Chapitre 1169: 60
Chapter Text
Eiko was one of the last people in the gym as she waited for whatever hero had picked her to arrive. She was excited, of course, but her excitement was tempered as she watched Aniki. His uncle had arrived, and it seemed to put the fear of God into him, which she hadn't expected.
Purifier was a hero, and a good one at that, as far as she knew. Hokkaidou had been under his protection for years and she'd never heard any complaints about him. Truth be told, she hadn't heard much about him at all.
But she knew something was wrong. Aniki had stared down Terrorflame, he had dominated the Sports Festival up until the very end, he had stood up to Stain… but he was faltering in the face of Purifier.
His father was there and he clearly knew what was happening and wasn't stopping it, so everything was alright… right? Maybe Purifier was just a taskmaster and trained him really hard.
But Aniki never faltered like that when All Might and Hadou pushed them really hard. He always seemed to enjoy difficult training. So what was the problem? Was there a problem? Was she just overthinking things?
Eiko looked around and saw that, with Aniki nervously following behind Purifier and Kaminari trying not to fanboy as he hurried after Stormclaw, she was the last student there. She looked at Aizawa and Nezu with concern; had she been forgotten?
Nezu, of course, read her mind. The… creature that was the university president smiled up at her with those inhuman eyes. "Your mentor called and said he would be a little late. He should be here shortly."
Eiko nodded as she turned away before she began to get too creeped out. They waited in awkward silence for a couple more minutes as Eiko's mind kept wandering back to what was going on with Aniki before a man appeared in the doorway. His black hair was slicked back and had a distinct white streak through the middle, which—when combined with his black mask and green cape—let Eiko know exactly who he was.
"C-Crust?!" she exclaimed.
"Ah!" he declared boldly. "You must be Kirishima!"
"Yeah, yeah that's me," Eiko said breathlessly. Did she really warrant the number six hero?
The man quickly approached her, clutching at his chest. "I apologize for my tardiness! It is unbecoming of a hero!"
Eiko quickly bowed. "No apology needed, sir! I am honored you chose to train me!"
"So polite!" Crust exclaimed. "When UA showed me the footage from your fight at the Sports Festival, I knew I had to train you. You have the bleeding heart of a hero!"
Eiko was stunned silent for a few moments before she looked up at his face to see a single tear forming in one of his eyes. She blinked as a single thought crossed her mind.
'Manly…'
"Come now, no time to waste!" Crust declared as he turned around and began to jog out of the gym. "We're already behind, but we'll make up for it!"
Eiko nodded and ran to catch up. "Yes, sir!"
Hisashi had managed to reserve one of the large, empty concrete gyms on UA's massive campus for the day so he wouldn't have to worry about errant electricity hurting anyone. In the profile he had read about Kaminari, he had problems controlling and directing his quirk, which meant Hisashi was the perfect person to train him.
The young man was excited and nervous, which he was used to as a hero, especially after Izuku mentioned that Stormclaw was Kaminari's favorite hero.
Izuku…
Hisashi furrowed his brow as his quirk grumbled. He didn't like leaving his son with his brother, but he knew Hatsuo wouldn't dare to actually hurt him. It would be good for Izuku to go through this trial, but that didn't mean Hisashi had to like it. It would make Izuku stronger, but he didn't like his son suffering.
"Alright, where do we start?" Kaminari said excitedly, bringing Hisashi back to the present.
Hisashi shoved his son to the back of his mind for the time; worrying wasn't going to help anything and he had a responsibility to give Kaminari his full attention.
"We'll start with the basics," Hisashi responded. "Your file mentioned that you don't exactly have control over your electricity."
"Oh my God, Stormclaw read my 'file'," Kaminari muttered under his breath, quiet enough that he probably didn't expect the pro to be able to hear him. "Yeah, that's right. I can control where it comes out of my body, but once it's free, it's on its own. Uh, sir."
Hisashi nodded. "Have you ever been able to practice it on people?"
"Well, not really,' he admitted.
"Test dummies and robots don't work as well for you as other people, do they? They don't have the same conductivity as a person. You need that practice." Hisashi's eyes flashed with green light.
"Yeah, I guess," Kaminari muttered.
Hisashi waited for a moment.
Realization finally lit up in his eyes. "Oooooh. You're talking about you!"
Hisashi laughed as he nodded. "Yes. You can shock me as much as you want. You won't be able to hurt me."
