Disclaimer: I own neither My Hero Academia or Persona 5
Chapter 4
There was a lone girl who sat in the library during lunch. Unlike most students, she spent her free time going through her notes and materials instead of socializing and relaxing. This wasn't because she was falling behind or had a test coming up. She was simply trying to keep her mind sharp and ready for what exams may come in the future. Her goal was to enter a prestigious college, and to do that, she had to be on top of her academics.
She was a third-year student and the student council president. Her black and red plaid skirt t went halfway down her thighs and she wore black leggings underneath it. In place of the school blazer, she wore a black vest over the required turtleneck. She had straight brunette hair that went to the nape of her neck accessorized with a braided hairband that could be easily mistaken for part of her hair. Her complexion was fair and her eyes were a piercing red.
This is Makoto Niijima.
"Did you hear about the transfer student we're supposed to get today?" Makoto could hear a girl whisper from a table down. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the chatter had interrupted her train of thought. She wanted to tell her to quiet down, but realized that it would have been rude. They were at least whispering among themselves.
"Oh, yeah, I did! A first-year, right? Doesn't he have a record or something?" This brought her some pause, but she immediately shook her head, deciding to focus on her work. It had nothing to do with her, after all.
"Yeah, that's right! He must have some crazy scary Quirk. Normally it's pretty hard to get an assault charge nowadays." The first girl hummed quietly.
"That's the scary part. Apparently he doesn't even have a Quirk!" the other one pointed out, her friend gasping in surprise. "Today was supposed to be his first day, too, but apparently he didn't even show up for class!"
"He certainly isn't helping his case if he's doing that. He looked pretty plain on the criminal record of him online, though."
Criminal record? How did they get a hold of that? Makoto found herself wondering, but she shook her head again and tried to clear her thoughts. She didn't have time for gossip.
To think that the newest transfer student had a criminal record... She was surprised that the principal would accept such a student.
And he was Quirkless? What kind of boy could they have accepted?
"I can't remember his name, but I remember what he looks like…. I think he had big, poofy curly hair that was kinda dark green… and freckles on his cheeks…"
Wait. What? That…
"I think it started with an 'M'. Mizo-Midor-Mi…"
"Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya." Makoto found herself speaking up, slowly setting her pencil down. She looked up at the girls finally, her eyes shining with curiosity and worry. "W-was that his name?!"
"O-oh, yeah! That was it!" The first girl chirped, "I'm surprised you knew, Niijima-senpai! Did you see his criminal record, too?"
"N-no, I haven't. Wh-where can I find it?" Makoto asked, walking over to the table with surprising energy.
"It was leaked to Twitter by some anonymous kid from our school, I think. Here." The second girl informed, pulling out her phone and scrolling through the page. She held up the phone and allowed Makoto to take it, who took it gingerly and looked at the file. On the page was Izuku's unmistakable face. His mugshot showed him to be on the verge of tears. The file also listed his crime and several of his personal details.
Makoto's hand slightly shook as she held the phone, but she did well to mask her discomfort. She slowly handed the phone back to the girl and offered a curt smile. "Thank you for showing me… and I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation."
"Don't worry about it, prez. It's probably best you know out of all the students anyway. Who knows what the kid is capable of, right?" The girl smiled back with a nod.
"Right… well then, I'll get going. Thank you both for that information." Makoto bowed in appreciation before returning to her books. She couldn't study, not now. She immediately packed away her pencils and notepads and stuffed them away into her school bag before turning around to leave.
I wanted to see him and Baka-cha-Bakugou someday, but I never would have imagined like this… what happened to you, Midori?
Izuku and Ryuji stared for a long moment at the strange creature, unsure what exactly they were looking at. Ryuji was the first to speak up, though he could only tilt his head in question. "Uh… you're a cat… monster… thing…"
"Sakamoto-senpai, that's probably his Quirk!" Izuku argued, turning to the cat before humming in thought. "Although… even those with cat-like appearances don't usually remain so small… your head's rather large in comparison to your body, too… it's almost like you're some kind of mascot…"
"What? No way. I've never seen a Quirk that makes someone look like this before," Ryuji argued, scratching the top of his head in thought.
"It's not that farfetched, to be honest. Have you ever seen images of the principal of U.A.?" Izuku reasoned, turning to Ryuji fully. "He's actually a mouse-type… I think... "
"The principal of-oh yeah~!" Ryuji hummed in realization. "That's right! I saw him on TV a couple of times! Usually for the Sports Festival, I think…"
"Exactly! It could be something similar to that for him, as well," Izuku declared with a satisfied nod, glancing at Morgana with more understanding. "I'm glad we cleared that up…"
"H-hey! Are you both making fun of me?!" The cat thing snapped in irritation, "I'm not a cat! Nor is this my Quirk! I think…" The cat thing said, though his last words were more subdued.
