Author's Note: SOOO sorry about last week! FF keeps messing up my chapters. Crossing my fingers this one'll be ok.
I made a move - no Deku around to get hurt now - to aim a blast at one, but a damn villain dressed like a magician put his hand out and managed to touch me. Everything went blank again and when I woke up I was tied down, chained up with my arms wrapped in thicker handcuffs than they'd used on me at UA.
That feeling of everything going black. That's what happened back at Camp. So that magician bastard's the one who did it. He touched me and it happened, that's how his quirk works. Just gotta avoid letting him touch me again.
Well, and somehow get outta the damn handcuffs.
I was trying not to panic. My heart was beating like crazy, I was sweating, deep down -
The back of my mind kept running through tons and tons of possibilities of what might happen. goddamnt dammit what if they try and kill me what if they attack me what if i never get outta this what -
But consciously I shoved that bullcrap down. Don't think about it, don't think about it. You just gotta do it. Just gotta beat these creeps and get away.
"You've got permission to fight", Sensei had had that cat lady tell us. I can use my quirk to show these bastards what's what. No trees to catch fire here, IcyHot.
It took me a few minutes of that kinda panicked thinking to realize that the villain creeps were looking at me and FacePalm was talking to me.
"…this, you see, is something very important. The league of villains is going to change the way things are."
He's monologuing. Good time to get out of a trap, when villains start monologuing.
I guessed, based on the hands, that the villain who'd choked me was the one with black, spiky hair and burns all over him. Maybe some kinda fire quirk? That'd explain the smoke. There was a blonde chick about our age in a school uniform. A dude in an allover black body suit. Another chick with big lips, stubble, jeans and sunglasses. A lizard dude. None of em looked that impressive, but it was still a ton of em, so they'd probably be trouble…
"Who didn't make it?" Kurogiri interrupted FacePalm's monologuing.
"Moonfish," said the Magician. "He was taken down by one of them, a boy with rather impressive shadow power. I attempted to take him too…that sort of rage would have been valuable."
So he tried to grab Shadow Boy too? But he got away. Dammit…
Not that I wanted him kidnapped too, but if he'd been here it would've been hard for these bastards to restrain Dark Shadow…
"Mustard gott taken down too, so weak!" said Body Suit. "He got out just fine! He's strong!
What the hell?
"And Muscular too - I think he leaked information," said Big Lips. FacePalm tilted his head.
"Muscular, really? I wouldn't have expected that. Any idea who got him?"
"It must've been that boy with green hair," said Big Lips. "And broken arms."
Deku…So that's what happened to you? Dammit, you took down some important villain, while I -
Shut up, shut up , don't think about Deku right now, concentrate on getting outta this….
"That brat's a real pain in the ass," said FacePalm.
"He's cute, all covered in blood…" smiled Blondie. "Broken and bleeding all over the place. I love it."
FacePalm held up a hand.
"Enough about Midoriya," he said, then looked at me with the one eye I could see beneath the hand. "We're here to talk about you, Katsuki Bakugou. And your school."
UA. Damn. How much damn troubled would they be in now? Fourth attack in less than six months…
FacePalm lifted a remote to the TV above the bar and switched it on.
What followed was nothing less than a marathon of torture. UA getting slammed from every single media outlet, alongside reports of everything that had happened…
"Pro Hero Ragdoll missing, presumed dead!"
"The pro hero Pixie Bob of the Wild Wild Pussycats in the hospital with a severe head injury!"
"13 first year students from UA's hero course comatose from villain's gas attack!"
Then they started naming the others who were more seriously injured.
"Three students treated for stabbing wounds - Mezo Shoji, Tsuyu Asui, and Ochako Uraraka."
Uraraka? And FrogFace too? Dammit….dammit…They didn't even say where the stabbing was…
"Only ten students escaped without injury…"
"Son of the number two hero treated for injuries…" Dammit, what injuries?
"Daughter of famous Yaoyorozu conglomerate hospitalized with severe head injury"
"Most serious injuries - UA student Izuku Midoriya, Hospitalized, comatose, reported feverish and uncertain of survival…"
Uncertain survival?
dammit, Deku…dammit don't you dare fucking die on me…
And finally…
"One student kidnapped by villains. UA first year Katsuki Bakugou taken away by the league of villains. UA's negligence is disgraceful!"
"irresponsibile management!"