"Really?! I can put out quite a few volts, you know," he said with a hint of smugness. "I don't want to hurt you."
Hisashi felt his quirk surge a little in indignation. "Alright, hit me with everything."
Kaminari's confidence faltered. "E-everything? Are you sure?"
"Everything," Stormclaw answered as he let some scales form up his neck.
He thought for a few moments, psyching himself up before he forced that smirk back on his face. "Alright! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
A static charge began to grow in the air as the power within Kaminari surged. Electricity crackled off of him as he planted his feet and grinned widely. "Indiscriminate shock! 1.5 million volts!"
He began to throw his arms downward to put the charge into the ground, but Stormclaw stepped forward and grabbed onto one of his wrists, forcing Kaminari's hand onto Stormclaw's arm. The lightning erupted from the student and pounded into Stormclaw, coursing through his body and into the ground.
Kaminari's eyes were full of surprise as Stormclaw stared unflinchingly down toward him while the charge ran its course. That surprise gave way to a vacant stare as Kaminari grew a dopey smile and began to giggle dumbly. Stormclaw let go of him as he began to walk around aimlessly.
Hisashi smirked a little as he watched his temporary protege. With that boast out of the way, he could focus on actually teaching him, at least once he came back to his senses. Hopefully he could teach the boy how to better judge where his electricity would jump.
Although, now that he thought about it, why was Kaminari styling himself as a mid-range fighter? His electricity was centered around his body; he wouldn't have to worry about where his power was going if he was in contact with people. Maybe a reevaluation was in order.
Unfortunately, with Kaminari in no position to do much of anything for a few minutes, Hiashi's mind couldn't help but wander back to his son.
Hopefully Izuku was doing alright.
Hatsuo—no, Purifier stared down at Izuku from atop a rocky outcropping in the forest clearing where he had led Izuku. Not a word was spoken as they had walked here, but Izuku wondered if he would have even heard his uncle if he had said anything; he was too engrossed in his thoughts.
Izuku reasoned that Hatsuo had brought him to one of UA's forests—a testament to just how absurdly large the campus was—because he wanted Izuku's instincts to be at the forefront. He didn't want to give Izuku a chance to be able to hide them, to be able to suppress them. He didn't want Izuku, he wanted Defiant, and he wanted to crush him.
"Let's cut the pretense," Izuku said gruffly. "Why are you here?"
Purifier's eyes flashed with indignation. "I have been against you attending UA since you were a child. Despite my warnings, your father let you attend anyway."
" Your brother trusts me," Izuku retorted. "He knows me better than you, better than anyone."
Purifier studied him for a few moments, his glowing, golden eyes seeming to stare into Izuku's soul. "His love for you blinds him to the dangers. It always has. A chromatic with proper training could spell disaster."
Izuku's quirk surged in defiance, but he kept it down. "Aren't you here to train me? Or did you lie to UA?"
"I'm here to test you, boy ," Purifier growled harshly. "Because I know you're just as afraid of that disaster happening as I am."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. He wasn't wrong.
"I am here to evaluate that risk; to test you to see how you're working with your instincts." Scales began to grow up his neck and head. "I will see how 'defiant' you really are."
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Words will not suffice."
"What, do you plan to beat the evil out of me?" Izuku huffed sardonically.
"I will make you confront the truth of who you are," Purifier retorted.
"You're going to be disappointed," Izuku snarled, his quirk bucking again inside his mind. "I'm going to be a hero, and you can't stop me."
Purifier's eyes began to glow brighter. "I already know what you are. I saw what you were 25 years ago."
"I am not Terrorflame!" Izuku shouted.
Purifier looked down at his nephew for a few moments. "No, you have the potential to be far, far worse."
The wind blew through the trees as the two men stared at each other in silence. Izuku was breathing heavier as his quirk—already surging from being in the forest—bucked harder.
I'll show him.
"I'm not ancient like him," Izuku argued. "My transformation is smaller than yours!"
"Nothing is certain yet. You are not done growing. You are a threat to everyone around you, including my brother. You are a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Izuku had learned to be nice over the years, thanks to his mother, father, and all of his idols, but thanks to his quirk, he had always kept the ability to be not nice. If Purifier wanted a fight, then Izuku would give it to him. There was no way that he would be able to stand up to the man if they actually fought, but this wasn't a physical fight, not truly. This was a fight of words, of ideals, and Izuku knew that he could hold his own there.
