Chapter 33: Quirk Training

I sit in despair for a few minutes, then board my train, trying to regain my composure before I get back. I know it's stupid to be crying, so I try to make myself presentable before pulling into the station. I read the packet of information the whole ride, giving myself something else to think about, but it keeps bringing me back to that day every time it discusses "traumatic incidents."

I walk back to the dojo and head inside. Nyikang is sitting cross-legged on the ground. His covered head looks up as I come in. I send him a small smile and drop my duffle next to the door to the bedrooms. 

"I have decided that in Shinso's absence, we will work on improving your quirk. There will be no need to change for this. Come, sit with me," he gestures to the place in front of him, so I walk over and do as he says. I notice there is a deck of cards on the floor between us. But they don't appear to be playing cards. Instead, they seem to have indents on them to resemble shapes and letters. 

"You will use this power you call Echolocation to lift these cards, spread them about the air, and make specific ones fly around when I call them out. This will help you be more aware while you are in this state and gain a more precise control of these objects. Now, let's begin."

I lose track of time as he repeatedly calls out cards and I identify them by the sound's presence against the indentations and make them fly around. He requests me to twirl the past three cards he has called even after I make them fly around. After an amount of time and progress he deems acceptable, he requests I open my eyes and train using my illused sound to control the items individually instead of interacting with them through one big blob of sound. 

We decide to take an early dinner before we do more quirk training with a different focus. I can't help but feel a tad lonely as I sit at the empty kitchen table, eating fried vegetables. After dinner, Nyikang requests me back in the dojo. 

"How much do you know about human anatomy?" He asks, standing in the middle of the room. I notice the floor has been covered with padding

"A fair deal. I taught myself quite a bit."

"Okay then, think about the muscles that let us walk. Concentrate on them. Understand how they contract and release in time with each other. When you have that visualized, make me walk."

I deadpan at the pro hero, knowing this is a huge leap forward from where I was before, skill-wise. He doesn't respond to my incredulous expression, so I focus on where all the necessary muscles are and illuse into each one of them. I make him lift one leg, balancing him on the other. 

"Good job, now forward," he presses. I slowly but surely have him place his leg in front of him, but as I go to bring the other leg forward, his center of gravity isn't far enough forward, so he collapses back into the mats. 

He stands, nodding his head. "I'll admit, that was significantly better than I thought you were going to do on your first try. Have you used your quirk on others much before?"

"Yes sir," I respond. "In battle, I either illuse sound to deliver punches or directly into somebody's body to make all their muscles tense and release so they can't fight back. I've excited certain nerves in people's brains to either cause or relieve a headache, and I have helped to ease some people's tense muscles by using what I learned about acupuncture."

He pauses for a moment, seeming to take in the information I just gave him and maybe reconsider his lesson plan. "So you're saying that you can create small enough points of sound to simulate acupuncture or trigger a receptor in the brain?"

I nod, knowing what he's saying sounds a heck of a lot more impressive than it is. 

He insists I continue forcing him to walk. With a few more tries, I have him stumbling around like a toddler. At one point, he tries to fight it, but his brain can't overpower what my sounds do to his muscles. Eventually, he pulls out his katanas and requests that I fight him while also making the cards fly and manipulating his muscles. There is so much to focus on that cards are constantly dropping and Nyikang is stumbling around clumsily. 

By the end of the day, I can barely keep him holding onto the sword while standing, much less put up a good fight. Not to mention I've been getting increasingly dizzy with every attempt. He says we'll continue tomorrow, so I grab my bag and head down the hall to my room, stumbling as my head spins. 

Once there, I hang up my costume to assess if any damages have been done to it, but it doesn't appear so. Big thanks to Mic who suggested the fireproof coat. 

I go to the bathroom to do my nightly routine, trying to ignore the door to Shinso's empty room beside mine. When I walk back, out of pure habit, I illuse, "the bathroom's free," right outside his door. 

Immediately getting crushed with a wave of guilt and loneliness, I illuse his voice on the other side, "okay." 