"Pro Hero Eraserhead questioned for allowing the use of quirks!"
"That student was kidnapped, it's a disgrace to UA!"
And then,
"We all recall last month's Sports Festival. It's clear that student, this Bakugou, is potentially dangerous. Did these villains kidnap him in the hope of winning him over to their side?"
Huh?
"Dangerous"
"villainous face"
"bad kid" "
"trouble"
"he's probably all wrong" "you only have to look at him at the sports festival to see it" "maybe he'll join the villains?"
They just kept going on and on like that. Pictures of me from the sports festival, footage of my fights, all the things they could dig up about me, and all of a sudden they kept pointing at me and saying, "You have to worry that that kid is gonna go bad."
And FacePalm and the villains kept smiling whenever they said that. And my stomach started clenching.
Wait a sec…is that why -
I'd thought, at first - they just wanted to make UA look bad, or maybe they thought I was a threat and wanted me dead…but no, they were - they wanted to, to what? to make me one of them?
But OK, that didn't hurt or anything. Who the hell cares what villains think, but…but the media, everyone out there was saying it too.
"You only have to look at him to know he's bad news."
They think I'd - is that what they really think of me?
And Shigaraki turned to me with a strange grin pinning up from beneath his face hand.
"IT may be sudden but, won't you join us, Katsuki Bakugou?"
You think I'm gonna do what these assholes thing I will? Even if everyone else thinks I'm wrong…even if everything thinks I'm gonna turn wrong…I'll never do anything but what I really want to do.
"Go spare me your crap and die," I hissed back at that damn villain.
He glowered at me and then turned to the television again. Flipping through more interviews, out of nowhere -he found what looked like a press conference. Sensei and Vlad King were there, dressed in suits.
"And now, a scene from the events that have just transpired. Here's a clip of the public apology issued by the official at UA academy. On this occasion, our incompetence resulted in the injuries of 27 of our first year student heroes. Despite being an institution for the development of heroes, we were negligent in our defense against evil interests and have caused great anxiety within society. With the utmost sincerity, we respectfully and humbly apologize for our shortcomings."
Sensei…I thought
Some obnoxious reporter came in. "Reporting with NHA. This is the fourth time this ear your academy where students have come into contact with villains. This time, students were injured. How exactly did you explain this to their families? Please tell us specifically what measures have been taken to address this matter."
The principal said, "We have strengthened the security around the school, and we have re-examined the campus' crime prevention system. We are taking strong measures to guarantee the safety of our students. That was the explanation we gave."
"It's quite strange, isn't it?" sneered villain face. "Why are the heroes getting criticized? Their response was just a little too slow! Is it because it's their jobs to protect the kids? Everyone makes a mistake or two! Are they saying that they can't make a single mistake? Heroes these days are under some pretty strict standards, huh? Don't you think, Bakugou?"
"The moment that protecting people began to merit some compensation, heroes were not heroes anymore. That's Stain's teaching," snapped the lizard faced one.
"Save someone and you get money and fame. And a society that codifies that suspect thinking into it's rules. Citizens that criticize the losers who should instead be cheered on. Our battle is one of questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society really just? We want each and every individual to think about these things. We intend to win this battle! You also like winning, don't you? Dani, remove his bindings," hep pointed to the stitch face bastard who'd kidnapped me.
"What? He's just gonna go ballistic, you know."
Yer damn right.
"It's ok," said faceplate. "We have to treat him as an equal. We're scouting him out after all. Besides, he should be able to tell from the current situation that he has no possibility of winning if he goes off here. Right, UA student?"
Like hell I don't.
"Twice, free him," said stitch face.
"What? Me? No thanks!" said the villain he'd tossed the keys t.
"I apologize for taking such a forceful approach with you however. Please understand that we're not just a group of hoodlums endeavoring to perpetrate evil acts. We didn't just casually decide to abduct you," said the Magician,
Facepalm said "Everyone here has different circumstances, but people, rules,e heroes…were all shackled by them. You too should underst-"
My hands were free and i blew up his damn face palm.
"I stayed quiet and listened to you blabbering on and on! Idiots don't know how to summarize things so they go on forever. Basically, 'we wanna cause trouble, so join us, right?' Well, screw you."
And I thought to myself o fAll Might. Watching All Might videos as a kid, with Deku. Seeing All Might winning.
