again. Making the disc smaller. Or making it a square or hexagon instead of a disc. By the time Torino-sensei returned, I had four equilateral triangles, five cms on a side and 2 millimeters thick, one at each corner of the board. My new skill was up to level nine, and I could float the board around the room steadily. But still slowly, since the air pressure of more than a few meters per second was enough to trigger the darn oranges.


"I don't see why I'm the only one who has to help," Mordred groused, not quite pouting.

"You don't?" Torino turned to look at her, his voice and expression asking 'are you really that dense?' without saying the words.

He was washing vegetables in the kitchen. He put them on the cutting board. And Mo-chan, standing in the living room, would cut them with her (thoroughly cleaned) kukri. The distance was such that only the handle of the blade was within her range. As I understood it, she was trying to extend her range, but also her telekinetic strength and control, since she was manipulating the blade by just its handle.

'She knows,' Cassandra's mental voice sounded amused, 'She just wants to complain.'

"Well, if you have energy and focus to complain," he countered, "Try to cut the next carrot into even slices."

He held up two chunks of the root vegetable, one twice as wide as the other.

Mordred blushed, and shut her mouth.


"Okay," Torino-sensei told us Tuesday morning after breakfast, "For today, we are going practical. You'll make us dungeons, so I can see you do some real fighting. And, naturally, to get some experience points and items."

"What do you want me to use to create the dungeons?" I asked, "Or at least for the first one?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, 'use to create'?" he asked.

"I use a person or item to create the dungeon," I said, "And clearing the dungeon enemies, levels, and quests grants bonuses to that person or item."

He frowned, and tapped his head.

"Did your friend's dungeons work differently?" I prompted, his confusion peaking my curiosity.

"I don't know," he admitted slowly, "I remember going into dungeons, fighting crazy things. But if she told me where they came from, I don't remember."

He shook it off. Then he pointed at Mo-chan.

"How about one of that girl's swords?" he suggested. I looked at her. My eyes and hands moved slightly as if asking for her approval.

"Sure," she shrugged, "Do we want to go with this one?"

She summoned her katana.

"I won't mind as much if something happens to it," she told me, "If it is like that story you told me about your mom's pan. And I am curious to see what I can get from it."

\If you are worried,/ Cassandra slipped back into signing by habit, \We could also do one of my tonfas. They came from the dungeons anyway. And you have to worry that it might sever your connection to the sword./

"I know," Mo-chan nodded, "That's part of why I want to do it. After the clown bitch broke my link to this one before, I've been wondering if anyone else can. Eraser-sensei only blocks the link for as long as he's using his power. But that doesn't mean another Quirk... or even a not Quirk, might be able to do it."

Taking her at her word, I touched the katana and whispered, "Analyze."

[Unnamed Katana
Forged by Canadian James Neilson IV for his ABS Mastersmith exam (passed). Gifted to the widows of his friend and mentor Shirou Emiya after Shirou's death. Wielded by and bonded to Mordred Pendragon (Modura Penryu).
Durability: 211/220
Quality: 5/7
Rank: *****
Quirk bonded to Mordred Pendragon]

"Well, let's do it!" Mo-chan said aggressively, to cover her nerves.

I checked my Party, to be sure it was only the four of us. I knew it should be, but still felt the need to verify it.

"Dungeon Cr..."

Torino-sensei smacked my back to stop me.

"Do it without speaking," he instructed.

"I'll try," I agreed.

"Try not. Do, or do not."

'Dungeon Create, katana,' I thought. But nothing happened. I closed my eyes, pictured the transition from the real world to a dungeon. And I thought again.

'Create Reflective Dungeon: Mo-chan's katana!'

[Select Time Dilation (1x) (2x)]

I chose '2x' without thinking, but also without moving.