"You think? The hell is that supposed to mean?" Ryuji spat, raising a brow before shaking his head. "Wait, who cares. Let's just leave him. If it's not his Quirk, then he might be one of those creepy ass guard things."
"S-Sakamoto-senpai! I can't do that!" Izuku immediately went over to the switch. "I-it doesn't seem like the others, and it was also locked up here. I-I don't think we have to worry about him being our enemy…"
"See? This guy gets it!" The cat monster turned to Izuku with a smug grin. "You seem pretty sharp. You even caught on to the switch all on your own."
"Ah, come on, Midoriya. We don't…" Ryuji grumbled, against the idea. Breathing a sigh of exasperation, Ryuji finally conceded. "Yeah, okay, fine. My bad… At least we're able to help someone while we're here."
"Tell you what? I'll sweeten the deal. For letting me out, I'll guide you two out of this joint," The cat declared, immediately drawing their attention back to him. "That should be enough compensation for releasing me, right?"
"S-seriously?!" Ryuji muttered. Before anyone could add further to the conversation, the sound of metal footfall could be heard in the distance, drawing the attention of the three back to the way Izuku and Ryuji came in. "Ah, screw it, you got a deal! We were gonna let you out, anyways…"
Izuku gave a kind smile and opened the door for the cat creature, pulling a switch just to the left of the cell. The door swung open, the monster skipping out and stretching its body. "Feels so good to be free again!"
"Hey, cat! We don't have time to mess around, so hurry up and lead the way!" Ryuji snapped impatiently, earning a glare from the small creature.
"I'm not a cat! The name's Morgana, and don't you forget it!" It identified itself indignantly. "Besides, weren't you two both just wasting time arguing over what I was?"
"Whatever, just hurry up and lead us outta here!" Ryuji disregarded. Before Morgana could retort, Izuku decided to step in, holding his hands up to ease them both.
"C-come on, guys. We've got to focus on escaping… there's no reason to keep fighting," He turned back to Morgana with hopeful eyes. "Now please, Morgana-san, lead us out of here."
"Well, at least one of you can keep a level head," Morgana snickered, rubbing its paw under his nose. "Alright then, you two. Stay close and follow me. Across this bridge, hurry!"
The cat didn't have to tell them twice, the two following after Morgana without hesitation as he ran across the bridge. For something that small with such tiny legs, Morgana was surprisingly fast, easily outpacing the teenagers despite their own desperate sprint forward. As the three crossed the bridge, they walked right into an enemy knight, Ryuji skidding his feet on the ground as he came to a stop. "Ah shit, an enemy!" He cried out in shock. Morgana didn't seem deterred, taking a position in front of the two with a cocky smirk on his mascot-like face.
"Such an amateur. Watch and learn!" The cat declared before glancing at Izuku. The green haired teen's clothes had transformed the moment they encountered the knight, Izuku only further confused by what was going on with his strange new powers. "Hey, it looks like you can fight. Help me out."
"Wh-what?" Izuku blinked in surprise for a moment before quickly catching on, nodding in acceptance. "A-alright, I'll do what I can!"
"Good, then! Now come, Zorro!" Morgana proclaimed. A flash of blue flame suddenly erupted around his body, causing Ryuji and Izuku to cover their eyes in shock. A figure clad in black rose from the feline creature's body. Its massive torso looked far too unwieldy for its spindly legs to support. It wore a Spanish black suit and had a round, flat head with cat-like eyes and an absurdly long, pointed mustache that went past either side of its head. It held a rapier between its thumb and index finger that looked too small to be of any use considering its girth, which it brandished in a Z pattern in the air before pointing the sword at the opposing knights.
"S-so you have one too, then...?" Izuku muttered in shock, eyes gazing up at the large being hovering above Morgana.
"Wh-why does the friggin' cat have one too?!" Ryuji blurted out in shock.
"Hey, eyes forward! Focus on our enemies." Morgana ordered, Izuku blinking after a moment before quickly snapping his attention forward toward the guards. Like before, they shed their armor, forming a black ooze before rising from it. Like before, a pumpkin-headed monster appeared, but this time its companion was different. It was an impish creature with large beady eyes and a slender body. On its crotch, a large horn stuck out past its knees. If their lives weren't in danger, Izuku might have made a comment about how strange it looked.
"Aw, dude, is that thing its dong?!"
Apparently Ryuji felt more inclined to make the first comment on it.
"Who cares, we're in the middle of a fight!" Morgana groaned in irritation, pulling out a scimitar from nowhere. Just like before, Izuku found a staff in his hands. "Anyways, get ready. They're intercepting us and blocking our exit. We're going to have to fight our way through."
"U-understood." Izuku nodded in acceptance, reaching up and pulling the mask from his face, summoning Carter above him. To his relief, the action of removing the mask was no longer painful nor did it cause him to bleed. "Carter, shine down!" The mumbling teen ordered, the large being forming a ball of light in his palm before pitching it like a fastball. The jack-o-lantern monster recoiled in pain, but withstood the attack, hissing in anger as it darted forward.
"Heh, you're a beginner, alright. Let me show you how it's done." Morgana scoffed, jumping forward. "Come forth, my other self!" Zorro twirled its blade in a Z shape and unleashing a strong gust of wind. This hit the pumpkin monster dead on and, unlike before, knocked the monster off its nonexistent feet, its body hitting the ground with a thud as it seemed dazed.
"I-it seemed more effective than my attack! Was it that much more powerful?!" Izuku inquired aloud, eyes trained on the fallen monster.
"Not quite. Most Shadows usually have a weakness you can exploit. That one was weak to wind. They all have different weaknesses, though, so it's up to you to find them," Morgana explained, watching the impish monster carefully.
It was keeping its distance, having realized that it was likely going to have to charge in alone now that its pumpkin-headed ally was incapacitated. "This is a basic thing to know when fighting Shadows, so remember it well."
"Shadows?" Midoriya repeated, looking back up at the monsters. "So that's what they're called?"
"Watch out, that one's coming in for an attack!" Morgana warned, pulling Izuku from his thoughts. He raised his staff in hopes of blocking the imp's assault, but he missed the timing, allowing the imp to rake its claws across his chest. Izuku grit his teeth in pain as he touched his wound gingerly, feeling where the material of his attire had been ripped open.
"D-damn it, it hits pretty hard…"
"Don't worry, I've got you covered!" Morgana announced, summoning Zorro once again. "Dia!" With a quick flourish of its sword, the towering being cast something that surrounded Izuku in a green light, his wound and clothes mending themselves until it looked like he was never injured at all.
"Wh-whoa, I'm all healed…" Izuku muttered in shock. Not even Recovery Girl's Quirk worked that fast. He didn't have time to dwell on it, as the imp came back for another slash. Izuku made sure to dodge this time, quickly sidestepping the monster.
His teeth clenched as adrenaline began to surge through his veins, Izuku summoned his courage and swung his staff, slamming the monster in the side of the head. It knocked the Shadow back a few meters but it wasn't down for the count. Izuku didn't bother to wait and see if it would retort, quickly summoning Carter and pointing forward.
"Kouha!" Another ball of light flew forward, knocking the imp to the ground.
"Great hit! Now, let's finish 'em off!" Morgana ordered again.
With a single nod in agreement, Izuku followed the cat's lead, both summoning their other selves and hurling their powers towards their respective targets. With a wail of pain, both the imp and the jack-o-lantern burst into thin air, the final blow from their attacks finishing them off.
With their enemy destroyed, Morgana turned to Izuku, flashing a large grin on his round head,. "Not bad for a newbie, I'll give you that. Your Persona is pretty strong, too."
Izuku was breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow on his sleeve before turning to Morgana with a small grin of his own.
"Th-thanks… b-but I am feeling pretty tired…" Izuku admitted, leaning forward on his knees before placing his thumb and index finger over his mouth in thought. "B-but still, it's interesting to learn that these Shadows all have certain weaknesses… in future combat situations, it would be best to look for these first before using physical attacks, that way we can finish them off much faster. The problem is that it doesn't look like we have a lot of different attributes at our disposal. It would be wise to determine how many attributes there are…"
Izuku continued to mutter to himself as, Ryuji and Morgana looked on in confusion.
"Does… he always do this?" Morgana asked, tilting his head over to look at Ryuji.
"Uh, well, I mean I just met him, but uh, he did do somethin' like this a bit earlier…" Ryuji said, kicking the ground awkwardly. "H-hey, dude! You're doing that mumbly thing again."
"Huh?" Izuku finally stopped as he turned back to his companions, blushing in embarrassment as he realized what he was doing. "O-oh, s-s-sorry about that! I got really lost in thought…" clearing his throat, Izuku stood straight and turned to Morgana.
"S-so, these powers we have… they're called Personas?"
"You mean those bigass monsters that come out of you all dramatic-like?" Ryuji asked this time, walking up and joining the two now that the threat was dealt with.
"That's right. They are what is called a Persona." Morgana nodded in confirmation. "Notice how he tore off his mask when he summoned it? You see, everyone has a mask within their heart that they wear to protect them…" Morgan began to explain. Before he could finish, a flash of blue flame surrounded Izuku once again, changing his clothes back to normal.
"Wh-what? I'm back to normal…" Izuku muttered, glancing down at his attire that had returned to his school clothes.
"Weird. It looks like you don't have full control over your powers, yet." Morgana hummed in thought, tilting his head in wonder. "Normally your clothes wouldn't shift like that-"
"Hey, can we save this for later?! It's confusin' as hell and I really don't get any of it…" Ryuji grumbled, the cat turning to him in annoyance.
"Can't you just sit still and listen for a second?! You're the one asking all of these questions!" Morgana huffed, shaking his head before looking down the path. "On second thought, let's just get going. We don't have time to be standing around talking, anyways. The guards will find us if we stay."
"Y-you're right. We need to leave as quickly as possible…" Izuku agreed, glancing back at the cages that hung over the river. "Once we get out, we'll be able to help these people…"
"Help these people?" Morgana repeated, raising a brow at the green haired teen. "You need to be focused more on saving yourselves than anyone else, curly hair. Not that these people matter, anyway. Now come on!" Morgana ordered, dashing off ahead of them and causing them both to blink.
"Wh-hey! Don't just say somethin' so cynical then start running off!" Ryuji snapped in annoyance, taking off after the cat alongside Izuku. "Just because you wanna save yourself doesn't mean you gotta be heartless!"
"H-he's right! There's no way we can leave these people just to be tortured! That's terrible!" Izuku agreed, shouting after Morgana as he ran.
"Ugh, you guys just don't get it. I'm not saying it because I'm being heartless, I-" Morgana came to a halt after stopping at the top of the stairs, widening his eyes and smiling. "We're almost out, just across this bridge!" Morgana told them, Izuku and Ryuji quickly joining him at the top. While the drawbridge was raised, there was another Kamoshida statue nearby, the switch likely in the same place.
"Well, at least we're almost outta this shitshow…" Ryuji sighed in relief, walking forward after Morgana.
Izuku merely nodded, but what Morgana had told them continue to rub Izuku the wrong way. How could they just leave all of these people behind to be tortured? It didn't make any sense. Morgana didn't seem like the type of person to be so callous, but again, they had only just met. Still, he couldn't help but be bothered by the statement.
"Hey look, over here!" Izuku was pulled from his thoughts, looking up to see Ryuji standing in front of one of the cages. Jogging over to join him, Izuku widened his eyes to see another teen lying on the ground, wearing a P.E. outfit from what Izuku could tell.
"Who is this guy? He looks familiar but…" Ryuji groaned in irritation, scratching his head. "Damn it, I'm too damn nervous! I can't think straight!"
"Hey, I told you guys already, didn't I? These people don't matter." Morgana reminded them, Izuku raising a brow in question. "Look, there's no enough time to explain. We need to-" before he could say anything further, the bridge seemed to lower on its own. Shuffling across came another sole guard, quickly causing the cat to groan. "Damn it, I told you both to listen…"
"W-we'll just fight like before." Izuku stated firmly, his previous outfit returning to him once again.
"Huh. You know, for a stuttery guy, you're pretty brave, huh?" Morgana turned to the Shadow and smirking.
"I like that." It quickly dissolved into a black mess, this time summoning forth a different creature. It was a small woman with pixie wings, wearing a blue one-piece with matching gloves and boots. Like with the previous one, two had spawned from the armor.
"Carter!" Izuku called out as he ripped the mask off, the Persona materializing into existence. It seemed to understand Izuku's intent, flying forward and slamming its fist into the fairy and knocking it down.
"Nice, you landed a solid hit!" Morgana grinned before turning to the other Shadow. "Zorro, show your might!" The cat's persona appeared, unleashing a torrent of wind once again on the other. The fairy took damage, but didn't fall like those before it. Instead, it flew forward and attacked Morgana.
"Too slow!" Morgana taunted as he jumped over its feeble assault, as he came back down from the air, Morgana slashed at it with his scimitar, finishing off the pixie with a slash and dispersing it into black ooze, like before.
Izuku jumped forward with his staff, slamming it down on the creature he had knocked off its feet and causing it to disperse. With a deep breath, Izuku started to relax, dismissing Carter and watching as the blue flames dismissed his clothes again. Standing up straight, Izuku rolled his shoulders, feeling his stamina slowly draining from all the fighting, but still capable of continuing on.
"Not bad, curly hair. Not bad at all." Morgana chuckled, zipping up to Izuku and placing his paws on his hips. "You certainly don't look much like a fighter, but you've definitely got backbone."
"Hey, guys! Help me get this guy. I think we can at least carry him out." Ryuji called out, turning their attention to him. The blond was getting ready to open the cage, only for Morgana to groan.
"Will you pay attention?! You can't worry about others right now, and you shouldn't anyway! I don't have time to explain why, but that guy and no one else here matters!" Morgana snapped in annoyance, jumping to the front of the bridge to get ready to leave.
"T-then please, tell me why he doesn't matter!" shouted Izuku , causing Morgana to blink. "I-if you can at least make me understand, th-then I'll listen. I-if you won't and can't wait, th-then take Sakamoto-senpai ahead with you and I-I'll stay back and help carry him out."
"W-wait, what?! Are you crazy?!" Morgana blanched in shock, jaw dropping as he watched Izuku join Ryuji at the cell.
"I-I can fight Sakamoto-senpai, so you can leave with Morgana-san if you want." Izuku pointed out.
"Dude…" Ryuji muttered, his amazement of Izuku only rising. With a large grin, Ryuji shook his head. "Naw, man. You've got me all fired up! I'll carry him for you and you can cover our backs. The cat can leave if he wants." They both turned to Morgana, who only stared at them both in disbelief.
"You chivalrous morons, damn it!" Morgana snapped in annoyance. In truth, he was actually a bit impressed by their resolve, but that didn't change a single fact: "That guy is nothing like either of you! He's not real!"
Ryuji and Izuku widened their eyes in confusion.
"Wh-what do you mean 'not real'?" Izuku asked, unsure how to take such an answer. Before Morgana could answer, they heard distant marching from the path they came.
"Ugh, I don't have time to explain that! Just know that what I said is true! He may look like a human, but that thing is sort of like the Shadows we've been fighting!" Morgana summarized for them, looking back at their previous path and groaning.
"Look, I gave the best explanation I can for what little time we've got. I'm going. If you idiots want to save a meaningless fake, be my guest."
"Y-you could be lying to make us go!" Ryuji snapped back, only further confused by Morgana's explanation before turning to Izuku in question. "Wh-what do you think?" To his surprise, Izuku looked rather thoughtful, holding his chin.
"He might be right…"
"W-wait, what?! You actually-" The footsteps started to get closer, Ryuji grimacing at the thought of reinforcements.
"Look, curly hair seems to get it. If you trust him, then go on that hunch at least," Morgana exclaimed before turning back to the bridge. "I gave you both what I can. I'm going." with that, Morgana dashed off by himself. Ryuji looked down at Izuku, pleading for a real answer. Izuku was sweating a bit, unsure of his choice, but nodded.
"Let's go, Sakamoto-sempai. I think I at least understand a bit of what he means." Izuku declared. Clicking his tongue, Ryuji nodded, resigning himself to running away.
"And right when I was getting all fired up about bein' a Hero…" The two quickly sprinted across the bridge. Thankfully, Morgana had been waiting for them at the other side, ushering for them to follow after. Once they caught up, he lead them up a flight of stone stairs and through another door. This time, they were in familiar territory: the front entrance of this castle.
"Th-this is the main hall we were captured in…" Izuku muttered aloud, glancing at the front doors.
"Don't bother with that, they've probably locked it up after you guys just strolled in here," Morgana declared, waving a paw. "This way, we'll go out one of the side entrances." He lead them past the main doors, both boys a bit reluctant to pass by the freedom that looked so close, but decided to put their trust in the cat for now. Once they reached the opposite hall, they were faced with two doors.
"Alright, we're here," Morgana announced. Ryuji, in his haste, ran to the farthest door to the right, trying to bust it open with his shoulder but only finding it locked.
"Damn it! This thing won't open! Did you trick us after-"
"S-Sakamoto-sempai…"
Ryuji looked up at Izuku to see him pushing the other door open, causing Ryuji to frown in embarrassment.
"You do realize that your exit was to the left, right?" Morgana scoffed, picking on Ryuji as he shook his head and entered the room.
"H-hey, wait up!" Ryuji fumbled after the two, quickly closing the door behind them. Compared to anything they had seen so far, this room was quite modest. It had bookshelves around them and even a wooden table with chairs. Looking around, it seemed like they were still at a dead end, though Izuku was quick to spot out a way out:
"Up there, that ventilation shaft!" Izuku pointed out above the bookcase. It was covered by an iron mesh, but it didn't look particularly strong.
"You've got a good eye, curly hair. You're pretty quick on uptake, too. Unlike your blondie pal over here." Morgana chuckled, immediately causing Ryuji to click his tongue in annoyance.
"Don't call me blondie! The name is Ryuji!" He snapped before looking up at the mesh. "That shouldn't be too hard to pull off. Let me handle this one." Ryuji offered, setting down their school bags and climbing up the bookshelf. With several hard tugs on the mesh, the stone finally gave in, Ryuji falling on his back with a thud, but having successfully given them an exit. "Ow… I hope no one heard that…"
"Good job, Sakamoto-senpai!" Izuku grinned, going to his side and helping the blond stand. Shaking his body out, Ryuji seemed to be just fine, dusting off his shirt and pants.
"Alright, you two. Get going." Morgana ushered them out, Ryuji and Izuku turning to him in surprise.
"You're not comin' with us?" Ryuji asked curiously, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I've still got stuff I need to do here. This is where we part ways." Morgana explained, shaking his head.
"Th-thank you for your help, Morgana-san." Izuku said in appreciation, offering a small bow.
"Heh, you've got some manners." Morgana chuckled, pointing toward the shaft. "Now be careful on your-"
"B-before I go, though…" Izuku interrupted, glancing back up at Morgana. "Do you think we… have time to answer some questions first?" Ryuji and Morgana blinked in surprise, the cat glancing back worriedly at the door.
"You know, he is right. After what you told us back there, some answers would be nice." Ryuji admitted, crossing his arms expectantly.
Looking up between the two, Morgana released a heavy sigh, dashing back to the door and peeking out ever so slightly. The coast had been clear and he didn't sense any enemies close by. "I suppose I can answer a couple questions… but make it fast!"
Not wasting any time, Izuku spoke up first. "Back there, you said that those people in the cages weren't like us, that they were fake. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I was surprised you actually bought that. You really think those people aren't real?" Ryuji spoke this time, looking at Izuku.
"I only sort of believe it. It made no sense that Kamoshida-sensei would have so many students locked up in some dungeon. There would have been reports of such massive numbers of students disappearing beforehand, and I haven't seen anything on the news like that of late," Izuku explained, his logic now bringing Ryuji pause. "It could be argued that they had arrived at the same time as us, slightly before or after, but many of them looked like they had been held captive for a long time. We were also the only ones treated as intruders of the castle. Not to mention no one else is trying to run away or struggle. It makes no sense at all…"
Izuku laid out his thoughts for them, his insight on the situation surprising both of his companions. "To be honest, it's becoming easier and easier to believe that they're not real people. But I still want to know how and why."
Izuku's eyes fell expectantly to Morgana, who was in the middle of clearing his throat. "I have to say, I'm surprised how fast you caught onto it on your own. I suppose since you've realized all that, I can be honest. This place, this castle and those kids. They are nothing but cognitive creations of someone with heavily distorted desires. All of which exist in the world of cognition."
"Cognition?" Izuku repeated, raising a brow as he contemplated the answer.
"B-but wait a sec-that doesn't make any sense!" Ryuji exclaimed, jumping into the conversation. "Kamoshida is here and everything! I know for sure that bastard is real! Though… I've never seen him dress or act like a complete ass like that…"
"That Kamoshida fellow, the king of this castle that you met, is both Kamoshida and not Kamoshida." Morgana declared, placing his paws on his hips. "A Shadow is the manifestation of negative human emotions. When a strong Shadow exists, it attracts lesser Shadows, which were the ones we were fighting up to this point. Another thing to remember is that this world of cognition exists alongside you at all times. Now, in this cognitive world, there are places that are generated by a Shadow with strong, distorted desires. These places take up a small portion of this cognitive world for their own. This is what I like to call a 'Palace'."
"W-wait, slow down. I'm having trouble processing all of this!" Ryuji waved his hands, earning a tired sigh from Morgana. Izuku, on the other hand, just nodded in understanding.
"So basically, this place is how Kamoshida views the world around him on the inside," Izuku simplified so that Ryuji might understand a bit better. "If that's true, then that means Shujin Academy really is like his castle to him, then."
"W-wait, what?! What do you mean?" Ryuji snapped his head to look at Izuku, the green haired teen glancing up at him now.
"Remember, Sakamoto-senpai. The sign outside of the castle said this was Shujin Academy. Even the path to get here was the same as the one you've normally taken before, right?" Izuku pointed out for the blond, having examined all of the data he collected in his mind. "That means that Kamoshida-sensei's distortion exists the strongest at the school. He views it exactly the way you said he does."
"... oh… Oh!" Ryuji widened his eyes, seemingly understanding it for himself, though Morgana doubted that he completely got it. "I-I think I get what you're saying! That son of a bitch!" Ryuji cursed, huffing in irritation for a moment.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him, his eyes widening in shock before turning to them. "But wait, that still doesn't explain how we got here, though!"
"That's true. That part is still a mystery…" Izuku admitted, glancing at Morgana. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Sorry, nothing that comes to mind. You'll have to figure that one out on your own," Morgana admitted, glancing back at the door. "Alright, I've answered enough questions for now. If you want to learn more about all of this, you'll have to come back here sometime. I've got my own objectives to fulfill. Now get going!"
Ryuji and Izuku glanced at one another and nodded. Izuku had at least gotten some answers from Morgana regarding this place, though he still had plenty of questions that he needed to ask. Still, what they had learned was better than nothing.
"Thank you, Morgana-san. Maybe… maybe we'll come back."
"Y-yeah, I wanna know what the hell is really going on with this place, too." Ryuji nodded before climbing up the bookshelf. "See you later, cat."
"I told you, I'm not a cat!" Morgana snapped, only to be promptly ignored by the blond as he climbed through the ventilation shaft.
"The nerve of that guy…" Morgana hummed to himself as he watched them climb out. "Still… those two could be useful to me. Especially the curly haired one…"
Izuku and Ryuji had sprinted for the gates once they had reached the outer wall of the castle. They went out the same way they came through the alleys, only coming to a stop once they reached the main street. The sight of so many people was a huge reassurance to both boys as they gasped for air. "S-so I guess we made it, then?"
Izuku glanced around at the city, noticing that people seemed to be going about their days like normal. He didn't know how or why, but it seemed that they had escaped the supposed world of cognition.
"I-I think we're safe…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking the signal. This time it was at full strength, but it looked like the ghost app that had haunted him before was still open on the center screen.
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."
"W-wait, what'd it say?" Ryuji muttered. "The real world?"
Ryuji scanned his surroundings again. Everything was perfectly normal. "D-damn it, even though you and the cat explained everything, I'm still lost as hell!"
S-so wait, this app knew where we had traveled? Does that mean… Izuku mused to himself, a bit of sweat trailing down his brow. "
W-was it because of this app that-"
"Hey! You two!" Ryuji and Izuku jumped at the sudden voice, turning to see two police officers approaching them, one towing a bike along. "Shouldn't you both be in school? You're both student's at Shujin, right?"
"Are you cutting classes?" The other officer asked, both looking at them with suspicion.
"What? No!" Ryuji snapped, his previous irritation still lingering from his rather rough experience in the castle. "We were on our way to school when-"
"S-Sakamoto-senpai!" Izuku suddenly shouted, causing the blond turn back to him in question. He quickly shook his head, hoping that Ryuji might get the message. He then turned to the officers and bowed heavily in apology.
"W-we're sorry, officers! W-we were running late because of the subway accidents that have been occurring!" Ryuji blinked in shock and the officer's raised a brow in question before looking at one another.
"Well... it is true that they've been thrown into chaos thanks to the accidents…" One officer relented, turning back to both teens. "Alright, you can go. Hurry up to Shujin now and don't make any stops. It's already late in the day as it is."
"Y-yes, officers! We'll be sure to do just that!" Izuku nodded, grabbing Ryuji's arm and pulling him toward the alley again. The blond punk could only do a double take, looking at the officers and Izuku twice before conceding in silence, turning and following after his junior obediently. After the two were out of earshot, Ryuji snapped his head toward Izuku.
"W-what the heck, man?! Why'd you stop me from tellin' them?"
"I-if we're back in the real world, then it's safe to assume that the castle is gone, Sakamoto-senpai. Telling them that we just came from a castle might make them think we're on drugs or something…" Izuku explained for the blond, Ryuji blinking in realization.
"O-oh… yeah, I-uh… guess that makes sense…" Ryuji slumped his shoulders in defeat. "So then… we're just gonna stroll back to school like nothing happened?"
"I-I guess so… I-I really don't know what's going on or how we got there, but… we have to pretend like nothing happened, okay? We'll have to look out for teachers too, since we're running so late…" Izuku laid out for Ryuji to understand, the taller teen sighing.
"Yeah, I guess… but that shit was so crazy! I-I can't believe we were in some friggin' castle! In some other world, no less!" Ryuji exclaimed, the volume of his voice making Izuku flinch. He definitely wasn't Kacchan, but Ryuji was still pretty loud in his own right. "Quirks and shit be damned, this is a whole new effin' level of crazy!"
"J-just remember to keep to yourself about it, Sakamoto-senpai… no one will understand it except us…" Izuku warned again, the blond nodding in acceptance. After walking the same path that led them to that nightmarish place, the two couldn't help but hold their breath as they approached the school.
When it came into view, they couldn't stop the sigh of relief to see the plain, boring school building that they had been expecting from the start. Ryuji then held up a finger, stopping Izuku in his tracks before peering around the corner of the main gate.
"Alright… looks clear. Doesn't look like those cops ratted us out." Ryuji declared, waving for Izuku to join him. "We're still gonna get in heaps of shit, but at least we don't have to deal with a teacher right off the bat." Ryuji sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Today's been crazy as hell and I just wanna get it over with…" he looked back at Izuku and sighed. "Let's talk about it more later. Meet me on the rooftop after school, okay? We'd better get to classes now and get 'em over with."
"A-alright, Sakamoto-senpai. I'll see you then." Izuku nodded, waving goodbye as the blond departed. His class was on the third floor, but if he remembered correctly, he was to see Kawakami first.
Sh-she's likely going to be pretty upset when she sees me…
Izuku sighed, hanging his head as he walked forward into the hall. It seemed strange that, after the day he'd had so far, Izuku would even be concerned about such things. But he was back in reality, and had to deal with real life issues again.
The moment he rounded the corner to climb the stairs, Izuku found himself bumping into someone, almost getting knocked down and having to regain his balance. "A-ah, I'm really sorry about-" He began apologizing until he saw who it was: Kamoshida.
"Oh, it's alright. No harm done." The coach waved off, offering a strangely kind smile to the green haired teen. Izuku saw through it, though, the image of that "king" flashing before his eyes where Kamoshida stood. He had remained silent after the teacher's words, unintentionally staring at the coach in both fear and disgust.
Seeing this, Kamoshida raised a brow. "Is something the matter?"
"Huh?" Izuku blinked before realizing what he was doing. "N-n-no! N-not at all! I-I just n-need to find the faculty office…" Izuku fumbled for an excuse, Kamoshida crossing his arms as he thought for a moment. Suddenly realization hit him.
"Oh, I know who you are. You're the transfer student, right?" Kamoshida hummed, looking down on Izuku with a darker expression. "You know, you're not going to help your reputation by showing up so late on the first day of school. Especially with that record of yours."
Izuku flinched at the mere mention of his criminal record.
So all the teachers were told about it, then…
Out of everyone in school, Kamoshida would definitely rank as the one person he would have liked to not know about that after what he saw of his cognitive world.
Without receiving a response, Kamoshida decided to continue. "Well, you seem like a rather jumpy boy, so it's probably best that you don't draw anymore unwanted attention to yourself. I'll overlook this for today. I'm sure the principal also told you this, but cause any trouble, and you'll be expelled, got it?"
Izuku hung his head low, not wanting to look into Kamoshida's eyes. Not out of shame, but more out of disgust for the man. "... I understand, sensei."
"Good. At any rate, head up this stairs and go down the hall on your right once you get up to the second floor. I'm sure Kawakami-sensei is tired of waiting for you." Kamoshida pointed out for Izuku, the teen nodding in acceptance and walking around the coach to hurry up the stairs.
"Oh, and by the way…" Izuku stopped, glancing over his shoulder with one eye at the coach. Kamoshida gave a warm smile, but Izuku could sense the malice behind it. "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life here."
Izuku raised a brow at that but said nothing. Kamoshida didn't wait for his reply either way, and continued down the hall. Thinking back to the coach's Shadow, Izuku could tell that the man was in no way kind. That final comment was almost like he was taunting Izuku. But he couldn't tell why.
Even if he's not a good person, would a teacher actually do bad things to his students?
To be continued…
EDIT: Thanks goes to reppuzan for taking the time to go back on my previous chapters and clean them up nicely!
Wow, that chapter went a lot smoother than I was expecting! The first two pages were already kind of done since I had gone into them from the previous chapter but decided to cut off, but I think that it worked out for the best. So far the general number of words has stuck to around 7 thousand per, and I might as well keep it that way. Doesn't mean it might not shorten or raise in the future, but it's good for keeping a general idea of the length of what most chapters might be.
The hardest thing to figure out would be how Izuku might react to the facts about the cognitive world. I think he would definitely be able to figure it out more easily than Akira considering his level of intelligence. Akira was also more of a 'go with the flow' type anyways. A thing to note about how different the characters are in the first place. The evidence was all over the wall, considering what they saw.
Anyway, that's about it for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review, follow and a favorite!