'Okaido Mariko,' the young woman introduced herself to a violet-haired boy.

'Shinso Hitoshi,' he greeted.

The boy was dressed in the UA sports uniform with just two additional items. One of them was a weird, but very cool looking mask made out of metal plates and the other one was the same Binding Cloth, which Eraserhead was using.

They were inside the Gym Gamma again, surrounded by the same obstacle course from the day before.

'So, we are supposed to be sparring, huh?' Hitoshi asked, walking closer to Mariko with a friendly expression on his face.

'I guess so,' she responded, slightly lowering her guard.

As she finished speaking, a weird sensation appeared. She froze in one place and saw Hitoshi swinging his arm straight at her nose.

'MOVE!' she yelled in her mind, but her body remained stiff.

The second the punch landed, her mind cleared and she regained the control, feeling tears pouring from her eyes. Hitoshi continued attacking, giving her a hard time defending herself. Through her watery eyes, she saw his leg coming at her and without hesitation blocked him and managed to grab him with both her arms. She dodged away from his left fist and spun, kicking him off his balance with her right foot. He landed on his back and she let go of his leg and dashed backwards.

In the background, Mirio, Eri and Aizawa watched the fight, standing close to the entrance door.

'Is it scary, Eri?'

'Yes,' the kid said to Mirio.

Hitoshi quickly got up and slightly bent his knees, not loosing sight of Mariko.

'I've heard that you were supposed to be expelled?' Hitoshi asked.

The girl straightened herself, while remaining cautious of her enemy.

'Really, dude? Throwing a verbal fight as well?'

Just like before, she froze and soon after that, landed on her side, inspecting her jaw with her right hand.

'What is this bullshit?' she shouted, dodging every single one of Hitoshi's attack.

Shinso kept kicking, punching, swinging, but none of the attacks were successful.

'You are a fast one,' the boy admitted. 'Why don't you use your Quirk?'

'I am scared of hurting you,' she responded.

A second later she was laying on the floor, rolling backwards to quickly stand up.

'Well, I am certainly not going to hesitate,' he responded.

Mariko opened her mouth to reply: 'mean', but before she spoke up, she furrowed her brows. She inspected Hitoshi's face and saw a sudden change of his expression.

'Has she figured me out?' Shinso wondered.

'Use your Quirk, I am not scared of it,' he suggested.

Mariko smirked and put her hand forward, inviting him with a gesture of her fingers. Hitoshi launched forward with a strike, a visible mixture of disappointment and annoyance on his face.

'I bet you have something flashy,' he hissed. 'Don't want to hurt me, huh? Very funny.'

Okaido shook her head, dodging his attacks. She wiped the remaining tears from her face and dashed backwards, getting some distance to the enemy. Hitoshi quickly equipped his mask and placed his hand on the side of it.

'Okaido! Go all out, it's supposed to be a practice,' she heard Aizawa's voice.

She inhaled and was about to reply: 'I cannot, because Eri is here,' but then, she realized something.

'What a weird timing.'

She quickly glanced at Aizawa and then at Hitoshi, still twisting knobs in his mask. The young woman straightened her back, pointed a finger at herself, shook her head and then pointed straight at Eri. She wasn't sure if that was somehow the boy before her speaking, or actual Mr. Aizawa, but she preferred not to risk it.

'Fine,' Hitoshi grabbed the Binding Cloth and quickly threw it at Mariko.

She jumped over it, dodging the attack. Mariko kept her momentum at a high level, running around Shinso. She avoided all of the attacks, getting closer to the boy with each and every one of his strikes. When she was fairly near, he managed to wrap the binding weapon around her right thigh. Shinso pulled the woman towards herself, launching a high kick at her head. She leaned backwards, blocking his foot with her both hands. She then pushed her right thigh backwards and stretched her left leg, wrapping the Binding Cloth around her ankle. Then, she knocked him off the ground with a low sweep and grabbed his weapon, as he fell down. At that exact moment, Aizawa raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. Mariko wrapped her right forearm around the cloth, completely disarming the opponent. She rolled to the side, but wasn't fast enough. Hitoshi stepped on the fabric, depriving her of her equilibrium. Okaido fell on the ground, safely landing on her hands, before she hit her jaw. Then, she turned on her back and blocked Hitoshi's foot. She tried the low sweep again, but the boy jumped over her leg and kicked her in the calf. Mariko gritted her teeth and pushed her body to the side.

'Damn, you are good!' she complimented.

'Thanks,' he replied with a slight smile.

They breathed heavily for a few seconds, still going around each other, ready to attack. With one hand, Mariko loosened the Binding Cloth which she wrapped around her body and threw it away. Then, she dashed first, launching forward with series of dynamic attacks. She forced Hitoshi into a defensive stance and managed to overwhelm him, even though the boy had a height advantage over her. She landed a punch straight in his stomach, making him lean forward. He took a few steps back and she quickly switched her feet and jumped up for a finishing kick at the top of his head.

When mid-air, she noticed that he is not putting his guard up, as he is still recovering from the punch, so she changed her trajectory, landing back on the ground.

'Are you OK?' she asked him, examining his facial expression.

