Today was the day where Bai-Lin would do her internship at Fatgum Agency. At the moment, she was waiting patiently while Fat Gum himself was looking over her paperwork. While waiting, she was looking around his office with her eyes. Safe to say, it was a lot more different than Sir Nighteye's office.

"Student of China's former number 3 hero, Jade Wind... Hero work study at Sir Nighteye Agency... Your resumè is building up real nice here."

Bai-Lin turned towards Fat Gum. "Thank you, Mr. Fat Gum."

"No need for formalities! Just call me Fat Gum!"

"Alright... Fat Gum."

He ended up signing one of the forms, and handed her back the paperwork. "You're good to go! I'm glad you decided to work under me! It'll sure balance things around here!"

Bai-Lin tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You and Tamaki are pretty mellow. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu together are quite something! They could've fooled me if they said they were twins."

"Tetsutetsu..?"

"I believe he's in class 1-B! You'll be working him too!"

"Alright." She's only seen him during joint training, but never talked to him before.

"You can change into your hero costume over at the next room, and you can meet us right out the back."

Shortly after, Bai-Lin was dressed as Lady Lunar, walking outside as instructed. She saw her three schoolmates she was going to be working with. She saw Tetsutetsu rushing up to her with a beaming smile.

"Hey! I look forward to working with you! You're Bai-Lin, right? I'm Tetsutetsu from class 1-B!" He held out his hand towards her.

Bai-Lin met his hand with hers. She didn't expect him to grip so hard. She sheepishly laughed and didn't want to be seen as rude. "I look forward working with you as well."

"I'm stoked to be working with you, Bai-san!" Kirishima was coming over to them. "After seeing what you can do during the rescue mission and joint training, I wanna see what else you can do!"

"Right?!" Tetsutetsu said right after. "Your quirk looked freaking awesome! If you would've faced off against Monoma, you would've wiped that smirk right off his face! I'm sure you're pretty sick of his nasty comments towards you, huh?"

Bai-Lin nodded and sighed through her nose. "I admit it can get out of hand, but it doesn't faze me as much as it used to."

"I don't like him." Kirishima admitted in a flat tone. "He made unnecessary comments towards me and my friends. That's not cool with me."

"Dude, you know I'll step in for you anytime." Tetsutetsu mentioned and turned towards Bai-Lin. "Same with you if he gives you any more trouble."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Bai-Lin softly smiled. Now that she gotten a good look at both of them, they did look pretty similar. She also saw that they had very similar quirks back then. They were practically twins that it was surprisingly to her that they weren't related.

"Hello." Tamaki softly greeted while coming over. "Glad you could join us, Bai-san."

"Thank you." Bai-Lin responded. "Will we get started soon or-"

"Sorry for the hold up, guys!" Fat Gum exclaimed while coming over. "I got caught up in stuff that delayed our training session a bit."

"It's all good!" Kirishima responded. "Are we gonna do that kind of training?"

"Yes we are!" Fat Gum beamed. "For this training session, we're gonna split into two groups this time." He looked back and forth between the two eager students. "And you two will be partnered together."

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu met each other's fists and said in unison, "Alright!"

"So that just leaves Tamaki and Bai-Lin." Fat Gum nodded in approval. "Maybe the two of you can bring out the best in each other, yeah?"

"I'll do my best." Bai-Lin turned towards Tamaki afterwards. "I look forward training with you, Amajiki-senpai."

"You too." Tamaki didn't seem too nervous to be training with her, but still a bit nervous since this will be the first time to see her quirk up close. He knew it was strong, but he tried to not let it get to his head.

~•~

After a while, Bai-Lin has been activating her quirk nonstop. Because of that, she was feeling exhaustion washing over her. There were a lot of times where she had to deactivate it so she doesn't end up passing out.

Trying to catch her breath, Bai-Lin looked up to see Tamaki still having his quirk activated. He had tentacles for arms, assuming he ate takoyaki for lunch. There were some minor injuries on him since Bai-Lin was able to land some hits on him. Same can be said with her.

