... What exactly happened? Before, you were talking to Shinso, who had an interest in cats just as you did, and now the 'Cavalry Battle' is over. You glanced over to someone that was around you, and noticed Ojiro and Aoyama. You walked up to them, wanting to know answers.
"Hey, what just happened?" You questioned, looking around. "That guy..."
"His quirk is to brainwash people." Ojiro responds to your unasked question. You nod in understanding. "You respond to him, he has control over you."
'Brainwash...?'
"Does he?" You breathed, your head softly shaking.
"[Surname], just what happened to you?!" Aoyama then jumped in the conversation. "You're covered in blood!"
"Oh... this was from the race," You say, your mind is definitely elsewhere though. "I'm fine, r-really." You started to sweat excessively. "I'm going to go... yeah?"
"See you."
"Mhm." Dark thoughts then engulfed your entire being, the reoccurring one being the fear of you completely forgetting yourself. You didn't understand why this had triggered it at all, but... it just did. You'd think you would gain some sort of fear regarding being controlled by someone. Instead, it was your fear of forgetting yourself making a grand entrance into your head.
-
Obviously, you were scared to your wits end. Running through the arena's halls, you stumbled across Oji. A panicked face was evident on you, and he knew that as well. He quickly ran up to you, extremely worried about the state you are in.
"[Name], hey... are you okay?" He said in a soft tone, noticing your breathing getting even more rapid.
"I had absolutely no control out there..." You stressed, shaking your head. "My body— everything damn near was being controlled by someone else...!"
"So that is what was going on," Oji muttered to himself. "[Name], I want you to do something for me."
"No, I don't want to," You shook your head. "This... fuck no!" You trembled all over. This sudden panic was engulfing your entire being. Oji had his hand on your shoulder, but it did nothing. "I don't want to experience that ever again."
"[Name], you will not."
"How do you know?"
"Because," Oji lowered himself. "You're smarter than you think you are. The [Name] I know doesn't let this sort of thing irritate her like this. What she would do is think about what sort of action to take next."
"No, no." You shook your head, trying to breathe. "Stop." Your head began to slowly hurt.
"[Name], everything will be fine. So, whatever you're thinking," Oji comforted you, softly speaking with a quiet tone as the arena boomed outside. "Will not happen."
"No... it's just that," You breathed in shakily. "Is that how I'm going to feel when I forget everyone?"
"... What?" Oji had a confused look.
"I don't know how it connects... it just triggered it," You sigh heavily. "Is this some sort of... wake the hell up call?"
"... [Name]." The large male in front of you opened his arms. You rushed into his embrace, the feeling of utter sadness just sinking in.
"I don't want to forget anyone!" You wailed. It was still so puzzling to why you were freaking out this much. Someone brainwashed you, so what? That would be your usual excuse. But, for some reason, it just had to connect to your ultimate worst fear. "I-I don't want to even forget myself! Even so, I'd still prefer it like that than forgetting anybody else!"
"Nobody in this world does, [Name]." Oji patted your back. "It's normal to feel like this, especially given your situation."
"I don't— I don't even know what the hell I'm gonna forget after this!" You stuttered, trying your absolute best to stop the endless waves of tears streaming down your face.
"And that's okay," he said, raising your head so you two can hold eye contact. "It's fine because your journal will be here to remind you. You have been writing in it every single day, and what happened exactly that day. You will be okay."
"What if I forget people? Like... you?" You asked, your voice nearly cracking. "I've forgotten names, obviously, but... you know, not how someone looks, sounds, and their personality."
"You can forget us over and over again, [Name]." Oji chuckled, you scowled at him for laughing randomly. "The thing is— we won't forget you. We will always be here to comfort you. Even your friends, if you have those in your class."
"Hey! I have friends," You pouted. A small smile spread on your face, but there was still a sad lingering emotion.
"Yeah, yeah, I get ya," he continued to laugh softly. He stopped, "So that's why... don't you even worry. Forget you, us, and everything all you want. Everyone you hold dear to you will always welcome you with open arms."