Okaido put a concerned look on her face and lowered her guard. Hitoshi used that moment and hit her at the neck, delivering a clean knockdown.

'We are even-,' Hitoshi started, but was interrupted by Shota, who pushed him aside, walking over to Mariko.

'What was that?' he thundered.

Mariko tilted her head to the side, just enough to look at the angry teacher. The lights from the ceiling of the gym were shining straight in her eyes. She rubbed her neck, tasting her blood in her mouth.

'Why would you hesitate?' he asked her, clearly mad.

'I didn't want to hurt him. That was a high kick on the head, it could actually be dangerous,' she explained, lifting herself up to a sitting position.

'This is a hero course, Okaido. Not a fighting school summer camp.'

'He is not a villain,' she argued, still rubbing her neck. 'I would never hesitate in a real combat.'

She stood up and glanced the teacher in the eye, challenging him. After a few seconds she furrowed her brows and looked away.

'I am sorry, you are absolutely right, sir. ' S h e relaxed her frown. 'I apologize for my behavior.'

Shota wrapped his arms on his chest and looked down at her, his expression softening.

'Start bein g serious. You are not here for a good time, but to work hard towards your goals.'

She put her hands behind her back, bowing before the man. She knew he was completely right, but at the same time, it was so difficult for her to work on her Quirk. Truth is - she was scared to use it. And she didn't want to rely on Shota cancelling it, if something goes wrong.

'He has dry eyes. It must be annoying to use Erasure more than he has to. But then I also waste his time if I don't work on it,' she was conflicted.

'I promise you will see my improvement soon,' she assured, still bowing.

'Yeesh.' He closed his eyes for a second. 'As for the sparring, Shinso.' Shota turned to the purple-haired boy. 'Good reaction on your opponent's mistake.'

'Thanks, I feel like I could have done it better, though.' He picked up the Binding Cloth from the ground and started wrapping it around his fingers, playing with the fabric.

Eraserhead glanced at Mariko, who joined the spectating group. He did have a lot of good things to say, but he decided not to do it just yet.

'She is incredibly strong for someone without previous hero training,' he thought to himself, reminding himself of their own daily battles and the very last battle, when he didn't use the weights. 'She is quite clever as well, capable of analyzing the enemy.'

'How was it?' the young woman asked Mirio and Eri.

'We have to have a sparring together some time,' Mirio suggested , while Eri stared at the new student in silence.

'I would love to,' Mariko responded. 'Are you going to stay for longer, or leave now?' She carefully touched her sore calves and her neck, examining the damage.

'Are you Quirkless?' Eri asked.

'She can't be Quirkless, she is in the hero course, remember?' Mirio explained with a soft voice.

'I just don't know how to use it yet. And I am very scared of doing so,' Mariko admitted.

Eri's eyes brightened.

'So, you are like me.' She pointed her small finger at her.

In the meantime Shota joined the group and Hitoshi started practicing throwing the Binding Cloth.

'Mr. Aizawa had to stop my Rewind some time ago. And then, I was at the hospital for some time,' she said with a cute, quiet voice, playing with her hair.

'Mr. Aizawa stopped mine, too.' Mariko quickly glanced at Shota.

'I could also be in the hero course?'

'Of course, Eri! You just need to be a bit older.'

Eri grinned at Okaido, visibly happy by all the things that she heard about the older woman. After that, Mariko waved to the child and Mirio. Quickly turning around with a clear intention to join Hitoshi. She stopped mid-way, thinking intensely while rubbing her chin.

'Would you like to stay a little bit longer?' Mirio suggested.

'Will they fight again?' Eri asked.

'No, not now.' Shota responded.

'Then we can go,' the kid said.

'Haha! Eri likes watching fights,' Mirio laughed. 'Alright, Mr. Aizawa, we will be going then. Good luck!'

'Can I ask you a question, sir?' Okaido began, walking back to the teacher.

He nodded.

'Do you plan on training Eri?'

'Yes. Her power seems to be almost recharged now,' he said, confusing Mariko. 'It's the horn,' he explained. 'It was much smaller a few months ago.

'Oh. Is it the power-accumulating type of Quirk?'

'Yes.'

Mariko slowly nodded.

'You are like me,' she heard in her brain.

'Thank you so much.' She bowed and turned on her heel and froze just like before.

'Are you planning on doing this forever?' he observed. A light blush appeared on Mariko's face.

'It's just I have another question.'

'Yea?'

Shota took a step forward, slowly walking towards a door, which she had not noticed before. It was about 20 meters to the right of the main entrance to the Gym Gamma. It looked like a small storage room for the gym purposes.

'I am very lost-'

'I've noticed.'

She smiled slightly, looking down at her feet.

'I didn't give you my hero costume submission yet. I apologize, sir. I just want to have a complete vision and I don't know what to look for,' she continued. 'I was talking with Kayama recently,' she added and saw a warning look in his eyes. 'No, she allowed me to call her by her name, I swear on my life.' She made a pleading face. 'Midnight gave me some tips on that, but I still don't know what to go for. What I mean is this. My Quirk seems offensive, right?'

'It is.'

'But it requires me to stay in a very close proximity to be truly powerful.'