"I stood against Terrorflame. I fought him. I almost died to keep the ones I care about safe from him!" Izuku stared right into his uncle's eyes. "Can you say the same?"
Purifier's eyes flashed and a small puff of smoke vented through his nose as the two Midoriyas continued to glare at each other. "You have a sharp tongue," he said finally, "but you'll need more than that. If you truly want to be a hero, you'll need to prove that you understand your instincts."
I don't give a damn what you think.
He felt his quirk trying to pour in as Purifier continued to antagonize him, but he kept his cool. "I'm still learning to control them, but I have help and I'm making progress. I'll get it done. I know I will."
"It is true that you stood up to Terrorflame. You also stood up to Stain. Whether these were for selfish reasons, I cannot say, but regardless, I am going to give you a fair chance to prove yourself to me."
"A fair chance?" Izuku repeated. "So generous of you."
Purifier rolled his head side to side, stretching out his neck as scales grew along his body and he began to bulk up. "It is time to begin. Let Defiant out."
Izuku began to draw on his quirk, but he didn't let himself fall in. Scales grew up his body and down his arms and legs. The crest on his neck grew up his scalp and down his spine as his teeth elongated.
Signalled only by a quick flex, Purifier shot off of the rock he was standing on and toward Izuku. He barely had time to put his arms up before Purifier's fist slammed into his gut and sent him flying backward across the clearing. Izuku crashed into the ground and bounced once before coming to a stop against a tree, groaning softly.
"Do you think I can't tell? You won't be fast enough if you keep pretending," Purifier growled.
Izuku pulled himself to his feet, his green eyes fixating on Purifier as his quirk began to bubble and flow.
"I am tired of you wasting my time!" Purifier roared. "Show me who you are!"
Ochako's legs were killing her as she followed Miruko back across the field after a long morning of training. She had seldom been as grateful for a lunch break as she was at that moment. It hadn't been since the last time she was under Miruko at her internship that she had felt this tired and it was only noon.
"Here, you take a rest on that tree while I go talk hero stuff with Ryukyu," Miruko said, her eyes filled with an excited glint.
"'Kay," Ochako managed to say before she slumped down against the tree with her bagged lunch and felt the relief of finally being off her feet wash through her. It was a good hurt, one that meant she was doing all she could to get better, but that didn't make her fresh bruises feel any less tender.
She watched lazily as Miruko strode across the field to where Mina and Ryukyu were talking and seemingly just interrupted them. Mina looked over to Ochako's tree and grew a big smile before grabbing her lunch and hurrying over.
"Hey, babe!" Mina chirped as she plopped down next to Ochako and laid her head on her lap.
Ochako smiled as she reached out and tussled Mina's hair, which elicited a soft mewl from her girlfriend. "Hey. How was Ryukyu?"
"Great. Awesome. Brutal," Mina listed as she looked up at her. "I didn't miss being this tired."
"Same," Ochako agreed, "but it feels good t'make progress."
Mina made a small noise of agreement as she pulled out her sandwich and began to eat. Ochako followed suit as the two almost inhaled their lunches over the next couple of minutes. As the food settled, Ochako continued to silently play with Mina's hair as she closed her eyes.
As energy flowed back into her system, she felt her core heating up a little, which wasn't out of the ordinary. Ochako connected all five of her pads on one hand to Mina's head and took her weight, then pulled her around so she was sitting between Ochako's legs with her head resting on Ochako's chest.
"At least take me out to dinner first," Mina quipped in a low tone.
"Mmm."
Ochako gave Mina's weight back and then put her arms around Mina, brushing against her chest as she did so.
Mina scooted herself back a little, nuzzling into Ochako. "What's gotten into you?"
"Mmm," Ochako repeated, closing her eyes again. "Horny."
Mina began to laugh. "Pfft, oh yeah? How come?"
"I'm 18 and I got a sexy woman between m'legs," Ochako answered directly.
Mina sighed knowingly. "Yeah, hormones are a bitch. I figure we'll be too tired tonight to do anything, though."
Ochako laughed once as her eyes opened back up. "No kiddin'. Tonight's gonna be a 'collapse an' pass out' night."
