47

After the tour, Izuku was standing on the beach outside his father's agency with the other three. The sun was high in the sky and a sea breeze was washing over them, making Izuku smile wide as he took a deep breath. 

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Hisashi asked as he took in the late spring air. "Alright, let's get down to business. Riptide, please put Miss Asui through her paces. We need to know where she stands so we can put her to work."

Riptide nodded as she put on her helmet. "Yes, sir." She turned to Tsuyu, giving her a thumbs up. "See that island out there? I'll race you there."

Tsuyu nodded and placed her own headwear on as she hopped after Riptide, who was already gunning for the water.

Izuku smiled fondly as they began to race, but then he noticed his focus lingering on how Tsuyu's powerful legs and backside flexed and pulled as she moved, making his smile falter. It seemed that, now that he had opened that door, it was hard to close it again. This was going to be a long week if he couldn't stop sneaking peeks at her; his quirk was already starting to grumble in the back of his mind.

A part of him wondered if he had been… underappreciating some of his other classmates. He desperately tried to stop the thoughts, but his quirk pushed forward just as hard, filling his mind with thoughts about Eiko and Pony and Kyouka. 

With a surge of willpower, Izuku pulled his mind out of the gutter and looked up at his father, who was watching him with amusement. "You gonna stare at her all day?" he teased. 

Izuku didn't know how to respond. Half of his mind thought the idea of her being attracted to him would be ridiculous, but the other half wanted nothing more. "Sorry, sir."

"She's a fine young woman," Hisashi admitted, "but you already have two girlfriends, don't you?"

Izuku shifted a little, digging his toes into the sand. "T-three, actually. Yaoyorozu… joined us a few days ago."

"Hah!" Hisashi yelled, surprising Izuku. "I've won my money back!" 

"W-what?!"

"Oh, nothing," he mused evasively. "Shall we get going? We have quite a day ahead of us."

Izuku narrowed his eyes, but then nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"Follow me." Hisashi flexed, his wings appearing rapidly from his back. Izuku's followed not a moment later and the two kicked off in unison, rising quickly into the air. 

With a beat of his wings, he took off down the coastline with Izuku following closely behind and it wasn't long before the sandy beach gave way to rocky outcroppings and jagged cliff faces, twisting and jutting out below them. 

Hisashi glanced back and made eye contact with Izuku, then smirked and dove down. Izuku understood, sending more of his quirk through his senses as he followed his father. 

The two winged men dodged and weaved around the rocky spires and through the time-worn archways, their wings skimming the pristine water as they raced. Izuku loved the feeling of wind in his hair and the fresh sea air in his lungs, his smile wide as he began to gain ground on his father. 

"You're getting slow!" he yelled as he closed in.

Hisashi looked back and raised an eyebrow, before his wings grew larger and he shot forward, leaving Izuku behind. Not to be outdone, Izuku pushed more of his own quirk into his wings and picked up speed, chasing after his father.

The older, more experienced flyer led Izuku down smaller gaps and took tighter turns, pushing Izuku to his limits. It was clear from the beginning that this was a test and Izuku was determined to do his best, but even he was surprised at how nimble his father was. Hisashi darted between rocks and even at one point took the race underwater, shooting through a small cave before resurfacing. 

It was near the end of the course when Hisashi finally took a turn just a little too sharply for Izuku. One of his green wings was clipped by a low-hanging rock, sending him spiraling out of control, falling toward the jagged rocks below. 

Before Izuku could even react, he found himself wrapped up in a massive claw. He looked up at his father, who was fully transformed, dragging Izuku in his hand underneath him. 

"I had it!" Izuku protested. "I would've been fine!"

Hisashi snorted through his nose in a vague noise of acknowledgement before descending down to the remote beach below, depositing Izuku on the sand and quickly returning to his own human form as he landed several feet away. 

"You're still not tucking your wings right," he warned. "If anything, you've gotten sloppier since you started college."

Izuku sighed. "I haven't had a lot of chances to practice flying. I've been focused on other things."

"Yes, I suppose you have," Hisashi mused, looking over the hidden beach. "Your quirk has advanced more than I would have ever thought."