"Bai-Lin." She heard Fat Gum say. She saw him at the side, observing both of the training sessions. "Can you step to the side for a sec? I need to discuss something with you."

Looking over towards Tamaki, she saw him gesturing her. She began walking towards Fat Gum, wondering what the reason was that he needed to talk to her in private.

Stopping near him, Bai-Lin looked up at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No... But yes." Seeing Bai-Lin confused by his answer, Fat Gum was thinking how to form his answer into words. "While observing you, I noticed that you tend to hold back activating your quirk. I feel as though you're not pushing it towards its full potential."

Even more confused by what he meant, Bai-Lin just blinked. "I'm not sure if I understand what you're indicating."

"Let's see here... What do you usually think about as your activating your quirk?"

"I let it flow to where I want it to go, and my mind goes into full concentration as it's activated. If I lose focus even a little, my quirk deactivates and I cannot activate it for a while."

"You learn that mindset from your master, correct?"

"Yes. He taught me to use my quirk like the flow of a gentle wind. It taught me how to activate it as long as I need to."

"I think I'm understanding something here..." Fat Gum was thinking to himself. "Have you ever activated it with a different kind of mindset?"

"I have not."

"Then let's test this theory!" A lightbulb appeared over his head. "Why don't you try thinking more determined thoughts? Find your inner willpower and ambition!"

"Ambition..." Bai-Lin looked down at her palm. "I can give it a try, but I need to rest for a bit. I activated my quirk too much simultaneously."

"No problem! You can sit for about 10 minutes, and then you can resume your training!"

"Thank you." Sitting at a nearby bench, Bai-Lin closed her eyes while trying to regain her strength. She's always had her mind flow like a breeze, so it'll be tough trying to have something in mind while activating her quirk. She was curious herself, and hoped nothing bad would come out of this.

Shortly after, Bai-Lin resumed training with Tamaki. "I heard from Fat Gum. He told me to try to push you past your limit." He let out a soft sigh. "I'm not very good at motivating people, but for you... I'll try."

Exhaling, Bai-Lin looked straight at Tamaki. "By the off chance that something goes wrong with my quirk, please run as far as you can."

"...What does that mean?"

"I..." Bai-Lin lowered her eyes while trying to not let her emotions get the better of her. "My quirk can be dangerous if I lose focus while using it, so... Please take my advice seriously."

Gulping nervously while maintaining a straight face, a drop of sweat ran down his face. "I'll run straight home if I see the slightest bit of danger."

"I think it's better that way." Taking a deep breath in and out, Bai-Lin formed her hand into a c shape. "I'm ready."

"Me too. I think..."

Bai-Lin didn't activate her quirk at first, charging straight at Tamaki with pure kung fu. Tamaki was dodging her palms, and managed to grab her wrist with a tentacle. Bai-Lin jumped and rolled over in midair while her wrist was still restrained. Grabbing the tentacle restraining her, she managed to lift Tamaki along with it. In result, she slammed his back hard onto the ground.

She thought if she came at him without using her quirk at first, she would feel something. But there wasn't even a spark. She looked down at Tamaki who seemed out of it. "Are you alright? I apologize if I made you land too hard."

Grunting in pain while sitting up, Tamaki winced with one eye closed. "It's ok. This is just training."

"Just training..." But what if Tamaki was in scenerio: an actual villain? She tried to think that she was saving someone precious to her. Maybe that would spark something. Concentrating on those thoughts, she thought of her classmates, her family she's with now... And her master.

Bai-Lin tried to think that her master was in grave danger, and had to save him. She wanted to protect him and everyone she formed bonds with. Activating her quirk to its usual state, nothing was changing. Trying to push herself more, she tried to strengthen her will power to protect. She had to save them. She couldn't lose anyone else. Not again.

Her quirk around her palm started shifting a little. Bai-Lin tried her hardest to concentrate, the use of her quirk was starting to tire her out again. But she couldn't quit just yet.

The yang light that was surrounding her palm and arm had shifted into another form of itself. It was like her arm was completely coated in indestructible white armor.

