Wings of Awakening

Part 37

The day of the internship finally arrived, and Izuku found himself on a train headed for Fukuoka, where Hawks' agency was located. When he arrived at the agency, he stood in the bustling reception area, watching the sidekicks and other staff moving about purposefully.

"Hello," Izuku greeted, catching the receptionist's attention. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, here for the internship with Hawks," he said, showing his U.A. ID and the internship request Hawks had sent him.

The receptionist smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, Midoriya! We've been expecting you. Hawks is waiting for you on the 7th floor."

"Thank you!" Izuku replied, bowing politely. He headed to the elevator, pressed the button for the 7th floor, and waited, anticipation bubbling in his chest. When the elevator doors opened, he was surprised to see Hawks himself standing there, grinning.

"Hatchling! You finally made it," Hawks said, wrapping him in a quick hug.

Izuku hugged him back with a smile. "I'm excited to be here!"

As they started walking down the hallway, Hawks added, "Your fellow intern has already arrived."

"Another intern?" Izuku asked, surprised.

"Yep, we birds of a feather have to stick together!" Hawks replied with a wink. "It's actually one of your classmates."

Izuku ran through his classmates in his mind, thinking of who had a quirk or appearance similar to a bird. Only one came to mind. "Is it Tokoyami?" he asked.

Hawks chuckled. "Good guess! You two will be training together and sharing a room while you're here."

Izuku followed Hawks to a room where Tokoyami was already waiting. As soon as he saw Izuku, Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami, floating over excitedly. "Fumi! Look, Izu is here!" Dark Shadow's voice rang out, filled with excitement like a child's.

"Dark Shadow, don't crowd Midoriya," Tokoyami chided with his usual calm demeanor, though a small smile was visible.

Izuku chuckled and gave Dark Shadow a gentle pat on the head. "Good to see you too, Dark Shadow—and you too, Tokoyami."

Tokoyami inclined his head. "Likewise, Midoriya. It seems this internship will be...illuminating."

Dark Shadow floated around happily, saying, "Izu and Fumi together, it's going to be so much fun!" The shadow's energy was contagious, making Izuku feel even more welcome.

The three of them settled into the room, and Izuku felt grateful to have a familiar face as he began this new chapter of his hero journey.

In the early morning, Izuku and Tokoyami were startled awake by an enthusiastic Hawks. "Rise and shine!" he called out cheerfully. "The early bird catches the worm!"

Izuku groaned as he checked his phone. "It's 4:30 in the morning, Hawks..." he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Exactly! You and I have an early morning flying lesson, followed by 5:30 combat training," Hawks announced with a grin. "Tokoyami, you will start your morning drill in the gym with one of my sidekicks then you'll join us in combat training. You know the drill."

Tokoyami, ever stoic, nodded and murmured, "Revel in the dark."

After some grumbling and dragging of feet, both Izuku and Tokoyami began their morning routines. Hawks led Izuku out for a brisk flying session, where he gave him pointers on aerial control, wind dynamics, and precision movement. Meanwhile, Tokoyami headed to the agency's gym, where one of Hawks' sidekicks guided him through a rigorous strength and endurance routine to strengthen his body independently of Dark Shadow.

After an hour in the skies, Izuku rejoined Tokoyami at the gym for sparring. With quirk restrictions in place, Tokoyami found himself on the mat more often than not, realizing how much he relied on Dark Shadow. Hawks provided tips on hand-to-hand combat, emphasizing defense and agility. Afterward, Izuku moved on to weapon training, using a staff under the guidance of one of Hawks' sidekicks, while Tokoyami received one-on-one instruction from Hawks on using his reflexes and tactical sense to evade attacks.

By the time breakfast rolled around at 7:30, they were both exhausted yet invigorated. Hawks' relentless schedule left them some time to study, which they welcomed as a much-needed break. Hawks and his sidekicks left briefly to patrol, giving them a moment to relax.

Tokoyami sighed, leaning back in their room. "This morning was intense."

"Hawks is a bit of a perfectionist," Izuku replied with a smile. "You get used to it, though. He was my mentor before U.A., so I knew this internship would be tough."

The intense regimen continued over the next few days, with morning quirkless training, weapon practice, and increasingly complex drills where they used their quirks to fight multiple sidekicks. Hawks taught them that hero work involved more than just fighting; he assigned paperwork, explaining, "Being a hero isn't just about protecting civilians. You've got to report every incident clearly, so it can be used as evidence."

By the end of the third day, both Izuku and Tokoyami could see immense improvement in their skills and coordination. On the fourth day, Hawks decided they were ready for a real-world experience and took them on a patrol, monitoring their handling of minor crimes and only intervening when necessary. Izuku and Tokoyami were learning fast, balancing quick decision-making with crowd control.

On the fifth day, however, everything changed. As they were finishing a patrol session, they received an emergency alert: Hosu City was under attack by multiple Nomus.

Hawks' expression turned serious as he grabbed Izuku. "We're heading to Hosu now—brace yourself!" He spread his wings, and they took off, cutting through the sky toward the city. Tokoyami and the other interns followed closely behind, ready to assist in any way they could.