A peaceful silence fell over the men as they appreciated the serene beauty of their secret spot. Izuku had come here many times with his father in the past; they used it as a sort of private training ground and as a place for them to just… get away sometimes. Here, Izuku felt safe and hidden. There was an undeniable tranquility in how the waves lapped at the sands and rocks, and how the sun shone through the cliffs and outcroppings. 

However, if they were here, it also meant that Hisashi had plans. 

After a few minutes, his father finally spoke.

"So… Defiant?"

Izuku took a deep breath and nodded. He knew this was coming. "Yes, sir."

Hisashi turned to look at Izuku, then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of his own.

His reptilian eyes shot open, glowing with a powerful green light. Bronze scales flashed up his neck and down his arms as lightning crackled faintly between his long, black horns.

Stormclaw opened his mouth slowly, grinning slightly and showing off his elongated fangs, which were also sparking with electricity. 

"Can I meet him?"

Tenya double-checked the address. There was no doubt, this was the place.

He took a deep breath, focusing on his duty and his mission, rather than his angst as he knocked on the door. 

It slowly creaked open, but he heard no answer, only a small noise coming from inside. He waited patiently for a few moments, but then his curiosity got the better of him and he poked his head inside. 

The house was run down, disheveled and dirty. He was a little surprised that it was still standing, and that it didn't smell worse than it already did. 

Kneeling on the floor in the back of the room was a short, older man in a white and yellow costume who was furiously scrubbing at something on the ground. What he first thought was blood, he soon noticed was ketchup; the old man had spilled his lunch all over the floor.

Tenya didn't consider not helping; it was the right thing to do. 

He opened the door fully, announcing his presence and quickly approaching the man. "Good afternoon, sir. My name is Tenya Iida, may I assist you?"

The older man looked up at him, showing Tenya the black mask covering his eyes. "Hmph. Good to see they still teach manners to some of you. Go get that mop over there."

Tenya wasted no time obeying and with the two of them working, the floor was clean in no time. 

"Good work, sonny," the man said gruffly. "If this hero thing doesn't work out, you have a bright future as a janitor."

Tenya bowed to the man. "Thank you, sir. May I assume that you are Gran Torino?"

"All Might said you were a quick one," Gran responded, albeit little sarcastically. "Yeah, that's me."

Tenya continued to bow. "My teacher honors me with his praise. I would like to thank you for agreeing to train me this week."

"Yeah, yeah," the old man grumbled dismissively. "You're a speedster, right? Let's see how bad All Might's screwed up your training so far. Go upstairs, claim a bedroom, and get changed into that uniform."

Tenya had some reservations, but he was taught better than to second-guess an elder, especially someone that All Might himself venerated. He quickly changed into his hero costume, taking a small amount of pride and shame in the shining armor; it still felt like Tensei's, in a way.

Once he was suited up, he returned down to the lower floor, holding his helmet under his arm. Gran Torino looked him over, nodding approvingly. "Armor is surprisingly rare, which I think is a mistake. Now, before you call me a hypocrite, it slows me down too much. My speed is my armor. Let's see if it slows you down."

Gran kicked off from the couch and rocketed onto the wall faster than Tenya could follow. "Er, now , sir? I couldn't forgive myself if I damaged your house." 

Gran laughed, a little bitterly. "This isn't my house, young 'un. You think I live in a hovel like this? I feel like I should be a little insulted!" 

Tenya bowed quickly as he began to sweat. "I meant no disrespect, sir!"

Gran laughed again. "Make it up to me by showing me what you've learned so far. If you land a single blow on me, I'll be seriously impressed. I might even tell All Might that you're an exemplary student."

Tenya's eyes widened and he quickly dropped into a combat stance, placing his helmet over his head. "I'll do my best, sir!"

Katsuki stared out of the window of one of the upper floors of All Might's hero office. The throngs of reporters and paparazzi were still swarming the front of the building; he was grateful that All Might had jumped the two of them to the roof and avoided all that. He hated the idea of being cornered and asked inane questions by dozens of people.

The door behind him opened and All Might stepped back inside, walking up to him and following Katsuki's eyes to the reporters. "What are you thinking, Young Bakugou?"

Katsuki was silent for a moment, then huffed. "How do you deal with all of them? How are you supposed to be a hero with all them in the way?"