Feeling a difference in her quirk, Bai-Lin looked down at her arm. This had never happened before that it completely caught her off guard. Because of that, that coated armor vanished before her eyes. She knew what that meant. She wouldn't be able to activate her quirk until the moon rises tonight.

Tamaki's eyes were widen the entire time as he witnessed the whole thing. "It actually worked..?"

Still in disbelief about the change in her quirk, Bai-Lin slowly nodded while continuing to stare at her arm. "I didn't think that would happen of all things."

Fat Gum came over to them with a proud expression. "That was pretty good for your first try! I know it'll take practice maintaining that."

Her eyes wandered from her arm to Fat Gum. Her expression was still in awe. "Your advice made me realize there's more to my quirk than I originally thought."

Fat Gum scratched the top of his head. "Honestly, I didn't think the form of your quirk would change like that, just the strength of it, but that's pretty nifty! Now that you got an idea of how it works, I'll be more than happy to help you bring out the best in it!"

Wanting to get to know more about the other form of her quirk, Bai-Lin didn't hesistate to agree. "No matter how challenging it may be, I would be honored to master this to the best of my abilities."

Her quirk always took form of the yin and yang in light and dark form, and now that she had discovered that it can take form in indestructible armor, she knew mastering this would be the key to make her stronger.

~•~

Later that night after training at Fatgum's agency, Bai-Lin returned to her dorm. Most of her classmates were already asleep by the time she came back. She felt exhausted herself, but her mind was fully awake ever since the new discovery of her quirk.

Bai-Lin pulled out a mini stove top from underneath her bed. She inserted the plug for the mini stovetop, and poured some bottled water inside of the tea kettle. Setting the tea kettle on top of the stovetop, she turned it on and waited for the water to boil.

Grabbing her phone that was on her bed the entire time, she saw that she had a missed call from Master Zhang. She wondered if he could give her some advice about this new form. Taking that chance, she decided to call him back.

Pressing the phone on her ear, Bai-Lin waited to see if he would even answer since it was late in the night. "Hello Bai-Lin. I'm very glad you called back." She heard Master Zhang on the other line say.

Happy that he had answered, Bai-Lin softly smiled. "I apologize for not picking up earlier. I was training at the agency I'm interning at."

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you. How did it go?"

Now was her chance to discuss it. "It went well, but... Something interesting happened with my quirk."

"What happened?"

"Fat Gum gave me some advice that I should think more strongly while activating my quirk. He mentioned that I should think of ambitions, which I did. I believe that I want to protect the people I love, and that's when the form of my quirk changed."

"Changed? How so?"

"It took form of some kind of strong armor. I didn't think changing my mindset while activating my quirk would do something like that. It was very fascinating."

"What you just described sounds very similar to something called zhizun qi. It can be translated as supreme spirit."

"Supreme spirit? It sounds just like what Fat Gun told me about willpower and ambition."

"That's exactly what it is." She heard Master Zhang hum over the phone. "To hear that your quirk changed form from will power alone, it's an interesting concept."

"I've been training hard with it today, but I noticed that it exhausts me even more than when I activate yang light or yin darkness."

"I'm confident if you continue training under Fat Gum, you will be able to accomplish and even overcome what you think are your limits as of currently."

"I've been learning so many things." Bai-Lin smiled to herself. "I just want to thank you for giving me this opportunity for me to attend U.A. I've been learning a lot of things about myself that I never thought possible."

"Of course. It makes me more than happy to hear that things are going well for you."

Hearing the kettle whistling, Bai-Lin turned off the mini stovetop. "Oh! The tea!" Putting the tea bag inside of a cup, she poured the piping hot water in the cup. The aroma of jasmine tea filled the air, making her sigh of relief.

"Are you drinking the tea I had sent you?"

Taking a careful sip of the tea, Bai-Lin smiled. "I am. You make such excellent tea. I want to be able to make my own tea sometime. When you come down for Lunar New Year, will you please teach me?"

"Of course. It's not as hard as you think. I'm sure you'll be able to make tea better than me someday."