[Dungeon Entry - Unnamed Katana
Goblin Platoons (19 soldiers, 1 captain): 8/8 (2 spawned)
Kobold Platoons (19 soldiers, 1 captain): 7/7 (2 spawned)
Goblin General: 1/1 (unspawned)
Kobold King: 1/1 (unspawned)]

[Gran Torino has left the Party.]

I hadn't seen that message before. Usually I removed someone, or disbanded the party entirely. No-one had ever left.

"I'm here to watch," he said, "And besides, you don't need some old timer leeching your experience points."

"We just can't forget to add you back to the party before we leave the dungeon," I said, "Or you'll be left in here when we leave."

I hadn't told Torino-sensei that, and also wanted to remind we three Knights.

"Right," he looked unnerved for a moment. Then he glared at us, "Well, get to work."

The goblins and kobolds were fighting each other on a vast field. Though they didn't seem to be doing much damage. They were all wearing traditional samurai armor, and using traditional Japanese melee weapons. Katanas on both sides, but two of the kobolds had paired wakizashi, and an equal number of the goblins wielded naginatas. A quick scan revealed those were the captains of each side.

'They aren't much of a threat,' I told my partners of chat, 'the soldiers are level 12 or 13, and the captains are level 16. The biggest threat is their numbers, and I'm guessing both sides will turn on us when we attack.'

'So do we charge in?' Mordred asked, 'Or try to draw some off.'

'Can you summon your katana?' Cassandra asked. I looked to the blonde.

'You think I can?' she asked me.

'A person can enter their own dungeon... So maybe?' I offered uncertainly.

'What the heck.' She raised her hand, and all three blades appeared floating in front of her. But the Japanese sword appeared out of phase. Ghostly. Both ladies reached out and touched the katana. It was solid, despite its transparency.

'I suggest Mo-chan and I take the soldiers, and Cassandra take the captains. Since Mo-chan has three weapons and my Asgard Smash has a small area of effect. And I think Cassandra is still going to be the best of us at one on one with stronger enemies.'

'Sounds fine to me,' Mordred grinned fiercely. The enemies closest to us, even though they hadn't seemed to have noticed us yet, shuddered.

'Sure,' Cassandra took out her tonfas.


It wasn't hard, with their low levels. But it was a long fight, with the numbers of enemies and only the three of us.

Now we were in front a recreation of Osaka castle, only garishly painted in green, orange, and black. A giant kobold stood on the wall, the twin in size and facial features of the first boss Mom, Tsu, and I fought. Except instead of a hammer he had ōdachi that would have made a one-winged angel jealous. And his fur was metallic bronze, where it wasn't covered by or poked out of his armor.

Outside of the walls was a goblin. He wasn't taller than a normal goblin, but he was not skinny like a normal goblin. He was buff. And unexpectedly, he had a pair of old style revolvers instead of a traditional Japanese melee weapon. And a long, leather coat instead of armor.

But they were alone, with no remaining troops. And unlike their troops, they didn't wait for us to attack.

"Humans," they growled in English, not quite in unison. The Kobold King jumped off the wall, and stepped in front of the Goblin General.

"I don't remember ever seeing a kobold that big," Torino-sensei said flatly.

"I'll hold off the goblin," I suggested, "Since I can block him with TK Armor and Rampart. Can you two take the kobold? Then we'll finish the goblin together?"

"Are you sure you won't just kill the goblin on your own?" Mo-chan joked.

[Kobold King
Co-Boss of Unnamed Katana
Level: 23
Health: 3000/3000

Stamina: 3000/3000
Special Attacks: Flying Slash, Roar
Special Defenses: Physical Resistance (mid), Telekinesis Resistance (high), Status Resistance: All (mid)]

[Goblin General
Co-Boss of Unnamed Katana
Level: 22
Health: 2700/2700

Stamina: 900/900
Special Attacks: Don't Count the Shots
Special Defenses: Physical Resistance (low), Ki Resistance (low), Status Resistance: All (mid)]

"Maybe," I said, "Maybe not. But I'm not in a hurry to find out just how bulletproof your costumes are, especially since you two don't have Gamer's Body."