"A good question!" All Might laughed boisterously. "Truth be told, they're a little worse than they normally are today; they've been even more eager ever since I started teaching." He sighed softly. "To answer your question, 'dealing' with them is an important part of being a hero. We don't just save people's bodies, but their minds and hearts. Speaking to the press is the perfect way to help people 'know' me."

Katsuki kept staring down at the press. He didn't know if he could ever handle that. It seemed so much simpler to stop villains instead of being a celebrity. 

"You know, Young Bakugou, I'm not the number one hero because I've stopped the most villains." 

Katsuki turned to look at him slowly. "Izuku said that Endeavor has the most solved cases."

All Might nodded proudly. "Exactly. Endeavor stops more villains than I do, but he's still the number two because he only focuses on one part of heroics. I give interviews and the like not to inflate my own ego or wallet, but to fortify the spirit of the people. I smile because I want people to feel safe, does that make sense?"

Katsuki rubbed his chin and turned back to the window. "Why'd you pick me?"

"You mean, why did I invite you to be my intern?" All Might asked.

Katsuki nodded the smallest amount.

"That's quite simple," he began. "It's because our quirks are, in some ways, quite similar."

Katsuki thought for a moment. "They're both destructive."

"Exactly!" All Might said with a mix of pride and seriousness. "We both could very easily be very destructive with our quirks. If I'm not careful, I could level buildings and once you're trained and fully developed, you will likely be the same. It's important for you to learn control and finesse. Not only that, but I believe you have the makings of a truly great hero. Call it selfish, but I wanted to see your potential myself."

Katsuki nodded his head slightly. "Well, let's not wait around any longer, eh? When can we get started?" 

All Might smiled widely. "Right now! Follow me." 

He turned and led Katsuki out of the room, but there was still a small voice in the back of his head telling him that All Might wasn't being entirely open with him.

Mina groaned with pain as she hit the ground hard. Again.

"Closer that time!" Hadou cheered. "You're still leaving yourself too open." 

Mina rolled over and took the shorter woman's hand as she helped her up off the mat. She shook herself off and rolled her neck, wincing at her already sore muscles and the bruises Hadou had given her. 

Ryukyu stood at the edge of the mat, wearing gym clothes like Mina and Hadou. "Are you a dancer?"

"I am," Mina answered softly, still catching her breath. How did she know that?

Ryukyu smiled. "I thought so. You carry yourself with a certain grace and agility. However, here, it's not serving you well. You need to carry your arms closer to your body so you can better protect yourself."

"Oh!" Mina stared in surprise. "Thank you." 

Ryukyu smiled, then nodded at Hadou. 

The two women squared up again and Mina tried to apply Ryukyu's tip. She kept her arms a little closer to her body, adjusting her center of gravity and giving her a little better leverage. 

At least in theory.

Even though they were fighting quirkless, Hadou was a monster. She had strength, speed, stamina, and—most importantly—experience on Mina. It was up to her to keep up with and learn from Hadou and Ryukyu as best she could that week.

But even just part of the way through the first day, that was proving to be a challenge.

Hadou shot a few probing jabs at her, testing her adjusted guard; it was remarkable how much a small change could alter the whole fight so dramatically. Hadou began to swing and jab a little harder, but Mina was able to block and deflect all of her blows. Mina began to grin; this was almost easy.

Then Hadou swept her leg and Mina's back hit the mat again. She groaned as her muscles cried out for mercy once again, rolling a little on the floor.

"Good work on the block," Ryukyu began with a hint of mirth in her voice, "but you focused too much on your hands and arms. You can't get tunnel vision in a fight."

"Yes, Ryukyu," Mina returned softly, letting her eyes close for a second as she caught her breath.

"No slacking!" Hadou scolded, not unkindly. 

Mina opened her eyes to see the blue-eyed woman's face mere inches from her own, smiling widely at her. She let her eyes move down slightly, to where Hadou's impressive chest was hanging tantalizingly close. Even in a sports bra, they were still very nice to look at.

Mina wondered if Hadou even realized how close they were to Mina's face. Or how nice she smelled.

"You look cute when you're on your back," Hadou whispered so Ryukyu couldn't hear.

Mina froze and looked back up at Hadou's face, just in time to see her wink playfully before leaning back and offering her hand to pull Mina up again. "Oh, cute blush," Hadou noted as she took a couple steps back and dropped into her ready stance.

