Hunter Amongst Villains Draft - Dojo Introduction (Plus Extras)

Yeah, it is me. I am currently in a war against burnout. Starting another writing project by helping a fellow OPM writer to combat it. Got to say, the change of pace is getting me somewhere at the very least. Expect some good content in the OPM fanfics in the future.

As for From Beyond the World Tree, still making progress, just stuck on how to write the girls like Ophis and such. It is now hard for me to juggle Overlord and OPM since I delved too much into working on the original novel because it got me to consider many things not Overlord. Trying to make myself independent other than being an Overlord fanatic as my cowriter friend said has a slight downside hahaha. 

Also, my workload has also increased as I now have to work an extra day. But for now, here it is. Some good content for you all to enjoy. 

“During my time here, I've also tried to decipher the logic behind Quirks in general. How a man could gain the traits of his food. Or how a man who can turn completely intangible to point of losing his own clothes.”

Within Gym Gamma, Garou and the rest of the Big Four stood around in a secluded section of the gym, away from everyone else as he started another lecture of his own.

“In my world, there is an equivalent to Quirks there. We call them espers.” Garou continued as he waited for a response.

“Espers? Like ESP?”

Mirio had heard of the term before, but with the widespread growth of Quirks, the term had fallen out of favour.

“Yes. There are only two… well, three I know of. One of them is dead though. Like the ability to foresee the future without the need to touch someone. Or the ability to call down a meteor and kill a giant dinosaur monster without mercy.” Garou stated.

Mirio, Tamaki and Hado all looked quite impressed. It did seem like they had something similar to Quirks. But with there being only three known ‘espers’, they probably weren’t as well spread.

“The only difference is that it had something to do with the mind, not… whatever organ your Quirk comes from. I never got the chance to fight one, but I did perform some research on them. It had something to do with manipulation of life force… the energy that fueled all life.” Garou continued his lecture as he started walking towards a wall.

“After experiencing many Quirks during my hunts, I got a good grasp of how it works… to a certain degree. Using the concept of Chi where I come from, I've decided to experiment to see… if I can use my Chi as a weapon. More directly than my current martial arts allowed.”

Following behind Garou, the three students were wondering where exactly he was going with this. They were also mildly curious to see exactly what ‘chi’ as a weapon would look like.

“In case your brains can't follow… I am bringing my martial arts to the next level. Beyond the realm of human.” Garou revealed.

“...Do you need to? You’re already so strong…”

Tamaki’s question did mirror the other two slightly. Garou was so powerful already. Surely there had to be a stopping point, or some kind of limit.

“The road of a true martial artist is never ending. It is about the journey to attain true understanding of the world around us… as my former sensei would say.” Garou rejected any hopes of him stopping.

“Using your ‘Chi’… It sounds like something a monk might say!”

Mirio chuckled slightly. Everything that Garou was saying about ‘Chi’ and ‘fuel of Life’ sounded exactly like what a monk would say. Except, he couldn’t imagine Garou living the peaceful, restricted lifestyle of such a monk.

Extending one hand out dramatically, Hado also bore a smile.

“It sounds a little bit like my Quirk! Are you going to be shooting energy blasts like me?”

As if to reinforce her point, a tiny spiral blast came out from her extended hand, quickly dissipating into the air. She glanced over at Garou, wide grin on her face. Both Mirio and Tamaki also grinned at the image of Garou shooting out spiral blasts of energy just like Hado. Pose and everything.

“Much more than that.” Garou said as he raised his hand in front of him.

“Watch.” Garou said as they looked at his hand… seeing….

*Crackle*

The three blinked. All three of them rubbed their eyes. Did coronic electricity spark around Garou’s hand? Another spark came to life, before Garou’s hand was fully enveloped by incandescent black and white energy, as if a supernatural fire enveloped his hand.

All three of Garou’s classmates were silent as they watched the bizarre energy surround Garou’s hand. From his reaction, it didn’t even seem to hurt him.

“I just simply released my ‘raw energy’ and gave it ‘form’. Takes a lot of focus to gather this much energy. It is a new realm for me to be honest, but I'm making progress.” Garou said as the black and white flame flickered out, like a candle snuffed out by the wind.

“...What kind of thing could you use that for?”

Pointing at Garou’s now regular hand, Mirio was shocked. He certainly hadn’t been expecting to see this today.

“Do you really need to ask?” Garou raised an eyebrow at Mirio’s question.

To be honest, with the way Garou described it, there could be an unlimited amount of uses for this ‘energy’. All three of them began to consider the possible applications that it could be used for.

“The concept is similar to my martial arts, but deeper. To understand and bend the forces around you, and channel the power within out into the material world. Like the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist.” Garou said as his hand sparked to life again, before he turned to the wall behind him and slammed his fist into the ground. The result could be akin to a miniature atomic bomb being set off as another Earthquake exploded from Gamma Gym. Black and White wisps of energy could be seen lingering in the air, evidently different than how Garou usually breaks the Earth.

Mirio, Tamaki and Hado all shook in position as they tried to keep their balance. Even for Garou, these shockwaves were particularly powerful. The entire gym shuddered and shook. It was like the building had been struck by a extremely localised natural disaster. The other people in the gym had clearly been taken aback by this sudden quake and had fallen to the ground. The faint wisps of the dual energy still lingered in the air.

Slowly, pieces of the roof began to fall to the ground in large flakes, scattering dust around. The shaking didn’t cease. Even when both Tamaki and Hado fell onto the ground. Mirio could only barely keep his balance. These tremors… they were unlike anything Garou had unleashed so far.

“Whoa! if you keep this up, you’ll destroy the gym!!”

There was a certain, primal feel to the energy that Garou had released. As the entire building continued shaking, Mirio couldn’t stop thinking about that dual coloured energy. Even with there being so many kinds of Quirks, that energy just seemed so.... otherworldly, in comparison. Any more of this shaking, and the entire school would collapse.

Slowly, Garou pulled his fist up from the ground. Then, the tremors began to reduce in severity. The gym continued to shake, although it was far weaker than before. Shakily getting up from the ground, both Hado and Tamaki stared at Garou, astounded by the demonstration of his new power.

“...so what do you think? I think I will soon bring an end to the age of Quirks at this rate.” Garou asked as he smiled the three.

Raising both his eyebrows, Mirio stared at Garou, still dumbfounded.

“I think you’ll end the world at this rate!”

The sheer power that Garou had unleashed with one simple downwards punch was enough to nearly shake the building down to its foundations. And he’d only just started! Tamaki glanced around the still trembling building, taking in everything.

“...I think there might be some collateral damage.”

“Meh.” Garou waved off his concern, apathetic to the structural integrity of the building.

“...Can you teach us how to do that?”