"I've always admired All Might's triumphs," I told those damn bastards. You can say whatever you want, but nothing can change my mind about that!"
Facepalm was looking down at his severed hand. Like I'd pulled off his favorite toy.
The TV broadcast was continuing on while he glared at the ground.. "You speak of the students' safety," the reporter barreled on ahead, "Mr. Eraserhead, but they say that during the incident you urged the students to fight, right? Please explain what you intentions were."
"Because we were unable to fully grasp the situation," said Sensei "I made the judgment, in order to avoid the worst possible outcome."
"The worst possible outcome, you say? 26 injured, one kidnapped. Would you not call that the worst possible outcome?"
"In that situation, the worst possible outcome I was envisioning was one in which the students helplessly became murder victims."
"The majority of injuries were caused by the gas attack," said Principal Nezu. "We have ascertained that the gas had hypnotic properties and was the product of one of the villains' quirks. Thanks to Ms. Kendo and Mr. Tetsutetsu's swift response, none of the students suffered any more serious injuries. We are also seeing to the mental care of the students, but at the present moment we have no indications of severe emotional trauma or anything of that sort."
"A silver lining, so to speak?" asked the reporter.
"We believe the worst has been avoided as long as the students still have their futures."
"Could you also say the same for the kidnapped student, Bakugou? Winner of your Sports Festival; his a cats of resistance against the powerful villain from the Hedoro incident. Because of his personal history, one might think that he's got a tough hero personality, but on the other hand, we saw the violent nature he displayed in the finals. His attitude leading up to the award ceremony and whatnot. He has exhibited signs of mental instability. What if his abduction was intended to exploit that behavior? What if deceptive words taint him, leading him astray to his kidnappers' path of evil?
Dammit, not again. Even to my Sensei?
"What transpired was the result of my own shortcomings," said Sensei, bowing on screen. "However, what happened at the Sports Festival - that points to the strength of his ideals. There is no one else more in pursuit of becoming the 'top hero'. If the villains perceived that as a weakness to exploit, then I would say that they are being foolish."
"Do you have a firm basis for your position?" asked the Reporter. "This is not a problem of how you feel. I am asking if you have a concrete plan for this matter."
"By no means are we standing by and doing nothing," said Principal Nezu. "We are currently carrying out an investigation in collaboration with the police. We will absolutely get our student back."
"HA!" I smirked, feeling triumphant. "UA and the teachers, you heard what they said. That's how it is, you damn scum of a league!"
Such a large scale attack to that extent, just to grab me. They're invested in me. They told me what they wanted, for me to join them. They're not gonna seriously try and kill me. There are seven of them. Before they change their mind, I'll kill two or three of them and bust my way outta here.
"We may not be at camp, but I'm still allowed to fight!"
"He understands exactly what position he's in. What a clever boy," said big lips.
"Let's stab him!" said Blondie.
"Nah, he's an idiot," said stitch face.
"If that were really the case, you could have at least pretended to be won over," said the Magician. "Why not lie?"
"If I ain't feeling something, I'm not gonna lie about it," I told him. "And I'm sick of hanging around this boring dump."
Facepalm was moving funny. The warp bastard yelled "Shigaraki, no! Calm down!"
FacePalm glared back at him suddenly, then turned one of those creepy red eyes on me. His face was wrinkled as shit underneath the hand.
"Don't lay a finger on him, any of you," he told the rest of the League of Bastards. "This kid is still an important pawn," he rolled while he bent down and picked up the damn hand, and put it back on his face.
"If possible, I would have liked for you to hear me out. I thought maybe you could understand," he said to me.
"Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin" Yeah, like Jeanist said ,huh?
"No chance."
"Then I've got no choice. The heroes say they're carrying out an investigation. we don't have the time to leisurely persuade you." He turned to some kind of camera. "Lend me your strength, Master."
"Master?" I grinned back at him. "You mean you're not the boss? What a joke."
"Kurogiri, Compress," said Facepalm. "Put him back to sleep."
"I've never met anyone as bullheaded as you before. I'm actually impressed," said Magician creep.
"You want me to listen? Go shove it and die!" I snapped back. I want to blow my way out of here with some heavy firepower. But that warping bastard will probably get in the way. Think! One way or another, I need to distract em and make for the door behind me -
Knock, knock. "Hello, Pizza delivery!"
I turned around. So did all the villains.