Mina shook her head, trying to dispel the lilac dusting on her cheeks before getting ready for another round.

"Again," Ryukyu instructed.

Mina's back hit the mat again not ten seconds later.

Shouto thanked the taxi driver as he stepped out of the cab. From the mountain vantage point, he gazed over the city of Sapporo, the largest city on the northern island of Hokkaidou, where Purifier made his home. It had taken Shouto longer to get to his destination than most of his classmates, so the sun was already well into its journey toward the horizon, casting a calm afternoon glow over the mountainside and the city below.

It was a rare, but not unheard of, for a hero to have a more secluded agency. He turned away from the view to look up at the agency that was surrounded by a mostly ornamental wall. It was half-built into the mountainside and looked more like a fortress than a hero's office.

Shouto hefted his bag over his shoulder and picked up his suitcase with his new hero costume in it. Hagakure had informed him that his old costume was "an abomination" and "should be burned and never spoken of again". 

He smiled softly at the memory. Her eagerness often put a smile on his face.

Truth be told, he agreed with her, at least on the idea that he needed a new costume. His new one had cooling systems on the left side, in addition to the heating system on the right; even if he didn't mind his old costume too much, it was a relic of a time where he refused to use his fire. 

He needed a fresh start. This was the next chapter in his life, the one where he focused on his future and his new friends, rather than his father and his 'destiny'. Wearing a new costume would help him embrace the new 'him'. 

Maybe he should get a haircut too; Hagakure had suggested something like that.

Shouto began to walk up the steps, appreciating the well-kept flowers and trees that surrounded and adorned the building and walls; Purifier must employ a full-time gardener and groundskeeper. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint motion, which he glanced over to see a security camera following his motion. 

He was being watched. A sensible precaution, he mused. 

Purifier didn't seem like a paranoid man, but he certainly seemed like a private one. There were very few sightings of him outside of the villains he stopped, and even fewer interviews or statements. He was an esteemed hero who was feared by villains across the island and there were many who thought he was even more powerful than Stormclaw was at his peak, before he lost his arm. There was no doubt that Shouto would be able to learn much from him; he just wished that he knew more about the man.

Shouto found the large, wooden front doors propped open to let the pleasant late-spring breeze in and he stepped inside, finding himself in a decently sized atrium. The stone floor was well lit by natural light and was decorated in a traditional Japanese way that reminded Shouto of home, but not in an unpleasant way. 

"Good afternoon," a voice came from the back of the room as another door opened. "How may we help you?"

Shouto's vision landed on a smaller, older, bald man wearing simple clothes and a kind smile. "I'm here for my internship."

The man smiled warmly. "You must be Todoroki. Welcome, welcome!" He quickly descended down a small set of steps and approached Shouto, looking up at him. "I am Reo Sasaki. My wife, Himari, and I serve as stewards, custodians and caretakers of Hatsuo Midoriya and his estate. But please, call us Reo and Himari. We are honored to welcome you." He bowed deeply and politely.

Shouto wasn't impressed, but he knew how to be polite. "Thank you. Can you direct me to him?"

"In due time," Reo said calmly. "First I will show you to your quarters. I'm sure after your long day of travel you must be hungry. I'll let Himari know to start making something. Do you have any preferences?"

"...Can she make soba?"

"Of course!" he responded quickly. "Now please, follow me."

Shouto followed Reo deeper into the agency, which was more akin to an upscale mansion than an office, until they arrived at another wooden door. 

"Your room, sir. I'll be back in twenty minutes to collect you; please do make yourself at home." With that, Reo hurried off without another word. 

Shouto watched him turn the corner, then looked back at the heavy door. He pushed it open to find a large, exquisitely furnished room with an expansive window with a beautiful view of the city and mountainside. He moved over to the large bed and placed his packs on it, then inspected his surroundings. 

It was larger than his room at home and much more expensively furnished. It had a full bathroom, a door that led onto a balcony, several types of incense ready to be burned, and more than one painting that looked quite valuable.

Purifier certainly spared no expense. 

Shouto put his clothes in the dresser and otherwise situated himself before Reo returned, just as he said he would. The kindly man led Shouto down a set of stairs, where he was met with a wonderful smell. 