We had brought our costumes with us, and Torino-sensei had us wear them. To get used to the weight and fit, he said.

"Well, let's go with it," Mo-chan exclaimed as the kobold charged and the goblin raised his guns.

I darted past the king, and deliberately let the general's shots ping off my TK Armor. Looking at the Energy drained gave me a reasonable idea of how powerful they were.

The kobold slashed horizontally, intending to bisect both ladies with one strike. All three of the floating swords caught it, and forced the giant sword down to the ground.

'I'll take defense,' Mo-chan said over Party Chat, 'And distract him. You hit him.'

Clarent and her spectral katana still putting pressure on the ōdachi, the kukri flew at his face. The king yanked his blade free, and blocked the curved dagger with his sword's extended hilt. Cassandra, meanwhile, fell back and started to circle around him.

"E chu ta an do padda-mames!" the goblin hissed. He... no, she, I realized, seemed annoyed my power stopped her bullets.

"Uhhh... same to you?" I said with less venom and more confusion. I was assuming that was a language, and a declaration of war or an insult. But it could have just been gibberish. She raised her guns, pointed the barrels straight at my eyes.

While I had learned yesterday that controlling the size and shape of TK fields didn't help for lifting things, I already knew it was effective for my defensive skills. During the attack on the USJ, I had instinctively focused my TK Armor on my chest, to keep Decay from touching me. And it worked, making the field stronger and cheaper, for the cost of leaving my limbs and back open. So, it was time for another experiment. Especially given I had perfect line of sight.

"Rampart," I said, not taking a chance on my still imperfect ability to activate skills silently. Not in a boss fight. And not for this test.

I didn't create a dome of TK. Not even a wall just small enough to block both guns. No, I created two cylinders, .358 inches in diameter and one inch long. And I'm using Imperial because that is what the goblin's guns used.

In case it wasn't obvious, I created the walls of defensive telekinesis inside the barrels of her pistols.

She fired, unaware. The gun in her left hand exploded, taking her first two fingers and thumb with it. The plug in her right hand pistol failed, but the barrel still bulged like a steel balloon, and the slug coasted out of the gun and landed less than a meter in front of her. Her face flashed with pain, anger, and determination.

"Sleemo," she cursed(?) me. Her destroyed pistol had already fallen out of her ruined hand, but she also threw the damaged gun to the side. Then she opened her jacket, revealing a full six more guns in holsters up and down her sides. She drew a third pistol.

"Crap."

I could try it again, but I didn't think she would fall for it. I wasn't sure how exactly she would counter it, but her smirk dared me to try that again. She must have something up her sleeve, possibly literally.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I blocked the barrel of this gun. She let go, leaving the gun floating in place. Quickly drew a fourth weapon and fired before I could adjust. It missed, but I canceled the Rampart inside the third pistol. As it dropped, her injured hand swooped out, and caught the weapon upside down, her pinky finger on the trigger. Her aim was less steady in the incomplete grip, but she still hit me dead in the stomach. My TK Armor stopped it again, but I my Dodge skill kicked in automatically as her right pistol took a much more aimed shot at my head.

My friends were fairing better. Even if it was resistant to physical damage, Cassandra was dealing plenty of damage via heavy hits to weak spots like the kidneys and joints. And Mo-chan's three blades were spread out so that it was tough for the kobold to concentrate on all of them at once. If he tried to spin to get at Cassandra, Mordred would punish him. And if he tried to attack either Knight, all three swords would block. Even with the heavier blade and great strength, he couldn't overcome having his weapon deflected from three spots in perfect unison. Finally, he discarded his sword, and just started punching them, hoping to narrow the girls' numerical advantage.

Unfortunately that lost him most of his reach, and showed that he was very much a swordsman, not a martial artist.