I change into sweats and plop down onto my bed. I grab my phone to do my nightly check-ins with everyone. I start with Ochaco and Reina, then work my way through some of my other classmates before finding the one name who hasn't texted me yet. It's okay. He probably just doesn't know if he's supposed to say anything. Or maybe he's too uncomfortable about what I did earlier. I open my conversation with Todoroki and send him a quick message. 

Me: Hey! Hope your dad wasn't too mad at ya for being late

I regret that text the moment I hit send. What am I thinking?!? He wants his father to be angry. And should I really have just ignored that I hugged him then ran away? I'm thankfully brought out of my negative thoughts by a text, though it's not from the half and half boy. Instead, it's in my most entertaining group chat.

Alien Queen: Eyyyyyyyy girlie u there?????

Me: Ya I'm back!

Kiri: WOOOOOO

Spoodermun: Glad to hear it

Ducky: The fuck happened?

Alien Queen: HE CARES

Ducky: Shut the fuck up!! I just wanna know if we gotta deal with more nomus now

Me: Well the heroes captured a lot of them

Me: The league has probably been making them but I just hope we got all the ones they have

Spoodermun: Don't jinx it

Me: I'm sorry 😭

Pikachu: Yo Sero look what you did to my girl!

Spoodermun: Don't cry! I'm sorry!

Kiri: How're you doing?

Me: Well the guy punched me to the ground and crushed my shoulder, but it was nothing RG couldn't fix

Kiri: But like mentally? You good?

Me: I guess

Alien Queen: That's not an answer!

Me: I just wish I could've saved more people. I didn't really do anything

Me: Can we talk about something else? How're you guys doin?

Alien Queen: Aww okay. It's been fun here!

Spoodermun: Hero work's been pretty gratifying

Pikachu: Yeah the amount of ladies that check me out in my hero costume just keeps going up 😏

Me: Are you just saying that to try and make me jealous?

Pikachu: Is it working? 🥺

Me: Lol nope

Pikachu: Damn

Ducky: Yeah so fuckin stop with all that

Alien Queen: Good 👏 Christian👏 Minecraft👏 Server👏!!!!!

Me: Nah he wouldn't play minecraft

Me: They have chickens, not ducks 😉

Ducky: SHUT UP

Spoodermun: I think there were ducks in one mod

Pikachu: Okay why have we never played mc together?!?

Me: Cause it'd be chaotic?

Alien Queen: I gotta get this game if y'all are gonna be playing!

Spoodermun: Do it!!!

A message from Todoroki pops up, so I immediately switch over to that conversation, heart beating fast. 

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: Of course he was. It's nothing I couldn't handle. 

Me: Just stay safe!

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: I will. You said friends talk and hang out and stuff.

Me: Ya

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: So if I ever don't want to go home, I could ask if we could hang out?

I squeal to myself, bouncing up and down on the bed. I read the text over and over again. That was a conditional sentence if I've ever heard one, but I still can't believe this is happening!

Me: Of course!

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: And what would we do?

Me: Idk get food, watch a movie? Really anything. Sometimes it's more fun not to plan anything

It sounds like we're planning a date or something! Curse my stupid heart for getting my hopes up too high!! He just wants to be friends. I need to calm down. 

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: Ah, stuff you do with Uraraka. 

Me: Yup! 

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: What if I invite you and you're busy?

Me: Then you could invite Midoriya or Iida or Ochaco! I'm sure they'd be willing to hang out

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: They're my friends too?

Me: It's not my place to say, but I think they consider you their friend

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: Okay.

This boy will be the DEATH of me. He's too pure! Why does it have to be getting so late, though?

Me: I've gotta get some sleep, but I'll talk to you later! Goodnight

❄️🔥Todoroki🔥❄️: Goodnight.

With a content sigh, I look back at the Bakusquad group chat which has somehow devolved into a text fight between Sero, Kaminari, and Bakugo. I watch for a while before curling up and passing out.