The familiar scent of soba wafted under his nose as he was met with another kind smile, this time of a diminutive older woman, who must certainly be Himari. She wore her graying hair in a tight bun and had a pair of thick glasses on her face which, combined with her comfortable clothing and shawl, gave her an image of the 'stereotypical grandmother'.

"Please, please, eat up!" she encouraged. "Let me know if you need anything else, or if you don't like it! I'll be happy to make anything else."

Shouto nodded politely. "Thank you." He sat down and began to slurp the noodles, immediately noticing the undeniable taste of expensive ingredients. It tasted like something that would have cost him several hundred yen at a fancy restaurant, but here he was, getting it for free.

Still, he didn't appreciate how they were delaying him. Maybe Purifier was out on patrol and they were stalling for time, or perhaps the man simply had a particular way he treated guests. 

Be that as it may, he wasn't keen on waiting any longer than was necessary. He ate his noodles quickly, but not rudely so, then asked the question again. "Can you take me to Purifier?"

Reo nodded. "If you've settled in and been fed, then certainly."

Shouto narrowed his eyes slightly. Perhaps they were just exceedingly polite. 

Reo led him up several more flights of stairs to the top of the building, where he came to a large wooden door with a golden dragon head emblazoned on it with what looked like solid gold.

He certainly wasn't lacking for presentation.

Reo bowed. "He is expecting you. Please, enter when you are ready." He then turned and left, heading back down the stairs and leaving Shouto alone with the imposing door. 

Shouto noted that he hadn't seen any sign that there was anyone else at all in the building. It was true that Purifier didn't have any sidekicks, but this whole place felt a little isolationist. Perhaps that was the goal; Shouto could respect that.

He pushed the door open unceremoniously, stepping into a relatively large room. The floor was mostly wooden and was raised about halfway through the room a few steps high. The far wall was nearly entirely covered by a large window that illuminated the space with the late afternoon sun, shining light on the expensive paintings and sculptures that lined the edges of the room. There was a large desk just up the steps, but more importantly, there was a set of two chairs near the window, one of which was occupied. 

A large man, about the same size as his father, sat there, rolling a dark liquid and ice cubes in a tumbler glass. His hair was a golden blonde, interrupted by a set of large golden horns sweeping back through it and another pair jutting out to the sides. As Shouto stepped forward, the man turned to glance at him, fixating him with his golden eyes. His face was stern, not unlike Shouto's father, with a long, wispy moustache and beard that were long enough to hang off his face.

"Ah, Todoroki." The man's voice was calm, almost to the point of being disinterested. "Please, come sit with me."

"Purifier," Shouto responded. 

The man held up a hand to stop him. "While I'm not in uniform, address me as Midoriya."

Shouto raised an eyebrow, but nodded and continued into the room, moving up the steps and sitting down in the comfortable chair near Midoriya. He took a small sip of his drink as he looked out the window, not even glancing at Shouto as he sat down.

"When I sent you my offer," Midoriya began after a while, "I wasn't expecting you to accept it. I assumed that Endeavor would want to train his son."

Shouto smiled slightly as he felt a touch of vindictive satisfaction. "He did. However, I wanted an outside perspective, especially after my experience at the Sports Festival." 

Midoriya tensed up slightly, barely enough for Shouto to notice. "Yes, your match with my nephew, I assume." He put a strange emphasis on the word 'nephew', but Shouto couldn't exactly place what. All the while, he was still staring out the window, looking over the town and swirling his drink lazily.

"Izuku opened my eyes," Todoroki explained. When he said Izuku's name, Midoriya's eyes moved to look at Shouto for a split second. "I was being foolish about several things, but he helped me see things in a different way. I'm hoping that you might do the same."

There was a silence in the room for several seconds. Midoriya was quite still, not even swirling his glass any longer as he reclined slightly.

"I see," the man finally said, his voice low and controlled. "I suspect this will be an interesting week for the both of us."

"A-are you sure?" Izuku asked nervously.

Stormclaw sighed knowingly. "Why else do you think I brought you out here? You have to build trust with your quirk and yourself. I hope you're not worried that you're going to hurt me or something, unless you think a few weeks at UA suddenly put you ahead of your old man."

"Of course not," Izuku shot back. "I'm just…" He sighed as well. "Right. Trust."

"Take all the time you need, son." 

Izuku nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His father was right: he had to get practice with his quirk, and this was a prime opportunity to get it. 