Her eyes drifted over to the two pros, who were engaged in some sort of conversation. Ryukyu had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as she looked down at Miruko. The darker-skinned woman had a look of confidence on her face as she spoke, but Ochako was too far away from them to hear.
"What do you think they're talkin' about?" Ochako asked as she continued to watch.
"Hmm?" Mina mumbled as she opened her eyes. "Oh, Miruko is probably hitting on her. Maybe trying to get Ryukyu to go on a date with her."
"What?" Ochako said, getting as close as she could to surprise in her current state. "How d'ya figure that?"
Mina chuckled a little. "Sometimes you just know these things. Also Miruko said something that gave me a suspicion, which Ryukyu confirmed. Apparently, Miss Bunny has been chasing after her for a few months now."
Ochako stared at the two curiously. Ryukyu was laughing gently as Miruko rubbed the back of her head, her normal overconfident exterior replaced by a nervous smile. "Wow, are you seeing this?"
Mina shook her head. "I do, but I'm gonna keep it to myself. Ryukyu is already working me hard enough without me teasing her."
"Would teasing Miruko be worth it?" Ochako mused aloud. "Maybe."
Mina laughed again. "Look, if you want to tease the bunny, be my guest, but don't expect me to kiss your bruises afterwards."
"I'll have you kiss somewhere else," Ochako responded with a smirk.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Mina retorted quickly as she twisted her torso around and leaned up for a kiss.
Ochako kissed her softly on the lips and then leaned back as Mina turned back around. Her eyes glanced over Mina's soft hair and cute horns as she nestled back between Ochako's chest. The two settled in comfortably and before too long, they fell asleep peacefully beneath the tree.
The next thing Ochako knew, someone was kicking her in the leg.
"Mmm, wha?" she mumbled as her eyes opened.
"Come on, come on," Miruko barked. "Lunch break's over, let's go."
She blinked a few times as she woke up. "Huh? I thought you said we got a half hour for lunch."
Miruko laughed. "It's been a half hour, Sleeping Beauty. Come on, I'm not gonna ask nicely next time."
Mina had woken up too, and pulled herself up off the ground, which made Ochako miss her touch immediately. She stretched her arms up high, giving Ochako a nice view of her toned legs and her spandex-covered backside as her cheongsam lifted up.
"Good luck, Ochako!" she chirped as she jogged back off to where Ryukyu was waiting for her.
Ochako pulled herself up and followed after Miruko, who was almost walking with a skip in her step. She debated for a moment, but as she tossed away the bags from their lunch in a nearby trash can, Ochako decided to make bad decisions.
"You're looking cheery," Ochako said coyly as she looked down at Miruko. "Did someone get a date?"
Miruko faltered for just a moment as a slight blush crept onto her face. It was gone just as quickly as she looked up at Ochako with a smug expression. "I sure did. What, were you trying to tease me? I'm not some schoolgirl, Kit."
"I've never seen you blush before," Ochako continued, insisting on making life difficult for herself.
"Oh ho," Miruko said with a laugh. "You're lucky I like you so much. I'm gonna work you twice as hard for that."
Ochako grinned as she hopped up and down in her boots. "I'm looking forward to it."
"I am deeply sorry!" Crust exclaimed as he bowed deeply to Eiko.
"I understand completely, thank you for training me!" Eiko returned as she too bowed deeply toward the pro.
After several seconds of silence, both of them stopped their firm bows and raised up to look at each other again.
"Even so, I am doing you a disservice!" Crust continued. "First I was late, and now I'm leaving early!"
"I've already learned so much!" Eiko countered. "And you had hero duties come up! I would never place myself before your responsibilities!"
Crust reached over and placed a firm hand on Eiko's shoulder as he clenched the other in front of his chest. "You understand the sacrifice that must be undertaken as a hero at such a young age!
Eiko felt a proud tear forming in her eye. "Thank you, sir!"
"No, thank you for being such a shining example of the next generation of heroes!" Crust said emphatically. "And thank you , Miss Hadou, for taking over for me!"
"Not a problem!" Hadou bubbled from a few feet away. "We understand that things come up. Good luck!"
Crust nodded, gave one final salute and nod, and then dashed away, his green cape billowing behind him.
"What a nice guy," Hadou said with a giggle as the two women watched the pro turn a corner and vanish.
"Yeah, he was awesome!" Eiko said as she pounded her fists together. "I hope I get to work with him again one day."