The goblin general was getting desperate. While it initially seemed like a standoff, I had taken out her third gun. And while that left her with five (and no worries about ammo thanks to her special attack), the fact remained that I had hurt her and was breaking her weapons, and she had yet to injure me. If she held a pistol steady for too long, I could plug it. If she aimed for my head or torso, the easiest places to hit and the most damaging, I could dodge. And if she spread her shot randomly, it became harder for me to dodge, but less likely she would land a good hit. To be frank, I was toying with her. Not for fun or anything evil, just because this represented a good chance to experiment with my skills and practice fighting someone with guns. Other than blowing up her pistols, I hadn't attacked yet. I was starting to feel a little bad.

'Ki: Quickness,' I directed silently. And tried to see if I control the shape of the Ki Reinforcement, to focus it in my legs. Her eyes bulged as I charged, moving faster than I had before. I easily ducked past her panicked volley.

I knocked both of the guns out of her hands, and then put my shoulder into her chest. She might have resisted the damage, but I had mass and momentum on my side, and she went down. I flipped forward, so I wouldn't fall with her. I kicked her hand away, when she tried to reach into her coat for one of her three remaining guns.

"Will you surrender?" I asked, still not sure in she knew Japanese, or any English beyond 'human'.

"Wompity du wermo hoo-man," she snarled, and then to make sure I understood, tried to spit on me.

"I guess I should have expected that," I sighed, "Mo-chan, Cassandra, incoming."

The king was nearly done. His armor was broken. His fur was matted with his own blood. He was down on one knee, trying to ward of Clarent with one hand. I touched the goblin's shoulder, and lifted her up with telekinesis. She was light, and so I pointed my hand and her at the Kobold King.

"Asgard Smash!"

She shot across the field like on of her own bullets. She smacked the king in the head, breaking his neck and depleting his HP. But that didn't finish her off. She started to stagger to her feet, trying to draw one of her last pistols.

Cassandra and Mordred didn't give her a chance.


[Unnamed Katana Dungeon Level I Complete!
Defeated 15 Platoons: Rank (+15)
Defeated boss: Rank (+4)
Level I cleared: Rank+]

[Unnamed Katana
Forged by Canadian James Neilson IV for his ABS Mastersmith exam (passed). Gifted to the widows of his friend and mentor Shirou Emiya after Shirou's death. Wielded by and bonded to Mordred Pendragon (Modura Penryu).
Durability: 211/270
Quality: 5/7
Rank: ++*****
Quirk bonded to Mordred Pendragon
Rank Bonus:
Resilience
Sharpness]

I checked the new bonuses.

"Resilience increases the base durability," I told Mordred, though every was looking at my Analysis screen, "And also reduces damage from normal usage by half, and all other damage by five points, up to half. And Sharpness increases the damage slightly, though it doesn't say how much. It also lets you bypass part of an opponent's physical resistance."

"Nice," Mo-chan looked over the katana again. When we exited the dungeon (after bringing Torino-sensei back into the party), the blade was still waiting on the table. But it had not lost its connection to Mordred. It lifted into the air, spun around once. After she was done examining it, it vanished back into her Quirk.

"That was interesting," Torino-sensei noted, "You all did very well. Now what are we going to do with that."

'That' was the Goblin General's drop item. It was a Colt 1851 Navy Revolver, in perfect condition. Thankfully unloaded and without ammo. But even with the changes in the two centuries since the appearance of Quirks, Japan's gun laws had not changed much. Just having this pistol could be an issue.

"I can put it in my inventory until we can destroy it," I said.

BONK!

Somehow, faster than my High-speed Vision or Dodge skills could register, Torino-sensei's staff lightly smacked the back of my head.

"Don't be stupid," he said, "First, it's a dungeon drop. Second, it's probably worth a couple hundred thousand yen to the right collector. That might not seem like much..."

He gestured to the pile of cash the monsters had dropped.

"... but still, no sense wasting money. Or, if you really don't want to sell it, give it to Snipe. He loves old guns like this, so it will put you on his good side."

\Where do we say we got it from,/ Cassandra asked.