He had trusted his quirk a couple times and let it in of his own volition. When he had punched Eiko during Hell Week, then again yesterday, in the dorms, when he was thinking about Tsuyu and his girlfriends. 

He could do this.

Izuku opened the sluice gates holding back his quirk, letting it flow through his mind and slowly mesh with his consciousness fully.

There was nothing to be afraid of here.

He was alone with his father in their peaceful refuge, away from anybody he could hurt or scare.

Izuku slowly melted into another as his quirk bubbled to the surface. Green mixed with green until something new came about.

His reptilian eyes snapped open and fixated on Stormclaw. 

A silence hung on the beach for several seconds as the two men stared at each other across the sands.

"Defiant, I presume?" Stormclaw finally asked, his voice tinged with a hint of joviality.

Defiant stared back. "I am."

"It's nice to finally meet you properly," he responded. "I am Stormclaw."

He raised an eyebrow. "I know who you are, Father."

"Of course you do, but it's proper for us to introduce ourselves when we first meet." Stormclaw was standing very still, his shoulders broad as he stared at Defiant. "You should introduce yourself to Ryukyu when you meet her properly, as well."

"I'll be sure to do that."

Stormclaw smiled, rolling his neck as he relaxed slightly. "So, Son, how do you feel?"

Defiant looked down at his hands as he briefly formed two green claws. He turned them over and admired the beautiful color and sheen, then slowly turned his gaze back to Stormclaw. "I feel good. This is… still new to me, but it feels natural."

"That's good!" Stormclaw tipped his hand and then took a step forward, testing the waters.

Defiant didn't dare make any signs of aggression. This was Stormclaw's territory and even if he wasn't his beloved father, he was a far more powerful dragon, at least for now. He moved forward as well to show that he meant no harm.

Stormclaw appreciated the gesture, smiling widely as the two closed the distance between them and threw their arms—or arm, in Stormclaw's case—around each other. 

"I'm proud of you, Son. You're progressing much faster than I did."

They broke the hug and turned to look at the waves lapping at the beach. "I had to," Defiant responded. "I didn't get a choice. It was grow or die."

Stormclaw sighed. "That's true. I still can't believe that you ever had to face Terrorflame. I wish I had been there, so I could protect you, but also so I could have helped put an end to that murderous bastard."

"I would feel the same way if someone took your life," Defiant said confidently. "At least he is dead and gone; he won't be a problem for us any longer."

There was an almost imperceptible twitch on Stormclaw's face, but Defiant was looking for it. He had a suspicion that the story of Terrorflame wasn't quite over, otherwise his father wouldn't have been so secretive about it.

"Let's talk about you and your quirk," Stormclaw began, changing the subject. 

Defiant glanced up at him curiously.

"Tell me about your hoard."

What an interesting question. "My hoard is the most important thing in my life. My family, my class, my girlfriends… they are mine and I will protect them from anybody or anything that tries to hurt or take them."

"I see," Stormclaw mused. "How do you plan to do that?"

Another interesting question. Stormclaw obviously had this planned out and was hoping to lead him somewhere. "Whatever it takes, but I find it easiest to twist people with words. If I can control the way they think, then they are easier to manipulate and control. If they think they are acting of their own volition, they will not offer resistance. If I force a man to walk into hell, he will fight against me, but if I convince him that it's a good idea—or even better, his idea—he will go willingly."

Stormclaw didn't look surprised. In fact, he looked like Defiant had said just what he expected. That wasn't strange; he was his father, after all.

"Yet you haven't been acting like that. At least, not for the most part."

Defiant had fallen into a trap of sorts. He snapped his head up to look at his father, who had a look that was a little smug, but mostly serious.

"Think about your outbursts over the years," Stormclaw continued. "Starting with Katsuki back when you were kids. Think about how you reacted to Mineta in the locker room and on the second day of class. Think about the vast majority of your outbursts. How would you describe them? What emotions dominated them?"

Defiant thought for a moment. "Rage. Anger. Indignation." 

"A far cry from how you described yourself, wouldn't you say?" Stormclaw smiled knowingly. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were more like Terrorflame or Frostheart."

Defiant furrowed his brow. He didn't like that comparison. He felt like he was different from them, but he couldn't deny Stormclaw's logic. 