Hadou hopped up and down a little. "Alright, let's continue. You ready to-"
"Actually," Eiko interrupted, "I have uh, a concern."
"A concern?" Hadou repeated. "What about? Are you alright?"
Eiko smiled nervously. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. I'm just worried. A-about Aniki. Midoriya."
Hadou's brow furrowed as she tilted her head. She really had the 'beautiful and adorable' thing down. "Worried about him? What for?"
"Well, um," Eiko stalled, trying to think of how to put it diplomatically, then giving up. "His uncle. He showed up to train him and Aniki looked all rattled and even his dad looked grim. I'm just really worried about him. You know the Midoriyas, right? What's going on?"
Hadou nodded along as Eiko spoke, listening very diligently. Even though she had a sort of ditsy persona, Eiko had learned weeks ago that beneath it was a woman who deserved to be in the Big Three by every metric. "I do know the Midoriyas, at least more than most. You know, I've been around Ryukyu for four years now, and I've been to family dinners and stuff at Greenhorn's house. I've heard them talk about all sorts of things, but I've never ever heard them talk about Purifier. I've never even seen him around, which is weird because he's like, Stormclaw's brother!"
Eiko's shoulders slumped. "That didn't exactly ease my worry."
"Uh, right. Hmm." Hadou tapped her chin. "Tell you what, how about we go check in on them?"
Eiko blinked. "Wait, really? Now?"
"Sure!" Hadou chirped as yellow energy began to spiral off her feet and she rose into the air. "It'll be quick. Come on, grab my wrists!"
Eiko nodded, remembering when Hadou had picked her up on the way to help Aniki in Hosu. She reached up and grabbed onto Hadou's wrists firmly as she gripped onto hers, showing off the surprising strength that years at UA had cultivated.
"Alright, hang on!" Hadou lifted up into the air slowly so as not to pull Eiko's arms out of their sockets. She began to accelerate gently, showing off her impressive control over her quirk as they soon reached a very quick pace.
Eiko looked down as they flew over where some of her other classmates were training. She recognized Fourth Kind down there with Shouji, she saw Tsuyu training with Gang Orca in one of the massive outdoor pools, she saw Ochako desperately trying to dodge a very riled-up Miruko and felt a little sorry for her. Soon, they began to fly over the trees of one of UA's forests and Eiko noted how every time she thought she had a grasp on how big UA's campus was, it seemed to just get bigger.
"I know they're out here somewhere," Hadou muttered. "Or at least they're supposed to be."
"What about over by that smoke?" Eiko asked.
"Oh yeah, Purifier breathes fire. You think that'd be more common for a whole family of dragons, but eh." Hadou banked over to the smoke rising from a clearing in the woods and began to descend toward it.
"Let's not interrupt," Hadou called down as they passed the treeline. "We'll just look and see that everything is okay. Then we'll both be worry-free!"
"Are you worried, too?" Eiko asked.
Hadou didn't say anything for a moment. "Maybe? Look, the Midoriyas can be reaaaaally scary sometimes and I just want to make sure Greenhorn is doing alright. I'm just… concerned for one of my students!"
As they neared the ground, Hadou let Eiko drop and then landed next to her a good hundred feet or so away from the clearing.
"So, are we just gonna sneak-" Eiko began before she was cut off by a fierce roar that rumbled through the ground.
The two women looked toward the noise, then back at each other. "Think of this like stealth training," Hadou whispered.
Eiko silently nodded and the two began to walk slowly and quietly toward the clearing. As they neared, Hadou pointed at a bush and motioned for Eiko to get behind it. They both ducked down and peeked through the bush, gazing into the clearing through the trees and smoke. Half of the grass and trees had been burned and were smoldering slightly, and there was a faint acrid smell lingering in the air amongst the smoke.
There was a flash of gold and a loud crack as Purifier sent Aniki crashing into a tree not too far away, snapping it in half. He was in his drake form, as he called it, pulling himself up on all four legs as he shook his draconic head. Eiko could see rivulets of his green blood—some new, some old—tracing down his scales along his body as a puff of green gas vented from his nostrils and he charged back into the clearing.
He dove straight at Purifier, who had no visible transformations. With trained precision and experienced confidence, the pro sidestepped Aniki as he lunged, then transformed his arm into a massive golden claw. With another flash of gold, he drove an open-palmed strike into Aniki's side, but not before his nephew was able to blast a cloud of poison gas directly into his face.