"Thanks, that's really nice to know." You sniffed, still continuing to smile.
Oji's hand went to ruffle your hair, "Kid, you don't have to participate in the final event. You seem extremely exhausted, and nobody will put it past you if you don't want to."
"No, I want to," You say, a determined look on your face. "I'm strong enough to keep going."
"Not with all that blood on you, you don't look like it." He joked.
"Hey! Rude."
"Haha."
-
You made your way back to where your classmates were. There was a current ongoing battle, and it seemed to be Midoriya, who was fighting against one of your fellow classmates, Aoyama. You sighed heavily, slumping down on one of the chairs. Even though Oji had commented on the fact you should get checked up, you didn't really care one single bit. Some of your classmates gave you concerned glances, but you only smiled at them and waved it off instead.
"[Surname]!" Uraraka's concerned voice piped up. She walked to the seat next to you, and sat down right beside you. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm doing fine," You nervously fiddled with your fingers. "Nothing too bad, really."
"...You sure?" She frowned. Clearly seeing your gym uniform covered in blood, she was definitely thinking something was wrong. "You're covered in blood."
"Yeah, it was previous injuries, though," You dismissed her concerns, your eye on the match below. "I got them all taken care of. I just can't wash my gym uniform."
"Surely, you could clean your face...?" Uraraka nervously pointed it out.
"Is it that bad?"
"N-No! Not necessarily...!" She waved her hands around, terrified of accidentally insulting you. "Just... maybe get your face patched up and cleaned?"
"It's bad, huh?" You sighed.
"No— nevermind what I said!" Uraraka silently cried on the inside, thinking she just made everything extremely bad between you two. Really, you genuinely didn't care about all the blood on you as you had already taken care of the wounds that caused it.
"It's fine," You shrugged it off. "It's only blood. Nothing bad will happen."
"Right..." She nervously said.
"Woah! Midoriya won!" Kirishima exclaimed from below the two of you. Quite happy with the results of that round, you quickly decided to get up and grab a small snack for your satisfaction first. A vending machine was randomly in the middle of the hallway, and with your little stash of coins, you inserted a couple of it inside of the machine. You pressed the item you wanted, and waited for it to give the snack to you.
Except you got jumpscared in the process.
"[Surname]."
"What the fu— God!" You lowered your readied fist after realizing that it was Todoroki. "What's wrong with you?! Why are you even here to begin with?"
"To talk to you." He bluntly stated, as if it was obvious.
"Uh-huh, what do you need?" You asked him, opening the snack that you had bought.
"Just... Who exactly are you to All Might and Midoriya?" Todoroki asked, a full face full of seriousness.
"Uh... what kind of question is that?" You laughed dryly, looking over to the side. "Midoriya is a friend, and All Might is just someone who teaches us. Y'know?" You left out some key information about All Might.
"..." He stayed silent for a moment. Your eyes met his, and you immediately broke eye contact out of embarrassment. It was weird just standing in this hallway with some dude who only uses half of his power for some reason. "That day— do you remember our first battle, [Surname]?"
"Truthfully, no," You shook your head to the side. "I don't remember that at all. I'm assuming I fought you?"
"You did," he nodded. "And won." That sentence of his seemed to be full of irritation. "That day, when you used some fire quirk of yours... it made me feel some sort of way."
"Oh, really?" You hummed, turning back towards the vending machine, inserting more coins, and tapping a drink to get it. "How so?"
"It made me want to fight equally with you."
You stopped drinking your beverage, looking him dead in the eye again.
Tilting your head, you spoke, "What do you mean by that?"
"It was just some sudden urge to use my fire quirk." Todoroki said. You sipped on your drink, glanced down, and then stared at him in the face.
"...And?"
"Why?" He asked. "Why was it you?"
"T-The hell? How would I know?" You stuttered, shaking your head as you were taken aback. "Todoroki, that is all you and yourself. I couldn't even remember that you had a fire side to you."
"How come it was you? I see my father using his quirk all the time in combat. But, when it was you... I just wanted to embrace it." Todoroki explained, his voice still cold and monotone, just more confused.
"Then embrace it." You say, throwing away the drink you held previously before in your hand. "What's stopping you? Your father?"
He stayed silent at that.
"... Oh, I really didn't expect that," You muttered to yourself. "Endeavor, right? One of the people I live with lectured me on heroes, and I heard he's second best." Todoroki nodded his head, his gray and turquoise eyes lowering. "Who gives a single fuck, anyway? You're blood related, that's for sure, but you aren't bound to him. He's gonna die one day, and people will forget him as time goes by." The two of you had a little staring contest, looking each other in the eyes. "I mean, that's how I see it, at least. I say you should just take up the flames and set bitches on fire. Again, that's just me. Do whatever you want, you're not some puppet for anyone to control."
"..." Todoroki nodded silently, his eyes wavering to the side. "Do you know who you're battling?"
"I'm... not too sure," You admitted, scratching the back of your head. "I'll check again." You say, beginning to walk off.
"Wait, [Surname]."
"Hm?"
He seemed to be pretty hesitant to say whatever he was going to say, "Nevermind. Sorry."
"Alright then."
-
Some time had passed, and Todoroki ended up being the second match, along with Sero. You looked at your schedule, and your battle would be the fourth one to take place. Sighing heavily, you slump down with a tired mind. The loudness of the crowd was something. Your head hurts, but if you didn't pay too much attention to it, it would be as if it wasn't there. The battle did not last long at all, Todoroki was the winner after immediately immobilizing Sero with his ice. It was a guaranteed win for him, anyway.
The third match was between Kaminari and some girl with vines for her hair. You were quite nervous, seeing as your battle was going to be next.
Kirishima saw you freaking out internally and decided to have a conversation with you.
"Hey, [Surname]!" He greeted you, his pearly sharp teeth showing as he smiled.
"Oh, hey." You greeted him back, a nervous smile on your face.
"Are you doing okay?" He asked you.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." You reply, shrugging your shoulders.
"You took some harsh hits during the race," Kirishima pointed out. "It looked really painful, but I haven't had the chance to talk to you since... I don't know, you seemed to be in a trance following this purple haired guy."
"I mean, I sort of was," You say, a frown forming on your lips. "He brainwashed me. I mean— it was so stupid! If he just asked me, I would've been on his team!"
"Would you have?" The red head looked at you.
You nodded, "Yeah." Your eyes lowered. "I don't know what he has against people in the hero course, really. But what he did was uncalled for and just rude as hell."
"I get it," Kirishima leaned back in his chair, changing his attention back to the match below. "You didn't know he was going to take control of you at all."
"Right!" You exclaimed, putting a hand over your head. "Nobody was going to tell me to not have a conversation with him about cats!"
"You guys talked?"
"Unfortunately. It was such a good conversation, too! I thought we bonded," You grinded your teeth. "Just mid conversation, he just activates his quirk!"
"Well, you're you against him, right?" Kirishima asked you, to that you shrugged. "His name his Shinso, right?"
"Yeah. I wasn't here to look at who I was going up against, but all I know is I'm going to be fighting right after this match." You crossed your arms. "I genuinely did not think he would pull this shit."
"Well, you better beat him." Kirishima exclaimed, his fist up clenched as he was giving you a determined look. "I'm rooting for you, [Surname]!"
"Thanks!" You laughed heartily. "I'l be rooting for you, too!"
"All right!" He happily chirped. "I'm counting on you, y'know!"
"Same here," You say calmly. A smile was on your face as you looked down at the battle. It seems that the girl had won against Denki, seeing as he was trapped in her vines. You chuckled silently to yourself, knowing that he was probably having a burnout moment. "Guess it's time for me to warm up."
"Break a leg, [Surname]!" Kirishima yelled his words of support for you.
"Good luck, [Surname]!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"Thank you both!" A smile was evident on your features. As you waved goodbye, you made your way down to the locker room where you could take a moment to cool down before the match started.
You pulled out the chair, and sat down silently in your own thoughts. You needed to win this match. If you did not, you would absolutely go berserk, probably. The loud cheers of the crowd echoed outside. You were nervous, obviously. Your leg bounced underneath the table, and you came up with a plan in order to defeat the purple haired brainwasher.
"That son if a bitch will eat shit," You grumbled lowly to yourself. "Fucking prick."
For the first time in your life, you had a plan. Only because you're spiteful of the person you're fighting against. Shinso had no right to pull that shit at all. Controlling you as if you were some puppet? You'll show him what a true puppeteer is.
It was time for your match.
-
You and Shinso locked eyes. A glint of anger was in yours, and his tired ones... who gives a fuck? You're here to stop him from advancing and that is that. A sigh escaped your lips as you stood still, not getting in a stance. He, too, did the same as you.
'Fucking insomniac motherfucker."
"Ready?!" Present Mic's voice boomed. Your brows furrowed. "Start!!!"
"So, what's the conversation going to be about this time?!" He smiled, his eyes widening slightly.
You stayed still, awaiting for his many more jabs and insults.
"You're naive, surprising for a hero course student." Shinso spoke, trying his absolute best to get you to speak. "Unlike your friends, like that one who dropped out of the matches, you're actually smart, aren't you? Taking up this chance while you still have it."
'... The hell is he even on about?'
"[Surname], was it?" He asked you. You simply blinked, unmoving. "God damn it," he cursed. "Say something!"
It was as if this battle was a stalemate. You won't respond to him, waiting for the perfect moment.
"Your life was probably so damn perfect, especially with whatever your quirk was," Shinso complained. You rolled your eyes. "You had it all easy. All—"
You popped one of your fingers, fed up with his endless complaints. You turned, a glare on your face going directly towards him. You then smiled mischievously.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?!" You laughed, walking over to him. "Your vocal cords are destroyed, thanks to my quirk. You're rendered useless right now, you know?"
It was silent from him, obviously. Though, he seemed to be absolutely fucking livid.
"Karma's a bitch." You bluntly stated. "Go on, walk out of bounds or I'll make you." Shinso's eyes narrowed, sweat dripping from his head. He stayed right in his place, unmoving. "Fine, then. Make me forget more." You crossed your arms, puffing.
Taking control of him, you immobilized him so he wouldn't move. Shinso was more than confused, he didn't understand why he couldn't speak or move. A laugh erupted from you once again. "What? Think I'm gonna let you command me to do whatever shit ya want?! Fuck off at this point! You better be fucking lucky I didn't make you go brain dead, asshole! I like cats, and I know I may be naive, but how was I supposed to know you'd pull that shit?! I probably would've joined your team if you asked! You reap what you fucking sow, Shinso." You wiped a stray tear falling from your eye due to the laughing. "You're funny, really. Talking all that shit as if you know who the hell I am."
With a harsh kick to his stomach, he was out of bounds.
"Shinso is out of the ring!" Midnight yells, announcing your victory. "[Surname] moves on to the second round!"
"Hm." You hummed, staring down at Shinso. "Your vocal cords should be back now."
Shinso coughed, standing back up.
You then turned away from him, going to walk the opposite direction before you suddenly stopped, "I understand you need to do what you need to do, but that shit was so uncalled for. That was fucked up with how you played it."
"Huh," he shook his head, a small smile on his face. "You're something, aren't you?"
"Perhaps, but I'm being serious," You turned to fully face him. "That was fucking rude. I would've joined your team, seriously."
"Then the next Sports Festival, I'll ask you." Shinso nodded, a smile on his face. "Without my quirk."
"Sounds like a plan, if I remember." You smile. "See you around, you unhinged brainwasher."