"Now, let's consider two different events," Stormclaw continued. "The USJ and your match against Shinsou." 

Defiant waited patiently and silently.

"I read the police reports, including the testimonies from several of the students… including one Miss Asui." Stormclaw turned back to look at the sun shining off the waves. "She told police that you saved both her and Mineta's life by talking the villain down and convincing him to leave you all alone. Something about… sending a message?"

Defiant looked out at the sea as well, then nodded. 

"The rest of the USJ almost goes without saying," his father continued. "You almost gave up your life to protect everyone from Terrorflame. I was so heartbroken when I heard, but also so unbelievably proud. You really do have the heart of a hero." 

Defiant smiled, feeling a sense of pride swelling within him, and not just from his father's praise. He should be proud; he protected his hoard. Nobody in his class could have stood up to Terrorflame but him.

"Then there's the fight at the Sports Festival where you lost yourself." 

He remembered it well. He had twisted Shinsou to his will, sending him on a path that would hopefully ensure his usefulness in the future. Shinsou had the potential to be added to his hoard, if only he refined himself further. Perhaps Shinsou would take him up on his offer for help.

Stormclaw nodded slowly. "You acted in exactly the way you described yourself. You manipulated and convinced him to do something you wanted him to do. That is you. That is Defiant." 

Defiant nodded as well. He agreed completely. It felt much better to bend Shigaraki and Shinsou to his will than for him to have attacked them. 

"So, what's the difference?"

Defiant chuckled once, almost sadly. "It's almost insultingly obvious, now that you say it."

"You were never good about looking at yourself," Stormclaw mused. "You're always so focused on others that you've never had time to worry about yourself." He reached his arm over and put it around Defiant's shoulders. "You're only yourself when you give your quirk outlets. I've been saying that for years and you've been trying, I know, but hopefully now you realize what that really means."

Stormclaw paused for a moment. "You can think of us like pressure cookers, in a way. If you don't give the steam a way to get out in a controlled way, that pressure keeps building up until catastrophic failure. That's what you've been experiencing. You've been holding it back out of fear, trepidation, or whatever, and your quirk was building up inside of you. You resisted until you snapped, which is why you were lashing out. You need to recognize that your quirk isn't going away and you need to learn to live with it."

Defiant was silent for a while, mulling over his father's words. He was right, of course, and it made him a little ashamed that he had to have it spelled out like that. "If I learn to trust myself and work with my quirk like this… then I won't have those outbursts. Instead of flashes of uncontrollable anger, maybe I'll be able to think and act intelligently. I can't bludgeon my quirk into being what I want, I have to work with what I have."

"Exactly," Stormclaw said proudly. "I must admit, your instincts seem to be stronger than mine were at your age, so I wouldn't be surprised if you still experience those surges during stressful times. However, as you learn to embrace and use your quirk, you'll get a better handle on them. This is why mastery over your instincts and your quirk in general is so important."

Defiant rubbed his chin in thought. So far, especially since he joined UA, his life had been ruled by fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Almost every time he had used his quirk, he was focused on holding back and making sure he didn't hurt anyone or make people think he was a villain. In some ways, he had good reason to be afraid, especially with how he had acted against Mineta during the Battle Trial. If it hadn't been for Ochako…

But that was just it. The smiling faces of Ochako, Mina, and Momo appeared in his mind, flanked by Katsuki, Tsuyu, and all his other classmates, making him grow a smile of his own. It was because of them that he had learned to trust and believe in himself. 

There was no doubt in his mind: they were the key to his future. Not just his friends, but especially the amazing women who could see his fury and his venom and still look him in the eyes and tell him that they trusted him and loved him… if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be where he was right now. 

He wanted to protect his hoard and the best way to do that—no, the only way to do that—would be to work hard until he wasn't afraid of his quirk. Only when he could fully embrace the green dragon would he be able to consider his training done.

"Thank you," Defiant whispered sincerely. "It's… much clearer to me now. Although, it's also clearer just how far I have to go."

Stormclaw shook his shoulder then finally let go. "And that's why you're here. You have no time to lose, eh? What do you say we test out just how much you've learned at UA? Maybe it'll take a little longer for me to put you in the dirt."

Defiant turned and looked up at his father, growing a smirk as a claw flashed onto his hand. "You're on."