Bai-Lin giggled in response. "I'll be second at best."

"When I do visit there again, I have something important to give you."

"What is it?"

"...As much as I would love to tell you as we're talking, it's best if you see it with your own eyes."

Wondering what it could be, Bai-Lin decided not to pry about it any longer since she would find out regardless. "Very well." Taking another sip of her tea, a heartwarming thought came to mind. "Master, do you remember that time during training when you mentioned about searching for oneself?"

"I do. What about it?"

"What you mentioned a little bit ago had me thinking about that time..."

~•~

During her middle school years, Bai-Lin was at the temple while silently meditating on a rock in the garden. She had her hair up in a high ponytail with full bangs. She was wearing a white judogi with a black belt.

The only thing she could hear was sound of the bamboo deer scare, and the stream running its natural course. Additionally, she heard the sound of Master Zhang cutting off stray leaves off of his bonsai garden nearby.

"Your breathing seems irregular today." Master Zhang spoke up. "What seems to be troubling you?"

Opening her eyes, she lowered them afterwards. "I feel guilty for feeling this emotion."

"What emotion are you feeling?"

"It's just... I'm unsure of the person that I'm supposed to be. I often have to act like a perfect daughter towards my father. If I mess up even the slightest, I get a disappointed look. Recently, my father struck me when I got a grade lower than an A. Because of that, he's given me the cold shoulder since then. It feels like I can't afford to make any mistakes or else I'll continue disappointing him even more."

Cutting off a stray branch from a bonsai that fell to the floor, Master Zhang replied, "Though I cannot speak for your father, it's alright to make mistakes no matter how little or big they are. One of life's mysteries is to be able to fail over and over until you figure how to succeed. The person willing to guide you can only show you the door, only you can open it and find the answer you seek."

Looking down, Bai-Lin was contemplating on what he had just said. "What you're trying to say is... I'll eventually find an answer of how I can speak to my father about how his high expectations are smothering me?"

"You're on the right track. It seems like a difficult road right now, but as time passes as you continue learning, you will be able to find the courage to speak up."

Staring down at her palm, Bai-Lin squeezed it into a fist. "I know I'll have to speak out eventually. Speak out about... Not being able to be that perfect daughter that he wants me to be." She let out a sigh. "Ever since that day when my brother was unable to make it, I feel like my father had pushed everything on me. Since he couldn't have a son to eventually take his place at the hospital, he doesn't want to be seen as a man who has a failure of a daughter. As much as I don't want to disappoint him, I feel like I will no matter what I do."

"That's the one thing you are not, Bai-Lin." Master Zhang answered while looking her in the eye. "You are not a failure of a daughter or as a person. I may push you at times to strive, but at others times it is best to flow like the wind. The best pace is your own."

"Master..." Bai-Lin looked at him with astonishment. Her surprised expression turned into a grateful smile. "Thank you for your words. My path isn't easy, but... It'll teach me lessons along the way."

"You are right." Master Zhang humbly smiled at her while continuing to trim the bonsai.

Hearing footsteps drawing near, Bai-Lin saw a boy who looked around her age. He had a shaved head with gray eyes, his skin was slightly tanned. His expression was naturally tough looking, but there was also softness to it.

He was approaching Master Zhang with a tray that had a teapot and cups. "Afternoon- I mean... Good afternoon, Brother Zhang." His tone of voice drastically changed from a country accent to a formal mellow tone.

"Good afternoon, Brother Jin-Yu. What do you need?"

"I wanted to see if you're willing to try the tea I made. I've been practicing how to make it. I know you're more of the tea expert, so I wanted your opinion."

"Of course, but please leave afterwards since I'm currently in the middle of Bai-Lin's training."

The young monk named Jin-Yu turned towards Bai-Lin and instantly blushed. He nearly dropped the tray he was holding, but managed to not drop or break anything. "H-Hi... My name is Jin-Yu Sui."

"Hello, my name is Bai-Lin Yang. I haven't seen you here before. Did you recently come here?"

"I sure did! I mean..." Jin-Yu cleared his throat. "I did come here recently.