Hado was equally as shocked at the display of power. That shaking from Garou was beyond the shaking she generated from her Quirk. It felt like it was several levels above. She was also wondering if such a technique could even be taught.

“It is still in the testing phase. I am working on bringing it to its full potential.”

“Are you aiming to end the world?” Mirio asked jokingly.

“...no.” Garou answered, albeit unconvincingly.

Three all stared at Garou with an increasing sense of disbelief. It was like Garou was deliberately trying to create the most destructive attacks possible.

“...You know you’re probably going to get in trouble for the shaking?”

Mirio glanced over at the rest of the students in the gym, who were all slowly rising to their feet. Judging from their expressions, they had no idea what had just happened.

“...we can pretend an earthquake happened.” Garou suggested.

“When you’re involved, I don’t think anyone would believe that…”

Tamaki glanced off to one side. Whenever there was some kind of shaking or massive damage to one of the gyms, it was usually Garou. Needless to say, Snipe was usually not pleased about it either.

“So how are you going to refine this ‘energy’?”

The raw energy that Garou had unleashed gave the sense that once properly harnessed and focused, it could be quite the weapon. Mirio was curious to see exactly how Garou would develop it. It was like he was creating a Quirk from scratch.

“It requires a lot of concentration. It's easier to just use it raw to augment my attacks to very high levels if you ask me.” Garou shrugged.

“But I believe the key is to give it form, give it shape. Give it life, something more than ambiguous energy that almost seemed supernatural. It must have meaning or else it will fade away.” Garou added as he gave them his own enlightening views.

It sounded as if he was some kind of spiritual preacher. Mirio, Tamaki and Hado were all thoroughly impressed by the display of power. It seemed like Garou had reached the next level, which was already beyond their understanding.

“Anyways, cover me. Protect me from the gunslinger. Do it and I might help you touch this realm.” Garou quickly ordered, and bribed, the moment he caught sight of Snipe angrily stomping towards him.

The three students all stepped in front of Garou, as Snipe approached them. They all smiled unassumingly, attempting to convince him that Garou wasn’t responsible for once.

Their teacher stood before them, staring at Garou who was hidden behind the three. Mirio merely smile at his teacher, waving slightly.

“Oh! What seems to be the problem?”

Mirio could feel Snipe’s glare from behind the lenses of his mask. Snipe crossed both arms as he stared at all four of ‘the Big Four’.

“I think you all know what the problem is.”

“A sudden freak earthquake naturally occurring out of nowhere?” Garou phrased.

Snipe did not seem convinced or amused. Quickly drawing their teacher’s attention, Hado waved both arms in the air, as she put on a look of faux-shame.

“...I was testing out my Quirk, and accidentally used too much power!”

She pointed to the large crater left on the ground by Garou’s fist.

“Hado. We all know how your Quirk works. It can’t do that.” Snipe dryly reminded. Hado would’ve dropped down unconscious if she did channel that much power into her Quirk.

Sharing a glance, all three of Mirio, Hado and Tamaki turned their heads to the ground. Mirio broke the silence. They needed to at least make the lie believable.

“Alright… We were demonstrating the results of our training. We felt like we should show off how much we’ve grown…”

The three continued staring down at the ground, hoping their teacher would buy their story. Quickly casting their eyes up, they could see Snipe uncross his arms, although they could still feel his glare on them.

“Oh really? Care to demonstrate it to me?” Snipe asked coyly.

All three of them gulped almost in sync. Raising their heads, Tamaki stared at the emotionless gas mask of their teacher. He shook his head, still slightly nervous.

“W-We can’t. If we do, then the entire building might come down.”

“That’s right! It was a combination attack!”

Mirio seemed to light up as the idea came to him. They were still all pretty dedicated to defending Garou from the wrath of Snipe. Even if Snipe couldn’t actually punish him.

“None of you have such compatible Quirks. I doubt you all reached that level yet.”

Shaking his head, Mirio turned to Snipe, gesturing towards the other two.

“We’ve been demonstrating our martial arts training. Our teacher wanted to see how much we’ve improved.”

The three UA students had still kept up with their training of course. Garou would be most… displeased to say the least. Tamaki and Mirio always came away from the training, covered in bruises. Hado was often less physically injured and still often kept her smile.

Judging from his body language, Snipe was still unimpressed. Turning his head to the shape of Garou, who was still hidden behind the three, the silver-haired student seemed to shrink even further as he hid from the teacher’s gaze, while trying to pretend he was not involved rather unconvincingly .

“Hmmmm…”

From Snipe’s perspective, it seemed entirely possible that the former ‘Big Three’ would be demonstrating their newfound skill with their martial arts. It seemed well within the realm of possibility, considering who had trained them. Glancing around at the shaken state of the gym, Snipe sighed. At least UA’s insurance was rock-solid. Although at this rate, they’d need to add a few more clauses. ‘Act of Garou’ would work for one.

“Hmmm… Well… I guess you three have improved, judging from the damages…”

Snipe gestured around at the interior of the gym. The floor was coated in a thin layer of dusty plaster, and large flakes of roof lay on the ground. The gym still seemed to be groaning slightly, but the tremors had subsided.

“But please. Next time your teacher wants to see your progress, maybe try it outside?”

Snipe turned to stare at Garou, who was still hidden behind the three. Of course he was involved. It seemed that any time there was a disturbance, the UA staff all collectively thought ‘What has Garou done now?’.

Mirio, Tamaki and Hado all nodded in agreement. They continued playing along with the story, defending Garou. All three of them found the fact that they were defending him is funny.

Pointing squarely at the four of the students, Snipe gestured around at the gym once again.

“However, you can’t just destroy the gym every time you want to ‘test’ your abilities. As punishment, all four of you will need to clean this mess up. All four of you.”

“Make me, gas mask.” Garou dared upon hearing the punishment while giving him a brief middle finger along the way.

Under his mask, Snipe gritted his teeth. Then, one of his hands reached into the pockets of his duster. Pulling out a phone, Snipe held it up for Garou to clearly see.

“I believe there is someone who would love to talk to you now.”

“Go ahead. I won’t clean this up.” Garou gave him a mocking smirk. Snipe widened his eyes under his mask. Garou was improving. His weaknesses are being destroyed.

“Alright, then.”

Looking down, Snipe began flicking through the list of ‘Contacts’ he had on the phone. Reaching the one he was looking for, Snipe pressed his finger down on the contact that said ‘Mirko’. The phone then began buzzing, as it began phoning the rabbit heroine.

As he held the phone up to his ear, he heard the dial tone abruptly cut off, quickly replaced by the familiar tone of Mirko.

“[...Snipe? What are you calling me for?]”

