A/N: Hey Everyone, here is a new Chapter for all of you all, and I'd like to tell all of you that I'm going to try to post new chapters every other week from here on out. One last thing before you all begin to read this chapter I wanted to tell you all that I'm going to move the rating from Teen to Mature as this chapter might make those of you who might be somewhat squeamish with the contents of this chapter. Also sorry that the chapter name is blank I couldn't fit so I put it down below. But with that out of the way, I hope you all have a good day and enjoy this chapter!
Ch 7: What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You...Stranger
Ochako let out a violent cough that caused her dry throat to ache; the brunette slowly rubbed her throat making sure not to put all of her fingers on her neck. The teen didn't know how long it had been since she was taken, the only thing she remembered after that was the immense pain that had quickly awaken her.
It had felt as if a knife was cutting through every nerve in her body. Ochako remembered how she cried out in agony as tears poured out of her eyes, all the brunette could do was beg, the girl screamed out for her family, while her mind pleaded that all of this was a dream. The brunette tried to pull on the restraints that bound her wrists and ankles onto the table trying to find some way to become free, but it was to no avail as she felt many hands push her down. Ochako tried everything she could to push back hoping that she would free herself, but then she felt a small prick in her arm and then darkness. However, she could still feel the non-stop throbbing throughout her body.
Ochako looked towards her free hand as she stared at the pads of her fingers as they were now pink ovals, the girl recalled how when she woke up to find herself in a pale blue gown and a light chill to remind the teen of the lack of clothes she had beneath them. She began to freak out when she first saw the pink pads as the brunette tried to brush them off as if they were insects, however, what happened next was something that she could have never predicted.
As soon as the brunette had all of her fingers pressed against her skin she felt a small shock move throughout her spine, Ochako had let out a small yelp as a result of the shock and tried to push herself as far away as possible. But as soon as she began to shove herself back something felt odd as she started to move, up? The teen quickly grabbed whatever she could to keep herself grounded as a multitude of emotions swelled inside of her, panic, confusion, but what had rapidly overtaken her was nausea.
She felt like her stomach was doing somersaults until she reached the point that her body could no longer handle as she began to vomit. Her vision began to darken as gravity had quickly returned forcing the girl to land face first into her bile. When the girl woke up, she was back on her bed, and the vomit was now gone.
But Ochako still could smell the puke that was on her face, even though it was cleaned off after the teen had woken up. The girl thought that the smell would go away as she got used to the stench, but it still lingered. Ochako wondered if it was her brain continuously reminding her that none of this was a dream.
The brunette stopped massaging her throat as she turned towards the pillow on her bed and grabbed it while making a conscious effort not to put her thumb on it. Ochako then grabbed the other side of it with her free hand following the same motions of the other appendage. The girl let out a deep breath as she pressed her thumbs against the cushion, once again she felt the familiar shock through her spine. The brunette then let go of the pillow as it began to float in the air, she then lightly pushed it up.
The cushion slowly moved up; the teen watched it propel up towards the ceiling, she waited a moment before she pressed her fingers against each other. As soon as she felt the pads on her fingers connect, another shock followed as the pillow fell onto her lap. The teen then leaned back onto the cold concrete wall as she looked out to what looked to be a black glass door with small holes littered at the top and bottom. But they weren't big enough for her to see what was outside the door.
Ochako curled into a ball trying to keep what dignity she had left; the girl had always felt as if somebody was watching her. The fact that only a thin layer of cloth that separated her from being completely naked, so it was fair to say that the brunette had been very self-conscious. However, her life here in the concrete cell that she resided in as every now and again a dark hole would appear with food and water. But sometimes a larger form of the opening would look, and a loud voice would erupt stating that it was time to begin testing.
Testing turned out to be an empty room with only what looked to be multiple robots that would attack her. That's how she discovered what it was that she could do, as anything she touches with the five pads on her fingers, Ochako could make it experience zero gravity, and the only way she could turn it off is by pressing the pink pads together. She had also found that the heavier the objects, the more nauseous she became. However, if she used her powers on herself the teen the urge to throw up would come twice as fast.