Aniki hit the ground hard, but righted himself after a bounce and dug his claws into the dirt to stop himself sliding any further back. Purifier's legs grew scales on them as he jumped out of the cloud and landed on a large rock in the clearing, coughing and choking as Aniki's poison entered his lungs.
The clearing was silent except for the wind, the crackling of trees, and the panting of two men as they regained their breath. Eiko looked over to Hadou, who glanced back with an unsure expression.
"You are still pretending," Purifier growled.
Aniki huffed, gas venting from his nostrils. "Are you sore I actually managed to hit you with that gas?"
Purifier didn't acknowledge that jab. "Your willpower is impressive, but I am tired of waiting. Stop holding back!"
Aniki glared at Purifier, but said nothing as he began to pace slowly around him.
"Are you frightened?" Purifier asked. "Good. But it matters not. You will stop these games or I will start really fighting you."
"Why are you so insistent?" Aniki retorted.
Smoke billowed violently from Purifier's nostrils as a snarl rose from his throat. "You impudent child . Your stalling is as pathetic as it is infuriating. I will drag you out of your hiding place by force if necessary."
Aniki answered his snarl with one of his own as he kept his head low to the ground.
"Fine." Purifier's eyes exploded with golden glow as his body surged larger. Great wings burst from his back as his fingers turned to claws and his tail emerged. His four horns grew long and thick, two from the side, and two above as his wispy moustache grew down from his face. Unlike Aniki, his wings streaked along his back and down his tail in twin sails. Purifier's powerful, sinewy limbs cracked the earth and the stone beneath his feet as in mere seconds, he assumed his fully draconic form. He was larger than Aniki was at the USJ, but nowhere close to Terrorflame's size at his peak.
"Should we do something?" Eiko whispered.
Hadou had a very serious look on her face. "Ryukyu warned me that I should never interfere with 'family business'. If you see two Midoriyas hashing it out like this, leave them alone. She was very insistent about it."
Purifier planted his feet and unleashed a massive, ground-shaking roar that caused Eiko and Hadou to cover their ears. As the echoes dissipated through the trees, Purifier made his first move. With a powerful beat of his flowing wings, he kicked up dust and surged forward toward Aniki, claws extended.
To his credit, Aniki didn't stand still. He jumped away from the attack, dodging it easily as he landed closer to Eiko and Nejire. Purifier's long, powerful tail whipped out at him, but he jumped out of the way of that, too. Unfortunately, the tail slammed into a tree, ripping it out of the ground and sending it sailing through the air—straight at the women.
Eiko didn't think, she didn't consider or mull over any options, she simply acted. With a single motion, she moved herself in front of Hadou as she activated her quirk and planted her feet. She felt Hadou brace against her back forcefully as the tree slammed into her.
With an echoing crack, the tree splintered and exploded against Eiko, sending a shower of wood into the air all around them as the two women held their ground together. Before Eiko could get her bearings back, she felt her feet pulled out from under her as Hadou pushed her to the ground.
They laid there in silence, holding their breaths and wondering if they had been spotted. As the dragons continued to fight, they began to breathe.
Eiko suddenly realized fully that Hadou was pressed down on top of her. Two large, soft weights were squished against her back, while the upperclassman's thick, powerful thighs were pressed against the back of her own. The sudden rush of blush to her face was made only worse as Hadou leaned into her ear and she felt her hot breath.
Oh, God, she smelled really good. Scents of lavender, juniper berries and sweet citrus danced about her nose, drowning out the acrid haze and burning smoke in the most wonderful way.
"Thank you," Hadou whispered softly before slowly pulling herself off of Eiko.
Eiko rolled over in the other direction and pulled herself back up to her knees. This was no time for weird emotions, Aniki was in trouble here.
The two women peeked back around the bush to continue watching. Purifier was standing still, watching Aniki with his narrow eyes, smoke flowing passively from his maw. The much smaller Midoriya was moving slowly, his eyes locked onto his uncle as his tail flitted back and forth.
"You used a full transformation at the USJ," Purifier said in a low rumble. "Some would call it impressive, I would call it a dire warning. None who came before you could use that much power at your age."
"It nearly killed me," Aniki grumbled back.
"Irrelevant." Purifier took a single step forward, but made no move to attack. "The fact that you could do it at all is too much to ignore. You even did it again at the Sports Festival."