From her voice, she did sound pretty confused as to why he was so suddenly calling her. Flicking his eyes over to Garou, Snipe couldn’t help a small grin from making its way across his face.

“Mirko. I have someone who would love to talk to you here. I’m sure you know who I mean.”

Hearing the name of the heroine, both Mirio and Hado’s eyes widened. The memory of the hospital room quickly flashed through both of their minds. Hado couldn’t help frowning slightly, remembering Garou’s ‘confession’.

“[...Oh?]” A voice of amusement responded.

Before Snipe could continue, Garou swiped the phone from him as he talked.

“Yo.” Garou started walking away to a corner as he started chatting with the rabbit. Surprisingly undisturbed by her presence.

Mirio, Tamaki and Snipe all watched as Garou walked away. Inwardly, Snipe began despairing. If Garou was slowly adapting to his ‘weaknesses’, then he had no way to actually jab at Garou. So far, he still seemed to be angered by the plushies, but the fact that he seems to have warmed up to Mirko was worrying.

Both Hado and Mirio watched, shocked and mildly curious. Last time they’d seen the two in the same room, Garou looked like he wanted to escape. But now he seemed so casual. What could have possibly happened? Hado, however, continued frowning as she guessed.

The four watched as Garou continued chatting out of their hearing range. The Incarnation of Death and Fear shouted a little, saying something about buying something or whatever. Hado guessed that he was being forced to go shopping with Mirko, which made her pout.

Then Garou flicked the phone shut as he walked over to Snipe, handing him back the device.

“Thanks. I was about to call her anyways.” Garou gave Snipe a smug smirk while he said that.

Grimacing, Snipe slowly placed the phone back in his pocket, frustrated as he did so. Garou had adapted to his weakness. There were barely any weaknesses left for him to exploit. Garou was literally invincible in almost each and every way. Not only that, Garou won't let Snipe uncover more of his weaknesses from now on. Snipe would have to call Miss Shinjitsu for further advice. He absolutely must find more of Garou’s weaknesses. Otherwise, everyday in class will be a nightmare.

Turning to the other three members of ‘the Big Four’, Snipe shrugged, attempting to seem nonchalant. However, he was silently panicking.

“...Alright. You four don’t need to clean up. Just please, try not to do this again.”

Snipe’s tone was essentially a plea. With his ‘tactics’ against Garou dwindling, Snipe couldn’t be so confident in his position against the silver-haired menace.

“Hoh.” Garou’s smile grew even wider, relishing Snipe’s anguish underneath his mask. His friends however, felt sympathy for their teacher.

The teacher turned away from the group, still grimacing. Glancing around, Snipe sighed. He was at least thankful that the damage was not too extensive.

As their teacher walked away, the sympathy Mirio, Tamaki and Hado all felt was still there. No doubt Garou would be prodding their teacher for quite a while. Garou seemed truly unbeatable now. Turning back to face Garou, Mirio grinned at him.

“So… where were you?”

“Oh right. I promised to teach you the killer chi thing.” Garou sighed as he turned to face his friends.

Anticipation filled the air as the three all stared at their ‘teacher’.

“Although, I suggest you all to not get your hopes up. It would be difficult. Very difficult. It involves understanding the concept of my martial arts on the deepest level. You must learn how to release your energy and ‘give it form and meaning’. However, to even accomplish the release of energy, you must continue growing until you can face a dragon head on and slay it.” Garou gave his lecture.

Tamaki, Hado and Mirio weren’t too disappointed. They had been expecting such a thing. To get anywhere when it came to Garou’s martial arts, much pain would have to be endured. It wasn’t a simple thing. Shrugging, Mirio glanced at both his friends.

“... So a few more years then?”

“Few weeks. Or I will send you back to the basics.” Garou threatened deeply.

All three seemed to gulp at the same time. None of them wanted to return to that hurdle again. They all nodded in acknowledgement. If Garou wanted results like his in months, they’d have to increase their training even more.

“Good. Now, what else… want me to demonstrate it again?” Garou asked as the flicker of energy shrouded his right arm this time as he raised it, preparing to punch the ground. Again.

All three of them waved their hands in the air, glancing over in the direction of Snipe.

“Gotcha.” Garou laughed as he doubled over.

Tamaki and Mirio shared a glance, both frowning. Hado merely pouted as Garou continued laughing loudly at them.

“Ahaha… hah… sorry, sorry. Alright, I am sorry. As an apology, I will treat you all to something. What do you guys want?” Garou asked.

All three of Garou’s classmates were shocked, and a little suspicious of Garou’s sudden generosity. They all shared a glance, each of them thinking what they could ask Garou for.

“...Do we all get something?”

Tamaki asked the first, mildly suspicious question. The training they had undergone, courtesy of Garou himself, made them wary of any acts of ‘kindness’ from their trainer.

“What? Is it that wrong to hear me being kind? Should I just throw you all to the sharks instead?” From the face Garou was making, the three almost believed that Garou was genuinely insulted.

Cupping his chin, Mirio began thinking. Raising his head, he stared at Garou with a curious expression on his face. But that didn’t stop him grinning.

“...What is your relationship with Mirko?”

“........do you want to die?” His face unamused, Garou asked as energy crackled over his hand.

Still grinning, Mirio rose both of his hands up in a mock surrender. It appeared that Garou wasn’t that undefeatable after all.

“I was just asking. The way you talked to her seemed so casual, compared to when she blindsided you in the hospital!”

“That is a private matter and you are trespassing into dangerous territory.” Garou warned.

Mirio took a step backwards as he kept his arms in the air. Garou’s glare seemed to be burning it’s way directly through Mirio’s head. That was clearly a line that they shouldn’t cross. Cupping his chin, Tamaki glanced over at Garou.

“...Could you help us? With the whole ‘Chi energy’? I think we might need some guidance.”

“Eh? Do it yourself.”

Hado gave him a pout, crossing her arms while tapping her foot.

“...fine. It is hard, but I can try.” Garou grumbled at the sight of Hado giving him the ‘stare’.

Still glancing at Garou, Hado’s pout turned into a look of expectancy. She had an idea of what she could ask for.

“...Can I tell you later?”

Hearing her request, Garou had an idea what she might ask.

“...very well.”

Silence quickly filled the air around them, as a sudden sense of awkwardness took hold of them. Unsure of exactly what to say, the four students all stood there in silence, flakes of plaster still falling from the roof above.

“...Is there anything else you want to show us?”

Mirio broke the awkward silence, attempting to move the conversation quickly on. None of them wanted the stiff atmosphere to remain. That energy that Garou had shown them… It just seemed so unreal. Like it was more than a Quirk.

“Not at the moment…” Garou cupped his chin in thought.

“Well… I started building a dojo last week from the ground up in the mountains.” Garou said.