"Say your dad sent it to you," he waved it off, "That's the sort of thing people would expect of Orphan. Your dad sent you the gun, and you didn't want it but didn't know what to do with it, so naturally you turned it over to the Six-Shooter Hero."

She looked at us.

"Go ahead," I told her, "You did get the last blow."

"Can I have these then?" Mo-chan gestured to the other spoils. Like normal, there had been broken weapon drops that disappeared when I touched them. But this time, there were some that didn't. Fragments of katana blades that had normal descriptions in analyze and that I could handle normally.

"I don't mind," I said, "But can I ask why?"

Her eyes misted up a bit, and she gave a sad smile, "Dad loved to use reclaimed blades in his smithing. He said it was carrying the soul of the swords forward. Now that she's taken over the business, Father still does the same. So... yeah... I'd like to give these old timers a new life, and Father something to work with."

"You should definitely have them," I told her. Cassandra smiled at her, and Torino nodded.


We had lunch, and a bit of rest while Torino-sensei lectured us on national versus international Hero laws. Then we ran the first level of Cassandra's flame pattern tonfa. It was a simple, standard dungeon, barely worth discussing. That weapon also got 'Resilience'. And the second skill, since it also ended up over rank twenty, was 'Fireproof'. Which was just what it sounded like. And made Spoiler very happy.

We ate dinner. We went to bed. I gave the girls quick neck rubs, at their request. And then we really turned in.

About an hour later, I woke up. Partly in discomfort from the cot. And partly because I was thirsty. I carefully snuck out of the room. And went down to the kitchen for some water.

Gran Torino was sitting at the table. Partially draped over it. It was not immediately clear to me if he was awake or not. On the table, there was an open bottle of something called Calvados. I couldn't read the rest of the label, but could smell that it was alcohol. And not weak alcohol, either.

"Sylvie, minette," he mumbled, "why? Why must I be reminded? Why now, after all these years? He's nothing like you. But those screens, the feel of the dungeon. They make me remember. Why didn't I stay? Why didn't you come with me?"

Tears were running down his face. He wasn't sobbing, or really moving. But even without Empathy active, sensei's sadness and regret were palpable.

I snuck halfway back up the stairs. Then I clomped down, loudly. When I reached the kitchen, he was sitting up, and forcing a cork back into the bottle.

"What are you doing up, kid?" he didn't face me, and his tone and phrasing were back to normal.

"I just needed some water," I said carefully.

"Well, get your water and then back to bed. I'm not going easy on you tomorrow," then he faked big yawn, "I should probably hit the hay, too."

"Okay," I said, "Good night, sensei."


Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:

Max Health: 1002 → 1004
Max Energy: 1723 → 1724

Attributes:
(A)gility: 59 → 60
(Q)uickness: 62 → 63
(W)it: 61 → 62
(I)ntuition: 63 → 64
(D)etermination: 71 → 72

Skills:
Japanese Language (W/C) LB: 27 → 28
English Language (W/C) LB: 21 → 22
Scientific Method (W/I): 16 → 18
Analyze (W) – Battle Scan: 65 → 66
Dodge (A/Q) LB – Catch: 53 → 55
Telekinesis (I/D): 48 → 50
Physical Resistance (E/D): 83 → 84
Running (Q/E) – Jet Set Run: 43 → 44
Ki Reinforcement (D): 47 → 48
Telekinetic Armor (I/E): 50 → 51
Telekinetic Rampart (I/E): 22 → 25
Sense Hostility (I/C) - Hostile Aura: 44 → 45
High Speed Vision (W/Q) 28 → 30
Intimidate (C/I): 3 → 4
Massage (A/C) 5 → 6
Telekinetic Shaping (I/W): → 11


Author's Note: Fair warning, like canon the next chapter will be snippets of other character's internships. Mostly the Knights, sans Tsu and Ochako who pretty much went the same as canon. Of course, after that is Wednesday...