"My hoard gives me strength beyond what I could manage on my own."
'What did that mean?' Eiko thought.
Purifier looked down at him for a few seconds, seemingly thinking. "You have gained a large hoard long before the rest of us, that is true, and your hoard was directly in danger. That does not explain the festival."
"Shouto was in danger. From his family. From himself. I am working to save him. My hoard will be perfect. They will be perfect."
'They? Is he talking about his girlfriends?'
The great golden dragon let out what Eiko could only guess was a low chuckle. "Defiant, at last."
Aniki stumbled a little, shaking his head a little.
Purifier snorted indignantly. "Impudence."
In a flash of motion, Purifier moved forward far faster than anything that large had any right moving. Aniki tried to dodge again, but he wasn't fast enough, and one of Purifier's massive claws picked up the green drake like it weighed nothing, slamming Aniki back into a large boulder and holding him there.
Aniki's form snapped away as he transformed back into a humanoid state. His body was still covered in thick, emerald scales, but his clawed hands could do nothing against the great, golden claw pinning him to the rock.
Eiko began to make a move to go help, but Hadou gripped tightly onto her arm. "I know, Kirishima, I know. You gotta trust me, alright?"
"Are you sure?!" Eiko pleaded.
Hadou bit her lip. "Honestly, not really, but I trust Ryukyu and I don't think Purifier is really going to hurt him. He's a hero, right? Look, if you're gonna hang around the Midoriyas, you're gonna see a lot of… really weird stuff."
"How insistent was Ryukyu about not interfering?" Eiko asked nervously.
Hadou's worry turned into a grim severity she had never seen on the normally bubbly woman. "Very."
Eiko hesitated, but eventually relented and knelt back down behind the bush.
Purifier leaned his head in closer to Aniki. "Stop. Hiding."
Aniki answered by snarling and blowing poison gas in Purifier's face. Or at least, he began to do so before Purifier yanked him roughly off the rock and slammed him back onto it, stopping his breath short.
"I cannot help you if you keep playing these games!" Purifier roared.
A stillness hung in the air as Aniki looked up at Purifier. "Help me?"
"Yes, help you." Purifier released his claw, letting Aniki drop to the ground. "If you truly wish to defy your nature and become a hero, you will let me do so."
Aniki picked himself up off the ground and continued to lock eyes with his uncle. Eiko could see the brilliance behind his eyes as thoughts rolled over in his mind.
His glowing green eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them again, something was a little different, but Eiko couldn't put her finger on it.
"Defiant."
"Purifier."
Purifier nodded, as if something formal had been concluded. "I've been waiting for this for longer than you know."
"I have an idea," Aniki responded flatly. "Now that you've got me, what do you want to say?"
"What do you want?"
Aniki narrowed his glowing eyes. "What do you mean?"
Purifier began to shrink back down until both men were more or less in their normal human forms, save for some scales. He looked down at Aniki and repeated. "What do you want?"
"I want to be a hero."
"Why?"
"I want to follow in the footsteps of my father. I want people to see my wings and feel safe. I want to protect those who cannot protect themselves and help those in need."
"More."
Aniki continued without missing a beat. "I want to stand by my hoard as they grow and become great heroes. I want to guide them and perfect them. I want to protect them and stand beside them."
"More."
There was a longer pause this time, but Eiko didn't think Aniki was thinking. "I want to crush this burden placed upon me. I will break my quirk. I will destroy this yoke that fate has seemed to place upon me. I will defy it and everything that stands in my way. That is why I am Defiant."
Purifier stroked his chin once and nodded. "Hearing you say this is good. Perhaps you truly mean it."
"With every fiber of my soul," Aniki growled.
Eiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. She glanced over at Hadou, who was looking just as confused. They were both so riveted by the bizarre conversation that neither dared move.
"And what of your dark impulses? I saw you rage during the second round at the festival. I know there has been more, even if my brother will not tell me." Purifier was looming over Aniki like judge, jury, and executioner.
Aniki hesitated and seemed to falter slightly. "My journey has been far from smooth."
That answer didn't seem to satisfy Purifier. "Tell me: how many have you wanted to kill?"
Aniki grit his teeth. "I have acted on none of them. Judge me by my actions! Anything my instincts grumble against my will-"
Purifier suddenly surged a foot taller as his face contorted with anger. "You are your instincts!"