A sudden air of excitement came over the three. Despite their ‘experiences’ with the training, they were all excited to see that Garou was actually going through with his idea of a dojo.

“That’s cool! We could help you build it!”

Hado seemed quite happy for Garou. Both Tamaki and Mirio were also just as happy for him. They recalled him mentioning him ‘settling down’ with a dojo. They both nodded in agreement with Hado’s excited proposal.

“...alright. I was about to buy more materials on the way back. I could use some hands with some details.” Garou shrugged.

“Is Ghin helping you as well?”

Mirio was wondering if the silver-haired youth was also assisted in the construction of the dojo. No doubt he would be extremely excited about the whole endeavour. A dojo that was publicly run by Garou… that would certainly receive some attention.

“Of course he is.” Garou confirmed.

“Where did you get the money to buy the building materials? Your landlord?” Tamaki asked.

“The diamond I smuggled out is very useful other than more food money.” Garou smirked.

Mirio merely shook his head, chuckling as he did so. He knew that Garou had fled and been caught by his landlord, but to still hid one? Mirio hadn’t expected anything less.

“Are you going to run it as ‘Garou’? Or ‘Fenrir’?”

“No. I would run it by the name of the White God Slaying Wolf. Along with other titles.” Garou smiled, imagining the plaques of all the titles he garnered from his time hanging by the wooden walls for all to see.

“It is being built near the training grounds. I've already started tilting the land to grow crops along with hunting for animals to farm within fences… though the best I found are two wolves. The shrimp took a liking to them.”

The image of Ghin playing around with two large wolves was actually kind of funny to the three students.

“To make it worse, the wolves even had Quirks… ugh.” Garou sighed.

A round of chuckles and laughter came from Mirio, Tamaki and Hado as they all realised that not only did Garou have new ‘pets’, but they had Quirks. The fact alone was enough to make them laugh.

“One of them could conjure fire and grow… and the other could create ice, and also grow.” Garou continued his rant.

The former ‘Big Three’ could only watch as Garou ranted about his new pets. Even when it came to animals, Garou still couldn’t get away from Quirks.

“Have you given them names? Wait… Is it even legal to own a wolf?”

Tamaki looked at Garou, then furrowed his brow as he turned to his other two friends. The legality of owning such an animal was suspect.

“Who cares if it's legal? The shrimp named them after he begged me to keep them.” Garou sighed again.

The three stared at Garou, expectantly. Knowing Ghin, he’d probably name one of them ‘Garou’ or something.

“...what are their names?” Hado asked, now curious.

“Skoll and Hati.”

With Garou’s Hero name being chosen by Ghin, it made sense for him to keep the similar naming scheme when it came to pets.

“So when you finish your dojo, are you going to live there? Or stay with your landlord?”

Mirio was actually interested to see if Garou would move out to a house on his own.

“That is a runaway home to be honest. Away from the landlord in case she caught on to my… misdeeds.” Garou informed with a wry smile.

Raising both eyebrows, Mirio smiled widely at Garou.

“Well I’m happy to hear that you’ve finally decided about that ‘settling down’ thing. We’ll definitely help you with the building!”

“Thanks… also, beware of wolves. They might try to eat you on behest of the shrimp.” Garou smiled impishly at them.

All of them shared a laugh.

“I'm not joking. He will do that.” Garou’s smile dropped into a serious frown.

Even though they believed him, they still continued. Despite his occasionally ‘sour’ attitude, Garou was still their friend. And they were happy for him.

After school, the four traveled to the mountains where Garou reside. Only for the three of them to stare face to face with two giant wolves, one pale orange and one pale moon blue, both around seventy feet tall as they growled with saliva dripping onto them.

So that was what Garou meant when they ‘grow’. Facing a wolf possessing a gigantification Quirk was, to put it lightly, terrifying. The ground seemed to rumble as the growling from the wolves continued, huge pools of saliva dripping to the ground. The saliva alone seemed like it could fill a swimming pool.

“I brought chew toys. Feel free to play with them.” Garou smirked as the two wolves snarled at the three, slowly opening their massive drool-glistened fangs.

Nervously, Mirio and Tamaki chuckled, turning to their ‘owner’. Hado seemed to be more interested than afraid of the giant wolves, staring at them curiously.

“T-That’s… very f-funny…”

Tamaki shivered under the gaze of the two giant predators.

“You can eat the black-haired one. He has many different flavors.” Garou continued egging the wolves to eat them. The pale orange one trod towards Tamaki, the earth shaking with each and every step as it lowered its salivating jaw.

Tamaki was prepared to activate his Quirk defensively, but he knew he couldn’t. These were Garou’s ‘pets’. Plus, Garou was still seeing how far he could take the joke. Probably…

“So, what do you think of them? They are much easier to feed when they are little to be honest…” Garou asked as he scratched the leg of the pale blue wolf, only for the wolf to drop down on its butt and pant obediently like a dog.

Mirio grinned, still slightly nervous at the giant predator still watching him. The giant eye watching him was unnerving to say the least.

“They still probably eat less than you!”

“Hah! Maybe.” Garou continued scratching the wolf until the wolf started shrinking, to the point of being as small as a puppy. The puppy then hopped into Garou’s arms, as the owner carried and started petting the wolf’s head with care.

“The pale blue one is Skoll. He breathes ice too.” Garou said as Skjoll burped at Garou’s face, covering him in icicles from the chin up.

Hado rushed over to him, staring down at the small wolf with wide, excited eyes. Reaching one hand out, she looked up at Garou.

“May I pet him?”

“You can try. He might bite your hand off.” Garou joked as the puppy looked at Hado curiously.

Extending her hand, Hado glanced down at the small, blue wolf. Her hand grew closer and closer to the soft, fluffy head of the wolf. As she felt the fluffy touch of fur on her fingers, she waited for the following bite.

*arf!*

However, instead it barked happily as it whined, enjoying Hado’s hand petting his head.

“Awww!” Hado couldn't handle the cuteness and started petting Skoll to her heart’s desire.

Tamaki, on the other hand, was not enjoying his experience so much. The far larger wolf was looming over Tamaki. A long shadow was cast over the nervous student, as a gaping maw opened up in front of him. Huge globules of saliva spilled out of the mouth of the giant wolf as it grew closer and closer to Tamaki, who couldn’t run away.

The hot, moist breath of the wolf buffeted Tamaki, blasting his hair back slightly. He grimaced at the revolting smell. As the wolf towered over him, Tamaki was inwardly wondering how he could possibly escape.

“C-can y-you call him off?”

“Hati’s a girl.” Garou corrected as he watched Hado play with Skjoll.

As the maw grew closer and closer, Tamaki only became more desperate.