'Unless you are draining for a while.'

'Yes, but then I still need to start from a close combat. So I was thinking, how do I catch up?' Mariko stopped, not realizing that both of them reached the door. She completely zoned out, continuing her monologue. 'I lack mobility, I can run pretty fast, but it is never going to be enough, right? Or at least that's how I feel. I looked at your class 1A and I have noticed that most of the students there, if not actually all, can implement their Quirks not only in combat but in movement as well. Some of them have S+ mobility, like Iida, Sero, Bakugo, Ochaco, Asui,' she kept going, Aizawa staring at her face, being actually interested. 'and... I mean, you know your class , sir . And I thought that my Quirk doesn't really allow that. And I can barely move when I use it, but it might be because I don't know how to use it, but it still puts me at a disadvantage. And on top of that Izuku told me that maybe I could manipulate the shape of the aura and I was curious if that could be physical-sort-of-thing, so maybe it could be used to swing around or-'

She made a pause and breathed in. Then, she felt a touch on her shoulder, waking her up from the trance.

'I like the fact that you analyze yourself. But here is the thing. You do not need to include a supporting item in your first hero costume submission,' he explained and they heard the Gym Gamma doors being closed.

They turned their heads and saw All Might, greeting them with a friendly wave of his hand. Aizawa nodded and Mariko smiled, bowing slightly.

'So, my advise is this - for now, focus on your Quirk and if you will still not be sure about your supporting item, then,' he continued and reached with his hand grasping one end of the Binding Cloth. 'I could show you my technique.'

Mariko's face immediately brightened, her lips slightly parted in disbelief. All Might joined the two, overhearing some of the conversation.

'Really? But is this for movement as well?'

Shota nodded, closing his tired eyes.

'Sorry for eavesdropping,' All Might started. When he stood next to Mariko, she felt like an actual halfling. Mr. Aizawa was already much taller than her, but All Might was towering even over him. 'Do you mind if I help a little bit, Aizawa-kun?'

'Go ahead, it's my nap time anyway,' he announced with a tired tone and walked to the side door, accessing the gym's storage.

From the inside, Eraserhead pulled out a yellow sleeping bag, matching his googles. Mariko and All Might followed the man with their eyes; Okaido in a pure state of shock.

'First time seeing Aizawa-kun like this?' All Might asked.

'Yea,' she said through a smile.

The tired man zipped himself inside the sleeping bag and laid his back against the gym's wall. When she saw him like this, completely neutral with a relaxed face, just sleeping, something in her chest prevented her from breathing properly. He was so cute!

'I've been willing to talk to you for quite some time, but Eraser is keeping you busy,' All Might explained, leading Mariko to the side, away from the napping man. 'Young Midoriya told me about the sparring you had a while ago and then I also heard your concerns about your power and All for One from Principal Nezu. Sorry I did so much digging behind your back, but I wanted to be prepared for this conversation.'

'Thank you, All Might,' she said and quickly bowed in a gesture of gratitude.

'And I also thought, that you might need a slightly different approach,' he whispered to her, covering the side of his mouth. Mariko chuckled. 'Let's sit down,' he suggested and they both sat on the ground, cross-legged. 'Are you afraid of your Quirk?'

'Yes.'

'Why?'

She thought about that for a few moments, before responding.

'It is connected to a lot of bad memories,' she began. 'For example, I tried to help some kids and defend them against someone, but I ended up hurting them as well, because of the drain. It's like an aura, it works in all directions.'

'How did you feel when that happened? Did you make any gestures to activate it, did you say anything deep in your heart?'

Mariko pushed her fingers against her temples, hyper-focusing.

'I was mad. Like crazy mad.'

'Was your rage forwarded at the oppressor?'

'Ye- Wait,' She frowned.

The scene appeared in front of her closed eyes. The two siblings holding each other, right behind her back. She saw the leader of the group, and tried to focus on her emotions.

'I am having issues seeing through those memories... There is a lot of emotions. Mostly anger, but...' she said, still concentrated.

She could almost feel her tense muscles, gritted teeth, the fast heartbeat.

'I was also scared, under a lot of stress. I was completely drowned in hatred. The same thing happened here, when I fought with Class 1A for the first time' Mariko frowned, reminding herself of Bakugo attacking her first, then her draining the entire group; her legs feeling heavy, unimaginable pain piercing her entire body. 'Katsuki was quite annoying to me, but... I wouldn't say he made me actually mad. Maybe a little annoyed. And others...' she thought of Izuku, Iida, Ochaco, Todoroki, Asui.

None of them did anything wrong, did they?

Her brain suddenly returned to the memories of her facing the oppressors. The time when she wanted to protect the young siblings was not the only time she had used the Quirk.

What was the thing that all of these situations had in common?

She rubbed her temples. The scenes flashed in front of her eyes. Her tightened fists. Frustration. Her working out in her room in the orphanage. More frustration.

'Weak!' Mariko's own voice rang in her head.

Her being unable to look at herself in the mirror.

'Pathetic!'

And then, she realized. She immediately stood up, relaxing her frown. Her eyes wide open.

'All Might! I figured it out!'