Though, Ochako did not just sit there and waited for things to happen to her. The teen had tried to find a way to escape, one of the attempts involved her trying to break the glass by using her powers to make her bed weightless and slamming it into the black glass. But she had quickly found that the bed was bolted down to the floor, as well as many other plans that ended in failure.
So, after many botched attempts she became more frustrated, the only reason she had not just suffered a full mental breakdown was one question. 'What would Deku do?' She remembered how when they would play any board game, and no matter what odds were stacked against him the majority of the time he would find a way to win, and when he lost, he would always make his opponents pay for it. So, with keeping her memories of her family and best friend, she chose to be patient as she would do everything she could to build her tolerance towards her nausea when she used her powers.
It wasn't like whoever had captured her had tried to stop her from training, as it was the only way she could pass the time. Ochako could not tell the time as there had been a lack of windows, and every time the teen would fall asleep she would be quickly interrupted by something. The brunette let out a heavy sigh as she was getting ready to start her training, but it was soon interrupted by a loud series of knocks on the glass door.
The brunette looked towards the source with a sense of curiosity. The black on the glass slowly began to fade away to reveal a male figure who seemed to be incredibly tall; he wore a black long-sleeved shirt and pants with red tennis shoes. Even in the dim light that had shone on him the teen would have mistaken him for a ghost with how pale his skin was, his light blue hair messy and unkempt, but her eyes widen at the sight of a pale white hand covering his face only revealing a single red eye that glared towards the teen.
Ochako could feel something was off about him as every cell in her body screamed at her to get as much distance between the two of them as possible. But she ignored it as she glared towards the blue-haired male, who just let out an annoyed sigh. "So, you're a part of the new batch that Kurogiri was going on about, honestly, I'm not impressed. I've seen Moogles that are more intimidating than you are." The male stated as he began to scratch the side of his neck, the brunette now started to notice that there was a new hole in the glass door right up to where her neck was and reasoned that it was how she could hear him. The teen had clenched her fists and straighten herself, 'if he is in some way related to the people who kidnapped Katsuki and me I might as well let out what I've held in for however long I've been here.'
As the blue-haired male began to turn away from her, she shouted, "I don't know who you work for, but seeing you now is all I need to confirm what I've assumed. You are all monsters!" The male stood there as he continued to scratch his neck as she moved closer to the glass door. "You've kidnapped and experimented on me and whoever you brought to this hell, and you know what? The world has a long history of monsters like you, and how good people beat them." Ochako stated as she puffed out her chest and turned around, even in this dark cell she felt pride that she was able to get the last word.
However, before she could walk away, an arm quickly snaked around her neck and immediately slammed her back towards the glass door. The brunette's heart hammered against her chest as she tried to grab the arm, but the arm quickly slid away as it was replaced with two bony fingers squeezing her throat as he clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, I wouldn't do that; you think you're the only one who has powers?" The male stated as she still heard the scratching had increased in pace as she felt a dark aura surrounded him causing the girl's body to freeze.
"You said earlier that I was a monster well you aren't wrong. Do you know what I can do? It's quite simple, everything I touch with all five of my fingers will turn into dust." The blue-haired male stated as he pressed another finger against her neck. "From steel…to flesh and well…I think you can figure out the rest." He stated as she felt the last digit hovering over her neck, her breathing had rapidly increased.
"So, does that make it difficult when you piss?" A new male voice called out, which even caused the aggressive male to stop his scratching. "I mean, I know you probably don't need all five of your fingers, but I find that…"
"SHUT UP!" The blue-haired male yelled as he threw Ochako across the cell, she let out a coughing fit. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" Her aggressor screamed as she heard a loud thump behind her. The brunette looked back and saw the male rapidly scratch his neck as he began to pant.
"Get me out of here Kurogiri." The blue-haired male ordered as a familiar dark hole appeared as he walked through it. "Geez man, it was just a simple question no need to freak out about it." Ochako looked back to see where the source of the new voice was.
"I wouldn't blame him; you tend to say a lot of stupid things every time you open your mouth." A new female voice interjected, as the brunette's interest continued to rise, in front of her cell stood a boy her age with shoulder-length black hair, and red eyes with a small scar over his right eye, he even stood in a cell similar to hers. The boy rolled his eyes as he turned towards Ochako and gave her a wide grin, which revealed the myriad of his sharp pointed teeth.
"Hey, sorry about that, I've wanted to ask that question ever since he mentioned his powers and I couldn't really help myself. But anyways, what you did there was so manly with that speech you made!"
"She's not even a man you idiot." The female voice from earlier stated to which the brunette looked towards the source to find a girl who was also the same age as her, with short purple hair and dark eyes. But what caught Ochako's attention was the two long flesh-colored string-like objects with metal at their ends hanging from her ears. The two new teens both wore a similar gown to what Ochako was wearing.
The new girl let out an annoyed sigh as she looked towards the brunette with a small smile as she leaned against her cell. "You okay?" Ochako nodded in response, "yeah thanks. But do you guys know where we are?" Both the two new teens shook their heads. "Sorry, we've tried to figure it out, but so far we've got nothing." The girl explained, which the brunette let out a defeated sigh. "But, that doesn't mean that we've given up on getting out of here, it's only a matter of time that we find a way out of this place!" The black-haired boy explained as he continued to hold his grin from earlier.
"Gah, stop it, your optimism is giving me a headache." The purple-haired girl groaned, but the boy simply ignored the comment, Ochako couldn't help but let out a small smile towards the boy whose grin grew even wider. "well, how about we get to introducing ourselves, I'm Eijiro Kirishima!" The boy exclaimed, the purple-haired girl let out a sigh, "I'm Kyoka Jiro." The girl nodded towards them, "I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice meeting you too."
"Great, now we have to wait for one more person then we can try to get out of here." Eijiro stated as he observed the area around them. "wait is there someone else here?" Ochako asked, to which the Jiro nodded, "yeah there was somebody in the cell next to yours, I was able to tell because of these." The purple haired girl explained as held up one of the long string-like objects around her ear. "It's kind of complicated, but I could hear two sets of footprints in both of the cells, but I couldn't tell who is exactly in there, but I at least know that whoever was in the cell next to you liked to pace around it."
"Yeah, and we can't tell who is in it because of the dark cover they put over the door. We can't see or hear whoever is in the cell until someone deactivates it like what yours did earlier, and then they leave it like that for some reason." Eijiro explained, however, unlike the other two the brunette had a pretty good guess who was next to her. "Katsuki Bakugo, that's the guy who is more than likely in that cell" the two other teens looked towards Ochako.
"Wait how do you know that?" Kyoka asked as the brunette let out a heavy sigh, "He and I were both kidnapped around the same time."
"I'm guessing you two must know each other then?" Eijiro asked to which Ochako nodded, and as much as she hated to admit it, if she were going to have a chance of escaping, then they would need Katsuki.
The blue-haired teen continued to scratch his neck, as he gnashed his teeth in frustration. 'Out of everyone they had taken, it has to be a complete idiot!' As he exited the dark portal the teen then took notice of a male figure who had appeared in front of him. The new figure wore a dark grey suit vest with a white long-sleeved collared shirt under the vest, and black dress pants and shoes. However, those were the only parts that made him look human as his head and hands were covered in black and purple mist with metal plates over where his neck should be and gold lines for his eyes.
"What did you think of subject eleven, Tomura?" the misty man asked to which Tomura let out a low growl, "I don't like her attitude Kurogiri, she thinks as if she is some sort of heroine, but she is nothing more than an annoying NPC." Kurogiri nodded, "well I hope you can look past the first impressions that each of the subjects have given you, but I do believe that this group looks to be the most promising that we have captured."
'They better be, I'll take an annoying party member if they're worth it in the long run.' Kurogiri then handed the teen a tablet "First is subject nine." On the front it showed the boy with black hair and red eyes, Tomura couldn't help but feel his fingernails had increased in pace, he remembered when he first saw that black-haired boy, "what's with the hands, do you have a weird fetish or do you have some sort of disease on your face, or…" The blue-haired teen had to use every bit of his willpower not to grab him and watch the black-haired boy turn into ash. "His skin seems to develop into a unique compound of carbon and an unidentified element which hardens into a form of natural armor as well as adding enhanced strength."
Kurogiri explained as he displayed a video of the black-haired teen as his skin looked ragged as if it were made of stone. The teen punched into the chest of one of the robots in the training arena as another had slammed into the black-haired boy's side to whom retaliated by grabbing the machine's arm and tearing it out of its socket and using it to beat the android till it could no longer move. 'So, he's a Metapod that can punch.'
"We have yet to see the limits of his durability as none of the opponents we have used against him have significantly damaged him with physical attacks." The blue-haired teen's red eye simply narrowed as he was not impressed with the subject's display. Taking notice of the boy's expression and Kurogiri swiped to the next subject revealing the purple-haired girl when he met the girl he figured that she wasn't going to be as dumb as the boy before her, but that didn't mean she was much better.
The blue-haired teen remembered the girl just merely narrowed her eyes as she looked at Tomura, "if you're looking for the Ghost concert you're in the wrong neighborhood. Although you might need to work on your costume, it seems pretty lame." That and the myriad of snarky comments she made at him had become even more annoying. 'I already have a snarky party member, and I don't need another.'
"Subject ten has a unique enhancement as her earlobes have produced two unique extensions that bear the resemblance of an audio jack that she can control at will. They also seem to give her an acute sense of hearing once she has plugged into a dense object and using her heartbeat to create a unique form of sonar." As if to prove his point the purple-haired girl stabbed the long plug-like earlobes into a wall, as she used it to sneak past the machines. "However, she does have some offensive abilities as well, whether she uses the lobes as whips, or she could insert the jacks into a humanoid and stun them by using her heartbeat to echo throughout their bodies."
'So, she's just a skinnier version of Loudred.' Tomura slid his finger to the next subject which showed the brunette that he had talked to earlier, "subject eleven enhancements have given her small pads on each of her fingers which allows her to simulate a form of zero gravity to anything that she touches with all five of the pads." The brunette hit the side of one of the machines twice her size as it began to float and pushed it as she could, causing it to slam into the wall next to her disabling it. "Subject eleven can return the gravity by either connecting the pads to each other or by becoming unconscious. However, she seems to have a weight limit of three tons and once she reaches her limit nausea seems to take over her and can render her unconscious."
Tomura did not even consider the girl, ever since he saw the brunette in that cell. The fire that burned in her eyes, he knew all it would do was create more problems, and that was one thing he could not afford. "Subject nine will be sent to Teacher; the Action Squad already has a tank that can do what he can, but significantly better. Subjects ten and eleven can go to our allies; we got better scouts and someone who can easily control the battlefield."
"Besides our friends could take care of their attitudes like they had with their attack dog." However, before Tomura could return the tablet, he noticed one extra file labeled 'Subject 12' curiosity filled the blue-haired teen as he looked over to Kurogiri.
"Who is this?" the black misty man's eyes narrowed, "that is something you should not worry about Tomura." But before Kurogiri could grab the tablet, the teen simply pulled it out of his reach, "I'm only curious. Besides Teacher sent me here to increase my party isn't that right?"
The misty man paused for a moment before he gave the boy a slight nod. "Of course, Tomura" enjoying his little victory he began the video, "Subject twelve has a…unique enhancement which allows him to secrete a form of nitroglycerin." As if on queue a massive explosion filled the screen as a blonde boy erupted through the smoke charging an oncoming android as he thrust his palm onto the machine and another explosion destroyed it in the process.
"He used to have multiple smaller explosions across his body, that was until he somehow found a way to focus it in his hands within an hour. Subject twelve's body has also given itself a way to withstand the explosions by increasing his bone density so that they can withstand the force generated from the explosions. As well as a flame-retardant skin to avoid severe burn, and an increased number of tendons that could help against the recoil, although there seems to be one side effect" as the smoke cleared revealing the blonde as he began to pant heavily, revealing dark crimson eyes and a wide predatory grin.
"His aggression seems to have increased to an abnormal level, we've made sure to create a countermeasure so that others would not be harmed." The blonde keeled over as a metal collar around his neck began to produce a massive spike in electricity until he could no longer move.
Tomura had ceased his scratching as he focused on the video and a wide smile spread across his face under the hand. 'He has the strength and brutality of a Charizard and the explosive power of a Voltorb. Who knew such a combination would be…useful.'
The blue-haired teen handed Kurogiri the tablet, "ready him to be transferred over to the base." The golden eyes on the misty man's face, "Tomura, I must protest…"
"There is only one way to defeat someone as aggressive as him, and that's by showing him who is the true alpha."
"Wow, Kacchan you're so cool!" Katsuki violently shook his head to throw out the memory as he breathed through his teeth the muzzle around the teen's face was tightly squeezing against his skin as a steel block covering his forearms up to his hands as chains connecting to the walls held him in place. The blonde scanned the clean grey walls surrounding him; this wasn't like his previous cell. The bed was gone, and a large slab of steel replaced the glass like the door. The teen tried to tug against the chains to test their strength; he let out an annoyed grunt as the chains held their place.
The teen recalled how he felt the burning sensation around his skin as he was strapped down on the operating table, a myriad of small pops scattered across his skin. The boy gnashed his teeth against one another as to endure the pain while he waited for his moment, trying everything he could to control the explosions around his body till he could focus it into his hands.
Then he waited as the various voices around him poked and prodded his body until Katsuki could only hear one. The blonde felt the tight restraints around his left wrist become slack, the teen's eyes opened slightly to see what looked to be a doctor. Katsuki decided that this was his chance as he slammed his recently freed hand towards the doctor and released an explosion towards the person's face launching them across the room.
Katsuki recalled the commotion as he hastily undid his restraints blowing away anyone who tried to get in his way. The blonde felt the adrenaline overtake his body as he continued his rampage until multiple large men in dark clothing tried to restrain him until the blonde was knocked out.
The teen felt the tightness of the collar they had put on him when he had become consciousness. Katsuki hated the collar as every time he would even reach for it the device he would feel a tremendous electrical shock. That was not the only time that he had felt the pain as back in his cell he would try to test his powers against the walls, the collar would continue to shock him as if he were a wild beast.
The only time it would not shock him, was when he would be thrown into the arena. There the blonde was able to let loose and test his limits, Katsuki loved the fights as he began to decimate any machine that got in his way. He even started to feel the same rush as when he had begun his first assault. The blonde would recall the faces of those he attacked and how they were taken aback by him as they would cower in fear. The teen couldn't help but grin under the muzzle, 'that's how it should be.'
Ever since he could remember the blonde had been showered with praise, even as a young child Katsuki could quickly understand any subject that was given to him. One such occasion was when his mother had been able to teach the blonde how to read and write in Japanese not long after he just learned how to do the same in English, while he attended pre-school. Katsuki remembered how everyone in his class had come to awe over him and had begged him to write their names to which the blonde would happily oblige.
"Pfft!"
"What's so funny Kacchan?"
"Your name has a funny character right here 'deku' which means, someone who can't do anything."
Katsuki's streak didn't end there, as the blonde would ace anything the teachers would throw at him, and he was becoming incredibly athletic as he could keep up with even the school's athletes. The boy continued to grow more popular as he would prove to his classmates how everything would go his way and they would surround him in hopes to get his luck; they even gave him the nickname of 'The King.'
The blonde would recall how other students tried to challenge him throughout his time at school, but it would always end with him pummeling them to the ground. Whenever teachers would ask him why the blonde did it, he would simply reply that it was all in 'self-defense' and then he would either get a minor punishment or none what so ever. All in all, he was living the high life he felt as if fate had made him a clear pathway, that he would be like Tony Stark and change the world, but there was only one person who challenged all of that.
Katsuki couldn't help but grind his teeth together as the familiar green hair boy flashed through his mind, he could feel his hands begin to warm at the thought of the nerd. Katsuki had first met him when they were kids as both of their mothers had known each other, they had bonded over one thing, All Might. Both boys loved the superhero as the two would play games where they were heroes.
Even though Katsuki would tease the boy, it was all in good fun at first. Until one day when the blonde's mother had taken the two and a few of his friends to Central Park, the group would explore around one of the large lakes. Katsuki recalled how he tried to climb onto one of the larger rocks. However, the fun quickly ended as he slipped and fell into the water.
The blonde remembered hearing voices asking if he was okay, luckily, he had received a couple of scratches and a set of now wet clothes, but as he was about to reassure his friends, Katsuki heard the sound of splashes. As the young boy looked up to see green hair running to the blonde with a hand held out towards his friend, the smaller boy looked at Katsuki, his green eyes wide, and filled with worry. "Are you okay Kacchan?"
At first, the blonde didn't understand why the green-haired boy was worried until it dawned on him. 'Is he looking down on me?' The thought continued to plague his mind until he finally snapped. 'It didn't make sense, that nerd has nothing compared to me. I have everything that he doesn't; I am better than him! I'll make him pay for looking down on me!'
So, with that thought raging through young Katsuki's mind as the blonde's perspective completely shifted as the blonde did everything he could to outcast the green-haired boy from the group. But much to Katsuki's chagrin his target kept coming back, it didn't help either when the girl showed up.
Ever since the brunette decided to stand up for the nerd, she would be a constant thorn in his side, and unlike the others who had challenged him. The blonde couldn't just attack and show her where she truly belonged, as the school valued her as one of their charity cases since she came from a poor family, so if he tried the staff would believe her over him.
…
"Hey Katsuki, what's your beef with Izuku?" One of the blonde's friends asked. Katsuki was rubbing the red mark the brunette had given to him earlier after the blonde had chased both her and the nerd off after she slapped him. The teen's friends had stopped his rampage, and they had convinced the blonde to blow off steam at one of the arcades nearby.
"Why does it fucking matter?" Katsuki snapped, the boy jumped back as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you got to admit what you said earlier was pretty harsh, don't you think?" The blonde simply rolled his eyes, "please he won't go through with it anyway, so there is nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, but what if…" the blonde glared at his friend who quickly chose to close his mouth. "Weren't the two of you friends when you were younger?" The other boy asked as he pulled out a small box as Katsuki was beginning to feel annoyed by the two's constant questioning as he was readying another remark until he saw the contents of the box. "What the hell is that?"
The blonde looked as he saw one of the boy's pull out a cigarette, his compatriot simple grinned, "found this in my dad's desk and thought I would-HEY!" Katsuki snatched both the cigarette and the box and tossed it in a nearby trash can, as he glared at the boy. "Don't you ever do that kind of shit when I'm nearby if somebody caught us that would be a mark on my record, dumbass!"
The boy's eyes widened at Katsuki's outburst quickly stopping his protest and forgetting about the pack. However, both of the blonde's friends' attention quickly changed from Katsuki to something behind him. The blonde slowly turned back to see a large muscular man towering over him. "Well, I'll need a shield for later, and you will have to do."
The blonde tried everything to escape, but it all ended in vain as he became nothing more than a hostage. For the first time since he could remember Katsuki felt, fear. The blonde was afraid to die, 'this can't be it, there are so many things I have yet to do, I can't die!'
"LET GO OF HIM!" There he was the same defenseless nerd charging towards them.
It didn't make sense after everything Katsuki had done to the boy, he still wanted to help the blonde. It was Katsuki that still got the praise. All f the adults told him how brave he was, but that wasn't true, he was terrified. He was powerless, and yet it was the green-haired boy who charged in and tried to save him. The nerd's shaky smile pierced through his mind, "because you looked like you needed help!"
…
Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down towards his hands. 'Back then I was helpless, but now I'm better than ever. So, whenever I get out of this shithole, I'm coming for you, Deku.