Katherine Ride: Battlefield *BOOK TWO*

Season Four- I Can Keep The Peace, Until I Can't

As weeks passed, the work studies continued, and so did Katherine's visits to Storm. Most of the time she simply shared the dragon's company, making notes about his behavior and occasionally entertaining him by throwing a stick. Other times, he would be more active, darting about energetically while she told him about her day. It was a welcome distraction, given she hadn't been able to talk to Mirio about Midoriya yet since, between the work-study and his classes, he was a pretty elusive guy.

Shoto's remedial course continued as well, and it seemed to be getting more difficult. He often came home with bruises that she would offer to heal, but he'd always politely decline, telling her he didn't need it and that he was only going to get more next time. It didn't matter how much she'd purse her lips and pout; he'd stand firm. While he was gone, she'd either spend time with Storm or stay in the dorms and wait for him to come back, usually lounging on one of the common room couches.

This was one of those afternoons, and Katherine flapped her wings aimlessly as she traced a projection of Storm into the fabric of the couch cushions.

I should've taken up a work-study. At least then I would have something to keep me busy. Should I go see Storm? No, I saw him yesterday. And the day before that. I can't even talk to Mirio since Midoriya's not back yet, which means he isn't back either. Gods, I'm so bored.

The door to the common room opened, and she shot upright. Midoriya, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Kirishima all filed in, finally back from their work studies. "Oh, hey guys!" she greeted. "Didn't expect to see you all back at the same time."

Uraraka smiled and shrugged. "Uh, yeah, we were surprised, too. What are you doing out here?"

Katherine blinked, then looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "...Waiting for Shoto to get back."

"Kero, that's not surprising," Tsuyu laughed. "But why in the common room?"

"I have nothing else to do, so I figured I'd just chill here."

"Well, we should probably go clean up," Kirishima said. "Have fun!"

"I'll try."

She waved as the three walked off, then noticed Midoriya hadn't joined them. He was still standing in the doorway, looking at his hands. "Hey, Izuku."

He flinched when she called his name and looked up. "Oh, uh, sorry. Did you say something?"

"Just your name," Katherine responded. "What's up? You look down."

"Um...nothing...ah! But I think I've finally figured out how you did that shockwave thing during the training camp attack!"

She perked up. "Really? Do you—can you tell me? Do you have time?"

"Of course! I'll meet you in Gym Gamma in ten minutes!"

True to his word, the two met up in Gym Gamma exactly ten minutes later. Midoriya had his notebook, Katherine had a water bottle, and they both had excited expressions. "So, where do we start?" she chirped.

"Well, first of all, I need to know something, or else this entire theory falls apart," Midoriya stated. "When you made the shockwave, were you using any of your quirks in sync?"

"Not at the time, but I had just used my strength enhancement, levitation, and shields back-to-back."

He nodded. "That would probably be enough, especially since One For All was being overwhelmed thanks to me. I think the shockwave is a result of you using two or more of your quirks at once. I guess that combination must be One For All, levitation, and your shields."

"Huh. That must be a new development with our growing power, 'cause it's never happened before," Katherine murmured. "So, how do you think we should go about this?"