Something Like a Star (B. Katsuki)

Fourteen: Wanted

     "Suzenji—" Nadoka let out an "oomph" as Suzenji smacked her cane against the inside of the teen's ankle, intending to push her stance apart into a deeper squat but only succeeding in causing the girl's foot to slip in the dirt and nearly send her sprawling. Nadoka regained her balance, then adjusted her stance to her wishes— "I don't know about this."

     "It is important for you to look beyond the basic capabilities of your Quirk and experiment with new methods of both offense and defense if you wish to maximize your potential as a future hero." Suzenji explained briskly, continuing to adjust Nadoka's stance with not-so-gentle smacks of her cane.

     "Yeah, okay, but do I really have to squat? I can't just stand?" Nadoka protested, wincing as Chiyo's cane clipped one of her knuckles with a loud knocking sound. She shook her hand, avoiding the urge to snatch that damn piece of wood from her and chuck it into the woods.

     "You must adjust your center of gravity in order to tap more centrally into the mentality you subconsciously use to control all aspects of your Quirk usage." Once again, Suzenji never seemed to need a moment to catch her breath.

     Nadoka nodded as though she understood perfectly. "Okay... which means what?"

     Suzenji stepped away, finally satisfied with Nadoka's posture and stance, and huffed. "You have to become more mentally aware so you can control your Quirk better. Right now you've got the precision of a three year old drunk on spoiled fruit."

     Nadoka blinked, unoffended but surprised nonetheless. She shook off the comment and exhaled slowly. "Alright Suzenji, what will you have me do?"

     "First, I need you to shut your eyes."

     Nadoka complied. She may have been a tad confused by Chiyo's strange requests, but she trusted the old woman's wisdom nonetheless.

     "Excellent. Now, I want you to clear your mind of everything but your Quirk." Suzenji commanded, and after giving Nadoka a moment to do so, continued, "Tell me, Nadoka, what do you think about or do in order to create crystals on a massive scale such as you did at the USJ and in the fight with Izuku Midoriya?"

     Nadoka thought about this a moment. "Well, I'm not sure. I suppose I think about density. It doesn't necessarily make sense, but for some reason, when I want bigger crystals, I think of creating denser crystals."

     Unbeknownst to Nadoka, Suzenji nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, so if denser crystals makes bigger crystals, I want you to toss density out the window."

     Nadoka's eyes snapped open with a 'huh', but a quick smack from the dreaded cane closed them again, "You want me to make small crystals? Like daggers and swords? I make those all the time."

     "Thinking small, Nadoka, thinking small," Chiyo muttered exasperatedly, "But, right now, I want you to think even smaller. Think of a density so light that your crystals can't even be seen, unless there are millions."

     "But— wouldn't that just be... crystal... particles?" Nadoka murmured, more confused than ever.

     "Crystals particles that you create on such a large scale that it condenses into a fog to hide you from your enemy and give you the upperhand." Suzenji explained, and instantly, Nadoka understood.

     Slowly, she grinned. "That's pretty ingenious, Suzenji—"

     "Hush, child!" Nadoka flinched and grunted in pain as Chiyo smacked her forearm sharply with the cane, "Remember, you need a clear and focused mind!"