“C-can you p-please call h-her off?”

Garou then whistled, the sound from his lips making the wolf stop in her tracks. The gaping maw threatening to devour him retracted, freeing Tamaki from the threat of death by wolf as the chimera sighed in relief. The wolf then shrunk down into puppy size, as she wagged her tail while looking up at Tamaki with an adorable face.

Tamaki sighed heavily, wiping the moisture from the wolf’s breath off his face. Smiling nervously, Tamaki leaned down to look at ‘Hati’.

“H-hey there.”

His hand extended, mirroring Hado’s actions.

*CHOMP*

However, in response the wagging wolf glomped his fingers hard, while still giving Tamaki the puppy eyes.

“Yeoow!”

Tamaki recoiled his hand as the wolf bit down on his hand, trying to pull his hand off the wolf’s mouth which was clamping onto his hand hard. His attempt to stroke the wolf hadn’t gone nearly as well as Hado’s had.

Hado and Mirio glanced over with some concern, hearing their friend in pain. However, after seeing Tamaki’s hand caught in the mouth of the tiny, adorable wolf, they couldn’t help grinning. Even if it was at their friend’s expense.

“Huh. She must think you're tasty. Don't tell me you got food on you?” Garou chimed at the comical sight.

Tamaki stared at Garou, a silent, pained plea in his eyes. As he continued pleading to Garou, he kept trying to pry his hand out of the mouth of the tiny wolf. To no success. For such a small wolf, it seemed to have unnatural biting strength. He could feel the pain in his hand steadily increase as he continued to try to pull his hand out.

*Shreeeee*

Hearing another whistle from Garou, Hati stopped as she released her grip. Now whining in dissatisfaction, drool still leaking from her lips as she stared at Tamaki hungrily.

The bitten student now began to back away from Hati, a cautious look in his eyes. Tamaki clutched his bitten hand, a large red outline of teeth on his hand.

“...I d-don’t think they like me.”

“....I think it's your Quirk. Sometimes you smell like a collage of animals mixed into one to be honest.” Garou stated. Tamaki really does smell like animals sometimes.

Both Hado and Mirio laughed in agreement. As Hati sat down in front of Tamaki, he didn’t tear his eyes from the now-small wolf. He cautiously backed away from the small animal.

*Yip!*Yip!*

The small pale orange wolf yipped as she wagged her tail, now running towards Garou and prancing around his legs as if trying to tell him something.

“Ah, the shrimp’s here.” Garou said as he looked up, seeing a small figure in the sky.

As Garou looked up, so did the other three. As they stared into the sky, they could see what they assumed was Ghin descending judging from the shining silver wings flapping behind the figure. Mirio and Hado waved to him as the silhouette grew larger and larger.

“Skoll! Hati! I brought food!” Ghin shouted as he came within view.

Looking closer, the four could see four very large plastic bags in his arms, and a backpack filled to the brim. They could see something jutting out of the zipper.

As Ghin landed on the floor, the two pups then ran towards Ghin and tackled his face, knocking him down as they slobbered him with drool and love.

“S-Stop! Hahaha! Please! T-Too much love!” Ghin begged while laughing as the puppies continued licking his face clean.

They all watched, large smiles plastered on their faces as Ghin continued being affectionately ‘attacked’ by the two small wolves. Tamaki however still anxiously stared at the two wolves. He was still not convinced that they wouldn’t simply grow and eat him. The next time he’d visit Garou’s dojo, he’d have to avoid eating animal products for at least a few days.

“That’s so cute!”

Hado could barely handle the level of cuteness that was in front of her. Seeing it just made her smile.

“Stop! Sto-ahahaha, alright! Alright!” Ghin took something out from his backpack. The wafting scent of raw bloody meat tickling their noses of which Ghin threw away. Towards Tamaki.

Skoll and Hati perked their heads as they ran towards Tamaki, drool dripping from their lips as they grew until they were adult sized wolves… albeit larger than average ones.

*Woof! Woof!*

They barked at Tamaki the moment he caught the meat on reflex.

Seeing the two adult-sized wolves now running directly towards him, Tamaki immediately threw the meat into the air in panic. In response, the wolves leapt up, arcing over the student, as they landed with both their teeth sunk into the meat before they started fighting for it in a snarling tug of war.

Quickly backing away, Tamaki sighed a breath of relief. He’d narrowly avoided becoming pet food. Pointing over at the two animals, he turned to the rest of the group.

“They seem… energetic.”

Ghin got up, smiling despite having drool trickling down his cheeks.

“I found them when we were hunting! Though… it was when their mother was dead…” Ghin said as his voice saddened.

Both Mirio and Hado looked over at the wolves with pity in their eyes. Tamaki could also feel some sense of pity, but it was overshadowed by his caution and nervousness.

“We found them just in time though. The amount of wild game here was… nonexistent at the moment… the mother starved. I took them in since I don't want to see them suffer.” Ghin gave them a small smile.

“And we need guard dogs.” Garou added as he lowered to one of the bags Ghin dropped.

“Did you really just buy dog food?” Garou asked as he picked out a large bag of organic dog food, one of the more expensive brands.

“Nope! I bought them chew toys! Though they might break in a few days…” Ghin chuckled nervously.

“But whatever. What are they doing here? This is holy grounds and they're trespassing.” Ghin scowled and hissed at the sight of Mirio. His rival… and the only threat to his position as Garou’s greatest disciple.

“We’ve come to help build the dojo!”

Hado beamed over at Ghin, anticipation clear on her face. Both Mirio and Hado were looking forward to helping. However, after his ‘encounter’ with the wolves, Tamaki wasn’t so eager anymore.

“Eh? Why?” Ghin asked as he turned to Garou.

“They volunteered as pack mules.”

“So they're our slaves?” Ghin asked with a smile of anticipation.

“They will be worked to the bone.” Garou smiled. A smile that heralded pain and misfortune on his disciples.

“It’s not like we aren’t already…”

Tamaki muttered to himself as he glanced away from the two silver-haired menaces. They were bound to give him a heart attack one day.

“Okay! Slaves! You will first play fetch with Skoll and Hati!” Ghin declared as the two wolves perked their ears, dropping the gnawed meat on the floor, and panted with expectations.

As Mirio smiled nervously at Ghin, a worrying air settled in around them. Tamaki paled, looking like he was about to pass out. Hado however, still kept looking at the wolves with wide, interested eyes.

“Skoll! Hati! Jotun mode!” Ghin shouted as the two wolves immediately grew in size, their appearances now menacing and fierce, but still panting like the little puppies they were. Ghin immediately flew up, hoisting astride himself atop of Skoll’s head. Hati whined as if envious of her brother, their owner choosing him instead of her.

“Are you all ready to be hunted!?” Ghin shouted from atop Skoll’s head.

No, no, they were not ready.

“S-surely y-you’re joking?”

Tamaki was still paling as he faced down at the two giant wolves.

“No! One, they need their exercise! Two, I want to test them out! And three… I just don't like you all!” Ghin blatantly declared the real reason why he ordered his pets to hunt them without shame.

Turning to Garou, Mirio pointed at the two giant wolves, whilst still smiling nervously.

“Couldn’t you ask Mt. Lady to help with your giant pets?”

“They'll tear her apart at first sight.” Garou stated. Hati howled the next second, breathing a gout of white hot flame out her mouth towards the sky.

The earth seemed to tremble as the howl echoed throughout the area. The stream of flame lit up the area white, casting long shadows around.

“...yeah, I fed them my blood to be honest.” Garou confessed after the howl finally ended.

All three of them turned to Garou, clearly confused. The idea of Garou even shedding blood seemed a little unrealistic.

“Oh right… for some reason, my blood can empower Quirks to a ridiculous degree. Along with other effects I'm not aware of.” Garou explained nonchalantly as he gazed at the two wolves.

All three of Garou’s classmates were taken aback by the sudden reveal. This was the first they’d heard about this.

“...And you decided to give these wolves your blood?”

Mirio seemed pretty shocked at the fact that Garou would even share power. They all knew how he felt about that kind of thing.

“I needed guard dogs. Didn't expect them to turn out this way though… They might be around Dragon level at most.” Garou smiled wickedly at the image of two wolves guarding his dojo faithfully, or bringing them into battle to instill fear into the hearts of his enemies.

“W-Why do you need guard dogs?”

Tamaki’s question mirrored one of Mirio’s. Why would someone of Garou’s calibur even want protection?

“In case some smart ass decided to wreck my things when I'm not here. I learned my lesson with the child-abducting monster the other day. I can't be everywhere at once you know? I have a life to attend to.” Garou frowned at Tamaki for even asking that.

“But aren’t you capable of ‘teleporting’?”

Mirio raised a valid point. Garou seemed to be able to appear wherever, whenever he wanted.

“I prefer to spend my time wisely.”

“Other than training and school, what else do you do?”

Tamaki was still nervously staring at the wolves, occasionally flicking his eyes over to their silver-haired owner.

“...alright, I just wanted to see what happens when I give my blood willingly. They're animals, so they’re excused to be honest. But I'll still make them work for their power.” Garou smirked with a wicked gleam.

The idea of Garou trying to train the two wolves made both Mirio and Hado smile. Even with their gigantic size, they’d still not be able to stand up to Garou.

Hado kept staring at the giant wolves, still with wide, excited eyes. Despite the sudden size change of the two animals, she still found them to be cute. Unlike Tamaki, who was trembling under their gaze.

“Aniki! Can I give the order to sic them?!” Ghin shouted from Skoll’s head.

“...Make sure to give them a minute head start at least. And take it away from my training grounds. Oh, and no fire Quirk allowed. Ice is fine.” Garou gave his conditions.

“Okay!” Ghin smiled as he shifted his gaze towards the three with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Seeing the two large wolves preparing to chase them, all three of the students tensed up. Mirio was somewhat confident that he could use his Quirk to avoid the wolves' jaws. The ice-breath was a problem however, as body heat can still be transferred. Tamaki was also regretting not eating any form of bird today. If he had, he could have attempted to fly away. Hado was also considering flying away. But not knowing the jump height of these two giant wolves was quite worrying.

“Consider this as part of your ‘training’. I believe they are around… dragon level. So yeah. The goal is to survive. And not get caught.” Garou smirked as he picked up the plastic bags full of dog food and other stuff.

“Ghin! Lead them to the dojo once you're done playing!” Garou shouted before he left, walking away from the scene with four bags in hand.

“Yes, aniki!” Ghin widely smiled with cheer before smiling wickedly towards the three. The three could see the evil behind the boy’s eyes, and had a good idea what he was about to do to them.

Watching the two large ‘pets’ hunch over in a predatory manner, the three students began preparing to flee. They doubted that they could properly fight them. Maybe if there was only one wolf, and all three of them teamed up, then maybe they stood the slightest chance of winning.. But two? They envision themselves being digested within their stomachs.

Turning around, Mirio quickly began analysing the whole area around them. Off to his left was the huge forest that they usually trained in. He could also see the lone road that was leading to the city. He could barely even see the city from here. There were no other houses around, so no worry about collateral damage. But seeing the wild environment around them, Mirio had to wonder how exactly they were going to escape the pursuit of these two giant predators.

“Could you give us a bit of a longer head start? We can’t outrun seventy foot wolves.”

“Hmmm, what’s in it for me?” Ghin asked from atop of Skoll. The boy was actually going to exploit them.

Cupping his chin, Mirio suddenly got a brilliant idea as he turned his head upwards to stare at the distant figure of Ghin.

“...We could buy you whatever Garou merch you’d like.”

“…” It was super effective. Drool leaked from the boy’s lips, before he shook his head to dispel his stupor.

“Find me the most badass katana there is and I might stay Skoll and Hati.” Ghin demanded.

Nodding in agreement, Mirio inwardly began wondering where he could possibly get such a weapon from. Maybe he could ask around. Maybe if Garou used the sword as part of his Hero costume it might be allowed…

“Alright. I will.”

Tamaki stared at Mirio, silently thanking him. His heart slowly began to settle down.

“Down, guys! Down!” Ghin scratches behind Skoll’s ears as the wolf started shrinking, followed by Hati behind him shrinking as well until they were adorable puppies. The two pups circled around Ghin, wanting to play.

Tamaki almost collapsed to the ground, colour slowly returning to his face. Sighing heavily, he glanced over at the young boy, now playing with the two now-small wolves. He couldn’t get the image of those giant predators out of his head.

“So… are we going to help you with the dojo then?”

Mirio, glad that they weren’t about to be eaten by Garou’s giant pets, turned to their silver-haired classmate.

“We need more building materials though. Aniki could only smuggle so much out of Hosu undetected.” Ghin replied while scratching the bellies of the pups.

“Smuggle? Haven’t you just been buying the materials?”

The phrasing they used implied a level of secrecy.

“It is moving them out here unnoticed is the problem though. This place is secret holy grounds. Aniki refuses to let just anyone track him here.”

“B-But why build a dojo if it’s secret? Isn’t that the w-whole point?”

The colour had finally returned to Tamaki’s face and he was beginning to look like normal. However, his eyes were still on the two small yipping wolves, eyeing them cautiously.

“It is a surprise! Aniki wants to surprise everyone once he’s finished!” Ghin smiles as he carried the two pups in his arms.

Both Mirio and Hado now had a look of realisation on their faces. It would make sense for the dojo to be built so far away, given the level of secrecy needed to keep it a surprise.

“Does the dojo have a name?”

“I call it Valhalla.” Ghin smiled.

The three students were not surprised, given Ghin’s fondness for his norse naming scheme. Cocking one eyebrow, Mirio glanced down at the smiling boy.

“Is that the name Garou has gone with?”

Now that he thought about it, it made sense that Garou’s dojo would be called Valhalla. Except, there weren’t any valkyries to guide them there. Just the two terrifying, giant wolves.

“No, I just named it for him. Aniki sucks at naming to be honest.” Ghin’s smile grew wider.

“Will we be allowed in?”

Hado looked down at the young disciple of Garou. She was wondering if the three of them would be even allowed to be a part of his dojo.

“Ehhh…” Ghin’s smile faltered at the question.

“I kind of want to kick you out to be honest…”

“We’ll get you a Fenrir plushie,” Mirio promised.

“Welcome aboard!” The boy immediately changed his mindset at the mention of a Fenrir plushie.

All three of them couldn’t stop themselves from grinning at the sudden change in the young boy’s attitude. The mere mention of any form of Garou of Fenrir merch was enough to sway him. Hado raised one fist in a celebratory gesture as they were accepted into the dojo by perhaps their most staunch opponent.

Mirio grinned alongside the rest of them, still looking down at the triumphant Ghin.

“Would that make you the dojo co-owner or something?”

“I’m his first disciple! Of course I am! Obey my rules or be food to Skoll and Hati!”

The two pups yipped in a follow-up as if agreeing with their beloved owner.

Mirio and Hado both grinned at Ghin, saluting as they did so. Tamaki however, didn’t.

“You got it Senpai!”

They both barely held in their laughter. Now, even Tamaki was cracking a slight smile, despite the presence of the wolves. He’d be having nightmares about those things trying to eat him.

“Your Sempai’s first order, get up there and work your butts off!” Ghin ordered.

Standing before the three was… a flight of stairs. A very, very large flight of cyclopean stairs made of stone roughly carved into the edge of a cliff side leading to the top of the ledge. It was so large, it could be compared with the vastness of the Great Wall of China. Atop of the ledge was a carved flat land, followed by an incomplete foundation of a building in construction, wooden planks painted white and everything.

All three of them were taken aback by the scale of the area around them. Staring at the huge amount of stairs, Hado, Mirio and Tamaki all felt a sense of dread.

“Before you ask, yes. You will carry heavy things up there. On foot.” Ghin added additional salt to their growing pain.

Pointing to the huge flight of stairs, Hado could already feel her body aching.

“Is this going be a part of our training as well?”

“No. This is slave labor. I’ve been carrying stuff these past few days, and you don’t see me crying about it.” Ghin huffed with pride.

“So where are the materials we’ll need to carry?”

Eager to get to work, Mirio began looking around for a pile of materials to carry. He knew that it was bound to be difficult work. But they offered to help.

“By the stairs, you’ll see wood and stone piled up. Grab some and start climbing.” Ghin said as the two pups started running up the stairs ahead of them, yipping happily as they made their way towards Garou residing at the top.

Looking at the side, the three could see a pile of what they first assumed to be junk. In actuality, it was a haphazard assortment of stone and wood and construction tools.

Eyeing the tools then back to the ridiculous flight of stairs, the three hesitantly approached the pile of materials. One by one, they began to pick up various materials. Mirio began by scooping up an armful of tools before heading up the stairs. Tamaki then picked up numerous large planks of wood, following after him. And finally, Hado leant over, grabbing a large bag of stone. Huffing heavily, she began to climb the stairs as well.

Ghin ran past them, climbing the stairs with a toolbox full of nails in hand. Unlike them, he carried a much lighter load.

The three could only watch as Ghin roared past them, mischievously grinning at them as he ran past. They continued climbing the stairs, straining themselves as they did so. Each flight of stairs seemed to go on forever.

After what felt like hours, they’d finally finished. Lying down on the ground at the top of the stairs, Tamaki, Hado and Mirio all wheezed their lungs out. Sweat poured freely down their heads as they glanced at the large pile of materials they had brought up. They’d finally managed to bring all of the building materials up those stairs. None of them could say anything. They were too tired from carrying everything.

“..haaah… haaaah…”

The sound of panting filled the air. All three of the exhausted students simply lay there, Garou and Ghin stood over them, watching them.

“Wimps!” Ghin called out while pointing a finger at them.

The three students couldn’t even respond, as they were too exhausted. They merely stared at Ghin. Slowly, they began to catch their breath. The panting slowed as they began to rise to their feet, staggering as they did so. Mirio hunched over as he stood up, still breathing heavily. Hado swayed on her feet as she rose alongside him. Tamaki got up last, looking just as exhausted as the other two.

“How was your ‘trip’?” Garou asked, crossing his arms as he held a snicker.

All three of the students glared at Garou as they caught their breath. That ‘trip’ was almost as tough as their training. The only difference was that they weren’t covered in bruises.

“...aaahhh… why couldn’t you… haaaah… just use pulleys?”

Mirio stared over at Garou, looking dead on his feet. If they’d just set up a simple systems of ropes and pulleys, they could have avoided all of the physical strain and torment. All they would have had to do was pull on a rope.

“The old fart had his dojo set up high in the mountains as well. The stairs are also a test. A test of endurance.” Garou replied. They could tell he was still trying to hold back his laughter.

“I know you… like your jokes. But that was… haaah… a little cruel.”

Wiping her brow, Hado cleared her forehead of sweat. Her breathing calmed, as she glanced up at the silver-haired duo.

“Would you rather have me kick you all down so you can climb up again?” Garou asked.

All three of them waved their hands in the air, all whilst begging to not go through that again.

“Please… no more…”

Tamaki seemed like he was about to collapse. The combination of the shock from almost being eaten, and then the strain from the physical labour was almost too much.

“Hahahaha.” Covering his mouth, Garou then burst out laughing at their suffering.

“Alright, alright. Come, I prepared some food for you.” Garou said as the light smell of roasted meat and vegetables wafted through the air.

Behind Garou was a layout of his Dojo. A square of the land tilted and layered in stone to mark the foundations. Behind the foundation, was… a farm. The three blinked, but a farm was sitting far behind the foundation, the land tilted and green sprouts protruding from the serried dirt.

Pointing at the large farm, Mirio turned towards Garou, while still depleted of energy.

“So you’re a farmer as well?”

“What? Can't blame me for being self-sustaining.” Garou scoffed.

“I've eaten nearly all the wild game in the area. Need to cut down on the meat a little.”