Aniki's eyes went wide as he looked absolutely stunned.
"That is what I have been trying to get you to understand!" Purifier continued, his eyes glowing like golden suns on his face. "I have tried to lead you here, but apparently I must spell it out! Your instincts are not separate! They are not something else ! They are YOU!"
For the first time that Eiko could remember, Aniki seemed to be truly stunned speechless.
"This is the truth that Stormclaw has never wanted to face! This farce that he and Ryukyu bury their heads in, hiding from the reality of ourselves!" Purifier suddenly grabbed Aniki by the shirt of his hero uniform, lifting him up with ease. "Midoriya is the mask I wear. All of us true dragons wear this mask. Purifier is who I am. Defiant is who you are. The sooner you discard the lie your father has been feeding you and accept this truth, the sooner you can find out who you really are."
Purifier let Aniki drop back down to his feet. A silence, longer than all the others, hung in the air before he spoke again. "Do you see why I am afraid now?"
Finally, Aniki found words again. "I will die before I see my dream taken from me."
Man, this was heavy.
Purifier glared down at Aniki before he turned and walked several paces away. "Then it is time for us to continue. Think about what I've said. Do not hide who you are from yourself and you will begin to find true understanding."
Eiko felt Hadou's tapping on her arm. "Let's get out of here," she said softly. "I think we've intruded enough, yeah?"
Eiko looked over at the two men one more time. Aniki looked shaken to his very core, but he wasn't in danger. At least not physical danger. "Yeah, alright."
They crept back through the forest as the sounds of battle erupted behind them once again. When they had gotten far enough away, Hadou lifted Eiko back into the air for them to continue their training.
In a way, Eiko's worries had been quelled, but in reality, they had just been replaced by a different set. The two women were quiet as they flew back, and Eiko didn't notice anything going on below her all the while. She was too busy thinking.
The whole… situation around Aniki was far more complicated than she had ever thought. A thousand things had been thrown into question, and she didn't know how to even begin going about answering them.
However, even with everything she had heard and everything that has happened, she was still utterly and completely certain that she would continue to stand by him. She would be that wall, just like she promised herself.
Katsuki was ready to kick Izuku's ass. He hadn't responded to a single one of his texts all day. Katsuki was about one step away from blowing a fuse when he saw Izuku finally walk into the common room.
He looked like hell.
'Ah, shit.'
Katsuki jumped off the couch and stormed over to Izuku as he trudged toward the stairs. "Where've you been?"
Izuku jumped a little, which emphasized just how tired he was. "Oh, Kacchan. Sorry, training went real late and I had to go to Recovery Girl, and, yeah."
Katsuki glared at him. "Who put you through the ringer?"
Izuku's tired gaze met his own. "Hatsuo."
'Ah, shit .'
Katsuki reached forward and pulled Izuku into a tight hug, which his friend instantly returned. The two men held each other firmly, with Izuku's grip getting tighter all the time, like he was trying to squeeze energy out of Katsuki.
"Your dad let Purifier get a hold of you?" Katsuki asked as they continued to embrace, their necks over each other's shoulders.
"Yeah, I'll… I'll tell you about it tomorrow, alright?" Izuku said slowly. "I'm exhausted."
"Yeah, yeah, I feel you," Katsuki said as he patted Izuku's back. The two men broke apart and he spied some small tears forming in Izuku's eyes.
By this time, Izuku's girlfriends had almost made their way over to them, each of them wearing their own brand of concern.
Izuku looked at them, then down at Katsuki. "Thanks, man. For everything, for all this time."
Katsuki lightly pushed his shoulder. "You get sappy when you're tired."
"I'm always sappy," Izuku replied with a tired laugh. "You know, I couldn't ask for a better friend."
"Damn straight you couldn't," Katsuki said with a smirk. "And hey, back at you. I'll catch you tomorrow, man."
"Night," Izuku said with a nod as he walked over to his girlfriends, who immediately began fussing over him.
With no other reason to stay up, Katsuki walked over to the stairs to sleep off the bone-deep exhaustion in his own body. Tomorrow he would figure out what fucking Purifier did to Izuku, and also try to decipher what had put Shitty Hair in a weird mood all evening.
He sighed as he opened his dorm and began to get ready for bed. It was hard, and often tiring work to be friends with people.
But it was worth it.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone