Chapter 13: Perseverance
Introduction
V/O (Hikari): Hey everyone! Welcome back!
V/O (Katsuki): Too loud….
V/O (Hikari): Oh, sorry. I'm starting the introduction today. We just finished my quirk training and unfortunately he is still under the effects of my quirk…
V/O (Katsuki): You're under the effects of your quirk!
V/O (Hikari): That makes no sense and you know it….or do you? I knew this was a bad idea to do this again…like you are gonna remember this when it all wears off anyway...
V/O (Katsuki): Hmph…I haven't lost yet!
V/O (Hikari): Yeah, yeah…I know…anyway, we officially finished part one of MHA: Hope, the origin story of how I became a hero! Today starts part two, my starting line! It's going to be ep–…hey, where are you going?
V/O (Katsuki): I need to get it before it gets away! [leaves room]
V/O (Hikari): [sigh] Anyway, this part is going to be epic! And in this cha– [looks over to Katsuki. Face goes white] Uh, I'll just let you guys read it and find out about the chapter yourselves. Plus Ultra! [runs out of room]
"How ya holdin' up?" Kirishima nudged Katsuki, shaking him from a daze.
"Heh!?" Katsuki jolted with a start.
A week had passed since Katsuki and Hikari snuck out to Kinau City to visit Hiroyuki. Katsuki would have thought that by now the teachers would know about Hikari, she would be in their custody, and they'd be on their way to locating and taking down this Despair bastard. The reality was, they were not at this point and Katsuki felt further away from talking to anyone about it. To his defense, it was much harder to bring up the topic now that Aizawa– and everyone else– believed he had met up with Hiroyuki a week and a half ago. He couldn't fathom how Aizawa would react if he found out that he had lied about who he'd met in Manami City and that he had been aiding and abetting the wanted criminal Hikari in his dorm room. Not to mention how Aizawa would feel that it'll have been a week and a half of deceit and secrecy. If Katsuki was being completely honest, he felt a small twinge of pride in himself for managing this feat. Deku would have caved within the hour, though who was actually comparing? Definitely not Katsuki. In any case, Katsuki had no plan to talk to the teachers at this point in time and began thinking maybe he would just not. It wasn't bad having her around, she was useful in her own way. Maybe he just enjoyed the company.
"Woah, didn't mean to startle you, you looked awake…" Kirishima looked apologetically.
"Hah?! Course I was awake and I'm just fine…so stop asking already…" Katsuki spat back, glaring at the redhead standing before him.
Katsuki just wasn't feeling himself today, that's all. Even though he knew he was lying to himself, admitting he was in way over his head felt like a death sentence so like hell he'd admit anything at all!
Since the hospital visit, Hikari had been working hard. The sad, defeated girl Katsuki brought in almost two weeks ago barely showed now. She still cried a lot, but she wasn't giving up and was growing stronger by the minute. Katsuki felt like he had to step it up on the daily because she kept catching up quickly, keeping pace with him and actually almost socking him a few times–like hell he was gonna let her get a punch in though. Something was lit under her.
When they weren't sparring, Katsuki had her use her quirk on him— a lot. They had found out she could still use her quirk through regular glasses, but not through tinted ones. With some trial and error, they also found out she could vary the intensity of the feeling she was sending. They tried out all sorts of emotions for this one, but he decided the worst one was when she made him laugh. He had gone from being able to keep himself from letting out a chuckle to being on the ground, laughing so hard that his insides hurt. He actually threw up and almost pissed himself. He couldn't stop or control it– those five minutes felt like eternity.
"Glad you're in high spirits, bro! Want to borrow my notes? I didn't see you write anything down in class today, figured you had fallen asleep but maybe you were just out of it."
"Why the hell were you staring at me during class? And I don't need YOUR notes…they're probably shit!"
"Harsh, man! I tried extra hard today, too, in case you needed them…"
"Yeah? Well, I don't. And I'm fine. So stop already!"
Kirishima's constant concern was tugging at what little energy he had left–and of course he wouldn't admit to the culprit of his lack of stamina at this moment, but training was taking a toll on him. Even though the varying degree's test training was exhausting, it wasn't the worst worst was testing out how far she could go–how many times could she use her quirk on him before she exhausted herself. It was like a game of chicken, a prospect that excited them both. The goal was to see who would drop first–though initially to Katsuki it was how many quirks could she use before she'd pass out. There wasn't any way he'd go down. She got to feeling 25 before he had to tap out–failing. It was actually impressive how she managed to figure out 25 different feelings to send him–it fascinated him yet pissed him off to no end. By 25, he couldn't even think straight and blacked out. According to Hikari, apparently he tapped out and was pacing about, going in circles around the room muttering to himself. He couldn't remember any of it. By the time he came to, he was laying in the middle of the floor staring at the ceiling. He felt exhausted, but knew all the 25 feelings were gone.
Katsuki had her try this out again, afterall, the first time had to be a fluke or he just wasn't ready for it. What could go wrong? Feeling 25 comes and he is out again. Now Katsuki made it his life mission to get past 25, but after each time it became apparent that 25 was the limit for him, not for her. It was infuriating, like he couldn't beat her. He wasn't going down like this! So the trial continued. Again, and again, and again.
Eventually Hikari had to refuse to do this anymore because Katsuki wouldn't quit. Each black out he acted differently and erratically. They'd end up in fist fights where she felt like she wasn't going to make it out alive or he'd be curled up on the beanbag couch crying or laughing–Hikari wasn't sure– or trying to strip down because the room was "too damn hot." The last straw was when he almost fell off the balcony because he was chasing something–Hikari couldn't say what it was but clearly it was important to Katsuki…whatever it was. It took every piece of strength she had to grab him and pull him back over the edge. Then, of course, it was perfect timing for Kirishima to walk out on the balcony to check on the commotion. Hikari barely managed to get along the wall of the balcony and Katsuki managed to gain enough of himself back to flip Kirishima off for being too nosy and clarify to him that he was fine. Hikari didn't want that to happen again, so she drew the line and made sure they didn't cross it.
"Sorry, man; it must be rough, you know? Having to deal with that quirk not knowing if or when it will end and not even being able to talk to the guy who did this to you because he died…just wanna help is all," Kirishima replied.
"Tch…it's nothin'. Just annoying. Everyone else is the problem! Enjoying this crap…and don't say you aren't finding this amusing! I see you getting involved in all the bets!" Katsuki responded.
This whole thing was a bad joke and his classmates just got a kick from it, even Kirishima. Katsuki and Hikari not only learned a lot about her quirk during these training sessions but the constant use of Hikari's quirk in these sessions had also come with unfortunate consequences. Now she wasn't able to control how long it lasted–not like she had control to begin with, but it was always five minutes. Now sometimes her quirk lasted hours, and she was nowhere close to figuring out how to control the duration, or how to get it to stop.
This was an issue because Katsuki would end up at school with varying feelings they had been working on that day. To cover up the weirdness and avoid questioning, Katsuki had to pretend that he was still under the effects of Hiroyuki's quirk. So the sudden laughing during math class, the crying during literature class, the drunkenness during history, and whatever other random feelings were all because of Hiroyuki. Aizawa didn't press further and believed him, as did Recovery Girl. His classmates decided to create the game of "which Katsuki will it be today" and Katsuki never hated his classmates more. But he let it go–sort of. This excuse was perfect. No one could confirm Hiroyuki's quirk, no one could ask him. This also made it harder for Katsuki to come clean. He was in too deep now.
"You caught me, but doesn't mean I'm not concerned…"
"Well, don't be. It's more annoying."
"Fine, I'll try to stop checking in on you…but one last thing…you look more tired than usual. Usually you'd have fallen asleep in class if you were affected by his quirk, but you've been out of it. You sure you're gonna be okay?"
Katsuki felt his skin crawl from that question. In addition to the quirk training, ever since the Tomiya Village Massacre, and Hikari using her quirk on him that day, every night he had nightmares of Hikari being in Despair's hands. Each night, the images were becoming more and more vivid. The man in black still didn't have a face, but definitely started to look familiar to him. He believed this guy to be Despair. Other people would come in and out of the room: those he didn't recognize but was certain they must have been Despair's henchmen. At first, he thought maybe these nightmares were a figment of his imagination. But it felt real each time, forcing him into a sweat in the middle of the night, and unable to fall back to sleep. Denial was his best friend and worst enemy.
"Stop asking already! It's just the dumb quirk at work…" Katsuki growled, snapping at Kirishima. Before Kirishima could respond the teacher entered the room and Kirishima was forced to go back to his seat.
. . .
"How long did my quirk last today?" Hikari asked, lifting 8lb weights while watching the television. She had picked up the habit of working out while watching something on the t.v. It started with the food channel, but quickly moved onto some romantic dramas. She loved the food, but every time the chef was making something delicious looking she'd stop in her tracks and immediately want to go down to the kitchen to cook something. She'd end up downstairs stealing a snack instead, which didn't help her training in the least bit. After Katsuki scolded her for overhearing his classmates mention that snacks were going missing in the dorm, she settled to change to a new genre: romantic dramas. There was something about the romance shows that really held her interest. She'd focus right in and when the story became suspenseful, she'd work out that much harder, pushing herself beyond her limits. If it wasn't for the snack issue and the fact that for some reason these dramas had some positive effect on Hikari, pushing her into a sweat by the time he arrived back to his room everyday, he'd have forced her to change the channel. He didn't need to listen or be subjected to that crap.
"Five hours…" Katsuki muttered, neglecting to mention the additional 10 minutes.
Hikari whistled back, before putting one of the weights down, grabbing the pencil next to her and writing the date on a piece of paper under the number five. Her eyes didn't move from the television screen and she proceeded to pick the weight back up and continue.
"I don't know why you're keeping track…"
"Maybe I'll find a pattern."
"You're only writing dates down, how the hell does that help?"
"Well, while you are at school I write daily in my diary. So I can compare my notes and this data I'm collecting. Sorry, I took one of your empty notebooks to use. I'll replace it later, but it was all for the sake of training, so I figured you'd get mad about it for a second then get over it."
"Don't take my shit! Also, diary?"
"Yeah. I started last week. I write down how I'm feeling, what I did for training, and anything that happens."
"I haven't seen this damn thing; fork it." Katsuki held out his hand. He was curious to see how good of a note taker she was and if they could figure anything out.
"No way. It's private."
"Hah?! Seriously?! First off I'm hiding you in MY dorm room, there is no privacy! And second off, you used MY notebook. Hand it over!"
"Nope. And it'd be a waste of time looking for it. I hid it really well, like, you wouldn't find it until probably after class tomorrow if you started now. You have better things to be doing…Oh no! Du-sik, why'd you say that to Hye-jin?! She's clearly hurting…" Hikari replied, continuing her training.
Katsuki clicked his tongue. He'd have taken her up on the challenge but he didn't have the energy to rip apart his room because then he'd have to put it all back together before he could focus on the damn thing. Hikari knew this. He knew this. Stupid annoying girl.
"Hye-jin asked for it. If she wasn't a priss, then Du-sik wouldn't say shit like that."
Hikari pouted and looked over at Katsuki, a bit unnerved by his comment and it showed.
"Hye-jin has just been through too much! I know Du-sik has his problems too, but he could at least be a little understanding!"
"Du-sik is also an idiot for chasing the girl. This whole show is stupid, don't know what you see in it…"
"It's the thrill of the two characters getting together and what it takes to get there! Also, for someone who thinks this show is stupid, you certainly have a lot to say about it."
"Shut it! We are both in here when you watch this crap and it invades my ears!"
Hikari hummed, not buying it. He had headphones, he just chose not to wear them. She wasn't going to press further though. This week has also taught her boundaries. She knew exactly how far to push Katsuki and when to stop and change the subject.
"Hey, I think I'm getting closer to figuring out how to control the time of my quirk."
"Really? And just what makes you think that?" Katsuki asked, tossing Hikari a change of clothes and grabbing a pair for himself.
"Just a feeling."
Katsuki glared at her. He was done with her. He changed and let her change before shutting the lights off and going to bed.
The drift into slumber was peaceful, then suddenly the nightmare crept in and took over. Katsuki was not watching from afar like the other nightmares, he was right in the concrete room, bound and unable to move or speak. He was stuck, just watching Hikari being ripped apart by some guy who seemed like his quirk was to use people like puppets. Another smaller, petite, barefoot girl in purple came in and would just touch Hikari and she would be back together. This kept repeating again and again. The agonizing screams over and over again made Katsuki's stomach knot up. The sound of snapping bones over and over again sent shivers up his spine. The sight of blood splattering over and over again– her blood–made his head spin. It was like he was playing some realistic virtual reality horror game that was broken, kept resetting because he wasn't doing anything but watching. He couldn't move, couldn't interact, couldn't call out. And the scene kept playing, over and over again.
Despair was laughing, like it was entertaining. No matter how much Katsuki struggled to break free, he couldn't. The chains on him couldn't be broken. He couldn't stop them from hurting her, breaking her. He could only watch helplessly, struggling, getting nowhere. Despair crouched down by Hikari and said, "remember this…"
Katsuki then woke up abruptly and sat up in a cold sweat, trying to catch his breath, free of his dream-borne binding. His ears rang sharp, as if he could still hear her screaming. He pushed his palms on top of his ears and rested his head on his knees. He let out an exasperated sigh, before biting his lip to prevent himself from crying out in frustration.
/…dammit…what the hell should I be doing?…/
. . . Next Day . . .
"NOW DIE! AP-SHOT: AUTOCANNON!" Katsuki yelled out, aiming and firing at his prey, a so-called sidekick vigilante who was trying to run away from him.
It was supposed to be a normal patrol today. Once a week for class the students were sent to their assigned agencies to do patrol runs. While they were out, Midoriya and Katsuki were contacted by Endeavor, their supervisor this year, saying to keep an eye out for a small group of vigilantes doing whatever they pleased. This group of vigilantes had good intentions but recently they have been going as far as killing their targets, passing their own judgment and punishment on those they deemed irredeemable. It didn't matter however, since every vigilante was working outside the law, and most of these people were using their quirks without a license. They were breaking the law and therefore needed to be taken in. Todoroki normally joined them, but Endeavor needed him to go with his sidekick, Burnin, on another separate patrol, so today it was just Midoriya and Katsuki.
It didn't take long into their patrol to find the group and both of them sprang into action. Katsuki took the lead and left Midoriya to capture and pick up the ones he left behind, including the one he was just shooting at. The criminal went down, stunned by the barrage of missile-like explosions.
"Deku! Capture this guy; I'm going on ahead!" Katsuki yelled out, using his explosions to change direction and head toward the last of the group, most likely the one running the show-according to his calculations.
"Wait! Kacchan!" Midoriya tried to call out, but to no avail. Katsuki was already out of sight and earshot. Midoriya sighed as he stared off into the direction Katsuki had gone. He always was doing this: taking down the enemy and leaving it to Midoriya to clean up after him. It wasn't like he could expect the opposite. While Midoriya was lost in thought, the man on the ground's hand twitched.
"Vigilante bastard...you're mine," Katsuki smirked to himself.
To anyone else, it looked like Katsuki was going in random directions, but to a keen and informed observer, it was evident he knew exactly where he was going and within seconds he had caught up to the last of the vigilantes.
The man with wild and short brown hair, who looked to be in his 20s, turned to see that Katsuki was chasing him. His eyes were blocked by sunglasses. The man's lips pursed at the sight of some hero trying to catch him.
"STOP RUNNING! YA CAN'T ESCAPE ME!" Katsuki yelled out, propelling himself at high speed toward the man.
The man stopped and ducked, allowing Katsuki to fly over him. He smiled, cockily as his pursuer missed him.
"Oh, I think I can! Just try and get me, hero~!" The man said, in a sing-song voice, taunting Katsuki. He made an L with his hand, resting it on his forehead–a childish taunt really, before running in the opposite direction.
Katsuki's frustration was as abrupt as it was immeasurably annoying to him.
"BASTARD! GET BACK HERE!"
He reached his right hand out in front of him and detonated a strong explosion that slowed him down enough to rotate his body and blast his way toward the vigilante culprit. It took a minute for Katsuki to catch up again.
"AP-SHOT: AUTOCANNON!" Katsuki fired off his explosions like a machine gun. The man jumped, side stepped, ducked, and dodged all of the shots at him. He laughed.
"That all you got, Hero Boy? Might as well leave this to the pro-heroes, you're clearly still a wannabe kid playing hero!" The man jeered, before ducking down another alleyway.
Katsuki's whole body tensed up in pure rage. This guy was trying to get under his skin and, despite knowing that, it worked.
/I'll show that asshole!.../
Katsuki set both hands back, detonating explosions to take off again. He fired them off rapidly, using quite a bit of condensed sweat each time to make the explosions bigger, and forcing himself to cover more distance. This would tire him out quicker, but he was too angry to care about that. He needed to take this guy down, now!
"Tch…" The man looked back to see Katsuki was on his heels, again.
/Persistent brat...just how much energy does this guy have?!...Guess I struck a nerve~.../
The man kept running, dodging every time Katsuki got close to him. He was slippery, and definitely had lots of practice running away. He took pride in that. He wasn't going to let this hero in training catch him. He knew these streets and knew which ways would give him the advantage. Though his own draining stamina would prove to hinder his thinking, after all, this was the first time a hero actually kept up with him.
The chase continued, and before long the guy was reaching his limits and ended up taking the wrong turn. He found himself at a dead end, a 30ft tall gate blocking his way. The male clicked his tongue and knew there was only one thing he could do: scale it. The man immediately grabbed the chained gate and proceeded to climb it by pushing himself up and catching the next chain. While he did so, Katsuki found him.
Katsuki stopped and started to condense his explosions, deciding to catch the guy at the top. He was worn down, but this didn't stop him from timing it perfectly. As soon as the man rotated himself over the top, he propelled himself toward the top of the gate. Katsuki punched the guy across the face, forcing the man's sunglasses to fly off. With his other hand, he grabbed the guy's arm. The man was forced to look at Katsuki, his orange eyes locking with the other's red ones.
. . .
"Mom! Mom! Look! Endeavor did it again! He saved all those people! Look! He's on the television!" A boy, about five years old, with short brown hair and orange eyes was jumping up and down around his mother, with an Endeavor plush in his hands. His eyes were twinkling with childish excitement as he stared at the screen where Endeavor was talking to the reporters then back at his mother, who was preparing dinner. "Mom!"
"I know, sweetie; he's always on the television. He is a pro-hero after all." The woman smiled before wiping her hands clean with a nearby towel and crouching down to be eye level with her son. She patted his head. "If you work hard, one day you can be one, too."
"Really!? I'm gonna be like Endeavor then! Big and strong!" The boy jumped and started running around the room, making his plush fly through the air. "Woooooshhh! Fwooom! Kerblow!" He jumped up on the couch, holding Endeavor in the air. "I'm gonna be a hero someday!"
"Dude! How can you be a hero with that quirk? What good does it do if the villain knows everything about you!" A boy in a middle school uniform laughed, his face was distorted. He was talking to a boy his age, with brown hair and orange eyes that were full of hope, but also full of irritation at his "friend's" harsh comment.
"Shut up! Just because that's all I can do with my quirk now, doesn't mean it won't manifest into something greater later on! Besides…I have plenty of history that will make them cower in fear!" He responded. They were in an empty classroom, sitting on the desks near the window.
"Yeah sure, like wetting the bed when you were nine! Totally scary!" The other replied in a mocking way. He started laughing. This irked the boy.
"Do you want to die!? I'll show you!" The boy said, jumping up on top of his desk so he could look down on his so-called friend. "I can definitely be a hero! Just wait and see!"
"This is the seventh time you've failed the provisional licensing exam…I think it's time to talk about other options…" said an adult male in a suit. His presence, as well as the office they were in, made it appear like he was a teacher. His face was indistinguishable.
"There is no other option! I've wanted to be a hero all my life! Let me take it again, please! I'll do better!" A teenager, with brown hair and orange eyes pleaded. He looked desperate, and almost like hope was leaving him.
"Kid…I'm sorry. Just because you want something doesn't mean life will give it to you. That's reality. You're not cut out to be a hero…there are other things out there…"
"No! Please, sir! I know if I work harder I can be a hero! Ple-"
"Enough…I'm sorry, but this is it. Please pack your things and go home."
The boy grabbed his things and ran out of the office, tears falling the moment he exited the room.
"Hey, kid…" A man with a mask appeared before a teenager with brown hair and dead orange eyes, who was standing on the opposite side of a bridge, a whisper away from a 150 foot drop to the water.
"If you're gonna tell me it isn't worth it then leave. I don't wanna hear it." The boy grumbled. He was tired of being told he couldn't do what he wanted, and now this stranger was going to tell him what to do.
/Screw him...If I can't be a hero, I can at least decide to die…/
"It's your life, you choose how you want to live it. But just because the government won't recognize you as a hero, doesn't mean you can't be a hero."
"What are you saying? How do you know anything about me!? Are you a stalker or something?" The boy whipped around, glaring at the man who dared to stop him.
"My quirk allows me to hear your innermost thoughts. You've dreamed of being a hero and the government told you no. That's the case for me, too. So, I created a hero organization that works in the shadows. I am always looking for those who have been cast away to join my growing vigilante family. So what do you say, castaway, join me or jump?" The man reached his hand out. The boy's eyes widened as he stared at the outreached hand. His depressed expression shifted and the excitement and hope that were lost came back to his eyes. He reached out and grabbed that hand.
/I have a chance…/
. . .
Katsuki woke up to find himself on the ground. He groaned, his back aching-he determined he must have lost consciousness and fell right on it. He also determined that everything he just saw were that bastard's memories. He looked over and saw the man still unconscious on the ground. Katsuki rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up, slowly to take off some of the discomfort–fruitless because everything still hurt anyway. He walked over to the man, glaring at him. The longer he stared, the more angry he felt. He kicked the man hard on the side. The man jolted awake with a moan, holding onto the side Katsuki hit.
"Caught you, vigilante bastard…also…" Katsuki grabbed the guy by the collar, bringing his face right to his.
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU USE YOUR QUIRK WHEN WE WERE IN THE AIR!? IF YOU WANNA DIE, THEN DIE YOURSELF! DON'T DRAG ME INTO SOME STUPID MURDER SUICIDE!" Katsuki growled. The man looked displeased for a moment. Then smiled, making Katsuki flinch.
"Because I totally thought dying with the hero I always wanted to become would guarantee that I would be a hero in my next life! So I planned to jump the gate knowing you would punch my sunglasses off first before grabbing onto me…even though the most effective thing would have been to just grab me. Totally predicted that punch even if it isn't part of hero protocol to inflict damage when you can just capture without it…but hey, you're just a kid. Clearly you'd slip up sometimes. You're still in training after all so no one can really blame you for doing things wrong…maybe when you go to class tomorrow you should review the basics…if you want while we wait, I can teach it to you in a way anyone would be able to understand–"
Katsuki set off two large explosions in one of his hands, making the vigilante stop and stare at Katsuki with intrigue–not the effect Katsuki wanted from him but at least he stopped talking.
"Take your advice and shove it up your ass! Like I need to hear anything from you, ya stupid suicidal hero reject!" Katsuki lost every ounce of patience for this guy. Having to listen to this guy anymore would be dangerous. He didn't know if he'd be able to hold himself back from beating this guy to a pulp.
The man whistled, but despite the harsh words, he still kept it together– better than Katsuki was.
Katsuki grumbled to himself as he tied the man's arms behind his back, rougher and tighter than he would have anyone else. The man winced in discomfort. Katsuki took a deep breath to calm himself. He really shouldn't be getting worked up over some vigilante, he knew that. But something about this guy really got on his nerves.
"The police should be here shortly...don't try anything funny," Bakugou said, haughtily.
"Don't worry, I can only use this quirk once per person...you're safe now. Though…" the guy smiled wryly.
"Though what?!" Bakugou's interest piqued.
"Should I tell you? You did capture me...I have no reason to tell you," the man responded, still smiling in a very childish, taunting way.
"Whatever! Don't tell me! Like I care…" He clearly did care and the man knew this. He laughed.
"Sorry, sorry...you remind me of myself when I was younger...though you probably knew that after seeing those memories of mine."
"Tch..We ain't nothing alike…"
"Oh? I think you just don't want to admit it. That's fine. But the thing is...vigilantes aren't as bad as you may think...yes we are working outside the law, but the law is the thing that is preventing those of us who want to help and save people from doing so."
"Saving people by killing others? That's bullshit."
"You're right. It's bullshit. We shouldn't kill anyone even if they deserve it. But, I fight and save my own way, without the killing piece if I can help it, but you knew that anyway. I've only killed one person, but they kind of did that to themselves by running into traffic while I was pursuing them, something that could happen to any licensed hero. So am I really the bad guy here?"
Katsuki stared at the man. Just who was this guy? And why was he suddenly feeling like this guy was being honest with him? For all he knew, the memories he saw were fabricated to get his guard down. It was infuriating. Katsuki scoffed.
"Yeah, because you're still using your quirk and fighting freely without a license. You're still just a criminal! Doesn't matter how noble you are!"
The man hummed.
"And because you have a license, you can break protocol like hiding Hikari Nozomi in your dorm room? Pretty sure you were supposed to hand her over to the police after you found her. After all, doesn't matter now "noble" you are, it's still criminal behavior, mister I-condemn-vigilantes-but-have-no-problem-acting-like-one-because-I-have-a-license. You're hysterical… Kacchan~"
Bakugou's jaw dropped and he froze. It took a moment to process what he just heard from this guy and to understand what had just happened.
"Wait...your quirk isn't transferring your memories to others...but–"
"It's switching memories. I was passed out longer than you because your life story was super interesting…so I took my time watching. So, congrats; you caught me because you're interesting." The man smiled.
Katsuki clenched his fist; his body tensed up. His secret had been exposed to this criminal. Not to mention, this guy now knew everything about him–he felt violated.
"What do you want?" Katsuki seethed through tightly clenched teeth.
The man looked at Katsuki for a moment before giving a menacing smile. He cocked his head up slightly–a villainous, opportunistic, grin.
"First, tell me I'm superior to you. And address me as, 'your Highness.'"
"Eat shit!"
"Oh? I don't think I heard you right, try again…though I don't really mind just telling the police when they arrive about your little secret…" The man said, irritating Katsuki to no end with his smile.
"Grrrr…you're superior…" Katsuki mumbled.
"What's that? I couldn't hear you…and don't forget to address me properly!"
"ARGH! You're superior…your Highness…" Katsuki spat out, venom in every word. This asshole was messing with him and it was working.
The man chuckled and he grinned, even more menacing than before.
"Now, I want you to get on your hands and knees, spin around three times, and bark like a dog."
Katsuki froze. His face beet red either from pure embarrassment of what was asked of him or from pure rage at this guy toying with him, testing his already broken patience–probably both.
"Are you outta your mind!? You must have a loose screw!"
"Maybe, but I've always wanted to see a "hero" grovel at my feet, pitiful and helpless. But maybe you're too full of yourself to give up some of your dignity to save a girl who has gone through seven years of torture. Not sure what sort of consequence they'd give you, possibly take your license away for a while. As for me, if I tell on you, I bet they'd let me off the hook for today. I think it's a small ask for something that will benefit you far more than it would benefit me."
Katsuki's whole body was tense. He wanted nothing more than to blast this guy. He wanted to tell this guy off. Let him tell the authorities and take what he had coming to him. It felt a whole lot better than pretending to be this guy's pet for a few minutes. However, a slight inkling of fear crept into his mind. What if they took his license indefinitely? What about Hikari? Wouldn't she just feel like a prisoner again to the police? What if Despair took the opportunity and kidnapped her again? His head felt like it was drowning. He hated this feeling.
Katsuki clenched his fist before kneeling on the ground and getting on all fours. He froze, knowing he needed to make the next steps in this guy's insane, humiliating request but was having second thoughts. Was it worth it? It had to be. Katsuki moved his hand forward, and as it touched the ground to spin the man yelled out, making him slip and fall face first into the ground.
"Stop, stop! I was joking! I won't tell; you have my word. I just wanted to see how far I could push you and apparently it's pretty far!" The guy laughed hysterically, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
As Katsuki pushed himself off the ground, the color drained from his face and something far more than anger was painted across it. He got up, setting off not-so-small explosions in one of his hands.
"You–" Katsuki's voice faltered, but was so low and so intimidating. "I'm gonna blast you until your–" he started to say but was interrupted.
"Dude, chill! I really wasn't going to let you bark like a dog. Listen, you caught me fair and square...I'll do my time and then get back to what I was doing...they don't keep first offenders in jail for long." The man smiled sympathetically, then looked away from Katsuki.
"I think you are doing something good...so I'm not going to say anything...Hopefully you find those villains the hero way and take them down…"
All Katsuki could do was stare, dumbstruck. This psychological rollercoaster ride he was stuck on was really doing a number on him, affecting him in ways he couldn't understand mainly because it was all too new to him. It took a second, only a second, for this guy to snatch all the control Katsuki had clenched tightly in his hands away from him. And this guy did it effortlessly, leaving Katsuki helpless and humiliated. And after everything this bastard just put him through, he was actually nice? There was no way. This guy had to be up to something. He had to be. But the faint thought that this guy was genuine made everything that much more confusing, and that much more irritating.
"Listen kid, if you don't have any luck taking those villains out, I'd be happy to take them down for you guys when I'm out."
Katsuki snapped back to reality.
"Shut it! Like I'd ask for your help."
The man just laughed.
"Right, right. Just saying. Oh, I never introduced myself, my name is Shikei Uchikazu. Vigilante name, Switch!"
Bakugou gritted his teeth, taking his eyes off of Uchikazu. This guy pissed him off, far more than any villain had ever. If Uchikazu's cocky, know-it-all attitude wasn't annoying enough, it was also irksome that Uchikazu thought they were similar to one another. As much as Katsuki continued to try and deny it, something in him couldn't refute it. This made his head spin into what ifs.
To add insult to injury, Uchikazu could have kept his secret in exchange for escape– hell, he could have used every dirty secret in his life as blackmail, yet he wasn't. Uchikazu had the upper hand. He had him wrapped around his finger and could have forced him to do who knows what. This guy had won. Beat him. He should be making his escape. But the guy is still here, ready to be handed over to the police. None of it made sense to Katsuki. Every road he went down in his mind kept landing him in the same spot, that this vigilante was actually a decent person. It wasn't the answer Katsuki wanted and wasn't the answer he was going to accept. He needed this guy to be the villain he expected him to be. Otherwise…
"Oi...Hero Boy, you okay? You're breathing hard and sweating a lot...did I tire you out that much?~" Uchikazu asked.
Katsuki took a second to realize that he was indeed tired. He had used up a lot of energy chasing Uchikazu. But his racing thoughts were the culprit in his labored breathing. He couldn't make sense of everything that just happened and although he didn't realize it, he was starting to panic. Uchikazu had broken his thoughts, allowing him to gain control over his breathing again.
"You wish...it's just hot out and I fought other assholes before I chased you down," Katsuki huffed. He made it sound like he fought way more people than he actually did. He didn't want to give this guy the satisfaction that he wore him down.
"Oh yeah, you are an up and coming hero. Course you'd fight lots of villains in a day," Uchikaze smiled, knowing full well Katsuki was exaggerating. Katsuki picked up on it.
"Where the hell are the police!?"
Katsuki could feel his blood boiling. He didn't want to spend any more time with this guy. Just like he felt Hikari was messing with him, this guy had the same vibe.
"What's the rush? You need to catch your breath anyway if you are gonna continue hero-ing today...or do you want to get back to Nozomi-chan...she's pretty cute…" Uchikazu whistled.
Katsuki felt all the blood rush to his face.
"Keep talking and I will blast you so no one will be able to recognize you…" Katsuki seethed.
"Ooooo, scary! I'll stop teasing you, you're clearly at your limit."
"Kacchan!" Just then, Midoriya jumped down from the rooftop.
"About freakin' time!" Katsuki said, more than displeased at how long it took Deku to apprehend one lousy, unconscious villain..
"Sorry! The guy you left me didn't actually pass out and I had to fight him...the police should be here shortly...amazing though, you took all the rest of them on your own…"
"Course I did! They were weakling extras after all…"
"Says the guy who still wet the bed at nine years old," Uchikazu chuckled.
"DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! I'LL ARRANGE THAT FOR YOU!" Katsuki turned, setting off explosions with one of his hands, ready to aim it at Uchikazu. Midoriya stepped in between the two of them.
"Kacchan! Calm down! And uhh…" Midoriya looked over at the guy Katsuki was ready to murder.
"Uchikazu."
"Uchikazu...I wouldn't provoke him anymore. I won't be able to hold him back if he is angry enough," Midoriya said. Uchikazu laughed.
"Oh, I know. In fact, you could say I may know 'Kacchan' more than you at the moment, Izuku Midoriya," Uchikazu chuckled, then turned to look at Bakugou, endearingly–mockingly actually.
Midoriya looked at the man. It was an odd thing to say. How could he know Kacchan more than he did? Did they meet when they were kids? Did Kacchan have a secret friend who became a vigilante? Or did Kacchan have a secret he didn't know about that this guy did? Also, how did this guy know his name? Many questions came tumbling, muttering out of his mouth.
"His quirk switches memories! He only says he knows more because he used his quirk on me when I caught him," Bakugo clarified, bitterly.
"Spoil-sport...oh look. The police have arrived." Both Midoriya and Bakugou looked in the direction Uchikazu was looking to find a police car coming to a stop. Katsuki sighed with relief. A few officers exited and headed over to them. Both Midoriya and Katsuki gave their report as the other officers put the cuffs on Uchikazu. Uchikazu watched as Katsuki stomped on Midoriya's foot.
"Hmmm…"
The officer pulled Uchikazu toward the police car. He stopped right next to Katsuki, whispering something in his ear and sliding something into Katsuki's pocket.
Katsuki's eyes widened before he glared at the police officer to get Uchikazu away from him. The officer took the obvious hint and pulled Uchikazu into the car.
"Kacchan….what did he say?" Midoriya asked, seeing that Katsuki was shaken.
Katsuki hesitated for a moment, searching for the words to explain what was just told to him.
"...He just said that more of his memories might pop up in my head and I may confuse them as my own…"
"Kacchan…"
"It's fine, nerd! Just going to be a pain in the ass!" Katsuki huffed and began heading back to the Endeavor Agency where he could change and head back to the dorm.
/That bastard…/
. . .
"Hey, I made a joke earlier about you wetting the bed but that was actually my own memory, not yours. Sorry. More of my memories will probably pop up in the next few days and considering you just started mixing things up already, I think you may start confusing my memories for yours. That or you may just start thinking and feeling like me. Maybe if you are aware, it won't cause you a whole lot of trouble but if it does, I'm sorry. Here's my contact information. You can burn it or whatever but I think you should keep it. I do think you're doing the right thing for Hikari, but you are risking a lot for it. If it gets too much, call me. No one will have to know. Best of luck…"
. . .
Katsuki gritted his teeth, throwing the door to the Endeavor Agency open, almost making it slam into the wall.
/Like I need help from some criminal…/
Midoriya followed along, worrying about his friend. Something about Kacchan was different than usual. Did this Uchikazu guy really get under Kacchan's skin? Midoriya couldn't figure it out. The worry only continued as he watched Kacchan from a distance, in a rush to leave, and keeping to himself. Something about the expression on his face made Midoriya think that he was struggling with something.
/I hope everything's ok.../
Midoriya watched Kacchan leave the building and head back to the dorm.