If one looked at Garou, one could never guess that he consumed such massive quantities of food by himself. It looked like he kept himself on a rather strict diet. However, all three of them knew that Garou would never be able to keep to such a diet.

“So where is the food?”

Hado asked the question the two others were also wondering. They were not only dead tired, but they were starving as well.

“Follow the scent.” Garou pointed to the right.

At his right, Ghin was cooking a hot pot, the fire fueled by wood of the wilds surrounded by more stone to contain the flames. The boy was stirring within the hotpot with a laden while petting Hati. Skoll was busy eating one of the raw slabs of meat Ghin brought, chewing away happily.

Despite their fatigue, all three of the students rushed over to the fire. They eagerly stared at Ghin, who was still stirring. Their hunger was reaching the peak as the smell of cooking meat reached their noses.

“Calm down. They're almost done.” Ghin pouted at their rush for food.

“High quality beef, the ten thousand yen kind. Wild parsnips, mint, and garlic. A few fruit for flavor… yeah, it is random, I know. But damn does it smell good.” Ghin smiled as he brought an empty bowl set beside him and scooped up the soup via his laden. He poured the contents into the bowl and handed it towards Hado.

Both Mirio and Tamaki watched as Hado took the bowl and began slurping. Turning away from their friend, they both turned back to Ghin, awaiting their own bowl of food.

“Next time. Bring some food with you.” Ghin said as he poured two more bowls and set them down.

Quickly, the two bowls were scooped up by Mirio and Tamaki. The sound of the three eating filled the air. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before the three bowls were set back down on the ground, completely empty.

“You're all not getting seconds.” Ghin informed as he poured a bowl for himself, and starting slurping the soup and eating the meat.

Sighing heavily, Mirio looked satisfied now that he had actually had something to eat. As did the other two. Their bodies still throbbed and ached, but they felt relieved.

“Now get to work.” Garou ordered as he pointed at the foundation.

“Can’t we have a little break?”

Hado pouted, not content with the five minute respite.

“That was your break.” Garou pointed at the hotpot.

Staring up at Garou, Hado began to widen her eyes. Her lower lip trembled as she stared at him with her wide, sorrowful eyes.

“It will not work on me,” Garou declared as Hado continued amping up the power of her puppy dog eyes.

“Give it up and start working.” Garou ordered as she continued her puppy dog eyes.

“...stop it.” Garou started breaking.

Both Mirio and Tamaki watched as Garou began to break under the pressure of Hado’s silent begging. Hearing Garou telling her to stop only got her to increase the stare. He seemed to almost wilt underneath it, like a dying plant.

“..........fine. Five more minutes.” Garou relented as he sighed.

“Only five? I thought you said you could be kind!”

Frowning slightly, Hado looked back up at Garou, clearly still asking for more time to rest. She was just as tired as the other two.

“...fifteen then.” Garou sighed.

Hado angled her head as she gave Garou a sideways look, narrowing her eyes as she did so.

“Twenty?”

“I'll make it one minute if you keep pushing it,” Garou warned.

Seeing that Garou had reached his limit, Hado nodded in agreement. That didn’t stop her from pouting at him. Tamaki and Mirio however, were both silently celebrating the increased break time. Lying back on to the ground, they could both feel the exhaustion slip away.

“...Why didn’t you hire any workers to help you? I know you wanted it to be a secret but…”

Raising his head from the earth, Mirio glanced over at the sullen Garou, who still seemed to be unhappy at the increased break time.

“Screw workers. They'll drop dead the moment they get up here.” Garou answered.

Letting his head fall back, Mirio could feel the grass on the back of his head. Sighing, he allowed himself to relax slightly.

“D-Did you pick this location because of that?”

Tamaki, who was laying down next to Mirio, spoke up. The combined experiences from the day had begun to pile up. If he hadn’t lay down, he probably would have fallen over.

“I picked it because it reminded me of my old fart’s dojo.”

The Incarnation of Death and Fear walked over to Ghin, and took a bowl for himself to drink.

Hearing Garou grab his own bowl, Mirio, Tamaki and Hado all turned to look at him. They knew it would only be a matter of time until it was gone. With Garou’s appetite, they all expected at least a few seconds.

“When will you start recruiting?”

“...might take a while though.” Garou shrugged as he started downing the bowl in one gulp.

“Hahh… I am still wondering how I can get anyone to apply here though. My infamy is part of the problem. And this place being my sacred grounds is another problem.” Garou added.

Pushing himself up from the grass, Mirio sat cross legged. As he glanced over at Garou, he furrowed his brow. The idea of Garou’s dojo being so empty seemed… sad, to him.

“Well is there anyone you would accept if they applied? You might need to lower your standards if no one is there.”

“I will not accept slackers in my dojo.” Garou replied.

All three of Garou’s classmates chuckled. They didn’t expect anything less of him. Mirio calmed his slight laughter, glancing back over at their ‘teacher’.

“So it’s just going to be you and Ghin?”

“...well, you can bring anyone you want here if you think they're good enough.” Garou shrugged as he downed another bowl down his throat.

“I don’t think anyone would meet your expectations…”

There really wasn’t anyone that really live up to those high standards that Garou held. Both he and Ghin were probably the only two people on the planet who could do so.

“Eh, it doesn't have to be extreme you know? Just good honest people wanting to become the best.” Garou elaborated.

All three of the UA students were slightly surprised by Garou’s words. Quite a few people undoubtedly want to become the best. But Mirio doubted that Garou held the same meaning for ‘the best’.

“Take a look at the shrimp. He was just a Quirkless boy I found and look at him now.” Garou pointed his thumb over at Ghin, who was pouting.

“I will always be his number one disciple!” The boy defensively declared.

Both Mirio and Hado could only smile at seeing Ghin’s proud declaration. He wore it as a badge of pride.

“...And to be honest, we’ve made tons of progress ourselves! I could have never imagined fighting a monster a year ago!”

It was true. Mirio had never considered that he’d end being trained by Garou himself alongside his classmates.

“I would never thought I'd end up being here and crush the symbol of peace. And then take his place in cruel irony.” Garou sarcastically replied.

The image of Garou pulling an All Might-esque face as he says ‘I am here!’ was enough to set the three off, giggling and chuckling as they did so. There was indeed a strange level of irony about the whole situation the world found itself in.

And out of everything that the former ‘Big Three’ had never expected, at the top was to share a classroom with Garou himself, eventually befriending him. Even if he had an odd way of showing it…

“Anyways, break time’s over. Get to work or the wolves will feast on your bones.” Garou threatened as he pointed at the foundation.

Hado, Tamaki and Mirio all rose to their feet, feeling exhausted already. Glancing over at the half-built foundations, it sunk in to all of the them. They had a lot of work to do.